CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE – SYLVIE
This ballroom was fucking huge.
I’d never been in here before, but the room had to span at last two storeys, and the windows brought in an incredible amount of natural light. There would be no problem whatsoever having both the ceremony and reception in this room as long as the switch between events could be done smoothly.
“What about between the ceremony and the reception?” I asked Emily, looking around. “Assuming Hazel and Julian will have their photos taken here on the estate, there’ll need to be provisions made for the guests during those hours.”
“Already way ahead of you, darling,” Emily said, motioning for me to follow her.
“Ignore the current state of the rooms—we haven’t hosted a wedding in a while, but we’ve got almost our entire housekeeping staff currently here cleaning.
There are two sitting rooms close to the ballroom, plus a large sunroom we will have prepared for guests.
One of the sitting rooms opens directly to the sunroom while the other is quieter, and we can accommodate children there.
We renovated this wing of the house with events in mind, so there are four separate bathrooms that can accommodate both disabled and able-bodied individuals. ”
“So, the ballroom is accessible for wheelchairs? One of Julian’s cousins is in a wheelchair.”
“Absolutely. It’s a separate entrance, but we’re fully up to regulations, so please don’t worry.” She reached out and squeezed my hand. “Is this enough room?”
She opened the door to a vast space that really was more commercial than sitting room.
A bar was situated in the corner, and the seating arrangements varied between armchairs and tables and chairs.
The most gorgeous mahogany doors were currently open and being diligently cleaned by the Castleton Manor staff, and those doors led to one of the biggest sunrooms I’d ever seen.
It overlooked a huge, well-trimmed garden that had a patio to allow guests quick access to quiet fresh air without them getting too cold. At the same time, it’d allow a breather in the summer in warmer weather.
It really was perfect, and Emily had thought everything through, from beginning to end.
“It’s perfect. What about the bar?” I asked. “We’ll need at least one bartender for the wait period and two for the reception. Has it been confirmed with the catering company that this can still be done?”
“Not yet. They wanted to confirm everything with you directly.” She eyed me. “However, I’m sure we can make do with the household staff if the worst-case scenario happens.”
“I can’t ask your staff to—”
“You aren’t asking them anything. I’m asking them, and the Carmichaels will be paying them.” Emily clasped her hands together and walked around. “Honestly, I’m quite looking forward to it. I wanted to get married in this room myself, you know.”
I peered over at her. “Really?”
“Indeed. Unfortunately, my in-laws insisted that we had to have the ceremony in a church, so only the reception was held here. Even the meal was elsewhere.” A tinge of sadness haunted her eyes when our gazes met.
“Oh, don’t be mistaken. They weren’t horrible people.
On the contrary, they treated me as if I were their own daughter, and I loved them very much.
I merely wish we could have been permitted to have the wedding we really wanted. ”
“I wonder if Hazel feels that way right now.”
“Perhaps. And if not right now, perhaps she will in the future,” Emily said gently. “But one thing is for certain; she’ll never forget how loved she is and how hard those closest to her have worked to make sure she got her special day.”
“I suppose you’re right.” I sighed. “Why did you have to get married in a church, anyway?”
“My in-laws were very traditional. They believed weddings should only be done under the eyes of God, and a blessing wasn’t sufficient for their beliefs. Especially not when the marriage concerned those of noble blood.”
“Sounds insufferable.” I clapped my hands over my mouth. “Um. That slipped out.”
She laughed. “You’re quite right, my dear. That’s why I was rather glad they both died before Zara came out. They’d have had a stroke at a Lady of the Castleton bloodline being gay.”
“I’ll never understand people like that.” I shook my head. “Is that why you started doing weddings here?”
“Partially. I mostly felt sad that this gorgeous room had no real use—back in the day the Castletons hosted great balls and banquets, but they’re few and far between now.
Its only real use is for milestone birthdays and before Michael died, our anniversary gatherings.
” Her smile brightened. “Not to mention the estate doesn’t exactly run on peanuts.
We’re in no danger of struggling financially, but who ever complained about having too much money? ”
I felt that to my bones.
“I completely agree. It’s such a gorgeous space. I know so many brides who would kill for a venue like this.” I gazed around at the light that streamed in from outside.
It really was the most beautiful venue, and the rest of the estate wasn’t exactly lacking, either.
What would it be like to get married here? It was exactly the kind of place I’d always dreamt of getting married at.
Ha.
What on Earth was I thinking?
It wasn’t like I would never know. I was about to watch my sister do just that.
It was really hard not to be jealous of her. The mere thought of it was petty of me—she’d just had her dream wedding fall apart with three days to go, yet here I was, lamenting the fact she was getting the kind of wedding I wanted.
I was a horrible person.
“Sylvie?”
I sighed and looked back at her. “Sorry. My mind wandered there for a minute.”
“You’ve had a stressful day already. Why don’t you take a break?”
I shook my head. “Thank you, but there’s too much to do. My brain won’t shut off unless I get the basics covered. I don’t suppose you have any plans left from when you hosted weddings here, do you? I need a feel of the layout for the evening buffet.”
Emily touched my arm. “I’ll have Zara find them out from my office. I’m sure there’ll be some there somewhere.”
“Oh, Sylvie.” Mum poked her head through the doorway. “Bridesmaids and groomsmen have reported for duty. Heath took them through to the sitting room to await your orders.”
“I feel like I’m starting The Castleton Wedding Cult,” I muttered. “Okay, thanks. Tell them I’ll be there in a few.”
She nodded and disappeared again, leaving me with a chuckling Emily.
“You know,” she said, looking at me with a playful glimmer in her eye. “All this is getting me all excited, and I’m feeling quite nostalgic. If you ever move back, I might just hire you to be the exclusive wedding planner for the estate.”
“Oh, dear,” I replied, fighting back a smile. “It looks like the duchess is scheming again.”
“Well.” She laid a motherly hand on my cheek, lightly patting it. “I wouldn’t do this for just anyone’s sister, you know.”
Warmth flooded my body, resulting in my cheeks flaming. “I… I know.”
***
I was, for the next three nights, a resident of Castleton Manor.
Again.
I’d somehow ended up being strong-armed into staying here and not going home like I’d planned. Thomas insisted it would ease my stress as I didn’t have to come and go from my grandparents’ place to here, plus I could make sure absolutely nothing went wrong in the hurried preparations.
And I’d already been here for a couple of nights, so what was a few more at this point?
That was his story, anyway.
It was hard to argue, given that his reasons made perfect sense, but it felt a bit more like his desire to monopolise me for the next few days.
He’d already said he planned to make me fall wildly in love with him, after all.
In the end, I’d been proven wrong. I’d spent more time on the phone than anything else during my second stay at the manor. No matter how many people I had at my beck and call, there were things only I could do.
There were things only I was allowed to do.
My boss said so.
Ahem.
I was grateful that staying here meant I didn’t have to faff about travelling, and everything I needed was exactly where I needed it, when I needed it.
Especially given that my help did scatter every now and then—bridesmaids had hair and nail appointments; Hazel had every appointment in the book; my grandparents were too old for the manual labour, despite Gramps’ best efforts; and the parents all had their own things that needed to be done.
Even the Castletons themselves were antsy about how little they could help.
Beth was swamped at the florists despite all her staff being all hands-on deck, which left Danny rotating under the care of Thomas and Emily while Zara helped me.
It was too cold for Danny to hang out too long in the barn at the tree farm, and while he was pretty good at amusing himself, there was only so long you could legally and morally leave a six-year-old kid alone for.
If it weren’t for Heath and the manor staff, I didn’t know how this would happen.
It was also my first time being put in charge of a household staff. After an awkward hour or two at first, I’d decided to treat them all like hotel employees.
Strangely, that made it easier. Like I was co-ordinating with regular people instead of the workforce of an aristocratic household. I also now knew almost everyone by name, something I was really rather proud of.
Not to toot my own horn, but I’d have been a smashing queen in another life.
“Is that all the décor in place, Miss Sylvie?” Heath asked, handing me a steaming mug of tea.
“Oh, thank you,” I said, accepting it happily. “Yes, until Beth brings the flowers tomorrow. She wants the main bouquets to stay at the store until lunchtime.”
“Ah, of course.”
“Do you know if the kitchens are ready for the caterers in the morning?”