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@beatingheart-bride
"O-Oh..." Abigail mumbled, her face turning bright red in embarrassment as she averted her gaze, all of her previous bravado now having gone completely out the window as she slouched, while her little clique alternated between snickering to themselves and looking genuinely surprised as Susannah stood up from her workstation, looking all smiles as she approached.
There was a confident glow to her that day, the likes of which no one had ever really seen before: Where once stood a timid woman, hunched over her work and trying to remain as quiet and out-of-the-way as possible, now stood a woman standing tall (so to speak) and proud in the warm sunlight, which warmed and illuminated the soft pale green of her skirt, and the stark white of her blouse. She hadn't really thought about it until that moment, but Susannah had been wearing more color lately-like a flower shaking off a winter's dew to bloom bright in the spring sun.
"I'd be very happy to help you, Mr. de Clair," Susannah grinned proudly, absolutely relishing in Abigail's embarrassment, the way she gawked in disbelief at both her and Philippe, having had her efforts shot down so swiftly. It was deeply satisfying, seeing her bully get taken down a peg or two from her high horse, to say nothing of feeling her heart flutter at Philippe's unwavering love for her, refusing to give any other woman the time of day.
If only they knew...! she thought to herself amusedly, as she led Philippe away from the proverbial cackling hens as Abigail begrudgingly sat back down and resumed her work. Susannah could feel the heart necklace against her bare skin beneath her blouse, and although she would never dare flaunt it, she could only imagine what they'd all say and think if they knew the truth about her and "Mr. de Clair"...
"Well?" she asked excitedly, once they were out of earshot. "How'd it go?"
Philippe silently exhaled in relief as Susannah lead him to one of the haberdashery's consultation rooms, more than relieved to her less-than-pleasant coworker behind after such an uncomfortable interaction. At the very least, Susannah could see the humor in the situation: little did Abigail know that while she was trying to hit on him, his soon-to-be bride was right under her nose. Wouldn't that have been a shock for her to learn? Part of Philippe wondered how she would've reacted if Susannah would've pulled that heirloom locket out from under her blouse to show off....
"It went surprisingly well," he replied, flashing Susannah a grin as he took a seat and tenderly grasped her hand from across the desk. "Reverend Walters was still serving at the church: I was worried that he wouldn't be after all of these years, but he was! He remembers marrying your parents all of those years ago, and he sends his regards.
And last but not least," he concluded, the smile on his face only widening as a lively glint appeared in his china blue eyes. "He...he agreed to marry us! He's willing to marry us, and Edward and Doreen!"
At this announcement, Susannah's petty delight in Abigail's embarrassment turned to a genuine joy, her pale green eyes alight with excitement as she gasped, trying to keep her voice down, "Oh, Philippe, that's wonderful news, oh, I'm so glad!"
At the mention of the Reverend's memories of her parents, she felt her heart ache a little: So few people had anything nice to say about her mother and father, she knew that well...even though her mother had been dead for some thirty-odd years, they still whispered about her, unkind words murmured to accompany judgmental eyes, and what they said about her father, who had been gone for what felt like years (but really hadn't been all that long at all), well...it wasn't much kinder, even if they were too cowardly to say it to his face when he was alive. To think that there was one person in this godforsaken town that smiled kindly on them...it made her eyes a little damp.
"Perhaps I'll stop by the church on my way home tonight," she mused aloud, blinking away the little tears that threatened to breach and roll down her cheeks. "I...I've never met him, by Pa spoke so highly of him when I was growing up, I...I feel like I've known him all my life!"
It'd be nice to stop by, just for a moment, and reminisce about a happier point in her parents' lives, when someone expressed a little kindness to them for a change of pace...it warmed her heart to think that this kindly man of God had not only married her parents when no one else would, but that he still fondly remembered them all these years later.
Upon catching sight of how bleary Susannah's eyes had started to become, Philippe swiftly offered her his handkerchief to dry them with. As she accepted it and dabbed at her eyes with one hand, he tenderly grabbed the other, giving it a soft, tender squeeze.
"I think he'd like that," he replied, offering his love a small smile as he gingerly rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb. "From our short conversation, it seemed clear to me that he was touched to hear that his kindness in marrying a couple that no one else would was remembered for so many years, and that their daughter sought him out for the same reason. I have a feeling that he'd be touched to meet you.
I could accompany you tonight, if you'd like," Philippe then added nonchalantly: if Susannah would be okay with it, he'd be honored to accompany her to the chapel after she got off of work. But at the same time, he wished to give her space if she'd rather go alone: it was bound to be an immensely personal and emotional meeting, and he wouldn't blame her if she'd rather experience it on her own. He would support her in whatever choice she made, whatever she decided was best: in the end, her well-being was what mattered the most, and he wasn't going to stifle her autonomy, no matter how much he wished to be there for her.
"I...I'd like that."
For a number of reasons, Susannah liked the idea of Philippe accompanying her back to the church that night after work-although she hadn't seen her harasser since that night, it still brought her so much comfort to have her beloved by her side, ready to protect her at a moment's notice. She also liked the idea of perhaps echoing her parents, sitting together with the Reverend as they talked about happier, lighter matters; her father recalled with great fondness that the discussion of the wedding eventually shifted to what seemed like everything under the sun, the three happily chatting about life in town, Wilhelmina's travels and upbringing in Ireland, family, and the finer points of gardening.
But most of all, she liked the idea of her husband-to-be getting to know his future in-laws, even in this roundabout way: Although she had many stories to tell about her parents, keepsakes and portraits and heirlooms to share, there was something touching about the notion of someone else having fond memories to share as well. Little ways of keeping her parents alive, so that Philippe could get to know them, in a sense.
Squeezing Philippe's handkerchief as she took a deep breath to calm herself, a little smile crossed Susannah's lips as she leaned over to press a loving kiss to his cheek.
"Thank you, my heart."
And so it was decided: late that evening, after Susannah had locked up Mickey's Haberdashery for the evening, Philippe would meet her and accompany her to the small, modest chapel on the edge of town.
And he did just that: as soon as Susannah exited the empty haberdashery and locked the door behind her, Philippe was waiting right outside to meet her. Inexplicably, his heart pounded far more aggressively than it had when he and Doreen had approached the chapel for the first time that morning: perhaps, as unusual as it may sound, he couldn't help but feel antsy on Susannah's behalf. He knew that everything would go well, of course, that there was nothing to worry about, and yet he had to imagine that Susannah's heart was pounding equally swiftly at the thought of meeting the kindly Reverend who had once married her parents for the first time, the same Reverend who would marry them in the near future.
"How are you feeling?" Philippe couldn't help but inquire during the stroll to the chapel, all while showing his support through softly grasping Susannah's hand. "Are you nervous?"
