The day of the wedding had finally arrived and Margaret was all aflutter. For the second time in less than a fortnight Edith couldn't help but laugh at her normally staid and composed cousin.
The warm bath had relaxed the bride somewhat but now that she was about to get dressed in her wedding attire Margaret was trembling with nervous excitement. Today she would become his wife. His wife!
However embarrassed she was at the time, she was truly grateful for Edith's detailed counsel the previous evening on what to expect for their wedding night. She smiled and closed her eyes, still trembling. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, repeating the process a few more times to calm herself.
"Alright, Edith," she finally said, "I can do this."
Edith smiled at her cousin and stifled a giggle. She wondered how much her new cousin-in-law would like to hear how the ever calm and collected Margaret Hale was brought to her knees (so to speak) by the thought of marrying the handsome and powerful mill master.
"Just don't hyperventilate on me, dearest," teased Edith, "or we might have to call in the bridegroom to breathe the life back into you."
The butterflies returned with that comment and Margaret gave her cousin a dagger shooting look. "You're not helping me, Edith," she said.
"Let's get your corset on and then we'll do your hair," said Edith to distract her, "I've got just the updo to go with your veil."
….oOo….
Impeccably coifed and immaculately dressed and wearing her mother's heirloom pearls, Margaret was finally ready to leave. Aunt Shaw, Edith, and Captain Lennox had already departed for the church in the first carriage. Frederick had spent the previous night at Marlborough Mills so as to be on hand to help John this morning and to arrive at the church with him as would be expected. Her mother was already waiting in the coach with Dixon when her father came to escort her to the bride's conveyance.
With tears already filling his eyes, Mr. Hale declared, "Margaret, my dear, you look absolutely beautiful, just like your mother on our wedding day."
Margaret smiled at his sentiment and reached up to give him a kiss on the cheek.
"Shall we go then?" he asked, offering his arm. She took it, saying, "Yes, Father, I am ready." She grabbed her bouquet from her bedside table and they walked out to the coach.
….oOo….
When the carriage arrived at the church Margaret was surprised to see Fred standing there with a wheeled contraption. Behind him was a ramp that led up to the church entrance.
Her father helped her out of the coach first. She went up to Fred and they kissed each other on the cheek. Remembering to maintain the façade, the two siblings spoke in Spanish.
"Te ves encantadora (you look enchanting)," he told her. He then went on to explain that John, although he wore quite the placid demeanor, was a nervous wreck and waiting, very impatiently, for her inside.
"We are not late, are we?" asked she.
"No," he replied, "your fiancé is… apasionado."
Margaret smiled, glad to know John was just as nervous and anxious as she.
"Qué es esto (what is this)?" she asked, indicating the device behind which he stood.
"This," he replied, in his Castilian dialect, "is a wheelchair for Mother," (he probably should have said 'your mother' but doubted anyone would even hear, let alone notice the insignificant slip up). "Juan has thought of everything," he added as he gestured to the ramp behind. Mother can sit in this chair throughout the entire ceremony and not have to overexert herself." At this he stepped forward to assist his father in easing the frail lady into the chair.
"Thank you, Senior Barbour," his mother winked at him. "How thoughtful of Mr. Thornton!" she exclaimed.
Affecting his Spanish accent for his mother, Frederick told her, "Si Señora, there is even a little table up front for you with a glass and a pitcher of water. Dixon will be right there in case you need anything. I will wheel you in now." Turning to the bride, he said, "Margarita, after I get your mother settled the music will begin and that is your cue."
"Gracias," she said and bent to give her mother a kiss before Fred wheeled her up the ramp.
Edith and Fanny joined Margaret and her father and the four of them ascended the church steps to wait at the door for the processional music.
….oOo….
The wedding was lovely. Even though both bride and groom were nervous, neither stumbled over either their feet or their words. There were exactly the right number of rosy blushes and affectionate glances. Their one and only kiss ever to be allowed in public might have been a little too long and a little too passionate for propriety's sake but the newly married couple did not care one whit for propriety at that particular moment.
The bride and groom walked (floated might be a better description) in utter elation down the aisle and exited the church. There the groom swept his bride up into his arms and twirled her around reveling in her gleeful laughter. They were soon followed, however, by Edith and Frederick. Luckily no one took note of the overly fond familiarity exhibited between the two long estranged cousins who were not supposed to be cousins at all for this event.
Fanny blushed deeply at being escorted out of the church by such a handsome military officer as Captain Lennox, impeccably attired in his full dress uniform. She made a note to herself to be extra attentive later to her suitor, mill master Ernulphus Watson (Ernie for short), to stave off any jealousy the man might be feeling at seeing her on the arm of another man, no matter how scripted it might have been.
…..oOo…..
George Leonards had just finished his long night shift at the train station. He yawned with sleepiness as he walked deliberately along the streets of Milton toward Marlborough Mills.
Not only did he want to see his fiancé and partake of the splendid wedding fare, and maybe drink some champagne, but he was also hoping to discover and capture Frederick Hale, the bride's long lost brother. Leonards wanted to turn the mutineer over to the authorities and collect the one hundred pound bounty that was on the traitor's head.
The noise of carriages approaching from behind him grew louder and louder. He turned to watch the bridal procession pass on its way to the wedding breakfast. He noticed in the first carriage the bride and groom shamelessly engaged in their amorous pursuit. He chuckled to himself as he thought that for all their high and mighty airs these upper class folks couldn't keep their hands off each other any more than the lowly ones, they were just better at hiding it (well, maybe not in this case). Distracted by this thought however, he missed looking into the next carriage in his bid to identify the mutinous naval officer. He did catch a glimpse of a uniform in the third carriage. Unfortunately it was red – an army officer. What was he thinking, he chastised himself. Hale wouldn't be wearing his uniform; he was a wanted man. Faces would have to be looked at, not clothes, in order to identify the man. That would make it a little more difficult to collar the criminal. Maybe his fiancé could finagle some way to get him upstairs where he could see the wedding guests up close.
By now all the carriages of the wedding party had passed. Leonards still had about another mile to walk to get there himself. Realizing the need for some liquid courage to carry out his resolve, he took a detour to his favorite bar, the Goulden Dragon, to order a drink.
…..oOo…..
The wedding party returned to Marlborough Mills and waited for their guests to arrive for the wedding breakfast.
The staff was busy setting out all of the exquisitely prepared dishes on the dining room table and attending to any other last minute preparations. Everyone was in good humor. So far the day was going exactly as planned.
After the first few guests had arrived, Margaret insisted that Fred take leave of the receiving line and get himself some refreshment. He was to depart shortly and return to Crampton to be with their parents.
Once all the guests had arrived and the newly weds were free to eat and mingle, Fred approached to announce, in his Castilian accent, his departure. Margaret replied to him in fluent Spanish and kissed him on the cheek. John thanked him for his service and the newly minted brothers shook hands in mutual respect. The carriage had been called for Fred and boxes of food and flowers from the wedding breakfast were loaded in to be shared with the bride's family at their home in Crampton.
Fred climbed into the carriage and it started off. The boxes of food and flowers were not only on the seats of the carriage but also on the floor. Fred could not find a comfortable place to put his feet so he bent down to move some of the boxes.
….oOo….
Leonards had finished his drink (or three) at the pub and was now approaching the mill gates. He had to step aside quickly, so as not the be run over by the carriage that had emerged therefrom. In his tipsy state he almost lost his balance. In the brief moment he had before the carriage passed, instinct bade him to look in at the occupants of the carriage, as he had been doing earlier, in his search for Lieutenant Hale. This one, however, only had boxes on the seats. 'Must be making some sort of delivery,' thought he. Leonards proceeded to pass through the gates and cross the mill yard toward the servant's entrance.
….oOo….
A/N: I recently read Gaskell's 'Wives and Daughters' and couldn't resist borrowing the Christian name of the Watson in that story for the Watson in this one, as cumbersome a tongue twister it might be (my apologies).