matter.”
“Mundane!” Clara half-laughed, “I would hate to see what
his definition of a real crisis is.”
Guests began to stand and leave.
“Do you want to go to the reception?” Tommy asked her.
“I would rather go back to the house.”
“You are too curious, Clara.”
“Nothing of the sort! I have merely lost my appetite
after this debacle.”
Tommy gave her a disbelieving look, just as Glorianna
emerged from the vestry. She was clearly flustered as she found Hogarth.
“Laura and her father have gone out a back door. She
could not face walking through these people.” Glorianna swept hair from her
forehead, “Good God, is this really happening.”
She hurried down the aisle, half-chaperoning,
half-chasing the guests to the reception. Soon there was no one inside the
church except Clara and Tommy. Hogarth had wandered away, though it was not
apparent where to. Andrew had vanished like his bride. Reverend Draper started
putting away his Bible. His hands were still shaking.
“Dreadful thing.” Clara said to him as she negotiated
Tommy into the aisle, “I hope it didn’t affect you too badly?”
The reverend glanced up, he looked almost gaunt with
shock.
“Strangest thing. I never expected that. To see her walk
in like that!” The reverend shook his head, “Strangest thing.”
“There’s a man heading for a nervous breakdown.” Tommy
said quietly as they left the church, “He really got himself worked up over the
matter.”
“It no doubt shook him deeply. It must be awful to think
of someone breaking vows you, yourself hold sacred, so easily.”
“Most of the vicars I knew at the front were made of
sterner stuff.”
“Well yes! They had to be, to be there.”
They rumbled down the hill towards the Campbell
residence, ignoring the lonely wedding car still parked in the lane.
“I hope Laura’s all right.” Clara repeated.
“People bounce back quite well.” Tommy reassured her, “And
she is still young.”
That didn’t seem entirely comforting to Clara, what did
youth have to do with the way one experienced devastating news?
It was just over a mile from the church to the Campbell
house and they spoke little on the way. Tommy kept insisting on wheeling
himself and making Clara let go of the handles of his chair. The hill gave him
extra speed and Clara had to run to keep up, clutching onto her hat and
grabbing at the wheelchair when it threatened to run into a wall. By the time
they were approaching the drive of the house both were out of breath from their
antics.
“I feel quite guilty being so jolly after what has gone
on.” Clara said as she fought with Tommy’s chair to get him up the drive.
“Don’t be wet. If everyone was sad when everyone else was
sad, because they thought they should be, no one would ever be happy!”
Clara took a moment to drag the logic from that fuzzy
statement.
“Probably you are right.”
“I am always right, it is a gift.”
“Pish! You keep fooling yourself into believing that!”
They were in high spirits as they reached the front door,
but that soon changed as they spotted Peg.
“Is Glory with you? No, no, of course not, she is
attending that damn reception. Damn! Damn!” Peg had lit a cigarette and was
puffing away feverishly, “It’s all so ridiculous. Andrew has vanished, just
vanished. Probably tinkering with that car of his. I don’t know what Laura is
thinking right now, did you see her as you left the church?”
Clara answered in the negative.
“Damn again!” Peg finished her cigarette and started a
new one, “What a state she must be in? And I get home and Susan is not in her
room, talk about having a fit, I had kittens and puppies. I raced
downstairs thinking the worst when she saunters in the French windows with a
bunch of flowers in her hand. Had been out to get some fresh air. After I near
enough squealed at her in righteous fury, I had to reveal why I was home so
soon and the disaster of the wedding. She
“Mundane!” Clara half-laughed, “I would hate to see what
his definition of a real crisis is.”
Guests began to stand and leave.
“Do you want to go to the reception?” Tommy asked her.
“I would rather go back to the house.”
“You are too curious, Clara.”
“Nothing of the sort! I have merely lost my appetite
after this debacle.”
Tommy gave her a disbelieving look, just as Glorianna
emerged from the vestry. She was clearly flustered as she found Hogarth.
“Laura and her father have gone out a back door. She
could not face walking through these people.” Glorianna swept hair from her
forehead, “Good God, is this really happening.”
She hurried down the aisle, half-chaperoning,
half-chasing the guests to the reception. Soon there was no one inside the
church except Clara and Tommy. Hogarth had wandered away, though it was not
apparent where to. Andrew had vanished like his bride. Reverend Draper started
putting away his Bible. His hands were still shaking.
“Dreadful thing.” Clara said to him as she negotiated
Tommy into the aisle, “I hope it didn’t affect you too badly?”
The reverend glanced up, he looked almost gaunt with
shock.
“Strangest thing. I never expected that. To see her walk
in like that!” The reverend shook his head, “Strangest thing.”
“There’s a man heading for a nervous breakdown.” Tommy
said quietly as they left the church, “He really got himself worked up over the
matter.”
“It no doubt shook him deeply. It must be awful to think
of someone breaking vows you, yourself hold sacred, so easily.”
“Most of the vicars I knew at the front were made of
sterner stuff.”
“Well yes! They had to be, to be there.”
They rumbled down the hill towards the Campbell
residence, ignoring the lonely wedding car still parked in the lane.
“I hope Laura’s all right.” Clara repeated.
“People bounce back quite well.” Tommy reassured her, “And
she is still young.”
That didn’t seem entirely comforting to Clara, what did
youth have to do with the way one experienced devastating news?
It was just over a mile from the church to the Campbell
house and they spoke little on the way. Tommy kept insisting on wheeling
himself and making Clara let go of the handles of his chair. The hill gave him
extra speed and Clara had to run to keep up, clutching onto her hat and
grabbing at the wheelchair when it threatened to run into a wall. By the time
they were approaching the drive of the house both were out of breath from their
antics.
“I feel quite guilty being so jolly after what has gone
on.” Clara said as she fought with Tommy’s chair to get him up the drive.
“Don’t be wet. If everyone was sad when everyone else was
sad, because they thought they should be, no one would ever be happy!”
Clara took a moment to drag the logic from that fuzzy
statement.
“Probably you are right.”
“I am always right, it is a gift.”
“Pish! You keep fooling yourself into believing that!”
They were in high spirits as they reached the front door,
but that soon changed as they spotted Peg.
“Is Glory with you? No, no, of course not, she is
attending that damn reception. Damn! Damn!” Peg had lit a cigarette and was
puffing away feverishly, “It’s all so ridiculous. Andrew has vanished, just
vanished. Probably tinkering with that car of his. I don’t know what Laura is
thinking right now, did you see her as you left the church?”
Clara answered in the negative.
“Damn again!” Peg finished her cigarette and started a
new one, “What a state she must be in? And I get home and Susan is not in her
room, talk about having a fit, I had kittens and puppies. I raced
downstairs thinking the worst when she saunters in the French windows with a
bunch of flowers in her hand. Had been out to get some fresh air. After I near
enough squealed at her in righteous fury, I had to reveal why I was home so
soon and the disaster of the wedding. She
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