A Winter Wedding at Primrose Hall (Primrose Woods #6)

Chapter 3

3

‘I’m a princess! Wheee!’ Little Rosie, her arms out wide, gave a twirl in the middle of the kitchen floor at Primrose Hall, showing off her bridesmaid dress, which had a flowing cream tulle skirt with a lace overlay and a satin tie around the middle.

‘You really are,’ said her mum, Katy, who was looking on proudly.

‘I think the sizing is just right.’ Pia was relieved that Rosie had grown since the last fitting and that the dress now sat ideally. ‘Stand still for a moment and we can see if we need to make any changes.’

‘Noooo! This is my dress.’ Rosie hugged her arms around her chest as though she might never take the gown off again. ‘I don’t want it changed,’ she said, looking pleadingly at her mum.

Pia grinned.

‘Don’t worry, we won’t be changing it completely, we just need to make sure it fits you properly, but actually…’ Pia managed to catch hold of Rosie before she danced off again, running her hand around the seams of the dress. ‘I think it’s perfect.’

‘I am princess perfect,’ sang Rosie, clearly very relieved, standing on tiptoes and pirouetting around the room. ‘Ooh, are there cakes?’ The little girl spotted the selection of goodies piled high on the table and rushed towards them, which provoked an immediate reaction from Katy and Pia.

‘Wait! Let’s take that dress off and hang it up. We don’t want chocolate down it, do we? And then we can all sit up and have some afternoon tea.’

With Rosie back in normal clothes and appeased by the promise of cake, she sat up on the window bench seat overlooking the garden, occupied by a colouring book and crayons, while her little brother Pip sat alongside her, delving into the plastic box of delights that Pia kept for any visiting children.

Ruby, Pia’s sister-in-law, had arrived with her three-month-old baby, Freddie, and her best friend Abbey was also there with little Willow, who was only a couple of months older. Pia thrived on the energy and love that the babies and children brought to the hall and felt privileged that she was a doting auntie to Freddie and a besotted godmother to Willow.

While Pia made the tea, she listened in interestedly to the chatter about breastfeeding, sleep patterns and dirty nappies which made her smile as it was all entirely alien to her, and she marvelled at how quickly both Ruby and Abbey had adapted to their new roles. Pia couldn’t imagine being a mother. It was worry enough caring for their two fur babies who she absolutely adored, so she could only imagine the emotions and responsibility involved in caring for a real one.

That wasn’t to say she hadn’t thought about having children with Jackson. She’d probably spent far too long imagining what their offspring might look like, who they would take after and what names they might give them. Despite Jackson’s protestations that he didn’t like children, everyone knew it was an act. You only had to see how he was with Rosie, showing a genuine interest in the little girl ever since they’d struck up a bond at the inaugural Christmas carols evening. He’d asked Rosie to come up with some names for the newly acquired donkey and Shetland pony and she had immediately risen to the challenge, plumping for Twinkle and Little Star, which suited the cheeky animals perfectly.

Definitely, thought Pia, her thoughts drifting. Jackson would make a great dad, but she couldn’t be distracted by those kinds of thoughts. For the time being, they had enough on their plate with running the hall and preparing for the biggest event on the calendar, their own wedding.

For now, Pia was happy to pick up tips from Ruby and Abbey, making herself available as chief babysitter when required, enjoying being an over-indulgent auntie by spoiling the babies with all sorts of gorgeous outfits and toys, and being an excellent provider of hugs whenever she was able to. Now, with the pot of tea on the table and her visitors helping themselves to the sandwiches, biscuits and cakes that she’d made earlier, Pia took advantage of the opportunity to have a cuddle with Willow.

‘Oh, don’t you look the part,’ said Katy, laughing, seeing Pia rocking from side to side with Willow on her hip. ‘I wouldn’t get too close to these two though,’ she said, gesturing at Ruby and Abbey, ‘or else you’ll be pregnant before you know it. There’s definitely something in the water around these parts.’

The women laughed and Pia, struck by a pang of self-consciousness, shook her head firmly.

‘Definitely not. Jackson and I are happy as we are. Although…’ Pia inhaled a trace of Willow’s baby scent and something stirred deep within her. Her precious goddaughter filled her arms completely, and the little girl’s eyes looked up at her, wide and curious. ‘I could just spend hours staring at her. She’s beautiful. How on earth do you ever get anything done?’ she asked her friends.

‘I don’t,’ Ruby laughed. ‘It’s as much as I can do to get us up, fed, dressed and out of the house some days.’

Abbey nodded her whole-hearted agreement.

‘Everyone tells me these moments will pass in a flash so I try to make the most of them while I can, and to hell with the housework. Luckily, Connor is a complete star and as soon as he gets home from work, he’s very hands-on with Freddie and usually takes care of dinner as well,’ said Ruby.

Pia had always known her brother would make a great dad. He was kind and capable, and if there was a problem he would invariably try to find a solution to it, in much the same way as their own father had. Connor idolised Freddie and seeing her brother bonding with his son made Pia’s heart warm. It was bittersweet knowing how much her mum and dad would have loved to meet their grandchild, but she knew how proud they would be.

‘Come and sit down,’ urged Abbey. ‘I’ll put Willow in her car seat. She’s due a nap. Let’s get these arrangements confirmed.’

With both Willow and Freddie settled in their seats and looking as though they might fall asleep at any moment, Pia sat down at the table with her friends, topping up the cups of tea.

‘So,’ said Abbey, with a mischievous grin on her face. ‘We need to get this hen night sorted. I’ve been chatting with Ruby and Katy, and we think we’ve come up with the best plan. So, we’re thinking of starting with cocktails, followed by supper, then Magic Mike, and possibly an overnight stay in London.’

Pia’s heart sank with every word. She’d been grateful that Abbey, her matron of honour, had been full of enthusiasm for organising her pre-wedding celebrations, but Pia had been thinking of something much more low key. Pia was experienced in organising big events as part of her job, but even she was surprised at how the arrangements for her marriage to Jackson had taken on a life of their own. She couldn’t back out now even if she wanted to…

‘Oh, Pia, your face!’ Abbey burst into laughter, unable to keep up the pretence any longer. ‘You don’t fancy Magic Mike then?’

‘No, I do not! In any possible sense. Really, I don’t want a big fuss. I’m thinking something like this would be fine. Afternoon tea in a nice hotel or something?’

‘This is your hen do, Pia, not an old dears’ day out. We’ve got to do something a bit lively, don’t you think?’

‘Okay, fine, but no male dancers, please. I couldn’t bear it.’

‘That’s a shame,’ said Ruby wistfully.

‘Honestly, that’s all I was coming for,’ said Katy.

‘I suppose it is Pia’s hen do,’ said Abbey reluctantly.

‘Exactly!’ Pia laughed.

‘You have to realise we’re all married women now with children. We don’t get out much. We need to find our thrills where we can.’

‘Okay. Well, let’s do something local. Maybe we could go to The Three Feathers; they have live music on some dates through the month. We could take over the back bar, that might be fun.’

‘Okay, well, leave it to me and I’ll make a few enquiries. How many of us will there be?’

Pia rolled off the names that immediately came to mind.

‘Well, there’s us four, Rhi, Lizzie, Ronnie, Sophie, Ivy, Diane, and I’ll have a chat with Wendy to see if she might want to come along.’

Wendy had been her neighbour at Meadow Cottages where she grew up with Connor. She’d been a good friend to her parents initially and a huge source of support to Pia when she’d been caring for her dad, and then her mum. In some ways, Wendy was like a second mother to Pia, but in recent years, when Wendy suffered poor health and a series of falls, the roles had been reversed and Pia stepped up to help out in whatever way she could, doing Wendy’s shopping, and any other jobs that might have needed doing. Most importantly she walked Bertie, Wendy’s precious Dalmatian, every day. Not that it had been any hardship for Pia. She loved those times when she could slip Bertie’s lead on and head over to Primrose Woods where they would walk amongst the trees and she would stop to chat to other dog owners and their charges. Sometimes she would take a moment to sit on one of the benches by the lake and watch as Bertie splashed about happily at the water’s edge. They’d formed a close bond and it was a huge source of relief to Wendy knowing that Bertie was still getting his much-needed exercise each day. When Wendy was taken into hospital after a particularly bad fall and it became clear that she wouldn’t be able to return home, Pia immediately offered to take in Bertie, even though she was about to move out of her childhood home herself. In a serendipitous turn of events, Pia, soon after, found the job at Primrose Hall and with it a home for both herself and Bertie.

Now, Pia gave some further thought to the hen night. If Wendy didn’t fancy a night out on the tiles, then perhaps Pia would arrange a nice afternoon tea, just the two of them, which, despite her friends’ protestations that she needed to live more dangerously, Pia knew they would both enjoy immensely.

‘So there should be between ten and twelve of us, I reckon,’ said Pia, ‘which is a proper party right there.’

‘Can I come to the party?’ piped up Rosie, who was never shy in coming forward.

‘Sorry, Rosie, but this is a grown-ups’ party. We’ll be going to the pub and they don’t allow children in, I’m afraid,’ said her mum.

‘The real party will take place at the wedding, though,’ Pia was quick to reassure the little girl. ‘There’ll be lots of opportunities for dancing and we can even ask the band to play some of your favourite songs if you like.’

‘Yes! Princess songs!’

‘Absolutely,’ said Pia, not having the first idea what they might be, but making a mental note to have a chat with the band to see if they might be able to throw one or two into their set.

Just as Pia was topping up the pot with some hot water, the back door opened and in wandered Ronnie and Rex, who always cut such a glamorous pair. She turned and greeted them with a knowing smile.

‘I’m guessing it was a successful shopping trip,’ laughed Pia, catching sight of Rex swaying under the weight of all the carrier bags he was carrying as he staggered into the room. His antics elicited a look of incredulity from Ronnie.

‘Take no notice of him. I was very restrained if you must know. We got some black patent leather shoes for Rex, and some other small bits and bobs, and had a lovely lunch. It was a good morning, wasn’t it, Rex?’

‘It really was,’ Rex said with a crafty wink in Pia’s direction.

‘Come and join us for some tea and cake?’ Pia offered, gesturing to the table, which still had plenty of treats on offer.

‘Thanks, love, but I’m ready for my afternoon nap. Ronnie’s worn me out walking round all those shops.’

‘What about you, Ronnie? You’ll have some cake?’

‘We’ve been chatting about Pia’s hen night,’ Ruby ventured.

With Rex taking the opportunity to slip off, Ronnie accepted the invitation and joined the others at the table.

‘Well, I’m sure that will be a lot of fun. I never had one. They weren’t really a thing back in my day. The whole wedding industry has moved on big time since we were young. We had to make do with a few curled sandwiches and a couple of drinks at the local pubs. Although truthfully, it was more than a couple of drinks.’ Ronnie laughed, shaking her head at the memory. ‘Rex was pie-eyed even before we got to the ceremony.’

‘How long have you been married?’ Katy asked, resting her chin on her clasped hands, fascinated by Ronnie’s charisma and flamboyance.

‘Rex and me? Ha! No, we’re not married. Not now. We didn’t last very long at all. About five years, I think, before it imploded around us. Both of us were free spirits; we both wanted to do our own thing and were too stubborn to compromise. Then… well, Rex won’t mind me saying, but he liked the booze, and all his money went on that and chasing the next big deal, wherever that took him. He broke my heart. And poor Jackson was caught in the crossfire.’ Ronnie gave a nonchalant shrug. ‘Now, for some reason, fate has brought us together again.’

‘Well, you were obviously meant to be together. Even if you did spend all those years apart. Some things are written in the stars,’ said Ruby, who’d been hanging on to Ronnie’s every word.

‘That’s what I tell Rex, although he likes to say that he’s just been unlucky. He escaped me once, but couldn’t manage it a second time.’ Pia loved to hear Ronnie’s distinctive laughter ringing out around the kitchen.

‘We haven’t finalised the details for the hen night,’ said Abbey, ‘but the date is fixed, so pop it in your diary, won’t you?’

‘Really?’ Ronnie looked from Abbey to Pia. ‘Does that mean I’m invited? I thought it was for you youngsters only.’

‘Absolutely, you’re invited. It wouldn’t be the same without you, Ronnie,’ Pia said.

‘In that case, I’d be delighted. Fancy getting to my age and never having been to a hen night. There really is a first time for everything! Ooh, I’m just wondering… will there be naked men?’

‘No!’ said Pia emphatically as her friends fell into peals of laughter around her.