Page 84 of My Best French Wedding

When they emerged from the forest, the castle was a shadowy mass in the distance, rising out of the rock. Between the edge of the trees and the base of the cliffs, Maude had created an enchanted garden. Walter angled the light from his phone at hedges that had been clipped into cloud-like puffs and sloping curves.

“There’s a labyrinth over there.” Maude indicated a series of concentric gravel paths that petered out into a grassy verge.

“This is incredible,” Hildy said. Walter wondered if she was also drafting descriptions in her head.

“I had to work with what was already here,” Maude explained, toeing the line between modesty and pride. “Like those urns, and some of the shrubs. It was an interesting challenge, to shape the plants and give them room to breathe, instead of ripping everything out.”

“It is magnificent.” Loïc’s tone dared anyone to argue.

Maybe if Walter had an accent Hildy would let him talk.

Fiona patted her fiancé on the shoulder, and he lowered her to the ground. “What do you think?” she asked Hildy.

“It’s fairycore Versailles meetsWhere the Wild Things Are,” Hildy pronounced, answering Walter’s question about whether she had her journalist’s hat on tonight. “You could say your vows right there, at the center of the circle.” She pointed at the half-finished labyrinth.

“I love the symbolism,” Walter chimed in. “You found your way to each other, on a winding path full of twists and turns.”

Hildy cleared her throat, silently warning him to cool it with the double meanings.

“That would be cool.” Fiona sounded wistful. “Except Daddy wants us to get married in the Great Hall, so we’re just having the pre-reception out here.”

“At least you don’t have to worry about rain. And we can come back outside after.” Maude pointed at the sky overhead, wherean almost perfect moon had risen above the trees. “It’s going to be completely full the night of your wedding. Can you imagine? The trees bathed in silver—like the moon came to watch you get married.”

Fiona bit her lip. “Doesn’t crazy stuff happen during the full moon?”

“If you’re a werewolf,” Corinne muttered, grunting when Hildy elbowed her in the side.

“I googled the top ten things that can go wrong at a wedding,” Fiona continued.

“Fee, you didn’t!” Maude looked horrified. “That’s like diagnosing yourself on WebMD.”

“I know you want to protect me, but I need to face reality. If there’s a norovirus outbreak, or a bat infestation and then we all need rabies shots, or my whole face is a giant cold sore, I’m going to have to deal.”

“Every wedding is perfect in its own imperfect way. You wouldn’t believe some of the things we’ve seen.” Walter glanced at Hildy, who gave a shrug of affirmation.

“Like what?” Fiona asked.

“Well,” he stalled, thinking he’d have to dig for an example. But it slid to the front of his mind as if it had happened yesterday. “There was a couple who had a big plan for a theme park wedding.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Hildy tense. “Only the groom got sick—”

“What kind of sick?” Fiona interrupted.

“Cancer,” Walter replied. “That was actually how they met.”

“They both had cancer? Do they die at the end?” Fiona fanned a hand in front of her eyes. “Because I don’t think I can handle that right now.”

“She was his doctor.”

“He’s burying the lede,” Hildy said before he could go on.“They went to the same high school. They were even in a musical together—”

“Now who’s burying the lede?” Walter interrupted.

“Theyre-metat the hospital,” Hildy continued, raising her voice. “And then they had the wedding there.”

“In the hospital? Like, at his bedside? I think that happened onGrey’s Anatomy.”

Robbie nodded, like he vaguely remembered the episode.

“It was actually in the cafeteria,” Hildy informed them.