Sealed With a Loving Kiss (11 page)

‘Thanks for your support, today of all days,' retorted Mary.

‘Aw, yer know I don't mean ter drop yer in it, mate, but you'll be fine.' Ivy shot her a cheeky, dimpled grin as she slung the strap of the gas-mask box over her shoulder. ‘Enjoy the wedding and keep some of that fancy food for me.' Before Mary could respond, she'd closed the front door behind her with a bang.

Mary quickly went into the kitchen to heat up the large pot of porridge that had been left on the stove. It would probably be wise to have her breakfast and then disappear as well. The thought of Doris having hysterics and causing a huge fuss wasn't her idea of a fun-filled morning either.

As she ate the porridge and toast she could hear movement upstairs and the sound of men's voices. Finishing off the last of her breakfast, she washed the dishes and went into the hall to collect her coat, bag and gas-mask box.

‘Good morning, Mary,' said Edward cheerfully as he came down the stairs in twill slacks, shirt and sweater, followed closely by Anthony, who was similarly attired but looked terribly pale.

Mary smiled at them. ‘It looks as if someone needs a good breakfast inside them to fight off the collywobbles.'

‘I doubt I could keep anything down,' said Anthony as his glasses slipped along his nose. ‘I do hope I'm not ailing with something.'

‘It's just last-minute nerves, and they'll disappear the moment you see your beautiful bride coming down the aisle,' said Mary, who'd heard her father say this umpteen times to nervous, sickly grooms. ‘Now, I'm going out for a walk so you can get ready for the day. I'll be back about half-eleven to get changed, because it's a bit of a walk to the church and I have to be there by one-thirty in case there are early arrivals.'

‘I'll give you a lift,' said Edward. ‘There'll be plenty of time to get you there before I have to take Doris, Robert and Anthony.'

‘We can't possibly spare the car,' said Doris bossily from the top of the stairs. ‘I have to be at the hairdresser's at eleven, and then I have an appointment for a manicure – and I wanted to have a quick look in Plummer Roddis to see if they've got in their new stock of hats.'

‘Then I'll drop you off first,' Ted replied placidly. ‘Once you're ready to come home you can give me a ring and I'll fetch you.'

‘But I have to be back here in time to instruct the girls I've hired to do the waitressing,' she protested. ‘Really, Edward, it's all very inconvenient.'

‘I'm perfectly capable of giving instructions to waitresses,' said Edward, ‘and why do you need to look at hats when you have dozens of the things upstairs?'

‘You're a man. You wouldn't understand,' she said dismissively. ‘As for the girls, I have specific instructions which you're bound to either get muddled or forget entirely.'

Mary could see this might go on for a while, so she pulled on her coat. ‘Don't worry about me,' she said to him. ‘I can easily walk. Goodness knows, I've done it enough times.'

Doris sniffed, and having decided she'd won the tussle, disappeared into the bathroom.

‘I really don't see why you should walk,' said Edward. ‘After all, you're as much a part of this wedding as the rest of us. I'll make sure the car is available, don't you worry.'

‘I don't want to cause trouble,' she said fretfully.

He smiled his gentle smile. ‘Let me deal with Doris. Just be ready in time for me to take you to the church before the fun really starts. Now go and enjoy your walk, and I'll see you at lunchtime.'

Mary enjoyed her walk. She spent some time on the seafront, managed to get a cup of very nice coffee in the tiny tearoom at the end of the promenade, and found a lovely bar of Pears soap as a gift for Doris, who had yet to learn that Fran had borrowed her violin.

Returning to Havelock Road, she found Anthony and Edward in their shirtsleeves, studiously polishing a car that was so like her father's she had to swallow the sudden wave of grief. Avoiding the kerfuffle in the drawing room as Doris gave orders to the two poor girls who would be helping to serve drinks and food at the reception, she went into the kitchen to see what she could make for her lunch.

There were several cases of champagne stacked in one corner, and trays of glasses had been set out on the table beside a splendidly dressed salmon and a thinly sliced cooked ham which had been laid on silver platters. These were accompanied by endless dishes of winter salads, canapés, delicate sandwiches and little bowls of salted biscuits.

Her mouth watered at the sight, but she knew that if she took even one of those biscuits she wouldn't hear the last of it, so she made a spam sandwich, which would have to see her through until after the service.

‘Make sure you clean up after yourself,' said Doris as she bustled into the room, resplendent in full make-up, pearls, an outrageously extravagant hat – and, most oddly, a floral overall over her underwear and pink fluffy slippers on her feet.

Mary had to bite her lip so she didn't giggle as she swept up the crumbs and Doris chivvied the two girls in to show them where everything was. It was a marvel that she even owned such things as a pinny and slippers, let alone allowed anyone to see her in them. Shooting the girls a look of sympathy, Mary left them to it and took her sandwich upstairs.

Once she'd eaten her lunch, she washed and began to get dressed. She didn't really have anything at all suitable for a wedding, and the only decent frock she possessed was the black velvet which she and Barbara had made out of a discarded ball-gown – and the last time she'd worn it was for her parents' funeral, which merely made her feel sad.

She was about to slip it on over her dowdy cami-knickers and vest when there was a brief rap on the door and Doris strode in carrying a clothes bag on a hanger and a large hatbox.

‘Anthony has asked me to give you these. It's a gift from him and Susan – though why they should think it necessary, I have no idea.' She hung the bag from the wardrobe handle, put the hatbox on the bed and marched out again.

Mary stood there in her underwear and stared in amazement for some moments after the door had closed behind Doris. The blessed woman was the absolute limit, coming in here like that without a by-your-leave. Then she shrugged off the little barb of irritation and turned her attention to the bag.

With trembling fingers, she eased it up and over the hanger and gasped in delight as the lovely dress and jacket were revealed. Made of the finest, softest pale pink cashmere and lined with silk, it was as light as thistledown. With a scooped neck and short sleeves, it was the perfect length, and the little collarless jacket had piped edging in silk and discreet silver buttons down the front and at the ends of the sleeves. The label inside showed it had been bought from a French fashion house in London, and therefore had to have been incredibly expensive.

She was literally trembling with awe as she opened the hatbox to find not only a darling little cream hat which had pink silk ribbons and a bunch of tiny roses to match the dress and coat, but a pair of low-heeled glossy cream pumps. As she lifted them out of the tissue paper she saw the small white envelope, and because her legs threatened to give way in all the excitement, she sank onto the bed to read it.

Dear Mary,

Please accept these gifts, for we cannot thank you enough for agreeing to play at our wedding. We do apologise that everything isn't as new as we would have liked, but my mother was also eager to thank you, and this was the only way we could think of being able to show our appreciation. We do hope you enjoy our special day, and that everything fits – we could only guess at sizes!

With many, many thanks,

Suzy, Anthony, and Evelyn

Mary sat on the bed in a daze until she realised that time was ticking away and she was now in danger of being late. She quickly left the bed and went to sit at the dressing table to use some of the make-up Ivy had persuaded her to buy. She was inexperienced and a bit clumsy, for she'd never been allowed to wear more than a dusting of powder before, and it took a bit of time to get it just right.

Having washed her hair the night before, she decided that only a sophisticated style would do and so brushed it out and twisted it into an elegant chignon which she tethered with hairpins. She then carefully stepped into the gorgeous dress, which slithered like swansdown over her skin and fitted perfectly. There was a bit of a struggle to fasten the tiny silver buttons at the nape, but once she'd stopped panicking this was soon achieved.

Slipping the jacket over it, she caught the faint reminder of some delicate, flowery perfume Mrs James must have worn, and when she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she almost didn't recognise the elegant, pretty young woman who stared back at her. Mary Jones from the rectory at Harebridge Green had never looked so grown-up, and for a fleeting moment she wished Jack could be here to see her in all her finery.

Turning from the mirror, she tried on the shoes and gave a sigh of disappointment. They were about half a size too small and would kill her feet if she had to walk anywhere, but she was determined to wear them, for she only had brogues and sandals, and they would have spoilt the look of everything. She took a few faltering steps to get used to walking in heels, and then sat back down at the dressing table and carefully placed the little hat over her hair, tethering it with the fancy silver-tipped pin that had come with it.

A scrabble inside Ivy's jumbled box of cheap jewellery produced a pair of fake pearl earrings, and she clipped these on. They were the finishing touch.

‘Are you ready, Mary?' called Ted on the other side of the door.

‘Coming!' She smoothed back a stray wisp of hair, took one last look in the mirror and went to open the door.

Edward was freshly shaved and looked very handsome in his morning suit. ‘My word,' he said appreciatively as he looked her up and down. ‘You do scrub up nicely, young lady. I'm so glad everything fits and looks so well; Anthony was so worried they might have got the colour and sizing wrong.'

‘It's all wonderful,' she breathed. ‘They've been terribly kind and very generous.'

He looked at his watch and pulled a face. ‘We'd better get going or I'll get it in the neck from Doris.'

There was no sign of Anthony or Doris as they went downstairs and out to the car, and as Edward drove her to the church, Mary couldn't help but remember sitting beside her father in his car on that fateful last night. Determined not to spoil this happy day with sad reminiscences, she waved Edward a cheerful goodbye and hurried inside the church to have one more practice before people started arriving.

Beach View was in chaos, with girls dashing back and forth, calling to each other and arguing over whose turn it was to use the bathroom. Ron and Julian were miraculously dressed and ready, but they'd sought refuge from the female uproar in the kitchen with Harvey and a whisky bottle – which Peggy found very worrying.

Evelyn was cloistered with Suzy in the large front bedroom, and Cordelia was so beside herself with excitement, she couldn't stand still long enough for Peggy to pin on her hat.

‘Cordelia, if you keep moving about I'll end up stabbing you with this hatpin.'

‘Oh, I do so love weddings, don't you?' she trilled as she plumped down on her dressing-table stool. ‘What do you think her dress is like? I just know she's going to look an absolute picture, because Suzy's a beautiful girl to start with and brides are always radiant, aren't they?'

Peggy knew she didn't really expect an answer so she nodded and finally managed to get the pin into the hat. ‘Do you want me to fasten your pearls and help with your earrings?'

‘Yes, dear, if you would. They're far too fiddly for my old fingers.'

Peggy took the double string of pearls and fastened the silver catch at the back, and then carefully screwed on the matching earrings. ‘There you are. Now stand up and let me look at you.'

Cordelia leaned heavily on her walking stick and heaved herself off the stool to turn this way and that to show off her new suit.

Peggy felt quite tearful, for the soft heather of the tweed enhanced Cordelia's lovely clear skin and white hair, and the way Sally had cut it was quite superb, for it fitted perfectly.

‘Sally's done a wonderful job, hasn't she?' said Cordelia in delight as she admired her reflection in the long mirror behind the door. ‘I haven't looked this smart in ages.' She turned back to the dressing table, opened her jewellery box and handed Peggy a lovely brooch of twisted gold encircling an amethyst of the deepest purple. ‘Could you pin this on for me, dear?'

Peggy fastened the brooch to the jacket lapel and stood back to admire the effect. ‘You look wonderful,' she said as she kissed her soft cheek. ‘Now let's make sure you have everything you'll need in your handbag then I'll help you downstairs. I think Ron and Julian are about to open a bottle of champagne so we can drink a toast to a happy day.'

‘Ooh, how lovely.' Cordelia's little face lit up and she grabbed her handbag, checked she had at least three handkerchiefs and then headed for the door. ‘Champagne is supposed to be good for you, you know. My doctor said so.'

‘I think he meant in small doses,' laughed Peggy as they made their slow descent to the hall. ‘You'd better pace yourself, Cordelia, or you'll fall asleep during the ceremony and miss everything.'

‘Stuff and nonsense,' she retorted as she headed eagerly for the kitchen. ‘How could you possibly think I'd do a thing like that?'

Peggy smiled, for Cordelia could fall asleep at the drop of a hat. ‘I'll leave you to the tender mercies of Ron and Julian,' she said. ‘I still have to sort out Daisy and get dressed myself.'

‘Well, don't be too long, or you might find we've drunk all that lovely champagne,' Cordelia replied with a giggle.