Alice-Miranda looked at the clock. ‘The wedding!’ she cried.

‘Oh my goodness, we’re late!’ Miss Grimm stood up and beckoned to the girls and staff. ‘We need to get to the chapel or Miss Reedy and Mr Plumpton will think we’ve abandoned them.’

‘What about our clothes?’ Jacinta called out.

Most of the girls were in their school tracksuits and splattered with mud.

‘We’ll just have to go as we are and get changed after the ceremony,’ the headmistress said as she led the charge down from the stands.

‘Can you take Fudge, Miss Grimm?’ Caprice said, passing the pup to the startled headmistress.

‘Where did he come from?’ She cradled the pup, who barked excitedly. ‘Never mind, you can tell me later. Come on, everyone! Hurry!’ she ordered, not realising her clarion call had got the whole audience on the move.

A woman with a hyper active shih tzu turned to the fellow beside her. ‘Where are we going?’

‘Beats me, but that lady looks to be in charge and I wouldn’t want to mess with her,’ he replied.

‘Bridezilla Reedy is going to go nuts,’ Millie said as the girls bolted towards the chapel.

It seemed that everyone at the dog show was following them and before long there were people and dogs clamouring to get into the building.

Alice-Miranda and the girls raced upstairs to the organ balcony, where the Winchester-Fayle Singers were warming up.

Mr Lipp stared at the group in horror. ‘What’s all this?’

‘Nice of you to dress up, ladies,’ Lucas joked, smiling at the girls. He and the lads looked immaculate in their black suits.

‘What happened to you?’ Sep whispered.

Millie rolled her eyes. ‘Long story.’

Father Colin walked from the vestry at the side of the chapel. He looked out into the congregation and jumped. Mr Plumpton followed the man and was just as surprised to see the ragtag guests, many of whom were four-legged. ‘Are we in the right place?’ he whispered to the groom.

Josiah looked at his watch and at Miss Grimm, who appeared to be holding a puppy that looked just like Fudge. She smiled back at him as if there wasn’t a problem in the world. His heart thumped. Surely this menagerie would send his bride-to-be fleeing. ‘Well, it’s the right time and the right place, but I suspect we might have the wrong guests,’ the man squeaked. Just as he was about to go and speak with Miss Grimm, the sun came out and the silhouette of a tall woman appeared in the doorway.

‘Is that an angel?’ George Figworth gasped.

The entire congregation turned around as Mr Trout began to play the wedding march. Light streamed through the stained-glass windows, creating dappled colours on the floor and illuminating the organza bows and floral arrangements which Miss Reedy had been up since the crack of dawn creating.

‘Is that seriously Miss Reedy?’ Millie leaned over and whispered to Alice-Miranda.

Alice-Miranda’s brown eyes twinkled and a smile spread across her face as the woman began her walk down the aisle, her eyes fixed straight ahead on her groom. ‘Of course it is. Doesn’t she look beautiful?’ the tiny child whispered back.

Millie nodded. ‘Plumpy looks like he’s about to pass out.’

The English teacher was wearing a floor-length fitted lace gown with elegant long sleeves. Her hair was pulled back into a loose chignon at the nape of her neck, softening her face. Mr Plumpton was resplendent in a grey morning suit. Although the man had taken off his top hat for the ceremony, it would no doubt give him some much-needed extra height for their official photographs.

Upstairs, Caprice was doing her best to ignore a little scratch tickling her throat.

Mr Plumpton stood there, nervously waiting for his bride to realise that the congregation wasn’t quite what she’d expected, but she hadn’t taken her eyes off him the whole time.

‘Livinia, you’re breathtaking,’ Josiah said, taking the woman’s arm.

‘You too,’ she whispered back.

Mr Plumpton nodded at Father Colin, who quickly got on with it. ‘If there is anyone here who knows of any reason why this couple may not be wed, speak now or forever hold your peace,’ the minister announced loudly.

Caprice coughed, no longer able to hold it in, drawing an audible gasp from the crowd. ‘What? I’ve got a tickle,’ she hissed, narrowing her eyes at the heads that had swivelled around to glare at her.

Father Colin looked at the girl, then cleared his throat. ‘Right then.’ He waited another few seconds before continuing.

‘Look – Plumpy’s got a tear in his eye.’ Sloane nudged Jacinta, who had just grabbed a tissue from her own pocket. The girl turned to her friend. ‘Are you crying too?’

‘No, it’s dust,’ Jacinta mumbled, quickly dabbing at her face.

Sloane grinned. ‘Yeah, sure.’

The happy couple completed their vows and Father Colin looked out at the congregation, then back at the bride and groom. ‘It gives me great pleasure to now pronounce you husband and wife.’ The man nodded at Josiah Plumpton. ‘You may kiss your bride.’

The children craned their necks to see Mr Plumpton lean across and peck Miss Reedy’s smooth cheek.

‘That’s not a kiss!’ Sloane exclaimed, rather more loudly than she’d meant to. A titter of giggles echoed through the chapel.

‘Give her a proper smooch, Mr P,’ Figgy called from the choir stalls. ‘You’ve waited long enough.’

Miss Grimm glared at the lad before the congregation dissolved into fits of laughter. The Science teacher turned to the crowd and then looked back at his blushing bride before he planted a kiss on Miss Reedy’s cherry-red lips.

‘Oh, Mr Plumpton!’ Miss Reedy gasped.

‘Yes, Mrs Plumpton?’ the man replied with a wink, his nose glowing like a beacon.

The congregation went wild, clapping and cheering, and were quickly accompanied by a cacophony of barks and howls. Fudge wriggled out of Miss Grimm’s arms and skittered to the altar, dancing around at Miss Reedy’s feet. Mr Plumpton bent down and picked him up. It was then that his bride registered her bedraggled guests and a rather large number of blow-ins.

For a second she felt quite dazed. ‘What’s all this?’ she said.

‘We didn’t think you’d mind, love,’ a man with an Alaskan malamute said. ‘We were just over at the show and then that woman up the front there told us to hurry up and get over here.’

‘The headmistress. She’s the headmistress,’ someone said, interrupting him.

‘Well, I love a good wedding as much as the next person,’ the man said.

‘Me too, and you look beautiful,’ a woman clutching a dachshund called out.

A man with a stumpy bulldog wolf-whistled and the entire congregation rose to their feet. Miss Reedy’s face split into the widest of grins as Mr Plumpton raised their hands in victory, while Fudge nestled into the crook of his other arm. As the jubilant newlyweds turned to leave, Mr Lipp nodded at Mr Trout and the choir. Caprice Radford and Figgy stepped forward and the music began.

Mr Plumpton stared up at them. ‘What’s that?’

‘Your special request,’ Mr Lipp called back.

Mr Plumpton frowned. ‘But I asked for “Can You Feel the Love Tonight?”’

‘No, you didn’t,’ Mr Lipp insisted. ‘You asked for this.’

Cornelius Trout huffed and stopped playing.

‘Oh, Livinia, I’m so sorry. There’s been a misunderstanding,’ Mr Plumpton sighed.

The woman beamed at him. ‘Josiah, don’t be silly. I know I’ll love it no matter what.’ Any trace of bridezilla had well and truly disappeared.

‘All right then,’ Josiah said, and gave the man the thumbs up. Within seconds the children had burst into a rousing rendition of ‘Hakuna Matata’. Josiah looked at his bride. ‘No worries.’

‘For the rest of my days,’ she said, and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

Mr and Mrs Plumpton (and Fudge too) wiggled their way down the aisle and out into the sunshine, where a photographer snapped away, capturing every joyous moment.