Chapter 47/Epilogue Pt.6

Nathan was feeling relaxed and whilst the ribbing Gabe and Bill were giving Lucas about married life was not something he could contribute to in the same way he was still happy to laugh along with them. The other two were of course still new to all of it, having only been married a few months themselves yet on both of those occasions he and Elizabeth were still so convinced that their situation would be resolved quickly they hadn't felt any of the emotions they were experiencing today.

He could hear the sound of the guests inside the church getting louder and realised it must be almost full up by now. Whilst the others continued with their banter he played a game to himself, trying to recognise the voices that rose above the general throng next door. Some were easier than others to identify, Florence Yost's being the clearest. Ned must have the patience of a saint he muttered to himself, then realised he had been a bit more vocal than intended as the others stopped speaking and turned towards him.

"You know that talking to yourself is the first sign of madness", Bill stated but Nathan just looked back at him with an amused expression, his head tilted to the side as if to say, really? But he wasn't going to let the comment pass without having some fun at the other man's expense. "I know Bill. And answering yourself is the second. But you know something? All those times when we are riding out together on a long journey it is often the only way I get a decent conversation!"

They all laughed, even Bill, who was glad to see how at ease Nathan was today. It filled him with hope as he had been worried about both him and Elizabeth, seeing how much their patience had been tested over recent months. Yet he knew they had the strength of character to get through this. As long as they had each other and the children.

"Do you have a honeymoon planned? I'm expecting it to be somewhere quite exotic knowing you Lucas. Europe perhaps? Back to explore the family roots in France?" Gabe asked, thinking how different it was bound to be from the few nights he and Lillian had managed in a cabin at Tess Stewart's ranch. Grace and Chuck had decorated it for them and each day someone rode out from the main house with food he knew had been specially made to delight their tastebuds and add to the romantic mood. It had been early spring and whilst the brook that ran behind the cabin looked inviting they knew it would be freezing, settling instead for picnics on the bank and long afternoons lying together under the trees. Neither of them would have had it any different.

Lucas hesitated with his answer, prompting Bill to start making wild suggestions about where they could be going. Nathan stayed quiet, knowing from Rosemary that the couple had decided not to rush away anywhere. They had only just arrived in Hope Valley and were in no hurry to start travelling again Lucas had explained.

"Nothing like that Gabe, certainly not if it has to do with my family. I am slowly reconnecting with some of them but I'm not sure I want to be back in their fold too much. I don't recall getting a lot of support in the past and not one of them every called my father out for his behaviour despite knowing what kind of man he was. No, this is going to be a new beginning for Rachael and me, her family the only ones I want to have as mine. Except for my family here of course. You all mean a lot to me.

The other men all understood, still remembering how shocked they had been when Lucas's past had come to light. To see how far he had moved on from that was uplifting for them all but now, realising that their mood had dropped a bit with this reflection, Bill reached into his pocked and drew out a flask, knowing that would get their minds away from what they had been thinking.

"I thought you may need a little boost around about now Lucas, something to steady the nerves."

Lucas looked down at his hands and laughed at the slight tremble there. "Isn't this the normal way to feel on a day such as this?"

Nathan gave him a look of surprise. "I can honestly say, having been best man for both these two, that you appear remarkably calm to me. When the day comes that Elizabeth and I finally make it down the aisle...", he paused mid sentence and gave them all a surprisingly confident look before continuing, "which is something I am working on sorting out. Well, on that day I expect my legs to turn to jelly. I've waited so long for this, wished for something I was beginning to think I would never have, that I am not sure I will believe it is really happening. I'm surprised you're not feeling the same after all that Rachael and you have been through."

Lucas understood what Nathan was saying and yet he had realised some time ago that there was a big difference in their situations.

"Perhaps I should be but unlike you I haven't had to watch Rachael every day, wanting to be with her but thinking my chance was gone. Elizabeth has been right there in front of you yet seemingly out of reach. You couldn't avoid her even if you wanted to and I don't know how I would have dealt with that."

The other two men were nodding in agreement with what Lucas was saying for they knew the pain that Nathan had felt.

"In a way Rachael and I are on a new path. We have been discovering each other again, not as the young couple who fell in love but now as two people who have been through so many other things in our lives. We are still finding out so many things about who each of us is now. So while it has een a long time, in many ways it hasn't. The past is gone and there is nothing we can do to change that so we have treated this as a new relationship. But I have no doubts whatsoever that it is the right one for me and I know that is how you feel about Elizabeth. On your day, when that moment arrives for you to become husband and wife, you will be so certain of what you are doing that there will be no nerves. Probably only a desire for Joseph to hurry things up!"

Bill had listened to all of this with his mouth slightly agape, wondering where Lucas had been hiding this deep wisdom. Usually the conversation went the other way and it was Nathan who was the calm, steady voice of perspicuity but now he was finding a new respect for the other man.

It was almost as though Lucas could read his mind for he suddenly burst out laughing. "Listen to us, standing here like a group of wise old men, thinking we have the answers to everything. For now I just want everything to go right, to be perfect. The time for deep reflection can come after."

Inside the church the guests had filled it to capacity with people squashed onto all the benches except the front ones. Some of the men had chosen to stand along the side, choosing places between the floral arrangements where they could lean back against the wall if the service went on for too long.

Florence and Molly were animatedly discussing who could possibly have come from both the bride's and groom's families, feeling miffed that they had arrived only this morning so there had been no time to look them over. "I believe that Rachael's sister and nieces are part of the wedding party so it won't be them. Besides, they live here now. Doesn't she have a brother somewhere in New York? I'm sure I heard someone talking about him when they were doing their shopping. Perhaps he is giving her away. And I think her mother is still alive."

Ned rolled his eyes, knowing full well that any speculation that may have been said about Lucas and Rachael within earshot of his wife would now be stored up there in her mind as the truth, whether it was or not. He waited for a moment as the women continued guessing before finally saying, "Rosemary told me that unfortunately at the last minute Rachael's brother was unable to come because his wife's mother is very ill." What he didn't add was that he knew how, unbeknown to the bride, other people had arrived in town instead. He was sure that would make her happy. The telegrams confirming their arrival details had been sent by Lucas himself to Rosemary, so this was definitely fact.

Florence let her husband's comment go, too busy thinking about those who would be here to give any no-show people further thought. "I'm not sure about Lucas's family. I know his father died recently and I hear he is not on good terms with his mother. But from what I know of the woman I wouldn't be surprised if she turned up anyway. Apparently she is quite a piece of work!"

Molly nodded in agreement, as though she knew Helen Bouchard personally, and as she began to speak Ned turned to the man on his other side, Jed Campbell, deciding that talking about the crops he was planting this year was preferable to listening to any more of the two women's inane gossip.

Some of the children were gathered just inside the door, pointing out to each other all the parts of the church that were familiar to them from their days at school when this served as their classroom. "That's where I sit with Allie", Opal said excitedly, pointing to one of the middle rows. "I wonder if Mrs Thornton would let us decorate the end of it with flowers for class. It looks so pretty!"

Robert had come in the door at that moment, wanting to make sure that the space had been left at the front for the final guests. "Well I don't want flowers in the classroom Opal. They make me sneeze all the time". He gave her a mischievous grin as she went to argue back before adding, "and don't forget I sit right behind you!"

The girls all made shrieking noises at the thought, which caused the adults in the back rows to turn and give them looks of disapproval. A voice behind Robert suddenly made him jump and he turned to see Mr Coulter in the doorway. He had found the conversation between the children quite funny but knew he had to at least make a show of admonishing the boy for winding up the girls. "Mrs Coulter has given you a lot of responsibility here today Robert, I hope you are not going to disappoint her."

"Nnnoo, Mr Coulter. It was all just a bit of fun, wasn't it Opal!"

Terrified at the thought of being in trouble and seeing from the corner of her eye that her own mother had turned to find out what was going on Opal quickly nodded, "Yes, Roberts was just teasing us. In a nice way, of course! We were looking for where we are meant to be, that's all."

Lee managed to keep his face straight before saying that they needed to hurry to get to their places and how much he was looking forward to all that was going to be happening. Stepping forward he scanned the church, trying to see who was still missing. He knew that the groom's party were in the back room and Joseph would tell them when they were to come through. Lucas had been quite adamant that everything had to be done in a precise order, exactly at the right time, and Lee wasn't willing to invoke the wrath of either him or his own dear wife by not fulfilling the tasks allocated to him.

The murmuring of voices from outside the door made him hurry back there and he was glad to see the final guests making their way in. After introducing himself to the bride's mother he quickly ushered the group down the aisle to their seats, making sure they were all comfortable and not too squashed together. It was impossible not to notice the gasp from a few members in the congregation at the sight of some of the party. He checked his watch and was relieved to see that everything was on schedule. Now it was just a matter of how fashionably late the bride chose to be, although with Rosemary managing things at that end he had to question who would actually make that decision.

A sudden flurry of movement announced the arrival of Faith and Fiona, along with a flustered looking Gustav who was only just removing his chef's hat and apron. The man stopped, looking at them in his hands and then around as if wondering what to do until Robert stepped forward and offered to put them somewhere safe. "I must have them back immediately after the ceremony", he informed the boy. "I cannot be the chef without!"

As they stepped out of the way Lee could see through the doors and down the path leading from the town. The crowd gathered outside had gone quiet as they all turned to watch before exclamations of stunning, beautiful and other words of appreciation rose up. Lee gave a nod of agreement for he doubted he had ever seen a more radiant looking bride, other than his dear Rosie.

Turning back to the front of the church he gave a wave to Joseph who had been waiting for his signal, then towards the piano to indicate that it was time. The musical notes began softly, the familiar tune bringing a smile to the faces of the congregation who realised that the ceremony was about to begin.

In the back room the men had already straightened their jackets and cravats at the first sound of the music. "This is it", Lucas said, all his nervousness now having disappeared. "Finally it is happening!"

When Joseph opened the door the music grew loud enough for them to recognise the hymn and a quizzical look came over Nathan's face. "You chose this?", he asked. Lucas gave him a big smile and a nod just before he stepped ahead of the others into the church. "One of my favourites too", Bill whispered behind him as he waited for Nathan to move forward.