Author's Note: Oh, I have some unexpected free time. Guess what that
means! A new chapter! Yay! So, if this seems a little rushed, I
apologize. I know where I want this story to go, I'm just not sure how I
want to get there. Enough of my ramblings. Here we go.
Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own any of L. M. Montgomery's characters, but I'll be adding a few of my own.
The wedding was a week away. Pat went around like one in a dream. Hilary had returned to Vancouver to make some last minute arrangements and see that the house was kept in order while he was gone. His secretary, Laura Patterson, was going to stay in the house during his honeymoon and oversee some last minute detailing. Winnie and Mother dragged Pat all over the island in search of perfect things for the wedding. Most exciting of all was the telegram they had received from Rae. She had promised to do her level best to get back to the Island for Pat's wedding. She and Brook hadn't planned on coming back for a visit until they moved to Vancouver, but Rae was neither to hold nor bind when she heard Pat was getting married. Brook was pulling every string he could to get his wife to Canada.
Had Pat been in a less frazzled state of mind, she would have noticed how meek May had been for the past few weeks and how, everytime she walked into a room containing her father and Sid, the two of them suddenly stopped discussing whatever they had been discussing before she came in. Construction on Sid and May's new house had been put off until after the wedding. Long Alec had declared that a wedding was enough fuss for a family to deal with. Besides, Pat and Hilary were scheduled to marry two months after he proposed. Both had wanted to marry sooner, but Mother, in a rare move, had solemnly put her foot down. She said one hasty wedding was one too many for her daughters and was determined Pat have a decently planned ceremony. Neither of the lovers had argued with her, so great was their respect for this gentle lady.
Right now, Pat was in the kitchen of the Bay Shore farm. The time had come to begin preparing the food for the wedding. Once again, mother had insisted on making the wedding cake. Winnie came over as often as her husband and four children could spare her to help Pat with the rest of the food. And she was helping to sew Pat's trousseau. Pat, despite her happiness, couldn't help but be worried about her sister. She didn't want her to overdo it. For Winnie was expecting again. To be sure, she had never had any trouble before. The most disastrous thing that had happened with any of her children had been when she gave birth to little Mary at Silver Bush right after Christmas dinner.
But Winnie had shrugged off Pat's verbal concerns and laughed, not unkindly. Mother, too, had reassured Pat that Winnie was not an invalid. But Pat remembered the trouble Mother had after Rae was born and, though she never said anything again, her worries remained.
But who could be worried for too long with a wedding feast to plan, flowers to arrange, a new wardrobe to put together and a wedding dress to alter? Just as Pat was pulling her latest confection out of the oven, she heard Mother call.
"Pat! Pat, can you come up here, please?"
Pat complied and found her mother in the garret. She was sitting beside a trunk, lovingly fingering a cascade of soft white material. At least, it used to be white. Now, it was rather more of a creamy color.
"What's that, Mother?" inquired Pat, sitting down next to her.
"It's my mother's wedding dress. I remember how I used to come up here as a girl and play with all her things. I wish you could have known her, Pat. She was so beautiful, so sweet. And very stylish. You can tell that just by looking at some of these clothes."
Pat pulled out some articles of clothing that, in their day, must have been on the very edge of fashion. She could tell they had been well taken care of. They were rather brittle, as most old clothes are apt to be, but still in good condition.
"Why are you looking at all these, Mother?"
"Well, Pat, I was hoping to find my mother's wedding veil. It's the one I wore, but I left it here. It seemed sacrilege to take it out of this house. Pat, I'm so glad you'll be wearing my dress. You'll look like an angel in it. I suppose it's pure providence that I had let Winnie borrow it for a time. She had been after me for years to give it to little Mary for dress up. But I had held out hope that one of my daughters would wear it for their own wedding. I had finally given up and, do you know, I gave it to Winnie just one week before the fire. If it weren't for that, you wouldn't be able to wear it."
Pat smiled. She was glad she would be wearing Mother's wedding dress. They had had two fittings already and the dress looked dreamy on Pat. Of course, as the ever-fashionable Winnie averred, it was old-fashioned, but that's part of what Pat loved about it. When Winnie had suggested they shorten the skirt a bit and get rid of a piece of lace here and there, Pat had been horrified. The only concession she had made was to fit it so it wouldn't have a bustle. To be sure, mother had worn just a tiny bustle when she married, but, all three women agreed the dress wouldn't fit right if they didn't take out that extra bit of material.
In all the excitement, Pat had forgotten about a veil. She was glad Mother had the presence of mind to remember it. She wouldn't have felt like a bride without a veil.
After a couple of hours of digging in various trunks and boxes, and more than a few pauses as Pat listened to her Mother, enraptured by stories of the past, they finally located the veil. It had kept it's creamy whiteness very well and, when Mother fit the headpiece on Pat, both women began to cry. It was the first time either had taken time to realize what all this meant. Pat was getting married. Winnie found them there, and, touched by the sight of her sister in the gauzy whiteness of the veil, she too began to tear up. After a few minutes of this, all three women began to laugh at their foolishness and, taking the veil with them, traveled down the stairs for the last fitting of Pat's wedding dress. Their laughter could be heard throughout the house.
Long Alec, in the kitchen with Sid, smiled at the sound. Sid smiled, too. Both men could hardly wait to give Pat what they were sure would be her best wedding present.
A/N: I know, it was slow, but I wanted some bonding between mother and daughter. I promise, next chapter will get us closer to the payoff. What could Pat's present be?
Obligatory Disclaimer: I don't own any of L. M. Montgomery's characters, but I'll be adding a few of my own.
The wedding was a week away. Pat went around like one in a dream. Hilary had returned to Vancouver to make some last minute arrangements and see that the house was kept in order while he was gone. His secretary, Laura Patterson, was going to stay in the house during his honeymoon and oversee some last minute detailing. Winnie and Mother dragged Pat all over the island in search of perfect things for the wedding. Most exciting of all was the telegram they had received from Rae. She had promised to do her level best to get back to the Island for Pat's wedding. She and Brook hadn't planned on coming back for a visit until they moved to Vancouver, but Rae was neither to hold nor bind when she heard Pat was getting married. Brook was pulling every string he could to get his wife to Canada.
Had Pat been in a less frazzled state of mind, she would have noticed how meek May had been for the past few weeks and how, everytime she walked into a room containing her father and Sid, the two of them suddenly stopped discussing whatever they had been discussing before she came in. Construction on Sid and May's new house had been put off until after the wedding. Long Alec had declared that a wedding was enough fuss for a family to deal with. Besides, Pat and Hilary were scheduled to marry two months after he proposed. Both had wanted to marry sooner, but Mother, in a rare move, had solemnly put her foot down. She said one hasty wedding was one too many for her daughters and was determined Pat have a decently planned ceremony. Neither of the lovers had argued with her, so great was their respect for this gentle lady.
Right now, Pat was in the kitchen of the Bay Shore farm. The time had come to begin preparing the food for the wedding. Once again, mother had insisted on making the wedding cake. Winnie came over as often as her husband and four children could spare her to help Pat with the rest of the food. And she was helping to sew Pat's trousseau. Pat, despite her happiness, couldn't help but be worried about her sister. She didn't want her to overdo it. For Winnie was expecting again. To be sure, she had never had any trouble before. The most disastrous thing that had happened with any of her children had been when she gave birth to little Mary at Silver Bush right after Christmas dinner.
But Winnie had shrugged off Pat's verbal concerns and laughed, not unkindly. Mother, too, had reassured Pat that Winnie was not an invalid. But Pat remembered the trouble Mother had after Rae was born and, though she never said anything again, her worries remained.
But who could be worried for too long with a wedding feast to plan, flowers to arrange, a new wardrobe to put together and a wedding dress to alter? Just as Pat was pulling her latest confection out of the oven, she heard Mother call.
"Pat! Pat, can you come up here, please?"
Pat complied and found her mother in the garret. She was sitting beside a trunk, lovingly fingering a cascade of soft white material. At least, it used to be white. Now, it was rather more of a creamy color.
"What's that, Mother?" inquired Pat, sitting down next to her.
"It's my mother's wedding dress. I remember how I used to come up here as a girl and play with all her things. I wish you could have known her, Pat. She was so beautiful, so sweet. And very stylish. You can tell that just by looking at some of these clothes."
Pat pulled out some articles of clothing that, in their day, must have been on the very edge of fashion. She could tell they had been well taken care of. They were rather brittle, as most old clothes are apt to be, but still in good condition.
"Why are you looking at all these, Mother?"
"Well, Pat, I was hoping to find my mother's wedding veil. It's the one I wore, but I left it here. It seemed sacrilege to take it out of this house. Pat, I'm so glad you'll be wearing my dress. You'll look like an angel in it. I suppose it's pure providence that I had let Winnie borrow it for a time. She had been after me for years to give it to little Mary for dress up. But I had held out hope that one of my daughters would wear it for their own wedding. I had finally given up and, do you know, I gave it to Winnie just one week before the fire. If it weren't for that, you wouldn't be able to wear it."
Pat smiled. She was glad she would be wearing Mother's wedding dress. They had had two fittings already and the dress looked dreamy on Pat. Of course, as the ever-fashionable Winnie averred, it was old-fashioned, but that's part of what Pat loved about it. When Winnie had suggested they shorten the skirt a bit and get rid of a piece of lace here and there, Pat had been horrified. The only concession she had made was to fit it so it wouldn't have a bustle. To be sure, mother had worn just a tiny bustle when she married, but, all three women agreed the dress wouldn't fit right if they didn't take out that extra bit of material.
In all the excitement, Pat had forgotten about a veil. She was glad Mother had the presence of mind to remember it. She wouldn't have felt like a bride without a veil.
After a couple of hours of digging in various trunks and boxes, and more than a few pauses as Pat listened to her Mother, enraptured by stories of the past, they finally located the veil. It had kept it's creamy whiteness very well and, when Mother fit the headpiece on Pat, both women began to cry. It was the first time either had taken time to realize what all this meant. Pat was getting married. Winnie found them there, and, touched by the sight of her sister in the gauzy whiteness of the veil, she too began to tear up. After a few minutes of this, all three women began to laugh at their foolishness and, taking the veil with them, traveled down the stairs for the last fitting of Pat's wedding dress. Their laughter could be heard throughout the house.
Long Alec, in the kitchen with Sid, smiled at the sound. Sid smiled, too. Both men could hardly wait to give Pat what they were sure would be her best wedding present.
A/N: I know, it was slow, but I wanted some bonding between mother and daughter. I promise, next chapter will get us closer to the payoff. What could Pat's present be?
