“
That
’
s fine,
”
Ellie replied, a little relieved that Zita wasn
’
t there.
Rachel reheated the main course for her and was pleased to see Ellie eating it up with gusto.
Ellie lightened the mood of the evening and by the time Rachel served up the chocolate terrine dessert they were all laughing and in good spirits. The time sped by and suddenly it was almost midnight.
“
Oh my gosh, look at the time!
”
Ronan exclaimed, looking at his watch.
“
We
’
d better get a move on. I
’
m working tomorrow.
”
He had offered to drop Ellie home.
“
I
’
ve had a wonderful night, thank you, Rachel
.
You
’
ve
certainly cheered me up,
”
Ronan said
,
kissing her goodnight.
“
I
’
m glad and I appreciate your advice. I have taken it on board,
”
she assured him.
Ellie hugged her and thanked her for the fabulous food.
“
I hope you
’
ll both come and visit more often
,”
Rachel said as they left.
They promised they would.
Ronan was wondering where the hell Carl was
,
working at midnight on a Friday night. Very strange, very strange indeed!
As he drove home after dropping Ellie off, Ronan thought how
lucky he was to have met these lovely people.
Strangely
,
the people most supportive during this bloody awful time – besides Conor and Jim
,
that is – were these new friends he
’
d met through his wine course. Sam, Fiona, Dermot and now Ellie and Rachel – they were making life much more bearable for him at the moment. Maybe Rachel was right. Things happen for a reason. He felt almost light-hearted as he let himself into his lonely house
.
Luckily, when Carl got home Rachel was in bed. Obviously, she
’
d had quite a lot to drink earlier. Of course, Ronan and Ellie had been for supper though he doubted that they
’
d drunk very much of the two empty bottles that stood on the kitchen counter.
When he
’
d told Rachel that he had an important meeting and couldn
’
t be there for supper she
’
d been furious with him. Now
,
as he slipped into bed beside her he was grateful for the wine she
’
d drunk. She never stirred and so he didn
’
t have to give her the elaborate excuse he
’
d prepared on his way home. She
’
d never know that he
’
d arrived home after 3 a.m. Thank God for small mercies! It was his lucky night.
40
Ellie had made an appointment to meet with Gabriella, the wedding co-ordinator at Clontarf Castle, on Saturday at noon. She
’
d told David about it the week before so when he rang on Friday to say he couldn
’
t make it she was very upset.
“
David!
”
she cried, dismayed.
“
You have to be there. It
’
s a really important meeting
!”
“
You don
’
t really need me there, do you? Can
’
t you manage it alone?
”
“
How can you say that? Of course I need you there.
”
She burst into tears.
“
Okay, okay,
”
he acquiesced, not wanting another scene. They
’
d been having too many of them lately.
“
I
’
ll try and make it but it will be closer to one o
’
clock
,
I
’
m afraid.
”
She reluctantly accepted this.
He felt that she didn
’
t understand how very busy he was at work
,
not to mention buying the new house and putting his apartment on the market. Dresses and flowers were the last thing on his mind. To be honest, he was sorry now they hadn
’
t eloped or at least gone abroad to get married. Ellie had been
pressurising him for a list of the people he wanted to invite. He promised he
’
d have it for her by the following day. He sighed deeply. Women and weddings
–
Lord preserve us!
Ellie had already made out her list. She hoped to keep the numbers to one hundred – fifty invited by David and fifty by her.
Then another eighty of their mutual friends would be coming along to join in the evening celebrations
.
Her father had always said he would pay for the reception but when he saw that it would cost almost €100 per head, he set a limit of €10,000 on it. She thought this was more than generous. She
’
d spent ages deciding what fifty people she wanted there and now she was waiting for David
’
s list. He
’
d promised he
’
d bring it with him to the venue on Saturday.
She and her mother were welcomed by Gabriella who offered them coffee and biscuits before sitting down to discuss the reception. With the brochures and photos spread out before her
,
it really hit home to Ellie that this w
as her wedding they were planning and she fairly bubbled over with excitement. Gabriella liked her instantly and decided that she would do everything in her power to
give Ellie the wedding of her dreams.
“
I
’
m afraid my fiancé will be a little late,
”
Ellie explained.
“
Business, you know,
”
she added lamely.
“
Trust me,
”
said Gabriella,
“
I
’
ve discovered that most grooms are reluctant to get involved in all the nitty-gritty details of the wedding. They don
’
t have a clue how much organisation goes into it so that everything runs smoothly on the day.
”
She gave a little laugh.
Ellie smiled gratefully at her. So David wasn
’
t the only reluctant groom. That was something.
“
How many guests are you planning to have?
”
Gabriella asked.
“
Well, we
’
re having one hundred at the
reception and
dinner and then another eighty who will join us afterwards
.
So one hundred and eighty for the evening buffet.
”
“
That
’
s a nice number. Have you decided on a colour scheme?
”
“
Well, I
’
ll be wearing white, naturally,
”
Ellie smiled,
“
and I
’
ve decided on a pale yellow/gold for the bridesmaids
and flowers.
”
“
Perfect!
”
Gabriella clapped her hands.
“
The Great Hall will be just right for you. Come on and let me show you. It
’
s all set out for a wedding later today.
”
She led Ellie and Marie-Noelle there and they gasped as they saw the magnificent chandeliers and gold velvet chairs. The tables were beautifully set with white and pink linen, sparkling crystal and silver and the flowers were pink and white.
“
It
’
s beautiful,
”
Ellie exclaimed, taking it all in.
“
Magnifique
!”
Marie-Noelle agreed.
“
The wedding today has a pink theme, hence the pink
linen and flowers
,”
said Gabriella,
“
but as you can imagine, your yellow/gold theme will be even more effective
.”
Ellie was so happy that she
’
d dug her heels in and insisted on having the reception here. After all, it had been the scene of many family celebrations in the past. All their Communion and Confirmation lunches had been held
here
,
not to mention other birthdays and also their parents
’
twenty-fifth anniversary which had been a resounding
success. Now, looking around the Great Hall, Ellie knew she
’
d made the right decision.
“
It
’
s not too big for just a hundred guests?
”
Marie-Noelle
asked with concern.
“
Well, a hundred is really the minimum or they
’
d be lost in here. Any less and I
’
d suggest The Viking Suite.
”
“
Oh no, I want it in here and we
’
ve planned for a hundred,
”
Ellie butted in quickly. She hoped David would have fifty guests to invite.
They made their way back to the Indigo Lounge to discuss menus and Ellie was beginning to despair about David turning up when she got a text from him to say he
’
d arrived. She breathed a sigh of relief. She so wanted him to see the Great Hall and how beautiful it all was and secretly hoped
he
’
d agree that it was the perfect venue for their nuptials. She texted him back
,
telling him to come to the Indigo Lounge
.
A minute later he arrived and she introduced him to Gabriella.
“
I think the Fairytale Wedding Package is the best one for us and the menu is lovely. What do you think, David?
”
He glanced briefly at it.
“
Fine, that looks fine to me. Whatever you decide, darling.
”
“
Just wait till you see the Great Hall where we
’
ll hold the reception. It
’
s wonderful
.”
Ellie
’
s eyes were glowing as she turned to Gabriella
. “
May I show him?
”
“
Of course,
”
Gabriella smiled, pointing the way.
Ellie took David
’
s hand and eagerly led him down the corridor. They entered the Great Hall.
“
Wow!
”
said David.
“
That is something else!
”
“
Isn
’
t it fabulous? Can
’
t you just see it?
”
Ellie
’
s eyes were shining.
He loved her when she was excited like this.
“
As long as you
’
re happy, my love,
”
he said, kissing the tip of her nose.
They went back to the others where Marie-Noelle asked him if he had decided on his list of invitees.
“
More or less,
”
he replied, taking a sheet of paper from his pocket.
“
There may be a few more.
”
Ellie took the paper from him and looked down t
hrough the list, blanching as she did so.
“
But David, there
’
s
over a hundred names here. I said fifty each.
”
She continued reading
,
dismayed that there were so many strange names on it. David had a small family and she
’
d met them all at his father
’
s sixtieth birthday
,
earlier in the year. She knew all of his friends and some of the people from Buckley Steadman, but there were dozens of names here that she didn
’
t recognise at all.