Jean gently swirled the gown in the warm water. The fabric was so fine she daren't give it too vigorous a clean. She smiled as she remembered the last time it had been worn. Jack had looked so angelic gazing up at her, big blue eyes and fine dark hair. She gently squeezed the lightly soaped water out and rinsed it in cool water.

Lucien watched her from the sun room, hanging the christening robe on the line, dripping wet. He briefly wondered what the infant Jean had looked like at her christening. Something like Amelia, perhaps. Three days from now they would be Dr and Mrs Blake. Not all the gossip would stop, they both knew, but they could handle it. It's not as if business suffered, though he did wonder if new patients registered just to catch him in flagrante delicto with his housekeeper!

As she walked back into the kitchen she saw him and smiled. He opened the door to the sun room and kissed her as she walked in.

'It's lovely,' he commented, 'she'll look beautiful.'

She just smiled, remembering her boys. 'I never thought to ask if you have one, hidden in a box somewhere.'

'Honestly,' he walked with her, 'I don't know. Probably. Mother would have insisted.'

'I'm sure you looked angelic.'

He laughed at that, the thought that he was ever angelic, 'Looks can be deceiving, my dear Jean.'

'Even you must have been, once.' She laughed and kissed him.

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'It's only one night, Lucien.' Jean smiled, 'from tomorrow night, never again will we sleep alone.'

'I know,' he sighed, 'it's just it seems a bit...'

'...silly.' She kissed him, 'perhaps, but it's tradition, and one I would like to stick to.'

'Alright,' he kissed her forehead, 'but, if you have trouble sleeping, you know where I am.'

She kissed him softly on the lips and headed upstairs, smiling gently to herself.

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She looked round the room, strangely unfamiliar now, so much had happened in such a short space of time. Her wedding outfit hung in the wardrobe, she had brought her makeup from Lucien's room, her hairbrush and the jewellery she was going to wear, and there it sat on the vanity unit she used to sit at every morning and every evening.

She slipped into bed and opened her book, thinking it might help her sleep. She read for about half an hour, then closed the book and lay down, closing her eyes hoping that she would be able to sleep. Arriving at one's wedding with dark circles under one's eyes was not going to be a good look; her last thought as she drifted off.

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Lucien decided a dull medical text would send him off to sleep, having promised not to use liberal amounts of whisky. He needed to keep his mind off Jean, upstairs in bed, not wanting to have to strip the bed the next morning, like a teenager. He fell asleep over a chapter on blood diseases he had read countless times before.

He woke to Amelia crying, and went to pick her up. Most nights she slept through, and four o'clock wasn't early, for someone whose sleep pattern had been notoriously poor for many years. He went to get her a drink and sat in the sun room, watching the sunrise and singing softly to her.

He and Jean were going to try and avoid each other until he went to the church to wait for her. Matthew was going to take him and Charlie down, leaving Jean to follow at a respectable distance with Alice and Mattie and, of course, Amelia.

He heard noises in the kitchen, Charlie and Mattie making tea. He hoped he was allowed in there and took a chance.

'Morning, doc,' Charlie grinned as he crept in from the sun room.

'Ah Charlie, Mattie,' Lucien smiled and sighed. 'Amelia was hungry, about four. We've watched the sunrise together.'

'I'll take her, Lucien,' Mattie held out her arms for the baby. 'I'm going to take Jean some tea, while you have your breakfast. Did you get any sleep?'

'Some, yes.' He grinned, 'boring medical chapters on blood diseases always does the trick.' He sat down as Charlie put a plate of bacon, eggs and tomatoes down for him.

'Gotta keep your strength up, doc.' He laughed.

'Thanks, Charlie.'

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Mattie pushed Jean's bedroom door open with her foot, having managed to carry a cup of tea and the baby up the stairs.

'Morning, Jean,' she smiled. 'Tea.'

Jean sat up and smiled, 'Thank you Mattie.' She took the cup and Mattie sat on the edge of the bed. 'Amelia had a bottle about four, Lucien says. They watched the sunrise together.'

'How is he this morning?' She sipped the tea, it was odd, being there in her old room, and she was glad she wouldn't sleep there again.

'Seems ok, no sign of whisky.' Mattie grinned, 'Charlie is giving him his breakfast. '

'Good.' Jean sighed, 'when I've had this I'm going to have a bath then the bathroom's free for everybody else.'

'Shall I bath Amelia?' Mattie asked.

'She can come in with me,' Jean replied, 'if you don't mind taking her off me when she's done.'

'No, as long as you don't mind.' Mattie was surprised at the suggestion.

'You're a nurse.' Was Jean's reasoning. 'You've bathed patients before.'

'Oh, ok then.'

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Mattie wrapped Amelia in a towel and took her to part-dress her. Jean said just a vest and a nappy until it was time to put her in the gown. She had been embarrassed at going into the bathroom while Jean was in the bath and had deliberately not looked down at her landlady. Jean had smiled as the young nurse had hurried out of the room with her charge.

'Bathroom's free!' Jean called down the stairs then closed the door of her bedroom behind her. She dried and dressed as far as her underwear the put her robe back on and listened for Lucien heading to bathe. As she heard him close the bathroom door she went down for her breakfast.

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Somehow Jean and Lucien managed to miss each other during the hours before they were due to be married.

'Mattie,' Jean passed her a packet, prettily wrapped, 'would you give this to Lucien for me, please. Tell him he needs it today.'

'Oh, right, it's the tie and stuff isn't it?'

'Yes.' She smiled.

'Ok, then do you want me to help you?' Mattie paused at the door.

'I'm just going to do my makeup,' Jean sat at the vanity, 'could you bring Amelia and the gown through, please, then yes, if you're ready.'

'I'll bring my things in to you, then we can get ready together.' Mattie smiled, 'would you put my hair up, please?'

'Of course, then you can tidy mine up, the steam got at it a bit.' Jean smiled and watched her leave.

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Lucien was sitting on the bed when Mattie knocked.

'Yes?'

'Only me, Lucien.' Mattie poked her nose in the room. 'Jean sent this down for you.' She passed the packet in. 'It's your wedding present from her, you need it today.'

'Oh, thank you.' He smiled as he took it.

'I hope you're going to make the bed.' Mattie did her best to sound Jean-like.

'Just thinking about it.' He winked, and set to.

Mattie left, grinning.

Lucien made the bed then sat back down, turning the packet over in his hands. He undid the ribbon and opened out the paper. There was a small envelope on top of a jeweller's box, on top of a tie.

'So this is the colour you're wearing, my dear, he mused, 'I approve.' He opened the box, 'Lovely,' he whispered and put it on the bed with the tie. He had left the envelope 'til last, wondering what little remark she had written inside it.

'Lucien,

My love, always.

Jean'

A simple message finished off with a lipstick kiss, but enough for him.

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Mattie watched Matthew and Charlie take Lucien down to the church. Lucien had looked hesitant, leaving Jean in the house.

'Off you go, doctor,' she teased, 'we'll be there shortly.'

She went back into the house to find Jean in the living room, giving Amelia a bottle. Amelia was dressed in the christening robe and Jean had covered her with a clean nappy to prevent any spills spoiling the effect. Mattie thought she should be doing that, but Jean looked so relaxed it was probably taking her mind off the double ceremony to come.

'Just about finished,' Jean looked up and smiled, can't have her screaming during the wedding, can I?'

'No, you can't.' Mattie grinned, 'shall I take that?' She held out her hand for the empty bottle.

'Thank you.'

Mattie took the baby and they got into Alice's car.

'Ready, ladies?' Alice looked over at Jean.

'Ready.' Jean confirmed.

'You look lovely, Jean.' Alice remarked as she pulled out of the drive, 'Lucien will be the envy of the town.'

Jean smiled and reddened, 'Thank you Alice, that's the plan.'

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Lucien found he felt calmer that he thought he would, standing before the altar at Sacred Heart. The sun streamed through the stained glass windows leaving coloured patterns on the floor.

Father Emery was waiting at the door for Jean to appear and when he saw her alight from the car he headed to the front of the church to assure the groom that his bride had arrived.

Matthew wouldn't let the doctor turn round. He thought Lucien would rush to her side, with Alice and Mattie behind her she looked surprisingly lonely and beautifully serene at the same time.

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The combined services were short and sweet. When Father Emery pronounced them man and wife, Lucien could hardly believe it. He could kiss Jean, in public, freely, whenever he wanted. Mattie and Charlie would not feel they had to make themselves scarce every evening, and with Amelia they would be a family. He kissed her slowly and gently before they began the christening of Amelia Jean.

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Amelia Jean squealed as she was anointed with the holy water and waved her little arms about. Jean and Lucien grinned at each other as the priest passed her back to them and Jean used her finger to pacify the distressed infant. She kissed and soothed the baby while Lucien thanked Father Emery for his patience and understanding.

'Father,' Lucien smiled graciously, 'we are having a small celebration at the Colonist's Club, if you'd care to join us.'

Jean managed not to drop Amelia when she heard his offer to the priest. It was uncharacteristic of him to be so genial to the church, usually barely cordial to a priest, especially one who he had thought capable of murder.

'Thank you, doctor.' Father Emery took his hand, 'I am sorry. Much as I would like to accept your invitation, I have another baptism in an hour.' He walked with them to the entrance to Sacred Heart and wished them a happy life, all of them.

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'That was sweet of you,' Jean whispered as they stood for Charlie and Matthew to take photographs.

'Well,' he leaned close, 'it was a nice service, and he didn't upset Amelia too much..'

'All the same,' she smiled, 'thank you.'

Lucien kissed her, just as Charlie clicked the shutter. Charlie smiled, 'That's one for the family album!'

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'To the Blake Family,' Matthew raised his glass, ' long life and true happiness.'

'The Blake Family,' the assembled chorused, as Jean blushed and Lucien put his arm round her and beamed.

'Thank you,' he returned the toast. 'Thank you all. I've nothing really nothing I could add to that, Matthew, except to say that, when I came back to Ballarat, most of you will agree I was a bit broken, this amazing woman put me back together again, and, well, I don't know what I'd do without her. We've suddenly become a family, with Amelia joining us. So I'd like to propose a toast: to Jean and Amelia, my family.'

Jean blushed and just managed to control the tears, as the guests raised their glasses to her and the baby.

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'We'll be absolutely fine,' Mattie smiled as she settled Amelia into her bassinet. Jean was a little nervous about leaving her granddaughter with the young nurse while she and Lucien had a short honeymoon in Melbourne. She didn't know why but there it was, she was.

'Come on, Jean.' Lucien crept up behind her in the nursery. 'We need to get a move on, as we're driving.'

'Alright,' she stroked the baby's head and turned to leave. 'Thank you, Mattie.'

'Go on.' Mattie pushed her out of the room, 'go and enjoy yourself.'

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A slightly shorter chapter than usual, but strangely not the easiest to write, how many ways can I write their wedding? Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and maybe I'll add some more.