Chapter 9 - The Sovereign Wedding
One year after the morning Mia crawled across the marble hallway, the historic stone cathedral of St. Patrick on Fifth Avenue was illuminated by the warm, golden glow of eight hundred beeswax candles and towering displays of white orchids, blooming calla lilies, and fragrant jasmine.
The cathedral was packed with six hundred guests: ironworkers in clean suits, doormen, housekeepers, harbor engineers, and ship captains, celebrating alongside international trade partners and civic leaders.
At the altar stood Alessandro Duca, looking exceptionally handsome and commanding in a bespoke midnight-blue three-piece tuxedo, his slate-gray eyes fixed on the long center aisle with an expression of profound, unbridled devotion.
The massive pipe organ erupted into the triumphant opening chords of Clarke's Trumpet Voluntary.
The towering bronze doors opened, and I walked down the aisle.
I wore an exquisite, custom-designed ivory silk gown with an eight-foot cathedral train of hand-sewn Venetian lace, carrying a bouquet of white roses and baby's breath. Around my neck gleamed the Duca diamond-and-emerald necklace, resting proudly against my skin.
And walking directly ahead of me, holding Raymond’s hand with intense, joyful twenty-month-old focus, was Mia.
She wore a miniature ivory lace dress and soft satin slippers, proudly carrying a small velvet pillow holding our platinum wedding bands, beaming with pure, unshadowed joy as she waved to the cheering guests in the pews.
When I reached the altar, Alessandro stepped forward, taking both of my hands into his strong, warm palms.
"I take you, Elena," Alessandro said, his deep baritone ringing through the vaulted marble arches with absolute, eternal certainty. "To love, honor, cherish, and protect, in every storm and in every victory, for as long as we both shall live."
"I take you, Alessandro," I answered, looking into his eyes with all my soul. "With my whole heart, forever."
Archbishop Conti raised his hands in blessing. "By the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
May you like
Alessandro wrapped his strong arms around my waist, lifting me slightly as he kissed me deeply beneath the soaring stained-glass windows, to the thunderous, standing applause of six hundred guests that echoed like music through the cathedral.
Mia ran up the altar steps, giggling with pure delight, throwing her small arms around both of our legs as Alessandro scooped her into his arms, lifting our family high into the radiant morning light.
