“Oh, Chip, it’s stunning!”
“I knew it was meant for you when I saw it. I’ve been waiting since you first took over this house to give it to you.”
She smiled beatifically and pressed her lips to his cheek.
“I admire patience in a man,” she said.
CHAPTER 10 – Wedding Plans Details
The Belden sisters had wanted a double wedding, their fiancés unhesitatingly concurred, and the clergy agreed to perform it jointly. It was highly unusual, and both churches might well have disapproved had they been consulted, but this was to be a local affair, after all.
The service would be at St. Mary’s on the Hill, with Father Flanagan offering a nuptial mass, but both he and Reverend Richardson would jointly be providing the wedding ceremony. Father Flanagan would be asking the girls to repeat their vows while Reverend Richardson would be handling the men’s declarations.
~~~
Miranda had brought their mother’s gown but offered it to Celeste to wear.
“Don’t be silly. I had the pleasure of donning it to marry Ralph.” Her eyes misted up.
“I still love him very much. But when I said as much to Chip, he just smiled and told me, ‘Of course you do! Even I love the man, for he gave us our darling Samantha. It is only right you should love Ralph. But God gave us room in our hearts for more than one person. How else can parents love each of their children?’
“And then he said, ‘I still remember mother explaining that to me, that the heart was made to grow. My old dog Peanut had died and I felt my heart was broken. And then Charlie Barnett, who was one of the older boys at school, came by with a pup. He told me it was the runt of the litter and reminded him of Peanut, but he needed his own name. Then he handed him to me and this little white ball of fur with black speckles reached up and licked me on the chin and then curled up in my arms as if he belonged there. I didn’t have much imagination then. Probably still don’t.’ And then Chip grinned at me and added, ‘I named him Speckles. And I still missed Peanut and still love him to this day, although he’s been gone a few years now, too.’ And then he pulled me into his arms and told me again how much he loved me. Even more than the dogs!”
A laugh was surprised out of Miranda and Celeste’s tears dried up as she laughed, too.
Celeste ended up wearing a dress designed by Dorothy Schuyler of La Belle Mode, Green River’s dress shop. It turned out that Dorothy was the sister-in-law of Charlie Barnett, Chip’s puppy benefactor. The girls laughed about that, too. In fact they found they had a lot to laugh about these days.
Miranda’s gown had been in the family for several generations, with the style being altered slightly to address current fashion and the size of the bride, but the antique ivoried lace was original to the garment. Charlotte Evans, who often provided hand-made lace trim for special gowns, had fallen in love with the pattern and made a matching trim for the veil plus the neckline and wrists of Celeste’s gown, which was to be of the palest pink to highlight her hair. The pale pink had been used in new ribbons for Miranda’s gown and a sheer lining for her veil, to protect the aging lace. Each was stunning and complemented the other. The dresses would be talked about for many a day after the ceremony!
~~~
The Belden sisters were waiting with their father for everyone to be seated and the ceremony to begin. They had decided against having any attendants, since each would have wanted the other to stand up for her and they’d instead be standing up together. But they pressed their father into service to accept the bouquets once he’d walked them up the aisle.
“Just set them on the pew next to you,” suggested Miranda, adding, “We’ve gotten Mother’s favorites.” She nodded at the bouquets set carefully on a side table. “That way she can be here with us.
The church was crowded to overflowing, with a number of somewhat scandalized parishioners anxious to be part of the novel joint wedding. There had been a spate of “mixed” marriages of late with all the new mail order brides, but they’d each chosen a single church at which to worship instead of going back and forth.
The Flanagans
Those few close friends back east who were aware of the Belden sisters’ present location had been sworn to secrecy. Among them were the Flanagans, who had been instrumental in helping set up the matchmaking scheme of which they were now so proud, even though the end result was far different from that initially contemplated. It didn’t take much discussion for Frederick and his sister Bridget to decide, when invited, to attend the Kansas wedding, he to support his friend Sylvester, and she to support both sisters.
Frederick Flanagan and his wife Mary Elizabeth happily left their growing brood in the care of Nanny, but Bridget and Brennan only had TJ (Thomas, Jr.) and didn’t care to let him out of their sight. At least not too far. Their nursemaid, Susanne, traveled with them. Bridget and Celeste had joked about TJ and Samantha one day becoming betrothed but agreed to let the children form their own attachments. Meanwhile, as toddlers they were getting along like a house afire and Susanne was kept busy running after both of them.
Bridget and Celeste had debated mightily about whether Samantha, and therefore TJ, should attend the wedding. Miranda offered her own doubts they could sit still long enough, but the deciding vote
