My Daughter's Wedding

Claire Baldry

Description

When 'bride to be' and single parent, Charlotte, discovers that her 61-year-old widowed mother is in a new relationship, she struggles to come to terms with it. "Why do you need to have a man, at your age?" Charlotte asks, "Can't you just be a grandma?"The growing tension between mother and daughter combined with preparations for the wedding impact on both family and friends. In this compelling and unashamedly romantic tale of finding love in later life, the experience of a young care-leaver who is tasked with making the wedding bouquet, is skilfully intertwined with the family's - sometimes turbulent- preparations for a modern wedding.

Sujets

• Contemporary romance

Informations

• Publié par: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 07 juin 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781838599461
• Langue: English

Extrait

Also by Claire Baldry
Poetry Booklets
Simply Bexhill
Simply Christmas
The De La Warr Date
Seaside and Sailaway
Simply Modern Life

Autobiographical Novella
South Something

Debut Novel
Different Genes


Copyright © 2019 Claire Baldry

The moral right of the author has been asserted.


Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

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ISBN 978 1838599 461

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.


Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd

For Emily and Mike
Note from the Author
I have undertaken the role of ‘mother of the bride’ twice now. In both instances at least some of the major participants (including myself) had been divorced, remarried or were living with new partners. I am part of a ‘modern’ family.
This novel is entirely fictional, and none of the characters are based on people I know. However, my experience as ‘mother of the bride’ has given me an insight into some of the complications which can arise when organising a wedding within a complex family situation. I have also learned a lot about the massive business empire, which has more recently developed around the UK wedding industry.
I would particularly like to thank the following businesses in my hometown of Bexhill for allowing me to use them as part of the setting for this novel.

The Club at the Waterfront
Buenos Aires Guest House
Avra Café Pizza House
That’s Amore Café

Claire Baldry
Contents
Part One

Chapter One
Monday Lunch
Chapter Two
Farewell to Jack
Chapter Three
Alison’s News
Chapter Four
Belmont Grange
Chapter Five
Jessica’s News
Chapter Six
The Phone Call
Chapter Seven
Saturday Lunch
Chapter Eight
Sunday Lunch
Chapter Nine
Hospital
Chapter Ten
Second Date
Chapter Eleven
Charlotte’s News
Chapter Twelve
The Storm
Chapter Thirteen
Eastbourne
Chapter Fourteen
The Tea Party
Chapter Fifteen
Jess Meets Angie
Chapter Sixteen
The Wedding Co-ordinator

Part Two

Chapter Seventeen
The Looked-After Child
Chapter Eighteen
Abuse
Chapter Nineteen
Flight
Chapter Twenty
Orchid House
Chapter Twenty-One
The Private Detective
Chapter Twenty-Two
Homeless
Chapter Twenty-Three
The Guest House
Chapter Twenty-Four
A Home of Her Own
Chapter Twenty-Five
A New Look

Part Three

Chapter Twenty-Six
Champagne with Alison
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Falling Out
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Beer with Ollie
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Charlotte Meets Jess
Chapter Thirty
Wedding Dress and Hat
Chapter Thirty-One
Mother of the Bride Outfit
Chapter Thirty-Two
Wedding Flowers
Chapter Thirty-Three
The Sandwich Lady
Chapter Thirty-Four
The EGM
Chapter Thirty-Five
Hens and Stags
Chapter Thirty-Six
Supply Teaching
Chapter Thirty-Seven
The Accident
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The Secret
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Farewell to Eastbourne
Chapter Forty
TV and Flowers
Chapter Forty-One
Farewell to Alison
Chapter Forty-Two
My Daughter’s Wedding

Part One
Chapter One
Monday Lunch
Angie was fastening her jacket when the phone rang. “Mum, it’s me. I need a favour.”
“Ask quickly then. I’ve got my jacket on. I was on my way out.”
“Why on earth are you wearing a jacket? It’s boiling out there.” Angie was irritated by her daughter’s increasing habit of treating her like a child.
“It’s breezy on Bexhill seafront. What do you want, Charlotte? I’m in a hurry.”
“Can you pick Joe up from school on Wednesday? His dad’s let me down again.”
“No, I’m sorry Charlotte, I can’t. It’s Uncle Jack’s funeral on Wednesday.”
Angie could hear daughter’s annoyance. “I still don’t see why you have to go. You didn’t like him.”
“I’m the only one left now on Grandpa’s side. I’m going to represent the family.”
“Uncle Jack won’t know you’re there.”
“I’m just doing what I believe is right. Sorry about Joe, but you’ll have to find someone else. Charlotte, I have to go.” Angie put down the phone. She grabbed her bag and stepped out of her flat and onto the wide landing. She deliberately walked past the lift and descended the four flights of stairs.
“I am not yet old,” she told herself, “I have a right to my own life.” The July sun was strong. Angie began to feel hot as she hurried along the promenade. She was pleased Charlotte wasn’t watching as she removed her jacket. By the time she reached the little Thai restaurant, her friend Alison was already seated at a table. Alison waved an empty glass at Angie.
“Wine? You look flustered.”
“I am flustered, and yes please. Well done for remembering to bring the bottle.” The restaurant wasn’t licensed, so the two friends took it in turns to bring wine to their weekly lunch.
“Let me guess, it’s Charlotte.”
Angie let out an exaggerated sigh. “She talks down to me as if I’m senile. And she forgets I have a right to a life of my own. I’m her mother, not her servant.”
“Drink,” instructed Alison.
“Sorry, I shouldn’t let her get to me. How are you? How was the doctor’s?”
“The blood test showed no signs of cancer, but he’s referring me for a scan just as a precaution. He thinks the bloating might be caused by gallstones. I feel much more positive.”
“That’s brilliant news.”

The two women glanced briefly at the menu. This was an unnecessary part of their routine, since they always ordered the same set lunch. As soon as the dishes arrived, the pair absorbed themselves in food and conversation with a closeness which could only be achieved through longstanding friendship. No one, who saw them, could have doubted their intimacy, despite the obvious differences in their choice of fashion and hairstyle. Angie’s outfit was tailored and co-ordinated and accompanied by manicured nails and expensively cut and highlighted hair. Alison had the appearance of every item of clothing having been thrown together on the off-chance that the combination might work. Her hands were worn through years of meticulous attention to her garden. Her long heavy locks were whisked away from her face by a large ornate metal clip. Every so often she would remove the clip and pul