Summary: The chapter you've all been waiting for - Belle and Gold's wedding.
Wedding Cake – Top Tier
Gold was woken by a tapping at the bedroom door.
"Mr Gold?"
It was Grace's voice. Gold's brow furrowed. What was Grace doing in his house? He opened his eyes and rolled over onto his stomach to look at the door as the tapping came again, only to find himself face to face with a large wardrobe. He blinked, but no, the wardrobe was still there. It took a couple of moments for Gold to remember that he wasn't in his own house, he was in Jefferson's spare room, and therefore Grace being outside the door wasn't all that surprising.
"Mr Gold, Dad said to tell you that there's a cup of tea outside the door, and that I shouldn't go away until I'd got some kind of coherent response from you."
Gold smiled.
"You might be here a while, Grace."
He heard her laugh and run off down the stairs. Faintly, he could make out the sound of Jefferson humming out of tune in the kitchen. It sounded like 'I'm getting married in the morning,' and Gold had to wonder at the irony.
He got out of bed and padded across to the door on the other side of the room, opening it to find not merely a cup of tea but an entire tray full of the various accoutrements that the proper appreciation of a cup of tea required - milk, lemon, honey, sugar. Gold would never let it be said that Jefferson did not know how to make tea. He poured himself a cup and leaned in the bedroom doorway with it, listening to the rest of the house coming to life and wondering what Belle was doing; whether she was awake yet with her own morning tea, whether Ruby and Emma had arrived at their house yet to help her get ready. It was still slightly unreal; the feeling, the anticipation. Even after just over a year of engagement, Gold couldn't quite believe that today he would be marrying Belle and they would be starting on a new stage of their life as husband and wife.
Along the landing another door opened and Alice came out of it wearing her dressing gown, rollers in her hair. She waved at Gold, yawned and made her way downstairs, muttering something along the lines of 'whoever thought that Saturday mornings started earlier than ten o'clock needs shooting'. Gold returned to the bedroom and stared at the suit carrier hanging on the back of the door.
One year, nine months and two weeks ago, he and Belle had been on their first date, and it felt like only yesterday. But then again, at other times it was sometimes hard to remember a time when there hadn't been Belle in his life - normally those were the moments when she was leaning over the breakfast table for the marmalade and giving him a clear view down her gaping nightdress. He'd said it to himself before he'd met her, really met her, that if he was going to have any kind of relationship with her, then it had to be love, true love. He was too old to be happy with anything less. Belle had been the first to make him think that perhaps lasting happiness with another partner would not be such an impossible thing to achieve. So he had taken a leap of faith, and here they were, about to cement their love and show it off to the world.
Their marriage was slightly unconventional of course, in that they had both been married before under very different circumstances and neither wanted to fully repeat the experience in the same way. Belle's first wedding had been a simple legal binding, over within twenty minutes flat; she hadn't even worn a white dress. Gold's had been traditional in every sense of the word, organised by his then-fiancée's parents with his only important tasks being to accept Liz's decisions and turn up on the day. (His father had later added the stipulation that he'd be disowned if he was the only Scotsman at the wedding not wearing a kilt.)
It would be very different today. The only other person who was coming to this wedding who had been to his first was Aunt Elvira, who was overjoyed about finally having the opportunity to wear the new hat that she had bought three days after finding out that her only nephew was engaged. The circle of friends that he and Belle now moved in were very different to those of ten, twenty years ago. Their entire lives were different, and it made sense that they would do things differently.
Downstairs, the humming had stopped and it appeared that an argument had started. Unwilling to begin the day with his best man in a bad mood, Gold took his tea down to the kitchen to see what the fuss was about. Alice was standing by the stove with her arms folded, Jefferson had his head stuck in the fridge and Grace was calmly watching the scene from the table, eating a piece of toast.
Gold sat down beside her and took another slice from the rack, spreading it with a liberal helping of marmalade, and tried to ascertain the nature of the discussion.
"But Alice!" Jefferson was whining from the fridge.
"No buts! This is a wedding! As sexy as your sexy stubble is, Jefferson, it is not appropriate for being a best man! You are having a proper shave this morning!"
"Gold?" Jefferson closed the fridge door and gave his friend a pleading look.
"Jeff, I wet shave every day; you'll get no sympathy from me."
"Ugh. Fine."
Gold turned to Grace. "Is it always like this?"
"Pretty much." Grace seemed remarkably blasé about the entire situation, so Gold resolved to follow her lead and just enjoy the show. He found his thoughts once more wending towards Belle. He hoped that Emma would make sure she had a good breakfast. He had felt a little guilty, leaving her in their pink house all alone the night before their wedding, knowing that he would be in good company with Jefferson and his family, but she had insisted that this was one tradition that she didn't want to break with.
Gold couldn't really complain too much, for it made the anticipation of seeing her walking up the aisle towards him all the sweeter.
X
Across town, Belle was, like Gold had been, reliving their first date, because she had found herself in the same position of sitting on the end of her bed whilst Ruby rifled through her underwear drawer.
"And you still keep your passport in with your knickers?" Ruby exclaimed? "I'd have thought that Gold of all people would have somewhere organised to keep things like that."
Belle raised an eyebrow. "Ruby, have you actually taken a good look around this house? Have you seen the amount of junk?"
Ruby turned and gave Belle a knowing look.
"It's very nicely organised junk, though," she said. "Everything has a home. And I would have thought that passports would have had a home somewhere other than your underwear drawer."
Belle just gave a snort of laughter. "Scrabble around in that drawer enough and you'll find Gold's as well."
Ruby gave an exasperated sigh and flung Belle's lucky knickers at her. "I don't think I'll ever understand you."
"You don't have to understand me," Belle said, pulling on the knickers under her bathrobe. "Just love me. Now, I think your son may be wanting attention," she added, as the wailing of a young infant began on the floor below. Archie was ensconced in the living room with Connor, allowing Belle to have her best friends to herself for a few hours before the wedding. "Go on. Emma and I can finish up here and dress me on our own, I think."
"We'll give you a shout if the dress needs more than two pairs of hands," Emma added.
Ruby gave her a grateful smile and rushed downstairs, and Emma continued to work on Belle's hair. Ruby had been in charge of it but her excitement had resulted in some rather exuberant hand-waving, and Belle had begun to fear for the safety of her ears in the proximity of the curling tongs.
"You're a lot calmer than I was," Emma observed, beginning to thread pearl pins into Belle's updo. "I can't believe how non-plussed you are."
"I'm not non-plussed. I'm just not nervous." Belle grinned at her friend in the mirror. "I'm excited."
It was the honest truth. Of course, there were a few lingering worries at the back of her mind, the odd niggle of 'what if such and such goes wrong', but when it came to the actual act of marrying her fiancé, there were no doubts at all. She had been waiting for this day for a long time, and she was going to enjoy every minute of it.
Downstairs, the doorbell rang, and Belle heard Archie answer it.
"Only me!" Jefferson yelled up the stairs. "I've brought you a bridesmaid, where would you like me to put her? In the cupboard under the stairs out of the way? She brought a book, if you provide a torch she'll be quite happy."
"Dad!" Grace exclaimed.
"Come on up, Grace," Belle called.
"Jeff, stop making trouble and stick to the day job of seeing that Gold doesn't scarper for Glasgow at the last minute," Emma added.
Jefferson said his farewells and left the house again. A moment later, there was a tap on the bedroom door and Grace poked her head round it.
"Hey Grace," Emma said. "How's Gold?"
"Awake," Grace replied after some thought, sitting down on the bed and visibly trying very hard not to touch her hair. She had naturally thick and heavy tresses; it seemed that Alice had used an entire can of hairspray to try and get the curls to stay. "And alive. He was singing in the shower so he can't have drowned himself."
Emma raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure your father didn't spike his breakfast tea with vodka?"
Grace nodded. "I'm sure. Not that I wouldn't put it past Dad, but I was watching him like a hawk. I think he's working on the principle that anything he does will come back to haunt him if he and Alice get married."
Belle wouldn't put it past Gold. He had a memory like an elephant when it suited him.
At length, after Ruby had come in and out several times to offer a second opinion, they deemed Belle's hair and make-up perfect, and it was time for her dress. Emma came over and helped her get into it, holding the neckline open so that it wouldn't muss her hair, and Ruby held the skirt so that it wouldn't crease.
"You're going to be stunning," Emma said earnestly, zipping the dress up the back and fiddling with the layers of tulle around the neckline. "Gold won't know what hit him."
Belle looked at herself in the mirror. Emma had been there when she'd found the dress, and she'd known as soon as she put it on that it was 'the one' so to speak. Her friend had just sat in the corner of the bridal boutique nodding dumbly and giving two thumbs up. An a-line skirt with a fitted halter-neck bodice in pure white tulle. It had taken Emma several minutes to actually come up with any words, but Belle had understood what she was driving at. It was simple, but feminine, and the shape was evocative of the vintage style that Belle was so fond of.
She had decided against a veil, in the end. She didn't want anything in front of her eyes whilst she was walking up the aisle lest she trip up and plant herself face first in the floor, and she couldn't find anything in the boutiques that seemed to fit properly. Everything had been too long, too short, too wide or too flounced, and since Belle hadn't had any kind of clear idea of what she wanted from a veil in the first place, she decided to cut her losses after a conversation with Granny.
"You've got beautiful hair," the older woman had said when Belle had confided her veil woes. "Why do you want to cover it up on your wedding of all days?"
It was such a simple solution, and it had saved her a lot of stress and a sore head from veil combs digging into her scalp.
There was another knock at the door downstairs and Archie was once more pressed into service as butler. A few moments later, his head appeared around the door.
"The car's here, and Connor and I are off," he said. "You look wonderful, Belle. Truly. I'll see you at the hall."
He closed the door behind him and Ruby turned to Belle.
"Ready?"
Belle smiled.
"What do you think?"
X
When Reed Hall, a beautiful old building tucked away at the bottom of the university campus, had presented itself as a possible venue for their wedding, Belle and Gold had known that they had hit the jackpot. The hall had a small ceremony room that was the perfect size for their number of guests and a well-appointed dining room for the reception, and it was set in charming gardens that were ideal for photographs and mingling as long as the weather held. It was in this garden that Gold and Jefferson were enjoying the sunshine whilst waiting for the first guests to arrive.
Belle had not wanted the wedding to be in a registry office. Although it was a nice enough building and Gold had seen more than enough couples posing for pictures on the steps when he had gone to collect Belle from the library around the corner, he understood her reluctance. Her first wedding had been at a registry, and whilst it had not been entirely emotionless, it had not been the romantic experience that she wanted from a wedding. Gold was similarly reluctant for a church wedding having been through one himself, and after Bae he'd stopped believing in God anyway. Besides, theirs was a small, intimate wedding: neither of them had any extended family beyond Aunt Elvira and they moved in the same small circle of friends. A large church would seem comical; they needed a small, cosy venue.
Jefferson checked his watch.
"Last chance for Dutch before the guests arrive," he said. Gold raised his eyebrows at the suggestion. "What? I spent the morning of my wedding to Sophie firmly attached to my best man's hip flask."
"You spent the morning of your first date with Alice searching my office for gin," Gold added. "It would have been funny had I not been trying to put together a custody case for the same afternoon."
"Ah yes." Jefferson smiled fondly at the memory. "I stole some from Sid in the end."
Gold shook his head in despair, but before anything more could be said on the subject of Dutch courage or the fact that Jefferson found the prospect of romantic encounters utterly terrifying, one of the venue admin staff came over to tell them that the room was ready, and they decamped inside the cool building to await the guests.
There wasn't much call for ushers; there weren't enough people coming to warrant it and as most of the guests knew both Belle and Gold equally, it made sense to let everyone sit where they wanted for the ceremony instead of splitting up between bride and groom. Gold watched people begin to arrive in dribs and drabs; when he saw Archie and Connor slip in at the back, he knew that Belle would soon be on her way and the waiting would be over…
"Errant Nephew!"
Aunt Elvira had arrived. Gold had picked her up from the train station the previous day and driven her to her bed and breakfast. She had turned down his offer to stay at the house, saying that it would feel odd staying in his home when he wasn't there, and that she didn't want to be a third wheel to Belle's preparations in the morning. She trotted down the aisle towards them with a speed that belied her advancing years, and came to a halt in front of Jefferson, giving him the complete onceover from head to toe and back again.
"Hello there. Who's this handsome young fellow?"
"Aunt Elvira, this is Jefferson. Jefferson, my Aunt Elvira."
"Errant Nephew, you must introduce me to your friends more often," Elvira scolded. "Especially if they're all as good-looking as this one."
Gold resisted the urge to bury his face in his hands. He should have known that Elvira would start flirting with someone at some point during the day, but he'd expected her to have had a few more glasses of gin, and he had not expected her victim to be his best man. Luckily, Jefferson took it all in his stride.
"You're very kind, Miss Gold, but I'm afraid I am spoken for."
Aunt Elvira tutted. "It's a crying shame. All the best men are taken. She's a very lucky lady. Or he's a very lucky man. Whatever floats your lilo." She turned her attention to Gold. "Now, my nephew, I am most disappointed in you…"
There was a polite cough from behind Gold's left shoulder and he turned to see one of the hall staff smiling at him.
"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I have to let you know that the bride has arrived."
Aunt Elvira's eyes lit up.
"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get this show on the road!"
The word quickly spread around the guests and they filed into their seats. Gold took his place at the front. Jefferson gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder and he turned to watch his beautiful bride enter the room.
Belle was radiant as the sun. There was no other way to describe her, and even those words didn't do her full justice as she glided towards him, the smile on her face one of Cheshire Cat proportions. He had to grip his cane handle hard; suddenly it felt like the only thing keeping him upright.
The most beautiful woman in the world was coming up the aisle towards him, and in a few minutes, she was going to be his wife.
X
The room was only small and the aisle was not very long, but Belle tried to make the walk, with Gold's awestruck eyes on her the entire way, last as long as she could. When she reached the front, she gave her bouquet to Emma and Gold took one of her hands.
"You look beautiful," he murmured.
Belle smiled. "You're not looking too bad yourself."
Gold's reply was to kiss her knuckles, and Belle gave him a look at would have been far more effective had she been able to stop herself grinning from ear to ear.
"The kissing's supposed to come after the wedding," she scolded.
Gold shrugged. There was a moment of quiet between them, Gold running his thumb over her fingers. Belle looked to his other hand; his hold on his cane was white-knuckled although she didn't see what he had to be nervous about.
"Shall we get married now?" she suggested.
Gold nodded. "I think that's an excellent idea."
The ceremony was short but heartfelt, and then, Belle was married.
She couldn't quite believe it.
Signing the register, she looked down at the band of white gold around her finger. Although she had been determined not to think about it, she couldn't help but remember the last time that she had been in this position, a cold February morning, wearing her thick but not particularly attractive winter coat and fighting back morning sickness. She'd thrown up three times before the ceremony then, and she couldn't tell to this day whether it had been nerves, pregnancy or her poor body screaming at her not to go through with it.
Today though… She was broken from her train of thought by Gold's lips against her cheek as he took the pen from her to sign his own name… Today, nothing had gone wrong and the only butterflies in her stomach now were ones of excitement. Today, everything was right. She had been looking forward to this day for over a year now, and whilst a lot had happened in those twelve months, her anticipation had never dimmed. And now, she was married, and she couldn't quite believe that it had finally happened.
She closed her hand over the top of Gold's on his cane and squeezed, to reassure herself that he was still there and it wasn't just a dream.
With the register signed, the only thing left to do was walk back down the aisle. She had walked up it alone, but she would be walking down it with the man she loved, the man who was now her husband.
X
Although she was pretty sure that most people knew each other, Belle made certain to move between the groups of guests in the garden, making introductions as they drank their Pimms and chatted, waiting to be fed.
"Belle! Pet, you look stunning!" Brenda rushed over to them, the flowers on her hat bouncing as she moved, and she threw the arm not holding her drink around the bride. "And the mysterious Mr Gold, looking sharp as ever. Oh Belle, your dad would be so proud of you."
Belle had determined that she wasn't going to cry today. It was a day for celebration, not mourning, but she had felt her father's absence as she had walked down the aisle, and she couldn't help the tears that welled up. She tried to blink them away, but Brenda, who was observant for all her scattiness, saw and fished a tissue out of her handbag.
"There now, pet. It's a good job I brought extra stock. I always cry at weddings."
"I know what you're going to say," Belle said. "I'll ruin my make-up." Beside her, Gold gave a little huff of laughter and put his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in close to his side.
"Well there is that about it, but I won't discourage you." Brenda smiled before giving a sniff and reaching for the tissues herself. "It's good luck for a bride to cry on her wedding day."
Belle gave her older friend an incredulous look.
"It is." Aunt Elvira had joined them, nodding enthusiastically. "She cries away all her tears on her wedding day and she'll be happy for the rest of her marriage."
Belle laughed and dried her eyes as Aunt Elvira rounded on her nephew.
"Errant Nephew, I am most disappointed in you." She prodded Gold's shoulder, but the merry twinkle in her eyes showed that whatever she was about to say was not meant to be taken seriously. "Where is your kilt, boy?"
Gold raised his eyes to heaven with an expression that plainly read 'God, I don't know what I did to deserve my aunt, but please save me from her now'.
"Yes…" Ruby came over, cradling a dozing Connor against her shoulder. "I was wondering the same thing."
"For the love of…" Gold threw his free hand up in despair, but before the women could gang up on him even more, Elvira was completely captivated by her nephew's godson and she and Ruby were caught up on an in-depth discussion of babies. Gold saw this as an excellent opportunity to steer Belle away from his aunt before she could embarrass him any further, and they moved over to greet Astrid and Leroy. The couple were contemplating the rose bushes behind the dining room, and Belle couldn't help but remember the last wedding that they had all been to together. Whilst no-one had actually said anything, the fact that a very rumpled-looking Astrid had popped up from behind a rose bush as a very newly-engaged Belle and Gold were heading back to the hotel had spoken volumes, and also resulted in Astrid and Leroy being the first people to know of the engagement.
Gold cleared his throat.
"I do hope you're not thinking of getting up to any shenanigans," he said. "We've already claimed this bush." Astrid started and jerked her glass, sending half her Pimms flying. Luckily it avoided Belle's dress and Leroy managed to jump out of the way in time to stop any landing on him.
"Good grief, Gold," he grumbled. "I've only got the one suit and tie. At least try and let me get out of buying a new one."
Gold opened his mouth to say something, but then the waitresses were calling them into the dining room. The reception was served.
X
It was only once the dessert plates had been cleared and the bar staff were topping up champagne flutes for the toasts that Belle began to feel nervous about what she was about to do.
Gold squeezed her hand under the table.
"You'll be great," he said. "I promise. Just take a deep breath and speak from the heart."
Belle stood up and cleared her throat, looking around at the guests – at her friends – watching her expectantly.
"Before I start, I would like to thank you all for coming and being with us today, especially those of you who have made long journeys from other parts of the country, you know who you are. I know it's unusual for the bride to give a speech, but everyone here knows that this wedding is hardly conventional. Everyone here also knows that my dad died last year. Because I know how much he was looking forward to walking me down the aisle and making a toe-curlingly embarrassing speech, it felt wrong to have anyone else in his place, to have someone else by my side. And then I realised that since Dad died, I have had someone else by my side, and I've always had him. The amazing man who is now my husband. At weddings you toast the bride, the bridesmaids, the happy couple. Today I'd like to toast the groom. Please raise your glasses to my wonderful Gold."
The guests echoed her toast and Belle continued. Having had a bit of a cry earlier with Brenda, it made it easier to get through the rest of her words.
"Even though Dad's not here today, I know that he's up there watching over us – probably waiting in the bar telling me to get on with it so that we can get onto the party. So I won't keep you much longer. I'll just take this opportunity to say thank you to Dad for all he did for me, and to tell him to get himself another whiskey whilst he waits. Please raise your glasses to absent friends."
"To absent friends."
Belle sat back down and Gold took her hand under the table again.
"I told you you'd be great," he whispered, before standing himself. Belle had not heard Gold's speech. Jefferson had assured her that it was perfectly fine and would not offend anyone, and now that she had her own nerve-wracking part out of the way, she was quite looking forward to hearing him.
"I talk for a living," he began. "I make statements and speeches almost every day. But when I sat down to write this one, I had no idea what to say."
"You're losing your silver tongue, Mr Gold," Cara called from her table. Gold rolled his eyes.
"One does not normally expect hecklers during a wedding speech, unless Cara is amongst the guests. There are children present, Miss Mallory. Let us descend into innuendo another time. As I was saying, I had no idea what to say. I could tell you how beautiful Belle is, but that would be a ridiculous waste of time because you can all see how beautiful she is, and you can all see that nothing I could say would do her proper justice."
"I could wax lyrical about how Belle and I met, and how many slices of carrot cake I had to buy before I plucked up the courage to ask her out, but that's a story for another time and place. The most important thing is that, carrot cake aside, Belle and I did meet, and I knew from the moment I saw her that she was perfect. I'm too old and cynical to believe in love at first sight. At least, I always thought I was. Belle has managed to change quite a few of my pre-conceived notions since I've known her. I can quite honestly say, from the bottom of my heart, that Belle is the best thing to happen to me for a very, very long time, and I'd like to raise a toast to that. To Belle, my bright, bold, beautiful wife. Thank you for being you, and for loving me."
"To Belle," the guests echoed.
"There are many other people to thank for their crucial role today. My Aunt Elvira, for example, thank you for leaving Maisie the poodle at home. Mrs Lucas, thank you for the confectionery masterpiece that is our wedding cake. My best man Jefferson, who had to put up with me all morning and should be commended for that alone, but who also made sure I had breakfast and got here on time. We've always known him as the office mother hen, and today I've been grateful for his clucking. Should you ever find yourself in my position, Mr Milliner, I will happily return the favour. Last but not least, the bridesmaids – Emma, Ruby and Grace, especially Ruby, who has been juggling bouquets, lipstick, hairpins and a four month old all day. Please raise your glasses to the best man and the bridesmaids – they deserve it for all their hard work helping me and my wife in the run-up to this momentous day."
Belle leaned into Gold's side as he sat down.
"Thank you," she whispered. "That was sweet."
"Don't mention it," Gold replied with a grin. "I mean it. I'll be getting a reputation."
Jefferson stood.
"Thank you Gold, I'm touched. There was I, thinking you were a cold-hearted, ungrateful sod." He cleared his throat. "Ladies and gentlemen, as you all know, we are gathered here today to witness… No, we've already had that bit… Ahem. Ladies and gentlemen, friends, family, gatecrashers whom we let stay for the party anyway, as Gold's best man it is my duty and my privilege to embarrass him to the point where his face is the same colour as the raspberry coulis…"
Gold rested his head in one hand with a muted groan and Belle patted his arm, unable to hide her smile. She had vetted Jefferson's speech personally and taken out all the bits that she thought completely inappropriate, but Gold didn't know that. Best to let him stew for a little while.
"For those of you who don't know, although the majority of you do, Gold and I work in the same law practice. I have not known him as long as some best men have known their grooms. I have no stories to tell you of his childhood indiscretions, such as the time he was nearly kicked out of playgroup for biting, or the things he would do at university when paid in whiskey. I hereby extend my thanks to Gold's wonderful Aunt Elvira for the enthusiasm with which she offered up these tibits with which to embarrass her nephew. No, I can't tell you about any of those things, but she can, and she'll be more than willing share them. Gold and I first met when he came to fill in the rather large shoes left by the senior partner Mr Fothergill, god rest his departed soul. Little did I know he had already begun his wooing of the beautiful Miss French who waitressed over the way by smiling at her through the window and causing her to drop forks. Yes, people, Don Juan was nothing before he cut a deal with Gold…"
Jefferson paused and pulled out some cards.
"Now, everyone in the practice found out very quickly that Mr Gold is Scottish, and Mr Gold likes his Scotch. I took the liberty of looking up some vocabulary commonly used to describe whiskey, and it gave me food for thought, as I was worried that Gold might have imbibed so much of the stuff that he is actually turning into it. Listen to these: 'dignified', 'firm', 'dry', 'subtle', 'rich', 'dark'. There are more that I think Belle is probably more justified in using than myself: 'hot', 'salty', 'mouth-coating'. And there is, of course, my personal favourite and the most apt: 'nutty'."
Jefferson waited for the laughter to dissipate and continued.
"I also have here some genuine, bonafide statements that our colleagues have used when describing Mr Gold, none of which can be attributed to whiskey. His secretary Ashley says he's a 'terror'. Our receptionist, Kathryn, says 'Gold only has two moods – bad and suing someone'. Regina Mills, who likes to think she's Gold's boss – you just keep dreaming that, Regina – calls him… several things that are unrepeatable in polite society. Tara Castle, Ashley's maternity cover temp who was with us for a grand total of… how many days, Gold?"
"Twenty-four," Gold mumbled.
"Twenty-four days." Jefferson continued. "was so traumatised by the experience of working for him that she couldn't even give a statement. My own first impression of him was a Very Scary Man With A Cane, and I maintained this impression until I saw him on his first divorce case. The parents spent the entire time arguing to the extent that he left them in his office and spent the rest of the appointment sitting in reception with their son discussing Pokémon. For three quarters of an hour. And I happen to know that Gold has never played Pokémon in his life and barely knows how to switch on his computer. I have seen him hit his laptop with one of Belle's shoes before. But he will still be able to have a forty-five minute in-depth discussion on pokémon with a seven year old because despite the Hugo Boss suit, and the cane, and the smile that sometimes makes you think he's just killed someone, Gold is completely gooey and squidgy in the middle, and Belle, darling, I thank you from the bottom of my heart for bringing out Gold's inner softie more often. Just don't do it too much. If he starts humming in his office then you might have gone too far and we'll have to find him a horrible client asap to sharpen him up again.
"But this is why Belle is such a good match for our Very Scary Man With A Cane, and why I offer the two of them my sincerest congratulations. Belle brings out the very best in Gold, and the most wonderful thing is that he lets her. Gold, I shall be serious now. You are a difficult man to get to know. There are many layers of Boss and Armani, and indeed Glenmorangie, before we uncover the squishy middle, and there are not many to whom you open up. It is therefore a great honour to me to be numbered amongst your friends and a great honour to be asked to stand beside you on this most important day. Over the past couple of years that I have known you, you and Belle have been very good friends to me and I only hope I can return the great gift you have given me as you continue on your married life together. People, please be upstanding and raise your glasses to toast the bride and groom."
The toast echoed round the room.
"Quick," Jefferson said. "Toss the bouquet now whilst you've got their attention."
Belle laughed, but nonetheless got up from the table, bouquet in hand, and the ladies followed her out into the garden.
"You know," Emma called back to the men who had remained, "you might want to join us, just in case. You'll want to know what you're letting yourselves in for. Especially you, Jefferson. Now might be a good time to remember that your daughter's on the basketball team."
Jefferson choked on his champagne and scrambled round the tables and out into the garden past Emma.
"Grace Milliner, if you catch that bouquet..!"
Belle laughed and brought her bouquet up to her face, breathing in the delicate scent of the roses and lavender and taking a few final moments to admire the flowers in their full glory before they were unceremoniously thrown.
She tossed the bouquet and turned to see the results. A triumphant-looking Ashley stood in the centre of the group of women, Alexandra in one arm and the bouquet in the other hand. Over by the doors, Sean was looking rather worried…
X
Ruby was exhausted. Going to a wedding four months after having a baby was a tiring feat in itself. Being a bridesmaid four months after having a baby was something else entirely. True, Emma had taken on the majority of the bridesmaid duties, with Ruby's only stipulation being to turn up, wear the dress and walk up the aisle after Belle, after which she could concentrate on Connor and ignore the rest of the wedding if needs be, but she was still exhausted.
Ignoring the wedding was certainly what she was doing at that point in time, secreted away in a quiet corner behind the speakers so that she could feed Connor in peace as the venue staff cleared away the tables to create a dance floor in the dining room. Belle had been so good about the whole thing, finding her an empire-line dress with a tie halter that was comfortable and practical for breast-feeding as well as looking pretty.
She leaned back in her chair and watched the other guests mingling in the garden, Belle moving between the groups of guests, Gold following her at a slightly slower pace but with his eyes always on her, a look of adoration on his face. Look at my wife, he seemed to be saying. Isn't she beautiful and wonderful and aren't I the luckiest man alive to have her?
And Belle… Belle looked so happy. Ruby was quite certain that she had never seen her friend look so happy. Belle had been so calm about the entire wedding – no last minute nerves or cold feet, no crises of confidence, no last minute stresses about whether the preparations were all going to plan or not. She had thoroughly enjoyed her wedding day and the build up to it. Ruby hoped that when she married Archie (because she was going to marry Archie at some point in the far future, whether he realised this or not), she was just as unflappable. It was unlikely, admittedly, but it wasn't an impossible dream.
"Hello."
Ruby tore her glance away from the window to see Ashley making slow progress towards her, Alexandra tottering along in front of her mother. The little girl was holding a white rose from Belle's bouquet in one hand; she had been most put out when her mother had given the bride back her bouquet, so Belle had carefully extracted a few roses for Alexandra to keep. She presented the bloom clumsily to Ruby.
"Flow, Nana Roo," she gabbled, which Ruby translated from toddler to English as 'flower, Aunty Ruby'.
"Thank you, Lexy." She tucked the rose behind her ear and readjusted Connor's position on her lap. Ashley responded to her unspoken request to retie her halterneck for her, and the two women looked out at the wedding guests again. Somehow, Belle and Gold had managed to take leave of the small party and were partly concealed from view behind a rose bush, or at least, they would have been had Ruby and Ashley not been on the other side of the window watching them. Whilst they weren't doing anything remotely resembling debauchery – in fact they weren't even kissing – they still jumped apart guiltily when Ashley tapped calmly on the glass and waved. Muffled through the window, Ruby heard Gold grumble something about not being able to get a moment's peace at his own wedding and Belle laugh and pull him back to the guests.
"I did tell her that he would be excellent husband material," Ashley said proudly. "I stand by my judgement."
Ruby stood by it too.
X
"Mr Gold, you promised." Belle had not wanted to resort to pouting when their marriage was less than six hours old, but it seemed the most effective method of persuasion at that particular point in time. "You promised me a first dance. We had a deal. One dance, and I would let you sit down for the entire rest of the evening."
Gold sighed, although she could tell that his reluctance was at least half-feigned.
"All right." He glanced around for a suitable place to put his cane for safekeeping and Henry helpfully held out a hand. "You're holding me up though."
Belle kissed him and gave him both her hands, pulling him onto the floor as the music began. They didn't dance often; Gold's knee made it nearly impossible to move to anything faster than a soulful ballad, but a soulful ballad was what they had, and she was grateful for it. She rested her head on Gold's shoulder as they swayed along to Bette Midler's bluesy vocals, and the irony of the situation made her smile. This was the first song they had ever danced to, and in a beautiful coincidence, their first dance had also been on the first night they'd slept more, the night was only just beginning, and it was theirs for the taking.
Jefferson, Alice, Emma and Graham soon joined them, and by the end of the song several other couples were dancing as well. Over Gold's shoulder, Belle watched Archie dancing with Connor whilst Ruby looked on from her seat, her no-doubt aching feet propped on another chair.
The music stopped but neither of them made any move. They stayed standing in the middle of the dance floor, even as a livelier tune began and other people started to dance around them. Belle nuzzled into Gold's neck, breathing in his aftershave, feeling his hands on her lower back – warm and steady and giving no indication that he was uncomfortable even though she knew that standing unsupported for a long time gave his knee grief. For as long as Gold was content to stay holding her, Belle didn't want to let go.
She didn't want to let go for a long time.
X
The bridal suite at the Royal was beautiful, and Belle spent several minutes just looking around it in wonder. Her attention kept being drawn back to the four-poster bed that was very obviously intended as the centrepiece of the room. No-one looking in could deny that this suite had definitely been designed with its intended purpose in mind. Jefferson had already arranged for their bags to be brought over to the hotel and they were stowed neatly in one corner, Gold's suit carrier hanging on the wardrobe door.
There was an ice-bucket with a bottle of champagne in it in the centre of the room, and Belle was about to suggest they cracked it open when Gold gave a heartfelt sigh of 'tea!' and made a beeline for the kettle, as if he'd never been happier to see an electrical appliance in his life.
Belle laughed. "There's free champagne and you want tea?"
"Belle, I have drunk more than enough champagne already today, but I haven't had a cup of tea since half-past nine this morning and I'm going to start getting withdrawal soon." He wandered over to the ice bucket whilst he waited for the kettle to boil and picked up the card that was clipped to the handle.
"Who's it from?" Belle asked. "The hotel?" She pulled off her shoes and got onto the bed, testing out the mattress. It was heavenly and she could quite happily have slept on it for twenty years, but sleeping was not very high on her list of priorities at that moment in time.
Gold rolled his eyes as he read the card.
"Jeff?" Belle asked. He shook his head.
"To my dear Errant Nephew and my beautiful new niece," he read, "please enjoy the champagne. In moderation. This is going to be a night that you will want to remember. All my love and the very best wishes for your future together, Aunt Elvira."
Belle laughed. "Your Aunt Elvira is a legend."
"Don't I know it," Gold muttered. The kettle boiled and he went back to it to make his tea. "Would you like some?"
Belle was about to respond in the negative and pop the champagne for herself when her nose caught the aromatic bergamot scent of Earl Grey and she decided that maybe tea wasn't such a bad idea after all.
"Actually…"
Gold was already bringing two cups over to the bed. He handed them to her and divested himself of shoes and socks before getting onto the bed beside her and taking a long gulp, giving a heartfelt grunt of satisfaction.
Belle laughed and sipped her own tea. "We're already giving the neighbours a show and we aren't even undressed yet."
"At least we actually waited until most of the guests had gone home before taking leave of them," Gold pointed out. "Unlike certain literary couples. Marius was so eager to get the wedding night started he dragged Cosette off halfway through the reception, if I remember correctly."
"We might have scandalised people somewhat if you'd ravished me in the middle of dinner," Belle said. Gold raised one eyebrow.
"Who, precisely? Everyone in the room knows us and Aunt Elvira would have been cheering me on."
"Cara's plus one might have been a bit surprised."
"He's with Cara. Nothing should surprise that man."
Belle thought about this for a moment and conceded the point. She chinked her teacup to Gold's in a toast.
"To us, on the first night of the rest of our lives."
"And to many more nights to come, I hope."
Belle took another sip of tea and then burst out laughing; Gold had to take her cup from her lest she upend it over her white dress.
"I can't quite believe that we're sitting on the largest bed I've ever seen, drinking tea and discussing Hugo. On our wedding night."
"What's wrong with drinking tea and discussing Hugo on our wedding night?" Gold asked, before draining his cup and setting it on the bedside table beside hers.
"Nothing." Belle took his hand and laced her fingers through his, bringing his palm up to kiss it. "Most couples tear each other's clothes off as soon as they get in the door. And sometimes before." She kissed him again. "I like it this way. The anticipation's still there…" her eyes trailed down to Gold's crotch and his hips shifted under her gaze "but there's less pressure to perform and have it all over and done within five minutes."
"Oh, I plan on spending a lot longer than five minutes with you tonight, Mrs Gold." Gold growled. His voice was husky with unchecked desire and Belle grinned as he pulled her in closer for another kiss, letting him take the lead and tip her onto her back.
"I'm glad to hear it, Mr French," she replied.
"I thought we agreed," Gold said, peppering her lips with little kisses, "that you were going to take my name."
"I know, I know," Belle replied. "But my brain doesn't want to think about complicated thinkie thoughts like changing my name right now."
Gold pressed a trail of light, nipping kisses down her jaw and neck. "What does your brain want to think about?"
"My brain doesn't want to think about anything. My brain wants to shag my husband senseless."
Said husband gave her a narrow, cat-eyed smile. "I like your brain."
Belle grinned.
"Just let me put something more appropriate on." Gold raised his eyebrows and moved off her. Belle slipped off the bed and turned her back.
"Unzip me?" she asked demurely.
Gold acquiesced eagerly, dragging the zip down and kissing his way down her spine. Belle felt him unhook her bra as he went past and she grabbed her chest to stop the underwear falling down inside her dress. She gave him a look over her shoulder.
"I believe I said 'unzip', not 'undo."
Gold shrugged and Belle rolled her eyes, hooking her bra out of her dress and tossing it at him. Gathering up the carefully tissue-wrapped package from the top of her overnight bag and a coathanger from the wardrobe, she slipped into the bathroom and began her preparations.
She'd been waiting to wear this lingerie for far too long, and she was damn well going to enjoy it whilst it was on, because knowing Gold, it wouldn't be on for very long. Belle slipped out of her wedding dress and hung it on the back of the door, and opened up her package. It was a babydoll nightdress in sheer, golden-champagne coloured silk with embroidered lace cups and fastened with long, curling ribbons, and matching lace knickers. As soon as she'd seen the set, she'd known it was the one, and Ruby had agreed with her, for all their arguing about white wedding night lingerie.
Beyond the bathroom door, Belle could hear Gold pottering about in the bedroom – teacups chinking, bags being unzipped, his uneven step over the floorboards – and she figured that she could take her time. They weren't in any hurry, after all. Their plane didn't leave until three o'clock the next day. Plenty of time to enjoy what the night had in store. She washed off her makeup and combed all the pins out of her hair; as tempting as it was to leave it up and have it adding to the seductive effect, she knew how uncomfortable it would be if she ended up falling asleep with it still pinned, and she knew that once she was in bed, she wasn't going to want to get out of it again in a hurry.
Finally ready, she donned the lingerie and took a long look at herself in the full-length cheval. Yes. Yes, this was definitely a good purchase. She gave an involuntary shiver of anticipation and made to leave the room.
Belle paused with her hand on the door handle, listening to the sounds coming from the bedroom. Her brow furrowed as she heard Gold swearing under his breath.
"Is everything all right out there?" she called.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Just give me a minute… bloody thing…"
Belle's brow furrowed as he swore in Gaelic before returning to English again.
"All right, let me look at you."
Belle smiled; his accent was so thick as to be nearly unintelligible. This was shaping up to be an excellent wedding night.
She opened the door, intending to pose in as sultry manner as possible in the bathroom doorway, but all thoughts of playing the coquette flew from her head when she saw her husband, and she stayed transfixed with one hand on the door handle, taking in the sight of him.
He was wearing his kilt. And nothing else.
"Take a good look, darling, because once this comes off, I'm not likely to ever put it on again."
Belle grinned as she sidled towards him, movement finally returning to her limbs.
"One night only?" she asked, slipping her arms around his neck and feeling his hands splay over her back, stroking up and down the golden silk.
"Well, I thought that since you'd wed a Scotsman, you might as well bed one."
"Ah, but are you a true Scotsman?"
Gold merely quirked an eyebrow and pressed his lips to hers.
"You are so beautiful," he murmured against her mouth.
"So are you," Belle said. "But that doesn't answer my question."
"Maybe there are some things," Gold began, punctuating his words with kisses along her jaw and up to her ear, "that you have to find out for yourself…"
Belle all but tackled him onto the bed. Married life was going to be fantastic.