Lizzie Marshall's Wedding

LIZZIE MARSHALL’S WEDDING

EMILY HARVALE

Copyright © 2012 Emily Harvale.

All rights reserved.

The right of Emily Harvale to be identified as the Author of this Work has been asserted by her in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, copied or stored in or introduced into, any information storage and/or retrieval system, in any form or by any means now known or hereinafter invented, without the prior written permission of the publisher and author. Nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

This novel is entirely a work of fiction. All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are the work of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

First Published by Crescent Gate Publishing 2012,

Hastings, UK.

Emily Harvale 2012

Cover design by missnyss

Acknowledgements:

Thanks to my wonderful friends for their support and friendship, particularly Julie Bateman, James Campbell, Sherry Thomas, Rachel Taylor and Eileen Mills.

To Karina of missnyss, for the gorgeous cover of Lizzie Marshall’s Wedding. –
www.missnyss.com
 

Special thanks to David of DC Creation, not just for building me such a fabulous website but also for designing my newsletter and all the other clever things he does; for always being at the end of a phone or email when technology gets the better of me and particularly for never getting annoyed when I say ‘What’s this button for?’ for the thousandth time. –
www.dccreation.com

To my twitter followers and friends, facebook friends and fans of my facebook author page; it’s great to chat with you.

And to you, whoever you are and wherever you may be, for buying this book – Thank You.

Best wishes,

Author contacts :

http://www.emilyharvale.com

http://www.twitter.com/emilyharvale

http://www.facebook.com/emilyharvale

http://www.facebook.com/emilyharvalewriter

http://www.emilyharvale.com/blog

LIZZIE MARSHALL’S WEDDING

You will recognise some of the characters in this novel if you have read my first novel, Highland Fling.

Lizzie Marshall’s Wedding catches up with Lizzie, Jane, Jack and Max, two years after the closing page of Highland Fling but this second book is mainly about a new character, Becky Cooper who is employed to organise Lizzie’s wedding.

Each novel “stands alone”, so you don’t need to have read Highland Fling to read this one – but it should add to your enjoyment if you have.

This book is dedicated to Sylvester.

You made me smile every day – I miss you.

CHAPTER ONE

‘Have
you
seen him Becky?’ Jess Shaw twisted in her seat and yelled across the café to her friend.

Becky Cooper ordered a cappuccino and a slice of coffee and walnut cake then joined Jess, and Susie, at their favourite table, next to the window; they liked to watch the world pass by as they drank their coffee and caught up on the latest news.

Not that much of the world
did
pass by The Coffee Cake Café; there wasn’t really much “world” in the village of Beckleston. There wasn’t really much news either, in the normal course of events but today wasn’t normal – the Bedfords had moved into Beckleston Hall.

‘No,’ Becky lied, tugging off her scarf and almost threadbare, winter coat and dumping them on a chair already overloaded with her friends’ coats and bags. She knew Jess was referring to Max Bedford; he was the only topic of conversation in Beckleston this morning it seemed, and just thinking about the man again so soon was making her cross. She slumped onto a vacant chair and sighed. This was one conversation she wasn’t going to get involved in.

‘Well, he’s gorgeous!’ Jess said.

‘And he’s spoken for,’ Susie added with authority.

 ‘No he’s not!’

Susie grinned. ‘Yes he is – by me.’

Jess tutted and shook her head. ‘Yeah right! In your dreams perhaps.’

‘Is he spoken for?’ Doreen, the owner of The Coffee Cake Café asked as she hurried over and placed Becky’s cappuccino and cake on the table, ‘I heard he was divorced.’

Jess glanced around her then leant forward as if she had top-secret information to share. ‘He
is
divorced – but not by choice. Apparently, his wife slept with some guy who was actually on his stag do at the time. Can you believe that? She sounds like a real tart. Anyway, Max wanted her to stay with him but she dumped him and ran off with the engaged guy!’

‘No! The poor love,’ Doreen said, shaking her head sympathetically.

‘He was heart-broken apparently,’ Jess continued. ‘Ever since, he’s been going from one woman to another trying to get over her. The cow.’

‘Well, he can get over me any time he wants – and under me –’

‘Yes Susie, thanks, we get the picture!’

‘And me,’ Doreen sniggered. ‘I could be one of those panthers.’

Jess’s brows knit together. ‘I think you mean cougars, Doreen.’

‘Do I dear? Oh, that’s a shame, panther sounds so much better. I’m sure you’re right though. Enjoy your cake Becky love.’

She tapped Becky on the shoulder then scuttled back to the customer waiting at the counter. For a seventy year old, she was still very spritely.

‘You’re quiet today,’ Jess said. ‘Everything all right?’ She watched Becky stab at the walnuts on the slice of cake, with her fork. ‘Oh Becky! I’m so sorry. I’d forgotten what day it is. Here’s me going on about Max Bedford and –’

Becky shook her head and a mass of luxuriant, brown curls fell about her face. ‘Don’t worry about it Jess. It does me good to think about something else.’

If she’d been honest, she would have said it would be good to think about anything else
except
Max Bedford, but she didn’t. Her friends had helped her with too many other problems over the last five years for her to burden them with this latest one. Besides, they both seemed to think that Max Bedford’s arrival, was the best thing to happen in Beckleston since Queen Elizabeth the First had reputedly stayed at Beckleston Hall in1573.

Becky still found it amusing that The Beckleston Inn had a plaque outside asserting that the Queen’s horses had been stabled there; the stables at the Hall having unfortunately – and rather mysteriously – burned to the ground just weeks prior to the Royal visit. Becky was fairly sure that the fire hadn’t been at all mysterious, although she would agree that it was definitely unfortunate. Many wealthy aristocrats found themselves far less wealthy after the Queen had stayed with them, and some went to great lengths to try to avoid such a sojourn. Burning the stables was, she believed, Sir Robert Beckleston’s futile attempt to do just that, because, according to the estate records, no horses were injured or any other item, damaged. But Sir Robert paid a heavy price for his efforts; the Queen stayed for longer than originally planned; he had to rebuild his stables at great expense and he lost his position as one of the Queen’s favourite’s. Only his son’s arranged marriage to a woman of great wealth, saved the Becklestons from total ruin.

‘How are you feeling?’ Susie asked, reaching out and gently squeezing Becky’s left hand.

Becky shrugged. ‘I’m fine,’ she lied again.

‘Then why the cake?’ Jess nodded towards the towering, moist layers slowly being demolished into a pile of gooey sponge. ‘We all know that the only time you splash out on coffee and walnut cake is when you need cheering up.’

‘Oh!’ Becky shoved the plate away from her. ‘I needed something sweet.’

‘You needed something to destroy, more like,’ Jess said. ‘You haven’t eaten a mouthful.’

‘Has ... has something bad happened?’ Susie asked.

‘Other than the usual, you mean?’ Becky regretted it as soon as she’d said it. She hated moaning about her life; she knew there were many people a lot worse off than she. ‘Sorry, I sound like a real whiner, don’t I?’

‘No! Life has treated you really badly – you deserve to whine,’ Suzie said, squeezing Becky’s hand again.

Becky shook her head. ‘No I don’t. Things could be a lot worse.’ And, after meeting Max Bedford earlier, she thought things probably soon would be. ‘At least I’ve got Lily. I should be grateful for that.’

Jess and Susie exchanged concerned looks.

‘What you need is a man,’ Susie said, banging the palm of her hand down on the table to emphasise the point.

Becky almost spat out her mouthful of coffee. ‘Are you mad? I can assure you, a man is the last thing I need!’

Susie shook her head. ‘I disagree. Jeremy’s been gone for five years today and I know he left you with a lot of problems and you’ve had to struggle to cope and to raise Lily, but she’s almost five now – and this year she’ll be going to school.’

‘Er ... I don’t disagree that she needs a man, but what has Lily going to school this year got to do with it?’ Jess asked.

‘She’s growing up. Soon she’ll be dating and off to uni and then she’ll get married and Becky will be all alone.’

‘Oh. That’s true,’ Jess agreed, ‘and these things take time. It’s not easy to find a man in Beckleston, as we all know – at least, not one who’s single and below sixty. In fact, I don’t think there are any.’

‘There’s the vicar,’ Susie said.

Jess looked horrified. ‘P... lease Susie! Not even Doreen would date him – and she’s not picky.’

‘I’d go on a date with him,’ Susie said, twisting her long, blond hair around her fingers.

Jess raised her eyebrows and smirked. ‘You’d go on a date with any man who still has his own teeth. Actually, does the vicar have his own teeth – or did he nick them from some unsuspecting horse?’

‘Don’t be mean! And I wouldn’t. I’ve got standards, you know.... Hey! There’s Max.’

‘Where?’

Jess’s head whipped round so fast, it was amazing she didn’t suffer whiplash and even Becky found herself scanning the street outside.

Susie giggled. ‘I didn’t mean Max was
here
. I meant he’s single – and he’s perfect. He would solve everything.’

‘But I thought you’d already bagged him,’ Jess said.

‘I had, but Becky’s need is greater than mine.’ Susie bowed her head graciously as if she’d made a huge sacrifice and given her friend the greatest gift possible.

Jess and Susie eyed Becky, smiling hopefully but Becky just looked dumbstruck and remained silent, glancing down at her half-empty coffee cup.

‘Well?’ Jess said, ‘Susie says you can have Max, so what do you think?’

Becky sighed deeply and stirred her coffee. ‘I think I spend too much time with a couple of complete and utter lunatics. Firstly, Lily isn’t even five yet! I know time flies and all that but it’ll be a good many years before she starts dating – if I have anything to say about it, and at least thirteen or fourteen before she goes to uni. I know she’s very smart but she’s not a child prodigy. Secondly, the vicar’s teeth are his own, they’re huge I agree, but they’re his – and I agree with Susie, he’s not that bad. Thirdly, as kind as it is of you to give him to me, Mr. Bedford may have other plans where romance is concerned, and fourthly, how many times do I have to tell you two, I DO NOT NEED A MAN! And certainly not, Mr. Bedford.’

‘Oh you’re just saying that because you’re scared,’ Susie said. ‘That’s okay, we understand. And we don’t blame you. We would be too, in your shoes but we’re not getting any younger and it’s harder for you, with Lily and everything. You really do need to get back into dating soon or it may just be too late. Do you really want to end up like Doreen?’