Tessa woke to a stream of beautiful morning sunshine spilling through her bedroom window. A zing of nervous excitement instantly raced through her veins. This was it—her wedding day. By tonight she would be Mrs. Blaize Callagan.
“Happy the bride the sun shines on,” she sang in her heart. Her eyes lingered exultantly on the beautiful wedding dress hanging on the door of her wardrobe. The beading on the high collar and on the lace bodice sparkled through the plastic covering. This afternoon she would walk down the aisle in that dress, and Blaize would be waiting for her in front of the altar, and they would be married...To have and to hold unto death do us part.
Her wedding day. Tessa could hardly believe it. After all these years this was the day she would marry the man she loved.
A light tap on the bedroom door drew her attention. It was bound to be her mother, Tessa thought, and hitched herself up on the pillows, a smile of greeting already lighting her face as the door opened and her mother’s head poked around.
“Ah! You’re awake!” Joan said with satisfaction. She bore a tea tray into the room. “It’s a beautiful morning. Not a cloud in the sky. Did you sleep well, dear?”
“Like the proverbial log, Mum.” She grinned at the tray, which held considerably more than a pot of tea— a plate of bacon and eggs and a pile of toast, all freshly prepared. “Am I being spoiled with breakfast in bed?”
“I thought you might like it,” her mother said indulgently. She sat on the bed, her hand automatically lifting to her daughter’s face to tuck some wayward strands of hair behind her ear—a small dainty ear, as delicately feminine as her hands and feet. She heaved a sigh and looked at Tessa with troubled eyes. “I just want to say... I’ve only ever wanted the best for you, Tessa. If sometimes... well, we haven’t seen eye to eye about a lot of things... but all’s well that ends well. And I hope you’ll be very happy with Blaize.”
“Thanks, Mum. I’m sorry I’ve been such a worry to you. I promise you I’ll be the best wife I can be, so you won’t have to worry any more,” Tessa said with deep sincerity. Then she threw her arms around her mother’s neck and kissed her. “I do love you, Mum. And thanks for cooking a wedding day breakfast for me. I really appreciate it.”
“There, there... You’re a good girl, Tessa,” her mother said. Which was the equivalent of, “I love you very much and thank heaven you’re now saved.” She was always flustered by any show of emotion. “Eat up now before it gets cold,” she commanded, but there was a blur of tears in her eyes as she quickly withdrew.
It was a happy day. Sue and her family arrived soon after breakfast. Sue was to be matron of honour, and her four-year-old daughter, Jessica, was to be flower girl. The three of them spent most of the morning at a hairdressing salon. In the meantime, Tessa’s two older brothers and their families turned up. There was a boisterous family luncheon where her brothers jokingly gave her a lot of advice about how to please a husband, and their wives did quite a bit of correcting them on their opinions.
Sue advised Tessa on her makeup—a touch of blusher to lend an interesting contour to her cheeks, two shades of lipstick to give her lips more definition, a delicate application of subtle eye shadow and a dusting of a very expensive powder that gave her skin a pearly sheen. Tessa was delighted with the result.
The flowers arrived promptly at two-thirty, as arranged. Tessa’s bouquet was a long spray of stephanotis that smelled divine. Sue’s was a mixture of pink carnations and white roses, while Jessica was to carry the white basket of miniature pink roses.
It was then time to dress. Jessica could barely contain her excitement as Sue zipped her into the sky-blue silk gown with its flounces of lace and threaded ribbons. She looked like a beautiful little doll with the circlet of flowers around her curly fair hair. She raced off to show Grandma and Grandpa, leaving her mother and aunt to their final toilettes.
“I hope she’s going to behave herself in the church,” Sue said with a rueful smile as she closed the door after her.
Tessa laughed. “She’s going to love every minute of it.” Then she set about fastening the diamond earrings into her lobes. They were a wedding present from Blaize and matched the design of her engagement ring, five diamonds on a delicate curve of gold.
“They’re fabulous, Tessa,” Sue said with warm delight. “You sure came up with a prize in Blaize. Perfect husband material.”
“You think so?” Tessa was still a little doubtful about that, although nothing was going to stop her from marrying him.
Sue laughed. “Tessa, he adores you. He would die for you.”
“I don’t know that he’d go that far.” Sue didn’t understand about how Blaize could set his mind on something and do it.
Her sister raised a challenging eyebrow. “Want to bet?”
Tessa shrugged off the subject with a smile. “No bets.” She didn’t want to tell Sue that Blaize had never once spoken of love. Not that it mattered all that much. She loved him enough for both of them. She hoped.
She handed Sue a small gift box. “Blaize bought these for you. In appreciation for being my matron of honour.”
Sue exclaimed delightedly over the beautiful pearl earrings. “A prize of a man,” she insisted again. “He’s got taste and generosity.”
Sue looked lovely in her sky-blue silk with fitted lace bodice and full skirt. With her blond-streaked hair and artful makeup, she didn’t look a day older than Tessa, let alone seven years.
She helped Tessa lift off the plastic covering from the wedding dress, and then held the heavy gown for her to step into it. Tessa carefully fitted her arms through the high puffed sleeves that narrowed to a band at her elbows. She held her hair up while Sue did the zip and fastened the high band around her neck.
Tessa had a long neck and the style suited her, making her look taller and elegant. The top half of the bodice was a fine transparent organza, throwing the rich silk of the puffed sleeves and the beaded collar into sharp relief. The rest of the tightly fitted bodice was beaded lace that curved over her breasts and dipped to a low V below her waist, accentuating every curve of her body. The full skirt was lined with tulle petticoats to make it stand out in a graceful line extending into a flowing train.
Her waist-length veil was short and frothy. It clipped in behind the narrow plait the hairdresser had woven across the top of her head to hold the rest of her thick hair back. Tessa pulled some long tresses forward to curl over her shoulders.