Chapter 20
On the Saturday of the hen and stag nights there was an air of huge excitement at Duck Pond Cottage.
Ray and Dorrie had travelled down from Nottingham the previous day and would be staying for the whole week that led up to the wedding in Jade’s spare room. They’d both insisted on helping out around the sanctuary as soon as they’d arrived.
‘Many hands make light work,’ Ray had said. ‘And I’m not that past it that I can’t collect some chicken’s eggs and walk a dog or two.’
‘You’ve got your own dog to walk.’ Jade had glanced at Banksy, his brown lurcher, who was another one of Chocko’s littermates, and who was in a state of high excitement as he reacquainted himself with his mate Mickey and met Buddy. Luckily the three dogs seemed to be getting on OK.
‘You’re wasting your breath arguing,’ Finn had told her. ‘Dad wants to help, don’t you, Dad.’ He patted his father’s shoulder, the affection between them tangible.
‘Aye, I do, and so does Dorrie. She said she’ll do all the cooking while we’re here.’
‘Quite right, Pumpkin, I did.’ Dorrie’s blue eyes sparkled as she rolled up her sleeves, in a ‘get ready, I mean business’ pose, and Jade smiled at her.
Neither she nor Finn would be arguing too much about Dorrie doing the cooking.
She was much better at it than any of them and she loved doing it too.
When Jade had told Dorrie about the planned life drawing activity, Dorrie had giggled like a teenager. ‘What a fantastic idea. I can’t wait for that. Don’t tell Ray.’
So no one had. Although Jade wasn’t sure what Ray thought they’d all be doing on her hen night. Maybe he’d assumed they were just going for a few drinks at the Red Lion.
He knew the stags were going into Salisbury for a pub crawl.
Jade had mentioned the hen and stag nights to Hector and Charlotte, and said they were welcome to come along and join the parties, but they’d said that making the journey from Devon twice in quick succession might be a bit much.
Jade had been slightly relieved. Not that she thought Charlotte would have so much as batted an eyelid at the prospect of drinking Prosecco and sketching a nude man. Charlotte had clearly been quite a girl in her youth.
Even so, it might have felt a little strange, having her brand-new grandmother sitting next to her at an easel in Mike’s back room, getting tipsy and being part of the bawdy chatter there was bound to be.
She’d have preferred to get to know her in more salubrious surroundings. Like the Bluebell Cliff Hotel.
Her fast-approaching wedding day still didn’t feel quite real. The prospect that she and Sarah would be walking down the aisle of that beautiful light and airy room and then taking their vows in front of all their family, new and old, felt surreal.
Jade had already said she wouldn’t be drinking too much on her hen night in case she needed to get back for an emergency at the sanctuary.
Sarah, Callum and Ben were coming over just after six, and Elaine, a thirty-something neighbour of Jade’s, and an occasional volunteer at Duck Pond Rescue, was coming round to babysit both Ben and the sanctuary while everyone was out.
This meant someone was on site. ‘Not that we need someone on site twenty-four seven,’ Jade had said. ‘But it is Saturday night, and you never know who’s going to turn up. I’d hate it if an animal in need was turned away, just because we weren’t here.’
Elaine had nodded. ‘It’s no problem. Ben and I are going to watch a film, aren’t we, young man?’
‘Can we watch a zombie film?’
‘No,’ Elaine said firmly. ‘We’re watching something nice.’
He’d sulked for a while but cheered up when she told him they could do homemade popcorn in the microwave.
The stags were going into Salisbury via a minibus that Callum had organised, which would pick everyone up and bring them home afterwards. Aiden had offered to drive it.
‘Being a vet on call curtails my drinking habits most of the time,’ he’d said, ‘so it’s really not an issue for me.’
Finn had told Jade that even Declan was going, and that hopefully he’d be on his best behaviour.
However, Declan was the last thing on Jade’s mind as she and Sarah and the other hens, Claire and Emma, their old school friends, and Bridie, Dawn and Dorrie, followed by Ursula and Kate, Aiden’s partner, had strolled into the Red Lion that evening.
They hadn’t got too carried away with outfits; they were all wearing jeans and tee-shirts, although Jade and Sarah had white tees to the other women’s black.
Jade and Sarah were also wearing sparkly blue sashes which said, ‘bride to be’.
They were also wearing sparkly hats, but Jade and Sarah had drawn the line at L-plates.
‘After all, I don’t think either of us could be called beginners,’ Sarah had said with a grin.
They might not be beginners at relationships but Jade certainly felt like a beginner hen; she didn’t remember even going to anyone else’s hen night before now, as they went into the Red Lion and received a round of applause from the regulars, as well as several comments from the ones sitting on bar stools cradling pints.
‘Hey, girls. Last night of freedom.’
‘Let us know if you need any male company.’
‘All you ladies out by yourselves, do you need an escort? I’m willing.’
It was all very good natured and there was a lot of chuckling.
‘I think we’re old enough to manage without your help, thank you,’ Bridie called back, which set off some more banter and laughter.
Mike came bustling over to greet them. ‘Ignore the lads. They don’t get out much.’ He winked at Jade. ‘Your organiser fellows are here already out the back. I’ve set the chairs up in a semi-circle at the stage, like you said.’
‘Have you put the heating on?’ Sarah asked him. ‘We don’t want them getting nippy.’
‘The heating’s on, yes. It does get a bit cooler in the evenings.’
‘Thanks, Mike.’
‘Now would you like waiter service, or will you be coming out to the bar to get your drinks?’
‘We’re going to start with a few bottles of Prosecco,’ Sarah told him. ‘How many do you think, Jade? Three or four?’
‘Three’s fine. Otherwise we’ll all be seeing double.’
‘Two naked men instead of one.’ Dorrie shrieked with laughter. ‘And that’s a problem because…?’
‘Naked men! What are you going to be doing out there?’ Mike sounded alarmed.
‘It’s life drawing, Mike, I told you.’ Sarah nudged him playfully. ‘That means they’ll be getting their kit off.’
‘All of it?’ He sounded worried. ‘I thought life modelling was just, you know. Er, live models.’
‘Naked live models,’ Sarah said gleefully. ‘It’s art, Mike. It’s very cultured and tasteful.’
‘Is it!’
‘Don’t you be worrying yourself,’ Bridie interrupted. ‘We’ll keep an eye on these youngsters, won’t we, Dorrie?’
‘Definitely.’ Dorrie winked.
In the background, Ursula and Dawn were already giggling and the other hens were looking expectant.
Jade smiled at them. Actually, this looked like it was going to be really good fun, after all.
Twenty minutes away, in the middle of Salisbury, the stags, led by Callum and Finn, had just ordered their first round in The King’s Head.
Their plan was to hit as many pubs as possible and aim for one drink in each. Finn had already decided to pace himself. He knew he couldn’t drink as much as the flame-haired giant of a man that was Callum. The Scots were renowned for their drinking prowess, and Callum was no exception.
Finn’s plan was to switch his usual pints of Guinness for Guinness 0.
0 and hope that none of his contemporaries noticed.
OK, so it wasn’t exactly macho but he was no bar fly.
He knew if he tried to keep pace with Callum and his two best men, Angus and Hamish, also big Scotsmen, he’d be comatose by nine.
Declan, who’d greeted him with a friendly pat on the shoulder, didn’t seem to be necking his drinks like the others either.
‘Can’t, mate. I’m out doing a survey in the morning. I need to be on my game.’
‘You’re working on a Sunday?’ Finn queried.
‘Yep. One of the perks of being part of the family business. The Stones are made of stern stuff. Have to be. We’re not lightweights like you artists.’
Finn had let that pass. Declan was fond of getting in little digs, and after all, sticks and stones might break your bones – there was a joke there somewhere – but words wouldn’t hurt him.
Ray, who’d noticed the friction and didn’t like Declan any more than Finn did, moved in protectively, and Declan backed off a bit. But Finn wasn’t too worried.
His half-brother was unlikely to pick a fight with him on his own stag night. Even Declan wouldn’t stoop that low, and besides, he was outnumbered by Finn’s friends, most of whom were twice his size. It would be suicide.
Jade was having the time of her life. Mike had done them proud. The back room had been decorated with balloons and streamers and had a sparkly blue and red ‘hen night’ banner on one wall. The Prosecco was flowing and there were bowls of nibbles on the tables.
Jade couldn’t remember the last time she’d laughed so much. Their life model was not only gorgeous with chiselled cheekbones and a gym body carved from granite, he was a real charmer and could have doubled as a stand-up comedian, no problem.
When he’d strolled in, wearing a pale towelling robe, which wasn’t belted, and under which he clearly wore very little, giving tantalising glimpses of tanned muscled thighs, he’d given a small bow.
‘Good evening, ladies, esteemed artists, may I say it’s an honour to meet you. My name is Harry.’ His dark eyes had sparkled with humour. ‘I’ll be your model tonight. I’m a little shy.’ He’d held the robe closed across his chest. ‘Do I really need to take this off?’
‘Oh, I think you should,’ Sarah called, her eyes dancing with laughter. ‘Come on, we’ve only got forty minutes.’
‘Yes, off with it,’ Bridie backed her up. ‘We can’t sketch a robe, can we, ladies.’