A Fiery Dalliance

XLII

"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof." Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah

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XLII.

Two days later, Ashwood Place was descended upon by nearly every member of the Beresford and Denham families. It was rather fortunate that there were a number of family members who kept their formal residence in London, as that meant that there were enough rooms between them all to house everyone.

If plans for the wedding were not busy enough, they became even more out of control when Mrs Denham and Cecily began to organise together. And though the two ladies were quite the pair of friends, they had entirely different tastes when it came to festivities. Cecily enjoyed opulence, and Mrs Denham preferred subtlety.

"If I must wait an age to present at least one granddaughter into society, then I shall have ice cream served at the breakfast!" Cecily exclaimed, the proposed menu laid out in front of herself and Mrs Denham. "I might die before I get to escort a debutante, and then how would you all feel for denying me?"

Most of the family were gathered in the great drawing room in clusters, animatedly discussing the upcoming nuptials, while many were being brought up to speed on how the events had come about.

Many were still under the impression that Perrie and Joe still had fantasies about stabbing one another in the eye with a fish fork, and so the word of their engagement had been quite a shock.

"It is but three years until Lily and Jackie come of age, Mother," Adam moaned lethargically, before he threw back a finger of whiskey from the bottle that he was sharing with Perrie's uncles Jack and Alex.

"Jackie will come of age when I say she will," interjected Jack. "Three and eighty will do just swimmingly."

"I do actually heartily agree with you there, brother," Adam said, nodding.

Cecily scoffed in a most displeased tone. "The pair of you are determined to spoil my fun! I will have my ice cream, and I will have those two debuting together!" She then turned her attention back to the menu and began discussing the minute details for the wedding cake that was being rapidly prepared below stairs.

Perrie was, of course, quite the centre of attention alongside Joe, and all of her dear family were very anxious to hear the story from their own lips. The state of Joe's face, and that of his brother's, were also a topic of curiosity. Ed's business was kept entirely confidential, and Joe lied, telling everyone that he and his brother were involved in the crossfire of a drunken brawl at a London tavern and were recovering. Adam confirmed their story, and Cecily enthusiastically embellished it, adding in enough drama to render it a pantomime.

Perrie and Joe both, however, spent the next several hours recounting how their mutual disdain for each other had developed into an odd sort of friendship, before a fierce affection had grown. Despite the circumstances that had forced their betrothal, circumstances of which that had to be awkwardly and delicately explained, it made Perrie rather proud to be standing alongside Joe as a real love match.

She had witnessed love matches all her life. She had seen the happiness that had come from choice, and she had seen her parents, her aunts and her uncles, manage to find someone with whom they had the most divine affinity. A true soulmate.

For all the bad luck, the horrors and traumas, and the demons that no doubt would continue to haunt Joe's nights, they had managed to find one another.

Perries siblings and cousins had all made the journey as well, though many of the younger children were not at all interested in listening to their eldest cousin detail her rather unorthodox romance. There was one, however, who did listen to every word with a focussed, concerned expression.