Everything she had lost seemed replicated here. Mr. Evans stood in for her father. She had gained a set of parents-in-law and another father and mother in George and Mrs. Nugent, who had taken to her as if she were their own. It looked like she might have acquired a set of brothers in Billy and Pete. She had more friends than she had ever thought possible, and now she was to have a husband of her own. She looked at Ryan and everything around her faded into the background as she saw the love in his eyes.
Mr. Evans lifted her veil and kissed her cheek.
“You look beautiful,” he whispered. “I couldn’t be more proud of you if you were my own daughter.”
He gave her hand to Ryan and everything around her faded away as their fingers touched, grasped, then held. She didn’t need him tell her that he loved her. She could see it in the warm glow in his eyes. Did she detect a tear there, too, or was it simply the shimmer of happiness blurring her own vision?
She had no recollection of speaking her lines, only of hearing herself say, “I do” and feeling the cool gold band Ryan slipped onto her finger. She only remembered her giddy relief when the minister said, “You may kiss the bride” and Ryan’s lips covered hers.
When they broke apart and turned to face the room, she was shocked to see so many more people had come in. Miss Richards and Miss Taylor waved at her. Mr. Spence stood like a rock behind Miss Richards. Something in his stance made Tilly look again. He had just whispered something to Miss Richards, who blushed. She could almost forgive anyone anything today, and smiled a greeting as Mr. Spence stepped forward.
“It may not be the most appropriate time, Mrs. Blake,” he said, “but I would like to advise you that we, that is Miss Richards and I, know you didn’t steal Miss Turville’s ring. Other items had gone missing during the duration of Mr. Vanderoosten’s stay and now we have proof of his guilt.”
“Has he been arrested?” Tilly’s head spun a little that he had called her Mrs. Blake. She liked the sound of it.
“Not yet. A warrant has been issued for his arrest and Miss Evans is pressing further charges for assault on her person.”
“Thank you for telling me, Mr. Spence. That is a wedding gift in itself.” As he turned away, looking very pleased with himself, Tilly caught his arm and whispered, “Best of luck with Miss Richards.”
His startled look made her laugh, but then she was surrounded by Saul and a crowd of bellhops who whooped and hollered around her. Tilly wondered who was taking care of the guests’ luggage. Fliss wiped her eyes and Tilly had a pang of guilt that she had a wedding and a husband that she could share with the world.
When the speeches were done, when the frothy confection of a wedding cake had been cut, three gentlemen in dark suits walked into the ballroom and set up their music stands. Burma had already chosen the music to be played at her wedding and Tilly had only changed one piece.
As the first bars of the barcarolle drifted into the room, Tilly walked into the circle of Ryan’s arms. She smiled up at him as he held her close and swayed with him as each step took them into the center of the ballroom. He spun her around and she leaned back against his arm, confident that he wouldn’t let her slip, wouldn’t let her go.
The music swelled and, as their guests began to join them on the floor, Tilly sensed a presence in that swirling, twirling crowd. Each time Ryan turned her, she looked over his shoulder, sure that her ghostly counterpart must be somewhere in the throng.
And then she saw her, dancing in the arms of a handsome, dark-haired, man. She no longer looked at Tilly, but up at her partner. As they passed by, Tilly saw that she was smiling, that her eyes were alight with love as she looked up at him.
That is how I feel, Tilly thought as she looked up at Ryan. Here was her own handsome man, someone to work with, to laugh and cry with, and spend the rest of her life with.
The End
.
Bibliography
Books
Calvert, K. June Mickle: one woman’s life in the Foothills and Mountains of Western Canada.
Schaffer, Mary T.S. A Hunter of Peace: Old Indian trails of the Canadian Rockies.
Hart, E.J. Banff: A history of the park and town.
Hart, E.J. Ticket to Canada: the CPR and the Beginnings of Canadian Tourism
Robinson, Bart. Banff Springs: the story of a hotel.
Kaye, Rob. Born to the Wild
O’Rourke, Frank. The Diamond Hitch.
Hempstead, Andrew. Exploring the History of Banff: a guide to museums, historic sites, and heritage properties.
Quan, Holly. Early Guides and Outfitters in the Canadian Rockies: An Amazing Stories Book.
Internet Sites
https://www.brewster.ca/brewster_travel/media/Shared/Media-Resource-Docs/Brewster-Corporate-History.pdf
http://www.1929anupperclassaffair.com/Flapperspeak.pdf
https://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/pi/article/viewFile/1356/902
http://hammersonpeters.com/?p=964
http://banff.ca/index.aspx?NID=490
http://www.paper-dragon.com/1939/priceguide.html
http://www.therecord.com/opinion-story/2628477-the-great-depression-hit-canada-the-hardest/
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/great-depression/
https://www.nfb.ca/film/drylanders/
http://www.chac.ca/about/history/books/ab/Banff_Mineral%20Springs%20Hospital_1930-1980.pdf
Resources
Archives of the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies
Glenbow Museum
Banff Park Museum
Luxton Museum of the Plains Indian
Parks Canada
The Banff Centre
The Fairmont Springs Hotel
The Cave and Basin, Banff
Books by Victoria Chatham
His Dark Enchantress, Berkeley Square Book 1
His Ocean Vixen, Berkeley Square Book 2
Loving That Cowboy
Cold Gold
On Borrowed Time
Shell Shocked
The Buxton Chronicles Boxed Set
The date on Victoria Chatham’s driver’s licence says one thing but this young-at-heart grandma says another. She will read anything that catches her interest but especially historical and western romances. She loves all four-legged critters, particularly dog but is being converted into a cat lover by Onyx, an all black mostly Manx cat who helps her write. However, it’s her passion for horses that gets her away from her computer to trail ride and volunteer at Spruce Meadows, a world class equestrian center near Calgary, Alberta, where she currently lives.
She loves to travel and spends as much time as she can with her family in England. Find out more about her and her books at http://bookswelove.net/authors/chatham-victoria/, www.facebook.com/AuthorVictoriaChatham and http://victoriachatham.blogspot.ca
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