He hadn’t meant to say it. Not really, but the moment the words came out of his mouth, Lily had blushed and he realized that he liked that look on her. It was different to the calm control he’d seen from her in the kitchen or the fiery anger sparking gold-coloured daggers in his direction. It made her look … younger. Happier.

He really didn’t care about the estate providing the wine for the wedding. Or taking the hit on the cost of the staff. He’d read enough of the email exchanges back and forth between Lily and his father as they’d discussed Victoria’s wedding to know how much was being fronted by the estate. It wasn’t about the money – although he could imagine that was why Lily had thought he’d cancelled the wedding in the first place. It wasn’t as if he needed it. He’d already decided that the money from the sale of the estate would be put into the running of the Aubery App. He could see, now, that it looked petty and mean. But it hadn’t been for any of those reasons that he’d cancelled it. It was that he hadn’t wanted this. Hadn’t wanted the involvement of it. Hadn’t wanted it to become part of his memories of the place. Memories that were – for the most part – not bloody great to say the least. In truth, he hadn’t wanted to be, once again, on the outside looking in.

Clearing his throat and the thoughts from his mind, he turned towards the counter for another coffee, knowing it would ruin his chances of sleep again later that night, but not caring.

‘So, I’m assuming that you’ve just given me the bare bones,’ he judged as he took a mouthful of the dark rich liquid.

‘Of?’

‘The wedding. Surely there’s a lot more fancery going on.’

She smiled ruefully. ‘But you don’t need to worry about that. The flowers, the decorations, the photographer, the band—’

‘There’s a band?’

‘Are all sorted, as is the food, which Annabelle and I are going to cover,’ she pressed on.

‘So where’s the mood board?’

‘I don’t have a mood board.’

‘I don’t believe you,’ he teased.

‘OK. Maybe I do have one … but this wedding is important, Henry.’

‘I get that. But don’t they have a wedding planner?’ he asked, a bit in awe of just how much she’d taken on, especially given the time she needed to put into her own restaurant.

‘Yes, but she’s based in London and doesn’t know the estate.’

‘I’m not sure that I agreed to all this.’

‘You did!’

‘It sounds like,’ he was going to say a bloody nightmare, but the look in Lily’s eyes was so damn hopeful. ‘It sounds perfect for Victoria and Oliver Russell.’

‘Not to your taste, then?’