A Noble Marriage - Chapter 9
Chapter 9 – Down the Aisle (1)
An aristocratic wedding was always a sight to behold, but it took such hectic measures and preparations to complete. Madame Tellier, who was very staunch and dedicated to her aristocratic way of life, was always concerned on being laughed at, for a hasty wedding. She was of the opinion that it reflects badly on the family.
But Mr. Karenin, ever so considerate, always made it so that not one insensitive remark was to reach them, so the only things they received were good wishes for every future endeavor.
Anna had never imagined what she would feel on her wedding day. She couldn’t very well compare it to her childish fantasies she had when she was a young little girl dreaming for a Prince Charming. Well, she was hardly a princess, and Mr. Karenin wasn’t possibly a prince. Nevertheless, this swanky, extravagant wedding to others, was a union between two people who loved each other, for Anna.
She, of course, was discouraged from commenting on things that she found unnecessary in her own wedding. She always had to pretend to be a demure and reserved woman, no matter what event it was. Sigh. But this was fine for her, it was enough. She could, quite frankly, sacrifice her outspoken self as a price to marry the one she loved. It was a small price to pay, and she did feel she got lucky compared to many others. In time, they got everything ready and boarded the train to Petersburg.
Anna was assigned a personal maid to take care of her needs during the journey. She looked even more nervous than Anna despite it being her wedding! It was the third time that she had asked Anna if she would like a glass of water.
“Sit down and breathe, Anushka,” said Anna, with a friendly smile. She was feeling ever so sorry for the maid.
Anushka took a deep breath, “I don’t think I can Miss, I feel fidgety.”
“Are you going to spend the whole journey standing then?” asked Anna. She had gotten quite friendly with Anushka during these few days and loved teasing her. Anushka gave her an impatient gaze. Although they were friendly enough, Anushka tried always took care not to overstep her boundary. This made Anna sad, since she wanted to be friends with her, but she understood her as well. Anushka seemed a bit relaxed than the beginning though, so Anna felt a little glad.
Dolly visited her as well, probably to keep her in a good mood, seeing that a wedding always meant a nerve-wracking event. She tried to converse on many important and trivial things to keep Anna company, but soon realized that Anna didn’t really need all the consoling. She was happy as she was.
Anna missed Stiva, though. He was always direct and to the point. He didn’t care about propriety when asking the right questions and giving honest advice. As much as she like Dolly, she missed Stiva more, and his frank nature. He did visit her after a while, and was very jovial, his doubts about Mr. Karenin, forgotten. Anna felt happy as he sat with her and shared his silly jokes and made her smile.
Anna’s cousin, Dounia, wasn’t so magnanimous in her feelings towards her. She had been bitter and jealous of Anna ever since she married. She though she married some weak and incompetent while Anna always got suitors after her, that she could choose from.
Dounia had become bitter and hated Anna more and more, as time passed. But now that Anna was marrying somebody older, Dounia missed no chance to gloat at her and to remind her that whatever her husband might seem like, he was, at the least, young. Anna had tried to lessen the conflict between them to no avail. But on this day Anna was so full of joy that no bitterness or jealousy could even touch her. She only had time to think about the man who would soon be her husband.
While Anna was lost in her thoughts, the train whistled past Moscow and reached Petersburg after a long and tiring journey. They disembarked at the station and were received by Mr. Karenin and his servants. Mr. Karenin was dressed in dark, woolen overcoat and uniform trousers. It seemed he had rushed to the train station without having time to change. He had chosen not to wear a hat, perhaps to be seen more clearly in the crowd.
The cold wind ruffled his hair and Anna saw him from afar, still looking around, searching for their convoy. It didn’t take long for his eyes to fall on her, and she smiled. To Mr. Karenin, Anna’s smile, even hidden under her hat with a veil, was like a ray of sunshine that instantly lit up the whole space as well as his heart.
Mr. Karenin tried to hide his excitement and approached them. He exchanged greetings and pleasantries with Madame Tellier and Stiva, his soon to be brother-in-law, and greeted Anna.
Anna smiled and replied accordingly. She knew that she couldn’t show any kind of affection owing to the encumbering social norms and conventions until they were married. But Anna couldn’t help complaining inwardly about all the rules and conventions that she deemed unnecessary, she was getting married, wasn’t she? Sigh. She accepted the reality that was before her and headed with the group to the hotel in Petersburg that Mr. Karenin had arranged. There was only three days left before the wedding anyway, she could wait.
They were shown to their respective rooms. Anna was just relaxing when Anushka entered her room and informed her that Mr. Karenin had left. She felt disappointed and made a face, and she sighed. There was a knock on the door and Anushka went to open it.
“Who is it?” asked Anna, but she couldn’t care less, the man she wanted to talk to was already long gone from the hotel.
Dolly chuckled, “It is an answer to all your forlorn sighs.” She handed Anna the letter she held and saw her face light up with delight.