The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall

Author:Katy Birchall
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

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“What a shame Nicole Percy didn’t take to you!” Annabel cries, the champagne almost splashing out of her glass. “She really is the best in the business and Dashwell Hall deserves the best. This really couldn’t be worse! You’re going to be stuck finding anyone by December, Cordy! It’ll have to be a rush job! How ghastly. What ever are you going to do?”

Cordelia looks as though what she might do is punch Annabel’s face.

“What sort of flowers are you thinking for your wedding, Annabel?” I ask quickly, hoping to move the focus away from Cordelia. People like Annabel love talking about themselves, so if you continually ask questions about their life, they think you’re absolutely marvelous without knowing anything about you.

“Oh, I would tell you, but it’s very secretive,” she says, patting my hand. “Everyone wants to know. What I can tell you is it’s going to be simply spectacular. Nicole is a genius.”

Cordelia is gripping her glass so tightly, her knuckles have gone white and I’m worried it’ll shatter at any moment.

“The thing is, Nicole is an artist, not a florist,” she says, her voice inflecting up at the end of the sentence, as if it’s a question. “That’s why the events she does are so different. Everyone can tell that it’s not just anyone who does the flowers, if you know what I mean. It shouldn’t be done in a rush, with money thrown at it. It really is an art form.” She looks at Cordelia sympathetically. “Sorry, Cordy, don’t mean to rub salt in the wound.”

“Nicole is certainly different,” I say, glancing nervously at Cordelia, whose jaw is clenched.

Quite frankly, I’m coming round to understanding why Cordelia told Tom to fuck off when he filled her in on the news of who was coming to dinner. She had a meltdown, insisting that her mum call the evening off. She was on the verge of tears as she ranted about it. I wondered how I would feel if Mum and Dad had Graham Slater over for dinner, and knew immediately: sick. I kind of got it.

Annabel is particularly unpleasant and I’m not sure her sister is much better.

The Earl and Countess of Derrington seem nice but they’re a little pompous and self-important, and meeting them has allowed me to appreciate just how impeccably mannered Lord and Lady Meade are. They may be a little closed off, but having spent a day at Dashwell Hall, I can understand why you might have some walls up. It would be difficult to know who to trust when you live in a place like this. But they’re so welcoming that I’ve started to relax and feel at home, despite being in a stately home so grand that earlier I got lost on the way to dinner and ended up in a random courtyard I didn’t know existed. Luckily, a man who introduced himself as one of the chefs discovered me and pointed me in the right direction.

This afternoon, I

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