Chapter VI

"Don't worry, old man," Carl tapped Jem on the shoulder "-you'll be just fine. I must say that it's the last thing on this Earth I thought possible: James Blythe scared of his own wedding!" he chuckled and so did the people around him, James Blythe included.

Una was sitting comfortably on the pillow placed on the floor and her arms were enveloping her knees. She was smiling at the people around her, all of them being her dearest friends. Dalvir was sitting on another pillow beside her, of course. Una couldn't even remember the time when he wasn't sitting next to her each afternoon, him talking, laughing and smiling with her, as well as the boys and the girls in their cosy Collwell Cottage.

The living room indeed was very much living on its own in that moment. Jem was walking back and forth, deep in thought and with shaking hands. All the boys and the girls were there together, trying to calm his nerves down and 'warm up' the cold feet he just got, completely out of nowhere. It was both surprising and entertaining to see him in such a state, Una agreed with her brother on that. This view of Jem was the last one on her mind when she'd think of Jem's attitude towards his own wedding. "Well, I am nervous." he said "It's not because I'm unsure, never that." he looked gravely at Carl and then Dalvir who he now treated like a brother too "It's just such… an important event in one's life! Such a turning point which changes everything!" he put his hands on his cheeks desperately and Joan loudly and swiftly closed the window, sighing in resignation. Everyone jumped from that sudden noise.

"My God, Jem," she said "-go ahead and have a cigarette. I just finished mine and I officially feel glorious." she handed him the opened packet and he looked at her doubtfully "Oh, come on! You're such a baby today I can hardly believe you're not just about reaching my waist and talking in a squiggly voice." everyone in the room laughed at that merrily and Jem sighed in surrender. He took one cigarette out of the precious packet of Joan's and a triumphant smile appeared on her face as she lighted it in his hands "I'll open the window again." and so she did before sitting on the edge of Cara's armchair.

Jem transported himself close to the window and was taking long sips of the cigarette and then just as long breathes out "Jem, can I ask you a few questions?" Dalvir asked all of a sudden.

"Fire away." the red-haired man replied almost breathlessly and Joan chuckled quietly enough for Una to hear her.

"Do you love Faith?" Dalvir asked him seriously.

"Of course."

"Do you want to spend your whole life with her?"

"I can't see my life with anyone else by my side."

"Do you have a plan regarding how you'll support your family once you're married?"

"I'll finish my degree and I'll start my practice in Glen St Mary, next to my father."

"Then what are you afraid of?" Dalvir raised his bushy black eyebrow and all the eyes laid on Jem now.

Jem put out the cigarette and closed the window quietly, looking at Dalvir blankly. He nodded and slowly smiled at him. Everyone in the room, Una especially, sighed with relief. "Well, well, well." Carl patted Jem on the shoulder again "One cigarette and the man is back!" he laughed out joyfully and so did the others.

Unexpected by anyone, a knock on the door was heard and all the people in the room looked in the direction of the main entrance. "I'll go." Pam stood up from the chair weightlessly and flew over to the door.

There was a stunned silence when a young woman came into the room as if she owned it, without wanting to own anything materialistic in the world. She wore a perfectly sleeveless, blue dress just about going over her knees. She had high heels on and a plain black hat embracing her head from both sides, almost lying on each side but not entirely. Her golden-brown bob could be easily seen on her head, shining like a crown underneath her hat. Though her dress was quite simple and plain she looked as if she was taken out from a movie screen. Una's eyes filled with tears of happiness "Faith!" she was surprisingly the first one to exclaim.

Jem swiftly caught her in his arms, twirled her around as they both laughed merrily. After a few seconds he started gradually putting her down on the ground and he kissed her lips as if it was to be their first as well as their last kiss. Una stood up quickly and Faith threw her arms around her little sister with joy spreading over her face. "Oh, darling Una!" she whispered into her ear "I'm so glad to have made you all this surprise. I almost gave in on my plan and I nearly told you last week on the 'phone all about this surprise. Thank goodness I bit my tongue in time! It was worth seeing those looks on your faces!" she chuckled as Jem looked lovingly at her, all his nerves and doubts vanishing as if they had never existed in the first place.

Faith was then introduced to everyone in the room. Faith hugged every single one, brand new acquaintance and Una couldn't hide her blue eyes shining whilst looking at her with Carl's arm on her own shoulders. She looked up at him whilst Faith was telling Joan how much she liked her polo shirt "I can hardly believe that it's our Faith." Una whispered as she touched her brother's hand.

"I know." he agreed with a smile directed at the young, lively and fashionable woman in front of them "This whole nursing thing and a new haircut changed her into… Faith, her truest version, I guess." he looked down at Una then and they both shared a smile and a knowing look before Pam exclaimed excitingly:

"Who wants tea?" and everyone moved loudly, chattering on, into the kitchen.

"I am here for only three days, unfortunately." Faith said as she sipped on her tea, some moments later "During this time I will be completing my nursing qualification as an anaestathician." she smiled very merrily about this and Una couldn't hide her own smile, so very similar to Faith's own, after their mother.

"How you managed to have three days off from the Glen hospital is beyond me, my dearest." Jem kissed her on the cheek and Faith raised her eyebrow at him.

"I have my ways." she replied with a grin.

"Will you be staying with us then?" Pamela grasped Faith's hand in her own, her eyes glittering up with wonderful happiness.

Faith looked tenderly at her, the timid Cara sitting next to Una, Una herself and before she could take a look at Joan, the blonde-haired woman clasped her hands together with a fantastic smile appearing on her own lips "Where else could you, Faith, honey?" she said in her low, irresistible tone.

"Of course I'll be staying with you, dear girls." Faith answered with a bright smile of her own and she looked directly into Una's eyes which softened up immediately. She looked over at Dalvir who was smiling from ear to ear whilst talking to Carl and then she looked at Cara who was sweetly observing other's conversations as well.

Una placed her hand gently on Cara's and the girl of an elvish beauty looked at her with glistening grey eyes "Don't you think it's just the loveliest view? View of people so kind, all talking to one another?" she whispered to her quickly as if afraid to lose the sound of the chatter around her.

Cara smiled and her round cheeks dimpled "Views mostly treasurable in my memory are exactly of this kind." she whispered back and held Una's hand tightly in hers as she looked at Faith explaining to Joan and Pam how to correctly assess a patient with a broken arm. As Cara's face broke into a fascinated smile, Una smiled at that view too. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this happy.

A few hours later, after Faith related to Una all about Persis' new beau called Pierre, the moon was shining through Una's window onto her pale, fair face as she was looking at it with her casual melancholy in her eyes. She was sitting in front of her dressing-table in her nightgown whilst Faith was standing behind her, brushing her long black hair with slow, graceful motions of a hairbrush she manoeuvred. There was something in the air that was so familiar to Una, that air of sisterhood and love they shared for one another, yet there was a hint of unfamiliarity that has been there ever since the day Faith was kissed by Jem for the first time so many years earlier. This strange bit of air has been between them ever since and it was changing with each year passing: it deepened and intensified after the war and was there even more clearly on that afternoon, only two months away from Faith Meredith changing into a certain Mrs Blythe.

"I almost forgot what it feels like to have such long, thick hair." Faith said softly with a smile directed at Una's reflection in the mirror "You must turn a lot of gazes your way, dear sister." she winked gaily at Una who managed to grin weakly back at her.

"No, I don't." she replied almost with effort, her heart quickening up its beat.

"Well, you most definitely do, you might simply not know about it." Faith said to her encouragingly "For one thing, a certain Dalvir Singh was most definitely gazing at you for most of the afternoon." she raised her eyebrows playfully and Una thought her heart was in her throat with disbelief and something else.

"What?" she managed to say.

"Uhm…" Faith nodded as she started to braid her sister's hair "It was difficult for an older, protective sister to not to notice that."

"But… but… it doesn't mean anything." Una said almost to herself, her mind completely disassembled, just like her hair at that moment.

Faith glanced down at her sister and with hope spreading over her lips, she saw that Una's cheeks were turning crimson. "You'll know soon enough, dearest Una." she said to her gently "Men might be bashful or seem like they're so but if they truly look at someone in this one particular way, they'll say it sooner or later."

"I suppose you must know a lot about that." Una replied, her heart pounding fast still.

"I've spent the whole three years with mostly men at my side." she replied with a shadow crossing her eyes "I've heard many stories from them so I do think that on this particular thing I might be just about right." she then gave the last finishing touch to Una's newly made braid "Do you… have or might have any feelings for Dalvir?" she asked her in a tone Una thought to be shy and this surprised her even more, in addition to the question itself.

"No, no…" Una said hurriedly, twitching her fingers "No. He's a wonderful friend of mine, that's all."

Faith lowered herself and was now on the level of Una's eyes into which she looked with sisterly affection. She put her hands over Una's "I want you to know something, my lovely girl." she said to her seriously "Whatever man your heart will choose, I will be happy as long as he loves you, he's kind to you and is, of course, handsome." she smiled at Una who chuckled quietly and after a few seconds Faith tightened up her grip on Una's hands with a sorrowful expression in her eyes "I know that something happened, Una." she whispered and Una's heart started pumping the blood around her body even quicker "Something strange happened in your life, something you won't tell me about and possibly won't tell anybody. I don't blame you for that, I don't want you to tell anyone if you don't want to. But, darling," she smiled softly at Una "-don't lock your beautiful heart away. I can see that you're doing just that but you really shouldn't. Your heart, or at least some part of it, should be seen and admired by someone it will choose to be admired by. If it chooses, let it command you because... life is short." she sighed heavily "That's one of the many things I've learned during this blasted war." she managed to smile tenderly at Una again with a hint of pain in her eyes.

Una smiled back at her, in a calmer way now. Her heart was now back to its normal pace yet its edges Una felt to be heavy with thought and emotions. "Don't be scared, dearest." Faith looked at Una caringly "It's not as scary as you imagine it to be." she then stood up and started to put away the dress she wore during the day back into her suitcase.

Una stayed in her seat, speechless and breathless. She looked out the window once more, at the shining moon and her mind was dangerously close to the conclusion that Faith's advice was something she exactly needed to hear.