Page 18 of Four of Hearts

‘Ethan’s doing the photos for the wedding celebration thing,’ said Harry. ‘He’s also going to think about something, but isn’t telling me what, which isn’t the kind of thing that makes me all soft and cuddly.’

No one laughed.

‘Probably the stag do, at a guess,’ said Jadyn.

‘Could be the hen do as well,’ added Jen, though she was looking at Liz now, and grinning.

Harry’s stomach gave a vomit-inducing twist.

‘No,’ he said. ‘Not happening. The stag do, I mean.’ He looked at Liz. ‘Not sure the hen do is down to me, really. I mean, it’s not, is it? That’s up to you and Grace. But stag do? I’ve not mentioned it, not planned it, and with good reason, that being I don’t want it.’

‘And for why?’ asked Jadyn.

‘It’s got people in it,’ said Harry. ‘Not saying I don’t like people. I do. I’m standing in a room with some of them. But lots of them together, with me as the centre of attention?’ He shook his head. ‘Awful.’

‘You do know that you’ve just described the wedding, don’t you?’ said Jen.

‘That’s different,’ then saw that Liz was staring at him and doing her best not to look sheepish.

‘Actually, about the hen do ...’

Harry felt himself go immediately tense.

‘Liz?’ he said, narrowing his eyes and folding his arms, now waiting for her to explain further.

‘Grace hasn’t mentioned it, then?’

‘Mentioned what, exactly?’

‘Well, it was a bit of a surprise, I suppose,’ said Jen, coming to sit beside Liz. ‘For Grace, anyway... we only told her about it yesterday, didn’t we?’

‘Arthur knew about it, though,’ said Liz, as though that made everything fine and dandy. ‘That way we were able to make sure she would have the time off, you see? Couldn’t have her going off to do a bit of vermin control or whatever, if she’s supposed to dressed up and heading out with us, could we?’

‘No, I suppose not,’ Harry agreed, trying to catch up. ‘Heading out? Where exactly?’

His mind was suddenly filled with truly terrifying images of Grace and Liz and Jen stumbling from dodgy bar to dodgy bar around Darlington, even though he was pretty damned confident that wasn’t what was planned.

‘Booked us all in at The Burgoyne, over in Reeth,’ said Liz. ‘It’s proper posh, like. We’re all staying over. Slap up food. And we’ve managed to book a mixologist.’

Harry had no idea what the hell that was, and guessed his expression said just as much, because Liz then clarified, with, ‘They do cocktails, and will teaching us all how to make some of the classics, as well as come up with our own signature cocktails, just to start the whole thing off with a bang.’

Harry had driven past The Burgoyne numerous times, but never once been in. He’d heard good things, though, and the location was spectacular, sat as it was at the top of Reeth overlooking the village green, like some watchful, protective sentinel.

‘Sounds lovely,’ he said, and realised then that Dave was staring at him. So, he returned the stare. ‘Yes, Dave? Something the matter?’

Dave folded his arms and turned the stare into something any headteacher would be proud of.

‘No stag do?’

‘Not my thing.’

‘And Ben? Did you run this past him at all?’

‘He’s not mentioned anything.’

‘That would be a no, then.’

Dave shook his head, though Harry caught the faintest of grins on the man’s face. He was about to ask why Dave was smiling, and with a little too much mischief as well he noticed, when Jadyn gave a cough.