Speak Now

XXV

Keira Delaney has never struck me as the type to get nervous; in fact, her confidence is one of the things that drew me to her, that and her sarcastic, witty personality. I've always thought that she would be able to stand up in front of a room of thousands and be able to hold her own but seeing her nervously wring her hands as Moira clipped her veil into her elegant updo, I was starting to believe that the great Keira Delaney could- and did- feel jittery.

She was up at the crack of dawn, too skittish to sleep, jumping on my bed and waking me so that we could talk and go through her speech. After much discussion between herself and Logan, they decided to go down the route of traditional vows during the ceremony and keeping the ones they'd written to be read at the reception, but she needed an additional set of eyes and ears to ensure that she hit the right tone. It had to be sweet yet funny but not too provocative while being sexy enough that Logan would appreciate it. For the first time ever, she was scared of disappointing her grandmother. The last thing Keira wanted was a telling off on her wedding day so the speech had to be perfect.

We spent three hours working and reworking her speech, even going so far as to FaceTime James to have his input. The men had been sent away to one of the other houses on or just outside the family estate because tradition says that the groom can't see the bride before the wedding, which really made it harder to get a hold of them. Actually, that's a lie since all I've done for the past hour is field calls from Logan, checking up that Keira hasn't got cold feet yet. Sam also text to ask if the bride was as fidgety as the groom. I text back an emoji that I hoped best conveyed the sentiment, duh. 

"Oh, my darling, you look absolutely stunning," Moira, the mother of the bride, cooed as she took in her daughter. Taking Keira's hands in her, Moira wells up as she croaks, "I am so proud of you."

No one in the wedding party had seen Keira's gown; she always sat in on the bridesmaids' fittings just to make sure that Delphine Thibodeau didn't deviate from Keira's vision but when it came to her dress, everything was on lockdown. Seeing her now, turning slowly to face us, she took my breath away. 

Her gown was simply divine, the perfect mix of old and new. It reminded me a lot of Harlow's gown from the early fifties, with a sweetheart neckline, overlaid by delicate off-the-shoulder lace that flowed down and into the gown's train. Her waist was accentuated by the corset-style bodice while the lace sleeves were fitted snugly to her wrists, the glisten of a diamond tennis bracelet sparkling perfectly in the light. Art Deco style drop earring, Keira's something borrowed from Logan's mum, hung from her ears, fully on show thanks to the braided chignon hairstyle she'd chosen. The engagement ring Logan had proposed with was on her right ring finger, ready to be switched over to the other hand once the wedding band was safely on her left hand.