Page 28 of Finding Love at Roseford Blooms
Lizzie laughed, too. Helping Bee was one thing, but it was a long way from actually running the business. Playing about with buttonholes had been fun, but there was far more to it than that. But perhaps she could learn, if Bee was willing to teach her? It wasn’t as if she’d been inspired by anything else lately, career wise. In fact, ever since she’d sold her share of Warner-Basset, she’d been trying to decide what to do with the rest of her life. Maybe being part of a venture like Roseford Blooms would be the change she’d been looking for?
Then reality asserted itself. She was staying in Bee’s spare room, she had no base of her own, and she might have a lot of money in the bank right now but much of that would have to go to find her a new place to live. Some pipe dream about a career change was just out of the question.
24
The day of the wedding arrived, and it meant an early start for the florists. Lizzie rearranged the last of the flowers on the end of the pew at the back of the chapel, and gave them a final spritz from the spray bottle that Bee had given her. She stepped back to admire her handiwork. Not bad for an amateur, she thought, proudly. Bee, of course, would have the final say, and was carefully checking over the arrangements they’d brought in earlier, making sure everything was perfect.
‘That’s lovely, darling,’ Bee said as she approached. ‘We’ll make a florist of you yet!’
‘I’m not so sure about that,’ Lizzie replied, although she did feel pride in a job well done, and a glow of pleasure at Bee’s words. She wasn’t used to being praised for any of her efforts by her immediate family, it simply wasn’t their way, so Bee’s regular and effusive feedback felt strange, but rather lovely.
Simon popped his head around the heavy chapel door at that moment, and Lizzie felt her stomach do a little flip. He looked smarter than usual in his well-cut navy-blue suit, with a plain white shirt underneath the jacket and a richly toned gold tie in a perfect Oxford knot. He’d scrubbed up rather well again, Lizzie couldn’t help but notice.
‘Everything all right in here?’ he asked as he walked towards Lizzie and Bee.
‘Everything’s fine, Simon,’ Bee replied, her smile seeming to reassure Simon just as much as her words. ‘Given the temperatures that have been forecast, the flowers needed a touch more water, but we’re all on track.’
‘Good to hear it,’ Simon said. ‘The guy from the British Heritage Fund is due any minute, so I’ll meet him at the front gate and bring him down, so he can tick off his checklist or whatever else he sees fit to do. Hopefully he’ll bugger off as soon as he’s done that, and we can all get on with the business of enjoying the day.’
Simon looked nervous, Lizzie thought. Too nervous just to be meeting some pen-pusher from the BHF. She wondered what else was on his mind, but wasn’t sure if she should ask him in front of Bee. There must be so much to think about running an event like this. She was used to high pressure in her job – herpreviousjob, she corrected herself – but the sprawl and scope of Roseford Hall and the tension between the wedding organisers and the BHF must take some navigating.
‘I’m sure he won’t want to hang around any longer than he has to,’ Bee, who always seemed to find ways to soothe people, said. ‘Even with the guests being as, er, famous as they are.’
‘Don’t remind me.’ Simon rolled his eyes. ‘There’s security on the gate just in case, and one or two others will be dotted around, but hopefully no one will kick off and try to gatecrash proceedings.’
Lizzie laughed. ‘Don’t worry, if rabid fans try to storm the castle, I’m sure we’ll handle it!’
Simon grinned back at her. ‘Well, back in the day, Montana and her co-star Finn apparently inspired some pretty “creative” behaviour from their admirers, if what Finn’s told me is anything to go by.’
‘Did I just hear someone take my name in vain?’ Another figure appeared at the church door, and Lizzie couldn’t help a gasp, even though she’d met him when he’d popped into the flower shop the other day to get the bouquet for Lucy’s mother. Finn walked into the church, and for a moment Lizzie was dazzled by that aura of charisma that seemed to surround him. She wondered if that feeling ever went away, and what it must be like for Finn.
‘Oh, hey, Finn,’ Simon said. ‘How’s our wedding party doing?’
‘They’re all just about managing to keep a lid on it,’ Finn replied. He was dressed immaculately in black pin-striped trousers and a beautifully cut tailcoat, with a cravat in the palest rose pink at his throat. Lizzie smiled at the thought that, with a top hat on, he’d be about seven feet tall.
‘Well, I’ve got to meet this bloke from the BHF and bring him down for a final inspection, but that hopefully won’t take too long, and then we can all relax and enjoy ourselves! Maybe,’ he added playfully, ‘you’ll be able to get out of that penguin suit at some point, too!’
Finn laughed. ‘Montana threatened to put me in a taffeta bridesmaid’s dress if I didn’t behave myself.’
‘Now that I’d have paid good money to see!’ Simon quipped.
Lizzie watched Finn as he looked down the aisle, taking in the flowers arranged at the end of each pew, the displays on the sills of the mullioned windows and the two beautifully presented collections of roses and freesias either side of the ceremony space. ‘This all looks wonderful. Montana will be knocked out when she sees it.’
Lizzie smiled back at him. His politeness and enthusiasm seemed completely genuine, and she instinctively liked him.
‘I’m glad you like it,’ Lizzie replied. ‘My aunt Bee is the real genius; I’m just an amateur who’s happy to lend a hand.’
‘Well, it looks great.’ Finn smiled again, then turned back to Simon. ‘I guess I’d better get back to the wedding party, unless there’s anything I can do to help?’
‘I think we’ve got it all under control,’ Simon said. ‘But I’ll head back out to the gate with you and see if that BHF guy’s here yet.’
As they said their goodbyes, Lizzie realised that neither had taken a buttonhole from the box by the church door.
‘Simon, wait!’ she called after them. ‘You might as well have these now, before the rush.’ She picked up two exquisite ivory-coloured roses from the box and passed one to Finn to pin on his lapel. Simon reached for his, but fumbled getting it into place.
‘Do you want me to pin it for you?’ Lizzie asked. ‘Bee’s taught me a quick trick.’
‘Thanks,’ Simon said. Was she imagining it, or did he flush slightly as she drew closer to him, slipping her fingers under the lapel of his jacket and gently pinning the spray onto it? She paused for a moment longer than was necessary, before releasing him again and meeting his gaze.
