The Wedding Day.
By Joanne Clancy.
Chapter 1.
Head up. Shoulders back, deep breaths. Nicole Baxter took one last admiring look at her reflection in her full-length bedroom mirror and smiled.
This is it, she thought. This is the first day of the rest of my life.
All the years of waiting patiently and being the perfect girlfriend had finally paid off. She was about to marry the man of her dreams, Dr. Paul Schofield, after nine long years of waiting.
Nicole and Paul had met as first year undergraduates at university. She was studying journalism and Paul was studying medicine. They"d literally b.u.mped into each other one day in the library when Nicole had dropped her books and Paul had fallen over her as she bent to pick them up.
He"d sustained a nasty b.u.mp on the head, but the two soon became friends and it wasn"t long until they"d started dating.
"I fell head over heels for her," Paul joked when he regaled new acquaintances with the story of how they"d met.
Nicole smiled to herself at the memory.
No more Nicole Baxter. I"ll soon be Mrs. Nicole Schofield.
She carefully adjusted the tiny diamantes in her expensively highlighted blonde hair before taking her father"s proffered arm and beginning her much antic.i.p.ated journey to the church where she would soon be married.
"You look beautiful, darling." Imelda Baxter had happy tears in her eyes. She gazed lovingly at her eldest daughter as she gracefully descended the stairs.
"Thanks mom." Nicole hugged her mother close, breathing in the familiar comforting scent of lavendar, her mother"s signature fragrance.
"Congratulations, soon to be Mrs. Schofield." Simone Collins, Nicole"s friend from college, smiled as she handed the wedding bouquet of red roses and baby"s breath to the bride.
"You can"t say Mrs. Schofield yet!" Helena Murphy scolded. Helena was another of Nicole"s friends and also her maid of honour. "Its bad luck to congratulate the bride before the actual wedding."
"Don"t be dramatic," Simone rolled her eyes. "You make your own luck in this world, and silly superst.i.tions have nothing to do with it."
"Well, I was only saying," Helena continued. "There"s no point in accidentally jinxing her."
"Ok, ladies, let"s have everyone out to the limousine, or we"ll be unfashionably late at this stage." John Baxter, Nicole"s father, looked pointedly at his watch.
"What time is it?" Nicole asked, her nerves beginning to give way to panic. "I don"t want to keep Paul waiting too long."
"Theres plenty of time, dear." John gently patted his daughter"s arm as Helena and Simone gathered the bride"s wedding paraphernalia together.
Helena and Simone helped Nicole outside to the waiting limousine which would take them to the church. They folded her carefully into the car, delicately arranging the layers of the bride"s dress so that she wouldn"t arrive looking crumpled. Then they climbed in beside her.
"Is there a minibar in here?" Simone asked the driver. "I could do with a strong drink. I don"t know about you girls but my nerves are starting to get the better of me." She laughed loudly.
Helena looked at her sternly. "It"s a bit early for alcohol, don"t you think?"
"It"s never too early, darling." Simone laughed shrilly again.
"Are you ok?" Nicole said pointedly to her friend.
Simone had been acting strangely for the past few weeks. She"d always been outspoken and a little eccentric, both qualities which Nicole loved about her but recently, she"d been acting even odder than usual.
"I"m fine, never better." Simone tossed her long auburn hair nonchalantly over her shoulder.
"Ive never better, darling. I"m not the one getting married. I"m still young, free and single."
She was starting to sound slightly hysterical. Helena elbowed Simone sharply in the side, which promptly shut her up.
Nicole decided not to push the matter any further and turned to gaze out the window. She tried to distract herself from the sinking feeling that had crept up on her at random intervals during the past few months. She shook herself and practiced her yoga breathing, dismissing her panic as wedding nerves. I It was a perfect day for a wedding. September usually had the best weather in Ireland. The sun shone brightly and there wasn"t a single cloud in the clear blue sky. The road was lined with trees and the rich colours of the autumn leaves caught the sunlight brilliantly. The myriad colours of rich burgundy, deep orange and yellow-gold carpeted the ground.
It was a wonderful autumn morning, filled with hope and promise for the future.
Nicole sighed deeply as her nerves began to abate. She thought of Paul who she knew would already be waiting for her at the church; handsome, dependable, successful Paul. She lost herself for a few comforting moments in the happy memory of his marriage proposal.
He"d taken her to Killarney, in County Kerry, where they"d stayed in a jacuzzi suite at The Millington Hotel. She"d spent the whole day indulging in the exclusive beauty treatments at the spa while he"d played golf.
Then he"d whisked her off for dinner at the Michelin starred O" Hara restaurant where she"d never eaten food as sumptuous. Every single bite was melt in your mouth fantastic!
After dinner, they"d taken a horse-drawn carriage around Killarney National Park. It was a cold, frosty night but the stars had shone brightly down upon them.
Paul had taken her hand as he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. Nicole hadn"t been expecting his proposal but she accepted immediately. She had never felt happier or more content in her life.
She sighed happily at the wonderful memory that she knew she would treasure forever. She couldn"t wait to become Mrs. Nicole Schofield and start the rest of their lives together.
"We"re here, sweetheart." Her father"s voice broke her pleasant reverie.
"How many people have you invited?!" Helena exclaimed. "The car park is full to overflowing."
"Paul has a lot of extended family who insisted on an invitation," Nicole replied, distractedly.
The limousine pulled up outside St. Patrick"s Chapel, which was attached to the university where Nicole and Paul had met. They"d thought it would be romantic to have their wedding ceremony at the university church, almost like coming full circle.
A few last-minute stragglers made their way quickly into the church when they spotted the wedding limousine pulling up. Nicole checked her makeup one last time and reapplied her lipstick before opening the car door and being helped outside by Helena and Simone.
They adjusted her veil and made sure her dress was perfectly aligned before a.s.suming their positions behind the bride and her father.
"You look beautiful, darling. I"m very proud of you," Nicole"s father whispered to her as they entered the church to the soaring music of Wagner"s Bridal Chorus.
Nicole"s heart skipped a beat as she made her way slowly up the aisle. She returned the beaming smiles of friends and family who watched in admiration as she glided gracefully past them. Her heart was bursting with happiness and love.
She knew it was a cliche but she genuinely felt that this was the happiest day of her life. The nerves which had plagued her earlier had now given way to an overwhelming joy and peace.
She could see Paul standing, waiting for her near the altar, with his best man, Bob Phillips, by his side. She couldn"t wait to stand next to her husband-to-be and look into his eyes and see the love that was reflected there.
She gulped back tears, suddenly feeling overcome with emotion. She was leaving the old Nicole behind and standing at the precipice of her wonderful new life.
"Good luck darling," her father whispered to her as he pa.s.sed her hand to Paul and took his seat in the front row.
Paul smiled nervously at her as he took her hand in his. She squeezed his hand three times, their secret code since their college days, to tell him "I love you." He didn"t return the squeeze but instead let her hand drop as he turned to face the priest.
Nerves, Nicole tried to dismiss the unease that suddenly gripped her heart. He is looking rather pale. She stole a glance at him under her eyelashes as the priest opened the wedding ceremony.
Paul was very pale indeed under his tanned golden brown face. He had dark circles under his eyes and Nicole noticed a bead of sweat on her fiance"s brow. He was usually so calm, cool and collected that she was more than a little surprised by his demeanour.
Nothing ever seemed to shake him or knock his cool reserve. She"d never seen him in such a state.
"Do you, Nicole Ann Baxter, take Paul Michael Schofield to be your lawfully wedded husband?"
"I do," Nicole replied proudly as she looked at her husband, but he refused to meet her eyes.
"Do you, Paul Michael Schofield, take Nicole Ann Baxter to be your lawfully wedded wife?" "I...I..." Paul stumbled over his words.
He looked like he might throw up at any second. Nicole anxiously searched his face but he still wouldn"t look her in the eyes. A hushed silence fell on the congregation as the groom searched for words.
The priest decided to repeat the question. Nicole started to feel a horrible panic rise in her stomach. She felt very hot. Her heart began to beat faster. She reached for Paul"s hand but he pulled away from her. Nicole heard her father clear his throat loudly. Bob put his hand on Paul"s shoulder and whispered something in his ear.
Nicole was beginning to feel like she was having an out of body experience. It was as if she was watching her own wedding in slow motion from somewhere far away. She wished she was far away at that moment and that she could somehow magic herself out of there.
She was suddenly aware of everyone"s eyes on her as she stood there at the altar. She felt like some sort of show piece.
"Paul?" she heard herself whisper.
He still wouldn"t look at her.
"Paul!" she screamed, her voice echoing around the church.
The congregation gasped and she could sense them leaning forward in their seats to listen or get a better view of the spectacle that was unfolding in front of them.
"Nicole...I"m sorry, I can"t do this," he whispered.
"You can"t do what, Paul?"
Nicole wanted him to say the words. Some part of her still hoped and fervently prayed that he meant he couldn"t do something else; like take the rubbish out or wash the dishes.
"Say it, Paul, just say it!" Nicole screamed again.
Helena rushed to her friend"s side and put an arm around her slender waist. She tried to whisper something to her but Nicole pulled away.
"Say it Paul. Grow a set of b.a.l.l.s and say it!"
"I can"t marry you!" Paul roared, his voice reverberating around the church.
The congregation gasped in unison. It was like watching a day-time drama on the television.
"Are you happy now?" Paul hissed at her.
"Am I happy?!" Nicole yelled at him incredulously.
Her face was distorted with anger and humiliation. She would have gladly killed him in that moment; the absolutely worst moment of her entire life.
"Why?" she asked him, her voice quieter this time.
"I can"t." Paul sounded defeated.
"Can"t or won"t?" Nicole asked, her voice rising sharply again.
"I can"t and I won"t marry you," Paul hissed back at her.
"Why? There has to be a reason," she persisted.
"Do we have to do this here, now, in front of everyone?" he asked her, looking tired and defeated.
"Why?" she repeated. "Tell me why! I have the right to know why I am being dumped at the altar on my wedding day!"
"I slept with someone else." He finally admitted the truth to her.
A deathly silence fell on the church. n.o.body spoke. n.o.body moved. It was as if everyone was frozen in time or holding their breath. Nicole looked at Paul, the man who was supposed to love her more than anything or anyone else in the whole world.
She couldn"t breathe. The feelings of anxiety and trepidation that had plagued her recently were back in full force now.
Somewhere in the pit of her stomach she"d known that Paul was up to something behind her back. He"d been snappy with her about the wedding plans and reluctant to make decisions. She"d put it down to pre-wedding nerves on his part.
She hadn"t wanted to admit it to herself, to face the truth and had tried to block it out, to dismiss her thoughts as wedding jitters and silly jealousy. She needed to know the answer, the truth and needed to know it right now.
"Who is she, Paul?" Nicole whispered through gritted teeth.
Paul looked at her then, shock written on his face. His reaction made her catch her breath. She desperately swallowed the sobs that were threatening to escape.
Nicole looked frantically around the congregation, scanning the faces of her family and friends. She wondered if her fiance"s mistress was someone she knew personally.
Had she had the audacity to attend their wedding?
"Are you here, you b.i.t.c.h?" Nicole lashed out at the congregation. "Speak now or forever hold your peace, you coward!" She laughed maniacally, her blue eyes spitting fire.
Her gaze snapped back to Paul, who was staring meaningfully at someone over her shoulder. Nicole swung around and caught Simone smirking.
"Its you!" Nicole yelled. "It"s you, Simone, isn"t it?"
Simone arched an eyebrow, no emotion showing on her immaculately made up face.