27. Walter
Walter
TWO DAYS BEFORE THE PRESCOTT-SCHAFER WEDDING
MARQUAY, France—Hildy was onto something with this under-cover-of-darkness trip to the wedding venue.
It felt romantic and cinematic, with a hint of mischief: whispering and cramming into the van as they snuck away from the hotel; headlights picking out flashes of lonely road ahead; the faint hum of the radio, playing something French.
An almost tangible sense of relief and excitement emanated from the bride and groom.
If the point was to soothe and reassure Fiona Prescott, the mission was half accomplished by the time they reached the bottom of the hill.
Other cultures were better at coddling brides-to-be, but Walter supposed it was the American way to make prewedding rituals an endurance test instead. If you didn’t optimize every last detail, were you even trying?
Granted, there were worse fates than being fêted at an extravagant destination wedding, but Walter was getting better at seeing the real people behind the trappings of an upper-class lifestyle.
He liked Fiona and Robbie, both as a couple and as unexpectedly quirky individuals.
Plus, as Hildy had pointed out, there were some things all the money in the world couldn’t buy.
The space between his shoulder blades burned with the urge to turn and look at Hildy.
It didn’t take an ace reporter to figure out she was avoiding him, to the extent it was possible to ignore someone enclosed in the same van.
Halfway across the parking lot Hildy had called dibs on the back row and announced that Corinne would be sitting next to her.
While Walter’s gut had been telling him for days that the only path forward with Hildy was to sort through their past, she was clearly not on the same page.
He’d have to find a different approach that wouldn’t send her into a defensive spiral before they had a chance to really talk to each other.
If she still wanted nothing to do with him after that, at least he’d know he tried.
The van parked in an unremarkable gravel lot between the road and the forest. You couldn’t see the castle from here, though Walter supposed the towers might be visible above the tree line when it wasn’t dark.
“Picture really handsome attendants at the valet stand,” Fiona narrated, leaning forward to point past the windshield. “Dressed like medieval pages.”
“Too bad I didn’t pack my tights,” Robbie said as he helped her out of the van.
Lo?c and Maude were waiting for them on the grass.
“This is where the carriage will pick you up,” Maude told her sister. “Can you imagine?”
“I wish we could ride in a carriage now,” Fiona sighed.
Robbie stomped the ground with one foot, snorting and tossing his head. “My lady?” he said, crouching in front of his bride-to-be. He grunted as Fiona climbed onto his back, hoisting her higher as he straightened.
“Good horsie!” she chirped as he trotted away.
“I should let her borrow my riding crop,” Corinne mused as the rest of the group followed the bridal couple along the trail leading to the edge of the forest.
“We’ll string lights all through here.” Maude gestured at the path through the trees, which was the approximate width of a car (or horse-drawn carriage).
In the absence of hanging lanterns, flashlights flickered like fireflies from the cell phones in every other hand. A hushed quiet fell once they set off through the trees. Walter wondered if Hildy was spooked by the darkness or the rustling branches, but didn’t want to embarrass her by asking.
“There used to be wild boars in these woods,” Maude informed them.
“Oh goodie,” Hildy muttered.
“It makes a delicious sausage,” Lo?c added, like that would offer some consolation. Yes, you got gored, but on the upside: charcuterie!
The forest felt like something out of a fairy tale. Walter had been to plenty of outdoor weddings, but the backdrop of “nature” was always groomed within an inch of its life. This was an actual wilderness, as if the forest might decide at any moment to retake the narrow strip of land.
A prickle of awareness alerted him that Hildy was staring.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m trying to imagine you with horns.”
“Like … a devil?”
Her curls swished as she shook her head. “Like one of those dark fae lords who lures you into the woods and you don’t find out until book five that he’s actually trying to kill you.”
Walter had questions, but one rose to the top. “And? How do I look?”
She shrugged. “I think you could pull it off. You have the hair for it.”
He had no idea if that was an insult or a compliment, but the fact that Hildy was talking to him felt like progress. As if sensing his eagerness to prolong the conversation, she sped up, not slowing until Maude and her archaeologist were between them.
“At least she likes your hair,” Corinne whispered, hurrying past him to catch up with Hildy.
When they emerged from the forest, the castle was a shadowy mass in the distance, rising out of the rock.
Between the edge of the trees and the base of the cliffs, Maude had created an enchanted garden.
Walter angled the light from his phone at hedges that had been clipped into cloud-like puffs and sloping curves.
“There’s a labyrinth over there.” Maude indicated a series of concentric gravel paths that petered out into a grassy verge.
“This is incredible,” Hildy said. Walter wondered if she was also drafting descriptions in her head.
“I had to work with what was already here,” Maude explained, toeing the line between modesty and pride. “Like those urns, and some of the shrubs. It was an interesting challenge, to shape the plants and give them room to breathe, instead of ripping everything out.”
“It is magnificent.” Lo?c’s tone dared anyone to argue.
Maybe if Walter had an accent Hildy would let him talk.
Fiona patted her fiancé on the shoulder, and he lowered her to the ground. “What do you think?” she asked Hildy.
“It’s fairycore Versailles meets Where the Wild Things Are,” Hildy pronounced, answering Walter’s question about whether she had her journalist’s hat on tonight. “You could say your vows right there, at the center of the circle.” She pointed at the half-finished labyrinth.
“I love the symbolism,” Walter chimed in. “You found your way to each other, on a winding path full of twists and turns.”
Hildy cleared her throat, silently warning him to cool it with the double meanings.
“That would be cool.” Fiona sounded wistful. “Except Daddy wants us to get married in the Great Hall, so we’re just having the pre-reception out here.”
“At least you don’t have to worry about rain.
And we can come back outside after.” Maude pointed at the sky overhead, where an almost perfect moon had risen above the trees.
“It’s going to be completely full the night of your wedding.
Can you imagine? The trees bathed in silver—like the moon came to watch you get married. ”
Fiona bit her lip. “Doesn’t crazy stuff happen during the full moon?”
“If you’re a werewolf,” Corinne muttered, grunting when Hildy elbowed her in the side.
“I googled the top ten things that can go wrong at a wedding,” Fiona continued.
“Fee, you didn’t!” Maude looked horrified. “That’s like diagnosing yourself on WebMD.”
“I know you want to protect me, but I need to face reality. If there’s a norovirus outbreak, or a bat infestation and then we all need rabies shots, or my whole face is a giant cold sore, I’m going to have to deal.”
“Every wedding is perfect in its own imperfect way. You wouldn’t believe some of the things we’ve seen.” Walter glanced at Hildy, who gave a shrug of affirmation.
“Like what?” Fiona asked.
“Well,” he stalled, thinking he’d have to dig for an example. But it slid to the front of his mind as if it had happened yesterday. “There was a couple who had a big plan for a theme park wedding.” From the corner of his eye, he saw Hildy tense. “Only the groom got sick—”
“What kind of sick?” Fiona interrupted.
“Cancer,” Walter replied. “That was actually how they met.”
“They both had cancer? Do they die at the end?” Fiona fanned a hand in front of her eyes. “Because I don’t think I can handle that right now.”
“She was his doctor.”
“He’s burying the lede,” Hildy said before he could go on. “They went to the same high school. They were even in a musical together—”
“Now who’s burying the lede?” Walter interrupted.
“They re-met at the hospital,” Hildy continued, raising her voice. “And then they had the wedding there.”
“In the hospital? Like, at his bedside? I think that happened on Grey’s Anatomy.”
Robbie nodded, like he vaguely remembered the episode.
“It was actually in the cafeteria,” Hildy informed them.
Walter held up one finger. “I think they called it a canteen.”
“Thank you for that vitally important distinction.” Hildy didn’t roll her eyes, but the sentiment was there.
Fiona’s gaze swung between them. “You both wrote about this wedding?”
“Yes,” Hildy answered, giving Walter a look when he would have said more. “And it was one of the most memorable weddings I’ve ever seen. They didn’t let anything get in the way of having the ceremony they wanted. The challenges made it more meaningful.”
“You think we don’t have enough challenges?” Fiona asked.
“Not at all,” Walter assured her. “But I also don’t think you have too many challenges. You have just the right amount.”
“I know a guy who got married in an old train yard,” Robbie said.
“Was it like that warehouse party we went to in New Haven?” Fiona grabbed his arm. “Remember that weekend?”
“Yeah! Parts of it. And the wedding was supercool.” Robbie frowned briefly. “A couple people had to get tetanus shots after, but it was totally worth it!”
Fiona shook herself. “I’m sorry I got all up in my head about this. At least we have our health, right?”
“Such a good point, babe.”
“Do you want to frolic?”
“Always!”
They took off across the grass, leaping and laughing.
“Those crazy kids.” Corinne sighed, watching them gallop toward the trees.