by Maria Realf
‘Hullo there,’ he said, shaking hands with everyone. ‘It’s good to see you all. Shall we come through?’
Josh offered Lizzie his arm. ‘Shall we?’
She smiled. ‘I think my dad’s supposed to walk me down the aisle.’
‘I didn’t realise I was marrying such a stickler for the rules.’ He put his arm around her shoulder. ‘You look lovely, by the way. I can’t wait to see what you wear tomorrow.’ Lizzie hugged him tight and stared down the long aisle as the group gathered in the back of the church.
‘Alright you two, save it for the honeymoon,’ groaned Megan. ‘Some of us are trying to rehearse here.’
‘There’s not actually that much to rehearse,’ chipped in know-it-all Freddie. ‘It’s pretty straightforward when you think about it.’
Megan caught Lizzie’s eye as if to say, ‘Who is this guy?’ Lizzie knew she would be disappointed that the best man looked more like a ferret than a Hollywood heartthrob. Even though she was hoping to hook up with Gareth at the reception, Freddie was still going to be escorting her back down the aisle in front of everyone, and he wasn’t exactly Megan’s idea of arm candy.
‘Sorry,’ Lizzie mouthed. Megan poked out her tongue in silent protest.
‘Right then,’ said Father Brenner, clapping his hands. ‘If I could just have your attention for a moment. I don’t think this’ll take terribly long, but if we have a little run through now, then everything should go smoothly tomorrow. The good news is it’s all very simple.’
‘Told you,’ said Freddie triumphantly. Lizzie suppressed the urge to whack him. She wondered how long Megan would show the same restraint.
‘OK, so most people will already be in position by the time the bride arrives. Not too late, I hope!’ He winked in her direction. ‘So the groom and the best man will be at t’front of the aisle, and the bride’s mother can take a seat in the first pew.’ He gestured with his hands for people to take their places, like a choreographer staging his latest spectacular.
‘OK, good. Now then, Elizabeth, do you want your bridesmaid to come in before you or after you?’
‘After, please,’ she said. ‘I might need some help with my dress.’
‘Very well. In that case, once everyone is in place, you and your father will start to walk down the aisle, and your bridesmaid will follow behind you. Do you want to have a practice?’
‘Yes, please,’ said her dad, nervously.
Lizzie smiled. ‘I think he was talking to me, Dad. But sure, we can have a go now.’
‘OK.’ She wrapped her arm through his, and could feel him shaking ever so slightly. ‘Don’t worry, Dad, all you’ve got to do is stick one leg in front of the other.’
‘Alright,’ said the priest. ‘So the music will start playing, and then you two will come down the aisle. When you reach the end, Mr Sparkes, you’ll give your daughter to Josh and take a seat next to Mrs Sparkes on t’front there. Let’s give it a try, shall we?’
The two of them set off slowly, trying to walk in time. ‘Step, together. Step, together. Step, together,’ she heard her dad muttering under his breath.
‘Relax,’ she whispered, her arm still gripping his. ‘You’re walking me down the aisle, not trying to win Strictly Come Dancing.’
‘I’m just trying to keep count,’ he mumbled.
‘OK. But could you count inside your head, please?’
‘I’ll try.’ They got halfway down the aisle and he began to loosen up a little.
‘You’re doing great, see?’
He nodded. ‘I just want everything to go well tomorrow.’
‘It will, Dad. Everything will be perfect.’
As they neared the front of the aisle, she looked into Josh’s beaming face and her stomach gave a little flutter. She smiled back at him as her father gave her a proud peck on the cheek and took a seat next to her mum.
‘Good, good,’ said Father Brenner. ‘Then I’ll say a little introduction, and we’ll have a hymn followed by your readings. It’s best if your readers sit on the end of a pew so it’s easier for them to get out.’
Lizzie nodded, trying to concentrate. She was starting to feel a little hot and bothered in the church, probably because there wasn’t much air circulating. I hope it’s not this stuffy tomorrow. She took a deep breath and tried to loosen her shrug a little.
‘Then there’ll be another hymn, and the best man will need to make sure he has the rings ready,’ the priest continued. Freddie patted his pocket smugly. ‘I’ll do my address, and check that no one has any objections to the marriage, and then we’ll proceed to the vows. You two should be facing one another throughout this part,’ he said to Josh and Lizzie.
She turned towards her future husband and looked up into his brown eyes, which were sparkling with happiness, or perhaps just reflecting the glow of the candles on the altar. Suddenly the enormity of the occasion hit home, and she could feel a prickling warmth rising from her chest and spreading up her neck. She hastily took off her shrug and draped it over the nearest pew.
‘Are you alright?’ whispered Josh.
‘I’m fine,’ she said. ‘Just a bit warm.’
‘So this will be the main bit: for better, for worse and so on, till death us do part, etc, etc.’
Till death us do part. For a split second the thought of Alex flashed across her mind, and she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force the image out.
‘Are you alright, Elizabeth?’ Father Brenner asked, leaning closer.
‘Yes, yes, I’m fine,’ she mumbled. ‘Please carry on.’
‘Then we’ll do the giving and receiving of the rings, and I’ll pronounce you husband and wife, at which point, Josh, you can kiss the bride.’
Before she could react, Josh caught her off-guard, bending down and pressing his lips gently to hers. It was the perfect wedding kiss: soft, tender, filled with warmth and hope and love. Wow. Her parents, Megan and Freddie all burst into spontaneous applause.
‘I didn’t mean right now,’ laughed Father Brenner. ‘But clearly these young lovebirds can’t help themselves. Go ahead, have all the practice you need!’
Lizzie tried to look as though she was listening, but her thoughts were running wild. I’ve been so busy trying not to think about Alex that I forgot about Josh. She wanted to kick herself with her new Zara heels. How could I have come so close to throwing this away?
Josh looked down at his neatly polished shoes, clearly a little embarrassed at having jumped the gun. ‘Sorry Father, I thought we were rehearsing the lot,’ he grinned sheepishly. The tiniest blush flickered across his cheek, making him look even more adorable.
‘Well, that is an important bit,’ joked the priest. ‘You don’t want to mess that up in front of everyone.’ He chuckled so hard he began to cough. ‘Now, where were we? Ah yes, after that we need to go to the vestry so you can sign the register. So that will be you two, your witnesses and your parents.’ He turned to Josh. ‘Will your parents be … er … with us on the day?’ he asked delicately.
‘Oh yes,’ said Josh cheerfully. ‘They’re just driving down now. They’ll both be here later this evening.’
‘OK, good,’ said Father Brenner. ‘In that case, they’ll follow you all into the vestry and we’ll get everything signed. Any other questions?’
‘I don’t think so,’ said Lizzie.
‘Me either,’ said Josh. ‘Thanks, Father.’
‘In that case, I’ll bid you good evening,’ the priest replied, as they all began to file back down the aisle towards the exit. ‘Such a lovely couple, aren’t they?’ he said to Mrs Sparkes, while Lizzie was still in earshot. ‘I’m sure it’s going to be a wonderful wedding.’
‘Oh yes, Father,’ gushed Mrs Sparkes, as she shook his hand. She was beaming so hard her cheeks must have hurt. ‘See you back here tomorrow.’
Megan bounced through the wooden doors, throwing her arms around Lizzie’s waist. ‘Right then, bride-to-be, you’re coming with me. Don’t worry, Josh, I won’t
let her get up to anything I wouldn’t do.’
Josh raised a playful eyebrow. ‘Does that rule out much?’
‘Probably not.’
‘In that case, do you mind if I take a minute to say goodnight to my future wife?’ He took Lizzie’s right hand and led her a few paces away from the rest of the group. ‘I can’t believe we’re finally getting married,’ he said, an excited grin on his face.
‘Me either! Seems grown-up, doesn’t it?’
‘Ah, it’s not that serious. It’s only, like, forever.’ He slipped his arms around her waist. ‘I’ll see you back here tomorrow, then?’
‘OK. I’ll be the one in the white dress.’
‘Damn! That’s what I was planning to wear. I’d better rethink my outfit.’
She laughed. ‘I’d stick with the sexy suit.’
‘Alright. Anything to keep the old ball and chain happy.’
She ran her fingers through his freshly trimmed hair and pulled him towards her for a long kiss. ‘I can’t wait to marry you, you know that?’ he whispered.
‘Me too,’ she said. She meant it. Josh was handsome and sweet and loyal, not the kind of guy you let go.
‘I hope so,’ he said. ‘I know the other day was a total nightmare, but it feels like I’ve finally got my old Lizzie back.’
Once more, a sharp pang of guilt stabbed at her. I came so close to wrecking this. She made a mental promise that she would totally make it up to Josh on their honeymoon. She’d bought some more lingerie – the posh stuff from Agent Provocateur – that would come in handy.
‘Let’s not dwell on that any more,’ she said softly. ‘We should just look forward to tomorrow.’
‘You’re right,’ he nodded. ‘I love you.’
‘I love you too,’ she said, tilting her head back for another kiss.
‘Hey, you two, normally I’d say get a room, but you can’t tonight because it’s bad luck,’ Megan shouted.
‘Alright,’ grinned Lizzie. She turned back to Josh. ‘See you down the other end of the aisle?’
He smiled. ‘If you’re lucky.’
28
5 hours to go …
Lizzie looked at her alarm clock for the 11th time that morning: 7.56am. Only four more minutes and the bloody thing will go off, which means we can finally get up. She had not slept a wink last night, overcome with a mix of excitement and nerves. It would have been nice to have some soothing words of encouragement from Megan, but she had been snoring away loudly like an asthmatic narcoleptic, blissfully unaware of Lizzie’s restlessness. Enjoy it while you can, she thought. You’ll be waking up any minute.
Lizzie looked around the elegant hotel room, with its rich burgundy wallpaper and velvet chaise lounge, over which her wedding dress was draped. I wonder if Josh got any sleep last night, or if he’s as wired as I am? She doubted it. Aside from the other day, Josh didn’t tend to get worked up much. It was quietly comforting in a way, like when you hit a patch of turbulence on a plane and the air hostesses keep calmly passing out sandwiches.
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm clock did its thing, and Megan began to stir from her near-coma. ‘Urrrrrrrrgh,’ she groaned. ‘Pleeeeeeasemakeitstop …’
‘Alright,’ said Lizzie, ‘but we’d better start getting up soon.’ She reached for the clock at a deliberately slow pace, allowing a few more beeps to sound for good measure.
‘Switchitorrrrrf!’
‘I’m doing it now.’ She set the snooze button for ten minutes later, just in case Megan was tempted to doze back off.
‘What time is it?’ Megan rubbed her eyes.
‘It’s 8am. Time we got up and started getting ready.’
‘Have you ordered breakfast?’
‘No, I’m not hungry. But you can get some if you like.’
‘Lizzie, you’ve got to eat something. You can’t go rushing around all morning on an empty stomach. Let’s order room service.’
Lizzie knew she had a point. ‘OK, but nothing too stodgy for me. I still need to fit into that gown.’
‘Croissant?’
‘Oui, merci.’
Megan picked up the phone and dialled the internal number. ‘Hello, I’d like to order some room service for suite 205 please. Please could we have a full English breakfast with all the trimmings—’
Lizzie threw her pillow on her friend’s bed. ‘What? That one’s for me,’ mouthed Megan, returning to the phone, ‘and a couple of croissants please. Yes, we would like orange juice.’ She glanced again at Lizzie. ‘And perhaps some strong coffee as well. Yes, that’s all.’ She hung up. ‘They’ll be here in 15 minutes. So, how are you feeling?’
‘Excited. Jittery. Both, I guess.’
‘Well, that’s pretty normal. I think everyone feels a bit like that beforehand.’
‘Really?’
‘Yeah, my boss was exactly the same when she got married. Probably worse than you. But once she got to the groom, she was fine.’
‘Do you think Josh is nervous, too?’
‘Josh? Nah, he’s just excited about marrying you. He told me so last night.’
‘He did?’
‘Yes. And he asked me to give you this.’ Megan reached under the bed and pulled out an expensive-looking box tied with silver ribbon. Surprised, Lizzie opened it up to reveal a delicate white gold watch with a small gift tag attached to it. She turned it over and read the neatly inscribed message: Time to get married! xxx
‘This is gorgeous,’ she declared. ‘Who knew he had such good taste in accessories?’
‘He might have had a bit of help there,’ smiled Megan. ‘But it was all his idea, to be fair.’
Lizzie clambered out of her own bed and onto Megan’s, giving her a big hug. ‘We’ve been through a lot together, haven’t we, you and me?’
‘Look, if you’re going to start hitting on me now, it’s probably not the best day …’
‘Ha. Actually, I was just going to say that I’m very lucky to have you. You’re like the sister I always wanted, even if I have given you some headaches lately. So I’m trying to say thanks, I guess.’
‘You’re welcome,’ said Megan quietly. ‘I must admit you had me worried for a while there. Last week, I even thought you might call the whole thing off.’ She laughed nervously. ‘Clearly I’ve been watching too much telly.’
‘No, it’s been difficult,’ sighed Lizzie. ‘But I think I’ve got my head straight now. I just want to focus on the wedding today.’
‘And you’re 100 per cent sure about Josh.’
Is that a statement or a question? ‘What?’
‘Are you sure you want to get married?’
‘Who are you, the priest?’
‘I’m serious, Lizzie.’ Megan sat up straight. ‘I know we haven’t seen eye to eye over everything lately, but you’re still my best friend and I want you to be happy. But only you know whether that’s with Josh or … whether it’s not. So if you’ve got anything you want to tell me – anything at all – now’s the time to ’fess up or …’
‘Or what? Forever hold my peace?’
‘Something like that.’
‘Alright, now you mention it, I do have something to tell you,’ said Lizzie.
‘I’m listening.’
‘After breakfast, I’m bagging the shower first.’
Megan looked her in the eye. ‘So we’re good here?’
‘All good.’
‘Phew!’ She pretended to wipe her forehead. ‘Then let’s get you married!’
Three hours later, Lizzie was sitting in a white robe in front of the large dressing table mirror, while Lloyd was busy working his magic with the curling tongs. ‘Nearly time now,’ he said. ‘A couple more hours and you’ll be a married woman.’
‘Yes,’ she said, her pulse quickening every time someone brought that up, which seemed to be about every five minutes. ‘Not long at all.’
‘Have you spoken to the groom this morning?’
‘Isn’t that meant to be bad luck?’
‘Oh, I thought that was just if you saw him. But now you mention it, I’m not sure.’ He winked. ‘Maybe stay out of his way altogether, just to be on the safe side.’
‘Yeah, I think he’ll cope without me for one morning.’
‘Exactly. And we’ve still got plenty to do here.’ He pinned up a curl with a hair grip, accidentally poking her in the scalp. She flinched enough for him to notice. ‘Sorry. That one got away from me. But it’s looking fan-tas-tic.’ He stressed each syllable like it was a separate word. ‘Don’t you think, Meg?’ The two of them had only met that morning, but were already hitting it off famously.
‘Huh?’ Megan was rolling around on the bed in her underwear, trying to pull on a pair of sheer tights. ‘Sorry Lloyd, I’m a bit half-dressed here.’
‘So I see. You carry on. I was just telling Lizzie that her hair looks gorgeous.’
‘Indeed it does.’ Suddenly there was a loud ripping noise. ‘Damn! That’s the second pair I’ve laddered this morning. Lizzie, please tell me you’ve got some spare tights around here? Preferably ones that aren’t going to snag the minute I touch them.’
‘Yes, in my suitcase. Be careful with those ones, though – I don’t have any more I can give you.’
‘OK, thanks.’ Megan rummaged around in the case until she found what she was looking for. ‘Your hair really does look amazing, by the way. You’re a star, Lloyd.’
‘Thanks, hon. I’ll be doing you next.’
‘Ooh-er,’ joked Megan, and all three of them laughed.
Their banter was interrupted by the ringing of the hotel phone. ‘I’ll get it,’ said Megan, leaping into action. ‘Hello, this is Ms Sparkes’ assistant,’ she said, putting on a silly voice. ‘How may I be of service?’ There was a pause. ‘Oh, hi, Mrs S,’ she said. ‘No, it’s only me. How’s it going?’
Lizzie strained to hear the conversation on the other end of the line, but couldn’t make it out.
‘Uh-huh,’ Megan nodded. ‘She’s right here. I’ll ask her.’ She put one hand over the mouthpiece and whispered, ‘It’s your mother. She’s wondering if you want her to come up now and lend a hand?’