The Wedding Girl Read online

  `Do you think we should stand up?' he whispered to his father.

  `I don't know!' hissed back Harry. He looked equally agitated. `How the fuck do I know?'

  Olivia turned and peered towards the back of the church.

  `I can see her!' she whispered. `She's here!'

  The organ music slowed down, then stopped altogether. Looking hesitantly at each other, the three of them stood up. There was an agonized silence; no one seemed to be breathing.

  Then the familiar chords of Wagner's Wedding March swelled into the air. Simon felt a lump coming to his throat. Not daring to look round, he stared ahead, blinking furiously, until he felt Harry tugging his sleeve. Very slowly he swivelled his head round until he was looking down the aisle, and felt his heart stop. There was Milly on her father's arm, looking more beautiful than he'd ever seen her. Her lips were parted in a tremulous smile; her eyes were sparkling behind her veil; her skin glowed against the pale creaminess of her dress.

  As she reached his side she stopped. She hesitated, then, with trembling hands, slowly lifted the gauzy veil from her face. As she did so, her fingers brushed the necklace of freshwater pearls she was wearing. She paused, holding one of the tiny pearls, and for a few moments her eyes dimmed.

  Then she let go of it, took a deep breath and looked up.

  `Ready?' said Simon.

  `Yes,' said Milly, and smiled at him. `I'm ready.'

  As Rupert arrived at the little cottage perched on the cliffs, it was nearly midday. He glanced at his watch as he walked up the path, and thought to himself that Milly would be married by now. She and Simon would be drinking champagne, as happy as two people could ever be.

  The door opened before he reached it, and his father looked out.

  `Hello, my boy,' he said kindly. `I've been expecting you.'

  `Hello, Father,' said Rupert, and put down his briefcase to give his father a hug. As he met the older man's mild, unquestioning gaze, he felt his defences crumble completely, as though he might suddenly burst into unstoppable sobs. But his emotions were run dry; he was beyond tears now.

  `Come and have a nice cup of tea,' said his father, leading the way into the tiny sitting room, overlooking the sea. He paused. `Your wife called today, wondered if you were here. She said to tell you she was sorry. And she sends you her love and prayers.'

  Rupert said nothing. He sat down by the window and looked out at the empty blue sea. It occurred to him that he'd almost completely forgotten about Francesca.

  `You also had a call from another young woman a few days ago,' called his father from the tiny kitchen. There was a clatter of crockery. `Milly, I think her name was. Did she manage to track you down?'

  The flicker of something like a smile passed across Rupert's face.

  `Yes,' he said. `She tracked me down.'

  `I hadn't heard of her before,' said his father, coming in with a teapot. `Is she an old friend of yours?'

  `Not really,' said Rupert. `Just ...' He paused. `Just the wife of a friend of mine.'

  And he leaned back in his chair and stared out of the window at the waves breaking on the rocks below.

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN