Free A Groom With a View by Sophie Ranald

know.” Eloise was wide-eyed with the drama of it all. “Anyway, I’d better have that cappuccino and you can tell me all about the fabulous wedding venue.”
    I handed the coffee over and gave her the executive summary of our night at Brocklebury Manor, including details of the food, the turret bedroom, the rose garden and the rest of it, but leaving out my deep misgivings about it all.
    “It sounds amazing,” she said. “I’m so jealous. Dean and I had to make do with curling sandwiches in the local pub. You are lucky to have a rich, generous mother-in-law.”
    I was about to say that if she was faced with the prospect of Erica as a mother-in-law, she’d be changing her mind about that PDQ, when we heard Tamar’s voice, raised to a near hysterical pitch, coming through the boardroom door.
    “Fourteen-hour flights!” she said. “And yellow fever and malaria! I’m just not. . .” There was a soothing murmur from Helen and then we could hear nothing more.
    Then Eloise’s phone rang. “Florence,” she said, and rolled her eyes. Florence is Guido’s girlfriend. They’ve been together about five years, and I have the sense that Florence is desperate for Guido to marry her and Guido is desperately resisting. There have been several occasions when Guido’s come into the office in a foul temper after one of their many rows and I’ve been convinced that this is it, Florence is going to be given her marching orders. But somehow she always persuades him to change his mind. She’s a former lingerie model and absolutely gorgeous but extremely high maintenance, and has a very annoying habit of treating all Guido’s staff like we’re her personal team of slaves. Last year I almost got roped into doing the catering for her daughter Tanith’s seventh birthday party, but I managed to invent a holiday to Portugal just in time.
    “Of course, Florence,” Eloise said, “Just a pedicure or a reflexology massage as well, like you had last time? Any time on Thursday? I’ll let you know. And I rang the dentist, they say he can’t fit Tanith in next Monday but he can do half two on Wednesday or three forty-five on Friday. Friday works? Great. And I have your cardigan back from the cleaners, they say unfortunately there’s nothing they can do about a turmeric stain on cashmere. I’m really sorry.”
    “I’d better get some work done,” I said regretfully, and wheeled myself back to my desk, where I switched on my PC and started googling UK sources of baobab, but it wasn’t long before I got distracted and found myself composing an email to Mick the mushroom man to ask about morel supplies. Just as I was pressing send, the boardroom door opened and Helen and Tamar emerged. Tamar had been crying. Her eye makeup was smeared all over her face, and her shoulders were hunched beneath Helen’s comforting arm. They were followed by Guido, looking about as furious as I’ve ever seen him.
    “I’m going to take Tamar round the corner for a cup of tea,” Helen said. “If she’s feeling up to it, she’ll be back in the office later this afternoon. Hi Pippa, lovely to see you briefly. I’ll be in touch on email in a couple of days.”
    Guido said, “Eloise, please ring Zack at Platinum Productions and postpone our four o’clock. Try and get another date in the diary ASAP, and pass on my apologies. Tell him there’s an. . .”
    “Unavoidable complication?” suggested Helen.
    “Yes, one of those,” said Guido grimly. “Pippa, could I see you in the boardroom for ten minutes?”
    “So, Tamar’s pregnant,” I told Nick. As soon as I got back to my desk, I’d emailed him and suggested we meet in the Hope and Anchor for an emergency summit conference. He was already there when I arrived, and had ordered me a large glass of rioja. I kissed him, sank into the banquette next to him and came straight out with the news.
    “She’s been having IVF with donor sperm, apparently. She never said a word about it but