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her radiant. While she felt the girl was nice, she praised her so because Laura was playing a part – if she was going to be demonized she had to start winning people over and make them believe her too nice to be what was claimed. In the olden days it was always the unpopular women who were burnt, not pillars of the community, and she considered changing how she was regarded.
    “ Thank you, for everything. We all really appreciate it.”
    “ I’m just glad to be invited to your wedding, even though there’ll likely not enough room for me.”
    “ There is. We don’t know how everyone will fit in the church, but there will be room for you.”
    “ My wedding was a small affair. He would have invited everyone he’d ever met if I’d let him, that’s the sort of man that he was, but I kept the numbers down.”
    “ Has he passed away?” Alice asked sensitively.
    “ Yes, a while ago.”
    “ I know it always sounds inadequate, but I’m sorry.”
    “ It was a long time ago, Alice, before the war. He was a Scot too, so I can understand your choice.”
    “ It feels so good to know it’s the right one too. I think a lot of people married in haste during the war and are now living to regret it. Ewan and I have been seeing each other for four years, when his leave allowed – we spent a week together up here in the winter of 43 at a friend’s cottage, which his parents didn’t know about. I wanted to marry him back then and he did propose to me early on but he always insisted that we married after the war. He said he wouldn’t make a widow out of me so young so we had a three year engagement instead.”
    “ That’s quite thoughtful of him,” Laura said, expecting very little from any of the Chapmans.
    “ He has that side to him, very strongly, actually. You must have been widowed young yourself, Laura."
    “ Yes, well, better to have loved and lost, et cetera. On the eve of my wedding day I was as sure as you that I was making the right choice and the marriage was the happiest time of my life, even if it was all too brief.”
    “ What about James and Germaine? How nervous were they?” Alice said, knowing a little about them from Ewan and interested in talking about them as Laura was obviously fond of them, their wedding photograph the only photograph on display (though there were many paintings on the wall, including a portrait of McKinley).
    “ I think they were fine. James slept at the Lamberts the night before because of silly tradition and Germaine didn’t have a bridal shower, she just spent the evening fantasising about her big day. Theirs was a small wedding and that makes it easier.”
    “ I always wanted a big do. I’m probably having a bigger do here than if we’d married in the city.”
    Laura stayed up all night with her, asking her for details of her courtship, which she keenly gave, confiding a lot in Laura who she sensed wouldn’t be judgemental. Laura was less revealing, talking more of the year she had spent with Grey and Germaine and of their wedding rather than secrets of her own life. Alice talked of her family, admitting that she was the daddy’s girl out of the three of them and that he would be the one person who could set her off crying if he started.
    “ Prepare to cry then because I can’t see him remaining dry-eyed giving you away.”
    Alice laughed lightly at this astute observation and said, “He’s said he’s going to try not to, just because he doesn’t want to give the Scots any ammunition.”
    Kate was the next one up and she asked Laura how she was and then noticed that Alice was in the same dress from last night and realised she’d never been to bed.
    “ Alice! Go up for a couple of hours now quickly.”
    “ I won’t sleep and it’s too late now anyway. How’s Dad?”
    “ Not good, but he’ll be fine in a couple of hours. I don’t know what they’ve given him – do they serve moonshine in these parts, Laura?”
    “ A lot of them drink strong whisky and