A Groom wirh a View

in a floor-length silvery dress and Marguerite in a matching style but in maroon. They should have traded either wigs or dresses, Jane thought. Mrs. Hessling was sitting on the other side of the aisle in dreadfully violent turquoise polyester with quite a large matching hat and purse. She was fidgeting with the purse, obviously trying to figure out whether she should hang onto it or set it on the floor. Uncle Joe, wearing the fairly decent clothes he’d worn to the rehearsal dinner, was standing against a wall at the back of the room, looking around at the other guests with a scowl. As Jane watched, Dwayne, Errol, and the minister came out of the side room where Shelley had been holding them until the right moment.
    “Okay,“ Jane whispered as she turned to face the upstairs contingent. “Layla, you first. Try to stay centered on the staircase.”
    Layla, lovely in her pink slip dress with the fringed scarf draped skillfully over one shapely shoulder, stepped out, head held high, and started slowly and gracefully down the stairs.
    Jane watched for a moment, counting to ten, and turned to Eden. “You’re next.”
    Livvy was whispering furiously to her father. “I can’t do it, Daddy. I know you’re disappointed, but—“
    “Livvy, get a grip on yourself,“ he said quietly, but very sharply.
    “No. I don’t want to marry Dwayne. I don’t want to marry anyone.”
    Jane nearly fainted. She’d already launched the first bridesmaid and it was time to fire up the next one and the bride had changed her mind!
    There hadn’t been anything in the wedding planning books about this!
    Eden had turned to them as well. “Good for you, Livvy. Good for you!“
    “Butt out, Eden,“ Jack Thatcher said. “You’ve always been a troublemaker.“
    “Daddy—“
    “Livvy, it’s too late. The wedding has started.”
    The musicians, fascinated and appalled by the argument, missed a few notes. Jane glared at them and they obediently looked away and went back to playing properly.
    “But Daddy—“
    “No, Livvy. I’m not going to let you humiliate all of the family this way.”
    Kitty made a funny gasping noise. Her face was awash in tears. Jane lunged into Livvy’s room and grabbed a box of tissues, handing a wad of them to Kitty.
    Eden took Jane’s arm. “I’m going down now. The guests are starting to get alarmed and Jack will win anyway.”
    She stepped out onto the stairway and started down the steps. Jane pulled on Kitty’s sleeve, took another handful of tissues and quickly blotted her face, and said, “If you don’t smile as you go down those steps, I’ll hunt you down later and slap you senseless. Do you understand me?”
    Kitty nodded and composed her face into a rather horrible grimace.
    Jane didn’t even have to watch Kitty’s descent to know how awkward it was. She could hear the clunk of her feet over the music which was relentlessly going on. She turned to Livvy and Jack.
    The hissing match was over. Livvy had one hand resting lightly on her father’s arm and was holding her tulip bouquet in the other hand. Her face was as cold, white, and composed as marble. Jane waited, staring at them with horrified fascination, and when the sound of Kitty’s heavy steps stopped, she touched Livvy’s arm. It was clammy.
    “Are you sure?“ Jane asked.
    Before Jack could say anything, Livvy nodded and father and daughter stepped forward.
    Jane couldn’t bear to even watch them descend the staircase. It was too much like watching someone go to the gallows. She went back to Livvy’s room and collapsed in the chair by the window.
    “Poor, poor Livvy,“ she whispered.
    The musicians reached the end of their piece and fell silent.

Nineteen

    If Livvy refused to say her vows or ran screaming out of the lodge when the minister said, “Do you, Livvy...“ there would be nothing Jane could do. Nor did she want to be seen peeking around the wall again, so she just sat there staring out the window, as clever and nimble as an amoeba, until the musicians began to play again. That meant it was over. For better or worse. If Jane’s plans had been followed, Livvy and Dwayne had kissed to seal the bargain, then come around their flower “frame“ and exited the lodge down the little center aisle between the chairs. In a moment, they’d be outside in the lovely April sunshine, being congratulated as the guests poured out behind them to deliver hugs, kisses, and good wishes.
    Livvy was going to need lots of good