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“Glad to hear it!” Albert shook his head. “You are definitely not the shy girl I was expecting.”
“Shy? You expected a girl from the demon horde to be shy? With the pranks we pulled?”
“I guess I didn’t think it through very well,” he said. “I was expecting you to be like the girl I couldn’t get up the nerve to ask out.”
“Because you’re a little shy?”
He chuckled. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“Good. Then we’re pretty evenly matched.”
As they walked back to Susan’s house, they talked about what they wanted in the future. “Do you want lots of kids?” he asked.
Alice nodded. “I wouldn’t know what to do if I only had one or two.”
“I wouldn’t either. I don’t think having ten children was in Susan’s plans, but it worked out for me. I love having a lot of siblings.”
“If I remember correctly, Susan left because she didn’t want to spend another moment with poorly behaved children, so she moved to Texas and became your stepmother.” Alice laughed softly. “I feel badly for her, but things happen for a reason.”
“I know they do,” he said. “I don’t want to think about the kind of person I would have ended up being if not for Susan.”
He kissed her once more before taking her into the house. This kiss was filled with longing, and the knowledge they would be able to deal with that longing the following evening. “I’m glad we’re marrying quickly.”
“I am as well.” She smiled at him, glad Elizabeth had come to find her at work and suggest she marry a stranger. “Let’s go inside or Susan will send out a search party.”
As soon as the door opened, they could hear laughter. All the children were in the parlor with Susan and David, including Lewis. He grinned at Alice and Albert as they walked in.
“Did he show you the house?” Susan asked.
Alice sank down onto the floor, making sure her skirt was arranged neatly around her. “He did. I love it. I think there should be a wall separating the upstairs into two rooms, but everything else is perfect.”
“I don’t know what kind of stove Ma uses these days, but I know the one I used growing up is very different than the one in Albert’s house. If you need help learning to use it, just let me know.”
“Thank you!” Alice smiled. “I hope we can spend some time together and really get to know one another. It feels strange that I have a sister who is a virtual stranger to me.”
David nodded. “Especially with how much alike you two look.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Susan asked.
“Well, you’d think that you’d be close, looking alike and everything.”
Susan met Alice’s eyes and she shrugged. “I guess that makes sense in a David sort of way.”
“It does!” David said. “And don’t you forget it.”
Alice liked the atmosphere in the home even more than the building itself. Sure, it was a beautiful home, but more than that, Susan and David had raised their children there, and still were. Alice could just feel the love in the home. “What time will we have the wedding tomorrow?” She knew Susan had told her, but she couldn’t remember what her sister had said.
“I told everyone to be here at ten. That gives us time to get you in a pretty dress and to have food made for everyone to eat while they’re here.” Susan smiled. “It’s hard to believe my sister is marrying my son. It just sounds wrong!”
Alice nodded. “It may sound wrong, but it’s not. I share no blood with Albert, and we never set eyes on one another before today.” And she’d never been attracted to a man the way she was to Albert. She didn’t know if it was the power of suggestion or what, but she met him, and it all just sort of clicked into place.
“That’s true.” Susan studied her sister. “I have a dress that I think would be perfect for you to wear. It’s one I made shortly after we married, and after six children, I’ll never fit into it again, but you’re welcome to try it on.”
“I didn’t take the time to make myself a dress for the wedding, though I bought some fabric so I could make new clothes when I arrived. If you have something for the wedding, I would be eternally grateful.”
Susan nodded, getting to her feet. Clarissa looked up to see her mother standing and raised her arms to be picked up. Stooping down to get her daughter, Susan led the way up the stairs to her own bedroom. Once there, she handed Alice her niece, and knelt on the floor to open a chest full of clothes. She dug deep and found a dress at the very bottom. “This is the one.” She stood and held it up in front of her. “What do you think?”
“I love it! Do you think it will fit?” Alice desperately wanted to wear the dress. It was made of silk and had lace around the wrists and neck.
