"Tilly! TILLY ALMASI!" The female voice yelled across the street.
She stopped dead in her tracks and slowly turned around.
By that time Emmaline was standing just metres from her. She gripped her bouquet tightly and Tilly could see the rage in her eyes behind her vintage birdcage veil.
"Emmie!" She sobbed "my darl..."
She was on the ground with a throbbing jaw before she could finish what she was trying to say.
Emmaline Lennon didn't slap, she could punch as well as any man.
"My God!!" Julian swore as he, Sean, Justin and Wolf watched on from the edge of the road.
"You can't honestly say that surprises you, son," Wolf advised, "there's been a lot of anger bottling up, she needs to release it before she explodes!"
They watched the woman get up off the ground clutching her now throbbing jaw.
"Yes, but will a screaming match look good considering the Governor of Queensland is involved in, in Great Britain, the Queen's country of birth!?" Julian argued.
"She's already punched her out in the street!" Wolf reminded him.
"That's my worry, Logan!" Julian growled, crossing the street to join the ladies.
But Emmaline couldn't stand to look at Tilly, her now bruised jaw was good enough without her having to cause any more fuss on the streets of Liverpool.
As she took Julian's arm and they turned to walk back across the road she heard Tilly's sobbing voice "I'm sorry, Emmaline..."
"Sorry won't bring Harvey back, Mrs Almasi!" She said over her shoulder "Goodbye!"
"So are you furious with me?" She asked him as they headed back into the building.
"I'm surprised, that's for sure Emmaline"
"I probably shouldn't have done that, being a representative to Her Majesty, but my anger got the better of me..."
"Well if we get called to Windsor or Balmoral or Buckingham, you're doing the talking!" He told her "now, I'm here to get married, are you?"
"It's about time I got those sisters arrested," She told him as they met Wolf, outside the room where their guests were waiting.
"About time? I should have done it after they had Harv killed! Leave it to me, Your Excellency!" Wolf agreed.
"We will talk later but I will see you in a minute!" Julian said, leaning in to kiss her cheek, he was saving their first kiss as husband and wife.
"I love you, Mr Lennon!" She smiled, holding her bouquet.
"And I love you more Dr Lennon!"
There was no mention of her being Governor, to him, she was about to become his wife, and was the mother to his daughter, Gracie.
She watched him walk back down the aisle as Gracie and Charlotte fixed her dress.
"This is it, Mum! You're about to get married!"
With the doors still open, everyone was looking.
"This is it, Your Excellency!" Charlotte said, guiding the little girl to begin walking towards her Father.
With Charlotte following behind her and Wolf and Emmaline bringing up the rear the little girl truly felt the spotlight as many people, she didn't even know smiled warmly at her.
"Paul??" She stopped when she saw the Beatle with his wife Nancy up near the front. What was he doing here, at her Dad's wedding?
She should have known, Paul and her grandfather were once close friends and one of the best songwriting duo the world has ever seen.
"Hello sweetie!" He smiled warmly.
He donated regularly to St Mary's, her orphanage and visited secretly whenever he could.
"So, you finally got adopted hey?" He couched down, Charlotte and Emmaline both stopped but didn't care. "About time! See? Waiting for all this time for the right parents to come along, it was worth it darling girl! You'll very soon see!"
"You and John, John Lennon used to write songs together!" It finally dawned on her.
"We did darling! Anyway, talk later at the reception! We're holding up the ceremony!"
She wanted to ask a million more questions, but he was right, they were holding up the ceremony, She made a mental note to herself to find him at the reception so they could talk more.
When they reached Julian and the boys, Sean, Justin, Mark and Timothy, Gracie smiled. This was her very first wedding and perhaps the most important in her life.
Julian bent down to give her soft little cheek a kiss. "Are you ready to give your Mum away, little darling?"
Gracie nodded.
The celebrant smiled as she looked out upon the wedding guests, the family and friends.
"Welcome, dear family and friends to this very special day, to the marriage ceremony of Julian and Emmaline, first things first, who gives this woman to be married?"
Gracie spoke loud and clear "I do!" Then she took her Mother's hand and placed it in her Father's.
She received a soft kiss to her forehead from Emmaline. "Love you, Gracie!"
"Love you, Mum!"
"Lovely, little Gracie!" The female celebrant, that went by the name of Celeste said with a smile at her, then she turned her attention to the smiling guests.
This day had been a long time coming.
"You are all here today, because of these two, wonderful people! Julian and Emmaline have proved that you're not too old to find love, to find the one you want to spend the rest of your life with, to find your soulmate!
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails!
Marriage is not easy, it is not a walk in the park! It's not meant to be a spur of the moment decision just be able to have a big wedding day to enable the bride and groom to be in the spotlight and get lots and lots of lovely gifts or large amounts of money!
A marriage takes a lot of hard work, between two people who have vowed to love each other unconditionally for the rest of their lives, and today, Julian and Emmaline have waited till their fifties, to finally take that vow! So, I ask you Julian, to make your vow to Emmaline."
She held the microphone out to him, and he took it with a nervous smile.
For many a year, he had played to thousands of adoring fans, signed countless records and items, and posed for many, many photos.
But standing before Emmaline and the people in his world that he loved and adored, he had never felt more nervous.
She kissed his cheek "Say what's in your heart, darling!" She whispered.
"My Sweetness, I choose you. To stand by your side and sleep in your arms. To be joy to your heart and food for your soul. To learn with you and grow with you, even as time and life change us both. I promise to laugh with you in good times and struggle alongside you in bad times. I promise to respect you and cherish you as an individual, a partner, and an equal, knowing that we do not complete, but complement each other. May we have many adventures and grow old together.
I, John Charles Julian Lennon, do pledge you, Emmaline Elizabeth Mary Hatchford, my love, for as long as I live. What I possess in this world, I give to you. I will keep you and hold you, comfort and tend you, protect you and shelter you, for all the days of my life! I love you, Emmaline! I love you with all that I am!"
Gracie learnt then and there that her parents both had two middle names and that her Dad wasn't born Julian Lennon, He was actually born John.
Emmaline tenderly wiped away a tear with one of her Mother's lace hankies. Her something old, Gracie was her something new, she wore May's gorgeous diamond and sapphire bracelet she bought for her in New York, it was her something borrowed and something blue.
"Don't cry, Mum!" Gracie noticed "Dad's vow was beautiful and it was only to you and never to any other woman!"
Celeste smiled as Emmaline reassured the little girl that they were tears of joy and pride, not sadness.
"Emmaline, your vow to Julian" she prompted, handing her the microphone.
She wasn't much better than her almost-husband, she was nervous even though in her role as Governor, she had to make many speeches, this was different, much different.
He smiled at her, kissing her cheek for encouragement "speak from your heart, my dear!"
That was all the confidence that she needed.
"My Julian, today, I promise you this: I will laugh with you in times of joy, and comfort you in times of sorrow. I will share in your dreams and support you as you strive to achieve your goals. I will listen to you with compassion and understanding, and speak to you with encouragement. Together, let us build a home filled with learning, laughter, and light, shared freely with all who may live there. Let us be partners, friends, and lovers, today and all of the days that follow.
I am thankful that the Lord, helped our paths cross all the way over in Egypt, given the circumstances, you could be the most, grumpy, miserable, annoying, difficult patient a doctor could ever have to put up with! But that night we sat out in the hospital gardens in Cairo looking up at the night sky, I knew you were the one I wanted to spend the rest of my life with!
We met with me first being your doctor, then your friend, and now, your wife and the mother to your daughter!
I, Emmaline Elizabeth Mary Hatchford, take you, John Charles Julian Lennon, to be my husband. I promise to always be your biggest fan and your partner in crime. I promise to create and support a family with you, in a household filled with laughter, patience, understanding, and love. I vow not just to grow old together, but to grow together. I will love you faithfully through the difficult and the easy. What may come, I will always be there, each one believing that love never dies. As I have given you my hand to hold, so I give you my life to keep."
Gracie was the one now crying as she stood close to her mother.
"Do you, Julian and Emmaline, pledge to create a life of mutual respect, compassion, generosity, and patience toward each other as you grow together in years?"
"We do"
"Do you pledge to recognize each other's individuality and celebrate each other's uniqueness as a strength in marriage? While at the same time, will you guard one another's weaknesses with understanding, support, and inspiration"
"We do"
"And do you pledge to share the love you have for each other with all living beings? To be a couple that lets their marriage radiate into others, making their lives more beautiful because of it?"
"We do"
"You have for each other a ring. This most precious of metals symbolises that love is the most precious element in your life together. The ring has no beginning and no ending, which symbolizes that the love between you will never cease. You place these rings upon each other's fingers as a visible sign of the vows which, this day, have made you husband and wife.
Wedding rings are made precious by our wearing them. Your rings say that even in your uniqueness you have chosen to be bound together. Let these rings also be a sign that love has substance as well as soul, a present as well as a past, and that, despite its occasional sorrows, love is a circle of happiness, wonder, and delight. May these rings remind you always of the vows you have taken here today, who has the rings?" Celeste asked.
Sean might have been the best man, but Julian had given their wedding rings to Justin, it felt only right, his best friend since they were just Gracie's age, just ten years old.
Julian smiled as he took Cynthia's wedding ring from Celeste.
"I give you Mum's ring as a sign of my love, and with all that I have, I honour you and take you for my wife." He said, sliding the dainty band of gold onto Emmaline's finger.
She smiled and took his ring from Celeste, they had bought it from a respected jeweller in Brisbane, Julian had picked it out himself, Emmaline had paid for it. It was silver and gold.
"Julian, with this ring, I seal my promise to be your faithful and loving wife as God is my witness." She vowed, sliding the ring onto his finger.
"Then if no one objects to this union, by the power vested in me, in the city of Liverpool. I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may seal your marriage with a kiss!"
This was the moment not just Julian was waiting for but the guests as well, he gently rubbed his nose against hers, gazing at her eyes through the dainty white veil, and softly yet hungrily kissed her.
"Hello Dr Lennon," he said softly, kissing her again as Gracie snuggled in between her parents, looking up at them kissing with the biggest grin on her face.
Finally! You all have an update! What do we all think of Emmaline's actions regarding Tilly? And was it a good enough wedding ceremony??