Page 3 of Four of Hearts

‘They’re silicone bands,’ Liz explained. ‘Just thought it would be nice, you know, if we all had something on our ring fingers, until the real thing?’

‘Like stunt rings, you mean?’ said Ben.

‘That’s one way of thinking about it, I suppose,’ said Grace.

Harry reached for one of the rings in the box Grace was holding out, slid it onto his finger. Ben did the same, followed by Liz and Grace.

‘Doesn’t exactly go with my engagement ring,’ smiled Grace, as she held her hand up to look at her finger. ‘It’ll do for now, though.’

Harry led everyone over to his vehicle, parked as it was in Leyburn marketplace.

‘Back to ours, then? We’ve been slow roasting some beef brisket from Cockett’s for our little celebration dinner.’

‘Not so fast,’ said Grace. ‘I think you’ve forgotten something.’

‘Oh, I don’t think so,’ Harry smiled. He then opened the boot of his vehicle and pointed to a plastic cooler in the corner. ‘See?’

‘Champagne?’ said Grace.

‘Champagne,’ said Harry. ‘So, what say we take a stroll up the Shawl and open it before heading back?’

No one argued.

TWO

Harry was standing in front of a crowd of friends, everyone dressed to the nines, even Dave, who was wearing an expensive, if somewhat ill-fitting, Harris tweed suit. He looked to Harry like he’d sewn himself into it in sections, because there was no other way he could think of that the man had managed to squeeze into it.

The rest of the team were there, all sitting together. Jadyn and Jen looked like they’d just stepped out of some fashion boutique in Soho. Ethan’s suit was so perfectly pressed, Harry couldn’t work out how he’d managed to get all the way here without getting it even a little creased. Matt was with his family, Joan looking radiant, and their daughter as close to being a Disney princess as it was possible to be, without infringing copyright. Gordy was with them, and Jameson, too, even Alice Firbank, who had sat herself down at the end of the line.

Behind the team, all of the Dales had gathered, or that was how it seemed. There were plenty of faces Harry knew well, some he just about recognised, and a fair smattering of others he’d never seen in his life. They all knew who he was, though, that was for sure, not just because of who he was, but who he was marrying: Grace.

As Dales people went, Grace, and her father, Arthur, were particularly well known. Farmers all over called on their services to deal with vermin, and as well as managing the pens on some large shoots on the moors, they helped out with a few smaller ones, too. They were respected, well liked, and Harry had been especially aware of people keeping an eye on him from the moment they’d started dating. It had been a little unnerving to begin with, like being under surveillance, but he’d eventually got used to it. He wondered if the reason so many were there was because they still weren’t fully decided that he was right fortheirGrace. He was though, he knew that. She was everything to him, and giving his life to her felt like the most natural thing in the world.

Harry heard music, as an organ blasted out the wedding march, and he realised then that he was standing at the front of a church. That wasn’t right, was it? he thought. Hadn’t they decided that they’d not be doing a church service? And where were Liz and Ben? This was a double-wedding, so surely his brother should’ve been standing beside him. But he wasn’t. Ben was nowhere to be seen.

The music was getting louder now, so much so that Harry started to wince. And the notes ... something wasn’t quite right. He could make out the wedding march, or whatever that piece of music was called, but it sounded off, discordant. It was like someone was trying very hard to play a piece of music that they really didn’t know, while at the same time, someone else was just dropping heavy objects on random keys, or trying to smash the instrument apart as it was played.

Harry glanced over his shoulder. Where before, he’d seen a sea of faces bathed in a rainbow of sunlight streaming through stained glass windows, he found himself at the front of an empty church. No, it wasn’t empty, was it? There were people there, but they were just shadows, memories of who they had been, andhe couldn’t grasp them. As soon as he tried to, they faded even further, no more than ghosts. What the hell was going on?

A shout, then a scream.

Harry was staring at a figure standing at the back of the church.

‘Hello, Harry ...’

The voice was icy smarm, and Harry felt his chest tighten.

‘You ...’

‘You didn’t really think I’d want to miss this, surely?’

Harry narrowed his eyes at his cousin, wishing his stare was enough to burn the grin off the bastard’s face.

‘What are you doing here?’

‘Adding to the fun,’ his cousin said. ‘I mean, Grace needs someone to walk her down the aisle, doesn’t she?’

‘Arthur’s doing that,’ said Harry, a little confused. ‘You’re not needed.’