She sniffs. ‘I’m lucky there’s still room in the other two.’
Tia’s keeping super calm ‘If we’d had any idea, we’d have steered you towards something less fitted.’
Athena groans. ‘I was so sure I’d be a size eight all the way to the end.’
I feel so sorry for her, I chip in again. ‘On the upside, if we can find you another dress today, it should still fit on Saturday.’ I’m throwing everything at this. ‘While you get dressed again, I’ll get you a ginger tea and one of Poppy’s cupcakes. And Tia can look for some others for you to try.’
‘Great!’ Athena gets hold of both my hands and squeezes them tightly. ‘Thank you for understanding. And thank you for helping.’
Given how effortless it was the first time round, this should be as easy as falling off a log, but Athena’s confidence in her judgment has been shattered. A whole hour later when we still haven’t brought out anything she will even consider, she leans back in her Mother of the Bride chair and purses her lips.
‘I’m sorry to be picky, but with each of the other dresses I chose, I knew immediately that they were “the one”.’ She wrings her hands. ‘I just can’t bear to make the wrong choice a second time.’
I’m thinking out loud. ‘The ones we wore for our dancing reel at the harbour are probably too slinky.’ Considering dresses that have been dipped in the ocean shows we’re running out of options.
Tia ponders. ‘The one from Unicorn Creek is here, but that belongs to Lando.’
Athena sits up. ‘How has my brother been buying Seraphina East wedding dresses when he barely has two pennies to his name?’
I try to keep the explanation simple. ‘We were doing a bridal photo shoot and I fell off the Silver Meadows’ stepping stones. As it was Sav’s fault, Lando picked up the tab for the dress I was wearing. After all, he’s loaded and Sav is broke.’
Athena’s voice rises in protest. ‘Lando isn’t rich! He lives on fresh air and gives all his spare cash to conservation charities.’
I’m blinking at her. ‘Are you sure we’re talking about the same person?’
She sighs. ‘A lot of our family struggled with the profligacy we experienced growing up, but Lando was the worst. Until recently he’s always been fiercely independent, and adamant he wouldn’t accept a jot of the family fortune.’
Tia swoops in.
‘Leaving Lando aside, there is a dress upstairs that has been paid for in full but is still available. It’s also been covered in marsh mud and had an Iron Maiden’s rescue and revive.’
Athena sits back in her chair. ‘There’s nothing to lose by looking.’
I’m another level of awake. ‘There’ll be the one from our strawberry tart fiasco, too. And another from the ice cream slide. And the B&Q one with the snag in the hem where I fell into the petunias. They’re all still being tried on as samples, but after that they’ll be heading for the sold-as-seen trunk sale.’
Athena grins at me. ‘You’re full of surprises, I can see why Lando is head over heels.’ As Tia clatters off up the stairs, she looks at me anxiously. ‘He didn’t buy it for you?’
I stare up at the chandelier and think back to all the stages Lando and I have been through since he arrived. ‘I was ready to throttle him and Sav that particular day, and he was thinking the worst of me, so definitely not that.’
A few minutes later Tia comes down with an armful of dresses, hangs them on the free-standing rail, then we bring them across one at a time. As I look at each one, and remember wearing it, it’s like replaying my whole summer, one emotional train wreck after another.
Athena hugs her arms around her chest. ‘I like all of these, but it’s whether or not they fit.’
I grin at her. ‘Start with your favourite, and work through until you find one that does.’ I laugh. ‘At least you’re not worrying about black flies anymore.’
The strawberry tart one is too tight across the top, the Unicorn Creek one fits but feels too beachy. When she reaches for the next one it only feels fair to tell her before she tries it.
‘There are pictures of me in this one all over B&Q car park with Lando.’
She laughs. ‘If the duchess aunts shop at B&Q, it won’t be the St Aidan branch.’ Her smile widens. ‘In any case, I’ll look completely different in it; every woman makes a dress her own.’
When I go into the fitting room a few moments later, she’s staring at her reflection and swishes the skirt.
I fill her in. ‘Where the other dress was super pretty, with this one “less is more”. It has side splits with lace inserts that are modest and super sexy all at the same time.’
Her smile spreads. ‘That’s the kind of crowd-pleaser we’re looking for.’
I’m hoping I’m not getting ahead of myself. ‘Would you like to try it with your court shoes and a lovely long veil?’
