“Walking up the aisle is a bit nerve-racking, but luckily everyone will be looking at you, so I reckon I’ll be all right.”
“I’m not talking about that,” she tells me. “I’m talking about your task. The Wedding Season isn’t over yet.”
“Oh god, Rubes. How is it possible that you’ve been thinking about that when you’ve had so much on?” I sigh. “What are you going to ask me to do?”
“You’ll see,” she says haughtily. “Leo wants to be there when we tell you.”
“Are you both mad?! Today is meant to be about you two!”
“Yes, and you are very much part of us. We’ve put a lot ofthought into this final task. You’ve been successful at all the others, but this one is a real game changer.”
“You’re not going to ask me to do anything crazy, are you?”
“Hmmm, well, what was it you said on my hen do? Ah yes, that was it,” she says with a shrug. “Sorry, Freya, but sometimes… life’s a bitch.”
“Oh no,” I whisper in defeat.
“I think we should open the bottle of champagne now, Mum, don’t you? Time to celebrate,” Ruby declares smugly, offering me a mischievous grin. “Not to mention, if Freya wants to survive the final day of the Wedding Season, I have a feeling she’s going to need a little bit of Dutch courage.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Simone can barely speak she’s laughing so hard.
“Do… you… have… any safety pins?” she manages to splutter through giggles and wheezes, putting her hands on my shoulders, her face creasing up with delight.
“Safety pins? No, although I think there may be some in the loos,” I inform her. “Why would you need safety pins?”
“Dominic’s ripped his trousers.”
“What?”
“Right down the bum.”
“What?”
“Look!”
She points to the other side of the marquee where Dominic is sitting on a chair, wide-eyed with panic, while Cali stands next to him, her face buried in her hands. Ruby and Leo are having a blast, twirling around the oakwood dance floor along the majority of guests as the band plays Arctic Monkeys.
The ceremony was brilliant. There was a brass band, so Ruby got the trumpets that she’d envisioned. Leo messed up his lines, breaking the ice early on and making everyone howl with laughter—“I, Ruby, take you, Leo… no wait! Other way round! I’m Leo!”—and then it showered during the photos, which turned out to produce some amazing shots of Leo and Ruby kissing and laughing in the rain, me holding an umbrella over Ruby in an attempt to protect her stunning bohemian lace gown.
The wedding cake, made by Leo’s aunt, was produced to great fanfare and Ruby was horrified to see that it was bright red when she’d asked for a “rustic” look. Honestly, herface.She caught my eye and we got the giggles so badly, my eyes were watering.
“Do you like it?” Leo’s aunt asked eagerly.
“Oh, yes. It’s… uh… bright!” Leo said, shocked at the spectacle.
“A bright cake for bright, young things! And do you like the cake toppers?”
“Absolutely,” he replied, peering at them. “Are they—?”
“Puffins!” she confirmed excitedly. “One is wearing a top hat and the other in the veil. Aren’t they adorable? I saw them online and thought they were perfect for you two.”
“Yes,” Leo nodded robotically. “Perfect.”
So far, neither Leo or Ruby has worked out why she’d see puffins and think of them, but to be fair, the cake is certainly unique, it tastes delicious,andno one will ever forget it. I actually feel quite boring that Matthew and I had gone for a traditional-looking cake with flowers on the top from our florist. Sure, it looked pretty, but if I ever have the choice again, I want my cake toppers to be something fun and ridiculous, like a puffin wearing a top hat.
The wedding breakfast food was delicious—Mauritian dishes served in sharing style—and Ruby gave a very moving speech, in which I got a mention as her “rock.” A very fitting description for someone who once played the stone in the family’s King Arthur production. They cut the eye-catching cake with beaming smiles and now here we all are, dancing away and ripping our trousers. Apparently.
