a face at Jemma and talking more loudly than she would have
liked to override any faux pas Jemma was about to make. ‘This is Jemma, Mia’s sister.’
‘Hi,’ Jemma said casually and then focusing on Henry murmured, ‘Well, hi!’ in what Frankie could only imagine she thought was a sexy voice but which actually made her
sound as if she was coming down with a severe case of tonsillitis.
‘I reckon we should go and congratulate the birthday boy and the bride to be,’ Alice remarked, clearly bored. ‘Come on, Henry.’
‘I’ll be back,’ Henry whispered to Frankie. ‘You are without doubt the only interesting person I’ve met here so far!’
He winked at her and followed his sister through the crowd of giggling guests thronging around Nick and Mia, Jemma hot on their heels.
Frankie would have followed them, had she not seen Ned heading her way.
‘You let her go?’ There was no mistaking the note of accusation in Ned’s voice. ‘Did you tell her I was here? Did she remember me?’
‘Yes, she remembers you,’ Frankie replied, hoping that the irritation and sadness she felt didn’t show on her face. ‘She’s over there, congratulating Mia, if you
want to catch her.’
‘Did you have any idea about Mia and Nick?’ he asked, pushing his way past clusters of guests in the direction of the dining room as Frankie struggled to keep pace.
‘Not a clue. To be honest, I don’t get what she sees in Nick.’
‘A villa in Barbados, apartment in Klosters and pied-a-terre just off the King’s Road, I imagine!’ Ned replied sarcastically. ‘I sometimes wonder whether I come from the
same gene pool as the rest of my family. Anyway, I sent Dad a photo of Mia and Nick looking like the worst kind of magazine cover.’
Frankie laughed. ‘What does your mum say?’
‘She’s all over the place – furious that she wasn’t told first and excited at the thought of being mother of the bride! At least it’s stopped her talking nonstop
about Dad’s award!’ He took her hand as they approached the dining room. ‘Shall we go into supper?’
Frankie’s spirits lifted – Ned wanted to sit next to her! ‘Sure.’ She was determined not to sound over keen.
‘Great – because I’m hoping we can fiddle the seating plan so I get to be near Alice. I have a feeling she might be the one good thing about this evening.’
As promised, an update on evening from hell: Mia’s engaged to Nick R! Ned drooling over sickeningly pretty girl called Alice. Jemma’s coming on strong to Henry
and I’m sitting in the loo cos it’s better than dancing with guys with 2 left feet and a total lack of deodorant. Talk tomorrow? Got amazing news but you’ll have to wait till I
can see your face! xx
Frankie had sent her text to Lulu and was about to open the cubicle door of the Portaloos in the back garden when there was a clatter of heels and the sound of a familiar voice.
‘You don’t waste much time, do you? And Ned Bertram of all people!’ Poppy’s voice was slightly slurred.
Frankie bristled, then stood motionless, straining to catch the rest of the conversation.
‘What do you mean “of all people”?’ Alice replied. ‘I’m bored, and he’s up for grabs. He said there wasn’t anyone in his life right
now.’
Frankie felt a lump rise in her throat as the door to the adjacent cubicle slammed shut and the bolt slid across.
‘And more to the point, he’s going to ask his father if I can use their paddock.’
‘To pitch a tent? Oh great – I get the granny flat back,’ Poppy retorted sarcastically.
‘No, idiot,’ Alice countered. ‘For Fling.’
‘Your horse? I thought you were leaving him down in Sussex with your mum.’
‘Oh, the new man has just decided it’s too expensive to keep Fling at livery,’ Alice replied. ‘Tight-fisted old . . .’
And then Frankie could hear no more over the noise of the loo flushing. When the sound subsided, it was Poppy who was speaking.
‘Anyway, you
liked to override any faux pas Jemma was about to make. ‘This is Jemma, Mia’s sister.’
‘Hi,’ Jemma said casually and then focusing on Henry murmured, ‘Well, hi!’ in what Frankie could only imagine she thought was a sexy voice but which actually made her
sound as if she was coming down with a severe case of tonsillitis.
‘I reckon we should go and congratulate the birthday boy and the bride to be,’ Alice remarked, clearly bored. ‘Come on, Henry.’
‘I’ll be back,’ Henry whispered to Frankie. ‘You are without doubt the only interesting person I’ve met here so far!’
He winked at her and followed his sister through the crowd of giggling guests thronging around Nick and Mia, Jemma hot on their heels.
Frankie would have followed them, had she not seen Ned heading her way.
‘You let her go?’ There was no mistaking the note of accusation in Ned’s voice. ‘Did you tell her I was here? Did she remember me?’
‘Yes, she remembers you,’ Frankie replied, hoping that the irritation and sadness she felt didn’t show on her face. ‘She’s over there, congratulating Mia, if you
want to catch her.’
‘Did you have any idea about Mia and Nick?’ he asked, pushing his way past clusters of guests in the direction of the dining room as Frankie struggled to keep pace.
‘Not a clue. To be honest, I don’t get what she sees in Nick.’
‘A villa in Barbados, apartment in Klosters and pied-a-terre just off the King’s Road, I imagine!’ Ned replied sarcastically. ‘I sometimes wonder whether I come from the
same gene pool as the rest of my family. Anyway, I sent Dad a photo of Mia and Nick looking like the worst kind of magazine cover.’
Frankie laughed. ‘What does your mum say?’
‘She’s all over the place – furious that she wasn’t told first and excited at the thought of being mother of the bride! At least it’s stopped her talking nonstop
about Dad’s award!’ He took her hand as they approached the dining room. ‘Shall we go into supper?’
Frankie’s spirits lifted – Ned wanted to sit next to her! ‘Sure.’ She was determined not to sound over keen.
‘Great – because I’m hoping we can fiddle the seating plan so I get to be near Alice. I have a feeling she might be the one good thing about this evening.’
As promised, an update on evening from hell: Mia’s engaged to Nick R! Ned drooling over sickeningly pretty girl called Alice. Jemma’s coming on strong to Henry
and I’m sitting in the loo cos it’s better than dancing with guys with 2 left feet and a total lack of deodorant. Talk tomorrow? Got amazing news but you’ll have to wait till I
can see your face! xx
Frankie had sent her text to Lulu and was about to open the cubicle door of the Portaloos in the back garden when there was a clatter of heels and the sound of a familiar voice.
‘You don’t waste much time, do you? And Ned Bertram of all people!’ Poppy’s voice was slightly slurred.
Frankie bristled, then stood motionless, straining to catch the rest of the conversation.
‘What do you mean “of all people”?’ Alice replied. ‘I’m bored, and he’s up for grabs. He said there wasn’t anyone in his life right
now.’
Frankie felt a lump rise in her throat as the door to the adjacent cubicle slammed shut and the bolt slid across.
‘And more to the point, he’s going to ask his father if I can use their paddock.’
‘To pitch a tent? Oh great – I get the granny flat back,’ Poppy retorted sarcastically.
‘No, idiot,’ Alice countered. ‘For Fling.’
‘Your horse? I thought you were leaving him down in Sussex with your mum.’
‘Oh, the new man has just decided it’s too expensive to keep Fling at livery,’ Alice replied. ‘Tight-fisted old . . .’
And then Frankie could hear no more over the noise of the loo flushing. When the sound subsided, it was Poppy who was speaking.
‘Anyway, you
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