ice of delight, let out a regretful sigh for the first time.
Moved to the core, the listeners discussed whether it would be possible to fulfill the couple''s final wish.
The women rekindled extinguished candles, aligning them in a neat row, while the men gathered their straw mats, arranging them into a makeshift altar. An elder juring priest volunteered to officiate the wedding ceremony for these two pure angels, with all present from both cells serving as witnesses.
Edith swiftly removed the ruby wedding ring from her finger and passed it through the narrow gap to the other side, saying, "Take this."
The couple, filled with surprise and happiness, expressed their heartfelt gratitude profusely.
The sombre room of death transformed into a solemn church, as these ragged strangers kneeled in unison, their chests filled with an unprecedented devotion.
Edith listened intently as the old priest declared, in a venerable voice, the eternal union of the two young souls in the name of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
"I vow to share my life and death with her/him," their resolute and tender oath echoed through the silence.
"How fortunate you are! You can put the ring on each other''s finger!" Edith smiled, but her voice was choked with tears.
Long after the dreamlike wedding had concluded, each heart remained filled with infinite reverence. They felt that this fate-arranged love would open a gateway to heaven for them, allowing the dawn of God to pour into this space of despair.
"There will be a miracle. I can feel it," said the old priest, stroking his beard. Edith sensed the smile in his voice.
No one replied, but every prisoner believed it with unwavering faith.
-------------------------
There was no miracle.
The next morning, at the break of dawn, everyone in that prison cell was pushed onto the guillotine.
The newlywed couple asked to be placed together by the executioner. After Edmond''s arms were bound, he still turned around and bent over the platform to kiss his Elisabeth. Even as their beautiful heads were tossed into the basket, their widened eyes gazed upon each other, their lifeless bodies entwined in the embrace within the cart.
The last in line was Fiona''s short and stooped father, like a frail reed. This peasant from rural Vendée had not experienced much of the world, yet his face showed no signs of fear