The Rock'n'Roll Romance Box Set (Pam Howes Rock'n'Roll Romance Series) (20 page)

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

NOVEMBER 1964

Jane snuggled into the bubbles
for one last soak. Sunshine sparkled through the bathroom window, the smell of
toast wafted down the hallway and she could hear Pat laughing somewhere. She
imagined how smart Ed would look and Jonny in his new sailor suit. What more
could a girl wish for on her wedding day. With a big grin on her face she
pulled the plug with her toes and gazed at the sunshine until the water drained
away.

***

Pat and Sammy were waiting on the
sofa. Mugs of coffee and plates of toast filled the coffee table.

‘Ah, there you are, Madam, your
wedding-cum-birthday, breakfast is served,’ Pat said. ‘Would you like honey
with your toast?’

‘Deja Vu,’ Jane said, joining
them. ‘I’ll give the honey a miss, thanks. I’ve got a few butterflies and the
last thing I want is to puke in the car.’

‘Deja what?’

‘Don’t you remember?’ Jane picked
up a piece of toast. ‘Sitting on the sofa like zombies with coffee and toast on
the day Angie died.’

Pat nodded. ‘God, yes I do. And I
recall Ed appearing at the door in his skimpy red pants!’

Jane nearly spat her toast and
they fell about laughing.

***

Sammy and Pat dried Jane’s hair,
styling it into a French pleat, interwoven with pink silk rose buds. She did
her makeup and slipped into one of Sammy’s creations, a cream linen shift that
fitted her slim figure perfectly. A cerise pink, edge-to-edge jacket completed
the outfit. She stepped into new shoes and picked up her posy of pink roses.

‘Do I look all right?’ she said,
flopping down on the sofa. ‘Oooh, I’ve come over a bit peculiar, like I’m going
to faint.’

‘You
are
pale,’ Sammy said. ‘It’ll be nerves. But you
do
look lovely. That bright pink really
suits you.'

Pat handed Jane a glass of water.

‘I feel okay now,’ Jane said,
taking a sip. ‘Maybe my bath was too hot. Do you think Eddie will like this
outfit? And my hair, what about my hair? He likes me to wear it loose.’

‘Stop panicking,' Sammy said. 'If
you wore sackcloth he’d still want to marry you.’

‘Should I wear a necklace? I look
a bit bare around the neck.’

‘No necklace, it’s fine,’ Pat
said as the door flew open and the boys and Phil strolled in.

‘Bloody Hell, do we know this
bunch of smoothies?’ Sammy laughed, eyeing up the four young men.

‘
The Raiders
all present
and correct, Ma’am.’ Roy saluted.
‘And that includes one extremely sober but very nervous, second time around
bridegroom.’

‘Well, I must say, you lot have
really pushed the boat out.’ Pat nodded with admiration. ‘You look almost
fanciable.’

‘So do you, Pat. Tatty old
T-shirt and rollers, very classy,’ Roy
said, laughing.

‘Latest Mary Quant this outfit.’
Pat patted her rollers. ‘We women have to
do
things with our hair. It’s okay for you lot.’

‘Don’t kid yourself,’ Roy
said. ‘Ed spent hours in the bathroom this morning, messing
about with his bloody hair so he could look as ravishing as his bride-to-be.’
He winked at Jane. ‘Happy birthday, sweetheart. You look drop dead gorgeous,
you really do. If I could, I’d marry you myself.’

Jane giggled. ‘I’ll take that as
a compliment.
You
don’t look too bad
either. Like Pat said, almost fanciable.’ She turned to Eddie who was sporting
a smart navy suit, crisp white shirt and navy and white spotted tie. His long
hair, neatly trimmed, was freshly washed and shiny and his gorgeous blue eyes
sparkled.

Roy’s
grey Beatle style suit and Tim’s black pin stripe were equally smart, while
Phil, unusually resplendent in beige velvet trousers and a brown leather
jacket, wore his freshly washed blonde hair cascading freely to his shoulders.
Jane smiled her approval as they all stood grinning.

‘Will we do?’ Phil said.

‘You’ll pass muster anytime
dressed like that, Phil. Though quite what Mum and Molly will make of your
flowing locks, I can’t imagine.’

‘Right, we’ll finish getting
ready,’ Sammy said and she and Pat hurried into the bedroom followed by Roy,
Tim and a smiling Phil, who promised to close his eyes and not peep.

Eddie pulled Jane up from the
sofa and gazed into her eyes. He squeezed her hands. ‘Happy birthday, darling.’
He leant in and kissed her lightly on the lips. ‘Are you sure you’re ready for
this? Because it’s for life. I promise I’ll fight tooth and nail to make this
marriage work.’

She nodded. ‘I want it more than
anything, I always have.’

‘Good.’ He gave her a big
squeeze. ‘Because so do I.’

‘Do I look okay? I feel a bit
bare around my neck. Pat said I looked alright without a necklace. What do you
think?’

He dug in his jacket pocket,
pulled out a black velvet box and handed it to her.

‘You look stunningly beautiful
without, but I got you this for your birthday.’

She opened the box and gasped.
Lying on red satin lining was a gold, heart-shaped locket on a fine chain.
Inside the heart were photographs of the two of them, and engraved on the back,
in old-fashioned lettering, were the initials E and J and the day’s date.

‘Oh, Ed,’ she choked as he
fastened it around her neck. ‘Do the others know about this? Is that why Pat
said “no necklace?”’

‘Yes, but they haven’t seen it
yet,’ he said.

The door opened as if on cue and
they walked in, smiling.

‘It’s gorgeous!’ Pat exclaimed.

‘It’s perfect,’ Sammy said as Tim
peered through the window.

‘Wedding car’s here,’ he
announced. ‘You two go and we’ll follow in the Beetle.’

‘Ed, you know that traditionally
the bride and groom are supposed to travel separately,’ Sammy said as they all
hurried down the stairs. ‘That you shouldn’t see the bride before the
ceremony.’

‘Since when have they ever done
anything traditional?’ Roy laughed.
‘Why break the habit of a lifetime. Right, you two, off you go.’

***

'Oh, Ed,' Jane said as the car
pulled up outside Pickford Registry Office. ‘I thought it was only meant to be
a handful of people?’

Eddie smiled, squeezing her hand.
‘I spoke to your mum and she agreed it would make your day.’

‘This is so brilliant. Even my
Uncle Jack from Ireland’s
here. I haven’t seen him for years.’ Jane climbed out of the car and looked for
her parents. She spotted them standing with Tom and Molly and waved. Peter and
his friend, Harry-from-next-door, swaggered over, dressed in their best,
followed by Sammy’s sister Susan and her friend Anna.

Eddie’s parents and Jonny arrived
with Aunt Celia and Auntie Minnie. Jane smiled as Jonny ran over and she gave
him a hug. ‘You look lovely,’ she said. ‘Such a smart boy.’ She waved at
Eddie’s elderly aunts whose only nephew was their pride and joy. Their
flower-bedecked hats nodded back. Everyone crowded into the small Registry
Office to watch Eddie and Jane, with Roy and Sammy as their witnesses, tie the
knot.

***

Blinking back tears, Enid
clutched Ben’s hand. Never had she seen their daughter looking so radiant, and
Eddie was positively walking on air.

A low chuckle rippled round the
room as Jonny, holding Nana’s hand, shouted, ‘That’s my Daddy!’ Eddie looked
round and pulled a face. Nana stifled a giggle and gave Jonny a jelly baby.

‘You may kiss the bride,’ the
Registrar finished.

‘This is the bit I’ve been
waiting for, Mrs M.’ Eddie swept Jane into his arms, kissing her passionately.

‘It’s meant to be a token
gesture,’ she whispered as they moved apart.

‘I don’t care,’ he said,
laughing.

Outside the Registry Office a
photographer was waiting.

‘Where’s he come from? I didn’t
hire him,’ Jane said, as the man began ushering guests into groups. ‘To be
honest, I never gave a thought to photographs.’

‘He’s a gift from my parents and
the aunts,’ Eddie said. ‘I knew you hadn’t mentioned a photographer, so Mum
booked him.’

‘Anymore surprises?’ she asked,
ducking the confetti as they made their way back to the beribboned car.

‘One or two.’

The car was heading in the wrong
direction – to her old home.

‘Are we going to Rosedean
Gardens?’ she asked.

‘Yeah, we are,’ Eddie replied.

‘But why? I thought we were going
somewhere for a drink. Ed, what’s going on?’

‘Wait and see.’

The front door stood wide open
and Harry’s mum, Marge Connell, removed her flowery apron and greeted them.
‘Hello, Jane, lovey, congratulations, and you too, Eddie.’

‘Thank you,’ Jane said, looking
round as her parents arrived with the rest of the wedding party. ‘What’s going
on, Mum?’

‘Don’t stand dithering in the
hall. Go through to the dining room,’ her mum urged.

Jane did and gasped, for the
table was groaning under a sumptuous buffet and a two tier wedding cake, decorated
with pink and white roses and silver bells.

‘Your mum and dad wanted to do
this for us,’ Eddie told her. ‘But I asked them to keep it secret.’

‘It’s wonderful. Thank you, Mum
and Dad.’

‘It’s our pleasure, Jane,’ her
mum said, smiling. ‘We wanted you to have as nice a wedding day as we could
afford.’

Her dad coughed loudly to catch
everyone’s attention. Eddie’s dad was pouring glasses of sparkling wine.

‘I’d like to say a word or two
before you raise your glasses to toast our bride and groom. Now I’m not one for
making speeches, so I’ll keep it brief. Everyone’s aware of the year Eddie and
Jane have had. They’ve come through some very tough times.
Hopefully, that’s behind them now. So I’m sure you’ll all join me in wishing
them, and young Jonny here, the very best for the future and also, a very happy
birthday to our Jane. Please, raise your glasses to Eddie and Jane.’

As everyone took up the toast,
the tears that had threatened all day now tumbled down Jane’s cheeks and even
Eddie’s eyes looked suspiciously moist. He handed her a hanky and smiled.
‘Happy, Mrs M?’

‘Very. I’m amazed at all this. I
never suspected a thing.’

‘I’m good at keeping secrets when
I need to,’ he said. ‘You’d best go and sort your mascara out. It’s running
down your cheeks.’

***

‘Thanks again, Mum and Dad, for
everything,’ Jane said, hugging them as she and Eddie prepared to leave for The
Roulette Club. ‘And thanks, Mum and Dad Mellor.’ She kissed them both and bent
to hug Jonny. ‘Be a good boy for Nana and Granddad. We’ll see you on Monday.’

‘I’m so thrilled for you both,’
Lillian said, wiping a tear from her eye.

‘Thanks, all of you, for being
supportive and understanding all along,’ Eddie said, kissing his mum on the
cheek. He hugged Jonny. ‘Be a good lad.’

‘Listen, son,’ Enid, who’d been
knocking back sherry all afternoon, slurred. ‘In spite of my initial misgivings
about you, I’ll admit I had a sneaking suspicion you two were right for one
another. Though God knows, you’ve both gone arse about face in getting there!’
She hiccupped, drunkenly slung her arms around him, and knocked him off the
doorstep.

‘Look after our girl, Ed,’ Ben
said, grabbing his wife and propping her against the door. He shook Eddie’s
hand and hugged Jane. ‘Be happy together. That’s all we ask.’

‘I can guarantee you we will be,’
Eddie said. He led his giggling bride outside to the waiting Beetle, where Pat
and Sammy were festooning it with ribbons, balloons and tin cans. ‘Hope you two
won’t do this to my Ferrari when I get it,’ he quipped, helping Jane into the
car.

***

Jane looked around the function
room, smiling with delight. Mario’s family had done them proud. The cream walls
were decorated with balloons, streamers and
Just
Married
banners. Another sumptuous buffet was laid out on tastefully
decorated trestle tables and Rosa and Vincento were handing out glasses of
champagne to the guests as they arrived.

Jane sipped her champagne,
reflecting on what an amazing day she’d had so far. She was so happy she
thought she might burst and her smile felt a mile wide.

Stuart was DJ-ing and he called
for the Bride and Groom to take the floor. Eddie grabbed Jane, removed the
glass from her hand and gave it to Sammy. He pulled her close as they danced to
Sam Cook’s
You Send Me
. He sang
along, looking deep into her eyes. They were joined on the floor by several
couples all swaying together.

Halfway through the evening Mario
declared the buffet was being served and a queue formed by the tables, headed
by Roy.

Jane laughed as he waved at her.
‘Always first where food’s concerned,’ she said.

‘Do you want anything to eat?’
Eddie asked, stroking her cheek. ‘You look a bit pale. Are you feeling okay?’

‘I’m fine. Bit tired. It’s been a
long day. I’m not really hungry.’

‘Tell you what,’ he whispered.
‘Let’s go home. I want you all to myself while we’ve got the flat to
ourselves.’

She nodded. ‘I’ll nip to the loo
and then we’ll say our goodbyes.’

Rosa waved
to Jane as she made her way to the cloakroom. ‘You got a minute, Jane?’

She followed Rosa
into her father’s office.

Rosa
rummaged in a desk drawer and handed her an envelope. ‘Vicky asked me to pass
this on. I didn’t want to give it to you out there in case it caused a problem
with Ed.’

Jane opened the envelope and
pulled out a congratulations card. There was a short letter tucked inside.

Dear Jane, just a note to wish you all the best for today. I’ve kept
quiet about your wedding plans. I’d hate Mark to ruin the day for you in any
way. I don’t think Tony or Sarah knows either, nothing’s been said. But just to
put your mind at ease, Mark is staying in
Chester
this weekend. I hope it all goes well. Love
Vicky. x x x