They walked round to the back garden, where a giant blancmange-like marquee had been erected in the middle of the lawn. A waiter approached them with a tray of drinks; June took a lethal-lookingcocktail and Alex a glass of water. Guests were milling around them on the grass, laughing with the noisy exuberance of people who’d been drinking all day.
“God, look at this,” Alex said, surveying the scene. “It’s like something out ofThe Great Gatsby, and I don’t mean that in a good way.”
June laughed at the reference and felt another flush of pleasure at being here with Alex, all dressed up and drinking cocktails. Then she remembered the reason why they’d come. “Shall we go into the marquee and see if Brian or Marjorie are there?”
Inside the tent, there must have been at least twenty round tables, each groaning under the weight of huge vases of pink lilies. Some of the older guests were still sitting at the tables, shouting their conversations over the roar of the music. At the far side there was a dance floor under a giant disco ball, packed with drunken bodies flailing to “Come on Eileen.”
June surveyed the room. “I can’t see either of them.”
“Can you recognize anyone from the council?” Alex said.
June was about to say no when she caught sight of a man over on the other side of the marquee, deep in conversation with an older woman. “Oh my god, it’s him.”
“Who?”
June looked again in case she’d made a mistake, but it was definitely him: tall, square-jawed, the white-blond hair.
“It’s Draco Malfoy.”
Alex didn’t respond, and when June turned to look, he was staring at her with a weird expression. “O-kay. I think you’ve maybe had enough to drink.”
“What?”
“Seriously, if you’re seeing villains from kids’ books, then you probably need to stick to water tonight.”
“No! Draco is my name for one of the guys I saw with Brian that night you and I were in the Chequers. He was the one who was talking about the council and greasing the wheels.”
“Oh, I see. But why would they invite him to the wedding?”
“I guess they must be trying to impress him.”
“I don’t believe we’ve met.” The woman who’d been dressed as Wonder Woman at Gayle’s hen do had stepped between June and Alex, extending her hand to him. “I’m Isabelle.”
“Hi, I’m Alex.”
“Enchanté, Alex. How do you know the happy couple?”
“I’m here with June.”
Isabelle noticed June for the first time. “Nice to meet you.”
“Actually, we’ve met before,” June said, surprising herself.
“Really? I don’t remember you.”
“We sat next to each other at Gayle’s hen do.”
Isabelle paused, obviously trying to place June, and her face split into a grin. “Oh my god, you’re the virgin!”
She let out a burst of laugher and June cringed. She glanced at Alex and saw a look of surprise cross his face, although he quickly hid it.
“God, I’m amazed you came after that,” Isabelle said, still laughing.
June forced herself to smile. “We were wondering, who’s that?” She pointed across the room to where Draco was now standing in the middle of a group of guys, all braying.
“Which one?” Isabelle said.
“The one in the middle, over there. With the white-blond hair.”
