Page 15 of A Wedding at The Cornish Garden Café
At the harbour, he gazed out at the boats that bobbed on the water, their masts pointing towards the bright blue sky. Aromas of rope and silt hung in the air, along with the scents from the bakery and fish and chips frying in oil. It was a typical seaside village on the beautiful Cornish coast, and he was going to spend the summer here. A summer when anything was possible. A summer when his life could change again in ways he couldn’t yet imagine. The thought that over the summer he would see Edith again, perhaps many times, quickened his pulse and a shiver of anticipation ran down his spine.
Perhaps this summer would change everything for him again. Perhaps he’d finally be able to recapture some of the joy he used to feel when he was with Edith. Perhaps…
Only time would tell.
12
EDITH
‘Well, I disagree!’ Petra Coles folded her arms over her ample chest and frowned.
‘Why?’ Lorna Thomas widened her eyes as she looked at the woman who was soon to become her daughter’s mother-in-law.
‘I think the colour is awful.’ Petra grimaced.
Edith took a deep breath, preparing to mediate in order to spare the bride from the distress of having her mother and future mother-in-law tearing each other’s throats out over the flowers.
They were at a large hotel in St Austell, which was hosting a wedding fair. After emailing to secure Edith’s services, the bride, Jane Thomas, had asked to meet with Edith for an initial discussion. At this meeting, Jane had warned Edith that her mother and future mother-in-law were already at loggerheads over most things. She was dreading the wedding planning because of how the two women would react when placed in such close proximity. Edith felt nothing but pity for Jane because she’d seen this type of situation before and she knew howdifficult it could be. Jane was, it seemed, already dealing with the fallout of having the two women disagree over details of her wedding.
‘If the bridesmaid dresses are going to be emerald, then I don’t think having pink roses will work.’ Petra shook her head.
‘I think the pink will complement the green,’ Jane’s mother said.
Jane’s bottom lip wobbled — it was time for Edith to act. She gently took Jane’s arm and said, ‘Why don’t we have a look at the favours?’
Jane pressed her lips together as if to hold back tears, so Edith ushered her away from the older women and across the large room. She checked behind her to make sure they weren’t being watched, then slipped through a side door and along a corridor, Jane shuffling along without so much as a murmur.
‘You OK?’ she said when she’d got the bride-to-be away from the carnage and out into the beautiful gardens.
Jane fanned a hand in front of her face, so Edith said, ‘Sit here and I’ll be right back.’
She hurried inside to the bar and grabbed a glass of wine from a tray, then took it outside and pressed it into Jane’s hand.
‘Drink. It will help.’
Jane looked at the glass and shook her head. ‘I-I can’t.’
‘No?’ Edith asked.
‘I-I’m pregnant.’ Jane’s shining blue eyes met Edith’s, and then the tears came.
Edith took the glass, pulled a tissue from her bag and handed it to Jane, then sank onto the bench next to her. ‘That’s joyful news though, no?’ She hoped it was for Jane’s sake, but could never be sure if having children was part of someone’s life plan.
Jane blew her nose then sniffed. ‘You’d think so. I mean, Harry and I have been together since we were sixteen. That’s eight years, and yet our mothers still act like we’re children.’
‘I can see that.’ Edith sighed. ‘Your mum and Harry’s mum are forceful characters.’
Jane nodded. ‘Very.’ She gave a small laugh. ‘This wedding is whattheywant, really. They’ve both had it in their heads for years, and the longer Harry and I were together, the more they both talked about it. Neither of them had a big wedding because, ironic as it is, they were both pregnant. My mother with me and Harry’s mum with his older brother. So they were, effectively, shotgun weddings, where they both got married out of necessity rather than for the pleasure of a big day. And so they’ve both wanted this wedding to live vicariously through their children. I’m an only child, and Harry’s older brother got married to his husband in Vegas, so that leaves Harry and me getting married as their only chance.’
‘But it’syourwedding,’ Edith said. ‘Yours and Harry’s.’
‘I know, but you wouldn’t think so. And after Harry proposed at Christmas, our mums got even more excited. They’ve dragged me to about thirty wedding fairs — or that’s how it feels — so when a friend gave me your card I was enormously relieved. I just need some help, and you’ve been so kind already. But then last week I realised my period was late, and initially I thought it was the stress of wedding preparation, but I didn’t feel too good.Harry said maybe I was pregnant, so I did a test and it-it was positive.’
‘But you haven’t told your mums?’ Edith asked gently, already knowing the answer.
‘It would horrify them as it would ruin their plans.’
Edith shook her head. ‘Oh dear.’ She reached out and rubbed Jane’s arm. ‘Do you want this big wedding?’
