Page 86 of Meet Me Under the Mistletoe
Good morning, milady!”
“Woof! Somebody ate a lot of garlic last night, milady!”
“I am sorry to say that milady’s morning breath stinks, milady!”
Nory pulled the duvet down to find Shelley and her mum dropped into low curtsies beside her bed.
“What the fuck?” She laughed hoarsely, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. “What time is it?”
“Seven fifteen, milady,” said her mum.
“You’re a lazy fecker, milady,” added Shelley.
“How did you get in? I locked the door.” She knew with certainty she had locked the door just in case Guy decided to come back.
“Andy lent us the skeleton key,” said Shelley, climbing into bed beside her. “So, this is how the other half live.”
What is the point of locking doors around here?Nory wondered.
“We thought we’d surprise you,” said her mum. “It’s all go today. We’ve brought up a load of flowers from the nursery, and we’re expecting a big delivery up here in a bit. It’s going to takeus all day to get the castle dressed and ready for the wedding tomorrow.”
“What time did you get here?” Nory asked.
“Half six,” Shelley replied. “We wanted to get the old garlands down while it was quiet. We’ve just finished clearing down, ready to start all over again.”
“Is anyone else up?”
“The bride’s just gone out for a run, and your friend Pippa was already rearranging furniture when we arrived,” said her mum. “She drinks a lot of coffee, doesn’t she?”
Jeez! Doesn’t Pippa ever sleep?She seemed to go to bed last and get up first.
“I really like her,” said Shelley. “She’s a powerhouse. I think I’m going to enjoy collaborating with her.”
“Dad’s already mapping out all the places we’ll go once you’re bringing in the London money.”
“Are you going on holiday?” Nory asked, climbing out of bed and leaving Shelley to spread her limbs out into a starfish in her sheets.
“Holiday? We’re retiring, my love.”
Nory stopped mid-rummage through her toiletry bag. “Retiring?” she exclaimed.
“Semi-retiring. Your dad turns sixty-nine next birthday, and I’m not far behind him.”
“No, I know that. It’s just, I never thought you’d get Dad to retire.”
“Oh, we’ll still keep our hands in, you know your dad. But the business is doing well, and I said to him, ‘You’ve spent every spare minute of the last twenty years working on that camper van in the yard, and if we don’t make use of it soon, the onlyjourney we’ll be making in it will be in our coffins on the way to the chapel.’ ”
“Blunt,” said Nory.
“Nothing short of sledgehammer sentiment makes it through Dad’s thick skull. We’re doing a European tour.”
“Like the Rolling Stones,” Nory added.
“Rolling Bones, more like,” Shelley quipped from beneath the duvet.
“That’s enough of your lip, Shelley Noel.” Nory’s mum waggled her finger in Shelley’s direction. “You planning on staying in that bed all day, Lady Muck?”
“If you don’t mind,” said Shelley, rolling over and nestling into the pillows.
