What Time is it?

The next thing Caroline knew there was a tap at the door and she saw Will's sweet face peeking in.

Seeing his Mum's hand reaching out to him, Will closed the door, came in and sat on the bed.

Stifling a yawn, "What time is it?"

"Plenty of time. I knew you wouldn't want to be rushed today though." Smiling as he watched her poke another pillow behind her, "I remember the last time I woke you up and you asked me the time." Seeing that she remembered too, "When I first asked you about Kate. I was a little afraid to ask you such a thing but… I thought Dad already knew and I had to know too so I could protect you if I needed to."

Reaching out to touch his hair, "You were very clever. I've never quite recovered from that, you know. You putting it all together that way." Pulling him in for a hug, "I do love you. I know I don't say it often enough but I do." Releasing him to wipe away a tear.

"You do say it Mum and I do know." Handing her the box of tissues, "Don't cry now, you'll just make your eyes red."

Laughing as she blotted away the tears, "I don't know if I'm ever going to get used to you being so grown up."

Grinning at her, "How about this, you take the first shower, I'll send Laurence, the cyclone, in after you and bring up the rear, leaving it ship shape before guests start arriving?" At her nod he started for the door, "By the way, my things are in Laurence's room so I won't be disturbing you. Shall I send Granny back when she gets here?"

Laughing softly, Caroline remarked, "I wouldn't want to see what was left of you if you tried to stop her."

Grinning at this, "I'll see you later, then."

Exiting the bathroom Caroline spies Will seated at the near end of the breakfast bar with a magazine, "You can send Laurence for his shower now, William."

"Right. I'll tell him your finished." Leaning back, watching her down the hall until he hears the door latch click, beckoning with his left hand to his Granny while calling loudly for his Mum's benefit, "Laurence, your turn in the shower."

Will, standing in the passage can hear Laurence in the shower on one side and voices in his Mum and Kate's room on the other, so he knows they are no longer napping by this time. Still with no real idea for how to change the plans on his Ma, he taps softly at the bedroom door.

Edie, a little surprised to find him there, "Yes Will?"

"I'm sorry Edie, I need to speak to Kate. To both of you. Would it be possible for me to come in for a minute?"

Seeing the desperation on his face, "Just a moment."

Standing at the closed door, Will can hear their quiet voices and hopes that Kate will take this as well as he thinks she might.

"Will? Come in." Kate watches as he glances nervously over each shoulder before entering. A little amused, she quirks one eyebrow and inquires, "Everything alright?"

Wringing his hands as he stands just inside the door, "Um, no. Not really."

Kate sees that Will's newfound maturity has deserted him for the moment and he is once again the boy who sang in her choir last year. Smiling reassuringly and pointing to the bench in front of her dressing table as she takes a seat beside Edie on the bed, "You'd better sit down and tell me about it."

Taking a deep breath, he blurts it out, "Granny has hired a caterer to serve a wedding dinner after the ceremony. They are in the kitchen now. Well, they are everywhere, rolling in extra tables and chairs, rearranging the sideboard…" Looking at Kate desperately, "It's too late to stop it now. If Mum sees this before the last minute when you two walk down the aisle there is going to be an explosion between Mum and Granny. And none of us wants that today."

Following this news Kate has exchanged a look with her Mum, searched the ceiling briefly and is once again regarding William, fingers over her mouth, eyes alight with suppressed laughter. This is so typically Celia and Caroline. Finally managing a fair amount of control, "OK. We'll need to make some adjustments. Caroline was going to start from the foyer. I'll start from the foyer instead and she can start from back here. Tell her that I changed my mind-"

Edie broke in, "No. Tell Caroline that I wanted Kate to start at the door so her family could see her before the wedding." Confidently, "She won't defy me."

William could well believe it and being grateful for assistance on formulating a plan, quickly nodded his agreement.

Kate resumed, "Keep Caroline in the study until the very last second, just as we are ready to begin. Can you do that?"

Looking uncertain, "Granny is supposed to go back to help her with her dress."

"Oh dear. Will that work do you think?"

Shrugging, William had no assurance to offer.

"OK. Well, keep an eye on them. Stay back there yourself if you need to." Smiling at him, "You alright?"

Grinning, "Better now." He gave Kate a quick hug and received a pat on the shoulder from Edie as she saw him to the door.

Caroline, in her slip, was seated at the desk when her Mum arrived. She continued to apply make-up, by the light of the desk lamp, looking into a mirror she had scrounged from the wardrobe and propped there, "Hi-ee."

"Hi love." Glancing around nervously, it is rather cramped back here isn't it?

"Oh, I don't know. Mostly when William is in here, I'm not and when I am, he's not." Seeing her mother agitated pacing, she said in her sweet calm voice, "Why don't you sit here in this chair? Kate likes to sit there and read while I work. She thinks it's very comfortable."

Celia perches on the edge of the chair, fidgets with the watch on her arm to see the time then jumps back up to continue pacing. Reassuringly, "Mum. There is plenty of time." Celia pauses to look out the window without replying. Becoming concerned, "Mum? What's wrong? What has you so restless?"

Turning back but not looking at Caroline, "Oh, I don't know, it isn't everyday that my only daughter gets married," she said defensively. Then looking at Caroline accusingly, "You're awfully calm, have you been drinking?"

Laughing, "No-oo. You know I haven't been drinking while Kate's pregnant. I just had a little nap and a talk with Will and it calmed me. I'm feeling more relaxed than I have all day."

"Well, I'm glad somebody is," Celia snapped.

Rising and taking Celia by the shoulders to look into her face, "Mum, it's going to be fine. Unless…" Seeing her mother still is not meeting her eyes Caroline moves in front of Celia's face to make her look at her. "Your not still upset about my marrying Kate?"

"No, no. Well, I mean it is unusual and if it were a big church affair…" Seeing Caroline's expression, "but no, I quite like Kate. It's not that."

Putting aside the other issue for now in the attempt to try to decipher her mother, "What then? You weren't like this before your wedding."

Evading Caroline's gaze again, " Oh, I don't know. I'm just all keyed up today."

Not understanding but trying to help, "Look, where is Alan?"

Meeting her eyes now, "In the other room."

Reasonably, "Would you like to go out to be with him? Maybe you'd feel better."

Visibly brightening at this suggestion, then her face fell, "Well, but you'd be alone then. You shouldn't be alone now."

Humoring her, "Send one of the boys back if you think I need looking after."

Already at the door, "OK. I will." And she was gone.

Mystified, Caroline looked after her. The euphoria that had stolen over her following the nap hadn't dissipated yet and she didn't want to chase it away by trying to fathom what might be going on with her mother just now. Sitting down again she'd just completed the last touches to her make up when there was a tap at the door and Will slipped in closing the door as quickly as possible.

She smiled at him as he passed her a bottle of water, "Everything going alright out there?"

Sitting awkwardly on the edge of the chair so recently vacated by his Granny, "Yeah, yeah. Fine."

Sensing his nervousness Caroline looked at him sharply, "Your Granny seems to be overwrought tonight. What's going on with her do you think?"

"Oh, you know Granny," he said evasively. Standing quickly, "Mum, I've just thought of something I need to take care of, will you wait here?"

Reasonably, "William." Gesturing to body, "I'm in my slip. Where do you think I might be going?"

Looking at her again, "Right. OK. Fine."

"I'm going to need someone to help me with this dress if Granny isn't going to do it. Is Gillian here?"

"Gillian!" snapping upright, hand on the doorknob, "Brilliant. Yes, Gillian." Tipping his head toward the outer rooms, "I'll just nip out and get her." Again slipping through as small an opening as he could, with the hope that the smell of food will not make its way into the room, Will closed the door firmly behind him.

Caroline had heard the murmur of voices and soft laughter. Guests were arriving then. She wondered how Kate was fairing. She hoped people weren't being as daft to Kate as they were to her. Here was Gillian slipping through the door quickly.

"Hey there batman, what's the plan?"

Relieved, "Well, at least you're acting normally. For you."

"Well, I like that." With a grin, "I can leave then if you going to be cheeky."

"No, no. Sorry. It's just my Mum and even Will are acting weird." Confiding, "I was beginning to think I needed to go out and see what was happening."

Pooh-poohing that with a wave of her hand Gillian is looking around for the dress to find it on a hanger over the wardrobe door. "Just wedding jitters." Then, as if she has everyday experience with this, she adds, "They can come over the whole family that way sometimes." Admiring the dress, "It can be contagious." Taking the dress off the hanger and preparing to lower it over Caroline's head, "You doing alright?"

"Yes, I've been remarkably relaxed since I fell asleep for a few minutes this afternoon." Her voice has calmed again. Raising her arms for the dress then standing to let it fall.

"Oh, Caroline. That is truly lovely. You are truly lovely." Turning her to run the zip. "Who would have thought when we met just under a year ago, that I'd be standing here dropping a wedding dress over your head?"

Caroline turned back to Gillian with a warm smile, "We have come a long way since that day, haven't we?" The women hugged one another, gently for the sake of the dress, thinking of all that they had shared and overcome in the past year. From Alan and Celia going missing to organizing the second wedding of their parents. Today they wanted to think only of the happy moments.

Gillian pulled away first rubbing the side of her hand at an eye. "We'll both be blubbing in a minute. Can't have that. Your make-up is perfect."

Putting a steadying hand on Gillian's shoulder to step into her heels Caroline started for the door, "We had better go then. I'm meant to be standing in the foyer until they open the door when Kate is ready. We are going to walk from each end and meet in the middle before we turn and head toward Margo in front of the piano."

Quickly inserting herself between Caroline and the door, "Oops. Change in plan. Didn't I tell you?" Seeing the surprise on Caroline's face she dissembled rapidly, "Seems Kate's Mum thought it best if she started from the foyer. Um, most of the guests are from her family and she wanted them to have a look at her before the ceremony."

Incredulous, her voice a trifle high, "You sure?" Looking baffled, "We've talked about this and Edie was fine with it before."

Shrugging, "I'm just the messenger, but they seemed very definite about it."

Her face softening then, "You've seen Kate? How does she look?"

Breathing again, "Radiant. Kate looks radiant. You both do." Anything to keep Caroline talking, gesturing at Caroline, "Where'd you find the dress?"

Waving dismissively, "Little shop downtown. Do you think Kate will like it?"

"I can promise you, everyone is going to like that dress. Most especially Kate."

Another tap at the door, "Marta!" And they were in one another's arms.

"Oh Caroline, you look stunning. Listen, there are only a few minutes left but I wanted to come back and give you a hug before you got out there in the mob."

Holding her hands, "Marta, I'm so glad you could be here today, thank you for standing up for me."

Giving Caroline another quick hug, "I'm so pleased you asked me." Starting to turn, "Oh! Here are your flowers." Marta helps put the band on Caroline's wrist, "Blush pink roses, what a perfect choice with this dress." Standing back to admire the whole effect of Caroline again, then hurriedly, "Got to run, see you out there." Looking pointedly at Gillian, "You've got this?"

Gillian's reassuring hand on Marta's shoulder as she pushes her through the door, "Yep. All covered," tipping her head to have a look into the passage before closing the door.

Giving Gillian a hard look, "What was that meant to be about?"

Eyes innocently wide, "What?"

Starting across the room, her voice taking on the headmistress tone, "All right, I'm going out there to see exactly what is going on."

To be continued