Morgana's ornately frilled dress rustled as she stepped closer to him. "But you fully intend for me to obey you, don't you?"
"For God's sake," Erma cried. "Can't you have this argument after the wedding?"
"No, Mother. It will be too late then. I want to make sure we're on level ground here."
Willy threw up his hands in disgust. "All right! Yes, I do. You've been running around doing your own thing for too darn long. Your father had way too much influence on you. You cannot be a so-called free spirit and expect to be in the Jacobson family. We have certain expectations. So I asked the minister to include obey for a little extra leverage the next time you go off half-cocked and embarrass me. I know you, Morgana, you would…will…honor your vows."
Morgana's voice went weak. "I embarrass you?"
"Well, that time you brought that stray dog to my house was not one of your shining moments, I can tell you that," he replied. "You simply had to parade it around when I was entertaining business associates. And things just got worse when the stupid dog jumped in the pool. Honestly, Morgana, who in their right mind would put up with something as immature as that?"
Morgana took a deep breath. "So you don't want me to bring abandoned animals home?"
Willy chuckled, "Well, yes, for a start. Now, can we please get back out there and continue with the ceremony?"
Morgana nodded numbly as her mother retrieved the bouquet from the floor and shook it out. She pressed it into Morgana’s hands as they followed Willy back into the church. As she and Willy took their place before the altar, he nodded in a silent message for the minister to take up where he had left off.
The old man cleared his throat. "So, now do you promise to love, honor and obey, until death do you part?"
Morgana turned her face up to Willy. She gathered what will she had. Forced herself to go against all she was raised to believe, all she was trained for. She made her very first decision at that very moment.
Morgana Marie Wyley did what she simply had to do to save her life, her identity and what was left of her spirit. She forced a sweet smile and said, "Not in a million years!"
Morgana saw the stunned look on Willy's face as she tossed her bouquet at him and ran. She was vaguely aware of the guests' surprised reaction and her mother's strangled cry as she blindly ran past them.
Acres of white satin floated behind Morgana as she ran full tilt to the doors, pushed them open and dashed through. She landed headlong onto a rock solid chest. Arms circled her waist as her dress billowed in white clouds around her. Morgana pushed the veil away from her face and looked up into the rich brown eyes of the man who had caught her.
"Are you here to attend the wedding?" she asked frantically.
"Yes," he said with a look of uncertainty on his face. "Are you the bride?"
"I was. But now I just want to get out of here. Do you have a car?" Morgana asked.
"Well, yes-"
"Good, get me out of here," Morgana demanded as she propelled him toward the church steps.
As they descended the stairs, the cathedral doors burst open. Willy and her mother yelled something as Morgana allowed the late wedding guest to lead her to his car.
"Hurry!" she cried as he unlocked the passenger door and guided her in. He tried to pick up the billowing train, but quickly gave up and slammed the door closed. He jumped over the hood of the sleek black Mustang, and dove in behind the steering wheel.
As he started the car, he looked over at her. "Where to?"
"Where do you live?" she asked as she pulled at the clips holding her veil in place.
"Near a town named Hunter's Mills."
"Good enough for me," she said as she looked out the window and saw Willy bearing down on them. "Drive!"she cried.
