The Night Before

Watching the rain dance on the window sill, I ran the list of things to do for the umpteenth time.
    “You must be terribly excited Miss Havisham” the maid was busying herself around the gown that hung gracefully on the wardrobe door, adding last minute crystals and drops of pearl “It’s a shame really isn’t it?”
    “Hmm?” pulled out of my daze I turned to see her staring longingly at the dress.
    “Well it’s such a lovely dress, but after tomorrow it’ll just be sat in the wardrobe collecting dust for the rest of it’s days”
I suppose she was right, but what did it matter? It was just a dress, after all. As the maid moved across the room to start preparing my bed, I inspected the gown. It was a magnificent dress, there was no doubt about that. Made up of brilliant white silk and glistening satin finished with arms of lace and expensive embellishments. I smiled as I contemplated the guests remarks and admiration.
  “I should think you’ll be happy to get it over with, what with all the stress of planning the whole event”
“Never again” I joked “It’s a wonder my beloved fiancé hasn’t lost his temper with me. I’ve been quite wicked with him over the last few months” we both laughed.
It was true that with such an occasion to arrange I hadn’t been much of a pleasant character over the past couple of months, but now with the end in sight the Satis house seemed to have a new, more exciting atmosphere about it.
I sat down at my dressing table and fumbled around all the different tools and contraptions checking each was in it’s rightful place and ready for the time consuming job of pinning every last strand of hair in its perfect place and making sure every inch of skin is immaculately presented. I sighed and rested my chin in my hands, scrutinizing the mirror in front for any lines of time or blemishes of wear. I was lucky to still have time on my side, there were few signs of weathering on my face, my eyes still had that sparkle of youth.
    “There you go miss,” having finished her last task I gave the maid a grateful smile. She was young, younger than me at least, but she had a good humour about her “I’ve added an extra blanket, it’s a bit nippy in here tonight.”
    “Thank you child,” I thought for a moment of adding thanks for her help throughout the planning of the wedding, but decided against it, instead I smiled with poise “you may be dismissed”
She returned my smile, nodded and left. I looked around my room and was satisfied, my father had left me a great wealth and I was grateful, although I do wish I had been able to show my gratitude to him as a child. I was quite rotten in my younger years, always asking for things and getting my own way. But now, I feel as though I can put things right, the idea of being a married woman was a humble one. I would do right by my father and husband.
  I slowly walked across the glossy oak floor, my dressing gown flowing softly behind me and reached the grand double bed. As I climbed in a felt a surge of excitement, the next time I got into this bed I would be a married woman, with a handsome husband beside me. Life is wonderful, I thought. I lay and drifted in and out of a dreamless sleep, I was too excited to sleep, yet too exhausted to stay awake. I couldn’t fight the sand-man for long, and quietly lost myself to the land of nod.

*

“Oh, doesn’t she look wonderful” cooed the female members of my staff. I was right in my predictions, I looked remarkable.
“Don’t forget the veil” one over excited adolescent aide yelped. The light white leaf of fabric was passed across the room and eventually placed on my head of delicately sculptured hair.
  “Ladies” a voice from the door sounded “am I right to assume that more than half of you should be in the kitchen, preparing the feast?”
The younger maids all scuttled out giggling about their affairs of truancy. Slowly the senior maids left one by one giving me proud smiles of admiration. Most of them had worked here all their life, once working for my father and now for me.
  Alone I checked the time on the old grandfather clock, 9:20. Still time to run over my vows a few times more. I was interrupted however by a knock on the door.
  “Come in,” I called and a small mousy looking girl tip-toed in “I hope this is important”
She hand me a piece of paper and gazed upon my face for the first time since she had entered the room, she had a look of fear in her eyes, most of them did when they first started out here.
  I saw my name scrawled across the folded sheet, “who is this from?” I asked not expecting an answer off the small child. I opened it, and read…
9:20