26. Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Six
‘Hey.’ May pirouetted on her boot heel and waved at the lagging Cillian.
‘That lady says there are different musicians and bands outside,’ she called.
‘They’ve got a whole lot of tents set up in the grounds.
Should we check them out?’ He caught up to her, and she headed for the exit, checking he was keeping up.
‘That’s one thing we need to sort out. I know you guys are working on something, but you don’t want to be tied down as the entertainment for the entire night, especially not Nick, given it’s his wedding. ’
‘Yeah, good point,’ said Cillian. ‘Shall we go see what’s on offer?’
They made their way through the grand hall, its high ceiling echoing with voices, and were stopped by a buxom woman in a tight pink dress.
‘Oh, don’t you two make such a handsome couple.’ Her pink-stained lips beamed. ‘Would you mind if I borrowed just a couple of minutes of your time? I’m compiling a little video to promote this event next year, and we’d love to hear from couples who found the experience useful.’
‘Uh …’ May didn’t dare look at Cillian in his disguise. ‘Sorry, that’s not our kind of thing,’ she said.
‘No, no,’ said Cillian smoothly. ‘That will be fine.’ He slipped his arm around May’s shoulders, drew her close and kissed her cheek. ‘Come on, darling. It’ll be fun to share.’
May’s eyes widened, a bubble of laughter threatening to escape from her lips. What on earth was going on with his voice? The Irish lilt had vanished, replaced by an attempt at a plummy, public-school English accent.
‘Wonderful.’ The woman’s beam widened. She beckoned over a bored-looking man with a camera. ‘If you two could just stand there, and perhaps start by telling us how you met?’
May swallowed hard. They hadn’t prepared for this, and she doubted their hastily concocted story could stand up to scrutiny.
Cillian, meanwhile, returned the woman’s wide smile, the natural performer in him rising to the surface.
May wanted the ground to swallow her whole.
Surely the whole llama farm thing had been a joke?
Apparently not. Cillian, ever the showman, launched into a long-winded explanation about volunteering at a llama sanctuary, dragging it out so much the woman’s eyes began to glaze over.
‘So your eyes met across a crowded field, did they?’ she said, trying to wrap up Cillian’s tale.
‘Yes, I suppose they did.’ He leaned in to the camera with a solemn flourish. ‘As soon as I saw Esmeralda, I knew she was the one.’
‘And, Esmeralda—’ the woman signalled for the man to turn the camera on May ‘—how did you feel about Eugene?’
‘Oh, the same.’ May hoped her grimace came across as a smile.
The woman sighed theatrically. ‘Now perhaps you could tell me the three things you love most about each other. Why don’t we start with you, Esmeralda?’
May’s cheeks heated with panic. Cillian’s arm suddenly felt too tight around her shoulder, and her palms grew sweaty. There was nowhere to hide them, and she couldn’t exactly rub her hands on her skirt without drawing attention.
‘I would say … maybe… um … I … he … um …’
The woman tittered, her laugh high-pitched and uncomfortable. ‘Oh dear, this isn’t a good start to your marriage, is it?’
May’s indignation came from nowhere. Before she could stop herself, she blurted, ‘Well, for one thing, he makes me laugh – clearly, because this whole thing is ridiculous.’ She gestured at the teeming hall.
‘For another, he’s annoyingly confident in situations like this.
’ She gave Cillian a sideways glance. He was staring at her as if she’d lost her mind, which she had.
‘And third … when he looks at me, it’s like he’s really seeing me, and there aren’t many people who do that.
’ Heat spread up May’s neck, and she hurried on.
‘And he’s happy to drive so I can make the most of the free champagne.
’ She stopped and glared at the woman. ‘Sorry, that’s four things, isn’t it? ’ Take that!
The cameraman snorted, and even the pink-dressed woman cracked a smile. Cillian squeezed May’s shoulder, his eyes dancing with amusement, though she wasn’t sure if he was grateful for time to think of his own response or just entertained by how much she was squirming.
‘And, Eugene, what three things do you love most about Esmeralda?’
Cillian shuffled his feet. May thought he’d avoid the question with some sort of wisecrack, but to her surprise he looked her in the eye and said, ‘I love how she has this tough shell which hides a soft centre that will do anything for the people she cares about.’ He grinned.
‘I love that she’s unapologetically herself.
And I love how she isn’t taken in by any of my bullshit, and somehow sees through to my true self, which I thought I’d lost a long time ago. ’
The woman clutched a hand to her chest, her eyes glistening with tears. The cameraman cleared his throat and blew his nose on a well-used handkerchief.
May’s heart boomed in her chest. She tore her gaze from Cillian, whose eyes were fixed on hers.
‘So, finally,’ the woman said, clapping her hands together and regaining her sparkling composure. ‘Tell us what you’ve found most useful about your visit to the Tremear Manor Wedding Fair.’
‘The cake,’ said May without hesitation.
‘And the free champagne,’ added Cillian, giving the woman a thumbs-up as a red-faced May dragged him towards the door.
Once through the crowds and in the garden, May turned to Cillian. ‘If your pop career ever fails, you’d make a great actor,’ she said lightly.
‘What do you mean?’ He frowned.
‘All that stuff you said about me.’ May grinned. Keep it together, girl. ‘Even I was almost convinced by the Eugene act.’
Cillian opened his mouth, but May plunged on, changing the subject.
‘Come on, let’s swerve the harpist. I can hear a band playing somewhere over there.’ Without thinking, she grabbed Cillian’s hand, and together they ran towards the marquee set up at the far side of the lawn.
‘I love this song,’ said Cillian.
‘You like The Waterboys?’
‘Don’t sound so surprised,’ said Cillian, grabbing May around the waist and pulling her onto the dance floor.
‘Hang on,’ she said, trying not to panic. ‘I don’t dance.’
‘Hadn’t you come straight from a club the night we first met?’ asked Cillian, wrapping both arms around her.
‘That’s different. I can dance by myself, not with other people.’
‘It’s easy.’ Cillian swayed to the music.
‘Let me show you. Besides, we need to prepare for our first dance, Esmerelda.’ He took her hand in his and began spinning her around the dance floor.
May couldn’t help laughing. Perhaps it was the champagne going to her head, maybe it was being in character as Esmerelda, or perhaps it was the ridiculousness of their situation.
Whatever it was, the knot in May’s stomach that had lived there since the day she’d walked out of university loosened.
She’d revealed nothing to Cillian, yet somehow it felt he understood everything.
As the song changed to something about rainbows and moons, it was the most natural thing in the world to lean into his chest. He pulled her close, and May realised she hadn’t been this happy in a long time.