Rose Gardner's Florist (The Providence Street Shops #2) - Bonnie Dee Page 0,56

or his agents during the daylight hours. I do thank you again for becoming so involved. You didn’t have to.”

“Of course, I did. I behaved as I would for any friend in trouble.” He picked several leaves off his sleeve before speaking again. “But I must tell you, Rose, I do not really wish to remain friends with you.”

“Oh.” It felt as if her stomach had been kicked rather than her head. Being summoned from his home in the night to punch and threaten people had been too much for him, of course. Why would he want a friend who would drag him into such violent drama?

“I see,” she replied. “I understand.”

“No. I don’t believe you do.” He grasped her arms and faced her squarely. “I meant to say I don’t wish to remain merely your friend. I told you it would be sufficient, but it isn’t. I want so much more than that and I am no longer afraid to ask. Please you grant me the favor of being your beau, Miss Gardener. Allow me to court you properly and if, at the end of a month, you still cannot envision us together, I will walk away with no hard feelings.”

“Oh, Will, you make it so hard to say no.”

His mouth tightened. “All right. At least I’ve tried.”

“Now you misunderstand me,” she said. “You make it so hard to say no, that I will say ‘yes’ instead.”

A thought occurred, an opportunity for him to truly understand how vastly different their worlds were. “Will you accompany me to my sister’s wedding?”

His eyes opened wide, bright and eager. “Yes. Absolutely! When and where?”

Chapter Nineteen

The old church, wedged incongruously between a cemetery and a more recently built butcher’s shop, could scarcely accommodate both the Barnes and Gardener extended families. In addition to the immediate families, there were aunts, uncles, cousins, half-relations, and friends from the neighborhood on both sides. Ongoing feuds of one sort or another separated them into various clusters who shot bitter looks at one another. Insults and arguments flew back and forth across the aisle before the minister arrived to temporarily quell the seething resentments.

Rose kept glancing at her escort to gauge his reaction to the noisy crowd assembled for a sacred occasion.

Will’s lips twitched as her brother Danny, sitting beside him in the pew, muttered about an enemy, “Bloody arsehole! I’ll see him dead if he crosses me again.” And Will could hardly contain his amusement when Dale’s wife Madge cuffed her son on the side of the head to keep him from making paper airplanes from the hymnal pages.

Please start. Please be over soon. Rose prayed with folded hands. Her wish was granted as Alice Chauncey played Arietta and Dad up the aisle on a wheezing organ.

Her sister looked truly lovely in her pink ensemble, but far too fresh and glowing to be marrying the grizzled Gus Barnes. He was nearly dashing in his uniform with freshly trimmed hair and beard, but so very much older than Arietta it made Rose grimace. The vows were dispensed with in short order and the guests raised a cheer at the kiss that sealed the union.

“Your sister is a beautiful bride,” Will whispered. “She seems very happy.”

“I pray she will be in the future as well,” Rose said. “Wish I could tell you this is the end of it and we could leave now, but there’s the reception yet to come.”

“I’ll be pleased to meet your family.”

You won’t be, she thought. But perhaps it wouldn’t be as bad as she imagined. The heavy drinking wouldn’t start till later in the day, so Dad might not be quite as belligerent or Mum as quick with the sly jabs at anyone who crossed her path. She would be sure to leave before they reached that point.

Hoorahs and good wishes lasted about as long as it took for Arietta and her groom to go down the aisle, greeting people on the right and left on their way. One could almost believe the good nature would last, but truce flags went down as soon as everyone left the church.

Outside the building, Danny resumed squabbling with his one-time rival Job Barnes, Gus’s younger brother. Their fight quickly escalated to blows, forcing other guests to pull them apart, which naturally led to more fisticuffs on the side.

“What’s the argument about?” Will asked, watching the brawling with interest.

“Years ago my brother and Job were stepping out with the same girl,” Rose explained. “She’s long since wed someone