Strings Attached (44 page)

‘OK, I get it,’ Marisa replied.

In her six inch heels, Marisa clambered up onto her seat and waved her hands in the air like a fan at a pop concert.

‘EVERYBODY STOP! STOP THE WEDDING!’

A hush descended over the guests and there were murmurs of shock and surprise. Everyone was staring at Marisa, including a horrified and bemused Adam.

‘Do you want some water Quinn? I’ll have whoever that is removed and we’ll carry on. It’s just nerves isn’t it? It’s a big day for everyone,’ Roger said, taking hold of Quinn’s arm.

Quinn didn’t reply.

‘I’m afraid I have to speak to that young lady. If she thinks she has a reason to halt proceedings, then I need to hear it,’ the priest told Roger.

‘She’s insane, a publicity seeker. It was always going to be inevitable with a wedding of this scale,’ Roger insisted.

‘Now what are you going to do? I’ve stopped the wedding and the priest is like looking at me funny. You need to do something if you’re going to do something,’ Marisa shouted at George.

‘I know, I will,’ George said, standing up and taking a deep breath.

The leather bracelet was still tight in her hand.

‘Well, what are you waiting for? Get up there!’ Marisa ordered and she pushed George out into the aisle, bringing her to the attention of all the guests.

‘Go with her Marisa,’ Helen told her daughter.

‘Go with her? Are you like crazy? She’s about to wreck the wedding of all weddings,’ Marisa exclaimed, looking over at Adam who was now on his feet with the rest of the orchestra, wondering what was going on.

With every step George
took up the aisle, her legs felt heavier. She squeezed the bracelet in her hand and prayed this was the right thing to do.

‘I don’t want any f**king water!’ Quinn exclaimed, shaking Roger’s arm off.

‘Quinn, what’s wrong? It’s natural to feel a little nervous. Maybe we should take a break,’ Taylor suggested, lifting up her veil and looking at him.

‘Yeah come on man. Let’s chill for ten minutes, have a beer or something,’ Belch spoke.

‘Is that what you would like to do?’ the priest asked Quinn.

‘Yes, that’s a good idea. We’ll adjourn for fifteen minutes. You can have some water and some of your pills maybe and then we’ll reconvene,’ Roger suggested.

‘I stopped the wedding,’ George spoke her voice shaking as she finally reached them.

The wedding party all turned around to look at her.

‘For Christ’s sake! I thought I’d made things clear for you. What is it you want if you don’t want money?’ Roger asked her.

‘Why would you stop my wedding? You’re catering the reception. It’s in your interests the wedding goes ahead,’ Taylor wailed.

Quinn looked at her and she held out the leather bracelet to him.

‘Is this yours? Is this what you were wearing when you had your accident?’ George asked him.

‘What the Hell is going on here Quinn? We have a castle full of guests and Channel Nine recording every second in high definition!’ Roger blasted.

‘Yes. It’s the most important thing I own and I wanted you to have it,’ Quinn answered, looking only at George.

Tears spilled from her eyes and she hurriedly wiped them away with the back of her hand. She had to carry on. She had to be strong because there was no going back now.

‘For Christ’s sake! What’s with the dramatics? What the f**k has that stupid thing got to do with this wedding?’ Roger demanded to know.

‘You said - you told me
-
you didn’t have any identifying marks on you. No birthmarks, no scars, no tattoos. Is that really true?’ George continued.

‘I don’t understand. Daddy, what’s going on? What’s all this about? This is meant to be my wedding and she’s ruining it. It’s going to be all over the news,’ Taylor spoke her eyes welling up with tears.

‘That’s what I was told. I don’t know, I was in a coma for months, I don’t remember much. Roger?’ Quinn asked, turning to his mentor.

‘I don’t know anything. I don’t know what you’re talking about and you’ve made a big mistake crossing me like this. I am going to have you removed and then perhaps we can get on with this wedding,’ Roger ordered, beckoning security.

‘I asked you a question Roger, answer it,’ Quinn ordered him.

‘Security, please remove Ms Fraser,’ Roger spoke as two burly men stepped forward to join them.

‘Don’t you lay one finger on her,’ Quinn hissed, pointing threateningly at Roger.

‘What are you all talking about? What accident? When? Quinn, what’s going on?’ Taylor asked, looking completely bemused.

‘I asked you,
if I had
a birthmark or a tattoo or something? Answer me!’ Quinn screamed.

‘Oh, what does it matter?’ Roger asked.

‘It matters to me,’ George told him her whole body quaking.

‘You had multiple injuries, you were covered in lacerations. Everything was restored, you were made perfect. Everything, every blemish was wiped out,’ Roger spoke quietly his shoulders hunching over.

His desperation not to let people hear was paramount.

‘Did he have a tattoo on his wrist, like where a watch might go?’ George demanded to know.

Roger raised his eyes to Heaven and shook his head at Quinn.

‘You f**king tell me now!’ Quinn bellowed.

‘
Jeez
! It was about two centimetres big. It was like a crescent moon or something!’ Roger replied.

‘Like the letter ‘C’?’ George spoke her voice wobbling with emotion.

‘Yeah I guess. Whatever. Right, good, now that’s cleared up. Please take Ms Fraser back to her catering unit and we can get on with the ceremony,’ Roger ordered.

‘No,’ George said the tears rolling down her face as she tried to stop herself from sobbing aloud.

‘George whatever it is, tell me,’ Quinn begged, taking hold of her hands and gripping them in his.

‘You can’t marry Taylor, Quinn. You’re already married - to me,’ George informed.

The emotion rode over her like a tidal wave and now she let out an audible sob.

‘What d’you think she’s saying? She’s crying now. God, this is terrible and it’s going to be all over the souvenir edition of
Star Life
next week,’ Marisa remarked, squinting her eyes to try and get a better look at the scene.

‘Taylor looks devastated and Roger looks like he’s been given a puncture. He’s liable to go whizzing round the room deflating and squealing any second,’ Helen said.

Neither of them noticed Adam
had
come over to join them.

‘What’s going on Marisa? You stopped the wedding. What’s happened?’ Adam wanted to know.

‘Er, well, it’s a bit complicated, but George wanted the wedding stopped so I, er, like stopped it,’ Marisa spoke, blushing.

‘Helen? Am I going to get anything like the truth from you?’

‘We don’t know what’s going on,’ Helen responded not meeting his eye.

‘I don’t understand,’ Quinn said, looking at George his expression beyond shocked.

‘No, I know you don’t. I don’t even believe it myself but somehow it’s true,’ George said, through her tears.

‘I have no idea what’s going on here. Quinn isn’t married.  I think I would know if Quinn was married. He is my fiancé!’ Taylor screamed.

‘And you have no place at this wedding, no place at all. How many times do I have to say it? Get her out of here!’ Roger demanded, looking to the security team.

‘No! Leave her alone. Tell me George, all of it! I want to know,’ Quinn demanded.

‘Come on man, I thought we were having a beer break and getting this wedding back on track,’ Belch spoke.

‘Change of plan. Ignore them, ignore all of them. Look at me and tell me,’ Quinn urged her.

‘Here?’ George queried, looking around at the full castle room where people were all staring at her and the wedding party.

They were all nudging each other and commenting amongst themselves about what was going on.

‘Yes, here. Right now!’ Quinn ordered.

‘I know who you are,’ George began, swallowing a lump in her throat.

‘Yeah and so does half the world. He’s Quinn Blake, rock star. Now if you haven’t got anything else to say you can get on your way,’ Roger interrupted, grabbing hold of George’s arm himself.

‘You’re Paul,’ George told him hardly able to believe she was saying the words.

‘Paul?’ Quinn queried.

‘Paul who?’ Belch asked.

‘Paul Simon? Paul Rodgers? Paul Mcf**kingCartney? What planet does this woman live on?’ Roger blasted as Taylor just stared at George, hanging on her every word.

‘Paul Robbins. My Paul.
This
Paul,’ George said.

She took off the watch Quinn had given her, reminding him of the tattoo on her arm.

Quinn put his hands to his face, immediately whitening as tears brimmed in his eyes.

‘I don’t understand? What are you saying here? That he’s someone else? That he isn’t Quinn Blake? Why would you say that?’ Taylor wanted to know, glaring at George.

‘Because it’s the truth and I should have seen it before. I should have known, somehow I should have known, but I just didn’t,’ George spoke, watching as Quinn dissolved in front of her.

‘Well why would he pretend to be someone else? Daddy, I don’t understand. Tell me what’s going on!’ Taylor begged.

‘I think we just need to go into the green room and take five minutes. Get away from all the people and the cameras,’ Roger suggested, taking hold of Taylor’s hands.

‘Quinn, talk to me, please. Say something. You’ve got to believe me, I didn’t know. I had no idea. I mean, you don’t look like him. You don’t talk like him, or laugh like him or even move like him and I swear to you, I didn’t know,’ George begged as she watched him crumbling.

She wanted to help him. She wanted to take away the shock, the confusion and the realisation, but she didn’t have room to do it. She was still reeling from it herself. All these months, falling for him, finally thinking she was moving on from Paul, when all the time she was stepping back to him. There really was only one person out there for her and she had fallen in love with him all over again, without even knowing it.

Quinn raised his eyes to meet hers, his expression bereft.

‘Are you sure?’ he asked her.

She nodded her head and looked again at the worn bracelet in her hand.

‘I made Paul this. This was what I gave him when we got married. He gave me the ring I wear round my neck. No one knew, but us,’ George told him.

‘This makes no sense. I’ve known Quinn for the last ten years. I think I would have known if he’d gone out and married someone,’ Taylor spoke.

‘It was a long time ago, we were sixteen,’ George informed.

‘Shit man, what did you do? Go to Vegas or something?’ Belch questioned, laughing.

‘Right, well, this is a great story and all, but where’s your proof? I mean, you say you’re married to him, well show me the certificate. Show me the certificate that says you’re married to Quinn Blake,’ Roger said, puffing up his chest and smiling smugly at George.

‘I have a certificate, not here obviously, at home,’ George informed him.

‘Well I don’t believe a word she’s saying. It’s absurd and preposterous. Are you trying to tell everyone here that he isn’t Quinn Blake, he’s someone called Paul. And, that this Paul married you when you were sixteen?’ Roger questioned.

‘Yes. And I can prove it,’ George said, staring at Quinn.

He was now a shade whiter than Taylor’s dress, looking like the ground had been taken from under him.

‘Oh yeah? How? Now this will be good,’ Roger stated.

‘We have a son,’ George stated, daring to look across at Taylor.

‘Man! This just gets weirder!’ Belch exclaimed.

Taylor burst into tears and, picking up the skirts of her wedding dress, she fled past the priest and into the curtained off area.

Roger looked like he was about to spontaneously combust and Quinn just stared at George, not knowing what to do or say.

‘We’re leaving Quinn, come on. The sooner we sort this mess out the better,’ Roger said, taking a vice like hold of Quinn’s arm.

‘No,’ Quinn stated.

‘Don’t be stupid Quinn. We’ll go and see the doctor. We’ll get you a sedative or something,’ Roger said, trying to steer him the way Taylor had gone.

‘I said no. Get off me! I don’t want a sedative, I want the truth and she’s the only one who can give me that. Come on George,’ Quinn said, taking hold of her hand.

‘Where are you going? Quinn, we’re in the middle of a wedding here for f**k’s sake!’ Roger yelled.

‘Not any
more. The wedding’s off,’ Quinn replied, pulling George down the aisle towards the exit doors.