Jessica sat down next to her mum. She had one more bombshell to drop and she knew her dad wasn’t going to be happy. ‘Oh, by the way, Eddie and I have decided to get married in a couple of weeks’ time. We’re not gonna bother with a church do, we’ve decided on a register office.’

As the horror of the situation hit Stanley, he spilt half of the contents of his favourite mug over his leg. ‘Bollocks!’ he yelled, as the hot tea scalded him.

‘Silly old goat,’ Joyce whispered.

Jessica felt sorry for her dad. She knew it had always been his dream to one day walk her down the aisle. ‘Are you OK, Dad?’ she asked kindly.

Stanley said nothing as he dabbed his trousers with his handkerchief. Whatever he said would make no difference, so what was the bloody point? Both his wife and daughter thought the sun shone out of Eddie Mitchell’s arse. With a sense of foreboding, Stanley said goodnight, left the room and trudged dejectedly up the stairs.

He was sure that the day would come when his wife and daughter would wish they had listened to him. Until that day came, Stanley had little choice other than to smile, be polite and keep schtum.

SIX

Joyce gasped in admiration as Jessica walked through the door.

‘You look just like a model – so, so pretty. I am so proud of you, Jess, I really am.’

Not wanting her mother and father’s arguments spoiling her big day, Jessica had opted to get ready over the road. Her friends, Ginny and Linda, lived next door to one another. Both worked as hairdressers and they had kindly offered to do her hair and make-up for free.

Noticing Jessica’s hands shaking, her best friend, Mary, handed her a glass of wine. ‘Your hair looks fabulous at the back. Whose idea was it to put those beads in it?’

Jessica smiled. ‘It was Eddie’s, actually. We saw a girl wearing white beads in her hair in a pub last week and Eddie said they’d look great for my wedding day. He likes me to wear my hair up.’

Jessica only had one set of grandparents still alive. Her dad’s parents had both died in the last few years, but her mum’s parents had recently retired to Norfolk. Her nan smiled at her. ‘Beautiful dress, darling. Where did you get it from? Must have cost a fortune with that crochet and crystal trim.’

Jessica carefully sat down and took a sip of her wine. ‘A shop in Knightsbridge. Eddie sent me there; his friend owns the place and I was allowed to choose whatever I wanted. Ed told me not to worry about the price, he wouldn’t even let the man tell me how much it cost.’

Nanny Ivy pursed her lips. ‘Sounds too good to be true, this Eddie,’ she said curtly.