Morag MacBride was longing to be a bridesmaid and it had nothing to do with her name! However, she wasnât so sure about the Little Bo Peep dress the bride wanted her to wear.
Mumâs sister Fiona was getting married and Mum was giving her away. The wedding was going to be in Dunnock Castle which had been restored in Victorian times by a rich businessman and Fiona decided that she wanted a Victorian theme for her wedding. She was going to wear a crinoline and a lacy Victorian veil and she wanted Morag in a âLittle Bo Peepâ outfit, with a Victorian bonnet on her head and a basket of flowers in her hand.
âBAAA!â teased Moragâs brother Ross. âCan I be your sheep?â
âCertainly not!â said Fiona. âyouâre going to be Little Jack Horner!â
Ross looked horrified.
âOnly joking,â said Fiona. âYou can be my handsome pageboy and wear a kilt, like Angus and the best man.â
Morag clapped her hands in excitement â this was going to be a really posh wedding!
When Morag saw Fionaâs wedding dress on a visit to the dressmakerâs she gasped in delight.
âItâs g-o-r-g-e-o-u-s!â
Made of white satin and heavy cream lace it had a tight bodice with big puffy sleeves and a huge crinoline skirt that was looped around the hem with garlands of pale blue flowers.
âWhat are you going to wear on your head?â asked Morag, as Fiona carefully stepped into her crinoline.
âFresh flowers and a lace veil, just like a Victorian bride,â Fiona replied.
The dressmaker painstakingly fastened all one hundred tiny silk buttons down the bodice of Fionaâs dress then the bride turned to gaze at herself in the mirror. The white and cream of the material perfectly matched her pale skin and golden auburn hair.
âYou look beautiful!â cried Morag. âLike a princess, but much prettier!â
Then it was Moragâs turn.
âAm I really going to wear these?â giggled Morag, as the dressmaker helped her into a pair of long, lacy knickers.
âAbsolutely! They were the height of fashion for Victorian girls a hundred years ago,â Fiona replied.
âThey look funny!â laughed Morag, but when she popped the blue net dress over the yellow top, the pantaloons underneath did in fact look very pretty.
âBrilliant!â cried Morag, as she twirled before the mirror. âCan I take it home to show Mum?â
âNot yet,â said Fiona. âThe dressmakerâs got to finish your bonnet and crook.â
âWhatâs a crook?â asked Morag, puzzled.
âItâs a stick with a curved handle that shepherds use to catch runaway sheep,â Fiona told her.
âWill I be chasing sheep?â joked Morag.
âCertainly not!â laughed Fiona. âThis is a wedding â not âOne Man and his Dogâ!â
Morag reluctantly helped Fiona wrap the bridesmaidâs dress, pantaloons and bonnet in sheets of tissue paper. The shepherdessâs little crook and the basket were being taken to the florists to be decorated.
âWhen will I see all my lovely things again?â sighed Morag.
âIn two weeksâ time youâll find them hanging up in your room in Dunnock Castle,â Fiona told her.
âThe castle!â cried Morag. âI thought I was going to get changed here, at home.â
âNo!â laughed Fiona. âWeâve booked a suite of rooms for the bridal party â and that includes you, Ross and your mum and dad.â
Morag couldnât believe her luck. âWeâre all going to be sleeping in a castle! That really is posh!â
They arrived at Dunnock Castle on a wild, stormy Friday night.
âI bet itâs haunted,â said Ross in his spookiest voice.
The wind blew around the ancient tower and rain lashed against the casement windows, but inside the castle all was bright and warm. Log fires crackled in huge open fireplaces and the great hall was prettily lit with sparkling candelabra. Morag and her family were shown to their tower rooms, and were delighted to find they would be sleeping in big four-poster beds hung with old velvet curtains.
âLetâs go exploring,â Morag whispered excitedly to Ross.
He nodded, but just as they were about to sneak away Mum called them back.
âDonât go wandering off,â she called. âWeâve got the wedding rehearsal, then dinner.â
âWeâll do it later,â Ross whispered as Mum ushered them back into their rooms.
The wedding rehearsal was in the great hall of the castle. The registrar told everyone where to stand, when to sit and what to say during the service. Moragâs main job was holding Fionaâs bouquet while the bride and groom exchanged rings. Rossâs job was to hold the brideâs long lace train which at first he refused to do.
âI canât bend down in a KILT!â he protested. âEverybody will see my pants!â