The Reverend Luke Fairchild, to their surprise, had offered to marry them at St Bartholomew’s church. Second marriages – of divorcees – were very rarely performed in the Church of England, but occasionally, in special circumstances, they could be allowed to take place at the discretion of the parish priest and his bishop. Luke had considered this to be a very special circumstance, Lily being the totally innocent party in what had been a disastrous marriage. At Lily’s request, though, it was a very simple service, without a choir or a peal of bells, and with two of her family’s favourite hymns rather than the traditional ‘O Perfect Love’. ‘All Things Bright and Beautiful’ was not really a wedding hymn, and was not one of Lily’s particular favourites, but as Joanie and Jimmy had suggested it she had decided to humour them. This was to be a real family occasion. The two children already looked upon Arthur as a favourite uncle and she knew he would be a loving stepfather to them, giving them the care and affection that their real father had never done, whilst Maisie, who said very little, seemed happy for her mother and had gone along agreeably with all the wedding plans, even to wearing the pink dress she had shunned since the night of the concert.
What do You think about Down An English Lane (2014)?
