He grinned. “You are, of course.” He pecked her on the lips, before getting up to take a few shots himself. His long legs were encased in his black work trousers, his baby blue shirt still tucked in. She imagined he’d probably been like that at school, too. Neat, precise. It was what she expected when they moved in after they got married. But she had all that to come. She hoped she could cope. She wasn’t all that tidy herself, so perhaps the question should be, would Marcus be able to cope with her? They were getting married in a handful of weeks, moving in together right after that. She guessed she was about to find out.

Marcus turned to her, leaning on his club. “So, was the golf ball my mother?” He didn’t wait for an answer, just swung, and missed. He connected the second time, hitting the ball into the air. When he turned back, he was still waiting for her answer.

She shook her head. It hadn’t been. She would never take a golf club to his mother. “It’s just an outlet. Aren’t I allowed one?”

“Of course.” He grabbed a ball from the box to his right, bending to steady it on the scuffed white tee, before looking back. “But I also know she was a bit much earlier. A little… intense. We can totally do it your way. Our way. We don’t have to have all those speeches, all that stuff.”

Abby splayed her hands, trying to stop her anger bubbling up. It wasn’t Marcus’s fault. He was the opposite of his mother. How that wound-up, sanctimonious woman had given birth to such a calm, measured man was a mystery to her. It wasn’t even like his father was the role model either. At last count, Gordon had about three separate mistresses.

No, Marcus had turned out the way he had despite his upbringing. Which was why their wedding having to involve his family so much was more than just a rub.

“It’s not so simple, is it? According to your mother, there are a lot of family traditions we have to uphold. Ways of doing things was the phrase she kept emphasising, I believe?” By the fifth time she’d said it, Abby had wanted to scream that she got it, but that wasn’t appropriate behaviour towards her future mother-in-law. Not when this was only the fourth time they’d met. Did Marjorie approve of Abby? Probably not.

Abby was pretty sure most mothers thought the woman their son was about to marry wasn’t worthy of them, but Marjorie appeared to take it to a whole new level today. The next few weeks were going to be trying. Especially with all the extra bridal things Abby was expected to do now she was becoming a Montgomery.