Pure fluff to draw this part of the story to an end...
The wedding occurred six months later. Clive and Martha wanted a simple do- registry office and a buffet in Shoe Lane would have been just fine for them, but their family and the bridesmaid in particular, encouraged them to do something a little more fancy. In the end they had settled with a hotel on the outskirts of London which had all it's weddings in an Orangery. The bride and groom to-be had loved the light and airy feeling that the glass ceiling and many windows had allowed into the room.
Today, the room was decorated with thousands of flowers in the pink and white colour scheme Olivia had convinced her parents to go with. Scattered amongst them, were garlands of fairy lights and hundreds of tiny tea lights that would be lit later. Whilst Clive waited for his bride he mingled with the many guests, mostly people from Shoe Lane but other people they had come into contact with through their work and old friends and family as well.
Will and Lil were nine months by now and each had pride of place on a lap of one of their grandparents for the ceremony. The flowers and all the people milling about the room seemed to be holding their attention for the moment and Clive hoped it lasted. They were only going to be around for the ceremony. Whilst everyone was at the reception, the couple had arranged a crèche and babysitting service for any other babies in attendance so their parents could enjoy the evening. Older children like Liv would be joining them for the meal but then could enjoy a children's entertainer and party for themselves before also being offered a babysitting service.
In no time at all the ceremony started and Clive was watching Liv walk down the isle towards him ahead of her mother. She knew everyone was looking at her and she was making sure that she walked in time to the music, determined to be the best bridesmaid ever. Despite requesting a pink dress, Liv and Martha had actually decided on a white dress with a full net skirt. The bodice had lots of sparkle to satisfy the little girl and was also dotted around her net skirt. As it was only March she had a white bolero top available, but that was currently in her Nanna's possession. Her hair had an arrangement of pink flowers in it.
On her arrival at the end of the aisle, she gave a big grin to her father before taking a seat next to her grandparents who all congratulated her on her excellent entrance. Then everyone was standing for the arrival of the bride.
Martha had chosen Billy to walk her down the aisle. Her grandfather was a little too frail by now, but that wasn't to say he wasn't at the wedding. He had come down with Martha's mother and was now sat on the front row with his great grandchildren as he finally witnessed his cherished granddaughter tie the knot. He had met Clive a few times before and knew Martha had made a good choice. He seemed a decent man, and had even phoned him up to ask for permission to marry Martha before they had got engaged.
Billy was honoured to perform such an important role in the wedding. Martha was still his favourite barrister and they had had such a special relationship for the twenty years they had known each other. Whilst Clive was still in second place, the gap between the two was considerably closer than it had been in the past. The two barristers had got into some scrapes over the years as they had blossomed into experienced lawyers, and Billy was looking forward to the speeches when he would be able to regale the crowd with some of their more funnier exploits.
When Clive finally got to see Martha, she looked amazing. He remembered she hadn't particularly looked forward to having to go dress shopping, but with the help of both their mothers and Liv they had gone out on a girly shopping trip, and had been successful on their first try. Clive had remained at home and invited some of his friends around to watch some sporting event on TV whilst also being on twin duty.
Martha had started the dress shopping, convinced she wanted something very plain and simple. However it was an elegant lace dress that she had fallen in love with. She knew it was the one as soon as she had put it on and the reactions of her family only reinforced the fact. It was form fitting from the front but had a modest sized train at the back. Whilst the main part of the dress was strapless with a sweetheart neckline, the lace extended up her décolletage to her neck and around her shoulders as well as her upper back, but didn't extend down her arms. Down the back was a continuous line of delicate buttons running from her neck to lower back where the train started.
To keep Olivia happy, the sparkly quotient was supplied by a collection of stones sewn into the lace in the midline just below her bust. She had decided against a veil, instead a delicate floral style headband tiara decorated her hair. In her hands she carried a pale pink peony bouquet.
"Wow!" Was Clive's compliment when she had joined him in front of the registrar.
The ceremony whizzed by in a complete blur for both of them and before they knew it they were being pronounced husband and wife. To the applause of the audience they took their first kiss as a married couple.
Whilst the photos were being taken in the hotel grounds, the orangery was converted into the reception area. The guests were treated to a three course meal and as the darkness fell so the fairy lights were switched on, and the thousands of tea lights were lit casting the whole place in a romantic glow.
Once the speeches were over, Martha managed to get Clive out on the dance floor for perhaps the first time ever for their first dance, before the party really started. Before they knew it, everyone was heading to their hotel rooms rather the worse for wear from alcohol.
It was late morning when Clive and Martha finally made it down to breakfast where they found most of their guests had already beaten them to it. Falling asleep as soon as their heads touched the pillow the previous night, they had taken advantage of a child free morning when they had woken up to finally consummate their marriage. Their children had spent the night in their grandparents rooms and they were now anxious to see them to make sure everybody had behaved themselves.
"Mummy, are you ok?" asked Olivia as Martha took a seat beside her.
"Of course I am," Martha answered. "Why wouldn't I be? I had a wonderful day yesterday, with the most wonderful bridesmaid,"she continued as she kissed her daughter good morning.
"I didn't know if you had hurt yourself or not?"
"I'm fine," Martha assured her daughter.
"You sure, Mummy?" Olivia persisted.
"Yes, Liv," Martha reiterated. "Do I look like I've hurt myself?".
"No," agreed Olivia, "but you were groaning a lot when I knocked on your door earlier. I thought you might have hurt yourself jumping on the bed as the bed was squeaking a lot as well," Olivia continued, and Martha suddenly realised what she was talking about. "Anyway Nanna said that Daddy would look after you and not to worry and that we should come down for breakfast," she continued. "Did he look after you ok?".
"Daddy did an excellent job of looking after me," Martha replied which satisfied both Olivia and Clive who had been listening in.
Clive and Martha didn't have a typical honeymoon, not really thinking it fair to leave anyone with their young children, knowing how much hard work the twins could be. Instead they would be taking their whole family, including Bailey away for a week to Cornwall where they had rented a five star cottage tucked away in a private spot.
They had decided to go two days after their wedding, which meant the only job today was getting back to their home, packing and taking Bob to the cattery. Olivia had been distraught when she had found out that Bob wouldn't be coming with them on their holiday, worried about how he would cope without her. Both Clive and Martha had tried to tell her that cats really didn't like going to strange places and that he might run away, so instead it would be better for him to go to the cattery. To try and appease her, they suggested that she could find the best cattery for Bob.
With a little help from Bethany, that is exactly what she did. Bethany had noticed that the usually talkative little girl was a little quiet one afternoon after school in chambers. When she had asked her if anything was wrong, the little girl had told her about how worried she was about her cat not being able to go on holiday with them after her parents wedding. To try and help her feel better, the two girls had then spent the next half an hour or so, browsing local catteries that might be suitable for the beloved pet.
It was Bethany who had stumbled on a boutique one, and Olivia had fallen in love with it instantly. Armed with a print out, she had headed into her parents office where her father was finishing off some work.
"Daddy," she had said as she made her way to where he was sitting. "I've found a catt'ry for Bob," she had explained as she thrust the information in Clive's direction. Clive found himself reading about luxury rooms equipped with beds and chairs for the family cat. A five star menu was available as well as a daily grooming session and someone to play and cuddle with him as well. The family would be able to keep an eye on their pet via a webcam in his room whilst they were away if they so desired as well.
"Is all of this really necessary Liv?" Clive had asked, not quite believing there were such services available for pets. It would be wasted on Bob who was one of the laziest cats around.
"If we are going on holiday Daddy then it's only fair that Bob gets somewhere nice to stay," Olivia had reasoned.
With Martha on packing duty for their holiday, Clive took Olivia with him to drop Bob off at the cattery. They were shown his room by the owner and Clive placed Bob's cage on the comfy bed, and opened the door. Bob refused to leave his box, wary of the new environment. Being in his cage usually meant a trip to the vets, and he usually had to be removed forcibly then, with a lot of hissing and scratching.
Olivia tried coaxing the animal out, keen to see her cat enjoying his new temporary surroundings, but despite being offered a treat, the cat didn't budge.
"We really need to go, Liv," Clive explained. "We should help Mummy with the packing,".
"But Bob hasn't come out yet," she argued.
"And it doesn't look like he's going to in the near future," Clive replied. "It'll probably take a little time for him to get used to his new room,".
"Sometimes it does take a little while," the owner agreed. "I tell you what though, I can send you a few photos when he does,"she continued as Olivia became quite upset as they left the room.
Clive picked her up and she buried her face into his neck. "Would you like that Liv?" Clive asked. There was a little nod of her head, but her face remained buried.
The tears continued all the way home, and Clive had to carry her back into the house.
"How did it go?" Martha asked as she heard them enter. "Did Bob like his room?" She asked enthusiastically, but stopped short when she caught sight of Olivia hugging her father and crying.
Clive had to fill Martha in on what had happened.
"Oh dear," she had exclaimed as Olivia decided she now wanted comfort from her mother instead and reached for her. "He'll be ok Liv," she comforted as she gathered the little girl in her arms. "How about going to play with Bailey to help you feel better? He's desperate for a good run around in the garden," but Olivia declined. "How about helping me with your packing then?" She asked and bizarrely her offer was accepted.
Her eldest was very quiet during the chore and there were no arguments at all about clothes or toys she wanted to take away. Consequently they were both finished quite quickly. Martha thanked her daughter for being so helpful and then watched as she voluntarily climbed into bed still fully dressed before she took hold of her favourite stuffed elephant and settled down to sleep, looking very forlorn indeed. Martha didn't quite know what to do so decided to leave her to it. She found Clive downstairs and told him how upset their daughter must be.
As she was finally packing her own clothes she heard her husband bounding up the stairs and going into Olivia's bedroom. "Look what I've just received, Liv," she heard him say. Being interested she made her way to the bedroom as well. "Bob has come out of his cage and is really enjoying his room," he continued as he made his way over to his daughter to show her the photos he had been sent. She looked at them and brightened considerably when she saw that he looked to be settling in very well. "We can go and have a look on the web cam if you like now as well," Clive suggested. "See what he's up to,". It didn't take much thinking from Olivia before she accepted her fathers offer, taking his hand as she got out of bed. Martha was glad to see her daughter had cheered up and went back to her packing.
It was very nearly a military exercise getting the whole family down to Cornwall. Gone were the days of Clive's bachelorhood when he could just get in the car and drive off. Now there was three children to load into their car seats, Liv in the middle between Will 'n' Lil. Then there was Bailey in the back of their SUV with some of their luggage. In a roof box was all their other luggage and paraphernalia needed to look after three youngsters.
The journey itself took the best part of eight hours with Clive and Martha sharing the driving. The twins could only handle about two hours driving at a time before they got cranky and Liv couldn't go much more. Therefore they had about three comfort breaks in total where everyone including Bailey could stretch their legs or have something to eat or drink if so required.
However it was all worth the effort when they finally arrived. The cottage was lovely with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside. There was lots of space both inside and out for the children and dog to let off steam.
The family just enjoyed being together with lots of trips out. Clive saw Olivia's eyes light up whenever they came into contact with animals. He was able to cut off her request before she asked. "No, you aren't having one of those, Liv," he warned her. Olivia couldn't understand why her Daddy was saying 'No' to her a lot more frequently these days.
One day there was quite unfeasibly warm weather for the time of year and the family headed off to the beach. Liv wanted to go in the sea and managed to persuade her father to go in with her. Bailey tagged along for the fun as well. Martha stayed on the blanket to watch whilst keeping an eye on Will 'n' Lil who were getting their first taste of the beach. At some point both their parents thought their youngest should experience the sea as well as the sand so carried them down to the waves before dunking their feet in the cool water. Both opened their eyes wide in shock at first before getting used to it and kicking their feet a bit.
Towards the end of their week away, a postcard arrived at their cottage from 'Bob' telling his owners what fun he was having and that he couldn't wait to see them all again. Clive had scoffed at the card when it had arrived, but it had made Olivia incredibly happy to know Bob was getting on ok without her.
Before long however, their holiday was over and the family had to make the long journey back home. Bob was retrieved en route from the cattery. He looked rather nonplussed about his stay in the luxury pad much to Clive's chagrin but the whole family was back together again.
"I've got a surprise for you," Martha had told Clive as they made their way to chambers on Monday morning. As they got nearer Shoe Lane, she covered his eyes and led him up the stairs to the main door. "Ta dah!" She announced as she removed her hand allowing Clive to examine the set ladder.
Her name plate had been changed slightly. It now read Martha Costello-Reader QC. After being undecided if she would change her name, she had had a word with Billy at the wedding and he had said he would get it done for their return.
"Are you sure?" Clive asked, not really believing she had done this but liking her surprise very much. He would be so proud that everyone would know she was his wife.
"Absolutely," Martha replied, happy he liked her decision. "Maybe I didn't want to be left out at home," she continued recalling his proposal. "And everyone here in criminal law in London knows we are in a relationship so changing my name isn't going to change anything,".
Billy was watching from the hallway to see how Clive liked his present. Very well by the looks of it as they started to kiss on the step. He gave them a couple of minutes but it showed no signs of stopping. He decided to break them up anxious to get the working week started. The senior lawyers had been missed this last week in chambers and the whole place had felt slightly rudderless, but now they were back he knew they would be grounded again.
"Sir, there's a kidnapping case on your desk, and Miss, a juicy a la carte of a murder for you to get your teeth into when you can tear yourselves away from each other," he uttered causing the two lovers to break apart.
"Is that a hint Billy?" Asked Martha.
"Yes," he replied bluntly. "The day is young and we need to start fighting the good fight again. No time for all this lovey-dovey stuff," he continued as he disappeared back inside.
"Looks like we better get a move on then, Mrs Reader," Clive announced, interlacing his fingers with hers before stepping inside Shoe Lane, the heavy door swinging shut behind them.
And that is where we leave the Costello- Readers for now. Hopefully it won't be long until the next instalment is ready.