Chapter 41
Holly rolled over in bed and stretched, the memory foam mattress having worked its magic for the second night in a row. No matter how much she’d tried to stay awake to talk to Taffy when he got in, she’d been fighting a losing battle as soon as she got into bed.
The dawn light filtered through the trees outside the window and Taffy lay beside her, fast asleep, his eyelashes long and dark against his cheek. She had to restrain herself from reaching out and touching him, looking so angelic in repose.
She could hear the scurrying of the Flower Committee on the Market Place below, almost comical in their attempts to be quiet, often the shh-ing and giggling making more noise than the flower buckets and ladders. She had no desire to peep outside and ruin the surprise though. Half the pleasure of the Larkford Flower Festival was in that first reveal.
‘Pst!’ she whispered quietly. ‘Taffy – are you awake?’
He murmured something incomprehensible and she wondered just how late he and Dan had called it a night. Based on the text she’d received at ten o’clock, when Taffy’s brothers had joined them, it was unlikely to have been before midnight. Still, some things just couldn’t wait.
‘Taffy,’ she murmured, dropping gentle kisses onto his shoulder and stroking his back in a way that she knew only too well guaranteed an awakening of sorts.
‘Morning, gorgeous,’ Taffy said sleepily. ‘Too early.’ He reached out for her and wrapped her in his arms, still too drowsy to make much sense.
‘Taffy,’ whispered Holly insistently, unable to wait a moment longer to share her revelation with him. It had been hard enough last night to resist the urge to pull on her shoes and race over to The Kingsley Arms.
When you know, you know, right, she thought to herself joyfully. She just needed her partner in crime to wake up so she could share the news.
Taffy smiled lazily, knowing only too well that once Holly was awake there would be no peace for him. ‘What are you so excited about at this ungodly time in the morning?’ he asked.
‘Well,’ said Holly, working hard for nonchalance, ‘I wondered if you fancied getting married today?’
Taffy blinked hard and sat up suddenly, the duvet falling away to give Holly full sight of his sculpted torso. ‘Today?’ he clarified, his smile now matching her own and his eyes twinkling with delight, all thoughts of sleep forgotten.
Holly nodded, biting her lip in nervous anticipation. ‘Everyone’s here. There’ll be flowers everywhere you look. And little pastries. And fancy drinks – and I’d so much rather have a wedding afternoon tea than a wedding breakfast. It’s just perfect, don’t you think?’
Taffy slid one hand under her hair at the nape of her neck and kissed her thoroughly. ‘I do,’ he said tenderly, after a moment.
They both stared at each other in suspended disbelief at what they were suggesting, the morning birdsong providing the perfect soundtrack as the soft white voile curtains wafted inwards with the breeze. It simply didn’t get any more romantic than this.
‘Do you think we should warn them?’ Holly said, hesitating briefly at the notion of a madcap spontaneous wedding.
Taffy shrugged. ‘Why spoil the surprise? We might need to rope in a few co-conspirators though?’
‘Reverend Taylor’s always up for a lark,’ Holly reassured him.
‘I’ll need a best man,’ Taffy said. ‘But Dan will always step up, so do we really need to say anything?’
‘Lizzie might squeal about being kept out of the loop, but I know she’d be Maid of Honour in a heartbeat.’ She paused. ‘Actually, the people that truly need to know are the ones least likely to keep the secret—’
‘Elsie—’ said Taffy, just as Holly said:
‘The twins—’
They both laughed, their hands entwined in this wonderfully impulsive scheme.
‘You know this is exactly what I wanted,’ Taffy said, ‘without even knowing it. I get to be married to you without spending the next three months discussing napkins and seating arrangements. I get to be your husband before I become a father and, until then, we get to celebrate the litter of puppies you’re apparently smuggling under that t-shirt,’ he said with a laugh, as one of the twins gave a hearty kick against his hand.
‘Are we really doing this?’ Holly said, her words dancing with affection and excitement.
‘I think we really are,’ he confirmed. He grinned suddenly, humming the theme from Hawaii Five-0 under his breath. ‘Now, I’m assuming you’re not up for arriving on a flower-laden canoe?’
‘Nope,’ said Holly easily, tucking herself in beside him, fitting their bodies together like jigsaw pieces having found their true place, ‘but you can if you like?’
It was taking an almost superhuman restraint not to blurt out their secret over breakfast. It didn’t help that Elsie’s eagle eye missed nothing and she kept glancing between them in consternation.
‘You look different,’ she accused Holly, as they loaded the dishwasher together while Taffy took the boys out into the garden to let off steam. Already the heat was building and it promised to be a scorcher later. They’d deliberately stayed away from the front of the house, the town covenant dictating that, on this Sunday, nobody was allowed out into the Market Place before the church clock struck nine. Holly glanced at the large station clock on Elsie’s kitchen wall. ‘Ten minutes,’ she said, ‘and then we get to see the big reveal.’
‘Hmm,’ said Elsie astutely, not buying Holly’s diversion for a moment. ‘All this smug serenity – am I given to understand that your morning sickness has passed?’ She was fishing and they both knew it.
‘I’m just really excited about the baby shower,’ Holly said, leaning down to kiss Elsie lightly on the cheek. ‘I’m so grateful for everyone pulling together to make this happen. It feels like the perfect welcome to the community for them, you know? After all, these are Larkford babies born and bred.’
‘They are, aren’t they?’ Elsie agreed. ‘And actually, it’s rather wonderful to have a little celebration, you know, in lieu of the main event—’ She’d stopped making little digs about the wedding ages ago, once the prospect of Holly’s vast twin bump had kyboshed any hope of a sleek sophisticated dress, Holly realised, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t feeling the lack of it. Hopefully that meant she’d be all the more delighted come this afternoon.
Holly blinked suddenly, realising what she’d forgotten in her excitement. ‘And I still have no idea what I’m going to wear.’
Elsie patted her arm fondly. ‘I wouldn’t worry too much, darling. We can give your bump centre stage and nobody will be looking at your outfit.’ This was so totally out of character for Elsie that Holly was nearly thrown off balance. Perhaps that was indeed Elsie’s intention?
‘But the photos—’ Holly managed.
‘Ah, yes. Well, we’ve got all morning to have a rummage upstairs, haven’t we?’ She eyed Holly’s bump warily. ‘Although, to be honest, my darling, there’s only so much leeway in a von Furstenberg wrap dress.’
The first chime of the church clock rang out in the Market Place, Holly literally saved by the bell from blurting out her real reasons for wanting the perfect outfit.
Taffy and the boys hurtled inside from the garden. ‘Can we go now?’ bellowed Tom in excitement, his volume knob having recently become stuck on maximum.
‘We can,’ said Holly, taking Taffy’s hand as they all surged into the hallway and Elsie threw open the front door. It was almost as though the houses lining the Market Place were serving as a giant cuckoo clock that morning, as with each chime more glossy front doors flew open and more residents emerged outside.
‘Oh!’ exclaimed Holly, tears quickly glistening on her lashes as she took in the scene. It was almost as though the Flower Committee had taken a secret peek inside her Wedding Folder. Rather than the usual riot of mismatched colour, the whole of the town was decked out in shades of white, silver and green. Acid-green fronds stood out in pale relief against lustrous dark leaves that were almost sculptural in their beauty. Carpets of tiny white alpine flowers curved around the bases of the trees and in small crevices in the Cotswold-stone walls and creamy alstroemeria bowed their silky heads in silver buckets of blooms. Heavy barrel planters had appeared overnight outside each shop-front, tall white agapanthus bobbing lightly in the warm breeze.
Taffy’s hand in hers was all the catalyst she needed to let the tears flow. But it wasn’t as though she were alone. As more and more people arrived in the Market Place, the gasps and cries of astonishment echoed against the Georgian townhouses.
With the final strike of the church bell the applause began, rippling through their community to honour the ten souls who had been up all night and had wrought this magic in their town. As they stepped forward to take a bow, Holly was stunned to see they were all holding hands. After months of bickering and feuding, which had necessitated this curfew and reveal, they were all united in their creation. But it wasn’t until they stepped aside that Holly fully understood the reason why.
The clapping grew to a crescendo, punctuated by whoops and hollers of delight. The banner was simplicity in itself, bordered by lush green foliage:
SAVE LIVES, NOT MONEY
The Auction Fund had been voted their charity this year by a landslide, it seemed. No room for personal agendas or sniping when it came to an issue so close to all their hearts.
The Major stood proudly beside the banner, saluting neatly to Holly as she caught his gaze. ‘Thank you,’ he mouthed at her across the Market Place. It was all Holly could do not to run across and hug him, standing there in his ceremonial best, proudly contributing to their community again. It took a moment for her to register the young girl beside him in a wheelchair. It was only when young Jessica Hearst took the Major’s hand in her own, broadly smiling and clearly delighted to be there, that Holly realised who she was.
‘Is that Jess?’ exclaimed Taffy beside her, having no such compunction about bolting across to say hello. Holly followed on behind, delighted to see that, whilst Jess might not have the energy to walk far, there was nothing wrong with her speech or recognition.
It was turning out to be the perfect day.
Grace and Alice fell into step beside her, Alice’s aunt Pru accompanying them, and their trio of dogs on incredibly best behaviour. It put Eric to shame a little that he would spend the morning in Lizzie’s garden, for fear of him cocking his leg on every single flower arrangement he passed, or indeed finding himself yet another ‘lady friend’.
‘Are you excited about this afternoon?’ Grace asked. ‘It seems as though the whole town is turning out to celebrate Larkford’s latest additions, even if, you know, they’re not technically here yet.’
Ben tilted his head, looking quizzical and oddly like Eric. ‘Where are they then? Because one of those babies kicked me when I hugged Mummy.’ He looked rather put out. ‘I’ve told them that won’t wash with me when they come outside.’ His oddly mature turns of phrase were often cause for hilarity in their house, as the older he grew, the more he began to sound like a little old man, or possibly a chip off the block that was Elsie Townsend.
Grace, Pru and Alice manfully held back their laughter as Holly tried to explain and Ben quickly lost interest. His main excitement about the pregnancy currently seemed to stem from the fact that one of his little school friends had been given an Xbox when his baby sister arrived. Ben wasn’t slow and he’d quickly calculated that two babies meant that great things were in store for him and his brother.
‘I’ve had such fun putting together your baby gift list, by the way,’ said Alice. ‘Are you quite sure you don’t want a say?’
‘She’s done wonders,’ agreed Pru. ‘Even using that little bou-tick-you in Bath.’
Holly shook her head, knowing exactly the pricey children’s boutique that Pru was attempting to refer to. ‘I quite like a surprise present, to be honest. And your way is the best of both worlds for me. We won’t get piles of duplicates and I still get the surprise!’ Holly paused for a moment as a thought occurred to her. ‘You’re always so beautifully stylish, Alice. Any chance you’ve got something that might work for me this afternoon? In all the excitement, and with Taffy’s family turning up, I can’t believe it slipped my mind—’
Alice did indeed look suitably astonished that such a thing could happen. In her world, no doubt, the outfit came first and everything else followed.
‘What about the pale blue Armani?’ Grace suggested, her familiarity with Alice’s wardrobe since their big clearout, coupled with her almost photographic memory, an obvious boon. ‘Was that on the rail for the pop-up shop?’
Alice nodded, appraising Holly as she did so. ‘It might be just perfect, if a little dressy for a baby shower, but hey – it’s your special day, right?’ Why don’t I pop over in a while with some options and you can try a few things on, see what works?’
Grace nodded. ‘And don’t forget that ivory shift; it would look perfect over some palazzo pants.’
Alice grinned. ‘Grace Allen, we’ll make a fashionista of you yet!’
‘If Holly doesn’t want the par-laz-oh pant thingummies, I’ll have them,’ volunteered Pru. ‘I do love me a bit of Dolsey and Cabbanos.’
Holly smiled, enjoying their banter and their friendship, not to mention Pru Hartley on word-mangling form as ever; it made her so happy to see this lighter, easier side of Alice. ‘Sounds like a plan. Thank you. And you are bringing Jamie this afternoon, yes?’ Colour immediately flooded Alice’s cheeks and Holly rushed to let her off the hook. ‘I mean, with half the canine population of Larkford in attendance, we’ll definitely need someone to keep them in line.’
‘And you honestly found this in the back of your wardrobe, Alice?’ Holly said in delighted disbelief, a few hours later, turning this way and that in front of the mirror.
‘One of the few upsides of never getting rid of anything,’ Alice said modestly, even though her face beamed with delight at being able to make such a significant contribution to the day. She stepped forward and smoothed the soft blue fabric, cut in layers to fall from an empire line under the bust. ‘I bought it to wear to a christening when I was a bit bigger. But it works, doesn’t it? I mean, the way the fabric drapes, it makes your bump look really neat. You deserve to be the star of the show at your own baby shower, after all, before these two come along and upstage you.’
Holly nodded, slightly emotional for a moment. She honestly hadn’t known it was possible to feel this beautiful whilst pregnant. Her hair was glossy and full, her skin suddenly radiant. And who knew that an empire line could be so incredibly forgiving? There was definitely something of the Jane Austen about this dress. ‘I’m so grateful, Alice. Thank you.’
She pulled the younger woman into a hug, even then noticing how Coco tiptoed amongst the dresses and shoes scattered on the floor. Clearly a dog of many talents, she obviously had respect for Alice’s fashion fetish.
Taffy knocked discreetly on the door. ‘Are you two decent in there?’
‘Of course not,’ replied Holly, ‘but we have got all our clothes on, if that’s what you mean.’
He came in shaking his head at her daft humour and stopped in his tracks, absolute adoration on his face and, for once, completely lost for words. He simply held out his hand for hers.
Alice discreetly slipped away with a smile and Coco at her heels; her work was done.
‘You, Holly Graham, look absolutely stunning,’ said Taffy after a moment, as his eyes ranged over her body, drawn back time and time again to where the fabric draped easily over her stomach. ‘I can’t believe there are two tiny humans in there. I mean, I understand the process,’ he laughed. ‘But there’s a moment, isn’t there, where it feels more like magic than reality?’
Holly nodded. ‘I think so. Somehow even more so with twins.’ She leaned forward and kissed him on the lips, lingering for a moment in the warm, familiar sensations that overcame her. ‘I’m so glad we’re doing this today. It just feels so right, doesn’t it? Spontaneous and easy, for the kids, as much as for Elsie. It’s the best kind of surprise, because everyone has been wanting the same thing. We’re just doing it our way,’ she said, knowing full well that she wasn’t the only one who would be more at ease without the formality that always threatened to overshadow many a happy occasion.
It had been an easy decision, in the end, not to tell a soul except Reverend Taylor – secrets in Larkford had a way of not staying secret for long, after all.
‘I’m beyond excited actually,’ Taffy confessed. ‘And not just about those profiteroles I saw arriving on my way upstairs.’
Holly leaned her head against his shoulder, delighted that they’d finally found time to talk in bed that morning, whispering to each other under the duvet like a pair of teenagers. Laughing and giggling as the babies’ little kicks gained enough momentum to give Taffy a nudge, as he curled around her.
‘It’s going to be perfect,’ he whispered, kissing along her collarbone and knowing exactly the effect he was having on her.
‘Our kind of perfect,’ she agreed.