MAIL ORDER MOUNTIES

Bride for Liam

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CHAPTER 1

 

"I'm sure he's just running late. No reason to get yourself all in a tizzy."

 

Adele kept her eyes looking out the window of the large church, praying she would see her fiancé come racing down the street any minute now. Carriages bounced by outside, and now and then an automobile would slowly weave between them. Horns honked in the distance as the new motorized vehicles tried to make their way past those still using traditional methods of travel.

 

As she watched life going on outside the window, she absently thought that the only person in a "tizzy" at the moment was her mother. The woman had been pacing and wringing her hands together for the past thirty minutes, forcing her father to leave the room because he couldn't put up with it any longer.

 

Irwin was now almost forty-five minutes late for their wedding, and Adele had already come to the realization he wasn't coming—no matter how hard she willed it to happen. Unlike her mother, she wasn't the type of woman to get herself worked up into a frenzy. She was angry, and truthfully her heart was in a million pieces right now, but she wasn't going to let anyone see it.

 

She'd fallen head over heels for Irwin well over a year ago when he moved to Ottawa, where he worked with his father as they took over one of the big banks downtown.

 

 He'd courted and wooed her every chance they got, and within just a few months, he'd asked her father for her hand. She'd been smitten, blinded by the perfectly combed blond hair and handsome smile. He'd been charming, romantic, and gallant, everything she'd ever dreamed of finding in a husband.

 

The past two months had been a whirlwind of wedding planning and she'd been sure she could never be happier. Her older sister, Camille, had been wary and had told her more than once to make sure she was truly in love and not rushing things, but Adele hadn't wanted to listen to her. Camille was more free-spirited and willing to live alone for the rest of her life if she had to. But Adele had always dreamed of falling in love, having a big wedding, and being a wife.

 

Finally, unable to listen to her mother's incessant pacing on the squeaky floorboards, Adele turned from the window to face her. "Mother, we both know Irwin isn't coming. You may as well get it over with and get Father to let everyone know the wedding is off."

 

Her mother stared at her in silence, then turned to face Camille, and squeezed her hands together so tightly, Adele was sure they would fall off from lack of blood. "No, we can give him a few more minutes. I'm sure he's just been held up somewhere."

 

"Yes, maybe he's run into some trouble on the way here. I'm sure he'll be along soon." Even Camille was trying to give her hope, but Adele could see the truth already reflected in her sister's eyes.

 

Sighing loudly, Adele clenched her eyes shut and shook her head. "He's not coming. I can feel it. One thing Irwin has always been, is punctual, and there is no way he'd be late for his own wedding." She swallowed deeply and opened her eyes to meet her mother's pained stare. "He isn't coming."

 

Her heart broke with every word, but she was determined not to break down in front of her mother or sister. Adele knew this was going to be devastating for her mother. Ottawa society could be vicious, and this was something that would be big news within the next few minutes. And it would last for months.

 

Her family was no stranger to the spirited gossip of the Ottawa elite. They'd had their fair share over the years, and it was one of the main reasons their cousin Elizabeth had left to marry a Mountie after being the brunt of gossip for years. 

 

But Adele had never been the one being gossiped about before. She knew it was going to be hard to hold her head up as she went around town after this, but she'd get through it somehow. No one would ever see the wounds that had been inflicted on her today.

 

She sat quietly after her mother left, listening to the whispers on the other side of the door. She'd been waiting in the back room, able to hide away so no one would see the beautiful bride in her dress before the ceremony while the church filled with guests. Looking down, she gently lifted the soft, silky material that rested on her leg, rubbing it between her fingers. 

 

The dress had been made for her by one of the top designers in Ottawa and had been fitted perfectly to highlight every curve. Her shoulders and arms were covered in a lacy fabric that was sewn into the silk of the bodice. The material flowed out from her hips, with a short train that brushed over the ground as she walked.

 

It was the dress she'd dreamed of wearing her whole life.

 

She lifted her eyes to watch the guests make their way back outside on the other side of the window, carefully walking down the large staircase to the street. Already people were talking to each other excitedly, shaking their heads in disbelief at this sudden turn of events. As strangers walked by on the streets, the news was shared with anyone who would listen.

 

The youngest daughter of the illustrious Harold Duval had just been jilted at the altar. This would feed the gossip mills for weeks.

 

Her sister came over and sat in the chair beside her, taking her hand in hers. "You were always way too good for him anyway. I mean, with a name like Irwin, what did you expect?"

 

Even though the pain was still fresh, her sister always knew how to make her smile. The two of them had been in their fair share of trouble over the years—finding things funny that quite often weren't supposed to be. They were well known for their laughter, even when the moment was meant to be serious.

 

Shaking her head, she shrugged, not wanting to look at her sister in case her eyes gave away how much pain she was feeling. "I was foolish enough to believe he was a good man, even if he did have a name that made me cringe every time I heard it."

 

Camille snickered quietly as she squeezed her hand. "You weren't foolish, Adele. You were blinded by love."

 

Adele finally met Camille's eyes, and before she knew what was happening, the tears she'd been desperately trying to hold back were flowing freely. Her sister pulled her into her arms and the women sat hugging while Adele let all of the pain out of her heart. Camille never said a word, just gently rubbed her back until Adele was sure she didn't have another drop of water left to shed.

 

When she pulled back, she smiled at her sister and dabbed at her eyes with a hanky she'd tucked into her long sleeve. "Sorry, I think I might have ruined your dress."

 

Camille looked down at the orange frilly dress and rolled her eyes. "It's all right. If I'm being completely honest, I hated this color Mother chose."

 

Adele laughed softly. "I hated it too. But I never had the heart to tell her."

 

They sat in silence a bit longer while Adele composed herself again, blowing her nose loudly into the hanky. She knew her mother would have probably fainted at the unladylike behavior, but Camille didn't even flinch.

 

"So, now what will you do? The way I see it, you have a choice—you can either let this break you and hide away until the dust settles, or you can walk out with your head held high and let everyone know you don't give a whit about what happened today. Or about any man named Irwin Gumshie either." Camille's voice was soft but firm. "And I've never known you to be the type of woman to just quietly fade away into the background."

 

Adele looked back out the window and watched as an old family friend, Hazel Hughes, made her way to the bottom step. She was one of the only people who'd come out of the church looking around sadly, as though she was just as heartbroken as Adele.

 

A smile broke out across Adele's face and she turned back to face her sister. "You're right. And I'm not about to tuck my tail between my legs now either. I'm going to show everyone that I am much better off now than if I'd ever let myself marry a man named Irwin."

 

Jumping to her feet, she hoisted her heavy skirt up and made her way to the door. 

 

Camille raced to catch up. "Adele, what are you doing?"

 

As the door flew open, she almost ran into her shocked mother still standing on the other side talking to some of the guests. 

 

With her head held high, Adele brushed past them all, shouting back over her shoulder at her sister. "I'm going to do what any other jilted bride would do. I'm going to marry a Mountie."

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