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

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

My heart was beating fast as I phoned Jeanette’s mobile, sure she’d be able to set our minds at rest.

‘Bankrupt’ was something you heard when businesses were failing but what exactly did it mean? An immediate end to everything? Surely the company would have to honour agreements that were already in place?

They wouldn’t just leave us in the lurch with no wedding reception to go to, would they?

The phone went straight to voicemail, so I tried the main hotel number.

I jumped as someone started speaking. ‘Hi! Yes, I need your help. We’re getting married in a –’

Damn!

It was a recorded message. The voice on the other end was telling me that the company was in receivership. There was a number to phone for queries and further information, but when I tried it, it was engaged.

I threw my phone onto the kitchen table and sank down on a chair, staring up at Jack. ‘It’s true. They’re in receivership which I guess means . . . well, I don’t really know what it means for us, do you?’

Jack looked stunned. He pulled a chair closer and sat down himself, running his hands through his hair again and again.

‘It was the calm way the person on the phone was speaking,’ I said, shock turning to anger. ‘As if going bankrupt was an everyday occurrence and that it wasn’t going to bloody ruin all of our carefully-made wedding plans.’ I gazed at him in despair. ‘What are we going to do, Jack?’

‘Well . . . the first thing is to keep trying the number until someone answers, so we can find out exactly what it means for us.’ He shrugged. ‘They might be contractually obliged to honour some of their agreements, so it could be that our wedding can go ahead as planned. We just don’t know. But we’ll find out.’ He snorted. ‘I doubt we’ll be the only ones desperate to know the score.’

I nodded. What Jack was saying was all very logical. There was no point in worrying until we knew exactly what was going on.

We spent the day trying the number and eventually, Jack managed to speak to someone.

It wasn’t good news.

At this stage, they couldn’t say whether we’d get our deposit back, or even some of it. There was one thing, though, that was perfectly clear.

There would be no Christmas Eve wedding reception for us at the Moonbeam Castle Hotel . . .