Page 62 of The Wedding Cake Wish
My mobile rings and I pull it out of my bag. ‘It’s Fen. Oh,hell, what if she wants to know if we’ve made progress in finding Rory? What doI tell her? That he’s two cars ahead of us?’
‘Best not to say anything until we know where he’s going.’
‘Okay.’ I answer the call and I’m relieved when Fen says shejust wants to know when she ought to come round to stir her wedding cake.
‘What about tomorrow?’ I suggest, noting that Fen’s tonesounds really flat.
‘Okay.’
‘Are you all right?’ She definitely doesn’t sound like awoman about to marry the man of her dreams.
‘Not really, Ruby. To be honest, I’ve never needed a wish tocome true so much in my life.’ She sighs. ‘I should be so happy right now,marrying Rob in a few weeks’ time. But this wedding is turning out to be such adisaster, I’m beginning to think it’s not meant to happen at all.’
‘Oh, no. You mustn’t think like that. Ofcoursethe weddingwill happen. You’re probably just feeling what most brides do in the weeksbefore their Big Day. Stress and nerves.’
‘There’s certainly a lot of stress.’ She groans. ‘Mostlycreated by my dear mother.’
‘Oh, dear. I mean, it’s lovely that Marjery wants to be soinvolved. But it’s your wedding, Fen. You and Rob should be making thedecisions.’
‘Rob’s not interested at all in the arrangements. Seriously,Ruby, if I told him I thought we should postpone it, I actually don’t think hewould bat an eyelid.’
‘He’s worried about Rory,’ I say soothingly. ‘But...I’msure he’ll turn up soon.’ I wince at Hudson.
‘Oh, we’ve had word from him.’
‘From Rory?’ I glance across at Hudson.
‘Yes. He’s texted his mum to let her know he’s okay. Buthe’s still not answering any of Rob’s calls or texts. And that’s another reasonwhy I think the wedding’s doomed. If we can’t find Rory...’She breaks off with a sigh. ‘You know, Ruby, the best part of the run-up to thewedding was that evening we spent all together down by the river. I loved that.It was so relaxed.’
‘It was great,’ I agree. ‘Although I’m not sure your mumthought so.’
‘No, well, I was thinking about that and I should haverealised she’d be uncomfortable, being back there.’
‘Back there?’
There’s a pause at the other end. ‘You know I told you that Mumreally hated her time at boarding school. I don’t think she ever really forgaveher parents for shipping her off there at the age of fifteen, after she got inwith what they considered to be a bad crowd. She was miserable the whole timeshe was there. And it was all because she happened to make friends with a girlwho lived on the Carlton Estate.’
‘It must have been awful for her. Being sent off to boardingschool and leaving her best friend behind,’ I say slowly.
‘It was. As I say, Mum’s sort of locked away all the badmemories from that time. So I guess finding herself back there that night, soclose to the Carlton Estate where her best friend lived, was sure to bring upsome horrible stuff for her. They probably hung around by the river. Maybe evenswam in it, just like we did. But Mum’s parents deemed her friend “a badinfluence” and sent her away to make sure she never had contact with her again.’
We end the call with Fen promising to call round the nextday, and my mind is spinning as I slip my mobile back into my bag. It’s like mybrain is trying to make a connection but keeps failing, like a faulty circuit.
Hudson glances over. ‘That sounded like a heavyconversation.’
I nod. ‘It was a bit. Fen’s mum was sent to boarding schooland hated it – all because her parents disapproved of her friend who lived onthe Carlton Estate.’
‘The Carlton Estate?’ Hudson looks across at me and I feelthe car losing speed for a moment.
I glance at him, puzzled. ‘Yes. Why?’ I glance behind.‘There’s a Beamer racing up behind you, by the way.’
He glances in the rear-view mirror and speeds up again. Andthat’s when it hits me. The reason for Hudson’s question. Marjery must be aboutthe same age as Rachel, who’s lived on the Carlton Estate all her life. Theyprobably went to the same school...maybe they were even bestfriends, even though Marjery’s parents strongly disapproved...
Calmly, I draw the photo from the bag. We’ve been down a fewdead ends already. Maybe this is just another one.
‘Well?’ Hudson asks, his brow creased with tension.
I swallow as I look at the young girl’s face in the light ofmy mobile. Now that I know what I’m looking for, it’s really quiteunmistakeable.
