CHAPTER 75 - LIFE MOVES ON ---- CAPÍTULO 75 - LA VIDA SIGUE

13 May dawned over a luminous London, with a shy sun peeping through high, cotton-like clouds. Ane and David left early from their beautiful flat above the menswear and womenswear boutique that had been enjoying such success in the very centre of the city. Ane would get dressed in her shop, which would remain closed to the public that day, while David would do so at his parents’ house, in keeping with tradition and the superstition of not seeing the bride in her wedding dress before the ceremony.

At 10:30 in the morning, the small church of [1]Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Simon Stock, just a few steps from [2]Kensington Gardens, awaited them with its Gothic façade darkened by the passage of time and history, and its warm, welcoming interior. It was a small, intimate temple, perfect for the wedding they had both imagined: without ostentation, without large crowds, only the people who truly formed part of their story.

Ane entered on the arm of Gorka, her best man and “brother”. She wore her immaculate dress, which had taken many hours of sewing in her own workshop, and carried a bouquet of red roses that stood out against the grey tones of the weather and the church façade. He looked magnificent in the uniform of a Captain of Artillery in His Majesty’s Army. Both looked superb.

Inside the church, the air smelled of wax and fresh flowers. The soft light filtered through the stained glass windows, barely illuminating David who, in his impeccable charcoal suit, waited impatiently for the bride. In the front pews, Claire and Margot, deeply moved, watched Ane walk down the aisle with that blend of determination and gentleness that had always characterised her.

[1] Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Simon Stock is a Catholic church in Kensington (London), served by the Discalced Carmelites. The present building, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott and constructed between 1954 and 1959, replaced an earlier church built in the 1860s by E. W. Pugin, which was severely damaged during the Second World War. The modern structure, in a free Gothic style, is protected as a Grade II listed building for its architectural interest.

[2] Kensington Gardens is one of London’s Royal Parks, created in the late seventeenth century when William III and Mary II separated the western part of Hyde Park to turn it into the private gardens of Kensington Palace. Its present layout is largely due to the reforms promoted by Queen Caroline in the eighteenth century, which included the creation of the Serpentine and the Long Water. Open to the public since 1841, the park retains emblematic features such as the Italian Gardens and the Albert Memorial, and together with Hyde Park forms one of the great green spaces in central London.

El 13 de mayo amaneció un Londres luminoso con el sol tímido que asomaba entre nubes altas y algodonosas. Ane y David salieron temprano de su precioso apartamento situado sobre el negocio de moda masculina y femenina que tanto éxito estaba teniendo en pleno centro de la ciudad. Ane se vestiría en su tienda, que cerraría al público ese día, mientras que David lo haría en casa de sus padres por aquello de mantener las tradiciones y la superstición de no ver a la novia con el traje nupcial antes de la boda.

A las 10:30 de la mañana, la pequeña iglesia de [1]Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Simon Stock, a pocos pasos de [2]Kensington Gardens, los esperaba con su fachada gótica ennegrecida por el paso del tiempo y la Historia, y su interior cálido y acogedor. Era un templo pequeño, íntimo, perfecto para la boda que ambos habían imaginado: sin ostentación, sin grandes multitudes, solo las personas que de verdad formaban parte de su historia.

Ane entró del brazo de Gorka, su padrino y “hermano”. Ella con su vestido inmaculado que le había llevado muchas horas de costura en su propio taller y un ramo de rosas rojas que resaltaba en el paisaje gris del clima y la fachada de la iglesia, y él magnífico en el uniforme de capitán de artillería del ejército de Su Majestad. Ambos lucían soberbios.

Dentro del templo, el aire olía a cera y a flores frescas. La luz tenue entraba tamizada por los vitrales apenas iluminando a David que, con su traje marengo impecable, esperaba impaciente a la novia. En los primeros bancos Claire y Margot, emocionadas, veían a Ane avanzar por el pasillo con esa mezcla de determinación y dulzura que siempre la había caracterizado.

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[1] Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St Simon Stock es una iglesia católica en Kensington (Londres), atendida por los carmelitas descalzos. El templo actual, diseñado por Sir Giles Gilbert Scott y construido entre 1954 y 1959, sustituyó a una iglesia anterior levantada en la década de 1860 por E. W. Pugin, que quedó gravemente dañada durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial. El edificio moderno, de estilo gótico libre, está protegido como Grade II por su interés arquitectónico.

[2] Kensington Gardens es uno de los parques reales de Londres, creado a finales del siglo XVII cuando Guillermo III y María II separaron la parte occidental de Hyde Park para convertirla en los jardines privados de Kensington Palace. Su diseño actual se debe en gran parte a las reformas impulsadas por la reina Carolina en el siglo XVIII, que incluyeron la creación del Serpentine y del Long Water. Abierto al público desde 1841, el parque conserva elementos emblemáticos como los Italian Gardens y el Albert Memorial, y forma, junto con Hyde Park, uno de los grandes espacios verdes del centro de Londres.