Chapter 1: Before the Wedding

Jenny and Andy had met when she was 14 and he was 16. His family had just moved into a house two doors up the road and she had lost her key, so he had invited her into his house to carry on with her homework until her parents returned from work. He enticed her up to his bedroom and seduced her. They became a couple and had stayed together for two years after they met until he went away to university. They tried to keep it together but after the first term, when they saw each other again, they were both seeing other people. They promised to remain friends and when she finished school, she went to the same university, not expecting them to get back together again. However, they met at a student’s union dance, by accident, spent the night together and had been together ever since.

After graduating she moved into his flat in London, despite the disapproval of her mother. He worked in finance in the city and she worked in advertising. They both became very successful and had recently bought a nice house in the suburbs. Now she was three months pregnant with their first child, they thought it would be a good idea to get married. The ceremony was to be in the church she and her parents had attended when she was a child in Solihull, near Birmingham, England. The reception was booked in a rather grand hotel half an hour’s drive away in the country. Jenny had also booked rooms for the night for her family, including aunts, uncles and cousins so that no-one had to drive home or stay sober.

Jenny’s 14-year-old identical twin cousins, Sophie and Sylvie were excited to be asked to be bridesmaids for their older cousin. They had always liked their cousin and, although she was ten years older, she was more like the older sister they never had. They could talk to her and ask advice on all the topics they would never have dreamed about discussing with their mother. More recently, the topics of conversation were about boys, losing their virginity and contraception.

The last time she saw the twins, Jenny had given them both two morning-after pills each, telling them they should not think this was a licence to fuck but if they did get carried away in the heat of passion, at least they would not get pregnant.

They had fun with Jenny choosing their bridesmaid dresses. Jenny had been careful not to let the twin’s mother get involved as she knew she would have put pressure on them and Jenny to have them wear frilly little girl bridesmaid dresses. While Jenny chose a fairly traditional dress to please her mother, she was happy to let the girls choose pretty, white minidresses, hung over just one shoulder with little slits each side and matching tiny lacy panties, looking like two Greek nymphs. The twins were ecstatic when Jenny gave them each a white gold rope choker necklace and matching bracelet to complement their dresses.

Julian (15) and James (16) had not been excited about the wedding. The groom, Andy was their cousin and while they got on well with him, attending any wedding was going to be a bore. Andy had asked them to be ushers and hand out copies of the Order of Service as guests came into the church, so they could hardly refuse and gave up thinking of reasons not to go. At least they had something to do.