CHAPTER 23
“Hold still!”

“You are tugging too hard!”

“You are not getting wed with hair all over the place, woman! Now bend forward, I need to do the back of the garland”

“If I bend forward, I’ll burst the bodice”

“Well, you shouldn’t be so big!”

“Don’t blame me, girl, I just grew them, it was my mother who gave me the genetics, innit?”

I sat back. “Ruthy, you are going to make a lot of women weep today. I just want to make you look as good as possible. Ah, Jan’s arrived”

The other Mrs Woodruff appeared with that suitcase of cosmetics I remembered, closely followed by Kelly.

“Ready for the final touches, Kirst? Dear god, whose idea was it for a boned strapless bodice?”

I laughed at that. “I rather think it was Den’s, aye? Girls, we have an hour before the car is here, so let’s get to it. Sows’ ears and silk purses, aye?”

“You are a cheeky sod, Sergeant Price!”

“And you are going to make a gorgeous bride, Sergeant Armstrong, but I somehow don’t see you as blushing a lot! Anyway…”

I paused, waiting for the attention.

“Anyway, I had someone else make MY silk purse, aye?”

It seems I was wrong. Kirsty could indeed blush. Steph arrived, followed by the girls, as I always thought of them now. Kirsty had gone for five bridesmaids, in Ginny, Kate, Kelly, Merry and Steph, while I had been lumbered with the Matron of Honour role. I had argued with that one, pointing out that as an unmarried barren virgin I could hardly be considered matronly in any sense of the word, and Kirsty had just said “Oh, shut up, Annie!”

That had somehow sealed the argument.

There was another knock at the door.

“You girls decent?”

“Hiya Dad, what you think?”

Roger Ellis came in, and I could see the start of a tear in his eye. “Love, absolutely more than decent. I never realised I had such a truly beautiful daughter. Right, girls, we just about ready?”

The cars were on time, and we piled in, Kirsty in white and the rest of us in a soft rose-pink, and then there was Katriona waiting at the front of the church, and Den…

Eric was stood beside him, and both were in morning suits, and if my man had not been there, and Kirsty on her way forward on her father’s arm, I would have been sorely tempted to spend my quality time with the groom. I had never stopped fancying him, but as I watched them join at the altar rail I realised that as a mate, as family, I did truly love him, both of them. So many years alone when the world was filled with such strength and grace.

Simon was looking almost as gorgeous, if the glances he was receiving from his girlfriend were anything to go by, and there were tears, and smiles, and vows, and rings, and a kiss, and Katriona got so emotional I had to support her as young Dennis Adam demanded to know why his mother was hiding his dinner. There was singing, too, and although only the Powells and their trouts had been able to attend, along with Twm, John and James, there was enough power in there to make the old hymns feel true, even to an ardent atheist like myself.

Music has the power, the magic to lift anything out of the ordinary and into the sublime, but that day it was almost superfluous, because the sheer volume of love in that church had already taken events higher. Almost, though; we weren’t playing, and it was the organ, and the men’s voices, that laid a seal on the day.

Photos, more kisses, and then Kirsty threw her bouquet, and I definitely let out a little bit of wee as I watched the other women part ranks like the Red Sea in a well-rehearsed manoeuvre that left Merry standing alone at Ground Zero. She almost dropped it, but after a fumble she waved it over her head with a huge grin.

Eric was at my shoulder, with Simon close by. My man kissed the back of my neck, where my hair was piled high, and gently said “Never ends, does it? Always another smile, another joining”

He raised his voice a little.

“Simon, mate, I have no idea what you have been doing, and no desire to know, but thank you, you have put such a smile on her face these past months”

I looked around, and Simon looked so drippy at that point I nearly laughed.

“You have it bad too, aye?”

“Annie, I have absolutely no idea how such a girl has remained single. No idea at all”

“Well, she just has high standards, Simon. And thanks; Eric is right, I don’t remember ever seeing her happier”

Simon muttered something just then, and I was certain I caught the word “happier”, but he changed the subject as she approached us, and accepted his kiss on the cheek.

“Shall I start the kettles boiling, Simon?”

Bloody teetotallers, getting their feet under vicarage tables. I grinned at her.

“And shall I start opening the wine, Simon?”

I linked arms with Merry and off we went to the Hall, where the reception’s spread was making the tables groan. God knows what it was costing Roger and Katriona, but we had held a collection at the nick, and the drinks bill was largely covered. Dennis and Kirsty were two of ours, and this would be their day.

We were joined by another couple, as Darren and Shan trotted along hand in hand.

“Me Mums said we should help out with the food, lahk!”

“Thanks, Shan, that’d be good, aye? Looking gorgeous today, girl!”

Darren grinned. “She always look gorgeous, Annie!”

Oh, you silver-tongued charmer. We were only in the building what seemed like ten minutes before the rush started, people finding their places from the name tags we had prepared. Kirsty had insisted that the families and friends be mixed up, so that we wouldn’t have little cousin- or colleague-ghettoes in the room, and as a side effect the conversation got steadily louder as almost-strangers made their introductions.

Ting-ting-ting went the knife on the glass. Eric was upright.

“Friends, colleagues, family, this is a job I was terrified I would never have to perform, but the great lump over there with the beautiful woman in white is obviously harder to kill than we thought. Not only that, and I speak with real regret and the memory of a truly awful hangover, he isn’t that easy to get drunk!

“I could heap praise on Dennis, talk about his unshakeable honesty and probity, his courage, the deep and unreserved love he has shown for his beautiful wife and lovely son, how I can never repay him for helping me find my own partner, and it would all be true, but I am supposed to be his best man and that means I should really be working through a character assassination. So, without further ado..."

And he was off, speaking without notes, ripping the piss out of everything from his accent to his height, telling stories of Den’s attempts at folk dancing, and staying just close enough to the truth to make it real and just far enough away to make it warm. When Eric had finished, and the toast had been drunk, it was Roger’s turn, and when he spoke of how he himself loved Dennis I lost it at last, and my napkin was soaked in happiness.

Tradition was followed in all things, and there was dancing for couples, and then there was dancing for everyone, and the usual suspects took over the floor as Ginny tried once more to outdo Sarah while I concentrated on not falling off my heels. At one point, I ended up gyrating with a vicar in civvies, and when the tune ended he whispered, sort of, “Come with me, please, Annie”

We ended up in the kitchen, and he looked at me nervously, and there was an answering quiver in my stomach. I had seen exactly that look before, twice before, and he just said “Please…just two minutes of your time”

Merry was making yet another round of tea, and as Simon came up behind her I saw his hand dip into his pocket, checking, making sure.

“Miriam…”

“Simon. Very formal, isn’t it? Annie…something wrong? Not the babe?”

I smiled. “No, Merry, nothing’s wrong. I think I do know, though”

I looked at Simon and raised an eyebrow. “I’m right, aye?”

He gave a nervous little flicker of a smile. “Aye; I mean, yes”

Merry’s face creased slightly. “And what is happening?”

He drew a deep breath. “Merry, it has only been a little over half a year since I met you, but you have truly impressed me with your humanity, and your faith, your generosity”

I interrupted. “And her rather pert bottom, aye?”

They both blushed, and Simon muttered “Yes, there is that, as well…Merry, look, what I am trying to say is, well…”

He was stalling. I stuck my hand into his pocket and grabbed the box, pushing it into the hand I dragged to his front.

“Oh, you two will die of old age at this rate! Merry, you can see what he’s asking, aye? I’m off to rejoin Eric and the rest. I’ll congratulate you later, aye?”

And yes, the ring was on her finger when they came back to the dance floor.