Page 45 of Christmas at Sturcombe Bay (Sturcombe Bay Romances #3)

“It’s looking very Christmassy,” Jess murmured to her sister.

“Mmm . . . Ben, stop banging your heels.”

The organist was playing a Mozart sonata, and heads were turning as a ripple of noise from the back of the church suggested that the bride had arrived.

Julia laughed softly. “They got her here, then. She wanted to skip off to Las Vegas and be married in jeans by an Elvis impersonator.”

“That would have been fun! But she looks lovely.”

The music changed to Handel’s Passacaglia as Cassie and her father began their walk down the aisle. Not in jeans, but in a long white satin dress with a short train, and silk flowers in her hair.

And following them, Liam’s little daughter Robyn, in a pretty pink dress, her blonde curls gleaming, her eyes wide and shining.

“Liam looks happy,” Jess murmured as the bridegroom turned and held out his hand to take Cassie’s, lifting it to his lips to lay a kiss on her fingers.

“He does. He deserves to be. It was such a tragedy, his first wife dying like that.”

“I remember her. Robyn looks a lot like her, doesn’t she?”

“Mmm. I saw her mum and dad here. They’re sitting at the back somewhere.”

“Oh, it’s nice that they came.”

She fell silent as Eva, the vicar, stepped into her place in front of the altar, smiling at the wedding guests in the packed pews. “Dear friends and family, we welcome you today to witness and celebrate the marriage of Cassandra and Liam . . .”

The first hymn was ‘Love Divine’, the voices rising into the high vaulted roof. As she sang, Jess gazed around the church. It wasn’t very big, but it was old. Jools had told her it was built in the thirteenth century, though the Victorians had added the porch and the bell tower.

It had been decked out for Christmas with a large Christmas tree covered in tinsel and shiny baubles on one side of the altar.

On the other side was a nativity scene — a wooden stable lined with straw, little plaster figures of Mary and Joseph and the shepherds gathered round the manger, with a couple of sheep, a three-legged cow and a slightly chipped angel perched on the roof.

The end of each pew was trimmed with a sprig of holly, shiny scarlet baubles and a bow of scarlet ribbon. There were garlands of holly and pine around the walls, and the altar itself was decorated with more garlands.

Paul was there, of course, on the other side of the aisle. He was one of the ushers, and he’d escorted his mother to her place in the front pew.

He was looking very smart, in a beautifully tailored morning suit that moulded his wide shoulders to perfection, a white waistcoat and a pale-blue cravat.

But she wasn’t going to let her gaze drift in his direction. Anyway, she couldn’t really see him properly with all the Ellises and Channings in between.

She hadn’t seen him for the past couple of days — he hadn’t been down to the hotel. Which suited her just fine. She’d be happy never to see him again. She couldn’t wait for Christmas to be over so she could look properly for a new job.

She enjoyed hotel work, so it would be great to find something in that line. Maybe she’d even try something in London. A complete change, a whole new scene.

Cassie and Liam were reciting their vows. True love, now and forever. Yeah, well, it seemed to work out for some people. Cassie’s mum and dad, and Graham and Diane Ellis, Julia and Lisa. They were the lucky ones.

She could have fallen in love with Paul Channing — there was a lot about him to love. That cock-eyed sense of humour, that easy laugh, his closeness to his family. His consideration for his grandmother and the loyal elderly visitors to the hotel.

And the fact that he didn’t play the celebrity, even though he was often on television, commentating on football matches.

But there was that one thing that killed any chance of it stone dead. After her parents’ divorce and her experience with Glenn, she was never going to risk getting involved with a man who didn’t know the meaning of commitment.

The service ended, and everyone crowded out into the churchyard to pose for photographs, clapping their hands together and hunching their shoulders against the icy cold.

“Heavens, she must be freezing in that dress,” Jess murmured to Julia as Cassie laughingly swung little Robyn around while the photographer clicked away.

Julia’s eyes danced. “I don’t think she’s even noticed. I’ve never seen anyone look so happy.”

“Mmm.”

From the corner of her eye, Jess noticed Paul strolling towards them, and turned quickly away, crossing to where Kate and Debbie were standing with little Amy. The little girl had a tub of bubble-mix, and was laughing as the bubbles glittered in the winter sunshine.

“Wasn’t it a lovely wedding?” Debbie sighed. “I’m so happy for them both.”

Kate laughed. “They certainly waited long enough for it. Everyone thought they’d get married ten years ago.”

“Oh, but they were far too young then,” Debbie protested. “Cassie was only eighteen when she went away. Now she’s had all her adventures, and she’s home for good.”

“Mummy, Mummy, look!” Amy’s eyes were alight with excitement. “The horses have come.”

Tom Cullen was leading two horses under the lychgate — Missie, Cassie’s favourite, a pretty bay with a white blaze down her nose and one slightly crooked ear, and Gitana, Liam’s beautiful black mare.

“Wow!” Jess laughed, her eyes wide. “They really are going to ride them down to the hotel?”

“Of course.”

The horses’ manes and tails were plaited with white ribbon and tiny silk flowers, and they stood posing for the photographer like supermodels.

Liam cupped his hands and lifted Cassie easily into the saddle. She gathered her dress carefully to avoid the stirrups as Liam swung himself up onto Gitana, and his dad handed Robyn up to him to settle on his pommel.

There were more photographs, and then the couple turned the horses and rode out through the lychgate, ducking their heads to avoid the crossbeams, all the guests streaming after them for the short walk down the hill to the hotel.

* * *

“Well, well, will you just look at this!” Arthur gazed round in amazement as he stepped out of the newly installed lift. “Who’d have thought it?”

Alex laughed. “It’s certainly looking better than the first time I saw it.”

Six weeks ago it had been nothing but a dusty, empty space, with the windows boarded up and only one dim light bulb working.

It had been a lot of hard work to get it finished in time, but now the big room above the swimming pool had been transformed from an afterthought into a wonderful new facility.

The boards had all been removed from the long windows around three sides and they’d been thoroughly polished, giving a spectacular view out over the gardens and the wide sweep of the bay. The cool December sunshine flooded in, brightening the whole room.

A light beechwood floor had been laid, the back wall painted a sandy-cream, and the ceiling was dotted with recessed LED lights that could illuminate the space brightly or be dimmed to a subtle glow.

Once it was fitted out, there would be a business suite and conference room up here, as well as the gymnasium, the spa and the hairdressers. But today it was the perfect venue for a wedding reception.

A long buffet table had been set out on one side of the room, flanked at each end by a Christmas tree decorated with baubles and fairy lights.

“Ah, now this looks good.” Arthur had made a beeline for it. “How on earth did Chef manage to get all this done, with all them Christmas lot here as well?”

“He had a little help.” Alex smiled as Arthur reached out greedily to snatch a fruit kebab. “Kate made the mince pies and tacos, and Vicky did the sushi.”

“Sooshee? What’s that? Not for me. I’ll have one of them sausage rolls, thank you very much.”

“You have to wait until the bride and groom get here,” Alex reminded him.

“Pah! They’d better hurry themselves up, then.”

“They’re just having a few more photos taken down on the terrace.”

“Haven’t they got enough? Must have taken more’n a hundred already.”

“They’ll want plenty to choose from. Ah, sounds like they’re here.”

The lift doors opened, but it wasn’t Liam and Cassie. It was Shelley and the young sous chef from the kitchen, with a catering trolley bearing the wedding cake.

“Oh!” She blinked at him, looked away and looked back again. “I didn’t realise anyone was up here yet.”

“We came up out of the cold.”

“Of course.” She smiled warmly at his grandfather. “Hello, Arthur. How are you today?”

“I’m as fit as a flea!”

“That’s good. Did you enjoy the wedding?”

“Oh, ah. She’s a pretty girl, young Cassie. Young Liam’s got himself a good ’un there.”

“He has.” She flickered a brief smile up at Alex. “Well . . . um . . . We just need to put the cake on the table, and then we’ll be gone.”

“You’re not staying for the reception?”

“Oh no. I nipped up to watch the ceremony, but I’m on duty now.”

“Okay.” He smiled at her. “I’ll see you later then.”

“Yes, of course.”

Although it was likely that, as usual, she would slip away like one of the piskies from up on the moor.

The cake was placed carefully into the centre of the table. Chef had excelled himself, again. The cake was magnificent — three tiers, covered in intricately piped lace icing, with clusters of silver leaves and white flowers at the base of each tier.

And on the top, instead of the traditional figures of a bride and groom, were little models of Gitana and Missie.

“What’s in that punch?” Arthur wanted to know.

“Champagne, ginger ale and vodka.”

“Ah . . . I want some of that!”

“In a moment. Here they come now.”

Footsteps were heard on the stairs, then the large double doors at the end of the room swung open and Liam and Cassie walked in. A little blonde fairy in a pink dress raced ahead of them.

Robyn’s eyes were wide with excitement. “Oh, Mummy, Mummy, come and look at the cake!” she squealed.

Cassie smiled. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it. Hello, Arthur. I hope you didn’t get too cold down there?”