Richard had that stony expression which she knew meant he disapproved.
‘I’m really sorry, love. I’ll do it next week.’
The stony expression did not lift.
‘This week, I mean. I’ll do it before Friday.’
‘That would be helpful.’
‘Ouch. Don’t go Royal on me again.’
He looked down at her, startled.
She put her head on one side, looking up at him naughtily. ‘Remember what happened last time.’
The stony expression dissolved.
‘Which reminds me, you still owe me one limerick.’
He could not help himself. He laughed aloud.
It made a fabulous photo for the magazines, the two of them laughing together in a corner, when they thought no one was looking.
Tube Talk blew it up to a whole front page, under the headline ‘So Happy and So in Love’. And even the Daily Despatch said grumpily that clumsy Ms Greenwood must be doing something right.
Only LoyalSubjekt101 couldn’t find anything nice to say about them. He or she thought the ring was a tawdry stunt, and buying an unbelievably expensive yellow diamond a slap in the face of the British people at this time of public austerity. The whole piece brimmed over with spite, particularly against Bella.
Richard was angry but Bella shrugged it off. ‘You can’t have everyone love you. Or even like you. On the whole, I think our hit rate’s pretty good. Forget it. We’re doing OK.’
Richard nodded. ‘I suppose you’re right. So far so good.’
But there was still the choice of the wedding dress to come and that was turning into a nightmare. For one thing, Lady Pansy had not understood that Bella wanted to look at pictures and get a general idea of the styles of the various designers, since she didn’t know any of them. Lady Pansy had telephoned eight and commissioned original drawings.
‘You mean, I’m paying for eight exclusive designs?’ said Bella, hollowly. She couldn’t begin to guess what it would cost but she was fairly sure that it would increase her student debt exponentially.
Lady Pansy waved aside the vulgar consideration. ‘They won’t charge. It is a great honour for them to be asked. Of course, they will let their clients know that they are in the running.’
‘That doesn’t seem very fair. I can only choose one and they will have done all that work for nothing.’
‘Only in outline. They won’t actually have bought any fabric or made anything.’
‘You’re clearly not creative,’ said Bella. ‘They will have worked on it, eaten, slept and dreamed of it. Raising their hopes like this is callous. It’s not right.’
Lady Pansy stiffened. ‘It’s the way we always do things.’
‘Don’t tell me,’ said Bella wearily. ‘Tradition.’
But it was even worse when she looked at the drawings. They were all, every single one, huge-skirted, frilled and furbelowed, with swags of pearls or bows of lace in every conceivable crevice.
‘I’ll look like a duvet cover while it’s being changed,’ she told Lottie gloomily. ‘Some right-thinking person will jump out of the crowd and try to beat the lumps out of me.’
‘It can’t be that bad. You’re being paranoid again.’
But after she’d looked through the portfolio that Bella had brought home, Lottie had to admit that it was not paranoia. They truly were …
‘Frightful,’ said Bella.
‘Not your style,’ amended Lottie. She peered at the signature on a crinoline so huge that it could probably double as an air balloom. ‘Lawson? What on earth? He’s the guy who usually sends brides down the aisle with the back of the wedding dress cut down to the bum. Known for it. It’s his signature quirk. This thing has got a liberty bodice sewn in! He must have gone mad.’
Bella clutched her hair. ‘It’s almost certainly Lady Pansy. She briefed them all. It has to be traditional, it has to please Middle England, and it has to make me look like the biggest laundry bag in the world.’
Lottie looked at the drawings again and made sympathetic noises.
‘She’s the Queen’s best friend. She’s known Richard since he was in the cradle. They all love her and they’re certain she knows best. And I can’t prove she doesn’t, because I’m letting it all get on top of me. Oh, God, Lotts. What am I going to do?’
20
‘Bridesmaids and Vikings’ – Morning Times
Oddly enough, it was Janet who came up with the solution to the problem. She had come up to Town for lunch with Bella since it was, she said, the only way she got to see her daughter. Conscience-stricken, Bella booked a table at a small wine bar round the