Summer Wedding at the Cornish Manor, page 21
Cappy, who seems to be in charge of the chauffeuring rota these days, responds immediately. ‘Erica today, my sparkly girl, and I’m doing the Thursday and Friday runs.’
It’s unusual for Misty not to be jumping around trying to get Lola to give her a few titbits, then I realise she’s curled up next to Lola’s feet. I think she was out hunting most of last night and now she’s exhausted.
‘What’s on your agenda today, Jess?’ Cappy enquires. ‘I was wondering if we could catch up on a few things after breakfast, before you make a start.’
I glance at him, and he smiles nonchalantly back at me. ‘I’m doing wedding prep first thing, then I’m off to the florists’ shop in Polreweek. Then back home to change and sand some floorboards. It’s all in a day’s work.’ I chuckle.
‘Mum, is Ollie coming to the wedding?’ Lola asks.
She catches me off guard. ‘I’m not sure, lovely. It’s a long drive…’
‘But he came to stay at Riley’s cottage, and it is a special day.’
There’s the sound of a tooting car horn, and we all check the clock. ‘Oh my, we’re running late.’
‘You go and tell Erica we won’t be a moment, Jess,’ Cappy says. ‘Come on, Lola, let’s get your things together.’
I rush outside and Erica winds down the window.
‘Hi, Daisy.’ I lean in, and she grins, giving me a wave.
‘Long time, no see,’ Erica bemoans. ‘Our paths rarely cross these days, Jess. When is Cappy heading back to Stroud?’
‘I know and um… I’m working on it,’ I whisper. ‘Hopefully, I can keep him here until the wedding, at least. How are things with you?’
Erica shakes her head from side to side. ‘I’m fed up with all the boat talk. It looks like they might be going for a run out in it on Sunday. Cappy knows more than I do about it, though. They’ve always had a joke about The Silver Wave being a rust bucket and yet Charlie can’t understand why I’m worried.’
‘Cappy won’t let them buy something that isn’t seaworthy,’ I reassure her.
‘It’s a lot of money and if they can’t talk Ivan down on the price, they can’t afford it anyway. They must have spent hours in the pub talking about it.’
Lola comes running out of the farmhouse, arms and legs flailing, throwing herself at me. I give her a hug and a kiss on the forehead. ‘Be good. Have fun. Learn lots. Have a great day, everyone. Oh, and thank you, Erica, for your part in the little um… dinner surprise.’
The girls’ ears prick up, but Erica gives me a conspiratorial smile and puts the car in gear as she starts to pull away. ‘It was my pleasure,’ she calls out. ‘Ivy and I had a bit of fun. Hope your day is productive and we must catch up properly very soon!’
Cappy comes to stand alongside me and there’s an exchange of waves.
‘Imagine if Lola had a twin. Would we have coped?’ I ask the question and turn to face him.
He scratches his chin. ‘It would have been double the joy and double the trouble.’ He roars with laughter. ‘I guess Ivy and Adam won’t have anything to compare it to, so for them, it’s going to be normal.’
‘What’s normal?’ I question as we head back inside for a second cup of coffee. ‘Anyway, what did you want to talk about?’
‘A couple of things. Let me see…’ He falls silent, while I make the coffee and carry the mugs over to the table. ‘Ah, yes. Do you think Adam and Riley would enjoy a day out fishing on Sunday?’
I grin at him. ‘Would they – heck, yes! Erica mentioned Charlie’s on about it all the time. Is The Silver Wave safe to take out into deep water? Don’t they refer to it as the rust bucket?’
Cappy laughs. ‘It’s a joke. Ivan moved to Cornwall and thought he’d buy a boat to while away his retirement. He was a marine mechanic and worked on all sorts of boat engines but, as far as I can tell, he’s never been behind the wheel. The engine will be sound, as he says he’s overhauled it, but it’s still been sitting there in that falling-down hangar of a shed with a tarpaulin over it, for… I dunno… best part of ten years? Until they hitch up the trailer it’s sitting on, and get it out into the open, who knows what they’ll find. But Charlie and Clem are going to sort that out today. If everything looks okay, then Sunday is the day to test her out.’
‘Are you going to be there for the unveiling?’
‘I didn’t commit myself, as I’m going to be a bit tied up at the manor.’ My heart leaps in my chest as that probably means Riley has spoken to him.
‘Oh. I see. The thing is… Erica would feel a lot better if she knew you were casting your eye over it, Cappy.’
‘You think?’
‘I know.’
‘Okay, I’ll give the guys a call. The other thing I wanted to mention, no… there are two things, now I come to think of it. Riley’s up to his eyes in work, and I know you’re getting pulled in all directions what with the bits and pieces for the wedding. I’m thinking of hanging around to give a hand, just until the big day is here. I think Lucas and his soon-to-be fiancée, Sienna, are quite settled. They haven’t managed to find anything suitable to buy yet within their price range. Would it upset your plans if I stayed on a while?’
‘Oh, Cappy, it would be a huge relief for me. Riley never complains, but I can tell when he’s under pressure. And with Fiona still not having made any contact with him since our trip to York, I know he’s stressing about it.’
Cappy nods his head in agreement. ‘I’d feel bad leaving you to it, when I know that an extra pair of hands will be appreciated. And, hopefully, it won’t be long before Charlie and Clem make up their minds about The Silver Wave. I’d rather like to be around for that. I don’t know if it’s common knowledge, but they have it in their minds to offer fishing trips at weekends. Don’t repeat that to Erica in case I’m dropping Charlie in it.’
‘I won’t. You said there were two other things?’
Cappy’s eyebrows go up. ‘Oh, yes. Prudie. I’ve convinced her we should check out some of the outlying farms. I was thinking of the gym that Riley and Adam go to. They might have spare outbuildings. It’s just a thought, but I’d like to get her sorted before I head back to Stroud.’
I’m flabbergasted. ‘Prudie has accepted that there’s nothing we can do to solve her dilemma?’
He nods his head. ‘Yes. She’s very happy with the arrangements at the bakery and the volume of traffic they get through there now means sales are going well. It is frustrating for her with the art classes, but she’s mindful of not upsetting Flo. The smells of a proper artist’s studio aren’t exactly compatible with candlelit yoga classes, are they?’
We exchange an awkward look. ‘I know, but it does make my heart sink. Grandma would have loved for Renweneth Farm to be a part of realising Prudie’s dream. But everything happens for a reason, Cappy.’
‘So, your grandma always said, Jess. Anyway, I’ll be around a while longer and you never know, Prudie and I might just stumble across the perfect solution for her.’
‘I do hope so and thank you for smoothing things over. I know how hard this has been for you. But I bet you’re excited about the prospect of a day out fishing on Sunday. I’ll keep my fingers crossed that The Silver Wave doesn’t disappoint.’
‘I’ve got a good feeling about her. Ivan might be a landlubber, but he knows his craft. He’s no fool. But some prefer to work on boats, rather than take them out to sea. I think she’s the love of his life and the problem is going to be letting her go. He’s asking top dollar for her, so we’ll see what happens.’
One thing I know for sure, Riley and Adam are going to be so excited if this trip on Sunday goes ahead. I can’t wait to see their reaction.
Suddenly, everything in my little world seems a whole lot brighter than it was. Instead of the usual slump, when I realise that we’re halfway through yet another week, it’s turning out to be a wonderful Wednesday. I’ve found my wedding list; it was hidden away in the middle of a pile of invoices. By the end of the day, I’ll be ticking off flowers and mine and Lola’s dresses for the wedding.
And, thanks to Riley, my mental tick list scores too. Getting Cappy to stay on a couple of months longer might mean that, when the time comes, it’ll be even harder for him to walk away. There’s no denying that having time to reconnect with his old friends here has put a spring in his step and it’s wonderful to see.
*
‘Hi, Jess, I’m Joyce. It’s lovely to meet you; just a shame it can’t be in person. We have a bit of a challenge ahead of us.’ The woman on the screen in front of me breaks out into a huge smile. ‘Don’t worry, it isn’t the first rush job I’ve done, and it won’t be the last.’
I like her can-do attitude. ‘I can’t thank you enough for taking it on, Joyce. This is my good friend Vyvyan, who is going to be in charge of the measuring tape, and my daughter will be joining us shortly.’
Joyce gives her an affirming nod. ‘Hi, Vyvyan. We do have our work cut out but if we get it right at this stage, we might be able to manage having just one fitting.’
‘That would be amazing, Joyce. I’ve got all the information in front of me that you listed in your email. It was really helpful, as it made me focus on the details instead of having this vision in my head that really wasn’t very clear at all,’ I admit.
Lola comes bowling into the kitchen with Misty close on her heels. ‘Sorry I’m late!’
‘Joyce, this is Lola.’
Lola gives her a sweet little wave, as she slips into the seat next to me. ‘Welcome, Lola. This is exciting, isn’t it? Have you settled on a style for your dress?’
Lola’s eyes gleam. ‘I want a princess dress, but shorter, with a swishy skirt.’
‘That sounds wonderful. Jess, did you manage to get some photos to show me so I can see what we’re aiming for?’ Joyce is already making notes as we talk.
‘Lola, can you hold up the one we found for your dress, while I talk Joyce through our ideas.’
Lola jumps up off her seat to grab one of the dozen or so printouts I have spread out over the table.
‘We decided that we want the same fabric for both our dresses, don’t we, Lola? We’ve chosen a sheer, summery, floral print. This is the shape that Lola chose.’
My daughter eagerly holds up the image to the screen.
‘Good choice, Lola,’ Joyce enthuses. ‘We call that the flower girl style. So, it’s a simple scoop neck, with a waisted bodice with capped sleeves. And you want some layers of soft netting beneath the skirt to make it swish. Did you want a zipped back, or buttons and loops?’
Lola frowns and glances straight at me. ‘A zip would be quicker,’ she points out and both Vyvyan and I give a little chuckle. ‘You’re right. A zip it is!’ I confirm.
‘Now, Lola, what length do you want? Ballerina style is mid-calf, or you can have it just below the knee.’
‘Oh, just below the knee, please,’ Lola immediately replies. ‘We’ll be chasing around the garden, and I don’t want the skirt to get in the way. But I do want it to look pretty because it’s Mum and Riley’s special day.’
Aww… that’s my girl, always practical. ‘We didn’t know whether a plain ribbon belt with a bow at the back might help set it off?’ I add.
‘Don’t worry. When it comes to the final fitting, I’ll be driving down with my car fully loaded and we can try a few little embellishments. It all depends on how busy the fabric is that you’ve chosen.’
This time, I hold up the image. ‘I don’t know how clear this is at your end, Joyce, but it’s a soft blue background with quite a large, floral print.’
Joyce leans in closer to the screen. ‘That’s very pretty and unusual. I like that it’s a bold print, but the colours are muted. The sprays of little white flowers behind the main blue clusters with the soft fern green leaves look like they might have a sheen to them?’
I nod my head. ‘Yes, it’s silvery white. It was on one of the websites you suggested, and I’ll send you the link. Do you think it will work for both dresses? The style I’ve chosen is a basic sheath dress although I need some help adding a little something to make it a bit more…’
‘Bridal?’ Vyvyan interjects.
‘I have a couple of ideas popping into my head already,’ Joyce continues, sounding full of enthusiasm. ‘That silvery hue elevates a beautiful, summery fabric into something a little bit special. I think it’s going to work extremely well. Right. Vyvyan, if you have the tape measure to hand, let’s start getting the basics down on paper now I know where we’re heading.’
I thought it would take ten minutes. It takes well over an hour. In between, we have fits of the giggles, as Joyce directs Vyvyan with utmost precision. Lola and I are amazed at how many measurements it takes to go about making a custom dress. There’s a lot of banter and by the time we end the session, Lola and I are buzzing. Joyce knows what she’s doing and we’re in good hands.
That’s another big fat tick off the list and a huge relief.
*
‘Jess, can you do me a favour?’ Adam’s voice is low and it’s obvious that something is up. ‘Ivy’s having those false labour pains, but it’s been going on for most of the evening. I’m beginning to get a bit worried, and I want to get her checked out, but she won’t listen to me.’
‘I’m on my way!’ I march straight into the sitting room and Cappy instantly looks up from his laptop. ‘That was Adam. He’s worried about Ivy. She’s having a few pains. It’s probably only Braxton Hicks contractions, but I remember how painful they can be. He asked if I’d pop over. Lola’s sound asleep and I’ve already switched off her light.’
‘He must be concerned to call you. Best not to take any risks at this stage. How far gone is she now?’
I grab my cardigan from the sofa. ‘Nearly twenty-eight weeks.’
Cappy’s face clouds over. ‘Well, I’m not going anywhere and if you need anything, give me a call.’
‘I will,’ I call over my shoulder as I head out.
Across the way, all the lights inside Smithy’s Cottage are on and the door is ajar. The sound of voices filters out from the sitting room as I step inside. ‘It’s only me,’ I call out.
‘…I’m fine,’ Ivy states adamantly. ‘I wish you’d stop fussing. Oh… hi, Jess. I’m sorry he called you over. It’s just the usual.’
‘No,’ Adam replies. ‘That’s not quite true, is it? You don’t usually get the other pain, you know, around the sides.’
Ivy looks tired and fed up; it’s obvious that she’s uncomfortable but with two babies gaining weight by the day, that’s par for the course.
‘You look a bit peaky, Ivy.’ To my horror, her eyes fill with tears, and I walk over to sit beside her on the sofa.
‘I’ve been timing the contractions and I swear they’re getting closer and closer together, Jess,’ Adam impresses upon me. ‘Ivy won’t have it, but they are.’
‘Look, I’m no expert but if it were me, Ivy, I’d get it checked out. Especially if the pain is slightly different to normal.’
She presses her hands either side of her tummy. ‘These shooting pains are new, and they just make the other pains even worse. I daren’t move because one thing seems to trigger the other.’
‘Braxton Hicks contractions should be irregular, Ivy – at random intervals from what I can remember. That’s the only way to know whether it’s the real thing, or not.’
Adam is pacing back and forth. ‘I’m going to ring the midwife, Ivy. She gave you her number for a reason.’ With that, he walks out of the room and Ivy looks shaken.
‘It’s silly. I’m just tired and feeling extra weary tonight. Everything hurts a bit more than usual, that’s all.’
‘I’m sure it’s all fine, Ivy, but you want to be sure, don’t you?’
She nods her head just as Adam returns. ‘They said to go straight to the maternity unit for a quick check-over. And we should take an overnight bag in case they want to monitor you for a while.’
‘Now I feel like we’re making a big fuss over nothing,’ Ivy retorts.
‘No. That’s not how they look at it. Prevention is better than cure. It’ll just reassure you that everything is as it should be and then you’ll know if you get another incident like this that it’s a part of the norm for you. But clearly something is different because I can tell you’re concerned.’
‘Okay.’ She holds out her hand and Adam helps her up off the sofa. ‘There’s a bag in the bottom of my wardrobe ready to go.’
Adam is clattering up the stairs, two at a time.
‘Ivy, you’re doing the right thing,’ I half-whisper.
She looks at me, her eyes full of anxiety. ‘I’m scared, Jess.’
‘I know, which is even more reason to get checked out.’ I put my arms around her very gingerly and give a gentle hug. ‘Don’t worry about the bakery. Give me the keys and I’ll open up in the morning. I’ll let everyone know what’s happening. It’s time to focus on you and those babies.’
Ivy isn’t the only one who is feeling scared right now. If ever there was a time to ask the universe for some good karma, it’s now.
22
A Roller Coaster of a Day
Chelle and Kate at the bakery are in shock this morning when I tell them that Ivy is in hospital. At least I’m able to give them an update, as Adam texted me late last night.
‘They’re monitoring the babies’ heart rates and they’re doing just fine. It seems that Ivy was dehydrated, so they’ve put her on a drip.’
‘She’s in the best place, but I bet both Ivy and Adam are beside themselves with worry.’ Chelle and Kate both look troubled. No one was expecting this.
I leave the keys with them and tell them to give me a call if they need any help. They ask me to pass on their love and best wishes to Ivy, and reassure me that between the two of them, and Wenna and Rose, they’ll make sure everything ticks over as normal.
My heart feels a little lighter as I make my way over to the manor. I’m conscious that Riley arrived about ten minutes ago but even so, I stop to sit down on one of the benches in the middle of the courtyard. I text Adam, so he can pass on the message from the girls to Ivy. As I glance over at The Farmhouse, I see that the light is on in Lola’s bedroom. No doubt Cappy is downstairs sorting breakfast, as he’s doing the school runs today. I’m about to stand when my phone springs into life and it’s Adam.
