Past Love (Part Four of The People of this Parish Saga) by Thorne Nicola

Author:Thorne, Nicola [Thorne, Nicola]
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2013-04-02T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nine

Traditionally, the bride looks beautiful and Ruth Woodville on the day of her wedding in May 1930 did not disappoint. She was tall, slim, with hair the colour of ripe corn and deep-set, translucent, violet-blue eyes.

Her bearing as she had walked up the aisle on the arm of her uncle, Carson, for her stepfather was to marry her, was regal, every inch the Woodville, and everyone commented on the likeness between uncle and niece.

Ruth seemed to have no nerves, to be confident in herself and her choice of a bridegroom, and the pair exuded happiness as they came out of the church into the sunshine, to be greeted by a shower of confetti thrown by the waiting, excited crowd who comprised almost every inhabitant of the town.

Again it was one of those days when, in honour of the Woodville family, everything came to a standstill. The bank closed, the shops were shut, only the Baker’s Arms remained open in the hope of attracting those revellers who wanted to slake their thirst before and even after the ceremony at the church, before moving on to the reception.

Afterwards, as was by now the custom, all the townsfolk followed the family back to Pelham’s Oak, a long, almost unending stream of cars, carts, bicycles and wagons. Some were on horseback, a few hardy souls, usually the less sober ones, even walked, though they were usually picked up en route and given a lift.

Deborah had been chief bridesmaid to her sister, in charge of a host of younger ones: Toby and Leonard Woodville as pages and six bridesmaids who included Elizabeth’s children Mary and Betsy, respectively thirteen and twelve.

The bridesmaids’ dresses were blue, a shade which brought out the colour of Deborah’s eyes, her appearance every bit as striking as her sister. She was two years older than the bride but from the glances of the many young men who attended the reception in the great cream and gold drawing room at Pelham’s Oak, few doubted she would be long in following her.

And, indeed, to her surprise, Deborah was enjoying herself. She was devoted to her sister and with the pain of losing her went the joy, the knowledge that until Abel had built them a new house, as he planned to do, she would be living nearby.

The best man was Abel’s business partner Solomon Palmer, who was observed to be paying a lot of attention to the chief bridesmaid as, in fact, a good best man should. However, when one compared them side by side heads nodded, tongues started wagging. What a good pair they would make. Deborah so far and, on this occasion at least, vivacious, her blonde good looks offset by the handsome young man at her side.

But wouldn’t Deborah’s past put off a man in search of a respectable bride? That was what no one knew.

Sophie was so glad that that awful suggestion of having the reception at Upper Park had been squashed flat from the start. She had

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