## An Education: The Wedding

Post by KP Presents » Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:31 am

“I publish the banns of marriage between Sarah Holderness, spinster, and Brian Carter, bachelor, both residents of the state of Maine, and due to wed in this parish. This is for the third time of asking, and if anyone knows of any just cause or impediment why these two should not be wed, let them declare it now.”
One of the quaint things I love about the services at St Cuthbert’s, the parish church of Holderness, is the way they are required to observe some customs, such as having to announce three times an upcoming wedding, even if they are such an unusual couple as Sarah and Brian. Sitting there with Mum and Dad, it gave me a chance to think back on everything that has happened in the least year, including meeting Sarah and Brian for the first time last summer.
Angela had taken Andy into the crèche, so that both our parents could be here to hear the banns with the others. Aunt Susan and Uncle Alexander were in the aisle in front of us, along with Bobby and Suzie, and in the aisle in front of them were my grandparents, along with Sarah and Brian.
They had arrived just after New Year, and were staying at the manor for the wedding. So far, they were the only guests to arrive, but in two days time the first of the American group were coming – something I was looking forward to, given Heidi was one of them.
Sarah is wearing a pink and black smock top, covering the fairly obvious bump on her stomach, and a pair of black stretch pants with short boots, while Brian had on a thick jumper and black denim trousers. Actually, we were all wrapped up warm, given the sudden cold turn in the weather.
Anyway, Sarah and Brian – I first met them after… Well, I’m sure others have written about it, but last summer there was a very nasty robbery at the Manor house, one where my grandmother, mother, aunt and sister along with the relatives of my best friend Jenny Craig were assaulted. The thing was, they were saved by a woman who somehow managed to overcome the gang, and that person turned out to be Sarah.
It was only some time later, however, that we managed to piece everything together. And we discovered, over a very unusual weekend, some very deep family secrets – such as the fact that Sarah, although we found out her name was Smite, she really was a Holderness. So now we knew her as Sarah Holderness, and that was the name she would be married under.
So here we were, as the vicar announced the next hymn and we stood up to sing. Brian has this rich tenor voice, even if it sounds a bit funny with an Australian accent, but hey – Hugh Jackman can do it, so can he.
After that weekend, things began to change a lot for me, starting with Martin. I’d known Martin for some time, and we were getting closer, but somehow we’d never made that step of saying how we felt about each other – until the day of Bobby’s birthday, the summer ball, and the fact that during a game at the manor, he managed to trick Martin into finding me, bound and gagged in the attic, and unable to stop my darling cousin from pointing out he could see how we both felt about each other.
He has a future in relationship counselling, that boy.
Anyway, despite Bobby’s shock therapy, we did manage to tell each other how we feel, in time for Martin to accompany me to the ball, lead me in the first dance. Not just in public, but also inside at the family dance – the one where, by tradition, the younger females are bound and gagged.
How that tradition started, I have no idea – Granddad always said it was in his time, and his grandfather encouraged it, so stick it has.
Still – Martin and I have got awfully close since then, and he has a hidden sense of humour behind that silent exterior. And he sounds wonderful – he does so now, in the choir.
I can see Jenny and Cassie across the aisle as well, Bobby and Cassie smiling at each other. They think we don’t know just how deep the feelings they have for each other are, but it’s obvious even to someone as shy as me. I think it’s cute, Angela thinks it won’t last, and Grandma – Grandma just smiles.
We’ve spent a bit of time in each other’s houses recently, both with the wedding and also – well, we spent a weekend in very unusual circumstances, thanks to a man called Jay Edwards.
We were meant to be staying at their house for the weekend, with their cousin Patty and her friend Rachel. During the summer holidays, Cassie and Jenny had inherited a lot of their grandmother’s old clothes, and the idea was we would append the weekend being girl detectives from the fifties.
And then Jay and his men arrived. They were bank robbers, who held families hostage while they forced someone to steal money for them. In this case, their target was Mister Craig, and they planned to hold us hostage all weekend. Jenny and Cassie had met him before, when they spent the night very tightly bound and gagged – and it looked like we were going to spend the whole weekend that way.
It turned out that was exactly what they planned – so we spent the weekend, in various outfits, ropes tied tightly round us and very thoroughly gagged. The only time we weren’t gagged was when we were eating, and the only time we weren’t bound was when we went to the toilet or washed. Even when we were in bed, we tied to the bed in some way.
Three things stuck in my mind from that weekend. The first was personal – that weekend just happened, by pure dumb luck, to be the first time I had really experienced… Well, I think you can guess what I was feeling like, which did not help my mood.
The second was the fact that, halfway through the weekend, we were all blindfolded, loaded into what turned out to be the Craig family car, and driven to a house out in the country where we spent the rest of our captivity. The house was big, and we actually ended up spending a lot of time playing games over the time of the stay. In fact, the guy Edwards spent a lot of time making it a game, so that little Patty and her friend Rachel weren’t afraid. I’ve been in enough scrapes with the Craigs to know what was happening – but we all, including Mrs Craig, made it as much a game as possible.
The third thing happened on that Saturday as well – somehow, we ended up an extra band of rope around our arms, just under our chests, and I knew Jenny felt the same way about it as I do. It was the look on Cassie and Suzie – I think they had no idea what was going on at first, and when we had a discussion later on whether or not we should have that extra band in future, they could not make their mind up!
Anyway, in the end our rescue came from a very unexpected source – Bobby and his friend Colin. They had gone to Cassie and Jenny’s house, found the house was empty, figured something was wrong, and alerted their fathers. They in turn had talked to their Aunt Cassie, and – well, come the Sunday afternoon, Jay and his men had gone, and Bobby and Colin found us.
That was a weekend I’ll never forget, as I sat back down and the vicar decided to preach on 1 Corinthians 13. Love – I think I’m just beginning to discover what that means, and not just with Martin but also with the family.
A few weeks ago, I was at home when Martin called round to check something, and I went to make some coffee – only to be grabbed by two masked men, dressed in overalls, who taped over my mouth and eyes, sip tied my wrist behind my back, and marched me out to some sort of van. I had no idea what was going on, who was responsible, anything – until I was tied to a chair, very tightly indeed, the blindfold removed – and there was Suzie, and next to me Rachel and Cassie.
More to the point, my kidnappers had taken their masks off – and that’s when I learned they were Martin, Bobby and Colin. Worse still, I recognised my darling sister Angela and Eddie, the older brother of my friend Mary, as two of the other guards.
Let’s just say I was not the happiest of young ladies, and I made my feelings very clear as to how I was at that moment in time. But it was no use – we were being held hostage in a cellar somewhere, and over the rest of that day we were joined by Patty, Jenny and Lisa, Cassie’s friend from across her street.
The worst bit, at first, was we were as tightly bound, gagged and secured as that weekend with Edwards, but they would not allow us to do anything except sit on a camp bed, lie on the bed to sleep, or sit at a table to eat.
The next day, we were surprised to see five more join us – our friends Mary and Cathy, and Cassie’s friends Hazel, Claire and Pippa. We had calmed down a bit, and had to calm them down, but the same thing had happened to all of us – one by one, we had been grabbed and brought there, wherever there was.
And that turned out to be the cellar of Wissenden Manor, the new home of Bobby and his family, and the very place Jay Edwards had taken us that Saturday. Turned out it was for sale, Granddad bought it with Uncle Alexander, and now it is something like the junior home for the Holderness family.
And the reason for the mass kidnapping? The reason they scared all of us half to death?
To make sure we were all at the hall, to attend a gala party for Cassie and Suzie, of course. Let’s just say I managed to forgive all three of them by the end of the evening – even if I ended up leaving the party the same way I had been brought there, bound, gagged and blindfolded.
“Now let us sing our final hymn – All Creatures That on Earth Do Sing…”
“Well, that sees all the church formalities taken care of,” Grandma said as we assembled in the library after our return from church, and Mrs Bridges had brought in hot drinks for the adults, and some squash for Cassie and Suzie, “and dinner will be in an hour or so. Everything is now in place for Saturday.”
The wedding of Sarah and Brian was going to take place at the manor – a tradition that also stretches back generations, and for which the Lord of Holderness gets a special dispensation. There had been a little fuss to sort out, but Granddad had taken care of that with his usual ease and charm.
“I have to confess,” Brian said as he helped Sarah to sit down, “some of the traditions you have here still baffle me a little. I guess I’ve lived in America too long – everything seems to happen much more quickly over there.”
“Well, we like it this way,” Grandma said as she sat down. “Now, the fittings for the dresses are on Wednesday, or at least the final ones. When do the rest of them get here?”
I’d been told a while back that, although this was an English wedding, Sarah had chosen a number of bridesmaids – well, six bridesmaids, two flower girls and one maid of honour. The maid of honour was Anne Duncombe, a very close friend of Sarah’s who had helped our families get over the trauma of that night. Anne was flying in tomorrow.
Then on Tuesday my pen friend Heidi Strong, and her friends Cindy and Natalie were coming with their mothers and Natalie’s parents. It gets a bit confusing – Heidi and Cindy are actually more like sisters now, because their mothers are partners. Natalie, on the other hand, is adopted, but her natural mother is Heidi’s aunt Veronica – and all of them were coming to stay at Wissenden Hall with Bobby’s family. Heidi, Cindy and Natalie were three of the bridesmaids – Angela, Jenny and I made up the rest of that party.
Suzie and Cassie were to be the flower girls – something they had been rather vocal about, until it was pointed out to them that meant they walked in first, which kept them a bit happier.
As for the rest of the party – Brian had asked the father on another of Heidi’s friends, someone called Jack Hawkins, to be his best man, while Granddad had insisted on the right to give Sarah away. As he put it, he was the oldest living relative, given he was actually her uncle, and he would be honoured to.
So Alice and her family, along with Anne’s sister Sue, a friend of Anne’s called Kayla, and two friends of Angela’s, Chloe Bandelaine (who we had met before) and her boyfriend were flying in on Thursday. They had said they would stay in a nearby hotel, over Granddad’s protests, on the grounds of it gave Brian somewhere to go on Friday night.
“I think they may have to let my dress out a little again,” Sarah said with a sigh, “I seem to have grown some more.”
“That’s what happens when you carry twins,” Mum had said with a smile as she held Andy in her arms.
Now, Jenny and I were really looking forward to the girls coming – we hadn’t seen them since the previous summer, and we had a lot to catch up on. Having said that, we wanted them to have a really fun time here – and we had just the idea of how to do that. The Craigs had also joined us for lunch, as had their grandmother.
So, after lunch, we cornered Grandma while the younger generation went upstairs, and said “Can we have a word please?”
“OF course you can, Alicia,” she said as we retired to the kitchen.
“Grandma,” I said quietly, “we were wondering if our American friends might like a surprise on the way here.”
“Oh, what sort of surprise?”
“The kind we had for the party just before New Year.”
She looked at us, and said “You do remember what happened to all the girls last October?”
“We do,” Jenny said, “but we think they may enjoy this – once the initial shock wears off. What do you think?”
Grandma looked at us, and said “Let me think about it, and talk to their mothers. They will need to approve – but you have a problem. They know Colin and Bobby.”
She then thought for a minute, and smiled. The sort of smile I knew meant she had an idea.
Read stories of ordinary women in distress at http://www.kppresents.com

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Tue Jan 28, 2014 5:52 am

Nice!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:12 am

What a fun wedding this will be!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by Tom Ford » Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:18 am

It’s nice to finally see Sarah and Brian’s wedding. Given what she had been through, she deserves this special happy moment of her life!
That’s a lot of people coming to the wedding! We already have only for the girls of Cassie, Jenny, and Patty’s generation, then we have Natalie, Heidi, and Cindy! At least those three, Heidi especially, has a special connection based on shared experiences with the English girls. Heck, I can remember a time when Heidi was herself a major character of the An Education tale!
Then we have the other girls, Alice etc, the older teenagers, like Chloe, others like Anne Duncombe. Then we have the little boys like Bobby, and Brian Hampton, and Tommy. Hm, is the Williamsons even invited? I don’t think he has a special connection of any sort to them? He’s not even a Holderness friend, only a Craig friend who happened to be the personal accountant of the Holdernesses. But given the events of the last few stories, wouldn’t he be considered a Holderness family friend too?
Boy, what a crowd! Good thing we have Alicia as narrator. It would make things easier to follow. For example, most of her attention would be on Heidi, Natalie, and Cindy, while Angela would have her hands busy with Chloe. The adults could socialize with Sarah and Brian Carter and the parents of the girls!
Oh my, Jenny and Alicia sure are sneaky! Inflicting that on three unsuspecting girls! But I have a feeling that the adults would heartily approve of the scheme, especially if the mothers found out about the kidnapping. Hope the three American girls don’t know about the events of Dec 30 and 29 at Wissenden Hall, so that the surprise will be total!!
One thing is for sure! They would have long hours of talking telling each other of their experiences. I assume that Alicia kept up with Heidi and Heidi with Alicia via skype and hand written letters, but I assume they want to hear more!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:30 am

What a beginning!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by Imp Caesar Augustus » Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:37 am

Congratulations to Brian and Sarah for their upcoming wedding!!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:22 am

Great chapter!!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by William F Somebody » Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:44 am

Wedding bells are ringing! I share the sentiments of the others, and wish them a wonderful wedding, and a long, happy, and productive marriage! And I look forward to seeing their twins!! I hope the curse is broken, so Brian won’t die and leave another Smite a widow!
It’s so nice for Alicia to give her view on the past events—at least we know she forgave the boys for what they did. And we get to see her opinion on Bobby being responsible for her and Martin being together, and of course, that three day weekend where they were pretty much tied up all day long for the entire three days by crooks!
And so we have the wedding! There are tons of guests, a lot from America! Still, I wonder if Hazel, Pippa, Claire, Mary, and Cathy will attend? I know that they don’t have any relation to the newlyweds, and the wedding being at the Manor meant that they could control who could attend it, but perhaps they will attend just to inflate the number of attendees. And of course the Williamsons, and Eddie and Tommy and Brian Hampton as well, I think!
It would be a grand wedding! And they could use the place where have the dances as the place for the wedding!
Hm, a wedding to occur at Holderness Manor that may be Lord Holderness’ niece! That would be fodder for the press! Wedding of the family of the local Lord is sure to be something that the local papers would be ravenous about. I wonder what they’ll say?
SARAH HOLDERNESS, LORD HOLDERNESS NATURAL NIECE TO BE MARRIED AT THE MANOR
Natural means illegitimate of course! But I know that Lord Holderness would have used his power and connections to make sure the story put out would be approved by the family.
Anyway, I noticed something. This is the 27th An Education story. And since the last ebook, there were seven tales! Not to mention other tales that tie in to this!
1. Patty’s Friend
2. Where’s Cassie
3. BFF
4. The New Neighbors
5. Welcome to Wissenden
6. Coming Together
7. The Wedding
Not to mention Take Three Girls and the Mark Williamson/ Jay Edwards stories!
The last ebook, you would remember, has seven main tales. Could we expect another ebook, the fourth An Education ebook, in the near future?
Thanks.

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Tue Jan 28, 2014 8:23 am

Great update!!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by KP Presents » Tue Jan 28, 2014 8:48 am

To answer common questions....
Yeah, they are sneaky
The guest list will be revealed - but remember, Colin's father knows then, and so do the rest of the Craigs.
And a new eBook? You could be right...
Read stories of ordinary women in distress at http://www.kppresents.com

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by William F Somebody » Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:02 am

> KP Presents wrote:And a new eBook? You could be right...

Thinking about it, the events of Where's Cassie pretty much dominates everything. For example, Patty's Friend gave the blueprint for Patty and Rachel thinking the events of the weekend with Jay was a game, BFF is self explanatory, and so is The New Neighbors, Welcome to Wissenden would never have happened if they weren't held hostage at Wissenden Hall by Jay Edwards, and Coming Together is the same, as the christening of the house and the fact that the girls were fooled about the cellars was a result of them moving to a new place!
Anyway, may I ask if you have already have a title for the 4th ebook?

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:11 am

Please please update really really soon!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by KP Presents » Tue Jan 28, 2014 9:31 am

> William F Somebody wrote:Anyway, may I ask if you have already have a title for the 4th ebook?

Not yet - suggestions welcome.
And I have a couple of ideas for the usual extra tales...
Read stories of ordinary women in distress at http://www.kppresents.com

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Tue Jan 28, 2014 10:49 am

Hope you update soon!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by KP Presents » Thu Jan 30, 2014 6:06 am

“Wait here a moment,” she said as she left us in the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with Jenny’s dad. We explained our idea to him, and he listened carefully, before saying “When does their flight land at Heathrow?”
“I will check, but I believe it is at about 7.30 on Tuesday morning, so between 9 and 10 by the time they leave Terminal 3.”
Mister Craig sat back and looked at both of us. “I’ll need to call in a couple of favours – the problem is they know most of us, and even with masks on and them being a little sleepy I think they may twig what’s happening. Having said that…”
I could see Jenny’s grin getting bigger before he said “All right then – Jenny, Alicia, you’re on. I’ll let you know what happens in due course.”
And with that, we had to be content – for the moment.
“Alicia, can you pass the box of wet wipes over?”
I picked the box up from the counter and handed it to Mum, watching as she took one out and wiped Andrew’s chin. “I really never thought I’d get past this again,” I heard her to say to herself as I bit into a slice of toast, looking over my History assignment as I did so.
“Hey,” Dad said when he came in, “I just heard from Amy to say that they had landed safely. When are you going to see them?”
“I’ve got the day off school tomorrow for a fitting,” I said quietly, “so I guess I won’t see any of them before then.”
“Fair enough – but you’d better get a move on, young lady, or you’re going to miss the bus.”
I grabbed my bag and ran out, almost knocking Angela over as she spoke on the telephone. I made it on time – just – and when I got to school I found Jenny sitting with Mary and Cathy.
“Well if it isn’t the bridesmaid,” Cathy said as I sat down. “We got the order for your flowers yesterday – my mums are going to be very busy over the next few days.”
“So are you both looking forward to coming to the evening event? I’m sorry you can’t come to the wedding itself, but at least you get to party that night.”
“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Mary said with a smile. “So has Eddie seen you yet?”
“Eddie? No – why would he?”
Mary looked at me in a funny way, and then said “he came last night and left early this morning – said something about doing something for Angie. Maybe I misheard.”
“Ask him when you get home,” Jenny said as she poked her in the ribs. “So what are you going to be wearing?”
“Forget us,” Cathy said as she leaned forward, “What are YOU going to be wearing?”
“Sorry,” Jenny said, “sworn to secrecy.” As she leaned back, I felt my mobile phone vibrate, and I took it out to see who it was.
It was a message from Grandma, and simply said “It’s begun.”
“Hey,” Jenny said as she looked at the usual bunch of boys congregating, “where’s Martin?”
“Probably doing a rehearsal for Saturday – he and his family are singing and playing.”
Further discussion was stopped by the bell, as we made our way into the school.
It was when we were going to Lunch that we saw Martin, and one look at him told us he had been busy. Not that he was scruffy, or anything, but he walked up to me, hugged me and then said “I need to talk to you and Jenny – grab your lunch and meet me in the music room.”
So the two of us grabbed a sandwich and a drink, made some excuse to the others and went back into the school, joining Martin as he sat by the piano, tinkling away at a tune.
“All right, Martin,” Jenny said as we sat down, “what’s the word?”
“The word is – wow,” Martin said as he looked at us. “I have to tell you that Ms Heidi Strong, Ms Cindy Elsworth and Ms Natalie Jenkins are currently very much securely tucked away in the cellar of Wissenden Hall, while their mothers and Veronica Cabot are enjoying a light lunch with your aunt and uncle right now.”
“And you know this because?”
“Because,” Martin said with a smile, “I was one of the ones who took them there. Let me start at the beginning.
“I got a call from your dad,” Martin said as he looked at Jenny,” to meet him in town last night. When I got there, Mary’s brother was also there, and two other people – one I knew, one I didn’t know. The one I knew was Mark Williamson – Charlie and Lisa’s dad.”
“And the one you didn’t know?”
“Some guy called Billy James – apparently he’s a teaching assistant at Cassie’s school, and your dad knows him well. Anyway, he told us what you had suggested, and Mister Williamson had cooked up a plan for how to grab the girls in the same way the three of us did you girls. We talked, and at eight o’clock this morning I was picked up by Mister Williamson in a grey van.
“All four of us – Eddie, Billy, Mister Williamson and I – wore blue boiler suits, and he had brought black leather gloves and balaclava masks for us to wear. He’d also got ahold of a couple of dummy shotguns, and a starting pistol, to make it more authentic.
“We drove to Beaconsfield services, on the M40, and waited there until Mister Williamson got a text, and then we drove off. When we got onto the motorway, I realised we were following a minibus – and when we overtook at one point, I could see Mister Bridges driving it. So we followed him, or let him go first, until he got off the motorway and we drove through High Wycombe, then onto the old road.
“It must have been about nine thirty when we over took him, and then stopped on a quiet stretch of the road. Eddie got out, and pretended to be working under the bonnet until Mister Bridges drove past, and then stopped, getting out to see if we wanted a hand.
“That was our cue – we all had the masks on, and as Eddie held the starting pistol against Mister Bridges the three of us jumped out of the back and opened the minibus doors. Mister Williamson took the lead, telling the girls and the older women not to scream or anything, before I grabbed a smaller girl with blonde hair.”
“That’s Heidi,” I said as I wished I had been there to see it, “what did you do?”
“Exactly what we did with you lot – ziptied her wrists behind her back, tape gagged her, covered her eyes with tape, and then led her to the back of the van. As I did this, Eddie grabbed a thin, dark haired girl.”
“Cindy,” Jenny said quietly, “so he secured her, gagged her and put her in the van as well?”
Martin nodded before he said “I then went back for the third girl. She was a bit more ready to fight, and she had some strength to her, but I noticed she was barefoot.”
“Nats,” we both said in chorus.
“Anyway, we got her in the van as well, Mister Williamson telling Mister Bridges and the four other women not to follow us or call the police, but to go to Wissenden Hall and wait for a call. We then got into the back of the van while Eddie drove off, and we got to work securing the three of them.
“You could tell they had just got off a trans-Atlantic flight – They were wearing cardies and sweatshirts, t-shirts and jeans, so we taped their ankles and legs, then their arms to their sides, before wrapping more tape around their heads to keep them quiet. We then put sponges in their hands, covered them with clean socks, and taped them into fists – I got the feeling Cindy in particular could have undone the ziptie if she wanted to.”
“It wouldn’t surprise me,” Jenny said with a smile, “Cassie learned a thing or two from her. So you secured them with tape, made sure their hands were covered, and then?”
“Straight to Wissenden Hall – I carried Heidi in, then Eddie Natalie and Billy Cindy. We took them down to the cellar, where Angela was waiting, dressed in the same way as us.
“We sat them down in chairs, and held them on their shoulders while Mister Williamson cut the zipties away, but crossed and bound their wrists with rope as soon as he did so. He also tied their wrists to their back, before cutting the tape from their arms and letting Angela get to work with the extra bands. As he moved on, we knelt in front of them, and replaced the bands of tape with ropes around their ankles and legs, before tying their ankles to the side of the chair.
“Anyway – once all three were secured, Angela tied their waist and laps to the chair, while we removed the tape and gave them the full gag – sponge, knotted towel strip, tape round the head and a scarf tied over it. Only when all three were secured did we remove the blindfolds.”
“Martin, you have a really evil streak in you at times,” I said as I leaned over and kissed him, “it’s one of the things I love about you.”
He blushed as Jenny said “So what did they look like when they saw you?”
“Terrified,” was what Martin said. “Angela had the balaclava on, and I think she’s the only one of us they’ve met. When she spoke, however, I think Heidi recognised her voice, and mumbled something to the other two as they calmed down.
“Angela told them they were being held captive, and in a little while they’d be fed, allowed to go to the toilet and made to send a message to their mothers. Otherwise, they would remain their captives until the ransom was paid.
“That was when we got the signal to leave, as Eddie stayed down there with her. The rest of us went back upstairs, taking off the masks as we did so – only to meet their mothers as they arrived with Mister Bridges.”
“I bet that was a meeting to be devoutly wished for,” Jenny said with a smile. “What do you make of Amy and Dorothy?”
“I liked them – they gave me a hug, as did the other two, and said I was younger than they were expecting. Your mum had also arrived with the twins, Jenny, so she made the introductions before Mister Bridges said he would run me to school – and so, here I am.”
“Indeed – and a job well done,” I said as I bit into my sandwich. “So,” I said after I swallowed, “Are you doing guard duty later?”
Martin nodded. “We’re coming to the hall tonight to play for your grandparents, and I’ll take a stint then. When are you planning to see them?”
“Not today,” I said quietly, “I need to stay out of their way. I’ll be up at the hall tomorrow morning, so I’ll sneak down and see them then.”
Come the next morning, I arrived at the hall at about nine am, in time to see Eddie emerge from the cellar.
“Hey there,” he said as he rubbed his hand through his hair, “we just got them secured for the morning, but they haven’t got blindfolds on – so best you don’t go down.”
“Fair enough – can I see the ransom videos though?”
“Ask your Uncle Alexander – he’s in there with the others now.”
So I went into the front room, and said “Hi – sorry I didn’t get here until today.”
“That’s all right,” Amy said as she looked up from one of the couches, Dorothy sitting next to her. They were both wearing jeans and blouses, with flat shoes on. Veronica and Katherine, Natalie’s mum – well, they both were her mum, but anyway – were pouring themselves a coffee as Aunt Susan sat down with Uncle Alexander.
“Looking forward to the fitting this afternoon,” Aunt Susan said as she sipped her coffee.
“That’s not the word I’d use – where are Bobby and Suzie?”
“They’ll be back at lunchtime – they couldn’t get the whole day off.”
“So, Alicia,” Dorothy said as she put her coffee cup down, “I understand you and Jenny were responsible for our surprise when we arrived yesterday. Care to tell us what gave you that idea?”
“Well,” I said as I sat down, and started to explain what had happened just before New Year…
“Well,” Veronica eventually said, “I’m glad we agreed, but it was incredibly realistic. Whoever you got to do it, they knew how to act the part.”
“You’ll meet them on Saturday, if not before,” Uncle Alexander said as he looked at me. “Right now, tell us all about the others who are coming…”
Last edited by KP Presents on Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:28 am, edited 1 time in total.
Read stories of ordinary women in distress at http://www.kppresents.com

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Thu Jan 30, 2014 6:43 am

Nice!!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by Tom Ford » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:25 am

That was so awesome!!
The kidnapping is one I’m sure they won’t forget!! The kidnapping is very realistically done, but what can you expect when Jay Edwards is involved? He must be congratulated, as being the oldest of the group, he must have lead it and planned it! And full marks for Martin, Eddie, and Billy James for doing their part to perfection! And I believe old Mr Bridges was in on it too!
Billy James! Haven’t heard from him for a while. I’m glad he has a minor role at last!
Perhaps the girls could have a peak? Angela was already seen by them. At their age, I would think that Jenny and Alicia were already close to Angela’s height, so they only need to wear boiler suits, balaclava masks, and shades if their eye color is different from Angela, and the three Americans wont’ recognize them as long as they don’t say anything.
I wonder how they’ll react once they knew the truth? They already know Angela, so perhaps they already know they’re out of true danger. But from the moment they were taken at the road, till that point, I guess they have been genuinely scared. But, but, hopefully, they will realize that they are having fun. Perhaps even threaten to kill Alicia and Jenny when this is all over!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by Tom Ford » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:27 am

Thanks.
Last edited by Tom Ford on Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by KP Presents » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:28 am

> Tom Ford wrote:Here's a minor quibble.

> > KP Presents wrote:“Straight to Wissenden Hall – I carried Heidi in, then Eddie Natalie and Bobby Cindy.

> Bobby wasn't part of the kidnapping party, so I think that should read Billy.

Fixed
Read stories of ordinary women in distress at http://www.kppresents.com

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:36 am

That's a shocking arrival!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by Imp Caesar Augustus » Thu Jan 30, 2014 8:50 am

Mark Williamson, Edward Holmes, Martin Davies, and Billy James sure make a great welcoming committee!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by William F Somebody » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:10 am

It looks like Alicia still retains part of the devil in her even as she changed her attitude! And looks like Jenny’s taking after her best friend!!
Sneaky little devils!
Using Mark Williamson as part of the kidnapping part was a nice touch. They didn’t know it, but when they asked Mark to be part of it, they ensured the success of their mission by engaging the services of a professional kidnapper. And they also didn’t know it, but Billy James also took a bunch of girls hostage for real before! And thankfully, at least here, he seems to have done a better job than his first attempt in Patty’s Friend.
Hope the girls have recovered sufficiently from their October ordeal! But since they recognize Angela, perhaps they won’t be too scared. After all, after the English girls in the last story recognized the voices of their captors, they calmed down considerably.
And I wonder what will they say when they learned that their mothers approved of this, and knew the whole time? The kidnappers, unlike what happened before, knew that their mother knew, but Jay Edwards I would assume is professional enough to act as if they didn’t know during the actual hostage taking.
I wonder when they will be released? Will it be on the wedding itself? Probably not, it’s still too long away I guess, but anything can happen, I guess.
Hm, is this the pre wedding game that was mentioned in the hints for this story that you told in Coming Together? Thanks.

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:10 am

Great chapter!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:36 am

Great update!!!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Thu Jan 30, 2014 11:00 am

Please please update really really soon!!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:48 pm

Hope you update soon!!

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by NaughtyNats » Fri Jan 31, 2014 2:20 am

Well, I'm Not a great fan of the realistic kidnappings rather than consentual play but that is an efficient and secure way to retrain the girls. i'm looking forward to find out how they look and are dressed / tied for the forthcoming visit.
NAUGHTY NATS
Maybe blindfold, maybe gagged, always barefoot

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by KP Presents » Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:34 am

It would have been about 1 when I heard the voices, and saw Bobby and Suzie come in, accompanied by Jenny and Cassie. “Hello Susan,” their mother said as Mrs Boyle helped her with the car seats. Grandma and Granddad followed them in, as they said “Good afternoon everyone – I trust you managed to sleep well?”
“We slept like logs,” Dorothy said with a smile, “but I’m not sure about the other three.”
“Don’t worry – they slept like babies.”
I looked up to see Angela standing in the doorway, wearing a blue boiler suit and holding a balaclava in her gloved hand. “When will dinner be ready, Mrs Boyle?”
“In about thirty minutes, Miss Angela,” the housekeeper said.
“Enough time then,” she said as she looked at me and Jenny. “I need you two to give me a hand – come and get changed.”
As Jenny and I followed her, she opened the downstairs toilet. “There are two boiler suits in there, gloves and masks – put them on and then come with me.”
The suit was baggy, which was just as well given Jenny still had her school uniform on, so as we pulled the gloves and masks on, there was nothing to show there was a couple of teenage schoolkids in there. We walked out to find Angela had already put her mask on, as we walked down into the cellar.
I could see someone else there already, and he winked at us as we came down. An educated guess, and the fact I knew what he looked like in that gear, told me Eddie had been on morning watch for the three captives.
All three were on the camp beds, looking up at us over the scarves that covered their lower mouths. Heidi was on the first bed, wearing a white polo shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Next was Cindy, in a grey smock top with a white long sleeved top underneath, and a pair of black leggings. Finally there was Natalie, squirming round in her light blue t-shirt and boho skirt that came to just below her knees.
All three were barefoot, with their hands covered by socks and tape behind their backs. They were tied as we had been – wrists crossed and secured together behind their backs, then rope around their waists and wrapped between their arms and back. A band held their lower arms to their stomachs, then two bands above and below their chests.
As for their legs, their ankles were secured side by side, and then their legs below their knees, while a length of rope went from their ankles to the foot of each bed. I could guess just how much packing was under those scares as well from the way their cheeks bulged.
Heidi wriggled round as she looked at us, and said “Hwmssshlngr?”
“You can go now,” Angela said to Eddie, who nodded and left without saying anything. “Good news,” she then said to all three of them, “your ransom has been paid, and we’re going to take you back to your mothers. I’m going to untie you from the bed, one by one, and I want you to sit on the sides of the bed without saying anything. Understand?”
The three girls nodded as Jenny and I had to turn and stop ourselves from giggling. “You two,” Angela said in a commanding voice, “help me here.” We went and stood by Cindy and Natalie’s bed before we untied their ankles from the metal, and helped all three to sit up.
“Whrrwww,” Natalie said as she wriggled her toes on the cold floor.
“You know we’re not going to tell you that,” Angela said as she turned Heidi to the side and started to untie the chest ropes. “Release her legs, and then get the tape,” she said to us, so as Jenny knelt down and removed the ropes around her ankles and legs I walked over and picked up the roll of white micropore tape.
“I want you,” Angela said to Heidi, “to close your eyes. We’re going to blindfold you, and then you sit still until we tell you to move, all right?” Heidi nodded as I tore off a long strip of the tape, and then stood in front of her. She looked at me, before closing her eyes and allowing me to blindfold her.
Cindy quietly allowed us to free and blindfold her, but as Natalie sat up she tried to stand as well. “I told you to sit down,” Angela said as she put her hands on her shoulder. “We don’t want a repeat of what happened when you changed this morning, do you?”
“Neednt,” Nats mumbled as she sat back down, and then was blindfolded.
“All right,” Angela said as she helped Natalie to stand, and we accompanied Heidi and Cindy, “Walk with us, keep quiet, and it will soon all be over.” She took the lead, holding Natalie’s arm as we followed her up the stairs, and into the dining room.
Mrs Boyle was setting the last places, and smiled at us as we escorted our guests to the three seats at the centre of one side. Sitting them down, I was surprised to see them meekly put their legs against the front legs of the chair.
“Not this time – you just need to sit still,” Angela said as she nodded to us, and we started to untie their arms. As we coiled the ropes and put them to one side, their mothers came in and took four of the chairs on the other side f the table, moving as quietly as possible.
“Whstsgngngnn,” Cindy said as Jenny began to unwind the tape from her hands. “You will sit still and quiet until we tell you to move,” Angela said again in that commanding voice of hers, as the others came in as well – Cassie and Suzie sitting at one side of the American visitors, Grandma and Granddad on the other side.
As Bobby, Uncle Alexander and Aunt Susan sat at one end of the table, we started to remove their gags while they rubbed their wrists. Under the folded scarf was a band of white tape encircling their heads, and once I had removed that I saw the knotted strip of towel between their teeth. We untied them, and helped the cloth to come out of their mouths, before standing back.
“All right,” Angela said quietly, “you may remove your blindfolds now.”
Very slowly, Heidi reached up and peeled the tape away from her eyes, blinking as she allowed them to adjust to the light. She then took one look at her mother, smiling across the table from her, and said “What the…”
Turning her head, she saw that the three of us had removed our masks, while Cindy and Natalie were looking round. “Where…. How…. When…”
“Welcome to Wissenden Hall girls,” Uncle Alexander said as Mrs Boyle started to bring in some bowls of soup, “we hope you enjoyed your stay here last night.”
“Our stay here last…” Natalie looked at her mother, before saying “Oh great god above, you mean this was all a game? And you knew? YOU KNEW???”
“I’m afraid so dear,” Katherine said as she smiled back across the table. “But don’t think it was our idea – thank your friends behind you.”
“You suggested this,” Heidi said as she turned and looked at me, while I took off the boiler suit. “I thought I recognised Angela’s voice, but this was your idea? Then who did it – I didn’t recognise anyone else!”
“We’ll tell you over lunch,” I said as I walked forward and hugged Heidi, “welcome back anyway – did you enjoy it?”
“Once we figured out it was someone we knew, yes – but whoever you got to do it, they knew what they were doing. How on earth did you get the idea?”
“It happened to us,” Jenny said as she hugged Cindy and Natalie, “but never mind that now – you must be hungry. Mrs Boyle is a very good cook, so sit back down and tuck in.”
“So this is where you live now, Suzie,” Heidi said as she sat back down and looked across the table, “I like what I’ve seen of it – mind you, it’s just this room and – where were we anyway?”
“In the cellar,” Bobby said as he picked up a hunk of bread, “I took your mothers down last night after you had gone to sleep to show them.”
“You watched us? Oh great – and me with a Laura Ingalls nightshirt on as well!”
“Oh yes – and such a wonderful sight it was as well,” Veronica said with a smile. “Do you know you talk in your sleep?”
“I don’t” Natalie said as she looked over, than at the other girls. “Do I?”
“Sometimes, but we ignore it,” Cindy said as she took a mouthful of soup. “This is very good,” she said as she looked at Mrs Boyle. “Can we get the recipe?”
“If you can give me one for clam chowder,” Mrs Boyle said.
“Deal – we’ll talk later,” Cindy said with a smile. “So we’ll be staying here for the trip?”
“That’s right,” Suzie said. “I’ll show you the house later, and the grounds tomorrow, but we have to go into town this afternoon – dress fitting.”
“And tonight you will be having dinner at the Manor house – Sarah and Brian are most anxious to see you as well,” Grandma said as she looked at us.
“Tell me they didn’t see us,” Cindy said as she looked at her mother.
“No – they were busy last night,” Dorothy said with a smile.
“Sorry I’m late,” Eddie said as he came in and took the one empty seat, “I had to clean up downstairs first.”
“Heidi, Cindy, Nats, this is my boyfriend Eddie Holmes,” Angela said as she smiled at him, “one of your captors.”
“Pleasure,” Eddie said as he smiled at them, and then started to eat the soup.
“I liked him,” Nats said with a smile, and I laughed in return.
“Just promise me,” Heidi said as she looked at me, “you’re not going to do that for any of the others.”
“Nope – they’re going to a hotel anyway,” I said in response.
“Good – I don’t think Alice in particular would like it, and Chloe…”
“Chloe is getting very good at getting out of ropes,” Natalie said quietly.
Once we had finished dinner, and the others had a chance to change out of their school uniforms, the six of us climbed into Mrs Craig’s large car, while the mothers got into the car being driven by Aunt Susan, and we headed into town – specifically, into the dress making emporium known to all as Casey’s. She had made all our ball gowns, and a couple of years ago had made the dress for Jenny and Cassie’s Aunt Connie’s wedding. So she had been the natural choice when it came to the dresses for Sarah’s party.
“Ah there you are,” Casey herself said as we came in. “And it is pleasure to finally meet the final members of the bridal party – I hope I managed to get your dresses almost right from the measurements we were sent. Right – I need the two flower girls first, so Cassie and Suzie – with me please.”
Bobby had stayed at the Hall, mumbling something about needing to work on something, so it was women only – which suited me, as we sat and talked about some of the things that had happened, while the mothers took themselves to the other side of the room and talked together.
“Right – I think we only need a little adjustment, but what do you think, Mrs Bowden, Mrs Craig?”
We turned and looked at Cassie and Suzie as they stood there, beaming at all of us. Their dress was made from gold silk, and had a square neckline with little puffed sleeves at their shoulders. A waistband of silk flowers was on the dress, and below that it went from a smooth fabric to a slightly more ruffled look, as the skirt flowed a little to about four inches above their ankles.
They both wore a pair of white lace gloves, while their legs were in a pair of white tights, with matching gold shoes that had a little heel.
“Oh my,” aunt Susan said as she stood up and walked over, “You have done a fantastic job, Casey. How does it feel to you, darling?”
“It feels great,” Suzie said as she beamed at her mother. The last part of her outfit as it currently stood was a little headband in her red hair, with flowers on it.
“I think I need to take it in just a little here,” Casey said as she pinned the back, “but otherwise I think we’re there.”
“Oh I agree,” Mrs Craig said as she looked at Cassie, “Perhaps gather her waist a little more?”
“I agree,” Casey said as she walked over. “Ruth, be a dear and fetch the jackets please.”
Her assistant went into the changing rooms, returning with two matching bolero jackets that she helped Cassie and Suzie to put on. “Perfect,” Casey said as she adjusted the fit, “just perfect. You two are going to make one heck of an entrance on Saturday.”
I could see the biggest smile possible on their faces as they twirled round. “Right then – you two go and get changed, and we’ll get these ready,” Casey said as Ruth took them back in. When they returned a few minutes later, she said “Angela and Alicia – you’re next.”
We followed her through to the changing rooms, and as I went in she closed the curtain behind me, returning a few minutes later with a bag labelled “Alicia Bowden.” She also handed me a box, and said “Get changed as quickly as you can – I’ll be in in a second to help with the last part.”
I opened the bag, looking in awe and wonder at the dress inside, and then hung it as I took off my jumper.
Read stories of ordinary women in distress at http://www.kppresents.com

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by KP Presents » Fri Jan 31, 2014 3:35 am

Yeah, I know - you want a sneak peek....
Read stories of ordinary women in distress at http://www.kppresents.com

### Re: An Education: The Wedding

Post by John Kennon Smith » Fri Jan 31, 2014 5:02 am

Nice!