Last Wish (Highland Magic #4)(8)
I lifted my chin and strutted down the long street. From time to time I paused and glanced in shop windows to check who was behind me as well as to maintain my cover as a woman hell-bent on shopping. So far so good. I hummed to myself and crossed the street. As Tipsania had said, there was only one store in town worth visiting if you were planning upscale nuptials. I grinned as MacKay’s Marriage Emporium came into view. Bring on the meringues.
The door jangled as I entered, not with a bell-like noise but with the opening bars of Wagner’s bridal march. Neat.
‘I think I just vomited in my mouth,’ Bob whispered.
I avoided rolling my eyes as a shop assistant gave me the once over. Apparently deciding I was a fish worth reeling in, she strolled over and thrust out a perfectly manicured hand. ‘Good afternoon,’ she purred. ‘My name is Shona and I’m a bridal consultant here at the wonderful MacKay’s Emporium.’ Her smile grew to a blinding intensity. ‘We can make all of your wishes come true.’
Bob choked. I returned Shona’s smile and took her hand. ‘Thank you so much,’ I responded breathily in my best Italian accent. ‘I have heard you are the best in Scotland and, as I cannot be home in Milano for my wedding, I am looking for a shop which can meet my expectations.’ I leaned in slightly. ‘They are very high. One only gets married once ? or perhaps twice.’ I paused and gave a self-deprecating laugh. ‘Maybe three times. It’s very important that the wedding is perfect.’
Shona didn’t even blink. ‘Of course! And you’re Italian, you say? Benvenuto al nostro meraviglioso negozio.’
Shite. I should have opted for Greek. I clapped my hands as if in wild applause. ‘You Scots are so charming!’ I replied in English, adding just the faintest patronising tone to keep her away from any more attempts at my ‘native’ language.
A consummate professional, Shona’s smile didn’t waver. ‘Is this your first visit here?’ she enquired.
Playing dumb was fun. I smiled prettily to mask my smirk. ‘To the Granite City? Why no.’
‘Uh, great.’ Shona’s expression didn’t flicker. ‘And is it your first visit to our little store?’
I looked around. Calling MacKay’s Marriage Emporium ‘little’ was hardly apt. The place might look rather nondescript from outside but I could see that inside it stretched back in a cavernous confection of lace, frills and wedding joy.
‘It is,’ I replied. ‘I’m just shopping around for now. The truth is that I don’t even have a date yet. My fiancé, Byr…’ I shook myself. Where the hell had that come from? ‘My fiancé,’ I repeated, ‘wants a spring wedding but I’m not sure I can wait that long.’ I added a simper. Considering I was already blushing, it looked very natural.
Shona raised an eyebrow. I couldn’t be sure whether my Freudian slip had caught her attention or not. ‘Oh, spring is simply the best time,’ she said. ‘Let me show you what we have on offer.’
I allowed Shona to lead me round, pausing every so often to gush over a particular piece of tulle or laced frippery. When we reached the display of wedding cakes and her head was turned the other way, Bob zipped out from underneath my headscarf. In one fell swoop he knocked both the miniature bride and groom off the top of the largest tiered monstrosity. Then he posed this way and that while I tried – with some difficulty – to keep a straight face. When he dropped onto his back and began to wave his arms and legs up and down to make an icing angel, I had to blink rapidly and swallow.
‘Your collections are beautiful,’ I said, taking Shona and leading her away from the cake before she noticed him. I spoke with a fair degree of honesty; there was a tad too much virginal white for my taste, and my eyes were beginning to swim from all the delicate lace, but there was no denying that MacKay’s took great care over its offerings. I bit my lip. ‘I wonder, though, whether you can produce what I require. I anticipate my wedding will be very large scale.’ I smiled innocently and pretended not to notice the flash of avarice in Shona’s expression.
‘Oh,’ she said reassuringly, ‘we deal with large weddings all the time. How many guests were you thinking of?’
I plucked a figure out of the air. ‘I’ve only just started the list,’ I answered, ‘and I’m already at more than a thousand. It’s so important in this day and age to ensure that no one is left out in the cold or offended because they’re not included. Perhaps if you could tell me of any large weddings you’re currently planning I would have a better idea about whether you could manage mine. I want it to be the best.’ I sounded like the worst kind of bridezilla. Considering Shona didn’t blink, however, I guessed that in this industry it was par for the course.
Fortunately it worked. She glanced round as if wary of being overheard and then dropped her voice. ‘You didn’t hear this from me,’ she said conspiratorially, ‘but we’ve been engaged to arrange the upcoming nuptials of Byron Moncrieffe and Tipsania Scrymgeour. It’s going to be the wedding of the century, and not just because it’s Sidhe. Byron is son to the Steward himself and the Scrymgeours are incredibly wealthy. No expense will be spared.’
My eyes lit up while I quashed the desperate sinking feeling in my stomach. ‘How wonderful!’ I cooed. ‘I imagine Ms Scrymgeour has been in regularly for dress fittings. She’ll want to make sure everything is perfect for such a high-profile ceremony.’