There's Something About Cornwall
Page 24
‘What we seem to have forgotten is that, accompanying the food we prepare and the desserts we bake, there is always something to drink – whether it be a cup of Earl Grey tea with our cucumber sandwiches and patisserie or a fruit punch at a children’s party or something a little stronger when celebrating a milestone birthday or an engagement. The Great British Beverage has been sadly underrated…until now.’
Lucinda stepped off the platform. She nodded to the girls holding the posters, stepped behind the laden table, and whipped away the cloth.
‘Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me immense pleasure to reveal today The Great British Beverage Book written by Matt and Jamie Ashby!’
A crescendo of applause ricocheted around the room. Matt’s mum dabbed at her eyes with a lace handkerchief she had brought specially and his father swallowed down hard on his emotions, with pride written boldly across his features.
Matt’s jaw had slackened in astonishment as he stared at Lucinda, who was holding out a copy of the book he and his brother had dreamed of one day publishing.
‘Thank you,’ he managed, taking the precious masterpiece before moving over to embrace his mum and grab his father in a bear hug. Emilie beamed at the Ashby family’s joy. They deserved every bit of their happiness that afternoon.
‘I take it you knew about this?’ Matt smiled as he released Emilie from his embrace.
‘I did, but actually it was Lucinda who arranged everything. The banners, the postcards, the books, The Ritz! She’s like a whirlwind when she gets her teeth into something she’s passionate about. You know how upset she was when she found out that her surreptitious borrowing of my memory stick almost broke us up. She liaised with your parents throughout though – it wasn’t just me who was in on the surprise. The book is amazing, isn’t it? It’s going to fly off the shelves. But none of that matters. Have you seen what she’s written in the front?’
Matt opened the book slowly and read Lucinda’s neatly written message.
‘For those who can’t be with us today to celebrate in our joy, we will hold them in our hearts where they will always have a special place until the day we join them.’
‘Congratulations, Matt. Jamie would have been immensely proud of everything you’ve achieved,’ whispered Emilie. ‘The brewery, the beer dedicated to him and now the book.’
Matt inhaled a deep breath. ‘I couldn’t have done any of it without you, Em. I love you.’
‘I love you too, Matt,’ she replied.
She knew life couldn’t get any better. After all, with Matt by her side, she was the luckiest girl in the world.
If you loved There’s Something about Cornwall,
why not read these other fabulous stories by Daisy James!
If you loved this wonderful title from HQ Digital then why not take a look at these equally marvellous stories from our other authors…
Copyright
HQ
An imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers Ltd.
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2017
Copyright © Daisy James 2017
Daisy James asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
E-book Edition © March 2017 ISBN: 978-0-00-821145-5