‘I wish you would,’ replied Lucille, her beautiful aquamarine eyes beaming out hostility. Under her breath, she added: ‘Permanently.’

Meredith simply raised a dismissive eyebrow and turned round to find herself barging straight into Philippe, who was almost running in the opposite direction.

The sudden surprise made her, Meredith Harding, queen of cool, drop Sophie’s six-page list all over the floor. ‘Don’t worry,’ she protested, as he bent down to help her pick the pages up. ‘You’re obviously in a hurry.’

Before she had time to wonder if he’d come to see Lucille, he answered the question for her. ‘Have either of you, by any chance, seen my father?’ he asked anxiously. Meredith noticed there were dark smudges under his eyes, giving him an even more piratical look than usual.

It was on Lucille’s lips to say that really his father ought to be in a home, but she stopped herself in time, remembering how fiercely Philippe was resisting this.

‘No, I’m so sorry,’ Meredith replied. ‘I’ll tell the others to keep an eye out.’

‘He went to the restaurant and was told I was here helping with the cake.’ Philippe turned to Lucille. ‘Could you let Jean-Christophe know he might turn up, and to call me if he does?’

‘Of course.’ Lucille produced her usual catlike smile. ‘I will tell him at once.’

‘You’re going to have a busy day,’ said Philippe as soon as Lucille had disappeared.

‘We are. But this is what it’s going to be like when we get going, so it’s good practice.’

‘Good luck.’ He reached out a hand and held her free one for a brief second. ‘And remember, if you ever need me, I’m always at the end of the phone.’

Nicky looked out of the window while her sister and the bridesmaids fluttered about, making sure their hair looked good and they had their little bags of confetti.

Down below, she could see Martin sharing a drink with the ushers. Emma was still standing nearby, smiling flirtatiously.

Deep inside, a tectonic plate shifted. She had a choice: let this go, or put a stop to it.

Meredith, having made sure the bride’s father was ready for his role in taking Nicky to the wedding pavilion, now went to check on the bride.

She found Nicky still staring out of the window. ‘Are you OK?’ she asked quietly, so the others couldn’t hear. ‘You seem a bit preoccupied. Do bridal nerves really exist?’

Nicky came to a decision. ‘Meredith, could you do something for me? Can you go down there and tell Martin – discreetly, of course – that I’m not coming down unless he tells that woman next to him, the one in lurid turquoise, to leave? She’s his old girlfriend, and she’s trying to persuade him to do a runner.’

‘How the hell did she get on the guest list without you vetoing her?’