The Geary Series Boxed Set (42 page)

She held hands with her future husband, Elijah Geary. Lilly Harrison stood on the top step, City Hall standing tall behind her. Today, Edinburgh had been blessed with a gloriously sunny day, the sun beamed down on them and her friends. Lilly danced around on the spot eager to get things moving. Elijah’s best man, Jack, had disappeared into the building to make sure everything was ready for the wedding ceremony. Lilly would be marrying Elijah, today, and her parents hadn’t been invited. In fact, none of her family was asked. Her brother William sat in a police jail cell and her Aunt Jane had disappeared back to Brighton, she assumed.

To combat Lilly’s nervous dance, he whispered into her lips as he pressed kisses, the evening he had planned for her that night. Lilly’s face turned serious and flushed pink. She shifted on the spot, holding onto Elijah, hooking her thumbs through his jean belt loops.

“When do we get married?” Lilly swayed from side to side and rested her head on his chest.

Elijah wrapped his arms around her body and continued his description of his slow seduction of her body once she was his wife. He had to make it through the wedding reception until he could have her all to himself.  

Olivia and her best friend Cecily were discussing handbags along with Angie and Ruth. Mickey was trying to get Angie’s attention, but she kept waving him away while she chatted. Gareth talked with Mickey, Harry and Michael while they waited. 

Jack stood in the doorway of the main entrance to the council building and stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. A brief silence ensued and then the cheers went up in both the ladies and men’s group. Obediently they all marched to Jack and high fived him as they passed through the door and into the building.

Jack was Elijah’s younger brother and looked up to him as a hero. Elijah had served in the Navy for fifteen years and could do no wrong as far as he was concerned. He would do anything to help his brother. Elijah and Jack weren’t blood related, their respective parents were no longer alive and when they were small children, they were inseparable at the foster home they were sent to. Both the boys were adopted by Michael and Ruth when they were both under the age of five.

Elijah was idealistic and Jack was realistic and they were the perfect combination to become brothers. The whole family behaved as they shared the same blood, from the outside you would never have known any different. Elijah loved playing the big brother role but in truth it was Jack who did the protecting.

When Elijah wanted to marry Lilly and Jack knew that she didn’t like weddings, he knew exactly what to do. He had organised most of the details for today to make sure Lilly didn’t find out. He had arranged for the marriage licence, the reception afterwards and the honeymoon. Jack had booked a suite at the best hotel in Edinburgh for the night and then a week in Rome. Neither of them knew of these arrangements, which would be Jack’s surprise after their wedding reception. He had booked the pub around the corner exclusively for a few hours. Sausages and mash would be the wedding breakfast with bottles of cold beer. Everything was in place now that Lilly had agreed. Elijah had taken Jack up on his suggestion of surprising her. It was a risk to bring Lilly to City Hall, blindfolded, to her own marriage, but it worked, just as Jack said it would.

Lilly grinned and turned back to Elijah once they had all filed in. They waited for their cue to go in. “I can’t wait to marry you, Elijah, thank you for arranging everything, are we still going to have sausages and mash like you promised me?” Lilly asked and kissed his neck. She thought that they were going to have lunch with her friends but before that could happen she needed to have a fifteen-minute detour to get married.

“You can thank Jack for the arrangements. It was him that explained the difference between a wedding and a marriage ceremony. He assumed you didn’t like the fuss rather than not liking being married.”

“He’s right, as ever, you have a smart brother.”

“I’m so in love with you Lillian Harrison, I need to get you in front of the registrar before you realise I’m not good enough for you.” He said and looked anxiously over to Jack.

Lilly’s phone rang in her jeans pocket before she could talk him out of the nonsense he had just spoken. She groaned at the intrusion, she needed to settle Elijah’s mind. She cried louder still when she spied the name appear on the screen. She left it ring without answering.

“I’ll never change my mind, you fool, and I want to be your wife, forever. You’re going to be my husband and I couldn’t be any happier, I love you too.” Lilly said, she couldn’t believe that they were going to get married, her dreams were coming true.

Her phone rang again.

“Warts and all?” He asked and grinned.

“If you did develop warts, I’d buy you cream but theoretically, yes, I would love your big hairy warts as well.” She said and giggled, her happiness waned as her phone rang once more.

Grunting, Lilly waited until the final ring to swipe the screen and accept the call.

“Hello, mother.” She said wearily.

“You have to get to the police station, William is in trouble and needs a solicitor.” Barked her mother.

Jack stood in the doorway of City Hall tapping his watch, his impatience growing. Elijah held up one digit and a prayer action. Jack didn’t move and watched the couple carefully. The last thing Jack wanted was second thoughts. Elijah needed Lilly as much as Lilly needed Elijah, in Jack’s eyes they were perfectly matched. He wasn’t letting either one out of his sight.

“I know he’s in trouble, I told you what I would do at Jack and Olivia’s wedding. You knew I was going to the police, there is a woman in a coma in hospital. Did you forget that part? You should start to take me seriously mother, it would help us both.” Lilly said, her voice sharp but her will waned.

Elijah watched Lilly with interest, her clipped tone and increasingly agitated state worried him. He preferred her previous mood, playful and happy.

“No, I will not fix it, it wasn’t me that caused the mess, your perfect child did. I will not be held responsible for fixing William’s problems.” Lilly answered firmly, she stamped her foot at the same time and was grateful her mother couldn’t see. Elijah did, the wrinkles forming between his eyes and the hard set of his mouth alerted Lilly that she was carefully monitored.

Lilly switched the phone to the speaker so that Elijah could hear the rest of the conversation.

“No?” Her mother said incredulously at the other end of the line.

“Correct, no mother, I will not go to the police station, I’m far too busy.” She said smugly and grinned at Elijah.

Jack had joined them, curious to find out about the delay.

“What could you possibly be doing that is more important than attending to family issues?” Her mother demanded.

“I’m joining another family. I’m getting married mother.” Lilly’s smug voice rang out loud and clear.

Jack and Elijah high-fived each other, grinning at the union that they had set up. To hear that Lilly was happy with the arrangement and was standing up to her mother made the day perfect.

The silence radiating out of the phone echoed around the forecourt. Lilly checked the line hadn’t been cut off. She spoke into the phone, lifting the microphone to her mouth asking if her mother was still on the line. Her brevity started to fade as the silence continued.

“You cannot marry that man Lillian, you just cannot,” Gale ordered.

While Lilly was adamant she would marry Elijah today, she wanted to hear why she couldn’t marry Elijah. There was only one reason why she couldn’t marry him and her heart sank and then her stomach churned.

“I can and I will unless you tell me we’re related. Am I related to Elijah Geary?” She asked looking at Elijah and Jack, their adoption didn’t matter to her, but it did pass her mind fleetingly that her mother could know who their parents were. She had a habit of knowing everyone’s dirty secrets. The thought that she would be related to Elijah was ridiculous, but it was the only thing she could come up with on the spot.

“We are not related,” Elijah whispered.

“You two are not related.” Jack bellowed from a foot away. His certainty shocked Lilly, the phone slipped from her hand, but she managed to catch it and continue to listen to her mother. Safe in the knowledge that nothing could be said to put her off marriage.

“No of course not, don’t be absurd, you silly girl.” Her mother chastised. “Why would you think that? Have you been snooping about trying to find things out?” She asked.

All three of them were confused by Gale’s words, the defensive, over reaction set their minds ticking along. Lilly assumed her mother had something to hide and she would store that information for a later time. At that moment, she needed to know what her mother’s concern was and hang up the phone at the stupidity of it.

“Elijah is no good, he comes from bad stock. You’ll be divorced within a year.” She announced, convinced of her own opinion.

“Hold on a second Mrs Harrison, you don’t know anything about me or my family.” Elijah protested. He rammed his fingers through his hair, hoping Lilly wouldn’t take the words seriously.

“I think you’ll find Elijah I know an awful lot about your father and mother, we were in school together.” Gale’s haughty voice boomed through the phone.

“Gale, did you go to school in London?” Jack asked calmly.

“No, of course not, I went to school in Edinburgh, the same school as your parents, Jack.” She replied. Her patronising tone irked Jack, but he kept calm.

“You are mistaken Mrs Harrison, in that case, Elijah and my parents schooled in London, they both died when we were very young. Michael and Ruth are our adoptive parents, our dad can’t have children of his own so they adopted us. I would suggest you would get your facts straight before you spout your rubbish. Never speak ill of the dead Mrs Harrison.” Jack said and waited for her reply.

“That’s not true, your dad can have children.” She replied, confusion coming across loud and clear.

“Enough of this, I don’t care who anyone’s parents are. All I know is that I love Elijah and we’re getting married. You might want to think about the fact you and dad are not invited. Goodbye.”

Lilly pressed the end call button and turned off her phone before slipping it into the back pocket of her jeans. She smiled widely at Jack and Elijah, but they missed it. The two brothers were busy having a silent staring competition about what they had just heard. Jack entered the building and left them alone for a moment.

“Are you ok?” Elijah asked softly, pushing the end of her ponytail over her shoulder.

“Perfect, let’s go inside and get married. I’m looking forward to being Mrs Geary.” She declared.

“We can call her back later, or chat with Harry to see if he has a solicitor that could help your brother.” He suggested.

“Sounds more than he or she deserves, but I will talk to Harry later on.” She agreed.

Elijah pecked her lips three times and led her into the building by her hand. The foyer had ornate flooring. Tiny mosaic pieces of black and white squares covered the floors and walls to shoulder height. The vast corridor stretched on for a hundred feet and ended at a set of double wooden doors that were closed.

Along the hallway, flush against the walls sat long benches, the shiny dark brown wooden seats were empty. In fact the whole place lay in silence, not a sound could be heard. The office staff was absent, no one hurrying from room to room.

Their trainers squeaked along the floor as they walked and Lilly started to giggle. Elijah squeezed her hand and in a sweeping move lifted her into his arms.

“We’re getting married, no time for giggles Ms Harrison, serious business,” Elijah said and instead of kissing her cheek, he blew a raspberry on her neck.

Bursting out laughing she clung to his neck and bounced along as Elijah skipped to the room they were going to be married in, at the end of the corridor. The registrar stood at the door smiling widely at her couple to marry approached. It was a refreshing scene to see two people full of humour ready to get married.

“Elijah, can you put your future wife down so that I can talk with her?” She asked.

Elijah obliged and placed Lilly on her feet, kissed her nose and joined everyone else in the main room. The registrar closed the doors behind him and turned and faced Lilly with a serious face.

“Lilly, Elijah organised this marriage ceremony, but I need to know that you are happy to be married today. You both look glad to be here and typically I prefer to chat to both of you before the wedding. Lilly Harrison are you here of your own free will and consent to be married today?” she asked solemnly.

“I couldn’t be happier to be here,” Lilly answered without pausing.

“Good, that’s great to hear, I just need to go through some details with you and then we can get started. Please take a seat, this will only take a few minutes.”

Lilly and the registrar took their places on a bench by the main door. Lilly answered all the questions on the registrar’s questionnaire attached to the clipboard she had been carrying. Lilly had responded to the final question when the door creaked open and Angie’s head stuck out.

“Elijah is going nuts in here, he thinks that you’ve changed your mind, have you changed your mind?” Angie asked, winking dramatically.

“Yes, I’m having second thoughts, tell him I need more time,” Lilly said in a morbid tone.

“You’re kidding,” came the booming voice of Elijah, behind Angie.

Her head promptly disappeared with the sound of a squeak and Elijah appeared in the doorway. His face painted a picture of pain. Combing his hair with his fingers he stared at Lilly, pleading silently for her to change her mind.

“Gotcha,” Lilly said and stood, thoroughly pleased with herself, she passed Elijah and poked her tongue out and was rewarded with a stinging slap on her bottom. “Get back in place while I compose myself and fluff up my pretend dress,” Lilly ordered.

“I will remember that little scare you gave me later on, where there is no one to hear your squeals,” Elijah promised.