Penny's Wedding - by Dawn Rae

Voice.club
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https://Voice.club - Penny had changed her mind.

It was a bit late but that made it more definite. Her spring wedding at Grainger Castle would be a huge event in their village, but it was all about money… her social-snob mother had plenty, Lord Grainger had none.

So Penny, in frothy white, was being driven through spring showers to a wedding she no longer wanted. She needed a plan to get out of it without causing her mother social embarrassment. Pulling her phone from her lacy garter, she messaged Freddy.

Do you have the licence?

He replied, I’ve given it to Father Collin.

Penny typed, Where did he put it? I’ve got a terrible feeling. Freddy said it was in Father Collin’s pocket, and Penny finalised her plan.

In the castle library Penny paced before the blazing fire.

“Father,” she cried when the priest arrived, “have you got it?”

“Of course, my dear,” he said, holding out the licence.

Penny unfolded it as she crossed the room. Suddenly, her feet tangled in her skirt. She stumbled and fell, artfully depositing the page into the flames.

Time froze.

Then both Helen, her bridesmaid, and Father Collin scrambled for the fireplace. Penny also reached out, foiling the attempted rescue. They saved only the top two inches, emblazoned ‘Marriage Licence’.

“Oh no,” Penny wailed, managing to squeeze out a single tear. “I knew something terrible would happen.”

“Well,” Father Collin muttered, “no wedding today.” He shuffled out, shoulders slumped, and Penny felt sorry for him, having to take the news to her mother.

Helen turned wide eyes to Penny. “You can’t marry now.”

“Well, not today anyway.” Penny dabbed her dry eyes to hide her grin.

“Not ever.” Helen’s voice was dark with superstition. “There’s a reason,” she emphasised.

“But what will Freddy say?”

“Actually, maybe that’s the reason.” Helen settled beside Penny on the sofa. “You see, I don’t think my brother’s ready to marry. I know it’s hard for you to hear, Penny, but…”

As Helen’s voice droned on, Penny’s ruby lips smiled.

So, she thought, a lucky escape all around.

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Penny is so artful and a great actress. I had to laugh at her conniving!

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I enjoyed it and giggled when hearing the word superstition. I didn’t think you also had superstitious beliefs there. I thought it only existed in our area/country. Nice one.

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Thanks Margarida, so glad you like it :two_hearts:

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Thanks Lotchie. Actually there are many superstitions in my family… my granddad was gypsy and my grandma Irish Catholic… my mum grew up with many superstitious beliefs which she shared with us :winking_face_with_tongue: I don’t subscribe to them but my mum did.

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Hello Dawn - We don’t usually comment on stories, but we just had to commend you for one of the best profile avatar pictures we’ve ever seen on Discourse.

When writers have a customized avatar on their Discourse profile, it brings them to life to other members and we have a stronger community.

Your avatar is just perfect:
“Dawn Rae - teller of tales”

We hope your superbly designed avatar will inspire others to create their own personalized profile avatars!

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Wow! Thank you so much :two_hearts:

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Wow! What a nice avatar you have, Dawn Rae. If you don’t mind, may I know how to do it?

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Hi Lotchie
Thanks for your kind words. I designed my logo with pencil and paper (old-school :joy:) then had a friend create it for me digitally. Of course that was back before AI was a thing :winking_face_with_tongue: Today I guess it would be easier.

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How clever Penny was, one must wonder why she was getting married in the first place to “Lord Snooty”…well… I guess he was left Penny-less, LOL! Loved the story completely!

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Not a luck escape, but a well-planned withdrawal from a loveless marriage of convenience. I warmed to your protagonist, Penny. And like SoftArt, I also like your avatar!

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Greene, thank you for your kind comments. In my mind, Freddy wasn’t a bad fellow, just not the right one for Penny. I’m so pleased you liked the story.

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Julian thank you so much, I appreciate your comments.

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Wow! That was so lovely. I wish to learn it too.

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