"Get me to the church on time!"

[Loopy]

Dora came from behind the curtain in the changing room and stood in front of the mirror.    

“That’s it - that’s the one.” said Callie excitedly.  Hazel agreed with her.  Cleo had a tear in her eye.  “Oh Dora, it’s beautiful.” she said.  

Dora twirled around in the sparkling wedding dress looking at it from every angle.  It was a perfect fit.  She felt like a princess and she couldn’t stop smiling. It seemed that ever since Steve had asked her to marry him she had been smiling.  Everything was like a whirlwind and now, with the wedding only a few weeks away, she almost couldn’t contain herself.  


Back at Follyfoot, a letter had arrived in the second post.  Steve noticed the postmark and recognised the writing.  They had been expecting the letter before now and in a way he was glad it had finally arrived.  

“From ‘er mother is it?” asked Slugger.  Steve nodded.  

“Yep, and I can guess what it says.” he said tentatively.  He stood it on the mantelpiece for Dora to open when she got home.  Then Slugger said

“Ay, you know Ron’s organising a stag night for you don’t ya.”

“Yeh, he sort of mentioned something about it the other day.”  said Steve dubiously.

“Yeh, well, Best Man or not, I wouldn’t trust ‘im.  Not one bit.” said Slugger.  

“Well, you’d better come with me then.” said Steve laughing.  “At least I know I can trust you.”

“Try and stop me, son.” said Slugger, grinning from ear to ear.  “Try and stop me.”

[Jane]

Normally Dora couldn’t stand girly dresses, but somehow this was different. It was supposed to be the best day of a girls life……wasn’t it? She felt a sudden apprehension at the thought of her mother taking over the whole affair. She didn’t want a posh do, with her parents’ friends and acquaintances’ turning up and looking snootily down their noses at her. Steve had agreed that it would be just their Follyfoot friends at the church and a reception at the farmhouse.

“Penny for them?” asked Cleo noticing Dora’s sudden change of mood.

“Oh, nothing Cleo.” Dora shrugged. “Just something I have to deal with which isn’t going to be pleasant.”

“Come on then grumpy” Cleo tugged at Dora’s arm. “We’ve still got more shopping to do. You must have a matching pair of shoes and handbag.”

“And don’t forget a hat” cried Hazel gleefully.

Dora shrugged again and banished gloomy thoughts from her mind. She was not going to let her mother spoil things!

 “Come on then girls." Dora fixed a smile on her face "Let’s shop till we drop!"

[timb9095]

All had arrived back at Follyfoot after the mega giga shopping session. Several glasses of wine later Cleo went very quiet.
 Cleo gazed to the floor.
 Eyes fixed there.
 Silent .
Dora asked Cleo what was wrong, had anything happened to upset her.

Cleo's reply made Dora's blood run glacier cold

'Dora. How can I begin to tell you.
 I've loved Steve from the moment I set eyes on him. He's absolutely everything I've been looking for in a man and you've given him such a hard time over the years. I can't forgive you for that

Sorry but I can't help myself. And if you can't make him happy then I will'

Dora's glass of wine fell from her hands and broke on the stone floor of the kitchen at Follyfoot.

[Jane]

"Oh let's not fight" implored Hazel. "I fancy Steve too, but it's Dora he's going to marry so let's not get silly and jealous."

Cleo glared at Hazel, plonked down her glass and said "I think I'd better go home, I'm a bit squiffy" then she weaved her way unsteadily from the room.

Dora was secretly pleased she had at last won her man but hated arguing with her friends.

"Think I'd better go too now" Hazel thumped Dora gently on the shoulder "Take no notice of her, she's pleased for you really"

Dora nodded and smiled. She looked at her wedding dress and felt a knot of excitement in her stomach. She didn't care about anything anymore except marrying Steve.

But what about her hen night. Hazel had suggested a disco in the village hall but she hated discos. Cleo wanted them all to go to a posh restaurant. But she didn't like that idea either. In fact she didn't even really want a hen night at all! And with that thought she went to bed in a grump and dreamt of her and Steve eloping to Gretna Green.

[Sabrina]

Cleo had every intention of weaving her way home unsteadily in her little Hillman Imp, but when she walked outside the fresh air hit her and made her realise how squiffy she was. She could hardly walk in a straight line, yet drive one of the two Hillman Imps that had suddenly appeared before her eyes. She was sure she'd only seen one earlier!

She groaned and leaned back against the Lightning Tree. Dora... Steve...  Dora was her only good friend from her schooldays but Steve -! He was like lightning ripping through the cloudy days of her soul. From the moment she first saw him her heart had stopped, turned a somersault and nervously started beating again. If it wasn't so obvious he adored Dora and she he, but they were both too stubborn to say it, Cleo would have flirted for England to get him. The laddie hath protested too much, insisting they were just a family of strangers. Cleo could see through him.

But didn't bachelors like one last fling before their wedding day? Wasn't it tradition? And if Steve had that one last fling, what if he fell for Cleo instead?

Her mouth twisted in a cruel smile. Rummaging into her fringed shoulder bag, she found her powder and pale pink lipstick and did her best to look respectable. By the light of the moon she combed her hair until it shone, her eyes not leaving the golden glow of the oil lamp gleaming in the window of Steve's loft.

She took a deep breath. Now or never. One last chance. Pick your cliche. Casting a glance at the farmhouse to make sure Dora wasn't watching, Cleo crept as silently as she could in platform soled boots across the yard, until she was standing at the bottom of the stairs and Steve was only a matter of feet above her head, alone, hers for the seducing.

Her hands were shaking as she gripped the stair rail, and softly called Steve's name.

[Loopy]

Dora slept fretfully.  Every time she thought of Steve, Cleo's words went round and round in her head.  She got up and went back down to the kitchen.  The floor still had small pools of red wine spattered on it, not quite dry, glinting in the light and the shards of sharp glass covered the stones.  She still couldn't believe what Cleo had said.  She was her oldest and best friend, her confidant for years.  How could Cleo have kept this to herself all this time.  Dora would never feel the same about Cleo now.  She was to be her chief bridesmaid in a few weeks time but there was no way Dora could even contemplate the idea anymore.  She wondered if she should tell Steve but she just couldn't bring herself to do it just yet.  She would see Cleo again first -when they were both sober - then she would decide what to do.  

As she was thinking Dora had unconsciously started picking up the glass from the floor.  Her mind was distracted and she put her hand onto a large piece that was on its edge, sticking up from the floor.  It embedded deeply into her flesh and she felt sick with the pain.  She winced as she tried to pull it out but it was in too deep.  She was in a lot of pain and she felt faint.  Steve, I must get to Steve, she thought.  She carefully wrapped a tea towel around the bottom of the embedded glass and made her way over to Steve's loft room.

[timb9095]

Steve was in bed fast asleep. Sparko!!!

Nothing would have awoken him. He was in such a deep sleep from all the tension of his impending wedding and the everyday hard work.

Cleo just about made it into the loft where Steve was in bed , asleep.
She thought, 'its now or never , me girl' . In her drunken state she quickly undressed and slipped rather clumsily into bed next to Steve. She quickly found him to be naked and wrapped her arms around him and snuggled up to him in the hope of giving him a most pleasant surprise. Instead, Steve just grunted and carried on sleeping.

Cleo became annoyed at not being able to even wake Steve up. In her inebriated state, she quickly fell asleep herself with her arms around Steve. For anyone looking on at them, they could have been contented lovers.

Meanwhile, Dora had decided to seek some sympathy from Steve about her cut hand ( or was it finger) . She made her way up to his loft and was met with the sight of Cleo cuddled up to him in his bed.

[Jane]

Dora's jaw dropped open. Not quite believing what she saw, she spun round and dashed down the stairs but tripped in her haste to get away from the awful sight of Steve and Cleo in bed together and landed with a sickening thud at the bottom.

Steve woke with a start. What was that noise? He pulled the covers back but froze with horror when he saw Cleo snoring gently beside him. What the hell was going on? He shoved her roughly and became angry when she didn't wake. He had no idea why she had done this but he now knew she was no friend of Doras. He had to get rid of her.

"Wake up Cleo" he shouted and gave her another shove. Cleo mumbled and began to stir. She opened her eyes but quickly shut them again as pain shot through her head. Where was she? How did she get here? Oh my god she thought when she realized where she was. Opening her eyes gingerly this time she saw a very angry Steve towering over her. "How could you do this to Dora?" he said in a low voice which frightened her. "Get out!" After hastily dressing, Cleo  made for the stairs. Steve flopped back onto the bed. All sorts of things were going through his mind.

He jumped as Cleo let out a blood curdling scream from the bottom of the stairs.

[Sabrina]

"What is it NOW?" Steve growled, pulling his customary boots onto socks whose toes needed darning.

"My...my...my DRESS!" wailed Cleo.

Steve gave a sigh that could be heard by Copper on the other side of the yard and thumped grumpily down the stairs. Cleo was huddled beside a froth of pink lace and chiffon - her bridesmaid's dress - which had a dark red stain spread across the front, as if the wearer had been stabbed through the heart. Tears flowed down Cleo's face and she wiped them impatiently with the back of her hand. Her face turned  imploringly to Steve, but the vision of a teary Cleo didn't move him in the way a teary Dora did. She simply looked blotchy and red-faced and hungover to the teeth.

"It's nothing more than you deserve," he told her coldly. "You made a fool of yourself last night and worse, you've hurt Dora."

He walked carefully around the ruined dress, leaving Cleo sobbing over it, and went to find Dora. Copper's stable was the obvious choice, and in the darkness behind the chestnut horse Dora sat on the fresh straw against the wall, sniffing, pulling a piece of straw to shreds.

"It's not what it looks like," Steve said.

"Huh." Dora began destroying another piece of straw. "If you love me as much as you say, why was Cleo in your bed?"

"Because the silly cow was drunk, I imagine. Honestly, girl, I didn't even feel her get into my bed. I didn't know she was there until I woke up." He sat beside her, and Copper snorted. "Come on, girl. Would I do anything like that to you on purpose?"

"I don't know." Steve was stunned at her response, and she went on, "I trusted you. I thought Cleo was my friend and I could trust her, but I can't. I'm not sure this wedding is the best thing after all."

[Jane]

Another one of those meal times in the follyfoot farmhouse kitchen with stony silences along with the burnt offerings.

Slugger shrugged as he observed the gloomy faces at the kitchen table. The only face that wasn't gloomy was Ron's. He was itching to stir things up between the love birds. Only they weren't very lovey dovey at the moment.

"So Steve" said Ron with a smirk "Was that the lovely Cleo I saw leaving your room this morning?"

Dora banged her mug down on the table.

"Leave it out Ron" growled Steve.

"Dear dear dear we are touchy this morning."

"Ron, keep yer trap shut will you" warned Slugger.

But Ron was enjoying himself too much to stop now.

"Dora, I found this dress shoved behind the feed bins. I think it belongs to Cleo doesn't it?"

Dora could take no more and the tears started to flow.

Steve launched himself across the table and grabbed Ron by the throat. The pair grappled with each other sending breakfast dishes, cutlery and mugs flying across the room.

"Stop it!, stop it!" shrieked Dora as Steve and Ron rolled around the kitchen floor punching and kicking each other.

The door flew open. "What the blazes is going on?" Bawled the Colonel.

[timb9095]

'Just a slight difference of opinion, Colonel'  said Steve


Ron let out an exhausted ' Whaaat'!

Slugger replied 'Slight, 'e says, slight!  If thats slight then I'm a good cook 'an I'll be praised for it' ' and then scuttered off into the kitchen mumbling to himself. He was very upset about what had happened.

'Well it had bally well stop, whatever it is!!', exclaimed the Colonel. 'I'm getting somewhat tired of bursting in on these kind of scenes and being kept in the dark about what's really gone on'

Dora, in the meantime , had run out into the yard to get away from it all. She could hear her uncle shouting the odds at all and sundry. Her Uncle's obvious distress  upset her, despite what she had witnessed over the last few hours.

At that point , Cleo staggered into the kitchen looking like the proverbial dog's dinner. Earlier, she had wandered , inadvertently and in an extremely hungover state , into Slugger's bedroom , fell onto his bed and fallen asleep.

Dora saw Cleo wander bedraggled into the kitchen from the yard and knew , instinctively, that Steve could not have done the deed with Cleo. His reactions to Cleo were not of someone who was interested in her and she began to feel guilty that she had doubted him.

Dora knew in her heart that Steve had not been unfaithful, and that booze had probably got the better of Cleo. After all, Dora had sensed that Cleo was very unhappy and somewhat envious of her.

Dora went back into the kitchen with a big smile on her face and said
'Well, Steve I hope that you still wish to marry me.  I'm sorry for ever having doubted you.  You know, I'll never , ever , let you go'

[Jane]

It was the big day at last. Dora stood in front of the mirror nervously fiddling with her hair.

“Really Dora, do stop fiddling with that hairdo of yours. I really don’t know why you had it cut with those awful layers. You had such pretty hair as a child”

Dora scowled at her mother. “I’m not a child anymore. In case you hadn’t noticed I’m about to be married”

“Yes, to that dreadfully common boy Steve. I really had hoped you would pull yourself together and marry Lord Beck. Such a charming man! You’d want for nothing if you married him. You could have all the horses you wanted. It’s not too late to change your mind you know.”

“I’m marrying Steve because I love him. I hate Lord Beck! I don’t want to spend the rest of my life “wanting for nothing” and being with someone I can’t stand. This is the 1970s not the Victorian age.” Dora turned away from her mother and resumed fiddling with her hair.

Prudence put a hand on Dora’s shoulder.

“I only want what’s best for you. If you’ve made up your mind then I can’t stop you but don’t come crying to your father and I when it all goes wrong. You’ve made your bed and now you must lie on it.”

Dora span round again crying “you don’t care about me! All your worried about is being a laughing stock and your so-called friends saying behind your back “poor Prudence Maddocks, her daughter got married to a common boy. I heard she was in the family way!” Well too bad mother, its happening whether you like it or not. Now if you don’t mind I’d like to finish getting ready in peace.”

Prudence said no more and left the room.

[Sabrina]

Dora started to shake as the door was firmly - but not loudly - shut behind her by her mother. Prudence had never slammed a door in her life and believed that the most quiet, restrained door closure in the face of anger and upset had a far bigger impact.

Dora sat on her bed, the pretty, frothy dress crumpling beneath her. Oh hell, she'd said it: "I heard she was in the family way." Nobody knew. Nobody. Only herself and the doctor. Not even Steve.

She was sure Steve would be delighted when he found out. She'd leave it until after the honeymoon to tell him. According to the doctor she was only a couple of weeks pregnant; the baby would be 'early' but not eyebrow-raisingly so.

Steve had thought her recent tenseness and snappiness had been due to wedding nerves. All brides were like that, the Colonel assured him. Instead it had been a constant battle not to be sick in the morning - or afternoon - or evening - which made her short-tempered.

Dora swallowed, and thought of the day ahead. She and Steve would be husband and wife in a few short hours, she'd be once and for all a grown woman and well out of her mother's control.

She stood up, smoothing the lace that hung heavily from her still slender waist, and walked to the window. Her parents were standing at the gate to Follyfoot apparently arguing. Mother was waving her arms around and Father was trying to placate her. She could almost hear him saying that Dora knew her own mind and this should be the happiest day of her life and it was up to Prudence to support her. Her father had been nothing but kind and generous about the marriage; he saw that Steve had a good heart and loved his daughter, and while the future might not be the glamourous future of a Lady Beck, it would be a future build on solid ground and trust.

Dora fixed her veil with fingers that still trembled. The pins dug into her scalp and she swore briefly. At last it was done, and she tossed the fine lace over her face to see the effect. No-one could see her face closely, a good thing, because she was afraid that now her secret showed in her eyes.

Her father was fixing white ribbons to the Rolls Royce that would carry her on her last journey as a single girl. "Oh Daddy," Dora said under her breath, "Get me to the church on time... before anyone knows about the baby."

[Loopy]

Steve sat by the lake.  He looked at his watch.  Nearly time to change into his hired suit. He didn't like suits, especially hired ones that didn't quite fit properly no matter what you did.  Still he wouldn't be in it for long - one day that's all.  One very special day.  Soon Dora would be his wife - Mrs Dora Ross.  It sounded nice he thought.  Mr and Mrs Ross.  He smiled to himself.  He wondered how she was.  How she was feeling.  Was she as nervous as he was beginning to feel?  Was she coping with having her mother around?  How beautiful would she look like in her dress?  How excited was she about the horse drawn carriage she would be riding in?

He watched some birds swooping over the lake for flies.  He thought about the last couple of weeks.  He'd been worried about Dora.  She seemed extra tetchy.  Little things were blown out of proportion.  Some days she hadn't looked well.  She said she was fine but he'd heard her being sick behind the barn more than once.  The Colonel assured him that it was last minute nerves but then the Colonel hadn't heard her being sick.

Steve looked at his watch again.  He really should go and change.  'Change' - that word that Dora hated so much.  But change was inevitable and Follyfoot would never be quite the same again, especially if Dora's sickness was what he thought it was.  He smiled again.  She would tell him when she was ready, he knew that.  

Today, well today was their day and nothing was going to spoil it.  

Ron shouted across to him.  "Oi Steve, d'you know what time it is?  Sluggs has just gone over to the Colonel's so you'd better get in 'ere and change into your clobber.  I'll get the blame if I don't get you to the church on time."

Steve laughed.  "Just coming." he shouted back.  

As he walked across the grass towards the house a car pulled up.  Steve recognised it and groaned to himself as Dora's mother alighted from the front passenger seat.

[timb9095]

And Prudence departed after Steve told her how much he loved Dora.

She had the wit to realise she wasn't getting anywhere with Steve.