Chapter 42
Holly hovered by the French windows into the garden and looked out at the scene before her. It was easy to see the love and attention that had gone into planning this baby shower. Fairy lights were strung amongst the trees that lined Elsie’s garden, with tiny pairs of yellow booties suspended amongst them. Three tables in the shade groaned under the weight of all the tasty morsels and delights awaiting them. Posies of fresh flowers artfully tumbled across the small round tables dotted around the beautifully manicured lawn, and several of the large agapanthus planters from the Market Place had miraculously reappeared around the edge of Elsie’s patio. It genuinely seemed as though the entire population of Larkford had spruced up and turned up to celebrate her babies.
Little did they know, thought Holly happily, hugging the secret to herself, even as Taffy winkled Dan away from the crowd to clue him in on his duties for the afternoon.
The Reverend Taylor was also caught up in the delight of springing a surprise wedding on her flock and was completely unfazed by the prospect of an al fresco ceremony, even one that seemed to have a largely canine contingent. ‘I think this is the most beautiful wedding I’ve seen in a long time,’ she whispered to Holly. ‘Everyone is so happy and relaxed – look! Not a stressed bunny among them. Good thinking, Holly.’ She clasped her hand briefly and couldn’t help but smile at the excitable bride beside her. No nerves, no dramas, just absolute delight that her clandestine plotting was falling so simply into place.
She watched as Taffy whispered in Dan’s ear and his head shot up in surprise, followed by a burst of laughter and much backslapping. To anyone watching it was simply a case of boys being boys; no doubt they would now be on the lookout for today’s wager, but Holly knew otherwise. Dan looked across the garden and caught her eye, raising his champagne flute and mouthing ‘well played’. She nodded in acknowledgement, unable to formulate her thoughts.
Holly took a moment to stand in the doorway and just ‘be’ – watching all her favourite people in the world, decked out in their summer finery, laughing and joking and joining together to celebrate her babies’ start in life. ‘Wish me luck,’ she said to Reverend Taylor after a moment’s hesitation, and then she stepped out into the garden. They’d decided earlier to let the baby shower play out just a little before they announced the change of plan.
It was a good decision. It seemed that the very idea of two sets of twins had entranced all their guests, for equally as many gifts were being presented to Ben and Tom as to the excitedly awaited arrivals.
Despite Elsie’s earlier concerns on the issue, this baby shower was the epitome of pastoral English living, with an abundance of flowers, scones and Pimm’s, and barely an Americanism in sight. Unless you counted the ‘Guess the weight of the baby’ game that Dan had rigged up by filling a babygrow with little bags of rice and popping a dolly from the waiting room on top! Holly did a small double-take as she saw money changing hands and realised that, of course, the competition didn’t just have a prize, but also a wager. Although to be fair, Dan was looking incredibly distracted now he was in the loop and kept glancing over in her direction, waiting for his cue.
‘Ten pounds and nine ounces,’ Taffy whispered in her ear, as he walked over to join her on the shaded patio. ‘I checked.’
Holly winced at the very idea, grateful for once that her babies were coming ‘out of the sunroof’.
He fidgeted beside her, eager to get started. He leaned in. ‘Come on, Holls. Let’s do this,’ Taffy said. ‘If we wait any longer, I’m going to be the one to give the game away.’ It was true; his face was lit up with affection and anticipation. He literally couldn’t tear his gaze away from her and his hand found hers at every opportunity. As their hands touched and his fingers automatically sought the diamond engagement ring on her finger, there was a moment when it seemed they were alone in the garden, the only point of focus in a Monet haze, the moment when their new family truly began.
‘Absolutely,’ she whispered, stepping out from the shade into the sunshine and barely noticing Ozney snapping away on his hi-tech Nikon camera, capturing her radiant smile.
A gentle round of applause grew into whoops and cheers at the sight of Holly’s stunning dress and the proud look on Taffy’s face. Ben and Tom looked up in shocked amazement, a doughnut in each hand and sugar smeared on both of their faces. Holly didn’t even miss a beat when they both ran over and pressed themselves against her legs, desperate to be included in the celebrations.
‘Lady with a baby, coming through,’ cried Lizzie in delight, only too happy to have the chance to quote one of her favourite movies. Holly laughed, even more so once she clocked Taffy’s bemused expression.
‘It’s Grease,’ she whispered.
He looked down at the small sticky handprints on her dress. ‘Yeah, but it’ll wash off.’ To be fair he looked even more confused then, as both Holly and Lizzie dissolved into laughter.
Elsie rushed over, looking incredibly pleased with herself, and slopping champagne over her wrist in her enthusiasm. ‘Didn’t I tell you this would be a wonderful way to celebrate these babies?’
Holly kissed her on each cheek, choosing not to remind Elsie that at seven o’clock that morning she’d been sweeping through the house proclaiming their baby shower a ‘disaster’ because they had no baby bottles in which to serve the champagne.
Holly was presented with a tiny bottle of Babycham with a straw and the twins clamoured for their very own. Ozney clicked away happily, under strict orders from both Elsie and Lizzie that black and white candids were the only way to go for that spontaneous, thrown-together look.
Elsie pressed a small envelope into Holly’s hands. ‘There’s a little something in there for you. Not for the babies. For you. You deserve to have some beautiful maternity clothes to make you feel special.’
Holly clasped her hand. ‘You make me feel special. You’ve already been so generous. Save your money, Elsie, please. A hug is all I need.’
‘Pish-tosh,’ exclaimed Elsie in disgust. ‘Taffy, do you even realise that your fiancée refuses to go shopping? You have no idea how lucky you are!’
‘Oh, I don’t know,’ said Taffy slowly. ‘I think I know exactly how lucky I am.’ He laid a hand on Holly’s bump and a small kick bounced his palm away. ‘Assuming I can get past the guards here.’
Lizzie tinged her cake fork on the side of her champagne flute and cleared her throat. ‘I’d like to make a toast! To Holly and Taffy, Ben and Tom – wishing you all the very best for your new arrivals. To Thelma and Louise!’
‘What?’ cried Holly.
‘Ant and Dec!’ called Dan.
‘Mary-Kate and Ashley!’ hollered the Major, surprising everyone, even himself.
Holly turned to Taffy in confusion and he blushed guiltily. ‘They’re not convinced I don’t know the sex of the babies, so they keep trying to catch me out.’
‘You can tell me, you know,’ whispered Elsie conspiratorially. ‘You know I can keep a secret.’
Holly, Taffy and Lizzie burst out laughing, knowing only too well that Elsie’s tongue could be loosened by the merest drop of champagne.
‘Speaking of which—’ Holly said, stepping forward and raising her own glass for silence.
‘We do actually have a little news to share,’ she said, beaming and laying a hand protectively on her bump.
‘Oh my, is it actually triplets?’ Patty asked faintly, looking completely overwhelmed by the joyous and slightly unruly atmosphere of the party. Even Taffy’s brothers were on their best behaviour in sight of all this decadence.
‘God no!’ exclaimed Holly with feeling. ‘We definitely feel that four is enough. Don’t we?’ Holly turned to Taffy for clarification, but he just shrugged, unfazed.
‘Jesus Christ, that’s a whopper,’ said the Major into the silence, as he hefted the poor floppy ‘baby’ and attempted to guess its weight. He looked up in alarm at his unintended outburst. ‘Sorry, Reverend.’
‘Couldn’t matter less,’ said Reverend Taylor easily, turning back to focus on Holly.
Taffy took Holly’s hand once more and gave her a supportive smile. This was her secret to share, after all. ‘I hope you don’t mind,’ said Holly with a tiny nod of her head, ‘but there’s been a slight change of plan.’
Reverend Taylor took one step forward, and turned to face the expectant faces before her. ‘Dearly Beloved, we are gathered here today—’
Elsie’s squeals of surprised delight nearly drowned out her words and the garden was thrown into complete pandemonium. Dan leapt forward with alacrity, fully intent on being the very best Best Man. He shook Taffy’s hand more firmly than was strictly necessary. ‘Proud of you, mate,’ he said gruffly.
Holly turned to Lizzie, whose hands were clapped over her mouth in absolute shock. ‘Would you be my Maid of Honour?’
Elsie fanned herself vigorously with a linen napkin. ‘Oh, Holly! My darling girl! You absolute rotter!’ Her face was wreathed in smiles, her eyes filled with tears, and it was obvious she was utterly delighted at being outsmarted for once. She couldn’t resist stepping forward to hug her tightly. ‘You are the most beautiful bride I could ever imagine. And so serene.’ She squeezed her tightly. ‘Clever, clever girl.’
It was the work of moments, but the entire impromptu congregation realigned themselves accordingly. The Major appointed himself chief usher and soon had the residents of Larkford settled into place by way of polite officiousness – he was in his element. Cassie Holland surprised them all by standing discreetly to one side and singing the most soulful and pitch-perfect Ave Maria that Holly had ever heard, the goose-bumps springing up on the back of her neck and her emotions threatening the artful make-up that Alice had so sweetly applied earlier. She glanced up to see that it was too late for Patty, the tears now streaming freely down her face as her other three sons quietly joined Cassie, their Welsh tenors lending her performance depth and resonance.
Taffy squeezed Holly’s hand tightly, clearly fighting his own emotions at the sight of this outpouring of support and affection for their impromptu union. The whole garden was entranced by the four stunning voices, even Ben and Tom’s attention captured and held – the spontaneity of this a cappella rendition making it all the more exquisite in the serenity of the garden, the soft floral scents caught on the light breeze and lifted by the occasional clink of champagne flutes.
As they drew to a close, Reverend Taylor lifted her arms and the congregation, as surely that is what the guests had now become, all rose as one. Ben and Tom proudly flanked the bride and groom under the looping clematis arbour that provided Nature’s own cathedral.
Elsie, for once, was now speechless, and merely found herself a prime viewing spot and sank into a chair, occasionally dabbing her eyes with a lace handkerchief, her face lit up with excitement at the undeniable romance of the scene.
‘Do you, Meirion Aled Selwyn Jones, take this woman to be your wedded wife?’ Reverend Taylor asked, herself a little choked up by the delighted and enthusiastic response. After all, one never really knew how surprise weddings were going to go down with the couple’s nearest and dearest . . .
‘Say yes!’ insisted Tom in the least discreet ‘whisper’ of all time.
As they exchanged their vows, with Ozney discreetly capturing their first kiss as husband and wife, Holly found herself alternately laughing and crying, overcome by such an intense feeling of happiness that it could only in part be attributed to her hormones.
She felt the smooth band of rose gold on her finger, and the warmth of Taffy’s hand in hers. It seemed so fitting, somehow, that their wedding be as spontaneous and loving as their relationship. Everybody she loved in one place, supporting her children, supporting her marriage, and never for one moment doubting their ability to find that elusive happy-ever-after.
As kisses and congratulations flew around her, Holly sought Taffy’s gaze. ‘I love you,’ she said, confident that he could read her expression if not her lips. His face creased into a grin and he replied in kind.
She looked around for the boys, only to find they had taken the initiative and were stacking glazed doughnuts into a precarious pyramid in lieu of a wedding cake.
The Major was walking around, simply shaking every one of Taffy’s family members by the hand and saying, ‘Jolly good show,’ over and over again.
‘This is the best bloody wedding I have ever been to,’ said Elsie, to nobody in particular.
And Holly couldn’t help but agree – all of the beauty and emotion, without any of the draining build-up and negotiations. She had everything she wanted for her special day right here.
Alice skipped over breathlessly and kissed her on both cheeks. ‘Thank God you liked your dress!’ she exclaimed, obviously unable to comprehend how someone might leave something so important as a wedding dress to chance.
Holly laughed. ‘I have to confess, it was rather a bonus.’ She smoothed the silken fabric again. ‘At least this time I can have the photos out on the mantelpiece without dying of mortification. Wedding dresses aren’t really all they’re cracked up to be, Alice. Any garment that requires assistance to help you pee is a non-starter in my book.’
Alice snorted with laughter at her bridal irreverence and Holly was delighted to see that her lovely new friend seemed to be more relaxed than she had been in ages. Maybe they had all needed an impromptu reminder of how wonderful their little world of Larkford truly was?
‘Are you ready to cut the cake, Mrs Mummy Jones?’ said Tom, stumbling over what to call his newly married mother, but beaming from ear to ear, completely swept up by the occasion. After all, hadn’t they been nagging for this all summer long? He tugged at her hand urgently, pulling her down so that he could whisper in her ear. ‘Mummy, when the babies come, will they call Taffy Daddy?’
‘As soon as they can talk,’ Holly replied, unable to resist kissing him on his little chubby cheeks, and not even minding the sticky sugary sheen that transferred to her lips.
Tom thought for a moment, his brow furrowed in concentration. ‘Do you think Taffy would mind if we called him Daddy too?’
Holly swallowed hard, her mascara no longer even standing a chance. ‘I think he would really, truly love that,’ she replied, pulling him into a hug and kissing the top of his head until he squirmed.
‘And a family shot for the album?’ called Ozney, bemused beyond measure as half the congregation surged towards him, pooling around the bride and groom, lifting the twins up easily into the frame.
‘Best wedding ever,’ managed Elsie yet again, as they all did jazz hands for the camera and fell about laughing.