“Thank you all for being here,” I said.

“There isn’t going to be a wedding today.”

Nobody said anything.

Somewhere in the fourth row somebody’s chair creaked.

“I’m not going to give you the details, and I’d ask you not to speculate about them, and I’d ask you especially not to ask my daughter about any of this.”

I looked at the back of the lawn, where Samantha was standing at the corner of the terrace with Hannah beside her.