Maddy’s Christmas Wedding (Little Duck Pond Cafe #37)

CHAPTER TWENTY

As I stood there, out of sight, wondering what to do, Maddy slipped her phone into her bag and hurried away and I followed her at a distance back to the café.

The others greeted her with big smiles but I could tell they were as mystified as I was about Maddy’s behaviour – and they hadn’t even heard her puzzling conversation with Marcus. As Maddy’s head was bowed, checking her messages, I exchanged a worried look with Jaz but I obviously couldn’t say anything. I’d have to wait until Maddy was otherwise occupied in order to tell them about the mysterious phone exchange.

As if on cue, she got up, saying she was going to find the Ladies and she walked off, her phone still in her hand.

‘She was talking to Marcus,’ I murmured, as we all leaned in. ‘It sounded serious, like the wedding plans might be threatened in some way.’

I shrugged, not quite sure what else to say because I’d no idea myself what that bewildering conversation had meant.

‘Marcus is paying for the reception, right?’ said Katja, frowning.

‘Well, not the venue. He’s paying for the food,’ said Laurel. ‘At least, I think that’s what they agreed.’

‘Can’t they just change their minds and select a cheaper menu?’ said Jaz.

I sighed. ‘You would think so. I really don’t know and it’s clear she has no intention of talking about it to anyone – even us – until she’s processed it herself.’

Jaz nodded ruefully. ‘Whatever “it”

happens to be.’

‘Shh. She’s coming back,’ muttered Laurel, smiling broadly in Maddy’s direction.

‘Everything okay?’ I asked her with forced cheeriness, patting the chair she’d vacated beside me.

‘Erm, yes?’ She gave me a grumpy look and sat down. ‘Funnily enough, the toilets were much like the toilets everywhere, Fen,’ she said with heavy sarcasm.

I felt thoroughly reprimanded. She might as well have said, ‘Don’t ask such stupid questions, Fen.’

After that, we were all a bit subdued, and we left the SnowGlow Winterpark soon after. We were being picked up by taxi at three and delivered to our glass igloo, where we’d spend our last night. I could hardly wait. Even worry over Maddy couldn’t completely dim my excitement.

*****

‘Okay, this is on another festive level altogether,’ sighed Jaz, as we drew near the glass igloo ‘village’ and the taxi driver slowed down as we approached the turn-off.

We all craned our necks and gazed down to where around a dozen of the dwellings were nestled in a snowy dip. Most were glowing with a warm light, the occupants at home.

I sighed, gazing at the snowy scene before us. ‘It’s like a little Christmas village from a movie. Any minute now I’m expecting a couple of elves to pop out with their rods and go down to the lake for a spot of ice fishing.’

‘It’s amazing to think they’re all made of glass, even the roofs,’ said Laurel.

The taxi swept into a little car park and we stepped out of the delicious warmth of the car into the cheek-freezing, exhilarating Arctic air. The driver helped us gather our bags from the boot before checking the time we needed him to return the following morning, to transport us to Rovaniemi Airport for our flight home.

And then he was gone, leaving us in the beautiful snowy wilderness, dotted with a hundred icing-sugar-dusted fir trees, staring across another frozen lake at the little collection of huts on the far side. In the silence, a husky dog barked and a second answered. We’d be sledging on the frozen lake later that evening, pulled along by those gorgeous huskies, and I couldn’t wait.

I gave a happy sigh as we walked over to the nearest igloo which had signs outside indicating that it was where we should check-in.

A lovely local woman called Virba showed us to our igloos. Maddy and Laurel took number four, while Jaz, Katja and I had the one next-door, which had an extra bed in it.

Virba, who spoke excellent English, explained that the roofs of the igloos were made from electrically-heated glass, which maintained the warmth inside while melting any snow and ice on the roof so that you had a great view of the sky.

‘You have underfloor heating as well,’ she added, ‘and your single beds are motorised so that you can adjust the angle you lie at for sleeping or viewing the skies.’

‘Aren’t these amazing?’ I exclaimed, after Virba had gone. ‘I’m definitely booking one of these when I come here with Rob and the twins.’

‘I bet they’re expensive,’ pointed out Jaz.

‘True.’

‘But worth it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience, though,’ said Katja.

‘Right, shall we go next door and unpack, Maddy,’ said Laurel, and they disappeared after organising to meet up for the husky sledging later.

‘I can’t believe how lucky we are, getting to do all this,’ I sighed, lying down on one of the beds, adjusting the angle of it and gazing up at the star-studded night sky.

‘Let’s hope our luck continues,’ said Jaz. ‘Tonight’s our last chance to see the Northern Lights.’