June 12, 2024
I never imagined Id be a bride at all. The very thought of marriage once made my skin crawl. When I was barely twenty, the man I lovedJames Whitakerwalked out on me just as I was five months pregnant. In those dark days I thought I might end it all, but something inside me snapped and I swore never to set foot down an altar. I didnt want another rogue to vanish the moment things got hard.
I kept my promise. My daughter, Clara, grew up, married, and gave me grandchildren. I trudged through my solitary days like a stubborn mule, refusing to bend. Men did approach me now and thenmore often than Id likebut my mind was set: once I decide, I wont waver. Loneliness hardened my edges; I became something more rough than a lady should be.
Fate, however, is a mischievous thing. When I finally retired, I settled into the little stone cottage my parents left me on a modest plot just outside a village in the Cotswolds. Id catch the train from Oxford, a journey of about an hour, and always brought a crossword magazine to kill the time.
One rainy afternoon, as the train pulled into the small halt, a couple boarded with a short, stooped gentleman between them. The woman, voice barely above a whisper, turned to her husband and said, Edward, perhaps we should pop over to the kids and lend a hand? Youre their father, after all.
Before she could finish, her husband roared, What nonsense! Do you expect me to crawl around like a dog for those idiots? He then launched into a tirade aimed at his wife and children. My breath caught; I glanced up and saw himJames Whitaker, the very man whod abandoned me. Hed hardly changed, except for the deep lines and a bitterness that seemed etched into his cheekbones. He didnt recognise me, but he spied my stare and barked, Whats the look for? Turn away or Ill stare you down!
I felt my limbs go stonecold. Suddenly, the diminutive man sitting opposite us sprang to his feet, placed himself between James and me, and declared, If you keep insulting women, youll have me to answer to. A man who talks like that isnt a man at all, but a wretched creature. Ill have you know I can twist you like a sheeps tail!
Fear surged through me. James could have simply crushed this stranger, yet he hesitated, tightened his shoulders and muttered something under his breath. In that instant I realised I was looking at a coward who could only muster bluster when others were present. My own life, it seemed, had been broken by such men for far too long. Tears welled, and thirty years rushed past in a breath.
After two more stops, James and his wife disembarked. I wept openly, the emptiness in me echoing louder than any train whistle.
My dear, even your tears cant dim a beautiful face, said the man whod stood up for me, a gentle smile playing on his lips. He was no longer a tiny figure in my mind but a real gentleman. His name was Edward Bennett, a former officer in the Royal Engineers.
That was the moment I felt, for the first time in many years, a flutter of hope that perhaps I could once again be loved. That yearning led me to say yes, to let Edward into my life, and to finally take that step onto the wedding aisle.
Now, with Edward by my side, I feel a happiness I never thought possible. Life, as it turns out, has a way of arranging things just so. Age matters little; even in the autumn of our years, love can arrive and bring true contentment.
