Page 214 of Storm of Bells
The vicar cleared his throat.
‘Dearly beloved, we are gathered togetherhere in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, tojoin together this man and this woman in holy matrimony, which isan honourable estate, instituted of God in the time of man'sinnocency—’
Beside me, Mr Ambrose’s little finger beganto twitch. I knew exactly why. As a careful person who always readany contracts thoroughly before signing, I had read all fifty or sopages of the Anglican wedding ceremony from the Book of CommonPrayer. And, well…
Let me put it like this: Mr Rikkard Ambrosemight think I was worth waiting for, but probably notthatlong.
And truth be told, I don’t intend to waitthat long either.
Fierce heat surging up inside me, I glancedup at the profile of Mr Rikkard Ambrose standing beside me. Half indarkness, half lit by the brilliant, kaleidoscopic light streamingin through the stained glass windows, his chiselled chin and dark,fathomless eyes were more beautiful than ever. And this man wouldbe mine. Mine, to have and to hold for all the days of my life. Ifelt the urge to punch the air in triumph, and desire the like ofwhich I had never known flooded through me. I had waited longenough.Wehad waited long enough. I wanted himnow!
‘—signifying unto us the mystical union thatis betwixt Christ and his Church; which holy estate Christ adornedand beautified with his presence, and first miracle that hewrought, in Cana of Galilee; and is commended of Saint Paul to behonourable among all men—’
And women, you bloody chauvinist! Get onwith it!
‘—and therefore is not by any to beenterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly,to satisfy men's carnal lusts and appetites—’
Ah, so women’s carnal lusts are fine?Excellent! Hurry up!
‘—like brute beasts that have nounderstanding; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly—‘
Once this is over with, I won’t even waittill we’re in the bedroom! I’m just gonna tear his clothes off inthe hallway! To hell with discretion!
‘—and in the fear of God; duly consideringthe causes for which matrimony was ordained.’
The need to cut this short, to hurry andclaim him as my own, was growing stronger and stronger inside me.It wasn’t just the physical part of him. I needed to claim him. Ineeded to feel that proof on my finger and hold him close and knowthat he was finally mine!
Part of me wanted to step on the vicar’sfoot, so he’d finally get to the point! But then…
Then I felt Mr Ambrose’s thumb, gentlystroking the back of my hand. And I remembered the last time we hadbeen standing like this, listening to the exactly same words, ourhands entwined.
He squeezed my hand, firmly, and glanced atme out of the corner of his eye. There was a message in hisgaze.
Hewas tellingme to bepatient.
A joyful bubble rose inside me. How far wehad come since back then.
‘First,’ the priest continued, ‘It wasordained for the procreation of children—’
The bubble of joy abruptly popped.
Holy Moly! Yes, we’ve come far, butthatfar? He won’t expect me to right away…? We won’t…willwe?
Crap.
Maybe I should have thought of thisbeforehand.
‘—to be brought up in the fear and nurture ofthe Lord, and to the praise of his Holy Name. Secondly, It wasordained for a remedy against sin, and to avoid fornication; thatsuch persons as have not the gift of continency might marry, andkeep themselves undefiled members of Christ's body.’
At this point, I wasn’t even listening to thepriest anymore. My mind was still completely on the subject ofprocreation. And not the fun part!
Children. Children! Oh my God, what am Igoing to do? What am I going to—
Just then, I felt Mr Ambrose’s hand move.Still holding my own fingers firmly, he pulled them up until myhand was pressed against his chest. Through his tuxedo, I couldfeel the calm, steady beat of his heart. The heart that was beatingjust for me.
Suddenly, my panic evaporated.
‘Thirdly, it was ordained for the mutualsociety, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of theother, both in prosperity and adversity.’
