A British Bride by Agreement (30 page)

Just then, Mr. and Mrs. Steller came up. “I paid for the
ticket myself, Nick. I’ll call you when we want you to come back.”

Nick glanced around the group.
“Really?
This is how you treat all my hard work? You think I’m nothing.
That I can easily be disposed of?”

Emma stepped forward, “I could tell Jonathan about you taking
pictures of his papers and drugging me in Belize, but I never did.”

“You can call me, and we can talk about you coming back and
working in the mail room.” Mr. Steller folded his arms.

Nick stuffed his hands in his tight Italian pants and left
the group.

Mrs. Steller motioned to Emma’s parents. “I’m so glad you
all have met.”

No one spoke.

Babsy cast a glance between all of them. “What’s going on?

A slow terror uncoiled inside of Emma. She closed her eyes
for a minute. This would be the end of her marriage. Her in-laws would hate her
forever.

A confident smirk filled Emma’s father’s lips. “I’m
dreadfully sorry to tell you this, but Emma has been sending money to us in
England. We tried to stop her, but she wouldn’t listen.”

Jonathan set his feet apart. “I already know about the
money and the reason she sent it.”

Emma started toward her father, but Jonathan held her
protectively in place with his firm grip.

Undaunted, her father continued. “I’ve conducted a lot of
questionable business ventures in my past, but I assure you, I’m trying to
change. And I hope Emma will change her dishonest ways too.”

Emma’s breathing came in gasps. Such bold-face lies. She
risked a glance at her in-laws, and yet they looked perfectly calm. And still,
Jonathan did absolutely nothing.

“That’s marvelous.” Mr. Steller put his arm around his
wife. “Babsy, we should introduce him to some of our friends here.”

“No!” Emma shouted.

Mr. Waterhouse’s face brightened. “I hoped to be able to
spend some time with you, Mr. Steller to learn good honest business practices.
so
I can continue making changes in my life—”

Emma’s mother stepped forward. “That’s not entirely true.”

“Lilith, don’t—” Her father pulled her back behind him.

Her mother shook off his hold. “Emma gave her father that
money in order to keep him from black mailing your parents.”

Sagging against Jonathan, Emma dabbed at the tears brimming
in her eyes. She never thought her mother cared enough about her to defy her
father.

Jonathan squeezed Emma’s hand. “I’ll say this one more
time. I think you both
need
to leave.”

Montgomery Waterhouse turned an unappealing shade of red.
“I see how this is going to go. Well, I’ll have to go to the press, tell them
all about myself and who my daughter has married.”

“Don’t Montgomery. Let Emma be.” Lilith let out a sigh.

Unable to contain herself, Emma charged at him.
“You evil, evil man.”

Jonathan pulled her back into his arms, at the same time
Mr. Steller motioned for a gentleman standing in the shadows to come forward.
“Did you plan on meeting with Bernard Ernest?” Mr. Steller clapped the man on
the back in a familiar gesture.
“The editor for the St. Louis
Post-Dispatch?”

Montgomery Waterhouse’s mouth opened and closed, but no
sound came out.

“As per your request, Jonathan,” the editor gravely nodded.
“I’ve contacted all the other newspaper in our area. There’ll be no story on
you, sir.”

Jonathan nodded and three police officers came up and surrounded
the Mr. and Mrs. Waterhouse.

Emma stepped forward and hugged her mother. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry, dear.
For a lot of things.”
Lilith turned and followed her husband’s cross mutterings toward an exit door.

Weak with relief, Emma folded
herself
into Jonathan’s arms and rested her dizzy head against his chest. Suddenly, her
stomach wasn’t happy. Her body felt slicked with heat, then a shiver of cold.
She looked for a place to sit down, just to rest, and then the world turned to
black.

As she slowly awoke, she could have sworn she heard angels
singing. She looked around and realized she was lying on the floor with
Jonathan holding her head in his lap. “Are you all right?”

“Someone
get
her some water,”
motioned Mrs. Steller.

As Jonathan tried to get her to drink, she pushed it away.
“Help me stand.”

He lifted her as gently as a crystal figurine. “How do you
feel?”

She held her breath and stared at him. “I feel …pregnant.”

“What?” Jonathan pinned his blue eyes on her. “Are you
sure?”

Tears flooded her eyes again. Unable to speak, she nodded.

Jonathan helped her stand and kissed her lips, her
forehead, her cheeks,
and
 
her
nose. “I love you.”

Emma looked over at her in-laws. Mrs. Steller and Mrs.
Peterson were wiping tears from their eyes and to Mrs. Mr. Steller
was
strutting around telling the last few attendees the good
news.

“I thought you loved Dede.” Emma’s thoughts drifted to all
the ridiculous fears she had concocted about Jonathan.”

“Dede?”
He smiled incredulously. “I love you. I need you. I know I
haven’t shown it as I should
.
 
I’ve been too tied up in work. But that’s all going to change. “It’s
you I can’t live without.”

“You can’t?” A smile enveloped her whole being
.
 
“I love you too.
I’m sorry too. I mean, I hid a lot of things from you.
Most
my parents.
But I swear, I have nothing to do—”

He pressed his finger to her lips. “I know.”

“You don’t.” she shook her head. “I sold the gold necklaces
you bought me to try to pay back the decorating account.”

He leaned in and kissed her.
“A sound
financial decision.”

“And my parents will never pay back that money I sent to
save my brother.”

“I don’t care. All I care is about you and me and our
baby.”

“I found out last night.”

He hugged her again and whispered in her ear, “I am so
happy.”

“Well, we have had a night.” Mrs. Steller rubbed her
temple.

“Yes, we have.” George Gardner joined the quiet group.
“These are only preliminary accounting numbers, but I believe the benefit
concert has raised more money than we have ever received before, and now it
looks like we’ll be able to support that new children’s research hospital.”

Mr. Steller took Jonathan’s hands in his. “You have made me
so proud. Seeing your dedication to the charity tells me you are ready to
assume control of the company. “

“You are retiring?” Babsy fanned her face.

Mr. Steller smiled at his wife. “Your mother has finally
convinced me to slow down.”

Jonathan smiled at Emma. “I think Emma and I would like to
stay apart of the Charity Division. You’ll have to find someone else.”
 

Mrs. Steller hugged Jonathan and Emma. “I am so proud of
both of you too, but my dears, right now, I think you need to go home.”

As soon as the limo door shut, Emma and Jonathan reached
for each other and kissed deeply. Emma released a sigh of pleasure at the feel
of his embrace, the passion in his kisses and the confidence that he truly
loved her.

He pulled back, a smile filling his lips. “I’ve wanted to
tell you I loved you for a long time.”

His words were a balm to her battered emotions. “I wanted
to tell you too.”

He tenderly left a trail of kisses down her throat, sending
a shudder of pleasure thru Emma. She rested her head on his shoulder, their
hands entwined for the ride home.

Once though their front door, Jonathan led Emma to his
office. “I need to show you something. I’ve been doing a little decorating of
my own.” He opened the door and in the middle of the room sat her piano. Her
music books and CDs were assembled in neat rows on the bookcases, and a side
door had been installed on a far wall. “So your students can come and go from a
special entrance.”

“Oh, Jonathan.”
Her voice broke. “You did this for me?”

“To show you how much I loved you.” A twinkle gleamed in
his eyes. “I have another surprise for you.” He led her upstairs and paused
outside the master bedroom door. “There’s something else I’ve been thinking
about for a while.”

He opened the door and flipped on the light to the master
bedroom completely furnished with drapes, pictures, frames, décor items all in
shades of browns and blues. The imposing four-poster bed was cloaked with sheer
white curtains and was made up with luxurious satiny blue bedding. And on the
pillows were shredded pieces of papers.

As Jonathan
swooped
her up in her
arms and headed for the bed, Emma asked, “What is that ripped up on the bed?”

“The last of our agreement.”

“Oh, I love you, and the bedroom is so beautiful.”

 
“It’s lonely.”

She laughed as he flipped off the light and laid her on the
bed.

EPILOGUE

Emma woke up as the Steller jet was preparing to land in Munich.
Jonathan was glued to the window but squeezed her hand as they started to
descend.

“Is your family there yet?” She stretched and yawned.

“No, they’ll come in tomorrow just in time for the
ceremony.”

“I’m glad you could get away from the office for a few
days.”

“Now that I’ve decided to stay on with the charity
permanently, I increased everyone’s vacation time—”

“And bought two more hybrid pool cars and sold the
limousine, and put Mrs. Peterson on the board at Hillsdale House.” Emma leaned
in and gave him a kiss. “I’m so proud of you.”

“Those were all your ideas. And you signed up all the kids
from the Kinder AIDS group to be your first piano students.”

Emma smiled. Their renewal of vows was Jonathan’s idea. But
this time it would take place in the apple orchards in a small town in Bavaria.
She couldn’t wait to see David and meet his new wife. The memory of a Bronte
poem floated through her mind.

What
matters is that all around
Danger and grief and darkness lie,
If
but within our bosom's bound
We hold a bright unsullied sky,
Warm with ten thousand mingled rays
Of suns that know no winter days.

The next morning, after a night at
Erste
Tag, they were driven out to the country to a picturesque town where the
streets were cobbled and each pointy roof house was shingled in slate.
Behind the house and warehouse stood rows of trees.
An apple orchard.

“Who picked this place for our vow renewal?”

“My mother.”

“Did you tell her…
”

“Tell her what?”

Emma smiled to herself. “
Nevermind
.
”
 
Thank you, Lord.

Emma beamed as she saw Jonathan’s family and her brother
and his wife, Herr Tag, Ben and Debbie
Komer
,
gathered at the end of the apple orchard. So many familiar faces together in
one place made Emma’s heart overflow with gratitude. Another memorable face stood
with them.

“Who’s that there at the end by your father?”

Jonathan’s face lit up with a grin. He looked very handsome
in his dark blue suit and tie. “A special someone I arranged to give you away.”

“Who?”
The arrived at the grove.

“The president.”

Emma smoothed her white sheath dress.
“Like
of the country?”

“And of the city and the national forest.”

Joy welled in Emma’s heart as she exited
the car.

Jennifer rushed up and handed her a
bouquet of apple flowers.

Emma inhaled their sweet smell as joy
tingled down to her fingertips.

 
She had a husband who loved her.

She was the apple of her Father’s eye.

THE END

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