‘Here, try this. It's got dried berries. It looks pretty and if you don't think it's sweet enough you can always add sugar. Tea or coffee?'

‘Tea please! Oh.' Lily put down the empty milk carton she had just upended. 'Have I used the last of the milk?'

‘Yup, but don't worry. I want coffee and I want it black.'

‘I'll have a fruit tea then.' Lily shovelled a spoon of cereal into her mouth, getting a bit of milk on her chin. 'I've got such good news! I wish you'd sit down.’

Sarah was making coffee, rinsing out her thermos flask that she always took with her to weddings, filled with an emergency supply of peppermint tea, and generally settling back home. However, as she had once complained that Lily danced around the place like an animated children's illustration, she took the point and seated herself next to her sister at the breakfast bar. Lily was now drinking the last of the milk from her cereal bowl.

‘If it's that good, why haven't you told me already? Why have breakfast first?'

‘Because I need to have you calm and sitting down.' Lily patted Sarah's hand and got up.

‘I am calm and I'm sitting down. Unlike you.’

Lily laughed. 'Those stools are so uncomfortable.' She went into the sitting part of the room and bounced on to the sofa. 'Oh Sarah, I can't believe it. I'm so happy!’

Sarah was used to Lily's sudden bursts of energy, so this emotion wasn't instantly transferable. She got up more slowly and followed her sister to the sofa. 'Great!' She tried to match her sister's enthusiasm. 'Why?'

‘I'm engaged! We're engaged, I mean, Dirk and me.’

Sarah put down her coffee mug and flung her arms round Lily's neck, this time with genuine fervour. 'Oh, Lily! That's brilliant. I'm so happy for you.' She hadn't met Dirk often but he'd struck her as just the sort of steady young man Lily needed in her life.

‘I can't believe how happy I am!' said Lily, beaming at Sarah.

Sarah sat back and thought for a moment. She didn't want to upset Lily but she felt she had to bring it up. The older sister part of her that she tried (and sometimes failed) to control said, 'I hate to say this, but are you sure this time? We have been here before.’

Lily got up from the sofa. 'I knew you'd be worried, but it's not like last time, I promise you. Dirk is kind and caring – not at all like Rex.' She turned to her sister who was struggling to keep the concern from her face. 'What I did with him was silly and childish. We shouldn't have run away like that and you were right about him being a pig. But I know it's different this time. I can feel it.’

Sarah managed a smile. Watching her sister's heartbreak had been only marginally easier than suffering her own. Neither of them had been particularly lucky in love, she thought ruefully.

‘Honestly, Sares, it's not at all like before. We're not eloping. We're having a proper wedding, and I want you to organise it.’

Lily said this with an expansive sweep of her arms, as if she were conferring a great favour on her sister, forgetting that planning weddings was her job. And while Sarah wouldn't have dreamt of accepting money for doing it, even if Lily had dreamt of offering it, it would take up a lot of time. But she realised that Lily was asking for her approval, as well as her help; having Sarah arrange the wedding would be like her conferring her blessing. Lily had always looked up to Sarah, and since their mother's death and their father's remarriage, Sarah had been more like a mother to her than a sister. And Sarah felt very protective towards her baby sister.

She took a deep breath and brushed aside any misgivings she might have: after all, Dirk was nothing like Rex. 'Of course I'll help you,' she said. 'I'll tell you anything you need to know, but I'm not sure I'll have time to actually organise it all.'

‘You won't need to do much!' More arm flinging from Lily. 'We're going to a wedding fair. We can find out everything we need there!’

Sarah was tired, in spite of the strong coffee, and she started to laugh. Trust her darling sister to think that all you needed was a few brochures and some free samples. All her experience and knowledge were as nothing to a huge and crowded event where myriad people tried to sell you things – mostly things you didn't want. But this was just like Lily and it was always easier to give in. 'When are we going to this fair?'

‘Now. It's today. That's why I had to come round so early.'

‘I have got a lot-'

‘Oh, don't be such a spoilsport! You're always so boring!' Lily bounced up and settled nearer her sister, and took hold of her arm.

Suspecting that Lily wasn't the only person who felt this, and Hugo coming sharply to mind, Sarah sighed. 'OK, OK, I'll come. Where is it?'

‘Never mind that. Before we go anywhere I thought I'd show you this.' Lily found her carrier bag and took from it a faintly familiar scrapbook.

‘My goodness! I can't believe you've still got that,' said Sarah. 'You used to cut out pictures from magazines and all your old birthday cards, and little notes from your friends.'

‘I stopped doing that when I was ten,' announced Lily proudly. 'This is a new one.' She opened the scrapbook somewhere in the middle and plonked_, it on Sarah's knees. 'Start there.’

Sarah began to turn the pages. There were pages and pages of wedding dresses, beautiful designer gowns from the sleekest silk sheath with sequins at the hem to dresses with skirts made entirely from frills – tiny ones at the top round the bottom of the bodice getting larger as they reached the ground. Sarah looked more closely. This particular one had spangles round the edge of each frill. She was well used to wedding dresses, and knew the magazines these fantastic creations had been cut from. What made her stare was the fact that her sister had cut out her own face from photographs and stuck it over the models' faces.

‘Lily, I can't believe you've done that! It must have taken ages.'

‘Well, I wanted to see if the dresses would suit me.' She leant over and flicked through a couple of pages and then she plonked a finger down on one with a long ruched bodice to the hips, with a skirt caught up with huge knots of fabric roses. It had a long train with more ruching and more roses – the love child of a flamenco costume and a meringue. 'That's my favourite.’

Sarah peered at it for a few seconds. 'Not a penny less than five grand, possibly more. What's your budget?’

Lily flicked her hand in irritation. 'Oh, typical you to spoil it all by talking about money!'

‘It does have to be talked about. But I expect Dad'll make a contribution. Have you told him yet? I'm sure he'll be really happy for you.'

‘I wanted you to be first and, anyway, I don't want Her putting her oar in.' Lily made a face. Unlike Sarah, she had never got on with their stepmother.

‘She won't! Kay has never interfered in our lives. Although they won't have much money to spare, not with the boys.’

Lily sighed with irritation.

‘It's all too easy to let a fortune slip through your fingers,' said Sarah. 'Let me show you some of the weddings I've done, to give you an idea of how much things can cost.’

Sarah went to her office to find her photograph album. This was the record she kept for her own purposes, of flowers, cars, venues etc. She placed it on Lily's crossed legs and put the kettle on again.

Lily turned over the pages. 'That dress! Gross. Oh, sweet bridesmaids. If Kay had had little girls instead of boys, I'd have them as flower girls or something.' Then she paused. 'Who's this? Bit gorgeous!’

Sarah went over to see whom Lily was referring to. 'Oh. That's Hugo,' she said as nonchalantly as she could. 'He's a photographer. He was setting up a shot elsewhere so I couldn't ask him to move.'

‘He's lush!' She peered more closely at the photo. 'And so like Bruce!’