‘Not entirely a bad thing,’ muttered Rachel darkly, still scrutinising the tiara with professional interest. ‘But George is lovely, isn’t he? Much more laid back – I liked him as soon as I met him yesterday. I can imagine the divorce was no picnic!’
‘True. How he managed to stay married to Nadia for twenty years I have no idea. Clearly, he has a very strong constitution. I’m just sorry he doesn’t have a date for the wedding. It would have been lovely to see that he’s moved on and found himself a little slice of happiness at last.’
‘Nothing wrong with not having a date!’
Zara shot a sympathetic glance at her best friend. ‘How are you feeling after seeing Dan with Hannah at breakfast this morning? Are you okay?’
‘Absolutely fine! I dumped him, remember?’
‘I’m sorry, Rach, I did try to talk Jas out of asking him to be his best man…’
‘I told you, I don’t have a problem. I just wish he hadn’t persuaded you to let him bring along his little sister – that girl should be on the stage! I think she emptied the local joke shop before she came down here! I won’t tell you what she’s planning for Jason’s Z3 when you leave for your honeymoon!’
‘Oh, God! I told Jason to have a word with Dan about the whoopee cushions he found in Jasmine’s suitcase!’
‘Unless…’ began Rachel, glancing out to the terrace where Nadia had started to giggle like a schoolgirl.
‘Don’t even go there, Rach!’
‘Okay, okay. So, what do you know about Patrice?’
Zara’s mouth twisted into an amused smile.
‘Well, you’ll never guess what Jason told me last night.’
‘What?’
Zara cast a quick look at her mother who rolled her eyes, but remained silent
‘No, I’d better not – I did promise him I wouldn’t say anything…’
‘Zara! You can’t leave me hanging like that!’
Lexie exchanged a glance with Freya who had finished her alterations and had sat back on her haunches to survey her handiwork, a satisfied smile on her lips. Like Rachel, she too was curious to know more about the man Nadia was bringing to her son’s wedding as, according to Marley’s notes, up until that day she had insisted that her plus one be referred to as just that.
‘Is he French?’
‘I don’t know, but what I do know is that she met him on a dating website!’
‘What’s wrong with that?’ asked Rachel.
‘Nothing – except Jason showed me a photo of him and…’
‘What!’
‘He’s the same age as Jason, if not a couple of years younger, and extremely handsome – although don’t tell Jason I said that – great body, buffed skin, muscular biceps, this fabulous tattoo on his forearm, and, I could have been mistaken, but I think he had eyeliner on.’
‘Do you still have the photo?’
‘Yes, I do, hang on.’
Zara scrolled through her phone until she came to the picture and turned the screen towards them. Lexie knew she was the only one who saw the flicker of recognition in Rachel’s eyes because everyone else was too busy scrutinising the professionally-taken black-and-white photograph with avid interest.
‘Wow!’ whispered Audrey, her soft hazel eyes sparkling with interest. ‘Good for Nadia.’
‘Oh, I agree, Mum, but Jason’s worried. Nadia’s just inherited her Uncle Monty’s haulage business, including his villa in Cala d’Or and a sixty-foot yacht moored in Palma harbour.’
‘I think Nadia’s a lot more financially savvy than you give her credit for,’ soothed Audrey. ‘Didn’t George have to sign a pre-nup before they got married?’
‘Yes, and between you and me I think he’s a bit hard up, but he still insisted on paying for half the wedding…’
‘Okay, are we finished here? Some of us have a busy schedule!’
Nadia strode back into the room, collected her Prada handbag, almost snatched the tiara from Rachel’s hands, returned it to its box, and made for the door.
‘Perhaps you could invest in one of these, Freya, my dear.’ She wiggled her mobile phone in the air. ‘They’re a godsend if your memory is not what it should be.’
And with that parting shot, she left the room.
‘God! I don’t envy you, Zara. With a mother-in-law like that, Jason better have a multitude of attributes that are not instantly apparent,’ smirked Rachel, joining Freya and Lexie to help her friend out of her dress so she could change back into her jeans.
Chapter Six
‘Thank God that’s over!’ declared Freya as she closed the door behind the wedding party and collapsed onto the chaise longue, wiping her forehead with a dramatic swipe of her hand, her expression filled with relief, but also a generous dollop of anxiety. ‘I wasn’t sure I could hold things together for much longer! Do you think Zara or Rachel suspected anything when I said I’d left the dress behind at the boutique?’
‘No, I’m sure they didn’t. Everyone was too focused on Zara’s stunning wedding dress.’
But Freya was eyeing Lexie with narrowed eyes and she groaned inwardly. If she was going to continue with this wedding planner business until Marley got back from California – whenever that might be – then she was going to have to sign up for a few acting classes, although even the most talented of drama tutors wouldn’t be able to teach her how to hide her emotions from Freya.
‘Lexie? What’s going on? What are you not telling me? And don’t say nothing because I can see it in your eyes. Something else has happened, hasn’t it?’
Lexie rolled her eyes. ‘It’s nothing, really.’
‘So tell me then!’
Freya finished stuffing the remaining dressmaking items into her Cath Kidston bag, fastened the zip and folded her arms, resolutely waiting for Lexie to come clean.
‘I—’
‘Anyone up for a quote for the Gazette’s famous wedding section?’
Both women turned towards the door through which Theo had burst, his handsome face filled with eager anticipation for the insider scoop on the forthcoming nuptials. His laser-sharp eyes scoured the room in the hope of spotting something gossip-worthy, his expression swiftly turning to disappointment when he realised the wedding party had already left. Lexie threw him a warning glare, shaking her head imperceptibly to signal to him that he wasn’t to reveal the details of their earlier conversation with Rachel to Freya.
‘I’ve told you, Theo, no interviews about the dresses until after the wedding!’ Freya snapped, swinging her bag over her shoulder and tossing her hair behind her ears before muttering so only Lexie could hear. ‘If anyone finds out about the bridesmaid dress disaster my reputation will be in tatters!’
‘Look, why don’t you go back to the boutique and… erm…’ Lexie saw Theo’s ears prick up like a curious meerkat about to get a juicy treat. ‘And check up on things there? I’ll put the finishing touches to the orangery and then make a quick sweep of the gardens.’
‘Okay, I’ll see you later. Bye Theo, keep out of mischief!’