Twenty-one
The weather could not have been better for Grace and Griff’s wedding day. It was pleasantly warm but not too hot or muggy. The sky was blue and the sun shone all day. The breeze was cooling for the men in Morning Suits, but was gentle enough not to blow a strand of Grace’s perfectly coiffed hair out of place.
Her beautiful up-do was styled by Molly Law, and her chief bridesmaid and sister, Hope’s, was styled by Molly’s mum, Nikki, who later styled Pat and Granny Joy’s hair too.
Molly would soon be leaving the salon in Folkestone to join a cruise ship where she would be working as a hairdresser in the ship’s beauty salon, and although Nikki was sad that her only daughter was leaving, not just the business, but also the family home, she was pleased that Molly was living her life to the full. Especially as Molly would have the money to do as she wanted, once the sale of Oak View Cottage to Hope’s boyfriend, Tom, completed.
The wedding party also had manicures and pedicures, and a make up artist made Grace and Hope even more beautiful than their natural complexions usually did.
Grace’s wedding dress was a snow-white, silk, satin, and handmade lace, fit and flare, strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline, and a handmade beaded lace, three-quarter-length-sleeved bolero, designed exclusively for her and costing a fortune.
The Eversleys were wealthy but not made of money, but Griff had insisted on covering the full cost of the wedding, including the dress, stating that the wedding was a gift to his future wife to thank her for marrying him.
Grace wore an intricately woven crown of wild flowers in her hair, picked that very morning by Griff’s own hands from the wildflower garden at Betancourt and transported to the hair salon by Tabby.
Her bouquet was also from Betancourt but the blooms came from both the wildflower garden and the rose garden, and were selected by Grace and Tabby, together with a florist from Folkestone who was in charge of the flowers for St Gabriel’s church, and for inside the house, and also for the magnificent Marquee in the garden.
The selection of flowers from the gardens of Griff’s home wasn’t about cost, it was a matter of sentiment. His beloved mother, Francesca had planted both the rose garden and the wild flower garden long before she died, and he had asked Grace if she would add some blooms from them to her bouquet.
Instead, Grace had declared that she wanted all the flowers she would wear and carry that day to come from Betancourt, and Griff had told her he had thought he couldn’t love her more than he already did, and yet, she had proved him wrong. He adored her more than he thought possible, and he added that, if his mother were alive, she would adore Grace too.
The men’s boutonnières were also from the Betancourt gardens and Griff and Russell, and even Archie, said they felt as if Francesca was with them for the wedding.
Only those invited would be at the church for the wedding at two p.m. that afternoon, and for the five-course meal in the dining room at Betancourt after, but the entire village, and colleagues from both families’ businesses, and other friends, were invited to the celebrations in the Great Hall, the Marquee, and the garden, that evening.
Russell was Griff’s best man and it amused him to see Griff so nervous.
‘The only other time I’ve seen you like this was when you proposed to Grace.’
‘I just want this day to be perfect,’ Griff said. ‘I would be happy to marry Grace in a shoe box, but this is her day, and I want the very best of everything for her.’
‘It will be perfect,’ Russell reassured him. ‘And you’d need to find someone with massive feet, for you to marry Grace in a shoe box.’
Griff threw Russell a wide smile. ‘You might be doing this before too long, if I’m any judge.’
Russell raised his brows in mock surprise. ‘Getting married?’
‘Yes. I’ve never seen you so happy.’
‘I’ve never been so happy. I thought what I felt for Hope was love, but it’s nothing compared to how I feel about Hanna. My feelings for Hope are like a handful of sand in a desert. My feelings for Hanna are the entire desert. Or, like a drop in the ocean, compared to the entire ocean.’
Griff gave Russell a congratulatory tap on the arm. ‘I know what you mean. You love Hanna more than you thought you could ever love anyone.’
‘Yes. I do. And speaking of, I do, we had better make our way to the church.’
St Gabriel’s was resplendent in the sunshine; they could see the church from the house. Cars bedecked with flowers awaitedthem in the drive but Griff wanted to walk the few metres to the church, and Russell was happy to join him.
They smiled at one another as they strolled past The White House, where Grace was inside, getting ready. She had an even shorter distance to walk but a car would be outside her door at one fifty-five on the dot, and would take her and Simon Eversley to St Gabriel’s, a mere few seconds away.
The flowers inside the church were stunning and their heavenly scents filled the air. Sunlight blazed through the stained glass windows, casting light and dark shadows and a kaleidoscope of colours over the floor and pews and the assembled guests as everyone greeted the bridegroom and the best man.
Russell took the opportunity to leave Griff’s side for a moment and go to give Hanna a brief but loving kiss. They had hardly been apart since the day of the wedding rehearsal, and had spent their first night together after Grace’s hen night. A night that had blown Russell’s mind. Making love had never been as good as it had been that night, and since then, it had been even better. They’d spent all of Sunday in bed, and Russell had covered every inch of Hanna’s beautiful body with kisses, as she had his.
And now, today in this church, he remembered what Griff had just said about it not being long before he too would be a bridegroom. He cast a secret wish skywards, that Griff might be right. Because the thought of marrying Hanna and spending his life with her was all he seemed to be able to think about for the entire week since that day of the wedding rehearsal.
‘You look beautiful,’ he said, looking deeply into her eyes.
‘You too,’ she said. ‘This is going to be a beautiful wedding.’
