The Nickum by Doris Davidson Page B

Mains, upsetting Emily, who had visualised being in charge of all the arrangements in her own house. This contretemps also took some days to settle, but finally everyone was agreed that it should be the bride’s choice. Greatly relieved that the battle was over, Jackie had arranged a date with the minister, who had agreed to perform the ceremony in the bride’s home on the first Saturday in June, which didn’t give much time for other arrangements to be made.
    Caught up in the young couple’s excitement, Emily found herself looking forward to it, and looked out the outfit she had worn at her own wedding in 1909. It was over twenty years old, but it was a style that didn’t go out of date – a dusky pink two-piece with, instead of a hat, a lovely band of silk rosebuds (made by Beenie Middleton’s middle daughter, who was now a milliner in Ellon, but had been an apprentice at the time). Bridesmaid Connie had been given a beautiful powder-blue crêpe de chine dress that was too tight for her mistress, but fitted the girl as if it had been made for her. Unable to afford new clothes for themselves on top of all the other expenses, Jake and Emily were content with wearing their Sunday best.
    It came as no surprise to any of them, of course, that Willie would almost put a spanner in the works. Becky had been looking through pictures of weddings in the magazines Mrs Burns had given her, showing fashionable wedding parties and detailing wedding etiquette. ‘I don’t want anybody saying we don’t know how to behave,’ she had excused herself to her mother before breaking the appalling information that she wanted Willie to wear a kilt.
    ‘It looks so nice in this photo, doesn’t it?’ she had gone on, laying out one of the books spread open at a double page image of what looked like a society wedding, or at least someone with a truly wealthy background. The guests looked like advertisements for the latest styles, like fashion plates, as Connie observed, the best man and the groom in tailored grey suits with top hats to match, the bride in a pure white confection (as befitted a virgin) with a high headdress and a long veil draped around her feet.
    The two boys, one at front left and the other at front right of the picture, stood stiffly wearing the kilt and full regalia, down to the small dirks at their stocking tops. Even Emily had to agree that they looked very elegant, but they were bonnie boys, hair in place, everything about them absolutely perfect, whereas Willie … She shuddered at the thought of how he would look at the end of the wedding day – even at the end of the first half-hour after he was dressed. ‘No, Becky, I don’t think that’s a good idea, and besides, we couldn’t afford to buy a kilt for him and all that other things.’
    Becky’s face wore a radiant smile. ‘You don’t have to buy anything, Mam. Mrs Burns is giving us a shot of the kilt her Tommy wore when he was about Willie’s size.’
    When Willie was shown his outfit for his sister’s wedding, he flatly refused even to try it on. ‘I’m nae goin’ to wear a skirt! I’m nae a lassie! A’body’ll be laughin’ at me. Oh, Mam, you canna mak’ me wear a skirt?’
    Gramma McKay, there to present her wedding gift of a pair of pink flannelette sheets, shook her head at the boy for being so uncooperative but did her best to talk him round into at least giving it a try. ‘You never know, you might like it once you’ve got it on.’ Noticing his frown darkening, she added, ‘And you’ll likely have the girls after you when you’re looking so handsome.’
    It was the wrong thing to say because he didn’t like girls, but she wasn’t accustomed to being thwarted by anyone, not even a young boy, and went off home in high dudgeon.
    Gramma Fowlie, however, did manage to talk him round the following day. ‘Come on, ma lambie. Just for this Gramma. Put it on to let me see how you look, eh?’
    Willie loved this grandmother more than any