The Might-Have-Been Girl A novel by Bronwen Welsh Copyright 2016

Chapter 34    The Wedding – Part 1

While Mary and I were having breakfast she said “Are you and Reggie going up to Brid by train for the wedding?”

“Yes, Reggie will meet me at Stratford Station and we'll go together from there,” I replied.

“Well I've had an idea. I need to go home this weekend to get more clothes, now that I'm staying here. How about Reggie comes to Stratford by train and then the three of us drive up to Brid in my car? Reggie can help with the driving.”

To be honest, I had been looking forward to some precious hours alone with Reggie, but it seemed churlish to refuse, so I said I would ring him right away with the idea.

I make the call in my room, out of earshot, and told Reggie of Mary's suggestion.

“How do you feel about that?” he said.

“Well it's very kind of her,” I replied.

Reggie laughed. “I know exactly what you're thinking but we can't really say 'no' can we?”

“I guess not. I'll see you on Friday then about four. We'll meet you at the station. Love you Reggie.”

“Love you Harriet, bye.”

Friday arrived and I must confess I was feeling quite excited. This was to be my first and perhaps only time as a bridesmaid. Even seven year-old Penny had more experience than me. Fortunately the Hamlet rehearsal sessions were not too onerous, and Tony, knowing about the wedding, kindly arranged for Mary and I to finish our rehearsals by three o'clock. We had brought our suitcases to the theatre and Mary had parked the car outside, so we could go straight to the railway station and pick up Reggie. He had managed to leave earlier than expected and arrived to meet us at three-thirty.

Mary drove for the first hour and then Reggie took over. I was determined to get my driving lessons soon and I hadn't given up on the idea of getting a small car for myself. We all chatted away and it was a very pleasant trip. Reggie had hired a dinner suit in London, and I was looking forward to seeing him wear it.

After driving for three hours we pulled off the highway and entered a little village where we could buy a decent pub meal before continuing our journey. It was about eight o'clock when we entered Bridchester. Reggie was dropped off at his parents' house first and then Mary dropped me off before going on to stay with her parents and do some serious clothes sorting and packing.

Mum and Emma greeted me with enthusiastic hugs. I dragged my suitcase up to my room and then came down for a cup of tea and a biscuit. It seemed that everything was organised and ready to go the next day. There had been a wedding rehearsal at the church which I'd had to miss of course, but Emma ran through it with me and it didn't sound nearly as complicated as a stage performance. That done, we all decided that an early night was in order.

The next morning we were 'up betimes' as Samuel Pepys would say. The wedding ceremony wasn't until two o'clock, but there was plenty to do first. We had a light breakfast and then took it in turns to use the bathroom to shower, Mum first, then me and finally Emma.

Emma had showed off her wedding lingerie to Mum and me the previous night. It was white of course and very pretty, but I have to say that the lingerie I had brought to wear came a close second. Sadly no-one (by which I mean Reggie) was going to see it, but I knew that it would make me feel wonderful. I was going to wear stockings rather than tights as I always do on a special occasion, so I wore a full set of satin and lace panties, suspender belt and bra, and of course a gorgeous white silk full slip with beautiful French lace on the bust and hem. Yes it was a present to myself but every girl needs a little spoiling now and again.

I put on a robe ready for the hairdresser and makeup lady. Just then the door bell rang and David's sister Susan arrived with his daughter Penny. She looked very excited.

Emma came down the stairs to greet them.

“Hello Susan, hello Penny, you're right on time, the hairdresser has just arrived.”

Susan went into the kitchen where she was to prepare a light lunch for us while the hairdresser set about making our hair look amazing. Not long after the makeup artiste arrived too and to my surprise it was Georgie who worked for the Apollo Players.

“Harriet!” she exclaimed. “You look amazing. I hear you are working in Stratford now, congratulations.”

“Thanks Georgie, I've been very lucky.”

“Well in my experience you make your own luck in this world,” she replied.

She first set to work on Mum and then Penny. It was the first time Penny had worn makeup so for her that was exciting in itself. I was next on the list, so went back to my bedroom. To my surprise there was a card and a small packet sitting on my dressing table. I opened the card which had a picture of lovely white roses on the front, and inside it said

” Dear Harriet, Thank you so much for being our chief bridesmaid and helping to make our day perfect. Love from Emma and David.”

I turned to the package and opened it. Inside was a set of the most beautiful earings which looked like a number of leaves in tiny white and blue stones. They were just perfect to wear on this day. I confess they looked so lovely they brought tears to my eyes.

Just then Georgie came. “Oh no, you're not crying I hope. It's a good thing I intended to use water-proof mascara anyway; weddings can be such emotional times.”

When I showed her the cause of my tears, she was very impressed. “They're lovely Harriet, and you must wear them today.”

By now I reckoned that I knew a thing or two about makeup but I still learned a few tips from Georgie. Apparently this was a sideline for her in addition to her work at Apollo. Then she offered to help me put on my dress and I was grateful for that, not wanting to spoil my hair or makeup.

When I took off my robe she gasped and said “What a pretty slip Harriet! I was going to suggest you wear one under your gown, but you're a step ahead of me.”

I smiled at her. “I've still got a lot to learn about being a girl, but it's an interesting journey.”

“I'd almost forgotten,” she laughed. “No-one looking at you wouldn't think you are the complete girl.”

She helped me put on my dress with the ease of a person with long experience. I put on my heels and said “How do I look?”

“Have you got a full-length mirror?” she asked and I told her there was one on the inside of the wardrobe door, so she led me to it without speaking. Was that really me in the mirror? Silly question I know, but it was hard to believe.

“Do you know the first rule of being a bridesmaid?” she asked, and then answered her own question. “Don't outshine the bride.”

“There's no way I'll do that,” I said. “Emma is a beautiful young woman and on her wedding day she'll be the star, nothing surer, but thanks for the compliment.”

“Alright, but you'll be a close second,” said Georgie. She's good at boosting a girl's confidence, a useful attribute when working in the theatre.

“Speaking of the bride I'd better go and see her or she'll be stressing,” said Georgie, and gathering up her 'tools of the trade', she went to Emma's bedroom.

Mum had finished getting ready, and came into my bedroom to see how I was getting on.

“Harriet,” she said and there was a tear in her eye. “I can't believe how I've got two such beautiful daughters.”

“Oh Mum,” I replied. “I'd give you a hug but we're all afraid of messing up our makeup.” We both laughed.

Ten minutes later I went to Emma's bedroom to see how things were going. I knocked on the door and there was no answer so I opened it. Georgie had left and for a few minutes Emma was on her own. I saw she was wearing her beautiful silk slip and sitting in front of her dressing table, gazing pensively into the mirror.

“Sorry Em, I'm intruding,” I said and started to back out of the room but she motioned me to come in.

“So how are you feeling?” I said.

“Thrilled, excited, scared,” she replied. “It almost seems like a dream. I'm actually getting married!”

“You're not having second thoughts?” I asked.

“Goodness, no. It's the best thing I've ever done,” she smiled.

“I took her hand. “I'm so glad for you Emma, I really am.”

She looked up at me and smiled “Maybe it'll be your turn one day.”

I blushed. “Maybe,” I replied. “I'm wearing the earings you and David gave me. Thank you very much, they're so lovely.”

Emma smiled, “I'm so glad you like them.”

Then changing the subject I asked “How many people did you invite in the end?”

“It ended up nearly fifty,” she said. “It's a good thing we got the Women's Institute ladies to cater for the reception.”

“Fifty? I thought you were going to have twenty.”

“Well yes, but we had to invite all the Apollo crew, we couldn't leave some out, and then there were some old school friends and David's close relatives. It's amazing how the numbers mount up.”

“I'll bear that in mind if I ever get married,” I said, and we both laughed.

“Look at you,” she said “You are such a beautiful girl.”

“Thanks Em, that means so much to me,” I said softly. “And look at you, the most beautiful bride I've ever seen.”

She laughed. “Well we are a mutual admiration society! Anyway, I think it's time to get the show on the road. Is someone coming to help me put on my dress?”

At that moment Susan appeared at the door with Penny who was now wearing her dress with white socks and new shoes. She looked so pretty and when we told her so she beamed with pleasure. Georgie was so experienced with makeup that she'd put just enough on Penny's face to make her feel special without taking away any of her natural look. Penny could scarcely contain her excitement, so I took her downstairs, just as Mum arrived to assist Susan in helping Emma put on her dress.

It all sounds rather complicated but everything was running as smooth as clockwork, and just as well, since as Emma appeared at the head of the stairs looking radiant the doorbell rang again and in quick succession the bouquets arrived, then the photographer, whom I recognised as the guy who took pictures of the Apollo productions, and finally Reggie.

Reggie was wearing his hired dinner suit and looked so handsome that my heart skipped a beat. I cannot deny that his reaction at the sight of me was most gratifying. He seemed a bit tongue-tied before he finally came out with “Harriet, you look amazing.” Two 'amazings' in one day wasn't bad.

“And you look so incredibly handsome Reggie,” I replied causing him to redden slightly.

We exchanged a kiss, being careful not to smudge my makeup, and might have prolonged it if Susan hadn't said “OK, you two lovebirds, we've got photos to take here. Save that until later.”

“Just a moment,” I said and picked up the buttonhole flower, a white carnation, to fix in Reggie's lapel. Then I picked up my bouquet and we were ready.

We put ourselves into the hands of the photographer then and numerous photos in every combination of groups were taken as well as individual shots of everyone, both in the house and also in the back garden which I'm sure Mum had been working on for weeks to provide the perfect background.

Bridesmaids don't carry handbags, so I gave Mum a small bag with basic makeup and a spare pair of stockings for me, and she put it in her handbag since she was the only one in the wedding party carrying one.

Time absolutely flies when you are getting ready for a wedding, it's like the first night of a new show. Someone said “The cars are here”, and looking out of the window I saw two white Jaguars, complete with white ribbons were drawn up outside. Despite the fact that the chauffeurs were wearing grey suits and peak caps, I recognised two of the men who acted with Apollo. Apparently the use of the cars was a wedding gift from one of them who was an avid Jaguar collector. I knew that Emma and David didn't have too much money to spare and it seemed that everyone was pitching in to make it the perfect day for them.

I sat in the front seat of the first car, with Mum, Penny and Susan in the back, and Emma sat with Reggie who was giving her away in place of Dad, in the second car. It is of course tradition that a bride is a few minutes late and the drivers had it timed to perfection as we pulled up outside St John's at five minutes past two. There were more photos as we alighted from the cars and then we walked up the pathway to the door of the church. Inside we could hear the organ playing softly.

To be continued

I would like to acknowledge the assistance of Louise Anne in proofreading the text and giving me a great deal of useful advice about modern-day Britain to incorporate in the story.