Chapter 19

He came through, and noticed the phone call was over. “How did it go, my darling?”

With my Dad, fine. With my mother – yugh! The first thing she wants to know about you is are you a Catholic?”

“Why, Freda? As it happens, my folks are Church of England, but my Mum seldom goes to church these days.”

“She was telling me that if we married, it would have to be a Catholic ceremony and you would have to promise to raise our kids as Catholics.”

“But none of was going to marry, officially; didn’t we agree?”

“Yes. I told her that I didn’t see us getting married, but that didn’t stop her with her ‘what if’s. She does go on and on, Reg, and that winds me up. Give me a hug, my man. I need your arms around me for a while, until I get calm again.”

Reg did as asked, and enjoyed the companionship as well as the love he felt for her. It was with regret that he left her later, as Prudence had been promised his love that night.

In the morning, he was accosted by Erika. “Reg? We need to get you some training in self-defence. If you get bothered by guys because of us, then you have to know what you can do, and how to do it without killing someone.”

“You think so, Erika?”

“Yes, my love. I know so. I want you to be a good husband, and good husbands always listen to the good advice from their wives. We girls are all in agreement on this.”

“Oh. In that case, what do I do?”

“I have checked, and the Martial Arts Club at the university runs a class on self-defence. It is aimed primarily at helping female students take care of themselves, but men can benefit as well. Will you go along and register with them?”

“Okay, but what about you girls? Shouldn’t you take that class as well?”

“We are less likely than other girls to be bothered by men, as you should appreciate, but my father insisted on me getting such training, and it made me more confident when facing belligerent men. I think the other girls will be there with you; Prudence has already said she wants to go.”

“I can understand Prudence. She found she was too ungainly when she tried athletics. This may help her find her balance, if she is taught the right stances to adopt. Has she started putting on weight? I asked her to add a few pounds to help round her out.”

“Hmm ... I hadn’t noticed. I’ll speak to her about it. We should all make use of any advantage we can get, to look nicer for you, Reg.”

“You are a wonderful girl, Erika. I am glad you love me.”

“Even more important, Reg, is that YOU love ME!” She stretched up to kiss him tenderly.

Over the next few weeks, self-defence training was undertaken by the remaining girls and Reg. Their presence as a group was noticed there, and Reg admitted to the other participants that they were now a family group.

“So you love all four girls, and daren’t marry one for offending the others?” asked Tom Hancock, their trainer.

“That’s it, Tom. I love all four, so we are going to live as a clan and not have the benefit of a marriage ceremony.”

“Except,” Frances chipped in, “That we are going to have our own commitment ceremony, just among ourselves; to promise to be together for ever.”

Tom was impressed at such forethought. “I like the idea of commitment. Far too many normal marriages lack that element of commitment, long term. That is part of why they break down. When are you going to have that commitment ceremony?”

Reg told him, “We put it off until our parents were all told we were boyfriend and girlfriend, at least as a couple. Some, perhaps all, of the parents might be unhappy at a plural marriage – which is what it is. We have dealt with that task, and we are all living together in the one house, so there is no reason for postponing it any further.”

Frances hugged him tight. “I love you, Reg Robertson! The sooner we can be married the better, for I want to tell everybody that I am now Mrs Frances Robertson, certificate or no certificate.”

Tom questioned them, “Don’t you have to have witnesses, if it is a wedding in all but name?”

Frances called over the other girls. Even Erika was there, for she did her bit as another trainer for them.

“Girls, when we have our commitment ceremony, don’t you think we should have official witnesses?”

They nodded and verbally assented, so Frances told Tom, “There you have it, Tom: we want witnesses to our commitment. Are you volunteering?”

“Certainly. I like you all, so I’ll be happy to witness this unique wedding. But can I bring some friends?”

“Friends?” enquired Reg.

“Yes. I was thinking that other members of the club, who now know you, might like to be there and see you tie the knot.”

Prudence nudged Reg. “Go on, agree!” she begged.

Reg looked round at his girls, who were all looking expectantly at him. “All right, we agree, but just them. We don’t want to make a spectacle of ourselves.”

The girls started bouncing with happiness. “Fix a date, Reg.” was the main comment from them. “In the next week or two, Reg”, Frances demanded. “We don’t need wedding dresses, just matching dresses that look good for the occasion. My Dad will pay for them, I promise.”

Reg began to feel overwhelmed again. He turned to Frances, tears in his eyes. “Thank you, Frances. I don’t know what I would do without you keeping me right. You will have to organise me for this event, you know, for I haven’t the faintest idea what should happen. I have never been to a wedding.”

Frances put a hand over her mouth in surprise, then commented, “Naturally. I ought to have known that, darling. You poor dear, you have missed so much over the years. I shall keep you right, my love.”

Frances got the girls together, and they planned out the commitment ceremony they wanted. Each contributed part of the procedure, and they agreed on almost every suggestion.

The central part of the event they were certain about. Reg would say, “I, Reginald Robertson, hereby commit my life to my loves: Erika Platts, Frances LeBrun, Freda Dangerfield, and Prudence Gower. Erika, Frances, Freda, and Prudence, I love you and want to be your husband for ever.”

The girls in turn would say, according to their own name, “I, Erika Platts, pledge my life in a commitment to you, Reginald Robertson, in joint matrimony with Frances LeBrun, Freda Dangerfield, and Prudence Gower. I love you and want to be your wife for ever.”

When they had settled on the commitment ceremony, they showed it to Reg for his approval. As expected, he wholeheartedly agreed with it, and was told he should start memorising his words, so that he would not stumble over these vital words on the important day.

As Reg and his girls were spending more and more time together, it was being noticed by other people, especially at lunchtime. Many were pleasantly surprised by the hilarity evinced by the group. These were girls whose plainness had previously led to them being unsociable, but now here they were chatting away ten to the dozen, obviously happy with life.

Occasionally one of the martial arts group would drop by and say hello, so they had indeed made more friends in recent weeks. This was observed by Beth Templeton, so she wandered over to speak to Prudence Gower.

“Hi, Prudence. Make some new friends?”

“Yes, Beth. They are nice people, never asking for much, and never angling for advantage. It is quite refreshing to encounter people that I can admire.”

Beth’s face grew red as she realised what Prudence was saying; that she was being compared unfavourably with these rather plain girls. She did not understand where Prudence was coming from. Beth acted as best she could.

“I am happy for you, Prudence. Good luck with your new friends.”

“Thanks, Beth. I am doing better in all my work now, and I am sure you can also do better if you put your mind to it.”

“Perhaps, but I have my plans for a certain young gentleman of the aristocracy.”

“Good for you, Beth. Hang on to him, dear.”

“Hey, Lonesome! Can’t find any lookers to hang out with?” The male student clearly knew who Reg was, but was not someone who knew much about him.

Reg responded, “I don’t want lookers. I prefer nice girls. Nice ones are rare, but I found them. Which would you go for, to make you happy?”

The other man was nonplussed. He did not anticipate being put on the spot himself. Robertson seemed pleased with himself, and not lonesome any more. The commenter sought his own get-out. “I’ll think about it and let you know.”

Reg smiled and reacted,”You do that. I’ll just be happy.”

The girls grinned delightedly at the exchange. They knew what they wanted from life, and were sure that they were achieving that aim. Comments such as they had heard no longer upset them.

Some other passing student said, “Good on you, Reg. You are fairly blossoming, man!”

“Hi, Roger. I am in love, that’s all.”

“Cool!”, and Roger went on his way.

The girls all looked at each other, trying to work out which should appear to be Reg’s girl. The consensus fixed on Frances, and she went over to sit on Reg’s lap and give him a kiss. “Thank you, my love!” she declared loudly, but whispered in his ear, “from all of us.”

Reg cuddled her to him, and announced, “Wonderful though this is, we have work to do, my girl.” As she got up, he patted her bottom affectionately.

A nearby lecturer spotted this, and came out with “Hmph! Careful, Mr Robertson.” It was Dr Tom Henderson.

Reg replied, “Sorry, sir. It is a habit that should not be public, I agree.”

“Remember it, Mr Robertson. Do I take it that Miss LeBrun finds you agreeable?”

Frances turned round and declared, “I do, sir. Reg is becoming very acceptable.”

“Congratulations to the pair of you. You both were in need of love, I think.”

“You may be right sir, but we have to go now. Farewell, sir.”

Tom Henderson remembered he had intended to quiz Reginald about his girls. Frances LeBrun appeared to be in the ascendency, by that display of affection. So what was that all about – Reg’s girls? He shrugged his shoulders and let the subject drop from his thoughts.

Their next visit to the martial arts club gave the girls a chance to get together with Tom Hancock, their official trainer and volunteer witness for the commitment ceremony.

Frances asked him, “Tom, don’t we need a minimum of two witnesses for the documentation?”

“Yes, that is how I remember it. I was my elder brother’s best man at his wedding. There were two witnesses to the signatures of the marriage certificate. You should try to make it as much like a wedding certificate as possible. With computer software, that shouldn’t be a problem. Copy a genuine certificate into the graphics software, and amend it to have four female spouses. Just remember to delete the Registration authority’s details from the certificate. Add the University’s details instead, for your ceremony is on University premises. What they don’t know won’t hurt them.”

Freda patted him on the shoulder. “You are good to us, Tom. You don’t happen to have a clergyman friend who could chair the event?”

“No, I don’t. Anyway, I don’t think any clergyman will be prepared to officiate in a polygamous wedding.”

Erika commented, “How about a Registrar? They know the ropes for weddings, but on this occasion it will be off the record.”

Tom shook his head. “Nice thought, but polygamy is illegal, so no Registrar will want to risk losing their job by participating.”

Reg had been watching this discussion, and now contributed, “If no formal celebrant is possible, that leaves the informal. Would you run the ceremony, Tom? It is basically keeping us to time, making a few announcements, and finally declaring us married in the eyes of God.”

Tom was staggered by this assumption by Reg, and took a moment or two to think about it. He finally admitted, “I suppose I could do it, but you would need two other people as witnesses. Perhaps two of the club members could assist in that way.”

Reg agreed, “That is what I was assuming, Tom. The girls can show you what they have planned, and you could agree with them what your part should be.”

“O.K. I expect I have to do the introduction to the ceremony?”

Prudence told him, “Yes. The first words are: “God is Love. Love is the most important gift that humanity can bring to the world.” She handed their script to Tom for his perusal. He read to himself the continuation: Today’s commitment ceremony is all about love. Four ladies have found love with a man to whom love also came late, and they want to retain that joint love over the years.

Civil law has provided no avenue for their loving commitment to be recognised by the state, so the ladies have opted for a commitment ceremony to publicly acknowledge that they have accepted in a form of marriage the man of their choice.

They have asked me to conduct this ceremony, and I have agreed, as their love is self-evident. It will permit all five to live together as married persons do, and raise a family in due time. They recognise that they will not be entitled to benefits due to married persons, such as tax allowances; but to them, being together in love is of greater value than any financial benefits offered by the state.