CHAPTER TWENTY: THE SEAT THAT REMAINED
The wedding took place in the small chapel at Oak Haven before winter.
Selena wore a gown made by the women of the village workroom, and every stitch had been chosen with care.
Verity stood beside her as a bridesmaid.
Blanche attended with their father, although neither looked entirely comfortable among the villagers who had been invited as honored guests.
Clara carried a basket of white flowers and walked down the aisle with the solemn determination of a child entrusted with a magnificent responsibility.
William waited near the altar.
When Selena reached him, he looked at her as though the crowded chapel had become a private room.
Their vows were simple.
Afterward, the guests gathered at Oak Haven for a modest celebration.
The carved chair from the Alverton ballroom had been brought into the drawing room.
Selena noticed it standing beside the fireplace.
“You kept it,” she said.
William nodded.
“Clara insisted that it should remain where we can see it.”
Clara appeared beside them with her wooden bird.
“Mama made the chair beautiful,” she said.
“Selena made it useful again.”
Selena knelt and embraced her.
“Your mother made it important,” she answered.
“We are only making sure it is never forgotten.”
Later, when the last guests had gone,
Selena sat in the carved chair and removed her uncomfortable wedding shoes.
William settled beside her with two cups of tea.
“Are you happy?” he asked.
Selena looked at the little wooden bird resting on the mantelpiece.
She thought of the night her sisters had dared her to cross a ballroom and the fear she had felt beneath the chandeliers.
“Yes,” she said.
“But I am also tired.”
William handed her a cup.
“Then we shall sit quietly.”
Selena leaned back and watched the fire move across the hearth.
For once, no one was watching to see whether she would be humiliated.
No one was waiting for her to prove that she deserved a place in the room.
She had chosen her seat, and the man beside her had chosen to make room.
The End.
