The Last Oracle (7 page)

Finally, her voice came back to her.
“Oh, my God, Alex! They are…they are breathtaking!”

“They are no more breathtaking than the woman whom they were designed for.”

She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him; then, suddenly, she pulled back, looking slightly disappointed. Alex raised his eyebrow. “What’s the matter, beautiful?”

“I didn’t get you anything. Not a gift, not even a wedding band.”

He smiled. “Marrying you is my life’s greatest gift. I don’t need anything else.” Alex saw that she was still concerned, and added, “If you feel the need, you can get me something on our honeymoon.” She felt the heat run through her…
she did love that word!

“How on earth did you plan all of this?”

“I’ll tell you everything…later,” he said huskily. His eyes were intense on hers and they were both in a spell.

There was a knock at the front door and Alex pulled away and then kissed her hand. “Our time is up for tonight.”

It was Camille and Ava, followed by Lars and Tavish. “Okay, groom, it’s time for you to let your bride get some girl time followed by plenty of beauty rest!”

Alex pressed his lips to Valeria’s in a kiss full of promise. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, around three p.m.—out by your favorite ginkgo tree.”

She smiled softly and stroked his face. “I will count the minutes!” Alex slid the ring off her hand and placed it back into its case. He kissed her one last time before leaving with Lars and Tavish.

Before Alex got out the door, he turned around and, with a hint of amusement, raised an eyebrow at Ava. “I trust I will not find my bride in the same condition tomorrow as she was the last time I left her with you, Ava.”

Ava was already headed to the wine cabinet below the kitchen island. She turned and raised her arms innocently. “What? Don’t we get some quality time with our BFF?”

“Help yourself to the wine…just not too much. I want her to be in good shape tomorrow.” Alex turned to leave.

“And tomorrow night,” Ava added, with mischief.

“Yes...
and
tomorrow night,” Alex said as he turned back to Valeria, offering her a sensual wink. At that, Lars patted Alex’s back and he turned, closing the door behind them. But the look of longing in Alex’s eyes was emblazoned in Valeria’s memory.

Ava got down to business, and lifted the half bottle of Ladera. “Is this any good?”

Valeria, still staring at the door, felt incredibly distracted. She nodded and then sighed dreamily. “Yeah…yeah, it’s very good.”

Ava laughed. “Well then…” She poured herself and Camille each a glass full and topped off Valeria’s half-full glass, when Camille interrupted.

“Val, I think you will enjoy tomorrow better if you switch to Chamomile tea after this glass.”

“Yes, I agree,” Valeria said, still lost in her dreams about her special day for tomorrow. She glanced at Ava. “What were Lars and Tav doing? Escorting you?”

Ava shrugged casually. “Nah, guard duty. They are taking the first shift.” Valeria noticed that Camille and Ava had blankets and pillows.

“And you both are staying?” Valeria smiled.

Ava put her arm around Camille and said, “Yep. I wanted to bring the popcorn and pizza, and then drink Alex’s wine. But Camille won’t let us.”

Camille nodded. “As I said before, the bride needs her beauty rest. We have appointments for you all day tomorrow up until the actual
wedding. So drink up your one glass, and then you need to get to get some sleep! You’ll find everything you need in the bedroom.”

“But I’ve been away for so long and so much has happened. I want to spend more time with both of you!”

“This weekend is about you and Alex. When all this mess with the council finally gets sorted out, we’ll have plenty of time to spend together.”

Ava raised her glass.
“To the Three Musketeers!”

They
clinked their glasses together and chatted for nearly thirty minutes until Camille glanced at her watch and told Ava and Valeria that it was time for the bride to go to bed.

Valeria went into the bedroom. It had been so long since she had been here with Alex. It was the place where Alex had proposed to her. It was the bed where she would make love to him for the first time. If home was where your heart was—hers was with Alex. The memories of his love were here, in this beautiful cottage. She brushed her fingers over her lips…and realized that yes, his kisses
still
lingered.

Out the window, next to the bed, she noticed a shadow that formed the perfect outline of her beautiful ginkgo tree, set against the backdrop of a billion brilliant stars...her tree...where they would be married tomorrow. Perfect, she thought. Then she brushed her teeth and washed her face and went into the walk-in closet. The room lit gently as she entered. She noticed a few items on her side of the closet—no doubt added by Camille, because months before, she had packed all of her clothes and left it empty. There was a cotton nightgown and soft robe. Instead, she pulled one of Alex’s T-shirts from a hanger and changed into it. Pulling the robe around her, she went back to the archway between the bedroom and great room.

“Where are you two sleeping?”

Camille smiled. “We tossed a coin and Ava’s sleeping on the floor. I get the couch.”

Valeria furrowed her brow. “You don’t have to do that! You can sleep in your own beds.”

Camille shook her head. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”

“What deal?”

Ava popped her head up. “We knew you would want to be here in the cottage and not up at the main house. But Alex didn’t want you
down here alone—and there was no way that Camille was going to permit that.” Camille shook her head sternly. “Alex said that someone had to be in here with you and we both wanted to come. He was going to sleep in his sleeping bag out back. But Camille told the guys that they needed to make sure Alex got some sleep, too.”

“Don’t you think this is a bit of overkill—the guards at the entrance, an electrical fence, and the infrared? And now you two feel like you have to sleep in here with me, and the guys are sleeping outside?”

   “This has been in the works for a month. We want you safe! And our bride and groom need to be in good shape tomorrow…and especially, tomorrow night!” Camille added. Going to the kitchen, she filled a teapot with filtered water. “I’m going to fix you some Chamomile tea.”

Ava plopped her feet up on the ottoman. “So you’re stuck with us tonight! Besides, I’m used to being on the catamaran for months at a time. So I’ve missed my air mattress,” Ava said.

“I’m so glad you could be here, Ava! When did you fly in?”

Ava’s face became suddenly guarded as she glanced toward Camille. Ava had been searching for years for Camille’s husband Jonah, who had disappeared almost 300 years before.

Without glancing up, Camille answered matter-of-factly, as she adjusted the flame under the red teapot. “No reason to avoid talking about it. We decided it was time to stop the search.”

“Stop!
Why?” Valeria asked, going to her friend in the kitchen.

Camille drew a deep breath. “I realized I was putting Ava and Lars in the same position I was in. Ava’s been away from him for almost thirty years.”

“Hey, I told you that was probably what keeps our marriage so hot.”

Camille steeled herself against the kitchen island. “It isn’t fair.”

Ava shrugged nonchalantly as Camille continued, “Anyway, if we haven’t found him by now…” her voice trailed off and she busied herself by grabbing a mug and pouring herself some tea. Valeria patted Camille’s back sympathetically.

“I’m sorry.”

Shaking her head, Camille pushed the grief aside. “I’m not allowing anything to lessen your happiness. So no more talk of that!”

“Well, I am so glad that both of you are here! Thank you!” Valeria hugged Camille and Ava and took her tea in to sit with them for a few more minutes. They spoke of a recent battle between Daphne and Tavish that had them all in hysterics. When her tea was gone, she rose and hugged them both before heading off to bed, although she was far too excited to think about sleep. But as soon as the lights were out, Valeria was so comfortable, she drifted off.

The morning sun filtered through the forest’s old growth, leaving beams of interrupted sunlight in the bedroom Valeria so loved. She immediately felt the thrill of what the day meant. Within minutes, Camille and Ava came in and jumped on the bed with her, laughing joyfully as they sang, “You’re getting married today!”

Camille opened the windows to the cottage and a fresh breeze moved through, bringing the scent of jasmine and the trilling of birds from the trees outside. It looked like the perfect day for a wedding.

“Ava’s going to run your bath. I’ll make your coffee.”

Ava added, “It’s better that way. Nobody likes my coffee.”

“I remember!” Valeria laughed joyfully.

She went into the walk-in closet and looked at the items that were hanging on her side of the closet. Valeria pulled out turquoise sweat pants and a matching hoodie that zipped down the front, and saw the matching flip-flops.

The bath began to run and she wondered how much time they would have at their beloved cottage, or if they were immediately returning to Africa. Although, after the lion episode—followed by the bodyguard episode—she doubted they would. But it didn’t matter because, after today, she would be married to the man she loved with all of her heart. And she would always hold this special gift—the gift of
a wedding at their home, with the people who she loved the most—as a dream come true.

Camille came up and handed Valeria her coffee in her favorite mug. Valeria sipped it, relishing its perfect blend of cream, coffee, and hazelnut. Then Camille slung her arm over Valeria’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. We’ve taken care of your trousseau.”

“Trousseau?” Valeria hadn’t thought about a trousseau, or even a wedding gown! She looked at Camille in sudden horror. “I just realized I left my wedding gown—”

Ava came out of the bathroom and interrupted Val’s moment of panic. “Yeah, well, it was pretty well trashed anyway.”

Camille raised a calming hand as Valeria began to hyperventilate. “Well, don’t worry about that. It’s all handled. You don’t have to worry about a thing today!”

Ava didn’t get upset about clothes. She ordered sportswear online from REI or L.L Bean. But this was the wedding gown that Valeria and Alex had picked out for their wedding over four months ago. Valeria didn’t want Camille to know that she was upset—especially with all of the wonderful things that were happening today. There certainly was no time to travel into Trento and pick up some silky, lacy thing. Attempting to calm herself, she remembered that even if she didn’t have an appropriate dress, this wedding was a far cry from what she had been willing to accept just a few days before.

“I did bring a few sundresses—Oh! I have my navy blue pencil skirt and a white cotton blouse. It isn’t really a wedding gown, but it’s better than my blue jeans.”

“I said I handled
everything
!” Camille said as she rolled her eyes. “You will have a gorgeous wedding gown. Don’t worry! Now get in the tub.”

Luxuriating in the bath, Valeria took her time, dreaming of her long-awaited wedding, with her beautiful Alex—now only hours away—and then the wedding night...here, with her husband. After her bath, she threw her sweat suit back on and sipped a fresh cup of coffee. Today, she would absolutely hold to her two-cup rule.

Camille made Valeria scrambled eggs with finely chopped vegetables and bacon, and then ensured that she ate every bite. That didn’t take much convincing—Valeria was hungry and it tasted wonderful. A knock came at the door and Caleb handed Valeria a bottle filled with a thick olive green liquid.

“What, in God’s name, is that?” Camille said with disgust.

“I knew you would love it!” Ava piped in from the couch as she casually flipped through L.L. Bean’s catalog.

“
Ahh! Caleb, Tell Alex, thank you and that I love him and I can’t wait to see him in a few hours!”

Caleb laughed. “He said to tell you that last night was the last night he’s spending away from you. Now, I have to go get ready to be the best man!” He turned and started to run down the stairs, and then spun around and rolled his eyes. “Oh, yeah, and he said to tell you he loves you, too.”

The sun caught the edge of Valeria’s face; she moved to enjoy its warmth as she sipped her strawberry kale concoction. Then a car pulled up in front of the cottage. 

“Right on time!
Paolo’s wedding gift,” Camille said.

Valeria nodded, suspiciously. Still, if it was all right with Camille, it was probably an acceptable gift.

“Ava and I were in a panic about your wedding gown!”

Without glancing up, Ava flipped a page in her magazine and said, “You were in a panic. I’m not that picky.”

Camille ignored Ava and continued, “Then Paolo called and said that he had seen your wedding gown in Paxos at our home there. He had intended to re-create it for you. But when Alex called and said you were ready to be married by a preacher on safari—we all decided it was time to move on this now and there was simply not enough time to have that exact dress remade. So, Paolo picked one out that is absolutely beautiful, and I know you will love it. And, just as importantly, I know Alex will, too!”

“
Paolo
picked out my...” Valeria questioned in horror.

Seeing her friends face go pale, Camille patted her shoulder and, attempting to sound calm, said, “If you don’t love it, I have several other options to choose from. Don’t worry.”

The person at the door carried a long white garment bag. He hung it up on the door jam. Valeria stared at it, frozen. Camille unzipped the bag slowly, removed the dress, and held it up, turning it so that Valeria could see the back as well.

It was very similar to the gown that she and Alex had selected—but with the richness of an antique gown from the 1930s. It was made of heavy silk satin. The gown was sleeveless and had a cowl front neckline, as well as a deep cowl in the back, with a body hugging bias cut and wrapping seams. She glanced at the A-line skirt and noticed how the back flared to an elegant train.

Valeria’s eyes filled with tears and she lifted her fingers to her mouth. “Oh, my God,” she gasped staring at the gown.

Camille’s eyes widened in concern and she clasped her hands nervously. “Don’t worry, okay? I know I have her number here. I’ll have them bring up the others.” Camille tried to calm her inner hysteria. She had guessed wrong. Now they needed the other gowns—none of which, in Camille’s estimation, were even near the beauty of this one.

Valeria shook her head without taking her eyes off the gown.

Ava grabbed Camille’s phone. “Hold on, I think she’s coming around.”

“It’s the most beautiful dress I’ve ever seen!” Valeria whispered softly, taking in every exquisite detail.

Camille and Ava both let out a long sigh of relief.

“Oh, thank God! I was about to have a stroke!” Camille said putting her hand on her chest to calm her pounding heart.

A woman answered the phone on the other line but Camille was too relieved to even notice and hung up without a word.

Ava turned to Valeria with her hands on her hips. “You know, you could have said it was the most beautiful gown you had ever seen
before
the ‘Oh, my God.’”

The seamstress remained to make any adjustments but none were needed, the dress fit perfectly. Valeria didn’t know how Paolo did it, but he had exquisite taste and seemed to know her exact measurements, better than she knew her own.

The girls heard another knock and Ava rose from the sofa and held open the door, bored with all of the hubbub.

Camille glanced at Valeria. “I told them they had to come in one car. We don’t need the attention of four vehicles coming in and out of Morgana.”

It was a crew from Elizabeth Arden for the full-bridal treatment, which included a massage, a manicure, pedicure, and a facial.

“Camille, I hope Alex is getting the royal treatment, too,” Valeria said, removing the cucumbers from her eyes as the white mask dried. She lifted her lemon water and sipped it, as a woman kneaded her calves. The woman doing the facials glanced at Ava, in irritation. Ava had eaten the cucumber slices that had covered her eyes.

Camille rolled her eyes at Ava and then said apologetically to the technician, “Yes, I know.”

“Hey, these are good. I’m still hungry. Is there anymore of the eggs from breakfast?”

“No. You ate five of them, plus a half a pack of bacon!” Camille accused.

Ava shrugged. “I’m a hungry girl!”

Camille returned her attention to Valeria. “Alex is being pampered—well, not quite to this extent. But he’s not the bride,” Camille tried to smile but from under the clay masque it looked comedic.

Later, a makeup artist expertly worked her magic on Valeria’s face. As the woman packed up her cosmetics, Camille stared intensely at the bride, causing Valeria to take in her reflection in the mirror. Finally, Camille frowned.

“It’s too heavy. You’ll have to redo it.”

The makeup artist turned to Valeria, and in a heavy Italian accent said, “
Ze bride likes it. Does she not?” Evidently, the question was for Valeria.

“Camille, I think it’s…fine—”

Raising her hand, Camille interrupted Valeria without even looking at her and continued speaking to the artist, “She says it is
fine.
Do you want to know how
fine
translates? It means she hates it. We need a fresher look. She is a bride!”

“But for
ze pictures—”

“Don’t argue with me on this one or I’ll phone your manager and insist they send up someone who can do the job right!”

“But I am the premier artiste at Eliz—”

“You won’t be an artiste anywhere if you don’t fix this!”

Wondering if it was that bad, Valeria looked in the mirror. She thought it looked all right. Although, heavier than she would like.

But with Camille’s direction, and another forty-five minutes, Valeria had to admit, the makeup made her look like her, only much better. Her face had a glow that she liked and her eyes and lips definitely stood out.

A stylist pulled Valeria’s long brown curls into a loose French roll, and hooked it with a platinum and diamond hair comb that Camille said would be Valeria’s “something borrowed.”

As the woman pulled out her hairspray, Camille stopped her. “Don’t use that lacquer on her!” Camille glanced through her own handbag and pulled out a “light hold” hairspray. “Use this one. And don’t triple-coat her hair with it—just once lightly.” 

“We cannot have the bride’s hair falling out at the reception!” the stylist argued.

“If it falls out, it falls out!” Camille snapped. The stylist gasped in horror at that idea. But Camille continued, “She has gorgeous hair! But she doesn’t want to keep her husband waiting while she shampoos and dries her hair tonight, does
she? She has to be able to comb it out.”

“Tonight!”
Valeria thought, as a warm shiver ran down her spine and tears formed in her eyes.

At last, with Camille completely satisfied, the crew left and Valeria’s friends went up to the main house to dress.

The smell and warmth of the day, with a hint of coolness from the mountains, was intoxicating. Valeria had changed into the undergarments that Camille had left for her—even they were exquisite—and then she pulled on a white silk robe. A small orchestra warmed up outside, and the chatter of guests increased.

Alone at the vanity in the bathroom, Valeria admired the necklace and earrings that Alex had given her. She sipped her mimosa and rose to peek out the curtain again hoping to catch a glimpse of Alex. She was surprised to realize that she didn’t feel an ounce of nervousness—which she thought was normal for a bride.

Finally, Camille arrived looking gorgeous; she had her hair pulled up and was wearing a  deep-blue gown with lace across the neck and arms. Valeria glanced out the window again, now
needing
to see Alex. Suddenly, she noticed that there were rows and rows of white covered chairs. Obviously, more than the family would be there.

“Camille, how many people are coming?”

“Oh, we’re keeping it small. There are about sixty guests.”

Valeria rolled her eyes. “
Sixty!
Where did you find sixty people who we know who aren’t immortals?”

“New York.”

∞

Taking her time and appreciating Camille’s assistance, Valeria stepped into her wedding gown. Camille zipped it and instructed her not to eat, drink, or sit down until the reception.

Her heart raced with excitement and she wondered what Alex was feeling. Ava returned with Camille’s and Valeria’s bouquets. The bouquet held gardenias tipped with a pearl and deep blue belladonna, surrounded by greens and a deep bluish-purple ribbon; it was truly a work of art. As she looked at her bouquet, her eyes flooded with tears once more.

“Camille—it’s all so beautiful! Thank you!” Valeria hugged her friend, and then said, “Oh, and now I’m going to ruin all this makeup!”

Carefully wiping a tear from her own eye, Camille said, “The woman swore to me that you are completely waterproof. I’ve left the makeup remover on the sink for tonight and you’ll need it.” She smiled. “But you look absolutely stunning!”