Philadelphia, October 1933.
Eliza leant on the window frame looking down onto the magnificent gardens, which were looking even more magnificent than usual for the wedding that day. True to her word Mrs. Gracie had made sure the wedding would be a wonderful one. Everything was organised meticulously down to the last little detail. Over the preceding two months Mrs. Gracie had become nicer to Eliza, but it was still clear that she didn't really accept her as suitable marriage material for her son. At the engagement party she'd all but thrown all the eligible rich women in the area at Edward, who only had eyes for Eliza. Still Mrs. Gracie had come to realise that no matter what she did Edward was going to marry this girl, so there was no use in complaining. She just had to make the most of it.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Eliza called, turning back from the window.
It was Edward's cousin Jennifer, who was to be the maid of honor. "You look beautiful!" Jennifer said.
Eliza smiled, and glanced down at the long white dress. The train was draped up over her arm, and the veil pulled back at the moment. In her hands she was to carry the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers she thought she had ever seen.
Jennifer was wearing a pale lavender dress with a hem shorter than Mrs. Gracie had wanted, but Jennifer had overruled her. "Aunt Margaret ladies can show some of their legs these days. Not like when you were young and you couldn't even barely show your ankles!" Mrs. Gracie had glared at her. "Are you saying I'm old and out of touch Jennifer?" She'd demanded. Jennifer had given her a big grin and shrug. And then Mrs. Gracie had laughed and agreed to the hemline.
"You look gorgeous too." Eliza told Jennifer.
"Thanks, but I'm not meant to be. You're the one who is!" Jennifer told her with a smile. "You know we were beginning to think Edward wouldn't get married. After all he's almost thirty-two. Mother's starting to nag me about getting married too. I'm almost twenty-one. I think Robert and I might get married soon though!"
"Do you love him?" Eliza asked.
Jennifer looked thoughtful. "Love is such a hard word. I like him, and I think we'd be happy together. It'd be a good match. I'm sure love would come in time!"
Eliza didn't say anything to that- it wasn't completely foreign for women of Jennifer's class to have attitudes like this still. But more were beginning to marry for love.
"Anyway, we have to go down now before Aunt Margaret has a heart attack." Jennifer said, and she hurried over to fix Eliza's veil. The two walked down the stairs, with Eliza's heart beating a million miles a minute. Mrs. Gracie and the colonel waited below. As soon as he caught sight of her the colonel's face lit up in a smile. "You look absolutely stunning Eliza!" He declared.
Mrs. Gracie looked up too, and then she smiled also. "He's actually right for once. You do look wonderful." She said.
"Thank you both." Eliza said. "I just wish these butterflies in my stomach would go away."
"Oh I had them when I was marrying Archibald." Mrs. Gracie declared. "Completely normal. Now- I'll go take my seat, and the other bridesmaids are waiting in the foyer with young Jessie who is carrying your train. Archibald- you know what to do?"
"Of course I do." The colonel scoffed. "Eliza- she's had me practicing giving her away. Despite my many complaints that I didn't think I'd be able to give her away unless I sold her!"
Eliza smothered a laugh, and Mrs. Gracie looked exasperated. "You should have been a clown instead of a soldier Archibald. Right, good luck girls. Don't make any mistakes."
After she left the colonel turned to Eliza. "Well are you ready?"
Eliza took a deep breath and nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be at any rate!" She said.
The colonel held out his arm, and Eliza linked hers through it, and they walked into the foyer where the rest of the bridesmaids were waiting, along with the man who was overseeing the wedding. "Okay on my word the bridesmaids will go." He said. A few moments later he said, "GO!"
And then it was Eliza's turn. She tried to walk normally, and look simply happy with no stupid grin on her face as Mrs. Gracie had stipulated, but she was too happy. Today she was getting married!
Edward turned as Eliza started up the aisle and his eyes lit up at the sight of his beautiful bride. A moment later she was standing beside him in front of the reverend who was conducting the ceremony. During the wedding Eliza heard none of the speeches, none of the reverend's words. She was too happy to concentrate. However when she was asked to make her vows she made them in a clear, firm and calm voice, as did Edward. And when he was asked to kiss his bride she heard the clapping from the many guests. She'd done it. She was now Mrs. Edward Gracie, no longer just plain Eliza the orphan. They walked back down the aisle set up in the garden and then accepted the congratulations of everyone.
The next few hours passed in a blur of voices, food, drink and dancing, and then before she knew it Eliza was being ushered upstairs to change before she and Edward left on their honeymoon. A little while later as the car took them away Edward turned to her and said, "We did it my girl."
"We did!" Eliza replied, and she leant her head against her new husband's shoulder as they drove off.
[A/N. I know I could leave it there, but I don't know that I will. For some reason I really like writing this story, and don't want to stop now!! Who knows?]
Eliza leant on the window frame looking down onto the magnificent gardens, which were looking even more magnificent than usual for the wedding that day. True to her word Mrs. Gracie had made sure the wedding would be a wonderful one. Everything was organised meticulously down to the last little detail. Over the preceding two months Mrs. Gracie had become nicer to Eliza, but it was still clear that she didn't really accept her as suitable marriage material for her son. At the engagement party she'd all but thrown all the eligible rich women in the area at Edward, who only had eyes for Eliza. Still Mrs. Gracie had come to realise that no matter what she did Edward was going to marry this girl, so there was no use in complaining. She just had to make the most of it.
There was a knock on the door. "Come in." Eliza called, turning back from the window.
It was Edward's cousin Jennifer, who was to be the maid of honor. "You look beautiful!" Jennifer said.
Eliza smiled, and glanced down at the long white dress. The train was draped up over her arm, and the veil pulled back at the moment. In her hands she was to carry the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers she thought she had ever seen.
Jennifer was wearing a pale lavender dress with a hem shorter than Mrs. Gracie had wanted, but Jennifer had overruled her. "Aunt Margaret ladies can show some of their legs these days. Not like when you were young and you couldn't even barely show your ankles!" Mrs. Gracie had glared at her. "Are you saying I'm old and out of touch Jennifer?" She'd demanded. Jennifer had given her a big grin and shrug. And then Mrs. Gracie had laughed and agreed to the hemline.
"You look gorgeous too." Eliza told Jennifer.
"Thanks, but I'm not meant to be. You're the one who is!" Jennifer told her with a smile. "You know we were beginning to think Edward wouldn't get married. After all he's almost thirty-two. Mother's starting to nag me about getting married too. I'm almost twenty-one. I think Robert and I might get married soon though!"
"Do you love him?" Eliza asked.
Jennifer looked thoughtful. "Love is such a hard word. I like him, and I think we'd be happy together. It'd be a good match. I'm sure love would come in time!"
Eliza didn't say anything to that- it wasn't completely foreign for women of Jennifer's class to have attitudes like this still. But more were beginning to marry for love.
"Anyway, we have to go down now before Aunt Margaret has a heart attack." Jennifer said, and she hurried over to fix Eliza's veil. The two walked down the stairs, with Eliza's heart beating a million miles a minute. Mrs. Gracie and the colonel waited below. As soon as he caught sight of her the colonel's face lit up in a smile. "You look absolutely stunning Eliza!" He declared.
Mrs. Gracie looked up too, and then she smiled also. "He's actually right for once. You do look wonderful." She said.
"Thank you both." Eliza said. "I just wish these butterflies in my stomach would go away."
"Oh I had them when I was marrying Archibald." Mrs. Gracie declared. "Completely normal. Now- I'll go take my seat, and the other bridesmaids are waiting in the foyer with young Jessie who is carrying your train. Archibald- you know what to do?"
"Of course I do." The colonel scoffed. "Eliza- she's had me practicing giving her away. Despite my many complaints that I didn't think I'd be able to give her away unless I sold her!"
Eliza smothered a laugh, and Mrs. Gracie looked exasperated. "You should have been a clown instead of a soldier Archibald. Right, good luck girls. Don't make any mistakes."
After she left the colonel turned to Eliza. "Well are you ready?"
Eliza took a deep breath and nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be at any rate!" She said.
The colonel held out his arm, and Eliza linked hers through it, and they walked into the foyer where the rest of the bridesmaids were waiting, along with the man who was overseeing the wedding. "Okay on my word the bridesmaids will go." He said. A few moments later he said, "GO!"
And then it was Eliza's turn. She tried to walk normally, and look simply happy with no stupid grin on her face as Mrs. Gracie had stipulated, but she was too happy. Today she was getting married!
Edward turned as Eliza started up the aisle and his eyes lit up at the sight of his beautiful bride. A moment later she was standing beside him in front of the reverend who was conducting the ceremony. During the wedding Eliza heard none of the speeches, none of the reverend's words. She was too happy to concentrate. However when she was asked to make her vows she made them in a clear, firm and calm voice, as did Edward. And when he was asked to kiss his bride she heard the clapping from the many guests. She'd done it. She was now Mrs. Edward Gracie, no longer just plain Eliza the orphan. They walked back down the aisle set up in the garden and then accepted the congratulations of everyone.
The next few hours passed in a blur of voices, food, drink and dancing, and then before she knew it Eliza was being ushered upstairs to change before she and Edward left on their honeymoon. A little while later as the car took them away Edward turned to her and said, "We did it my girl."
"We did!" Eliza replied, and she leant her head against her new husband's shoulder as they drove off.
[A/N. I know I could leave it there, but I don't know that I will. For some reason I really like writing this story, and don't want to stop now!! Who knows?]