The wedding day dawned in a perfect Dumbleford style with the dawn chorus and sunshine streaming in through the gaps around the blinds. Beth yawned and stretched. She rolled over and squinted through the window. It was early and already the sunshine was bouncing off the roof tiles and making the dewy grass sparkle. The still sky was a Disney blue apart from the rippled striations of pure white cloud that had been expertly painted on. She wasn’t that familiar with the view out of Leo’s window; the fields were all distinctive, each one growing something different – the grooved brown of fields nursing crops about to sprout, the cheerful yellow of rapeseed and the varying shades of grass dotted with lambs all across the rolling hills that tumbled out of sight, making her smile. It was going to be a beautiful day.
Beth blinked; she didn’t have to get up yet. Having a pregnant bride at least meant that neither of the ladies were waking up with a hangover. Petra had been a star by having Leo overnight to keep the sleeping arrangements at Willow Cottage nice and simple. Beth was in Leo’s room and Carly had her room because it was decorated and there was no step to trip over on the way to the bathroom. Beth hadn’t slept that well with all the arrangements that had been popping up in her mind as if needing her to make one last mental check on each of them but she was stirred fully awake by a text message arriving on her mobile. It was from Petra.
Boys have nice
Beth squinted at it and smiled. Petra’s English was first-rate but there were odd occasions when she got things slightly wrong that meant you could tell it wasn’t her first language. A second message arrived.
Bloody autocorrect. LICE the boys have LICE!
Beth sat bolt upright in bed and rang Petra. As she held the phone in one hand she was already scratching her head with the other one. Petra answered immediately. ‘Lice?’ said Beth, dispensing with any greeting.
‘Yes, I thought they were messing about but I have checked and they are both walking head lice nests. I have soaked them in olive oil …’
‘Olive oil?’ Beth had no idea where this was going.
‘It stops the lice breathing and when they are dead I will comb them out. But I have the lice too and I wondered about you?’
Beth hadn’t realized she was scratching her head again. ‘Bugger. I think I might. The hairdresser is due here in a couple of hours. He will freak out!’
‘Come over now and we sort out each other,’ suggested Petra and while Beth really wished she had a better idea at seven in the morning she simply didn’t. ‘Okay, give me five minutes.’ She was now seriously worried about Danny the hairdresser finding a nit on her or Carly because she had heard the stories of him stopping mid-haircut and refusing to continue when he’d found lice in someone’s hair once and that was the last thing they needed today.
After leaving a note for Carly, a few minutes later Beth found herself sitting on the floor of Petra’s bathroom with her head tilted back over the bath, her scalp dripping with olive oil. Denis and Leo had already been treated and were in the living room with their oil-doused heads covered by shower caps.
Petra was sitting next to her, humming. ‘Why are you all jolly?’ asked Beth.
‘I’m not sure,’ said Petra, moving her eyes in Beth’s direction but keeping her head still. ‘It is a beautiful morning, there will be a wedding in the village and a party on the green. And above all my boy is happy, even with the nits.’
‘You are funny,’ said Beth. Petra definitely knew how to give you perspective on things.
‘Not everyone gets the mother and son bond, do they?’
‘We are indestructible. Whatever life throws at us, we can fight it because we have each other. Denis was my greatest heartache and my greatest prize.’ Petra swallowed hard.
‘Heartache?’ asked Beth tentatively, not moving her head – to make eye contact would have changed the intensity of the moment.
Petra let out a long breath and it whistled through her teeth. ‘Perhaps one day I will explain, my friend, but today is for love and happiness …’
Beth got the message and needed to lighten the mood. ‘And nits! How long do we have to stay like this?’ she asked.
‘We don’t, we can put on the shower caps but it does leak a little. Either way the nits die within a few hours.’
‘Hours? We don’t have hours!’ Beth felt panic rapidly rising.
‘Calm down. We have a metal comb and we can comb out most of the lice and next week we do it again because the eggs will have hatched by then,’ explained Petra in a matter-of-fact tone.
‘This is totally gross,’ said Beth. ‘Who wants a nitty bridesmaid?’
Petra sat up and coiled her hair into one of the shower caps that were usually left with the shampoo and shower gel for guests who stayed at the pub. ‘Come on, let’s delouse you first, nitty bridesmaid,’ she said with a giggle.
After having her hair methodically combed and the comb contents thoroughly scrutinized Beth came to the conclusion that she might actually have escaped the nits, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She had done the same for Petra and showered and washed her hair three times until it felt vaguely normal again. That said, Beth had to admit that her hair did now feel silky smooth; perhaps the olive-oil trick might become a regular part of her beauty regime, not that she had one of those any more. Ever since she’d left London she had stopped having herself groomed because there was nowhere local and she no longer had the money for expensive treatments but she felt better for it and more like her old self, which was definitely a good thing.
They left the boys, who were quite happy in their shower caps because they looked as daft as each other, and the longer they kept the oil on the more likely they were to have suffocated all the lice. It was all arranged that Jack would collect Leo and Denis from the pub and take them to the church with Fergus and Budgie so Beth could focus on getting the bride ready.
Leaving the pub, an amazing sight greeted Beth. The sun was now higher in the sky; most of the cloud from earlier had burned away to leave pretty wisps like cobwebs across the sky. The village green was picture-perfect with swathes of vibrant green grass and the last few blossoming trees, and even the horse chestnut was putting on a display with its cone-shaped blooms. But the most exciting thing was that the tent company had arrived. Its large vans were parked on the road, and the first tent was going up. It was nothing like Beth had imagined; her mind had conjured up the ancient green canvas tents that had been the pleasure of many a Brownie camp in her youth, but these were far different. The tent being erected, the colour of wet plaster and the shape of a giant tepee, even had wooden struts sticking out of the top. Within a few minutes it was up and the next one was being rolled out on the grass.
She spotted Jack helping to unload chairs. As she watched him he turned and looked straight at her, giving her goose bumps. She gave a brief wave and because his hands were full he nodded an acknowledgement. Beth walked back to the cottage with her heart a little lighter for having seen Jack and she had a firm word with herself that once she had left Dumbleford she really would have to get over whatever this silly crush on Jack was. But for the time being it was harmless so she was going to enjoy it, but from a safe distance of course.
Beth smiled when she spotted Danny the hairdresser’s car parked outside Willow Cottage but her smile faded as she saw the For Sale sign in her front garden, which reminded her that she would soon be leaving, assuming of course that someone wanted to buy it. She already had two people coming to see it on Monday, which was an encouraging start – well, that was what the estate agent had called it.
Inside the cottage was a hive of activity and she was greeted by Danny like long-lost treasure. ‘Beth! Lovely to see you again,’ he said, instantly taking a clump of her hair in his hand. She froze. Had he spotted a stray louse? ‘This has got long. Tut, tut, split ends and goodness, is this your natural colour?’ Beth nodded and for some strange reason tried to have a look for herself although she knew what colour her hair was. ‘Why did we ever
colour this? It’s gorgeous. Not bad condition either seeing as you’ve been fending for yourself in this wilderness.’ He swept his other arm out dramatically.
Beth let out a slow sigh of relief. She had passed the nit-master test.
Chapter Forty-Three
The next couple of hours flew by with Beth making copious amounts of tea for everyone including Carly’s very nervous uncle who was giving her away and was now pacing the hallway like a caged animal. Carly had felt queasy when she woke up but Shirley’s vinegar remedy seemed to be keeping it at bay and all in all everyone was doing okay.
Carly coughed as she appeared on the stairs looking completely stunning. Her wedding dress was exactly what Beth had expected. It was a simple lace-covered ivory dress, knee-length at the front, and it descended elegantly into a full-length gown at the back, with a puddle train. Danny had done an amazing job on Carly’s hair; it was all encased in a very neat bun style, her dark hair shining healthily.
Carly had done her own make-up and had gone for an au naturel look, which suited her and enhanced her natural beauty. Her uncle wiped away a tear, Beth handed him a tissue and he blew his nose loudly.
‘You look amazing,’ said Beth as Carly reached the bottom of the stairs. Carly was glowing but her expression changed to one of contemplation.
‘Actually, I think I need to pee again, will you give me a hand?’ she asked, turning round and heading back up the stairs.
When everyone was back downstairs Beth picked up her flowers and straightened her own dress. She was pleased with her bridesmaid’s dress; it was a simple strapless floor-length gown in the palest blue and it couldn’t have fitted her better if it had been made for her.
There was the beep of an old-fashioned car horn outside and Beth leaped into action.
‘Right, remember to lock up and bring the key. The car will be back for you in about five minutes. Okay?’ she said, fussing around Carly’s dress for no apparent reason.
‘I’m fine, really. I don’t feel sick and I’m about to marry the loveliest man in the world,’ said Carly as her voice started to crack.
‘No, don’t cry, you’ll ruin your make-up.’
‘Bloody hormones!’ said Carly with a snort. ‘Go!’ and she waved Beth away.
Beth went to the door. ‘Promise no peeking at the car until it comes back?’
‘I promise,’ said Carly, picking up her posy of flowers, ‘Now go or you’ll make me more than fashionably late!’
Beth gave her a thumbs-up and slunk out of the door just as Chloe’s boyfriend was arriving with the video camera, so she ushered him inside. At least now she would get to see Carly’s reaction to Shirley’s car and she hoped to God that she liked it but if she didn’t it was only a short walk to the church.
Shirley’s little car looked marvellous. Simon had polished it and attached wide ivory ribbons across its bonnet and Julia from the WI had hung a flower garland around the inside, which was visible through its many windows. It was the perfect little wedding car, a little quirky perhaps but very cute. And best of all it no longer stank of the vinegar Shirley used to clean it with because Simon had thoroughly wiped the upholstery with a far more modern cleaner. Actually when Beth got inside she noticed there was still a faint hint of vinegar but the freesias were doing a good job at masking it.
As they drove past the green Beth was amazed at the finished spectacle of the assembled tents. Now a crescent shape of large tepees cascaded from the largest central one and they were festooned with pretty bunting. Half the village green was cordoned off with the colourful garlands that were flapping idly in the light warm breeze.
There were a few cars parked near the church and far more people milling about. Half the village had turned out and pretty much all of the WI, along with lots of people Beth didn’t know, who she suspected were Fergus’s folks. She knew the village stores had sold out of confetti yesterday and had enterprisingly started to sell small bags of rice, no doubt out of date, instead.
Leo ran over clutching the ring cushion as Simon opened the door and let Beth out of the car. ‘I saw the For Sale sign. I don’t want to move. When do I get the rings?’ he asked his mother as he bobbed up and down on the spot fuelled by his excitement but with a melancholy look in his eyes.
She kissed him and decided to focus on the wedding-related question for now. ‘You can have the rings at the last possible moment,’ said Beth, still fearful that they would be lost between the church doors and the altar steps.
An unexpected ripple of applause broke out when Beth stepped fully out of the car and she felt herself blush at the compliment.
‘You’d better get this lot inside, I’ll be back in a mo,’ said Simon with a tip of his cap. Beth was pleased she’d gone with the slightly more expensive version of the chauffeur hat; it suited Simon, he really looked the part.
Beth and Leo walked away from the car and Fergus strolled over with Budgie, who was munching his way through a packet of Hula Hoops but politely shoved them in his pocket and brushed his hands together to dismiss the crumbs before he greeted her.
‘You ready for the rings now, big man?’ said Fergus to Leo, holding out a fist to bump, but Leo was still clutching his cushion.
‘Yeah!’ shouted Leo. Budgie took him to one side and they began to attach the rings to the ribbons on the cushion while Fergus introduced Beth to a ridiculous number of his relatives, none of whose names she would remember in twenty seconds’ time. ‘… and this is my da, Cormac.’
‘Now, aren’t you a sight?’ said Cormac, taking Beth’s hand and kissing it. Beth assumed it was a compliment.
A loud bark drew Beth’s attention and she saw Doris, resplendent with flower collar, trotting along with Ernie until something caught Doris’s eye and she bounded off with poor Ernie jogging behind her like he was the one being controlled by the lead.
‘… you’ve done all the organizing, Fergus tells me. Now, is there plenty of Guinness?’ said Cormac with a smile although his eyes conveyed the underlying importance of the question.
‘Yes,’ said Beth, trying to keep the bounding Doris in her sights. ‘There’s plenty of the black stuff. The pub landlady stocked up especially.’ But she was distracted by a commotion near the church and Budgie heading her way while signing frantically. Jack was close behind.
She hadn’t seen Jack since this morning when he’d been setting up the tents and here he was looking remarkably different. He was wearing a dark suit, one she hadn’t seen him in before, and coupled with his perfect dark hair and the merest hint of a smile she found herself staring – she didn’t want to but she knew she was. She had a sudden urge to mess up his perfect hair and felt her heart start to quicken.
Beth blinked, quickly realizing Budgie was trying to tell her something, although filtering out all the signed swear words made it tricky. She handed her posy to Jack and started to sign with Budgie as best she could and even her rusty effort was enough to make him calmer, which thankfully made it easier to understand his signing.
‘Rings, you’ve lost the rings,’ said Beth out loud, pleased to have deciphered the message. ‘Shit! You’ve lost the rings?’
It appeared that Doris in her urgency to get to a small rabbit on the far side of the churchyard had bumped into Budgie and Leo, sending the rings up in the air to land somewhere in the long grass.
She turned to Jack standing there holding the posy, looking a little confused. ‘Call Simon, tell him to stall. He can take Carly round the green and people can wave at her a few times, anything but stop her getting here until we’ve found the rings!’
‘Got it,’ said Jack thrusting back the posy as if he’d just remembered he was still holding it. He got out his phone and started dialling.
‘Can I go and play with Denis? And those other kids?’ asked Leo, still clutching the empty cushion.
‘Er, no you need to help find the rings!’
Unfortunately, Beth quickly discovered the more people you had trampling around the sa
me small space the harder it was to find something. With Jack’s help she ushered the guests into the church and she and Jack had one last search for the rings while the organ music wafted out of the church. He was crouched down next to her and she could smell his spicy aftershave, which was making it surprisingly hard to concentrate fully on the search.
‘Bloody hell, how could they vanish like this?’ said Beth, parting great clumps of grass at high speed. ‘Ah, ha!’ she said as she and Jack both lurched for the same shiny piece of metal at the same time, his hand getting there a fraction after Beth’s and landing on top. They both froze. Beth could feel the smooth ring in her fingers but she could also feel the heat of Jack’s hand covering hers and he wasn’t moving it away. She moved her head slowly to look at Jack and he was licking his lips as if about to say something monumental. The moment seemed to hang between them.
‘Beep, beep!’ came the horn of the Morris Minor and Simon pulled up at the lych gate. Jack slowly took back his hand and gave Beth a faint smile.
‘At least we’ve found one of the rings.’
‘I’ll keep looking for another minute or two,’ said Jack.
Beth stood up, clutching the ring, her heart pounding a drum solo in her chest she walked down to meet Carly and her uncle. Beth did her duties of sorting out Carly’s dress and when she glanced over her shoulder she saw Jack tie Doris up at the side of the church, where she flopped down miserably. Beth watched him sneak inside the church ahead of the wedding party. Carly was beaming and Beth was so pleased for her but she was a little distracted by the encounter with Jack and the ring she was still clutching.
As Carly took her uncle’s arm Beth tried to relax and her errant heart began beating a more stable rhythm. It was going to be all right. They walked down the aisle in time to the traditional music and when they reached the front Beth placed the solitary ring on the cushion that Leo was still dutifully holding. He grinned up at his mother and Beth felt the love and pride she had for her son swell inside. Beth looked at Jack and back at the cushion and Jack gave a brief shake of his head. Oh well, thought Beth, one ring was still better than no rings; there was nothing they could do now and she very much hoped that it would be a story they could laugh about later. She took a deep breath and began to actively listen to the vicar and enjoy the service.
Willow Cottage, Part 4 Page 9
