Jennifer Joyce - The Wedding that Changed Everything - a gorgeously uplifting romantic comedy

‘So? What do you think?’ Alice leans in close to me, one hand on her chest, breath held.

‘I think I’d quite liked to get drunk on these cocktails.’

Alice sighs, her hand slipping back down to her side. ‘We had a deal, remember? You have to take this seriously.’

‘Sorry.’ Not sorry . ‘I will take it seriously. Very seriously. But I can’t promise to fall head over heels for him. We might not be compatible at all. You can’t force that kind of thing.’

‘I know.’ Alice takes my hand and gives it a squeeze. ‘But don’t worry, honey. There are plenty more fish in the ballroom. Your Prince Charming is here somewhere, and we’ll find him. Trust me.’

Chapter Ten

Alice sweeps me around the room, introducing me to eligible bachelor after eligible bachelor, each seeming more weird or pompous than the last. My feet are aching and I’m in dire need of a Poison Apple top-up, but there’s no stopping my friend in her mission to pair me up. We’ve devised a clever code, so as not to hurt any feelings – Alice’s idea, not mine – where Alice, after initiating a little get-to-know-you session between us, will ask if I’d like a drink. If I say, ‘no, I’m fine, thanks’, I’m giving the guy the thumbs up and Alice will slink away. If I say, ‘yes, let’s go to the bar!’, I’m giving a definite thumbs down and off we toddle.

Alice isn’t deterred in the slightest that I’ve rejected each and every one of them.

We’ve yet to make it back to the bar, though.

‘You have got to meet my second cousin, Owen. He’s a little camp, but if you believe the gossip, he’s totally into women and isn’t lacking in that department.’ Alice doesn’t even have to tug on my hand; I’ve become completely resigned to her mission and stopped fighting it several eligible bachelors ago. My aim for the evening is to play along with her meet and greets, ignoring my poor, throbbing feet, until I can feign exhaustion and crawl into bed.

‘Alice!’ Before we can make it to Owen – who, I can already tell, even from a distance, is way more than a little camp – we’re derailed by Francelia. I never thought I’d be so glad to see the woman, but she’s like my guardian angel, swooping in to save me from another matchmaking attempt. ‘Have you seen Carolyn? She’s had a little tiff with Piers, apparently, and I need to make sure they smooth things over. Nothing is going to ruin this wedding after all the effort I’ve put in.’

‘I haven’t seen her.’ Alice starts to wring her hands while her eyes dart around the crowded room. ‘What was the row about? Nothing major, I hope?’

Francelia throws her hands up in the air. ‘Goodness knows! You know how dramatic your sister can be.’

‘Carolyn isn’t…’ Alice starts to say, but Francelia isn’t listening. She sighs and brings a hand up to rest on her unnaturally smooth forehead.

‘Do you realise how stressful planning a wedding is? No, of course you don’t. What a ridiculous question! You’d need an actual engagement for that. Or a boyfriend at the very least.’ She sighs again and clamps a hand down on her hip. ‘I heard there was a bit of a scene at dinner. Can you please keep yourself out of trouble? You don’t want to embarrass your father and I, do you?’

Alice opens her mouth to speak – to defend herself – but Francelia is already striding away.

‘Right.’ Alice does a good job of faking cheer as she turns to me, smile fixed in place, head held high. ‘Let’s go and find your Prince Charming.’

I want to say no thank you, let’s not. I want to say I’m too knackered to have another lap of the ballroom. I want to kick off my shoes and curl up in bed. But I don’t do any of these things. I can’t. Not after Francelia’s little dig. Because as jolly as Alice appears to be, I know she isn’t. So, grudgingly, I decide to go along with it for just a little bit longer.

I’m ready for calling it quits when Alice suddenly squeals, grabs my hand and pulls me away from the second or third cousin (they’re all blending together into one boring mass by now) I’ve been listening to drone on and on for the past ten minutes (is that all it was? It felt like much longer, believe me). I’m mid-fake laugh as I’m wrenched away and plonked in front of Archie, the star of the show as far as Alice is concerned.

‘There you are!’ Alice throws her arms around Archie and gives him a tight squeeze. ‘We’ve been looking for you everywhere. It’s so good to see you!’

‘It’s good to see you too.’ Archie steps back so Alice is at arm’s length, though they’re still grasping one another. ‘It’s been too long. I’ve missed you.’ Archie adopts a stern voice, his head dipping towards Alice. ‘You shouldn’t have stayed away.’

Alice squirms out of his grasp and looks down at the floor. ‘I know, but all that stuff with the necklace…’

‘Hey.’ Archie cups Alice’s chin and brings her gaze back up to his. ‘Everyone who matters believed you. Carolyn, Tom, me. We know you’d never do anything like that.’

Alice nods, but she doesn’t look any happier.

‘Come here.’ Archie opens his arms and Alice falls into them, resting her cheek on his chest. He drops a kiss on the top of her head. ‘I really have missed you, Alice in Wonderland.’

Alice in Wonderland?

Archie catches my eye over the top of Alice’s head and smiles. ‘It was our nickname for Alice when we were kids.’

Alice giggles as she straightens. ‘I’d forgotten about that, Archibald the Great .’

Archie holds up his hands as he says to me, ‘That wasn’t my choice. I’m not that egotistical.’

‘Not like Queen Carolyn,’ Alice says with a giggle. ‘She insisted on that one.’

‘We’ll have to think of a nickname for you,’ Archie tells me. ‘If you’re to become part of the gang.’

Alice widens her eyes at me, her hands clasped and her lips pressing together in an attempt to keep her excitement locked in. I suppose it is quite sweet that Archie is inviting me into their little group.

‘As long as it’s something complimentary,’ I say.

‘Of course.’ Archie nudges Alice. ‘We only give the non-complimentary names to those who truly deserve them.’

Alice claps a hand over her mouth, her eyes widening. ‘The Goblin!’ She and Archie giggle at the shared memory. ‘The Goblin was the name we gave to Francelia, though we never told her that, obviously.’

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