Miss Dickinson still had butterflies. But that, as her friends reminded her, was only to be expected. Her marriage celebrations were only a matter of days away and getting closer by the hour.

William – that is to say Mr William Walter – was a kind man, and the perfect match. No matter how often her mother told her that, Adelaide still didn’t entirely believe it.

She knew love to be important, and she knew she would come to love Mr Walter. But for now the butterflies in her stomach were not to be calmed.

Adelaide’s main worry was what happened after she and William exchanged their vows. He was older then her – nearly twelve years older – and she knew he had more experience than she could imagine. His three children were testament to that.

That was another thing. She wasn’t ready for motherhood! While Mr Walter employed two nannies, what were the expectations on her? To raise the three girls as her own. She couldn’t replace their mother – poor Evangeline Walter, whose demise had come far too soon. Would they like her? Would they warm to her?

The butterflies fluttered more quickly, as if buffeted by a sudden breeze. She grasped the chair more firmly and breathed in deeply.

It would be alright. William had reassured her of that. But there had been something about that reassurance, something hollow about it, that had left her less reassured than she had wanted.

“Pull yourself together, Adelaide,” she muttered, straightening up and stifling the gasp she could sense was coming.

She heard a clicking from behind the light.

“There you go, Miss. All done.”

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(This is a story based on an anonymous Carte de Visite found in a junk shop, and should not be seen as a true reflection of this person’s life or that of the photographer, Wilbert of Bristol Bridge, Bristol.)

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This month’s Mass Observation post was well received, and in these weird and wonderful times, we all need a bit of colour!

Moving forward, the project for June has a new theme…

RANDOM

Who doesn’t like a bit of randomness? Interpret the theme as you will!

To take part, simply take a photo around the theme of random:

• Email the image to adayinphotographs@outlook.com by Sunday 31st May 2020.
• Images should be a maximum of 650 pixels wide.
• Include your name, website/blog address and a short note about the image, including where it was taken.
• Come back and see the results on Sunday 7th June!

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