Tying the Knot
by Donna and Toni


The night before Ceara's wedding day, she was so wound up she couldn't sleep. She and Charity ended up sitting up all night, playing cards on the kitchen table and talking about *things*. When dawn came, they all fed the horses and other livestock as usual, then loaded up the buggy to go to town. The first thing there was to do was to go to the MacDonalds' house to have her hair done up fancy by Joy.

The young bride to be's nerves were calmed a little bit by the conversation as different ways of putting her hair were discussed. She finally ended up settling on her long red hair being done in a long braid that was wound around the back of her head. A flower garland would be her headpiece, anchoring a lovely long veil of the same type of lace that was on the dress. She could never thank her friends enough for going to this much trouble for her!

As she looked in the mirror at her reflection, she knew she'd never looked so "grown up" in her life. She hoped some of her paleness brought on by nerves disappeared as the day wore on; she didn't want Pat to look like he was marrying a ghost!

The groom in question was feeling his own bit of nerves, as he made sure every button on his uniform was gleaming and he looked just as good as he possibly could. After all, he didn't want his young bride to be ashamed of him, now did he, he thought as he straightened his sash for the hundredth time.

Richard Sharpe was there to critique his appearance of course, and both of them looked very handsome in their uniforms. They had ridden out from the fort early that morning, and had finished getting ready in the hotel.

The church had been bedecked by garlands, and there was the usual busy goings-on that there would be for any wedding. It was going to be a packed house once again, as it had been for Philip and Fiona's wedding, and Alec's fellow priests were helping him get both the church and himself ready for the ceremony.

Everyone from the fort who could come was there, all in their dress uniforms. Hagman was there of course with his fiddle, and was providing some of the music for the occasion. Patrick looked out from the little side room where he and Richard were waiting, and the sight of the growing crowd made him swallow hard.

Of course his best friend (and Best Man) was doing all he could to keep him calm, and the tall Irishman wondered how his bride was doing, and shouldn't she be getting there soon? He knew he'd be just fine once the ceremony itself was over with and he was enjoying himself at the reception with his new wife in his arms, dancing and talking and of course eating and drinking!

He thought about that part of it, and a little smile appeared on his face. He was thinking about it so much, in fact, that it took a couple of nudges from Sharpe to make him aware that Father Alec was summoning the two from the side room, it was time for them to take their places! With a slightly embarrassed blush, the groom headed to his post, followed by his Best Man.

A few moments later, he saw Charity standing at the entrance of the sanctuary. The tall, graceful woman was just beginning to show, and she was positively glowing as she walked down the aisle. Everyone watched her go down the aisle and take her place at the side of where Ceara would stand. Then the music changed, and it was the young
bride's turn.

She was on Sam's arm, as the farmer had been chosen to give her away, and his presence was the only thing keeping her relatively calm. She looked up to meet her groom's eyes, and the two couldn't seem to stop looking at each other as she completed her journey. Everyone around them seemed to be smiling, as Sam gave her hand to Pat, and the two managed to get in little whispers to each other concerning
how beautiful and how handsome each one was before turning to face Father Alec.

His gentle smile was soothing. "Ready?" he asked them, and when they both nodded, he began with the time honored words. "Dearly beloved...."

The rest of the ceremony went by in a blur. Richard had to nudge Patrick a couple of times, so engrossed was he in the sight of his beautiful bride. Before they knew it, Father Alec had pronounced them man and wife! The kiss at the end of the ceremony was certainly no problem, with both bride and groom visibly relaxing. When the two
finally parted, among a bit of applause, Ceara blushed as Pat grinned and even bowed slightly to the group, and Sharpe and Charity, as they preceded the twosome down the aisle, couldn't help grins of their own. Now it would be time for the decorated wagons to take everyone to the reception at the Grey farm!

When they arrived, the happy couple found themselves swept up onto the shoulders of Patrick's fellow soldiers, and carried into the barn amidst many loud bawdy jokes and good-natured teasing. Once everyone was there and settled down, as much as they were going to, the Best Man stood, called for quiet, and executed his duty of
proposing the toast to the bride and groom.

He cleared his throat, then said, holding his glass aloft, "Ter Pat Harper, an' 'is darlin' Lass.  All good things, though 'e usually goes out an' finds 'em anyway, my blessin's er not!" Everyone agreed with that, and glasses all around the tables were upended as the guests drank to it. Then it was time to bring out the food and drink and enjoy the wedding dinner!

A pig had been roasting in a BBQ pit since the night before, and everyone had brought food and drinks for the celebration. As usual, there was plenty of music and dancing, although Katherine wasn't singing too much. Her newborn daughter was occupying a lot of her time!

Of course a number of the fae were there, and between them and other pregnant and new mothers, there was plenty of talk about babies! As people visited between the different tables, the reception truly did take on the air of a very large party similar to the very first one in Edan awhile back. When the dishes were cleared away and it was at last time for dancing, the bride and groom were at the center of things, the happiest anyone had ever seen them!

As Pat swept her into his arms, and then danced with her before all their friends and neighbors, the love they had for each other was obvious on their faces. Once their dance was finished, he turned his bride over to Sam, and Patrick took Charity for a spin around the floor. All around them, other couples were now dancing as well. "So, where are you spending your honeymoon at?" Charity asked. Ceara had told her that Patrick was going to surprise her.

Trying to get it out of the tall sergeant produced only a knowing grin, so the Maid of Honor finally gave up. She knew that her young friend would fill her in when she returned from it! The wedding cake was a bit of pure heaven, made by Sarah Jo, and then it was time for the garter and bouquet toss.

When it came time to toss the bouquet, all the unmarried girls gathered around behind Ceara. As she tossed it, it bounced out of both Hope and Faith's hands and into Jacinda's! The young woman stared at it as the group around her congratulated her with hugs and giggles, and then it was the men's turn.

With just a little bit of a leer, Pat reached under his wife's skirt until he located the garter at the middle of her thigh, and then stood, with the group of single men behind him, and tossed the blue and white lace circlet high over his shoulder. It flew through the air, and plopped squarely into the hands of none other than Rayden! The man with the long white hair just stood there, staring at the object in his hand, not having a clue what the symbolism of it was!

With large grins, the other men in the group hastily explained to him what had to be done with it, as Jacinda was being seated in the middle of the floor, and everyone waited patiently for the next step. With a puzzled look on his face, he did what he was cued to do, still not understanding any of it. Ev, on the side watching, was laughing her head off.

He may not have understood it, but he was gentle, not causing Jacinda any undue  embarrassment. When the garter was securely on her leg just above her knee, at a hastily whispered request from the lady herself, everyone applauded happily, and the two were finally allowed to go back to their respective partners, as the dancing
resumed. The party continued on into the night, and the newlyweds were beginning to try to think of a way out of the barn without anyone noticing! 

As they stood in a corner of the barn discussing options, they were approached by none other than Dan Hagman, who told them quietly that he and Harris had discovered a few loose boards at the back of the barn that had been overlooked in the storm repairs of awhile back, and the lanky rifleman would be glad to show the sergeant and his missus the way to it, if they wanted to leave unnoticed.

In a moment, the two were slipping stealthily out of the "secret exit", as Dan held the boards out of the way for them, and when they were outside, they saw Harris, having brought their wagon around to the very spot they were standing in. Thanking both of his men for their help, the groom helped his bride on board, got onto the driver's
bench, and with a quiet flick of the reins to the horses, headed off to the small cabin at their honeymoon destination that he'd already prepared with all they would need for about a week.

He'd already secured his Colonel's permission to have that long a leave, and as they rode off into the moonlit night, the soft, masculine humming of an old Irish tune could be heard clearly fading off into the distance.