A Wonderfully Realised Dream
Rated yellow star because the rest of the story is. This chapter is probably blue.
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Honey stirred and stretched, reaching out a slender arm to find the space beside her empty. Her eyelids fluttered and opened, and she realized she was back in her room at the Manor House, not in the apartment she shared with Brian. After the briefest of moments, she smiled as she realized something else. Today was her wedding day.
It was funny really, she thought as she lay quietly, letting the day’s beginning unfold around her. For all of their years together as a couple, she and Brian had not spent all that much time living under the same roof, and yet, after only weeks of continued co-habitation, she felt his absence already. But all of that was about to change.
She stretched again and glanced at the bedside clock: six-forty-five. It was still early and there was no need to hurry— the ceremony wasn’t until one-thirty, and owing to the fact that she’d gotten the small, simple wedding she so longed for, there wasn’t that much preparation needed.
Her dress was hanging in full view, shoes, jewellery all laid out ready. Her suitcase was packed with everything she would need for their romantic escape. Diana had presented her with a host of new lingerie, perfect for a new bride. At least, Honey thought, perfect for this new bride—lace, silk and cotton sets in pale yellow, green and bright red—sexy in a simple, casual way. Brian would love them.
When her mother had broached the subject of the honeymoon, she’d wondered if that might be the battle she and Brian had to lose. Her parents’ willingness to give her the simple wedding she longed for had been a pleasant surprise. She’d dreaded the idea of an extravaganza: expensive, exclusive, lavish—she hadn’t wanted anything like that. All she wanted was to marry the man she loved, surrounded by her close friends and family.
Yes, she wanted to look pretty on her wedding day and to have a delicious meal, but that was it. Wheeler and Hart millions aside, she didn’t want showy or fancy, and luckily it seemed her mother and father understood. Of course, she knew them well enough to realize that at some point she would have some compromises of her own to make.
Already there were a couple of distant family members who’d been included at her grandmother’s insistence. Still, Honey figured four or five unwanted guests was nothing compared to the circus of a wedding she could have been facing, and as for their honeymoon, well that had worked out too.
Just after she and Brian had announced their engagement, her father had started dropping hints about a honeymoon trip: Hawaii, Paris, California, Venice—they all got a mention. And whenever he brought up some new and exotic destination after the wedding date had been set, he always prefaced it with, “Seeing that it’s such a simple wedding…”. In the end, Honey had gone directly to her mother. It was strange that during this time, it was her mother she’d been able to turn to; usually her father was the one she found easy to talk to. Her mother had simply smiled when she’d brought up the idea of the newlyweds using the cottage in Maine for their honeymoon. Honey had stressed that they did not have a lot of time for their trip and reminded her mother how much the two of them loved the place. The plan had been approved and pronounced “perfectly perfect” and Honey had breathed another sigh of relief.
A soft tap at her door made her turn her head, and she sat up in bed before calling, “Come in.”
The door opened and her tall, redheaded brother entered the room carrying a frothy glass of juice. “Good morning, Miss Wheeler,” he said, exaggerating her name.
“Mother wanted me to check and see if the bride-to-be was awake.”
“Mother’s up already?” Honey’s finely shaped brows lifted in disbelief.
“It’s not every day your only daughter walks down the aisle,” Jim said, depositing the juice on one of Honey’s night tables. “There are things to do.”
He sat on his sister’s bed, his expression warm and affectionate.
Honey felt tears forming in her eyes and threw her arms around this man who had made such a difference in her life. “Thank you,” she said.
“What for?”
“Being my brother.” In spite of her best intentions, Honey sniffed.
Jim laughed gently. “It’s obviously made you very happy,” he teased.
Honey released her hold, slapped him and reached for her juice. “Mm, orange and grapefruit with a squeeze of lemon—my favourite.”
Jim made a face. “For such a sweet person you sure have weird taste in juice, little sister.”
She wrinkled her nose at him and took another sip. “I’m getting married today,” she said with a shake of her head.
“You know I heard something about that.” Jim’s brow furrowed. “What was it again? Some sort of shindig here at the Manor House, you, a fancy dress, lots of food, a guy—what’s his name again?”
“I’m going to tell him that his so-called best friend was mercilessly teasing his wife-to-be or… your sister, Brian’s wife-to-be that is—Trixie is your wife already so obviously I don’t mean her and I’m your sister…” she trailed off as Jim began to shake with laughter.
He reached over and wrapped her in a hug. “Oh, how I love Honey-speak,” he said. “There’s nothing quite like it.”
“Thank god,” Honey said. “Hardly anyone in the world would understand anyone else if it were rampant.”
“Trixie understands it perfectly and Brian does a fair job too. Most of the Bob-Whites can follow your less-than-linear conversations just fine.”
“Linear schminear,” Honey said dismissively.
“Don’t let Mart hear you inventing words again. He’d tell you—”
“There are an inexhaustible, inordinate number of verbally appropriate selections from which you can draw a response that it is both unerring and edifying. Why, Honey, must you resort to these manufactured lexeme?” Honey intoned.
Jim snorted. “That was impressive.”
“I’ve heard it before, or a variation of it anyway,” Honey said. “And I have a good memory and a pretty fair vocabulary of my own.”
“That’s true, you do.”
“So, to what do I owe the honour of my very own full-blooded adopted brother being here at this hour instead of at home with his own very beautiful wife?”
“I just wanted to see my sister before all the craziness starts. We know you and knew you wouldn’t be lazing about in bed until nine. Trix was going to take a shower then she will be down to do her matron-of-honour duties.” Jim took one of Honey’s slender hands in his. “All kidding aside, sis, I’m honoured to have you as my sister. You are a big part of why I’m a man who is happy and satisfied with his life.”
“I didn’t do anything.” Honey felt the tears threatening again. “Trixie was the one who helped find your great-uncle’s treasure, and Mother and Dad adopted you, and you were already wonderful.”
“Don’t correct your elders, little sister. You were, still are, the sweetest person I’d ever met aside from my mom. You weren’t sure of your own place in the world, but you wanted to make everyone else feel secure. I’ve watched you grow into a loving, confident, capable woman, and I’m proud to be part of your family.”
A couple of those tears slide down Honey’s cheeks, but she smiled. “Just as well I haven’t done my make-up yet,” she said.
“See, there was method in my early morning madness. And I wanted to give you this.” He held out a small velvet box and Honey took it, her hazel eyes questioning.
“Open it,” Jim said, his voice husky.
Honey flipped the lid and her eyes widened. A tiny filigree broach nestled inside, studded with minute pale blue stones. “It’s beautiful,” she said.
“It was my grandmother’s,” Jim explained. “You know that when Trixie and I married, Juliana sent some things from Holland, including the sapphire earrings Trixie wore that day. Well, there were a couple of other pieces. We’ve kept one for any possible daughter, but I wanted you to have this.”
“But, I can’t,” Honey protested. “What if you have two daughters?”
“What if I do?” Jim shook his head. “I have one sister and today she’s getting married, and I want to give her something special; something that unites my birth family with my adopted family. Are you telling me that the sweetest girl I know is going to deny the brother she claims to love, that privilege?”
Honey fingered the broach carefully. “No. I am going to accept it and wear it with love and gratitude. Thank you, James Winthrop Frayne the Second.”
“You’re welcome, Honey Madeleine Gabrielle Wheeler. Does Brian know how many women he’s marrying today?”
“Yes, and he loves each and every one of them.”
“I should go and report back to mother. And don’t even think about saying no to breakfast. Apparently, we don’t want you fainting on your wedding day.”
“When do I ever skip breakfast?” Honey demanded. “But I’m coming down. I’m not eating my last breakfast as a single woman in bed and that’s a fact.”
Breakfast was served in the smaller, light-filled room that the Wheeler’s favoured for intimate family meals, instead of the large, formal dining room.
“Daddy!” Honey exclaimed, using the childhood name, as she entered the room. She was beginning to feel like Alice, capable of believing six impossible things before breakfast. “I didn’t even know you were home.”
“Where else would I be on my daughter’s wedding day?” Matthew Wheeler placed the newspaper he had been reading on the table and smiled up at her.
Honey threw her arms around her father and returned the smile. “You had a late meeting last night, so I just assumed you’d stay at the apartment and come home later this morning.”
“And miss seeing my girl come down for her last breakfast as a single woman?” Matt shook that red head, now tinged with gray, that had led so many people over the years to assume that he and Jim were blood related.
Considering that she hadn’t lived at home for some time this could have seemed strange, but to Honey it was endearing and as she took her seat her hazel eyes shone with happiness. There were covered silver trays in the centre of the table, and she lifted a lid and smiled. “Scrambled eggs with chives, yum,” she said. “Can I serve you, Dad?”
“I should probably be serving you,” he said, but he nodded his head and held out his plate. She scooped a large spoon of fluffy yellow eggs and deposited it on his plate before adding a smaller serving to her own. Further investigation revealed the covered trays held bacon, grilled tomato and marinated mushrooms.
“Something smells good,” Jim said, coming in from the kitchen with a pot of coffee.
“You can say that again.” The French doors that led to the veranda opened and Trixie appeared.
Honey jumped up and ran to hug her friend. “Oh, Trixie, how can I ever thank you?”
“For what?” Trixie hugged back but offered her friend a puzzled frown.
“Everything! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be having this delicious breakfast with my wonderful family, including the best brother in the world, and I wouldn’t be marrying Brian, the most thoughtful, considerate—”
“Whoa, Hon. I think you’ve lost it. Pretty sure I’m not actually responsible for all of those things.”
“Yes, you are,” Honey insisted. “I’m the bride. I get to be right today.”
“I wish someone had told me that rule when I got married,” Trixie observed wryly, giving Honey another hug before taking a seat at the table.
Jim served his wife before taking his own seat. He was just pouring his coffee when the doors to the morning room flew open and Madeleine Wheeler appeared, her arms full of flowers.
“Oh!” she cried. “You’re all here already and I’d wanted to have these on the table when Honey came down. I should have known my daughter wouldn’t linger in bed on today of all days.”
“They’re beautiful, Mother. It was a lovely idea.” Honey smiled and there was a faint glisten to her wide hazel eyes.
“Come on, Maddie darling,” Matt Wheeler lifted the little silver bell and shook it before holding out his hand to his wife. “Someone will come and take care of that. You come and join your family.”
“We need you,” Trixie added. “At least I do. I need someone to stop me from eating like a horse and gaining ten pounds in this one meal.”
“But you love horses,” Jim quipped and pulled his ankles out of reach.
“You have whatever you want,” Madeleine said, rushing to the table. “You are eating for two and need to keep your strength up, and no matter how many pounds you gained you would still be just perfect!”
There was a chorus of “hear hears” around the table, and Trixie’s blue eyes twinkled.
“I’m glad I married into this family. I think I’ll stay.”
“You better not even think about leaving—ever,” Jim warned.
Madeleine smiled at Trixie, patted her son’s shoulder and then bent down to kiss Honey on the top of the head. “Happy wedding day, my beloved little girl, and thank you for being my daughter.”
In spite of her best intentions, Honey’s lips quivered and a couple of tears trickled from those glistening eyes.
“Oh, darling,” her mother cried contritely. “I didn’t intend for you to cry.”
“I’m just so happy,” Honey said. “I’m the luckiest person in the whole wide world.”
“Well,” Trixie said with an impish grin. “That luck is just about to run out—you are marrying my brother this afternoon and we all know what he can be like.”
Everyone laughed and Honey wrinkled her nose at her best friend. “Just for that,” she admonished, “I am going to spend the next five minutes extolling all of Brian’s virtues—even the ones that make you go ‘ew’.”
Trixie gave a noisy sigh. “Serves me right,” she said. “Me and my big mouth. Let me have it.”
Brian adjusted his tie, though some part of him knew it wasn’t necessary. A knock at his door made him turn his head and a smile formed as his father slipped into the room.
“Almost ready?” Peter Belden asked the son who most resembled him.
“I am ready,” Brian returned. “Have been for almost half an hour. You know me, Dad. I hate being unprepared, hate being late.”
“But you figured if you stayed up here you could avoid a little last-minute fussing?”
“No, maybe…” Brian shrugged. “I’m guessing there will be plenty of opportunity for fussing today. I just wanted a little time to myself first.”
“Is that a subtle hint for me to leave you alone?”
“Not at all. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Well, Jim’s got everything under control over at the Manor House and Mart’s just left to take your mother and Bobby over. I imagine Jim will be back soon and we’ll escort the groom to the ceremony.”
“I do know the way,” Brian said with a slight smile.
“That’s true enough.” Father came to stand beside son, and their reflection in the mirror made the relationship even more apparent.
“Nervous?”
Brian laughed softly and shook his dark head. “No. Happy…lucky. I have pinched myself a couple of times to make sure I’m not dreaming. There was a time when I wasn’t sure this would happen.” He sank down onto the bed, and his father dropped down beside him. “You had your doubts, too, didn’t you, Dad? I know you weren’t too keen on our teenage romances.”
“I wouldn’t say that exactly,” Peter Belden protested. “I admit I was concerned when you all seemed to pair off without having gone out into the world. That doesn’t always work out.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. I knew it—even at the time. But no matter how many times I told myself how unlikely it was that our relationships would last, I couldn’t change the way I felt, and believe me, I know how that sounds.”
“Sounds as if some part of you knew and trusted your heart,” his father said simply.
Brian’s dark brows lifted in surprise.
“Brian, I hope you know that your mother and I are almost as happy about today as you and Honey. You’ve waited longer and you’ve been through more ups and downs, but I think we may have known before you did that this day would come.”
“Really?”
For a moment Brian looked just like the eager but serious teenager who’d brought home his first car and looked out for his more impulsive, outgoing siblings.
“Really.” Peter lifted a hand and placed it on his son’s shoulder. “I know I told you to be cautious, and I know I reminded you more than once that how you felt at nineteen or twenty might not be how you felt in ten years time, but Brian, don’t think for a minute that I didn’t see how much you and Honey love one another.”
“I do love her, Dad. My life just doesn’t make sense without her.”
“I know how that feels.”
“I hope I’m as good a husband and father as you’ve been,” Brian said sincerely.
“Don’t kid yourself. I had my not-so-stellar moments.”
“I can’t think of any.”
“I couldn’t have had a better partner in life than your mother or more wonderful children. I’m proud of each and every one of you and I want to thank you.”
“Thank me?” Brian looked bemused.
“Almost your whole life you’ve been responsible, Brian. From the moment we brought Trixie home from the hospital and told you to watch her in her crib while your mother took care of Mart. Almost two hours later and there you were in one of those little plastic chairs, pulled right up to the crib, watching her like a hawk.” Peter shook his silver streaked head. “From that moment on, you were the big brother and the responsible one.”
“Something that drove my brothers and sister crazy over the years. I may have taken the role a little too seriously sometimes.”
“They all turned out alright, didn’t they?”
“I guess they did,” Brian agreed.
“Let’s head downstairs. Jim will be here soon and you don’t want to keep Honey waiting, do you?”
“Definitely not. I’ve done that enough in the past and because of my job I’m guessing I’ll do it again, so today I want to be the one waiting.”
Together, father and son left the room.
“Almost ready?” Trixie asked, slipping into Honey’s room—a place almost as familiar as her own room at Crabapple Farm.
Honey turned to face her friend.
“Wow!” Trixie said. “I mean wow. Honey, you look gorgeous.”
“Really?” Honey smoothed her hands over the cream dress that flowed around her slender frame, its hem dancing just above her ankles. “You don’t think I should have worn my hair up?”
Trixie studied her for a moment—small jewelled combs secured the hair that had helped earn Honey her name, up and away from her face, but the rest fell to her shoulders, much as it had when they first met. “Di’s probably the one you should ask, but I think you look perfectly perfect. Brian will too. Of course he’d think that if you were covered in paint or dirt or something even more disgusting.”
“Oh, Trix, I love you so.” Honey ran to her friend and hugged her.
“Hey!” Trixie protested. “If I crease you they will kill me.”
“I’m increasable!” Honey declared. “Or is that uncreasable? Non-creasable?”
“Come on, you two.” Diana’s beautiful face appeared in the doorway. “Trix, they want us downstairs, and Honey, your dad is just about ready for you.”
“Group hug first,” Honey cried and the three friends embraced, smiling.
Arm in arm, Diana and Trixie headed for the door. Trixie turned at the last minute. “Break a leg, Hon. See you when you’re a Belden, too.”
The weather was a perfect friend—bright blue sky, scattered with impossibly light, fluffy clouds, the slightest of breezes stirring the air. It was a halcyon day—a gift from the universe to the betrothed. Folding chairs were laid out across the Manor House’s exquisitely manicured lawns. Mart’s bower drew guests along the meandering paths to their seats and invited the couple to the beautifully wrought dais where they would exchange their vows.
Dan and Bobby guided the attendees, decked out in their finery, to their places, while a quartet played Bach and Vivaldi. Hearing this, Gabrielle Hart, outfitted in a cream embroidered gold suit, nodded her head in approval and even smiled as Andrew Belden took a seat beside her. Ben Riker, seated on the other side of his grandmother, glanced around and, catching Mart’s eye, grinned and nodded his blonde head. Hallie and Cap Belden were sitting with Aunt Alicia, and as Mart passed, Hallie extended a sandal-clad foot, revealing green toenails. She winked and he winked back.
Mrs. Vanderpoel sat with Mr. Maypenny, Regan and Miss Trask, all beaming as they chatted and watched the other guests take their seats. Friends and family gathered and waited, all heads turning as Peter and Helen Belden slipped into their front row seats. Helen wore a suit of the palest blue. They made a handsome couple. Mart escorted Madeleine Wheeler, elegant and beautiful in a simple pale gold and green satin sheath, to her seat and bowed to both women, eliciting a light ripple of gentle laughter from the assembly, and moved to the dais.
The music faded to the softest of lulls as Mart took the microphone. “Dear wedding guests,” he said. “That time has come. The reason for us all meeting here today. Many of you may be expecting a flowery speech from me, redolent with effusions and complex words, rich, colourful and definitely lacking in brevity and simplicity.”
Another ripple of laughter.
“I may yet surprise you. I am honoured to have been asked to shepherd you all through today’s proceedings, just I am an honoured to be the groom’s brother. He is a man of strength and integrity, and I am proud to be related to him. I am equally honoured to call his fiancée—soon, very soon, to be his wife and ergo, my sister—my friend. She is a woman of grace and compassion. I ask you all to stand now as, against tradition, but decreed by the bride—the groom and his best man make their way to you.
Brian and Jim, side by side, both walking tall, approached the gathering not from the aisle but from the path beyond the dais. There were smiles, and it must be confessed, a few tears as they made their way to Mart and took up their positions.
Mart’s own expression suggested he might be finding the moment moving, but he turned his gaze from his brother to the guests. “And now, please welcome the bride’s attendants, the resplendent and talented Diana Lynch-Belden and the indomitable and appealing Trixie Belden-Frayne.
Heads turned and watched as first Diana, then Trixie, slowly made their way down the path, their lavender and blue gowns, respectively, flowing gently around them. They carried simple bouquets and smiled and nodded as they passed friends and family before joining Brian and Jim at the dais.
“And now,” Mart said with a wave of his hand. “The bride herself, escorted by her distinguished father.” All heads turned as Matthew Wheeler, tall, strong, proud, led his daughter down the path and to her future.
Honey smiled as face after familiar face turned to watch her walk down the aisle, and then her gaze found and focused on the reason for it all.
Brian’s dark eyes locked with her hazel ones and for a single second it was just the two of them— suspended in a moment in time—he didn’t need to say a word. He was waiting and he was hers.
“I think I’m not letting any secrets out of the bag when I say that I’m known as the practical Belden,” Brian said, and there was a light ripple of laughter. The ceremony thus far had gone without a hitch, and the couple were now exchanging their vows.
“The logical one, the one who makes plans and sticks to them. Who weighs up the pros and cons of actions. It’s also no surprise when I say that marrying this woman lives up to every one of those logical, practical, analytical processes. Anyone who knows Honey knows that it makes perfect sense for me to marry her.” He tightened his grip on his bride’s hand. “The thing is,” he continued, “there is nothing logical or practical or rational about the way I feel about her—there never has been. She was, is, will always be the one person who stops me in my tracks. Who derails my thoughts and even my carefully laid plans. To put it simply—she takes my breath away. I might be better at disguising my feelings than my siblings, but that doesn’t alter the power of them or the power Honey has over them. I’m still inclined to retreat into logic, still inclined to be stubborn, proud and overprotective, still inclined to get wrapped up in my work, but, and it’s a big but, my life without her in it is insignificant. I love her more than words can describe. I don’t have my brother’s gift when it comes to that sort of thing.”
If he’d lifted his gaze from Honey’s, Brian might have questioned that last statement. Jim’s green eyes were glistening, Trixie’s round blue ones were furiously blinking, and his wordsmith brother was doing likewise. Both Helen Belden and Madeleine Wheeler were openly weeping happy tears, and Diana’s violet eyes were swimming. Even Dan and Bobby looked a little emotional.
But all Brian saw was the shimmer in those soft, wide, bee-yootiful hazel eyes that had captured his attention and his heart so many years earlier. A single tear escaped and slid down her cheek and he lifted a hand to wipe at it tenderly. He smiled down at her.
“You can’t honestly expect me to say anything after that,” she said, causing another ripple to run through the guests and the bridal party. “My Brian, quiet, reserved, the non-wordy Belden. Who knew? The truth is,” and though her voice broke just a little, her gaze was steady, “I knew. Because for the longest time—even when we weren’t exactly on the same page—you haven’t hidden your heart from me. You showed me all the warmth and tenderness and playfulness you sometimes thought you had to keep from the world in general. You made me feel loved and safe and significant and necessary. You helped me to believe in myself—to believe in us. Your arms wrap around me and I know I can lean on you—count on you. But more than that, I know that you know you can lean on me, too. Maybe, more than anything else that’s the thing I love you most for. Though I admit it’s difficult to pick one thing.”
More smiles, though Trixie did allow herself a very small eyeroll.
“I love you, Brian,” Honey continued.
“And I love you, Honey.”
“And I,” the minister said with a smile for the couple, “now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
There was silence as Brian Belden, tall dark, impossibly handsome, lowered his head and kissed Honey Wheeler, golden-haired, slender and glowing. When they finally drew apart and turned their gaze towards their friends and family, the minister nodded his head in approval.
“I give, you, ladies and gentleman, Mr. and Mrs. Brian Belden.”
As the guests applauded and cameras flashed. Trixie gave an exaggerated sigh.
“About time,” she said. “I thought they’d never get there.”
Honey and Brian exchanged knowing glances. “She’s your best friend,” said the latter.
“She’s your sister,” Honey returned.
“Yours too,” Brian countered and amid the laughter that followed, Trixie dashed to the couple and flung her arms around them.
“I guess I’m stuck with you both then,” she said happily.
“Yes, you are,” Honey confirmed.
“And we,” Brian added, “are stuck with one another, Mrs. Belden.”
“Forever and ever.” Honey said, and ignoring their waiting guests for just a moment the two locked gazes and, as Trixie slipped away to join Jim, the newest Mr. and Mrs. Belden began their life together.
Trixie held out the small parcel and Brian took it from her, his expression uncertain. “I think Honey’s talking to her aunt at the moment. Should I get her?”
“No.” Trixie shook her head. “This just a little something I got for you. The Bob-Whites bought a group gift and Jim and I picked out something just from us. It’s what people do,” she added when he started to protest. “But this, this is a little something just between us.”
“Really?” Brian looked intrigued.
“Of course you kinda spoiled it with that whole lovey dovey speech after the vows.”
“Sorry about that,” Brian said with a twinkle in his dark eyes.
“Talk about schmaltzy.”
“Yeah, well I guess the day is having an affect on me.” Brian wasn’t fooled for a moment. He’d finally caught a glimpse of his sister’s face, and he knew her better than most.
“Anyway, I almost wasn’t going to give this to you and then I thought…”
“Why waste the paper?” Brian quipped.
Trixie nodded. “I know how you and Honey both go on and on about being practical and sensible.”
“That’s us alright—always going on and on about something.” He smiled down at his sister. “Now, do I need to protect myself while I’m opening this? We haven’t finished with the photos yet, and Honey would never forgive me if I got stuff all over it.”
“You’ll be safe.” Trixie held up her hand, fingers crossed. “I would never do anything to upset my best friend on her wedding day.”
“Your big brother is a whole other story, right?” Brian lifted a dark brow.
“Hell, yeah,” Trixie said impudently. “Brothers are fair game.”
With his customary care, Brian opened the parcel. When he saw its contents, a smile spread across his handsome face. “It’s perfect, Trixie,” he said.
“Now there are two of them, but I hasten to add that they are for you and me, not you and Honey. We all know what she’s like. I’ll never get her into one.”
“You don’t actually expect me to debut this today, do you? Much as I love and appreciate it.”
“I refer you to my earlier comment regarding upsetting my best friend and your bride, I mean wife.”
“Good.” Brian bent down and pulled his sister into a hug. “I do love you, Trix. You know that, right?”
“How could you not?” she returned beatifically. “When I heap such effusive praise upon your head.”
“Oh, yes. I know how lucky I am and I’m going to make a deal with you right now.”
“Yes?”
“First picnic at the boathouse, you and me—a matched set, okay?”
“Deal,” she said, holding out her hand.
Brian shook it then held out the t-shirts she had given him. One was navy, the other red and they were emblazoned with big white letters:
Brian Belden is a big fat,
stubborn jerk
“I knew I could count on you, sis,” he said.
“Always, big brother, always.”
The food was delicious, the wine and soda flowed, people milled and talked and smiled and shared.
“Time for the bridal waltz,” Brian said as he claimed his wife.
“More time in your arms? However will I cope?” Honey teased.
“You’ll learn to live with it. I just hope today was what you wanted. I know I’ve loved every second.”
“I think everyone had a wonderful time, even Grandmother.” Honey nodded toward a table where her grandmother sat with Ben and Mr. Maypenny.
“She had a second serve of hunter’s stew,” Brian said, grinning.
“She did, did she?”
The dance was announced and as the strains of “Almost Like Being in Love” floated across the patio, Brian gathered his new wife in his arms, and the guests applauded before joining the couple.
“Did you enjoy your dinner?”
“It was scrumptious and the company even scrumptiouser.”
“There you go again, inventing words.”
“Bride’s privilege.” Honey glanced around, seeing her parents, her newly acquired in-laws, Diana and Mart, Trixie and Jim, the Delanoys, Regan and Miss Trask, and so many of the people she loved and cared about.
“I do so love you, Honey,” Brian murmured. “I really do hope today has been as wonderful for you as it has been for me. You’ve brought so much to my life.”
“Even more wonderful. Today has given me everything—it gave me you.”
THE MANOR HOUSE LIBRARY
Word Count 5542
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Dana's willingness to take on editing my stories is one of the main reasons I've been able to finish and post my tales. Thank you is not enough. "Almost Like Being in Love" is a song by Lerner and Lowe and was featured in the musical and movie "Brigadoon". It seemed to me to suit Honey and Brian well. The t-shirt Trixie gives to Brian refers back to a scene in the Phantom Door Knocker. My thanks to every person who takes the time to read my words. It means the world to me. Owing to an imbalance in the universe Trixie Belden et al belong to Random House and not to the Jix conglomerate—go figure. No profit is being made from these scribblings.
It was funny really, she thought as she lay quietly, letting the day’s beginning unfold around her. For all of their years together as a couple, she and Brian had not spent all that much time living under the same roof, and yet, after only weeks of continued co-habitation, she felt his absence already. But all of that was about to change.
She stretched again and glanced at the bedside clock: six-forty-five. It was still early and there was no need to hurry— the ceremony wasn’t until one-thirty, and owing to the fact that she’d gotten the small, simple wedding she so longed for, there wasn’t that much preparation needed.
Her dress was hanging in full view, shoes, jewellery all laid out ready. Her suitcase was packed with everything she would need for their romantic escape. Diana had presented her with a host of new lingerie, perfect for a new bride. At least, Honey thought, perfect for this new bride—lace, silk and cotton sets in pale yellow, green and bright red—sexy in a simple, casual way. Brian would love them.
When her mother had broached the subject of the honeymoon, she’d wondered if that might be the battle she and Brian had to lose. Her parents’ willingness to give her the simple wedding she longed for had been a pleasant surprise. She’d dreaded the idea of an extravaganza: expensive, exclusive, lavish—she hadn’t wanted anything like that. All she wanted was to marry the man she loved, surrounded by her close friends and family.
Yes, she wanted to look pretty on her wedding day and to have a delicious meal, but that was it. Wheeler and Hart millions aside, she didn’t want showy or fancy, and luckily it seemed her mother and father understood. Of course, she knew them well enough to realize that at some point she would have some compromises of her own to make.
Already there were a couple of distant family members who’d been included at her grandmother’s insistence. Still, Honey figured four or five unwanted guests was nothing compared to the circus of a wedding she could have been facing, and as for their honeymoon, well that had worked out too.
Just after she and Brian had announced their engagement, her father had started dropping hints about a honeymoon trip: Hawaii, Paris, California, Venice—they all got a mention. And whenever he brought up some new and exotic destination after the wedding date had been set, he always prefaced it with, “Seeing that it’s such a simple wedding…”. In the end, Honey had gone directly to her mother. It was strange that during this time, it was her mother she’d been able to turn to; usually her father was the one she found easy to talk to. Her mother had simply smiled when she’d brought up the idea of the newlyweds using the cottage in Maine for their honeymoon. Honey had stressed that they did not have a lot of time for their trip and reminded her mother how much the two of them loved the place. The plan had been approved and pronounced “perfectly perfect” and Honey had breathed another sigh of relief.
A soft tap at her door made her turn her head, and she sat up in bed before calling, “Come in.”
The door opened and her tall, redheaded brother entered the room carrying a frothy glass of juice. “Good morning, Miss Wheeler,” he said, exaggerating her name.
“Mother wanted me to check and see if the bride-to-be was awake.”
“Mother’s up already?” Honey’s finely shaped brows lifted in disbelief.
“It’s not every day your only daughter walks down the aisle,” Jim said, depositing the juice on one of Honey’s night tables. “There are things to do.”
He sat on his sister’s bed, his expression warm and affectionate.
Honey felt tears forming in her eyes and threw her arms around this man who had made such a difference in her life. “Thank you,” she said.
“What for?”
“Being my brother.” In spite of her best intentions, Honey sniffed.
Jim laughed gently. “It’s obviously made you very happy,” he teased.
Honey released her hold, slapped him and reached for her juice. “Mm, orange and grapefruit with a squeeze of lemon—my favourite.”
Jim made a face. “For such a sweet person you sure have weird taste in juice, little sister.”
She wrinkled her nose at him and took another sip. “I’m getting married today,” she said with a shake of her head.
“You know I heard something about that.” Jim’s brow furrowed. “What was it again? Some sort of shindig here at the Manor House, you, a fancy dress, lots of food, a guy—what’s his name again?”
“I’m going to tell him that his so-called best friend was mercilessly teasing his wife-to-be or… your sister, Brian’s wife-to-be that is—Trixie is your wife already so obviously I don’t mean her and I’m your sister…” she trailed off as Jim began to shake with laughter.
He reached over and wrapped her in a hug. “Oh, how I love Honey-speak,” he said. “There’s nothing quite like it.”
“Thank god,” Honey said. “Hardly anyone in the world would understand anyone else if it were rampant.”
“Trixie understands it perfectly and Brian does a fair job too. Most of the Bob-Whites can follow your less-than-linear conversations just fine.”
“Linear schminear,” Honey said dismissively.
“Don’t let Mart hear you inventing words again. He’d tell you—”
“There are an inexhaustible, inordinate number of verbally appropriate selections from which you can draw a response that it is both unerring and edifying. Why, Honey, must you resort to these manufactured lexeme?” Honey intoned.
Jim snorted. “That was impressive.”
“I’ve heard it before, or a variation of it anyway,” Honey said. “And I have a good memory and a pretty fair vocabulary of my own.”
“That’s true, you do.”
“So, to what do I owe the honour of my very own full-blooded adopted brother being here at this hour instead of at home with his own very beautiful wife?”
“I just wanted to see my sister before all the craziness starts. We know you and knew you wouldn’t be lazing about in bed until nine. Trix was going to take a shower then she will be down to do her matron-of-honour duties.” Jim took one of Honey’s slender hands in his. “All kidding aside, sis, I’m honoured to have you as my sister. You are a big part of why I’m a man who is happy and satisfied with his life.”
“I didn’t do anything.” Honey felt the tears threatening again. “Trixie was the one who helped find your great-uncle’s treasure, and Mother and Dad adopted you, and you were already wonderful.”
“Don’t correct your elders, little sister. You were, still are, the sweetest person I’d ever met aside from my mom. You weren’t sure of your own place in the world, but you wanted to make everyone else feel secure. I’ve watched you grow into a loving, confident, capable woman, and I’m proud to be part of your family.”
A couple of those tears slide down Honey’s cheeks, but she smiled. “Just as well I haven’t done my make-up yet,” she said.
“See, there was method in my early morning madness. And I wanted to give you this.” He held out a small velvet box and Honey took it, her hazel eyes questioning.
“Open it,” Jim said, his voice husky.
Honey flipped the lid and her eyes widened. A tiny filigree broach nestled inside, studded with minute pale blue stones. “It’s beautiful,” she said.
“It was my grandmother’s,” Jim explained. “You know that when Trixie and I married, Juliana sent some things from Holland, including the sapphire earrings Trixie wore that day. Well, there were a couple of other pieces. We’ve kept one for any possible daughter, but I wanted you to have this.”
“But, I can’t,” Honey protested. “What if you have two daughters?”
“What if I do?” Jim shook his head. “I have one sister and today she’s getting married, and I want to give her something special; something that unites my birth family with my adopted family. Are you telling me that the sweetest girl I know is going to deny the brother she claims to love, that privilege?”
Honey fingered the broach carefully. “No. I am going to accept it and wear it with love and gratitude. Thank you, James Winthrop Frayne the Second.”
“You’re welcome, Honey Madeleine Gabrielle Wheeler. Does Brian know how many women he’s marrying today?”
“Yes, and he loves each and every one of them.”
“I should go and report back to mother. And don’t even think about saying no to breakfast. Apparently, we don’t want you fainting on your wedding day.”
“When do I ever skip breakfast?” Honey demanded. “But I’m coming down. I’m not eating my last breakfast as a single woman in bed and that’s a fact.”
Breakfast was served in the smaller, light-filled room that the Wheeler’s favoured for intimate family meals, instead of the large, formal dining room.
“Daddy!” Honey exclaimed, using the childhood name, as she entered the room. She was beginning to feel like Alice, capable of believing six impossible things before breakfast. “I didn’t even know you were home.”
“Where else would I be on my daughter’s wedding day?” Matthew Wheeler placed the newspaper he had been reading on the table and smiled up at her.
Honey threw her arms around her father and returned the smile. “You had a late meeting last night, so I just assumed you’d stay at the apartment and come home later this morning.”
“And miss seeing my girl come down for her last breakfast as a single woman?” Matt shook that red head, now tinged with gray, that had led so many people over the years to assume that he and Jim were blood related.
Considering that she hadn’t lived at home for some time this could have seemed strange, but to Honey it was endearing and as she took her seat her hazel eyes shone with happiness. There were covered silver trays in the centre of the table, and she lifted a lid and smiled. “Scrambled eggs with chives, yum,” she said. “Can I serve you, Dad?”
“I should probably be serving you,” he said, but he nodded his head and held out his plate. She scooped a large spoon of fluffy yellow eggs and deposited it on his plate before adding a smaller serving to her own. Further investigation revealed the covered trays held bacon, grilled tomato and marinated mushrooms.
“Something smells good,” Jim said, coming in from the kitchen with a pot of coffee.
“You can say that again.” The French doors that led to the veranda opened and Trixie appeared.
Honey jumped up and ran to hug her friend. “Oh, Trixie, how can I ever thank you?”
“For what?” Trixie hugged back but offered her friend a puzzled frown.
“Everything! If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be having this delicious breakfast with my wonderful family, including the best brother in the world, and I wouldn’t be marrying Brian, the most thoughtful, considerate—”
“Whoa, Hon. I think you’ve lost it. Pretty sure I’m not actually responsible for all of those things.”
“Yes, you are,” Honey insisted. “I’m the bride. I get to be right today.”
“I wish someone had told me that rule when I got married,” Trixie observed wryly, giving Honey another hug before taking a seat at the table.
Jim served his wife before taking his own seat. He was just pouring his coffee when the doors to the morning room flew open and Madeleine Wheeler appeared, her arms full of flowers.
“Oh!” she cried. “You’re all here already and I’d wanted to have these on the table when Honey came down. I should have known my daughter wouldn’t linger in bed on today of all days.”
“They’re beautiful, Mother. It was a lovely idea.” Honey smiled and there was a faint glisten to her wide hazel eyes.
“Come on, Maddie darling,” Matt Wheeler lifted the little silver bell and shook it before holding out his hand to his wife. “Someone will come and take care of that. You come and join your family.”
“We need you,” Trixie added. “At least I do. I need someone to stop me from eating like a horse and gaining ten pounds in this one meal.”
“But you love horses,” Jim quipped and pulled his ankles out of reach.
“You have whatever you want,” Madeleine said, rushing to the table. “You are eating for two and need to keep your strength up, and no matter how many pounds you gained you would still be just perfect!”
There was a chorus of “hear hears” around the table, and Trixie’s blue eyes twinkled.
“I’m glad I married into this family. I think I’ll stay.”
“You better not even think about leaving—ever,” Jim warned.
Madeleine smiled at Trixie, patted her son’s shoulder and then bent down to kiss Honey on the top of the head. “Happy wedding day, my beloved little girl, and thank you for being my daughter.”
In spite of her best intentions, Honey’s lips quivered and a couple of tears trickled from those glistening eyes.
“Oh, darling,” her mother cried contritely. “I didn’t intend for you to cry.”
“I’m just so happy,” Honey said. “I’m the luckiest person in the whole wide world.”
“Well,” Trixie said with an impish grin. “That luck is just about to run out—you are marrying my brother this afternoon and we all know what he can be like.”
Everyone laughed and Honey wrinkled her nose at her best friend. “Just for that,” she admonished, “I am going to spend the next five minutes extolling all of Brian’s virtues—even the ones that make you go ‘ew’.”
Trixie gave a noisy sigh. “Serves me right,” she said. “Me and my big mouth. Let me have it.”
Brian adjusted his tie, though some part of him knew it wasn’t necessary. A knock at his door made him turn his head and a smile formed as his father slipped into the room.
“Almost ready?” Peter Belden asked the son who most resembled him.
“I am ready,” Brian returned. “Have been for almost half an hour. You know me, Dad. I hate being unprepared, hate being late.”
“But you figured if you stayed up here you could avoid a little last-minute fussing?”
“No, maybe…” Brian shrugged. “I’m guessing there will be plenty of opportunity for fussing today. I just wanted a little time to myself first.”
“Is that a subtle hint for me to leave you alone?”
“Not at all. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Well, Jim’s got everything under control over at the Manor House and Mart’s just left to take your mother and Bobby over. I imagine Jim will be back soon and we’ll escort the groom to the ceremony.”
“I do know the way,” Brian said with a slight smile.
“That’s true enough.” Father came to stand beside son, and their reflection in the mirror made the relationship even more apparent.
“Nervous?”
Brian laughed softly and shook his dark head. “No. Happy…lucky. I have pinched myself a couple of times to make sure I’m not dreaming. There was a time when I wasn’t sure this would happen.” He sank down onto the bed, and his father dropped down beside him. “You had your doubts, too, didn’t you, Dad? I know you weren’t too keen on our teenage romances.”
“I wouldn’t say that exactly,” Peter Belden protested. “I admit I was concerned when you all seemed to pair off without having gone out into the world. That doesn’t always work out.”
“You don’t have to tell me that. I knew it—even at the time. But no matter how many times I told myself how unlikely it was that our relationships would last, I couldn’t change the way I felt, and believe me, I know how that sounds.”
“Sounds as if some part of you knew and trusted your heart,” his father said simply.
Brian’s dark brows lifted in surprise.
“Brian, I hope you know that your mother and I are almost as happy about today as you and Honey. You’ve waited longer and you’ve been through more ups and downs, but I think we may have known before you did that this day would come.”
“Really?”
For a moment Brian looked just like the eager but serious teenager who’d brought home his first car and looked out for his more impulsive, outgoing siblings.
“Really.” Peter lifted a hand and placed it on his son’s shoulder. “I know I told you to be cautious, and I know I reminded you more than once that how you felt at nineteen or twenty might not be how you felt in ten years time, but Brian, don’t think for a minute that I didn’t see how much you and Honey love one another.”
“I do love her, Dad. My life just doesn’t make sense without her.”
“I know how that feels.”
“I hope I’m as good a husband and father as you’ve been,” Brian said sincerely.
“Don’t kid yourself. I had my not-so-stellar moments.”
“I can’t think of any.”
“I couldn’t have had a better partner in life than your mother or more wonderful children. I’m proud of each and every one of you and I want to thank you.”
“Thank me?” Brian looked bemused.
“Almost your whole life you’ve been responsible, Brian. From the moment we brought Trixie home from the hospital and told you to watch her in her crib while your mother took care of Mart. Almost two hours later and there you were in one of those little plastic chairs, pulled right up to the crib, watching her like a hawk.” Peter shook his silver streaked head. “From that moment on, you were the big brother and the responsible one.”
“Something that drove my brothers and sister crazy over the years. I may have taken the role a little too seriously sometimes.”
“They all turned out alright, didn’t they?”
“I guess they did,” Brian agreed.
“Let’s head downstairs. Jim will be here soon and you don’t want to keep Honey waiting, do you?”
“Definitely not. I’ve done that enough in the past and because of my job I’m guessing I’ll do it again, so today I want to be the one waiting.”
Together, father and son left the room.
“Almost ready?” Trixie asked, slipping into Honey’s room—a place almost as familiar as her own room at Crabapple Farm.
Honey turned to face her friend.
“Wow!” Trixie said. “I mean wow. Honey, you look gorgeous.”
“Really?” Honey smoothed her hands over the cream dress that flowed around her slender frame, its hem dancing just above her ankles. “You don’t think I should have worn my hair up?”
Trixie studied her for a moment—small jewelled combs secured the hair that had helped earn Honey her name, up and away from her face, but the rest fell to her shoulders, much as it had when they first met. “Di’s probably the one you should ask, but I think you look perfectly perfect. Brian will too. Of course he’d think that if you were covered in paint or dirt or something even more disgusting.”
“Oh, Trix, I love you so.” Honey ran to her friend and hugged her.
“Hey!” Trixie protested. “If I crease you they will kill me.”
“I’m increasable!” Honey declared. “Or is that uncreasable? Non-creasable?”
“Come on, you two.” Diana’s beautiful face appeared in the doorway. “Trix, they want us downstairs, and Honey, your dad is just about ready for you.”
“Group hug first,” Honey cried and the three friends embraced, smiling.
Arm in arm, Diana and Trixie headed for the door. Trixie turned at the last minute. “Break a leg, Hon. See you when you’re a Belden, too.”
The weather was a perfect friend—bright blue sky, scattered with impossibly light, fluffy clouds, the slightest of breezes stirring the air. It was a halcyon day—a gift from the universe to the betrothed. Folding chairs were laid out across the Manor House’s exquisitely manicured lawns. Mart’s bower drew guests along the meandering paths to their seats and invited the couple to the beautifully wrought dais where they would exchange their vows.
Dan and Bobby guided the attendees, decked out in their finery, to their places, while a quartet played Bach and Vivaldi. Hearing this, Gabrielle Hart, outfitted in a cream embroidered gold suit, nodded her head in approval and even smiled as Andrew Belden took a seat beside her. Ben Riker, seated on the other side of his grandmother, glanced around and, catching Mart’s eye, grinned and nodded his blonde head. Hallie and Cap Belden were sitting with Aunt Alicia, and as Mart passed, Hallie extended a sandal-clad foot, revealing green toenails. She winked and he winked back.
Mrs. Vanderpoel sat with Mr. Maypenny, Regan and Miss Trask, all beaming as they chatted and watched the other guests take their seats. Friends and family gathered and waited, all heads turning as Peter and Helen Belden slipped into their front row seats. Helen wore a suit of the palest blue. They made a handsome couple. Mart escorted Madeleine Wheeler, elegant and beautiful in a simple pale gold and green satin sheath, to her seat and bowed to both women, eliciting a light ripple of gentle laughter from the assembly, and moved to the dais.
The music faded to the softest of lulls as Mart took the microphone. “Dear wedding guests,” he said. “That time has come. The reason for us all meeting here today. Many of you may be expecting a flowery speech from me, redolent with effusions and complex words, rich, colourful and definitely lacking in brevity and simplicity.”
Another ripple of laughter.
“I may yet surprise you. I am honoured to have been asked to shepherd you all through today’s proceedings, just I am an honoured to be the groom’s brother. He is a man of strength and integrity, and I am proud to be related to him. I am equally honoured to call his fiancée—soon, very soon, to be his wife and ergo, my sister—my friend. She is a woman of grace and compassion. I ask you all to stand now as, against tradition, but decreed by the bride—the groom and his best man make their way to you.
Brian and Jim, side by side, both walking tall, approached the gathering not from the aisle but from the path beyond the dais. There were smiles, and it must be confessed, a few tears as they made their way to Mart and took up their positions.
Mart’s own expression suggested he might be finding the moment moving, but he turned his gaze from his brother to the guests. “And now, please welcome the bride’s attendants, the resplendent and talented Diana Lynch-Belden and the indomitable and appealing Trixie Belden-Frayne.
Heads turned and watched as first Diana, then Trixie, slowly made their way down the path, their lavender and blue gowns, respectively, flowing gently around them. They carried simple bouquets and smiled and nodded as they passed friends and family before joining Brian and Jim at the dais.
“And now,” Mart said with a wave of his hand. “The bride herself, escorted by her distinguished father.” All heads turned as Matthew Wheeler, tall, strong, proud, led his daughter down the path and to her future.
Honey smiled as face after familiar face turned to watch her walk down the aisle, and then her gaze found and focused on the reason for it all.
Brian’s dark eyes locked with her hazel ones and for a single second it was just the two of them— suspended in a moment in time—he didn’t need to say a word. He was waiting and he was hers.
“I think I’m not letting any secrets out of the bag when I say that I’m known as the practical Belden,” Brian said, and there was a light ripple of laughter. The ceremony thus far had gone without a hitch, and the couple were now exchanging their vows.
“The logical one, the one who makes plans and sticks to them. Who weighs up the pros and cons of actions. It’s also no surprise when I say that marrying this woman lives up to every one of those logical, practical, analytical processes. Anyone who knows Honey knows that it makes perfect sense for me to marry her.” He tightened his grip on his bride’s hand. “The thing is,” he continued, “there is nothing logical or practical or rational about the way I feel about her—there never has been. She was, is, will always be the one person who stops me in my tracks. Who derails my thoughts and even my carefully laid plans. To put it simply—she takes my breath away. I might be better at disguising my feelings than my siblings, but that doesn’t alter the power of them or the power Honey has over them. I’m still inclined to retreat into logic, still inclined to be stubborn, proud and overprotective, still inclined to get wrapped up in my work, but, and it’s a big but, my life without her in it is insignificant. I love her more than words can describe. I don’t have my brother’s gift when it comes to that sort of thing.”
If he’d lifted his gaze from Honey’s, Brian might have questioned that last statement. Jim’s green eyes were glistening, Trixie’s round blue ones were furiously blinking, and his wordsmith brother was doing likewise. Both Helen Belden and Madeleine Wheeler were openly weeping happy tears, and Diana’s violet eyes were swimming. Even Dan and Bobby looked a little emotional.
But all Brian saw was the shimmer in those soft, wide, bee-yootiful hazel eyes that had captured his attention and his heart so many years earlier. A single tear escaped and slid down her cheek and he lifted a hand to wipe at it tenderly. He smiled down at her.
“You can’t honestly expect me to say anything after that,” she said, causing another ripple to run through the guests and the bridal party. “My Brian, quiet, reserved, the non-wordy Belden. Who knew? The truth is,” and though her voice broke just a little, her gaze was steady, “I knew. Because for the longest time—even when we weren’t exactly on the same page—you haven’t hidden your heart from me. You showed me all the warmth and tenderness and playfulness you sometimes thought you had to keep from the world in general. You made me feel loved and safe and significant and necessary. You helped me to believe in myself—to believe in us. Your arms wrap around me and I know I can lean on you—count on you. But more than that, I know that you know you can lean on me, too. Maybe, more than anything else that’s the thing I love you most for. Though I admit it’s difficult to pick one thing.”
More smiles, though Trixie did allow herself a very small eyeroll.
“I love you, Brian,” Honey continued.
“And I love you, Honey.”
“And I,” the minister said with a smile for the couple, “now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
There was silence as Brian Belden, tall dark, impossibly handsome, lowered his head and kissed Honey Wheeler, golden-haired, slender and glowing. When they finally drew apart and turned their gaze towards their friends and family, the minister nodded his head in approval.
“I give, you, ladies and gentleman, Mr. and Mrs. Brian Belden.”
As the guests applauded and cameras flashed. Trixie gave an exaggerated sigh.
“About time,” she said. “I thought they’d never get there.”
Honey and Brian exchanged knowing glances. “She’s your best friend,” said the latter.
“She’s your sister,” Honey returned.
“Yours too,” Brian countered and amid the laughter that followed, Trixie dashed to the couple and flung her arms around them.
“I guess I’m stuck with you both then,” she said happily.
“Yes, you are,” Honey confirmed.
“And we,” Brian added, “are stuck with one another, Mrs. Belden.”
“Forever and ever.” Honey said, and ignoring their waiting guests for just a moment the two locked gazes and, as Trixie slipped away to join Jim, the newest Mr. and Mrs. Belden began their life together.
Trixie held out the small parcel and Brian took it from her, his expression uncertain. “I think Honey’s talking to her aunt at the moment. Should I get her?”
“No.” Trixie shook her head. “This just a little something I got for you. The Bob-Whites bought a group gift and Jim and I picked out something just from us. It’s what people do,” she added when he started to protest. “But this, this is a little something just between us.”
“Really?” Brian looked intrigued.
“Of course you kinda spoiled it with that whole lovey dovey speech after the vows.”
“Sorry about that,” Brian said with a twinkle in his dark eyes.
“Talk about schmaltzy.”
“Yeah, well I guess the day is having an affect on me.” Brian wasn’t fooled for a moment. He’d finally caught a glimpse of his sister’s face, and he knew her better than most.
“Anyway, I almost wasn’t going to give this to you and then I thought…”
“Why waste the paper?” Brian quipped.
Trixie nodded. “I know how you and Honey both go on and on about being practical and sensible.”
“That’s us alright—always going on and on about something.” He smiled down at his sister. “Now, do I need to protect myself while I’m opening this? We haven’t finished with the photos yet, and Honey would never forgive me if I got stuff all over it.”
“You’ll be safe.” Trixie held up her hand, fingers crossed. “I would never do anything to upset my best friend on her wedding day.”
“Your big brother is a whole other story, right?” Brian lifted a dark brow.
“Hell, yeah,” Trixie said impudently. “Brothers are fair game.”
With his customary care, Brian opened the parcel. When he saw its contents, a smile spread across his handsome face. “It’s perfect, Trixie,” he said.
“Now there are two of them, but I hasten to add that they are for you and me, not you and Honey. We all know what she’s like. I’ll never get her into one.”
“You don’t actually expect me to debut this today, do you? Much as I love and appreciate it.”
“I refer you to my earlier comment regarding upsetting my best friend and your bride, I mean wife.”
“Good.” Brian bent down and pulled his sister into a hug. “I do love you, Trix. You know that, right?”
“How could you not?” she returned beatifically. “When I heap such effusive praise upon your head.”
“Oh, yes. I know how lucky I am and I’m going to make a deal with you right now.”
“Yes?”
“First picnic at the boathouse, you and me—a matched set, okay?”
“Deal,” she said, holding out her hand.
Brian shook it then held out the t-shirts she had given him. One was navy, the other red and they were emblazoned with big white letters:
Brian Belden is a big fat,
stubborn jerk
“I knew I could count on you, sis,” he said.
“Always, big brother, always.”
The food was delicious, the wine and soda flowed, people milled and talked and smiled and shared.
“Time for the bridal waltz,” Brian said as he claimed his wife.
“More time in your arms? However will I cope?” Honey teased.
“You’ll learn to live with it. I just hope today was what you wanted. I know I’ve loved every second.”
“I think everyone had a wonderful time, even Grandmother.” Honey nodded toward a table where her grandmother sat with Ben and Mr. Maypenny.
“She had a second serve of hunter’s stew,” Brian said, grinning.
“She did, did she?”
The dance was announced and as the strains of “Almost Like Being in Love” floated across the patio, Brian gathered his new wife in his arms, and the guests applauded before joining the couple.
“Did you enjoy your dinner?”
“It was scrumptious and the company even scrumptiouser.”
“There you go again, inventing words.”
“Bride’s privilege.” Honey glanced around, seeing her parents, her newly acquired in-laws, Diana and Mart, Trixie and Jim, the Delanoys, Regan and Miss Trask, and so many of the people she loved and cared about.
“I do so love you, Honey,” Brian murmured. “I really do hope today has been as wonderful for you as it has been for me. You’ve brought so much to my life.”
“Even more wonderful. Today has given me everything—it gave me you.”
THE MANOR HOUSE LIBRARY
Word Count 5542
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Dana's willingness to take on editing my stories is one of the main reasons I've been able to finish and post my tales. Thank you is not enough. "Almost Like Being in Love" is a song by Lerner and Lowe and was featured in the musical and movie "Brigadoon". It seemed to me to suit Honey and Brian well. The t-shirt Trixie gives to Brian refers back to a scene in the Phantom Door Knocker. My thanks to every person who takes the time to read my words. It means the world to me. Owing to an imbalance in the universe Trixie Belden et al belong to Random House and not to the Jix conglomerate—go figure. No profit is being made from these scribblings.
