Savage Destiny (The Hearts of Liberty Series, Book 1) (21 page)

"It won't be a surprise if he suggests things with me listening, Mama."

"She's right," Randolph agreed, "but I'll look for something especially nice, and save it for you."

"Thank you." Rachel reached out to touch his sleeve as she spoke. Their refreshments were served, and for the next few minutes, the conversation centered upon how delicious they were. She was a perceptive woman, and noted just how frequently Randolph's glance strayed toward her niece. She was accustomed to men admiring her daughter that openly, but he was the first who had ever shown an interest in Alanna and that he was one of Williamsburg's most prosperous merchants delighted her.

She did her best to involve Alanna in the remainder of the conversation, and as soon as they had bid Randolph goodbye and entered their carriage for the ride home, she reached out to pat her niece's knee. "I didn't realize Randolph O'Neil was so taken with you. Do you like him, too?"

Alanna felt as though she were being shoved in a totally wrong direction, and mentally dug in her heels. "He's attractive and personable, Aunt Rachel, but other than as a friend, I've no interest in him. I won't be impolite, but I shan't encourage his affection, when I can't return it."

Distressed, Rachel pursed her lips thoughtfully for a moment, but her expression soon brightened. "Don't you worry, sweetheart. Weddings are the perfect place to meet eligible men, and perhaps one will please you."

Alanna glanced out the window rather than argue, but she didn't want to be pleased. She just wanted to be left alone.

* * *

In anticipation of their marriage, Ian rented a house on Francis Street, and a thrilled Melissa promptly took Alanna to see it. It was a charming, white frame cottage with green shutters, and while it was very small compared with the home in which she had grown up, Melissa couldn't wait to move into it. Supplied with the minimum in furnishings by the owner, it provided Melissa with ample opportunity to express her own tastes in decorating.

"I'll wait until after the wedding to buy what I want," she told Alanna, "because we're sure to receive many lovely things as gifts, and I don't want to duplicate them, but I want this house to be as perfect as Mother's."

"I'll help you with the garden," Alanna volunteered. "You've never liked working with flowers as much as I do."

"That's certainly true, thank you. I want to plant azaleas and camellias across the front, and a rose garden in the back. I suppose I'll have to raise a few vegetables, but they're no trouble, are they?"

"No, and won't Ian help you?"

"Yes, I'm sure he will. This is only a temporary home, of course. We'll build one of our own soon, but since we've told everyone we're marrying now because Ian may be transferred, we can't buy land and start building a house. Everyone would consider us either daft or liars, if we did."

"What if Ian really is transferred?"

"Then I'll go with him," Melissa replied. "Did you think I'd let him go off by himself?"

"No, of course not. I just wondered if you'd made some plans."

Melissa feared she'd been too curt. "I'm sorry. It's just that I'm so excited about the wedding, that it's difficult to think about anything else, and I certainly don't want to begin worrying about being parted from Ian."

"I'm going to miss you," Alanna confided. "We've been together since we were children, and—"

"And now it's time to grow up," Melissa enthused brightly. "Please don't become maudlin over my marriage. I want everyone to be as happy as Ian and me. Now come on, let's go, we've so much to do and—" She turned toward the door and, suddenly growing dizzy, Melissa reached out to grab Alanna's hand to steady herself.

"Melissa, what's wrong?"

Melissa took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Ian was gone when she awakened in the mornings, so he was unaware that she had begun to experience morning sickness. Now it seemed dizzy spells were going to plague her, too. "It's nothing, just the excitement is all. I'm fine."

She looked too pale for Alanna to believe her. "I think we better sit down and rest a minute. You really don't look well, and you don't want to be ill for your wedding."

Melissa didn't feel up to protesting her cousin's suggestion. She sank down into the nearest chair, leaned back, and closed her eyes. Only a few days remained before the wedding, and she wasn't worried about missing it. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Yes, but if it's something important, perhaps you ought to tell Ian or your parents rather than me."

"Oh, Alanna, you're so incredibly naive, but it's charming. Truly it is." She sat up and, after a suspenseful pause, confided in her. "It's too soon for me to be sure as yet, so please don't tell anyone, but I think Ian and I will become parents as quickly as my mother and father did."

Rather than respond with the excited squeal Melissa had expected, Alanna had to look away. The mention of a baby had brought such painful memories of her sisters and brother, that she needed a moment to shut them out. They had been beautiful children, and she tried always to think of them as angels surrounded by the glory of heaven, rather than as she had last seen them. It was a struggle, but finally she found a smile.

"Does Ian know?"

"No, not yet, and don't you dare tell him either! This is my news, and I'll share it with him when I'm certain. I had to tell you because there are times, like a few minutes ago, when I'm not quite myself, and I don't want you to worry. I'm sure it's perfectly natural."

"Shouldn't you speak with Dr. Earle?"

"Having a baby isn't like being sick, Alanna. There's no need for me to consult a physician. I'm feeling much better already."

The color had returned to Melissa's cheeks, so Alanna didn't argue, but she still felt uneasy. Melissa was right, it was time to grow up, but somehow she thought she had already done that a long time ago.

* * *

Melissa's wedding day was slightly overcast at dawn, but by the time she, her parents, and Alanna were dressed and ready to leave for the Bruton Parish Church, the skies were clear. May was always an exceptionally pretty month, and that year it was especially fine. It would be a glorious day for a wedding, and no effort had been spared to make Melissa and Ian's memorable.

Rachel had been too busy supervising the preparations to have time to consider the meaning of the day, but once she was seated opposite her daughter in the carriage, she could no longer stifle her tears, prompting her husband to scold her in a teasing fashion.

"This is supposed to be a happy occasion," he reminded her. "What will everyone think, if the mother of the bride is weeping throughout the ceremony?"

"They'll think me very sentimental, which I can't deny," Rachel replied.

Melissa was too happy to care what anyone said about her mother, but she hastened to defend her. "The wedding is going to be so beautiful,
everyone
will be moved to tears, and no one will think Mother is overly sentimental. I want to thank you both. Ian and I will never forget your kindness."

It was John who nearly choked on tears then. He took out his handkerchief and blew his nose to hide his discomfort, but both his wife and daughter understood the cause of his distress. For the past month, Melissa had remained at home, and her marriage had brought little change in their lives, but from that day on, she would be living with Ian, and her love and loyalty would belong to him. "Our home is going to seem empty without you," he finally managed to say.

"Just wait for the day when Ian and I come to visit with all ten of your grandchildren. Then you'll be happy to see me leave."

Amused by the thought of his lovely daughter surrounded by ten youngsters, all with Ian's bright red hair, John had to laugh. "When you put it that way, yes, I realize I ought to enjoy the quiet while I can. I wonder just how much longer you'll be with us, Alanna. You're so pretty today, we'll be lucky if someone doesn't run off with you, too."

"John, you hush about that," Rachel scolded. "One elopement was more than enough for this family."

Alanna was grateful her aunt had distracted her uncle so easily, but she could not even imagine herself becoming so enamored of a young man that she would consider marriage, let alone an elopement. She was thrilled for Melissa, but didn't expect to ever have a lavish wedding of her own. Perhaps it was because Melissa was already wed, but there had been very little in the way of confusion that morning. Their gowns had been laid out the previous evening, with every stocking and slip in its place, so they had been able to dress in less time than they had for parties. There had been no anxiety, no apprehensions, merely a calm commitment to giving this second wedding the look of a well-rehearsed formal rite.

Melissa and her family arrived at the Anglican church as the first of the guests began to appear. The priest had not been taken into their confidence, and before leaving the carriage, John reminded the women to keep their silence in that regard. "This is the day your marriage begins, Melissa, and none of us need ever admit otherwise. We'll ask for God's blessing today, but we've already been blessed, and I hope that for the rest of our lives, we'll never have to fool our friends and neighbors as we have this last month. Lies don't come easy to me, and I don't need more practice in using them. From now on, let's all endeavor to live lives where only the truth prevails."

"Amen," Rachel added.

Melissa nodded and, in her mind, her actions had all been governed by the truth. She cared deeply for Ian, and she intended to be all he would ever want in a wife. She took her father's hands as she left the carriage, and smiled bravely. "You'll never be sorry for this, Papa."

John had seen the love reflected in her eyes when she was with Ian, and didn't doubt her. He placed a kiss on her cheek and helped her adjust the fit of her veil. "I've never seen a lovelier bride. That's not to say that your mother wasn't a beauty, but today you look enough like she did on our wedding day, for me to mean that as a compliment to you both."

"Thank you, Papa."

The Frederick sisters and their parents arrived then, followed by additional guests; the bridal party entered the church to wait for the ceremony to begin. They heard the muffled conversation as the pews began to fill, and the deep tones of the organ as the hymns Melissa and Ian had chosen were played. John and Rachel smiled with memories of their own wedding, while Sarah and Robin Frederick looked forward to equally splendid ceremonies of their own. Melissa twisted the sapphire and diamond ring Ian had given her, and had only sweet thoughts of him. Alanna, with neither pleasant memories nor hopeful dreams, stood nearest the door and, when all the guests had arrived, conveyed the priest's signal to begin.

The church had been decorated with huge bouquets of white roses and camellias. Sarah, Robin, and Alanna were dressed in gowns of ice blue taffeta with the iridescent sheen of pearls, and Rachel was equally lovely in an exquisite shade of sky blue. The golden threads interwoven in the ivory satin of Melissa's gown reflected the sunlight streaming in the windows, framing her in a hallowed glow. The guests responded with appreciative gasps as her father escorted her down the aisle, but all she saw was Ian.

Recently promoted to captain, Ian's red coat was accented with deep blue lapels, generous amounts of gold braid, and two rows of brass buttons. His waistcoat, while bordered in gold, matched the cream-color of his britches. A pair of highly polished black boots and a sword completed his attire. Melissa had chosen blue for her bridesmaid's dresses, not simply because it was her favorite color, but because blue blended perfectly with the uniforms Ian and his friends would wear.

When Ian took her hand and winked slyly, she realized he was as calm as she. After a month as his wife, she was convinced they had been meant to be together, and repeated her vows in a confident tone that held no hint of tears. Ian was her choice, and if anyone had attempted to tell her how wrong her original reason for marrying him had been, she would have argued that today, her motive was the right one. When they were pronounced husband and wife for the second time, she was happier than she had ever thought she could be.

"I love you," she whispered.

Ian responded with a kiss, before escorting her up the aisle and out into the sunshine. The beauty of the day had convinced him they were the luckiest of couples, and would have a long and happy life together. He helped Melissa into the carriage for the ride to her home for the reception, and pulled her across his lap.

"Do you remember the last time we made this same trip together?" he asked.

"Yes, and while this wedding was all I could have hoped, I'm glad we didn't wait for today."

"So am I," Ian teased, and with a low growl he nibbled her throat. He was so lost in her he could not wait for the day to end to make love to her again, but when he suggested they put the carriage ride to a better use, she appeared to be shocked.

"My goodness, Captain, I'll thank you to keep such scandalous thoughts to yourself today. We are supposed to behave like a very proper bride and groom, and I don't want to give our friends any other impression. Besides, the ride isn't nearly long enough to make love to you as I'd like to."

Charmed by that promise, Ian ceased to complain, but he still would have liked to have made love to her right then and there. He told himself he would have a lifetime to make love to Melissa, but somehow he didn't think that would be nearly enough time either.