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IT WAS THE first wedding of the New Year. Charlie had decided to wait at the church, to accompany Mimi down the aisle and give her away, and she snuggled into the horse-drawn carriage with Jack and his daughter, Ellie.
‘Are you warm enough, sweetie?’ Mimi’s wedding dress had a matching brocade coat, with white fur at the collar and cuffs, and Ellie had a similar coat over her dress.
‘Yes.’ The little girl was trying very hard to be grown up, and to act like a princess, after her father had told her that this was really a fairytale carriage.
‘That’s good.’ Mimi twitched a rug over Ellie’s lap, covering her satin slippers. ‘Look at the people, coming to watch. You can wave if you like.’
A small knot of people had tumbled out of the village Post Office and were waving to the carriage as it went by. Ellie scrambled up onto her knees on the seat, waving back, almost dropping her posy of flowers out of the window, before Jack retrieved it and stowed it carefully under the seat.
She felt for the heavy pearls around her neck, making sure that they were still there. Rafe’s mother had given them to her, saying that her own mother had worn them on her wedding day. Rafe had stopped Mimi from protesting that she couldn’t possibly take such a precious gift, and his mother had beamed with pleasure when she saw that they complemented her dress perfectly.
‘Are you all right?’ Jack must have asked the question at least twenty times, but it still seemed to require an answer.
‘I’m fine. Just thinking about...everything. A lot’s happened in the last few months, for both of us.’
‘Yes.’ Jack looked out of the window. ‘Might be more to come. You and Rafe can think about me battling through three feet of snow, while you’re off on your honeymoon.’
‘I’ll do no such thing. I’ll be...’ Mimi laughed as Jack’s hands moved for Ellie’s ears.
‘Okay. We all know what you’ll be doing.’
‘What will she be doing?’ Ellie climbed onto her father’s knee, and Jack rolled his eyes.
‘Exercises, sweetheart. Mimi has to exercise her leg for a while longer, so that she can walk properly.’
It had been a long, hard journey to get here. The snake bites had weakened Mimi’s leg to such an extent that at one point it was doubtful whether she’d be able to make it up the aisle unaided. Rafe had been quite prepared to carry her, saying that he didn’t care how she got there, just as long as she did, but Mimi had been determined not to compromise either the date of her wedding, or the manner in which she arrived.
As they pulled up at the church it started snowing again. Large umbrellas shielded her as Jack helped her down from the carriage, and then he stepped back so she could join Charlie in the vestibule of the country church.
There was a moment’s pause while Ellie was coaxed to stand a few feet in front of her, ready to scatter petals. Charlie suddenly caught her hand.
‘Can you do it on your own?’
‘Yes. I can do it.’ She wasn’t going to stumble, now. She knew exactly where she was going, and falling flat on her face was no longer an option.
Charlie nodded. ‘Off you go, then.’
‘But Charlie...? You’re supposed to be walking me down the aisle?’
‘Yeah. Since when did we care what we were supposed to do? I want to see you do this by yourself.’ Charlie pressed her hand to his lips in a gesture of old-fashioned charm. ‘Go to him, Mimi. I’ll be right behind you.’
‘I love you, Charlie.’
‘Love you too. Just get on with it, will you.’
Mimi turned to face the congregation. Everyone’s face was tipped round, towards her. All their friends and family. There would be time for all of them later, but right now all she could see was Rafe.
He looked so handsome in his dark suit and brocade waistcoat, the subtle pattern of which matched the theme of her dress. The organist struck up the Wedding March, and the sudden wall of sound made Ellie jump and run back towards Mimi, instead of walking up the aisle, scattering petals as she was supposed to.
Charlie caught Ellie, lifting her up onto his lap, and she decided that now was a good time to start throwing petals. Rafe was chuckling, holding out his hand towards her. Mimi couldn’t wait any longer. Leaving Charlie to follow with Ellie, she almost ran up the aisle towards him.
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