Nigel
‘I’m not the Queen.’
‘You are as far as I’m concerned.’
‘Smooth,’ Mark turned to Harry. ‘Watch and learn.’
‘What?’ Mark pulled his most sweet and innocent face. ‘I was paying you a compliment.’
Nigel pointed Helen to a blue piece of cloth hanging by the tennis court door.
‘That looks just like one of your mother’s tea towels,’ she said.
‘It is. I couldn’t get proper curtains. You’ll need to make an announcement and remove the tea towel to reveal the plaque.’
‘Plaque? What have you put on a plaque?’
‘You’ll see in a second.’ Nigel turned to the rest of the party goers. ‘Gather round everyone. Helen is about to officially open the new court.’ He turned back to Helen. ‘Ready?’
‘Give me a second to channel my inner royal.’
She stepped over to the plaque and in her best posh accent said, ‘I formally declare this new court officially open. May God bless her and all who play on her.’
As she pulled the tea towel away, there was a collective ‘Aaah.’
Helen stood back to read the inscription on the shiny new piece of brass.