Page 89 of Under Your Spell

The dressing room is actually like a big walk-in wardrobe, one wall covered in mirrors, the rest in built-in shelves and clothing rails. There’s a glass dressing table that looks like something from the 1920s. Serena’s Louis Vuitton suitcase stands in the corner, but all of my things have been unpacked and organized. Rich people are strange – do they just feel no embarrassment over a stranger rooting around and folding their sensible Marks and Spencer knickers? Hanging on the rails are several dark garment bags.

‘Are these all the suits David sent for you?’ I yell. ‘Didn’t realize you needed so many options, princess.’

‘Actually, they’re not,’ Theo says, appearing behind me gloriously naked. ‘They’re the things David sent for you.’

‘For me?’ I frown.

‘Mmm.’ Theo’s already wandering away, back towards the bedroom, and I follow. ‘You said you were worried you wouldn’t have the right thing to wear, so I asked David to send some things for you when he was organizing my suit. That way if Lil didn’t pack something you like then there would be other options.’

‘You organized that?’ I ask.

Theo shrugs. ‘I don’t think I deserve the credit; all I did was mention it to David.’ He looks at me. Frowns. ‘You said you were stressing about it. I didn’t want you to be stressing about it. But you don’t have to wear any of them if you don’t like them.’

‘Oh,’ I say. I remember his words earlier. If it’s worrying you, we’ll sort it out. Maybe it wasn’t a huge effort on his part but I feel a lump in my throat at the fact that it wasn’t just a hollow reassurance, that he actually did something. ‘Thank you.’

‘Don’t thank me,’ Theo smirks. ‘If it was up to me, you wouldn’t wear any clothes this weekend.’

‘Not sure that would go down great in the family photos.’

Theo wraps a fluffy white towel around his hips.

‘What are you doing?’ I ask.

‘You heard my mum.’ Theo rubs a hand across his chin. ‘I’m going to have a shave.’

‘Y-you’re going to have a shave?’ I repeat. ‘Like that?’ My eyes dip to his bare, muscled chest, over his stomach, the v-shaped lines disappearing below the edge of the towel.

‘Ye-es,’ Theo says slowly, bemused. ‘Clemmie, why do you look like you’re on drugs?’ He steps closer, tips my chin up with his fingers. ‘Your pupils are enormous.’

‘It’s happening,’ I whisper in response.

‘What’s happening?’ he half-laughs.

‘Can I watch?’ I breathe.

‘You want to watch me shave?’

I shiver, don’t say anything, only nod.

Amusement lights his eyes. ‘Sure, weirdo. You can watch me shave.’

‘Don’t call your girlfriend a weirdo,’ I say as I trail after him, and then I don’t have the opportunity to say anything else for a long time.

Chapter Thirty-Three

We manage not to be too late for dinner, and I am glad because Theo’s family really are delighted to see him. He sits across from me, between his mum and his sister, and Alice keeps putting her hand on his arm, as if reassuring herself he is really there.

We’re eating in the conservatory on the side of the hotel that will host the rehearsal dinner tomorrow and then the reception on Saturday. Right now there are fifteen of us sitting at a long table in the middle of the room: Rob and Lisa, Alice and Hugh, Rob’s mum, dad and step-mum, two older brothers and their partners, as well as Cara, Lisa’s other bridesmaid Sophie, and Rob’s best man and his wife.

Hannah and Oliver, Rob’s nieces and Sophie’s daughter are all being looked after by the on-site babysitter so that the grown-ups can enjoy the beautiful, tiny plates of food that are served paired with large glasses of wine.

It’s dark outside and there are candles all around us. In the flickering glow of their flames we talk and laugh and eat and I get to hear plenty of stories about Theo’s childhood. Lisa and Rob have been together since they were at school, so fortunately everyone here has had enough Theo exposure not to be overwhelmed by his presence. I realize that I had been bracing myself for that, but so far – apart from Sophie’s slightly frozen expression – things have been relaxed, normal.

‘Oh my God,’ Lisa screeches after I bring up the story Theo told me when we first met. ‘Colin the poltergeist! I had totally forgotten about him!’

‘Well, I hadn’t,’ Theo grumbles. ‘You scared the shit out of me.’

‘I used to re-arrange all his FIFA trading cards when he was asleep, and then tell him Colin had done it.’