The big day had arrived.
Nervous? Who me? Of course not. After all the things I’d been through over the last couple of years, why would I be nervous about a little thing like getting married?
“Jill!”
I almost shot out of the chair. “Kathy, why are you sneaking around? You scared me to death.”
“I only came in to ask if you wanted another cup of tea.”
“I daren’t have any more. What if I’m just about to say my vows and I need to pee?”
“You’ve got three hours before then. If you don’t drink, you’ll be dehydrated. You don’t want to collapse in the middle of the ceremony, do you?”
“Dehydration? Why did you have to mention that? Now I have something else to worry about.”
“I thought you said you weren’t worried about anything.”
“I’m not. Get me a cup of tea, would you? And a glass of water.”
I’d stayed the night at Kathy’s house. As Peter was going to give me away, it made sense for me to be based there. Jack was back home where his best man, Alby, had stayed overnight.
Kathy had spent much of the previous evening undoing Deli’s handiwork. Thankfully, she’d managed to replace the rainbow colours with a neutral colour.
Kathy had been fussing over me since we got up at seven. I’d barely slept all night—I just kept tossing and turning, thinking about all the things that could go wrong.
“When are you putting your dress on, Auntie Jill?” Lizzie was in her PJs.
“Not until it’s nearly time for us to go.”
“Mummy won’t let me put my dress on yet.”
“It’s probably best not to. You wouldn’t want to spill anything on it, would you?”
“I suppose not.”
“Where’s Mikey?”
“Still in bed.” She giggled. “I could hear him snoring—just like a little pig.”
“Morning, Jill.” Peter appeared behind Lizzie. “She’s not annoying you, is she?”
“Daddy!” Lizzie sounded quite indignant. “I’m only talking to Auntie Jill.”
“It’s okay, Peter. She’s no trouble at all. How are you? Are you nervous?”
“A little. I’ve never given anyone away before. Still, it’ll be good practice for when this little one gets married.” He put his hand on his daughter’s shoulder.
“I’m not getting married.” Lizzie pulled a face. “Boys are stupid and they all smell.” She thought for a moment, and then continued, “Not you, though, Daddy. You’re not stupid.”
“Thanks.”
“You do smell, though. When you come home from work.”
“Well, that’s me told.” He smiled. “Why don’t you go and get some breakfast, Petal?”
“Okay. I’m having Sparkle Pops.” She dashed out of the room.
“Are you really okay?” Peter asked me.
“I would be if everyone would stop asking if I was okay.”
“Sorry.”
“No, I’m sorry. I just want to get started. It’s the waiting that’s the worst part.”
“Not long now.” He grinned. “Only another two hours and fifty-one minutes.”
“The flowers!” I yelled. “Where are the flowers?”
“Were they supposed to be here yet?”
“I’m not sure. Marceau arranged everything. Anyway, where is Marceau?”
“You called?” The man himself popped his head around the door.
“The flowers aren’t here yet.”
“Have you consulted the wedding day timetable?”
“The what?”
“I gave Jack two copies. Didn’t he give you one?”
Just then, a memory from a couple of days earlier, flashed across my mind. Jack had handed me a sheet of paper, and we’d had a brief conversation. I slowly ran it back through my head.
“Jill, this is the timetable.”
“The what?”
“The wedding day timetable.”
“Why do we need a timetable? Surely, we just turn up, say our vows, and that’s it, job done, isn’t it?”
“There’s a lot more to it than that. Marceau has spent ages drawing this up, so make sure you memorise it, or at least keep it with you.”
“Okay.”
What had I done with it after that?
Then it came back to me.
Oh no! I’d slipped it into one of the drawers in the kitchen without even looking at it.
“Jill?” Marceau said. “Did Jack give you a copy?”
“He must have forgotten. You know what he’s like.”
Marceau harrumphed, and began to fish around in his man-bag. “It’s just as well I printed a few additional copies. Here you are. See, the flowers are due to arrive at eleven-thirty-seven.”
“Isn’t that rather precise?”
“You can never be too precise when it comes to a wedding. I’d better let you get up to speed with the timetable. I have a hundred-and-one calls to make.”
To be fair to Marceau, the timetable had every last detail covered. Maybe I should have taken time out to study it before.
***
The flowers arrived at eleven-thirty-seven on the dot. I’m not usually one to gush over flowers, but the bouquets were magnificent. There was only an hour to go until the limousines were due to arrive. Kathy, Lizzie and Mikey would be travelling in the first car; Peter and I would follow in the second.
Kathy and Lizzie looked beautiful in their dresses, and although I do say so myself, I didn’t look half bad in mine. The only problem was that I daren’t sit down in it, so I was forced to stand and wait until the cars arrived.
Kathy and Peter were keeping the kids occupied in the kitchen, leaving me to contemplate the day ahead, and beyond that, married life with Jack.
When we’d first met, it had been mutual hate at first sight. Well, that’s not strictly true—I’d thought he was hot even then, but he was also a size ten pain in the bum. For reasons that only became clear much later, he’d had a total disdain for private investigators. We’d butted heads numerous times in those early months, but slowly and surely the ice had begun to melt. At some point, our professional relationship had blossomed into something else—we’d fallen in love.
At first, I’d been unsure whether or not we would be able to live together—I’d feared we might end up killing one another. But, against all the odds, it had turned out okay. Anyone who could live with me for a year, and still be sane, must be very special. And Jack was just that—a very special man. Now, we were about to get married. I’d never expected this day to come. I’d assumed that my secret would be an insurmountable obstacle. How could I ever enter into a lifelong commitment with someone while keeping a major part of my life hidden from them? The answer was simple—I couldn’t. After Yvonne’s tragic death, when Jack had asked me to marry him, I’d known I had to make a decision: Tell him the truth and face the consequences or walk away. Forever.
I was so glad that I’d decided to tell him my secret, and thrilled that he’d been prepared to accept me for who I was.
“Jill.” Kathy popped her head around the door. “Madeline Lane is here. Were you expecting her?”
“No.”
“She says it’s important, but I can send her away if you want me to.”
“No, it’s okay. Send her in.”
Moments later, Mad appeared—a vision in red.
“Wow, Jill, you look amazing!”
“Thanks.”
“I’m sorry about dropping in on you like this.”
“It’s a bit late to change your mind about being a bridesmaid,” I teased.
I’d tried to persuade Mad to be a bridesmaid, but she’d have none of it. She’d insisted her mother’s wedding was to be her one and only such appearance.
“Someone asked if I’d bring them here to see you this morning.”
“Who?”
“Your parents.”
Great! That was all I needed. I didn’t have time to listen to my mother and father, arguing the toss about the seating arrangements.
“It isn’t possible to change the seating plan now. I’ve already explained they’ll have to sit at the back.”
Mad shook her head. “I don’t mean your birth parents.”
“Sorry?”
“Your adoptive parents would like to see you.”
I felt as though someone had pulled the floor from under my feet, and I slumped back onto the sofa.
“Should you be sitting down in your dress?” Mad said. “Jill, are you okay?”
“Did you just say my adoptive parents?”
“Yeah. They turned up first thing this morning and asked if I thought you’d mind if they came to see you.”
At that, I burst into tears.
“I’m sorry if I did the wrong thing by bringing them here, Jill.”
“No.” I snuffled. “You didn’t. I just—err—I wasn’t expecting—where are they?”
“Outside. I said I’d come and talk to you first.”
“Would you go and get them, please?”
“Sure.” She disappeared out of the room.
Somehow, I struggled back to my feet. My heart was racing, and it felt as though it might burst out of my chest.
Moments later, Mad reappeared. Standing next to her were my parents; the two people who had raised me from a baby.
“Mum. Dad,” I said through my tears.
“I hope you don’t mind us coming here today.” Hearing my mother’s voice again after so many years was wonderful.
“We weren’t sure if we should come or not.” Dad sounded exactly the same as the last time I’d spoken to him.
“I’ll leave you to it.” Mad slipped quietly out of the room.
“We aren’t very good at this ‘ghost thing’.” Mum smiled that wonderful smile of hers. “It’s the first time we’ve ever done it.”
“I had no idea you were in Ghost Town. I’d have come to see you ages ago.”
“We’re not,” Dad said. “It never really appealed to us to stop off there. We had to apply for special permission to come here today. We can only stay for a few minutes, and then we have to go back.”
“Surely, you’ll stay for the wedding?”
“We’d love to, but we simply can’t,” Mum said. “That’s why we wanted to catch you before the ceremony, so we could have some time with you alone.”
“Why don’t you move to Ghost Town? I could see you all the time then.”
“I’m sorry, Jill. Ghost Town simply isn’t for us.”
“Are you happy where you are?”
“Very. We miss you of course. Kathy too.”
“She’s just next door. I could go and get her.”
“It wouldn’t do any good. She wouldn’t be able to see us. The only reason you can is because you’re a—” She hesitated. “Is it okay to call you a witch?”
“Of course it is. Did you always know?”
“That you were a witch?” She laughed. “Of course not. How could we?”
“How do you feel about it?” Dad asked.
“It was pretty weird at first, but I’ve kind of got used to it now.”
“What about your birth parents?” Mum said. “How do you get on with them?”
“Okay. They’re good people, but you two will always be my mum and dad.”
Mum’s eyes filled with tears.
Dad looked close to tears too, but he managed to say, “How’s the business going?”
“Okay. I’ll never be as good a P.I. as you, but I get by okay.”
“I’m sure you’re doing brilliantly.”
“What’s this young man of yours like?” Mum asked. “I hear his name is Jack.”
“He’s great. He’s probably the only person, apart from you two, who actually gets me.”
“Does he know—err—about the witch thing?”
“We don’t have any secrets.”
“That’s as it should be. Come on, then, turn around, and let me have a good look at your dress.”
I did as she asked. “Kathy helped me to choose it. She has her own bridal shop now.”
“Does she? How fantastic. I managed to get a quick glance at her kids when Madeline brought us in just now. They’re so like Kathy.”
Suddenly, Mum started to wheeze.
“Are you okay?”
“This ghost thing really takes it out of you. I think we’ll have to be getting back.”
“Already? Can’t you stay for just a little longer?”
“I’m sorry, Jill.” Her image was already starting to fade.
“Will I see you again?”
“I’m not sure. Maybe someday. We love you.”
“Sorry, Jill.” Dad took her hand. “We have to—”
And just like that, they were gone.
Moments later, Kathy came into the room. “Are you okay, Jill?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Are you sure? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”
“I’m okay, honestly. Just fed up of waiting.”
“Not long now. What did Madeline want?”
“Nothing, really. Just to wish me all the best.”
“Silly girl. She didn’t need to disturb you just for that.”
“It’s okay. I’m really glad she did.”
***
The limousines were due at any moment. Peter and the kids were outside, keeping a lookout for them. Marceau had gone on ahead in his own car.
Kathy and I were in the lounge.
“Mum and Dad would have been so proud of you today,” Kathy said, totally out of the blue. “I wish they could have been here.” She began to well up.
“They are here. In spirit, anyway.”
“You’re right.” She wiped away a tear. “I’m sure they’re looking down on us right now.”
“The cars are here!” Peter shouted. “The first one, anyway.”
Moments later, a white limousine pulled up outside the house.
“This is us.” Kathy gave me a kiss. “We’ll see you there.”
Peter and I watched as Kathy and the kids climbed into the car and drove away.
“Nervous yet?” he asked.
“Terrified.”
“You’ll be okay once you get there. It’s the waiting that’s the worst part.”
“Here it comes.” I pointed to the limousine which had just turned onto our street.
“You’re supposed to be at the hotel by two, aren’t you?” the driver asked once we were seated in the back.
“A bit before then,” Peter said. “The ceremony starts at two.”
“We may have a problem, then.”
Those were not the words I wanted to hear at that precise moment in time.
“What do you mean?” I barked.
“All the roads around Washbridge Park are gridlocked with traffic headed to the music festival.”
“Will we make it?”
“I’m not sure. Hopefully.”
“Let’s get going then.”
The first part of the journey, from Smallwash to Washbridge, went smoothly enough, but as soon as we reached the outskirts of the city, the traffic ground to a halt.
“Why didn’t Marceau think about this?” I said to no one in particular.
“I’m sorry, lady, but I can’t see us making it there on time,” the driver said. “You might be better getting out and walking.”
“From here? It must be two miles. We’ll never make it, and besides, I can barely walk in these heels.”
“I’ll call Kathy.” Peter grabbed his phone. “Kathy, we’re stuck in traffic. You too? Where are you?”
Someone knocked on the side-window. It was Mr Hosey, reaching out from the cab of Bessie. He motioned for me to wind down the window.
“I thought you might have problems today,” he said. “I heard about the congestion on Washbridge Radio.”
“Who’s that?” Peter asked.
“It’s one of our neighbours.”
“Come on.” Mr Hosey beckoned to us. “Jump on board.”
“I can’t turn up to my wedding on that thing.”
“It’s the only way you’ll get there on time. Bessie can drive along the pavement.”
“He’s right,” Peter said. “What choice do we have? And besides, it does look really good with all those flowers. They must have cost him a small fortune.”
So off we set. I did my best to ignore all the strange looks we got as we made our way through the streets.
“Look, Kathy and the kids are over there!” Peter shouted.
“Mr Hosey. Can you pick those people up?”
“No problem.” He pulled up alongside Kathy whose face by now was a picture.
“Don’t ask.” I pre-empted her questions.
“This is great, Auntie Jill,” Lizzie said.
“Totally cool.” Mikey agreed.