by Rosie Harris
‘True, but think how nice it will be when it’s all completed.’
Rebecca didn’t answer, her eyes were full of tears as she flung her arms round Nick’s neck and kissed him.
‘Hey, what’s this all about?’ he said as he took out his handkerchief and gently brushed away her tears.
‘I’m so happy,’ she whispered. ‘So very, very happy.’
Forty-Nine
For Rebecca, the Easter holiday proved to be one long round of excitement. She could hardly wait to get to Woodside to tell her parents about the work Nick had carried out on the cottage, so slightly reluctantly he agreed that they would take them there so they could see the transformation for themselves.
Sandra was enchanted and Bill was full of admiration for all the work Nick had done.
‘No wonder you’ve been walking round with your head in the clouds for the past few weeks. You must have been scheming and planning in your sleep,’ Bill joked. ‘You certainly managed to find some first-class workmen to carry out your ideas. You’ve transformed the place. I’d go as far as to say that you’ve doubled its value.’
‘Perhaps I have, but it’s not for sale so don’t think of buying it and retiring,’ Nick told him.
When Rebecca took Cindy to see it, she was equally enthusiastic in her praise.
‘I thought you’d made a bit of a mistake when I first saw it,’ she admitted. ‘It was a nice enough cottage but so decrepit. I wondered how you would ever manage to live here without a proper bathroom and so on.’
‘Well, now it’s as modern inside as any house could be,’ Rebecca replied.
‘Oh, I agree with you about that. In fact, I’m quite envious. The farm is comfortable enough – don’t get me wrong – and I’m very happy there, but when I see this place, well, it’s like something out of a magazine.’
During the Easter break Rebecca went to Salisbury three separate times on shopping sprees. The first time, she went with Nick to buy carpets and to choose the essential fitments for the kitchen, such as a cooker, washing machine and dishwasher.
Although they looked at furniture for the dining area and sitting room, they decided to leave buying it and also a bed for the moment.
‘We’re not moving in until August, so we have plenty of time,’ Nick pointed out. ‘Once the carpets are down we’ll have a much better idea of what is suitable.’
Two days later Rebecca went to Salisbury again with her mother to buy kitchenware, and the following day she went with Cindy to choose curtain fabric and arrange for the curtains to be made up.
She was disappointed that none of her purchases could be delivered before she had to go back to Blissford for the start of the new term. She so much wanted to see them actually in the cottage and to know that she had made the right choices.
Nick promised that as soon as any of them were in place, particularly the kitchen fitments and the carpets, he would come and collect her and bring her back to make sure she was happy with them.
Rebecca returned to school with her mind still on her furniture and furnishings and all the things that were being done at the cottage. She found it difficult to settle down to the regular routine of classwork and looked forward to the end of the school year, in July, when she would be able to devote all her time to making sure everything was as she wanted in their cottage.
There was also the wedding to plan. Because it was to be a double wedding, she had less to worry about. Since her mother and Mavis Mason would be busy organizing everything, there was really no need for her to do anything. All she would have to do was find a wedding dress at half-term. She knew her mother was looking forward to shopping with her for it. In fact, Sandra had already mentioned that she had seen one or two she thought suitable, so Rebecca suspected she would have very little choice in what was eventually chosen.
As soon as the kitchen fittings were installed, Nick came over to take her to Millham to see if she approved. Not only were the fittings in place, but the hardwood floor had been laid in the kitchen and dining area.
Her first impression was one of delight. It was difficult to recall the tiny drab little kitchen with its shallow sink, wooden draining board and stone floor that had been there when she had first seen the cottage. Now it was all modern and gleaming, and she ached to be able to start using it.
By half-term the carpets had been laid in the sitting room, on the staircase and in both bedrooms. They were a warm mushroom shade and gave a cosy feel to the entire cottage.
Nick had retained the services of the gardener, an elderly man called Bob who lived in one of the cottages in the main street of Millham, so the garden was looking lovely.
As she picked a bunch of sweet peas to take to her mother, Rebecca looked forward to the time when she could simply get out a deckchair and sit there amongst the flowers and relax.
At the moment, though, there was so much to do it was out of the question. Finding the right wedding dress was far too important.
Once again they went to Salisbury, because none of the shops in the small neighbouring towns had anything suitable.
‘We could order from a catalogue,’ Rebecca suggested.
‘We can’t do that!’ her mother exclaimed indignantly. ‘You want a dress that fits you perfectly. It’s your big day, remember!’
When Rebecca suggested they should go to the shop where Cindy had bought hers, her mother shook her head.
‘I don’t think so. We want something different. You don’t want to look like two peas from the same pod.’
‘Have you seen Cindy’s dress? I haven’t.’
‘No, of course I haven’t But I’m pretty sure that what suits Cindy won’t be right for you. Your colouring is so different and she’s much plumper than you these days. Must be all that good living up on the farm after what she had to endure.’
The wedding dress they eventually chose was very simple but very lovely and it fitted perfectly, so no additional fittings or alterations were necessary. The soft white-silk material seemed to flow over Rebecca’s figure, revealing every curve. The heart-shaped neckline was trimmed with lace and tiny pearl beads, which added to its femininity.
‘I think the only things left to do now are the invitations and the ordering of the wedding cake. Perhaps the two of you should leave the cake to Mavis and me?’
‘That’s fine as far as I’m concerned,’ Rebecca agreed. ‘You might let Cindy have a say in the matter, though.’
‘What about the invitations? Is there anyone special that you would like to add to the list of family and friends?’
‘No, I don’t think so. I’m not sure about Nick, though. He might have someone to add.’
‘His parents are both dead and he has no brothers or sisters. I’ve already asked him and there’s no one extra he wants to invite.’
‘Only another six weeks and then it’s the end of term, thank goodness,’ Rebecca commented as Nick drove her back to Blissford. ‘I’m beginning to feel exhausted by all the preparations.’
‘We’ve still got the wedding celebrations to get through. Do you think you will be able to stand up to all that?’ Nick asked, with a sympathetic smile.
‘I’ll try. I want to move into our cottage. I wish we could do so right now!’
‘We wouldn’t be very comfortable there at the moment. We haven’t any furniture. Remember?’
‘True, but it is all ordered. You will come and get me so I can see it as soon as it’s delivered, won’t you?’
‘Wouldn’t you sooner wait and see it for the first time after we’re married?’
Rebecca thought for a moment. ‘Is that what you want me to do?’
Nick nodded but kept his eyes on the road. ‘Much more romantic,’ he murmured.
‘Very well. It will be your fault, though, if we’ve made the wrong choice and it doesn’t look right.’
Nick gave an elaborate sigh.
‘What is far more important,’ Rebecca went on, ‘is that we find a name for our cottage.’
‘Name? It’s got a number on the gate and on the front door. Didn’t you notice?’
‘Yes, I did. But I want it to have a name. Something outstanding.’
‘Well, I’ll leave that to you. I’ve already done most of the work on the cottage, so now it’s your turn to take some responsibility.’
‘Very well. I’ll phone and let you know when I’ve decided on something appropriate.’
Fifty
The last days of August were hot and sunny, the perfect weather for a wedding. The arrangements, which seemed to have been going on for such a long time, had at long last come to fulfilment.
The two bridegrooms stood waiting outside Saint Peter’s church in Shelston. Both of them looked resplendent in morning dress with a white carnation in the buttonhole, but there the similarity ended. Danny, tall with a shock of red hair, looked even broader across the shoulders than he did in his policeman’s uniform. Nick, equally tall, his dark head almost on a level with Danny’s, was very much slimmer.
Standing nearby was a crowd of villagers, gathered there waiting for the arrival of the two brides.
Both men quickly disappeared inside the church as the crowd drew apart to allow the first bridal car, carrying Rebecca and her father, to pull up by the church door.
There were gasps of admiration as Bill helped Rebecca out of the car and Sandra hurried forward to make sure Rebecca’s dress was uncreased and hanging correctly.
Then the second ribbon-bedecked car, carrying Tom Mason and Cindy, drew up and the crowd gasped again as another vision in white stepped out.
For a moment the two girls, so alike and yet so different in colouring and looks, stood there smiling encouragingly at each other. Then as each of them took their father’s arm, ready to walk into the church, the two bridesmaids, Grace Flowers and Cindy’s daughter, Poppy, joined them.
Grace was wearing a long oyster-satin dress, and little Poppy looked quite lovely in a pale-pink organza dress trimmed with lace.
As they took their place and walked down the aisle in time to the music supplied by the village organist, there were murmurs of admiration from the crowd, many of whom had followed them into the church for the service.
When the two couples emerged an hour or so later, they posed in front of the church for photographs. As well as an official photographer taking pictures, a great many of the villagers insisted on using their own cameras.
Finally, they left for the reception in the village hall, which had been specially decorated for the occasion, both inside and outside.
Professional caterers had been hired, so there was no need for Sandra or Mavis to do anything except take part in the babble of chatter and laughter that filled the hall. Soon the sound of voices died down and was replaced by the chinking of glasses and cutlery as everyone settled down to enjoy the meal.
Afterwards there were speeches that seemed to delight in recalling anecdotes relating to the two couples in their younger days and providing forecasts for their futures.
Rebecca began to think the festivities would never end. All she wanted to do was to be alone with Nick in their cottage. She knew, though, that it would be several hours before that could happen. After the reception there was to be a buffet supper and dancing. All the villagers had been invited to join in the celebration, and judging by the size of the crowd that had been outside the church she knew it would be well attended. She also knew that along with Nick, Cindy and Danny, she would be expected to stay on for most of the evening.
Three hours later, when she thought she wasn’t going to be able to stand another minute of noise and chatter, of congratulations and good advice, Nick drew her aside.
‘Ready to leave?’ he whispered.
‘I certainly am. My head aches, my feet are burning, and I want to go home.’
As they circled the room saying their goodbyes to family and friends, Cindy murmured, ‘We’ll be leaving as soon as you’ve gone. I’ve been expecting Poppy to collapse at any moment. I really don’t know where she gets the energy from.’
Rebecca smiled and turned to watch Poppy as she twisted and twirled in time to the music, holding the hem of her pretty dress in one hand as she did so.
‘She’s certainly enjoyed herself today, hasn’t she? She’s won everybody’s heart.’
‘Come on! You said over an hour ago that you wanted to leave,’ Nick reminded her, taking her firmly by the arm. ‘Where shall I take you? To The Flower Patch?’
She looked up at him and laughed. ‘Yes, to The Flower Patch. Do you like the name?’
He didn’t answer, but bent his head and kissed her lightly on the lips.
‘Well, do you?’ she persisted.
‘It will do,’ he told her, chuckling.
Half an hour later, when they drew up outside the cottage the first thing that met her eyes was a newly painted sign on a polished wooden board hung above the garden gate with The Flower Patch embossed on it in gold lettering.
The name was repeated on a small plaque fastened to the wall inside the porch, a porch that was covered by sweet-smelling pink and yellow roses.
Rebecca paused for a moment to turn round and view the garden, now ablaze with summer flowers against the velvety green lawns, and sighed happily.
Nick swept her up into his arms and she relaxed against him as he carried her over the threshold and into the living room.
It was the first glimpse she’d had of it since the furniture they chose together had been delivered and as she looked round she gave a long sigh of pleasure. The room looked beautiful, they had certainly chosen well.
‘Well, does everything come up to your expectations, Mrs Blakemore?’ Nick asked as their lips met in a long tender kiss.
‘Yes, it does indeed, Mr Blakemore,’ she whispered as once again their lips touched. ‘And so do you.’
Rebecca sighed happily as he finally put her down. This really was married bliss, she told herself, and the beginning of a new way of life.
