Page 31 of From Notting Hill with Love…Actually (Actually #1)

“David, calm down, it’s not like that,” I protested.

“What is it like then, Scarlett?” David panted as he reached our side. “He’s been winking at you on and off all day, and you’ve been unable to take your eyes off each other all night.”

How could David even think that, when Sean had been all over Danielle? I might have been glancing in his direction occasionally, but Sean hadn’t been watching me —had he ?

“Dave, old chap, calm down.” Sean put his hand on David’s shoulder. “It’s not what you think.”

“I think you’d better take your hands off me,” David said in a voice that was just a bit too calm. “And it’s Dav- id .”

“OK, OK,” Sean said, holding up his hands in surrender. “Whatever you say, mate.”

This appeared to anger David even more. “And I am certainly not your mate! Scarlett, come with me, we’re going in.” He grabbed my arm. “We’ll talk about this inside,” he hissed in my ear as he began to march me away from Sean.

“David, stop it. You’re behaving ridiculously.” I wriggled under his tight grip.

“I think you’d better do what Scarlett asks,” Sean said, following us.

David stopped abruptly and turned to face Sean. “Or what?”

It was Sean’s turn to look angry now. “Just do as she asks, all right?”

David released his grip on my arm. “And I’ll ask you again: or what?”

Sean turned away from him and spoke to me. “Are you OK?” he asked gently.

I nodded.

“Don’t ignore me, both of you. Especially you !” David said, pushing Sean’s shoulder.

Sean turned. “Don’t do that,” he said, his eyes flashing dangerously.

David pushed Sean’s other shoulder. “Or what? I know your sort, full of clever words and empty threats.”

“And unfortunately, Dav id , I’ve also come across your sort too many times before. Come on, Scarlett,” Sean said, putting his arm around my shoulders, “ I’ll take you back inside if you like.”

“You’re not taking her anywhere. Not now, not ever.”

“And just how do you propose to try and stop me?” Sean said, throwing David a pitying look.

David lunged at Sean, who swiftly sidestepped him so that David went crashing to the ground.

“Is that all you’ve got?” Sean looked down at David sprawled on the tarmac. “Come on, Scarlett.”

I hesitated, torn by my desire to go with Sean and my loyalty to David.

“See, she doesn’t want to go with you,” David said, picking himself up off the floor. “She’s mine.”

“Excuse me, I’m not any—” I began to say.

But my words were lost, as David lunged with all his force into Sean again.

This time Sean wasn’t ready and they both fell to the ground.

They tumbled down a slope covered in bright winter flowers.

Over and over they rolled until finally they splashed into the fountain below.

They pulled themselves up in about a foot of water and began to throw punches at each other, most of which missed their target as they kept slipping on the muddy base of the pond.

“Stop it!” I called, running down the hill. I paused halfway down as I heard a commotion—other than the idiots that were splashing about in the water below. At the entrance of the hotel, I saw a horse-drawn carriage pulling up outside.

Oh no, Maddie and Felix were about to leave.

I hurried down the rest of the hill, just as all the guests began to spill out into the courtyard to see the happy couple on their way.

“Stop it!” I shrieked at Sean and David. “Maddie is about to leave, and I won’t have any part of her day ruined by you two play-fighting in a paddling pool!”

To my surprise, they ceased their fighting and looked at me.

“I mean it!” I said, as they stood up in the water like a pair of naughty schoolchildren in front of their headmistress. “Just try and look normal!”

I climbed over the picket fence and stood by the edge of the fountain, hoping to hide the two wet and bedraggled men standing behind me. At least we were over here, a little bit out of the way—perhaps no one would notice us.

Maddie and Felix appeared in their going-away outfits, my wedding gift to them.

They’d been outfitted in clothes of their choice (Maddie’s choice mostly) from Selfridges, when we’d had a fun day out, just the three of us in London, in the January sales.

And as they climbed up into their carriage, Maddie wearing an elegant winter white trouser suit and Felix looking much more casual now in a petrol-blue cashmere sweater and navy blue cords, Maddie was still carrying her bouquet.

“Ladies,” she called. “The time has come for us to see who will be the next lucky female to walk down the aisle! Are you ready?”

There was a surge toward the carriage as half the guests piled forward. I held my ground by the fountain—there was no way I was going to leave these two delinquents alone for a second.

Maddie stood up and looked around her, then she peered out into the sea of guests .

Oh no, she wasn’t looking for me, was she? Just throw it, Maddie , I willed her. Don’t worry where I am! I prayed she wouldn’t see me, or that, if she did, there was no way she’d get the bouquet this far.

But she spied me standing by the water and grinned.

Then she closed her eyes, reached way back behind her, and threw the bouquet as far into the distance as she could.

I’d forgotten that Maddie used to play in a women’s American football team when she was at university and could easily throw a ball twenty meters down a field.

As if in slow motion, the bouquet sailed over the heads of the desperate females—who jumped and leaped in the air to try and intercept it—and landed firmly in my hands, ready for a touchdown.

Everyone turned to look at me.

I held the bouquet aloft and quickly moved forward to try and distract attention from Sean and David, still standing in the water behind me.

Maddie waved, then winked at me knowingly, as she saw the two bedraggled men. Then she and Felix sat down, and everyone waved good-bye as they rode off together, out of the park gates and along to a taxi I knew was waiting around the corner ready to take them to their hotel in the center of Paris.

Slowly, the crowd began to disperse as everyone moved back into the hotel.

I turned around to look at the two disheveled specimens behind me.

“I guess I should be saying thank you for providing me with yet another movie scene to add to my collection,” I told them sternly.

“You two did a fine job of recreating the fight between Mark and Daniel in the second Bridget Jones film. But I won’t, because you’re just ridiculous.

Two grown men fighting about…well, what are you fighting about? ”

Sean and David looked at each other and I thought for one awful moment they were going to start again.

“David, just wait there,” I said, holding up my left hand like I was directing traffic. “I just want to talk to Sean for a moment. Sean,” I said, beckoning him with my right hand, which was still holding Maddie’s bouquet, “you come this way.”

We left David standing in the fountain, as Sean waded through the water toward me. The wet white shirt that clung tightly to his torso had become almost transparent as he climbed out of the water.

“I’m sorry…” he began as he pushed his hair back off his face.

“Over here,” I said, pulling him away from the water and out of David’s earshot.

“Hey, did I give you another movie moment there?” Sean asked. “I must have looked a lot like Mr. Darcy coming out of the water just then.”

He had, actually, but I’d tried hard not to think about it.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” I said. “And anyway, you’re thinking of the TV adaptation of Pride and Prejudice , there was no lake scene in the film.”

Sean shrugged. “You’re the expert.”

“Look, Sean, you’d better go and get some dry clothes on,” I said, aware that David was still close by. “And then maybe you should go and find Danielle. She must be wondering where you are—that’s if she didn’t notice you in the water. ”

“I doubt it,” Sean said. “I think she got the message when I wouldn’t dance with her to Robbie Williams. I hate that song.”

I smiled. Of course he’d hate it; I should have known.

“What’s funny about that? I do. Anyway, I was looking for an excuse to get away from her—she was really starting to get on my nerves.”

“But I thought you were enjoying her company?”

Sean frowned. “No. I was just putting up with her for something to do.”

“But I thought…”

“You thought what, Scarlett? That I fancied her?” Sean raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know anyone at this wedding; she was the only person that wanted to talk to me for more than a couple of minutes.”

“You knew me.”

“Yeah, but you were with David, and I could hardly play gooseberry all evening, could I?”

“Oh, Sean, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize. You looked like you were enjoying yourself.”

“I’d rather have been with you.”

We looked into each other’s eyes and at that moment all I wanted to do was put my arms around him again. I almost forgot David was still waiting in the water.

“Ahem,” David said. He had pulled himself out of the fountain and was standing just a few feet away from us.

“Sean’s just going inside,” I insisted. “Aren’t you, Sean?”

Sean nodded. “I think I’d best call it a night,” he said, backing away. “I’ll see you in the morning, Scarlett. Shall I book us a taxi to go into Paris? ”

“Sure, that’ll be fine. See you tomorrow.”

I watched Sean walk away, and then I turned to David.

“What does he mean, book you a taxi to go into Paris? You’re not spending tomorrow with him, Scarlett. Have you forgotten what day it will be?”

“Er…”

“February the 14th. Valentine’s Day.”

Oh God, I had forgotten.

“The thing is, David—it’s complicated.”