Kate's Wedding Read Online Free PDF

‘He’s got no one to look after him.’
    Elaine made a grab for her husband’s hand and squeezed until his fingers went white.
    Kate knew that her mother was imagining a day when John might be the one tottering towards the bottle bank with no comfort but a bottle of whisky.
    The arrival of Kate’s sister for lunch was a huge relief.
    ‘Why didn’t you tell me what was going on?’ Kate hissed when their parents were safely in the kitchen.
    ‘No one wanted to rain on your parade, stupid. You’ve waited long enough to bag your Mr Right.’
    ‘I can’t believe I was off on another planet like that while Mum and Dad have had so much to think about. I would never have acted like such a selfish cow going on and on about me and Ian.’
    ‘Kate, believe me, the thought of your wedding has really cheered them up. Your news came at exactly the right time.’
    ‘I feel like an idiot. I should have guessed.’
    ‘There’s no point beating yourself up,’ said Tess. ‘We’re not going to know anything for certain until Mum gets the results, so we’ve just got to keep calm and carry on. And keep Mum and Dad distracted.’
    ‘How can we do that? I feel like Pollyanna talking about anything but Mum’s health right now.’
    ‘How about . . .’ Tess suggested that a trip to a bridal-wear shop might cheer their mother up.
    ‘What? Today? I haven’t really thought about what I want to wear yet,’ Kate protested.
    ‘Well, there’s no harm in seeing what’s out there. It’s just an outing. We could go to Bride on Time.’
    ‘The prom-dress place above the supermarket? You’re kidding. Ian and I aren’t planning a wedding with a trailer-park theme.’
    But Tess insisted. ‘I hear that’s where all the local brides go. Apparently, it’s not as tacky as it looks once you get upstairs. There’s a woman there used to work for Vivienne Westwood.’
    When Elaine heard the plan, she clapped her hands together and a proper smile appeared on her face for the first time that day.
    ‘I’ve always wanted to see you in a wedding dress.’
    Kate was suddenly acutely aware that at thirty-nine, she had kept her mother waiting longer than most.
    ‘OK,’ said Kate, resigning herself to the idea. ‘We’ll go to Bride on Time.’
    Still, as she made the call, she crossed her fingers and prayed there would be no chance of an appointment before she had to go back to London. No such luck. As it happened, there had been a cancellation. Melanie Harris and her team would be delighted to see Kate that very afternoon.

Chapter Seven
    Diana had long since decided that she would be getting her wedding dress from Bride on Time. It was where her best friend Nicole’s sister, Gemma, had bought her dress – a fabulous hand-embroidered number called Evangeline that cost more than her first car. Diana’s cousin Grace had also bought her dress there. And Grace’s sister-in-law. And Diana’s next-door neighbour. And Diana’s colleague Jane. Everyone who was anyone within a fifty-mile radius had to be a Bride on Time bride. All the girls recommended Melanie Harris in particular.
    ‘You have to make sure you get an appointment with her ,’ said Gemma, ‘the boss. Or Heidi, who used to work for Vivienne Westwood. You don’t want one of the juniors, who don’t know what they’re doing.’
    Diana duly booked an appointment with the boss for 29 October.
    It was the first in a series of wedding-related appointments in Diana’s diary. She had pencilled most of them in even before the weekend at Cliveden. She had also, unknown to Ben, been collecting cuttings from wedding magazines and Sunday supplements for years. The length of time that had elapsed since Diana began her ‘wedding folder’ was evidenced by the changing styles of the dresses she had clipped. In the past couple of years, Diana had been erring towards simple shapes that were almost more evening dress than traditional wedding gown, but there were genuine meringues among