Very slowly, Willoughby took a step back, then another. He didn’tsay a word, and his dark eyes, so full of threat, never left Jerry’s. Just before he reached the exit he paused, and his expression changed the tiniest bit, the hint of a smile coming to his lips. Jerry waited for Willoughby to say what was on his mind, but he only nodded. In that moment, Jerry saw something in Willoughby’s eyes that froze him in place. It felt like a message. No, more than that. A warning. Deep inside himself, Jerry shuddered, fighting a memory that threatened to bury him in the cold blackness. Jerry could hear the voices on the other side of the tunnel wall again. The enemy had a plan.
twenty-threeADELE
The morning of the wedding, Adele was a ball of nerves. The day she’d dreamed of was here, and she could hardly wait to see what it would bring. She stared at her gown, hanging in the window. Sunlight streamed through the window, setting the silver threads alight, dappling the floor through the delicate lace sleeves. Adele had thought the cost was frivolous, but she had been unable to stop Maman and Guillaume from buying it for her.
“Imagine Jerry’s face when he sees you in it,” Maman had said, and that was the end of the matter.
“I can help you put it on,” Marie said now, from the door of the room. “Maman is dressing Queen Madeleine.”
Adele smiled. “She’ll be a beautiful flower girl.”
“And you a beautiful bride. Come here. You’ll never get those buttons on your own.”
Marie had arrived two days before to help prepare for the wedding. No one was surprised to hear Fred wasn’t coming, though Adele was disappointed on her sister’s behalf, but she was proud with how Marie had handled the situation. When Fred refused, she had informed him thathe would be taking care of Arthur, which he hadn’t liked. Nervous at the idea of being alone with the baby, he had called in reinforcements in the form of his aunt.
At supper the night she’d arrived, Marie had accepted a glass of champagne and chuckled. “She’s a well-meaning woman, and she won’t let Fred hide away. We’ll see how he feels after a couple of days of burping and diaper changes.”
Now, Adele felt her sister’s fingers working at the back of her neck, finishing the row of tiny pearl buttons.
“There you are. Oh, Adele. You are a vision.” She held her hand toward the mirror. “Take a look.”
Adele hardly recognized the woman before her. Whoever she was, she looked very sophisticated, she thought, turning a bit to see the profile. So confident. Her wedding gown was threaded throughout with exquisite patterns of beaded flowers, not unlike the diamonds on her ring. What a difference from the first time Jerry had seen her.He loves me, she thought for the hundredth time, awed by the very idea. Soon she would be his, and he would be hers.
She had already received her first wedding gift, and it was more meaningful than the giver could have imagined. She’d told Dr. Knowles of her impending nuptials, then she’d watched conflicting emotions play over his rosy face. After congratulating her with the utmost courtesy, he had chewed a moment on his lower lip, and she knew he had more to say. Eventually, he worked up the courage he needed then peered at her through myopic eyes.
“I understand my breach in etiquette, Mademoiselle Savard. I am aware the idea of married women retaining a career in nursing is generally frowned upon.” His lips tightened slightly. “But I am wondering if you might consider staying on here. You are the most qualified nurse I have ever worked with. The patients and I would consider it the greatest of personal sacrifices on your part if you would remain.”
In truth, she had been planning to ask him about that, whether it wasconsidered socially acceptable or not. She knew without asking that Jerry would have supported her choice to continue her work. He understood it wasn’t just a job to her; it was a calling. Still, she had clarified with Jerry before agreeing, because she knew it was the right thing to do. From now on, she would be sharing her life with someone, not just forging ahead on her own. She assured Dr. Knowles that she had no intention of leaving his employ, and the relief that spilled over the doctor’s face in that moment was worth any hesitation she might have had.
Today, Adele would become Mrs. Bailey, but that would never change the fact that she would always be Nurse Savard. Or perhaps Nurse Bailey, going forward.
At John’s insistence, the couple had happily agreed to hold the wedding, then the reception at the Bailey house. At first, he had grumbled a bit, since he’d wanted to throw a rip-roaring party for the newlyweds at one of the speakeasies, but Jerry had drawn him aside and explained why he didn’t want to do that. After the feeling he’d gotten from Willoughby the other night, he’d decided the wedding would include only family and close friends, which meant there would be no excuse for their rival to wander in again, unwelcomed. John had reluctantly agreed that Jerry was right. Any possible issues with Willoughby would be dealt with after the big day.
As the best man, John had ensured Jerry was nowhere near the house that morning. He’d taken him to the warehouse, then out to the Dominion for a bracing drink, but they were back now. From the room upstairs where Adele had gotten dressed, she could feel the love crowding into the big room downstairs. It had probably been a good thing that Hazel and Lillian weren’t able to come, because there simply would not have been enough room. They’d both sent their best wishes and regrets from the east coast, explaining it would be too far to travel with their new babies, but promising to come see Jerry and her when they could. They remembered him fondly—just as they remembered the glances that had been shared between the two when Adele had thought no one would notice.
Now that Adele was dressed, a crown of pearls pinned to her hair along with its attached veil, it felt to Adele as if the house held its breath, waiting. Then Guillaume appeared at her bedroom door, a bittersweet expression of pride on his face, his arm held out in invitation, and the waiting came to an end.
“Your groom awaits,” he said.
“Your turn,” Marie whispered to Madeleine. The serious little girl was all dressed up in a pretty pink dress Marie had made for her, complete with a stylish dropped waist. “You get to go first. Remember what I told you. You take this little basket, and you be very careful on the stairs. When you get to the bottom, you sprinkle these pretty petals all the way across the room to Grandmère. She will be waiting for you.”
Madeleine frowned. “That will be messy.”
Adele held in a laugh. It would have been a relief to let it out and shake up all the nerves that had congregated in her stomach, but she kept it inside.
“Yes, dear,” Marie explained to her daughter. “It’s just for today. Aunt Adele will be walking over the flowers like a princess. I will be right behind you, but it’s your job to go first. All right.” She hugged her little girl then ushered her toward the door. “Go!”
Then she turned back to Adele, her eyes glistening. Adele held her breath, and for a moment it was just her and Marie, sisters as children, and now sisters on a whole new level. Her best friend her whole life.
“I’m very glad for you, little sister. You and Jerry will be so happy together.” A sound of appreciation carried from the living room as the little flower girl arrived, and Marie started to follow. At the last moment, she looked back. “Don’t chicken out now. I’ll be waiting for you.”
The living room was packed with loved ones, including Jerry’s cousins, aunt, and uncle, but as Adele and Guillaume reached the bottom of the stairs then entered the petal-littered space, all she could see was Jerry’s striking figure, tall and proud and waiting for her by the fireplace mantel. Behind him, the portraits of his parents looked down, and she smiled,feeling their approval. Guillaume led Adele to Jerry, then he took a breath and laid her hands in his. He sniffed lightly as he backed toward Maman, and nostalgia welled up inside her. She was no longer Guillaume’s little girl, no longer her mother’s baby. She was a grown woman, marrying a man who loved her over all others. A man she knew deep in her soul that she could always depend upon. For a heartbeat, she felt afraid, stepping from one lifetime into another, but his beautiful grey gaze held hers, and the love radiating from him filled her heart to overflowing.
She faced him, both her hands in his, so caught up in him that she barely heard the minister begin the service. Then it came time for their vows, and the corners of Jerry’s lips curled slightly, reassuring her.
“Do you, Jeremiah Alexander Bailey, take this woman, Adele Yvonne Savard, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death you do part?”
Adele had thought about those words so many times, she had them memorized. She knew the commitment might seem frightening to some, but not to her. Not to Jerry. She thought of the day they’d met, and her memories replayed his convalescence, with her always at his side. The scars weren’t just his, they were theirs. They’d already been through so much. She wasn’t afraid of anything except being without him.
