“Don’t you get all up on your high horse with me, missy! If it wasn’t for me-”
“Shut the fuck up!” I hissed. “If it wasn’t for you, I might have had a happy childhood.”
“I gave you everything!”
“You gave us money but it was clear you loved your job more than you loved us. Hannah was the one who raised me, Mum, because while you accuse us of being selfish and narcissistic, the truth is you were the one who was. Our lives revolved around you and what you wanted came first, always!”
“I did the best I could and you’re just an ungrateful little brat!”
“I am ungrateful, because you gave me nothing to be grateful for. Did you ever cook an evening meal? No, Hannah or your boyfriends did. Did you ever sit down and help me with my homework? Not once! Did you come to my graduation? No, Hannah did! You were a terrible mother and the only reason I haven’t said as much before it because I was being kind to you! For some unfathomable reason, I actually do care about you, which is why I wanted you here but once again, mother, you make it quite clear that the only person in this whole entire world you give a shit about, is you.”
I wrenched my arm from her grip.
“I want you and Brian gone, now.”
I turned and went to find Will.
“You can't kick me out! Where will I go?”
“I don’t care if you end up sleeping on the side of the road! I have spent far too much of my life caring about you and your opinion of me, but that stops now. You don’t deserve me.”
When I got back downstairs, Will was talking to his mum, sitting on the arm of her chair. Why couldn’t I have a mum like Diane?
“Hey, what’s up?” he asked when he saw my face, approaching me.
“Mum borrowed a server’s phone, our secret’s out.” I began to cry and he gathered me into his arms.
“Oh, hey, shh, everything will be all right, darling, we’ll find a way.”
The conversations around me stilled as the news spread and they saw that the bride was crying. Realising that I was making a show of myself on the eve of my wedding, supposedly the happiest day of my life, I pulled away and dabbed at my eyes.
I then noticed that almost everyone was looking towards the door, where my mother stood.
“What!” she demanded.
Hannah and Brian rushed forward to remove her from the room.
“Come on,” Will said, “Now seems like an excellent time to try the complimentary whisky in the room.”
I nodded and allowed him to lead me away.
I still felt a little teary but the drink helped.
“So, what do you want to do?” Will asked.
“What can we do? The horse has already bolted, we just have to live with it.”
“I’ll add additional security tomorrow and see if Lee can maybe run interference or something.”
“He’s supposed to be enjoying himself,” I reminded him. Lee was a guest too.
“Yes, but friends rally in times of trouble, and don’t forget that he has the entire Destiny PR firm to call on for help.”
“There shouldn’t be any times of trouble. You shouldn’t marry me, Will, my family are all nuts and we’re going to bring you nothing but problems.”
“Your parents are nuts, but you bring me nothing but comfort and joy.
“Are you plagiarising Christmas carols now?”
“Maybe,” he smiled. “But it’s true. And Hannah is lovely. I have a sneaking suspicion that her girls might terrorise us when they get a little older but I think between us, we can take them.”
Someone knocked on the door.
“Can we ignore it?” I pleaded.
“‘Fraid not.” Will shook his head and went to answer it.
Hannah was there and I took a swig of whisky, preparing for whatever she had to say.
“I’m so sorry,” she came in and hugged me. “I should have kept a better eye on her.”
“Not your fault,” I reassured her. “What’s happening?”
“Mum is going ballistic, she doesn’t see that this is her fault at all. I don’t know what else is happening. How are you doing?”
“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “I just know that I’m getting married tomorrow, come hell or high water.”
“Do you really want her to leave?”
“I want her to be a decent mother, then none of this would have happened.” I sighed but was overcome by a wave of anger. “She couldn’t even wait 24 fucking hours! ARGH! Is her right to brag really more important than my wedding day? Still, I shouldn’t really be surprised, she’s never really loved either of us, she only wanted us around for as long as she could bend us to her will. God, I hate this!”
I began to cry and Hannah rushed up to hug me.
“I know, I know,” she crooned. “Maybe you should let the others know what’s happening,” she suggested to Will.
“Are you sure?”
“Mum related meltdowns are something I have much experience of.”
Will left us and Hannah talked, hugged and cajoled me into a better mood.
“So, what do you want to do?” she asked again.
“I still don’t know. Part of me wants to make her leave but then she’ll tell everyone and that will be all over the papers and besides, she’s the only parent I have left.”
I could see that Hannah understood my sentiments.
“Then we carry on as usual. Brian will keep an eye on her and believe me, I don’t think she’s made any friends here. I think she realises she’s crossed a line when she saw the looks everyone was giving her downstairs.”
“If she realises, why can she never say sorry?”
“I don’t know,” Hannah admitted. I didn’t really expect an answer, we’d both often asked this question over the years.
“Will and Lee are going to see what they can do, trying to keep the press away, but…” I sighed. “I suppose it’s not the worst that can happen. So a few pictures of me appear in the papers… No one’s dead or injured. And at least she doesn’t know where the honeymoon is; she can't tell anyone what she doesn’t know.”
“That’s the spirit.”
We both knew this wasn’t about pictures though, it was about betrayal.
I hugged Hannah tightly. “I’m so glad I’ve got you.”
“Me too, Sis.”
She left then and I went about my extended, pre-wedding night time routine. I showered, exfoliated and moisturised but by the time I was finished, Will still wasn’t back, so I crawled into bed. I was just falling asleep when he climbed into bed and pressed a kiss to my temple.
“Will?” I murmured.
“Sleep, love, everything’s being handled.”
***
I awoke in the morning to my neck being kissed and I sighed with contentment.
“I want to wake up this way every morning,” I purred.
One hand found my breasts and he began to tweak my nipples.
“I’ll do my best, as long as we don’t have to repeat the sex embargo in the future.”
“Damn.” I’d forgotten that rule.
Will pulled away, resting his head on his hand and looking altogether too smug.
“You planned that, didn’t you?”
“I plead the fifth.”
“We’re not American.”
“Then I’m exercising my right to silence.”
“You want to be silent?” I asked incredulously. “You?”
He narrowed his eyes. “We’re not married yet, wench.”
I knew he was teasing. “Yeah, but we agreed not to have sex until after the marriage. I honestly don’t think you can hold out another day, so you’ll have to marry me.”
“And I suppose I’m the only one suffering?”
“No, so if you do refuse, you need to seriously consider the possibility of me hog tying you and dragging you to the altar.”
“You and whose army?”
“I’m sure Helen will help me, she can kick some
serious arse.”
“Fine, I surrender.”
“You haven’t heard my terms yet.”
“Anything, I’ll do anything you ask, my darling.”
He leaned forward and kissed me but just as it was getting interesting, he pulled away with a groan.
“Are you coming down for breakfast or should I sneak something up to you?” he asked.
“Why would you need to sneak food up?”
“Ah,” he looked uncomfortable. “Your mum said something about not eating breakfast so you fit the dress. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have joked about it, it was thoughtless.”
“Not your fault.” He knew I wasn’t paranoid enough to let one meal worry me. “But since you brought her up, what’s happened on that front?”
“We’ve brought in a lot more security and they’ve set up an exclusion zone.”
“That makes it sound like a military operation.”
“It just means they’ve made a perimeter. I can't promise there’ll be no long range lenses but no one who isn’t on the list is getting onto the grounds today.”
“Okay,” I nodded my understanding.
“When I went to bed last night, I left Lee trying to broker a deal with some of the bigger publications.”
“What kind of deal?”
“He’s trying to get them not to publish any paparazzi pictures, in return for limited access to some of our official wedding pictures.”
“Will they go for that?”
“I suspect it depends on the quality of any paparazzi pictures, but anyone who posts or prints them, will not be given the rights to use any of our official pictures.”
“Okay. How many pictures would we have to release?”
“Five, maybe as many as ten. Not all of us, some of the guests, the speeches, the venue etc, but we would get to choose which ones to release.”
Well, it was better than nothing.
“Thank you,” I said, taking his hand and kissing his knuckles.
“You really don’t mind?”
“It’s not ideal but I think you found a good solution to a difficult situation, a situation that I caused, I might add.”
“You aren’t responsible for your mother’s actions, darling.”
“I should have kept a better eye on her.”
“She’s a grown woman and that’s not your job. No one here blames you, least of all me.”
“Thank you.”
He pulled me into his arms and hugged me tightly for a few moments, then we got ready to go down to breakfast.
***
Breakfast for the overnight guests was in the Croquet Room of the main house and there were about 10 people in there when we arrived. We joined Hannah and her family.
“How are you?” she asked, her concern evident.
“I’m fine,” I assured her with a confident smile.
“Really?”
“Have you seen this guy?” I pointed a thumb at Will. “I get to marry him later. The zombie apocalypse could start right now and I’d still be fine.”
“You say the strangest and yet, the sweetest things sometimes,” Will smirked at me.
“I don’t like zombies,” seven year old Cara stated.
“I don’t like them either,” I assured her. “But I don’t think we have to worry about them today.”
“Good.”
Cara and Caitlin were acting as our flower girls, which I hadn’t wanted but Cara had a friend who had been a flower girl and she really wanted to be one too, and of course, I couldn’t leave her sister out.
“What time do you want to start getting ready?” Hannah asked me.
“I thought about one.” The wedding was at three, the reception began at four thirty and the dancing at seven pm. Will and I would be staying here again tonight (along with the guests who were already here) and going off on honeymoon tomorrow morning.
I was doing my own hair and make-up, not wanting this to turn into a circus but now that I knew some pictures were being released, I was a little more inclined to primp.
“Maybe half twelve. What do you think?” I asked. Hannah was my maid of honour, and Laurie and Marie were my bridesmaids.
“Whenever you want. Better to be ready too early than too late.”
“Okay, can you come to my room for twelve?”
“Sure,” Hannah smiled. “And I hate to ask, but what do you want to do about Mum?”
“She can stay, but keep her away from me. I mean it, if she tries to ruin my day, I will ask security to escort her off the premises.”
“Understood,” Hannah smiled. “Try not to worry about her.”
“I am,” I beamed. “Nothing will spoil my day.”
“Our day,” Will turned away from Ben to interject.
“Our day,” I agreed.
***
The ceremony was in the Auld Keep, which could seat up to 100 guests, although we didn’t have quite that many. As I headed over there with my sister, bridesmaids and the flower girls, I was as nervous as hell. Will hadn’t seen the dress yet, one of the few traditions I wanted to observe, and I was equal parts eager to see his reaction, and fearful that he wouldn’t like it.
In the antechamber, my sister sorted her daughters out with their baskets of rose petals, then once they left to spread the petals, Hannah came to my side. We had been through the motions yesterday, a rehearsal of sorts, albeit a very short one. I didn’t want to ruin the experience by essentially having two weddings, so once we had run through where everything and everyone would be, I was content to leave it at that.
Now I was regretting my choice, and wishing we’d done a hundred full dress rehearsals. What if I tripped going down the aisle? What if I was horribly clichéd and fainted? Oh, the shame!
“Calm down,” Hannah said softly. “All you’re doing is cementing your love, right? The real danger will be later, on the dance floor.”
I chuckled. “You’re right.”
“Good.”
Marie had already gone and Laurie was heading through the door with a groomsman as we spoke.
“Looks like that’s my cue,” Hannah said, checking my veil. “You look amazing.”
She headed through into the main room on the arm of the best man, Mark, flashing me a smile as she went.
I took a few steps forward, ready to follow when the attendants told me that Hannah had reached the front.
Classical music was playing, something Will had chosen and I had agreed it was nice, but for the life of me, I couldn’t recall its name at the moment.
Hannah had reached the front and I was gestured forward. I stepped out into the aisle, shaking like a leaf then, with the sound of a needle being ripped from an LP, the music changed to the chorus of White Wedding, by Billy Idol.
The song was so incongruous with the setting that I burst out laughing, which I could tell had been Will’s plan. I forgot about worrying, I only wanted to get to the man who arranged this surprise, just to make me smile.
Will met me and walked the final few steps to the altar with me.
“You look wonderful,” he told me, having to speak up to be heard over the rock music.
The music tapered off and the registrar was trying her hardest to keep a straight face as she began the proceedings.
“Good afternoon, everyone. We have gathered here today, on what is indeed a nice day for a wedding, to witness the joining in matrimony of William and Eleanor. On their behalf, I would like to welcome you all to Dundas Castle, I’m sure it means a great deal to them that you can be here to share in their happiness on this very special occasion. I’m sure it would have come out in the press by now, but I’m still legally required to ask, so if any person present knows of any lawful impediment to this marriage, I ask that he or she declare it now.”
There was a long moment of silence.
“Good. That part always worries me a little. Will and Elle,” she smiled at us. “Before you are joined in matrimony I have to remind you of the solemn and binding c
haracter of the vows you are about to make. Marriage, according to the law of this country, is the union of two people, voluntarily entered into for life, to the exclusion of all others. The purpose of marriage is that you may always love, care for, and support each other through all the joys and sorrows of life. It is a partnership in which two people can pledge their love and commitment to one another; a solemn union providing love, friendship, help and comfort to you both through your life together.”
We smiled at each other, knowing we already had that. Next we had to declare that we knew ‘not of any lawful impediments’ why we couldn’t be married and finally, the moment to exchange the vows was upon us.
“Will, please repeat after me.”
He looked into my eyes as he repeated her words. “I call upon these persons here present to witness that I, William Thomas Braxton, do take thee Eleanor Charlotte Greystone, to be my lawful wedded wife. I promise to love and care for you, and to be faithful to you always.”
“Do we have the rings?”
Mark, the best man, handed Will my ring and he took my left hand. “Eleanor, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage, as a lasting reminder of the vows we are making today, and as a symbol of all that we share, now and always. I love you.”
It took me a moment to blink back tears before I could do the same.
“Will, I give you this ring as a sign of our marriage, as a lasting reminder of the vows we are making today, and as a symbol of all that we share, now and always. I love you too. You’re utterly mental but I love you.”
He grinned and some of the guests laughed.
“You have both made the declarations prescribed by law and have made your promises to one another in the presence of your witnesses here today, so it gives me great pleasure to declare that you Will, and you, Elle, are now husband and wife.”
The crowd cheered and White Wedding played again.
Will gave Ben, one of his groomsmen, a long suffering look, but he just shrugged innocently, as if the music was nothing to do with him.
Outside we took lots of pictures, then ventured to the top of the keep, to share a glass of champagne and look out over the grounds. Once the photographer had his pictures of us up there, we stayed, just enjoying a moment of quiet.
Making Love (Destiny Book 1) Page 22
