"Felix King is not marrying my daughter," Clive finally replied in an angry tone. "She's just a little girl; she's not ready to get married yet!"
"She's nineteen years old, Clive. She's not the little tomboy she was many years ago. Under your nose, she blossomed into a young woman. She's old enough to make her own decisions. Personally, I feel she and Felix are doing the right thing. Give them a chance. Besides, doesn't Izzy's happiness matter to you?"
"Of course it matters."
"Then step aside and leave them be! This was their choice, not yours. All you have to do now is support them."
Muriel hugged her husband, then continued to look out the window in anticipation of Izzy's return. Meanwhile, Clive sat down in a nearby arm-chair and wiped his forehead with a handkerchief, wondering where the time had gone, and partially hoping Izzy stayed in Halifax with him, or even better, that she had stayed a little girl.
* * * * *
A few hours later, the snow was still coming down steadily, but it was growing colder and colder by the minute. Felix, accompanied by Sara, was driving his sleigh down the road toward King Farm from the White Sands when he saw something unfamiliar on the side of the road. He stopped the sleigh and walked toward the burgundy and tan heap on the side of the road. Felix dug some snow away from it, then gasped when the heap took the form of a young female. "Oh my God. Izzy!"
Izzy was obviously frozen. Her lips were baby blue, and she lost nearly all color in her cheeks. "Sara, go to her house and get her parents. I'm going to drive her to King Farm."
While Sara jumped out and began the trek toward the old Pettibone house, Felix carried Izzy over to the sleigh, sat her down, and drove the rest of the distance to the King Farm house. Afterward, he immediately carried his limp, frozen fiancée inside. Janet and Felicity saw this and were stunned. "Felix, what happened?" asked the former.
"I found her outside by the road, frozen, in a snowbank," he replied. "Will one of you go get Dr. Snow?"
"I'll go," Felicity volunteered. She grabbed her coat and hat and left. In the meantime, Felix carried Izzy up to his bedroom and laid her on the bed. He placed several blankets over her cold, soaked body.
"Come on, Iz," he coaxed. "Wake up." He took her frozen hands and began rubbing them, hoping the effect of the rubbing would help warm her up. Her fingernails were blue from the cold, and she wasn't warming up any faster.
A few minutes later, Dr. Snow entered the room, along with Sara, Clive, Muriel, and Felicity. Reluctantly, Felix decided to go wait downstairs, so the doctor could examine Izzy alone. "I need you all to wait outside while I examine her," he told the others. "I'll let you know what I find out when I'm done."
Everyone else went downstairs as well. Felix sat down at the kitchen table and buried his face in his hands. Felicity sat down beside him and placed an arm around him in consolation. "She's going to be fine, Felix," she said, reassuringly. "Trust me."
Five minutes later, Dr. Snow entered the kitchen. "She didn't seem to be outside for very long, so that's a good sign; Felix and Sara found her just in time. She'll be warmed up, and up and around in no time."
Felicity looked at her brother. "See, Felix? Izzy's going to be fine."
He looked up at the doctor. "Can I see her now?"
"Sure; go on up."
Felix got up and ran up to his room, excited to know his fiancée was going to be fine. When he entered the room, he collected himself and knelt down beside the bed, taking her chilled hand and caressing it lightly, while she began to toss and turn somewhat. "Iz, talk to me," he whispered. "I know you're tired and cold, but please, talk to me."
In her delirious state, she began mumbling, "Father...and Muriel came home...today. He was angry because...I'm engaged...to you. He said...I cannot marry you. Then I got mad...and left.; I started crying...then collapsed and fell asleep. I'm so tired...why won't you let me...sleep? Please...let me sleep."
"No, Iz; I want you to keep talking to me. Why doesn't your father want us to get married?"
"He says...we're too young. Sounds like...your mother when we announced our...engagement."
"Yeah, it does. I should go talk to him."
As if by magic or Providence, Sara was standing in the doorway. She then entered the room, saying, "Go and talk to Mr. Pettibone; I'll stay with Izzy for a while."
"Thanks." Felix descended the stairs to the kitchen. He saw Clive standing in the hallway between the foyer and the kitchen, then approached him and said, "We need to talk."
"That we do, Felix King." The two men went into the parlor and sat down in the rocking chairs.
"Izzy says you won't give us your blessing to be married," the younger man began. "I would like to know why."
"You're too young to get married. Both of you."
"Mr. Pettibone, I'm twenty years old; Izzy's nineteen. People younger than both of us get married all the time."
"Plus, you know damn well what kind of history you and my daughter have had. You've hurt her in the past; I don't want you doing that to her again. If you two got married, it wouldn't last, not even for a month."
"Will you stop being so paranoid? All our quarrels were in the past, Mr. Pettibone. Besides, people change! I love your daughter, sir. I love her so much; I'd do anything for her. Think of Izzy; don't you want her to be happy? Do her wishes and dreams mean anything to you? She wants to marry me. She wants to walk down the street with me while others say, 'There goes Izzy King, the luckiest woman in all of Avonlea.' Wouldn't you want that for her, too?"
"I'm not ready to lose another child yet. Can't you understand my sorrow?" Clive was almost ready to break.
"Of course I understand your pain. I lost one of my best friends while fighting in this horrific war, and it crushed me to the core of my soul. His name was Elbert Werts. When I came home, and I was alive while his body was rotting in the trenches, only one person could help me deal with the pain. Her name was Izzy Pettibone. In turn, I helped her cope with Morgan's untimely death. My point is we have each had our share of loss, yet in another sense, we've gained so much more--joy, a sense of purpose and direction, and love.
"If you let me marry her, I promise to treat her well, just like a lady should be treated. Nothing less. I love her that much."
Clive looked at Felix, perplexed beyond words. Is this the same Felix King I taught all those many years ago? he thought. No, it can't be. He has more good sense now than he did then. Finally, he said, "Alright, Felix King. You've proved your point. So, you have my blessing to marry Izzy. You treat her well, you hear? And since you're going to be my son-in-law in the near future, you might as well start calling me Clive."
"Thank you...Clive," Felix said, relieved.
The two men got up and hugged, and Felix went upstairs to tell Izzy the good news. Sara was still in the room when he entered. "How is she?" he asked.
"She's still trying to wake up; she's also warmed up some more."
"Is that Felix?" Izzy asked Sara in a slurred voice.
"Yeah, it's me," he replied as he sat down on the bed. "I talked to your father. We've finally got his blessing."
"That's good to know, finally. You must have really gotten to him."
"It took some doing, but yes, I did."
"Thanks, Felix." Izzy drifted off to sleep, and Felix leaned over and kissed her forehead before escorting Sara downstairs. After Felix and Sara re-entered the kitchen, she told everyone, "She's just fine. She's sleeping now."
Everyone there looked at each other, smiling. Clive and Muriel decided to go home, and not wait for Izzy; the others decided to forgo supper and get some needed sleep.
* * * * *
It was nearing the middle of March; Felix and Izzy's wedding was four weeks away. Lillian Hepworth, Izzy's aunt, arrived to help her prepare for the wedding, and to, eventually, learn Felix's name. She kept referring to Felix as "young man" until the young couple got it through her head that his name was Felix. Felix and Izzy sent out wedding invitations to various people that day. On the inside of them, they read:
Clive and Muriel Pettibone
request the honour of your presence
at the marriage of their daughter
Isolde Jessica Pettibone
to
Felix Alexander King,
son of Alexander and Janet King,
on April tenth, nineteen hundred fifteen,
at twelve noon at the Avonlea Presbyterian Church.
Reception to follow at the White Sands Hotel.
Yes, Hetty had eventually agreed to a wedding reception at the White Sands. It took nearly an hour of persuasion from Felix, Izzy, Alec, Janet, and Cecily to get her to agree to it.
Another highlight of the past two months was a masquerade ball the hotel threw as a fundraiser for the foreign missions. Felix and Izzy were named the best couple and were deemed "Sir Felix and Lady Isolde" for the remainder of the evening. A professional daguerreotypist took their photograph. They were dressed as a young, aristocratic couple from the French Revolutionary period. Felix wore a brown-colored wig, made in Charlottetown. Felicity and Janet created his and Izzy's costumes. Izzy's dress was a pale shade of purple, embroidered with white lace along the neckline and the sleeves. Cecily had done her hair and make-up again. The masques were specially ordered from a store in Montreal that specialized in accesories for Mardi Gras and masquerade balls. Both were flesh-colored and decorated with silver, mauve, navy blue, and lilac-colored ribbons on the sides.
Yet, it was now mid-March--no longer February. The outdoor temperatures were beginning to rise, albeit slowly, and the snow and ice were becoming melted water and slush. Recently, Felicity had acquired enough of Gus's earnings to re-purchase the Foundling Home and move herself and Alice and her siblings (two brothers and a sister) in. The morning sickness was also long gone from Felicity's system, and her belly was beginning to get even more swollen. It became obvious that she was expecting a baby.
Cecily was in mixed spirits. Until recently, she received a letter from Peter every week. He and Andrew were doing well; however, they wanted to come home to Avonlea. The fighting was getting worse and was making them tired; they were ready for it to be over. At the end of each letter, Peter signed it, "With much affection - for now and always." That part would uplift Cecily every time, when she needed it.
Felix walked toward Izzy's house from the post office, flipping through the mail for King Farm and Rose Cottage, when he came across a letter addressed to him from the head of the Canadian Armed Forces. He stopped and sat down on the steps of the General Store, opened it, and read it to himself. When he finished, he breathed a sigh of relief. Then he ran to Izzy's and knocked on the door.
Izzy ran to the door and answered it, almost surprised to see Felix on the other side. "Hello, sweetheart," she said, showing him in. "What's going on?"
"I got a letter from the head of the Canadian Armed Forces today," he told her.
"Oh no." She shuddered. "Do you have to go back? Don't they know we're getting married next month?"
Felix took a deep breath and replied, "I've been discharged from the Army. I won't have to go back to the War. Ever."
Izzy's expression of despair turned into one of unadulterated joy. She jumped into his arms and embraced him tightly. "Felix! That's wonderful!" she exclaimed. "I wouldn't want you to go back anyway!" Unbeknownst to either Felix or Izzy, Clive, Muriel, and Lillian watched their small celebration from the stairs.
"Shall we go celebrate?" he asked.
"Let's go...right now." She turned to see her father, stepmother, and aunt standing on the stairs. "Help yourselves to anything in the kitchen. Just don't eat everything in there; I need enough food to last until I become Izzy King."
"Alright then," said Muriel. "You and Felix have a good time."
* * * * *
Felix and Izzy sat down in the dining room at the White Sands and opened their menus to decide on what to order. The hotel orchestra was playing some romantic music in the background, while other couples seated at the surrounding tables whispering sweet nothings to each other and swaying to the music. Izzy looked around, then noticed a forty-something-year-old woman coming down the stairs by the lobby with her two small children. She nudged her husband-to-be and asked him, "Isn't that your aunt Olivia?"
Felix looked in the direction where Izzy was pointing and replied, "Yes, it is! I'll be right back."
He walked over to the stairs as Olivia descended them. "Aunt Olivia? What are you doing here?"
"Felix!" she exclaimed, running down the stairs and giving him a hug. "Now I want to ask you the same thing! What are you doing here tonight? Are you working?"
"I am working here again, but I'm not working right now. Actually, I was having dinner with Izzy. Come on; I'll take you to our table."
They walked over to the table and sat down. Felix filled her in on everything--his discharge from the Army, Peter's and Andrew's enlistment, and obviously, his engagement to Izzy. Afterward, he asked Olivia, "Where's Uncle Jasper?"
"He couldn't make it; he was busy, but he sends his best wishes," she replied. "We also have a present for you. Originally, it was going to be only for you, but now that you're engaged to Izzy, you'll get to share this with her as well."
She handed Felix an envelope and watched him open it. Inside was the deed to Golden Milestone, signed over to Felix. "What's this?" he wanted to know.
"Jasper and I have decided to give you Golden Milestone. We signed the deed over to you."
"Aunt Olivia! I...I don't know what to say!"
"Thank her, of course," replied Izzy.
"Thank you, Aunt Olivia," returned a stunned Felix.
After that, the five of them ate their dinners. Soon after, Felix and Izzy shared a couple of dances and talked with Olivia some more about her life in England. Later, she bid Felix and Izzy good night and took Monty and Alicia back to their room; meanwhile, the young couple shared a bowl of chocolate ice cream and a slice of cherry pie each. While eating his pie, Felix laughed, recalling when Sara shoved one of Felicity's cherry pies into her face many years ago. Izzy was laughing, too. In some ways, she wished she had met Felix sooner. Yet, in another way, she was glad she met him when she did.
Just as Felix and Izzy got caught up even more in their joyful revelry, a man in his mid-twenties and dressed in black, stormed into the hotel carrying a pistol. He began shooting at the crowd in the dining room, sending everyone in there and in the lobby to the floor. Felix got up and began to advance toward him. "Felix, don't!" Izzy cried. However, before Felix could get any closer to the intruder...
BANG!
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