Truth be told, Gwen still had moments of amazement herself. Albert’s courtship of her could certainly be dubbed a whirlwind, but when he’d gotten the job offer from Mr. Winchester, they’d had to move quickly. In a week’s time, Albert would be moving to Pennsylvania, and there was no way Gwen would let him go without her. Still, there were times when she thought perhaps she was experiencing a very long, very detailed dream, and any moment she would awake to find her life as ordered and predictable as it had always been.
A tug on her dress brought her mind back to the present. The lace of her puffed sleeve had caught on the pointed end of a tree branch. Carefully, she pulled the material away and then turned herself sideways to maneuver safely down the path. Her dress was modest by almost anyone’s standards, but to Gwen, it was the stuff dreams were made of. Yards of fine ecru lace topped a satin bodice and skirt of the same color. There was no train to speak of, given the bride’s proclivity for tripping on excessive fabric. Instead, the hem was trimmed with dozens of tiny, deep red, satin rosettes.
“How much farther?” Matilda’s good nature was being tested, and now she was coming close to whining.
“Have I told you today how beautiful you look?” Gwen asked.
As always, Matilda was lovely. Her dress was pale pink, the perfect complement to her creamy complexion and flaxen hair. Not to mention the blush in her cheeks that had come from their walk through the woods.
Matilda huffed out a sigh. “Thank you for the compliment. But you didn’t answer my question. Are we almost there?”
“As a matter of fact, we are.” Gwen pointed to the left. “It’s just on the other side of this tree.”
“Stop right there, young lady,” Father called out, bringing the sisters to a halt.
Gwen frowned. “Is something wrong?”
Father looked stern. “I’ll say there is. You can’t let your groom see you before I walk you down the aisle.”
“There is no aisle,” Matilda grumbled.
Father shot her a look. “Before I walk you down the path, then. Mother, you and Matilda please go ahead. Let everyone know we’re ready.”
When they were alone, Father looked down at Gwen, his expression softening. “My dear girl, I am so proud of you.”
Gwen’s cheeks grew hot, and a smile sprung to her lips. “Thank you, Father. I’m very happy.”
“Yes, I can see that. Albert is exactly the kind of man I should have picked for you, had I been paying attention to what was right in front of my face.”
“That’s all behind us now,” Gwen said.
“Right you are. Everything has worked out the way it was supposed to.”
Indeed, it had. The experience with Charles Drexler had been maddening, but in the end, it had opened a dialogue between Gwen and her father, bringing them closer than they’d been before. As usual, God had taken a bad situation and created something good from it.
The sound of a wild turkey cut through the trees, and Gwen laughed out loud. “I do believe that’s Albert’s signal.”
Father shook his head. “I may never understand you young people.” He crooked his arm and pointed his elbow in her direction. “Are you ready?”
Gwen slid her hand through his arm. “Absolutely.”
* * *
Albert’s tie was much too tight. It was the only explanation as to why he couldn’t draw in a decent breath.
Beside him, Jason Adler stood with his hands clasped behind his back. “Are you all right?”
“Of course,” Albert said. “Why do you ask?”
Jason leaned closer. “You look a little pale.”
That just proved his thought. The tie was constricting the blood flow. He tugged on the knot and swallowed hard. “Everything is fine.”
“Good.” Jason slapped him on the back.
Albert shook his head, pondering not for the first time the strange series of events that had brought them to this place. Jason had proven himself to be a loyal and true friend. To everyone’s relief, Matilda had also seen the young man’s character and had allowed him to court her. So it was that a Parkie was standing as the best man for a villager.
He was about to say something profound to his friend when Rachel broke through the trees. A month ago, he wouldn’t have imagined she could handle a walk through the village on her own, let alone the woods, but there she was, smiling with joy.
She ran up to him, her bouquet clutched in one hand. “They’re coming.”
His heart jumped. Matilda and Mrs. Banks approached. The minister told everyone where to stand, and then he looked at Albert. “All we’re missing now is the bride.”
Albert nodded. “Leave that to me.”
He cupped his hands around his mouth and made the sound he believed replicated the call of a wild turkey. The minister and Mrs. Banks looked slightly shocked, but Matilda and Rachel simply laughed.
“Trust me,” Albert said. “Gwen will know what that means.”
She didn’t disappoint him. A moment later she appeared, led through the trees by her father. Gwen was a vision in satin and lace, holding a simple bouquet of wildflowers in front of her. His breath caught in his chest, and this time, he couldn’t blame the tie. Gwen took his breath away, it was as simple as that.
Mr. Banks stopped beside Albert. After giving his daughter a kiss on the cheek, he took her hand from his arm and held it out to Albert. “Take good care of her, son.”
He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm. “You have my word, sir.”
Mr. Banks stepped away and joined his wife. Then Gwen looked up at Albert, her face glowing with love and trust, and for a moment, Albert thought his heart might burst.
There in the woods, standing before their family and friends, they said their vows in the shade of the pawpaw tree. Their tree, where they had met just two short months earlier. And when the minister proclaimed, “You may kiss the bride,” Albert could have sworn the birds joined in with the cheers and shouts from the people around them.
Albert hugged his bride to his side and turned to face the small group. Gwen gasped, and for a moment, he was afraid she had caught her foot on an exposed root.
“What’s wrong?”
Gwen shook her head. Her voice was low as she pointed at Rachel. “Look.”
Rachel stood still as a statue, holding her bouquet in both her hands. And sitting atop the flowers, moving its wings very slowly, was a butterfly.
Albert couldn’t believe it. “That’s not what I think it is, is it?”
“Yes.” Gwen laughed, even as a tear rolled down her cheek. “It’s a zebra swallowtail. After all that time chasing it, it finally came to me.”
Rachel looked at her new sister-in-law, her eyes wide with amazement. “Look, Gwen. I caught a butterfly.”
“Yes you did, leibling.” Gwen nodded. “But we must let it fly away. It has many adventures ahead of it, I’m sure.”
“Just as we do.” Albert hugged her again, certain that with her by his side, his life would always be filled with wonder and love.
* * * * *
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ISBN-13: 9781460381618
A Worthy Suitor
Copyright © 2015 by Jennifer AlLee
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