Amy titled Rosie's face up towards the golden African sunlight, admiring her work with an approving smile.
"I should have been a make-up artist," she stated defiantly as she turned away from Rosie and packed up her make-up kit. Rosie laughed and looked at herself in the mirror and said, "No doubt about that Amy, it looks great! Thank you,"
"Your very welcome love, it's the very least I could do," said Amy warmly.
A few minutes later the women were back in the same position that they had been in to begin with. The wedding was only an hour and a half away, and they had come no closer to a solution to Rosie's problem.
They sat there in silence, each of them in deep thought, when they were suddenly broken out of their reveries by a gruff, but gentle, male voice.
"Rosie?" called DuPlessis, peering around the doorway at them.
"What is it Dup?" said Sarah irritably, she was not in the mood to hear if anything else had gone wrong today.
Caroline looked up at Dup's adorable face and, annoyed as she was about the situation, she felt her frustration melt away as she said softly, "Not now Anders, this is an emergency."
Dup looked straight at her, with his striking coral blues boring into her. It was only for a second but Caroline felt a rush of love go through her entire being. His piercing eyes had the power to make her stop dead in her tracks, and she always felt her breath being snatched from her lungs, making her loose all of her nerve.
Dup turned to Rosie, holding something mysteriously behind his back. "I-I don't know if it'll do any good…but i-it was worth quite a bit in it's day, and…erm," he stammered, feeling a little embarrassed having all of them stared at him, confused and irritated. Apart from Caroline, she didn't seem annoyed at all, but she was the reason why he was having so much trouble speaking. She was staring at him as well, and he always felt hot under the collar when she did that, and whenever she was close to him.
He forced himself to continue, and took a step towards Rosie, "I-I don't know much about women's fashions, but…"
"Look…What are you trying to say?!" interrupted Sarah, becoming intolerant.
Dup looked at her like a deer caught in the headlights, he loved Sarah, but my God she could be terrifying. He struggled to continue, "I-It was very beautiful back then…I-If it'll help…"
"If what will help?" queried Sarah her voice going up an octave. Caroline glared at her daughter. How dare she talk to him like that! Caroline composed herself on the bed and said gently, "Anders, spit it out man."
Anders met each of their gazes before he produce a tatty, old, leather suitcase from behind his back, and placed it one the bed between Rosie and Caroline. Both looked up at him in confusion, and then reached out to release the metal buckles on either side of the suitcase. What on earth was inside it?
Caroline curled her slender fingers around a corner of the suitcase and revealed what was within it. Suddenly, all their eyes were wide with shock and amazement. The suitcase contained a 50's style silky, soft, and positively stunning wedding dress, with pearls sewn into the back of the dress with which little fabric loops were fastened around to close the dress. The front was simple, with small laced puff-sleeves, a flattering scoop-neckline, and gathers at the waist, which made the bottom part of the dress fan out, supported by the many silk layers underneath.
"It belonged to my wife…I-If it'll h-help at all," stammered Dup, unsure of what to do, as all the women had become stunned. Sarah turned to him and gave him a warm look, immediately feeling guilty for her behaviour towards him earlier, "It's beautiful," she whispered.
Rosie stared back at him mouth agape; he smiled sheepishly at her twiddling his thumbs nervously, and said, "I'd be very proud for you to wear it Rosie," his voice was cracking with emotion, he felt so proud that Rosie was going to wear his late wife's wedding dress for her own wedding. He felt that Rosie was like a granddaughter to him, and he would do everything in his power to make her happy.
Rosie's features softened and she felt like she was going to cry with happiness, she smiled so widely at him that it made all the other women felt just as emotional. She flung her arms around Dup's neck and said, "Oh Dup, thank you so much!"
Dup held her for a second, and suddenly pushed her gently away and said, "N-no, now don't get all soppy and sentimental," he sounded like he was about to cry. He broke away from her, and made his way back to his room, stealing a couple of looks back at her. Rosie turned back to the rest of them and giggled. Their hearts completely melted by his generosity and selflessness.
Caroline was still staring at the empty doorway, frozen in awe of him. Her heart had fallen even deeper for him. He never stopped surprising her. She marvelled at how kind, sweet, and selfless his heart was. She had never met anyone like him in all of her life, and she felt so lucky that someone like him had fallen in love with someone like her.