“That didn’t take long,” said James when she appeared in her rooms.
“They thought my presence was unnecessary as well,” said Myrtle.
“So you left?” asked James.
“I told them that I would send the dress back and that I wouldn’t go to whatever they plan this wedding to be. Basically, it isn’t my wedding,” said Myrtle.
“So what do we do now?” asked James.
“We sort it for ourselves,” said Myrtle.
“That bunch of old fools,” muttered Enid as she appeared in Myrtle’s rooms.
“I thought you wanted me to take their advice,” said Myrtle.
“I’d forgotten what they were like,” said Enid. “Listening to them reminded me why I got married and then told them about it.”
“And why was that?” Myrtle asked.
“I’d seen the preparations for Lily’s wedding,” Enid sighed. “Did I ever show you the photos?”
“No,” said Myrtle. “I didn’t know she was married.”
“I’ve got them here,” Enid said, pulling a small sphere out of her pocket, she placed it on the table and it opened out into a hologram. There was a white chapel with an enormous spire that looked as though it was reaching up to the sky. A white carriage drawn by six white horses pulled up in front of the chapel and a man got out, Myrtle’s grandfather, he held his hand up to help someone get out of the carriage. A young woman in a voluminous white lacy dress, it was nipped in to an impossibly thin waist and stopped short of the shoulders.
“Put your veil forward,” her Father told her, trying to help her adjust the yards of lace till it cascaded over her face almost down to the ground.
“Why do I have to do this?” she asked.
“It is the done thing when you get married, you put the veil over your face and the vicar lifts it up in preparation for you to get married,” he explained.
“That wasn’t what I meant,” she said. “Why do I have to get married.”
“Your Mother said it was time,” he explained. “It isn’t anything to do with me.”
“But,” she sighed as he pulled her towards the chapel. “I don’t know anything about him. I don’t even know his name.”
“Neither do I,” said her Father. “Is it important?”
“You expect me to marry him!” she stuttered. “It could be anyone in that chapel.”
“I don’t think so,” he said. “At least half of the people in there are women and then there’s the vicar and the choir. He wont be one of those. He’ll be standing at the front, on the right-hand side of the chapel looking worried and his best man will be standing next to him holding the rings.”
“Thanks!” she said as the arrived at the open door of the chapel.
“Now you know what to do?” he asked.
“I’ve a good mind to say No,” she muttered.
“Your Mother wouldn’t be very happy with you if you did,” he said. “And that would be nothing compared with what the rest of the family would say, the women at any rate.”
“And what would the men say?” Lily asked.
“They would say what they were told to say, as always,” he smiled.
The door opened and the wedding proceeded. Myrtle and James watched it in silence, an hour later they watched as the bride and groom were driven to the wedding breakfast in the coach that had brought the bride to the chapel.
“Is that the sort of wedding that they would plan?” Myrtle asked slowly.
“That’s the short version, Lily got off lightly, the wedding service is usually at least two hours. The wedding breakfast is another five hours,” said Enid. “Do you want to see the wedding breakfast, it was most impressive, I think there were five courses and the cake stood ten feet tall.”
“I think we’ve seen enough,” said James.
“No way am I going for that sort of thing,” said Myrtle. “Five courses, it would bankrupt Maud.”
“So what sort of wedding would you go for?” asked Enid.
“Tell us about your wedding?” James said. “I am assuming it was less fussy than Lily’s.”
“It was a small chapel, in the hills,” said Enid smiling. “It was winter, but that wasn’t a problem for us. We had the vicar, us and a couple of the church lady’s who did the cleaning, they stood in as witnesses.”
“Didn’t they ask about the lack of congregation?” Myrtle asked.
“It was the weather, that was what we told them, hard for them to get out of town,” she smiled. “But they sent there best wishes.”
“Sounds perfect,” said Myrtle.
“I’m not sure about lying about why there is no congregation,” said James.
“Well, we could try telling them the truth,” said Myrtle.
“Which is?” he asked.
“My family are taking over all the wedding preparations and it sounds like we’ll be lucky if we get an invite to the thing,” laughed Myrtle.
“I know where the church is,” said Enid. “I could come with you to talk to the Vicar, not that it will be the same one of course, but I am your Mother and it might help your case if I were there to support you.”
“So when should we do this?” asked James.
“No time like the present,” said Enid giving her wand a quick wave.
“Good morning,” said the Vicar, looking up from writing his sermon to find three people looking at him.
“Good morning,” said Enid smiling.
“How may I help you?” the Vicar asked, looking round and wondering how they had got past his Housekeeper.
“My daughter and her fiancée wish to get married,” Enid smiled.
“That is so good to hear,” said the Vicar. “Can I be of assistance.”
“We were wondering if you could marry them in the chapel,” said Enid. “It is such a beautiful chapel, I was married there myself, quiet a few years ago.”
“I’m new to the parish, so it was probably before my time, but I would be delighted to carry out the service,” he said. “There are a few things that we would need to sort out first, starting off with a marriage licence.”
“Of course,” said Enid, pulling a document out of her handbag.
“That looks to be in order,” the Vicar smiled. “Do you have any thoughts on when you would like to have the wedding?”
“We were wondering about today?” James suggested.
“Don’t you want family and friends around to celebrate?” the Vicar asked.
“We did,” said Myrtle. “But they were taking over the planning, in fact, they made it clear that my fiancée wasn’t welcome and I was only tolerated if I agreed with everything they said.”
“You didn’t like what they were planning?” he said.
“No,” said James and Myrtle together.
“We think that a wedding is more than just a ten foot wedding cake, it is about the couple living and working together as a team, united in their love,” said Myrtle.
“Then I think now is a good time for your wedding,” smiled the Vicar. “Would you like to follow me to the church?”
“Thank-you,” said James, Myrtle and Enid.
“The Lady’s who do the flowers will be there,” he said. “I’m sure they would be more than happy to make up a bridal bouquet and to stand as witnesses. Sorry about the buckets, we have a little problem with the roof, I have preyed to the Almighty, but as yet we still need the buckets to catch the drips,” he added as a cloud came over and the rain began.
“Nothing could possible put a damper on today,” said Myrtle as they walked into the chapel to the sound of water dripping into over ten metal buckets.
“Can we do something,” Myrtle muttered to Enid.
“I’ll sort it,” said Enid, giving her wand a quick twitch. The dripping stopped, but the rain continued.
“Ladies,” the Vicar called.
“We’ve nearly finished the flowers, your reverence,” said one slightly harassed looking Lady. “We’ve done the best we could, but they were rather a sad collection,” she added pointing to a handful of vases on a table and a couple more Ladies standing next to them. Myrtle gave a quick twitch of her wand and the flowers started to pick up.
“This young couple want to get married and the brides Mother suggested they come to the church where she was married,” said the Vicar.
“Enid,” said one of the Ladies. “I remember my Mother telling me about it.”
“Then I would be honoured if you would be a witnesses to my daughters wedding,” Enid smiled.
“I would be delighted,” said the Lady, handing over a few of the left over flowers from the table to Myrtle and suddenly they became the most beautiful bridal bouquet that had ever been. Myrtle’s dress became white and shimmering.
“The perfect bride,” said James smiling at her as they walked down the aisle together.
“Who do I throw the bouquet to,” thought Myrtle as they left the chapel, husband and wife.
“There’s my granddaughter come to take me home,” said one of the old Ladies. “She’s such a good girl, she thinks about her old Nana when it rains.”
“Catch,” said Myrtle, throwing the flowers to the started girl, she caught them before she’d realised what was happening.
“Perhaps the old chapel will see another wedding,” smiled the Vicar. “And without the sound of dripping, it seems to have stopped, praise be to God.”
“Will you marry me,” said a young man looking at the girl holding the flowers.
“Of course,” she smiled. “I’ve been wondering when you’d ask.”
By Janice Nye © 2021
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