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“It is. Now shush, Mik’s talking.”
We listen to him as he rounds up, and Missie doesn’t push me. But the bright hope I was feeling in my heart has dimmed a little.
I guess I’ll have to tell her my middle name one day. In itself it’s not the end of the world, not unless she makes the connection. Hopefully she won’t. I don’t plan on telling her my secret, even though there have been times I’ve been desperate to blurt out the truth.
But there’s no time to dwell on it, because we all head for the coaches to go back to the house, and everyone’s talking at once, and as soon as we get back, I have things to do. More people are arriving, and I want to make sure everything goes smoothly, so that Damon and Belle have nothing to worry about.
Mik and his team are well in control of the organization, though, and although I have a few odd jobs to do—sorting out a couple of rooms in nearby hotels for last-minute guests who decided to come, thanking guests for presents and taking them inside, running a few errands for Mae—everyone seems happy and positive, and gradually I begin to relax.
First, cocktails are served on the lower terrace, and then we move to the upper terrace for dinner. Tomorrow it will be a sit-down do, but today it’s a buffet, where guests help themselves before finding a seat at one of the round tables. Several large food stations line the back wall with an amazing array of options, including a charcuterie station with meats, cheeses, and fruits, an oyster bar and a seafood spread, a taco station, a colorful vegetable assortment with various dips, and several sweet options, including a fantastic cupcake table. Waiters move between the tables serving champagne and wine, including the wine from Missie’s uncle, which turns out to be fantastic, or taking drinks orders for the bar that’s been set up to one side.
Eventually, when most people have chosen their food and are seated, Mae pushes a plate in my hand and tells me to help myself before I pass out from hunger. I do as she bids and take it over to the seat beside Missie, who says, “I got you a glass of champagne.”
“I was only going to drink water today,” I reply, having a big bite of a taco filled with shredded chicken, black beans, lettuce, and salsa, topped with grated cheese. “Oh God, that’s good.”
She chuckles. “Hair of the dog. Do you know why it’s called that?”
“No.”
“Because the cure for rabies is supposed to be the hair of the dog that bit you.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah. Go on, just one, then we’ll just have soft drinks tonight, okay?”
I nod, pleased she understands.
Gradually, I start to relax, as my stomach fills, and the champagne threads through me. I’m surrounded by my family and friends, and it’s wonderful to have Missie by my side. She’s friendly and funny, she joins in the conversation, and I can see that everyone likes her.
I’m glad Mae took her for a walk earlier. The two of them seem to have hit it off, which is important to me, probably more so than whether Kait likes her or not, although I’d never admit that to my mother. Henry’s doing a fine job entertaining her today, and she’s currently sitting between him and James, so she’s having a great time.
A waiter comes up and asks if anybody would like a drink from the bar. “I’ll have a gin and tonic, please,” Huxley says.
“Do you want a squirt of lemon in that?” Sidnie asks him.
Elizabeth coughs into her champagne. Huxley glances around the table, his lips gradually curving up as the girls all giggle.
I look at Missie, who’s trying not to laugh. “Private joke,” she says. Elizabeth has turned scarlet, though, so I can guess what the joke was about.
Amused, Huxley puts down his serviette and says, “I’m going to get a bit more food. Do you want to come with me, sweetheart?”
“Thank you,” Elizabeth with relief, and she gets up and follows him over to the food stations. She buries her face in his shoulder, and he laughs and hugs her as he murmurs in her ear.
“That was wicked,” Heidi scolds Sidnie.
She giggles. “I couldn’t resist.”
“We might have overshared last night,” Missie reveals.
“Oh God,” Mack replies.
“Yep,” Sidnie states, “they know all your dirty secrets now.”
“Dirty being the operative word,” Alice adds. “I’ll never look at a glazed doughnut the same way again.”
Sidnie bursts out laughing, and Mack looks at her and raises an eyebrow, which just makes her laugh more.
“Talking of which,” Victoria says to Saxon, “have you knocked your wife up again yet?”
