daughter who knew her well, a little pink. ‘Just one more thing – I’ve taken a booking.’
‘For the hall?’ asked Rachel, aghast.
Sarah nodded. ‘It’s for a wedding. It’s the daughter of one of the farmers I look after.’ She paused. ‘I’m a farm secretary, for those who don’t know.’ Rachel and Beth nodded. They hadn’t known this.
‘Wasn’t that a bit rash?’ said Justin. ‘Think of the state of the place!’
‘I think it’s good we have a target,’ said Rachel. ‘It’ll make us get on and do it. When is the wedding? Some time in the spring?’
Sarah still looked embarrassed. ‘It rather depends on when you think spring begins. Valentine’s Day – this year.’
‘That’s the fourteenth of February,’ said Justin.
‘That’s early!’ said someone.
‘Same time every year,’ said another. ‘It’s not like Easter.’
‘That’s only a month away,’ said Rachel.
‘It’s a big ask,’ said Justin.
‘I know,’ said Sarah apologetically, ‘but April’s mother died when she was quite little. She asked me for help with her wedding. I couldn’t not.’
‘I think that was rash, Sarah,’ said Audrey, shaking her head.
‘Oh come on,’ said Raff. ‘We can do it if we try. If Sarah’s got us a gig, we have to go for it.’
No wonder her mother kept saying he was kind, thought Lindy, he was.
‘Although of course I couldn’t ask a lot of money for the hall,’ Sarah went on, sounding a bit apologetic. ‘Even painted it’ll be fairly … primitive.’
‘Rustic sounds better,’ said Rachel, ‘and it’s going to be lovely. Although we will be really up against it,’ she muttered sotto voce.
‘So thirty quid is an acceptable fee?’ Sarah continued. ‘They haven’t much money.’
‘Get them to pay in advance; the money can go towards materials,’ suggested someone.
‘Good point,’ agreed Rachel. ‘Will they be able to do that, do you think?’
Sarah shrugged. ‘I’ll ask them.’
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake,’ snapped Amanda. ‘If they can’t afford thirty quid up front, they can’t afford to get married! Have they any idea how much a wedding costs? The average is nearly twenty grand.’
‘That’s an average,’ said Rachel. ‘It means lots of weddings are far cheaper.’
‘Good thing!’ muttered Beth.
‘I told the bride you’d ring her,’ said Sarah, addressing Beth. ‘That you three girls could help?’
Lindy wondered if her mother realised they wanted to organise vintage weddings for money, not to help out other broke women.
There was more discussion about checking with the Parish Council that they could rent out the hall, Sarah being apologetic for being so impulsive and telling April she could have the hall, and then someone agreed to put it to them at the next meeting. The general feeling was that the Parish Council found the hall a huge embarrassment and would be grateful if someone did something about it.
At last Sarah declared the meeting closed.
‘I’ll collect the donation pledges,’ Sarah said. ‘It’ll be easier for me and it might take a little time. If you three are going for a drink I’ll join you.’
‘So – downstairs for a quick one?’ said Beth to Lindy and Rachel.
‘Yup. That would be good. I can show you the pictures of the dress,’ said Lindy. ‘And we can discuss this fine mess my mother has got us into.’
The other two laughed affectionately. ‘Not really a mess,’ said Beth. ‘A chance to practise.’
‘I have to say,’ said Rachel, ‘I’m really doubtful that we’ll be able to get the hall done in time.’
‘We’ve got a month,’ said Beth. ‘Surely that should be plenty of time.’
‘Not if we’re going to do it properly,’ said Rachel.
‘I don’t think we’ve got time for that,’ said Lindy, hoping Rachel would never find out that she had been known to decorate without moving the furniture. ‘But we’ll have to do our best.’
The three bagged a table near the
‘For the hall?’ asked Rachel, aghast.
Sarah nodded. ‘It’s for a wedding. It’s the daughter of one of the farmers I look after.’ She paused. ‘I’m a farm secretary, for those who don’t know.’ Rachel and Beth nodded. They hadn’t known this.
‘Wasn’t that a bit rash?’ said Justin. ‘Think of the state of the place!’
‘I think it’s good we have a target,’ said Rachel. ‘It’ll make us get on and do it. When is the wedding? Some time in the spring?’
Sarah still looked embarrassed. ‘It rather depends on when you think spring begins. Valentine’s Day – this year.’
‘That’s the fourteenth of February,’ said Justin.
‘That’s early!’ said someone.
‘Same time every year,’ said another. ‘It’s not like Easter.’
‘That’s only a month away,’ said Rachel.
‘It’s a big ask,’ said Justin.
‘I know,’ said Sarah apologetically, ‘but April’s mother died when she was quite little. She asked me for help with her wedding. I couldn’t not.’
‘I think that was rash, Sarah,’ said Audrey, shaking her head.
‘Oh come on,’ said Raff. ‘We can do it if we try. If Sarah’s got us a gig, we have to go for it.’
No wonder her mother kept saying he was kind, thought Lindy, he was.
‘Although of course I couldn’t ask a lot of money for the hall,’ Sarah went on, sounding a bit apologetic. ‘Even painted it’ll be fairly … primitive.’
‘Rustic sounds better,’ said Rachel, ‘and it’s going to be lovely. Although we will be really up against it,’ she muttered sotto voce.
‘So thirty quid is an acceptable fee?’ Sarah continued. ‘They haven’t much money.’
‘Get them to pay in advance; the money can go towards materials,’ suggested someone.
‘Good point,’ agreed Rachel. ‘Will they be able to do that, do you think?’
Sarah shrugged. ‘I’ll ask them.’
‘Oh, for goodness’ sake,’ snapped Amanda. ‘If they can’t afford thirty quid up front, they can’t afford to get married! Have they any idea how much a wedding costs? The average is nearly twenty grand.’
‘That’s an average,’ said Rachel. ‘It means lots of weddings are far cheaper.’
‘Good thing!’ muttered Beth.
‘I told the bride you’d ring her,’ said Sarah, addressing Beth. ‘That you three girls could help?’
Lindy wondered if her mother realised they wanted to organise vintage weddings for money, not to help out other broke women.
There was more discussion about checking with the Parish Council that they could rent out the hall, Sarah being apologetic for being so impulsive and telling April she could have the hall, and then someone agreed to put it to them at the next meeting. The general feeling was that the Parish Council found the hall a huge embarrassment and would be grateful if someone did something about it.
At last Sarah declared the meeting closed.
‘I’ll collect the donation pledges,’ Sarah said. ‘It’ll be easier for me and it might take a little time. If you three are going for a drink I’ll join you.’
‘So – downstairs for a quick one?’ said Beth to Lindy and Rachel.
‘Yup. That would be good. I can show you the pictures of the dress,’ said Lindy. ‘And we can discuss this fine mess my mother has got us into.’
The other two laughed affectionately. ‘Not really a mess,’ said Beth. ‘A chance to practise.’
‘I have to say,’ said Rachel, ‘I’m really doubtful that we’ll be able to get the hall done in time.’
‘We’ve got a month,’ said Beth. ‘Surely that should be plenty of time.’
‘Not if we’re going to do it properly,’ said Rachel.
‘I don’t think we’ve got time for that,’ said Lindy, hoping Rachel would never find out that she had been known to decorate without moving the furniture. ‘But we’ll have to do our best.’
The three bagged a table near the
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