From Notting Hill with Love Actually

by Ali McNamara

  When I’d finished, Maddie was strangely quiet while she took another long drink from her glass of…just what was in that purple concoction she was drinking?

  I watched the girls on the dance floor who were now trying to do the Macarena while Maddie apparently gathered her thoughts.

  “Sean seems nice,” she suddenly said after a few minutes, as she casually stirred the umbrella around in her cocktail.

  I looked hard at Maddie. What did she mean by that comment? Nice in regard to what? Or was it just a throwaway observation? The state Maddie was in it could mean anything. It was hard to tell.

  I decided to play it cool. “Yeah, he’s OK.”

  “Remind me again—just why is he here with you this weekend?”

  “I told you, he’s Belinda and Harry’s neighbor in Notting Hill, he’s been helping me get to know the area—and stuff.”

  “I wouldn’t mind him helping me out with my stuff any day!” Maddie cackled, then she winked at me. “There’s a definite look of Brad Pitt about him.”

  “Maddie! You’re getting married tomorrow!”

  “And you are getting married in April, Scarlett, but you’ve still brought another man to my wedding!”

  I looked at Maddie again. Was she as drunk as she was making out? She was making some very telling observations for one so under the influence of alcohol.

  “No, I haven’t,” I said defensively. “David arrives tomorrow morning, as you well know.”

  “Yes, that’s right, so he does.” Maddie thought for a moment. “That’s good because tomorrow at the wedding, I’m going to try and set Danielle up with Sean. You met her earlier—she said she was sitting next to you on the Phantom Manor ride. Anyway, Sean is single, isn’t he? Because Danielle was asking about him. Danielle has been single far too long, and I reckon Sean looks the type who wouldn’t mind a quick shag after the ceremony tomorrow.”

  “Maddie, no! Don’t you dare!”

  Maddie looked at me innocently with wide eyes. “Why not? After all if he’s only your temporary neighbor, what’s it to you?”

  “OK, what’s in that drink?” I demanded.

  “What—this?” Maddie held up her glass.

  “Yes, that. It’s not alcoholic, is it?”

  Maddie leaned in toward me. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to get hammered the night before my own wedding? It’s the biggest day of my life—and I’m damned if I’m walking down the aisle looking like death warmed up.”

  “Have you had any alcohol tonight?”

  “A couple of glasses of champagne at the start of the evening, that’s all. This is just blackcurrant and lemonade. The others think it’s vodka Zulu, but I’ve had an arrangement with the barman all night—under no circumstances is he to put any alcohol in my drinks. Everyone thinks I’m pissed—but sadly, on this occasion, no.”

  I grinned at Maddie. “You are one crafty cookie, madam.”

  “And you are one very mixed-up chief bridesmaid.” Maddie put down her drink and looked at me seriously. “I did see you and Sean together earlier, Scarlett.”

  “So?”

  “So, I saw you laugh more times with Sean tonight than I think I’ve ever seen you laugh in all your time with David.”

  “But I love David.”

  “I know you do. So be careful, Scarlett. Don’t let this timeout, house-sitting thing—if that’s what you’re really doing in London—completely screw your life up.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, you love David and you want to marry David—but you’ve been having a few doubts, you told me as much. Then just when you’re in the middle of this carefree, living-in-a-movie-type lifestyle that you’ve always wanted, Sean comes along. He’s like this big, handsome movie hero you’ve always dreamed about meeting, but while you’re away living your perfect fantasy life, you’re forgetting about the people left behind.”

  “No, I’m not.” I didn’t know how Maddie could even think that. “I just want to be happy, that’s all, and to prove Dad, David, and you, for that matter, wrong about the movies.” I clapped my hand over my mouth. Damn it.

  “Oh, so that’s what you’re really up to, is it?” Maddie said, raising an eyebrow. “I knew there was something else going on.”

  “Maddie, that’s not important now,” I said, quickly trying to gloss over my blunder. Plus I had to clear up this other misunderstanding first. “I don’t see Sean as a movie star—that’s just silly.” Maybe I had in the past, but I wasn’t lying to Maddie now; it was ages since I’d imagined Sean as anything but himself. I found it virtually impossible to do that now. “He’s just a bit different to David, that’s all. Sean’s…..” A smile crept across my face as I thought about him. “He’s fun and spontaneous and generous, and, well—he’s everything David isn’t.”

  “Including yours,” Maddie finished for me. “Scarlett, you don’t want to be in love—not in the conventional sense anyway. You want to be in love in the movies.”

  “And what’s wrong with that?” I started to say, and then I stopped. “Wait a minute, that’s familiar.”

  “What is?”

  “What you just said. Say it again.”

  “Which bit—you don’t want to be in love, you want to be in love in the movies?”

  “Yeah, that bit.” I rested my head in my hands. “Oh, it’s on the tip of my tongue…”

  “What on earth are you doing?” Maddie asked, watching me.

  “Sleepless in Seattle!” I exclaimed, hitting the palm of my hand on the table. “It’s from Sleepless in Seattle. Meg Ryan’s best friend says it to her when they’re watching An Affair to Remember on TV.”

  “Wait, is that the one with Cary Grant and…” Maddie paused. “Oh, who’s the woman?”

  “Deborah Kerr.”

  “That’s it, and he asks her to meet him on top of the Empire State Building on Valentine’s Day, and she can’t get there because she’s ill or something?”

  “Disabled,” I said, thinking about the movie. “Sleepless in Seattle is a similar story. I love both of them.”

  Maddie shook her head. “You’ve got me at it now! What was I saying before you went off into one of your movie rants?”

  “That I only want to be in love in a movie?”

  “Yes, yes, that’s right. But what I’m really saying, Scarlett, is don’t ruin what you’ve got back home in the real world with some pipe dream that you really can live your life like it’s a movie—because you can’t. This house-sitting in Notting Hill was just a bit of fun, really—I suggested it because I thought it might do you good to get away for a while, to clear your head, that kind of thing. But now I’m beginning to wonder if I did the right thing…” She paused as she took my hand in hers. “Scarlett, please be careful. People get hurt in real life; in a movie they just exit stage left.”

  “Thanks for your concern, Maddie,” I said, part of me knowing she was right. I did need to be more careful about Sean. “I appreciate it, really I do. But I’m not intending to let anyone exit from my life—stage left or any other way.” I drew my hand away from hers. “But as for me not living my life in a movie, I beg to differ with you—and Dad and David too—because since I’ve been away, I’m already proving that I can, quite easily, and no one is getting hurt.”

  Nineteen

  I stood in the foyer of the hotel with the other bridesmaids, awaiting Maddie’s arrival. We were wearing long, purple satin evening gowns, with matching purple stoles to keep us warm in the cold night air. We didn’t really look like bridesmaids. The dresses were so elegant we could have been off to some glitzy party, had we not all been wearing exactly the same design.

  I stifled a yawn—it had been a long day already, in more ways than one.

  The day had started early when the local experts Maddie had hired arrived to do our hair, then our nails, and finally our makeup.

  Then we’d hung about eating snacks and drinking a few glasses of champagne (purely medicinal, Maddie had insist
ed) until the time had finally arrived—about an hour ago—for us to put on our dresses. Since then, we’d been standing around, first in Maddie’s room and then in the foyer of the hotel, trying not to get them creased. Now we were awaiting the horse-drawn carriages that were to take us to the ceremony being held in Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

  But there was a second reason it had seemed a long day. David had arrived at about one o’clock, and so I’d had to spend any free time I did have in between hair and beauty appointments with him.

  He’d been very attentive to me as always, and when he wasn’t on his mobile phone making business calls, he spent the time filling me in on everything he’d got completed on the house while I’d been away.

  But David was also keen to hear exactly what I’d been doing too. So just like I had with Maddie last night, I managed to spin him a fairly sporadic yet truthful tale of my time in Notting Hill.

  I hadn’t spoken to Sean all day.

  I had seen him a few times, but only through a window pacing around the courtyard outside, and each time, like David, he’d been talking or texting on his BlackBerry.

  At last Maddie appeared down in the foyer wearing a shimmering ivory silk gown. It was long and fitted with an embroidered bodice, organza sleeves, and a skirt that had the tiniest of trains that just kicked out at the bottom, making it look like a baby mermaid’s tail. The majority of her strawberry-blonde hair hung loose around her shoulders, but one side of it was pinned up away from her face with a mother-of-pearl hair comb, adding to the mermaid effect. A round of applause broke out from some of the other guests that were staying in the hotel as she walked toward us, radiating joy and elegance. “You look beautiful,” I said, going over to her. “Felix will be so proud when you appear, he’ll burst!”

  “I hope not,” Maddie said, smiling. “I don’t think we’re insured for that!”

  I laughed, that was more like the Maddie I knew.

  “You scrub up pretty well yourself in that dress, Miss Scarlett. Your two beaus will be dueling at dawn when they see you.”

  “Stop it—don’t be daft, I only have one beau here, and that’s David.”

  “We’ll see,” Maddie said knowingly.

  “Scarlett, our carriage is here,” one of my fellow bridesmaids called from the doorway.

  “Coming,” I replied. “Good luck,” I said to Maddie, giving her a hug while at the same time trying not to crease her. “And above all, enjoy it, won’t you?”

  “I will,” she said. “Or is that I do?”

  ***

  It was 7 p.m. as we left the hotel and there were still a few people in the park, either enjoying the rides before they closed up for the night or buying their last few souvenirs of the day. As we rode through Main Street USA in our horse-drawn carriages I think some of them thought there might be another parade beginning as they stood back to view our procession.

  I felt a bit like royalty as I waved from my ornate gold and red carriage at the passing crowds. I glanced back at Maddie; she also looked as if she was thoroughly enjoying herself, as she and her father rode along in the carriage behind us toward Sleeping Beauty’s castle.

  The castle was illuminated against the night sky in delicate shades of pink and purple. This iconic symbol of Disney almost didn’t seem real as it lit up everything that surrounded it. It looked just like a giant birthday cake—the roofs of its pink iced turrets could have been glistening and sparkling with frosting instead of hundreds of tiny twinkling lights.

  We pulled up in front of the castle—which had been closed especially for the ceremony—and alighted from our carriages as elegantly as we could. A few photos were taken of us outside, and then finally it was time to go in.

  We walked through a guard of honor made up of Disney characters on our way up to the entrance. There was Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy; in fact, all the characters seemed to be lining Maddie’s route into the castle—all except Goofy. There was a gap where he should have stood. I made a mental note to check with Sean later that he’d remembered to return the costume to Maurice.

  Surprisingly, the decor inside the castle actually made it look like a tiny, round church. There were huge, bright, stained-glass windows depicting various scenes from “Sleeping Beauty,” and an upper gallery all the way around the inside perimeter of the wall. This created a viewing area for the guests, from which they could watch the ceremony take place below. The priest, Felix, and Will stood waiting for the bridal procession to arrive. Felix looked extremely handsome in his black tuxedo, white shirt, and black bow tie. I was surprised it suited him so well, because Felix wasn’t the sort of man to dress formally, let alone in a full dinner suit. It was a shame the same couldn’t be said for his best man. Will looked like a lanky Charlie Chaplin in his baggy suit and lopsided bow tie. All he needed was a bowler hat and his outfit would have been complete.

  Once Maddie had made her grand entrance and we were all inside, the castle seemed even smaller with everyone huddled so closely together, but that made the unique setting all the more intimate and romantic.

  The ceremony was traditional, with a few personal twists from the bride and groom. When it came to exchanging rings, as a joke after their real rings had been exchanged, Felix gave Maddie a huge plastic ring with Tinkerbell on it, and Maddie gave Felix a similar ring, but with Sulley from Monsters, Inc. grinning up at him instead. They had written their own vows, and it moved me to tears when Maddie recited hers to Felix. She used their magic carpet connection as an analogy throughout, talking about ups and downs, the need to hold each other tight, and how they were just starting out on another new journey into the unknown together.

  During one of the hymns—which I was glad to hear were the traditional arrangements and not cheery Disney versions—I glanced up at the viewing gallery and spotted Sean. He winked at me, and I smiled back.

  I looked a bit further around the circle and saw David too—but he wasn’t looking down at me, he was peering with a puzzled expression across the gallery, at Sean.

  The whole ceremony managed to go without a hitch. Both parties said “I do” in all the right places, and not too many people laughed when Felix revealed that his middle name was Archibald. When we left the intimate setting of the castle and returned to the Disneyland hotel for the reception, everyone was in high spirits.

  It then became time for that dreadful wedding tradition—when as a guest you have to congratulate all the immediate family of the bride and groom and say things like, “You must be very proud” or “You look lovely in that dress.” (I’ve always found that particular one is best saved for female members of the wedding party—unless of course you go to much more forward-thinking weddings than I do.)

  But today in my role as chief bridesmaid I found myself in the unusual position of being on the receiving end of the comments. Unfortunately, by the time most of the guests got to me they’d run out of things to say—so I got thirty-five “You look lovely,” eleven “Purple really suits you,” eight “You did a fine job,” two “Are you Maddie’s sister?” and one “Do you know where the toilet is, dear?”

  As the line got ever shorter, I noticed Sean slowly moving along it in my direction.

  “Having fun?” He grinned when he arrived opposite me.

  “I will be just as soon as this damn line-up is over with,” I said, still managing to talk through the fixed smile that constantly remained glued to my face.

  Sean leaned toward me. “You look stunning, Scarlett,” he whispered in my ear. “I’ll try and catch up with you later on—I might have some news for you by then.” Quickly he kissed my cheek and moved along to a waitress holding a tray of champagne.

  “Sean, wait…” I called after him, but he’d already sauntered off into the ever-growing throng of guests.

  What sort of news?

  I thanked the next two people who said I’d done a good job and then I realized it was David standing in front of me.

  “Great job, darling,” he said. “Y
ou looked lovely—purple really suits you.”

  “Thanks,” I said drily.

  “Scarlett, you don’t happen to know where the toilet is, do you, by any chance?”

  ***

  After more official photos, it was at last time for some food. As it was a buffet, everyone was allowed to sit where they wanted—everyone except the main wedding party, which of course included me. I had to sit on the top table, next to the best man.

  Will was OK in small doses; I’d met him before, and he was harmless enough. But by the time dinner and the speeches were over, I could have happily strangled either him or myself, depending on which I thought might bring a faster end to his never-ending drone about the joys of CB radio.

  “I thought all that died out when the Internet came along,” I said in a vain attempt to shut him up, or get him on to another topic of conversation.

  Will looked stunned that I could even compare the two.

  “There will always be a place in our hearts for CB radio, good buddy,” he said, placing his hand on his heart in a dramatic gesture of allegiance.

  “But don’t people just use mobile phones now?”

  Will sucked in his breath. “Cell phones! They are a blight on humanity! My good buddy, Transit Trev, was just telling me the other day how his…”

  I was just about to bang my head on the white tablecloth in front of me when I heard my name spoken. I don’t think I’d ever been so pleased to see David in my whole life.

  “David!”

  “I thought I’d come over and see how you were doing. Am I interrupting?” he asked, looking at Will.

  “No! No, not at all,” I answered before Will could say otherwise.

  “Good, good. It seems the formalities are over now, so you can come and join us at our table if you’d like to?” He held his hand out toward a table in the corner of the room.

  I sighed with relief. “Yes, I copy you—that’s a big 10-4,” I said as I stood up.

  “What?”