“May I see it?” As soon as I asked, I realized how ungrateful that may have sounded. “I want to try.”
“We don’t have a lot of time,” she said. “Now you go dry your hair. It’s beautiful down, but if you want to wear it up, Miss Marilyn’s veil is attached to a crown.” She lowered her tone back to a whisper. “They aren’t real diamonds, but they’re beautiful. The one on your finger, she cherished that ring.”
“I thought Rett said it was his grandmother’s.”
“It was. His great-grandmother’s.” Miss Guidry’s head shook. “She was a strong woman.” Her eyes twinkled. “Sheisand it took her some time, but she approved of Miss Marilyn too. She woke me one night and made me go tell Miss Marilyn.” Her smile returned. “That’s why I didn’t wait to tell you Miss Marilyn’s thoughts.”
I looked down at the ring, silently scolding myself for thoughts I’d had of looking at more modern settings. When I looked up, Miss Guidry had the bag completely unzipped. What I saw took my breath away. “Oh, it’s so pretty.” I stepped forward, peering down at the intricate pearls and beadwork upon the bodice.
“I believe the white has yellowed,” she said disappointedly.
“No, it’s perfect. I always imagined an ivory dress.”
That was exactly what Miss Guidry needed to hear. The spring was back in her step as she shooed me toward the bathroom. After my hair was dry and the towel was replaced with the white robe, I turned as Miss Guidry knocked on the doorframe and peeked in. “I used to help Miss Marilyn with her hair.”
“Would you like to come in?”
As she entered, I took a seat on the stool near the makeup table and turned toward the mirror. For a few moments, she stood quietly running a brush through the length of my hair as I applied a primer and soft powder foundation. Each swipe was slow as she held handfuls of hair over her palm.
“Her hair was dark like Mr. Ramses,” Miss Guidry said as her gaze met mine in the mirror. “Yours is more like your momma’s.” She seemed to struggle for a moment, finding the words. “I should apologize. Miss Marilyn was upset with me.”
“She was? Why?”
“When you asked if she liked your momma, she wanted you to know, she didn’tdislikeher. It was that Miss Marilyn had her position to maintain, like you will. Some of what Mr. Ramses does, like his daddy before him did, isn’t fit for mixed company. However, the Ramseses and Boudreaux have always been accepted. And with that acceptance comes responsibility and choices.”
I watched Miss Guidry as she brushed my hair to silky smooth ringlets wrapping around her wrinkled hands.
She continued to speak, “Well, I promised her that I’d explain what I meant.” Our eyes again met in the mirror. “Miss Marilyn didn’t really know your momma, and for that she wants you and her to know that she’s sorry.”
Swallowing the emotion the sound of her voice invoked, I began to focus on my eye makeup. Layer by layer, I added eye shadow, eyeliner, and mascara. I’d made an effort to appear date-worthy for Rett’s and my dinners, but our wedding seemed the occasion for a little more dramatic style. It was as I was staining my lips that Miss Guidry took a step back.
“Miss Marilyn is right; you are the spitting image of your momma. Lordy, Jezebel in Marilyn Ramses’s wedding gown.”
I spun around. “If you don’t think I should wear it—”
“Oh no,” she interrupted. “I think you are just what the spirits have been waiting for. You’re going to do so many things, Miss Emma, things your momma has planned. Mr. Ramses, he’s smitten. I’ve never seen him like this and it’s no wonder. No man can resist what you have.”
“What do I have?”
She crouched down near my feet, her hands on my knees. “Honey, you have the power of a siren, the beauty of an angel, and fate has landed you in a place where you can do what couldn’t be done before.” Her tone grew more determined as her cadence slowed. “It shows in your eyes. You promise me that you’ll use what fate is handing you? The spirits of all the families are watching and counting on you. Your momma’s plans aren’t done. The time is right. Miss Marilyn knows you will protect her son.”
With each of her phrases, the determination in her voice, a weight fell a little harder on my shoulders. “I don’t know what any of that means.”
Miss Guidry stood and turned back to my hair. Her tone was completely different, back to carefree. “If you have some combs and hairpins, we’ll have you ready to take your crown.”
“What did you mean?” I asked as I pulled the implements she’d requested from one of the drawers.
“Your hair will look beautiful with the veil.”
I watched Miss Guidry, wondering if she knew what she’d just said about me protecting Rett. He was the one who promised his protection. As she worked, I mulled over everything she’d said. As I did, I had a similar sensation of the one I’d had entering Rett’s suite, of being a small piece of a bigger plan. The way his suite and the furniture within dwarfed me, I was tiny, a doll in a big house, waiting as someone moved me from room to room.
“What do you think?” she asked.
I wasn’t sure how much time had passed or where my thoughts had gone, but when I turned, my hair was piled upon my head in a loose bun, and long spiral curls hung down over my ears and shoulders. I lifted my fingers to her creation. “You did a wonderful job.”
“Two more things,” she said, hurrying from the bathroom. When she returned, the crown in her hand sparkled and a long train of organza followed. Reaching into the pocket of her apron, she laid on the counter the earrings Ian had brought to me a month ago. “These were Mr. Ramses’s grandmother’s. Something old. The dress is borrowed.” She tipped the crown showing a small row of sapphires. “And something blue.”
“The earrings are heirlooms?” I asked, shocked that I’d never realized they had sentimental value above their worth.