Chapter 39
The day of the wedding dawned bright and sunny.
The birds were singing outside her bedroom window as Felicity got dressed in her teal-coloured chiffon maid of honour dress, put a tiara in her hair, did her make-up with a shaking hand, and tried to get her thoughts into some kind of order. Teal had won out, in the end.
‘You ready, beautiful?’ said James, sticking his head round the bedroom door, his voice like balm against her agitated mind.
She turned and he inhaled sharply.
‘Wow, you really do look beautiful. Even, er, even more beautiful than usual I mean.’
‘Ha ha, sure. At least she didn’t go with rose, not the best colour to go with ginger hair. I swear she was just doing that on purpose to tease me.’
James laughed, then came towards her and pulled her into a hug. He didn’t need to ask who “she” was.
‘You’re a knockout,’ he whispered into her hair.
‘I can’t do this,’ she said into his chest.
‘There’s still time to back out. I can make some excuse. Say you’re ill. Say you’ve suddenly moved to Australia. Whatever you want.’
She breathed against him. In. Out. In. Out. The dress’s corset was tight against her skin and the fabric was itchy. She didn’t remember it being this itchy in the shop. Had it been this itchy in the shop?
‘No. It’s okay. Let’s just get it over with.’
He gave her a squeeze and then loosened his grip. She appraised him for a moment. Navy suit, cream shirt, navy tie. He always did scrub up well.
‘Damn, you look pretty good yourself,’ she said.
James gave her a lingering look, then shook his head. ‘No time for that now, Brooks, we’ve got to go. Plus I don’t want to muss up your hair.’
She giggled in spite of the butterflies swirling in her stomach.
‘You never stop, do you, Penguin Man?’
‘Not if I can help it.’
The plan was for Felicity to be dropped off at Bex’s house an hour before the ceremony.
Which would have been fine except Felicity’s sudden attack of nerves meant they’d had to go back to their own house three times already to check the curling tongs were off and the cat flaps were open and the house had been locked, even though they had to unlock it anyway. You know, to check it was locked.
They arrived fifteen minutes late in the end, but fortunately Bex was too busy having a last-minute meltdown of her own.
The other bridesmaids and Bex’s mother Petunia were circling her like she was some kind of caged beast, hands raised, voices soothing, while Bex screamed and hurled clothes around the lounge, ostensibly because she’d lost the bracelet Adam gave her.
Although Felicity wondered if it just felt good, burning off some nervous energy, letting it all go while she still could.
Felicity could do with a bit of hurling herself.
When she saw Felicity, Bex’s face relaxed into relief.
‘You came,’ she breathed, coming forwards to take Felicity’s hands in hers.
She really did look incredible. The creamy skirts beneath the red corset were made of pure silk, with tiny pearls sewed in swirls across the fabric, and it rustled extravagantly when she walked.
The contrast with the teal of Felicity’s dress, it was even more perfect than she imagined.
‘Couldn’t miss the party of the century, now, could I?’ Felicity grinned with some effort, trying not to catch Sophie’s eye from across the room.
At this Bex’s forehead crinkled.
‘It would be the party of the century,’ she wailed, ‘if I could only find my damn bracelet.’
‘What, this one?’ said Sophie, holding up something sparkly.
‘Where did you find that?’ said Bex.
‘It was down the side of the sofa,’ said Sophie, coming forwards and bending to attach it to Bex’s arm.
‘What would I do without you two?’ said Bex.
Bex and Felicity looked at each other over Sophie’s hand, and for one special moment it felt absolutely right that Felicity was here. Just like old times. The three of them together, as they had always been.
For one moment, anyway.
Felicity felt rather differently an hour later when they were walking solemnly down the aisle to a piece of classical music she couldn’t remember the name of.
She was too busy trying not to catch the eyes of what felt like a thousand people all turning to stare at her as she passed.
Felicity’s face heated to approximately a thousand degrees under the burning scrutiny of those stares.
‘Ignore them,’ hissed Sophie from beside her, but how could she? What were they staring at?
Felicity had to swallow down the physical temptation to turn and run, which was almost overwhelming.
She looked over the heads of the crowd until she found James.
He was staring at her with something like awe, and when she caught his eye he nodded, just once, almost imperceptibly, but it was enough. She could do this.
Just don’t look at Adam.
Whatever. You. Do.
A murmur ran through the crowd as Bex arrived behind her in the doorway and for a moment, all eyes turned towards the bride.
Without any signal between them Felicity and Sophie’s walk got a little faster until finally, finally, finally they reached the front and could take their places in the front row.
Felicity’s sigh of relief as she sat was so deep her ribs strained the corset of her dress and she winced.
Adam was standing right in front of her now, his expensive aftershave almost overpowering. She could stare at him freely for a moment, as his attention was finally elsewhere. Felicity had felt his eyes on her all the way down the aisle but she didn’t want to think about what that might mean.
Annoyingly, he was even more handsome than usual, in a silver-grey suit and teal tie to match the bridesmaids.
His dark hair was slicked back and his brown skin was almost luminous in the light of the church.
She watched him smiling that full-toothed smile across the room at Bex as she took slow deliberate steps down the aisle.
For anyone else it would have seemed like the perfect romantic moment.
Only Felicity could see that the smile wasn’t reaching his eyes.
An awed hush settled over the room as Bex reached the altar and Adam leant over to whisper something in her ear.
She really did look stunning, her dark hair in an elaborate twist and studded with pearls, her high cheekbones even more accentuated in the pseudo-daylight of the church.
But there was a sickly pallor to her skin that Felicity hadn’t noticed back at the house.
She wondered vaguely if Bex was pregnant.
The vicar stood up. This was his moment.
He cleared his throat and began with the famous “dearly beloved” line and Felicity wriggled back as far as she could on the pew and started to relax a little.
It felt slightly surreal in the way that weddings often do.
She’d seen so many on television and in films perhaps that it didn’t feel quite like reality now she was actually there.
As he spoke the familiar words, Felicity let them wash over her.
Tears prickled behind her eyes. It was happening.
After all the excruciating waiting the ceremony was finally happening and soon she could go back to her life and she’d never have to see Bex and Adam again if she didn’t want to.
Sophie reached across and patted her hand. James was in the row behind but she could feel his presence and that was a comfort too.
Suddenly there was some sort of kerfuffle from halfway down the church.
‘Wait.’ The word rang out strong and true and the whole congregation fell silent.
The vicar covered his eyes and scanned the room.
‘I’m sorry, did someone speak?’
‘It was me,’ came the voice again, strong and confident and female.
The vicar almost laughed, perhaps from shock or nerves. Bex and Adam exchanged anxious glances.
‘And what can I do for you?’ said the vicar, his voice shaky.
‘You have to stop the wedding,’ came the voice, and there was a loud gasp from the crowd.
Felicity turned to see a young black woman with the most incredible dark glossy hair pouring down over her shoulders, standing up now in a row about halfway back.
She was dressed in a simple and very elegant silk burgundy dress, little more than a slip, really, and her eyes were big and dark-brown and sincere.
‘Tabitha?’ said Adam, his voice catching in his throat. ‘What the hell are you doing?’
‘That’s Tabitha?’ squeaked Bex, turning towards him.
But he didn’t respond. Just stared at this interloper, along with the rest of the room.
‘I’m afraid I can’t do that,’ said the vicar, whose face had turned a sort of greenish colour.
‘But what about if anyone knows of any lawful impediments?’ said Tabitha, her eyes never leaving Adam’s face for even a second.
‘We haven’t got to that part yet,’ said Bex, tossing her head.
But the vicar was frowning. ‘Do you know of any?’ he asked her. ‘Is one of these persons already married and they haven’t declared it? Is this marriage taking place under duress, to your knowledge?’
Tabitha looked a little shaken for the first time.
‘I…’
‘It has to be legal impediments, you witch,’ said Bex, her face like thunder now. ‘Otherwise you can sit the fuck down.’
Petunia, sitting in the second row, came to life then.
She tutted at Bex’s use of the F-word and Felicity made a mental note to use that word as much as possible in future.
Then Bex’s mother turned to Tabitha, cool as you like, rolling her eyes as if Tabitha were a small child having a tantrum.
‘Do sit down, dear, you’re making a spectacle of yourself. ’
The vicar looked at her gratefully. Felicity wondered if he was going to ask her to run the service next.
‘Wait.’ Another voice came ringing across the room. A little less confident than the last perhaps but still unmistakably female.
The vicar was looking like he might actually be sick now.
‘I’m sorry, who is that please? Do you have something to say? Shall we go into the vestry and discuss all this in a calm manner?’
Adam turned to him. ‘Is this some kind of a joke?’
‘I’m afraid not, I’m sorry, er, Adam, this has never happened before. Um, just bear with me and we’ll get to the bottom of things.’
‘We may not know of anything legal,’ came the voice. Felicity turned and squinted. Right at the back of the room was another woman, this time dressed all in black. ‘We may not know the rules but we can tell you a few home truths about Adam here.’
Petunia let out a little scream and covered her mouth with a gloved hand.
‘Oh my days,’ whispered Sophie as more gasps came from around the room.
By now the vicar was frantically flicking through the Book of Common Prayer as if that was going to hold the answers for what to do in such a scenario, even though Felicity was fairly sure this had never happened before in the whole history of time. Not in real life, anyway.
‘I’m sorry, Bex or whatever your name is, but you have to know.’ Tabitha was speaking again now. ‘This man you are marrying cannot be trusted.’ She seemed to be trying to get in there ahead of the mystery woman at the back.
‘Damn straight.’ That was the one at the back chiming in. ‘He’s scum.’
Felicity glanced at Bex, who let out one long, ear-splitting wail and sank to her knees at the altar. Sophie and Felicity leapt out of their seats and tried to help her up but she pushed them away. Even Petunia’s cool facade had cracked and she was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.
‘Bex, listen to me,’ Felicity found herself saying. ‘He’s changed, I’m sure he has.’
Adam turned and nodded. ‘I have, I’ve changed, Felicity’s right.’
‘He hasn’t changed,’ came the voice from the back, and now the mystery woman in black was walking towards them down the aisle. Felicity’s blood was pounding in her ears. What was happening? ‘He hasn’t changed and I can prove it.’
‘This is my wedding day.’ Bex was properly sobbing now, the tears pouring down her face.
‘Not if you know what’s good for you,’ said Tabitha loudly.
The vicar held up his hands and tried to get some kind of order but no one was listening to him anymore.
The mystery woman came right up to the front.
Felicity didn’t recognise her but that didn’t mean much, she knew Adam had a history.
Tabitha, she had known about. Tabitha had been the original intended recipient of the Tiffany ring that had afterwards been given to Felicity and now adorned Bex’s finger too.
It had history, that ring, and Tabitha they had both known about all along.
But this? This new arrival could be anyone.
Bex reached out her arms and her friends pulled her to her feet. Good on you, thought Felicity and then vaguely wondered if the three women were going to fight.
‘Get out of this church right now,’ Bex spat, tears still staining her face.
The woman ignored her completely, turned to Adam and slapped his face, hard, a ringing slap that reverberated off the stone walls. Adam, thank God, didn’t fight back, didn’t even respond really, although his eyes watered and a large red mark started appearing on his face almost immediately.
There was a long pause while the whole room held its breath.
‘What are you doing here?’ he said finally, his voice cracking.
‘I’m saving you from yourself,’ said the woman, her head lifting, jaw flexing. Felicity caught James’s eye and he gave her a surreptitious shrug. He’s bloody enjoying this, thought Felicity.
Bex went right up to the woman, her face right in hers and Felicity inhaled sharply. Bex put a hand out as if to touch her shoulder, then thought better of it.
‘Clearly you are not well. Why don’t we call someone to take you home?’ she said in her most charming voice. Just like her mother. Trying to seem like the reasonable one.
The woman recoiled from her, took a step backwards, then turned to face the congregation. The poor vicar actually took a step back too, whether in solidarity or perhaps he’d realised he had totally lost control by this point.
‘This man is a fraud,’ said the woman, pointing at Adam, her blue eyes flashing with hatred as she scanned the crowd.
‘He was sleeping with me less than two weeks ago and then had the audacity to tell me he was getting married today. It might not be a lawful impediment or whatever the word is but there’s no way this wedding should be going ahead, today or any other day. ’
At her words, all hell was unleashed.