Читать книгу Marriage In Six Easy Lessons - Mollie Molay - Страница 9

A few last-minute guests at the Morgan-Blair wedding hurried to take their seats in the flower-decorated nave of St. James Church-by-the-Lake. The church organist launched into the romantic and emotional “Lara’s Theme” from Dr. Zhivago, a prearranged signal that the wedding ceremony would begin in twenty minutes.

In the bride’s dressing room, the bride, April Morgan, frowned and regarded her bridal bouquet of white roses and gardenias with a growing sense of unease.

Rita Rosales, her maid of honor, tucked something borrowed, a tiny good-luck charm, in April’s shoe. “There, that should take care of the wedding ceremony.” She laughed as she adjusted the shoulder straps of her pale green dress. “The honeymoon is up to you.”

April’s face whitened.

“Now, Rita,” Lili Soulé, the matron of honor, scolded, “April doesn’t need any of your teasing. Can’t you see she’s already nervous?” She checked the basket of flowers that the little maid of honor, her daughter Paulette, was carrying to make sure the rose petals were still inside. Paul, the ring bearer and Paulette’s twin brother, clutched the satin cushion holding the wedding rings to his chest.

“I’m okay,” April murmured, although she was becoming more nervous by the minute. “Rita, why don’t you see if any of the bridesmaids need help before the ceremony?”

Rita glanced over to where the bridesmaids were busy checking their gowns in floor-length mirrors. “There doesn’t seem to be a problem. All five of them are looking good.”

April’s frown deepened. “Five? There’s supposed to be six!” She scanned the group uneasily. “Where’s Claire Dunn?” she called to them.

“Claire just stepped outside for a minute,” Joyce Humphries called back.

“Did she say she’s going to get back in here in time for the ceremony?”

Joyce shrugged and turned back to the floor-length mirror. “Claire is Claire. Who knows what she’s going to do next?”

Aware of Claire Dunn’s erratic behavior lately, April tried not to think that the bridesmaid’s disappearance was a bad omen.

She dismissed the growing hollow feeling in her middle as a case of prewedding jitters, but deep in her heart she knew there was more to her growing unease. The truth was she was having last-minute doubts about the wisdom of marrying her fiancé, Jim Blair.

Judging from the anxious look in her mother’s eyes as she straightened the wreath of orange blossoms on April’s head, April sensed she wasn’t the only one to feel uneasy.

Before she had a chance to speak to her mother, there was a commotion outside the dressing room, followed by an urgent knock at the door. A moment later, an obviously agitated usher appeared in the doorway. After apologizing to everyone for his intrusion, he beckoned to the mother of the bride. With a final pat on April’s shoulder, Eve Morgan hurried to the door.

A moment later, she hurried back to April’s side, a piece of paper in her hand. Her voice was shaking. “Oh, my dear, maybe you should sit down!”

As if one, the five bridesmaids froze.

Rita Rosales dropped her own bouquet and hurried to April’s side. Lili Soulé handed the rose-petal-filled flower basket to little Paulette and rushed over, too.

April’s heart took a dive. Even before she took the note from her mother’s hand, April sensed that something had gone seriously wrong with the wedding.

“What does the note say?” Rita asked, peering over April’s shoulder.

April read the note aloud: “‘Claire and I have eloped. Jim.’”

“He didn’t even say he was sorry,” her mother said. “Maybe it’s all for the best,” she added slowly as she glanced at the five silent bridesmaids.

Instead of collapsing on the satin-covered bench behind her, April took off her bridal veil and sighed her relief.

Something was finally right.