I had no words. I never would have thought I’d wear a lace gown. Not that I’d given my wedding much thought while at school. Some girls did, but that wasn’t me.
It had to be taken in just a little, but not much. I smiled when I reached up to push the hair back from my face and noticed the sleeves widened at the wrists, making it look more medieval. The length would be perfect with the high-heeled shoes Raphael had also arranged for me to wear.
I stood still while the seamstress worked, wondering where exactly we’d be married. He’d said in front of God and man. Did he mean we’d be married in a church? And why did he want me wearing this? Wouldn’t he be better off to save it for when he really got married? After me, after the three years had passed and he had no use for me and could find his true happily-ever-after?
The thought made me nauseous, actually.
The seamstress didn’t stick me once with the hundred or so pins I swear she used before finally, she was satisfied. She then opened another bag I hadn’t seen. It was behind the one the dress had come in. This one contained a simple white veil edged with lace of the same pattern. She took the clip from my hair and laid it over my head. I noticed then how the veil was yellowing along the edges, but the result was no less stunning.
The door opened at that moment. There was no knock first. We both turned to find Raphael standing there. His mouth fell open, and he didn’t speak for a long time. Finally, I moved, sliding the veil from my head, and facing him.
“It’s bad luck for the groom to see his bride before the wedding,” the seamstress said with a wink.
Was she oblivious to the tension between us?
“This is no ordinary wedding,” I muttered.
Raphael cleared his throat and dragged his gaze from me. “Do you need anything?” he asked the seamstress.
“No, I should be fine. I’ll have it back within a few days. Not too much to do.”
“Good.” He looked me over again, his expression strange, tight. He then nodded, walked back out, and closed the door. The seamstress helped me undress and carefully placed the gown back in its bag. After gathering her things, she said good-bye and left.
Feeling the weight of jet lag, I lay down to close my eyes for a few minutes, but those few minutes turned into two nightmarish hours.
I dreamed of Lina and Grandfather back home, but Grandfather had a set of horns growing out of his head in my dream. That and yellowed, decaying teeth. Lina was smaller, younger. More vulnerable. And even though I was there, it seemed as though I wasn’t. I was able to watch, but I couldn’t reach out and touch her, and she couldn’t hear me when I spoke, when I told her to run because Grandfather was stalking her through the house.
It was when I caught a glimpse of myself in a mirror that I finally woke, and when I did, I was sweating and the sheets had knotted around my body.
I was wearing that wedding dress in my dream, but it didn’t look the same. It was bloodied and blackened by fire and death, and there was a stench so strong that I swear I could still smell it now as if it clung to my nostrils.
After unraveling myself from the sheets, I picked up my cell phone and called Lina. She answered on the second ring, whispering.
“I’m so glad I caught you,” I said.
“Me, too. I’ve been waiting for you to call. I didn’t want to call you, figuring you’d be messed up with the time difference.”
“Don’t worry about that, just call me whenever.”
“You too.”
“Why are you whispering?”
“I’m hiding in the bathroom. Piano lesson.”
“Oh.” Her schedule was grueling, and the only thing that gave me comfort was knowing she actually enjoyed the work, or at least the end result.
“How are you? How is it there?”
“Okay,” I said. It’s a really nice property, actually. His family has an estate here, or I guess it’s his now.”
“Did you meet his brothers?”
“Just the one. Damon. He wants to become a priest!”
“A priest?”
“I know, I was shocked too. I mean, this is the Amado family. The only legitimate thing about them was the winery that’s been destroyed. It’s no secret who their father was, what he did.”
“Don’t judge them all by their father’s actions.”
She was more right than she knew, considering Grandfather’s actions. “You’re much nicer than me, Lina.”
“How is he? Raphael, I mean?”
I shrugged a shoulder. Honestly, I couldn’t figure him out. What did I tell her? “I don’t know yet, I guess. He gave me a puppy.”
“He did? Wow! That’s nice.”
“It was one kind act. He’s not a nice man, Lina. We can’t ever forget that.”