Page 57 of The Wedding Cake Wish
‘Hey, funny guy, this is no joking matter! We need to getour covers straight, don’t we?’ I lower my voice and murmur, ‘We don’t wantRory or Stephanie rumbling us.’
‘Rumbling us?’
‘Well, you know...we don’t want themknowing we’ve got our eye on them.’
‘You’re right, Miss Marple. We don’t. Sorry, here’s my sterninvestigative look. Is that better?’ He turns down the corners of his mouth andI whack his arm with a reluctant smile, at which point he yelps, pretending itreally hurt. Laughing, our eyes meet and hold, and once more I find myselfwishing this was simply a lovely time away together, just the two of us – withno weird mystery to unravel.
Then I think of Fen and Rob, and how Rory vanishing iswrecking their wedding plans.
‘Do you think we should phone Fen and at least tell herwe’ve found Rory?’ I say suddenly.
Hudson frowns. ‘We do need to tell her. But I think weshould find out what he’s up to first.’
I nod. ‘I guess it might be hard to explain if we only havehalf the story to report back.’
‘There’s also the small problem of what he’s planning to do aftertoday. Is he staying in Amberley a bit longer or is there somewhere else heneeds to be?’
I frown. ‘You mean like tracking down the third girl in thephoto?’
‘Exactly.’ He points at the big sign by the gates. ‘Thegardens close at six. So if Roryisplanning something, he has fivehours in which to do it.’
‘Maybe he’s already talked to Stephanie about Rachel and theprison sentence. Perhaps they’ve made their peace and he’s just sticking aroundhere to help her out?’
Hudson shakes his head. ‘I don’t buy it. Did you see thelook of absolute contempt he gave Stephanie when she was lambasting poor Gaynor?’
‘That’s true.’ I shiver, remembering. ‘If looks could kill.Maybe he’s planning to confront Stephanie at some point today...toget answers about the fire and his mum taking the flak for it.’
Leaning closer, Hudson murmurs, ‘Let’s hope talking isallhe’s planning to do.’
*****
The gardens are truly beautiful on this lovely September dayand people seem to be enjoying them to the full. Some have brought picnicbaskets and are making use of the rustic wooden tables dotted around theparkland, while others are happy to simply explore the trails winding throughthe woods and admire the dazzling autumn colours on display everywhere youlook.
I’d be happy to do the same myself if I wasn’t so nervous.
I feel as if I have an exam to sit this afternoon. A knot ofnervous anticipation has lodged itself in my stomach, as Hudson and I roam thegrounds looking everywhere for the missing best man.
‘I’m beginning to wonder if he’s here at all,’ I murmur aswe peer into the busy café for about the tenth time.
‘His van is parked round the back,’ Hudson reminds me.‘We’ll find him.’
At precisely 2pm we join the crowd of people gathered aroundthe fountain as Stephanie climbs onto a small podium to welcome everyone to thegardens. But the mic doesn’t seem to be working properly. She keeps on smilingand makes a joke about teething problems, but I can sense her frustration evenfrom over here. This will not have been part of Stephanie’s plan at all.
‘Do you think Rory’s got something to do with this?’ Imurmur to Hudson.
He frowns but doesn’t reply. And next second, a man ismounting the temporary stage and fixing the mic, and Stephanie’s strident tonescarry across the gardens.
‘Sorry about that, folks.’ She smiles down at the Presscontingent at the front, clearly desperate for a good write-up. ‘But now,thankfully, we’re back in business. Can you hear me at the back?’
There’s a smattering of murmurs in the affirmative, andlooking mightily relieved, she sticks up both thumbs and launches into herspeech, welcoming everyone to the gardens and praising the team who’ve workedso hard to make them into such a magical place for visitors to enjoy.
‘Tommy’s Treehouse will be open for tours fromthree-fifteen,’ she announces. ‘You can walk onto the balcony and get a greatview of the gardens from up there. But in the meantime, why not explore themany wooded walkways and take in the sights and scents of these amazinggardens. Kids, don’t forget to search for the magical fairy grotto that’shidden among the trees. And everyone, remember to return at three o’clock forthe first of our very specialMusical Fountain Spectaculars!’
Rory is still nowhere to be seen, so Hudson and I set off,walking the woody trails and taking a closer look at Tommy’s Treehouse.
‘Isn’t it gorgeous?’ I stare up at the rustic windows of thetreehouse, glinting in the sunlight, and the balcony at the top with its viewsover the lush green vista. ‘I’d love to go inside. Do you think we could joinone of the tours later on?’
‘I don’t see why not.’ Hudson shrugs. ‘I’m starting to thinkwe’ve been getting suspicious over nothing.’ He glances around. ‘Rory seems tohave done another disappearing act. Maybe he’s already on his way home, nowthat the gardens are officially open.’
