Demons Slain

CHAPTER NINE

After that first night together, Millie was quite happy to spend all her nights with me, not caring if other guests would look askance when the receptionist happily kissed another guest. Angela constantly wore a rather superior expression as if she was the shaker and moulder of this romance. Millie was back at work now and I missed her as I visited places of interest that I had never had the time to appreciate before. She would join me for dinner in the evenings and I would tell her of where I had been, what I had seen and she listened wistfully. "I wish that I could be with you darling." was a frequent complaint of hers. I was also mournful as visiting these places without the one who now had more importance in my life than any other halved the joy.

I also gave a lot of thought to a future. Millie had stated without quibble that she would be with me wherever I lived, but I knew her heart would be sad to leave Devon. She had been born just a few miles away from Tavistock and was Devon through and through. I was thinking seriously. Most of my work was in the south of England; only rarely did I travel to the North; and the business was located close to Gloucester. It would not be too much of an inconvenience for us to find somewhere to live in Devon, possibly Tavistock or surroundings. I broached the subject with Millie one evening when we were in bed. For a while she was speechless then she found her tongue. "You would do that, for me?"

"It would be for us, Millie. For us and our children. Where better for them to grow up than in Devon? Clean air, great countryside, you can't beat that."

"Just a little something. You mentioned children?"

"Yes."

"Plural."

"Yes."

She smiled. "Well in that case we had better get started. I would like to have them before I am forty. Oh! Should we get married first?"

"Now that's a good idea."

"Well you haven't proposed yet." I got out of bed and walked round to her side naked as the day I was born, and then went on one knee. She was giggling. I was trying to keep a straight face.

"Millie. I love you, I cannot think of life without you. Will you marry me?"

She leaned out of bed, her lovely breasts jiggling, and she kissed me. "Yes, yes, yes, and again yes. And if you didn't understand my reply it is yes, affirmative. Now get back into bed and let's start on these babies you talked about."

We couldn't actually start on the babies as Millie was still on the pill, but we could practice. She ceremoniously flushed the pills down the toilet the next morning. I would be leaving the morning after so our last night together was very special. She had got over her inhibition of walking around in the nude and now seemed to positively enjoy it, teasing me and of course arousing me. Once that had happened, the result was a foregone conclusion. She revelled in the freedom to express her sexuality. It would appear that Allan would not allow her to be on top, he believed it eroded his dominant position as the man. I didn't have that problem and Millie once she was confident would happily take charge, often leaning back, her hands lifting her hair and presenting me with her beautiful hard tipped breasts for my pleasure.

The night before I left we lay side by side, perspiration dotting our bodies and panting as we talked. Millie's first question was. "When will you be back?

"Next weekend. We'll start looking for somewhere to live." She got up on one elbow, her breast caressing my arm.

"You mean it then." I looked at her in surprise.

"Yes. I mean it. Millie, I love you, I want you with me, now, next week, next year for the rest of our lives. You! Only you. Your hand in mine forever." She sank down, clasping me, our bodies, slick with perspiration and our effusions slipping together.

"I'm your woman, Greg. Your very loving woman."

We parted in the morning, Millie to her work in the hotel, and I returned to my work in Gloucester. The following weekend I was back in Tavistock. Millie welcomed me very satisfactorily and on the Saturday we drove up to the village where she had grown up. "Can I introduce you to my sister?" She asked. It would appear that her parents had been antagonistic when Millie had divorced her husband. Their opinion was that marriage was for life whatever the beatings she endured. Consequently she hadn't spoken to them since that time. Her sister Alison however had supported her throughout.

"Of course, I would love to meet her."

It was obvious they were sisters, the same colouring and features. The main difference apart from age as Alison was three years younger and also being built on much sturdier lines. She was delighted. Primarily that Millie had found happiness again. "I wondered who was putting the smile back on Millie's face, so it's very good to meet you Greg."

"It's good to meet you as well Alison." This being England and more importantly the West Country, tea was produced quickly. Alison efficiently discovered my past and how I earned a living and seemed satisfied with the answers. Then she cried tears of happiness when Millie told her that we would be married.

"Oh Millie, that's the best news I have heard since you divorced that bastard of a husband." Her joy was tempered as she thought further. "I suppose you will be moving away then?"

Millie shook her head. "No. Greg says that we should look for a place possibly around Crediton or Tiverton. His office is in Gloucester so either place would be better for getting to the motorway."

Alison turned to me with an enquiry. "Why would you do that, Greg? It's an awful long drive every day."

"I don't go to the office every day, Alison. I travel all over the south of England. In addition I love this area and I wouldn't want to take Millie away from her roots."

"He doesn't mention the children." Millie remarked dryly. "I'm expected to produce at least two. Not that I am complaining though. The thought of having Greg's babies fills me with pleasure."

Alison was wreathed in smiles. "That's wonderful. My two will like having cousins and at last I can be an aunty." She became serious then. "Places in Crediton and Tiverton are quite expensive, Greg. You do know that, don't you?"

"Yes I do. However I have quite a lot of compensation coming from the accident so I should be able to put down a decent deposit and reduce the mortgage to manageable proportions."

"So when is the wedding?" Asked Alison.

We found our home just outside Tiverton. It was a three bedroom detached house set in a half an acre of fairly overgrown land. The house itself was sound but was equally unkempt as the land. It was priced to reflect the dilapidation, which brought it into our budget, although I could see my work being cut out to point and paint the place. We set to with a will and within a month the house was fit for occupation.

Like most men I supposed a wedding was a simply arranged affair. As Millie and I were both divorced a church wedding was out of the picture so the Registry Office was the only choice. That was until Angela got involved. She announced that the hotel was licensed as a suitable place for celebrating civil weddings and that under no circumstances were Millie and I to go anywhere else. The hotel would not accept bookings from anyone bar our guests for the weekend of the ceremony. John then entered the equation by telling us that the wedding breakfast would be his responsibility and he intended to excel. Millie, bullied by Alison was resigned to the large production number that our friends planned, and stopped arguing. Me? I had long become inured to the futility of stopping the distaff side from organising anything, let alone a wedding.

We picked a Saturday in June of course. And with the propensity of the English climate to do anything except what you would wish it was overcast with occasional showers that day. I came down the stairs wearing my wedding suit and Angela immediately pounced. "Buttonhole!" She declared and proceeded to fix a pale pink rose surrounded by enough small fern to feed a rabbit for the day, onto my lapel.

"Pink!" I asked in shock.

Angela nodded. "Yes, Millie's bouquet is blush Lilies and pink Roses, so it's either this or a blooming great Lily." With that affixed I went into the main lounge which was where the ceremony would take place.

Danny was my witness and best man and he was pacing up and down muttering to himself and occasionally referring to the paper in his hand. He was more nervous than me. "You don't have to give a speech Danny." I mentioned. "This is not a formal wedding you know.

He shook his head. "Not formal? Look around, my friend, this place is bedecked with flowers. These people have gone to a lot of trouble. I can't let them down I have to say something. Anyway if I don't Gill will give me grief for months to come." He paused. "Trouble is that I can't come up with any amusing anecdote from your past. To all intents and purposes you seem to have led a very colourless life apart from Elise and I don't think it would be right to mention that."

"Well if you have to make the speech make sure you mention Angela's part in bringing Millie and I together. You can say something to the effect that Cupid is taking a different form these days."

He brightened considerably. I had told him of Angela's matchmaking. "That's it! That's what I can say. Thanks Greg."

The Registrar arrived and took his place behind the table that had been set for him. He busied himself opening the register to the right page and shuffling other papers that bureaucrats deem necessary to their calling. He then looked up and addressed me. "Mr. Hammond?"

"That's me."

He smiled. "My name is Gilmorton from the registrar's office and I shall be conducting this ceremony. Apart from the legal vows you must make, are there any other vows that you would like to say to your future wife?"

"I haven't really thought of it, but I think yes I would. Just a simple statement no more than a sentence really."

"I will let you know when it is time. It will be after the legal vows and just before I declare you man and wife. Do you think that Miss Grainger would like to say anything?"

"I don't know, possibly."

He nodded. "Well after you have spoken I will look at Miss Grainger to see if she wishes to say anything. We don't do things the American way but we like to give the prospective husband and wife the chance to add to their legal vows."

Twenty minutes later the room had filled with our guests and the sudden hush alerted me to the fact that the bride had arrived. I looked back to see Millie standing at the doors to the room. She wore a long fitted dress of gold and cream and instead of a hat and veil she had small flowers woven into a coronet in colours that went with her dark brown hair perfectly. The bouquet she carried was exactly as Angela had described pink roses with blush lilies. Her parents had not replied to our invitation so she stood alone, anticipating this Millie had decided. "I shall walk alone until we are married, then I will never walk alone again." That statement helped. It also helped our choice of music. We had talked a lot about our choice which was Gerry and the Pacemakers 'You'll Never Walk Alone'. We felt it apt as we had both walked through a storm and after today we would walk together, never alone.

The music swelled and Millie, smiling walked to join me. Once the registrar was sure that we were ready he began. It was the usual official announcement and caution and then he began the ceremony. He had just uttered the words about our declaring that there was no legal impediment to our marriage when a loud male voice at the back shouted. "I object!"

CHAPTER TEN

The voice went on. "There is an imprediment. The b..bride is my wife." Everyone turned around in shock. The complainant was a thickset, red-faced man in his thirties. He didn't seem to be too steady on his feet.

Millie gasped white-faced. "Allan!" He didn't make any move to move further into the room and I was preparing to go and sort this out when I felt the hand of the registrar on my arm.

"Leave this to me Mr. Hammond, it is my duty to deal with this." He addressed Millie's ex-husband. "Would you come forward and state your name and why you object to this marriage."

Mr. Winton took an unsteady step and stopped. He took a deep breath and started again.

"He's drunk." Whispered Millie her words only heard by Mr. Gilmorton and me. I took Millie to one side as he unsteadily approached the registrar.

"She can't marry this tosser. She's my wife."

"We're divorced Allan." An angry Millie shouted at him.

"Paper! Just bits of paper." He dismissed them. "You belong to me. I am your husband and you do what I tell you."

Mr. Gilmorton cleared his throat and addressed Allan. "Mr. Winton. I can assure you that your divorce from this lady is full and absolute. As part of the pre-requisite of this marriage all of this has been checked and found in order. You have no right of objection. If you wish to you may remain for the rest of the ceremony, but quietly. If you do not I have the power to have you ejected."

"Rubbish. I don't give a toss for your bits of paper. She is my wife until I decide that I don't want her anymore."

"Mr. Winton, you give me no alternative but to ask you to leave. If you don't I have powers to call the Police and have you arrested." I could see that the calm words of the registrar were having no affect on Allan Winton. Mr. Gilmorton could see that too so picked up his mobile phone and dialled a number. He whispered out of the side of his mouth. "I am doing that now." I saw John still wearing his Chefs white coat and blue checked trousers coming up behind Winton, so I moved towards him to divert his attention. It might be the time to mention that John was six foot three and fifteen and a half stone of muscle. I was five foot ten and although Allan Winton was bigger than me I was not anxious.

In my teens I had gone to a single sex school for boys where battle to be top dog was accepted. I had learned that showing fear was worse than the pain of fighting. I had fought, suffered pain but administered it myself in equal measure.

"Ooh. What are we going to do? Going to fight me, punch the nasty man on the nose. Who and whose army are going to do that, eh?" Allan Winton taunted. John and I reached him at the same time. As John grabbed his left arm I took hold of his right."

"Nobody's going to fight, Winton. We are just going to take you outside whilst the police are called."

"Too scared to fight for the trollop?

"I see no trollop here just a silly drunk making himself look ridiculous. Millie is worth fighting for, but it would be an unfair fight as you are drunk. You may hurt me, but I assure you that I will hurt you as well if not more, and at the end of it, you will still be divorced and I will still marry Millie."

It was at that moment that he looked at the other person holding him. John looked vicious although I knew he wouldn't hurt anyone. It just wasn't in him. The size of him was intimidating however and Winton collapsed. You could literally feel the aggression seep away. We took him out to the car park, now our grasp was one of holding him up rather than forcing him to leave. Mr. Gilmorton had followed us. "I don't think we need the Police now." I said to him.

He shook his head. "I have called them and they have to respond. We won't press charges though."

The Police came and took Winton away and we recommenced the ceremony. As we were now running late and the registrar needed to be elsewhere our personal vows could be left for another time. Millie and I were pronounced man and wife and the smiles returned to our guests. We took our place at the entrance to the dining room where the reception would be held and our guests formed a line to wish us well. The reception line seemed never ending shaking hands, kissing cheeks and speaking a few words with everyone when all I wanted to do was take my wife into my arms. Eventually the line passed and I grabbed two glasses of Chablis from the table and led Millie to a small alcove. We sat down and held hands. It was then that I made those very personal vows to Millie that I had been denied in the ceremony.

"Millie, we have both known the darkness and now we have the light. I love you Millie and I promise you that I will always do everything and anything to keep that light shining on you. Thank you for coming into my life and loving me."

Tears of happiness slipped slowly down her cheeks as she nodded and smiled at the same time. "Greg you are my friend, my lover, my husband and soon, hopefully the father of my children. Now it seems you are my protector as well. Twelve months ago I was horrible to you. I don't deserve you but I am so happy that deserve or not you are my man. I will not fail you and I wish these people would go away as I would like to get out of this dress and show you the lovely underwear Alison and Angela chose for me and then show you how much I love you."

"Oh Millie, I wish you hadn't said that. I shall have to sit here for quite some time now."

She laughed delightedly and then whispered in my ear. "I think about that and get quite damp."

We joined our guests who of course were discussing the little contratemps. Angela grabbed my arm. "Well Greg you really do know how to organise a memorable wedding. What are you going to do next let Doves fly out of the wedding cake?"

"No. I thought John was organising that." She laughed. then the laughter faded.

"Seriously, Greg. I was sure there would be a fight. I was sure he was going to hit you."

"And if he did I would have hit him back. But violence rarely solves anything satisfying as it may be at the time. Mr. Winton was drunk and as soon as we got him outside he seemed to sober a little. Incident closed."

Gill sidled up and asked. "Ok where are you going on Honeymoon or have you already enjoyed that?"

"Exeter Airport and none of your business." I replied with a smile.

"That means you have."

"No comment."

It was time for food and with alacrity our guests walked through into the dining room, with Angela acting as a traffic cop waving them on. There they descended on the superb buffet that John had laid out. John was a guest but could not forsake his main interest in life. It was no surprise to see him behind the buffet table supervising the filling of plates, encouraging the diners to take a little more of the cold roast beef, to try that sauce, or slipping another chicken leg on their plate when they were not looking. With people balancing plates on their laps and trying to find somewhere to put down their glass of Champagne it wasn't the right time for Danny to decide to say his piece. I tried to catch his attention mouthing the words "not now" but if he did see me he ignored me. He rapped his fork against a glass to little effect so he rapped a little harder.

The 'snap' as the glass broke got everybody's attention. "Bride and Groom, Ladies and Gentlemen. Greg didn't want me to make a speech, even at the last minute he was mouthing to me not to do so. But I couldn't allow this moment to pass without saying something. This was a wedding that very nearly didn't happen, for two reasons. The one you all witnessed today, the other one you may not know about. When they first met Greg and Millie didn't get on at all. To say there was a mutual dislike may be going too far, but sparks flew between them without doubt and they certainly were not sparks of passion. However Cupid stepped in, in the unlikely shape of Angela who in the way of women intuitively recognised that Greg and Millie were right for each other. She encouraged them separately at first and then when the antipathy had died she encouraged them together. She was devious and manipulative, perhaps she may have been a little outrageous in some of her suggestions, but Cupids do have a tough job to do sometimes and this little Cupid set to work with enthusiasm and eventually triumphed. We are all very thankful that Angela did succeed. Else we wouldn't be here witnessing the drama and enjoying this superb food. I have wondered why Greg always stayed here. I can't make up my mind if it was the food or Millie that brought him back so often."