"What?!" Holly exclaimed, "of course he'll be there. I bet he can't wait to marry you. Hell, I'd marry you myself."
"Weirdo," Rachel looked at her sister as if she had lost her marbles.
"I meant because she looks so stunning, and of course I'd have to be a lesbian, which obviously I'm not," Holly tried to explain herself.
"Have you started on the champagne already?" Liz asked her quizzically.
"No," Holly laughed, "speaking of champagne, don't you think we should all have one glass before we set off for the church. I'm sure Jen could do with a swig to steady her nerves." "Excellent idea," Rachel said, "I wouldn't mind some champagne myself."
"Alcoholic," Holly teased her sister.
"Yes and proud of it," Rachel grinned, "now hurry up and get the champagne."
Holly trotted off to the kitchen in search of some champagne flutes. The champagne was chilling perfectly in the refrigerator. Holly, Liz and Rachel had descended on Jen's house the previous night so they could all get ready for the big day together.
"What's that you're watching?" Holly asked her brother, as she made her way back to the bedroom, flutes and champagne balanced rather precariously on a tray in front of her.
"There's just been a newsflash about some guy who's wanted for the murder of those three women who went missing a while ago," Joe said, not taking his eyes off the television, “apparently he's gone on the run. He hasn't been seen in a few days and the police have reason to believe he's heading to Ireland.”
"Oh, gosh, who wants to be listening to such morbid things, especially on their wedding day," Holly said. "I'll leave you to it," and with that she flounced out of the kitchen and back upstairs to the other girls.
"Cheers, ladies," Jen said, raising her glass to her friends.
"Cheers to the most beautiful bride ever," Liz said, holding her glass in a toast to Jen.
"Cheers," everyone sang in unison, taking a big gulp of champagne.
"Just the one glass for everyone," Liz said, looking pointedly at Holly, "we don't want any of the bridesmaids tripping over themselves on their way up the aisle."
"That's for sure," Holly agreed, "I'm finding it difficult enough to keep myself steady in these heels already. I don't particularly want to make a spectacle of myself by falling flat on my face in the church."
"Imagine," Rachel grinned at the thought of her sister sprawled out on the ground, "I have to say I'd laugh my tits off if I you did trip."
"I wouldn't," Jen said emphatically, "I want everything to go perfectly today."
"Don't worry, Jen, I'm only joking, everything will be perfect," Rachel soothed her friend.
"I'll keep a close eye on everyone's alcohol consumption before the wedding," Liz said, "after all we'll have plenty of time to get tipsy at the reception."
"How are your nerves?" Holly asked Jen.
"Easing now that's I've had a few swigs of champagne," Jen smiled, starting to look slightly calmer.
"Ok, it's time we made tracks to the church," Liz said, taking charge and putting everyone's champagne flutes carefully on the table.
"We don't want to be too late altogether, no need to worry the poor groom too much," Rachel agreed.
"Ok, last minute check," Liz said, surveying the bride carefully. "I've got all the essentials for hair and makeup touch ups in my bag," Liz reassured Jen. "Has everyone turned off their mobile phones? We don't really need any ringtones interfering with the choir now do we?"
"Definitely not," Jen agreed, twirling in front of the mirror.
“Scott's just texted me again,” Rachel sighed as she was just about to switch off her mobile phone.
“When is he going to get the message that you're just not interested?” Liz said in exasperation. “He says he wants to come and visit me,” Rachel read.
“Look, Rach, you really need to set this guy straight,” Holly said forcefully.
“Yeah, you're right, I've tried the nice approach, I'll have to be a little more adamant,” she said as she began texting him. “What shall I say?” she asked.
“I'd tell him that it just can't work. He's too far away. You spent a few fun hours together one evening and that's all it will ever be between you,” Liz advised.
Rachel whisked off the text and turned off her mobile phone.
"Oh my goodness!" Jen suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hand to her mouth. "I almost forgot." She dashed over to her wardrobe and reached up, standing on her tip-toes. She pulled a fancily wrapped bag down from the top shelf and placed it on the bed.
"What's up?" Rachel asked, intrigued by Jen's outburst.
"I bought you all a little something as a thank you for being the best bridesmaids ever," she smiled, handing an exquisitely wrapped box to Liz and Rachel.
"Thank you," Liz said, "but you really didn't have to get us anything."
"Thanks girl," Rachel said, unceremoniously ripping the wrapping paper.
"Wow!" Liz whispered, holding her breath as she removed a stunning charm bracelet from its box.
"This is so thoughtful of you, Jen," Rachel said, admiring the little charms which hung from the bracelet and twinkled in the light.
"You are both very welcome," Jen smiled, "now you can add charms to your bracelets for every important occasion, like a memento."
"I love that idea," Liz smiled, fastening the bracelet on her wrist.
"I bought them on the internet," Jen continued, "it's a fabulous website. They have charms for every possible occasion that you could imagine; birthday, Christmas, wedding, new baby, birthstone and lots of fun charms too."
"It's nice that the bracelet means something," Rachel said, "we can look at the charm and know they stand for something, there's a special meaning behind each charm."
"Exactly," Liz smiled. "I think I'm ready to go," Jen said, doing a final twirl in front of the mirror.
"Finally," Joe said, getting to his feet and switching off the television, to which he'd been glued for the last forty minutes, "at long last you're ready. Poor old Vic will be wondering if you've decided to dump him at the altar."
"Hardly," Jen said disparagingly, flouncing past him to the car. Rachel and Liz hurried after her, and carefully helped her into the car, trying their utmost not to wrinkle her dress. Then they poured themselves and their own dresses in delicately. Joe had ordered the car for them as his treat to the bride and appointed himself as official chauffeur.
He had hired a 1928 Brenchley convertible in ivory and bronze. The interior had leather seats and was just big enough for the bride and her bridesmaids.
"Thank goodness the weather seems to be on our side," Jen said.
"I know, it's like a day in summer," Liz smiled, "there isn't a cloud in the sky for once." "Thanks so much for sorting out the car," Jen said to Joe who looked very professional in a black tuxedo with a driver's cap.
"My pleasure," Joe said, looking like he was deep in concentration, "it's not the easiest car to drive."
"It looks amazing," Jen said, "very sophisticated."
"Well, I had to make sure you got to the church in style," Joe grinned.
"I like vintage clothes," Rachel piped up, "but as much as I like the look of this vintage car, it's not the most comfortable ride."
"You can feel every bump," Liz agreed.
"I love it," Jen said determinedly.
Chapter 56********************************
"Here we are ladies," Jo said, stepping out of the driver's seat and holding the car door open for Jen and her bridesmaids. He'd even brought a small mat for Jen to stand on so that her dress wouldn't get damp or dirty from the ground. "You are very sweet sometimes," Jen said, kissing him lightly on the cheek. "I do my best," Jo replied, smiling at Jen as the girls fussed around her, making sure that her dress was sitting correctly after the drive. "Enough fussing ladies," Jen said, taking a deep breath, "it's time for me to become Mrs. Victor Cotter." "Come on then, girl," Jo said, offering her his arm. She tucked her hand into his arm and he gave
her hand a little squeeze. "You look beautiful," he said kindly as they began their slow walk up the aisle. The orchestra started the procession music and little Simon, who was flower boy, started to sprinkle rose petals as Jen and Jo made their way up the aisle.
The congregation turned to look at the bride as she entered the church and the procession music began. All eyes were focused on the beautiful bride, everyone smiling at her. Rachel could feel the love in the air. It was such a peaceful, happy moment, full of joy and promise for the future. Rachel's heart was filled with love for her friend and she said a silent prayer that Jen's married life would be everything her friend and new husband could ever dream. She thought of Batt and briefly imagined herself walking up the aisle with him.
The thought of marrying him didn't scare her any longer. She knew there and then that marriage was something she definitely wanted in her future, to be joined with the man she loved with all her heart in matrimony and she knew that man was Batt. She knew that marriage in itself wouldn't actually make her love Batt any more than she already loved him, but it would be wonderful to make that lifelong commitment in front of their family and friends. Marriage is a celebration, she realised, a wonderful celebration of love and promise for the future. Suddenly her gaze fell on Batt, who was looking at her with a thoughtful expression on his handsome face. She smiled when she saw him and he returned her smile. She desperately wanted to run over to him, fling her arms around him and ask him to marry her right there and then. Obviously, this was an indulgent fantasy for now, but she hoped one day marriage would be her reality too.
Simon looked so cute with a look of deep concentration on his little face as he very carefully sprinkled Jen's pathway with rose petals. Holly smiled proudly at her son, with baby Mia calling her brother's name and waving at him. They arrived at the top of the aisle and Jo passed Jen's hand to Victor. Victor's face shone with love and pride for his bride. He couldn't stop smiling and Jen smiled back, both looking deep into each other's eyes, knowing the magnitude of the promises they were about to make, and excited for the future that they would share together as man and wife, when they left the church.
There wasn't a dry eye in the church when the service came to an end. Jen and Victor had included personal vows amongst their prayers which were very poignant. Jen's words to Victor were particularly poignant. "I never fully understood or felt the true meaning of the saying "home is where the heart is" until I met you, Victor," she said, holding her husband's hands in hers and looking deep into his eyes. "When I was growing up I didn't have a family of my own. I was well taken care of, but I never felt particularly wanted or loved by anyone. My friends have always been my true family, the sisters I chose because I didn't have any blood sisters of my own. My darling Victor, you are my very best friend and I can't wait to share the rest of my life with you, as your wife and look forward to the day when we make a little family together." Rachel and Liz had tears pouring down their faces at Jen's speech. Rachel had forgotten to put the waterproof topcoat on her mascara and had black streaky tears running down her cheeks. There were quite a few sniffles coming from the congregation too, but all the tears turned to smiles again when the priest pronounced them man and wife. "You may kiss your bride," the priest finished his blessing, with a flourish of his hands. Victor took Jen in his arms and planted a long, slow kiss on her lips.
Everyone clapped as Mr. and Mrs. Cotter turned to face the congregation and make their way back down the aisle as husband and wife. The newlyweds held hands and smiled and waved at their family and friends. They stood at the church entrance where they thanked everybody for being with them on their special day. Then the bride and groom made their way back inside the church to have their first official photographs taken together as husband and wife, while their guests wandered around the church gardens which were immaculately sculpted.
"That was such a beautiful service," Liz sighed. "It was so meaningful and sincere," Rachel agreed, "I couldn't stop crying during Jen's speech. It was so moving." "I know," Liz said, "you should have taken my advice about wearing waterproof mascara. You still have some smudges under your eyes." "Do I?" Rachel asked anxiously, rubbing vigorously at her face to get rid of the runny black streaks. "Leave it for now," Liz advised. "I'll touch it up when we get to the hotel." "Aren't we going to have our photos taken outside the church?" Rachel wondered. "I forgot about that," Liz admitted, poking around in her handbag for her makeup bag. She dabbed a little concealer under her friend's eyes and reapplied her mascara and eyeliner. Then she swept a soft dusting of bronzing powder across her cheeks to set her makeup. "Perfect again," Liz smiled at Rachel.
They wandered around the gardens together, stopping to chat to the other guests. It was like a summer's day, with the sun shining brightly down on them and not a cloud in the clear blue sky. "What's wrong with you?" Holly asked her sister, suddenly. "Oh, nothing," Rachel replied, "I can't shake the feeling that someone's watching me and I don't know why. I don't tend to be paranoid about these things. The last time I felt like this I was right. I remember I was walking down the street just after getting off the bus, only a few hundred metres from my apartment. I was laden down with shopping bags but I got the feeling that there was someone behind me. So I swung round and less than ten metres behind me was a very tall man with a crazy look on his face who was coming right at me. I legged it to my apartment and luckily there was someone coming out the front door of the building so I dashed inside. I looked over my shoulder just as I closed the door and he was standing at the bottom of the steps staring at me. "
"That's so creepy!" Liz exclaimed. "Don't be daft," Holly said dismissively, "you can be such a drama queen sometimes, Rach. He probably mistook you for someone else. I can guarantee you that there aren't any peculiar characters here. Everyone's watching everyone else today. All the women are checking out the other women's outfits, to see who's dressed better than whom." "I suppose so," Rachel said, not sounding very convinced. "I know so," Holly said firmly.
"Have you seen Batt, yet?" Liz asked, changing the subject before the two sisters started arguing. "I saw him in the church as we were walking up the aisle, but I haven't seen him since. I hope I get a chance to talk to him later and clear the air." "You definitely will see him later," Liz said, "it's a good sign that he came to the wedding. It proves he wants to see you and hopefully you two can sort out your differences and get back on track together again." "There's so much love in the air, it's almost contagious," Holly said, feeling a little sorry at the harshness of her tone towards her sister earlier. "I'm sure that you and Batt will work things out before the night is over."
"Ok, ladies, are you ready for your close up?" the photographer asked as he busied himself arranging his camera and tripod. "I'd like to get the bride and her bridesmaids together in this shot." Jen stood in the middle of the photo between Jen and Liz. They put their arms around each other's waists and smiled sweetly for the camera. "Can you try to look less tense, love?" the photographer asked Rachel, taking a brief pause from his snapping. "Ok," Rachel said stiffly. He took a few more shots and then stopped again. "I'll take a break from snapping you ladies and I'll take some shots of the groom with his best man. I'll be back in a while to take a group shot." He gathered up his camera gear and strolled off purposefully across the lawn towards the groom.
"What's his problem?" Jen asked. "You have a lovely smile, Rach." "He's right, in fairness to him," Rachel defended the photographer. "I feel all nervous and tense. I feel like something bad is about to happen, like a weird sense of foreboding or something. I even have butterflies in my stomach, which is ridiculous, it's your wedding day, not mine. Imagine if it actually was my wedding, I'd be a basket case." She laughed nervously. "It's probably all the excitement," Jen said, "last minute panic that everything was sorted for me. Besides, you'll be seeing Batt later, so that's probably playing on your mind too." "Yeah, that's probably it," Rachel said, sounding relieved. "Let's just enjoy ourselves, it's your special day, Jen," Holly
said, looking pointedly at her sister, who glared back at her.
Chapter 57
"That photographer was very thorough," Liz said, as they all piled back into their car, to head to the hotel for the reception. "Let's hope his photographs will reflect his thoroughness," Rachel muttered as she smoothed her dress. "Jen looked so beautiful," Holly sighed. "Absolutely radiant," Liz agreed. “Is that Batt?” Rachel peered out the window to have a better look. “Yeah, it looks like him,” Liz said, “I wonder who that guy is with him.” “I'd rather he was with a guy than a girl,” Rachel laughed.
"I can't wait to have dinner, I'm so hungry," Liz cried, changing the subject. "Me too. I'm looking forward to some champagne," Holly giggled. "I won't be able to overindulge too much cos I have the kids. There is nothing worse than having a thumping headache and two children going ballistic. I've done it on a few rare occasions and I've learnt the hard way that drinking and kids are not a good combination." Rachel laughed. "Ah, you love it really," she teased her sister mischievously. Holly shot her an evil glare. "Now, now ladies, we're almost at the hotel and it's time to party," Liz interceded. "Speaking of the kids, where are they anyway?" "Will has them. I told him he was in charge of them for once. It's one of the few occasions he's managed to get time off work so I said he could mind them for the day. Who knows when I'll be out again socially."
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