‘Both it is,’ Camille confirmed. ‘Right, I’ll leave you to get the flowers where you want them. Sound system and speakers are all plugged in, you can connect your phone to the Bluetooth and we’ve got microphones over there if you need them. Didn’t know if you wanted chairs or not but they’re stacked in the corner. I’ll get rid of ’em if you don’t want ’em. If you need anything else, I’ll be in the kitchen.’

‘Is John here?’ I asked, attempting nonchalance but ending up somewhere in between ‘shrill’ and ‘hysterical dolphin’.

Camille stopped halfway down the stairs and shook her head. ‘Nope.’

‘He’s not?’ I breathed out slowly. Was I relieved or disappointed? I couldn’t tell. ‘Good. I mean, oh. I mean—’

‘Why don’t you start getting ready?’ Sumi suggested. ‘Me and Ade will put the flowers out, we’ve got the cake, Jo’s with your mum. All you need to do is put your frock on and have a quiet minute.’

‘Thank you,’ I said, feeling flustered all at once. ‘You’re amazing.’

‘We are, it’s true,’ Adrian replied as he began unstacking chairs and placing them in rows, facing the front of the room. ‘Now get out the way before I push you down the stairs.’

‘Best friends ever,’ I whispered, doing exactly as I was told.

At least I don’t have to use the gents this time, I thought, letting myself into the ladies with a pair of heels in one hand and a garment bag in the other. I sat down on the pink leatherette bench in front of a large, well-lit mirror and took in the woman who looked back at me.

Once my hair was up in a twist that more or less looked as though I’d done it on purpose, I shuffled out of my mum’s leggings and Dad’s T-shirt (all my clean clothes having been lost to the great flood) and unzipped the front of the garment bag. I’d been worried about the bridesmaids’ dresses, given Mum’s recent sartorial adventures, but she had outdone herself. My dress was pale lavender, floor-length, sleeveless and truly beautiful. The material was soft, slipping between my fingers as I held it up against me before stepping into the gown and pulling it up around my waist. Checking my reflection, I picked up the two long sashes that fell from the waist and held them out like wings. What was I supposed to do with these? Letting them float back down to the floor, I turned my attention to my bra, unhooking it under my dress and slipping my arms out the straps.

‘Ros?’

The door opened right as I whipped my bra out from inside my dress, the bodice and its wings flopping down around my waist.

‘Don’t come in!’ I yelped, crossing my arms over my chest.