Chapter 38

"I need a drink first," said Deborah rootling in the fridge. "You too?"

"Yes, please."

Deborah poured two glasses of orange juice and sat down at the kitchen table.

"We're going to have a very simple wedding: registry office, lunch here for the family followed by a blessing in the village church. No reception as such but we're going to have a lunchtime barbecue for friends and locals here the Wednesday before."

"When is the wedding though?" asked Sharon. "I haven't seen you since last week."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Of course you don't know. Three weeks on Saturday so the barbecue will be three weeks today. I hope you and Louise will come to that, by the way."

"Love to. Thanks!"

"Great! Now the favour I'd like you to do is be my matron of honour."

Sharon stared at her in astonishment. "Was that Richard's idea?" she finally asked.

Deborah shook her head.

Sharon continued to stare at her and her eyes filled with tears. She wiped them away with the back of her hand which she wiped on her jeans. This gave her time to control he emotions and the whirling of her mind. "Why me? Why not her sister? God! The love these two show."

At last she looked up at Deborah who was watching her, her eyes radiating affection. "No!" she said. "It is a wonderful favour to ask but I can't do it. I'm so..." and burst into tears again.

Deborah put an arm round her shoulders but said nothing. Sharon dug in her pocket, pulled out a handkerchief and blew her nose loudly.

"It's only going to be a small wedding so you don't need a matron of honour. You have Annette to be your bridesmaid and that's quite enough. You're restricting yourself to family and even if you needed a matron of honour I'd be treading on people's toes. No, Deborah, but thank you ever so much for asking me. I'm deeply touched."

"But, Sharon, you are family."

"Maybe to you and Richard and the Jays and Bill and Sue but not Richard's parents, your sister and, most of all Annette who I haven't even met yet. No. It was a lovely, kind thought but after you and Richard it must be a special day for Annette."

"OK, Sharon. I understand but I'm disappointed."

Sharon smiled up at her. "Tell you what," she said. "Louise and I'll come over on the Saturday morning and help with the lunch preparations and then we'll join you at the church for the blessing."

"Sharon, you're an angel but, and I absolutely insist on this, you and Louise eat with us."

Sharon got to her feet and hugged Deborah to her. "Thank you. We'd love to do that. Now have you got the time for me to ask you some questions?"

"Of course I have but why don't we rustle up a bit of lunch or we'll have a Ravenous Richard on our hands."

Sharon chuckled and they set to while they continued their conversation. Sharon wanted to know all about the day in London and then she asked about how Richard had won Annette over. "He just sort of shrugged it off."

Deborah told him about the walk and Annette's initial reactions. Then she told him about the little scene immediately before they got engaged.

"That's more like my Richard. Oops, sorry! Your Richard. The Richard I know. I've never known a man who is so aware of other people's feelings."

"No, nor have I. It's one of the reasons I love him so much. He completely healed the guilt I'd been carrying about chucking Jeremy out."

"Wonderful! Which of us is going to get him for lunch?"

"You could always whistle."

Sharon gaped at her, shrieked with laughter then put her fingers to her mouth and let out a piercing whistle before collapsing with laughter again.

Richard shot into the kitchen to find both women doubled up with laughter and the dogs prancing excitedly around. "What's all this about?" he demanded.

"She... she... said," gasped Sharon through her laughter, "she said I could always whistle."

That caused Richard to double over too.