The morning of the wedding dawned bright and sunny. Delphine was first to stir. Her new corset was rubbing on her hip. Henri had been right in that it was a lot stiffer than her old one. The boning was much wider and stronger than the training corset.

As they were still sleeping in the cottage, she had to go up to the new house to get a shower. Michel had been up there most of the previous afternoon working on something. He’d been very evasive when she’d asked about whatever it was that he'd been working on.

As she walked into the still largely empty room, she could not see any signs of the work he'd been doing the previous day. She didn't linger as she had an appointment in Totnes at 08:30 for 'the works'. That was hair, especially her roots, lashes, nails and a full makeover. That was most of the morning taken care of. Then it was over to the hotel to get dressed for the event.

Michel was taking her car into Torquay after picking up Verity from the station. Maxine was taking her, Henri and Gabrielle to meet them at a car park close to the registry office.

After taking off her corset, she went for a shower.

While she was getting dry, Michel joined her.

"Hello, Darling. Getting yourself all sweet-smelling for the big day?"

“What do you think eh? Anyway, now that you are here, you can make yourself useful. I need lacing up, don’t I?”

Michel grinned. He knew his place at times like this. After all, a wedding day is all about the bride and the groom plays a distant second fiddle.

---

The trip to the Salon proved to be slow and very quite tedious. In the three hours that Delphine was there, they did what she wanted but it could have been done in half the time but she kept her concerns to herself. It was nowhere near as nice as ‘Bea Beautiful’. Delphine knew that Maxine had a winner there, she thought to herself more than once.

The makeover was very much tailored for someone of her age. This was not really what she wanted. Delphine tried to make them understand that she wanted to make a statement.

In the end, she just wanted to pay the bill and get the hell out of town so to speak.

Delphine walked out of the salon just before midday. Her hair, lashes and nails all looked good. Having lashes again made her remember her brief dalliance with false lashes when she was a teenager. They finally got the better of her and she gave up wearing them after a few weeks simply because they were too much trouble. The new ones were very different. No more fiddling with glue every morning. Success!

She went straight to the Hotel and up to Henri’s room.

“Ah Madam, welcome. Mademoiselle Maxine and Madam Verity are here. They arrived just now.”

Delphine came into the room and saw her friends. She looked positively dowdy compared to her friends. They both had huge smiles on their faces.

“I have completed the alterations to your dress.”

"Thanks, Henri," said Delphine as she sat on the bed gazing into space.

Maxine stood up and had a quick word with Henri. He nodded his head and left the three women alone.

Verity sat next to Delphine and took hold of one of her hands. Maxine did the same with the other one.

“Second thoughts?” asked Verity in a very soft voice.

Delphine nodded her head.
“It is perfectly natural,” said Maxine.
"I had a huge attack of the heebie-jeebies just an hour before I married Adrian. I was lucky in that I had two women to take my hand and steer me in the right direction. Oh wait, this is just like we have here and now!"

“What is so wrong about Michel?” asked Verity.

"Some people in the Salon were talking about a friend about my age who went off with what they called a 'toyboy'. It turned out that the man was only five years younger than the woman."

Maxine chuckled.
“Numpties.”

“What do you mean?”

“Age is not a barrier to love. That is a construct invented by the marketeers. Just like brainwashing us to believe that Blue is for Boys and Pink is for girls. These women… were they wearing beige by any chance?”

“Shit!” exclaimed Delphine.
“Are you sure that you were not hiding in the Salon?”

Maxine laughed.
“I do own half of a Salon myself remember. This sort of chatter goes on everywhere. I don't think you can avoid it. Bea just nods and goes with it.”

"I've been such a fool. Before going to Bea Beautiful, I hadn't been to a salon for years and years."

“No, you have not been a fool,” said Verity firmly.

Delphine closed her eyes for nearly a minute.

“Thank you,” she said softly.

“Think nothing of it. Bea calls those women the ‘old busybodies’ who think everyone else’s business is their business. If they knew that you were wearing a corset made in Paris and that the person who made it was close by, they’d all die on the spot due to apoplectic shock.”

Verity laughed.
“Maxine, don’t let me go back to London without getting the contact details for this Bea of yours. She sounds a wonderful person.”

"She is just that, Verity. That's why I invested in her business."

Maxine turned to Delphine.
“Ready to get ready?”

Delphine took a second to understand what Maxine had said.

"Oh, you!"

“Good, said Verity.
“Let’s get that dress off you and you into your wedding finery.”

With Henri supervising operations and the duo of Maxine and Verity providing the fine touches, Delphine was made into a beautiful bride to be. Maxine redid her makeup and even added a little flourish to Delphine’s eyes. She added two dashes of black eyeliner to the outside of the eyes. Then she gave redid her lips in a darker shade called ‘Femme Fatale’. Everyone approved of the look especially Delphine as it made the statement that she had intended.

Delphine's dress was inspired by late Victorian Afternoon Dresses with a bit of classic 'Laura Ashley' from the mid-1960's thrown in for good measure. 'Floaty, fine and fabulous' were Henri's description of it. Vivienne had seen it in one of the shops that they’d visited on her trip to Paris. There was a picture of it in one of Gabrielle’s magazines. Vivienne had ripped it out but the piece she removed did not have the name of the shop that sold it. Gabrielle had tracked it down and voila. There it was.

“You look fantastic,” said Verity.

“Thanks.”

“Nervous?” asked Maxine.

“Yeah but, that’s sort of normal isn’t it?”

Maxine gave Delphine's had a little squeeze.

“Is it about time we left?” said Verity.

Maxine looked at her phone.
“I think so.”

---

Michel and Gabrielle were waiting anxiously for Delphine and the others to arrive. He kept looking at his watch. Time seemed to have almost stopped.

“She’ll be here Papa.”

Michel didn’t answer.

“Were you like this when you married Mama?”

Michel chuckled and smiled.

“I didn’t have a chance. My father’s car broke down on the way to the ceremony. Your Mama and her Mother arrived first. You Grand Mama was not happy. I got a right earful for months afterwards. Then we found that your Mama was pregnant with you. Suddenly she changed and it was all sweetness and light. ‘Chalk and cheese’ is a great way to describe mothers and mothers in law.”

Before Gabrielle could pursue the matter farther, the bride and her party arrived.

Michel took yet another look at his watch.

“I…” then he stopped and tried again.

“You look fantastic my darling.”

Delphine smiled and took his hand.
“Shall we go and get married?”

Michel heaved a huge sigh of relief.
“Yes. Lets’ do that.”

The party went inside the building. As they did so, they failed to see a man in a grey hoodie who was standing close by, make a call on his mobile phone.

Half an hour later, Mr & Mrs La Fontaine emerged from the registry office grinning from ear to ear. Michel gave Delphine a brief kiss. Then all of them headed off towards the car park. The man in the grey hoodie was still there. This time, he’d taken some photos of their kiss.

As they disappeared, he made another phone call. Whoever was on the other end was not happy. The expression on his face showed a whole range of emotions as the call went on.

His ordeal only ended when Suzanne and Janice appeared and proceeded to give him a right slagging off to his face but by then, the wedding party were long gone. They’d ordered him to stay right where he was rather than following the wedding party to wherever they were holding the reception.

---

That very same wedding party arrived at the pub on Dartmoor completely unaware of what had been going on in Torquay.

The meal was a great success. The slow-cooked roast lamb was beyond good and everyone had a good time.

There was one more duty to be performed before the day was done.

“Vivienne, did you bring the new wills?” asked Delphine.

“I did,” said Verity.

“What’s going on Dad?” asked Gabrielle.

“Now that we are married, any previous last will and testaments become invalid,” said Michel.
“Verity has drawn up a new will for each of us. We leave each other everything and if we both die everything goes to you?”

“What about Mama’s Daughters?”

Everyone had to think for a moment before they realised that Gabrielle was referring to Delphine’s daughters, Suzanne and Janice.

"That remains the same. Verity has donated two-thirds of the sale from my house in London to several charities that I’ve donated small sums of money to in the past. I know is that money is being spent as we speak and as such, it is well beyond the reach of my daughters. Verity has made sure of that,” said Delphine.

“And I could not be happier with that arrangement,” added Michel.

“Now if I can have some signatures?” asked Verity.

Michel and Delphine signed the documents. Maxine and Henri signed and witnessed them.

"Thank you, everyone," said Delphine.
“Thank you for being here for us today. You are all very special to both of us,” added Michel.

After saying their goodbyes, the happy couple left for a brief honeymoon just before seven in the evening. Maxine, Verity, Gabrielle and Henri waving them off.

---

When they returned from five days in Pembrokeshire, they were confronted by a letter that had been re-directed from Vivienne old home.

Delphine took one look at it and almost cried on the spot.
Michel took it and after reading it, he called Verity.

“Hello Verity, this is Michel.”

“Yes, we had a great time.”

“No, that not what I was calling about. We were being spied on when we got married. They even took photos.”

“Who else eh?”

"They are certainly getting very desperate. Delphine is the right state."

“We aren’t going anywhere.”

"Thanks, Verity. This needs to end right now if only for my wife's… sake."

“I’ll be here for her. Just do your best.”

Michel ended the coil and stood looking at his new wife. He was sad that her daughters were out to ruin their mother's life all because of some money. Money, was indee as the saying said, the root of all evil.

That said, he did ponder calling in a few favours from his old colleagues especially a rather cunning and decidedly ruthless couple who now lived very much as he was, out of the public eye. They had a cottage in the Ardnamurchan Peninsular[1]. The evil sisters could be made to disappear without a trace. All it would take to bring it about was a single phone call.

Those thoughts didn’t last very long. He had someone in dire need of his help sitting right in front of him.

---

Michel’s phone rang at nearly nine that night. Delphine had gone from a happy bride of five days to a sad reflection of herself inside ten minutes. Michel knew that it was just not her at all.

He stepped outside the Cottage to take the call.

"Hello, Verity."

“No, she’s just sitting there much the same.”

“I’m outside so we can talk freely.”

“No Verity, I don’t want to know who. I just want to know how this can be ended and we can just be another married couple.”

“They did? When and where?”

“Well done for that. They must think that they hold all the aces. They don’t do they?”

“Good. I’ll tell her in the morning.”

"Thanks, Verity. I'll call you tomorrow."

Michel ended the call. He stared out into the dusk wondering if the sound of hope that he’d detected in Verity’s voice was more than wishful thinking.

“Tell me what tomorrow?” came a voice from behind him.

Michel nearly jumped out of his skin.

“I didn’t hear you.”

“I know. So? What did Verity have to say?”

Come on inside and I’ll tell you.

Delphine seemed reluctant to move but Michel was firm but gentle with her and got her inside the cottage.

After shutting the door behind him, he sat his wife down and then sat facing her. He took hold of her hands and gently rubbed the back of them with his thumbs.

“Verity has arranged a meeting with them and their lawyers to as she put it, ‘lay all the cards on the table’. She got them to agree to hold it at her offices which they would not do if they were anyway unsure about their case.”

“But… but they….?”

“They think that they can prove that you are mentally incapable of managing your affairs. You aren’t and we have a lot of evidence that they have not seen yet that paints a very different picture.”

“But they could still win?”

“They won’t. I’m now part of the family but Verity said that she had something that will stop them dead in their tracks.”

“What?” asked Delphine suddenly very alert.

“I told her that we didn’t want to know. We’ll go to the meeting but I think we should be prepared to do a runner. St Pancras Station and a Eurostar to Paris is just a few stops away on the Victoria Line. Gabrielle will find somewhere for us to stay.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really Mrs La Fontaine. I signed up to be with you as you did for me. We are in this together so don’t go getting any ideas ok?”

Delphine tried hard but failed miserably.

“When?”

“Next Monday at midday.”

“I need to enjoy my last few days of freedom then?”

“You will be fine.”

“Said the hangman to the condemned prisoner.”

Michel had to laugh at that.

“What do you want to do?”

“I’ll think of something.”

[to be continued]
[1] This is where the main characters from my ‘Off The Books’ story retired to live.