Sandy had finally turned to look at Lauren, and her stare was so beady that Lauren ground to a halt mid-sentence.
“It wasn’t Nova, as well you know.”
“What do you mean?” Lauren was whispering now, and Ash leaned forward to hear her.
“Don’t play dumb with me,” Sandy hissed. “You know exactly what I mean.”
For a moment, Lauren didn’t speak. She was facing the front so Ash couldn’t see her face, but he could see the tension in her whole back as she tried to work out what the hell to do. Then her shoulders sunk.
“Sandy, I can explain…”
“Don’t waste your breath. You can explain it all to the police; they should be on their way to the church as we speak.”
“I’m so sorry, I never meant to hurt you. I didn’t even think you’d be at home; I know you usually babysit your grandkids on a Wednesday night. But then you came downstairs and caught me at the door and I panicked. I’m so sorry, it was just a horrible accident.”
Ash’s heart was racing. He kept his eyes glued to his phone to make sure it was still recording, while Dan’s leg knocked against his in excitement.
“Why were you even at my house in the first place?” Sandy said. “And why were you wearing a red coat identical to Nova’s?”
Lauren let out a long sigh. “It’s complicated to explain, but I was just going to break in your front door and then leave; I honestly never intended to hurt you. Please don’t tell the police it was—”
She was interrupted by the blare of the church organ. Immediately, everyone began to stand up.
“Please, Sandy.” Lauren’s voice had risen to be heard above the music. “We’ve known each other for years. Meet me somewhere private after the ceremony and I’ll explain it all to you, then you’ll understand.”
Sandy didn’t answer, and Ash saw Lauren glance back toward the door.
“There’s no point in trying to do a runner,” Sandy said. “There’s a woman outside with a dangerous dog, and believe me, they won’t let you get away.”
Beside him, Ash heard Dan give a faint snort at Craddock being described as dangerous. Ash swallowed a smile and pressed the stop button on his phone. That was it, then; they had the piece of evidence they needed. For the briefest of seconds, Sandy glanced back at Ash, and when he gave her a quick nod, she nodded back.
Behind him, the church doors creaked open, and Ash turnedaround to see Nova stepping into the church, a familiar white-haired figure at her side. Ash grinned at the incongruous pair as they began to walk down the aisle: Arthur in his ill-fitting suit and flat cap, and Nova in her awesome retro dress. A second later, his grin grew even wider as he felt warm skin brush against his. Dan took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, and Ash squeezed back, feeling like he might explode with happiness.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Nova
Nova gripped Arthur’s arm as they walked slowly up the aisle. At the far end, she could see Craig watching her with a look of pure delight on his face. To his left, Pamela was looking considerably less delighted, although whether that was about Nova’s dress change or the unsanctioned, slightly disheveled old man walking her up the aisle, Nova didn’t know, and frankly, didn’t care. She looked away from her future mother-in-law to the sea of faces on either side of the aisle. Most were unfamiliar, but every now and then she’d catch the eye of one of her old London friends, and Nova smiled. God, she’d missed them all.
Halfway up the aisle, she saw Ash and Dan sitting on the end of a pew. When he saw her looking, Ash raised his hand into a thumbs-up, and Nova felt a flood of relief. So, their plan had worked, just like Phyllis had said it would. Nova hadn’t been so confident. Just because Miss Marple always managed to set a trap that would make the criminal confess didn’t mean that Lauren would fall into theirs. Thankfully, when Nova had called Sandy first thing this morning and told her their theory, Sandy had been so horrified that she’d agreed to go along with the plan and pretend that she’d rememberedseeing her attacker. And by the look of things, it appeared that Lauren had not only believed Sandy but also confessed her involvement, and that Ash and Dan had got that confession recorded. Which meant that Nova was now officially a free woman.
She smiled at Ash and turned back to look at Craig ahead of her. At some point Nova would have to tell him that she’d entrapped his best friend at their wedding, and hopefully he’d understand, especially now that it had cleared Nova’s name. But for the moment, all that mattered was what was about to come: the wedding ceremony, their vows, and the moment they became husband and wife. Nova felt her stomach twist. She’d hoped that once she got the thumbs-up from Ash her nerves would subside, but she still felt as if she had a swarm of butterflies circling inside her. Still, it must be normal for a bride to feel like this as she walked up the aisle in front of hundreds of people.
As if sensing her whirl of emotions, Arthur gave Nova’s arm a gentle squeeze. As he did, she remembered his words last night.I knew before I even set foot in that church that my wedding was going to be the happiest, most important day of my life.But Arthur’s love story was like a romance novel: beautiful and all-consuming. Whereas Nova and Craig’s love story was like real life: messy and complicated, full of wonderful ups and difficult downs, just like her dad always said life should be. So just because Nova wasn’t skipping up the aisle right now, it didn’t mean that she and Craig didn’t deserve their happily ever after too.
She’d reached the top of the aisle, and Arthur leaned forward to whisper in her ear.
“You’re a very special young lady, Nova, and you deserve every happiness in the world.”
“Thank you,” she whispered back, as Arthur moved to sit in one of the front rows.
“You look incredible.” Craig had come to stand next to Nova, and his voice wobbled with emotion. “If your dad had been walking you up the aisle right now, I know he’d have been the proudest father in the whole world.”
Nova swallowed down a lump in her throat. This was one of the things she loved about Craig; he’d known and adored her dad, just as her dad had known and adored him in return. And Craig was right; he would have been so proud of her today.
“Dearly beloved,” the vicar began, and Nova heard the congregation settle behind her. “Welcome to St Piran’s on this beautiful October day, to celebrate the wedding of Nova and Craig.”
Her heart was still hammering in her chest so loudly she could barely hear what the vicar was saying. Nova took several deep breaths, willing him to hurry up so they could get to the “I do” part and she could finally relax.
