Rent a Bridesmaid Read online

  Contents

  Cover

  About the Book

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Tilly’s Wonderful Wedding Facts

  Make Your Own Wedding Favours

  Miss Hope’s Quiz

  Visit Jacqueline’s Fantastic Website

  About the Author

  Also by Jacqueline Wilson

  Copyright

  ABOUT THE BOOK

  ‘This story starts with a dress . . .’

  Tilly’s got a whole wardrobe full of bridesmaid’s dresses – a pale pink one, a blue one, even a red one with a soft white trim. The only problem is, they’re all in her imagination. In real life, it’s Tilly’s best friend Matty who has the beautiful pink dress to wear at the perfect white wedding. Tilly can’t help being a teeny tiny bit jealous – more than anything in the world, she would love to be a bridesmaid at her own mum and dad’s wedding. But that isn’t going to happen. In fact, Tilly’s worried she’s never going to get to be a bridesmaid. So, she decides to take matters into her own hands – and offers her bridesmaid’s services for hire . . .

  A wonderfully warm and moving story about the power of friendship, from the mega-bestselling author of The Worst Thing About My Sister. Full of beautiful illustrations by much-loved illustrator Nick Sharratt.

  For games, competitions and more, explore www.jacquelinewilson.co.uk

  To Sian Tolfree

  with love

  Chapter One

  THIS STORY STARTS with a dress. Not any old dress. Not a checked school dress or a pinafore dress or a party dress or a princess dress. This is a bridesmaid’s dress. The most beautiful bridesmaid’s dress in the world.

  It’s pink. It’s not a sickly bright stick-of-rock pink. It’s a very soft and subtle pink. I don’t think I’ve ever had raspberry ice cream but it’s that colour: vanilla ice cream mixed with just a few red raspberries, all swirled together to make this beautiful shade of pink. It’s made of silk, so smooth you want to keep stroking it. It has puff sleeves and a collar, both edged with a tiny piece of lace, a tight waist, and a very flared skirt with three ruffles. It has its own petticoat too, a slightly darker pink, and the hem is trimmed with the same lace as the dress.

  It’s not my dress. It’s my best friend Matty’s bridesmaid’s dress. We’re both called Matilda, only no one ever calls us that, apart from Miss Hope at school, particularly when she’s cross with one or other of us. It’s usually Matty. She’s very naughty and very cheeky but everyone likes her a lot, even Miss Hope.

  I like her ever so ever so ever so much. I’m enormously happy that she’s my best friend in all the world. I didn’t have a best friend before Matty. I had friends. I mostly went round with Cathy and Amanda. They were always very nice to me. It’s just that I knew Cathy liked Amanda best, and Amanda liked Cathy best too. It’s a bit depressing being second-best with everyone.

  Dad says it’s because I started at this school in Year Three, when everyone had already made their best friends. But Matty only came to Heathfield in Year Four and I think practically the whole class wanted to be her best friend, even Cathy and Amanda. But Matty picked me!

  It was right on the very first day, straight after Register. She came up to me and said, ‘Hey, you. Matilda! Guess what, I’m Matilda too.’

  Well, of course I knew that, because I’d just heard Miss Hope call it out, but I pretended to be surprised, just to be polite.

  ‘Really? Wow!’ I said, though it wasn’t really such a coincidence. There are two girls called Ayesha in Year Four, two girls called Eleanor in Year Five and there are actually three girls called Jasmine in Year Six.

  I worried that I sounded silly. I felt very shy of Matty then. She had bright red curly hair, a great mop of it, and lovely green eyes, and a funny turned-up nose sprinkled with freckles. She wore an ordinary Heathfield blue-and-white checked dress, but she’d pinned different badges all over her front and she wore amazing emerald-green trainers, all sparkly with sequins.

  ‘I love your badges and your shoes,’ I said.

  Matty grinned. ‘They’re cool, aren’t they? Miss Hope told me we’re not supposed to wear stuff like this, but she didn’t get cross because I’m a new girl. So, what do you think about being called Matilda?’

  I shrugged, not really knowing what to say. I liked my name. I especially liked it that there was a great story about a girl called Matilda who loved reading. I love reading too. I have six copies of the Matilda book at home because people think it’s a great idea to give it to me for a Christmas or birthday present.

  ‘It’s a totally rubbish name, isn’t it?’ said Matty. ‘But everyone calls me Matty. Do they call you that too?’

  ‘They call me Tilly,’ I said.

  ‘Yeah, some of the kids at my old school tried calling me that. Silly Tilly. But I soon put a stop to it. Don’t you mind being called Tilly?’

  ‘Not really.’

  ‘OK then. It might have got a bit muddly if we were both Matty. So shall we sit next to each other in class?’

  ‘Well, I’d love that, but Miss Hope usually says where we have to sit.’

  ‘That’s OK. I’ll tell her I’m shy because I’m new and I need to sit next to someone nice,’ said Matty.

  I was thrilled that she thought I was nice – though Matty was the least shy girl I’d ever met. Somehow she got her way. Miss Hope let her sit next to me, and by the end of that first day I felt I’d known Matty all her life.

  When the bell went for home time she said, ‘Can you come to tea?’

  ‘That would be great, but won’t your mum mind?’

  ‘She’ll be pleased I’ve got a new best friend,’ said Matty.

  She said it so casually, but for me it was the most amazing sentence I’d ever heard. She’d actually said I was her best friend. I must have looked a bit stunned because she gave me a nudge.

  ‘We are best friends, aren’t we?’ she said.

  ‘Yes! Yes, of course we are,’ I said.

  It wasn’t hard to pick Matty’s mum out from all the other mums waiting at the school gate. She had a mop of bright red curls, and so did Matty’s little brother. I liked their clothes too. Matty’s mum had a long green dress and a black velvet coat and purple wedge shoes. She looked very arty, reminding me a little bit of my own mum. Matty’s little brother had six old loom band bracelets on one wrist and a brown bobble hat with a pompom at either side, like ears.

  ‘Hey, Mum!’ Matty called, and took hold of my arm. ‘This is my best friend Tilly. She’s coming to tea!’

  ‘That’s great,’ said Matty’s mum. She smiled at me. ‘I’m Angie. Where’s your mum, Tilly? Shall we check it’s OK for you to come to tea?’

  ‘My mum’s . . . not here,’ I said. ‘Aunty Sue picks me up from school. She’s that lady over there, the one with the beige jacket.’

  Aunty Sue also had beige trousers, and a beige jumper, and beige lace-up shoes. She had beige hair too. The only bright thing about her was her lipstick. I did my best not to get too near her because I didn’t want red smudges all over me. She was the exact opposite of Sylvie, Mum’s friend from when they were at art school together. Sylvie ha