‘Maddy, you’ve brought such warmth into his life.’
Maddy felt every eye tilt toward her again. She arranged her face accordingly.
Harry spoke about family. About futures. About how lucky they all were. And how pleased that Maddy would be becoming a Morrison. Maddy tried not to look surprised at the assumption. But really, it shouldn’t have been a surprise. Of course it was expected. So, of course, she’d end up doing it.
Hello, Maddy Morrison. Goodbye, Maddy Kind. Nice knowing you. Sort of.
Maddy took a glug of champagne. When the speech ended, applause slapped gently. Adam squeezed her waist.
The party resumed its gentle hum. Someone refilled her glass without asking.
***
Later, Maddy found herself standing near the French doors that opened onto the garden. The night beyond was cool, the lawn dark. She pictured Hawthorne Manor. That was where it would happen.I do.
It would be beautiful. It would be impressive. It would be exactly what everyone expected.
She stepped outside onto the dark lawn. Cold air met her skin.
Her phone was in her bag. She slipped it out and opened her thread with Eva. The last message sat there.
There you are.
Her heart skittered.
It doesn’t mean anything. She just meant the dress suited you. It doesn’t mean anything.
‘Everything alright?’
Adam again, always appearing just as she drifted too far. Maddy realised she was cold. How long had she been out here?
‘Fine,’ she said, locking her screen.
‘You okay with the numbers creeping up a bit?’ Adam asked. ‘Dad's got a few colleagues he’d love to include. They gave me a cheque, so we don’t need to worry about the extra expense of Hawthorne. We can stick to our original budget.’
Creeping up. Yes, the numbers could do that now. The greenhouse seated eighty comfortably, and that’s where it would stop. But Hawthorne Manor could house one hundred and fifty without blinking.
‘Why not?’ she said.
Adam smiled, satisfied, and was immediately pulled away by a cousin asking if he had any interest in an extra groomsman. He’d already got four, but bloat was the name of the game.
Maddy remained on the terrace a moment longer. She had not fought for the greenhouse. Why hadn’t she? Why had she just let him make this call? She didn’t want Hawthorne Manor.It was too much. It was all too much. All this money, all these people. She wasn’t this person. She’d never been this person.
Maddy wondered if she could say, ‘I think I made a mistake.’ No. Of course she couldn’t. It was past that point. It had been past it for years.
She re-entered the party, pulled in quickly by well-wishers. She was folded into photographs, angled between relatives, her ring hand subtly positioned forward.
‘Tell them about the venue,’ Hannah urged, dragging her toward another cluster of guests.
Maddy inhaled. ‘We’re getting married at Hawthorne Manor,’ she said.
‘Oh, wow.’
‘The lawns there are unreal.’
‘So grand.’
***
