telephone began to ring in the corner of the room. `Get that, somebody, would you?'
`Where's the present?' shouted someone.
`Yes,' said Mark Taylor. `Where is the present?'
Ìt's being delivered,' said a woman to Milly's left. Ìt's off the list. A covered vegetable dish. I've got a picture of it.'
`Very nice,' said Mark Taylor. He raised his voice. `The present is a covered vegetable dish off the list!
Sally's got a picture, if anyone's interested.'
`But there should be a card,' said Sally. `Where's the card?'
`Here it is!' said the woman in the red jacket.
There was a small silence as Simon ripped open the huge envelope and opened a large card with two teddy bears on the front. He scanned the signatures, laughing every so often; looking up and nodding to people as he read their messages. Milly looked over his shoulder. Most of the jokes were about targets and quarter-pages and, bewilderingly, something called Powerlink.
`Great,' said Simon eventually. Ì'm really touched.'
`Speech!' yelled someone.
Ì'm not going to make a speech,' said Simon.
`Thank the Lord!' interjected someone else.
Simon took a sip of fizzy wine.
`But I just wanted to say,' he said, `for those of you who thought the most important thing in my life was beating Eric's insane monthly targets' there was a small laugh-'or demolishing Andy at darts ...'
There was a bigger laugh, and Simon smiled.
`For all of you,' he said, Ì've got some news. You're wrong.' He paused. `The most important thing in my life is standing next to me.' He took Milly's hand, and there was a small sigh from some of the girls.
`This woman,' he said, `for those of you who don't know her, is the most beautiful, sweet-natured, open and giving woman in the world and I'm truly honoured that, on Saturday, she will become my wife. I feel very lucky.'
There was a short silence, then in muted tones someone said, `To Milly and Simon.'
`To Milly and Simon,' chorused the others obediently. Milly looked up at Simon's happy, unaware face and felt a sudden misery come over her.
Ì'll see you all in the pub!' added Simon. The crowd began to disperse and he smiled down at Milly.
`Did I embarrass you?'
`Just a bit,' said Milly, trying to smile back. Her skin was prickling with guilt and her insides felt clenched by a strong, bony hand.
Ì just had to tell everyone how I feel,' said Simon. He stroked her hair tenderly. `Sometimes I can't believe how much I love you.' A sudden rush of tears came to Milly's eyes.
`Don't,' she said. `Don't.'
`Look at you!' said Simon, tracing her tears with his thumb. Òh, sweetheart. Do you want a hanky?'
`Thanks,' gulped Milly. She mopped at her face and took a couple of deep breaths.
`Simon!' A cheerful voice interrupted them. `Your round, I believe!'
'OK!' said Simon, grinning. `Give me a minute.'
`Simon,' said Milly quickly. `Would you mind if I didn't come to the pub?'
Òh,' said Simon. His face fell.
Ì'm just feeling a bit tired,' said Milly. Ì don't really feel up to' she gestured-'all of this.'
`Simon!' yelled someone. `You coming or what?'
`Hang on!' called Simon. He touched Milly's face gently. `Would you rather we went off somewhere, just the two of us?'
Milly looked at him and had a sudden vision of the two of them in a secluded restaurant. They would sit tucked away at a corner table. They would eat risotto and drink mellow red wine. And slowly, quietly, she would tell him the truth.
`No,' she said. `You go and have fun. I'll have an early night.'
`You're sure?'
`Yes.' She pulled his face down and kissed it. `Go on. I'll talk to you tomorrow.'
She arrived home wanting to go straight to bed. As she took off her coat she heard voices in the kitchen, and winced as it occurred to her that Aunt Jean might have arrived early. But when she pushed open the door, it was Isobel she saw, standing on a kitchen chair, wearing a pink bridesmaid's dress and with a garland of dried flowers in her hair.
Ìsobel!' she exclaimed, feeling
`Where's the present?' shouted someone.
`Yes,' said Mark Taylor. `Where is the present?'
Ìt's being delivered,' said a woman to Milly's left. Ìt's off the list. A covered vegetable dish. I've got a picture of it.'
`Very nice,' said Mark Taylor. He raised his voice. `The present is a covered vegetable dish off the list!
Sally's got a picture, if anyone's interested.'
`But there should be a card,' said Sally. `Where's the card?'
`Here it is!' said the woman in the red jacket.
There was a small silence as Simon ripped open the huge envelope and opened a large card with two teddy bears on the front. He scanned the signatures, laughing every so often; looking up and nodding to people as he read their messages. Milly looked over his shoulder. Most of the jokes were about targets and quarter-pages and, bewilderingly, something called Powerlink.
`Great,' said Simon eventually. Ì'm really touched.'
`Speech!' yelled someone.
Ì'm not going to make a speech,' said Simon.
`Thank the Lord!' interjected someone else.
Simon took a sip of fizzy wine.
`But I just wanted to say,' he said, `for those of you who thought the most important thing in my life was beating Eric's insane monthly targets' there was a small laugh-'or demolishing Andy at darts ...'
There was a bigger laugh, and Simon smiled.
`For all of you,' he said, Ì've got some news. You're wrong.' He paused. `The most important thing in my life is standing next to me.' He took Milly's hand, and there was a small sigh from some of the girls.
`This woman,' he said, `for those of you who don't know her, is the most beautiful, sweet-natured, open and giving woman in the world and I'm truly honoured that, on Saturday, she will become my wife. I feel very lucky.'
There was a short silence, then in muted tones someone said, `To Milly and Simon.'
`To Milly and Simon,' chorused the others obediently. Milly looked up at Simon's happy, unaware face and felt a sudden misery come over her.
Ì'll see you all in the pub!' added Simon. The crowd began to disperse and he smiled down at Milly.
`Did I embarrass you?'
`Just a bit,' said Milly, trying to smile back. Her skin was prickling with guilt and her insides felt clenched by a strong, bony hand.
Ì just had to tell everyone how I feel,' said Simon. He stroked her hair tenderly. `Sometimes I can't believe how much I love you.' A sudden rush of tears came to Milly's eyes.
`Don't,' she said. `Don't.'
`Look at you!' said Simon, tracing her tears with his thumb. Òh, sweetheart. Do you want a hanky?'
`Thanks,' gulped Milly. She mopped at her face and took a couple of deep breaths.
`Simon!' A cheerful voice interrupted them. `Your round, I believe!'
'OK!' said Simon, grinning. `Give me a minute.'
`Simon,' said Milly quickly. `Would you mind if I didn't come to the pub?'
Òh,' said Simon. His face fell.
Ì'm just feeling a bit tired,' said Milly. Ì don't really feel up to' she gestured-'all of this.'
`Simon!' yelled someone. `You coming or what?'
`Hang on!' called Simon. He touched Milly's face gently. `Would you rather we went off somewhere, just the two of us?'
Milly looked at him and had a sudden vision of the two of them in a secluded restaurant. They would sit tucked away at a corner table. They would eat risotto and drink mellow red wine. And slowly, quietly, she would tell him the truth.
`No,' she said. `You go and have fun. I'll have an early night.'
`You're sure?'
`Yes.' She pulled his face down and kissed it. `Go on. I'll talk to you tomorrow.'
She arrived home wanting to go straight to bed. As she took off her coat she heard voices in the kitchen, and winced as it occurred to her that Aunt Jean might have arrived early. But when she pushed open the door, it was Isobel she saw, standing on a kitchen chair, wearing a pink bridesmaid's dress and with a garland of dried flowers in her hair.
Ìsobel!' she exclaimed, feeling
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