Henri opened his restaurant six years ago when moved to Toronto with his two greatest assets-Georg the chef, and Maurice the head waiter. This triumvirate worked together seamlessly creating one of Toronto's finest restaurants. With delicious food, impeccable service and Henri's bonhomie, they had found a winning combination.
William and Julia were among Henri's favorite customers partly because he was infatuated with Julia and partly because he enjoyed speaking with William in his native tongue but mostly his because he could not resist the appeal of their epic romance.
Let us not forget that while Julia and William were living through their trials and tribulations, there was a group of people who had endured and suffered through the on-again off-again rollercoaster ride of their courtship and who had agonized with them every step of the way. That stalwart band included Inspector and Mrs. Thomas Brackenreid, Constable George Crabtree, Dr. Emily Grace, and Miss Ruby Ogden and although they had supported the couple through thick and thin, years of watching as events beset them at every turn, this small cadre had arrived at the end of their collective patience. Their constant and only question being what was is going to take to get the couple together? So desperate were they that at one point, a plot to kidnap the couple; take them to a remote location, and lock them in a room together for two weeks was given serious consideration, but at the last moment sanity prevailed and the plan was scuttled.
Blissfully unaware of the chaos left in the wake of their seven-year relationship Julia and William decided to deliver the good news of their engagement to these very same friends who would be assembling at Henri's in less than an hour. When she made the reservations, Julia asked Henri to seat the party in a secluded alcove so they could enjoy a small measure of privacy. Upon their arrival Henri greeted them with genuine affection showing them the surprise he had waiting for them. The dear man had worked wonders and by rearranging booths and relocating a huge variety of potted plants, he had created what appeared to be a private dining room, complete with its own buffet, Persian carpet, lamps, and a beautiful table showcasing his best linens, china, crystal, and silver. It was a perfect little gem of a room, exceeding their wildest expectations. Tears filled Julia's eyes as she gazed at the enchanted scene before her. She wrapped her arms around the man and gave him a big kiss on the cheek, while William stepped forward to shake his hand, but before he knew it Henri had embraced the younger man with typical Gallic enthusiasm. Julia noted a tear in his eye as he offered his best wishes and congratulations to the couple.
Since they had arrived early, they took several minutes to take in the lovely scene where exquisite Haveland china surround by Harcourt crystal and Christolfe silver, whispered a dignified elegance. This impression was enhanced by the beautiful orchids and roses arranged in low vases along the center of the table while candles standing in several silver candelabra placed around the room cast a golden glow over the entire scene lending it an air of magic and romance.
Now that the moment had arrived, Julia and William felt more anxious than they expected when they greeted the Brackenreids offering them champagne that was served by the nearly invisible Maurice, Henri's most discreet waiter. Within moments Emily, Ruby, and George joined the party, adding their approval to other comments on the lovely space. Ruby was so impressed she declared her intention to hire Henri to decorate her house, while Margaret nurtured less grandiose designs of a similar nature regarding the jolly Parisian.
The atmosphere cast a spell over the small gathering and soon they had all taken their seats chatting happily with each other. Maurice conjuring menus out of thin air took their orders then served each guest more champagne.
Julia and William stood, once again surprised at the butterflies in their stomachs. "Julia and I are very happy that we can share this evening with or dear friends and family. We are more grateful than you can know for the years of support, kindness, and extraordinary patience you have shown us, and we hope that in the future we can be the kind of friends to you that you have been to us. We would like to propose a toast to you all. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your friendship, loyalty and steadfastness. We owe this day to you. God bless you all." He touched his glass to Julia's and they drank in honor of their friends.
Julia resumed her seat while holding his hand up, William signaled for silence. Clearing his throat he continued, "As you know, Julia and I seem to have reached an impasse, unable to move forward, and we, as well as all of you began to despair of our ever overcoming the impasse, and that is the reason for this festive evening. We wanted you to be the first to know that have found a way around the difficulties of the past, and within a very few weeks we will be married."
Cheers, applause, and laughter greeted this announcement with shouts of 'Well done!' 'At last!' and 'I don't believe it!' echoing around the table causing the couple to blush as their faces beamed with love and happiness. After the excitement died down, he again called for quiet. "Julia, you are the only woman in the world I could ever love. You are the other half of myself, and without you, my life would end. But with you all things are possible, and I know that our future will be the fulfillment of all our hopes and dreams. I love you more than I thought it was possible for a man to love a woman, and I thank God, every day that I found you. To you my love, my life." Tears glistened in everyone's eyes as they raised their glasses and drank to Julia.
Taking is seat, he gave her a shy smile while she took his head in her hands kissing him deeply and passionately to which he responded with equal fervor. It took a moment for the sound of cheers and applause to penetrate their consciousness, and when it did they both turned bright red joining in the laughter. The arrival of their appetizers spared them further embarrassment as questions from their friends filled the air. After a few moments of everyone talking over each other William suggest that it might be easier if they asked their questions one at a time. Margaret, why don't you start off?
"Thank you William. Since you haven't set a date yet, I imagine you haven't selected a location. What places are you considering?"
William gladly relinquished the floor to Julia, "We were leaning toward an outdoor wedding. I was hoping that you, Ruby, and Emily might have some ideas and could help identify a garden large enough to accommodate a little over fifty people. If you have any ideas, we can have lunch tomorrow or the next day to discuss them."
"That would be wonderful! I do have several ideas and I can do some preliminary investigation before we meet next."
"There are several lovely gardens I know. Margaret, perhaps we can investigate them tomorrow, so we will have several options for Julia to choose from." Ruby's enthusiasm at the prospect of working with Margaret, which surprised Julia because her younger sister believed she could do just about anything without the help of anyone. Maybe she was growing up after all.
Emily was gratified that she had been asked to help plan the wedding. She knew her friends were out of sorts with her for continuing to see Leslie Garland, but she decided not to tell him about any of this.
The festive nature of the gathering encouraged them to linger and after ordering dessert and coffee, champagne once more appeared in their flutes, and this time, the Inspector rose, glass in hand. He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts, and in a surprisingly quiet and gentle voice he spoke directly to the couple. "Julia, William, this is a very private toast to two people who deserve all the happiness in the world. We have been with you through good times and bad, joy and sorrow. You have brightened our days and broken our hearts, but we never stopped loving you. May you have a lifetime of happiness together! Cheers!" Margaret beamed at her husband's eloquence, while everyone at the table felt the truth of his words; his sincerity touching them all deeply.
As the evening began to wind down and after finishing their coffee and the last of the champagne, Thomas and Margaret were the first to say good-bye since the boys had school the next day. Retrieving his hat and Margaret's purse, they took their leave amid handshakes, hugs and kisses. Out of habit more than anything else, Thomas asked Murdoch if he wanted a ride to his apartment. The look that passed between Julia and William was spoke volumes. "No, thank you, that won't be necessary I will be returning to our home with Julia."
"Well that's fine then. See you in the morning." It wasn't until their carriage was on its way that William's words penetrated his mind. "Margaret, did Murdoch just say that he is living with Julia?"
"Yes he did, Thomas. I thought that is was pretty obvious."
"How was it obvious? Did Julia say anything to you?"
"Of course not! Didn't you notice the way they both practically glowed? My word, Thomas, it was as plain as day!"
Ruby and Emily hugged and kissed Julia and William warmly, Ruby shedding quiet tears at her sister's happiness, and as they turned back toward the table they saw George standing awkwardly in the shadows. Their happiness warmed his heart and brought tears to his eyes. "I didn't think you two would ever get together and my heart broke for you. To see you now this happy is just about the best news I ever received, and I just wanted you to know that I am extremely happy for you both. I cannot think of any two people who love each other as much as you do, or who deserve to be together more than you do. Also, I wanted to thank you for including me in the celebrations this evening."
"Thank you, George. How could we possibly have an engagement party and not invite you? You have been by my side from the beginning, and I don't what I would have done without your support. You are our friend and you will always be welcome." William held out his to the younger man then put his arm around him in an affectionate embrace. Somewhat taken aback George awkwardly patted the Detective's back.
Julia's embrace was even more embarrassing for the constable, but she would not release him until he returned her hug and just when the he thought the worst was over she gave him an affectionate kiss on the kiss. If there is a shade of color that is redder that bright crimson then that would be the color of George's face.
"Can we give you a ride home?"
"I would like that very much, thank you."
Henri and Maurice appeared, ready to restore the dining room to its original configuration and surprised to see the trio still there. "Julia extender her arms to the restaurant owner and grasped his hands in hers. "Henri, dear friend, we are at a loss for words to express our gratitude for the extraordinary gift you have given us. This little dining room cast a magical spell over us making this evening a beautiful memory we will never forget. Thank you so very, very much." And the chef found himself in her grateful embrace thoroughly kissed on both cheeks.
Shifting her attention to Maurice she hugged and kissed him. "Maurice, I will never know how you manage to appear and disappear like a will-o-the-wisp at the instant we needed you. I have a very strong suspicion that you just might be a genie, but we want you to know that this evening would not have been quite so special. Thank you, so much."
"It was our pleasure, madam. Rarely do we have the honor to be in the presence of true love."
Julia and William were deeply affected by his remarks. He shook the waiter's hand with sincere appreciation then turning to Henri, and speaking in French expressed his gratitude and appreciation to his friend. Their conversation ended with an enthusiastic embrace and kisses on cheeks.
Chatting happily Henri escorted his guests to their carriage and bade them a fond adieu. While the three friends travelled to George's apartment they lost track of time reminiscing about their evening, the dining room and the wonderful food so they were surprised when the carriage stopped in front of the constable's building. Seeming to have overcome his shyness George placed a gentle kiss on Julia's cheek and he took William's hand in his shaking it warmly. Now it was Julia and William's turn to be astounded, and as their carriage pulled away they enjoyed a gentle laugh at their friend's newfound confidence. Yes tonight was magical indeed.
Thank you to all of you who read this fic and reviewed it.
Thank you again to the stalwart FiBeeN and LemmingDancer for their continuing support.