That’s another thing, Annabelle said. I don’t want to be given away. I just want to be accompanied on my wedding day by the two most important people in my life. I don’t belong to anyone now and I won’t after the wedding. So if this means I’m not being given away, then all the more reason to do it this way.

Well, her dad said. It’s tradition, petal, but if you’d prefer to do something else, that’s fine by us. It’s your wedding day, not ours.

She looked down the aisle. Matt had turned to watch her, a smile on his face. She smiled back and began to walk down the aisle.

The church, St Wilfrid’s in Grappenhall, was over nine hundred years old. She thought of how much had happened in those centuries, how many weddings and christenings and funerals had taken place in these stone walls. Hundreds of thousands – maybe millions – of people had sat in the aisles and witnessed the most important events in the lives of the people they loved.

For a moment she felt dizzy, and she leaned on her dad. He paused and held her by the elbow.

‘OK?’ he muttered.

She nodded and took a deep breath, and they continued down the aisle.

‘So,’ the vicar said. ‘Before we move to the vows, there is a question I must put to those here today. I expect the answer to be no, but I have to ask.’ She looked up at the congregation. ‘Should any person here know of any lawful impediment why Annabelle and Matt may not be joined in holy matrimony, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace.’

She paused, and Annabelle had a sudden conviction that someone was going to stand up and say, Don’t do it, I told you, you don’t have to. Come with me and I’ll rescue you. Then she would see who it was who had sent the emails, because part of her was sure they had not gone away. Yes, there had been no more emails, and after a while she’d stopped thinking about who had sent them, and whether they would try anything else to sabotage her wedding, but she hadn’t forgotten.

Because it felt like sabotage – not a joke, or a test, but an attempt at sabotage.

And why would they stop?

She glanced over her shoulder and scanned the faces. No one was moving. She looked at the door, expecting it to burst open, and then the vicar spoke.

‘Excellent,’ she said. ‘Annabelle and Matt, you will now make solemn vows of your love for each other in front of your friends and family. We’ll start with you, Matt.’