Jennifer Chiaverini - The Wedding Quilt

Table of Contents

Title Page

Copyright Page

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

ALSO BY JENNIFER CHIAVERINI

ALSO BY JENNIFER CHIAVERINI

The Union Quilters

The Aloha Quilt

A Quilters Holiday

The Lost Quilter

The Quilters Kitchen

The Winding Ways Quilt

The New Years Quilt

The Quilters Homecoming

Circle of Quilters

The Christmas Quilt

The Sugar Camp Quilt

The Master Quilter

The Quilters Legacy

The Runaway Quilt

The Cross-Country Quilters

Round Robin

The Quilters Apprentice

Elm Creek Quilts

Quilt Projects Inspired by the Elm Creek Quilt Novels

Return to Elm Creek

More Quilt Projects Inspired by the Elm Creek QuiltNovels

More Elm Creek Quilts

Inspired by the Elm Creek Quilt Novels

Sylvias Bridal Sampler from Elm Creek Quilts

Traditions from Elm Creek Quilts

DUTTON

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First printing, November 2011

Copyright 2011 by Jennifer Chiaverini All rights reserved REGISTERED TRADEMARKMARCA REGISTRADA

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA HAS BEEN APPLIED FOR.

ISBN : 978-1-101-54808-0

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In loving memory of my grandmother,

Virginia Kraemer Riechman

Mr. and Mrs. Matthew McClure

request the honor of your presence

at the marriage of their daughter

Caroline Sylvia

to

Leonardo Joseph Fiore

son of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Fiore

Saturday, the twenty-third of SeptemberTwo thousand twenty-eight

At three oclock in the afternoon

Elm Creek Manor

Waterford, Pennsylvania

T he tinkling of silverware on china and the murmur of conversation fil ed the elegant theater of Union Hal , where Sarah sat on the stage at the head table, discreetly reviewing her speech on the computer pad resting on her lap. More than one hundred members of the Waterford Historical Society and their guests had gathered to enjoy a delicious luncheon of cranberry-stuffed chicken breast, sauted green and wax beans, and whipped butternut squash to celebrate the dedication of the Agnes Bergstrom Emberly Quilt Gal ery. The food smel ed wonderful, but Sarah had taken only a few bites. She had been invited to deliver the keynote address for the event, and even though she had given hundreds of speeches and lectures throughout her career as an Elm Creek Quilter, her appetite stil fled before each and every engagement.

You should eat something, said James quietly, seated at her right. He smiled encouragingly, and she had to smile back. He was such a handsome young man. Hed had his hair cut earlier that day in preparation for the wedding, his reddish-brown locks trimmed so short that they nearly stood straight up. Out of respect for the occasion he wore a blazer over his plain white T-shirt, which hugged his slender but muscular frame, and his indigo blue jeans were rol ed into wide cuffs at the ankle.

He and his friends seemed to believe they had invented the style and met their elders comparisons to the fashions of the 1950s with bemused, indulgent silence.

Il ask them to wrap mine to go, said Sarah. Maybe I can nibble some dessert while Im signing books.

I wouldnt count on it. I doubt youl have time to set down your pen.

Considering the number of guests in attendance, she had to admit he had a point. She let her gaze travel from table to table, and occasional y someone looked up to the stage, caught her eye, and smiled. Tickets for the event had sold out within a week, delighting the president of the Waterford Historical Society, and the booksel ers were doing a brisk business at the table between the theater doors. From the moment Sarah had arrived, people had been coming up to introduce themselves, sometimes sharing their memories of Agnes or of Elm Creek Quilt Camp, sometimes thanking her profusely for acquiring so many invaluable, irreplaceable quilts for the societys col ection, now proudly on display in the upstairs gal ery named for her old friend. So why, even though she knew her audience was friendly and receptive, did Sarah feel so nervous?

Youl be fine once you get started, James reassured her, reading her mind. You always are. But youl feel better if you have something to eat.

Yes, sir, she told him wanly, picking up her fork and sampling the roast chicken. The cranberry stuffing gave it a savory, tangy flavor, and under different circumstances she would have cleaned the plate and requested the recipe for Anna Del Maso, the chef at Elm Creek Manor. She took another bite and glanced down the table just in time to see the president of the Waterford Historical Society check her watch and push back her chair. It was time. Her mouth suddenly dry, Sarah washed down the chicken with a gulp of water. James touched her on the back as he rose and went to confer briefly with the president. Conversation faded as he took the podiumwithout a pad or notes of any kind, Sarah noted with rueful admirationand adjusted the microphone.