painters and decorators from the village were all working round the clock to get the pub restored and fully operational again in lieu of payment that they all hoped would happen in due course. The Duck & Puddle really was at the heart of the village and so everyone was keen to see it open again very soon. They all missed the community meeting point, the social centre of Tindledale, not to mention Sonny’s Sunday roasts and lock-ins. ‘And Cher had already paid for her original dress and so there really isn’t the money for another vintage gown,’ Sybs continued. ‘I imagine it would be very expensive.’
‘Ah, but I have a plan,’ Ruby said, ‘I have a friend who works for an online wedding magazine and he has agreed to come and take some photos on the big day. He’ll credit the vintage couture dress to my shop, get some glorious images for the idyllic country wedding for his website, and Cher will have a ready-made wedding album. Everyone is a winner.’ She clapped her hands together. ‘As long as you’re up for altering the dress that is. And Cher is happy with the plan too, of course.’ They all nodded. ‘Great. I’ll help out with making the jam jar flower arrangements in return.’
‘And we have lots of patterns to choose from for the bridesmaids dresses,’ Hettie said, pointing to a rack near the window display. ‘There are rolls of the sheerest and softest tulle in the stockroom too that Cher can choose from for the veil.’
‘But what about the venue?’ Leo piped up in between mouthfuls of scone. ‘It’s all well and good us running up some bridesmaids dresses but if the actual pub isn’t going to be ready to use on the big day then where will the party be?’
‘Pete’s hoping to take care of that.’ It was April from Orchard Cottage who spoke next. She had come along to the meeting to let Sybs know she was donating crates of her homemade peach, pear and apple cider made with fruit from her orchards for the wedding party, and to see if there was anything else she could do to help out. ‘I saw Pete earlier and he said the prize for the winner of this year’s annual ploughing competition is free hire of a magnificent marquee complete with wood flooring and a disco ball. Perfect for hosting a wedding party. Pete has told Sonny about it and said he’s going to try to win it for them to use for the wedding, but please, not a word about any of this to Cher as Sonny really wants it all to be a big surprise. You know how much he wants Cher to still have her dream day to remember always.’
‘Not a word!’ they all chorused.
‘Fantastic,’ Sybs beamed. It was all coming together nicely now. She knew from Sonny that he was going to take Kitty up on her offer to use her kitchen in the Spotted Pig café to make another wedding cake, and Yasmin and Ash from the Indian restaurant had offered to do a hot food buffet of different scrumptious curries and rice and all the extras after the wedding ceremony. Cooper, the butcher, was going to do a hog roast in the evening and April’s husband, Dan, had said he’d bring his food truck along to serve ice creams and candy floss for the children. It was going to be a marvelous day, a really wonderful wedding … if she could get Cher to agree to a replacement dress and a trimmed down version of the day with just the church service part in lieu of the big surprise wedding party after the ceremony. And there was only one way to find out, Sybs was going to see her now.
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