Ari licked her lips, standing taller and trying to regain control of this situation. “Okay, so you’ve seen the venue... It’s early, so the bride won’t be up yet — there was a bit of a hiccup with the groom yesterday, she had to see him in hospital and...” She trailed away as Stella began to wave her hand in a ‘hurry up’ gesture. “So, um, I guess I’ll get Sebastian to get your copy of the contract so you can run over it and—” She stopped, staring at Stella anew. “Stella, it’sseven in the morning. Who let you into the house?”
“Why, I let myself in,” Stella answered slowly, as though Ari were some kind of idiot. “My assistant and I arrived, and the gate was open, so we pulled up the drive. And then the decorators were downstairs setting up their ladders, so we just walked inside.”
“Decorators?” Ari asked. “Marnie has decorators in?”
“Mm, so it seems. Something about a room for a little girl and—” Stella stopped, suddenly peering at Ari curiously. “Where’s your small?”
“My small?” Ari asked in confusion, before her mind caught up. “Oh, you mean... Do you mean Reine?”
“Obviously,” Stella said, disdain dripping from the word. “Your small. Where is she?”
“Luis has her,” Ari explained. “He’s flying over with her now.”
“And she’ll be staying here? With you?”
“Well yes, I have this room and Marnie’s put aside the room next to mine for Reine. Just until the wedding, of course.”
Stella stared at Ari, her crystal blue eyes sharp even in the soft morning light. “Guest quarters for staff? That’s not the Marnie Somerset I remember. When I last saw her, the house was strictly for family only.”
“Oh.” Ari exhaled. “Well, she seemed very friendly yesterday. Very keen on having Reine here too. I was touched.”
“Hmm.” Stella looked around Ari’s room, taking in the soft bed, the plush carpets and the ornate furnishings. “Hmm,” she murmured again.
“Stella, we only have about five minutes left. Let me go and get Sebastian, and a large coffee, and he can run over the wedding details briefly with you. The wedding is in seven weeks, so it will be a tight job, but I know Marnie will pay you well for it and—”
“And my biscuits?” Stella cut in. “You know the rules. When I work on one of your weddings, or a De León wedding, I get two boxes of dark chocolate Leibniz.”
“Yes, I know all about your biscuits, and we will sort it out, don’t worry.” Ari did her best to sound confident. “Please let me go and get Sebastian. He’ll be in his room and—” She stopped, staring at Stella once more. “Um, why did you come into this room? After letting yourself in?”
“Because the decorators were headed here, and I was curious.”
“Right.” Ari thought for a moment. “Because the decorators are coming in to . . . to paint a room for Reine . . . and . . .”
Stella leaned forward, a rare and sudden spark of interest on her face. “Odd when you say it like that, isn’t it?”
It was odd. Marnie hardly knew her, or Reine, and yet had given them two of the best rooms in her home. It was admittedly a large home, and Ari knew she had the space to spare, but still. Something about the situation suddenly sat ill upon her, and she frowned.
“Let me get Sebastian,” she said. “Wait here and I’ll come back—”
“I left my assistant in the gallery downstairs,” Stella cut in. “I shall wait there. Tell your brother he has three minutes.”
“The gallery downstairs, absolutely, we’ll meet you there,” Ari replied, trying not to feel too overwhelmed. Of course, in a house of this size, with all its trappings and riches, there would be a gallery. Of course there would.
Once Stella had disappeared, Ari sprang into action. She hastily tied her robe around her and ran into the hall, passing the room next to her own, in which men with ladders and pots of paint were hanging protective sheets over the carpet. She ran into Sebastian’s room, opening his door without knocking and dashing to his bed.
“Sebastian,” she hissed. “Wake up. Right now.”
“But I don’t want pancakes this morning, Luis,” he murmured sleepily. “Feed them to Ari.”
“Sebastian,” Ari hissed again, prodding him this time. “Wake up.”
“All right, all right,” he muttered, rolling over. “I’ll have one pancake but only if you add the syrup I like.”
Ari stood taller, crossing her arms over chest. “Sebastian,” she said loudly. “Stella Snow is downstairs, and you have three minutes left before she walks out the door and costs you this dream wedding and all associated business.”
Sebastian sat bolt upright in bed, his eyes snapping to Ari. “What time is it?” he asked, before shaking his head. “Never mind. No time for the time. Stella is here. Fuck, where is my suit?”
“Just put on your robe,” Ari replied sharply. “You haven’t got time for your suit. You have three minutes.”
