The Desperate Bride’s Diet Club by Alison Sherlock Page B

posse, most of whom were from his office. She knewhe was still making a point of ignoring her and she kept being elbowed out of the way until she was moved to the outside of the group.
    She tried to nod and smile along but found herself unable to fake laughter at their inane jokes. Perhaps it would have helped if she were drunk too but she was driving so she was sober. And miserable.
    A couple of the girls started asking about her wedding dress.Violet shook her head, saying she hadn’t decided yet. But she knew what they were thinking. Where is she going to get a dress that fits?
    A secretary who worked with Sebastian said there was an outsize bridal dress shop near her. Great. Violet’s cheeks burned as she smiled politely. The woman was trying to be helpful but Violet was beginning to feel ill.
    In the end, she couldn’t bear the scrutinyso she went to the ladies’ toilets and locked herself away in a cubicle. There, she tried to take deep breaths to compose herself.
    It must be wonderful to have self-assurance, thought Violet. To be confident amongst people. She had never had that luxury. Violet had spent her whole adult life trying to hide in a corner, trying to be invisible.
    She heard the door sweep open and the clink-clinkof high heels on tiles.
    ‘This is so bloody dull,’ crowed one of the girls.
    Violet recognised her voice as one of Sebastian’s work colleagues. She couldn’t remember her name.
    ‘Why don’t we just leave?’ whined her friend. ‘That bitch Samantha won’t notice. She’s out of her head on Bacardi Breezers.’
    ‘Very classy for a bride. Look, just give me another half-hour.’
    ‘Is that how long it will takeyou to get a snog off Sebastian?’
    They both giggled.
    Violet gaped at them from behind the door.
    ‘He’s all right, I suppose,’ said one of the women.
    ‘All right? He hit the ugly tree on every branch, I reckon.’
    They both giggled.
    ‘But his body’s quite fit.’
    ‘Yeah and you owe me five pounds if you don’t get to kiss him.’
    ‘You’re mean. Fancy making me a bet when I was drunk.’
    There was ashort silence whilst they fiddled around in their handbags, presumably to find and renew their make-up.
    Violet stared at the closed door in front of her. Her Sebastian? Her saviour? Ugly? No, he wasn’t. Was he? No, she was sure of it. Why else would she be with him?
    She shocked herself with a sudden thought. Perhaps she could do better? OK, so maybe her fiancé wasn’t a handsome man like, say,Mark from work. He was drop dead gorgeous. All the girls said so.
    But Sebastian wasn’t a hobbit, even if he was a bit shorter than she was. Yes, he could be childish on occasion but that was only because his mum had smothered him when he was growing up. And yes, he did cheat on her. But that was because he and Violet had had a row and he had gone off and got drunk. Besides, he always hated itwhen she disagreed with him about something.
    Sebastian was lovely, she told herself. He was everything. And he was the only man who had ever wanted her.
    ‘What about his fiancée?’ came a voice from outside of the cubicle.
    The other girl gave a snort of derision. ‘Did you see the state of her? What does she look like?’
    ‘Why is he marrying her?’ asked the friend.
    ‘Out of pity, I expect. Or maybeshe’s loaded with money. It certainly isn’t for her looks.’
    They giggled once more.
    ‘What will she look like as a bride?’
    ‘She’ll probably need to hire a marquee. To wear, I mean!’
    They both hooted with laughter and were still giggling when they left.
    Violet stood up, trying to take it all in. She held on to the wall for support, her head reeling. Then she turned around and retched into thetoilet.
    Thankfully there wasn’t much to come up as she had picked at her dinner. But she retched over and over again. Finally, she flushed the toilet, put down the lid and sank down.
    Violet felt the tears roll down her cheeks. Those two bitchy girls had been