A Noble Marriage - Chapter 10
Chapter 10 – Down the Aisle (2)
It was a letter from Mr. Karenin. She opened it hurriedly and was greeted with the familiar handwriting. Anna smiled to herself. She knew they were not allowed to meet for these three days before the wedding, but it didn’t mean they couldn’t exchange letters. Alas, there was hope! Anna imagine Mr. Karenin, thinking he was awfully smart than he let slip and giggled to herself.
The day before the wedding, Russian men have a celebration, a bachelor party in honor of the groom and the celebration of his ‘single’ status that would soon change. Mr. Karenin didn’t much care for such celebrations, but as a sign of respect to Stiva, who had organized it, he went anyway.
Mr. Karenin knew most of the people who attended, but not very well. As a person in his position, he knew many people but only had few friends. The party soon proceeded to men getting drunk and talking gibberish at the nearby table. Mr. Karenin drank cheap vodka, which was neither good nor bad. After a while, it was only him and Stiva who were conscious.
“I am going to say this only once, Alexei, man-to-man. Take care of Anna, she is the only sister I have, and I dearly love her,” said Stiva, sniffling.
“Of course, I will. I won’t let her down,” assured Mr. Karenin. He recalled her from the train station, delicate and beautiful in her long velvet dress. He remembered her smile underneath the hat with the veil, and how it had shone through everything. She was, at that moment, pearlescent. He sipped what remained of his drink accompanied by an ache in his heart. Perhaps he was drunk, other why in the world would he miss her so much even when he had just seen her a few days back.
“Drink, friend! Have some more, drink to your heart’s content!” roared Stiva joyously. He lurched to his feet, but soon fell down on his seat again. Mr. Karenin smile, he liked Stiva. Perhaps this was indeed a good start like his fiancé said, he had gained a friend too.
The next day was the grand event everybody had been waiting for. Stiva attended it with his mates with a splitting headache. He was worried that he might have Mr. Karenin too much on the day before and was anxious that it might hinder the wedding. But Mr. Karenin, ever so calm and steady, dressed elegantly for the wedding. If he felt any hangover due to the previous night of celebration, he hid it well.
“I am indeed beginning to see why my promotion gets delayed,” muttered Stiva to himself, noticing Mr. Karenin’s ever-ready demeanor. But he couldn’t help feeling a quiet admiration for the man who would be his brother-in-law soon.
Meanwhile, moments before, Mr. Karenin had assessed himself in the mirror carefully. He had made sure his shirt was ironed and chosen a matching vest to go with his Tuxedo. He wanted to look decent and elegant for the big day, as much as for himself, as for his bride.
The wedding, itself, took place in the well-known church in Petersburg. Mr. Karenin had arranged everything to run smoothly for everybody’s comfort. Although he felt he was ready for the occasion, he wasn’t prepared enough when he saw Anna in her wedding dress. It took his breath away.
The wedding dress had been prepared by Madame Tellier, who had appointed a famous designer from Paris to create it. The bodice was made so tiny to accentuate Anna’s hips that it was almost painful to fit into the dress.
“Today is the day, Anna. You must bear it, we need to tighten it further, so your waist looks slim. You need to look like a lady!” said Dolly excitedly. Dolly usually didn’t much care for things like this, but today she seemed possessed to squeeze the life out of Anna. She was unyielding.
Anna held the bedpost for support, trying to breathe but the bloody thing was so tight she felt like she was being crushed under the girdle.
“Dolly, I can’t breathe,” cried Anna. She wanted to scream and rip the blasted thing to pieces.
“Be patient, Anna. You can do it! Just a little bit more,” insisted Dolly tightening the girdle again. But she could see that Anna had was suffering, small pinpricks of sweat were visible on her temple.
“No, Dolly! The only thing important for me right now is to reach my wedding alive!” begged Anna, “Please! Just a bit loose, I can’t bear it.”
Dolly took pity on her and disappointedly indicated to Anushka to loosen the girdle a bit. Anna wanted it to be loosened a bit more, but Dolly had exhausted her generosity for the day and refused it flatly.
“Okay, okay,” said Anna, regretfully. This was all she was getting, and she had to make peace with that. Although she was a bit disappointed, she considered herself slim in general, and even that wasn’t enough! Anna felt like it was still tight for her, she couldn’t take a sip of water or eat anything. She felt like if she did, the dress would burst. ‘First ever Russian bride to burst out of her wedding dress!’ She chuckled.
So, she decided to sacrifice food and drink for the day. She was inwardly angry that this was what women had to go through, all this tightening and looking beautiful, being crushed under the weight of society’s expectations. She couldn’t help but sigh.
“Why the long face, Anna? Let’s see how beautiful you look!” said an approaching woman. It was Petsey!
Petsey was her elder cousin’s wife. She was always charming in her brightly colored gowns. Whenever she met Anna, she greeted her with warmth and affection. This time wasn’t any different. She walked up to Anna and kissed her on the cheek, eyes shining with fondness. Anna sniffled a little. It was always great to see Petsey; it was like finding a friend among strangers. She couldn’t bring herself to complain about her clothing, she wanted to get the ceremony done and get out of the tight dress.
After the long wait, and everything and everyone at their places, the ceremony began. Anna had never been to anybody’s wedding ceremony before, much less her own, so it made her nervous. Her heart beating erratically against her chest.