She. HC Warner

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СКАЧАТЬ it until the last possible moment to put them on, as she would be wearing them all day and knew that her feet would be protesting loudly by the time she took them off again tonight.

      ‘I wish it wasn’t …’ Peter began, before stopping for a second, thinking. ‘It’s not how I imagined Ben’s wedding would be.’

      Jo looked up at Peter, handsome in his bespoke dark grey suit. He had been uncharacteristically quiet all morning. Actually, the truth was that he had been quieter in general ever since Ben first brought Bella home. ‘I know you’re not keen on her, but it’s not up to us. She’s Ben’s chosen partner, so we have to just accept her. And he seems happy, doesn’t he?’

      ‘Does he?’ Peter shot back far too quickly, before checking himself. ‘Yes, I suppose you’re right. He does seem happy enough.’

      Jo sighed heavily. ‘Look, Peter … Whatever either of us thinks of her, she’s pregnant, with his child … and they’re getting married. Whatever doubts any of us might have, we need to put them to one side and support them, for Ben’s sake.’

      ‘Hmmm.’ Again Peter hesitated, his eyes clouding with worry. ‘I know you’re right. I suppose I just wish …’

      Jo tilted her head to look at him properly. ‘Wish what?’

      ‘That it wasn’t her. There, I’ve said it.’ He shrugged apologetically.

      Jo wrapped her arms around Peter’s waist and reached up to kiss him. ‘I know. But it is her. I’m sure it’ll all be fine, don’t worry. Now, come on or we’ll be late.’

      Downstairs, Ben was sitting in the kitchen with Matt, drinking coffee. Jo gave Matt a hug. ‘Hello, darling, lovely to see you.’

      Matt grinned back. Although he was now a fully grown, 30-year-old man, Jo could still see in his face the cheeky little 7-year-old boy she had first met all those years ago, when he and Ben had become friends at primary school. ‘You look lovely, Jo.’

      Jo flushed with pride. Matt had spent so much time at their house over the years that he had become like a second son and Jo adored him. ‘Thank you, Matt. And so do you. How is Freya?’

      Matt beamed. ‘She’s really well. She’s going to meet us at the registry office.’

      Jo had no idea what to expect from today at all. She had always known that when Ben got married, it would be his bride who decided everything. But she felt sure that Charlotte would have at least involved her and Peter in the planning and preparations. Aside from telling them where and when, Bella and Ben had excluded them from any discussions, insisting they wanted to do everything themselves.

      ‘OK, well, I guess we’d better get going then.’ Jo walked over to Ben and adjusted his tie fractionally. She looked up at him, marvelling at how the years had galloped by – her baby boy, who had struggled to take his first breath, was now this tall, handsome young man about to get married.

      The tears pricked at the back of her eyes and she smiled in an exaggerated way to try to quell them. Sometimes she felt as if Ben was at the end of a string connected directly to her heart. He pulled at her in a way that, although she and Emma were incredibly close, Emma had never done. ‘You look so handsome, sweetheart,’ she told him now. ‘Bella is a very lucky girl.’

      Ben flashed her a smile that was a mirror image of his father’s but she could see from his dark brown eyes that he was nervous. ‘Thanks, Mum.’

      Peter drove the four of them in his Range Rover into the centre of town, where he parked in the car park of the rather ugly Seventies building that housed the registry office.

      As she walked into the foyer, Jo spotted Emma, engrossed in an intense conversation with Freya. ‘Hello, girls!’ she called, just slightly too loudly as she approached, in the hope that they wouldn’t think she had been ear-wigging.

      Emma and Freya both jumped and looked up at her guiltily. It wasn’t difficult to guess what they had been talking about. Emma stood up and kissed her mother on both cheeks. ‘Hi, Mum, you look fantastic. Love that dress.’

      Jo smiled appreciatively. ‘So do you, darling.’ It was true. Emma was a yoga obsessive who rarely ate anything containing sugar, caffeine or wheat. As a result, she had perfect, glowing skin, a toned, flat stomach and blonde hair that gleamed like a sheet of gold to her narrow shoulders. She was wearing a grey fitted dress that showed off her slim figure and long, shapely legs. People often commented that Emma was a Mini-Me of Jo but Jo would always reply that she had never looked anywhere near as good as her pretty daughter.

      ‘And you look as fabulous as ever, Freya.’ Jo turned towards Matt’s wife and gave her a hug. The thought flitted through her mind that she wished Freya was going to be her new daughter-in-law rather than Bella, but she mentally swatted it away and inwardly chided herself.

      ‘Where are the boys?’ Emma looked over Jo’s shoulder expectantly.

      ‘Parking the car.’ As she spoke, Peter, Ben and Matt walked through the door and were immediately enveloped in hugs and kisses by the two girls.

      ‘Nervous?’ Emma smiled up at her brother.

      Ben shook his head firmly. ‘Nope. Just looking forward to it.’

      Jo caught Matt and Freya exchanging a look she couldn’t quite read. ‘Well, I think maybe we should go in then?’

      Inside the room where the ceremony was taking place, there were already around twenty people, all of them seemingly on Ben’s side of the aisle, seated on the silver chairs that were laid out in rows. There was a small spray of white roses at the end of each row, with a more elaborate floral display at the front and a string quartet playing in one corner. Despite the adornments, Jo couldn’t help feeling a sag of disappointment at the unexciting surroundings. As Peter had said earlier, it wasn’t what she had envisioned for Ben’s wedding.

      Jo made her way to the front, looking nervously towards Bella’s side of the room, which was empty, except for one woman, who Jo could see instantly was Bella’s mother. She had suggested to Bella that maybe they should have a pre-wedding dinner, so that they could meet each other before the big day but Bella had curtly rebuffed the idea, saying they were not sociable people and would be quite happy to meet on the day. Now that she knew that only Bella’s mother would be attending, Jo could understand why Bella had been so reticent.

      Bella’s mother looked up as Jo approached. She looked a little careworn and nervous but she still had enough of her beauty to confirm where Bella had inherited it from. She had shoulder-length, very dark brown hair, smattered with grey, and large brown, slightly hooded eyes. She shot Jo an uneasy smile and stood up. ‘Hello. You must be Ben’s mother …?’

      ‘Jo,’ Jo replied, reaching back to take Peter’s arm. ‘And this is my husband, Peter.’

      Bella’s mother nodded knowingly. ‘Of course. I can see the resemblance! I’m Lynda.’

      Peter shook her hand, before they shuffled into their seats beside Ben and Matt.

      ‘Who’s giving her away?’ Peter hissed as they sat down.

      ‘No one, apparently. Bella insisted that she didn’t belong to anyone and therefore she was perfectly capable of giving herself away.’

      Peter raised an eyebrow. СКАЧАТЬ