The vicar announced that we were here to be married, then asked us if we knew of any reason why we should not be.
There was a pause, as there always is at that part of the ceremony. When is that pause ever broken? So, after a while, Mr. Wood reached out a hand to Mr. Rochester, opened his mouth and took a breath to continue with the declarations.
At that moment, a voice at the back of the church said: “The marriage cannot take place – I declare an impediment.”