"Robin, can you look out of the window? Lovely smile…Great!" The wedding photographer encouraged as if he was in a high fashion studio rather than a slightly outdated room at the Swinton Park Hotel.

The Bride and her maids had been through the same rigmarole, one at a time, of posing and smiling and looking off into the distance romantically. Well, for Caitlyn, Robin thought, it was important she enjoyed this as it was her big day. So, Robin had entered enthusiastically into the spirit. It was certainly easier to do so now it wasn't her own wedding, when she had been drowned by waves of misery each time she had allowed herself to think of Strike and his last words to her. As the photographer had struggled to capture Robin's own wedding day bliss, she had felt so detached from it almost like it wasn't happening to her.

"You look amazing, Robin," Kimberley had said watching from the side. Robin took the olive branch her would-be-sister-in-law handed her and thanked her, before showing interest in how Kimberley's toddler, Milly was.

Robin turned again under the photographer's instructions. The green dress heightened her honey colouring and the curves of her hourglass figure. The crystals encrusted onto her platform stilettoes glimmered in the flash of light. Her gold hair dropped in a waterfall of waves over one shoulder. She looked like a Hollywood Screen Goddess of the 1940s. There was no way she was not going to feel confident walking down that aisle. She felt a shiver of excitement anticipating Strike's reaction when he saw her.

Finally, the photographer had finished and Robin left Kimberley to have her portrait taken. She walked over to where her purse was, checking her phone to see if the others were at the church yet. Stephen has arrived, Anita's text read. Robin looked around her, Caitlyn had slipped out of the room. So, she opened the door to find her. She was glad she didn't have to go far as Caitlyn was sat on a sofa outside holding her skirt to the side. As Robin suspected she looked nervous and pensive.

"Feeling okay?" Robin asked, sitting next to her and rubbing her arm, "Nervous?

Caitlyn gave an embarrassed laugh. The tension in her face did not dissipate.

So, Robin waited.

Robin wanted to think this was just wedding jitters but hers hadn't been. Perhaps if people hadn't told her what she was feeling all the time she may have been able to have the confidence to stop it at a more convenient time.

"I know he's my brother but you can tell me what you're feeling, I probably understand more than anyone,"

Caitlyn's laid her fears out, "Everyone will be looking at me,"

"And you look beautiful…"

"But this is it. Me and Steve forever. How did you know you couldn't marry Matthew, that it wasn't just nerves?"

"Because a friend was there to remind what I wanted out of life and Matthew couldn't give it to me. What you have to ask yourself is whether what you feel for my idiot brother is precious - like you share something with him that you don't have with anyone else in the world."

"He's my best friend. I mean I hated him most of the time we were all growing up," she turned her face towards Robin and laughed, "He was such an arsehole! He flicked a bogie in my face at infants. But now…"

"You don't want to be without the bogie man?"

"Suppose not!" and they laughed again.

The pew in the church was unbelievably uncomfortable for a man of such long legs and wide body. Anita and he had kept themselves amused by trying to guess the next person on the Ellacott, and sometimes even the Wilson side, who would point him out to their companions or try to whisper inconspicuously while failing terribly. As the minutes went by there were less and less, instead, other people came up to introduce themselves to the now unwillingly, semi-famous detective. Anita had said he probably wasn't even on a Z list of celebrities but his appearance at Robin's wedding had clearly made him more well-known to these people.

"I can't wait to see how Robin looks," Anita enthused and gave him a sideways look, "her outfit is stunning. I'd told her that a Cavalli dress was probably a number one sign you were being sexually harassed by your boss, but clearly, she didn't mind last night,"

Strike raised his brow at her, "I'm not her boss."

"Anymore - Robin told me to ignore your scowls, that it's just your…" Anita started to have a fit of giggles about what Robin had said and was unable to form the words for a few seconds.

"My what?" Strike grouched in mock outrage.

"Resting bitch face," Anita said reluctantly, even though she waited eagerly for his reaction.

"Thank you, Robin,"

"You'll have to sack her again for gross misconduct!" Anita smirked.

Strike shook his head and laughed quietly, Anita's love for the edgy joke was limitless, he had come to find over the last few days. He was beginning to suspect that although they had no malice behind them, they were her way of testing him –to see if he was good enough for her best friend. Luckily, they both shared an ability to be self-deprecating. Whereas, he could imagine that Matthew had not faired very well, which explained why he had never met her before now.

"Look!" She grabbed Strike's arm, "There's movement!" Anita had almost jumped out of her seat to look over to the entrance.

The music began and everyone stood for the bride. Strike suddenly felt nervous, as he saw the ring bearer and two flower girls start their walk down the aisle. Just over three months ago, if he hadn't had so harshly turfed her out of his life, would he still have been able to sit on the other side of the church watching Robin's wedding party walk down the aisle? He'd told Shanker he wasn't going to stop the wedding, but for weeks before he had begun to rid himself of the constant attempts to fortify his defences against her.

But it had still taken him time to open up to her. Even with their latest revelations and drunken intimacy, the next day Robin had not even tried to perforate any of the lines drawn by him over the time they had known each other concerning his private life. His aim to compel any attacks to those lines had clearly worked too well. He had nothing to fear from her. She made him feel safe and secure. A lorry could skid its way towards them and she would steer them out of harm's way. Today, had to be his D-Day to show her he wanted to be invaded by her.

The nervous feeling was starting to turn into nausea, just as he had felt as he desperately tried to reach the church service in time, not knowing whether she could even forgive him. Cameras started to flash and Strike's pulse felt just as random. He followed Anita's gaze to where her boyfriend stood with his brothers. He and Martin flanked Stephen. Stephen was braving it well, trying to smile in a relaxed away as his brothers made jokes and teased him but Strike could just pick up his nervousness. What had Matthew been thinking that day? Had he had any inkling Robin was about to dump him or had he thought he was on the home run, cockily confident that he had done everything he needed to keep her. Strike didn't approve of his tactics but and looking over his shoulder as Robin stepped into the church, he fully understood Matthew's motivation.

It had been over a year since he had seen her in the dress, but time had done nothing to lessen its power.

When she stepped into the aisle there was an awed hush that should have been reserved for the bride. Strike himself experienced a helpless inhalation of breath which had made Anita look up at him and smile. Robin was a divine being, the sunlight from the windows illuminated her hair, and the silk wrapped itself around her curves in a very satisfying way. The shoes peeped out occasionally from under her dress and he couldn't stop himself from imagining how she would look in them, naked. Michael stepped into the aisle to take a photo of his daughter on his camera. Robin dipped her head, averted her eyes and smiled shyly. As she neared them, she looked up and over to Strike and her family, when he was sure her eyes had met him, he smiled widely at her and was met with a full watt beam.

The service was not as interminable as he had feared. Robin occasionally snuck looks at him from over her shoulder and his eyes were always there waiting. As the bride and groom began to walk back down the aisle together, Robin and the other bridesmaids stood to follow them out. She flicked the curtain of her golden hair over her shoulder and Strike's stomach flipped over as his eyes followed the elongated line of neck to her décolletage. When he looked back at her face she gave him a minute shake of the head and he shrugged smirking boyishly and winked. Robin laughed behind her bouquet and Strike found himself wondering why he didn't have his phone ready to take a picture of her.

Outside, Strike took out his cigarettes and he and Anita sat smoking on a tombstone, ignoring the outraged looks of some of the guests but watching Robin and her family waiting near the photographer for their photo call with the bride and groom.

"You won't hurt her again, will you?" said Anita earnestly, "I mean after everything she's been through, she deserves someone who worships her. Matthew was..."

"…a complete bastard." Strike was no-nonsense in his assessment.

"Exactly."

"Anita, Robin is as precious to me as she is to you. It's me you have to worry about."

Anita, half-smiled, "Just remember she will second guess everything, the littlest criticism will make her feel as if she has failed. She needs reassurance but also your respect, she will never ask you for either but she needs to depend on it being there,"

Strike nodded, "Thanks," her words made a lot of sense to him.

"Hi," Robin said as Strike walked towards her. He took her in with his assessing stare.

"Hi, Cormoran Strike," he smiled and his eyes were playful, "I think I noticed you in the church?"

"You did, did you? Robin Ellacott," she held out her hand for him to shake, trying to not smile.

"Oh! Someone told me it was Sandra," he teased.

"No, not Sandra, do you wish it was?"

"No, no bloody way," He replied.