Twenty-seven Lobelia – Malevolence
Twenty-seven
Lobelia – Malevolence
Amber and I stand together in the ballroom of Trecarlan, the evening sun filtering through the windows and highlighting the dust covering every surface, and the cobwebs hanging from each corner of the room.
‘I didn’t know it was this bad,’ Amber says, looking around her. ‘How are we going to transform this into a wedding venue?’
‘We will. I’ve already had numerous offers of help from people in St Felix.’
The offers had started coming in that night at the pub. As soon as we’d told Rita and Richie what we were hoping to do for Katie and Jonathan, they’d immediately begun putting the word out with their customers. News spreads fast around St Felix, and I’d been inundated with people volunteering to help with the cleaning-up process, or offering to lend a hand with the décor, music and catering.
So all I had to do now was turn the offers into something concrete and we’d be away. I’d called an emergency meeting of the Parish Council to discuss what I wanted to do, and we were meeting with them on Thursday to get the go-ahead.
‘We’re only here today,’ I tell Amber, ‘to work out exactly how we’re going to run this. I’ve never done anything like it before, have you?’
Amber shakes her head. ‘And to think a couple of days ago I was worrying about a few flowers! Now you’ve got us organising the whole wedding. How did that happen?’
‘I don’t know.’ I shrug. ‘This really isn’t my sort of thing at all. I just wanted to help them, you know. They seem such a lovely couple.’
‘Ahh…’ Amber points to my chest. ‘I told you there was a heart in there somewhere, and I think we’ve finally found it!’
‘You’re hilarious,’ I tell her, rolling my eyes. ‘How about you get that pad out of your handbag while I stop laughing, then we can start making some notes.’
‘Don’t bother, Amber!’ A shrill voice which sounds worryingly like Caroline’s calls across the ballroom. ‘Because no wedding is going to be held here.’
We both turn to see Caroline striding across the ballroom floor wearing a navy Barbour jacket and green Hunter wellington boots.
‘What makes you think you can tell us what to do?’ I snap, annoyed that she’s already trying to ruin things. Caroline and I haven’t had much to do with each other since my first night here in St Felix, but I’ve bumped into her enough around the town, and heard so many negative things about her from people that I know her reputation is well deserved. She could make real trouble for us if she put her mind to it.
‘Because the Parish Council simply won’t allow it,’ Caroline says, untying a paisley scarf from her head. ‘You don’t have a licence, for one thing.’
‘A licence?’ Amber asks, bewildered.
‘Yes, my American friend,’ Caroline gloats, patting her hair into place. ‘A building here in England needs to be approved by the local council to make it legal to hold a civil wedding ceremony on the premises. If you try to hold your wedding here it will be illegal and I shall have you arrested.’
‘Oh really?’ I ask, trying not to look smug.
‘Yes, I think you’ll find that’s the law,’ Caroline smirks, folding her arms in front of her tiny chest.
I smile back at her with equal warmth. ‘Except, Caroline, we don’t want to hold the ceremony here, only the reception. And that , as far as I’m aware, does not require express permission from the council, and is most certainly not illegal, now is it?’
Caroline’s body stiffens slightly but she continues unabated.
‘It makes no difference,’ she says, with a toss of her head. ‘You will still need a licence for entertainment and presumably you will want to serve alcohol too. I shall oppose you at every turn.’
‘I think you’ll find those are matters for the district council, not the parish council,’ I counter, glad I’ve done my research. ‘And as far as I’m aware, Caroline, even you don’t have any control over them?’
Caroline eyes me coldly, knowing she’s beaten.
‘What have you got against us anyway?’ I continue in a gentler tone. I honestly didn’t understand why Caroline was being like this about the wedding. ‘This is nothing to do with you, why be so mean about it?’
But Caroline doesn’t follow my lead; instead she sighs dramatically and rolls her eyes. ‘One,’ she begins, ‘Trecarlan is part of St Felix’s history, and I see no good reason a historic building such as this should be desecrated by using it as nothing more than a party venue. And two,’ she continues before I can respond, ‘two is more personal.’ She gives me an icy stare. ‘The Carmichael family have never got on with the Harringtons, so annoying you, Poppy, is my way of avenging past betrayals.’
She looks at us both for a moment before nodding smartly, her job done. ‘Good day to you both,’ she says swivelling around as best she can in her Wellington boots and striding off across the ballroom.
‘W-what?’ I stutter in disbelief as I watch her leave. ‘What on earth are you talking about – betrayals?’
‘Ask your friend Stan!’ she calls, not looking back. ‘A little bird tells me you two were quite pally in the past.’ Then before she disappears out of the door she turns to face us one last time. ‘Oh, wait a minute,’ she says, a triumphant glint in her eyes, ‘you don’t even know where he is, do you? Well, goodbye, girls. And good luck!’
‘What on earth is she talking about?’ Amber asks, looking at me aghast. ‘Past betrayals? I feel like I’m in one of your English costume dramas and we should be wearing corsets and long dresses… Come to think of it, that might be fun!’
‘I have absolutely no idea, Amber,’ I sigh, still staring after Caroline. ‘But I’m not about to let her stop us. I have an idea how we can get the approval we need to hold a wedding reception at Trecarlan – and at the same time hopefully discover just what on earth she’s going on about.’
‘How are we going to do that?’
‘By finding a very dear friend of mine.’