CHAPTER 45

The hours raced by, a constant hustle from job to job, place to place. Taki was tidying his facial hair when Mark had a 'Eureka moment' about his speech and it took him forty minutes to re-write it when he got back, then scribble the bullets onto cards.

Jasmine wanted to see what he was going to say, but Mark felt confident that he'd struck the right note with it and told her she had to trust in him to stand on his own for this one. As he'd caved on the insistence of her having the day off, he knew she had to give him that one, unhappy as she was.

Francesca appeared with a pocket watch that Mark was to wear in his waistcoat that belonged to Benjamin Moore, frowned at him and ordered him into a new shirt, so he got changed and then he was off to greet the first of their guests.

The clatter of a helicopter announced the arrival of the first of their guests, and Mark, Myra and Maddy were waiting as the twin-r