“They’ll believe anything you tell them. They love you and so do I. Remember that,” Jason said before whispering. “If they weren’t watching, I’d kiss you.”
“Not here right on the street. That would certainly get tongues wagging,” Charity admonished.
“I don’t see why,” Jason stated. “People in love kiss all the time.”
“Yes, they do, but at home.”
Jason winked and replied, “Then just wait until Saturday when I get you home.”
Charity blushed and allowed Jason to help her down from the sleigh, said goodbye, and hurried in to see her anxious children.
Chapter 13
February 18, 1882
The Saturday after Valentine’s Day dawned cold and bright. The children were knocking on Charity’s bedroom door the way they did each morning, but Annie’s excited voice was louder than usual.
“You awake, Mama. Get up, Mama. We’re getting married today,” Annie called from the other side of the door.
“I’m awake,” Charity answered as the door burst open, and both excited children jumped on her bed, asking more questions than she could answer.
Charity said, “Both of you settle down. I’m going to make breakfast, we’re all going to have a bath, and then we’ll get dressed. The wedding isn’t for a few more hours, and we have a lot of time. Do you want bacon and eggs or pancakes?”
“Pancakes,” Annie and Ben shouted at the same time.
After pancakes were eaten, the kitchen cleaned, and the children’s’ baths taken, Charity breathed a sigh of relief. “So far so good,” she mumbled to herself.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts.
“Now, who could that be?”
Peeking out the window, she saw Holly and Peggy standing on the porch.
“Good morning, what brings the two of you here so early?” Charity questioned.
“From the looks of your hair, it appears we arrived just in time,” Holly teased.
“My bath was the next thing on my agenda,” Charity defended.
“Good,” Peggy said. “Do you have Ben’s wedding clothes available? Matthew is outside in our buggy. He’s going to take Ben to our house so he can spend the morning with the men and get dressed there.”
“Yeah, I get to be away from all the girls,” Ben shouted. “All my stuff is on my bedroom chair.”
Peggy followed Ben into his room and, after finding a small satchel in his closet, packed up his things and walked an excited Ben back into the parlor. She helped him with his coat, and the ladies watched Ben hurry to the buggy carefully carrying his satchel and waving.
As the buggy pulled away, Charity said, “Ben never even looked at me or said goodbye. He really cares for Jason, and that’s a good thing.”
“It is,” Peggy agreed. “And Jason loves your children.”
“Now,” Holly interrupted. “Take your bath, and we can get you ready, too.”
Charity smiled and nodded as she disappeared down the hall to her bathing room.
Holly asked Peggy, “Would you like a cup of tea while we wait for Charity?”
“Yes, thank you.”
Thirty minutes later, after the ladies shared a pot of tea and Annie drank a glass of milk and ate two sugar cookies, Charity emerged from the bathing room in a soft pink robe doing her best to dry her long golden blonde hair.
Holly jumped up from her chair. “I can help you with your hair.”
Charity smiled, trying her best to hide her nerves that were dancing on edge.
“I’d appreciate the help. My hands seem a bit shaky this morning.”
“It’s only right to feel nervous on your wedding day, my dear,” Peggy told her. “I know you said you didn’t want to wear a veil, but I made some small silk roses and attached them to a comb. Your hair is much too pretty to hide under a hat today. The roses on the hair comb match the roses in your wedding bouquet.”
“Thank you,” Charity said. “You both have been so kind, I don’t know what to say.”
Holly hugged her tightly. “Then, don’t say anything. Keep smiling, and we’ll do our best to make you look as beautiful as possible. Your job is to enjoy your wedding day. Leave the rest to us.”
Charity nodded as the excitement in her grew with each passing moment.
“Mama,” Annie announced. “Grandma is going to curl my hair, so I am beautiful, too.”
“You’re already beautiful,” Charity answered.
“That’s what grandma said, too, but I’m going to be special beautiful,” Annie insisted.
It took the ladies nearly an hour, but Holly finally announced that Charity’s hair was finished, and Charity stepped into the blue satin gown Holly had made for her. As Holly was finishing fastening the last of the pearl buttons up the back of the dress, a knock interrupted their chatter.
“Who could that be,” Charity wondered.
“I’ll find out,” Peggy said. “It best not be one of the men come snooping.”
Peggy returned a few moments later and explained. “It was Pap. Jason had him deliver his carriage for us with this note for you, Charity.”
Charity took the offered note and smiled as she read it. She looked at Peggy and said. “Your son is quite the romantic. He wrote, ‘My carriage awaits you, my princess.’”
“I raised him to be a gentleman. He must have learned how to be romantic on his own, but it’s nice to know he’s both.”
“Yes, it is.”
Holly exclaimed, “The wedding’s in a little over an hour. We need to leave, so we have enough time for you to assure your dress is perfect, and we can check that everything is in place.”
“And not run into Jason,” Peggy added. “But I doubt he’ll arrive this early.”
The three ladies and Annie rode the short distance to the
