Wedding Days at Halesmere House, page 1
Wedding Days at Halesmere House
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Also by Suzanne Snow
Copyright
Cover
Table of Contents
Start of Content
To Deb, with lots of love, for everything
Chapter 1
Lizzie Martin’s hand crashed onto her desk, nearly dislodging the phone tucked between her neck and her ear. ‘Halesmere? You’re not serious?’
As an events planner, nothing thrilled Lizzie more than securing happy endings for her clients, but this particular event might just mean the unhappiest ending for herself.
‘Of course I’m serious,’ her best friend Gemma responded, the tone of her voice suggesting she wasn’t unsympathetic to Lizzie’s shock. ‘I’m all out of jokes right now. I think it could be perfect and we’re getting pretty desperate.’
‘We’re not, not really.’ Lizzie bit her lip at the white lie, time was tight to secure a venue for Gemma’s wedding in a couple of months. Lizzie knew she would probably be having sleepless nights were it for anyone other than the practical and resourceful woman she’d known since their first faltering days in primary school.
Gemma had met her fiancé Simon in the final months of secondary school when he’d moved nearby for college. They’d been together ever since; through university and into careers as solicitors until Simon retrained as a paramedic. After getting engaged in Barcelona, their first wedding had gone the way of everyone else’s in lockdown and Plan B was in serious doubt thanks to a fire in the hotel booked for their second date.
‘I’m on it right now, Gem. I’ve actually found a place I think we should check out. I was about to message you. It’s a barn, just converted this year for events; intimate, great views, straightforward to find.’
‘Come on, Lizzie. Even you, with all your superpower planning skills and the most optimistic person I know, have got to admit we’re in trouble. We couldn’t possibly have foreseen the fire but quite frankly Simon and I will be counting ourselves lucky if we’re not eating fish and chips out of trays in the street, given this will be our third attempt to get married. Halesmere was Mum’s idea, she’s already been in touch with the new owners and the date’s free. You know how she feels about the place.’
Lizzie did, and she understood. They’d all loved Halesmere once, a gorgeously remote Georgian house in the Lake District, even though life had inevitably moved on and she had absolutely no desire to return. But Gemma hadn’t finished her pitch yet, her voice becoming more excited with every word.
‘We’d have the house and garden to ourselves, we could throw a marquee up on the lawn and find a hotel nearby to recommend for everyone else to stay over. It’s not as though we’re having a huge wedding, there’s only sixty people in total. What’s another twenty miles west from the original venue between friends? Or guests?’
‘Er, Scafell Pike. And a single-track road with hedges wide enough to walk on. It’s probably more like a thirty-mile detour than twenty.’
‘Mere details,’ Gemma replied airily, and Lizzie was picturing her waving a dismissive hand. ‘We can include directions with the invites seeing as we’ve only sent save the dates so far and tell everyone to ignore their satnav. It could just work, Lizzie.’
‘It could, I suppose.’ Lizzie was still trying to get her pulse under control at the mention of Halesmere coming at her without warning. They both knew she was fighting a losing battle given the time between now and the wedding, but Lizzie attempted a mild protest anyway. ‘Have you even seen the state of the place? It was a mess the last time I looked. And what about the actual service? Are they licensed for weddings?’
‘No, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem. Mum knows the new rector and she’s happy to meet and see what she can do if we get a move on. The church is only a mile away. Wait until you see the house now, Lizzie. It’s stunning. And I haven’t even told you the best bit yet.’
‘There’s a best bit?’ Lizzie abandoned her laptop to scribble nervously on a notepad. Writing lists always helped her focus. What now?
‘Ha ha.’ Gemma was triumphant. ‘Mum said they’ve just had a last-minute cancellation for a weekend retreat, so why don’t we go while we have the chance? Bride and bridesmaids for some much-needed R&R and time out together.’
‘What, you, me, and Bea, staying in the house? When?’ Lizzie was hoping for some time to prepare for that little adventure, but she always knew when her friend couldn’t be dissuaded. Fingers hovering over the laptop again, she typed ‘Hales’ into a browser, bringing up all sorts of nonsense she had no interest in.
‘Friday.’
‘This Friday? Seriously?’ Lizzie’s hand skidded across the keyboard. ‘But it’s already Wednesday and we’re supposed to be spending Saturday seeing venues.’
‘Well, technically, this is seeing a venue. I know it’s last minute, but you’ve got the weekend off and Simon’s on shift. We could do with a bit of fun, don’t you think, after all the misery of the last couple of years? Once I know you’re up for it then I’ll message Bea.’
Gemma was more cajoling now and Lizzie knew she had no choice. As chief bridesmaid and unpaid wedding planner she had to roll with the bride’s wishes. There was that patter of her pulse again, thoughts of the past running through her mind like autumn leaves blowing from branches to fall at her feet.
‘Lizzie?’ Gemma put aside her enthusiasm and her voice became gentler. ‘I know you haven’t been back in forever, and how you felt about him and what happened. We didn’t intend on never going back, it just kind of turned out that way. I wouldn’t ask if I thought you’d truly be upset, but it was so long ago, and it might be our only chance at a proper wedding without having to change the date again.’
‘I’m fine, Gem, I promise.’ Lizzie dredged up a smile and straightened her shoulders. Gemma was right. The past was ancient history, and she wasn’t going to be standing in the way of her best friend’s special day because she’d had her heart broken twelve years ago in the very place Gemma was proposing to hold her wedding reception. ‘You’re absolutely right, we should definitely see the house if it’s available. After all those lockdowns you don’t need to be looking at a third date if this could work out.’
‘That’s wonderful, hon, I’m so pleased. And we’d be mad to pass up a weekend away with all the delights on offer at Halesmere, I’ve already checked out the retreat. So Friday afternoon to Monday lunchtime then? You can get away?’
‘Should be fine.’ Lizzie brought up her calendar. ‘I’m meeting a new couple on Monday evening, but I’ll be back in plenty of time for that as I’m seeing them at The Courthouse and it’s not too far away.’
‘Nice. We’d have loved it there if it wasn’t booked up years in advance, even before lockdown.’ Gemma paused. ‘What about Jack? Where’s he going to be over the weekend?’
Lizzie pulled a face as she tapped the pencil on her desk. ‘No idea, and it doesn’t matter anyway.’
‘How are things with you guys?’ There was concern in Gemma’s voice this time, the frivolity and relief from before temporarily banished.
‘We’re muddling along. I keep catching him giving me apologetic looks and we’re being very nice to one another.’
‘Ah.’
‘Exactly. Bit late for all that.’ Lizzie scowled. ‘He knows cheating is definitely a deal-breaker for me.’
‘Have you found anywhere else yet? What was that house share like the other day?’
‘Grim. Made me feel eighteen again and not in a good way.’
‘Something will come up, don’t worry.’
‘I know, Gem, thanks. Jack did offer to take the spare room, but it is his house after all. I’m the one who’s going to be moving, just as soon as I can find somewhere decent. I’ll catch you up over the weekend.’
‘So it’s a yes to the retreat then? You’re in?’
‘I’m in.’ Lizzie knew it was a rhetorical question and she huffed out a laugh. If Halesmere House really was much improved in the care of new owners, then maybe it would be the solution Gemma and Simon desperately needed. Lizzie was prepared to do everything she could to help create a wonderful wedding for them, and if that meant returning to the scene and the summer of her first love, then she’d do it and with a smile plastered on her face as well.
Of course there would be reminders of that special time in her life, but she’d come such a long way since then. She’d laugh about it when they arrived, would shrug off the sorrow and leave her sadness in the past where it belonged. It might even help, stop the thoughts that still occasionally crept into her mind and made her smile or sometimes cry.
‘Perfect, make sure you pack some wet weather gear. We’re not going to be lounging around insi
‘Have you forgotten we’re Cumbrian born and bred, Gem? I keep a coat and boots permanently in my car.’
‘Are you bringing your camera?’ The quiet understanding was back in Gemma’s voice.
‘Maybe.’ That was something Lizzie no longer kept close at hand. It represented so much of her past and she used her phone for the everyday images she took now. ‘I’ll dig it out, see if it still works.’
‘Of course it will. Please bring it, I know how much you miss it.’ A beat of silence lengthened before Gemma returned to practicalities. ‘So, I’ll be getting the train. Could you pick me up at Lancaster please?’
‘Sure can.’ Lizzie was updating her calendar, happy to be distracting herself from memories of Halesmere by making plans she could depend on. ‘And then it really must be my turn to come visit you. I want to see what this new kitchen is like, I’m sure Instagram doesn’t do it justice.’
‘I love it almost as much as I love Simon.’ Gemma was dreamy and Lizzie laughed. Baking was another of Gemma’s passions, alongside her work in family law, Simon and their dog. ‘I’ll rustle up something delicious to bring, we can work it off on the fells.’
‘What exactly does this retreat involve?’ Lizzie wrinkled her nose as she closed her laptop. ‘You specifically said delights and I’m not getting any relaxing facial and indulgent massage vibes right now.’
‘I’ll tell you when I see you, promise me you won’t look it up? It’ll be a wonderful surprise. I’ll message you with a list of stuff you’ll need.’ Gemma’s voice disappeared for a second. ‘Sorry, I’ve got a client due in two minutes and they’ve just arrived. Lizzie, you’re a superstar and you’re gonna love Halesmere again, trust me. Mum says it’s fabulous now. So I’ll see you at the station at three, yeah? I need to talk to Bea and see if she can make the weekend too instead of just Saturday. Can’t wait, love you.’
‘Love you too,’ Lizzie said as she swiped the call away, thinking it was a good job she did love her best friend so much. First a weekend and then a wedding in the very last place she wanted to see again. But her memories and all she’d felt that summer twelve years ago didn’t matter anymore. All she needed to focus on now was the wonderful day Gemma and Simon deserved.
* * *
On Friday Lizzie was still telling herself it was ridiculous to be feeling this unbalanced by thoughts of the past since Gemma’s call. Halesmere had been the backdrop to so much of their teenage years, its familiar setting in the valley she adored one of the few constants then in Lizzie’s life. Gemma’s mum had been the housekeeper and their family lived in a cottage attached to the house. Lizzie had got off the school bus with Gemma every day and the house had felt almost like their own. Holidaymakers had come and gone, and they paid little attention to a couple of girls roaming around the grounds or sneaking into an empty flat in the courtyard.
Lizzie’s parents ran a very successful software company, and with two older brothers grown and gone, it was just the three of them in their rambling country house not far from Halesmere. She was very close to her parents, to whom she was their adored little miracle after years of trying for a third child. Aware of how comfortable and charmed her life was, with parents still very much in love, she’d dreamed of a family of her own one day. Lizzie hadn’t realised how much she took for granted until almost everything she knew crashed virtually overnight.
Her mum and dad had sat her down three months before her A levels, her dad crying, his despair complete, as they explained they’d lost their business and with it their home, which was to be sold immediately. Her mum hadn’t been able to restrain her own tears when she confessed that the university fund Lizzie had been expecting, afforded to both of her brothers, was also gone, along with the flat they planned to buy her when she moved away to study. Within the space of twenty-four hours, Lizzie felt as though she’d become a spectator in her own life, watching it crumble as her dreams for the future fell away.
Shocked and numb, she tried to comfort her parents as she offered her own support and assured them she would make her own way. Lizzie was utterly determined not to burden them with any additional worries about how she would manage. Their beautiful home sold within days and she had never forgotten packing up the bedroom she’d slept in all her life. Posters, pictures and precious belongings stuffed into two boxes; the curtains her mum had made framing a view of the garden Lizzie knew as well as her own face left behind for the new owners.
Her parents managed to cling on to enough to afford a tiny cottage in the Scottish Highlands where her dad found work on a fish farm and her mum returned to primary school teaching. Gemma’s parents had offered to let Lizzie stay with them so she could finish college and sit her exams there rather than make the move north with her family. She could still picture her dad in the car, all three of them trying not to cry, as Lizzie and her mum carried the few things she’d kept from home into Gemma’s room in the cottage.
Staying with Gemma made sense, but Lizzie missed her mum and dad desperately, and they spoke every day. Her mum wished aloud she could rent something nearby so she could see Lizzie through her exams, but Lizzie was having none of it and there wasn’t the money anyway. Her dad was struggling and she knew he needed her mum’s support more than she did. For the first time ever she’d realised her future depended on her own efforts and she quickly abandoned her plan to spend the summer volunteering for a turtle conservation project in Costa Rica.
She found a job in a supermarket in town instead, and every hour she sat scanning shopping at the checkout brought immense satisfaction as her savings for university increased. Her brothers helped where they could, but with one just about getting by in musical theatre and the other an accountant with a growing family, Lizzie thanked them and refused what little financial help they could offer, aware they felt guilty that she had missed out on their own advantages.
As Lizzie drove to meet Gemma now, journeying ever closer to her old home and her heart, she reminded herself firmly how far she’d come since those teenage days at Halesmere: a first-class degree in social anthropology and a successful career in public relations in London with a social change communications company before she’d left to plan events for a city bank.
Eventually she’d taken the leap and moved north to Carlisle, planning weddings for couples instead of corporate clients. But within six months the pandemic had hit. Overnight everything was cancelled and her new business crashed to an immediate halt. Lizzie, who had also just moved in with her boyfriend Jack, couldn’t shake off the fears of the past and swiftly found a new way to support herself.
She took a job driving supermarket deliveries and put her dreams on hold to become one of millions of crucial key workers. She and Jack barely saw one another as the stresses of his teaching career became ever more apparent and she worked every hour she could.
As life eased into a new normal, she kept her supermarket job and gradually reduced her hours after she updated her website and social media accounts. She was elated to have a leap in interest for her services as couples rushed to book the weddings they’d had to postpone. Cumbria had always been home for her, and she was growing her network of connections as she sought out more suppliers and venues with whom she could work.
Almost at the station now, there was that flicker of apprehension again, the one that popped up every time Lizzie thought of Halesmere. She couldn’t seem to stop memories of her past falling into her mind, no matter how often she banished them. And he was in every single one, the boy she had loved that last, special summer before she’d left. She reached Lancaster a little early and thankfully Gemma’s train was on time. She and Lizzie were hugging tightly the moment Gemma stepped onto the platform.
‘You look amazing, I love your jacket.’ Gemma was eyeing the black leather cafe racer around Lizzie’s shoulders. ‘Don’t leave it lying around or it might not make it back with you.’
Lizzie, who’d come straight from a meeting with a new client planning a brand launch and so wasn’t wearing her supermarket delivery uniform, laughed as she popped the car boot and Gemma dropped a case inside, followed more carefully by a cake tin. ‘I consider myself warned. What time’s Bea arriving? I’m so looking forward to a relaxing weekend together, it has literally been years since we did this.’
