Page 26 of A Summer Wedding at Pennycress Inn
‘Come on, it’ll be fun.’
‘I believe you.’
‘So what colour or fabric are we looking for? Laura?’ Stepping up to the clothes rail, Nicola began looking through the dresses.
‘It doesn’t matter. Not at this stage. All we’re going to be thinking about is the shape of the dress and how that makes you feel, Laura. We can go through the fabric and colour options and everything else once we’ve narrowed down our search by shape.’ Ellie pulled out an ivory ball gown, its puffy skirt at least five layers deep in tulle. ‘Here’s the first one.’
Nicola carefully held up a slinky satin fishtail. ‘Is this one a fishtail?’
‘Yep, that’s right.’ Ellie nodded before looking across at Laura, who was looking equally horrified and disgusted at the same time. ‘Remember, we’re just trying them on for the shape. And you never know, you might find that the fishtail looks better than you imagine. I’ve had loads of brides-to-be who have fought tooth and nail to try to wriggle out of trying on a certain shape only to realise that the one they thought they’d hate actually looks amazing on them.’
‘Okay.’ Laura sighed as she reluctantly took the dresses, laying the skirts over her arm.
‘And here, one with an A-line skirt.’ Taking a dress from the rail, Ellie passed it to Nicola. ‘You two go on ahead to the fitting rooms and I’ll grab a couple of other shapes and meet you in there.’
‘Come on, Laura. Let’s go and try on some wedding dresses!’ Nicola led the way with Laura trailing behind.
15
After watching them walk away, Ellie turned back to the long line of dresses hanging in front of her. She’d had clients like Laura before, women who either couldn’t ever imagine getting excited over a single dress or else just felt more comfortable in their favourite pair of jeans and a hoodie, but every time as they’d discovered what shape, fit, style, fabric and colour suited their body, they’d each fallen hook, line and sinker for the gown they’d chosen. With any luck, Laura would be the same. Even if she didn’t get there today and didn’t walk away with the one perfect gown, then at least hopefully she’d have had some fears allayed and would be more receptive to wedding dress shopping come the next sale or fair they attended.
‘Ellie? Ellie Newton? Is that you?’ a shrill voice called from the end of the aisle of dresses.
Swallowing, Ellie turned slowly. She’d be able to match that voice to its owner in the dark and blindfolded. Her only regret was that she hadn’t heard it sooner and hidden.
Forcing a smile, she hoped the sudden tic in her jaw didn’t give her true feelings away as she locked eyes with the woman who had spent the last three years working for her and Melissa’s competition, Weddings ’r’ Us. ‘Fiona Worthington.’
‘Oh, Ellie. You know it’s Fi. All my besties call me Fi.’ Fiona marched towards her, her arms held open.
‘Fi, how are…?’ Before she’d had the chance to finish her question, Ellie found herself gripped by the shoulders, false long nails digging into her flesh as Fiona pulled her into a shoulder hug and gave her an air-kiss. First one side and then the other. Stepping back, Ellie resisted the urge to cough as Fiona’s strong perfume filled her lungs. ‘How are you?’
‘I’m wonderful. Wonderful, Ellie. Aren’t I always?’ Fiona dismissed the question with the slightest wave of her hand and repeated it back to her. ‘But how about you, darling Ellie? What’s going on in your little world?’
‘Oh, I?—’
‘I heard the news. Terrible. Absolutely terrible.’ Fiona tutted as she shook her head. ‘Enough to ruin someone.’
Freezing to the spot, Ellie opened her mouth to speak before thinking better of it and shoving her hands in her pockets. It was out then. Melissa’s rumour, she’d spread it amongst the wedding planning circle. Balling her hands into fists inside her pockets, Ellie tried to remain calm. She knew Fiona would be looking for a little drama to feed back to the gossip mill, and she wouldn’t give it her.
‘Not you, of course.’ Fiona smiled sweetly. Sickly sweetly. A smile which encompassed her lips but didn’t reach the eyes, which were darting all over Ellie as though to try to work out what she was thinking.
It was no good. She couldn’t just let Fiona think that what Melissa had told her was true, she had to say otherwise. She’d spent years of Melissa walking all over her, basking in the glory of planning a huge, high-profile wedding, taking all the credit as well as the recommendations, while handing Ellie the smaller and trickier weddings. The ones such as Laura and Jackson’s, which had to be organised in less than a quarter of the usual time it took or the ones with the difficult mothers-in-law or the brides who’d make Godzilla look tame. Well, no, not anymore. Ellie had her own business now, so she didn’t need to put up with Melissa’s manipulative ways any longer. ‘I’m not sure what Melissa?—’
‘Oh, not much. I wouldn’t even worry about it.’ There was that dismissive wave again. Fiona knew exactly what she’d said and exactly what she was doing by not giving Ellie the time or space to tell her side of the story. Fiona may have worked for a rival wedding planner, but she and Melissa had always been good friends. Enemies in business, chums in play as Melissa had always described it. ‘Anyway, she mentioned you were organising a tiny affair in the little village you live in. How’s that going?’
Taking her hands out of her pockets, Ellie ran a finger across the diamanté detail of the gown closest to her. ‘It’s going well and will be a lovely, happy gathering. A special wedding for a special couple.’
‘Lovely.’ The word, spoken by anyone else, may have been a compliment. Spoken by Fiona, however, it was a downright insult. ‘I’mworking on a wedding being held in a stunning large and attractive manor house on the outskirts of Chipping Norton itself. Think horse-drawn carriages, fireworks at midnight, two hundred?—’
‘Doves.’ Finishing the sentence, Ellie could feel the heat searing across her cheeks. She knew exactly whose wedding Fiona was currently planning, and she also knew… ‘You’re Melissa’s new business partner then. You’ve jumped ship from Weddings ’r’ Us to All Things Love.’
‘Yes, yes, that’s right. I didn’t realise the news would have reached you out in little Meadowfield.’ Fiona smiled that sickly-sweet smile again. ‘But I suppose a company as prestigious as All Things?—’
‘It didn’t. I assumed it, as Melissa had passed across that wedding to me to organise when I was still working with her because the housekeeper of the manor house had had an affair with her husband.’ Biting down innocently on her bottom lip, Ellie watched as the realisation that Melissa had only given Fiona that wedding to plan because she hadn’t wanted to sank in. Next, Fiona would grasp at the knowledge that Melissa’s husband had cheated on her. Ellie swallowed. She’d gone too far. She shouldn’t have said that. Although Melissa hadn’t been distraught that Mike had been seeing the housekeeper because she’d been seeing someone else at the time too. No, she’d been angrier that his choice of mistress had affected her line of work and ability to hire a venue. Still, it had been a rubbish move of Ellie’s to tell Fiona. She shouldn’t have let that slip, but the way the other woman had been looking at her, all pity-eyed because she’d thought Ellie had messed up the McCloud wedding when in fact it had been Melissa who had messed up and passed the blame to her…
Twisting the gold bangle on her wrist so the tiny diamond heart pendant was sitting square in the middle, Fiona didn’t miss a beat. ‘Oh, yes, she mentioned that. Poor Melissa. Imagine your partner having an affair. Absolutely awful beyond belief. I’m only more than happy to help her out in the circumstances. Anything for a bestie, isn’t that right? Anyway, lovely to see you, Ellie. And all the best for your tiny company.’
Ellie mumbled a goodbye as Fiona stepped forward and shoulder-hugged her once more.
