Free The Winter Wedding by Abby Clements Page A

memories back into my mind. ‘Poppies and marguerites . . . We could put them on each table, use
some of the lovely apothecary bottles you have, I can easily source some more, string them up around the venue . . .’ I rattled through the other ideas, coming to me quickly and easily now. I
could picture the scene perfectly.
    Lila paused for a moment, and then began to smile. The light came back into her eyes. ‘Like in our garden?’ she said, remembering.
    ‘Yes, just like that,’ I replied.
    ‘I think that’s a wonderful idea.’

Chapter 9
    It was late on Friday evening, and the office had emptied out. It was just me and Josh left, working on a new set design for
Christmas at the Manor
. Josh looked over
my ideas – a lavish pine tree in the living room and tall red candles with frosted white holders on the table. The residents of the manor were rich and not afraid to show it, which was a
dream when it came to designing their Christmas decorations.
    ‘Have you got some starting points for sourcing this stuff?’ Josh said. ‘It looks fantastic, by the way.’
    I smiled, and showed Josh the list that I’d drafted. ‘I’ve got a few quotes.’
    ‘OK, that looks good. Can I show you the ideas I’ve had for the village pub?’
    The village pub was the heart of the community, and where most of the drama took place. The residents of the manor would rarely set foot in it, so it was also the perfect forum for people to
discuss them – and where the best gossip came out.
    Josh showed me his sketches of the pub – the cosy fireside where the village dogs stretched out to warm up after long, snowy walks, the mirror strung with fairy lights and the mistletoe
hanging down from the beams of the seventeenth-century building. I thought back to the script we’d been given, and pictured Elise and Joey, two of the show’s most popular characters,
under there. Everyone knew that the audience were going to go wild when they saw these two finally pair up – all that was needed was the perfect set for the encounter.
    ‘I can make that,’ I said. ‘There’s no way that Elise is going to be able to resist Joey over mulled wine on Christmas Eve.’
    ‘Fantastic. Look – talking of pubs. I’m meeting Sarah in half an hour, at the Railway. Why don’t you join us? It’s about time you guys met – I think
you’d get on.’
    ‘Great,’ I said. So, I’d finally get to meet the woman Josh was in love with. This felt like a big deal.
    Out of season, there was no mulled wine, but between us, and over two glasses of red, Josh and I began to conjure up the spirit of Christmas in a booth in the corner of the
Railway.
    He glanced at his phone. ‘Sarah’s running late. Which is pretty standard. She kind of runs on her own time.’ He smiled, and didn’t seem particularly bothered by it.
    ‘Cool,’ I said. ‘No hurry.’
    ‘I like this place,’ Josh said, glancing around. ‘Right in the heart of London but it feels almost like a countryside local, doesn’t it?’
    ‘Yes. Reminds me a bit of home, actually.’ I thought of the pub, on our village green. Lila and I had had to wait patiently for our eighteenth birthday, with the landlord being one
of Dad’s best friends, there wasn’t a chance that we’d be let in underage – but it made it even more special when we were finally allowed to spend the evening there.
    I came back to the moment, Josh watching me with a smile on his lips. ‘Where did you go to just then?’
    ‘Oh, nowhere,’ I said, uneasy that I’d been caught daydreaming. ‘Well, eighteen years old, if you must know.’
    ‘Good memories?’
    I mulled over the question.
    ‘Some,’ I said.
    ‘Weird time, isn’t it, being a teenager? I can’t say I look back on it very nostalgically. Twenties were a lot better. And thirties seem to be shaping up to be better
still.’
    ‘You’re happiest now?’ I asked.
    ‘Definitely.’ And he looked it – content, relaxed in his own skin. ‘I