Flavour of the Day (13/06/16), Cookies & Cream 25 [Divide and Rule]
Title:Wedding Jitters
Author: lost_spook
Story: Heroes of the Revolution (Divide & Rule)
Flavor(s): Flavour of the Day 13/06/16 (paranymph); Cookies and Cream #25 (cover)
Toppings/Extras: None.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 997
Notes: 1935; Diana Foyle, Edward Iveson, Caroline Aldridge, Stephen Foyle.
Summary: Diana has her work cut out as Matron of Honour to Caroline…
***
Diana had hurried over from the Aldridge’s house to the tiny village church in inconvenient shoes and a long, green silk bridesmaid’s dress, and she found she was still breathless by the time the best man had fetched the groom out. Mind, she was doing better than he was; he was positively white.
“I’m afraid there’s going to be a bit of a delay,” said Diana, as quickly as she could to put him out of his misery, since he must be fearing the worst by now. “I think it’s going to take another half an hour before the bride arrives. Sorry, Edward.”
“Oh, thank God,” he said, and then shot the vicar a sheepish look. “I mean - I’m sorry -”
The vicar, Reverend Tadworth, remained unperturbed. “Don’t worry; I think we all know what you mean. And, Mrs Foyle, while the guests may be impatient, at least there’s no problem from my point of view. I’m lucky enough to be a guest and the last wedding in this place was fourteen years ago, so I doubt another one is going to be along in less than an hour.”
“What’s wrong?” Edward said, taking one step aside with Diana, while the vicar hurried back inside to make the announcement to the guests. His initial moment of relief had passed and now he was understandably not yet reassured.
Diana gave him a bright smile and an easy lie. “Oh, I’m afraid we had a bit of an accident with the dress. It can be fixed, but it will take at least twenty minutes or so.”
“Are you sure that’s all?” he asked, watching her closely.
She raised an eyebrow, looking back up at him. “Why, is there a reason it should be anything else?” She had left Caroline back at home, still sobbing slightly although the initial storm had passed, with a young cousin fluttering round her and her father pacing the hallway in resigned impatience. Diana had asked Caroline much the same question several times - if it was Edward, if she didn’t want to go through with the wedding for any reason - but all she had received in return were emphatic shakes of her head at the idea and an incoherent insistence that she did, very much. Still, Diana couldn’t help wondering, because this was exceptional, even for Caroline.
“No,” said Edward, breathing out again. “She was rather quiet yesterday - but I thought that was understandable.”
Diana laughed. “Well, then, stop worrying. Unless you’re having second thoughts - in which case, tell me now, because I don’t want to spend what’s left of this morning running between the house and the church in this frock.”
“Of course not.”
Diana hastened back along the path through the trees to the house to find Caroline calmer, although still not quite ready to make an appearance until she’d been tidied up again. “Feeling better, darling?” she asked. “And everything’s fine at the church. They know you’re going to be another half an hour, so there’s no need to panic.”
“Oh, dear,” said Caroline, sniffing. “I am terribly sorry, you know. It wasn’t - it wasn’t anything more than nerves, I promise.”
Diana passed her another hanky. “It had better not be. If you want to escape this wedding, you need to say now. I know waiting for the moment in church is traditionally more dramatic, but it’s far more convenient just to say beforehand.”
“Oh, don’t,” said Caroline. “You’ll make me laugh, and if you do, I shall cry again, and then where will we be?”
Later in the parish hall, with the deed done and the celebrations fully underway, Diana found a quiet corner to hover by the refreshments, mostly in an attempt to avoid Stephen, who had already made clear his willingness to engage in another round of whispered insults - not her preferred entertainment for the evening. On being informed that green wasn’t her colour, she’d decided to circulate before he really got going.
“Mrs Foyle,” said Edward Iveson, suddenly at her elbow. “Diana, I should say. The thing is - I was rather wondering -”
Diana heaved a sigh and turned around. “Oh, dear, please don’t tell me Caroline is crying again.”
“I think she may be,” Edward said, his tone apologetic. He gestured to the left. “In the bathroom, and I wondered if you would -”
Diana nodded and put a hand to his arm. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I shall go and find her. I expect it’s all this, you know. She never did like fuss or being the centre of attention - or changes, for that matter. I shall go and fetch her out, and you can take her away.”
“It’s a little - I don’t know,” said Edward before she could move away. He shrugged. “Discouraging.”
Diana squeezed his arm before releasing him. “It doesn’t seem to be you. She was a little upset earlier, too” - Diana’s mouth quivered slightly at the understatement “- and I asked, and she was emphatic that it wasn’t. Believe me, if she’d given me any reason to believe otherwise, I would have made sure the wedding didn’t happen.” She couldn’t help glancing over towards Stephen.
“Thank you,” he said, but to her surprise he followed her gaze and gave her a brief, sympathetic quirk of his mouth, and she had to look away, realising that in the few days since they’d met, he’d obviously had enough time to form an unfavourable opinion of her husband.
“I’ll go and find Caroline for you.” She walked away, in search of her friend. What she had said had been true, but if Caroline was so distressed still, then she must at least feel she was losing or giving up something with this marriage. But then, Diana reminded herself, Caroline always had tended to tears on going away from home and leaving for good no doubt justified today’s opening of the flood-gates. With that more optimistic thought, she went to rescue her friend from the bathroom.
***
Author: lost_spook
Story: Heroes of the Revolution (Divide & Rule)
Flavor(s): Flavour of the Day 13/06/16 (paranymph); Cookies and Cream #25 (cover)
Toppings/Extras: None.
Rating: PG
Word Count: 997
Notes: 1935; Diana Foyle, Edward Iveson, Caroline Aldridge, Stephen Foyle.
Summary: Diana has her work cut out as Matron of Honour to Caroline…
***
Diana had hurried over from the Aldridge’s house to the tiny village church in inconvenient shoes and a long, green silk bridesmaid’s dress, and she found she was still breathless by the time the best man had fetched the groom out. Mind, she was doing better than he was; he was positively white.
“I’m afraid there’s going to be a bit of a delay,” said Diana, as quickly as she could to put him out of his misery, since he must be fearing the worst by now. “I think it’s going to take another half an hour before the bride arrives. Sorry, Edward.”
“Oh, thank God,” he said, and then shot the vicar a sheepish look. “I mean - I’m sorry -”
The vicar, Reverend Tadworth, remained unperturbed. “Don’t worry; I think we all know what you mean. And, Mrs Foyle, while the guests may be impatient, at least there’s no problem from my point of view. I’m lucky enough to be a guest and the last wedding in this place was fourteen years ago, so I doubt another one is going to be along in less than an hour.”
“What’s wrong?” Edward said, taking one step aside with Diana, while the vicar hurried back inside to make the announcement to the guests. His initial moment of relief had passed and now he was understandably not yet reassured.
Diana gave him a bright smile and an easy lie. “Oh, I’m afraid we had a bit of an accident with the dress. It can be fixed, but it will take at least twenty minutes or so.”
“Are you sure that’s all?” he asked, watching her closely.
She raised an eyebrow, looking back up at him. “Why, is there a reason it should be anything else?” She had left Caroline back at home, still sobbing slightly although the initial storm had passed, with a young cousin fluttering round her and her father pacing the hallway in resigned impatience. Diana had asked Caroline much the same question several times - if it was Edward, if she didn’t want to go through with the wedding for any reason - but all she had received in return were emphatic shakes of her head at the idea and an incoherent insistence that she did, very much. Still, Diana couldn’t help wondering, because this was exceptional, even for Caroline.
“No,” said Edward, breathing out again. “She was rather quiet yesterday - but I thought that was understandable.”
Diana laughed. “Well, then, stop worrying. Unless you’re having second thoughts - in which case, tell me now, because I don’t want to spend what’s left of this morning running between the house and the church in this frock.”
“Of course not.”
Diana hastened back along the path through the trees to the house to find Caroline calmer, although still not quite ready to make an appearance until she’d been tidied up again. “Feeling better, darling?” she asked. “And everything’s fine at the church. They know you’re going to be another half an hour, so there’s no need to panic.”
“Oh, dear,” said Caroline, sniffing. “I am terribly sorry, you know. It wasn’t - it wasn’t anything more than nerves, I promise.”
Diana passed her another hanky. “It had better not be. If you want to escape this wedding, you need to say now. I know waiting for the moment in church is traditionally more dramatic, but it’s far more convenient just to say beforehand.”
“Oh, don’t,” said Caroline. “You’ll make me laugh, and if you do, I shall cry again, and then where will we be?”
Later in the parish hall, with the deed done and the celebrations fully underway, Diana found a quiet corner to hover by the refreshments, mostly in an attempt to avoid Stephen, who had already made clear his willingness to engage in another round of whispered insults - not her preferred entertainment for the evening. On being informed that green wasn’t her colour, she’d decided to circulate before he really got going.
“Mrs Foyle,” said Edward Iveson, suddenly at her elbow. “Diana, I should say. The thing is - I was rather wondering -”
Diana heaved a sigh and turned around. “Oh, dear, please don’t tell me Caroline is crying again.”
“I think she may be,” Edward said, his tone apologetic. He gestured to the left. “In the bathroom, and I wondered if you would -”
Diana nodded and put a hand to his arm. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I shall go and find her. I expect it’s all this, you know. She never did like fuss or being the centre of attention - or changes, for that matter. I shall go and fetch her out, and you can take her away.”
“It’s a little - I don’t know,” said Edward before she could move away. He shrugged. “Discouraging.”
Diana squeezed his arm before releasing him. “It doesn’t seem to be you. She was a little upset earlier, too” - Diana’s mouth quivered slightly at the understatement “- and I asked, and she was emphatic that it wasn’t. Believe me, if she’d given me any reason to believe otherwise, I would have made sure the wedding didn’t happen.” She couldn’t help glancing over towards Stephen.
“Thank you,” he said, but to her surprise he followed her gaze and gave her a brief, sympathetic quirk of his mouth, and she had to look away, realising that in the few days since they’d met, he’d obviously had enough time to form an unfavourable opinion of her husband.
“I’ll go and find Caroline for you.” She walked away, in search of her friend. What she had said had been true, but if Caroline was so distressed still, then she must at least feel she was losing or giving up something with this marriage. But then, Diana reminded herself, Caroline always had tended to tears on going away from home and leaving for good no doubt justified today’s opening of the flood-gates. With that more optimistic thought, she went to rescue her friend from the bathroom.
***