6 Infernal Wedding

“Are you sure what we're doing is right, Edward?”

Luisa's voice was very quiet and reflected the uncertainty the young woman felt. She loved Edward beyond all measure, there was no doubt about that. But stealing out of the house in the middle of the night like a thief and jumping into his old, rickety car without saying goodbye to her parents still seemed wrong to her. Yes, he was right that their families would never have agreed to a marriage because they had been at odds for generations. No one knew the real reason for this anymore. And yet, or perhaps precisely because of this, reconciliation seemed impossible.

Against all odds, Luisa and Edward had met, got to know each other and fallen in love. But they were not allowed to let anyone know about it, otherwise their parents would have made sure they never saw each other again. Edward would have been threatened with military service and missions in faraway countries. Luisa would probably be sent to a convent. Unfortunately, in a weak moment, she told her younger sister about the clandestine meetings and secret letters between her and her lover. Despite all the oaths of confidentiality, the sister had blabbed and all seemed lost. So they agreed on a daring and **** plan to flee together and get married in a remote church where no one knew them or their families.

On their escape, they avoided the main roads and made slow progress. After hours, they thought they had put enough distance between themselves and their supposed pursuers and looked around for a place where they could stay. At the top of a hill well off the road, they discovered an ensemble of buildings with a cross on the highest pointed roof. Edward turned off the asphalt road to get there.

The old car rumbled over the stony dirt road and the two passengers were thrown back and forth wildly. It was stuffy in the car and Luisa would have liked to open the window to get some cooling from the breeze, but the swirling dust prevented her from doing so. So she stuck two fingers into the tight collar of her dress to give herself a little relief. She was wearing a great-aunt's inherited wedding dress in slightly yellowed white, so as not to lose any time as soon as they found a suitable place to celebrate their marriage. The top was very tight and hindered her from taking a deep breath, apparently Luisa had been more generously endowed by Mother Nature than her deceased relative when it came to her bosom. Of course, it had not been possible to alter it and adjust it to her size in their rush to leave.

Edward wore a black suit that was already a little worn at the sleeves. He had long since loosened his previously neat tie. He gripped the steering wheel with both hands to keep the car on the uneven track. He gave her a quick sideways glance before concentrating on the road again.

“Yes, of course, Luisa. We need to get married and consummate our marriage before our families can tear us apart and separate us forever. You love me too, don't you?”

“Of course I do. More than my life, my love.”

She didn't want to lose him. But she still couldn't completely banish the worries and doubts from her mind. The idea that tonight they would be lying next to each other as husband and wife in a marital bed and - well - doing what a husband and wife do when they are in a marital bed, scared her a little. She hadn't been able to ask her mother for advice so as not to give herself away. And the little she knew about the wedding night didn't instil her with much confidence.

They finally reached their destination and Edward stopped the car. A high, forbidding wall loomed in front of them, the only passageway a narrow gate with a small barred window.

They got out of the car.