Wedding of the Dead

Chapeter 5: Celeste's Corpse Groom

Rain began to hit the window pane as Verity looked out to the yard, watching as puddles slowly formed on the paved pathway leading up to the manor - the drips creating multiple ripples in the water like mini tides.

"Verity," Myles called his daughter's attention from the rain, "Come away from the window or you'll catch a chill."

"Papa, I'm worried about Celeste," Verity turned to her father, who was perched in one of the armchairs with a cup of tea in his hands, "It's been a few hours since the rehearsal... it's there anything more we can do?"

"I'm sure she'll be alright," Myles chided, "This wouldn't be the first time she went on an excursion after a fight."

"Besides," Septimus smiled at her from his spot next to Lady Gaiana, "some of the staff is looking for her as well - we know that she went out for a walk on the grounds from Emil, so she'll be back soon with the rain already here."

"If she has any brains in that head of hers," Lady Gaiana clicked her tongue, taking a sip from her cup, "though given the circumstances, I wouldn't be surprised if she decided to wait out both the rain and the wedding."

"She's not like that -" Verity started to argue, but was interrupted by a knock.

"Enter," Septimus called, the door opening revealing Emil followed shortly by Father Augustine. Emil's jacket was covered with speckles from the rain, as were Father Augustine's clothes - the two of them having ventured out a little after dinner only an hour in search of the missing bride when she failed to show up for the meal. Nanny Diele and the two maids had searched the interior of the house when the two men announced Celeste's disappearance - though they had yet to return and inform the others of any news.

"Emil! Did you find her?!" Verity jumped from her seat, racing to the butler.

"I'm afraid not," Emil sighed with a shake of his head, "We've searched all over the grounds, the manor, the stables - even the path way through the woods in the far back. No one has seen Celeste for several hours."

"Don't exhaust yourself too much, Emil," Lady Gaiana said from her spot, "A lost bride can easily be replaced."

"But that's my sister!" Verity shouted, rounding on the woman with fury in her voice.

"Verity! That's enough!" Myles stood, clasping his hands on her shoulders and forcing her to look at him, "Honestly, enough of this. You and I both know she's most likely hiding somewhere to escape her responsibilities for a while -"

"How can you say that?!" Verity cried out, eyes filling up with tears, "Papa, you used to worry so much for the both of us! Where is your concern for Celeste, your DAUGHTER?! My SISTER?!"

"Verity, please," Myles took her into his arms, holding his youngest close to his chest, "I know you're scared for Celeste, but you need to calm down. There's little we can do now that it's dark - we need to save our energy to search for her later. Besides, she'll turn up eventually once she's calmed down a bit."

"Excuse me," a young footman appeared in the doorway, "Mr. Emil?"

"Yes, Tristan? Did you find something?" Emil asked, approaching the lad.

"One of the other footmen found this off the pathway in the woods," Tristan handed Emil a white handkerchief that was covered in speckles of mud, "We searched the surrounding area and found footprints on the trail."

"Did you follow them?" the butler asked.

"We did - all the way to the elder oak. The footprints stopped there and suddenly vanished."

"Have you looked in the area?"

"We attempted to," Tristan bowed his head, "the footprints collided with another set and the rain has started to wash away the evidence - however, we were able to make out the second set of footprints as a gentleman's footprints."