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She stood up quickly and smoothed down her skirt. Where was Carrie? Better still, where was William? She needed to see him, put her hand in his, feel the warmth of his smile.
“Got ’em!”
Jessie swung around. Her maid of honor stood in the doorway, holding a bouquet of tiny pink roses, trailing baby orchids and lacy-white stephanotis in her hand.
“Would you believe the kid who delivered the flowers left your bouquet on a table in the—”
“Have you seen William?” Jessie hadn’t meant to sound so shaky, but the look on Carrie’s face told her she hadn’t succeeded.
“What’s the matter, Jess?”
“Nothing. I just want to see him, that’s all.”
“You can’t see him. It’s bad luck for the bride and the groom to see each other before the ceremony.”
It was worse luck to think about another man before the ceremony, but Jessie knew better than to say that.
“That’s just a silly superstition.”
“Maybe, but do you really want to tempt fate?”
“No.” Jessie gave a choked laugh. “That’s the last thing I want to do.”
“Jess.” Carrie’s voice softened. “Honey, I keep telling you, all brides are jittery.”
“I know. And I’m not jittery. I just—I need some fresh air.” Jessie gathered up her skirt so the hem wouldn’t drag. “I’m going for a walk in the garden.”
“What?” Carrie stared at her as if she’d lost her mind. “You can’t! It’s only half an hour until the ceremony.”
“That’s plenty of time.”
“What if someone sees you?”
“Nobody will. I’ll go down the back stairs.”
“But—but you’ll get grass stains on the hem of your gown.”
“I won’t. See?” Jessie hoisted the gown higher.
Carrie sighed. “Well, who am I to argue with the bride? You want to go for a walk? Fine. We’ll go for a walk.”
“No!” Jessie swallowed hard. “No,” she said, more calmly, “really, I need a few minutes by myself.”
“It’s cold outside,” Carrie said worriedly. “At least take a jacket.”
“It’s okay,” Jessie said, “I know what I’m doing.”
But she didn’t. And the enormity o
f the lie scared the life out of her.
* * *
THE GARDEN WAS QUIET. All the hullabaloo was taking place inside the house. Liam was glad he’d decided to go for a walk where he could escape the necessity for social niceties.
He felt a lot better, too. For all he knew, Bill was right. Maybe he’d misread everything. The newlyweds would settle into a pleasantly dull marriage. A couple of years down the road he’d look at Jessica and know that he’d been wrong about her.
But if he was, then what was that invitation he’d seen in her eyes last night? What would she have done if he’d taken her up on it, if he’d walked straight across the room, pulled her out of her chair and kissed her?
