‘Well you are, and hopefully we’ll get it,’ Ben replied.
Sallie pulled the laptop over and continued, ‘I mean just look at that staircase, the hallway floor alone is worth moving for! And the shutters on the windows... and the outside Summer House.’
She carried on scrolling right - the beautiful balcony on the top floor looking way out to sea, the hidden courtyard garden at the back, the fireplaces in every room, the chimney pots and the old conservatory which had seen better days but was crying out for someone to open it up again and fill it with love.
‘Ben, I could happily live in that house until I am a very old lady with white hair and a lot of cats.’
Ben smiled as he wiped apple from Ottilie’s mouth - he hadn’t told her yet, but he had actually heard from Shane and he was determined that Strawberry Hill House was going to be theirs.
Chapter 55
Sallie finished getting ready while Ben occupied Tillie - the plan was for Sallie to walk Tillie around to Pete’s who was going to look after her until Lilly got home from uni. It was a long round of working around everyone’s commitments and Sallie had a very important bride to sort out.
She tucked her black cashmere crew neck jumper into the front of black wide-legged wool trousers, tied a grey scarf around her neck and spritzed herself with perfume.
Tillie grizzled as she strapped her into the pram, clearly over the disruption to her routine and very much ready for her morning nap. Sallie opened the door, struggled to get the pram out and bumping it over the driveway seemed to irritate Tillie even more. She started to full on wail as Sallie pushed the pram over the stream, waved to Ben working on a plane next door and carried on along the laneway.
She walked briskly in the freezing cold wind up to Nina’s cottage, wiggling the pram to try to get Ottilie to drop off to sleep - it wasn’t working.
‘Oh dear, she’s not sounding too happy,’ Pete said as Sallie arrived, and Sallie handed over the change bag and pram.
‘Not at all - think she’s over it all Pete, all getting very real now, isn’t it?’
‘Don’t blame her, poor little sausage. I think I'll walk down to the beach with her then, see if she’ll drop off there. Are you all ready for the big day?’
‘Yep, nothing more we can do now. The wedding party has safely arrived and the bride now knows everything. I’m on my way over there now to meet her to take her to the hairdressers and meet Jessica about the makeup.’
‘I thought you were looking dressed up - good luck with it all. I’ll text you if there’s anything.’
‘Thanks Pete, yep I better get going, see you later.’
***
Sallie approached Pretty Beach Sandy Hotel, noticing the huge black front door decked out with a large, red and green wreath with a tartan bow. She walked into the reception and Lucian came bounding up to her.
‘Darling! Here they are. Over here!’ He pointed to Sam who they’d video called a good few times now and the pretty, slim woman on the sofa next to him who was obviously Katie. They walked over and Sallie held out her hand to Sam. Katie jumped up from the sofa, flung her arms around Sallie, beaming.
‘Thank you so, sooooo, much. I’m completely gobsmacked by all of this!’ She declared almost jumping up and down in excitement.
‘Our pleasure - it’s all going to be beautiful for you guys.’ Sallie smiled taking in the gorgeous, very slim girl with the white pixie cropped hair.
‘I can’t believe it. I said to Sam, not being ungrateful or anything, but wouldn’t it be even better if it snows? I’ve always wanted a wedding in the snow.’ She looked at all three of them with a big, wide smile.
‘Ha. I’ve been willing it to happen so let’s just hope it does.’ Sallie agreed, taking a seat on the hotel’s sofa and getting her phone out of her bag.
‘I really hope so,’ Katie replied, wistfully.
‘You’ve seen the dress and tried it on?’ Sallie asked.
‘Have I seen it? I love it! Thank you, it’s exactly the same as the picture and it fits so well. I now know why I found Sam rummaging around in my wardrobe looking at the size label on my dresses,’ Katie replied, chuckling,
‘They did a great job, didn’t they?’ Sallie asked.
‘I couldn't have asked for anything more.’ Katie replied.
‘Well, there is more. We’ve got all the good bits to come - I’m going to escort you to Kim, one of the best hairdressers around, and my lovely friend Jessica, who is magical with makeup.’
‘I’m so excited!’ Katie said and jumped up again and hugged Sallie tight.
Chapter 56
‘What time do you have to be there?’ Ben asked Sallie as she sat at her dressing table pulling the front of her hair into a French plait and then popping the whole lot into a messy bun on top of her head.
‘About eleven, I’m going to walk her along to Felicity’s to look at the flowers, then onto Jessica’s and Kim is going to pop in for a quick look at the hair. Holly’s bringing coffee and vanilla buns just to, you know, make it all nice for her.
‘Okay, you sure you don’t want me to drive you over there?’ Ben asked.
‘Nope, thanks, I need the fresh air and I thought I might have to go the Strawberry Hill Lane way...’ Sallie replied, smiling.
‘Uh oh, so what happened to not having your heart set on it, then?’ Ben teased, coming around the side of the bed and putting his hands on her shoulders as she finished off fluffing a huge blusher brush across her cheeks.
‘A woman has to dream, Ben,’ she joked, putting the blusher brush back in its pot, standing up and turning around to face him.
‘So does a man and I already have my dream - a living vision of it standing right here in front of me,’ he said with his hands gently placed on her waist.
‘You’re such an old romantic Mr Chalmers, I don’t quite know how I ended up with you.’
‘You came along, wined me and dined me and swept me off my feet - that’s what happened, wasn’t it?’ Ben said, smiling.
‘Don’t forget the bit where I took you out on my fancy boat and gave you a few too many champagnes, or the one where I just so happened to walk you home when you were a little bit tipsy.’
‘Ha, oh yes beautiful, I forgot about that - the one when I fell in a plant pot and you helped me to get out.’ They both chuckled as Sallie put a long black waterfall cardigan over her black trousers and silky grey shirt, popped a stack of bangles on her left wrist and doused herself in a good layer of perfume.
‘Tillie is all set? She was fine with Lilly this morning so we’ll go up to the hospital this afternoon as planned.’
‘Yep, maybe we could go on the ferry if the weather stays nice?’ Sallie suggested, pulling the thick linen curtain back and looking out over the sea.
‘Let me check the app.’ Ben said, taking out his phone.
Sallie slapped him on the leg, ‘You and that blooming app Ben, you’re obsessed with it.’
‘Rich coming from someone who has spent I don’t know how many hours looking at the same pictures of an old house on Strawberry Hill Lane.’
‘Fair point.’ Sallie said, popping little diamond studs into her ears and tidying up her dressing table.
They walked into the sitting room and Sallie picked up her tote bag.
‘My goodness, I need to sort this bag out, it weighs a tonne - since Nina’s been in hospital and we’ve been looking after Tillie I seem to have gathered no end of junk in here.’ She put the bag on her shoulder, walked over and kissed Ben goodbye.
‘So, you’re going to check the Orangery courtyard to sweep leaves and stuff and then go do the planes. I’ll see you at the wharf later this afternoon then depending on the weather.’
‘Yep, see you later, love you beautiful.’
Sallie called out the same over her shoulder as she went down the stairs, over the Boat House driveway and strolled all the way through Pretty Beach and instead of heading straight to the hotel, veered off to the right up
the winding road adjacent to Strawberry Hill, left through the tiny little alley at the end, emerging at the top of Strawberry Hill Lane and walking all the way down so that she could look at the house.
She stood outside it, looking up at the floors, and staring at the crumbling blue-grey plaster and the yellow windows as the winter sun bathed it in a warm dappled light. Holding up her phone she took pictures of the magnolia tree, the steep steps up to the double front door and zoomed into the ground floor square bay window and imagined it in a nice vintage white.
Putting her phone back in the pocket of her bag, she crossed her fingers, looked up at the huge old Victorian house and said out loud to herself.
‘Please, please, please let her be mine.’
Then she turned around and carried on down to the bottom of the lane, turned right and headed to the hotel.
***
Katie was sitting in the window of the hotel foyer next to the huge, beautifully decorated, Christmas tree, a smile on her face with Sam sitting opposite her holding her hand. Sallie approached them and sat down on the sofas opposite.
‘Okay sweetie, you’re all ready for today? We’re going to pop into my friend Felicity’s shop to have a look at flowers and she will whip you up something magical - she’s brilliant at what she does.’
‘I’ve seen her flowers on some of the bridal websites and never did I think I would be able to have the actual owner do my flowers!’ Katie replied breathlessly. ‘I’m a bit daunted by it all, truth be told, you know, celebrity florist and all.’
Sallie leant forward across the small, squat coffee table.
‘Well there’s absolutely no need to be - Felicity Parnell is the most down to earth person I think I’ve ever met and that whole celebrity florist thing will seem a million miles away when we walk into her shop - it’s like walking into a flower grotto. She’ll spring out from the back room and before you know it you’ll be lost in her very floral world. The woman seems to be able to pluck out exactly what you were thinking in your head and turn it into a bouquet.’
‘Oh, that sounds even better than I’ve been imagining since Sam told me who the florist was - I just thought she might be a bit, you know... grand.’ Kate said, fiddling with her earring.
‘Not at all, and she’ll tell you herself if you ask her - all that celebrity stuff is nothing more than a very big lot of very hard work.’
Katie sat back on the sofa and Sallie continued to tell her about the afternoon of plans which would lead her up to the big day.
‘Then we’ll walk all the way along the beach to my friend Jessica - she’s a local makeup artist who also owns the Fish and Chip shop, and my other friend Holly will arrive with your mum and your sister. We’ll have some pastries and a few bubbles and then, well, hopefully, everything will be set.’
Chapter 57
Sallie, Juliette and Holly stood in front of the Orangery on the day before the wedding and Sallie all of a sudden got a flashback to the night Ben proposed when she was wet through from the weather, her boots squelching and hair freezing on her head. An image went through her mind of the two of them standing in the snow gazing at the lights of the palace.
She’d taken that scene in her head and based the entire Christmas decor of the Orangery on it. As she stood outside it now, the Orangery doused in a sprinkling of white powder, it wasn't quite up to the palace’s standards, but she'd done a very good job of it all.
Every line of the Orangery had been painstakingly tacked with white fairy lights and as she stood outside now in the cold, the vision in her head had come to life. The Orangery stood there magnificently against the dark skyline of Pretty Beach and perched over it all, a beautiful half-moon hung in the sky.
She walked over to the double gates, heading to the side to run through a last check of everything - the white pebble path was lined with lanterns, the bay trees either side of the arched door were placed just right and the huge fresh wreath on the door twinkled against the glass panes.
As the day had approached, she’d got more and more glum as the weather forecast had been for heavy rain and sleet - an open walk to the venue in driving rain would not a happy bride make. But as the week of the wedding arrived it had got colder and colder and all of a sudden the weather apps were talking about a cold front coming in, bringing with it the likelihood of snow. Sallie had looked up at the clouds and sky the day before, she hadn't needed to look at Ben’s app, she could feel it was going to snow.
And then that afternoon, just as she was finishing off the last of the prep inside with Holly and Juliette and double-checking the heating, the first few flurries had begun to fall. She’d phoned Ben, telling him his app was correct and not only had it started to fall, it had begun to settle.
As they stood out there looking back at it all, all Sallie now had to hope was that just the right amount of snow would fall overnight before the next day’s wedding.
‘Well, what do you think then?’ Juliette asked as Sallie stood back and Juliette finished tying the last white ribbon onto some greenery.
‘I think it’s just right - I mean I could pick holes in everything if I really wanted to, nothing anyone else would see, but I think it’s not a bad place to get married.’ Sallie smiled and winked at Juliette and Holly.
‘Yes, there are the things we can see that no one else can, like the bit where the garland fell on your head and we patched it back up, that sticks out like a sore thumb to me, but overall, I reckon it’s going to be beautiful on social media.’ Holly said, her head tilted back, gazing up at the domed roof.
‘I hope so, I really do.’ Sallie replied.
Chapter 58
Sallie stood outside the double gates of the Orangery holding a huge white umbrella, a thick wrap pulled over her black velvet dress. She peered out from under the umbrella - still no sign of the car, or the bride, or indeed anyone. They’d factored in a time delay at every part of the plan so it really wasn’t a huge problem, but if Katie had left the hotel on the other side of Pretty Beach at the allotted time then they should have arrived by now she thought, pacing up and down.
Her phone started to ring from inside her bag.
‘Hello. Everything alright at your end?’ She said to Ben who was on the other end of the line.
‘Small problem, Sals, but it’s all under control,’ Ben said calmly but speaking quickly.
‘What? What’s happened?’ Sallie sounded panicked.
‘Well, the car’s been here ages, all ready to go and Katie got in the car and we waited, and waited and it didn’t start. Marty is absolutely mortified. He said it might be something to do with the cold and the engine. The back-up car can get going if we like, but I’ve said we might just get her there another way. I mean it’s not exactly a long journey and with the live streaming and everything I thought it was best to just get on with it.’
‘Oh, no! Poor Katie.’
‘She’s fine - completely in a world of her own and beamed through the whole thing. She’s back in the lobby now with a glass of bubbles and everyone else running around trying to work out a solution. I can bring her over in my car but it’s hardly fancy, is it?’
‘Or Tony?’ Sallie suggested pacing up and down underneath the white umbrella, snowflakes falling and settling all around her feet.
‘I just checked that and he’s on a run in Newport,’ Ben replied, and continued, ‘I thought maybe Holly - she can pop round in her Porsche, you know, it’s an exceedingly fancy car.’
‘Yep, that’ll have to do. We really need to get this show on the road - the snow is coming down thick and fast. Yes, let’s do that. I’ll go and find her right away. Stay there, I’ll text you what’s happening.’
Twenty minutes later and Holly’s black Porsche came gliding around the corner of the lane with Marty in his top hat and tails driving and Ben in the front seat in a navy-blue suit.
As the big, black car approached the gates of the Orangery, Marty pulled carefully over on the now snow filled lane and pa
rked up to the right. He hopped out of the front and opened the back door to Katie as snow flurries fell all around them.
He looked over to Sallie, and mouthed that he was sorry and helped Katie to step down from the car. Katie seemed oblivious to it all - to the car, to the panic, to the weather and was smiling from ear to ear, the tiny little sparkles in her veil catching the light.
Sallie gasped as she stepped out. The dress was even better on Katie than when it had been first delivered from Hong Kong and she’d seen it hanging up in All the Beautiful Brides at Newport Reef. Long, slim fitted silk, cut on the bias, with a beautiful, lace veil reaching to the floor and a tiny white fur cape done up at the front with a diamond clasp. It was simple and elegant and suited Katie’s wispy frame and colouring perfectly.
Katie smiled up at Sallie as Sallie took her arm, holding the umbrella over her and Katie whispered, ‘I can never thank you enough.’ Tears started to fall from her eyes and Sallie pulled a tissue out of the small velvet drawstring bag she had on her arm ready with tissues, a mini can of hairspray, safety pins, powder and lipstick.
‘Now, no crying yet lovely - we’ve to get you along this path safely and into the warm.’
‘Thank you,’ Katie said, wiping under her eyes with the tissue, ‘I’ll walk without the umbrella if you don’t mind - I like the feeling of the snowflakes coming down, it makes it even more special with the snow. I love snow, I always have. I just wish my dad was here too. Do you think I’ll get too wet if I do that?’
Sallie smiled to herself that sweet Katie loved snow too, and looked under the umbrella at the snowflakes floating down, ‘I think you’ll just about be fine - it’s only a few short steps along the pathway.’
Sallie pushed open the gates and Katie saw the Orangery for the first time standing in front of her, the whole place glittering in the late afternoon light, flurries of snow falling from the sky, the lights of the boats bobbing around behind, the huge Christmas tree twinkling from inside.
Winter at Pretty Beach Page 20