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‘Anything I can help with?’

‘No. A lot of it will be just us girls. Make-up, tears, more make-up. And auntie wrangling.’ She laughed softly. ‘I won’t have much time until later.’

‘I remember. You already warned me.’ His arm tightened slightly, and she wasn’t sure if he’d even realised he’d done it. ‘But I’m still glad I’m here.’

‘Me too.’ Their eyes locked, and she couldn’t quite resist the urge to reach out to smooth his hair flat.

They both jumped at the thumping on the door. ‘Amrita. Are you up? Let me in!’

‘I’m up, Kiran. I’ll meet you for breakfast.’

‘Hurry up! I’m getting married today!’

‘I know!’ Amrita rolled her eyes at Jamie, smiling as she heard Kiran move on and another door get the early-morning wake-up treatment.

‘I guess you should go.’

‘Yeah. I’ll see you later.’

‘I look forward to it.’ He let her go slowly – and, she hoped, reluctantly.

8

Jamie adjusted his shirt – bright emerald green – and headed down the corridor towards the ballroom, and opened it to a spectacular chaos of music, people and noise. The room was incredible – filled with brightly coloured decorations, flowers and even more brightly coloured guests. A swooping tent of cream, red and gold sat in the middle, with piles of cushions, a small stage, and golden chairs covered in brocade and red velvet.

He looked around, feeling uncomfortably far out of his element, wondering what he was supposed to do. Amrita hadn’t had time to message him much more than an itinerary with a time, location and the mysterious word Baraat. He’d been tempted to look it up but resisted the urge, not wanting to come in with any preconceived ideas. He was starting to regret it, as everyone seemed to know everyone else and what they should be doing.

A sharp tap on his elbow spun him around to face an older woman dressed in peach and gold, her greying hair darkened to red down her central parting. ‘You’re Jamie.’

It wasn’t a question, but he nodded anyway. ‘Yes, ma’am.’

The woman looked him up and down, then nodded and shoved a plate into his hand, laden with samosas, pakoras and what looked like fried potato cakes, all drizzled in a sauce he suspected would be spicy. ‘Eat fast,’ she advised. ‘They’ll be here soon enough. And then you will need your strength.’

‘Thank you.’ Jamie accepted the plate gratefully, feeling like he’d passed some sort of test.

He’d just about finished the spicy plate and the rich nutty sweets pressed into his hands when the drumming started – and he was cheerfully led, bustled and cajoled out of a side door to the hotel’s sweeping driveway.

The gravel crunched under a riot of sound and colour, and heavy beats from the drums the dancers carried were so loud they echoed through him. The groom appeared on a white horse draped with gold embroidery and red flowers, with an impossibly curly mane. The chaos was deafening as it trotted calmly up the drive and people started cheering, whistling and dancing. It was like nothing Jamie had ever experienced – and he loved every beat.

He did his best to keep up, trying to follow the complex, unfamiliar patterns of footwork, but soon gave up and concentrated just on making sure he didn’t kick or tread on anyone – especially as so many of the women were wearing sandals.

The groom leapt off the horse to even more cheers, waved and posed a bit, accepted a sweet and a kiss from an older woman Jamie guess was his mother, before striding towards a set of decorated steps.

Jamie watched, slightly bemused, as the groom shouted something then hammered on the door. A few seconds later Amrita stepped out, looking stunning in green and gold and swathed in a matching scarf. She looked around the crowd briefly, then proceeded to argue with the groom, hands on hips. After a few seconds she flung her hands in the air, appealed to the growing audience, and then turned around. She hesitated for a heartbeat, shot Jamie a wink, then disappeared back behind the doors.

The groom hammered again, and when Amrita reappeared it was with four other women, all dressed similarly. They formed a wall of silk, chiffon and elegance between the groom and the door, laughing and shaking their heads, hands on hips.

And suddenly he understood why cash was a good gift, as the groom started to hand over money and waved to his friends to do the same. A shove from behind and Jamie found himself face to face with Amrita.

‘Well? What’s your offer towards the bride price?’ Her eyes were sparkling beneath make-up that made her seem golden as she grinned hugely and held out her hand.

Laughing, he emptied his wallet into her waiting hand.

‘Really?’ She mouthed the word, eyes wide.

He grinned back, shrugged and winked as someone clapped him on the shoulder, then pushed him out of the way. Jamie watched, caught up in the love and excitement of the day as another cheer went up, and the bridesmaids parted, letting the groom be greeted and led away by other guests – including the woman who had fed him earlier. Jamie followed along with the party, still doing his best to keep up and not step on any toes.

A few minutes later the music changed, the drums softening and string instruments taking over as a literal red carpet was rolled out. The bride – at least, he assumed it was her – appeared, walking under a brightly embroidered canopy held up by the bridesmaids. Petals floated around them, thrown by guests, and the music swelled as they walked to the raised dais, lifting the canopy at the last moment to let her step into the tent, next to her incredibly proud-looking groom.