A Vintage Wedding by Katie Fforde

together at mine when it’s ready,’ said Lindy.
    ‘Or mine,’ said Beth.
    ‘I’d rather it was at mine, if you don’t mind, Beth. I don’t like asking my family to babysit if I can avoid it.’
    ‘Oh no, that’s OK! Mine’s really small anyway.’
    Lindy went on, as if worried in case Beth was offended: ‘I’ve always been a bit frightened of putting things on eBay. I need to learn how to do it.’
    ‘I’ll show you. It’s not that hard,’ said Beth.
    ‘We’ve all got a lot to learn, one way or another,’ said Rachel. Although she wasn’t looking at him, she was thinking about Raff. What she needed to learn was how to deal with people like him.
    The girls chatted some more and then Lindy and Rachel left Beth to her serving duties and headed home. The pub became busier as the evening wore on and Beth certainly earned her keep. Her mother might not think being a barmaid was up to much but Beth really enjoyed it and was gratified that Sukey seemed very pleased with her. And it had been great to see Charlie again, albeit briefly as he’d had to dash off to sort out something on the farm. All in all, it had been a lovely evening.

Chapter Seven

    It was Saturday and Beth and Rachel were standing outside the hall, having both arrived at the same time. It was Chippingford Village Hall transformation day – or a giving it a fresh lick of paint day anyway.
    ‘At least it won’t show if you get paint on it,’ said Beth, looking at Rachel’s pristine boiler suit with surprise. A pair of old jeans and jumper had been enough for her but perhaps Rachel didn’t own such things. Beth thought perhaps she didn’t; Rachel was always so well groomed.
    Rachel shrugged. ‘That’s what I thought.’
    ‘Is it new?’ asked Beth, obviously not ready to ignore what Rachel considered the proper gear for painting in.
    ‘No. Just clean. Now, what’s the plan?’ Rachel wanted to get on with it. She hadn’t been in the hall since the night the three of them met and she wanted to see just what sort of condition it was in.
    ‘It’s unlocked and people have arrived already. Lindy will come if she can but obviously on a Saturday she’s got her boys, and I’m not sure if her dad can help out or not.’
    ‘Well, let’s get in there!’
    Rachel checked that Raff wasn’t one of the early arrivals and then chatted for a bit with the people who were there. There was Bob, whom she remembered from the first event in the hall, and a couple of people she’d spotted in the pub. Then she did what she was desperate to do: investigate the decorative order of the hall. The fact it was so gloomy even though all the lights were on and it was a bright day did not bode well.
    Rachel found Sarah in a cubbyhole with a sink and a broken electric cooker that described itself as a kitchen. ‘So who’s in charge of the painting?’
    Sarah, who had a smudge of dirt on her face already, regarded Rachel. ‘As chairman I appoint you to be in charge of anything you’d like to take charge of. I’m worrying about this kitchen, which you wouldn’t cook dog food in, given a choice.’
    ‘Did you tell April there was a kitchen in the hall?’
    Sarah shook her head. ‘I can’t remember what I told her. I just wish I hadn’t had this mad idea. This place is a dump and we can’t change that in just under a month.’
    Rachel, who had been feeling pretty pessimistic about it all herself, instantly felt proactive and protective. ‘Don’t worry. We can sort this. When Raff gets here I’ll see if he can get one of those paint sprayers. We can have the whole place white and clean-looking in a couple of days.’ Although as soon as the words were out of her mouth she realised how incredibly hard they’d have to work.
    Sarah looked sheepish. ‘Lindy said you weren’t to have anything to do with Raff and I mustn’t encourage him to go near you.’
    Rachel smiled. ‘I can handle Raff. Lindy needn’t worry.’
    As she left Sarah looking at her