Bette was happy to make the party merry.  She had met John Kennard on a few occasions when she visited her mill, her favorite project, and he was there with his grain.  A few times, when he had had a great deal of grain, he had brought his eldest daughter with him to help.  Bette had watched the pretty girl work unflinchingly and uncomplaining at her father’s side as they unloaded and, later, loaded their cart for the trip home.  She had watched and heard their caring and loving interactions and had been reminded of her own father and how much she wished he was still with her.  Bette wanted to help such a loving father to give his daughter the best possible wedding party.

The guests milled in rooms throughout the first floor of the large house.  A few loud guffaws temporarily interrupted the murmuring voices.  Bette circled the rooms, admiring the home that the Millmans had recently built.  It was bright, with high ceilings and elaborate plaster moldings and decorations.  There were large windows in every room that shed bright light into the interior. The walls were covered in silk or were painted white and pale yellows and blues. The floors were so highly polished that they reflected lights.  Large rugs covered the floors. The furniture was delicate and elegant.  Bette contrasted it with her own dark wood paneled home, with small windows that remained shuttered most of the time, and found hers unsatisfactory.

As Bette walked through the rooms, she pleasantly greeted the other guests and joined various clusters for brief conversations.

She excused herself from one group when she saw Alice standing in a corner of the room, glaring.

“What are you doing?” she asked the blonde.

“Look at him.”

Bette glanced at the far side of the room, where the monsignor was glaring back at Alice.  The intensity of their animosity was so great that Bette thought one might challenge the other to a duel.  Bette looked quickly at Alice’s hands, relieved that she did not have gloves that she could use to slap the face of the clergyman.

“I did.”

“That man is trying to put me out of business.”

“You need to be more careful.  The monsignor could be dangerous.”