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Emerald Bond
Starters
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Barbara still grinned when she sat down on the chair her husband had put in place for her.
Low music started. It was just a quiet background sound, not loud enough to drown out the conversations, just piano, fiddle and cello. But it was live. The musicians sat in a corner near one of the double doors to the garden at the head of the room where the table of honour was.
Some guests already nibbled the tiny amuse-gueules that were on the plates already. It was mini sushi rolls, tiny tartar dots on crackers and the smallest of almond breaded broccoli florets with drips of balsamic vinegar on cocktail sticks. The idea for the cold treats had come to Tommy when they had realised they needed something to keep the guests busy before the actual dinner would start. It was a good idea and it tasted delicious.
It was not comparable to the smell that already wafted in from the garden though. That was mouthwatering.
Rory appeared in one of the doors and when he caught Tommy's eye he nodded a signal. Tommy whispered something to Barbara and they got up from their seats. It was time for the opening speech.
The room went silent.
"Ladies and gentlemen..." Tommy started and paused so he knew he had everybody's attention. "Welcome here at our wedding party. Allow me to say a few words... It says, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable - if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. And at one point in my life I began thinking about such things seriously. In the end my thoughts centred right under my nose: What I needed, what I had looked out for, what I wanted. I realised that it was Barbara, my spiny Sergeant. And I finally realised, my Sergeant is in fact not so spiny at all. At least the thorns on this beautiful rose don't prick all the time."
He earned a playful thump from Barbara' elbow. "Heh!"she hissed.
"Well, sometimes she does. Obviously."
Barbara rolled her eyes but grinned. A few chuckles came from their audience.
"Anyway." He turned his eyes to his wife. "I love you, to the moon and back." Pausing briefly he gave her the fondest look. It was full of love and adoration.
She held his gaze with the same love and blessed him with a smile. "I love you too." she quietly said.
They shared a small kiss in front of their audience. Somebody in the room hooted, which made Barbara blush. She was sure that it came from Stuart Lafferty.
"And our love..." Tommy continued louder again, "is the wonderful reason why we are here today, with family and friends. So I'd like to thank you all for joining us today, on this very special day, when we celebrate our love, our bond, our future. I'm happy that you are here with us."
He raised his glass and everybody else followed his lead. "To friendship, to love."
"To friendship, to love." their guests answered.
"I'd like to add a few words." Barbara quickly said before their guests had the chance to start chatting again. "Because it's not just Thomas Lynley from now on. Well, for me it is, obviously, and exclusively, but although I share his name now and I live in his house, I'm still the Barbara I used to be."
"I wouldn't want it any other way." Tommy muttered.
Barbara harrumphed before she went on. All eyes were on her now and it made her entirely nervous. Although she had foreseen that, she had agreed to add a few words to Tommy's speech nonetheless. It was her first real speech ever.
"I agree with Thomas that it's not always clear what you want until someone, or something, pushes your nose into it. In our case we've sneaked around each other for a long time before we - being colleagues, in a chain of command, from very different societies, you know that stuff - realised that we are in fact matching. Matching not although, but because we are different. So it was no wonder that the final realisation had hit us in an argument in which we actually agreed on the topic." She grinned in remembrance of that certain day in the midst of last December.
Barbara caught Winston's eye who was nodding because he could remember that day too. The last thing before DI Lynley and DS Havers had stormed into the separated office had been DC Nkata's loud groan of annoyance about their loud argument. Both had looked at him in surprise and only continued arguing behind a closed door. And then there had been a sudden silence in which Winnie had worried deeply. Later, very much later, Barbara had told him that this had been the moment when Tommy had confessed his love to her.
"Although we've finally confessed our love, it was not long ago that I wouldn't have believed anyone if they had said to me that a day like today would happen. But here we are. I'm entirely happy. And I'm also happy that you join us on this day. Thank you all for coming. Cheers."
She raised her glass of orange juice and their guests raised their glasses again.
"Oh, and if you feel a bit hungry, it's okay. Dinner is ready." At the end of her speech, Tommy made an inviting gesture towards what was arranged in the garden.
"Just leave some space for dessert." Barbara added.
"And the cake." Tommy laughed.
They sat down. With the guests getting back to conversations, or getting up to have a bite, Tommy and Barbara shared another small kiss. The newly-wed couple was visibly happy.
And hungry.
In the garden, after all guests had gone inside earlier, Rory's staff had built up a row of tables with food warmers and an open fire barbecue grill at one end. They offered bangers, lamb fillets, chicken breast and small foil pans with fish fillets. The guests could choose from three different gravies and add mashed potatoes, chips, potato wedges from the oven with rosemary or simple white bread. As side dish, or if you did not like meat, you could pick some vegetables too: broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, leeks in a white creamy sauce, spinach in butter or green beans, also tossed in butter. There also were small bowls of different salads to choose from.
The barbecue had been Barbara's idea after they had discussed too many versions of more traditional wedding meals. She simply had been tired and suggested bangers and mash at one point. When Tommy had given her a reproachful look she had said they could have a barbecue instead. What at first had been a mere joke had turned into a humorous elaboration and suddenly they had realised it would work. And Rory and his cook had refined it in the end.
Behind the buffet a lot of Rory's waiters stood in expectation of the hungry party. Each waiter took a plate for one guest and filled it with what that guest chose. It started at one side and went along the table while the plate was filled on the guest's order. At the end of the row the waiters handed over a nicely arranged plate. Cutlery already had been placed in neat packages next to everyone's place card on the tables and drinks were brought there on order.
Peter, Emily and Stephanie were the first at the buffet.
"What's the Sub of the day?" Peter asked chuckling. "Can I have it with a wholemeal sandwich?"
"Peter!" Stephanie laughed. "This isn't Subways!"
He picked a lamb fillet.
Aunt Augusta was escorted by Frederick and George, and then other guests followed. Eventually Barbara and Tommy also went to get their dinner plates filled.
"My mouth is so watering. I'm dying to get some bangers and mash." she murmured to him when she got up.
Tommy squeezed her shoulders. "Rory is a genius. It looks as if this was a good idea."
"Of course. It was mine." Barbara chuckled.
Before they reached the doors to the garden they were stopped by Daze. "Hang on a minute, please. I'd like you to come with me." she cryptically told them. "There's something I'd like to give you."
She led them to the gift table which was quite filled by now. Next to it there was something huge that had not been there before. It was covered by white cloth.
"It's old, and maybe you don't like it. But I thought it belonged to you now. Of course you don't have to-"
While she still chattered, Tommy already had removed the cloth and revealed an old cot. He vaguely remembered his brother lying in it.
"That's Peter's." he interrupted his mother. Barbara squeezed his arm. From the dreamy look her mother-in-law had, she suspected that there must be more to this cot.
"And yours and Judith's," Daze explained, "and before that it was your father's bed and that of his siblings. And before that your great-grandpa had made it for his children. I just thought it would come in handy for you now. But you really don't have to-"
"It's beautiful!" Now it was Barbara who interrupted her.
The cot was made of oiled wood, darkened throughout the years, and you also could tell its age by the ornate design of the headboard. It had new white bed clothes with a light green Asherton crest on the pillow, and a stuffed bear sat in one corner. It looked slightly raddled. Someone must have loved it dearly.
"This was mine." Tommy said with a husky voice when he took it. "I didn't know you've kept it."
"Of course I've kept it." Daze said gently and stroked his arm.
Tommy was amazed, but somehow not really surprised, that his mother still had the cot. He wondered more that his old teddy bear still existed, and that his mother had not already given it to him when he had married Helen or when he had told her that Helen was pregnant. But then again, everyone knew that his late wife never had a penchant for his hereditary stuff or whatever else came from Cornwall, or for old things in general. Barbara on the other hand obviously already liked the cot and, even more so, the stuffed toy. After she had admired it, she had carefully placed it back in the cot with a fond smile.
Tommy was so touched, he simply pulled his mother into a hug. "Thank you." he whispered.
"My pleasure, Tommy. And now..." Dorothy cleared her throat and turned abruptly. "I should get me something to eat, shouldn't I?"
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