Leo placed the tea tray down in front of us, before lowering himself into the chair next to me. “Thank you, Patricia. Your apology means a lot.” He gave me a pointed look. “Doesn’t it, Tess?”
“Yes,” I said, my voice quiet.
“Pardon?” Leo said.
“Yes,” I repeated, with a glower.
“Although this isn’t just about you going rogue, Mum,” I said, needing her to understand things from our perspective. “It’s all the extra work you’ve created. Leo was meant to be doing the flowers, now we’re going to have to draft someone in. In the middle of wedding season. Then there’s–”
“They’re included,” Mum said.
“What?” I frowned at the interruption.
“The flowers. They’re included in the wedding package. All you have to do is decide what you want.”
I shook my head. “That’s not the point I’m making, Mum. What I’m trying–”
“So is the wedding breakfast. Of course, you weren’t around to decide what you wanted, so I had no choice but to…”
Mum’s voice trailed off into a mumble, so I didn’t properly catch the end of her sentence. “You had to what?”
She mumbled again.
I wasn’t stupid. I knew she was telling me she’d chosen the menu for our wedding reception. However, clinging onto the remnants of my earlier good humour, I was determined not to get into another argument. I took a deep breath and gathered myself. “Mum,” I said, keeping my cool. “If we’d wanted everything organised for us, don’t you think we’d have agreed to take on Wendy?”
I considered all Mum’s interference those last months. From her mood boards to her trying to make us hire a wedding planner, to me wearing her dress, to her deciding our ultimate venue…
As much as I hadn’t wanted to see it before, I had to wonder if India had been right when she’d said Mum and Dad weren’t married. Maybe me and Leo getting hitched was Mum’s opportunity to have her own dream wedding, albeit vicariously.
As I opened my mouth to ask, I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Like Leo had said, his parents were due to land, and if my suspicions proved correct, risking another falling out wouldn’t be fair to Leo or them.
“I know I keep saying it, but I don’t mean to cause a problem. I simply want you to have the best wedding ever,” Mum said. “You have to believe that.”
I couldn’t deny her sincerity, and telling myself that India had to be wrong, I dismissed my parents’ marital status altogether. “I just don’t want any more surprises, Mum,” I said, making a point of keeping my voice stern. “You do know that, don’t you?”
Mum nodded. “I do.”
“As long as I’ve made myself clear.”
“Oh, you have.” Mum smiled. “Does this mean we can talk about Gregbrook Manor now?”
Convinced she hadn’t heard one iota of what I’d said, I stared at her, aghast. Lost for words, I turned to Leo for help, but he simply shrugged, as if telling me I’d done everything I could. I scoffed at the situation, resigned to the fact that while Mum’s response might not have been perfect, it was probably the best I was going to get.
Chapter 45
While I sat reading, with my feet up on the sofa, Otis lay stretched out on the rug. It might have been a couple of hours off, but I knew I should be getting ready for the big dinner. For me, bathing, doing something with my unruly hair, and putting on make-up took time, and that was before I got round to deciding what to wear. Leo’s parents were due to meet my family that evening, and I wanted to look my best for the occasion. However, every time I thought about it, my nerves hit, and I couldn’t bring myself to move.
Otis and I cocked our heads at the sound of the front door opening and closing. “That didn’t take long?” I said, as Leo appeared in the lounge. Folding the corner of my page down so I didn’t lose my place, I uncurled my legs from under me and gave Leo my full attention. “I thought you’d be ages yet.”
“And I thought you’d be in the bath.”
I indicated my book. “I got to a good bit and couldn’t put it down.”
“I left Mum and Dad at the hotel.” He dropped his keys onto the coffee table. “I didn’t see the point in hanging around when we’re seeing them later.”
“I can’t believe they chose to stay somewhere else.” After we’d guested at theirs, I’d hoped to return the hospitality. “They were more than welcome here.”
“Which is exactly what I told them, but they wouldn’t have it. Apparently, we have enough to think about with the wedding coming up, without playing host.”
