Becky Black

Whose silly idea was it to get married in a remote Scottish castle in the middle of winter? But before they can get married, Londoner Kim and her fiery Brazilian fiancée, Gabi, first have to get there.<br><br>The trip from their home in London involves rain -- a lot of rain -- hire cars, trains, disapproving B&B landladies, and snow. So much snow that even when the brides reach their castle, not in a limo, but in a Land Rover smelling of sheep, they fear the caterer, their families and friends, and, most importantly, the celebrant to marry them, will never make it.<br><br>Will the guests arrive? Will the power stay on? Will the cake make it safely? Will the wedding even happen at all? Gaining the right to marry was a long struggle. Now the struggle is to get the brides to the church on time.

Wedded to Calamity

“We’ve got to get your car off the road and get the last of this food carried up to the hotel before it spoils,” he said. “The van can’t get up the drive.”


“Right,” Dad said. “I’ll pull the car off the road. Mildred, grab that box of profiteroles.”


A few more guests struggled in over the next couple of hours. The celebrant showed up about one o’clock, his car towed up there by a local farmer’s tractor. We had a cold lunch of sandwiches. The caterer bought everyone a drink, before his people set to work in the kitchen. The power stayed off. Kings and Queens kept people entertained with the hotel’s piano and songs, since there was no TV or stereo possible.


About one thirty I found Gabi gazing out of the bar window over the front of the hotel, to down the drive. The snow was coming down again, starting to fill in the footsteps of the last few guests, and the many trips back and forth to and from the caterer’s van.


“They won’t get here now,” she said, voice quiet.


Chapter 16