The bathroom falls into silence. I try to continue but she’s given me such a fright, I swear she’s scared all my pee away. Eventually, I manage to finish and try to yank the Spanx upquickly and shimmy my dress down, before taking a deep breath and opening the door with a calm and kind expression.
“Are you enjoying your party?”
She purses her lips in irritation. She looks intimidatingly striking. She’s wearing a fitted red dress with matching lipstick, her hair swept over one shoulder, falling in loosely styled waves. She has on gold drop earrings and a matching bracelet, both of which I recognize from studying her recent collection online. She wouldn’t look out of place in a James Bond casino scene. I go to the sink to wash my hands, her raging eyes fixed on me.
“Don’t ignore me, I asked you a question,” she seethes. “Why are youhere? I told you, you’re fired.”
“Look, I really don’t want you missing out on your party because you’re in here chatting with me, so why don’t we—”
“Why don’t we what? Go back out there and pretend to be BFFs?” She scoffs. “I honestly thought my mother couldn’t embarrass me any more than when she did the cha-cha at my sixteenth, but then she goes and hiresyou.”
She’s speaking with such venom, it’s difficult to keep a level head. But I remind myself that Cordelia doesn’t know me at all. This isn’t personal.
“Why are you embarrassed?” I ask simply, throwing a hand towel into the wicker basket next to the sink and helping myself to the posh hand cream. “My job is to help you with your wedding preparations, that’s all. I work for brides all over the country. There’s nothing embarrassing about it. Organizing a wedding is a wonderful but stressful time in anyone’s life, and considering the number of people you’re having, it’s really—”
“BLEUGH!” She mimics sticking two fingers down her throat. “Save me the sound bites. I’ve told you, I don’t need any help.”
“How do you know? You might do nearer the time.”
“I have the best contacts in the world,” she sneers, folding her arms. “Why would I need someone likeyou?”
“Because the best contacts in the world might not be around when you need someone to talk to.”
“Fucking hell, could you give the nice-girl act a break?” She throws up her hands in exasperation. “I don’t need ‘someone to talk to.’ I’m not eight years old. Do all your clients fall for this crap?”
I take a deep breath.It’s not personal, it’s not personal, it’s not—“Cordelia—”
“I want you to leave,” she interrupts. “I know the sort of person you are and what you’re doing here. You may have fooled my mum, but you’re not fooling me.”
“I’m not fooling anyone!”
“Says the girl who lies for a living.” She tilts her head, smiling triumphantly as my eyes drop to the floor. “As I was saying, you’re done here. Please leave. And make sure you don’t get photographed by the press. I don’t want anyone thinking I associate with people like you.”
“Who exactly do you think I am?” I ask, clenching my fists and trying hard not to raise my voice. “You keep saying ‘people like you.’ What does that even mean?”
“People who will do anything to climb to the top,” she says plainly. “It’s obvious and repulsive. You spotted a moneymaking opportunity and you went for it. Trust me, I’ve seen it all before.”
“Lady Meade approached me,” I point out as calmly as I can. “She wants me to help you. I didn’t ask for this.”
“Do you really think Jonathan believed you’re actually my friend? Do you think anybody will? No one has ever heard of you, and in our circles everyone knows everyone.”
“Jonathan looked convinced to me,” I say truthfully.
He’d been surprised at first when I introduced myself as Cordelia’s friend and bridesmaid, adding that it was an honor to be a part of his wedding.
“You didn’t tell me you’d picked a bridesmaid!” he exclaimed happily to his fiancée, after giving me a kiss on each cheek. Cordelia did not deign to greet me. “I thought you didn’t want any!”
“So did I,” Cordelia muttered, under her breath.
Luckily, neither Tom nor Jonathan heard her, and Jonathan appeared so happy to meet me he seemed oblivious to the fact he’d never heard of me before.
“You met at an art gallery? Cordelia, I can’t believe you haven’t told me any of this! She’s been very secretive about you, Emily.” He chuckled, then looked at me with suspicion. “Hang on. Did I meet you at the Easter ball? I think I remember! You’ll have to forgive me, I’d had a few that night and it’s all a bit of a blur.” He spotted someone over my shoulder and his face lit up. “Ah! There’s my cousin! I’d better go and say hi. Really nice to meet you, Emily. I’m glad Cordelia has someone looking after her.”
I moved away so he could greet those coming in after me but felt elated at such a successful meeting. The fiancé is always a big hurdle. The idea they might not know one of their partner’s friends, let alone a friend close enough to be part of the bridal party, is always a tricky one to navigate.
Thankfully, a lot of the time they’re so embarrassed they don’t remember your name cropping up or potentially having met you, they’re willing to let it go.
As I’d thought when I’d first researched the couple, it seemed odd to me that Jonathan was with Cordelia. He was warm, welcoming, cheerful, with adorable dimples when he smiled and bright, interested eyes. Where she was closed off, he was open, the sort of person you’d want to play poker against. She, on the other hand, is impossible to read, and once you’re in, I can guess you immediately want to get out.
