Swallowbrook's Winter Bride (14 page)

The ceremony would take place late morning and when it was over Libby and Nathan would sail cross the lake in
Pudding
to the house on the island where the reception was to take place in the afternoon. Outside caterers had been hired to prepare a buffet that would go on until everyone who wanted to come had been.

When they had all gone Toby would be tucked up in bed early to be ready for what Santa had brought while he’d been asleep. The problem of how he would get his sledge across the water had been on his mind at first, but they’d told him that he would bring it down from the sky on to the island and it would give the reindeer a chance to have a nibble at any grass that was lying around.

The day had dawned and though the sky was heavy and grey there was no snow, but Libby told herself it was expecting too much that the weather would adjust itself to her special requirements. She already had blessings by the score.

She was marrying the only man she’d ever loved in the church, in the village, where she’d lived all her life. She was carrying his child and was going to fill the gap, God willing, in the life of the small boy who was so dear to her heart.

That morning Nathan had told her that he was the interested party who had been quick to agree to a price when Greystone House had come onto the market, and that soon it would be theirs for holidays and weekends, and as she’d held him close she’d thought, what more could she want?

The church was full, the organist was playing the wedding march, and the bells were pealing out high above as Libby stood holding her father’s arm on the same spot in the porch where Nathan had seen his hopes scattered all that time ago.

Today none of what had gone before mattered, they were together at last, and with a smile over her shoulder for her small pageboy and the two friends who had both travelled quite some distance to be with her on her special day, she lifted the hem of a wedding gown of heavy white brocade and, holding a bouquet of red Christmas roses, met her father’s enquiring gaze and whispered, ‘I’m ready, let’s go.’

With every step she took towards Nathan, standing straight and still before the altar with Hugo by his side, the rightness of the moment increased. As he placed the gold band of matrimony on her finger next to the glowing emerald, the future was stretching before them as a wonderful dream that had become reality.

She was back in the church porch, holding onto the arm of her new husband this time, and as they stepped out into the open to be photographed they began to fall, soft and white, whirling and twirling—snowflakes from the sky above.

They were coming across the water, boats of all shapes and sizes, amongst them a big launch with lots of seating, and as Libby and Nathan waited to greet their guests on the landing stage of the island, with Toby holding both their hands, the lanterns around the lake came on early as a token of congratulation to the newlyweds.

‘That will be one of my patients who works for the lake authorities making a gesture,’ she said. ‘People are so kind. If any of their craft go past we must signal for them to stop and invite them in for a bite, don’t you think?’

‘I
think
that you are wonderful,’ he said laughingly. ‘The whole world can stop by as far as I’m concerned as long as you are here with me to greet them.’

It was over. Their guests had gone back across the water with the moon to light their way home as well as the coloured lanterns.

Toby was asleep, having supervised leaving out wine and a mince pie for Santa Claus. Libby and Nathan had the night to themselves and as he removed the soft white cashmere stole from her shoulders, which she’d worn to keep out the cold, and unzipped her out of the long white dress, he held out his arms and after that it was just the two of them, loving and giving each other all the joys they had longed for and had sometimes thought would never be theirs.

* * * * *

ISBN: 9781459220089

Copyright © 2011 by Abigail Gordon

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