38. Chapter Thirty-Six
Chapter Thirty-Six
A listair and Harriet were married on a sunny April day. The daffodils, hyacinths, and tulips had started to open and bloom. The air, though cool, smelled like spring and hope. Harriet looked lovely in the ivory-colored wedding dress she’d borrowed from another teacher at the school where she worked, who’d been married in it the year before. Lenore and Hilda thought it was wonderful to see a bride in white again after a decade of dark-colored, sensible, to-the-knee wedding dresses.
The house on Pearl Street, crowded with wedding guests, was filled with a festive air like it had never been before. People walked around the dining room table, filling their plates. Johnny chased Laura’s oldest daughter, Edna, through the house. The young girl giggled with delight. Lenore pulled him aside and asked him to slow down before they started knocking over guests .
Lenore wore the same mauve dress she’d worn to Laura’s wedding years ago, and Hilda was in the plum dress she’d worn for Lenore’s wedding. Mrs. Mandelson donned her Sunday best: a shirtwaist dress of navy blue.
Late in the afternoon, as the guests began to thin, Lenore stepped out onto the porch to get a breath of fresh air. In her hand was a plate of wedding cake. Johnny had Edna by the hand and was walking down Pearl Street. He knew the rules: look both ways before crossing, don’t go to the beach without an adult, and keep an eye on his cousin.
Alistair was seated on the railing in the far corner of the porch but stood when she appeared. “Lenore.”
“Alistair! I didn’t know you were out here. Is everything all right?” She forked off a small piece of cake and slipped it into her mouth. Hilda had outdone herself again.
He broke into a smile and declared, “Everything is perfect. I can’t thank you enough for hosting our wedding here. You have no idea how much it means to Harriet and me.”
She swallowed the mouthful of cake and wiped a stray crumb from the corner of her mouth. “You don’t have to thank me. Hilda and I were only too happy to do it. It’s not often we get to celebrate something wonderful.”
“That’s true.” His smile disappeared, and his features distorted with a heaviness she wished she could relieve him of. He would soon be shipping out to boot camp at Fort Benning in Georgia. After that, he’d be heading to Europe. “ Who knows what unpleasantness the future holds for all of us.”
“No one knows,” she said gently. Not wanting to drag the wonderful day down, she forced a cheery smile. “But we’ll handle whatever is thrown at us.”
He nodded. “I know I don’t have to ask, but please look after Harriet for me until I get home.”
“Of course. Hilda and I will take good care of her.”
His smile was one of relief. “Thank you.”
“And you make sure to take care of yourself over there,” Lenore said. “Keep your head down.”
He laughed but his smile disappeared quickly.
“Are you nervous about it?” she asked.
“Not really. I’m more nervous about leaving Harriet,” he admitted. Appearing thoughtful, he added, “It’s unpleasant but something that needs to be done. Best to get over there and get on with it.”
It was a good attitude to have, she thought. She’d worry about him, though.
The front door burst open, and Harriet appeared, looking lovelier than Lenore had ever seen her before.
“Alistair, there you are!”
The gloom that had enveloped him immediately dissipated at the sight of his bride, and he broke into a generous smile. “I’m right here.”
In three strides he was at her side, escorting her back into the house, his hand on the small of her back.
Lenore smiled, happy for them.