In the morning Gracie, Lilly and Edie had gathered the most beautiful roses from the rose bush. They sat at the kitchen table and carefully removed the thorns from each stem and then they tied the stems together with red ribbons to create two posies.
At three Edie stood in the entranceway in her new cream silk dress. It had lace at the neck in a V shape and lace trim on the hems. The sleeves hung loosely to her elbows and the dress was tied with a wide sash at her hips. It hung to just below her knees. She was wearing cream-coloured stockings and camel pumps. She had a wide-brimmed white hat and Gracie tucked a rose from the bush into the cream ribbon tied around the hat and the rose sat there, its red even richer, like glowing embers against the white of the hat.
The sun shone through the leadlight windows and Edie stepped into the beams and let them turn her arm into a rainbow and she whispered her wish.
Gracie had on a new dress too; it was blue like the summer sky with white lace trim and a white sash at her hips. Her cloche hat was pale blue to match. Paul was wearing his suit with a rose in the lapel and one in the band around his boxer. Lilly was wearing pale yellow with a matching hat that matched the new yellow of her house in Ligar Street. The cab arrived to take them to the church and Paul, Edie and Gracie sat in the back seat squashed together and Paul sat in the middle of Edie and Gracie and patted each girl’s hand and Lilly sat in the front.
As Edie walked up the aisle, her arm in Paul’s and Gracie walking ahead of her, she saw Theo standing waiting for her. She knew the tiniest details about him, she knew them the same way she knew how to breathe the air or knew the thoughts in her heart and she realised that though they had not been together, they had never been apart.
‘It’s a beautiful day for a wedding, Miss Cottingham,’ he whispered as she reached him and he leant forward and she felt his lips press tenderly against hers and Reuben said, ‘Not yet,’ but he continued kissing her anyway and she remembered that girl who had stood under a tree waiting for his kiss and she was that girl.
Acknowledgements
The biggest thank you and love to the following people who have provided me with support, love, advice, gin and tonics and time to assist getting this book off the ground: Linda Funnell, Selwa Anthony, Linda Anthony, Peter Bishop, Annabel Blay, Jo Mackay, Peter Neal, Asher Leslie, Seth Leslie, Indea Leslie, Zane Neal, Maia Neal, Kylie Mitchell and Clara Edmonds.
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ISBN: 9781489246820
TITLE: THE ART OF PRESERVING LOVE
First Australian Publication 2018
Copyright © Robbi Neal
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