She left the east wing and made her way down the central staircase into the grand hallway and turned, bumping straight into Anabelle, the estate’s head chef.

‘Lily!’ she cried, taking her into a warm, strong hug.

‘Annabelle,’ Lily replied, when Annabelle released her, blushing and hoping that she hadn’t been seen coming down from the guest suites. No shame. No shame, she told herself sternly. ‘What are you doing here?’

‘Are you OK?’ the small, wiry woman asked, her head to one side as if that would somehow magically help divine what was going on with Lily.

‘Yes, of course.’

‘Then you’re ready?’

‘Ready?’

‘Lily?’

‘Mmm?’ Lily was thoroughly confused, still half keeping an eye out for Henry, and wondering … Oh!

‘Ah, now you remember.’

‘Of course I do! I’m sorry. I … I haven’t had any coffee yet this morning.’

‘So eager to get up here and crack on with the wedding breakfast run-through.’

‘And the cakes.’

‘Yes! Now, I wanted to talk to you about that. Are you sure about the wedding cake plans, I mean it does seem quite—’

‘Coffee first? Please?’ Lily asked, comically pulling on her old friend’s elbow and dragging her to the counter where the machine was, thankfully, already on. She wondered if that had been Henry.

‘I don’t suppose, I mean … Have you seen Henry this morning?’

‘Ahh,’ said Annabelle knowingly.

‘Don’t ahh me. Coffee should be the first thing to scold me this early in the morning,’ Lily replied, refusing to meet her gaze, while the older woman chuckled.

‘Early?’ Annabelle teased.

‘Henry?’ she almost pleaded.

‘Was here this morning, up and about before I got here. With very explicit instructions for you.’ The word ‘explicit’ exploded in Lily’s mind and she had to force the sudden spike in her pulse back down. Utterly oblivious to the effect of her words, Annabelle pressed on. ‘You are not allowed to go down to the beach until you’re with the girls at six tonight.’

‘What?’

‘You are officially banned from the beach until tonight. He said, and I quote, It’s taken care of. Including the boat. He said that it’s back at the harbour.’

‘Oh,’ Lily said, more to herself and not really liking the thought that she’d been shut out of the hen party preparations. What if he got it wrong, what if the decorations weren’t placed the way she’d intended? What if—

‘Now,’ Annabelle said, pressing a small espresso cup into her hands, ‘we have thirty sponges to talk about. Thirty? Really?’

‘Well, technically they’re layers, so it’s really only ten cakes …’