“Oh, you shouldn’t have,” Beatrix said, but even as the words left her lips, she smiled at the sight.
“You can get married without a wedding gown or churchful of people,” Rosemarie said, “but youcannotget married without flowers. That is where I draw the line.”
Beatrix laughed. “All right, let’s bring them in.”
She pushed the door open. The flash andpop-pop-popwas so unexpected, it took her a disorienting moment to realize what it was.
“Fancy meeting you here,” Rydell said.
CHAPTER 15
The best move, in Peter’s opinion, would have been to throw Rydell out. But Rosemarie considered that unwise—“it’sjustthe sort of drama he wants”—so they retreated to Peter’s house to come up with a workaround.
“Try again tomorrow,” Lydia suggested.
“No, he’ll be counting on that,” he said, scowling. If not for the infernal Rydell, they would have been married by now.
“But in the morning, before he thinks to show up—you could take a half-day, Bee?—”
“I can’t.” Beatrix sighed. “There’s too much to do. Two more states have committee votes this week, and Maryland’s House votes tomorrow—I know that’s the easy one compared with the Senate, but I don’t want to leave anything to chance and wizards.”
“Early morning, then, before work,” Lydia said.
Beatrix gave a mournful shake of the head. “Pastor Hattington can’t string two words together before eight, according to his wife. Besides, Mr. Clark’s shift starts at six, so he’d be at work already.”
Peter slouched in his chair. “If only I’d said, ‘Saturday, Saturday’s the wedding,’ he never would have shown up tonight.”
“If you had, he could truthfully call you a liar. That would never do,” Rosemarie said, and he couldn’t argue with her logic.
“All right,” he said, “let’s get married here. In this house.”
“No,” Rosemarie said firmly. “You will get married in a church. Think how it will look—and in any case, the pastor wouldn’t conduct the ceremony, otherwise.”
There was something deeply ridiculous about the situation, though he didn’t feel like laughing. “Another church, then, in a different county.”
Beatrix crossed her arms. “I won’t be run out of my own church. And I refuse to wait andwaitfor the magic half-hour that we’re available and Rydell isn’t there. I’d rather grit my teeth and go ahead with him sitting in a pew, acid pen and all.”
Peter winced at the thought of exchanging Vows while the man watched, the two of them knowing that every lovely detail would later be twisted into something unrecognizable—mostly at Beatrix’s expense. He couldn’t do it. And he resented that they couldn’t invite whomever they wanted just because someone might let the news slip.
Of course, under normal circumstances they probably would have felt obliged to invite everyone in town, to avoid hard feelings. Basically all of Ellicott Mills’ residents could fit in that capacious sanctuary.
Wait …
“I’ve got it.” He laughed. “I know what we can do.”
March 16, 2021
Roger Rydell Dishes the Dirt
‘ROMEO & JULIET’ WEDDING IMMINENT: Guess who spotted the star-crossed lovers dashing out of the courthouse yesterday with a newly inked marriage license?
They refused to say when they plan to wed. Butyouknow, rabid readers, that closed lips can’t determe. Oh, no, my sources are too well-placed for that. When Peter Blackwell and Beatrix Harper arrived at the chapel that night, I’d beaten them there.
There’s no way to know, of course, whether they actually would have married that night — had I not spoiled their hopes of keeping the deserving public out of it — or whether they were simply putting the wedding-white lilies in place for another day. Either way, there’s a definite shotgun feeling to this affair.
Maybethat’swhy Omnimancer Blackwell plans to marrythisMiss Harper and not the other one …
March 17, 2021
