Since Kieran had proposed on Cat’s birthday at the start of October, Brenda had been more than a little excited about her daughter’s upcoming nuptials but was sometimes surprised at the choices Cat made about her big day. Nell wasn’t. Cat had always been down to earth and had her own individual style. Secretly, Nell hoped she wouldn’t change the hair colour she’d had for the last few years. Out of all the colours Cat had tried (orange had been particularly disastrous) pastel-pink suited her best.
The only bridal shop in Swallowtail Bay sat at the furthest end of town, in a small, cobbled side street full of boutique clothes shops. They were lucky to have every type of shop in the bay from delis to chocolatiers and homeware stores. There were art galleries, cafés and restaurants, and on top of this, the town was blessed with spectacular scenery from the rolling green fields on the edge of town, to the long, arcing coastline with a pebbly beach and promenade where you could walk and enjoy the seasons by the sea. Nell especially loved Christmas in Swallowtail Bay when the town became like somewhere from a movie; shop doors were decked with Christmas wreaths and all along the promenade strings of fairy lights glittered off the surface of the water. October was virtually Christmas as far as Nell was concerned, but she was resisting the urge to get out the Christmas tree just yet for fear of annoying what few guests she had booked in. Maybe after Halloween she could get it out and go nuts.
Normally, Nell would have walked through town, enjoying the sights and smells of Swallowtail Bay, but this morning with the wind ringing an autumnal tune and the rain coming down in heavy sheets, they’d driven as near as possible so as not to damage any of the gowns with sopping wet hair. When they’d arrived, they’d been stripped of their thick winter coats and glasses of prosecco were shoved in their hands. Well, in Nell and Cat’s hands anyway. Brenda had preferred a cup of tea, which she’d been pleased to see was served in a white cup and saucer – no mugs in sight. Cat and Nell had then snuggled on a sofa while Cat described the types of dresses she wanted to try and the colours she liked. Brenda had also made her opinions known, but then, she couldn’t help but do otherwise. After that, and with Cat and Nell giggling like schoolgirls at the fun of it all, the actual trying on had begun.
Nell couldn’t wait until it was her turn to do something like this. She was more than a little excited at being Cat’s maid of honour, and at hosting the wedding at Holly Lodge, her boutique hotel newly licensed for wedding ceremonies. She considered what type of dress she’d have. Something with a long train and the softest fabric. That was an impossibly long way off for her as there wasn’t even a sniff of a new man in her life, but it would happen eventually. For now, the excitement of watching Cat was more than enough for her.
‘What do you think of that dress, Cat?’ she asked, but Nell already knew the answer. As beautiful as the dress was and as gorgeous as Cat looked in it, her eyes weren’t sparkling.
She swished again. ‘I’m not really sure—’
‘But it’s divine,’ Brenda chimed in. ‘You look like a princess.’
‘I’m not sure I want to look like a princess, though. I don’t know if it’s really me. I always pictured myself in something a bit different. Something pretty but less … dramatic. Not your normal wedding dress attire.’
‘Anyone would think you want a suit.’
‘Now there’s an idea,’ said Nell, and she and Cat shared a mischievous flash of eyes. ‘You could have a theme wedding! Vicars and tarts—’
‘Harry Potter?’ Cat suggested. ‘You know how much I love Harry Potter.’
‘Gangsters and molls?’
‘Yes!’ Cat replied enthusiastically.
‘Girls!’ Brenda screeched, then tried to cover it with an indulgent glance.
‘Or,’ Nell continued, enjoying the moment too much to let it go, ‘as it’s Christmas you could dress up like Mrs Santa and Kieran could be Mr Santa and we could all be little elves!’
‘Great idea, Nell.’
‘Don’t be silly, darling,’ Brenda chided, but the slight twitch at the edge of her eye showed them she was actually worried by this one.
‘Only kidding, Mum, but I’m still not a hundred per cent sure about this dress.’
‘What sort of thing would you like to try?’ asked the sales assistant, earning a glower from Brenda. The poor girl looked slightly terrified. Luckily, Nell had grown immune to Brenda’s evil-eye stare, having received so many of them over the years.
‘I think I’d like something vintage. Not actual vintage, obviously, I don’t think we can afford that—’
‘Of course we can afford it.’ Brenda’s high tinkling laugh was directed at the assistant. ‘But why pay an extortionate amount for second-hand when you can have something new and exquisite like this?’
‘I love those long gowns from the 1930s with all the beading and sequins—’
‘Sequins?’ Brenda squawked. ‘This isn’t a Seventies disco, Catherine.’
‘Or something shorter, like from the 1950s.’
‘You can’t wear a short wedding dress!’
‘I know exactly what you mean.’ The assistant nodded vigorously. ‘And I know just what will suit you. We’ve got some gorgeous dresses that I can picture you in already.’
The assistant sped away to some racks at the front of the shop and Brenda followed swiftly behind. Nell and Cat watched them both go and as soon as they were out of earshot, Cat said, ‘Help me out of this dress, will you? It’s absolutely killing me. It’s like being in a back brace.’
Nell followed her into the changing room and began to undo the dress. ‘Won’t the assistant tell me off for
