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‘Imagine getting married here. Hope would absolutely love it.’ Holly hadn’t meant to mention weddings. It had just been an absent-minded comment. And yet Giles sniffed.

‘Sienna wants a child-free venue,’ he said.

Holly’s eyes widened. ‘Child-free?’

That wasn’t something she’d expected. Obviously, Giles didn’t have children of his own, but even if you didn’t consider Hope or Jamie’s kids, there were still his nephew and nieces, Faye’s children. It seemed bizarre that he wouldn’t want them there.

‘What about what you want?’

‘That’s not really the focus of a wedding. It’s the bride’s day.’

‘No, it’s a day where you celebrate your love. It’s a union. It’s not a day where only one person gets what they want.’

‘Well, making her happy is what I want, so I guess that’s fine, isn’t it?’

There was nothing Holly could say to that. Giles’s eyes remained locked on the driveway ahead, as if he couldn’t bear to look at her. Trying to ignore the weight building in her stomach, Holly did the only thing she could and stared out at the view, just like he was doing.

The building was the antithesis of the spa that Sienna had taken them to. This place was steeped in history, and for once, Holly found herself wishing she knew more about things like that, about architecture, or what kind of person would’ve loved this place. Hopefully, they had a bit of information inside she could read.

They were almost out of the car when a large man ran out from behind them.

‘Parking is over towards the left!’ a voice called out, although Holly was more intrigued by his vehicle than what he was saying.

‘Is that a golf buggy?’ Holly said. ‘Is there a golf course here? I’ve not been in a golf buggy before. That shouldn’t really be a surprise, should it, given that I don’t play golf, but I just feel like I should’ve been in one somewhere.’

Giles shrugged. ‘Probably. Are you going to ask questions constantly? I don’t think I can cope with your babbling today.’

The comment hit her hard, stinging sharply before transforming into something different. Into anger. Holly had assumed Giles didn’t know what the real Sienna was like. But what if he knew exactly what she was like, and that was what he wanted?

Following the man’s instructions, they continued to drive around to the left of the castle, where they parked up. Holly didn’t bother saying anything as she climbed out of the car, just like she didn’t bother checking behind her to see if Giles was there as she followed the signs into the building. She needed to take photographs. Not speak to him. And like he said, the sooner they got this done, the sooner they could leave.

50

Holly was still smarting from Giles’s comment. It was the harshness that had taken her by surprise. He knew she only ever babbled like that when she was nervous, and if that was the case, he was normally sweet about it. Usually, he made a joke to help ease her tension. But there was none of that today. It was just cruel, and it certainly hadn’t helped her nerves.

Trying to swallow back the torrent of emotions filling her, Holly approached the mammoth set of doors marking the entrance to the hotel, though before they stepped inside, it became apparent why an event like this could keep the riff-raff out without being ticketed. (And ignoring the fact that it was miles from anywhere. For the last thirty minutes of the drive, they had barely seen a house. Let alone something that would constitute a town.) Two large doormen – or bouncers, she wasn’t sure what the difference was – cut intimidating figures as they stood on the stone steps dressed in dark-green suits.

‘We’re here to see the flowers?’ Holly said.

‘The Leopold Garcia exhibition,’ Giles said as he stepped in front of her. Holly scowled. Of course he could remember the name, but it wasn’t like they wouldn’t know what she was talking about.

‘Of course. The exhibition is in the east wing of the building,’ one bouncer said. ‘There is a restaurant in the orangery in the west wing, but the rest of the hotel is reserved for overnight guests. This includes the smoking room and bar.’

‘Good job neither of us smoke, then,’ Holly said, instantly regretting her decision to speak. Why on earth had she thought now would be a good time to crack a joke? She didn’t do jokes, and this moment proved why. It was obviously the nervousness. That was the problem. Apparently, when she couldn’t get the babbling under control, she turned into a terrible stand-up comedian.

The bouncer nodded at Giles, ignoring Holly completely.

‘Let’s go in,’ Giles said. He took one step forward, then turned to the bouncer. ‘Where did you say the restaurant was?’

‘Down the corridor, turn right.’

Holly didn’t bother saying anything. Her stomach had been growling for the last forty-five minutes, and she definitely wanted something to eat too. Besides, it appeared she had to do whatever Giles said.

Holly had already expected that her friendship with Giles would change. There was nothing she could do about that. What she hadn’t thought was that it would disappear altogether, but it looked like it was going to go that way. Fast.

51

If Holly had thought the awkward silence in the car journey was bad, it was nothing compared to the tension that surrounded them as they walked into the restaurant. With light streaming in through the tall windows, the phenomenal view out over the sea and the exposed brickwork crawling with ivy and passionfruit flowers, it was the type of place that would look romantic under any circumstances, but today, it seemed to be filled only with couples – all of them truly, madly in love.