Liberation (I Am Margaret Book 3)

  “I don’t want a perfect guy. I want Bane.”

  “I know. I think they’re wrong. You two have had long enough to stop adoring one another, haven’t you? I mean, I’m not saying it’s going to be easy, being married to him for the rest of your life – or him to you! – but I think being married to anyone is pretty hard work. Just thinking of my parents – the perfect couple, everyone says, but I don’t think it’s easy.” He shrugged. “Worth it, yeah.”

  I nodded.

  “My parents too.”

  “There we are, then. Kyle’s probably just trying to be a good big brother. Don’t let it get to you.”

  “I’m not. It’s just... it’s ten times as important my family accept him, now, isn’t it?”

  “They’ll accept him, Margo. It’s one thing to try and warn you off beforehand – quite another to actually reject your husband! Don’t worry about it.”

  My attention shifted to where Bane was bouncing up the steps onto the battlements from The Barracks direction. He reached us quickly, hair damp with sweat but a broad smile on his face.

  “You look happy,” I said.

  “You don’t.” He frowned slightly. “I’ve just been around the assault course. What’s wrong?”

  “You haven’t!”

  “I have. Whole thing. Well, no, I skipped the rope swing. The wound is all healed up, but just to be on the safe side. What’s wrong with you?”

  He slipped an arm around the small of my back and drew me close, searching my face. “Not pre-wedding jitters, I hope?” He spoke lightly, but a spark of anxiety danced in his brown eyes.

  “’Course not.” I wrapped my arms around his warm bulk and rested my forehead on his – slightly damp – chest. “There’s nothing wrong. I just want it to be Saturday.”

  “Ah, tell me about it.” He held me closer. “If one more person backs me into a corner to check I have a correct understanding of marriage...” He made a frustrated noise. “Half raised in a Believing household, remember?”

  I laughed.

  “I know. But they’re just making sure – you know how nonBelievers are – well, when they can afford it – leave their registered partner the instant the children are grown – or even before – off with someone else…”

  “I know they’re just worried about you,” said Bane with exaggerated patience, “but Pope Cornelius covered it all when he signed that, y’know, thingie, didn’t he?”

  To marry a nonBeliever I had to get something called a dispensation, which basically certified both parties were fully aware of any potential problems likely to arise from their differing beliefs and had already, in as much as was possible, discussed and resolved these issues. The Holy Father had scrupulously questioned us to make sure Father Mark had covered sufficient ground before… Well.

  ‘How would you feel if Margaret said she wanted to get your child baptised?’ Pope Cornelius had asked Bane gravely, making Bane roll his eyes.

  ‘Margo, want to get our kids baptised? Never would’ve seen that one coming.’

  Sarcasm notwithstanding, we’d got our dispensation easily enough.

  Resting my head against Bane, I thought about Saturday.

  “First day of the rest of our lives, hmm?” Bane’s thoughts were clearly in the same place.

  “I certainly feel like I’ve been waiting for it my whole life!”

  Leaning on the ramparts beside us, Jon sighed. “I wish...”

  He trailed off, but Bane shot him a look of total comprehension.

  “Wish the world was a different place?”

  “Oh yes. I do.”

  Jon straightened up and headed off.

  “What was that about?” I asked Bane softly. “Not like Jon to be all wistful.”

  Bane gave me a look that might’ve had a touch of, ‘you think not?’ about it. Suppose... it’d been quite an intense time, but I hadn’t really known Jon all that long. He was Bane’s friend first.

  “The world tramples on Jon’s dreams, that’s all.”

  “Dreams? You mean his physics, and stuff?”

  “And stuff. Come on, shall we go in? Perhaps I do want to crash out for a bit now.”

  On Saturday morning I wrote a very short blog entry.

  Getting married today. Wish me luck and pray for me, please.

  M.V.

  P.S.

  Comments won’t be answered until tomorrow since the prayer team will be joining in the celebrations!

  Even that little post took me a few minutes, my fingers were shaking so much with excitement. Breakfast also took me longer than anticipated, because everyone wanted to wish me well for the day. Almost felt like I was being deliberately delayed... Jon was with Bane, who was coming down to breakfast later to avoid seeing me.

  “I’ve got to go now!” I made it as far as the door at last. “I shall be late!”

  “You’re supposed to be late!” joked someone.

  “Not as late as I’m going to be if I don’t go and get ready!” I slid through the door into the hall. Huh? Now where’d the Gozitan noticeboard sign gone? Weird. There last night, wasn’t it?

  Eduardo stood in front of the signless noticeboard, looking extremely smug. Encouraging.

  “You got the roses?”

  “I did, Margaret. I, ah, have a little ‘gift’ for you as well. Call it an apology for the photos, if you will. I do mean well, you know.”

  I did know. Problem was, Eduardo’s well-meaning head would trample any merely emotional obstacles standing in its path.

  “I do know that, Eduardo, there was no need...”

  “Or call it a wedding present, if it will save an argument. I’m not sending it back. Not yet, anyway,” he said cryptically. “Shall we?”

  He waved me towards the stairs.

  “It’s in my room?”

  “It is.”

  I headed upstairs. What was it? Hard to imagine what sort of thing Eduardo would choose. Figuring out in his early teens that he would fail Sorting on account of his borderline autism – and that his parents didn’t plan to try and save him – he’d fled to Vatican State at once rather than wait ‘til he looked the age of a sortEvader. Where he’d managed to remain, despite his tender years, in due course entering the VSS and quickly becoming indispensable. If he’d any hobbies himself, I’d yet to learn of it. His job was his life. Clichéd but true.

  “Oh, your bridesmaids are in there already,” Eduardo said as I reached for the door handle, sounding extremely pleased with himself, at least by his standards.

  I went in, my eyes searching for the mysterious gift...

  “Margy!”

  “Margo!”

  “Margo! It’s you!”

  Three squealing shapes struck me in quick succession.

  ***+***

  21

  A SUPERFLUITY OF BRIDESMAIDS (AND RIBBONS)

  Sarah, Harriet and Caroline!

  I gasped, half in shock and half ‘cause I was a bit winded.

  “Oh my goodness! What’re you doing here? I’m so pleased to see you...” I tried to hug them all at once. “How did you get here? How are you? Where’s everyone else?”

  “We’re here for your registration, silly!” said Harriet.

  “She’s getting married,” corrected Caroline, “No EuroGov involved. Everyone else is back in Africa, Margo. The Security man said only three of us could come and he thought it would be nicest if it was your oldest friends. So Jane and Rebecca and the others couldn’t come. But they really wanted to.”

  Only possible for three to come? No, three or five wouldn’t have made any difference, only which ones. Clearly Eduardo hadn’t wanted anyone too smart or nosy in this most secret of secret bases.

  “Surprised Jane didn’t argue more, actually,” Harriet was saying. “She did really want to come, I could tell.”

  Jane was clever enough to realise the real reason – and that there was no point arguing. I must send her a present. Must send them all a present. What, though?

&n
bsp; “We were on a ship all night,” Caroline told me. “And really early this morning, this guy came and woke us up and we had to tiptoe up on deck and get in this really cool boat and that brought us the rest of the way. All really stealthy!”

  “Then we had to creep up the stairs while you were in breakfast,” giggled Harriet. “We were a little late, we were afraid you’d catch us!”

  I had been being delayed deliberately.

  “Margy and Bane forever?” said Sarah happily. I hugged her again – she was definitely one of my oldest friends.

  “Yes, Margy and Bane are finally getting married in...” I checked my watch and yelped. “In an hour and a half!” I cast around the room frantically. “I haven’t even got all my things!”

  Caroline and Harriet looked alarmed.

  “What are you missing?”

  “Where’s your dress? I can’t see a dress...”

  “I haven’t got a dress, it’s a skirt and top... Where are my shoes?”

  A knock on the door – thank goodness! – Sister Krayj and Sister Mari, arms full of the missing items – shoes, garlands, bouquets...

  “Ah, you’ve found your new bridesmaids,” grinned Sister Krayj.

  “Are you three really going to be my bridesmaids?”

  “Yes, look, we brought dresses...” Caroline pointed to three hangers hooked over the wardrobe door. African-style dresses, with the bold patterns. But at least they were in blue and white!

  “Aren’t they lovely,” sighed Sister Mari admiringly.

  “They certainly are,” I said. “And the... er... colours should fit in nicely.” Sister Krayj was laying things out on the bed. “Oh... but I did want you two as bridesmaids, y’know...”

  “Well, we can process at the rear in a suitably matronly manner, if you want us to,” said Sister Krayj.

  “Well, that’s okay, then.” Five bridesmaids was kind of excessive, but better than leaving anyone out.

  “Margy, pretty...” Sarah pulled my sleeve.

  “What? Oh...” She was pointing at my plant. A single, tiny hanging flower had appeared since I’d last looked at it properly. Purple. “It’s... starting to flower. That’s... nice.”

  “Come on, bridesmaids,” said Sister Krayj, “into your dresses.”

  Things descended into a whirl of preparation. I changed, and Caroline pinned some of my hair up, and Sister Mari expertly assisted the three of them with their matching turban-scarf things, and soon everything was in place except my garland and the silver doves.

  “Well, what do you think?” I asked them

  Caroline eyed me judiciously.

  “It’s kind of...”

  “...blue?” finished Harriet.

  I shrugged.

  “Well, the only white thing in the store was a pair of gloves. Anyway, white wedding dresses are actually a fairly recent tradition, y’know, in the scheme of things. It’s much nicer to have something you can wear for Sunday best afterwards.”

  “Well, other than it’s not white,” said Caroline, “it looks lovely.”

  “Bane will get that hypnotised look,” giggled Harriet.

  But Sarah looked very unhappy.

  “Margy wear this?”

  “Yes. Margy likes this. I know it’s not white, Sarah, but blue is actually a very good colour for weddings...”

  Sarah waved this away.

  “No, no... no thing. Behind. Sarah hold!”

  Caroline and Harriet looked guilty.

  “Urm... we kind of told Sarah she could carry your train,” admitted Caroline.

  “And, well, you haven’t got one,” said Harriet glumly.

  “Oh,” I said. “Um... well, I haven’t got one, Sarah. But it’s okay, you’re going to have a bouquet to hold. Flowers, very pretty.” If Eduardo had thought to fetch extra bridesmaids, no doubt he’d fetched extra flowers – yes, there was a suitably large pile of bouquets on the bed...

  Sarah looked unconsoled.

  “Margy, Bane, forever day!” she said emphatically. “Have to be... have to be good. Have to be...” She waved her arms, frustration in her eyes.

  I caught her hands.

  “Sarah, it’s okay. Slow down. Bane and my wedding, you want it to be good, yes?”

  She nodded fiercely.

  “Yes. Good. Better... best. Word? ”

  “Perfect. You want it to be perfect.”

  She relaxed and beamed, that familiar puzzlement in her eyes – how could I express this thing so easily?

  “Purr-fect. Bane and Margy forever day purr-fect.”

  Sarah had worshipped Bane ever since he’d found her sobbing on the floor in the middle of a ring of jeering boys not long after the accident. He’d ploughed into them like a wild thing, breaking one nose and one arm and putting the apparently insurmountable horde to flight.

  For which act of heroic courage he’d been suspended for four weeks and been told by his parents that if he ever did anything like it again, they’d put him into care. Fortunately even the older boys were wary of getting in a fight with Bane after that.

  I squeezed her hands.

  “Sarah, Bane’s and Margy’s wedding is already perfect simply because you three are here. I don’t need a train for it to be perfect.”

  Sarah thought about that.

  “No?” she said at last. And nodded. “No.”

  “Actually,” interjected Sister Krayj, “I think we may be okay on the train front.”

  “Really?” I said.

  “Yes.” She plopped the garland onto my head, then gathered up the cascade of ribbons that fell down my back almost to my knees – Sister Mari had got a little carried away. “Train?”

  “Sarah can carry that! Perfect.”

  It would look a teensy bit odd, actually, but if it made Sarah happy...

  Sister Mari moved in eagerly with the silver doves, and Caroline rushed forward to make sure they went onto my hairdo okay. And I was actually ready. At least as far as my attire was concerned – butterflies suddenly swarmed in my stomach...

  “Okay,” said Sister Krayj firmly, “We’ve just got time for Margo to have five minutes quiet to pray, then we’d better go.”

  I gulped and went to my little kneeler in the corner. Tried to calm my mind. Tried to think serious thoughts about the huge step I was taking. Tried to ignore my three old friends shooting looks at me there engaged in the most forbidden of activities. But I couldn’t really think about anything other than Bane, and the fact we were finally going to belong to each other for life. Help me, Lord, I managed at last, Help me to do this right. Help me not to forget you this day, this most important day...

  “Okay, time’s up. Know your lines?” Sister Krayj’s voice dragged me from my efforts.

  “Yes.” I had to swallow before speaking. “And the alter servers have a little card they’ll hold out if we forget. It’ll be fine.”

  “Then we’d better go.”

  We trooped downstairs and headed for the cathedral. The corridors were deserted – everyone was already there. We weren’t actually late, of course. You didn’t come late for Mass, even a nuptial one, and making Bane wait for me would just be plain rude.

  My bridesmaids made a giggling screen to hide me from Bane’s view as we hurried up the cathedral steps – no satellite overhead this morning, praise the Lord. I caught a glimpse of almost-tamed black hair but Bane’s groomsmen immediately shepherded him to the door and inside.

  Which just left Kyle waiting there, smartly dressed in a cassock that’d had a more than usually serious encounter with an iron. I’d kind of avoided him for the last couple of days. But here he was, waiting to escort me in our parents’ place.

  He came towards me as we reached the top, a smile on his face but anxiety in his eyes.

  “Margo, you look beautiful.”

  Putting his arms around me, he hugged me tight. I hugged him back and it was almost as if nothing had happened.

  “I am really happy for you,” he told me seriously. “You
know that, right?”

  “I believe you.” I grabbed another quick hug. “We’d better go, Bane’s gone in.”

  Kyle offered me his arm and my bridesmaids formed up behind – Sarah, beaming and holding my ‘train’, then Caroline and Harriet followed by Sister Krayj and Sister Mari, all armed with bouquets. I headed determinedly for the huge wooden doors and a rather military hiss came from inside, “Incoming, go, go, go...”

  I stepped through the doorway. The multitude of guards had clearly designated themselves as Bane’s family and friends and sat on the right, everyone else sat on ‘my’ side, all just getting to their feet for the entrance hymn. The usual entrance procession – cross-bearer, altar servers, priests – was moving off down the centre aisle, with Pope Cornelius bringing up the rear in his white vestments.

  Bane’s procession was setting off down the right-hand aisle. Still couldn’t get more than a glimpse of him, but I spotted Jon walking beside him, filling in for his lost parents and looking very smart in a suit. Fox and Foxie, as we’d nicknamed Fox One and Fox Two, came behind, resplendent in their Swiss Guard uniforms, and behind them, Hippo smart in his navy Vatican Police uniform, and Alligator sporting another miscellaneous suit – VSS were plain clothes.

  I headed for the left-hand aisle, trying to keep pace just behind the entrance procession in the centre. Hopefully my bridesmaids weren’t too disappointed not to have a Hollywoodesque centre-of-attention ‘bridal procession’. They’d been done away with years ago – the bride wasn’t an object to be presented and given away, nor was it her day – Bane’s day as much as mine, and Mass was more important than either of us.

  Almost there. My hands were sweating on the bouquet – I clutched it tighter. Kyle tightened his grip on my arm – the ‘parents’ in the procession came in handy just for physical support!

  Then the entrance procession was mounting the sanctuary and I’d reached the end of the side aisle. I turned right, and... there was Bane! Coming towards me... Wearing a suit the exact same rich chocolate brown as his eyes – Jolita must’ve hidden it away! His eyes widened as he saw my bridesmaids and he grinned at them.