A Vindication Of Miss Everlee

Chapter 19

"How old will I be when I marry?" Daniel asked the day before Midge was to go to Esther's wedding. He said it like his mind was on other things, for his pen was still scratching absentmindedly against the paper.

It took a moment for her to reply because she was a little unsure. He had never asked about anything like that before and she had actually rather hoped he would go away to school before she had to deal with curiosity such as that.  "However old you are when you find someone you want to marry, as long as you have finished university, I suppose," she said.

"Do Jews marry differently to us?"

There was a conversation she preferred to answer. "A little, yes," she said, before going on to say a little about the differences. Despite the ceremonial differences, what always shocked her was about how much jollier the after celebrations were at Jewish weddings.

"So you think I'll be able to marry whomever I like or will my parents choose someone for me?"

"Why would you think you wouldn't be able to choose?" she asked, frowning a little. Where an earth would he have picked up such an idea? His parents had never enforced anything unfairly upon him before. Mistress Walden wasn't about him enough and Mr Walden was always so gentle with him.

"You haven't," he said.

"Who told you that?"

"No one, only whenever your siblings came to Calogan you were secretive about getting married and...you were never yourself when Mr Bishop came to visit," he said. "I always just assumed my parents wanted you to marry him and you complied because they employ you,"

Children notice so much more than expected. At first she was going to deny it, or make a joke out of it, but instead she let out a heavy breath and said, "Don't say anymore on it. Mr Bishop is only complying with his parents as well, so that they can be related to your mother and be linked to the Calogan estate. It's just the way things are, I'm afraid,"

"My parents don't love each other,"

"No. They don't," she said. Mostly they didn't like each other either. Perhaps she should have been more tactful. If he were younger she would have been. Therefore, she quickly added, "But, of course, they love you,"

"Is your cousin in love?"

"Certainly, with something," she said. He didn't understand her underlying amusement. However, she refrained from making anymore jokes at Esther's expense seeing as how her wedding was imminent. If there was anytime to try to be genuinely kind towards her cousin, that certainly seemed appropriate.

Esther offered an opportunity for this with how lovely she looked the next day. Her curls intertwined in tendrils down her back like a silk cascade, for soon it was to be tied and covered, whilst their ruddy sheen glowed against the crystal of her best dress. Her eyes were brightened by a lightheartedness which also lifted her normally stony features into a display of such gentleness which was normally absent from her expression. Not a single inch of her seemed motionless; she had become water, constantly alive and glistening.

Esther was surrounded by her Cambridge connections that came earlier that day to help her get ready, including her relations such as Ruth, who rushed to Midge with such high spirits when she arrived. They were laughing as they showed off their new dresses and asked Midge a thousand questions and gushed about any news they had. As all these old familiar faces from her youth reappeared, each shiny and somehow miraculously wonderful, and she almost became overwhelmed with a bittersweet joy, for the fear of them going back home once more struck her as she flourished in their presence.