‘You look so beautiful, darling,’ said Audrey, a tiny crack of emotion appearing in her voice.
‘So do you, Mum. I love the colour of your jacket – it’s perfect!’
Zara was right. Audrey did look stunning, and she had even taken into account her daughter’s desire for her guests to display a nod to the Caribbean theme, choosing a rich emerald lace dress with a diamante pearl and bead embellished ruched waistband worn with a shantung satin jacket with three-quarter-length sleeves in navy blue with flashes of emerald at the neck and cuffs. The whole ensemble was finished off with a pretty fascinator in the colours of the St Lucian flag.
Zara and Rachel carried matching bouquets which were floral works of art. Frilly yellow roses, interspersed with sweetly fragranced yellow freesia to represent the Caribbean sunshine and golden beaches, vivid blue delphiniums for the cloudless sky and Caribbean Sea, all wrapped up in glossy banana leaves as a nod to the islands’ most famous export. Stunning.
‘It’s time,’ whispered Lexie, giving Zara a smile.
‘Okay, here we go.’
Together, Zara and her mother descended the sweeping staircase with Rachel bringing up the rear looking almost as beautiful as the bride in her bright yellow chiffon bridesmaid dress and matching tiara, necklace and earrings. When they got to the French doors that led out to the terrace and the waiting congregation, the music Zara had chosen to walk down the aisle to, an orchestral version of ‘One Love’ by Bob Marley, burst into life and Lexie almost lost her grip on her emotions when she saw Jason, handsome and debonair in his charcoal-grey morning suit and vibrantly coloured cravat, turn to face his bride at the other end of the red carpet.
However, it wasn’t what he was wearing that caused Lexie’s heart to pound, but the expression on his face.
True, uncomplicated, unswerving love.
And it was in that precise moment that she realised that Elliot had never been in love with her, not truly, not unconditionally, because she had never seen him look at her like Jason was looking at Zara as she made her way down the short aisle to take his hand and pledge her life and love to him for all eternity. She had been about to do that, too, and she experienced a bright flash of understanding.
Pippa had been right. She’d had a lucky escape. What was the point of getting married unless you’d found the person who looked at you like Jason was looking at Zara as he said his vows, his voice filled with honesty and sincerity and adoration?
When it was Zara’s turn to promise to love and honour Jason, Lexie had to gulp down several breaths of air to steady her nerves. The glow of happiness that surrounded the newly married couple, who thankfully seemed completely oblivious to all the ancillary drama that had been swirling around them, caused her heart to melt in the certain knowledge that love could blossom again, even after the most heart-aching relationship break-ups.
For a reason she couldn’t comprehend, Lexie thought of Theo and wondered where he was; she couldn’t see him anywhere on the terrace, scribbling away on his notepad or tapping at his mobile. They hadn’t spoken about their past relationships; in fact, they had deliberately avoided the subject. She knew why she hadn’t wanted to venture into that grenade-strewn conversation, but why hadn’t Theo?
Then it came to her. He’d had his heart broken too! If she hadn’t been so intent on hiding her own pain, she would have recognised the same scorch of hurt in his eyes. She’d thought it was sadness, but it was more than that. She knew she wouldn’t be able to ask him about it until she was prepared to talk about her own situation though, and she couldn’t do that until she’d spoken to Elliot.
Gosh, why was everything so complicated?
A blast of music woke her from her reverie and she tuned back into the proceedings. The Registrar had arrived at those immortal words – ‘you may kiss your bride’ – and when Jason leaned forward and kissed a beaming Zara, there wasn’t a dry eye amongst them, even Lexie had to dab away a tear before handing round her packet of tissues to the guests who’d forgotten to bring their own.
‘Congratulations!’
‘Well done!’
‘Yay!’
Confetti flew in the air and the whole congregation surrounded the happy couple, hugging them, kissing Zara, slapping Jason on the back and shaking his hand, expressing their delight – even a somewhat subdued Nadia gave Zara a quick kiss before grasping Patrice’s hand for moral support. Taking advantage of the slight delay in the proceedings, Lexie left the gazebo to perform a quick final check of the orangery before the guests arrived for the wedding breakfast, grateful that the Cornish sun was still smiling down on them, just as the Caribbean sun would have been.
She’d made it only half way along the gravelled pathway when she heard a rustle in the rhododendron bushes to her right. Her heart gave a flipflop of alarm before she chastised herself for being so jumpy – with all the drama of the last few hours she wouldn’t have been surprised to be presented with an escaped lion from the local zoo, or perhaps a blue-skinned giant asking her to accompany him to his spaceship for a tour of the galaxy far, far away.
When she arrived at the orangery, there was a reassuring hum of activity, with waiters already poised to greet everyone with a glass of Champagne or Caribbean rum punch. The first of the guests had started to wander in and were shown to their seats with the minimum of fuss and made to feel welcome and comfortable. To Lexie’s delight, everyone, without exception, oohed and ahhed at the decoration, especially the floral arrangements on the tables and the hanging baskets.
‘Ladies and Gentlemen, would you be upstanding for the bride and groom, Mr and Mrs Jones!’
An explosion of applause, and a couple of whistles, reverberated around the glass room as Zara and Jason made their entrance, their arms entwined, both beaming widely as they took their seats at the top table between Dan and Rachel. A burble of animated chatter ensued as the guests were served their first course, the callaloo soup Anton had created, followed by the fish course, then the main event, which had everyone gasping with delight. Lexie wished Anton had taken a few moments out of his beloved kitchen to see the diners’ reactions, but she resolved to make sure she recited every positive comment when she saw him later, especially when guests started to ask her where they could get the patisserie that was served for dessert.
When it was time for the speeches Lexie took the opportunity to slip outside for a breath of fresh air. She heaved a long sigh of relief that the ceremony and reception had, against the odds, gone without a hitch, and now she could leave the wedding guests to enjoy the rest of the afternoon without her lurking in the corner ready to pounce on any breach of protocol. She would grab a coffee in the library and rest her aching feet until she was needed to help transform the orangery from its daytime splendour into a place where people could let their hair down and dance the night away to the calypso steel band – listening to their ‘happy vibe’ music was one of the things Lexie had been looking forward to the most.
She hooked her bag over her shoulder and had made it as far as the terrace, which was now unsurprisingly deserted, when she was suddenly besieged by an urge to talk to Pippa. She knew her friend would want to hear every detail about the wedding and she craved the chance to spill the story from start to finish, all the trials and tribulations, the pranks and the problems, and to tell her that if she thinks organising Pierre’s catwalk shows was a nightmare task, then she should think again.