Chapter 26

I left at five and freshened up a bit. I didn’t change clothes. I was ready when Jam drove up. I went out and got in his SUV. I leaned toward him and we kissed. He drove to his parents’ home.

When we arrived and went inside, Jam’s mother welcomed me happily. We hugged and kissed. Mister Madison gave me a hug. “Jar, it’s good to see you. I understand the two of you have been busy.”

“Yes, Sir. More than we would have preferred in some instances.”

He nodded. We all sat down on facing love seats. Jam and I were holding hands.

Jam said, “Mom, Dad, we’re getting married as I had told you. We’ve found that we love each other and work together well. As you both knew, I was afraid that I would never find a woman who could keep up with me. I have found one who I have trouble keeping up with. Jar is that woman. We’ve talked about it. We want to be married in the church. Jar will be given away by King Marcus. Angela will be her maid of honor and Mason will be my best man. They will also be getting married though not to each other. The six of us will all participate in the weddings. Two will be in Landers. We want ours here.”

Mister Madison said, “I would have guessed that the Duchess and Duke of Meuse would get married in Landers, too.” He grinned. “There has been plenty of coverage. You’ve even made ET though that’s more notoriety that news.” He grinned. “I’m guessing that we will have some coverage here of your nuptials.”

I said, “Yes, Sir. Probably more than we would like. We should be able to keep the newsies out of the sanctuary though there are cameras there to cover the services. Those cameras and lights are all we will permit. We will have a photographer and limit any other pictures. I’m sure the news folk, particularly ET, won’t be happy but we aren’t getting married for them.”

Missus Madison asked, “How soon are you thinking?”

Jam said, “About a month. It will take that long to organize everything including the royal visit. The sooner we set a date, the more likely there won’t be a clash. Angela and Anna know that we have less control than they over availability since the King does control the availability of the church in Landers.”

I added, “I’m sure that Angela’s biggest concern about her marriage is the faith issue. The church in Landers is protestant but faith isn’t very important there. It’s important to Angela. That will be discussed between her and Roger. I think that’s one reason he came here. She knows she will live there but her church relationship is important. There will be talk though she loves Roger as he loves her.”

Jam said, “Jar, we have it easy. You’ve been going. Now that I’m back in town, we’ll be going together.

“Let’s see when we can meet with the pastor to satisfy his requirements and set a date.”

Missus Madison asked, “Jar, what about a dress?”

I said, “I will have to check. I don’t want anything fancy or frilly. I suspect that I can find a dress and get it fitted within thirty days. My bridesmaids will find it pretty easy to find dresses. I think we can target thirty days from now for our date.”

Missus Madison asked, “What about an invitation list?”

“Locally, there is my Sunday school class and my office. Other than those two groups, I have some friends that don’t fit into one group or the other but there aren’t many.” I smiled. “I suspect that your list will be much larger.”

“Yes. We do know people and will have to work up a list. James, you might have a list from your office, both employees and clients.”

“Yes, I will. It will take a couple of days to put it together.”

Since I wasn’t blessed (if that’s the word) with relatives, my part in the list gathering wasn’t much of an issue. I would call the King’s secretary, Madame Fierro, once we had a date. That would take a call or visit to the church. I had a preference which I announced. It was about a month out and would be good for my time of the month. I also needed to make an appointment with my OB/GYN for birth control pills. I started a list of things to do.

Jam and I left work early one day. I left my car at his house and Jam drove us to church to meet with Pastor Dean. He always seemed to be a good guy when on the pulpit and when I saw him at church activities. It turned out to be true. Our date was fine. One question he asked me was, “What about news coverage?”

I said, “We realize that we have collected some notoriety over the past week because of the unfortunate events in which we were involved while in Landers. We want no coverage in the sanctuary. I prefer that they not tie in to the video feeds that the church has if those are active. Otherwise, they will be outside and not permitted inside, period.”

I said, “Because King Marcus is giving away the bride, there will be some security involved. His Royal Guard forces can work out the details with the local police and our trustees.”

Pastor Dean nodded and talked about the wedding and our vows. We were all in agreement on every issue. Neither Jam nor I wanted anything out of the ordinary for our wedding. I figured there would be enough going on.

We were getting finished up when Pastor Dean asked, “You were referred to in many news reports as the Duchess and Duke of Meuse. Are those honorary or real?”

It depends.” I said. “If you’re in Landers, we found that they’re serious as a heartbeat. In this country, they are honorary. Let’s not refer to them in the service.”

Pastor Dean grinned. “I gather that you have mixed emotions about receiving those titles.”

“Yes, Sir. I thought they were honorary until we began being introduced as Duchess and Duke or Your Graces. Then, King Marcus explained that we were fourth and third in line for the throne. That really got our attention.”