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Ben snorts. ‘Pirates? They could have broken my neck. And look at my jeans. These were made specially for me by the designer. They’re unique.’
‘Well, they definitely are now, mate.’ Cal frowns at the mud-spattered denim while I die a little inside. ‘And they’re not my children but I’ll pass on your parenting advice to their mums and dads. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it.’
‘Cal!’ I cut in, cringing at the naked menace in his voice while wanting to sink through the ground. ‘This is Ben Trevone and Lily Craig. Our VIP guests.’
Cal glances from Ben to Lily then sucks in a breath before thrusting out his muddy hand. ‘Oh, right. Well, good to meet you both. Sorry the kids were a bit over enthusiastic with their pirate raiding.’
Ignoring Cal’s hand, Ben snorts. ‘Over enthusiastic? They’ve ruined my jeans, not that I care, of course, or about being dumped on my arse in the mud, but Lily was almost knocked flying.’
‘No, I wasn’t. I’m fine and so are you. Ben’s jeans will recover. I never liked them anyway,’ Lily trills. ‘You must be Cal. Why are you dressed as a pirate?’ Lily asks him, clearly intrigued.
‘I promised the children they could come to Kilhallon to play pirates. I just didn’t realise they’d turn up today.’
Ben is speechless, which is a relief, but Cal gives Lily one of his bone-melting smiles. ‘Apologies for my lateness. The children turned up for a half-term visit and I totally lost track of the time. They’re a bit wild, but they’ve had a shitty time recently – their families were flooded out of their homes over Christmas by a tidal surge.’
Lily wrinkles her nose. ‘Oh my God. How horrible for them. We did hear about it. Ben went to school in Penzance, you know.’
‘Yes, I do,’ I say. ‘So I’m sure he can understand how terrible the storm was for the area.’
‘We saw it on the news, didn’t we, Ben? My cousins had to leave their house and Ben paid for them to go to a hotel for a few weeks. He’s very thoughtful like that, aren’t you, Ben?’
Ben manages a smile and puts his arm around Lily’s shoulders. ‘Anything to make you happy.’
‘I bet Polly would wash your jeans, mate, and you can borrow an old pair of mine in the meantime,’ Cal says.
Ben curls his lip. ‘Thanks, but don’t bother.’
‘We’ve got a change of clothes in the car,’ Lily says. ‘We’re visiting Ben’s mum in Penzance after we’ve left here. That’s one of the reasons we wanted the ceremony at Kilhallon, because Ben’s family live locally and mine are scattered over the South West so it’s not so very far for them to come.’
She kisses Ben and he grunts.
‘Would you like to come up to the house to change your clothes?’ I ask him.
‘No. I’d rather keep them on until we’ve finished yomping around this field … in case anyone else wants to knock me over,’ he says.
‘Probably a wise decision,’ says Cal. ‘Do you want me to fetch you some wellies?’ he directs this to both of them.
‘I’ll be fine,’ Lily says with a smile that would melt the hardest heart and I think has even melted Cal’s. Her black leather pixie boots should be OK despite the wet conditions.
‘I’ll stay as I am,’ says Ben, who I think would rather jump off a cliff than be seen in wellies.
Lily slips her arm through his and kisses him. ‘I rather like you all muddy and wet.’
Finally, Ben smiles.
‘Your eye patch has slipped,’ I whisper to Cal while Ben helps Lily down the slope towards the ‘events space’.
Cal lifts off the tricorn and pulls the eye patch over his head before pecking me on the cheek. ‘Sorry I’m late. I bet you’ve been climbing the walls having to look after those two on your own.’
‘I didn’t even notice you weren’t around.’
Cal sucks in a breath. ‘That bad, eh? I didn’t know the kids would be here today but their parents turned up with them. They came to say thanks and I didn’t want to turn them away. Then I kind of got involved in a pirate raid and lost all track of time.’
‘A pirate raid? Great. At least you have your priorities right.’
He grins. ‘You’re not too pissed off, are you?’
While I shake my head at him, I can’t help but smile. Cal likes kids, probably because he’s still about twelve inside. He also spent a lot of time helping them during his time in Syria as an aid worker. He grew especially close to Esme and her mother, Soraya. Soraya’s death in an attack on the city caused Cal a lot of pain, and I know he feels partly responsible. Although he told me about it over Christmas, we’ve not spoken about it since, but I know he thinks about Esme constantly and wonders whether she survived.
We rejoin Lily and Ben and pause halfway down the gentle slope that leads to a circular patch of grass at the bottom of a hollow. To the left is the far edge of the little copse where the yurts are pitched during our camping season. Below us the young pirates are now sitting on one of the log seats we’ve placed in our ‘wedding glade’. The area is available for use by the yurt guests and campers when it’s not booked for a wedding or party.
‘This is the space where you’ll be holding your … um … handfasting ceremony.’ Cal puts his hand to his ear. ‘Shh. Listen.’
The wind has dropped enough for us to hear the faint roar of the sea breaking on the rocks below the cliffs. Gulls wheel above us, gliding on the breeze, crying against the spring sky.
‘Imagine it on a glorious summer’s day – that hollow down there is where we would hold the ceremony,’ I say, relieved that Kilhallon is finally hinting at how beautiful it can be. ‘We’re thinking of having a luxury events tipi for the reception in case the weather turns slightly cooler,’ I say, recalling the storm we had last June. ‘You can have drinks outside in the sun, and in the evening we can light braziers or campfires and decorate the tipi and wedding area however you like … Chinese lanterns, a fairy grotto, Moroccan themed …’
‘Sounds amazing,’ says Lily with a sigh.
‘Let’s take a closer look,’ says Cal, subtly leading her down to the centre of the hollow. Even I’m impressed by what we can do at Kilhallon and I know the yurts looked amazing on our launch day last September. Now the sun’s out and Cal’s here, I feel more confident that we could put on a show that might even please Ben. Fingers crossed that soon we’ll have found a wedding planner to help us so I can concentrate on the catering. The kids run into the woods, whooping, as we approach, which is probably a good thing for all of us.
Ben and I join Cal and Lily in the hollow. Cal sits on a log seat with Lily and they start to chat about a production she worked on with Isla.
‘Have you got any ideas for themes yet?’ I ask Ben, who keeps glancing at his phone.
‘I dunno. I leave that sort of thing up to Lily.’
He pulls a face as he sidesteps a puddle.
‘That’s OK. We can talk more about it when we go back to the cafe. I think we should put some plans in place because the wedding date is the last Saturday in May – that isn’t very far away.’ I’m already crossing my fingers that they don’t want anything unusual that has to be booked years in advance.
‘Harry will need to talk about security,’ Ben says airily.
‘Oh, right. Of course,’ I say, realising I hadn’t thought about that side of things. Luckily we’ve blocked off the entire weekend for Lily and Ben’s use, and they’re paying us very well so we don’t mind. I’ll have to shut the cafe that weekend too and possibly for a couple of days beforehand.
After we’ve shown them the event space, we take a little walk to the boundary of the holiday park and stop to take in the view. The camping field is empty, of course, and looks stark after a winter. The hedgerows are still bare twigs although a few green buds are popping out among the brown. Beyond the stone walls, the sea glitters in the sunlight. The waves look like lacy frills from up here but I can tell there’s a huge swell. I wouldn’t like to be out on the water today, that’s for sure.
‘We can also offer the services of a freelance wedding planner, though I expect you’ll have your own?’ I say to Lily as we reach the hollow where the yurts are pitched.
‘No, happy to leave ourselves in your capable hands.’ She beams. ‘I’m sure you’ve got a truly fabulous planner already lined up.’
An actual chill runs down my spine. We’re going to have to get a wedding organiser fast. ‘Do you have an idea of your theme yet?’ I ask, hoping she won’t ask the truly fabulous planner’s name.
‘Well …’ She glances at Ben briefly. ‘This is the kind of story we want to create around our celebrations. A wild and windswept country ceremony, though not too windswept, I hope,’ she says as a gust of wind whips her long red hair around her face. ‘But a natural and totally relaxed affair, as if we just rocked up here with a bunch of mates and decided to hold the ceremony on the spur of the moment with everyone mucking in and throwing it all together.’
As my stomach churns like a cake mixer, I fix a smile on my face. ‘Thrown together? Oh, I definitely think we can achieve that.’
‘Lovely. You see, we’d like the whole day to look as if I’d simply picked a bunch of gorgeous wildflowers and tied them up with a ribbon and made a circlet for my hair. And that the girls had all picked flowers for the decorations and the boys had made a beautiful wedding arch with branches they’d found lying around in the woods. And that everyone had brought some food along: you know, clean eating, healthy stuff plus lots of yummy wicked treats like you see in old-fashioned tearooms. And we can have cider too along with the Krug of course …’ Lily sighs. ‘So something super natural, not complicated and very un-starry.’
‘Not complicated … No problem,’ I say in a strangled voice. ‘Um. On a country theme, you could have straw bale seating and a fire pit in the evening, with an evening supper served out of wicker picnic baskets in the open if it’s fine. Which of course, it will be,’ I say, channelling any ideas I’ve seen on Pinterest and wedding sites. ‘The grove here would look amazing with lanterns in the shape of woodland animals: hedgehogs, rabbits and badgers. I saw some online.’
Lily squeaks in delight. ‘Hedgehog lanterns? How cute. I love that idea.’
‘Why not go the whole hog, or hedgehog, and have real animals?’ Cal says. ‘You could even have an owl deliver the ring.’
We all stare at him for this totally random statement.
‘An owl? You mean an actual feathered owl delivering the wedding rings?’ Ben repeats.
‘That’s a very original idea …’ I manage.
‘It’s barking mad,’ says Ben.
‘Oh. But no …’ Lily trills. ‘No, it’s not because I’ve actually seen something like that before in a magazine. Oh, yes. That would be amazing. Imagine a real owl flying down the grove here and landing on Ben’s arm.’
‘No way. I’m not having a bird land on me, with its talons and beaky thing.’ Ben shudders.
‘Oh, Ben, you’d love it if you tried it. Please let us have an owl, for me?’ Lily grabs Ben’s arm. ‘Please. It would be so perfect.’
I catch Cal’s eye and glare at him and he mouths back ‘sorry’ and shrugs.
Lily kisses Ben and he forces a fleeting smile. ‘I’ll see. Like I say, anything for you, babe.’
‘Come back ’ere, you horror!’
The owl is forgotten as we’re all distracted by the sight of Polly hurrying down the slope towards us, shouting. Mitch lopes ahead of her and, oh my God, he’s making a beeline for Ben and Lily.
‘Mitch! Heel!’
I dash forward, hoping to intercept him before he leaps up and slobbers over Ben’s designer clothes. Drool is not a good look on anyone. Fortunately, Mitch changes course at the last minute and screeches to a halt at my feet, tongue lolling.
‘Good boy. Good boy,’ I tell him, giving him a cuddle while keeping a firm hold on his collar.
‘What a lovely boy he is,’ Lily walks towards Mitch. ‘He is friendly?’
‘Yes, he’s the biggest softy you can imagine.’
‘I have a dog called Louie. He’s the sweetest little French bulldog. He’s such an angel but I can’t always bring him away with me so my mum takes care of him for me.’ Lily crouches down and fusses Mitch who is immediately smitten. He rolls over and invites a belly rub, a sure sign he likes someone.
Polly isn’t so delighted, judging by the grim line of her mouth. She huffs towards us, waving a lead in the air. ‘He ran off. I tried to keep him in but the moment I opened that door, he shot out like a bullet from a gun. You terror!’ she calls to Mitch, who is snickering in pleasure as Lily tickles his tum.
‘I adore Louie,’ Lily says to Cal. ‘Ben’s not a doggy person but he makes an exception for Louie, don’t you, Ben?’
‘Anything to make you happy, baby.’
Harry bends down to ruffle Mitch’s ears and Mitch licks his hand. ‘You’re a very fine fellow, aren’t you?’ he says in a way that reminds me of some of the quirkier contestants on University Challenge, not that I watch it much but Polly’s a fan and it’s often on in the background.
‘I’m sorry he’s escaped,’ Polly says to me.
‘It’s fine. He’s not doing any harm. Lily has a dog of her own.’
Polly’s face is red. ‘That doesn’t mean she wants that one leaping all over her.’
‘We wouldn’t have minded, would we, Ben?’
‘It wouldn’t make any difference to me,’ he says, pointing to his muddy jeans.
Polly stares at his trousers. ‘What on earth happened to you?’
‘Some kids knocked me over,’ Ben says.
‘Kids? Not that terror who keeps tormenting my chickens? Max? Short for Maximum Trouble, I say.’
‘It was Max, and his sister, Laura,’ Cal cuts in. ‘And we’ve apologised but Ben is OK now, aren’t you? Polly, this is Lily Craig and Ben … our very special wedding guests.’
Polly’s brow creases then her mouth forms an ‘o’ as she belatedly realises who she’s been talking to. ‘Oh … er. Right. Pleased to meet you … um … I just wanted a word with Cal and Demi. Excuse me.’
However, instead of asking for permission to take a selfie, she turns her back on them and pulls me aside. Cal talks to Ben while Lily plays tug-of-war with Mitch and a stick. Harry stands a few yards away by a granite monument.
Polly takes me out of earshot. ‘We’ve got a visitor,’ she says, lowering her voice.
‘Right …’ So Polly must have needed an excuse to interrupt our meeting with Ben and Lily. She needn’t have worried, I would have introduced her anyway. ‘Can you deal with them? We’re a bit tied up showing Bonnie and— I mean our guests around at the moment.’
‘Well, I can if you want me to, but you won’t want me to,’ she says.
‘Why not? Who’s so important that they can’t speak to you?’
‘Her.’ Polly turns round and points to the top of the slope where a small but very determined figure has appeared on the ridgeline, silhouetted against the sky. ‘I told the cheeky little minx to wait in reception but you know what she’s like. Thinks she owns the place. Almost did.’
I follow Polly’s gaze to the woman making her way down the muddy track in leopard print boots and a black leather mini. My stomach turns somersaults.
Why, why, why does she have to turn up now? After all our troubles over the past ten months, I’d hoped we were done with Mawgan Cade once and for all.
CHAPTER FOUR (#ulink_1246a236-e524-5c45-94e0-b14db2ec759d)
‘What does she want?’ I whisper to Polly while the others are distracted by Mitch’s wild barks. ‘Did you tell her Ben and Lily were here?’
‘What do you take me for?’ Polly adds in a not-very-whispery whisper that has me sneaking a look at our guests to see if they’ve heard. Fortunately Cal has distracted them, although I don’t think he’s noticed Mawgan himself yet. Gulp.
‘OK. Sorry but I don’t think it can be a coincidence that she’s turned up at this precise moment when she hasn’t been near the place for months.’
‘I haven’t breathed a word to a living soul and I’ve no idea what the little cat wants. She said she had business with you and Cal and when I said you were tied up and she should make an appointment, the cheeky madam plonked herself down in reception and said she’d wait. I had no idea she’d dare start wandering about but I thought I should come and find you myself as I couldn’t get you on your mobiles. The nerve of her!’
‘Nothing surprises me about Mawgan any more,’ I murmur, though I’m amazed at her turning up at Kilhallon at this particular moment. I’m struggling to believe it’s a coincidence that our VIPs are here but there is also no way that Mawgan knew they were coming. Then again, it must just be a horrible coincidence … Maybe one of the cafe staff has let it slip that they are here today. I hope not, but I’m going to have to find out. Harry said we’ll need to look at security for the event and it doesn’t look great that we’ve made yet another cock-up this early in the process.
Cal glances at me. His jaw drops and he mouths ‘what?’ as he finally spots Mawgan too.
Mawgan wobbles her way towards us, waving.
