Tears welled in Kitty’s eyes. ‘At this rate, there’ll be no one there,’ she said sadly. ‘Richard’s father can’t come either because he’s still poorly and I don’t even know who Richard has chosen for his best man!’

‘Just so long as the groom arrives on time,’ Miss Fox told her with a twinkle in her eye. Along with Maggie she didn’t much like Richard but he was Kitty’s choice, so as long as he made her happy she could live with it.

Kitty rose then and when Miss Fox had passed her the bouquet the older woman had to wipe a tear from her eye.

‘Why, I swear you’re easily the most beautiful bride I’ve ever set eyes on,’ she said throatily and she meant it. Kitty’s face was glowing with happiness and Miss Fox just wished that Ruby could have taken the trouble to get up and see just how radiant her daughter was. But then there was no more time to lose. The car had been ordered and would be outside waiting to take the bride-to-be to the wedding venue now.

‘Come along now, girls!’ Miss Fox clapped her hands then, making both girls smile. ‘It wouldn’t do for the bride to keep the groom waiting. Well, not for too long anyway.’ She then ushered them down the stairs like a mother hen and just as she had thought they found the car waiting outside.

The elderly driver jumped out and helped the ladies to get in, and soon they were on their way. Maggie had expected Kitty to be nervous, she herself certainly was, but Kitty appeared to be almost serene, in fact.

When they arrived at the steps of the registry office they saw a young woman and a soldier looking very smart in his uniform posing on the steps for photographs. A large crowd of family and friends all throwing rice and rose petals surrounded them, and just for a second Kitty felt a stab of pain as she thought of Sunday and Tom and wished that they could have been there. But they were part of her past now and within the next few minutes she would start to build a new family with Richard.

Calm again, and skirting the newlyweds, she and the others made their way inside. At once her eyes began to search for Richard but he was nowhere to be seen.

‘Perhaps he’s already gone in?’ Miss Fox suggested, striding towards the room where the marriages took place. They found the room quite empty and a surprised registrar looked up at them from his desk.

‘Good morning, ladies. May I help you?’

‘Yes, we are here for the Fitzherbert wedding at eleven o’clock,’ Miss Fox informed him.

The man reached for his diary and began to scan the page.

‘I’m terribly sorry but I have nothing about that in here. My next marriage isn’t until one thirty this afternoon. Are you sure that you’ve come to the right place?’