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Grace didn’t want to admit, either to herself or to her mum, that it wasn’t Russell who made her feel that way, it was Griff.
‘Then I think it’s safe to say that my mum is possibly right. And so is Griff. It is infatuation. And infatuation is a very different thing from love.’
‘Oh dear,’ Hope said from the hall. ‘Are we discussing Grace and Russell yet again?’
Lady E scampered into the kitchen and made a beeline for her water bowl. Hope followed and shook her head as she pulled out a chair.
‘Why don’t you just ask the man out yourself, Grace, and put us all out of our misery? Women are allowed to ask men these days, you know.’
‘Hilarious. Maybe I shall.’
‘Yeah right. Was that a pig I saw flying past the window?’
‘Don’t tease your sister,’ Pat said. ‘We were discussing the plans for today. Grace has offered to take Kelly’s hen party if you’ll go to Betancourt.’
‘Forget it. Besides, Griff wants Grace, not me.’
‘Griff doesn’t want me!’
Hope grinned. ‘I meant as the organiser of the Mistletoe Dance, Grace, not for his wife. Although…’
‘Stop right there!’
‘Your problem is you have no sense of humour.’
‘Your problem is you have too much.’
‘Don’t bicker, darlings.’
‘I’m off,’ said Simon, popping his head around the door. ‘What’s going on here?’
‘Not much,’ said Pat. ‘And considering how much there is to do, that’s not a good thing.’
‘I’ll get changed and get to Kelly’s,’ said Hope.
‘I’ll get the invoice for the deposit sent out to the Betancourts,’ Pat said. ‘Or you could take it when you go, Grace.’
‘So I’m going to Betancourt, am I?’
Hope grinned. ‘Well it is going to be your home one day so you may as well get used to it.’ And then she darted into the hall and ran upstairs.
‘I think I may pop into Folkestone and see if there are any white poinsettias in the market, or any of the florists. I think they would look great on all the small tables dotted around the dining room and perhaps one long row of them running the length of the dining table itself because that’s where all the food will be laid out, as always.’
‘I saw some last week,’ Pat said, ‘but I can’t think where. The problem is, your dad is taking our car, and Hope needs hers to get to Kelly’s, and I’ll need one to get Mum and me to the doctors this afternoon, so I was hoping to borrow yours.’
‘I’ll be back by lunchtime.’
‘Perfect. Then may I give you a list of things I need from town? But it will mean dashing around a bit.’
‘That’s fine. I’ll keep a look out for decorations while I’m there. You never know. I might find something wonderful.’
Grace was glad of the excuse to spend the morning in town. Now she would at least be telling the truth if Griff or Bianca asked where she was all morning. She could honestly say she was running errands for her mum.
And the sooner she headed out the better.
It felt colder today than it had yesterday but thankfully, although the clouds were threatening rain, so far it was dry. The last thing she wanted was to have to carry an umbrella around town, especially if she was going to have her hands full with shopping.
As she climbed into her car, she cast a glance at the gates of Betancourt and couldn’t stop her gaze from travelling up the drive. The double doors were shut tight and there was no sign of any of the occupants being out and about. She pushed the start button, gunned the engine and drove down Folkestone Road towards the town itself.
