Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

The Only Rules That Matter (TheCorsair, Madame Mim)

Jenny whooped and giggled as John pulled her back against him, smiling as he sang to her, then again when he grabbed her up in a crazy, whirling dance before seeing her back on her feet. He was right; to even wait to tomorrow would be too long, but they would both gladly wait until the end of days if they had to. They just didn't want to!

"Tomorrow then. Six o'clock. Dinner's always at six." She stood on her toes to kiss his cheek, excited for the following day. It was much less dangerous, but far more exciting.

Jenny snuck back into her bedroom presumably unnoticed to pass the night fitfully trying to sleep. She couldn't, however, for the excitement of the night as well as to come. Try as she might, Jenny could do little more than toss and turn until the wee hours, counting the moments until John could ask her father for her hand in marriage. Daylight came slowly and six o'clock came even more slowly, almost painfully so. Michael and Mary accepted that their daughter had invited her young man to dinner and said nothing more to her on the subject, though they did exchange glances with one another. This was getting serious.

"So John," Mr. Dolan started as Mrs. Dolan and Jenny served dinner, "where exactly--oh, thank you Mary--did you take my daughter last night?" He hadn't said word one to Jenny about this; clearly it was planned.

"Da!" Jenny blushed--somewhat fetchingly--and carefully avoided John's eye to attempt not getting caught in a lie.

"Don't you 'Da' me, young lady! You really didn't expect me to know? Well, John?" He turned his stern face towards their guest expectantly.
 
The night passed sleeplessly for John, for a multitude of reasons. The bruises that marked arms and kegs and body were a prime reason. As was memory; of Jenny in his arms as he kissed her in the dark, of her fsce and voice as she consented to be his wife. Of the shadowy thing he'd dreamed of when he struckk his head (and it must have been a dream, he tried to reassure himself).

But finally, he slept. Only to be awakened a few hours later. But strong tea and a hearty breakfast revived his spirits, allowing him to approach his chores with energy (if not enthusiasm). But the time crawled by slowly, minutes reqquiring hours to pass, crawling towards the appointed hour.

He knocked at the Dolan door at a quarter of six, a basket cinyaining two loaves of bread, a wedge of cheddar, and a bottle of port under one arm. Master Christopher had advised him that one should always bring a gift wnen invited to someone's home, after all. Mister Dolan answered, giving him a sharp and penetrating look before inviting him in.

He was just beginning to relax when, as Jenny and her mother served dinner, he dropped his question. "Where exactly did you take my daughter last night?" The question brought a moment of cold clarity with it. Mr. Dolan, clezrly, knew something about last night. Not everything, but enough.

So be it. They had done nothing to be ashamed of in the light of day.

John found himself smiling. It was genuine and happy, that smile, and it was clear from Mr. Dolan's face that it was the last thing he expected to see. "Why, across the Dour and up the hill to Dover Castle, sir."
 
"John!" Jenny flushed an even deeper shade of red. Clearly he'd expected him to lie, if not about having taken her out then about where they'd been. He was supposed to be trying to get on her father's good side so he could ask for her hand! Surely her father would never consent now!

Mr. Dolan, for his part, considered John as he chewed a bite of his pork loin. The lad was stupid, but honest. Where that put him in his standing, Michael didn't know.

"You took my sixteen-year-old daughter out to a castle that's said to be haunted. Alone. In the middle of the night on All Hallows Eve. After I'd already said 'no' in no uncertain terms." Mr. Dolan stared hard at John. "Why?"
 
John considered Mr. Dolan's question, feeling curiously detached. This was not how he'd expected dinner to go. In truth, he figured that the Dolans had either not noticed at all that Jenny had snuck out, or that Mr. Dolan would have just thrown him out when he arrived. This interrogation was unexpected.

But, somehow, it was nice to have it in the open.

He took pains to eat a bite of the pork loin before answering, both in imitation of Mr. Dolan's studiedly casual approach and to give himself time to think. "Why," he echoed, "did I take her to the castle?" He glanced sidelong at Jenny, then met Mr. Dolan's gaze. "Because I'm stubborn and willful," he said, the barest hint of a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "Master Christopher swears that's my greatest failing as an apprentice."

He sipped his cider. May as well have a taste. Mr. Dolan would probably physically remove him from his house when this was over. "But, more than that, I did it because I'm in love with your daughter. And because we wanted to spend the evening scaring ourselves a little, and enjoying each other's company."

His voice was calm, even though he felt like he was dizzy from the public statement. "And because some rules are meant to be broken, because some people are worth the risk." Deliberately, he looked at Jenny's mother before returning his gaze to his father. "Or are you going to tell me that, when you were courting, you didn't risk her father's wrath to be with her? Just for another hour or two?"

Calmly, deliberately, he took another bite. He felt like a condemned man, eating his last meal.
 
Jenny wished she could have just melted under the table and slunk away. She had been very private about this whole affair with John, never having had a serious relationship before, and for the most part her family had respected that. She opened her mouth several times to try to start a conversation with her mother or one of her brothers, but Peter and Sean were too wrapped up in watching John dig his own grave deeper and deeper and Mary thought the change of subject inappropriate. When John declared that he loved her, all eyes turned to her and Jenny's face progressed from a deep red to a strange shade of purple as she sunk lower in her chair. She wasn't ashamed, of course! She just felt her privacy invaded by her entire family at the dinner table and feared her love was only making things worse for himself. At this rate they wouldn't be able to marry until her father died!

Mr. Dolan, for his part, had an unreadably stern look. Not even Mrs. Dolan could tell what her husband thought of this bold young man carrying a torch for their only daughter. His thick, wiry eyebrows rose slightly at the lad's challenge, but he only shook his head.

"This conversation ain't about me, boyo," he reminded John sternly. "It's about you disobeying my orders and encouraging my daughter to do the same. I can't and won't abide by disrespect, lad." Mr. Dolan rubbed his beard as he chewed a potato and considered John for a long moment. "And what exactly happened last night? And believe me, I'll catch you in a lie faster than a blink."

Here he looked at his daughter too and Jenny realized with growing horror what her father meant by the question. He wanted to know if John had taken her virtue! She didn't want to be here anymore, but knew she wouldn't be excused if she asked. Instead she turned her face to her plate, avoiding everyone's gaze. She could feel her brothers staring at her, prepared to leap on John and beat him into a pulp if he'd touched their sister.
 
At the final question, John flinched like he'd been slapped. But he made himself lay down his utensils before he looked up. He had no ears for the sniggering of Jenny's brothers, and no heart to look at Jenny when she gasped in shock. And there was ice in his dark eyes as he met Mr. Dolan's once more.

"I know my reputation in this town, Mr. Dolan," he said, voice level. "Little Johnny Sparrow, trobulemaking bastard son of a whore." His nostrils flared on the last word, and his eyes narrowed on the last word, the only outward signs of his rage. "I apologize for persuading your daughter to disobey you, and plead only love as an excuse."

He held Mr. Nolan's gaze. "Because, yes Mr.Dolan. Johnny Sparrow, bastard whoreson, aspires to something finer and nobler than what folk about Dover think of him." With that, he drew a ragged breath. "And I hope you're not implying what I'm inferring from your words, sir. Because I'll not stand for it, sir. Jenny does not deserve that, especially from her own father."

He drew a deep, slow breath, eyes never wavering. "You want to know what, exactly, we did last night? I met Jenny outside her window, and we walked up the Castle Road. We scaled the outer wall, and snuck into one of the towers, looking for the ghost."

John's hands clenched into fists, to stop the shaking. Not from fear, but from controlled fury. "And yes, we kissed. That shouldn't be a surprise to you, Mister Dolan. But the only tumbling that happened was when my foot slipped on the stairs, and I nearly killed myself falling down them."

He fell silent for a moment, fighting to control the shaking as adrenaline coursed through his blood. "And then I walked her home, and we kissed again outside her window."

A pause.

"Nothing."

Another pause, John's dark eyes still meeting Mr. Dolan's.

"More."

Another pause. "I would die before I would shame Jenny, Mr. Dolan. It's a pity you don't feel the same."
 
Even if John had looked at her, Jenny wouldn't have been able to meet his gaze. She found it hard to breathe as John's voice took on a quiet tone. Her heart pounded in her chest as anxiety built and she felt the entire table go still as he spoke. She'd seen John peeved before, but she'd never seen him angry, truly angry before. She had never seen him so rage-filled and it would have been better if he had shouted. The way John's voice stayed so quiet and level, belying the emotion underneath, scared her a little. When he'd finished she dared to peek up at him, though she didn't lift her face more than half an inch.

Mr. Dolan watched the young man at his table. Yes, he knew the lad's reputation. Yes, that was a large factor in why he hadn't wanted his daughter seeing him. A whoreson was likely to not have had the best of upbringings and was even more likely to see all women the way his mother projected herself. John's dark eyes met his with an icy glare, which surprised him but was not intimidating enough for him to back down. He listened quietly as the lad explained himself and what they had been doing in the middle of the night. Once the young suitor had finished he looked over at his daughter.

"Jennifer?"

"Yes Da," she confirmed quietly. "Everything happened the way he said."

"Fine." Mr. Dolan went back to eating, as though the conversation had never happened. Jenny looked up, confused.

"Fine?"

"That's what I said."

She looked over at her mother, who shrugged. She had no idea what was going through her husband's mind about this. Anxiously she looked over at John to see if he was okay.
 
John waited, watching as Mr. Dolan turned to look at his daughter. He felt the muscles in his back and arms tense, ready to do... what? Attack her father, if he insulted her?

That would go well. At best, Jenny wouldn't speak to him for weeks. If he was lucky. But he wasn't going to just let him talk to...

"Jennifer?"

"Yes Da," she confirmed quietly. "Everything happened the way he said."

That's it, you son of a bitch. If you even hint that...

"Fine." Mr. Dolan went back to eating, as though the conversation had never happened. Jenny looked up, confused.

Fine?

"Fine?"

Fine?

"That's what I said."

John stared at him, shocked. All the fury built up in him, and it had been for nothing. No explosion. No angry words. No relief from the tension coiled in his gut and his back. Just Mr. Dolan, calmly eating dinner once more.

He let out a brath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Then, when Jenny caught his eye, all he could do was shrug in unconscious imitation of her mother. And then he gave her a soft little smile, before trying to turn his attention back to his meal.

Three bites went down mechanically, chewed without tasting as he considered his thoughts. Then he rolled his shoulders a little, trying to loosen them up, and resolved to enjoy the meal. "Hey, Peter?"

The boy - not much younger than himself, JOhn realized - looked at him curiously. As if unclear why John wasn't fragments. "Yes?"

"Would you pass the gravy, please?"
 
Jenny managed a small smile back. Mary caught the secretive, affectionate smile between them and smiled herself. The boy clearly cared for Jenny and had stood up to her husband; not that Michael was in the least bit abusive and neglectful. Quite the contrary, he was the most loving, protective, kind, caring man she had ever met. Which made it all the more brave of John to be so honest and frank when it came to Michael's only daughter, of whom he was particularly loving and protective. She liked John, Mary decided, as he asked her youngest to pass the gravy.

"S'good spread, Ma," Jenny commented, giving her mother a small smile. Mary smiled back knowingly.

"Thank ye, but don't talk with your mouth full. Y'know better'n that."

Awkward small talk continued through the meal, the entire family attempting to recover from the tense conversation with which Mr. Dolan had started. Once everyone was done, Jenny helped her mother take the dishes into the kitchen to wash before serving dessert. While the women were in the kitchen, Mr. Dolan pulled out a handsome pipe and tamped down the tobacco before lighting it.

"Ya smoke, John?" he asked casually.
 
One the tension passed, John felt curiously fatigued. As if he'd run a mile or two, and then polished the silver. But... he felt good, too. And so he tucked into his meal with the enthusiasm it deserved. He made a few conversational forays, asking Jenny's brothers about their schooling and their plans, but received only noncommital answers.

When the meal ended, his offer to help clean up was met by a laughing directive to stay right where he was. Which is how he came to find himself watching Mr. Dolan fill his pipe. "Ye smoke, John?"

"No, sir," John answered with a shake of his head. "Master Chtistopher always forbade it. For recreational uses, at least." He smiled at a memory. "The one time I tried, he caught me at it. My punishment was extra chores, and having to memorize the 36 medicinal uses for tobacco."

He thought about that for a second. "Although, I suppose a simple 'no, sir, I don't' would have sufficed." Then John drew a deep breath to speak, before letting it go. This wasn't the right time to ask, not with her brothers watching as well, and not so soon after the unpleasantness during dinner.

No, he'd wait a little. It would be easier, then.

Right?
 
"Aye, woulda," Mr. Dolan agreed gruffly. "But Halliwell's got the right of it. Nasty habit, smoking."

"But Da--"

"Ah! Matthew, 23:3?" Mr. Dolan held up a finger to his younger son, who sighed wearily.

"All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not," he quoted wearily, exchanging a look with his brother. It was clearly a conversation which happened often.

Sean, a tall, handsome young man a few years older than John, stood and began to cross to get his coat. "It's Saturday," he pointed out to his father, who had given him a querying look. "I told Elizabeth LeBlanc I would go for a walk tonight."

"Watch out for the frogs, boyo," Mr. Dolan warned his eldest as he shrugged on his coat and grabbed his hat. "But have fun." He glanced over at John, considering him for a few moments. The lad wanted to talk about something, he could tell. Probably to continue their earlier conversation. "Peter go help your mother with dessert."

"But Jenny--"

"Go."
 
John watched Sean depart, and then Peter get dismissed, with a growing sense of unease. Then Mr. Doyle settled back and eyed him expectantly, and his stomach flip-flopped. Later, it appeared, was now.

He swallowed, then forced himself to look at Jenny's father. It wasn't easy, not with the cold fury in his belly gone. But then he thought of Jenny, and that made matters a touch easier.

"Uhm..." he began, hating the sound of it. "You're... you're right. I shouldn't have taken her up to the Castle, after you said no. Because, it is a matter of respect. You're right about that."

John found himself starting to look away, and made himself look back. "I... I don't - won't - feel sorry for wanting to be with her. I'll never regret that, and I begrudge the times we do have to part. But she is your daughter, and I should have respected that."

He drew a deep breath. "Which is... which is why.. why I want to ask you for your blessing. I wish to marry Jenny, once my apprenticeship is complete, and she wants it too." Suddenly, his throat felt tight as nervousness coursed through him. "May.. may we have your blessing?"
 
"Aye," Mr. Dolan agreed as John stammered out his admission of disrespect. The boy seemed to be leading up to something.

And there it was. Michael supposed Jenny had probably already agreed, considering she had invited him to dinner after a secret date. He was surprised to feel himself profoundly...sad. He wasn't angry or disapproving; the fact was despite their slip up last night, he liked John. He was for the most part a good lad, and Jenny very clearly cared for him. He couldn't be angry, not rationally. But this was it. His baby girl was growing up and the day she had dreamed of all her life was now close on the horizon. Michael knew John had probably a few months at most left to his apprenticeship. He peered sternly at John through the cloud of pipe smoke.

"You're a stupid young man, John," Mr. Dolan finally started, carefully studying him. "You're stupid and you're honest. And clearly you love my daughter. Until last night you've been proper toward her, toward our family. You'll have a job with Halliwell I presume." He leaned his elbows on the table, his stare seeming to become more intense, before sighing and rubbing his eyes. Mr. Dolan suddenly appeared somewhat...older. More tired. "We don't have much, John. So if it's an inheritance or sommat you're after, move on. But..." He sighed again, heart thudding against his chest and leaping into his throat. "I don't see any reason why you shouldn't be able to marry my daughter. And she's my only daughter, John Sparrow; if you hurt her in anyway you will beg for death before I'm done with you."
 
John felt his breath catch as Mr. Dolan gave his blessing, even with the riders. He didn't know how to react. Leap about like a savage, screaming for joy? Burst into the kitchen and take Jenny in his arms? Gasp with relief?

In the end he did none of these things. Instead, he latched on to the last thing Mr. Dolan had said. "I assure you," he said, suddenly remembering his dream-conversation with the shadowy thing, "if I ever give her reason to hate me... my life is forefit."

Mine, Captain Jack Sparrow. Body and soul.

He shuddered at the words. They were memory. They mustbe. But they sounded as if they were growled right behind him, and loud enough enough that Mr. Dolan would have heard. They had to be memory.

"But I've no desire for ought of yours save Jenny, and neither you nor she will have cause to be ashamed of me." There was a twinkle in his eye as be leaned forward. "Young and stupid I may be, but not so young nor so stupid as to not see how fortunate I am."
 
Mr. Dolan actually smiled the tiniest of smiles when John offered his life as forfeit should he ever bring any sort of harm to Jenny. "Nice sentiment, boyo, but if you ever have cause to make good on that promise we won't need your permission to string you up."

He saw John shudder, but dismissed it as a wave of relief after such a nerve-wracking night. When the boy promised that he wanted nothing from the Dolans but Jenny Michael couldn't help but approve. He approved further when John with good humor pointed out how fortunate he was.

"Aye. If you were that stupid you wouldn't be allowed to marry my only daughter."

The next months were the happiest of Jenny's young life, even happier than her first year with John. Christmas was a happier occasion than usual, with John invited for dinner after Jenny had spent a good portion of the afternoon with Master Halliwell and his family, being as good as John's family. The New Year was much the same, and though she was excited and happy Jenny often found herself stressed out in the evenings planning her coming wedding with her mother. The stress was doubled when John finally finished his apprenticeship, signifying the quickening advent of the wedding.

Finally, it was the day. The week after Easter Jenny was having a minor panic attack behind the church. She had been going over and over things in her head that she had needed for her wedding, and everything seemed to be in order but she was convinced--absolutely convinced--that she had forgotten something. Fortunately her mother had nearly half an hour to calm her down. There at St. Catherine's of Dover on April 26, 1699, three months before her seventeenth birthday, Jenny Dolan was to become Jenny Sparrow. She had never been more excited nor more physically ill in her entire life.
 
Time passed, as it was wont to do, seeming by turns to move quickly and slowly. John speent more and more time with his fiancee (and how great did that sound?), and with the Dolans and the Halliwelis. Mary Hallieell in particulat seemed determined that her family would serve the role of John's, and took Jenny into her heart.

His apprenticeship ended, and John settled in as a junior partner at the apothecary. He filled the role of purchasing agent as much as anything, acquiring the more exotic herbs and substances the apothecary required, and negotiating prices with an enthusiasm and enjoyment that Master Christopher had always lacked.

He tried to help with the wedding plans, only to be gently rebuffed by Jenny. So he helped in the only way he could, by holding her and soothing her nerves. Which led, on more than one occasion tothe sort of heated and pleasant passage of time which ended with a reminder of how much sweeter it would be on the day they wouldn't need to stop.

What little time was left to him was spent fixing up the little house he (they, really) had purchased on the edge of town. It was smallish but came with a small plot of land. Plenty or room for a garden, and for the house to grow.

But time passed. And before he realized it, it was April 26 and he was standing before the altar at St. Catherine's, realizing that even a small gathering looks huge when you're the center of attention.

"Relax," Jacob whispered, elbowing him. His former fellow apprentice was now his best man. "Nobody's here to see you, bastard."

Only Jacob could have gotten away with that.

"I know, I know," he whispered back. "I'm just..."

The organ blew a blast as the wedding march began, sparing him from having to admit anything. And so, with a roiling gut and a lightness in his blood, he turned to watch Mr. Doyle escort Jenny down the aisle.
 
Jenny's dress was an antique which had been worn by her mother and her mother's mother, and today she wore it with pride. The embroidery had been stitched by her great-grandmother nearly seventy-five years ago and the whole thing was still in good repair to this day. This was her "something old," with her "something new" a veil her mother swore she'd nearly gone blind making held in place by a crown of flowers while at her wrist hung a pearl bracelet borrowed from a friend. She had never felt more beautiful. Mr. Doyle offered his arm once they heard the wedding march begin to play and she took it. The gathering wasn't big; mostly just nuclear family and a few friends, but it was still nervewracking when everyone stood and turned to look at her. Maybe this was why the father walked the daughter down the aisle; to hold her up if she felt like fainting.

"Da..." Jenny whispered, the corner of her mouth barely moving. "I think I'm gonna be sick..."

"Just don't gawk on yer groom and you'll be fine, lass," he whispered back, patting her hand gently. At the head of the aisle she kissed her father's cheek and hugged him tightly before he gave her hands to John. "You take good care of my daughter John Sparrow, or you're mine," Mr. Dolan reminded John quietly before shaking his hand and taking a seat.

The music stopped. This was it. Jenny thought her heart would break her chest, or that they'd have to stop the ceremony because it was beating so loud nobody could hear. She smiled weakly, nervously, at John as she squeezed his hands. Finally!
 
Mr. Dolan placed Jenny's hands in John's. "You take good care of my daughter John Sparrow, or you're mine," he murmured.

"I'm a stupid young man," John murmured back, unable to take his eyes from Jenny, "but I'm not that young or that stupid." It was something of a joke between the two men, although with a serious edge. John had no doubt that his soon-to-be father-in-law would carry through on the threat.

He smiled at Jenny, feeling slightly dizzy. It was here! It was real! And he could barely believe it.

Mr. Dolan took his seat, and the music died away. After a moment, Father Shovel rose from his seat and came to stand between the altar and the couple. John squeezed Jenny's hands, trying to communicate all the love and eagerness he felt in a single act.

"Dearly beloved," Father Shovel announced, "we are gathered together here in the sight of God, and in the face of this congregation, to join together this Man and this Woman in holy Matrimony; which is an honourable estate, instituted of God in the time of man's innocency, signifying unto us the mystical union that is betwixt Christ and his Church; which holy estate Christ adorned and beautified with his presence, and first miracle that he wrought, in Cana of Galilee; and is commended of Saint Paul to be honourable among all men: and therefore is not by any to be enterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly, to satisfy men's carnal lusts and appetites, like brute beasts that have no understanding; but reverently, discreetly, advisedly, soberly, and in the fear of God; duly considering the causes for which Matrimony was ordained."

Excited and eager and filled with love as he was, John struggled to keep his attention on the ceremony. Even after two years with Jenny, he'd not found much in religion to recommend it. But it was important to the most important woman in his life, and so it was important to him. And he really had tried to pay attention to the lessons...

"First, It was ordained for the procreation of children, to be brought up in the fear and nurture of the Lord, and to the praise of his holy Name."

...and oh God was he still talking? Why was he still talking? Why...

"Secondly, It was ordained for a remedy against sin, and to avoid fornication; that such persons as have not the gift of continency might marry, and keep themselves undefiled members of Christ's body."

...couldn't it be a simple matter of pledging himself to Jenny, and her to him? What was the point of all of this?

"Thirdly, It was ordained for the mutual society, help, and comfort, that the one ought to have of the other, both in prosperity and adversity. Into which holy estate these two persons present come now to be joined. Therefore if any man can shew any just cause, why they may not lawfully be joined together, let him now speak, or else hereafter for ever hold his peace."

John held his breath, eying the congregation. Not a sound was uttered.

Father Shovel directed his words to the couple before him now. "I require and charge you both, as ye will answer at the dreadful day of judgement when the secrets of all hearts shall be disclosed, that if either of you know any impediment, why ye may not be lawfully joined together in Matrimony, ye do now confess it. For be ye well assured, that so many as are coupled together otherwise than God's Word doth allow are not joined together by God; neither is their Matrimony lawful."

That formality out of the way, the priest fixed John with an eagle's eye. "Johnathan Sparrow, wilt thou have this woman to thy wedded wife, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou love her, comfort her, honour, and keep her in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto her, so long as ye both shall live?"

YES! he wanted to shout, as soon as the first question was asked. But he forced himself to wait until it was his turn to speak, to wait until the final question was asked. Then he turned to look at Jenny, and found he could barely utter a word. "I will," he whispered, just loud enough for her to hear.

Father Shovel just smiled, and gestured for John to repeat his words. Swallowing, he raised his voice. "I will."
 
Jenny squeezed John's hands excitedly. She couldn't help but grin excitedly and nervously. She wasn't listening to the service. For once she just couldn't even force herself to listen to a word Father Shovel was saying. The only thing in her world was John.

"First, It was ordered for procreation of children..."

Christ! Was he still talking? Why couldn't they just say their vows and be done? Man and wife! she silently begged, just say man and wife!

"I will." John's voice jerked Jenny back to attention. Suddenly she wasn't alone in the world with him; she was back in front of him in the church, in front of nearly everyone important in her life. Her heart was still pounding against her ribs and it was her turn.

"Jennifer Dolan, wilt thou have this man to thy wedded husband, to live together after God's ordinance in the holy estate of Matrimony? Wilt thou obey him, and serve him, love, honour, and keep him in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all other, keep thee only unto him, so long as ye both shall live?" Father Shovel looked at her expectantly.

"I--" Jenny's voice came out as a whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I will." She grinned uncontrollably at John, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet.

"Who giveth this woman to be married to this man?" Father Shovel looked toward the front pew, where Mr. Dolan stood.

"Her mother and I."

Jenny winced slightly at the volume of her father's voice as it echoed in the rafters of the church. He was typically not very quiet anyway, but new how to speak in a church. Though he was, she supposed, nearly as nervous as she. After all, she was his little girl, his only daughter, and here he was giving her away to another man. Father Shovel smiled and nodded toward Mr. Dolan before continuing.

"John, if you'll take your bride's hand and repeat after me. I John take thee Jennifer to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth." The priest waited for John to repeat each portion of the vows after him.
 
"I--" Jenny's voice came out as a whisper. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I will." She grinned uncontrollably at John, bouncing a little on the balls of her feet. And John grinned uncontrollably back, fighting the urge to sweep her off her feet now and carry her off. To the Devil with this nonsense!

He didn't, of course. But, to be honest, he didn't really pay any attention to the rest of the ceremony. All his attention was on his bride, and all he cared about were the words that would make her his wife.

And after an eternity, they were exhanging their vows. "I John Sparrow, take thee Jenny Dolan, to my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth."

He hung on her words as she repeated the vows. And then it was time to give her the ring, and his expression turned slightly conspiratorial as he took it from Father Shovel and held it up for her to see.

"With this ring I thee wed," he recited, slipping the white gold band onto her hand. "With my body I thee worship, and with all my worldly goods I thee endow. With this hand, I will lift thy sorrows. Thy cup will never empty, For I will be thy wine. With this candle, I will light thy way in darkness. In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen."

None of the rest of it mattered. Not the rest of the ceremony. Not the sermon that followed. Only the light in his new wife's eyes, and the joy on her face, and the joy that filled his heart to bursting. "Body and soul," he murmured. "Forever."
 
"I Jennifer Dolan, take thee John Sparrow, to my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death us do part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I plight thee my troth."

Jenny gasped quietly as John held up her ring. It was gorgeous! Her eyes watered with tears of joy as he slipped the ring over her finger. With shaking hands she slid a simple white gold band over his finger in return, reciting the vows as she gave him his ring and her love, her life.

"Body and soul. Forever," Jenny repeated. She couldn't help it anymore; tears of joy slid down her cheeks and it was all she could do not to kiss him right then in there.

"Then by the power vested in me by God and the Holy Roman Catholic Church, I now pronounce you man and wife," Father Shovel said after what felt like an absolute eternity of prayers, communion, and more prayers. "As a sign of your commitment and love you may now kiss your bride, John."

Jenny couldn't even wait for John to lean in to her. She pushed herself up onto her toes before pulling him down by the neck to kiss him hard. Tears streamed down her face as she kissed her husband--her husband!!--and when they pulled apart she was grinning and openly allowing her tears of uncontrollable joy to flow.

"Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, it is my greatest pleasure to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Johnathan Sparrow." Father Shovel patted them both on the shoulder as the music began again to escort them back down the aisle.
 
"Then by the power vested in me by God and the Holy Roman Catholic Church, I now pronounce you man and wife," Father Shovel finally said. "As a sign of your commitment and love you may now kiss your bride, John."

There was a smatter of light laughter as Jenny acted first, reaching up and pulling John down into a kiss. It didn't take John long to catch up with hiw new wife, though, as he met and returned her kiss with the same enthusiasm and passion. The world narrowed, becoming only the woman in his arms and the taste of her lips.

Finally they pulled back, mad grins of pure joy on their faces. One of JOhn's arms slipped from around her waist as he reached up to brush a tear away from Jenny's cheek with a feather-light touch. "I love you," he breathed, starting to pull her back for a second kiss.

Father Shovel, a veteran of hundreds of marriages over the decades, was aware of this tendancy among newlyweds. So he gently placed his hands on their shoulders, and raised his voice a little. "Ladies and gentlemen, friends and family, it is my greatest pleasure to present to you Mr. and Mrs. Johnathan Sparrow."

The small congregation went mad, cheering and applauding. John grinned even wider, something he didn't even believe was possible. Mrs. Johnathan Sparrow. He murmured it again, tasting the words, and felt his chest burn and expand.

The organ began playing again. John took his wife's hand and turned to face the small congregation. Then, walking slowly to conceal the trembling in his legs and to drag out the moment, he escorted Jenny Sparrow the length of the church.



The celebration was, of course, held at the Black Anchor. Mr. Dolan had insisted, many months ago, and nobody had seen any reason to refuse. And so, when John finally opened the door and escorted his new bride inside, everyone was already there. They went mad again, whooping and hollering and applauding until John, face burning scarlet, took Jenny in his arms and kissed her thoroughly once more. And then they all cheered louder.

"To John Sparrow," Mr. Dolan called over the noise, raising a tankard, "who's perhaps not so stupid as I once believed, and to my daughter Jenny, who is now his wife! Here's to you both, a beautiful pair, on the birthday of your love affair! Here's to the husband and here's to the wife! May yourselves be lovers for the rest of your life!"

"To John and Jenny!" the rest of the guests roared in agreement, drinking their health. And, because it seemed the thing to do at that moment, John kissed his wife once more.
 
"I love you too," Jenny whispered back, unable to speak louder for the emotion choking her voice. "God I love you so much John Sparrow."

They started in to kiss each other again, but Father Shovel was already steering them to face the congregation. Their family and friends went mad cheering and shouting for their happiness as they went back down the aisle hand-in-hand. Man and wife. Jenny could barely dare to believe it. The cool spring morning air felt good on her burning cheeks as they walked through the town a few streets over to the tavern. When they finally walked in there was another uproarious cheer and before she knew it John was pulling her in for another kiss. When they parted she was grinning widely and blushing a very deep shade of red.

"To John Sparrow," Mr. Dolan called over the noise, raising a tankard, "who's perhaps not so stupid as I once believed, and to my daughter Jenny, who is now his wife! Here's to you both, a beautiful pair, on the birthday of your love affair! Here's to the husband and here's to the wife! May yourselves be lovers for the rest of your life!"

Everyone lifted their glasses and echoed her father's toast. He'd clearly already had a cup or two before they'd arrived, but still Jenny appreciated his general attitude toward the whole thing and the efforts he'd made the past six months to actually get along with John. She grinned wider, if that was possible, as everyone drank to them just before John pulled her in for another kiss. Jenny laughed against his lips before wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him more deeply.

"Alright, ye two, save it for later," Mrs. Dolan called over the crowd, making a shooing motion with her hands. She and Mrs. Halliwell were bringing forward a cake over which they had labored together most of the previous day. Roses and leaves were painstakingly made of stiffened icing and it had taken hours to smooth the icing on the actual cake.

"Oh Ma it's beautiful," Jenny breathed, glancing up at her mother before looking over at her husband. Her husband! She could never think or say that enough. She took John's hand as the knife was handed to them to cut the first slice of cake together.
 
And, because it seemed the thing to do at that moment, John kissed his wife once more. Jenny laughed as she kissed him, before wrapping her arms around him and deepening the kiss.

"Alright, ye two, save it for later," Mrs. Dolan called over the crowd, making a shooing motion with her hands.

"That's what they've been doing for two years!" Jacob called, his laughter mingling with that of the rest of the assembled guests. Master Christopher laughed as hard as the others, but that didn't spare Jacob an affectionate cuff on the back of the head. Or from having Molly Gordon, who was clinging onto his arm, dig a finger into his ribs.

The couple allowed themselves to be ushered towards a magnificent-looking cake. "Oh Ma it's beautiful," Jenny breathed, and John nodded in agreement as she took his hand. He could have meant his wife (and God, but that was a fine thing to be able to say), the cake, or both. But he didn't let that distract him from taking the knife by the handle, and holding it so Jenny could grasp it as well.

"Nár laga Dia do lámh!" called Mr. Dolan, refilling his tankard and hoisting it in toast.

"You'll have to tell me what that means," John whispered. Then, gripping the knife, he cut into the cake.
 
"May God not weaken your hand," Jenny whispered back as she gripped the handle, cutting into the cake with John. There was thunderous applause and cheers as they cut the first slice, feeding each other pieces of cake, before Mrs. Dolan and Mrs. Halliwell (affectionately referred to collectively as "The Marys" by their husbands) took it away to cut it up for everyone while the happy couple enjoyed their celebration.

And what a celebration it was! There was singing and dancing, much more food than anyone could possibly eat, drinking, laughter, and all sorts of general merriment. By the end of it Jenny was shoeless, her hair fallen to its usual state, and she was mostly sober. It was nearly eight in the evening and the party had been going about six hours by the time she took John aside.

"I think they'd forgive us if we disappeared now," she murmured to him, squeezing his hand. Jenny enjoyed a good party, but they tended to wear her out. That, and she was eager to enjoy some time alone with her new husband.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom