Daughters of the Lake(51)
As the townsfolk watched this young, beautiful couple exchange wedding vows, many of the older ones were struck by the memory of the day Addie was born. The blinding fog, the way Marie had been drawn to the lake and had given birth in the water, how young Jess was the one who found the baby floating peacefully near his home. And now here these two were, pledging to spend the rest of their lives together. A thought drifted from one to another in the pews—was destiny possible? Could it be true that some people were literally made for each other? Proof of that romantic notion seemed to be standing before them. Some wives gave their husbands sidelong glances and lamented the fact that their own destinies had run so far off the track. Did I choose the right man? Is this all there is? Did I ever have the chance to be in love? A few people wondered about roads not taken, sweethearts who had been deemed unsuitable by parents or other circumstances, loves lost to the lake or the woods, men who left their homes one morning and, without warning, never returned.
As her son was standing at the front of the church reciting the words his parents had said to each other more than thirty years before, Jennie Stewart slipped her hand into her husband’s palm and held it tight. He looked at her with watery eyes. She kissed his cheek and whispered, “I’m so glad I married you.”
Throughout the years, Phil Stewart had been, and remained, a man of few words, and those that he uttered were practical ones. But on this day he surprised his wife by smiling down at her and whispering, “We’ve had a wonderful life together, haven’t we?”
To this, Jennie couldn’t respond. It had indeed been a wonderful life, every day of it, and as Jennie squeezed her husband’s palm, she knew better than anyone that it was ending, and rapidly. His health was beyond prayer for a miracle, it was beyond all hope. She had seen his pain intensify, had witnessed him lying in bed for days. That he was here, dressed and smiling at his son’s wedding, was miracle enough. Jennie knew that, even as their son was embarking on a new life, so too would she. That of a widow. As she sat, leaning against her husband in the candlelit church, with the sun hanging low over the lake and all that love and happiness around her, Jennie Stewart repeated the prayer that she had whispered, over and over, to God or anyone else who would listen: Thank you for all that I have. Please make his last days comfortable.
After the wedding, there was much laughter, eating, drinking, and song. Addie floated among the crowd, thanking everyone for coming and trying to make a point of speaking to each person in turn. She was talking with old Mr. Peterson when her new husband took her by the arm and led her across the room. “There’s someone you really must meet, darling.” He smiled at her. They walked through the crowd toward another young couple, about their age. Addie had never seen them before.
“Well, old boy, it’s about time you introduced me to this ravishing bride of yours,” the man said, beaming at Addie.
“Darling, may I present my college roommate and current employer, Harrison Connor, and his lovely wife, Celeste,” Jess said with a flourish. “Harry, Celeste, my wife, Addie.”
“Your wife.” Addie smiled up at him. “I think I like the sound of that.”
“Get used to it, my dear,” Harry laughed. “It’s a title you’ll carry with you for a lifetime.”
“I’m so pleased to meet you,” Addie said to him, taking his hand in hers. “I have heard so much about you from Jess.”
“Not too much, I trust.” Harry laughed and slapped his friend on the back. “Many of those stories are best left in the past, eh? We’re old married men now.”
“Addie, I’m looking forward to seeing you in Wharton.” Celeste smiled as she changed the subject. “My husband is building us a house there, and I understand you two will be taking up residence in that charming village as well.”
“Yes, that’s right,” Addie said, clasping Celeste’s hands. “I’ll be so glad to know someone in Wharton. The prospect of leaving home and moving to a new town where I know no one but my husband is a bit daunting.”
“We’ll do our best to make it exciting for you,” Harrison said, winking at her.
“Celeste, Addie’s never strayed too far from home,” Jess explained, pulling his wife in close to him with one arm. “I was talking with Harry about this earlier—might I prevail upon you to take Addie under your wing, so to speak, when we arrive in Wharton after our honeymoon? With my new position, I’ll have many social responsibilities, and my dear country wife needs to learn the ins and outs of throwing the perfect dinner party.”
“I’d be delighted,” Celeste said warmly, taking Addie by the arm and leading her away from the men. “They believe it’s so complicated, what we do. It’s only a matter of charm and grace, and you seem to have both of those things in spades. You’ll do just fine.”
Phil Stewart passed away in his bed, with his wife and the minister beside him, two weeks to the day after Jess and Addie were married. The young couple were just back from their honeymoon in Chicago when word reached them. Jess had taken his wife on a whirlwind shopping trip to the big city—the train ride alone had thrilled her. Shopping in the large department stores and walking along city streets seemed like a dream to this young woman who had never so much as stepped foot out of the tiny community of Great Bay. Addie marveled at Lake Michigan, so like the Great Lake where she had grown up and yet so very different. This was just a body of water like any other. Her lake back home was alive.