“I actually wanted to speak with you about that,” said Alison. “We’ve decided not to be married in the church, or rather not to be married by the vicar—”
“What’s old Lewis gone and done now? That miserable old git. Did he say something rude to you? Were you thinking of going with the vicar in Fossholm instead? It’s a nice church as well, not as old as this one, but nice. Of course, we’ll need to move the catering for the banquet. And the cake delivery. Did you speak with Rinka already?”
Alison hadn’t realized Gwenla had been so intimately involved in the wedding planning, although she wasn’t exactly surprised. “No, we’re not thinking Fossholm. Keir says we can have an anvil wedding at the town hall.”
“An anvil wedding! Don’t tell me Weyland—now, you know I love him—”
“Weyland was…reluctant, but he did say he’d bring the anvil.”
Gwenla laughed. “I didn’t think you’d want the anvil without the blacksmith, but it is quite fun to hear itplinkwhen the hammer strikes it. It reminds me of a dwarf wedding, though it’s been a long time since I’ve been to one of those. So who’s going to do the honors? Idris?”
Alison held her breath. “We were thinking you might do it.”
“Me?” Gwenla was shocked. She put down her spade and dusted the dirt from her gloves onto her apron. “You do realize who you’re asking. I’m not a vicar, or a judge, or a noble, or even a blacksmith.”
“But you’re a landowner, which means you can legally marry us here in Wilderise.”
Gwenla lifted her head, considering that. “Well, Lady Willana did leave me the property. A shame she’s not still with us. She would’ve been the perfect officiant.”
“Maybe you could think of what she’d say,” said Alison. She knew the dwarf often thought of Lady Willana’s perspective.
“She would have loved to see me try. She knew I’m not much of a speaker, but she liked to listen to me anyway.”
Alison didn’t agree that Gwenla wasn’t much of a speaker. She’d heard a number of her speeches, and she thought she was terrific: a bit frank, maybe, but genuine and relatable.
“So you’ll consider it at least?”
“Oh, alright,” said Gwenla. “If it’s what you both want, how can I say no? I just hope you won’t be disappointed with me if I say the wrong thing. I might go and pronounce you married to the wrong man.”
“I’m sure you won’t,” said Alison, laughing. “Thank you, Gwenla. You know, you helped me a lot back when things were difficult with Keir in the beginning. Without you, we might not be here.” She gave the dwarf a hug over her protests about the dirt on her apron.
“I’m just so glad you came. I didn’t think I’d have much of a life after Lady Willana left. It turns out, there was a lot more left for me to do.”
“And there still is,” said Alison.
Gwenla smiled. “Starting with learning what happens at a human wedding.”
Chapter Sixteen
A CHANGE OF PLANS
Charlotte
Charlotte had seen little of Julian since their fight. His delivery must have arrived as scheduled because the queue outside his shop had returned, but Charlotte could see little point in asking him about it. He’d made his position clear enough the last time they spoke. He still hadn’t answered their window display challenge, but he had taken so much of their sandwich trade that Mrs. Knox had considered giving it up altogether in favor of sweets.
So when she spotted him on her way to the inn after a visit with the korrigans (in which she caught up on all the latest gossip regarding the korrigan Senara and her new beau Mezec, the fairy apothecary of Herot’s Hollow), she wasn’t sure whether to say anything.
She settled for watching him from a distance. He was out in front of his shop, unloading something heavy from a cart with the help of the hobgoblins Marty and Gary from down at the inn. He’d gotten help from the right people; they were strong despite their diminutive size.
Of course, since it was Julian, he hadn’t asked them for help at all—he’d hired them, as Charlotte saw when he paid them. And Marty and Gary, like Mr. Rainey, would not refuse paymentif offered, even though they gladly would have done the task for free.
Perhaps Charlotte ought to look in his shop for the swindler Mr. Craig. If anyone around here was likely to get taken for a ride, it was Julian.
Marty and Gary waved to Charlotte as they brought the cart back to the inn. They had unfortunate timing—Julian had just returned from inside the store to pick up a paper he’d dropped, and he spotted her lurking in the shadows.
Charlotte turned and headed towards Orchard Lane.
“Charlotte, wait,” he called after her.
