She looked up from his neck. ‘Can you keep a secret?’
‘Sure.’
‘That was actually part of the plan all along. A big white wedding, then a big white divorce soon after. Once I’ve bribed a couple of journalists to out me as this heartless cheating bitch, I’m going to be everywhere.’
Ben frowned. ‘You want the press to make you into the bad guy?’
‘Bloody right I do. You’re in marketing: I’m sure you know there’s no such thing as bad publicity. I’m huge among the under-thirties but the older generations don’t know me – but they do know Con. I’m hoping the story of how I broke his heart will raise my profile enough to get me a part on TV. I’m sure I can make it as an actor, once I get a break.’ Her fingers wandered to the buckle of his belt. ‘But I don’t think you invited me here to talk about Conrad, did you?’
‘You’d be surprised.’ He raised his voice. ‘I think that ought to do it, don’t you, Bride?’
Joanna recoiled as the cupboard door opened and Bridie appeared, holding her phone aloft.
‘I think so,’ she said. ‘Well done, love. You were brilliant.’
‘Thanks. And can I just say, I wasn’t enjoying any of that?’
‘Well, just this once I’ll believe you.’
He went to stand by her, slipping an arm around her waist. ‘You weren’t worried, were you?’
She kissed his cheek. ‘Not even for a second.’
‘What the hell is this?’ Joanna demanded. ‘You… you two set me up? Why?’
‘Why do you think?’ Ben said, turning a look of pure disgust on her. ‘You reckon you can ruin my brother’s life for the sake of your fucking career and I’ll just sit back and let you get away with it?’
‘I take it that was the plan?’ Bridie said. ‘That Cal’s the poor mug you were planning to use as a stooge when you denounced yourself to the press? You certainly went to a lot of effort to make his so-called affair look convincing.’
Joanna laughed, shaking her head. ‘Honestly, do you really think I’m so naive that I’ll just admit to something like that? That even for a minute I trusted you, Ben? Listen back to your recording. You’ll find there’s nothing at all on there about Cal. Nothing you can use to get that little frump wife of his to believe I was telling her anything but God’s honest truth, which I’m assuming was your plan. I’ve been very careful not to say anything that could incriminate me.’
Ben sighed. ‘Seems like she’s outsmarted us, Bride. Oh well, we did our best.’
‘I suppose we did,’ Bridie said. ‘Except – oh, wait. That wasn’t our plan, was it?’
‘No,’ Ben said, shaking his head soberly. ‘Our plan was blackmail.’
Joanna frowned. ‘What?’
Bridie skimmed to a certain point in her recording and Joanna listened to her own voice, husky with lust, talking back at her.
I knew one of my YouTube sponsors, Padua Cosmetics, would make marriage very worth our while. They offered us big bucks if they could be the exclusive sponsor of the celebrity wedding of the year. Con and I are really just good friends – friends who know how to strike a good deal.
‘I expect Padua would be keen to know you conned them out of all that money for the sake of a fraudulent wedding,’ Ben said, casually examining his nails. ‘And your other sponsors, the ones who pay you megabucks to use their stuff on your YouTube channel. I doubt they’ll want to be associated with a tainted brand once this gets out. Your career, this lifestyle you’ve got used to: you’ll lose it all.’
‘Well. Seems there is such a thing as bad publicity after all,’ Bridie said brightly as Joanna’s face became a mask of horror. ‘Better hope your old job at John Lewis is still open, eh?’
‘No!’ Joanna dived towards Bridie and tried to snatch the phone from her, but Bridie put it behind her back.
‘It’s no good, Joanna,’ she said. ‘It’s already been uploaded to the cloud. You’re screwed.’
Joanna stood in the middle of the room, looking shrunken now as she glanced helplessly from one of them to the other.
‘Fine,’ she said in a defeated tone. ‘What do you want then?’
‘For a start, I want some answers,’ Ben said. ‘Why did you target my brother? There must be other poor chumps whose lives you could’ve ruined.’
Joanna shrugged. ‘Because it makes a better story, doesn’t it? Ex-boyfriend does the dirty on dowdy fiancée with glamorous star – the headline practically writes itself. Famous person shags other famous person isn’t a story. Famous person shags Yorkshire car mechanic days before his wedding: that’s a story.’
‘But it didn’t work, did it? Because Cal wouldn’t play ball,’ Bridie said. ‘You should’ve known better than to think he’d ever hurt Hattie like that.’
‘I admit it never occurred to me he’d turn me down,’ Joanna conceded. ‘I could get him to do anything for me once upon a time. I should’ve anticipated his inner Boy Scout would win out.’
‘Or his love for Hattie would win out.’
‘Anyway, it didn’t matter,’ Joanna said, sounding bored now. ‘I didn’t need him to actually cheat. I just needed people to believe he did. Really, I did Hattie a favour.’
Ben shook his head. ‘You did her a favour? By wrecking her relationship?’
‘Yeah. She’d have been flavour of the month once the press ran stories on us. She could’ve done wonders with that kind of exposure – built a career of her own in the public eye.’
‘She doesn’t want exposure, Joanna. She wants Cal.’
Joanna shrugged. ‘Well, there’s no accounting for taste.’
‘Hang on,’ Ben said. ‘How did you know when Hattie would be having her dress fitting to fake that message?’
‘You’d be surprised what you can find out when you’re me, darling. It didn’t take long to telephone all the likely candidates and find out where the appointment had been booked. I only needed to mention my name and some rubbish about Hattie having won a competition, then the owners were more than happy to help. Now are you going to blackmail me or what? I’ve got places I need to be.’
‘OK. We want, um…’ Bridie glanced at Ben. ‘What do we want?’
‘Proof,’ Ben said to Joanna. ‘That Cal didn’t cheat. A signed confession you set the whole thing up. You can write it now.’ He stood up and took a pad and pen from one of the drawers. ‘Make sure you mention the forged notes and messages, won’t you? And how you got those photos of his knob.’
‘And then you’ll destroy the recording?’
‘You can watch me do it,’ Bridie said. ‘But first, I want that written confession in my hand to give to Hattie.’
Thirty-Six
‘All right, come on,’ Bridie said the following day, holding the door of Ben’s Audi open for Hattie to get in.
‘But where are we going, guys?’ Hattie asked. ‘I don’t want to see anyone. Not just yet.’
‘This’ll be worth the trip,’ Ben said. ‘You might not want to see anyone, but there’s someone who badly wants to talk to you.’
She eyed him warily. ‘You didn’t tell Cal I was hiding out here, did you? I told you, Ben, I can’t be near him. Not until… until it all starts to feel real.’
‘Don’t worry about that. Just trust me and Bridie. You know we’re on your side.’
She looked at Bridie, who reached out to squeeze her hand, and flashed her a watery smile. ‘OK. If you say it’s all right.’
Ben soon pulled into the grounds of Lindley House, the venue where the cancelled wedding would have taken place. Hattie frowned.
‘What the hell are we doing here?’
‘You’ll find out,’ Bridie said. ‘This way.’
Dazedly, Hattie followed Bridie to the orangery wedding chapel. She recoiled when she saw who was there, standing at the front by the lectern.
‘Cal,’ she murmured.
‘Hi, Hat.’
‘I said I didn’t want to see you.’
‘I know. I
was hoping you might change your mind after you’d read this though.’
Cal approached and handed her a sheet of paper, covered in vaguely familiar handwriting.
Hattie cast a puzzled look at Bridie. ‘What is it?’
‘A letter. Well, more of a confession really. It felt right that Cal should be the one to give it to you.’ Bridie kissed her cheek. ‘We’ll be waiting just outside, sweetie, OK?’
‘But… what’s happening, Bridie?’
‘I’m hoping I’m about to get my role as maid of honour at the wedding of the year reinstated,’ Bridie said, smiling. ‘See you soon.’
Hattie watched them go, feeling dizzy.
‘Well go on, read it,’ Cal said with an anxious smile.
‘“I, Joanna Fitzroy, being of sound mind, do hereby confess”…’ She looked at Cal. ‘What is this, Cal? It sounds like a will.’
‘Yeah, she obviously got a bit carried away with the language. Never mind that. Just read to the end.’
‘“…do hereby confess that Calvin Kemp has at no time committed an act of infidelity with me, not even a little one. Under duress, I’m being forced to admit I made it up for reasons you don’t need to know about. Suffice to say, he didn’t cheat. I faked the messages, I faked the newer notes, I blagged the date of the dress fitting from the boutique owner and the photos are seven years old. I’m not sorry, but I am confessing. Signed, Joanna Fitzroy.”’ Hattie blinked at it, then looked up. ‘Cal? I don’t understand.’
‘I don’t either, or at least not completely. Yesterday morning Ben had me take any mention of him out of all my Facebook posts, then late last night him and Bridie brought this to me. God knows how they persuaded Joanna to write it but I’m assuming there’s some connection between the two things.’ He took in the worried look on Hattie’s face. ‘It’s genuine, don’t worry. I recognise the writing and signature. I’m told she’s agreed to back it up verbally if you’re still not convinced.’
‘No, that’s… that’s OK,’ Hattie whispered. ‘I can see it’s her writing, I recognise it from those notes she wrote you. So you didn’t…’
‘Of course I didn’t. Didn’t and wouldn’t.’ He drew her into his arms. ‘I love you, Hat. More than I ever loved Joanna, more than I’ll ever love anyone. There’s no one in the world for me but you. You have to believe that.’
Hattie looked up at him, that handsome, familiar face she hadn’t been able to talk herself out of loving through all these past three days she’d been so desperately trying to, and her lips finally spread into a smile.
‘I do believe you.’
Cal let out a low whistle of relief. ‘Thank God for that.’
‘So those photos she showed me…’
He flushed. ‘Yeah, that was me in them. But like she said in the letter, they’re old, Hat. I sent them to Jo back when we were first going out, sort of a game. I’m so sorry.’
She squinted one eye at him, her lips twitching as she finally started to adjust to this new reality. ‘You never sent me naughty photos.’
‘Did you want me to?’
‘Maybe.’
‘Oh, well. That’s the sort of affordable wedding present I can manage.’ He leaned down to kiss her. ‘I’m sorry, Hat. Forgive me?’
‘I’m the one who ought to be sorry,’ she whispered. ‘I should’ve trusted you, shouldn’t I? A really top-notch future wife would have known right away the man she loved wasn’t capable of doing that to her, no matter how bad things looked.’
‘To be fair, the evidence against me was pretty overwhelming. Joanna set it all up to look as damning as possible, and I did myself no favours by hiding things from you when I should’ve talked to you.’ He rested his forehead against her hair. ‘I was worried about stressing you out, with the baby and everything, but in the end I only made things worse. It won’t happen again, I promise.’
‘What did happen between you and Joanna, Cal? Tell me everything.’
‘Well, that first time she got me drunk and tried to snog me. Then the night before the rehearsal she turned up again and gave seducing me her best shot, because apparently I’m just that irresistible. She should’ve known it was a lost cause though. I threw her out on her arse.’
‘Weren’t you even a little bit tempted? She’s very beautiful.’
‘I know she is. Rich too, and famous.’ He kissed her. ‘But she’s not my Hattie. That’s the only thing that can tempt me.’
She rested her fingers against her cheek, choking back a happy sob. ‘God, Cal, I’ve missed you. It’s been torture these past few days. I’m so glad… so glad.’
‘You’re right though, Hat, I’m not capable of it – cheating, I mean,’ Cal murmured as he hugged her tight. ‘Remember that if you ever feel suspicious of me in future, OK? I love you, and I would never, ever consciously do anything to hurt you.’
‘I know. I won’t forget that again.’ She winced when she thought back to some of the things she’d read over the past few days. ‘Jesus, Cal. I don’t want to make you feel bad when you didn’t really do anything wrong, but it’s been so painful. Those notes…’
‘Those are from the past. Past Cal isn’t Now Cal.’
‘I know that. It’s not what was in them so much. It’s more having to picture you with her, and know that she saw a side to you that you’ve never shared with me.’
‘She didn’t really,’ he said gently, running a hand over her hair. ‘I was young, with not much sexual experience. Yeah, it was a novelty at the time to try out new things, but I wouldn’t say the stuff in the notes is representative of my tastes in general. I’m really a pretty vanilla sort of guy.’
‘Right. So you don’t want me to start handcuffing you to things or shagging you in lay-bys.’
‘Not unless you particularly want to.’
She shrugged. ‘I wouldn’t mind the handcuffs. Could be fun.’
He smiled. ‘Well, we’ll save them for the honeymoon. All I want right now is to take you home and cuddle you until my arms go numb. Is that OK by you?’
‘God, yes,’ she whispered. ‘Sorry for not trusting you, Cal. I always will from now on, I promise.’
‘And I’ll always be honest and talk to you about things. No more secrets.’ He held her back to look into her eyes. ‘And the wedding?’
She smiled. ‘Definitely back on. Bridie’s going to be so pleased she gets to wear her maid of honour dress after all.’
Epilogue
It was a gorgeous autumn day, the trees outside the little chapel on fire with russet and gold, when Dafydd Leonard proudly walked his only daughter down the aisle.
The rows were filled with friends and relatives. Sandra sat on the front seat nearest the aisle, beaming all over her face as she watched her husband and daughter walk slowly towards the groom. In the corresponding seat across from her, Alison Kemp – Cal and Ben’s mum – observed the scene placidly. Adrian Verges was there, sitting next to Mr Duxbury and trying to catch Meg’s eye as she walked behind the bride with Ursula and Bridie. Pete Prince actually seemed to have a tear in his eye, despite his three divorces to date.
Ben, flanking a terrified-looking Cal, smiled at Bridie as she joined him by the altar.
‘You look stunning,’ he mouthed, casting an awestruck gaze over her dusky pink bridesmaid dress, and she flushed with pleasure.
He looked pretty dashing himself. Bridie had never seen him this level of smart before. Who knew he’d be able to pull off a waistcoat? He looked like one of the models in a Moss Bros catalogue. She slipped her arm through his, feeling ever so slightly smug as a couple of envious female glances drifted in her direction.
‘Well, the bride managed to turn up this time,’ he murmured to her. ‘That’s a good start anyway.’
The vows for the civil ceremony were simple, but strangely moving. Hattie blushed slightly as she repeated her declaration after the celebrant.
‘I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, Harriet Sheila Leonard, do take
thee, Calvin William Kemp, to be my lawful wedded husband,’ she said, her eyes shining with a love that was stronger than ever now it had been tested and forged anew.
Ben raised an eyebrow at Bridie. ‘Sheila?’
She nudged him, smiling. ‘Shh.’
Cal beamed at Hattie like she was the only thing in the room he could see. ‘Yeah. I do too.’ He glanced at the celebrant as she cleared her throat pointedly. ‘I mean, I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, Calvin William Kemp, do take thee, Harriet Sheila Leonard, to be my lawful wedded husband. Wife! I meant wife.’
The celebrant laughed. ‘All right, let’s move on to the rings.’
‘Oh! This is my bit, isn’t it?’ Ben fished out the rings and handed them to Cal and Hattie. ‘Here you go.’
‘I give you this ring as a symbol of our love,’ Cal said softly as he slid on Hattie’s ring. ‘All that I am I give to you. All that I have I share with you. I promise to love you, to be faithful and loyal, in good times and bad. May this ring remind you always of the words we have spoken today.’
A chorus of awws rippled through the guests. Bridie glanced over at Ben.
‘Here.’ She passed him a tissue from her clutch bag, then took out another for herself.
‘Thanks.’ He dabbed his eyes. ‘Allergies.’
‘Right. Same here.’
When the service was over and the groom had sealed the deal by giving the bride a big kiss, Ben offered Bridie his arm and they followed the wedding party out of the orangery. The meal was taking place in the banqueting hall of the stately home next door. When they reached the bank of the little lake in the grounds, Bridie made to go inside with the other guests but Ben held her back.
‘Wait a sec,’ he said. ‘I just want to get some air before we go in. Slow my pulse a bit before I have to give my speech.’
‘All right. I could do with a timeout before I do mine as well.’
He put an arm around her waist and they turned to look at the lake, rippling with autumn colours.
Love at First Fight Page 31