The Second Chance Boutique by Louisa Leaman

Author:Louisa Leaman
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks
Published: 2020-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

chapter 5

Cedars is everything a Georgian country mansion should be—harmonious lines of stone stucco fascia and large, well-proportioned windows, capped with a parapet roof, all neatly positioned within an elegant landscaped park. They knew, thinks Fran, those old-day aristocrats, fresh from their Grand Tours and handwritten pages of romantic poetry, how to extol the natural virtues of their surroundings. The grounds have suffered a multitude of insults including car parking, a gym complex, and the scourge of too much low-maintenance ground cover—purple slate chippings, bark mulch, and pea gravel—but the lawns and tree-lined vistas retain the essence of sweeping eighteenth-century garden design. Up the hill behind the house, she spies a mock ancient temple and, to the side, a lake with an island. She would like, very much, to step inside the silk slippers of the past, to see girls in empire-waist day dresses and men in boots and breeches, on their way to a Regency ball, but instead, she is greeted by a parade of glitter-covered human statues.

The estate itself has been harried into the modern era with a glass extension and multicolored LED downlights that bathe the aged sandstone walls in magenta, turquoise, and neon yellow. A full bar has been fitted in the former ballroom; a bowling alley, game room, and cinema in the cellars; a basketball court in the drawing room; and the upstairs chambers have been turned into spa suites of various sizes.

The theatrics build to a crescendo at the entrance gates, where waiters in clip-on bow ties hand out pink champagne against a backdrop of illuminated fountain water. The bride, Rachel Joseph née Pointer, and her groom, Elijah, proceed up the drive applauded by their guests and flanked by two stout miniature ponies wearing glittery bridles and fake unicorn horns. Rachel and Elijah both smile continuously, but neither look comfortable.

“What were we thinking?” says Rachel, nudging her new husband.

“Don’t look at me,” he says. “This was all your idea.”

“I think,” she whispers, as a flock of white doves flutter overhead. “I think I might have gotten a bit carried away. I told the planners to go all-out, but…did I really agree to these funny little horses?”

Elijah shakes his head and smiles. “Good thing I love you, Mrs. Joseph.”

“I love you too, Elijah. But I tell you what. When we renew our vows in ten years’ time, let’s hire a room in a pub, drink some cider, and eat pies.”

“That,” says Elijah, squeezing his bride around the waist, “sounds like a great idea. You look lovely by the way. Not the kind of dress I thought you’d go for, but…it’s charming.”

“It’s vintage,” says Rachel. “Chosen especially for me.”

They kiss, too love-bombed to resent the crazed pomposity of their day. The guests cheer, over three hundred of them, mostly adults, all in for a night to remember. Thankfully the weather gods have smiled and Rachel has been granted her wish of sunshine.

“This is a wedding venue on steroids,” whispers Rafael as he and Fran find a peaceful corner of the knot garden to sip their drinks and watch the procession.

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