The chamber ensemble concluded the prelude, and the trumpets rang out announcing the beginning of the bridal procession. Lucy's two youngest sisters stood at the front, with Meg next, and then eighteen-year-old Tracy, who was Lucy's maid of honor. They all wore simple gowns of champagne silk crepe de chine accented with the smoky topaz earrings that were Lucy's gift to her attendants.
Thirteen-year-old Holly started down the aisle. When she reached the midpoint, her sister Charlotte stepped off. Meg smiled over her shoulder at Lucy, who'd elected to enter the sanctuary by herself and meet both her parents halfway down as a symbol of the way they'd come into her life. Meg moved into position in front of Tracy for her own entrance, but as she got ready to take her first step, she heard a rustle and a hand shot out to grab her arm. "I have to talk to Ted right now," Lucy said in a panicky whisper.
Tracy, whose blond hair had been arranged in an intricate twist, gave a choked gasp. "Luce, what are you doing?"
Lucy ignored her sister. "Get him for me, Meg. Please."
Meg was hardly a slave to convention, but this was rash even for her. "Now? You don't think you could have done this a couple of hours ago?"
"You were right. Everything you said. You were completely right." Even through yards of tulle, Lucy's face looked pale and stricken. "Help me. Please."
Tracy spun on Meg. "I don't understand. What did you say to her?" She didn't wait for an answer but grabbed her sister's hand. "Luce, you're having a panic attack. It's going to be okay."
"No. I-I have to talk to Ted."
"Now?" Tracy said, echoing Meg. "You can't talk to him now."
But she had to. Meg understood that, even if Tracy didn't. Tightening her grip on a bouquet of miniature calla lilies, Meg plastered a smile on her face and stepped out onto the pristine white runner.
A horizontal aisle divided the front of the sanctuary from the back. The former president of the United States and her husband waited there, moist-eyed and proud, to escort their daughter on her final walk as a single woman. Ted Beaudine stood at the altar, along with his best man and three groomsmen. A shaft of sunlight fell directly on his head giving him-what else?-a halo.
Meg had been politely admonished at last night's rehearsal for walking too quickly down the aisle, but that wasn't a problem now as she reduced her customary long stride to baby steps. What had she done? The guests had turned in anticipation, waiting for the appearance of the bride. Meg reached the altar much too soon and stopped in front of Ted instead of taking her place next to Charlotte.
He regarded her quizzically. She focused on his forehead so she wouldn't have to meet those unsettling tiger quartz eyes. "Lucy would like to talk to you," she whispered.
He cocked his head while he processed that information. Any other man might have asked a few questions, but not Ted Beaudine. His puzzlement shifted to concern. With a purposeful stride, and no hint of embarrassment, he strode up the aisle.
The president and first husband gazed at each other as he passed, then immediately took off after him. A buzz rose from the guests. The groom's mother came to her feet, and then his father. Meg couldn't let Lucy face this alone, and she hurried back up the aisle. With each step her sense of dread grew stronger.
When she got to the narthex, she spotted the frothy top of Lucy's veil over Ted's shoulder as Tracy and her parents gathered around her. A pair of Secret Service agents stood at full alert by the doors. The groom's parents appeared just as Ted pulled Lucy away from the group. With a firm grip on her arm, he led her toward a small door off to the side. Lucy turned, searching for someone. She found Meg, and even through the tulle waterfall, her entreaty was clear. Help me.
Meg rushed toward her only to have mild-mannered Ted Beaudine pin her with a look that stopped her in her tracks, a look as dangerous as anything her father had conjured up in his Bird Dog Caliber movies. Lucy shook her head, and Meg somehow understood her friend hadn't been pleading for her to intercede with Ted. Lucy wanted her to deal with the mess out here, as if Meg had even a clue how to go about that.
As the door shut behind the bride and groom, the former first husband of the United States advanced on her. "Meg, what's going on? Tracy said you know about this."
Meg gripped her bridesmaid's bouquet. Why did Lucy have to wait so long to rediscover her rebel's heart? "Uhm . . . Lucy needed to talk to Ted."
"That's obvious. About what?"
"She's . . ." She saw Lucy's stricken face in her mind. "She's having some doubts."