LOST AND FOUND - PART 6
MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE
Chapter 49
Morning had just come to the cream colored house, but Adam and Thea had been up for hours. Today was Hoss and Dora's wedding day and the already married couple was in charge of seeing that everything went as smoothly as possible.
Dulcy and the staff she had brought from the hotel were racing around Thea's large kitchen efficiently, keeping one eye on their assigned tasks and the other on the statuesque redhead.
Barbara was the first to arrive, dressed elegantly in a blue-green dress that matched her eyes. She didn't bother knocking on the front door, nobody would bother with that today. Stopping in the front hall to listen she heard the rattles and clangs coming from the kitchen and the sounds of hurrying feet from above. Recognizing Thea's quick footsteps she hurried up the stairs to find her best friend.
Thea had just come out of the nursery when Barbara reached the head of the stairs. The black-haired woman turned and when she saw her friend she hurried down the hall smiling her usual wide smile.
"Dear Lord! You are absolutely gorgeous!" she exclaimed as she took Barbara's hands and stepped back. She whistled appreciatively and the other woman actually blushed. The dress was made of two layers, the silk under dress was the blue of tropical waters while the over dress was sheer tissue of silk in a sea-foam green. The two layers touched and separated when she moved, giving the impression of rippling water.
Her honey-blond hair had been pulled into a sleek French twist and she wore white-gold earrings and a necklace set with glittering aquamarines.
Thea allowed herself a few more moments to admire the beautiful woman then sighed as she hugged Barbara carefully, not wanting to crumple the dress.
"How's Dora this morning?" Barbara asked when Thea stepped back.
"As skittish as a filly and unbelievably over-eager. We've already had to restrain her from taking off for the church on foot. Then we talked her into taking the dress off so it wouldn't get badly creased. I'm hoping that will keep her from running out the door on impulse, but you never know with Dora!" The two women laughed at the bride's endearing impatience.
They linked arms and walked down the hall toward Dora's room, opened the door, and went in. The young woman was pacing in her shift and petticoats as Cassie and Marie watched her carefully, looking for any warning signs that she might bolt.
When the two older women came in she turned toward them, her face lighting up at the enchanting vision that was Barbara.
"Oh my!" she said as she rushed forward. "Barbara, you look lovely," she finished without a trace of the jealousy many other brides would have exhibited at another woman dressed so exquisitely. Barbara laughed and reached forward to take the younger woman's hands in her own and led Dora over to the bed where they both sat down. The two plunged into a deep discussion about dressmaking and Thea breathed a sigh of relief. She knew Barbara had done this on purpose to distract the bride for a while.
She slipped out the door and went to Alexander's room next. He had already been dressed in a miniature suit, exactly like those the rest of the men in the wedding would be wearing. She had instructed him to stay in his room and be careful to not mess up his clothes, but when she went in the room was empty.
"Oh God," Thea said under her breath. "Where the hell has that boy gotten to?" She made a frustrated sound through clenched teeth as she shook her head, went back into the hall, and moved on to Annalise's room.
The little girl was sitting quietly with a picture book in her lap - she looked up when her mother came in.
"Have you seen Alex?" Thea asked, her expression still marred by an irritated frown.
Annalise shook her head 'no' and wondered for the first time why her brother just couldn't ever seem to behave himself.
Seeing her daughter's solemn expression Thea laughed and hurried forward to pick her up and swing her around. "Don't worry, I'm sure your brother is around here somewhere. But now it's time to get you ready, love," she said and settled Annalise on her hip as she went to the closet and pulled out the dress she would be wearing as the flower girl.
Her dress was similar to the bride's and made out of rose-blush silk. The waist was empire style, the neckline was high, but square, and the skirt was ankle length, falling in graceful folds. Thea quickly pulled the dress her daughter was wearing off over her head then replace it with the silk creation. In a few moments the child was dressed.
Then she sat down on the bed and positioned Annalise in front of her to brush out the little girl's long, curly, black hair. When she was satisfied her hair was tangle-free she settled the wreath of small roses made out of the rose-blush silk on her small head. Long streamers of ribbons in the same rose-blush color flowed down her back in stark contrast to her shiny black hair.
Her mother turned her around and smiled into her deep emerald eyes. "Honey, you look like a princess!" She stood and then smiled when her daughter giggled. "Come on sweetpea, I'm keeping YOU with me while I get ready," she said and the two left the room hand in hand.
A few moments later Alexander appeared at the head of the back stairs with a faint sheen of sweat on his face and his eyes wide. He slowly made his way toward the room where he knew Hoss and Joe were. He turned the knob and went in without knocking. Both men turned when they heard the door open.
When he saw the boy's expression Hoss said, "What's wrong?"
"I don't feel so good, Uncle Hoss," Alex replied and the big man immediately came over to pick him up. Joe put his hand on the boy's forehead.
"He doesn't have a fever," he had no sooner said when his nephew made an odd choking noise and threw up a bright colored splash down the front of Hoss's crisp white shirt.
When he saw what he had done he started to cry, but stopped surprised when he realized his uncle was laughing. "You poor kid," Hoss said and handed the boy to Joe.
"Hoss, this isn't funny!" Joe said as he watched his older brother carefully wipe up the mess with a towel, then shrug out of the shirt.
He turned back to take Alex from Joe and quietly said, "Go find Thea," as he sat down on the edge of the bed and placed the boy in his lap. Joe quickly left.
"Feel better?" he said looking down into his nephew's upturned face.
"Uh huh."
"Good. Now somethin' tells me you were down in the kitchen stealin' sweets. Were you?"
The boy hung his head. "Uh huh."
Hoss chuckled and hugged him tightly.
"Are you gonna tell Pa?" Alex asked anxiously.
Hoss chuckled again, "Nope. You are."
Alex sighed and laid his head against his uncle's chest. "Yes, sir."
"Look, your Pa is goin' to be a lot less angry if YOU tell him. If I do he'll be hoppin' mad."
The boy nodded then sniffed. "Are you mad at me?" he said in a small voice.
"No, accidents happen. 'Specially to little boys who don't do what they're told."
"But how are you gonna get married without a shirt, Uncle Hoss?"
"Don't you worry, we'll think of somethin'" his uncle answered as Thea burst into the room and rushed up to them. She immediately felt her son's forehead.
"Joe's right, he doesn't have any fever. What happened?" she said as she picked up the shirt to see if it could be cleaned.
"Well, this shirt is a total loss," she looked at her son. "You ate too much icing, didn't you?"
Her son hung his head.
"Alexander," she said with a sigh of exasperation, "I TOLD you to stay in your room."
"I'm sorry, Ma." He looked up at her with a slightly green face and anxious eyes. "Do I have to tell Pa what I did right now?"
Thea sighed again, "No, I think that can wait until after the wedding. But I better give you something to settle your stomach. We don't want the ring bearer throwing up during the ceremony." She came to take him from Hoss's arms and kissed him on the forehead.
"Oh Alex, how do you get yourself into these things?" she said then turned to Hoss. "I'm so sorry, Hoss. I'll try to think of something."
They both looked toward the door when it opened and Joe came in. He had a white shirt draped over his arm and the other two adults breathed a sigh of relief.
"I borrowed this from Charlie. He said it's a little tight on him so it should fit Hoss well enough," he said with a grin.
Hoss quickly put the shirt on and it was only a little loose.
"Thank God," Thea breathed and reached up to pinch Joe's cheek with her free hand as he laughed. "All this and brains too!" she said while giving him a quick one-armed hug then hurried from the room.
When she shut the door behind her Joe turned to his brother who was now almost completely dressed.
His professionally tailored suit was a deep, dark blue and so was the string tie Joe stepped forward to tie for him. He also wore an ivory colored brocade vest under his suit coat.
Joe's suit was the same except his vest was made of pearl gray brocade. When he was finished tying his brother's tie he stepped back and looked Hoss up and down. He grinned.
"You look great," he said and his older brother just smiled. "But how come you're so calm, Hoss? I would have thought you'd be a nervous wreck."
The big man shrugged, "No reason to be when you know what you're gettin' into. And I do."
"Just remember that phrase," Joe laughed as he reached into his suit pocket for the rings then froze when they weren't there. Then he quickly reached into the pocket on the other side and could breathe again. He was determined to prove to everyone he could be just as responsible as his brothers by fulfilling the duties of best man to the letter.
Hoss actually laughed and clapped Joe on the back, almost knocking him down as Adam came in. He smiled at hearing the groom laughing.
"Well boys, it's time to go. The ladies can't come out until we do," he paused to run his sharp eyes over both of his brothers and chuckled when Hoss said, "Do we pass?"
"Definitely," he answered with a grin. "Are you ready?"
Hoss didn't answer for a few beats then grinned back. "'Bout as ready as I'll ever be!" he said and the three of them laughed.
"Amen to that, brother!" Adam said as he opened the door and waved them through. He paused to raise his eyes heavenward. "Please Lord, all I ask is just no more major accidents," he said low then stepped into the hall and closed the door behind him.
Adam, Hoss, and Joe entered the church from the back and made their way to the anteroom behind and to the right of the altar. Joe opened the door he and Hoss would go through when the ceremony was about to start and turned back to whisper, "I don't think I've ever seen this many people in church before! Looks like the whole town is out there!"
Everyone who had received an invitation had accepted; no one wanted to miss seeing one of the Cartwright sons getting married.
Adam's four deputies had the duty of being ushers and were waiting outside the other end of the church for the rest of the wedding party to arrive. Ben was in charge of making sure they made it on time and Adam couldn't help but wonder how he was doing with the women and the children.
The three men talked quietly for a while then Joe opened the door to look again and reported that their father was now seated next to the aisle in the first pew on the groom's side with Barbara next to him.
"Well that means the ladies are here so I better get moving," Adam said and held his hand out to Joe who gave him the rings. With Alex as ring bearer they thought it would be safer for Joe to hold onto them until the last minute. After giving his youngest brother's shoulder a squeeze he turned to pull Hoss into a tight hug. Then he was gone, leaving through the door they had just come in.
Hoss took a deep breath, slowly let it out then nodded to Joe who opened the door and held it to let his older brother go through first. When the two of them appeared Reverend Albright came through a door to the left and stepped up to the altar. Hoss and Joe moved to take their places to the right as every person in the room craned their necks to try and get a good look. The sighs from the many female guests packed into the pews was audible and Joe leaned toward Hoss to whisper, "Getting' a little breezy in here, don't you think? Might as well have had the wedding outside."
His older brother's lips twitched and he turned his head away from Joe's grin until he thought he had the urge to laugh tamped down. Then he turned back and whispered, "Stop it! I swear I'll sic Thea on you if you make me laugh." For some reason that struck them as being hilarious so they both shook with silent laughter for a few moments, but sobered up quickly enough when they noticed Ben giving them a sharp look.
The church organist finished the hymn he was softly playing and the room became almost silent as they all waited, looking toward the back of the church expectantly. The man started to softly play "Sweet Sacrament Divine" and the twins appeared, Annalise carrying a handled basket of rose petals and Alex carefully holding a pillow with the two rings fastened to it in both hands. The children's expressions were suitably solemn as the little girl concentrated on scattering the petals evenly and the little boy focused on keeping the small pillow level. When the two children had almost reached the altar they stopped and turned their heads to look at their grandfather with big grins.
Ben quickly motioned for them to go on and they did while soft laughter swept through the crowd. Their grandfather just shook his head. They separated at the altar as instructed with Annalise moving to the left and Alexander moving to the right to stand next to Joe. His young uncle reached down to put one hand on top of the boy's head and leaned down to whisper, "That was just right, Alex." The boy smiled hugely at the unfamiliar words.
After the two children had separated Cassie appeared on Jon's arm and the two young people started down. When they reached the mid point Mike and Marie followed. Dylan with Dulcy appeared when the first couple reached the altar and separated.
The men wore the same dark blue suit, while the women wore dresses similar to the one Thea had dressed Annalise in. The headpieces they wore were exactly the same and each woman carried a bouquet of white and pink rosebuds.
When Dylan and Dulcy reached the altar and moved to take their places, Nate with Thea as the matron of honor stepped into the doorway. The women sighed with pleasure when they saw the rose-blush silk brocade dress she was wearing. Like the others the waist was empire style and the neckline was square. The long sleeves hugged Thea's slender arms closely and the skirt was slightly extended in the back to give the impression of a train.
When they reached the altar the organist finished the last few bars and paused before beginning to play "Panis Angelicus". Everyone stood and turned toward the door when Adam with Dora on his arm moved into view.
They started down the aisle and Thea had to put her hand over her mouth to muffle a laugh when she realized Adam was pulling back on her cousin's arm to keep her from rushing forward. He bent his head down and slightly to the side to whisper, "Dora, slow down! We'll get there, I promise." The young woman's face flushed a becoming pink and she quickly gave Adam an embarrassed smile. She relaxed when he patted the hand she had curled around his arm and grinned back as they continued down the aisle.
Joe heard Hoss's sharp intake of breath, but didn't look at him - he couldn't take his eyes off of Dora either. Her long, wavy chestnut hair flowed down her back unconfined to her waist. Her headpiece was made of ivory-colored silk roses with a sheer ivory veil attached to the back. The dress was made of the same ivory silk brocade Hoss's vest was made of and the design was almost the same as Thea's, except the bride's parted in the front to reveal an underskirt of white taffeta. The brocade skirt extended further in the back to form a short train, and the sleeves ended in points that covered the backs of her hands.
When they reached the altar Hoss moved forward and Adam took the hand Dora was tightly clutching his arm with in his own. Then he turned to lead her forward and placed it in his brother's hand. Hoss nodded his thanks and his older brother did something unusual then by merely moving to the right to stand next to Joe and behind his son.
Reverend Albright smiled and said, "Please be seated," to the congregation and began the ceremony.
"Dearly beloved, we are gathered together here in the sight of God to join together this man and this woman in Holy Matrimony. Into this holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined and if any man can show just cause why they may not be lawfully wed, let him speak now or forever after hold his peace." The minister paused, smiling at the couple standing in front of him, and then continued. "Let us pray," he said and every person knelt.
When the sound of muffled laughter swept through the pews Adam looked around trying to spot the source of their mirth. When he met his father's gaze, Ben nodded toward Hoss. Adam leaned back and saw the letters "HELP" written in bright red paint on the bottom of Hoss's shoes, two letters on each sole. Then he noticed his four deputies, who were kneeling to his right, practically choking as they tried to restrain their laughter. He sighed with exasperation and Hoss turned his head to give him a puzzled look.
His older brother leaned over to whisper to Joe who then leaned over to whisper in Hoss's ear. When he finished Hoss leaned forward to pin the four deputies with a hard stare. The four men immediately did their best to try and look innocent, but failed utterly. The minister cleared his throat and everyone bowed their heads.
"Dear God, we ask you to bestow on Dorathea and Eric a true love to unite them to each other; patience to reconcile their differences; forgiveness to cover their failures; guidance to lead them in the right way; courage to face times of testing; and Your inner peace to comfort them and uphold them in times of distress. Bless them in the living of their lives together, and deepen their love for each other. We ask these things in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
"Please be seated," he said to the congregation then turned back to the couple in front of him as the wedding party stood.
"Do you, Dorathea, take this man, Eric, to be your wedded husband..." he was interrupted when the bride blurted out, "I do!"
Shaking his head at her the minister continued, "to live together in the covenant of marriage?" and was interrupted by the bride saying, "I do!" again.
The groom's shoulder's were shaking and everyone in the room was desperately trying to hold their laughter back now, even the minister as he continued in a choked voice, "Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him..." That was all the further he got when Dora took a deep breath and opened her mouth again. Whatever she was going to say never came out because Hoss reached across and covered her mouth with his right hand.
He nodded to the reverend who then finished the rest of the question in a rush, "in sickness and in health; and forsaking all others be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"
Hoss took his hand away and they all waited expectantly for her response, but she didn't say a thing. She just continued to stare up at the man until he leaned down and whispered, "You can say 'I do' now."
"I DO!" Dora practically shouted, giving the man behind the altar a brilliant smile. Her husband to be sighed as he put a hand over his eyes and shook his head.
The minister paused again to be sure everyone had settled down and turned to Hoss. "Do you, Eric, take this woman, Dorathea, to be your wife; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love her, comfort her, honor and keep her, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?"
"Well..." Hoss said and looked up as though considering the question. Everyone smiled as Dora poked him sharply in the shoulder with her fist - "Alright, alright, I do," Hoss said laughingly and the reverend put his head down to bite his lip.
When he looked up again he said, "May I have the rings please?" Joe bent down to take them off the pillow Alexander was still holding, stepped forward, and handed them over. The reverend placed them on the altar praying, "Bless these rings O Lord to be a sign of the vows by which this man and this woman have bound themselves to each other, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."
Both Joe and Thea stepped forward this time to each collect a ring, and then returned to their places. The man behind the altar nodded at Hoss who took the ring from Joe then slipped it on Dora's finger. "I give you this ring as a symbol of my vow, and with all that I am, and all that I have, I honor you, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," he said in a strong, firm voice as he smiled down into Dora's radiant face. She took Hoss's ring from Thea and quickly repeated the vow.
"Now that Eric and Dorathea have given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands and the giving and receiving of rings, I pronounce that they are husband and wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder." He paused, "You may kiss the bride," he finished and laughed with everyone else when Dora reached up to lock her hands together behind Hoss's neck and yanked his head down to kiss him. He finally had to gently pry her hands apart so he could straighten up and break the kiss.
Dora stared up at him with a dazed look and he chuckled as he took her by the shoulders to turn her toward their guests. Then he took her right hand and tucked it in the crook of his elbow as the minister spoke.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Eric Cartwright."
The crowd rose to their feet and burst into applause, having been highly entertained by the ceremony. Hoss grinned and Dora blushed while ducking her head, suddenly aware of her outrageous behavior.
When the applause died down Reverend Albright motioned for the people to take their seats. "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain seated. Adam and Theadora would like to take this opportunity to renew their vows," he said and chuckled at the sea of surprised looks in front of him. Only Hoss and Dora had been told about their plans.
The new Mrs. Cartwright let go of her husband's arm and the couple separated then stepped to the side. Adam and Thea came to stand in between them as the minister quickly plunged into the vows.
"Do you, Theadora, take this man, Adam, AGAIN to be your lawfully wedded husband; to live together in the covenant of marriage? Will you love him, comfort him, honor and keep him, in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others, be faithful to him as long as you both shall live?"
Thea didn't answer immediately and when Adam tugged on her hand she turned to him saying, "I'm thinking!" He gave her a narrow-eyed look then leaned down to whisper in her ear.
She quickly turned back to the reverend. "I do! I swear I do, with God as my witness, I do!" she said hastily and the crowd gave up trying to be quiet, laughing outright this time.
When the noise died down he repeated the question to Adam.
"This is against my better judgment," he answered while giving his wife a disgruntled glance, "but I have to say 'I do.'"
Shaking his head the minister continued, "Now that Adam and Theadora have AGAIN given themselves to each other by solemn vows, with the joining of hands, I pronounce that they are STILL husband and wife, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Those whom God has joined together let no one put asunder."
Adam and Thea turned around as the crowd began to applaud again and Reverend Albright said, "Ladies and Gentlemen may I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Adam CARTWRIGHT."