Fate's Intervention (61 page)

“
That
wasn
’
t talking, Son,
”
Lilith countered.
“
I
’
m old enough to distinguish the difference between conversation and . . . ,
”

“
Thank
you, Mother!
”
Matthew interrupted.

“
So
, that
’
s your mother, is it?
”
Marcelle asked, finding it hard to contain her laughter at the blush that appeared beneath Matthew
’
s tanned skin.
“
I like her.
”

“
I figured you would,
”
Matthew grinned.
“
S
he
’
s a lot like you.
”

“
So
, what was
the
conversation we needed to have before we could go join the celebrations?
”
Marcelle asked, wrapping her arms around Matthew
’
s neck.

Matthew leaned over carefully and pulled his rucksack up between them. Reaching inside, he carefully pulled out a medium-sized package wrapped in silver paper with a burgundy bow. He let the rucksack fall back into place before presenting the gift to Marcelle.

“
Oh, it
’
s beautiful!
”
Marcelle exclaimed, releasing her hold on Matthew
’
s neck.
“
It
’
s for me?
”

“
Open it.
”

Marcelle
carefully pulled the wrapping from around the
beautiful package and gasped.
“
Is this really from where I think it
’
s from?
”
She asked, eyeing the logo on the top of the box.

“
Yes, darling,
”
Matthew smiled.
“
I only hope you
’
re as excited about what
’
s
in
the box as
you appear to be
by
the box.
”

“
Now who
’
s teasing whom,
”
Marcelle grinned as she pulled the lid off the blue-colored box.
“
Oh, my,
”
she gasped.
Lying
on a bed of red velvet was the largest emerald she
’
d ever seen attached to a strand of pearls, individually strung and separated by diamonds.

“
I
’
d be honored,
”
Matthew whispered close to her ear,
“
if you
’
d wear that necklace on our wedding day.
”

“
Oh, Matthew, I would have been happy with the simple proposal at the fort. You didn
’
t have to go to so much expense just to get me to say yes,
”
Marcelle said, placing a light kiss on her lips.
“
A
lthough it is one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry I
’
ve ever seen in my life.
”

“
The
n you
’
ll wear it at our wedding?
”

“
Nothing would make me happier. Except becoming your wife, that is.
”

“
M
m
m, I
’
m glad to hear that
, s
o, what
’
s say we go on down and give everyone a bit of added news to celebrate,
”
Matthew said, squeezing his knees against his horse.

Marcelle laid her head against Matthew
’
s chest, her eyes pinned to the necklace that lay in the open box on her lap. He
’
d asked her to marry him, just
as
her
father
predicted he would. Even though she
’
d hoped and prayed every day that he
’
d propose upon his return, she was still astonished that he
’
d changed his mind about marriage as abruptly as he had. Not that she
’
d complain
–
ever. She may not know exactly what she
’
d done to capture his heart, but she wasn
’
t ever going to change a thing about it.

“
So
that
’
s the end of it then,
”
Lilith sighed, sitting on the settee beside her bedroom window across from her son. The celebration had ended moments earlier, and she could see stragglers still milling about the front yard, talking to one neighbor or another
–
friends that they only saw
rarely
.

She spotted Marcelle talking to a young girl and her heart lightened, until thoughts of what Mark nearly did to the poor dear intruded again, casting a shadow of sadness over her happiness. She reached up, unlatched the window, and pushed it open. She
breathed
in deeply, hoping the fresh, crisp air would wipe away the ugliness.
She wondered vaguely why she couldn
’
t cry over Mark
’
s death, or why she didn
’
t have any guilt over the feeling of relief that washed over her.

“
I guess I should feel some small
measure
of peace,
”
she murmured to herself,
“
t
hat
he
died quickly and didn
’
t harm anyone dear to me in the process.
”

“
However he died, Mother,
”
Matthew said, moving to stand beside her,
“
he did so because of the path he chose to lead.
Nothing we did could have changed that
. Even if the
sale
of Daragh
Steel hadn
’
t entered the picture, something else would have sparked his violence
–
eventually
.
A
t the rate he was going, I
’
d have to say sooner was more likely.
”

“
I know,
”
Lilith said softly.
“
It just . . . well, as his mother, I should have had more influence over his life. If I had, perhaps he would have ended up on a different path.
A
better path.
”

“
Hindsight is always more clearer, Mother, and berating yourself over what might have been never accomplishes anything, with the exception of making your life more miserable than it should be.
”

“
You
’
re right, darling,
”
Lilith smiled at her elder son, her only son now.
“
Just how did you get to be so smart, anyhow?
”

“
It runs in the correct side of the family.
”

“
Thank
you, dear,
”
Lilith said.
“
Well, I supposed I should do something about the funeral arrangements.
A
fter
all, I was his mother. Do you think
Elizabeth
would care to know?
”

“
Probably, but not for the
reasons
you
’
re thinking,
”
Matthew said.

“
Oh, I have no doubt that I
’
m thinking the same thing,
”
Lilith said.
“
That
child was only interested in Mark
’
s money and now, with him out of the way permanently, she
’
ll get it without any future concerns. She
’
ll want to know
that
, without a doubt.
”

“
Without a doubt, but don
’
t expect to see her attending the funeral. I
’
ll see about sending a wire.
”
Matthew stood and walked toward the doorway.

“
Would it be so wrong of me to say that I don
’
t really want a funeral? It would just be a
hollow gesture on my part,
”
Lilith said, looking down at her lap.
“
Did you know when your
father
died, I felt the same way, but Mark insisted on invit
ing
a who
’
s who of society?
All
I wanted to do was put his body in the ground and be done with it. Does that make me a bad person, do you suppose?
”

Matthew turned and knelt in front of his mother, placing a hand on hers comforting
ly
,
“
Mother, you are one of the most caring women I
’
ve ever known, and what you fe
lt
for Mark and
F
ather
cannot diminish that. We
’
ll have a private burial somewhere, okay?
”

“
That
would be just fine. I wouldn
’
t want you delaying your wedding nuptials unnecessarily,
”
Lilith said.

“
We
’
ll wait as long as it takes
you
to grieve,
”
Matthew assured her.

“
The
n how about setting the date for sometime next month. Think Marcelle would mind? I need a cheerful distraction and I think planning a wedding would be wonderful for me.
”

“
A
re
you sure,
M
other?
”
Matthew looked at his mother with skepticism, but could see nothing but sincerity in her eyes.

“
I couldn
’
t be more certain of anything in my life, Son,
”
Lilith assured, placing a hand in comfort on Matthew
’
s unshaven cheek.

“
Well, I
’
ll go fire off a telegram to
Elizabeth
, while you discuss wedding plans with your future daughter-in-law. That is, if you
’
re certain you
’
re up to it.
”

“
I
’
m up to it,
”
Lilith said.
“
Go ahead and send her up.
”

A
moment later, she saw Matthew leave the front door and approach Marcelle in the yard.
The heaviness lifted again from her heart for she could see, even from this distance, the love that shone from Matthew
’
s countenance when he looked at his affianced.

“
I still can
’
t get over the fact that the man I met
–
that well-groomed, polite gentleman
–
was really a murderer,
”
Carol
Ann
said.

“
Yes, well,
”
Marcelle smiled grimly,
“
he was
,
and
it
’
s a good thing that you didn
’
t get too attached or you may have ended up in Elizabeth
’
s shoes and been forced to marry the no-good scum.
”

“
Poor
Elizabeth
,
”
Carol
Ann
sighed.