Me-Before-You-by-Jojo-Moyes

‘Um … nothing. Patrick’s away all day training. Why?’
He waited just a few seconds before he said it, as if it actually gave him some
pleasure to surprise me.
‘We’re going to a wedding.’
Afterwards, I was never entirely sure why Will changed his mind about Alicia
and Rupert’s nuptials. I suspected there was probably a large dose of natural
contrariness in his decision – nobody expected him to go, probably least of all
Alicia and Rupert themselves. Perhaps it was about finally getting closure. But I
think in the last couple of months she had lost the power to wound him.
We decided we could manage without Nathan’s help. I called up to make sure
the marquee was suitable for Will’s wheelchair, and Alicia sounded so flustered
when she realized we weren’t actually declining the invitation that it dawned on
me her embossed correspondence really had been for appearance’s sake.
‘Um … well … there is a very small step up into the marquee, but I suppose
the people who are putting it up did say they could provide a ramp … ’ She
tailed off.
‘That will be lovely, then. Thank you,’ I said. ‘We’ll see you on the day.’
We went online and picked out a wedding present. Will spent £120 on a silver
picture frame, and a vase that he said was ‘absolutely vile’ for another £60. I was
shocked that he would spend that much money on someone he didn’t even really
like, but I had worked out within weeks of being employed by the Traynors that
they had different ideas about money. They wrote four-figure cheques without
giving it a thought. I had seen Will’s bank statement once, when it had been left
on the kitchen table for him to look at. It contained enough money to buy our
house twice over – and that was only his current account.
I decided to wear my red dress – partly because I knew Will liked it (and I
figured today he was going to need all the minor boosts he could get) – but also
because I didn’t actually have any other dresses which I felt brave enough to
wear at such a gathering. Will had no idea of the fear I felt at the thought of
going to a society wedding, let alone as ‘the help’. Every time I thought of the
braying voices, the assessing glances in our direction, I wanted to spend the day
watching Patrick run in circles instead. Perhaps it was shallow of me to even