Page 518 of Conveniently Wed
A white silk blouse with a short lace ruffle around the sweetheart neckline was just the thing to set off her new hairstyle, pinned up in a mass of curls on the back of her head, with one long, fat curl hanging on the right side of her face andacross the front of her shoulder. The hair gleamed as if it were the gold Mike had dug from their mine. She could imagine him coming up behind her and twirling her hair around his finger as he promised her enough gold to fill her every desire.Why am I thinking about Mike on my wedding day to Franklin? I need to tuck those memories away, burying them so deep they can’t resurface.
“Oh, you’re so lovely.” Mrs. Oleson came up behind the two women. She held a blue velvet case in her hand. “In all the excitement, I almost forgot Franklin wanted me to give this to you to wear for the wedding.” She thrust the blue velvet case toward Lorinda.
When she opened it, she gasped. A pearl necklace and eardrops, nestled on a bed of blue satin. Her gaze flew toward her dear friend. “He bought these for me?”
“Oh my, no. These are the pearls his father gave his mother at their wedding.”
“I can’t...take these.” Lorinda raised one hand to hover over the exposed skin above the neckline of her blouse.
“Of course, you can. He’s been saving these for his wife.”
The wide smile that beamed from Mrs. Oleson shot straight to Lorinda’s heart.His wife.That’s what she’d be after the ceremony today. At least legally.
Her dear friend stepped behind her and clasped the necklace. The perfectly matched pearls encircled her neck and nestled right below her throat. The sunlight filtering through the lace curtains gave each bead a luster that warmed her heart.
“Let me help you with the eardrops.” Mrs. Oleson reached for Lorinda’s lobes. “Your ears aren’t pierced, are they?”
“No, ma’am. I’ve never had any jewelry before.” She glanced down at the empty third finger of her left hand. “Except the wedding band Mike gave me.”Now I’m talking about my dead husband. What must these women think of me?
“I remember taking off the gold band my dear departed husband gave me and tucking it in my jewelry box. It signaled the time I needed to move on.” Mrs. Oleson gave her shoulder a comforting pat.
Stella picked up the hat from the round hatbox on the chest of drawers. “Let’s get this settled on her. The veil that covers her face will probably cover her ears.”
The small blue hat perfectly matched the watered silk of her suit, and the veil made of an open netting was as white as the silk blouse. It had been attached at the front of the narrow brim of the hat and caught up under a cluster of lace at the back of the brim.
“Wait.” Mrs. Oleson lifted the jacket from the bed. “Let me put this on her first, then the hat.”
Feeling almost like a doll that two little girls were dressing, Lorinda held her arms toward her back, then turned one way and the other as the women told her to. A dim memory, from before her mother died, flashed across her mind She’d had a blond china doll with a blue velvet skirt and jacket, and her mother helped her put them back on the doll after Lorinda had removed them. She never knew where that doll went. It disappeared soon after her mother was buried. She hadn’t remembered that for a long time. Her heart squeezed, wishing her mother could see her on her wedding day. For a moment, she even wished that her father had died and her mother lived. Her life would have been so different.
When she once again stood in front of the full-length cheval glass, she felt like a different person…and for the first time in her life, she felt like a beautiful china doll. But whose doll would she be? The veil that fit snug under her chin did cover her ears.
Mrs. Oleson clasped her hands across her bosom and sighed. “I can hardly wait until the first time Franklin sees you like this.”
It would make no difference. She was just the woman who had what he wanted. That’s the only reason he was marrying her.
Why does that thought hurt so much?
15
The July heat in the small room off the sanctuary of the church, where the women waited, forced Lorinda to remove her jacket. Mrs. Oleson opened both windows, then the door a small crack so they could hear every word. She broke out a folded fan and used it to stir the air around Lorinda.
Waiting was never easy, and today, the pastor seemed more long-winded than ever. She had no idea what he said. All she could think about was what would come after the service. Even with all the heat, her stomach felt as if a large lump of ice had crystallized there, chilling her insides while a drop of sweat made its slow way down her spine. She hoped the beautiful clothes wouldn’t be ruined.
“Amen.” The last word of the preacher’s prayer penetrated Lorinda’s attention.
“Oh, my goodness.” She turned toward Mrs. Oleson. “I’ve got to put on my jacket.”
The other woman helped her slip her arms into the sleeves and then worked the pearl buttons through the tight buttonholes.
“I have a special announcement.” Pastor Nelson’s smile shone through his tone. “You are all invited to stay and witnessthe marriage between our good friend Franklin Vine and his beautiful bride Lorinda Sullivan.”
A few surprised gasps could be heard. But most of the people already knew about this wedding. They had even helped prepare the reception to be held in the school building. Lorinda figured those who were surprised must live the farthest from Breckenridge.
“After the ceremony,” the pastor continued. “We will have a wedding luncheon in the schoolhouse. Many of you brought food to share, but if you didn’t, you’re still invited. With our church-wide meals, there’s always enough for extra people. Help us celebrate with this well-loved couple.”
Lorinda didn’t feel “well-loved.” Many of these people had never met her.
“If any of you need to leave now, I’m sure everyone will understand.”
