Great was the rejoicing throughout both families when the news of Shirley and Cecily's engagement became known. Everyone had ideas and plans about how they ought to do their wedding and what they should do afterward. Rilla and Faith were dying for them to come back to the Glen for one more big family wedding. Nan didn't care where it happened but wanted it to take place after the New Year, because she and Jerry were "up to their ears" in politicking and couldn't possibly get away before then. Jem thought they ought to wait for a little while anyway, just to make sure Cecily really was cured. Rachel "couldn't bear" to be parted from her darling again so soon, and begged them to wait for a year, at least. Jerry thought they should get married right away, Ken thought they should wait until Shirley was more established, and Mother and Dad and Paul were simply so happy they couldn't even speak about it. Only Miss Lavender and Di remained calm about the whole thing. Miss Lavender advised them, with a twinkle in her soft eyes, to just go ahead and do as they pleased, without worrying about anyone else's feelings, and Di just beamed at them and said she knew it was going to happen someday.
Shirley didn't want to worry Cecily with all the differing opinions. They had made their plans atop the mountain that golden September afternoon, and he was not to be swerved from it. He quietly and resolutely told everyone that they were going to be married immediately, as soon as he could find a house, and they were going to stay in the Adirondacks, and he was going to start working for an architectural company in Lake Placid. The wedding would be quiet and simple, with no fuss, and nothing to tire Cecily. Her needs were to be considered over everything else.
Naturally, there was quite a bit of uproar over this, but Susan—who everyone thought would be the most upset at her little boy getting married and her not being able to see him (as her heart condition now made traveling utterly out of the question)—silenced them all.
"It is those blessed children's lives, and their decisions, and I'll not hear one word against them. They have endured enough pain and suffering, and they need not dance to anyone else's tune any longer. They will do things their way, and nobody will bother them, or you'll have Susan to answer to," looking so grim and fierce that everyone quieted down and decided, on reflection, that doing things simply really was the best plan after all. To be sure, Rachel wasn't wholly convinced by Susan's words, but when she realized that the two were going to stay near them, she decided it wouldn't be like losing her baby after all.
And so the plans went forth. Miss Lavender and Rachel began sewing a wedding dress for Cecily—a simple little silvery-grey silk slip, that shimmered when she moved and clung softly to her form. Di tore through her wardrobe looking for a bridesmaid's dress—"This is absolutely the last time—once more and I'll be under the 'three times a bridesmaid' curse!" and Patrick came down from Toronto, where he was working, to act as Shirley's best man. Shirley himself made the job transfer painlessly from contractor to architect, thanks in part to the excellent recommendation given to him by his employers. He began hunting for small houses, both alone and with Cecily, and dreamed about the day when he could build her a palace.
Two weeks after their engagement, Shirley entered the Irvings' rented house with a satisfied glow.
"I've found us a nest, sweetheart," he announced.
"Oh, where?" cried Cecily, looking up from the tablecloths she was hemming.
"Right in the heart of Lake Placid, not two blocks from the lake," he answered proudly, sitting down next to her and stretching out his long legs with a sigh. "It's a tiny little bungalow, but we don't need anything very large. It has the quaintest little kitchen and pantry you ever saw, with a jam cupboard to make Susan weep with envy. A living room and dining room finish off the downstairs, and there are just two bedrooms and a bathroom upstairs—one for us, and one for when we have guests over. It's sound structurally, well-designed, and should suit our needs quite well."
"How much?" asked Paul practically. He was sitting at his desk, writing poetry again for the first time in two and a half years.
"I have to rent it," answered Shirley. "The owner is an elderly lady who is living with her daughters since her husband died, but she doesn't want to sell the house that holds so many happy memories from her life. The rent is only $60. a month to a 'nice young couple' as she called us." He grinned.
"That's not bad at all," said Miss Lavender briskly. "So when can you move in?"
"Next week, providing Cecily and I can get married before then." He reached over and picked up Cecily's small hand. "How about it, sweetheart? Are you willing to get married in one week?"
"Oh yes," she answered immediately, glowing with excitement. "Mama and Grandmother Lavender just finished my dress last night, and all we have left to do for my hope chest are these tablecloths and—some other things," she ended lamely, blushing a little. Shirley guessed she was referring to undergarments, and was hard pressed to keep from chuckling.
Rachel opened her mouth to protest against the wedding taking place so soon, looked at the two contented faces in front of her, and closed it again without a word.
"All right, then," said Shirley with satisfaction. "We will get married this Friday and move in to our new little home Saturday." He stood up and kissed the top of Cecily's dark head. "I'll 'phone Mrs. Anderson this evening and seal the deal. Right now I'd best be off back to Potsdam to let Di know, and to call Mother and Dad. I'll see you all tomorrow."
"I'll call Charlotta first thing in the morning," commented Miss Lavender.
On his way out the door, Shirley stopped and popped his head back in quizzically. "Charlotta the Fourth?" as if there were dozens of Charlottas Miss Lavender would be calling. "Why will you be 'phoning her?"
Miss Lavender smiled sweetly. "Now Shirley, I know that you think you can work all day and then come home and take care of all the housework in the evening so that Cecily doesn't have to do it all, but I'll tell you right now that not only is it impossible, it's a poor way to start out your married life, with you doing everything and being exhausted. So as my wedding gift to the two of you, I'm hiring Charlotta the Fourth's youngest daughter—she just turned fourteen—to come help out with the housework. I've asked her to arrive a week after you've settled. And no arguing!" She closed her mouth with a snap.
Shirley was inclined to argue the matter anyway—he didn't want an intruder spoiling the sweetness of their new life together—but looking at Cecily's still-delicate face and frail figure, he acknowledged the practicality of Miss Lavender's plan, and accepted gracefully.
Di was delighted when Shirley told her when the wedding was to be, as was Patrick, who was once again sleeping on their couch until after the wedding. "Perfect!" she exclaimed. "And oh, Shirley, I just found out today. There's a Foundling Home in Toronto that's in danger of having to shut its doors. Sister Mary Elizabeth told me about it, and recommended that I leave here to try my hand at putting it back on its feet and running it myself! Can you believe the perfect timing? You don't need me anymore, and I have my shot at running my own orphanage, just like I've dreamed of!" She raised her arms to the sky and danced around the living room, the lamplight reflecting off her copper hair with burnished tints.
Shirley got a bit of a shock at thinking of Di leaving. For some reason, he'd begun to think of her as always being around, there to laugh with and confide in. but, he reminded himself, she had only been staying there for his sake, and now that his dream was coming true, he had no reason to try to take hers away from her. He smiled with genuine happiness. "That's wonderful, sister o' mine," he congratulated her heartily. "I'll miss you, but I'm so happy for you."
She stopped dancing and moved over to rub her cheek against the rough shoulder of his jacket. "I'll miss you too. We've had some good times these past two years, haven't we? I'll never forget you coming home every day from the first house you were building and telling me all about every detail when I couldn't have cared less!"
"Or how I could never keep all the orphans straight that you took care of," countered Shirley.
"Do you remember that hike we took at Lampson Falls and I almost fell in and in you rescuing me you fell in yourself and were carried downstream forever before you could get out? I thought you were going to go over the falls and nearly went into hysterics!"
Shirley laughed. "I remember. I also remember the time I took you out to the movies and all my college buddies thought you were my girl, not my sister."
Di giggled. "You were so embarrassed…remember when I brought little Jacky Borden home for an afternoon away from the Home and he nearly destroyed the place?"
"Or when Nan and Jerry startled us that one night and announced that they'd eloped?"
"Or all those we had that picnic on the banks of the Raquette River?"
"Or…"
They spent most of that night in reminiscing over the past two years. Patrick just sat and listened, and occasionally interjected a smart remark at Shirley's expense. Looking at him and Di giggling together, Shirley wondered if perhaps, someday in the future, the two of them would end up as more than friends. Patrick was working in Toronto, and Di was moving there…who knew what could happen? At any rate, he wasn't going to try to matchmake between his best friend and favorite sister. He had enough romance on his mind with his approaching wedding.
Friday evening, Shirley and Cecily were at the home of the Baptist minister in Lake Placid, along with Di, Patrick, Paul, Rachel, Miss Lavender, Mother and Dad, who had barely managed to get there on time. Cecily looked like a delicate lily in her shimmering silver gown, her face simply radiant with happiness. Shirley held onto her hand tightly, unable to believe that finally, after all the waiting and suffering, she was finally going to be his. He couldn't stop thanking God for this wonderful gift He'd given to him, and vowed that he would do everything in his power to be worthy of it.
The minister, a kindly old man with white hair, who was simply delighted to have all these people squeezed into his living room, read the marriage ceremony in his quavery old voice, and asked them to recite their vows. Shirley spoke first, his deep voice trembling with emotion, his brown eyes full of promise.
"Cecily, I love you. Long ago you were just a dream and a prayer. This day, like a dream come true, the Lord Himself has answered that prayer. For today, Cecily, you as my joy become my crown. I thank Him for the honor of going through time with you. Thank you for being what you are to me. With our future as bright as the promises of God, I will care for you, honor and protect you. I lay down my life for you, my friend and my love. Today I give to you me."
Amid the sniffles and the rustles of the women taking out their hankies, Cecily spoke back, her pure voice strong and clear and sweet, her eyes speaking of her sincerity. "Shirley, I love you and I know you love me. I am confident that God has chosen you to be my husband. It is my prayer and desire that you will find in me the helpmeet God designed especially for you, and in confidence I pledge to you my life as an obedient, faithful and loving wife, and forever friend. Whither thou goest I will go, whither thou lodgest I will lodge, thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God."
There was a hushed silence as they slipped the simple bands of white gold onto each others' fingers, and then the minister placed his hands over their clasped ones and spoke again.
"Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man break asunder. Go in peace and love. Amen."
The wedding supper at the Irvings was simple and fun, with ancient jokes being dredged up and brought forth as new, and more and more extravagant toasts being made to the new couple. Finally, as the new moon floated by in the deep sky and the first stars began to twinkle silvery, Shirley escorted his bride from her parents' home to their auto, and they drove in silence through the frosty night to their new home. Cecily gave one little gasp of delight when she saw the bungalow—just a little tiny dusty-blue-and-cream cottage, with fat little windows winking at them and a door set right in the middle like a nose—nothing much to speak of, but it was theirs. Shirley helped her out of the car and led her across the threshold.
"Welcome home, dearest," he whispered as they stepped inside.
Author's Note: I have never been so tempted to end a story here as I am right now, but to do so would sort of ruin the whole point. So, I will quench my romantic desires and satisfy my artistic ones, and provide the proper ending that I've had in mind ever since this story first came to me. The rest will be coming soon. (Hey--I now have over 50 reveiws--woo-hoo!)