‘No… What are you getting at?’ Kate didn’t like the way he was looking at her. ‘Freddie – what?’
‘Oh, nothing. It’s just that when Will was talking about the beautiful bridesmaid, everyone turned to you and you were sort of…’ he hesitated, grinning.
‘What?’
‘Well… face down in your dinner.’
‘Oh my God, Freddie!’ Kate covered her face with her hands.
‘You looked cute! Didn’t you notice everyone laughing when you woke up?’
‘Yes, but I thought Will had just said something funny.’
‘He said some very nice things about you.’
‘Oh, he had to,’ Kate said dismissively. ‘It’s in the best man’s book of rules to say the bridesmaid’s beautiful even if she’s like the back end of a bus. And don’t get excited when he comes for a duty dance either, because that’s all it is. I wish he wouldn’t – it’s so humiliating.’
‘At least you got to sit at the top table with him – the divine creature,’ Freddie waved at Will. ‘I had Tina, who was sulking because I wasn’t Phoenix, and some woman who went on incessantly about her yeast infection.’ He shuddered extravagantly.
‘That’ll be Rachel’s friend, Karen. She’s allergic to every edible substance known to man, apparently.’
‘Didn’t stop her scoffing her dinner and hoovering up everyone else’s leftovers. She kept referring to “down there.” I pretended I thought she was talking about Australia.’
‘Good save!’
‘Until I went too far and said I’d spent some of the happiest times of my life “down there.” Let’s just say she looked at me with renewed interest.’
Kate giggled.
‘Your dotty aunt got the best seat in the house.’ Iris was now engaged in a fiercely competitive drinking contest with Owen.
‘I wouldn’t like to put money on who’ll win that one,’ Kate said.
‘And there’s our boy.’ Freddie nodded to where Will was emerging from the dance floor. ‘If you really don’t want him, do you mind if I have a go?’
‘I really think the lad’s not for turning, but feel free to try – he’s all yours.’
‘Ooh, if only!’
Kate watched anxiously as Freddie bounded over to Will like an overgrown puppy. Straight men could find him a bit intimidating, especially if he obviously fancied them. However, she experienced a pang of jealousy as Will rested a hand casually on his shoulder and they were soon guffawing together like old chums.
‘Well, of course he’d like Freddie,’ she told herself crossly. ‘Who wouldn’t? He’s adorable.’
‘Hello, Kate.’ Mary, one of her gin-soaked Cork aunts, wove up to her. ‘What have you been doing with yourself lately?’
‘Working in Africa for the past three months.’
‘Oh, how lovely.’ Mary beamed. ‘Did you meet anyone nice?’
Kate recalled all the people she had met on the trip – thecheerful, capable drivers; the passengers of all ages and nationalities, some of whom had become good friends; the tantalisingly fleeting encounters with friendly locals in the towns and villages – but she knew that none of these were what Mary meant by ‘anyone nice.’ In her book, ‘anyone nice’ was code for ‘any eligible young man who might be interested in marrying you’. ‘No, Mary. I didn’t meet anyone nice.’
‘Oh dear,’ Mary said, not sounding in the least surprised. ‘What a pity.’
‘My bloody relatives,’ Kate fumed to Freddie when he returned to her. ‘I could scale Mount Everest and they’d only want to know if I’d “met anyone nice” up there!’ She was beginning to find the wedding seriously depressing. As the DJ launched into another slow set, couples melted into each other’s arms all around her, swaying slowly to the music, snogging for Ireland.
‘That Will of yours is a seriously good bloke,’ Freddie told her.
‘So I hear.’ Kate watched miserably as he pulled Tina onto the floor and into his arms. Seconds later they were devouring each other.
