The Spark - Jules Wake Page 0,78
going to happen on the beach, although a large area away to the left had been marked off and two ushers in wellingtons had done their job of ushering us to this end of the beach. I recognised them as part of the trio of handsome young men that had been at the party last night and wondered where the third one was.
At nine o’clock there was an undignified screech as the sound system was switched on and the unmistakable sound of the James Bond theme tune began to play.
Shelley and I giggled. ‘Didn’t I tell you it was going to be wild?’ said Shelley. She seemed to be back to her usual perky self this morning, although I was surprised by her very decorous choice of outfit. Normally she liked figure-hugging numbers that made the most of her out-there cleavage; this was a round-necked floaty pale-lemon dress covered in daisies that was very pretty, but just not very Shelley.
Everyone fell silent as we all glanced back towards the cliff path and the stairs down to the beach, looking for signs of the wedding couple. Gradually, I became aware of people turning around, and a few pointing out to sea. When we turned we saw a small speedboat from around the other side of the cove come bouncing across the waves. The two ushers began to wade into the sea as the boat neared. Standing upright in the stern of the boat, arms outstretched and doing his very own Titanic impersonation was Alastair, dressed in a black tuxedo with black bow tie. When the boat neared, the engine slowed to an idle and the two ushers caught the rope hurled towards them and pulled the boat into the shallows.
Then they carried Alastair, hands under each of his arms, in towards the shore before putting him down on the wet sand. He beamed as his best man, a grizzled old sailor by the name of John, went to his side. It was funny to see their heads together as some frantic pocket patting went on – John clearly reassuring Alastair that, yes, he did have the rings.
They moved up to the beach and took up a position just by a little outcrop of rocks. Alastair beamed from ear to ear, looking positively smug, as if he knew something that we didn’t. Still, everyone looked up and down the beach and back at the cliff path, trying to guess from where Gladys would appear.
Overhead, there was the dull drone of a plane and I laughed to myself. I wondered what they thought up there, looking down at all of us on the beach. I bet we made quite a spectacle. Then Alastair looked up and one by one the wedding guests followed his gaze. The little plane circled again for its third fly past, and then a little black dot came hurtling out of the doors. The James Bond music started again but this time segued into the Duran Duran theme from A View to a Kill.
‘Oh my God.’ My mother’s shrill tone rang out over the suddenly silent crowd. ‘Please tell me that’s not her.’
‘I think it might be,’ I said, craning my neck as a bright yellow and red parachute burst open and began to circle its way down.
‘Well, that’s one way to make an entrance.’ Richard folded his arms and trained his gaze on the descending parachute. ‘Got to hand it to the old girl, she knows how to make an entrance. Maybe we should think about renewing our vows, Lynn.’
‘If you seriously think I’m jumping twenty thousand feet out of a plane, I’ll be divorcing you,’ retorted Lynn.
‘Let’s hope she doesn’t break a leg or anything,’ said Mum. ‘It’ll be hell to get an ambulance crew down here.’
‘It’s being so positive that keeps you going,’ I said, hooking an arm through hers to take the sting out of my words.
‘I’m just being practical.’
The parachute began to get bigger and its circles smaller as it came closer to the beach, and now I understood why the ushers had been so keen for us to be shunted to one end of the beach and why the wedding had had to be so early. The tide was at its lowest point, and that meant there was more room to land.
The tension began to rise as the parachute came nearer and nearer and I was relieved to see that Gladys was with someone else and he was pulling at the toggles to