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‘Then employ someone to help her full-time. I could maybe do the occasional trip.’
‘You are the best right-hand woman a fashion designer could wish for, Scarlet. You’ve been fantastic. You are also one of my most treasured friends,’ Sophie said, collecting Scarlet into a hug. ‘I know you think I should give Noah a chance, but I also know that if I did agree to meet him, even just for a drink, all the memories would come flooding back and lessen my resolve. I can’t allow that, I can’t. I’ve worked too hard and suffered too much pain these last few years to risk a repeat. And whilst we’re on the subject, I’ve made a decision. I want you to set me up on adate with that cousin of yours after the wedding is out of the way. I have to move on.’
Scarlet studied Sophie. ‘Well, okay, if you’re sure.’
‘I am.’ Sophie turned away from her friend’s scrutiny, laced as it was with a soupçon of suspicion. She knew she didn’t believe her, but she didn’t care. ‘Okay, no mistakes this time. The courier is due in twenty minutes and I’ll sign the paperwork myself.’
It was Friday afternoon. As soon as the gown had been safely dispatched, she was heading over to Paddington with Scarlet to catch the train up to Gloucester. They’d been booked into the same five-star hotel as Lilac and her entourage, and she intended to carry out any final tweaks that evening and then grab an early night. They would be needed at six a.m. the following morning to dress Lilac.
‘You’re still adamant you’re not going to the reception at Somersby Manor?’
‘Yep, but you have to go, Scarlet. It’ll be some party! A hundred and fifty guests, most of them celebrities from the film and music industry. There’s even a rumour that Colin Firth might be there with his wife. You can’t miss it.’
‘Neither can you.’
‘I can’t go, Scarlet. I don’t want to chance bumping into Noah.’
‘But you won’t. He’s performing. He’ll be backstage. You can stay upstairs if you really want to. Or hide out in the pantry under the stairs.’
‘I’ve made up my mind.’
‘Oh, God, not the classic Sophie-Louise chin thrust. That stubborn streak is something you really need to work on, Soph.Why can’t you just make friends with Noah. Okay, I get why you don’t want to get back together with him romantically, but it might make things easier if you agreed to stay friends? Instead of carrying all this hurt and sadness around in your handbag – just offload it, be friends and move on.’
‘Like he has?’
‘Soph, we’ve been through this. And Noah’s explained it himself. He’s a rock singer, in a famous band. There are going to be times when girls throw themselves at him. If you weren’t so in love with him, you’d be able to understand this.’
‘I’m not in love with him.’
‘Oh, please. Anyone can see that you are.’
Two hours later Sophie found herself staring out of the grimy train window at the fields of wheat and yellow rapeseed, punctuated by the occasional squat farmhouse and barn. Just one more day to get through and then she could return to her normal life. She gritted her teeth and prayed that her personal guardian angel had returned to her customary position – after four months’ unauthorised sabbatical – to make sure Lilac agreed to Scarlet assisting with her dress before she made her grand entrance down the sweeping staircase at her reception at Somersby Manor, so she could grab the next train back to the anonymity of London.
That night, as the coppery hue of the sky sank over the horizon like a flickering flame in the nub of a candle, and darkness pressed its velvety veil against the windows of the luxury city hotel, Sophie drifted gratefully into the arms of oblivion that sleep offered. As Noah’s familiar features swam across a tableau of reminiscences and dreams, she knew for certain that, despite the passage of time, she would always lovehim, and tears dripped down her nose and onto the five-hundred thread count cotton pillowcase.
But her final thoughts were reserved for sending up a soft prayer that her mum, and Aunt Claire, would have been proud of what their daughter and niece had achieved.
Chapter Thirty One
It was a magnificent day for a wedding.
The sky displayed a panorama of uninterrupted cerulean blue, and a light breeze tickled along the rooftops carrying with it the scent of summer warmth and excitement. Shafts of multicoloured light spun through the spectacular stained-glass windows of Gloucester Cathedral, sending a dancing kaleidoscope of colour around the wooden pews. It was as though the celestial angels had decided to join in the ceremony, too.
A whole battalion of street vendors had lined the city’s ancient thoroughfares selling flags, china mugs and printed tea towels. Everyone and their uncle had taken the celebration of Lilac Verbois and Finn Marchant’s union to their hearts.
Lilac had been overwhelmed with excitement whilst being dressed that morning by Sophie and Scarlet. Her mother had dabbed at the corners of her eyes with a tiny lace handkerchief as she drew her famous daughter in her arms and hugged her tightly. As Sophie and Scarlet put the final touches to her fairy-tale gown, Lilac took a sip from a flute of Dom Pérignon and giggled.
‘Would you believe I’m nervous? The cathedral is a much scarier arena than any film set or theatre stage I’ve been on. It’s even worse than first-night nerves. The butterflies in my stomach are doing a happy dance, though. You know, I adoremy dress, Sophie. This day is the culmination of all my dreams. I love my acting career, but I love Finn more, and this is going to be the best day of my life when I finally get to hear him say “I will” at the altar of my perfect wedding venue.’
If Lilac was nervous, it was nothing compared to how Tish was clearly feeling. She had been buzzing around like a hyperactive wasp since five-thirty that morning. Her sting was pretty painful, too. But everything was on track, scrupulously organised thanks to the myriad lists she and Nikki had worked on together. She whizzed between the hotel’s luxuriously appointed suites, a clipboard clutched to her chest as she directed operations like a debutante film director. So far, every aspect of the morning had been beautifully choreographed.
Sophie excused herself from the bridal preparations and returned to the suite reserved for the Sophie-Louise entourage with a circular box in the signature navy-blue-and-gold stripes of the Marco Gallieri Millinery Emporium, which she presented to Scarlet along with a hug.
‘Scarlet, I think now is the right time to give you this.’
‘What is it?’
‘Open it and see!’ Sophie smiled.
