Page 4 of Cupcakes and Kisses in Micklewick Bay

TWO

‘So, like I said in my text, I was left a rather interesting message on my mobile this afternoon – it was actually from a number I’d ignored on account of it being one I didn’t recognise; thought it might be some scammer trying to get my bank details or the weirdo who doesn’t say anything.’

‘You’re still getting those funny phone calls?’ asked Florrie.

‘Yep, though they’ve eased off a bit recently, and the silent ones have stopped completely, thank goodness – might have something to do with the fact I mentioned them to Bart’s parents when they were giving me grief the other day.

I didn’t directly accuse them, just threw in that I’d been getting them, saying I had enough on my plate without them giving me earache.

Said that I was going to contact the police, get “whoever it is” stopped that way. ’

‘Ooh, they wouldn’t like that.’ Florrie chuckled.

‘Good for you, Jazz,’ said Stella.

‘You should’ve seen the look on their faces; kind of gave away that they were the perpetrators.’

‘Yeah, why doesn’t that surprise me?’ said Maggie.

Over the last few weeks, Jasmine had received a slew of calls from unfamiliar or withheld numbers.

When she’d answered, she was met with either an eerie silence or someone alleging to be from her bank or trying to sell her something.

She found both varieties irritating though the silent calls had begun to make her feel uneasy, sending a spike of anxiety through her whenever her phone rang.

It was why she’d come to the decision not to answer any numbers that weren’t in her contact list or whose identity was withheld.

If anyone genuinely wanted to reach her, she figured they’d leave a message and she’d get back to them if necessary.

‘Anyroad’ – Jasmine pushed thoughts of the Forsters out of her mind – ‘so, there I was, busy icing the Harrington’s anniversary cake, lost in my thoughts, trying to work out how I was going to manage everything I’ve got going on next, when my mobile started ringing.

As I mentioned earlier, it was an unfamiliar number, so I let the call ring out, see if whoever it was left a message.

And from the little ping that followed, they evidently did…

’ Jasmine paused, glancing around at them, a mysterious smile on her face.

‘Ooh, the intrigue,’ Florrie said, chuckling.

‘Talk about keeping us in suspense, Jazz!’ said Stella.

‘Just trying to add a little drama.’ Jasmine grinned at them.

The friends listened as she explained how she’d continued decorating the anniversary cake, the phone call slipping from her mind until an hour later when she took a break to make a cup of tea and ease the crick in her shoulders.

‘Imagine my surprise when I hear Lady Caro Hammondely’s plummy tones travelling down the phone line, saying she has something she’d like to run by me concerning a new venture at Danskelfe Castle, and asking if I’d call back!’

‘How exciting, Jazz!’ Lark exclaimed, her eyes wide.

‘I’m guessing it was the real Lady Caro and not one of your scammy calls,’ said Stella in her familiar dry tone, setting the friends off laughing.

‘I’ll be honest, I did stop and wonder about it for a minute or two, what with all the warnings you hear that scammers are using more elaborate methods to con people.’

‘It’s always good to be cautious,’ said Maggie.

‘Exactly.’ Jasmine paused to take a sip of her wine. ‘So, my next thought was that she’d got the wrong number.’

‘But, going by how excited you sounded in your earlier text, and the enormous smile on your fizzog when you walked in, am I right in assuming the call was genuine, and that Lady Caro had meant to call you?’ asked Florrie.

‘Aye, it was definitely genuine, and definitely me Lady Caro wanted to speak to.’ Jasmine nodded, a wide smile spreading over her face once more.

‘When I called her back, the first thing she mentioned was how we’d met at the sleigh ride and how Mags had “added a little excitement to proceedings”, as she put it.

There’s no way a scammer would know details like that. ’

‘Good point,’ said Stella, her eyebrows twitching in amusement as she scooped up her glass of wine. ‘It was definitely a memorable experience, for lots of reasons.’

Stella wasn’t wrong, thought Jasmine, as her mind flicked back to the day in question. None of them had expected it to end quite as dramatically as it had.

Christmas was just around the corner when the group of friends – partners and Jasmine’s children included – had visited Danskelfe Castle having booked a sleigh ride, which had been a fantastically festive experience that had exceeded all their expectations.

They’d been enjoying some post-sleigh ride refreshments when a heavily pregnant Maggie had surprised them all by going into labour and ended up being rushed to Middleton-le-Moors hospital by none other than Lady Caro herself.

It was fair to say, it had been an unexpected and dramatic way to end the day, but the end result had been an adorable little bundle in the form of baby Lucia – or Lucy, as Maggie and Bear referred to her.

Jasmine’s gaze swept over her friends, four sets of eyes looking at her, eager to hear her news.

‘So, what was Lady Caro’s reason for calling you?’ asked Lark.

‘Would you believe she had a business proposition for me?’ The prospect still felt unreal to Jasmine, even more so saying it out loud.

‘A business proposition?’ Florrie sat up straight and pushed her glasses up her nose.

‘Ahh, I think I know where this is going.’ Catching Jasmine’s eye, Maggie gave an enigmatic smile.

‘Long story short,’ said Jasmine, ‘as you all already know, Danskelfe Castle has become a popular wedding venue, but Lady Caro said they’re wanting to take their wedding packages to the “next level”, as she put it.

She told me they’re keen to offer something exclusive and not simply offer the wedding service and reception afterwards. ’

Florrie sucked air between her teeth. ‘Sounds pricey. I’ve heard their weddings are pretty expensive as it is.’

‘Doesn’t seem to put folk off though; I hear they get booked up really quickly,’ said Stella, turning back to Jasmine. ‘Sorry for interrupting, Jazz.’

‘No worries. So, the next thing Lady Caro says is that they’ve decided to offer a wedding planning service, which was the reason she contacted me – apparently, it’s something a lot of couples have been asking about.

But honestly, my heart nearly stopped, I thought I must’ve heard wrong!

Wedding planning? Me? I told her I didn’t have the foggiest idea about wedding planning, that Bart and me had never got around to getting married and that the closest I’d ever got to a wedding was my brother’s, and Maggie and Bear’s.

Mind, you’ll be relieved to know I somehow managed to keep it to myself that love and mush and happy-ever-afters are my idea of hell! ’ she said, giggling.

In fact, Jasmine would go as far as to say, if she had to pick what she considered to be her worst job, it would be a close-run thing between a wedding planner or a chiropodist. Ew!

The idea of having to handle other people’s feet made her shudder – and quite possibly had the edge on its competition.

‘I mean, can you imagine me pandering to a fussy bride?’

‘Er, that would be a no, Jazz,’ Maggie said matter-of-factly.

It was no secret between the friends that Jasmine’s own personal experience had hardened her heart to the concept of love.

She frequently referred to it as “far-fetched-nonsense” or “a load of old claptrap”, and she’d professed enough times that she was never going to give it the time of day again. Bart Forster had made sure of that.

‘So what did Lady Caro say?’ asked Lark.

‘After she’d finished hooting with laughter, she told me it wasn’t wedding planning she wanted me for, but my wedding cakes.

She said you, Mags’ – Jasmine nodded in Maggie’s direction – ‘had told her all about them last time you were dropping some of your Danskelfe bears off. So I owe you a massive thank you.’

Maggie had her own cottage business designing and making bespoke teddy bears out of recycled luxury wool and Lady Caro had commissioned her to make some for the lodges in the Danskelfe Castle grounds as well as a bride and groom set for the bridal suite.

She’d recently delivered an order for a new range of lodges in the castle grounds, which was when Lady Caro had broached the subject of wedding cakes.

‘You’re very welcome, flower,’ said Maggie.

‘Lady Caro just mentioned in passing that a couple at one of their recent weddings had the “most magnificent creation”. From her description, I thought it sounded like the one you’d made for Kendra and Tom Wilson, with it having five tiers and hand-painted sugar-paste flowers tumbling down the side.

Turns out it was the Wilson’s cake. Lady Caro said everyone was totally blown away by it, describing it as a work of art and wanting to know whose handiwork it was. ’

‘Ooh, I’m not surprised. That one was so dreamy,’ Lark said wistfully. ‘If I ever get married, that’s exactly the sort of wedding cake I’d like.’

‘We’ll be sure to let Nate know.’ Stella gave an impish grin, making Lark shake her head.

Nate was Lark’s friend who owned a successful upcycling business on Endeavour Road. He’d been sweet on Lark for as long as her friends could remember, but for reasons none of them could quite understand, she’d kept him firmly in the friend zone.

Maggie picked up what she’d been saying. ‘I pointed Lady Caro in the direction of your Instagram page, too. She was really impressed, so it was nowt to do with me really, your amazing cakes speak for themselves.’