Flora was in the kitchen when it happened. She had decided to make up a separate buffet for the boys so they could gorge themselves on sausage rolls and cheese sandwiches and crisps in the back of the catering tent. However, plenty of Murian residents had decided they actually preferred this to the sumptuous spread on offer outside and kept sneaking in, muttering about ‘fancy food’ and helping themselves to cheese and pineapple on sticks – and Flora had to keep chasing them out again.
At first, only catching a glimpse out of the corner of her eye, she thought it was one of the old geezers that haunted the Harbour’s End, grey and wheezing. She could certainly spare a few sausage rolls, she was thinking, when she turned around and realised to her absolute horror that it was Colton.
It was as if he was hiding behind the door, leaning against the wall. His bow tie was looking rather wilted and he had a crumpled-up piece of paper in his hand. He was sweating and looked green and in pain.
‘Colton?’ She ran over. ‘Oh my God! Are you okay? Aren’t you meant to be having your picture taken? Do you need to sit down? Is it the heat?’
Anything above fifteen degrees counted to Murians as dangerously extreme temperatures.
He turned to her, momentarily confused, swallowing hard. ‘Can I get a glass of water?’
‘Sit down.’ Flora studied him. He looked awful. She suddenly hoped it wasn’t anything she’d served. Was the seafood all right in the heat? ‘Are you okay?’
‘Just … just …’
Colton was suddenly so desperate to tell her he could have cried.
‘Just the heat.’
‘Well, that’s your fault!’
Flora whisked round suddenly at the voice to find Joel there behind her, his face grave. Next to him was Saif. They’d both noticed him slipping into the kitchen, and, for the first time, shared a glance of their common knowledge, then run to him.
‘Excuse me,’ she said, still thinking little of the situation. ‘This is a working kitchen, actually.’
They both ignored her. Saif knelt down and took Colton’s blood pressure.
‘You should be in hospital,’ he said quietly. ‘Now. It’s done. Come on. Enough.’
‘I’m still doing this,’ said Colton. ‘It’s my day.’
‘You’re nuts,’ said Joel. ‘You’ve signed the paper. Let us take care of it.’
‘What the hell’s going on?’
Joel glanced at Flora, who turned pink. ‘Can you give us a minute?’ he said.
‘This is my kitchen and this is my brother-in-law, so no, actually, Joel. What’s going on?’ said Flora.
‘Please,’ said Saif, turning his liquid eyes on her, and after that, Flora could do little but retreat. Joel grabbed her wrist as she left.
‘Everything’s fine,’ he said quickly. ‘But could you waylay Fintan for a moment?’
‘How is everything fine?’
Flora’s heart was beating fast. Something was obviously terribly wrong. And Joel had that face on again. That closed-up face.
‘Please, Flora, don’t ask me.’
Flora, terrified, peeked out of the door of the marquee.
Fintan was there, looking gently buzzed on champagne in the glorious, ridiculous afternoon sunlight. He was handsome in his kilt, a smile and a word for everyone, as well as happily receiving compliments on the food and the sheer beauty of the day. He was surrounded by the locals, people who’d known him as man and boy, who had seen how troubled he’d been during their mother’s illness and subsequent death and how Colton had brought him back to life. He stood in a pool of golden light. Very close by him, Agot was twirling round and round to make her ridiculous dress ride out, and next to her Flora noticed Ash was doing exactly the same with his little baby kilt someone must have unearthed for him; and they were both hysterical with laughter.
She stood, watching Fintan for a moment. He was so happy. He glowed with it, in the perfect sunlight, in Colton’s perfect garden.
She glanced back at Colton – he looked sick, so sick. Why was Joel in there? What did he know? Saif made more sense but it was as if they knew something …
Her heart beat faster still, even as Fintan threw back his head laughing at something Innes was saying. She backed away. Speeches next, then lunch … Everything had a schedule, had been planned perfectly. She glanced round. Joel was heading back towards her, a concerned look on his face.
‘What’s the situation?’
‘He’s just overexcited … hot,’ said Joel.
‘He needed his lawyer to tell him that?’
‘He’ll be fine. He’s coming out to cut the cake. Too much fizz on a hot day.’
‘Well, that’s his fault,’ said Flora.
Joel blinked. ‘Sure.’ He looked at Fintan.
‘He looks so happy,’ said Flora. She turned round. ‘You’d tell me if something was …’
Joel had already vanished back inside the marquee though, and Flora signalled to Iona and Isla to start circulating with more canapés.
Back inside the tent, Saif was all but ordering Colton to get to the hospital, and Colton was absolutely refusing. This was his day and he was getting through it, goddammit. He drank another glass of water and asked Saif if he had anything he could give him. Saif had anticipated this moment, and he did. Ten minutes later, Colton was on his feet again, but Saif wasn’t remotely happy about it.
‘It’s my wedding day,’ said Colton hoarsely. ‘Now I’m going out there before the bastards notice I’m not actually there.’
Saif and Joel both gave him an arm, helped him up and walked him to the flap of the marquee, where he shook them off and walked over to Fintan, putting on a wide and unconvincing smile.
All eyes turned to Colton as he tinked his glass for attention. Amid the exquisite gardens, the green of the lawn and the blue backwash of the sea, he looked almost translucent, and as he stood there he shook. Flora glanced at Fintan, who looked confused, suddenly, as if this was just dawning on him too. Then, with a sudden horrible cold feeling in her heart, she went and linked arms with Innes, as Joel was nowhere to be seen.
‘What’s up with …?’ Innes began, but Flora shook her head and shushed him. The speech was beginning.
‘I just wanted to say … thank you to all of you, those of you who have come a long way and those of you who just wandered round the corner … to all of you in this place who have done so much to make me feel welcome, make me feel at home …’
‘That’s because you bought us all champagne!’ shouted a wag in the crowd and there was a welcome ripple of laughter.
‘I have never … I have never been so hap—’
Colton’s eyes were brimming with tears and he grabbed hold of Fintan, whose eyes were also moistening. Flora frowned. He wasn’t cuddling Fintan. He was leaning against him.
Fintan realised something was wrong and turned round, just as Colton mouthed ‘… happy’ once more and collapsed onto the ground.
Chapter Sixty-four
Immediately there was pandemonium. Fintan leaped down straightaway, calling Colton’s name. Saif and Joel ran from the marquee straight past Flora, who stood watching them open-mouthed. Saif cleared a way and put Colton in the recovery position, gently persuading him to come round. More water was brought. Joel pulled his phone out and the helicopter, which was there ready to take the boys off to start their honeymoon, was pressed into rather more urgent service to take Colton to the hospital. And all around, people fanned themselves and said, after all, he hadn’t looked well, and hadn’t he got thin, and they tutted and tried to shelter themselves from the ridiculous heat and worried together.
Flora went straight to find Joel and wanted to throw a tray at his head. ‘He’s sick!’ she shouted at him.
‘Flora, you know I can’t talk about it. It’s privileged. I can’t say a thing.’
‘So he’s really sick! And you let him marry my brother!’
‘Why? Would your brother have dumped him flat if he thought there was something wrong with him?’
‘No! But don’t you think he has a right to know?’
Joel was furious. ‘Of course I do! It’s not my decision to make! If it was me …’
‘If it was you, you wouldn’t tell anyone either,’ snarled Flora. ‘You’d keep it all locked up from everyone, just as usual. I thought we’d finished doing this.’
Joel stared at her, wounded. ‘But. I. Can’t. Say,’ he said through gritted teeth. ‘You know that, Flora.’
‘But it is something they can cure?’ said Flora in anguish. ‘Can’t they? Oh God. Just tell me! JUST TELL ME!’