‘Imagine the photos in here,’ he said.
Maddy nodded. ‘Yes. It’s very… classic.’
Eva said nothing.
They moved through the building, passing through the ceremony room and the dining room and out into formal gardens that unfurled in careful geometry. If you wanted a wedding that looked like anOK!magazine spread, you would struggle to do better.
Adam was in his element, asking about fireworks licences and string quartets. Maddy walked beside him, fingers laced through his, smiling at the appropriate moments.
They were brought back out and shown the carriage circle at the front of the house, a sweeping curve of gravel bordered by low stone walls.
‘And of course,’ Ralph said smoothly, ‘many couples choose to arrive by horse and carriage. It’s rather magical, coming up the drive.’
‘That would be incredible,’ Adam said immediately. ‘Can you imagine, Maddy? You, arriving in a carriage?’
Eva hoped that this was the moment. It should have been the moment. Because it had been one of the few strong opinions she’d gotten out of Maddy. She didn’t want to play princess for the day. It wasn’t her.
Maddy laughed lightly. ‘That does sound magical.’
Eva kept her face still.
Adam was warming to the idea. ‘It’s the kind of thing you don’t get to do twice,’ he said. ‘Proper fairy-tale stuff.’
Ralph beamed. ‘We have a wonderful supplier. White horses, plumed headpieces…’
Maddy nodded again. ‘Certainly something to think about.’
Eva wrotecarriage option—pricing?in the margin of her notebook and pressed her pen a little too hard. She told herself:He has a right to suggest it. She has a right to change her mind.
But already, she knew Maddy’s tells when she was being talked into something she hated. The way her smile flattened at the edges. The way she tilted her head slightly, like a quizzical dog.
Why didn’t Adam see it? Maybe he did. Maybe they’d talk later, and he’d say, ‘Are you really sure?’ and she’d be honest with him. Maybe that was how they worked.
She really hoped it was how they worked.
By the time they were shown a private lounge upstairs for the groomsmen to hang out in pre-wedding, with its velvet armchairs and tall windows overlooking the grounds, Adam’s tongue was hanging out.
‘I can see it,’ he said.
Maddy looked at Eva. Eva gave her what she hoped was a neutral, encouraging smile. ‘What do you think?’
‘Yeah,’ Maddy said.
They ended the tour back at the front steps. Adam lingered to ask about a dove release.
Maddy drifted down the steps toward the side garden, as if in need of air. Eva followed without saying anything. They walked in silence until the house was obscured by a stand of trees.
‘It’s very grand,’ Eva said carefully.
Maddy nodded. ‘It is.’
‘And the carriage,’ Eva added, keeping her tone light. ‘Very fairy-tale.’
Maddy’s smile wilted. ‘I guess.’
Eva waited. Maddy stared out at the lawns.
‘You said you didn’t want a carriage,’ Eva said gently.
