Holly H Kincaid strolled through the crowded reception rooms with the single-minded intent of a top-of-the food-chain predator.

As of three minutes ago everything had upped tempo, switched into a higher gear, a hyper-real state where colours took on a glassy sheen. Holly H liberated a glass from a tray-concealed butler, hoping the bubbly would tone down the fizzing in her bloodstream. She sipped as she zeroed in on the tall blond in the killer suit, a potted palm on his right and a dazzled D-cup brunette on his left.

Then a schmoozing Senator of Something took advantage of a slight pause in her momentum and latched on to her elbow. Holly H pasted a smile on her face. "Sweet Goddess, thou art an oasis to a man parched of thirst in the desert," the Senator babbled. "You are inspiration personified, of epic proportions and lyrical curves�"

Holly H blamed the dress. Then she blamed Zac for choosing the dress. She would�ve been happy with basic black and even happier in jeans and a knit top. But her twin had pointed out the advantages of generating as much attention as they could. Hence the ruby red strapless mini-dress and the matching knee-high boots. And Holly H had managed the attention bit. It happened a lot when you were a six-foot-one blonde. Add the dress and the height-boosting heels and suddenly Holly H was magnetic.

She briefly considered snapping the fingers on her elbow like stale fettucine but decided that would bring the wrong kind of attention. "Adorned in dawn�s fire to heighten the perfection of honeyed satin masquerading as skin," the Senator blathered.

Holly H nodded absently, indigo eyes narrowed over the rim of her glass as she mapped a route through the shifting throng. "Lo, she stands amongst us, a veritable Goddess!" "�Actually, you might want to amend that to part-time high priestess of a human sacrificial cult." Holly H flashed her best kneel-and-worship smile and slid into a conversational eddy among the societal shoal.

Maybe it was her super-charged aura, maybe it was the feral glitter in her eye, or the hell-bent stalk, but the crowd anticipated her approach. There was always a gap ready for the impact of her heels on moss-toned marble so her stride never faltered, not even when a laugh turned into a choked-off croak. Holly H�s head whipped round but the green-tinged Prince Raahjen avoided eye contact.

Well, well. Nice to know she still made an impression after ten years.

Reaching the wall, Holly H raised her glass and savoured the explosion of quality bubbly across her tongue. She reassessed her position. Absolutely time to cut in. Any more encouragement and the avaricious brunette would be out of that halter-neck dress and all over Zac like ivy. Holly H had to give Zac credit for focusing on the face and not the bust.

Such an appropriate word, that.

Holly H made her move, twining her arm around Zac�s waist.

"Darling,� Holly H said to the pouty brunette, "your surgeon is a marvel. Really. One can barely see the scars. Zac, I believe they�re playing our song."

Zac had dusted off his debonair manners and his Wild West style suit, the one with the long jacket and the purply-black vest, and even Holly H had to admit her twin looked good. Not as good as Will Smith, but damn good. He raised an eyebrow and tuned into the ripple of guitar chords and the raw vocals. "Dire Straits? That�s certainly us. So, you and me babe, how �bout it?"

"Actually, I was in the mood to jitterbug, but this will do."

The eyebrow flexed quick time before Zac transferred the champagne flute from her hand into the brunette�s, and swept Holly H onto the dancefloor.

By the time the song ended Zac had maneuvered them close enough to the service entrance to enable them to duck through the kitchens and into a spacious linen closet.

"Jitter as in bridal jitters?" Zac asked.

"As in the bride just up and waltzed right on out of here." Holly H grinned. The adrenaline rioted though her bloodstream.

"Is it official yet?"

"Devon�s covering as long as possible, and her maid won't say a word."

Zac shook his head. "I so don�t want to know how you managed to manipulate the head of security."

"Devon�s a sweetie."

"Devon is extremely well-armed and has the muscles of an ox."

"Forget him for the moment, unless you'd like to discuss Ms Deep Breath back there," Holly H instructed. "What do you think about tracking down the bride and saving the day?"

Zac considered.

Holly H knew he was reviewing the profile they�d studied before leaving home. It helped to think of the Triple City States as an exaggerated equivalent of Renaissance Italy, but with plumbing, penicillin and cutting-edge technology. And when you finished following all the alliances, tangled relationships, business deals and corporations, you ended up with two major powers: dal Vantis and Renwood.

Against that backdrop, uniting the dal Vantis heiress, Antonia, with Michael the Renwood scion, brought stability to the region and in effect turned a brawling guild and House structure into a constitutional monarchy. Hopefully.

Zac�s fine-tuned brain processed all the pros and cons in seconds. "Works for me," he said.

Holly H grinned and watched her twin�s eyes brighten as subtle changes in his posture signaled the buzz started to seethe in his system.

*10:07 PM*

Sour-faced and eyes noting the slightest move, Devon blocked the doorway as Holly H and Zac ransacked the bride�s apartments.

Holly H tucked a red-tipped lock back into her fancy coiffure before bestowing one last disgusted look around the central room. Her hands settled on her hips. "Nothing?"

"Not a thing," confirmed Zac. He tapped one finger thoughtfully against his lower lip and examined the bride�s personal assistant as though Roxanne held the only clue to a lost treasure cache.

Which she might.

Unfortunately, Roxanne was the stubbornly loyal type and was disinclined to share.

"Lee would come in very handy about now," Zac said.

Holly H considered their erstwhile partner and his ability to charm the ladies. "Perhaps. But Roxy doesn�t look charmable."

Roxanne huddled like Miss Muffet on an upscale tuffet and maintained her stony silence. She hadn�t broken it even to detail her name, rank and serial number.

Grrrr." Zac broke away and wandered the room again. "I really expected to find a clue, some obvious place she might be heading. But no. Except for that framed beach house picture in the bathroom it seems as though every other possible clue has been destroyed. Probably in that fire place over there with the ashes scattered about, and probably by our valiant Roxanne. Which begs the question of the beach house. Was it overlooked? Or left in plain sight to make it obvious where our jittery bride has gone? Is it too obvious though? Which means she may have actually gone there because it�s so obvious and therefore not the right place."

"I hope she�s better educated than that," Holly H said.

"Give her credit. She didn�t benefit from the Alec Rivers and Milady Web survival school."

"At least she packed her toothbrush." Holly H went to the gauze-draped Juliet balcony and studied the view. No rope ladders or knotted sheets, and the silk-smooth walls would challenge even Spiderman. Five stories below was a garden hemmed in by the walls of the residence. Was that shimmer a restless bride? Holly H watched and decided it was probably a fishpond, or contemplation pool. "Still on the premises?"

"It�s a big premises," Zac said, looking over her shoulder. "But no. Even if this is a spur of the moment panic I think she�d make the most of the confusion of guests coming and going and get right out."

"To a random destination?"

Zac assumed a stance before the feet-together, knees-together Roxy on her pouffe, emphasising his height and broad shoulders. "Nope. I believe this is where Roxanne can aid us."

Holly H braced one hip against the rosewood sofa so that she was just within Roxanne�s peripheral vision. "You�re not suggesting the ever-loyal Roxy will give up her mistress?"

"But I�m going to be her new best-friend," Zac said, completely smile-free.

"I think he�s serious, Roxanne," Holly H said when the pool of silence had reached Olympic proportions.

Zac nodded once, light glinting off his fair head making him look like the Angel of Imminent Demise. "Completely."

"I hate to spoil your t�te-�-t�te but let�s save a little time. Devon, sweetie, could you access Roxanne�s personnel files on that hand-held gizmo of yours and give us a listing of any and all residents/domiciles/apartments/cabins/rooms frequented by Roxanne, and by extension her family, within a ten kilometer radius?"

"You spoil all my fun," Zac complained, adjusting his cuffs.

"Considering the size of the last dry cleaning bill," Holly H said, "that can only be a good thing."

Devon cleared his throat. "Got the listings."

Holly H crooked her index finger and Devon began.

"Your family are quite the real-estate tycoons,"Zac said pleasantly, ten minutes later when Devon paused for breath.

Roxanne sneered.

"Tch tch," Zac reproved.

Devon resumed his monotone recitation.

"It�s very unfriendly of you to be so uncooperative, Roxy," Zac declared when the file revealed no more holdings. "Perhaps you would appreciate some solitude to consider your position before we forget our manners."

Holly H practically vibrated with menace as she leaned into Roxanne, forcing the smaller woman to look at her. "Have a think about the kind of people running around cities at night. And then think about Antonia. Out there. Alone. Reflect on that, while we do this the old fashioned way and go look." Holly H stormed from the suite.

"You saw it?" she asked Zac as they headed for the nearest exit.

"Third last, the apartment above the bakery," Zac agreed. "The one she went completely blank on, without the flicker of scorn in the eyes."

"Ha." Holly H�s stride lengthened. "Let her think she�s beaten us for now."

*11:39 PM*

Antonia resembled a bumblebee more than an ant. Dressed in black and marigold striped leggings and a fuzzy black jumper hanging to her knees, the bride was red eyed and had a stinger in her hand to match the one that flew by Holly H�s ear.

We come mostly in peace," Holly H said, unruffled by the dart that had zipped past her eyelashes. She elbowed the door wider and breezed in. "Whose face are you using as a target?"

"Chocolate delivery for the broken hearted," Zac announced, carting in the white box they�d snuck out of the kitchens, and the insulated flask of rich chocolate sauce.

Antonia eyed them suspiciously. "I don�t suppose there�s any point in suggesting you�ve got the wrong person?" "Darling, there are twelve-foot posters of your likeness plastered throughout the tri-city state area," Zac replied.

Antonia lost a little of her rigidity.

Holly H eased the dart from Antonia�s hand and set it out of reach. "Want to explain your thought processes?"

"How come you aren�t dragging me back by my hair?"

"My question first, if you don't mind,"Holly countered.

"We�re doing civilised this week" Zac said, easily ignoring his twin.

Antonia sank onto the couch, hugging a cushion to her stomach. "I don�t think we�ve been introduced."

"Zac and Holly H Kincaid, at your service. We run an agency called Rogue Mapping out of Pandora�s Edge."

"Are you really at my service?"

"Normally that�d be a figure of speech, but in your case�" Zac ran a cool measuring gaze over Antonia then looked at Holly H. Holly H shrugged. "We�ll make an exception."

"Why?"

Zac claimed the armchair opposite Antonia while Holly H prowled the apartment.

"Everybody back there was caught up in the politics and seemed to have forgotten the people involved, namely you and Michael. Okay, they might have remembered tomorrow, but it wasn�t looking good. I don�t like that."

Antonia sniffed. "The politics are important."

"Sure." Zac shrugged. "And you�re not?"

Holly H came back with plates and lifted the lid off the pastry box. A flotilla of slightly squished swan-shaped profitteroles nested inside. "Think about it," Holly H advised. "The fact that you legged it the night before the wedding indicates further negotiations might be in order."

Antonia rested her chin on the edge of the cushion. "I needed some space to be me." "Well, I�ve got to say I like this you more than the public persona." Holly H deposited a swan on her plate, drowned it in sauce, and licked her fingers. "Comfy clothes, no bra, you�re pretty good at darts, and you were sneaky enough to avoid all of Devon�s guards and traps. He�s not happy about that, by the way."

"I�ll apologise." "True," Holly H agreed. "So, is this a last minute panic or a culmination of doubts?"

Antonia picked at the cushion fringe. "I was in on the planning and negotiations, made sure all the political ramifications were covered, completely cool about the whole thing until this evening. Then it was like the hypnotist snapped his fingers and I was back in my skin and I�m getting married tomorrow." She hurled the cushion across the room. "Arrgh! Hello, I don�t even know if the guy I�m marrying snores, or likes to walk in the rain or knows all the words of Stairway To Heaven. Sure our public personas are compatible but�"

"Never left alone long enough to find out if there�s any more?" Zac surmised.

"Hmmmm." Holly H scowled at the ceiling.

Antonia tunneled her fingers though her honey-brown hair. "Why am I telling you this anyway?"

"Because we fix things," Zac stated calmly. He poured sauce over a swan, caught the look on Antonia�s face and added another dollop. He handed her the plate. "Dig in. The chocolate will make you feel better, then it will make you feel so ill you�ll forget all your troubles, and then there�s the possibility that if you eat all these, you won�t be able to fit into that gown tomorrow."

"I hope that�s not your solution." Antonia jabbed her fork into the swan.

"Like yours was better?"

*12:40 AM*

"Is that a pose of brooding or impending suicide?"Holly H asked. She studied the groom as he leaned against the window frame staring into the night, a paper plane in his hand.

Definitely a thinking stance. I might even suggest pondering," Zac replied easily.

The paper plane scythed into the night. Michael Renwood turned slowly. In another ten years, when he�d grown into his prominent bone structure, Michael was going to be impressive. Not that he wasn�t already, with those lushly lashed caramel eyes and graceful way of moving. He was in his mid-twenties now, which made him the twins� senior by two years. Chronologically, anyway.

He gulped a little at the sight of Holly H in her ruby red dress but recovered nicely. "And you are?"

Zac pulled the suite door shut and sauntered into the room, casually examining the space, assessing the exits, raising the lid of the silver dome on the cart to reveal an untouched meal. "I told you we needed to work on our advertising, Hol." Zac snitched a strawberry from the dessert platter. "We�re Rogue Mapping."

"Cartographers?"

"Sometimes," Holly H said, lining up the empty bottles on the low table and clicking her tongue disapprovingly.

"Sometimes we�re simply cart-off-with-ers." Zac seized the dish of strawberries and wandered over to the windows, leaving a trail of green leaves behind him.

"I hope your liver is in good shape, because after this it certainly won't be happy," Holly H said. "�What were you thinking, combining good whiskey with bad wine and chasing down it with shots of overpriced vodka?"

"Excuse me." Michael held up one hand. "Did I miss the bit where you mentioned why you�re here?"

"Oh, that." Holly H ambled over, putting a little swing into her step. "We�re here to offer our felicitations, congratulations, best wishes etcetera etcetera."

"So nice of you to stop by."

"We thought so," Zac said. "I like that rug."

Holly H looked down at the rug at her feet. The hand poised on her hip drummed out a rhythm. "Looks more like a carpet to me."

"Wonder if it�s a magic carpet?" Zac deposited the empty strawberry dish on a nearby table and slung his arm across Michael�s shoulder. "Any place it goes is right. Goes far, flies near, to the stars away from here.� His hand found a sensitive place on the groom�s neck and pressed.

Holly H flashed a lupine grin as Michael sank to the carpet. "Well, you don't know what we could find�"

"Why don't you come with me, little girl, on a magic carpet ride?" Zac finished.

Holly H polished the toe of her boot on the lumpy rolled up rug. "Snug as a bug."

*5:30 AM*

Holly H did the honours. One hand beat gently on the black lacquer door above the bakery. Loud enough to command attention from within yet inaudible to those rolling out bread dough and sweet buns below.

That was the plan, anyway.

Antonia? Want us to unlock the door?" Zac headed off Holly H�s impatience before it reached the boil over stage.

Zac�s eyebrows snapped together and Holly H froze.

Was that a muffled giggle?

"Antonia," Holly H rapped out.

"I�m counting to five, then I�m turning the key," Zac warned. "One."

There was that giggle again, muted as though by a hand over the mouth.

"Two. Three."

"Stop," Antonia said.

Answer the question. Do you want the door unlocked?"

"Ummm�no,� said Antonia. Then she moaned

Holly H took a step back from the door. "Right. Michael, any objections?"

"I�ll get back to you." He sounded breathless.

"On to stage two of the cunning plan," Zac said, turning towards the stairs.

"There had better be only tickling going on in there." Holly H scowled at the door one last time and followed.

"We�ve got the bride, we�ve got the groom." Zac paused at the landing. "Would you like to be a witness, Hol?"

"Holly H Kincaid, witness to society wedding of the decade. It�ll look mighty fine on the CV."

"That�s the witnesses taken care of. I wonder where they keep the paperwork?"

"I wonder where they keep the priesty person."

"He's called His Grace, the Archbishop, Hol."

"Glad we cleared that up.� Holly H rolled up the sleeves of the black shirt she now wore over her dress and knotted the tails at her midriff. "I�d hate to abduct the wrong official."

"We�re not going to abduct him. We�re going to borrow him, just like you borrowed that shirt from Michael�s wardrobe. We�ll return him as soon as possible."

"Correct terminology makes all the difference."

*6:15 AM*

The Archbishop turned out to be a her, not a him.

"Enlightened," said Zac. "And those robes look much better on her than they would on a guy."

Holly H twisted her head to the side and squinted. "Really?"

"Well, they will when she�s conscious and standing up. Trust me."

"Did you have to say that?"

"Sorry. Couldn�t resist."

Holly H punched him in the shoulder. "Just get the paperwork while I find something to tie her up with."

"Nicely, Hol. No cutting off her circulation."

Holly H growled and ripped a curtain, complete with tasseled tiebacks, away from the window.

Zac slammed a desk drawer shut and started on the next one down.

"Forget the drawers,� Holly H said. "The documents should be right on top."

"Already found them." Zac absently patted a beribboned scroll and a massive locked leather bound tome in the middle of the blotter. "I just wanted to see if there�s anything else interesting here."

"The clock is ticking."

"Yeah, yeah." Zac picked the knotted ribbon apart, stripped the protective casing away and unrolled the document. He held it directly under the goose-necked desk light and scanned the wording. His eyebrows twitched as he translated the formal terminology into ordinary phrases. "Aha. It specifies today�s date all right, but no mention is made of the time. So all we�re really doing is anticipating the scheduled ceremony."

"Zac. Are we sure about this?"

"Now that we�ve 'borrowed' an archbishop we'd better be sure."

Holly H glowered.

"This is a fine time for you to explore the doubt phenomenon," Zac pointed out. "What�s happened to those Holly H signature characteristics of recklessness, audacity, and boldness?"

"This little voice keeps pointing out that gods get persnickety when their chief representatives are kidnapped. And then it points out that gods ascribe to the lightning bolt first, ask questions later policy."

"Your little voice must be channeling Amanda."

Long time friend and voice of doom-and-gloom, Amanda Lawrence had a flair for sensing danger.

Holly H�s glower upgraded to a thermonuclear glare.

Zac turned and met her gaze. "It�s a risk, but I think Antonia and Michael can make it work if they want to. They have a similar background which helps, a shared goal to work towards, they�re age and height compatible�" "Point," Holly H acknowledged with a wince. "And they both have a penchant for throwing things when they�re upset which should make their first domestic dispute interesting. Plus, if I�m interpreting those giggles correctly, there�s a bit of a spark there. This way we at least give them a chance." Zac released his grip on the bottom of the document and it rescrolled with a snap that nearly took his fingers off. "All right,� Holly H said. �But let�s make Milady proud and do this with flair."

*7:20 AM*

"Devon is getting panicky." Zac gently draped the suit bag over the back seat. "I had to talk fast to get out of the suite."

Holly H snorted like a hippo. "So much for you�re the most amazing person I�ve ever known."

"Oh yea of little faith," the archbishop said.

"Absolutely right, your grace," Zac said, letting the sarcasm slide by. He figured she was entitled. "And it�s nice to have you with us in spirit as well as body."

Holly H hit the accelerator. "How�s Roxy holding up?"

"Thriving. She was endearingly enthusiastic about drugging Antonia�s attendants as they arrived. I got the feeling they, ah� hadn�t had a lot of time for the public school girl."

"Let�s hope she doesn�t OD them. I raided the pantry while you were upstairs and liberated three bottles of their best bubbly. And their best is superb."

Zac felt in his pockets and removed six long white candles. He stashed them in the glove box and noticed a parcel wrapped in butcher�s paper. "What�s in the package?"

"Rings."

"I�m impressed."

"You should be."

Zac rested his head against the back of the seat and yawned until his jaw cracked. "Now all we need is the flowers."

"Didn�t I see a park somewhere around here?" Holly H slowed and squinted through the window.

"Theft," pronounced the archbishop. "Now you�re adding theft of public property to your various crimes."

"We are the public, therefore the property belongs in part to us and we�re collecting our share."

"Specious."

"Yes I know, but it�s not as though anyone is going to stop us, are they?"

The Archbishop contemplated the curtain wrapped mummy-style from her ankles to her shoulders. "Probably not. You seem to have a knack for this. One can only hope you get what you deserve eventually."

"That�s not very nice,� Zac reproved. "There are mitigating circumstances."

"I can tell this is going to be good."

"I think you�re in the wrong arm of the church, your Grace. You�d have starred within the ranks of the Inquisition."

"Also missed my chance at the crusades by a few centuries," the archbishop agreed. "Confess these circumstances, my son."

"I think I like her, Hol."

"Too bad. You can�t keep her." Holly H flicked the indicator and turned right onto San Lorenzo Magnifico Boulevard.

"Damn,� Zac sighed. "Anyway, it�s for a truly noble cause."

"True love," Holly H added, the Princess Bride quote automatic.

"In-con-ceiv-able," snapped Archbishop Grace Angelina.

"All right, all right,�"Zac said. "Potentially true love."

Holly H shivered and fumbled for the heater switch to combat the frosty silence emanating from the rear seat.

Zac propped his elbow on the back of the seat and faced their reluctant guest. "You�re not convinced, are you?"

The archbishop slowly shook her head.

"Think of this as an adventure and if that doesn�t work, consider all the material you�re gathering for future sermons.�

For a moment Zac thought he may have pushed it a bit too much but apparently the archbishop possessed a sense of humour and Zac had tickled it.

"Young man, you and your sister are at least a year�s worth of inspiration. Pull over three blocks up. There�s a highly attractive border."

*1:12 PM*

A sweating Devon with huge black bags under his eyes caught up with them at the massive doors. �Portal� actually, doors being a fraction casual about slabs of carved centuries old timber.

"Everything�s going according to plan," Zac soothed.

"Whose plan?"

"Or it will once one final impediment is removed," Zac said.

Judging by the way Devon forced his trembling hands to unclaw he�d been mainlining caffeine since midnight.

"It�s a small thing, really." Holly H examined the fingernails of her right hand. "Nothing to be concerned about, and will only take about a minute of your time to sort out."

"Our bill." Zac added an angelic smile.

The coffee-shakes stopped. A moment later Devon seemed to inflate, puffing up more than a balloon at a five-year-old�s party.

Ooo-ooh. You thought this would be pro bono?" Holly H crossed her arms over her chest.

"Ah, Hol. Not a good look," Zac stage whispered

Holly H glanced down. "Hellfire." She unfolded her arms and shimmied her neckline back into place.

An usher eased out of the central chamber. His bland everything-is-fine smile dropped the minute he hit the vestibule. He dashed to the steps and sighted along the avenue. Straightening his tunic, the usher grimaced at Devon as he tacked on his smile and retraced his steps.

Devon subsided but retained the wild look in his eyes.

"Ah, Devon?" Holly H waved a hand in front of his face.

The Head of Security whipped out the latest in palmtop computers, accessed his accounting program and scribbled out an IOU made payable to Rogue Mapping for services rendered. The machine spat out a receipt which Devon initialed and jabbed at Holly H.

Zac claimed the slip and examined each and every word. Minutely.

Devon�s hands formed claws and he growled long and low in his throat.

"Right," Holly H said. She extracted a magenta disk from Zac�s pocket and handed it to Devon. �Mind this for me, will you?�

Then she turned her attention to the doors.

Zac smoothed his sleeve. "I love getting paid twice for the same job."

"Technically it was two jobs," Holly H pointed out. "Devon hired us to find Antonia, and Antonia hired us to fix things."

"Not that anyone will be asking. Ready?"

"Pity we can�t take advantage of the Any Objections bit. I�ve always wanted to do that." Holly H checked her neckline. "Let�s do it."

Hinges squealed and then were lost beneath the crash of the cathedral doors juddering into the walls. The organ and choir stuttered to a halt. Holly H and Zac stood on the threshold until every eye had stopped straining behind them to catch a glimpse of the bride and instead focused on them.

And nobody said a word.

Holly H put her best foot forward on a red carpet so lush and springy it felt buoyant under heel and toe. Zac mirrored her move, the twin connection functioning best under stress.

Stress? A couple hundred Beautiful People, Important People, Powerful People and a sprinkling of just plain people staring at them?

Huh.

Holly H put an extra swagger in her step, knowing the impact she and Zac made. Bookend blondes, taller than most, with an attitude in part inherited from wild Celtic ancestors and part the result of a Pandora�s Edge upbringing with a good dose of natural talent.

Maybe there was something to the myth of red equaling speed� in her ruby red dress and the matching boots on that scarlet saturated carpet, it seemed that the mile-long march lasted seconds. Individual faces blurred, but Holly H clocked the emotional Mexican Wave of stupefied blankness to bewildered to suspicion to shock to anger. She also noticed the red colour scheme catching on in flushing cheeks, mottling skin, and the parting of tinted lips.

Holly H reached the end of the carpet and pivoted. Beneath an expression of dangerous boredom her blood was fizzing again.

Still the silence, but this was more of a waiting for somebody, anybody, to take charge.

Zac did. "Slight change in proceedings," he announced, calmly surveying the assembly. An excellent acoustic design carried his voice, cool and easy and with a hint of a drawl, to every corner.

"Michael Renwood and Antonia dal Vantis have preempted you all and were married by Archbishop Grace Angelina this morning at nine o�clock."

"They�ve since departed on their honeymoon," Holly H picked up smoothly. "So let�s move on to the reception, and cut the cake."

"Wait a minute." A less flabbergasted Senator of Something Vital to Civilization found his vocal chords and his feet.

"Damn." Holly H snapped her fingers. "You�re right, I did forget something. Devon, sweetie, could you hand that disk over to the broadcast people and have them flash the pictures up on the big screen?"

"That wasn�t�"

"You don�t want to see the wedding photos?" Zac asked.

"Everybody loves wedding photos, especially when the principals are happy," Holly H said pointedly.

"Happiness is immaterial," the suit snapped.

"Excuse me?" Holly H stared him down.

"Wipe the dollar signs from your eyes and look at that," Zac instructed, disgust evident in his voice. He indicated the large screen where a laughing Antonia with Michael�s arm wrapped round her chinked glasses with Archbishop Grace. "That�s a Public Relations dream."

The next picture flashed up. A serious Michael sliding the ring onto Antonia�s finger.

Holly H whispered a quick thank-you that the ring wasn�t in focus. Well, she�d done the best she could in the time available.

The pictures came in quick succession now.

The kiss�

Signing the massive leather-bound tome under Archbishop Grace�s benevolent eye�

Opening that first bottle�

Michael and Antonia toasting each other against a backdrop of delphiniums and gardenias�

The bleary-eyed music academy kids Holly H had nabbed coming out of an all night coffee bar who�d remembered, after prodding from Zac, how to play a lyrical romantic melody�

Antonia coming out of the bedroom in the honey-tinted cream suit Zac had chosen for her�

Michael and Antonia holding hands and grinning�

A close up of the scroll, with all the blank spaces for signatures filled in�

The pictures cycled though again before coming to rest on Holly H�s personal favourite � Antonia and Michael completely oblivious of their audience as they did the gazing into each other�s eyes thing.

Twitching hankies and ohhs from the crowd in the cathedral echoed her opinion. Mrs Something Vital to Civilization yanked the Senator down into his seat.

Zac turned to Holly H. "I don�t think they�ll forget us in a hurry, do you?"

"Unlikely." Holly H suppressed a yawn. "It�s equally as unlikely that this will become the recommended cure for bridal jitters."

Zac draped his arm over Holly H�s shoulders. "Guess they haven�t heard the one about all being fair in love and war."

Kate's a true Aquarius, a morning person, and sadly addicted to rapsberries and paranormal romances. Her quirky "Wishbone" crime series ran on www.australianreader.com through 2006, while other stories have found a home on radio. She plans to finish the novel that sparked it all sometime soon.