Her discernment was seriously hampered if she thought Annabelle belonged alongside those two, for Annabelle was a thoroughly good person who’d been forced into a lousy corner. Time had given him that perspective, and a piece of him still desperately longed for her, despite everything that had happened. He might someday be able to rebuild a relationship with Annabelle, and he wouldn’t let his little sister dictate to him on this.
“Don’t make me choose between you and Annabelle,” he said quietly.
The wind left Caroline in a rush. He could see the wheels calculating in her mind as she processed what he had said. She clenched her fists and worked her jaw as though biting back a torrent of words. But she swallowed them all back.
“Let’s get to work,” she said stiffly.
Thirty-Nine
As the maid of honor, it was Annabelle’s job to ensure Elaine had the best wedding day possible. At first that meant helping Elaine get dressed and arrange her hair, then leading her to an antechamber at the back of the church as the last guests settled in the pews. Their father looked stiff in his best suit as the three of them waited for the ceremony to begin.
Elaine pressed Roy to describe what was happening inside, but it soon became clear that he didn’t know how to report the important things, like what the ladies wore and who was sitting beside who.
“Let me take over,” Annabelle said, sliding up beside Elaine to describe the exact details of Martha’s new bonnet and how Walter looked as he stepped into place before the altar. “He’s wearing a dove gray three-piece suit, very distinguished-looking,” she whispered. “His collar is starched, and I’ve never seen him look so formal. He only looks a little nervous. Oh! He just stepped over to shake the hand of a man who’s got the largest handlebar mustache I’ve ever seen.”
Elaine clasped Annabelle’s hands so hard it almost hurt. “That must be Bruce Ellsworth. Does his wife have twins?”
Annabelle craned her neck to see. “Yes! There are two boys following them. They look ten or twelve years old. Identical!”
Annabelle kept supplying the essential details while urging Elaine not to move toward the opening. “Back, back!” she urged. “Walter keeps peering down the aisle, trying to get a glimpse of you. Don’t let him see you until the last moment.”
Elaine grinned as she flattened herself against the back wall of the vestibule.
At last it was time, and a church attendant closed the doors to the main church so that Elaine could move into position in the center of the aisle. Roy stood beside her, and they prepared for the grand opening of the doors. As soon as the music started, Annabelle would lead the procession as the only bridal attendant.
At least, that was the plan.
“Annabelle!” Elaine whispered. “Will you walk on my other side? I wouldn’t have gotten this far without you. Besides, I want someone to report every detail as I walk down the aisle.”
Annabelle glanced at Roy, hoping he wasn’t offended, but he merely shrugged. “It’s fine with me. I’ve already told her that everything looks very nice.”
She took a step back to stand on Elaine’s other side. “I’ve got it covered,” she whispered.
The organ music began, and the church attendant opened the doors. A joyous melody from Bach filled the church, and it was hard to breathe as the three of them began the stately walk down the aisle. The church looked lovely, but Annabelle knew exactly what Elaine wanted to hear.
“Walter is at the front of the aisle, looking like he’s about to burst with pride. He’s rocking back and forth on his heels, and his smile is so wide. Now he’s laughing! He’s beaming at you like it’s the best day of his life.”
Everyone in the church swiveled to watch as they progressed down the aisle. Annabelle didn’t care if they looked odd as sheleaned in to whisper everything into her sister’s ear. This was Elaine’s moment, and she deserved the full experience.
“Okay, he quit laughing, and he’s just smiling now,” she continued. “Dad’s eyes are getting watery. The priest looks scary, but don’t worry. Walter’s got everything under control.”
“No doubt about that,” Roy murmured, and it was true. Elaine was going to be in good hands.
Annabelle took a step back as they reached the altar. Roy greeted Walter, then stood aside while the groom took Elaine’s hand in his own. It was the proudest moment of Annabelle’s life. She had helped Elaine get this far, and now her sister was embarking on a new and wonderful life with the blessing of God and the community. After today, Annabelle’s work here was done.
Gray’s insatiable, churning desire to stop the Magruders in their tracks had consumed him, partly because he suspected them of playing a role in Luke’s downfall, partly because it was simply the right thing to do. Aside from a little egg on their face, the Magruders had suffered no lasting damage from theGood Housekeepingarticle. More work needed to be done.
The plan he had worked out with Caroline could impede the Magruders’ ability to foist cheap, adulterated food on the market, and he wanted Annabelle to be a part of it.
He strode through the front doors of the Department of Agriculture and vaulted up to the third floor, all the while dragging his hands through his hair and straightening his collar. Annabelle deserved his respect, and he didn’t want to look like a slovenly lout who’d raced across town. He needed her. He couldn’t explain precisely why and didn’t have the time to examine his motives too closely, but he needed to mend this rift with Annabelle.
He strode through the door of the laboratory where sheworked but only saw her two coworkers. What they said made no sense. They tried to tell him that Annabelle had resigned, but he couldn’t believe it.
“What do you mean she’s resigned?” he demanded.
“She’s quit,” the younger man said with relish. “Said she needed to go back to Kansas to save the family farm, took a sack of durum wheat kernels with her, and set off for the wild west. I was appalled. Do they even have electricity in Kansas?”
The other man was more sober. “Miss Larkin turned in her resignation last week, which I accepted with regret. I have no idea if she’s still in Washington.”
