Mother of the Bride (2 page)

‘Mmmm!' said Ciara, before giving them a quick hug and sloping off to her own bedroom.

‘That will be something to see!' Paddy joked as he clambered back into bed beside Helen.

‘Can you believe it, Amy getting engaged and married?' Helen fixed her pillows as she sat up in bed. Why, it only seemed like yesterday that Amy had been born and they'd brought home a wriggling, squealing baby from Holles Street Maternity Hospital, and had looked at each other with hardly a clue as to what to do with her. Somehow Paddy and herself had muddled through that first year of parenthood and survived it. The years had flown by as their young family had grown.

‘She's thirty years old, Helen.'

‘Oh, Paddy, you know what I mean. She's our first baby, and now she's going to have a husband, and then a family of her own.'

‘I know, love,' said Paddy. ‘I know.'

‘Can you believe it, Paddy, Dan and Amy engaged!'

‘Of course I can. They both love each other, and Dan is a gentleman, and I told him that I'd be delighted to have him as a son-in-law.'

‘You told him that . . . when?'

‘When he asked me for Amy's hand; he wanted to be sure that I approved of them getting married, and would give my permission.'

‘He asked you!' Helen gasped, incredulous. ‘When?'

‘We had lunch in town together about five weeks ago, and he told me what he was planning.'

‘Paddy O'Connor! Do you mean to tell me that you knew all about this engagement weeks ago, and you never said a word to me!'

‘Not a word! I was under strict instructions to keep it a secret. Dan wanted it to be a total surprise for Amy.'

‘Paddy!' She couldn't credit it, her husband of thirty-two years keeping a big secret like that from her. ‘Why didn't you tell me?'

‘I promised Dan, and you know you would never have been able to keep it in, Helen. You know you wouldn't.'

‘I could have,' she protested, indignantly.

‘Really?' he said, wrapping his arms around her.

She had to laugh. Paddy knew her better than she knew herself. She had to admit that he was right. It would have been very hard to have not said something, or even not smiled every time she was around her daughter. Thank heaven for Paddy's good sense.

Wrapped in her husband's arms, she hoped that her daughter's marriage would bring the same fulfilment and happiness that she and Paddy shared. Like all couples, they had endured the ups and downs that life brings, the good times and bad times, but theirs was a happy marriage, and she knew in her heart that fate had smiled down at her the night she had met Paddy O'Connor.

‘Honestly I'll . . .'

‘What will you do?' he teased.

A while later she listened as Paddy began to snore again. A bull elephant, a train hurtling down a track, or a juggernaut. The sounds varied but were for the most part consistent. She resisted the usual urge to nudge him, thinking instead of the wedding. There was nothing like it: a big family wedding, with aunts and uncles, cousins and relations and friends, all gathering together to celebrate Amy and Dan getting married.

A summer wedding! Could anything be more perfect?

Amy looked at the sparkling ring on her finger again. She loved it! Loved the way the beautiful single diamond caught the light. Daniel had chosen the most perfect ring for her, one that fitted her finger exactly. He knew her so well, he knew just what she liked. She still couldn't believe that they were engaged, and were going to get married and live together happily ever after. It was like a dream come true. She smiled, thinking of Dan getting down on one knee on the bridge overlooking the canal and asking her to marry him!

From the minute they had met Amy had realized that Dan was ‘the one', the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. He wasn't just her best friend and soulmate but the love of her life. She loved Daniel Quinn with all her heart, and now he was going to be her husband. Husband! She liked the sound of it . . . the very word . . . husband.

Her parents had been delighted, and she was sure that secretly it was a huge relief to them that at thirty years and five months she had found a husband. And not just a husband, but Daniel, who she knew they both totally approved of and liked.

‘They are over the moon. I knew they'd be!' She laughed as Daniel
began to phone his parents and friends. Just imagine! In less than a year she would be Mrs Amy Quinn!

The proposal had been so romantic. They'd been walking through the streets of Venice as night fell. During the day Venice bustled with tourists and their cameras; groups of Japanese visitors following guides around St Mark's Square as they tried to see all the sights; and queues for vaporetti and expensive gondola rides. But as the sun went down on the lagoon and the island emptied, the tour bus crowds left and it became a different place.
La Serenissima
: a place of lovers and trysts and secret history, filled with centuries of romance and intrigue. Where lovers walked hand in hand through narrow streets, and disappeared behind the shuttered doors and hidden balconies of palazzos and villas and old houses, and pledged to love each other for eternity.

No wonder Dan had insisted that they go for a pre-dinner walk far from the Grand Canal, and crossed one of the smaller bridges to a place that was quiet and beautiful, where they could watch the red sun slip from the sky and disappear into the water.

‘I wanted to be sure that we were alone.' He had grinned, touching her shoulder.

They certainly had been alone: most people had already crammed into the
bacari
for drinks and to sample the tapas-like
cicchetti
; or were dining in the busy restaurants.

‘It's just so beautiful here!' she had said, leaning against him as she'd taken in the breathtaking views all around them. Amy could not believe this City of Bridges on the Adriatic, with its myriad canals, huge lagoon, and waterbuses that ferried people from place to place.

‘You know, legend has it that Italian lords and nobles of old would bring their lady loves here, to this Santo Cristo bridge, to look at the city and the water at twilight, so they could pledge their love,' Daniel had said slowly.

Amy had held her breath, barely daring to speak, as he'd got down on one knee and taken her hand in his.

‘I love you, Amy,' he had said, his eyes fixed on hers. ‘Will you marry me? Marry me!'

She hadn't even had to think or hesitate for a second: marrying Daniel was all she'd ever wanted. ‘YES . . . YES . . . YES! A hundred times “yes”!' Amy had shouted, like some crazy mad Irish woman, as Daniel had stood up and taken a small jewel box from the pocket of his trousers. Dumbfounded and delirious with happiness, Amy had looked at the perfect diamond on its slim band of gold which he'd slipped on to her finger. Dan's long face had been intense and serious as he'd held her hand in his.

Lightheaded and giddy for a second, Amy's heart had flipped over! She had felt it pounding crazily against her ribs as she'd looked at Daniel, overwhelmed, while he'd enveloped her in his arms, kissing her and holding her like he never wanted to let her go.

‘I'm so happy,' she'd told him, trying not to cry.

‘I wanted it to be somewhere special. Somewhere we'd always remember and think about. Italian legend says that the couples who pledge their love to each other here will love each other till the end of time.'

‘I love you now and for ever,' she said aloud, overcome with emotion.

Dan was the best boyfriend in the world, and she was the luckiest girl to have found him. They had been going out for two and half years, but both of them had known almost immediately that they were meant for each other. Now she couldn't believe it: they were engaged and going to get married!

‘Come here, you!' she'd said, pulling him closer and kissing him.

A long time afterward, as they'd watched the last rays of the sun disappear and lights flicker, lighting up the city and sparkling on the dark water, they'd begun to walk back slowly towards the
restaurant he had booked for dinner. Hand in hand, they'd laughed and chatted.

‘I booked us a table at La Rondine.'

‘Oh, Dan, you've everything planned.' Amy had laughed. La Rondine was one of the best restaurants in Venice, and there was a waiting list for a table.

He'd told her that they were going somewhere fairly fancy for dinner, so luckily she'd decided to dress up a bit and put on her cream linen shoestring dress, instead of her normal jeans and T-shirt and flip-flops. She had flicked her light brown hair softly around her face and pinned a piece of it back with an antique comb he'd bought her in a little shop near the Rialto.

The restaurant was on a small side street and overlooked the water. It had candles on the tables, and fairy lights decorating the beautiful wrought ironwork on the balconies and windows and doors. The former summer residence of an Italian prince, it still had most of its original stonework and carvings, and there was a fresco on one wall.

They had the best table in the house; and Dan, wanting to celebrate, had ordered a bottle of champagne before they'd even had time to study the menu.

‘You look so beautiful,' he'd said, kissing her hand.

‘And you look so handsome,' she'd said, returning the compliment as she'd gazed at his blue eyes fringed with dark lashes, and his unruly dark hair – which he hadn't combed when he'd got out of the shower earlier. He'd been wearing a light blue shirt and beige chinos which emphasized his lean body.

Knowing this night was going to be unforgettable, Amy had ordered gnocchi to start and the house special of butter fish for her main course. The setting was so perfect, and Dan had squeezed her hand as they listened to the band singing ‘L'amore' over in the corner.

Amy hadn't been able to resist every now and then watching her
ring sparkle in the flickering candlelight as they shared the most romantic night ever.

‘Wait till the family and everyone hears!' She'd laughed. ‘They won't believe it.'

‘The lads will be surprised!' Dan had said.

Talk about understatement: most of Dan's friends had been going out with girls for years – some since college and two or three since school – and yet none of them had gotten around to making the relationships permanent. Dan's best friend Liam was an utter player, and went from girlfriend to girlfriend, all of them beautiful and blonde – and none good enough for him to commit to!

‘Will we phone them?'

‘Let's enjoy the rest of the night here,' Dan had teased. ‘You know if you start calling people you'll be doing it for hours.'

She'd laughed. He was so right. ‘We'll phone them when we get back to the hotel.'

A long time after midnight they had taken a water taxi back to the hotel. Wrapped in each other's arms, both deliriously happy and a little drunk, they'd been ready to tell everyone the good news about their engagement.

‘Engaged?' Jessica Kilroy screamed. ‘You and Dan got engaged!'

She couldn't believe it. Her best friend Amy had woken her in the middle of the night, phoning from Venice to tell her that she had just got engaged to her boyfriend.

‘The wedding's going to be next summer, Jess, and I really want you to be my chief bridesmaid. Say yes, please!' insisted Amy, all excited.

‘What about Ciara?'

‘Of course Ciara's going to be a bridesmaid, too, she's my sister. But I want you to be chief bridesmaid, Jess. Will you do it?'

‘Of course I will,' Jess agreed immediately, knowing that no one in their right mind would have a flaky weirdo like Ciara O'Connor as their chief bridesmaid, sister or not.

‘Then that's settled,' said Amy, happily. ‘Jess, I'm so glad that you'll be there when I'm walking up the aisle.'

Jess smiled. She had always been right beside Amy, ever since their first day at St Teresa's School. Both terrified and missing their mammies, they'd struck up an immediate friendship, clinging on to each other as they braved the class of twenty-five boys and girls. All through school they had been there for each other: like two little
angels dressed in white frilly dresses on their First Communion day; or trying to control their giggles during numerous school plays, which involved dressing up as everything from shepherds to pirates and dancing fish. They'd shared years of birthday parties, and school outings, and tours! They'd both got lost on their transition year trip in Paris. They'd been seasick together on the car-ferry to Holyhead, en route to Stratford-on-Avon, and both frozen to the marrow up in Mayo on a class outdoor-pursuits weekend which involved bogs and mountains and abseiling – and far too much cold water for their liking. They'd cheered each other on, playing hockey and basketball, both relegated to their school's worst teams. One year they'd worked on a joint science project which got them a place in the Young Scientist of the Year exhibition – much to the surprise of their science teacher, Miss Heaney.

They'd both got drunk for the first time together, followed by a night spent secretly puking in Amy's house, and deep, deep regret – with vows to become teetotallers, which they had promptly both broken at the following weekend's disco in the rugby club. They'd fallen in love in the same week at Irish college, and had bawled like two red-faced babies the whole way home on the bus from Donegal with their young hearts broken. They'd gone to the same university and backpacked around Europe together, got burnt to a crisp in various holiday resorts from Marbella to Crete in their skimpy bikinis, and bailed each other out more times than they cared to remember. Their friendship had spanned almost their whole lives, and Jess knew that she wouldn't have missed being part of Amy's wedding for the world.

‘Listen, Jess, Dan says I've to get off the phone or we'll be rabbiting on for the night and it'll cost a fortune.'