Pre-wedding

The arrangement was that Will would spend the night in Fred's caravan. What with the whole bad luck to see your bride before the wedding thing. The reality was that when he stumbled in at four in the morning, he fell over Wolf, Fred's guard dog, and nearly ended up with a broken arm.

Carlotta, unaware of this particular development, is getting ready in her caravan. Will is still in his boxers, in Fred's caravan, nursing a hangover.

Wedding

It's a small village church, with a good crowd. A whole bunch of young women Carlotta's age - her friends from school - and some friends of Will's have gathered outside. The entire cast of the circus are outside except for the lady who will be playing the organ.

Carlotta's father and grandmother are waiting a little way away, with her uncle Michael and his family. Her father is pushing a wheelchair in which a man with a below knee amputation is sitting; those who have visited her world before may recognise him as Harris. Will's family are talking to Carlotta's family.

The bride and groom arrive on horse and cart, and Will opens the door for his bride with a big grin on his face. Carlotta's dress is white and simple, with a little gypsy flair; for the sake of her family, she hasn't come with her Ringmaster outfit on. After she descends, he steps back up to scoop up their daughter, who he passes to Carlotta's grandmother, and his nephew, Little William, who he passes to his sister Libby.


The vicar calls everyone in for the ceremony. As everyone enters, it becomes apparant that the arrangement for the wedding march has probably been taken from some sort of comedy sketch, as there's a lot of twiddly bits of music that probably shouldn't be there. Libby and Rita, the bridesmaids, follow behind Carlotta with flowers. Jack and Jacob, the twin page boys, are in new suits, but can't resist doing a carefully choreographed cartwheel act down the aisle. Finally behind them runs Rita's trained monkey, also dressed in a very tiny suit, who climbs up onto Rita's shoulder and holds the flowers in a very solemn manner.

And for that moment, everything is perfect. Carlotta smiles at her husband, and glances back into the church, where her two worlds have at last truly combined.

They exchange vows, and rings, again. No promise to obey, and for once, Will gets it; she is the Ringmaster, and if he doesn't give her space for that, she'll lose her cast. They kiss and hold one another close, and for that moment, everything is okay.

Reception

The reception takes place in the Big Top, which is more than large enough to accommodate the crowd. Outside, a large hog roast is taking place, with food and drinks aplenty.

It's a good time for Carlotta to catch up with her friends from school, most of whom she hasn't seen since the start of the war. A few of them have married in that time and brought husbands, some are in work or still at university. A petite, pretty woman, Alison, has brought a daughter of about two; finally a distraction from an incessant need to worry what her hair looks like. A tall, strapping woman, Mirabel, is sporting a burn scar on her face; rumour has it, she has been serving in combat.

The circus folk mingle among the guests, bringing food and occasionally breaking out into acrobatics. At the front of the tent, Fred the Bouncer sits with Wolf, his large guard dog.