A/N – After a very long hiatus, I'm finally making an update to this tale! Given that so many of us are trapped in a quarantine of historic proportions, I imagine we could all do with a little bit of fluff to cheer us up. As Steven Universe sang at the wedding of Ruby and Sapphire, "There's an awful a lot of awful things we could be thinking of, but for just one day let's only think about love!"

XXX

Hold me close and hold me fast
The magic spell you cast
This is la vie en rose
~Louis Armstrong

XXX

June 25, 1926 – morning

The weather was, as Mayor Shinn would have put it, chancy. It didn't seem to know whether it wanted to rain or shine. The sky was half-filled with puffy gray-white clouds, which the sun dipped in and out of as a strong but warm wind whipped over the landscape. In such a mercurial climate, Jane's hairstyle was a complete loss, her curls whirling and whipping around her head whichever way they would.

But it mattered not. Today was her wedding day, and after a year of not-so-secret dreaming, she would finally be Mrs. Hearst. While Jane knew it was supposed to be bad luck for a bride and groom to see each other before their ceremony, here she was, walking hand in hand with her husband-to-be through the cornfields just outside of town. Although they were to be married in just a few short hours, neither the assistant librarian nor the history teacher saw the need to break their longstanding habit of taking a morning constitutional together.

In her excitement, Jane had woken up even earlier than she was wont to do, and simply could not lie abed. When the parlor clock chimed five, Jane rose, dressed, and made her way stealthily downstairs to the swing on the front porch, just as she did every morning. Only today, she was a guest of the Hills instead of at the boarding house, as she had relinquished her place there and all her earthly possessions had been moved to the new home that she and Jim would soon occupy together. When the history teacher reached her vicinity a full half hour earlier than usual – she delighted in this proof that he must have been wakeful, too – she immediately rose from her seat to join him.

Still, Jane couldn't help giving voice to the anxiety that nevertheless pricked at her joy. "You don't suppose we're jinxing ourselves by doing this, do you?"

As a man of unswerving reason, Jim chuckled, but gently. "We are no common couple," he assured her, giving her hand an affectionate squeeze as he pulled her into a leisurely stroll alongside him. "We may not be as uncommon as Professor and Mrs. Hill, but we are not simply bound to each other by geographic convenience or desperation not to be left on the shelf. We're young enough to look forward to a long and happy future together, but not so young we're in danger of marrying in haste before we know ourselves. Our characters are well-formed and we're certainly old enough to know how to choose a spouse wisely!" He halted and pulled Jane close for a tender kiss, brushed an errant curl from her cheek, and regarded her with a fervent look that made her heart beat even faster than it already was. "Seeing each other before our wedding is not going to change any of that."

XXX

When Jim delivered her safely back to the charming Victorian an hour later, Miss Marian was waiting for her in the kitchen with a cup of a tea, a light breakfast, and a knowing smile.

Jane felt herself blush at her sister-friend's loving but frank assessment of her behavior, and quickly immersed herself in drinking the tea so as to collect her composure.

"Don't worry, dearest Jane, I'm not going to scold you," Miss Marian said, still smiling. "You're not the only bride who's seen her husband before her wedding." When Jane's head popped up to gape at her, it was the librarian's turn to blush. "My nerves got the better of me, and I actually had the gumption to go to Harold's house to make sure of him. I was even wearing my wedding dress as I did so! Mama wasn't very happy about that, as you know how she clings to the old customs, but I'd say after a full fourteen years, things worked out beautifully despite our scandalous lapse in propriety."

Jane burst into laughter, Miss Marian joined her, and the anxiety the assistant librarian was feeling completely dissipated. But after the ladies recovered from their outburst of mirth, Jane grew wistful.

"Do you think Jim will look at me in fourteen years the way that Professor Hill still looks at you?" she wondered aloud.

"Of that I have absolutely no doubt," Miss Marian replied with ringing certainty. "Now finish up your breakfast," she continued in a tone of warm sisterly command. "Mama will be here in just an hour with your dress!"

XXX

As Miss Marian and Mama Paroo helped her into her wedding dress, Jane couldn't stop marveling at her own reflection. This was easily the most gorgeous – and expensive! – gown she'd ever owned. The tea-length drop-waist satin ivory gown with gold and lace embellishments set off her both her complexion and silhouette beautifully. And for once, her curls were perfectly set, thanks to Miss Marian's dab hand with a curling iron and pomade. When Jane donned the exquisitely embroidered headdress and veil as a finishing touch, she felt like a queen. Experimentally, the assistant librarian dared a twirl in her ensemble, delighting in the way the pearl beads around her neck sparkled in the light, as well as how the pleats in the skirts flowed gracefully around her as she moved.

Mrs. Paroo beamed at such enthusiastic appreciation of her handiwork, and Miss Marian clasped her hands together in admiration. "Oh, Jane, you look so lovely!"

"I feel lovely," she said wonderingly. And to her delight, it wasn't just the dress that lent her this stunning beauty – her wide gray eyes were aglow with happiness and her cheeks were pleasingly flushed without the benefit of pinching or rouge.

"And so you are lovely, me girl!" Mrs. Paroo asserted in that charming Irish brogue of hers. "All brides are the most beautiful women in the world on their own wedding day."

Of course, Jane's tendency to be a chattering bluestocking remained as strong as ever, despite her elegant attire, and she couldn't help remarking, "Do you know, Miss Marian, I find it a very interesting coincidence that we were both born with surnames that begin with P, and we both ended up marrying men with surnames that begin with H!"

To her relief, Miss Marian smiled warmly at her, instead of scolding her for engaging in such frivolous inanity, as her aunt no doubt would have done. "That is an interesting coincidence," she agreed. "And a delightful one, as I consider you my own sister."

"Of all the letters of the alphabet, what a chance!" Mrs. Paroo marveled. "It was clearly meant to be that I love you both as my own daughters, and that you both have such fine men as husbands."

As Jane felt herself grow misty-eyed at such a generous sentiment, Mrs. Paroo pulled her into a bear hug, which the assistant librarian heartily returned even though it might wrinkle her gown. For as she had long ago learned, there were few things as soothing and encouraging as a warm hug from an Irish mother. That these two ladies not only accepted but took pride in her trifling observations meant more to her than they could ever know – Jane felt the most wonderful sense of warmth spread through her. She may have lacked living ancestral relations and her wedding would be a far more humble affair than Miss Marian's was, but those who witnessed her marriage were truly her family. And soon, Jim would also be her family, in legality as well as in spirit.

Indeed, Jane had a most exciting summer to look forward to. After their wedding, she and Jim would spend a few sweet days together in their new home before setting off on a honeymoon tour to Rome, Greece, and Egypt, trailing the ancients across the Mediterranean for two whole months. Jim had always wanted to see the worlds he studied so avidly, but never got the chance to do so – he could not have gone on such an ambitious trip with Louisa Grace, due to her increasing delicacy and ill health. The history teacher confessed to Jane that he had been saving up for this once-in-a-lifetime excursion in earnest ever since he arrived to River City – the one bright spot in his gloomy life that kept him going until he met the assistant librarian. And when they started courting in earnest, he'd continued to save money with the notion of making this trip a grand honeymoon tour.

Jane was enthralled by the idea when he told her of it during their engagement, as well as anxious. The assistant librarian and history teacher were tremendously well-read but nowhere near as well-traveled – how would two bookish academics fare when making their way in the wider world? She couldn't help worrying that they would get swindled, or worse, inadvertently run afoul of some local custom or law. Keeping in mind Mark Twain's sage observation that "the gentle reader will never, never know what a consummate ass he can become until he goes abroad," she prepared for this jaunt by reading traveling journals assiduously, from ancient works like Herodotus' Histories to more modern fare like Norman Douglas' Siren Land. Jane was further comforted to discover that they weren't going to be entirely on their own abroad – through his decades-long correspondences with trusted friends and colleagues in his field, Jim had received a wealth of advice, recommendations, and even invitations for lodging at various villas and estates.

Meanwhile, Jane's friends and acquaintances had contributed so many beautiful goods to both her person and household as wedding gifts, to help her prepare for the new adventure upon which she was about to embark. The assistant librarian, who was brought up by parsimonious relatives and well used to the frugality of a spinster existence, had never owned so many elegant clothes or lovely things. It was almost uncomfortably overwhelming that after a lifetime of prudent economy and residing in Spartan boarding houses, she was now the center of such incredible domestic largesse. And if that wasn't enough, Miss Marian and Mrs. Paroo had insisted on assembling a travel trousseau that was both fashionable and practical, as they were experts in what colors and cuts flattered her best. When Jane protested that she was unworthy of such magnificent generosity, Miss Marian insisted that she deserved all of this and more, and urged her to enjoy it. And so, her spirits bolstered by the staunch support of her dearest female friend, Jane was determined to do just that.

XXX

The wedding of Jane Edna Peabody and James Robert Hearst took place in Mr. Madison's renowned rose gardens. Although the estate had long since passed to new ownership, the gardens were kept in tiptop shape, and continued to be a source of pride and pleasure for the River City-ziens. Indeed, Jane wasn't the first bride to be married among the roses, and she wouldn't be the last. Fortunately, the weather decided to cooperate, and the sun shone both warmly and beautifully upon the event.

Jane's wedding party was shockingly small but made up for this deficiency by being socially significant. Miss Marian served as her matron of honor, and Professor Hill gave her away to the groom. He also served as Jim's best man, as the two had developed a close friendship during the frequent family feasts hosted by Mrs. Paroo. Penny and Elly Hill were bridesmaids and, as Robert Hill was far too young to be ring bearer on his own, he was assisted by his grandmother. The gossip mill would later remark it was quite the coup for two mild-mannered bluestockings to have formed such an endearing friendship with River City's first citizens, but little did they realize that Jane and Jim would have chosen the Hills to stand by their side even if they'd been the humblest of unknowns.

After the brief but tasteful ceremony concluded, a reception was held on the broad lawns of the estate. Beneath the Events Committee's skilled supervision, there were tables gaily festooned with ribbons surrounding a dance floor that had been specially laid for the occasion. Both food and music were in plentiful abundance, and the party was a merry one. While Jane was equally gracious to all the friends and acquaintances in attendance who expressed their hearty well wishes for the couple's felicity, she burst into the happiest of tears when greeting her old landlady, Mrs. Magdalena Mueller, who had journeyed all the way from Ames for this occasion.

"Och! None of that now," the august matron scolded in her stern German accent, though she regarded her former charge with an uncharacteristically warm smile.

Jane laughed and obediently wiped her eyes with the lace-trimmed handkerchief that Miss Marian had so kindly given for her to borrow. She had kept up a friendly correspondence with Mrs. Mueller ever since her departure, so it seemed good manners to extend an invitation. To Jane's surprise and delight, the now ancient matron actually saw fit to attend. And not only that, she pulled the assistant librarian into a hug! This embrace was not nearly as warm as Mrs. Paroo's had been, but coming from such a severe and unaffectionate woman, it was a truly remarkable gesture.

After Mrs. Mueller stiffly resumed a proper distance between the two of them, she peered into Jane's face with her sharp, intelligent eyes. "And you are happy?"

Jane gave her the sunniest of smiles. "Very much."

"Gut," Mrs. Mueller said firmly. She turned to Jim and shook a chiding finger at him. "Treat her well."

"You have my word," he promised. "We're so glad that you could come and share our happiness with us on this wonderful day."

She gave an approving nod. "I've always wanted such happiness for you, Jane. Of all the young ladies I've ever had in my care, you deserve it most."

Jane struggled not to burst into a fresh wave of tears. Coming from Mrs. Mueller, who was infamously critical of the dress, demeanor, and deportment of the girls in her boarding house, this was indeed the highest praise a woman could ever hope to receive.

It truly was the most perfect day Jane had ever experienced in her entire life. When it was time for the dancing to begin, the assistant librarian comported herself with a competence and grace she had never imagined possible. The many months of practice had paid multiple dividends – she and Jim danced the waltz, the Charleston, and even the Shipoopi, and not once did she step on his feet, twist her ankle, or go tumbling unceremoniously to the ground.

When the shadows lengthened and the moon rose in the sky, the moment Jane had been looking forward to with a steadily increasing impatience finally happened. As their guests continued dancing and making merry, Jim drew her into a deliciously perfumed alcove of crimson roses and whispered huskily into her ear, "Are you ready to resume the conversation we began three days ago, Mrs. Hearst?"

Jane felt an electric zing run through the entire length of her body. She had been thinking about this eventuality all day, and with far more excitement than trepidation, especially when Jim started to hold her progressively closer on the dance floor as the hours passed. She turned her head to meet her husband's eyes and delighted in the avid way he stared at her, as if he could hardly wait to get her to their bedroom before he commenced making love to her.

"I am ready," she said, just as eagerly. "Let's go home."