Chapter 14-Meeting up everywhere! J
On St. Valentines Day—February 14th-about three weeks later...
Archie decided to take a stroll around the village and clear his head, well, he wanted to just get outdoors in the fresh air and decided he'd also take sometime to drop in on his dear sister down at the shop too. While traveling towards the shop, he heard his name being called out, "Hello Archie!"
Archie turned as he noted Fergal and then Katrina also strolling down the lane, "Katrina? Fergal, what are the both of you doing down this way?"
"Came down from Inverness to see Xavier," Katrina spoke up before Fergal could say anything about their soon and impending wedding plans...
"Look, both of you, I'm really sorry about Minnie's party weeks ago..." Archie began to apologize as Katrina spoke up again, "Don't worry Archie, sorry for leaving so abruptly..."
"It was just an old feud between Duncan and Paul...I tried really hard to help push them to resolve it months upon months ago..."
"But it never happened?" Fergal replied as Archie shook his head 'no'.
"Archie, nice to see you, we've got to get going..."
"Where you off too?" Archie asked as Katrina and Fergal gave him a look and Fergal replied, "The sleeper to pick up my mum and brother."
"Oh really? Marvelous! They must be looking forward to visiting the Highlands?" Archie spoke right up with a smile.
"Yeah, they are," Fergal still didn't mention the impending elopement as Katrina had asked him to keep it quiet weeks ago and on their 'to be wed' day...
"Good, have dinner at the house with us all, it's the least I can do after the disaster children's party weeks ago...bring Xavier, Trina and your mother and brother, Fergal..." Archie suggested diplomatically as Katrina and Fergal gave him a sideways look...
The anticipated by Archie and Fergal words flew out of Katrina's mouth, "Are you sure Lexie would be okay with this?"
Archie smiled, knowing full well, Lexie wouldn't be okay with it but he'd have a word with her about it before Katrina, Fergal and his family arrived, "She will be, shall we say 6pm-dinner out at the house?"
"Great," Fergal replied with a nod of his head, "See you at 6pm, Archie," as he carted Katrina away. Fergal waved Archie on who shrugged his shoulders and shouted, "OK, Good then! We'll catch up on the happenings then!" Katrina gave Fergal a maddening glance, "What's with you? We've been planning a small wedding for weeks at Xavier's...I called Rev. Alice she could only do it tonight...your mother and Kieran don't know yet...and now you're accepting Archie's invite?"
"Katrina, Archie's being Archie. I accepted because it would be nice for my mother and Kieran to see where I had been working when I met you. As for getting married, don't you want your friends there as well?"
"Fergal, it's impossible to tell them...Archie's not my friend, nor Lexie..."
"Could have fooled me about the friend bit—what about Lizzie being there—you told her didn't you? And why is it impossible to tell them we're tying the knot on Valentine's Day of all days?"
Katrina still didn't care to explain what had happened between her and Archie, the teaching position mess, a few years ago and instead she just replied, "Lizzie knows we're getting married, Fergal, yes I told my best friend...fine, we'll go to dinner and tell Rev. Alice the elopement is off tonight and we'll just wed in Dublin like you mother seems to want so badly when we arrive...just Fergal, I really wanted to be married in..."
"Glenbogle, I know."
Katrina sighed and Fergal wrapped an arm around her and grinned, "Let's go to the sleeper...maybe we can marry after the dinner?"
"Great, you were suggestin' a drive thru wedding like we're having dinner in a fast food joint? Fergal we're not having dinner at McDonalds and you don't go up to the ride up window and say, may we get a Minister to go—aside from burger, soda and a side order of French Fries!"
"Yes we are having dinner-but with the MacDonalds'..." Fergal laughed as Katrina shook her head knowing what she had just said with a laugh, "Oh-you! Let's go!"
Archie finally made it to his mother's shop as he opened the door and the little bell above it rang out, making his 'presence' known a couple patrons smiled at the dashing laird and a customer that Lizzie rung up at the register smiled too, as she paid Lizzie, and Lizzie handed her a bag of goods, "Thank you for stopping by, Glynda!"
"Lizzie, I couldn't swing by with out visiting you at the shop. Your mother has done such a lovely job with it and I must say you and your brother have turned out so well..."
"That's very nice of you to say so, Glynda," Archie voiced from behind her as the older woman smiled again, "It's nice to see the laird takes care of his mother so well too..."
Archie smiled back and Glynda MacLean made way towards the door, "Good day Lizzie, nice to see you Archie...send regards to Molly."
"I remember that woman and she's still alive..." Archie laughed as he looked at Lizzie still smiling...
"You should, she changed your nappies...since she was our nanny." Lizzie laughed back as she then asked, "What are you doing in the village?"
"Can't a little brother visit his big sister for just cause or to chat with her about our childhood nursemaid? Okay, you win, Mugsy—your face will stay that way you know..." Lizzie crossed her eyes and stuck out her tongue at her brother and he added with another chuckle, "Mailing stuff for post,"
"Oh, helping hand please, lend one with those supplies?" Lizzie nodded to Archie the boxes beside him as she then climbed up a ladder. Archie then gave Lizzie supplies as she back stocked the shelves.
"I ran into Katrina and Fergal..." Archie hoped Lizzie would have some kind of information about the pair...and she did.
"Yeah, I know they came down from Inverness to visit Xavier, something about Fergal's mother and brother staying for a couple days since they were down south for a doctor's appointment."
"Oh?"
"Don't look surprised, Archie, I meant to ask them about their life altering change and how it was going?"
"What life altering change?" as Archie's curiosity peaked and Lizzie tossed him another smart look.
"Fergal's been off living with her as you know Katrina's still in Inverness teaching and she told me that Fergal asked her to marry him weeks ago."
"Did he? That's why he turned me down when I asked him about taking the head ranger job again on the estate?"
"Yes, Arch...pass me that painting, will you?" Archie passed Lizzie one of their mother's recent paintings to hang on a wall.
"What did Trina say?" Archie pried as Lizzie stared at the painting joyously, "Mother really has a great knack for painting doesn't she?"
"Lizzie..." Archie hated it when she went off course with their conversations about anything important...such as Katrina.
"Okay, okay, I was wondering when you'd ask, and she told him 'yes'. It happened so suddenly, but Katrina's really happy...they want a small, quiet and intimate ceremony..."
"Really?" Archie replied as a bicycle of thoughts shifted gears in his head, "Small, intimate and special?"
"Quiet, quaint and personal, Trina told me that..."
"Why didn't she say something to me too?"
"Perhaps she didn't want to burden you or upset Lexie...or..."
"We aren't exactly close as we once were, but she's Martha's godmother...she's kinda family?"
"Archie don't get any big ideas and muck any of this up for her. She's really happy..." Lizzie stared at her brother...
"Who said anything about mucking up her wedding? I want her happy too...we've had some issues in the past...but she should have told me, this is Katrina we're talking about, are we not?"
"Archie feels like she's upsetting your wife every time she comes round to the house. Do you blame her for not wanting to tell you in person?"
"I know Lexie gets overwhelmed but I did invite Katrina and Fergal over to the house tonight..."
"Does Lexie know?"
"No, but she will and it's not a bad thing...don't look at me that way like I'm some dizzy-headed fool, sister."
"Good of you to invite them. I know Katrina misses the house...and I'm tired of the childish antics, I know something happened between you, Lexie and Katrina...but it should stay in the past, right?"
"Well, yes...Katrina does miss the house, does she?" Archie quipped as Lizzie tossed him another witty look, "Of course she does."
Archie's mind started to ponder, and Lizzie asked, while climbing down from the ladder, quizzically, "What are you up to?"
"Oh nothing, I'll see you at home for dinner, right?" Archie smiled, whistled and walked towards the shop...
"Little brother, you better not be up to something..."
"I'll meet you at home, Lizzie." As Archie walked out of the shop and waved at Lizzie one last time.
Lexie paced outside of the library as she listened as intently as she could to what Archie was saying on the phone. She could make out he was talking about inviting someone else to dinner, but she couldn't figure out whom and finally after he hung up the receiver in the cradle, she bolted into the room...
"Who else is coming for dinner?" Lexie managed to say as Archie sent her a warm, fuzzy feeling look, "A surprise or two or three..."
"Archie..."
"Lex, I took it upon ourselves..."
"You mean yourself..."
"Okay, myself, to invite Katrina and Fergal to dinner..."
"Here? At the house tonight?" Lexie asked confused as her warm and fuzzy feeling fleeted away and dread flooded in. Lexie then started to wonder who he had been on the phone with and it wasn't Katrina or Fergal, but someone else...
"Yes, tonight. Look, Lex, Katrina and Fergal are getting married..." Archie started to explain, while two unknown eavesdroppers, one under the desk and the other behind curtains listened in on the goings of Archie and Lexie's soon heated debate.
"That's great for them. But, Arch, why invite her or them to dinner here at the house?"
"Because it's the right thing to do..."
"Archie," Lexie sent him a warning look, "The last time you did the right thing..."
"This isn't about an old teaching position which may I remind you, Katrina didn't take, Lexie. This is about a couple getting married who we both know and I as the laird and I did talk this one over with Paul...has a duty to..."
"Your duty is to keeping our family safe and together..." Lexie groaned aloud.
"Lex, it's the right thing to do, trust me. I don't know how else to persuade you, but Katrina and Fergal should come to dinner..."
The first eavesdropper under the desk, wanted to sneeze, and tried to hold it in as the second eavesdropper behind the curtains, held onto the skeleton keys that were in Archie's possession ever since he became laird, and in hopes to not drop them...
Lexie fed up with Archie walked out of the library just in the nick of the first eavesdropper's time...
"Alexandra, don't walk away from me!"
"Maybe if you'd listen, I wouldn't! Who were you on the phone with?"
"I—I..." Archie couldn't say without ruining his surprise idea, "I can't say..."
"You won't say!"
Meanwhile, the eavesdroppers made them selves known in the room to each other...one from behind the curtain helped the one under the desk as they tiptoed out of the room and through another side door, hearing all of Archie's surprise plan aside from the heated quarrel which still continued out in the hallway and then they reentered the library.
"Lexie, they are coming no matter what!"
"Well, maybe I shouldn't be here then!"
"You're being ridiculous of course you should be there, for a matter of fact, with bells on!"
"Archie MacDonald I hate surprises especially surprise guests and dinners and you can take those bells and!" Lexie stormed out of the room again and visibly upset just as Lizzie approached her, "You all right Lexie?"
"Your brother, the daft ring leader he is, demands I attend not a dinner but a three ring circus with Katrina and Fergal as the front an' center act! Oh and need I point out, I'm meant to dress up in fruity-fruit loop circus clown get-up to keep everyone blasted brill-happy!" Lexie cast her eyes towards the library door and shouted aloud so her husband would hear her and Archie yelled out in response, "Alexandra, I don't care if you sit stark naked in a jumper suit at that table and starve, you will be joining us for dinner!"
"Fine, you hairy, scary, laird ship-have it your way-I'll be sure to not wear my under-bloomers or anything else for that matter! Maybe that would scare Katrina away!"
"You wouldn't dare!" Archie hollered from the library, before realizing, his wife, probably would call his bluff and got slightly worried. Lexie ripped at him from the hall, "An' ye're supposed to know me so well!" and then tromped away, as she passed Molly and Lizzie, before running up the stairs.
"Lexie," Molly replied but her daughter in law stomped off...just as concerned Archie came out into the hall...
Archie grumbled and then sighed, "Sorry, mother, Lizzie, she just gets me wound up like a top when she doesn't listen to me..."
"Its okay, you're a good son, Archie. Can we do anything for you?" Molly insisted as she looked to her daughter as Lizzie peered back at her.
"No, just make sure Lexie is at dinner since I think I'll be sleeping alone tonight. Rapunzel's become partial to the highest tower of the house, and I know she'll sleep there! And you know maybe I'll just cut off her hair and leave her locked up, up there too!" Archie muttered, getting only more frazzled with how impossible Lexie was about mending fences with Katrina and having a nice 'friendly' dinner party. Archie sighed and shook his head before walking back into the library. Lizzie and Molly smiled at each other...
Chapter 15-Dinner for many and not just for two
Moments later...
Lizzie sat in the kitchen at the table just as Lexie stormed right in. Lizzie could tell her sister in law was still very angry with her brother. Lexie stepped right in and started to take over Ewan's dinner preparations...Ewan stood there wide eyed wondering what had gotten into her as it was something Lexie normally didn't do to him unless he was bound to blow up the kitchen.
"Mrs. Lexie, you okay?"
"No, I'm not, thanks for asking..."
"Think it's wise to be using a knife right now? You still look awful," Lizzie replied, in hope of a witty remark of 'Gee thanks' from Lexie, but got nothing, and then insisted, "Maybe you better give Ewan back his job?" as Lexie stopped trying chopping vegetables with a cased up right hand and wrist and gave the knife to Ewan. Lexie was lost but replied, "Sorry Ewan and no, you haven't destroyed the kitchen in weeks."
"It's all right."
"It's Archie isn't it?" Ewan picked up on everything...
"Aye, twiddle-dummer has this canary of an idea to invite Katrina for dinner..."
"Katrina and Fergal and his mother and his brother, oh and Xavier too..." Lizzie corrected as Lexie sighed, "All of them too?"
"And a partridge in a pear tree," Ewan joked, "Okay so it's dead grouse for dinner and no tree included and not a partridge, but aye close enough..."
Lizzie laughed, but Lexie didn't...she was still stressed out.
"Maybe you and I should go get the wine for dinner—something old and relaxing to our taste buds?" Lizzie suggested as she decided to find something for Lexie to do while they chat about her brother and what he had done now.
"Sounds okay," Lexie shrugged as Lizzie put her arm around Lexie and they strolled out of the room to the hall towards the wine cellar.
Meanwhile, Katrina, Fergal and company arrived at the house at 6pm on the button. Molly hugged and welcomed Katrina as she had Duncan lead the guests into the sitting room and Molly took Katrina under her wing...
"It's splendid to see you Katrina. I figured since it's a special night with you being here, you'd pick out the wine?" Molly hinted as they walked down the hallway...
Susan heard voices coming from the wine cellar as she decided to check the dusty old place out as she called out, "Hello?"
"Hi!" Lizzie yelled back, surprised to hear Susan.
"What are you doing down here?" Susan laughed when a cloud of dust popped up into the air, and cobwebs glistened after Lexie pulled a wine bottle out from a rack.
"Getting his gorgeousness a bottle of wine," Lexie grumbled as Susan forced a smile, "Oh,"
Lizzie stood there hoping Susan would nod her head and maybe leave...but she didn't get any of Lizzie's desperate looks behind Lexie's back and instead asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine, Susan, we're just fine!" Lizzie boasted as she gave Lexie a 'thump' on the back with her hand. Susan could tell her new friend acted rather oddly before and after her reply. However, before Susan could press for more information, they heard, "Down the hall, you remember dear?" It was Molly's coaching Katrina to walk down the hall and towards the wine cellar. Katrina then walked down the steps, and Lizzie walked towards her, "Trina!"
"Lizzie? Lexie? What's this? A wine tasting?"
"Or a bottle of crow tasting," Lexie muttered as Lizzie slipped past Katrina on the stairs after giving her a big hug, shoved her and then moving out from the doorway, quickly she closed the door, and with Archie's skeleton keys, locked the subjects of her scheme in! Molly smiled and gave Lizzie two thumbs up and then a hi-5 as they laughed and the mother/daughter pair ran down the hall.
"Um, I think we've been had," Katrina sighed as Lexie wanted to blow a fuse. She ran towards the door and started to knock hard and yell, "Lizzie! What is this about? It's locked! The damn door is locked!"
Susan sighed too, "Locked? Oh no, now I'm pretty sure that's why Lizzie looked at me funny for journeying in here."
Lexie's eyes narrowed, "Well she's got some explaining to do! Why and how did you get down here?" as she glared at Katrina.
"Molly asked me to pick out the wine for dinner."
"Oh for heaven's sake and you fell for it? We've been had by a mother/daughter scheme!" Lexie snapped, and then pointed a finger of blame at Katrina, "You're the one at fault!"
"How is this? My fault, I'm sure Lizzie or Molly will be back soon and will explain why they did this?"
"Because you're the one who showed up here and that's why you're at fault-doesn't matter, asked to bring wine to the dinner table, aye? Well, I have the damn bottle right here!" Lexie held the bottle in her hands, just as Katrina latched onto it, "Lemme carry it since you're still cased up."
"I don't need your help! I didn't invite you here!" Lexie snapped at Katrina and Katrina took it upon herself to try to take the bottle away as they began to play tug o' war over the wine bottle while poor Susan witnessed it all...
"Let go!" Lexie pulled...
"You let go!" Katrina yanked...
Back and forth the bottle went from Lexie to Katrina and Katrina to Lexie like they were fighting over a flag on a stick in the middle of a Clansman Challenge like Archie and an American named Joe once had, as Archie triumphantly won-well, in Lexie and Katrina's case, they continued to play tug o' war.
Susan tried to interrupt, "Look, it's just a bottle...calm down, please! Lexie! Ms. Finlay!"
"You can't have it!"
"Well, I was asked to get it!"
"So was I!"
"Ms. Finlay, Lexie..." Susan kept trying to but in and instead both dueling women turned to her, distracted and yelling out "shut up!" as the bottle then toppled out of both of the grasps and fell to the floor with a huge 'SMASH!'
"Now you've done it!" Lexie shouted as Katrina glared at her, "No, you're the one who was holding the bottle, you let go!"
"Oh for grimy sake, you both take my biscuit! Just get on with it and get a new damn bottle!" Susan exclaimed as she then realized her soundly gesture was a very bad idea because Katrina and Lexie fought over every wine bottle they both pulled out...
Katrina went for a bottle just as Lexie went for it and then 'CRASH!' down to the floor the bottle went...next Lexie would grab out for another bottle and then 'SMACK!' Katrina hit it out of her hands...both looked at each other like boxers in a ring. Lexie screeched, just as Katrina screamed and then they went straight for each other...Susan was appalled at the sight, two grown women in a cat fight; a fistful of golden curled hair in Lexie's firm grip, leading to a scream of Katrina. And fistful of Lexie's shirt in Katrina's grasp as she torn off Lexie's shirt sleeve and Lexie gave a Katrina a smug look and a growl and jammed Katrina right in the face with her arm cast as Katrina went down to the floor only to jump up again to go after Lexie one more time... RIP! POW! BAM! Susan whistled between her fingers as loud as she could, "What the Jiminy Crickety? Stop it now! You're making a mess of your selves and there's glass everywhere!" as she forced herself to shove Katrina off of a now on the floor Lexie and stood iron tall between them.
"Lemme at her, Suzy and I'll rip her limbs off her body and then feed them to the wolves!" Lexie yelled as Katrina laughed and teased, "You and what pencil pushing army, Gympie!"
"You imp!" Lexie snapped back as she glared at Katrina after she nodded her head towards Lexie's cased wrist.
Susan then shouted, "That's ENOUGH!" as her eyes scanned Lexie while helping her off the floor as Lexie's shirt and pants were all messed up, her hair looked like she had stuck her fingers into an electric socket, and she breathed heavily, Susan replied, "Lexie you're pregnant, this isn't the time to get physical!"
Katrina grumbled, with wisps of her hair crookedly pulled out from her half ponytail on her head, her dress ruined by the wine, and then pulled herself together with her nose now up in the air, "Exactly, so stay away!"
Lexie was about to go after Katrina again, Susan stopped her, "Don't."
"I don't know what the hll happened with you both, but this is disaster-lee pointless! Ms. Finlay, you're a teacher, you punish kids for getting in brawls in your classroom don't you?"
"It's Katrina," Katrina decided her and Susan were over the introductions as Susan soundly added, "Care to explain to me why you chose now of all times to start a brawl an' with each other?"
"Tell her!" Lexie snapped as her eyes never left Katrina's, "Tell her how you tried to trick him! How you tried to get Archie to not marry me!"
"I didn't do any such thing!" Katrina disagreed as Susan spoke right up evenly, "I'll judge it, Katrina, just explain it to me..."
"Archie wasn't intended for Lexie at one point he was intended for me!" Katrina replied wearily as she wiped her bloody lip from where Lexie had walloped her in the face with her cased up arm.
"No..." Lexie shook her head...
"BUT I realized, back then after the dust settled and all- he wasn't in love with me!" Katrina concluded as Lexie grumbled and Katrina replied, "It's true and you know it..."
"Okay, so what happened exactly?" Susan asked while still standing between them.
"It's hard to love someone who doesn't love you back who says 'what you and I had been wonderful but I'm still marrying her'. I came back here years ago for a teaching position at the school. I missed Glenbogle so I came back for an interview..."
"Archie was the deciding factor about that job! I told him to send you away!" Lexie snickered again and Susan tried to keep Lexie calm by raising her hands to silence her...
"You're still paranoid, Lexie! It didn't matter what I said to him...he had his mind made up to settle down with you! I didn't trick him out of marrying you. You're the tricky one, accusing him of playing games on you with me! I told him long ago how I felt about what we had lost and that I came back for the teaching job but it didn't mean the boyfriend was concluded—I might've wanted the boyfriend but I didn't get it now did I? No! So I decided to go because I couldn't bear the thought of you both married, so I left! I sacrificed my love for this place, this community and its people because of the both of you! And when I left I thought more about it, I felt terrible for acting like prissy schoolgirl chasing an unavailable boyhood crush and putting you all through pain!"
Katrina back away and sat down on the steps with a huge sigh, "I thought you had moved on. I thought you were past this...how big are you Lexie?"
Lexie groaned, "I didn't see past it because I feared you'd come back or he'd run away to you. Even when we married, and I said I had all I wished for, I still questioned why he didn't send you away..."
"I sent myself away! I thought the air was clear..."
"You thought wrong, didn't you?"
"See this!" Katrina held up her left hand and pointed out to the ring Fergal gave her...glittering of moonstones...as Lexie's eyes widened at the sight.
"I was supposed to get married tonight to Fergal! We've been secretly betrothed for weeks!" Katrina complained as her eyes narrowed in on Lexie, "Instead he decided we should come to dinner here! His mother, his brother, Xavier...my-our family is here at this dinner when they should be at Xavier's sitting still and watching Fergal and I exchange vows! The elopement went right out the window when the 'LAIRD had spoken' about having a dinner party! Fergal wanted to show his mother and brother where he spent time working and where he had court me for the first time!"
Lexie's face fell...she grew silent...Katrina really had moved on and Lexie was so wrapped up in the past and her self she hadn't noticed. Susan watched closely Lexie for a response...
"Oh."
"Yeah, Lexie, oh! I never wanted to tell anyone at this house we were getting married, do you want to know why? I didn't want it ruined, and now everything is! If Lizzie would come back I could get the heck out of your way!"
"No," Lexie disagreed feeling slightly guilty as she paused for quite awhile...
"No? Do you need more convincing on my part about why I'm overjoyed with my life now? No, you need convincing about why you should be happy and content with your life! How about two, Lexie? How about two bright as buttons children that you and Archie have created and yer new bump on the way? How about a home? You live in a spectacular over 400 year old castle in a very picture-perfect village with people who know who you are because you're the "Lady of Glenbogle', Alexandra MacDonald! You need more convincing? HUH? I'm?"
"Hush it and yer just jealous!" Lexie exclaimed and then shrugged, not feeling well about ripping into Katrina again, as she sat her self down on a wine crate. Susan heaved a sigh and sat her self down on a crate too. The women sat in a triangle from each other.
"Maybe once so, but I'm not now," as Katrina then ran out of words to say as she pulled out her half ponytail from her hair looked at her wrecked dress and groaned exasperatedly as she sat on the cellar steps.
"You really put a lot of thought in putting me where I belong, didn't you?" Lexie's mouth opened quickly said her reply and then closed immediately as Katrina's head gave a huge nod.
"I thought about it every day that I thought about Glenbogle and I refused to voice any of it until now. I felt terrible for betraying both of you. That's why I'm skipping town again..."
"What?" Lexie inquired as Susan continued to listen...
"I'm moving to Dublin with Fergal...that was another reason for getting married tonight, as we leave tomorrow..."
Everyone, all of Archie's guests, Paul, Nigel, Molly, Golly, Duncan, Lizzie and Martha all stood around the large dinning table dressed in their best clothes waiting for the missing persons to appear as the house bell rang and in came a woman, who called out, "Hello? Anyone there?"
Archie smiled and spoke up, "Excuse me,"
"Hello? Mr. MacDonald?" Archie stepped out into the front foyer from the formal dinning room to greet, Reverend Alice, or the Glenbogle town minister.
"Oh good of you to come, this way please," Archie walked Rev. Alice into the dinning room as he introduced her to everyone, except Molly.
"I assumed I would be marrying someone tonight as my appointment...Mr. Maclure?" as Rev. Alice looked at Fergal with some confusion.
"Ah, yeah, we were supposed to have dinner with Archie and family, aside from my mother, so we cancelled that 'wedding' bit..."
Mavis waved and said, "Hi,"
"And my brother and Xavier," Fergal signed to Kieran who waved 'Hello' with a smile on his face and Xavier added, "How do you do, Reverend?"
"Very well but baffled completely," Rev. Alice spoke up wondering what was going on.
"Hang on, I invited you for dinner as well, you see this dinner is a celebration, in honor of Fergal and Katrina's wedding night. The ceremony can happen here as long as it would be all right with the bride and groom."
Fergal's face dropped as his mind went gangbusters, "How did you know?"
"A wee bird told us the great news," Molly replied from across the table as she looked at Fergal.
"Sorry, Fergal, that bird be me." Lizzie replied across the table as Fergal then asked, "You sure?"
Archie nodded his head, "Yes,"
Mavis, Molly and Lizzie smiled at each other all excited, but then it registered within the mother/daughter pair that Lexie, Susan and Katrina were still locked in the wine cellar together...
"That's fine and all, but where's the bride?" Rev. Alice asked as no one but Molly and Lizzie knew that answer and instead said, "Let's have dinner shall we, I'm sure the women are off doing 'wedding' preparations."
Mavis replied, "Wedding preparations, with out me?"
Molly replied with a smile, "No worry, I'm sure she's saving something for you."
Paul then wondered, "Where's Susan?"
Lizzie shifted uncomfortably in her chair...
Archie eyed his mother peculiarly and decided it was okay for Golly to play the pipes and get the dinner started...as the guests sat down, Fergal then asked, "So Lexie is with Katrina, Molly? Is Susan with them?"
Archie sat in his chair, wondering what his mother was up to...and then he noticed Lizzie shift in her seat uncomfortably again and take sips of her water as Molly was put on spot.
"That's right."
"Oh really, and how long will Lexie, Susan, and Katrina be gone for? How long do wedding preparations take now a day?" Archie arched a brow at Molly.
"I don't know dear, you tell me, you're the one who just got married not so long ago. I'm not planning my wedding for at least another month..." Molly smiled and Mavis laughed, "I haven't planned a wedding in a very long time, but Kieran here is a Minister as he was ordained just last week."
Mavis smiled and Molly grinned back, "How marvelous!"
Mavis signed to her son, whom sat there smiling, "See, being a Minister is a big deal...she just told you 'how wonderful it is'!"
"Indeed it is!" Mavis replied back as Molly beamed again at Mavis and Kieran, who signaled, "Thank-you."
"He said, Thank-you," Fergal translated to Molly.
"He's very welcome," Molly winked, just as Archie cut right in...
"Excuse us just for a moment, mother. May I have a word with you?" Archie caught on, Lexie would never ever sit in the same room as Katrina unless coaxed and Archie couldn't talk her into it earlier that day, as his brain registered, 'Mother isn't that good of a sweet talker so she must be up to something.'
Archie lead Molly out of the room, Lizzie stood right up from the table, "I need to be excused too..."
"What's going on and where are they?" Archie inquired immediately out in the hall.
"I don't know what you're talking about dear." Molly added with a nervous smile and then her eyes looked down towards the floor.
"You're lying," Archie added, "Your eyes always drop to the floor when you're telling me a fib and you were smiling way too much at the table...you're causing trouble and I want to know what you've done now so I'll ask this again, where are they?"
Lizzie appeared in the hall, and then Archie added without looking behind him, "Lizzie? I know you're there. Where's Lexie? Susan? Katrina?"