Though it seemed awkward and even frightening to make a new start at this stage of her life, it was also a great relief. The long shadows of age had been creeping up on her. So many times lately, alone in this big old house, she had felt herself staring into a dark wood, a wilderness that was strange and frightening. And there was no choice but to follow the path into that dark place. But with Ezra by her side, neither of them had to face the inevitable adventure alone. That was a great comfort, come what may.
She was thankful for this marriage, this second chance. At the time of her first marriage, she had felt swept off her feet, ruled by her passions and terribly unsure if she was doing the right thing. But today she felt not a single doubt. And in her heart, she felt blessed.
After she married Oliver, her parents had banished her from the family, disowned her. She had been able to keep in touch with her younger sister, Beth, seeing her from time to time. But Beth had died when she was a relatively young woman. That loss had been a great blow to Lillian. With Beth’s passing, Lillian lost her only family tie.
When her parents were both gone and their grand house on Beacon Hill was sold, her brother Lawrence had sent her a few items. Among them, a set of pearls that had been passed down in the family for generations. Every bride wore the pearls, and her mother had often shown them to her but never let her try them on. “You’ll wear these the day you get married, Lillian,” she promised. “But not a moment sooner.”
Well, she had never gotten the chance to wear them, though her two daughters had enjoyed the privilege. The blue velvet box now sat on Lillian’s dressing table unopened. Lillian wasn’t sure if she was going to put them on, after all. What was the point? She was an old woman. What would it prove? That she was finally going to get it right this time?
Her parents had warned her that if she married Oliver Warwick, she would be sorry. Well, they had been right, in a way. But she had loved him truly, and most of the time, she felt no regrets. Nothing was as simple as it seemed from the outside, was it?
A knock sounded on the bedroom door. “Mother? It’s me, Emily. May I come in?”
“It’s open,” Lillian answered. She patted some powder on her face, not really looking at what she was doing. She rarely wore makeup now and was having trouble remembering how it was applied. The foundation first? Oh, dear. She had forgotten that step.
“You’re not ready yet?” Emily looked very elegant in a dark blue satin dress that crisscrossed over the bodice and had a banded waist.
“Here, let me help you with that—” Without waiting for an answer, Emily took the powder puff from Lillian’s hand and dabbed on the powder in a way that made Lillian think she was about to have a coughing fit. Before she could protest, Jessica walked in. “Mother, we’re all waiting downstairs. The cars are here. We thought you were dressed.”
Jessica looked very lovely, too, she noticed. Also in a satin dress similar to Emily’s but not exactly the same. They were both in the wedding party, but everyone agreed matching dresses would look silly at their age. This seemed a good, tasteful compromise.
“Calm down,” Lillian told her daughters, who were now both swarming around her like satin-covered bumblebees. “I’m almost ready. They can’t start without the bride, you know.”
“Of course not, but let us help you,” Emily said. For once, Lillian did not protest. Maybe she did need a little help. It was a big day, and her thoughts were wandering.
A short time later, her hair was pinned in place and her makeup done properly. She stood up, put her arms over her head, and her daughters slipped on the dress she had chosen—a champagne-colored silk slip covered with a layer of lace, decorated with tiny iridescent beads across the bodice, with long illusion sleeves. The dress was a simple princess style and fell just below her knees. Silk pumps and a fringed lace shawl completed the ensemble. Lillian had also had a small headpiece made from a bit of lace that matched the dress. Not a real veil of course, just something to indicate she was indeed the bride. When the side zipper was fastened, she stood up straight and appraised herself in the mirror.
“You look stunning, Mother,” Emily said. “That dress really suits you.”
“I knew it was the one the moment I spotted it in the window of that shop in Newburyport,” Lillian replied. She had always had a good eye for style.
“All you need is some lipstick.” Jessica chose a tube, and Lillian let her apply it. Her hands were shaking today; she couldn’t risk messing it.
“And jewelry,” Emily said, gazing down at the dressing table. “The pearls will be perfect with that dress.”
She picked up the velvet box and opened it.
Lillian glanced at the pearls but made no motion toward her daughter. “I’m not sure about that,” she said quietly.
Emily and Jessica stared at her. “Why not? I thought you were dying to wear these someday,” Emily said.
“Here’s your chance, Mother,” Jessica prodded her.
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I missed my moment with that necklace,” she confessed.
The truth was, she had secretly believed her first marriage had been cast in an unlucky light because she had not worn the pearls, and it was too late now to make that right.
“But maybe this is the moment, Grandma. Ever think of it that way?” Sara stood in the bedroom doorway.
They all turned to look at her. Sara wore an ice-blue silk dress that set off her dark hair and did wonders for her blue eyes. I had eyes like that once, Lillian thought. I looked a lot like she does now, didn’t I?
“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” Lillian asked her. “So many people in here, talking to me all at once . . .”
“Maybe you’re supposed to wear the pearls for this wedding,” Sara said slowly. “That it was always meant to be this way, not for the day you married Oliver Warwick.”
Lillian stared at her a moment, then turned back to the dressing table. “I never thought of it that way, I must admit.” She gazed down at the necklace. Was she meant to wear the pearls with Ezra?
Well, anything was possible. Didn’t this wedding day prove that? Lillian knew too well about unexpected turns in the road. But if there was one thing she had learned these past weeks, it was that no matter how we envision our life, no matter what we hope for, God often has plans so wonderful for us, they’re beyond our wildest imaginings.
“All right. In for a penny, in for a pound. Go ahead, put them on,” she urged Emily.
The pearls did look beautiful, resting just below her collarbone on the champagne-colored lace. Just the right touch, she thought, admiring her reflection in the mirror.
“Mother, you always said a bride is not a bride without pearls,” Jessica reminded her.
“Very true,” Lillian agreed. “And now, for the earrings.”
She scanned her dressing table and finally chose a pair of pearl drop earrings with small diamonds on the studs. A gift from Oliver, on some big occasion, she couldn’t remember now. She was sure Ezra wouldn’t mind. It seemed fitting to take a piece of her old life along to start her new one.
A few moments later, she was led downstairs and then out to the cars. The ride to church went by so quickly, Lillian was surprised when she looked out the window of the limousine and saw the village green.
As the limo pulled up beside the church, her son-in-law Dan ran out and pulled open the car door. “Finally,” he said. “Everyone’s waiting.”
As they should be, Lillian thought. She sniffed and tilted her chin, then allowed him to help her from the car.
They regrouped in the narthex. Her daughters checked her hair and lipstick once more, and someone handed her a bouquet of white flowers. Gardenias, of course. The flowers Ezra had chosen for her so long ago.
Lillian had asked her two daughters to walk her down the aisle and give her away. Untraditional, but it did seem fitting. Emily and Jessica were, in fact, handing her over to Ezra’s care, as much as any paternal figure might. Being flanked by her daughters a
s she walked down the aisle also allowed her to walk without her cane, another advantage to the role reversal.
The church was quite crowded, Lillian noticed, though they had only invited a handful of guests to the reception at her house later. Far more people had come to watch her and Ezra get married than she ever expected. So many of the church members—Sophie Potter and Vera Plante, Lucy Bates and the Hegmans, Molly Willoughby and her husband, Dr. Harding. Up toward the front, she saw Carolyn Lewis, the Reverend’s wife, and their daughter, Rachel. Even Dan Forbes’s daughter, Lindsay, was there, taking time off from running the newspaper. And there were Jessica’s two boys and her husband, Sam. Sam was holding her newest grandchild, a little girl named Lily Rose. Lillian had been surprised and even flattered when they had named the child after her, but she still wondered why they couldn’t find a sitter for the day. She hoped the infant would not start squalling and disrupt everything.
My, my, she and Ezra seemed to be the hot ticket in town today. She smiled slightly and nodded at the familiar faces. She felt unexpectedly grateful to see them all here, though she suspected that most had not come on her account. After years of being the town’s only doctor, Ezra was well liked. She was sure that he was pleased by the turnout.
When they reached the altar, her daughters each kissed her on the cheek, Emily on the right, Jessica on the left. Ezra met her and held out his arm. His blue eyes twinkled behind his spectacles. He looked very happy, she thought. As happy as she had ever seen him.
And as handsome as she’d ever seen him, too, dressed in a three-piece suit he bought for the occasion, a fine pin-striped navy blue with a vest, a stark white shirt underneath, and a burgundy bow tie. His silver-grey hair—he still had a lot of it—was freshly cut and smoothed back flat.
The church had been decorated with thick white ribbons and more white flowers and greenery. Just the right amount, Lillian thought, festive but not too showy.
Reverend Ben stepped toward them, and smiled. “Ready?” he asked.
“I’ve been ready for over fifty years, Reverend,” Ezra answered. “Please proceed with the ceremony.”
Lillian saw the minister hide a smile as he opened his prayer book and began.
It all went by in a blur. Lillian soon heard Ezra speak his vows in a clear, strong voice and she repeated her own. He slipped a beautiful gold band on her finger, and she gave one to him as well.
“I pronounce you man and wife,” Reverend Ben said. “You may kiss the bride,” he told Ezra.
Her new husband leaned closer and gave her a heartfelt kiss. Lillian heard applause and even a few low whistles—her onerous grandson-in-law, Luke McAllister, she suspected. She felt herself blush. The nerve of that young man.
They received a final blessing from Reverend Ben, and music burst from the pipe organ in the balcony, a joyful piece by Bach that they had selected.
Everyone stood to watch them walk down the aisle. Lillian felt breathless. She pressed her hand to her chest.
“Are you all right, Lily?” Ezra asked quietly.
“Just getting my bearings. Perhaps I need my cane, after all,” she whispered as she started down the long walk to the back of the church.
Ezra wound her arm in his own. “You have me to lean on now, dear. We’ll do just fine.”
Lillian glanced at him, surprised for a moment by his answer. He was right. She had forgotten. She had grown so used to managing on her own.
She tenderly pressed her hand over his. “We will do just fine. I’m sure of it,” she said.
And she was, too.
A Wish for Christmas Page 29
