The guy had really pushed the boat out to ensure that everyone had a great time, even to the extent of offering free accommodation in the hotel’s forty rooms for those who wanted to stay the night.

Jessica and Sean had naturally taken up the offer and had already checked in to their second-floor room. It overlooked the landscaped gardens and the lake beyond.

Jessica was determined to make the most of the occasion and the weekend off as she’d been one of the officers on duty over Christmas and this was the first chance she’d had to get out and celebrate the holiday season.

The other guests seemed like a good bunch as those she’d already met had been friendly and welcoming. The first person to introduce herself had been Claire Prescott, a woman who got around with the aid of a heavy-duty walking stick and boasted that she was a sprightly seventy-one.

She and her son Ethan, who looked to be in his early to mid-thirties, had arrived at the same time as Jessica and Sean, and they’d all shared the lift going up to their rooms.

Claire had jokingly explained that she could have walked up the stairs, despite her arthritis, but wanted to conserve her energy so that she’d be able to see in the new year.

‘This is a really special day for me,’ she told them, and her voice rattled with emotion. ‘I used to be a nanny to Libby and Rachel when they were little. They never knew their real grandparents who both died before they were born and I’ve always prayed that I would see at least one of them get married before I died. And thankfully my prayers have been answered.’

She went on to say that Ethan had known the girls for years and used to work in a hotel himself, but now ran his own gift shop in Windermere.

The bride’s parents had also made a point of introducing themselves. Denise and Fraser Elliott were a pleasant couple in their mid to late sixties, and it turned out they had once lived in Kirkby Abbey, a village that was very familiar to Jessica. Not only did her boss, Detective Inspector James Walker, live there, but it was also the location of a series of brutal murders three Christmases ago. And she’d been heavily involved in that investigation. Thankfully, this Christmas had been relatively crime free all across Cumbria.

It was three o’clock when things started to happen. Two young bridesmaids walked down the aisle followed by Libby’s sister, Rachel. She wore a blush-pink dress and clutched a large bouquet of white flowers with both hands. She was a short, bespectacled woman with a full figure and a round face, and looked nothing like her sister.

Just as she took her place to the side of the altar, the room suddenly filled with the inimitable sound of Wagner’s Bridal Chorus. All heads turned towards Libby and her father as they made their grand entrance.