Page 60 of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
“There you are!” she said. “Where have you been?”
“I was just...” Nory turned, but Isaac was already gone.
“Come on,” urged Ameerah, linking arms.
Nory looked ahead to the bobbing phone torches of her friends, and she and Ameerah hurried after them. She’d be glad to get back into her warm bed, but she couldn’t help wishing it was Isaac’s warm bed she’d be climbing into.
She was going to have to speak to Thomas, and she needed to do it soon.
Seventeen
You’ve got flower girls?” asked Camille.
Sitting in the morning room after breakfast, everyone was tired after last night’s outdoor sport. Jenna had some final wedding arrangements to make with Pippa today, and so there wouldn’t be any scheduled activities. Nory and Ameerah were planning to take advantage of their free time to go down and visit her family.
“Yes,” Jenna replied. She had an overfilled A4 ring binder open on her lap, each page laminated and pertaining to some element of the wedding. “Four flower girls, two page boys, and two bridesmaids. I know it seems excessive, but you know what it’s like, you can’t have one without the other, and besides, Harry and Meghan had ten!”
“So, therewillbe children at the wedding.” Camille’s brow was furrowed. “When I asked you at the shoot, you didn’t answer me.”
“Didn’t I? Sorry, I’m terrible for getting distracted at the moment. Bride brain!”
“But there will be. Children at the wedding, I mean,” Camille pressed.
“Well, yes, quite a few actually, nieces and nephews and what not. We’ve both got big families. And quite a few of our friends have got kids.”
“Then,” Camille said, frowning questioningly, “why weren’t our children invited? I mean, I understood that you might not want children around for the house party, it was really more of a grown-up affair and we’re the only ones with kids. But Guy told me that the children weren’t invited to the wedding either. I almost didn’t come; I’ve never been away from them for that long. So”—she hesitated—“is it just my children who weren’t invited?”
Jenna looked straight at Camille for a long moment, which seemed to stretch on uncomfortably. Her face was playing out different emotions. Finally, she said, “I’m sorry to be the one to tell you this, Camille, but you’ve been misinformed.”
“What do you mean?” The color was rising in Camille’s cheeks.
“Your childrenwereinvited to the wedding. They were invited to the house party, too. Guy asked us to change your invite so that it was just for you two.”
Camille was stammering. “B-but—why would he do that?”
“It’s really not for me to say.”
“I really wish you would. I really wish someone would tell me what the fuck is going on because apparently my husband won’t.”
“Camille, I think he did it with the best intentions.”
Camille raised an eyebrow. “Which were?”
It was clear she wasn’t going to let it drop. Nory, Ameerah, and Pippa shared awkward looks.
“Look,” Jenna began carefully. “Guy said that you two could do with some time alone. That things had been tough, with thechildren and”—she hesitated—“stuff, and he thought a break away would do you both good. He knew that you’d never agree to leave them behind if they were invited. So, he asked us not to.”
Camille’s eyes bored into Jenna’s as she digested her words. “Does everyone know?” She glared at each of them in turn.
They all muttered a truthful no in response. Camille stood, smoothing her dress down over her stomach, and made to leave the room.
“Camille!” Jenna was standing too now. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. We were only doing what Guy asked of us.”
Camille smiled and nodded. “I know. I don’t hold you responsible. You’ve all been lovely to me. Even though my husband behaves like a dick most of the time. I’m sorry.”
She left the room, leaving the four friends looking after her.
“Shit!” said Jenna.
