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PROLOGUE

THERE has been a long tradition at weddings that the one to catch the bride’s bouquet as she throws it will be the next to marry

The bride e her skirts a final shake, turning round to check on the long, flowing satin length of her train before turning to sly into the eyes of her new husband

Her two adult brides cousin—and her stepmother had been disown Chris could be her attendant on this occasion, she had told them

‘Coo down,’ he warned her ‘Otherwise everyone will be wondering what on earth we’re doing’

Laughing, they walked to the top of the stairs and then paused to stand and watch the happy crowd in the roo

The bride turned to her husband and whispered emotionally, ‘This has been the happiest day ofSally’s hand and bending his head to kiss her

Arm in arm they started to walk down the stairs, and then, so and slipped The sroup of people clustered at the foot of the stairs waiting for thehtened cry, rushed forward, James, the bestto the aid of the bride, whilst the two bridesmaids and the bride’s stepmother reacted i out to protect the flowers that the bride had dropped as she’d started to fall

As three pairs of equally ferasp the bouquet, the bride, back on her feet now, smiled mischievously down at thes now’

‘No!’

‘Never!’

‘Impossible!’

Three very firm and determined female voices made the saistered an immediate and complete rejection of the bride’s triumphant assertion

Marry? Them? Never

The three of them looked at one another and then back at the bride

It was just a silly old superstition It , and besides, each of them knew that no matter what the other two chose to do she was et married

The bride was still laughing as she swept down the few re stairs on her husband’s arm

Her two bridesmaids had both already separately and jointly infor part in any silly old rituals which involved the degradation of the bouquet, and as for her stepmother

A tiny frown pleated Sally’s forehead When would Claire accept that, at a mere thirty-four and ed, she was not, as she always insisted, too mature to want to share her life with a new partner?

While Sally and Chris uest once the speeches were over, the two bridesather up the scattered wedding presents Poppy, Chris’s cousin, suddenly spotted Sally’s wedding bouquet lying on one of the tables Unable to help herself, she went over to it and picked it up, tears filling her eyes

‘Forget it,’ Star, her fellow brides the flowers frorip ‘It’s just a stupid superstition Itpublicly and unequivocally here and now that I never intend to marry’

As her eye was caught by an unopened bottle of chane, she reached for it, opened it deftly and poured the foa the other two, ‘I’ to make a vow not to marry What about you two?’

‘I certainly have no plans to reently

Tearfully Poppy nodded ‘I shan’t marry now Not now that Chris Not now’ Fresh tears filled her eyes as she solee of solidarity

All three of thelasses, none of them aware that their conversation had been overheard

CHAPTER ONE

CLAIRE MARSHALL gave a rueful look at the now empty, still confetti-strewn reception area of the hotel

Was it really less than a couple of hours since her stepdaughter and her new husband had run laughing down those stairs, trying to dodge the happy bombardment of rose petals?

Most of the guests had left now, just a se She had only co had inadvertently been left behind

It had been a lovely day, a perfect wedding, marred only by the fact that her husband, Sally’s father, had not been with them

It was over two years now since his death but she still , protective As she bent to touch the bouquet which Sally had so cleverly tricked the three woed that the adjectives she was using to describe her husband werefather

‘You should ma

rry again,’ Sally had urged her more than once recently Sadness darkened her eyes She had been lucky to find one loving and understanding h to find a second And besides, she didn’t really want to ies

She was distracted frohts as both the adult brideslowered angrily at the bridal bouquet and curtly echoed Star’s earlier bitter comment

‘No one pays any attention to those silly old superstitions these days anyway’

Claire gave her a gentle smile Sally had confided to her that it was an open secret in her new husband’s family that his cousin had been hopelessly in love with him for years

Poor girl, Claire thought compassionately No wonder she looked so pale and strained; the whole day roos any easier for her She had accidentally cory quarrel earlier and she suspected now that at so

‘I never want to get ely now

‘A statement hich I fully concur,’ the third member of the trio murmured calmly

Claire turned her head to shter’s closest and oldest friend Claire could reer Star had always insisted that she never intended toto be thein her life

‘Such a shaesture,’ Claire commented ruefully as she picked up the bouquet and studied it

‘Careful,’ Star warned her drily ‘You don’t knohat effect holding it could have’

Claire laughed but she still replaced the bouquet ‘It is only a tradition,’ she reminded the other two

‘M constructive to ensure that we stick to the voe made earlier and remain unmarried,’ said Star

‘Such as what?’ Poppy deeher eyes Angrily she blinked them away