Ever After (Unfinished Fairy Tales #3)(104)
“Ready?”
I wrench myself away and stumble through the portal, forcing myself to march forward. “Let’s go.”
Farewell, my own world. This time, it’s truly going to be forever.
49
Kat
Edward and I got married as soon as we returned from my own world. Like Henry and Elle, we chose a simple wedding, though the ceremony took place in his private garden. Only our closest friends and relatives were there, surrounding us in a half-circle, their expressions radiant and rapturous. Around my neck I wore Mom’s necklace, on my ears were Paige’s earrings, and pinned on my chest is an exquisite brooch sent by Lady Gregory. The lace trimmings on the hem of my dress were hand sewn by Amelie and Mabel, the roses I carried straight from Edward’s garden.
I will never forget when Krev appeared, right at the moment when Edward slipped the ring on my finger.
“Congrats, girlie,” he says, grimacing before blowing me a kiss. “That’s from Pippi, not me. She’s been pestering me to drop by, and see that you’re happily married to Eddie.”
I don’t have a mirror but I know my face is positively glowing with happiness. Krev gives me a thumbs-up, then disappears.
Nor will I ever forget the wedding night, when Edward came into my room and took me into his arms.
“Kat,” he murmurs, bearing me down on the bed. “My wife.” His kisses set me burning in desire, his hands hot on my skin. “My love.”
No more deception, memory loss, or breathing problems. We are united in matrimony, as any normal couple in Athelia, ready to write the next page of our lives together.
* * *
I am strolling through the gardens, enjoying the sunshine while it lasts. It’s nearly autumn, and after the long winter we’ve had, I want to savor the remaining days I can spend outdoors in a light cotton dress. Particularly on the weekend, free of tedious meetings and laborious paperwork.
In bright daylight, my new wedding ring glitters on my fourth finger. Pure silver, consisting of an elaborately carved band, with one diamond winking from the top, and our names carved inside. It’s fancier than the fake ring he made me wear when I was working in the chicken coop, but less elaborate as the one Katriona had, when she returned to her body. The new ring signifies our new start; I hope it will also bring good luck, after everything we’ve been through.
As I’m due to take tea with the queen, I take a shortcut across the gardens. I come across Mabel crouched behind a massive, smoothly trimmed hedge, looking like she is up to no good.
“What are you…”
“Shh…” She puts a finger on her lips.
Puzzled, I squat down next to her. This is unlike Mabel, treating me as though I were a child who has to be disciplined. “Who are you spying on?” I say in a whisper.
“Look,” she shows me a hole in the hedge. Through this tiny hole, I could see Amelie and Bertram standing under a large, conical evergreen tree, both of them blushing like Princess College schoolgirls in Edward’s presence. Bertram holds a bunch of pink-and-white flowers in his right hand, which he keeps behind his back.
“But Amelie is allergic to flowers,” I say, surprised.
“Those aren’t real flowers, Princess. He asked me how to sew artificial flowers out of silk.”
I imagine Bertram with a needle and thread, and the image cracks me up.
“Isn’t his finger too large for holding a needle?” I ask, doing my best to keep my voice down while watching for Bertram’s next move.
“I had to teach him for hours, he was that determined.” Mabel shrugs. “He could have chosen something else, like a necklace or a brooch. But he knows Amelie likes flowers, but can’t go near them because of her allergies. So he got this idea to make silken ones that won’t make her sneeze.”
“Good for him,” I say. Bertram has come a long way from the infatuated young man who didn’t even know Amelie’s condition.
It’s kind of sneaky of us, hiding behind that hedge and waiting to see what happens, but to be honest, in my life where there’s no TV or Internet available, this is closest to a soap I can get.
Bertram has sank down on one knee and holds out his dainty bouquet of silk roses. “Dar… dear… Amelie, would you…makemethehappiestmanalive?” The last part of his sentence comes out in such a rush, I’m only guessing what he means.
Amelie stares at him, kneeling on the ground. Even if she didn’t hear the last sentence, there is no doubt what Bertram intends to say. Her cheeks rosy red, she opens her mouth and answers him. Bertram remains kneeling. Puzzled, Amelie repeats her answer.
Slowly, she takes the bouquet. And then she chucks him over the head with it.
“Didn’t you hear me?”
Bertram raises his head, confused, a few petals stuck on his hair. I think he was so nervous that he didn’t even hear Amelie give her answer.
“Yes, you idiot!” She says, her voice traveling through the hedge. “I said yes!”
Bertram looks like he just won the lottery. He snatches Amelie up, raises her high in the air, his eyes glistening. Like he’s so moved that she finally opened her heart and is willing to spend the rest of her life with him, despite the less fortunate experiences of her mother and sister.