To Have and To Hold (26 page)

Chapter 24

“You scared the life out of me, Marshall!” The girls moved from behind Audrey's skirts as Marshall drew nearer.

“I'm sorry. It wasn't my intention to frighten you.” He smiled at the girls. “To tell you the truth, I was surprised to see the three of you out here in the woods.” The twins rushed forward and attacked him in unison, one taking to his left side and the other his right.

“We had a picnic and got some pretty shells. Wanna see?” Josie asked.

“Maybe later,” Marshall declared.

Audrey went back for the picnic hamper, and Marshall whispered something to the girls. They quite happily danced down the path, glancing back over their shoulders. Audrey returned with their things and started after them.

“I'm surprised I caused you such a fright. You know these woods like the back of your hand,” Marshall said as he stepped in beside her.

Audrey nodded. “Under usual circumstances, I wouldn't have startled at seeing someone out here, but something strange happened down at the beach.” While continuing to keep an eye on the girls, she went on to explain what she'd observed only a short time earlier. “I don't know what those men were doing, and when I saw you—”

“You thought I was one of them.”

“Exactly. And having the girls with me made it all the worse. I don't know what I would have done if someone threatened them harm while they were in my care.”

Marshall grasped her elbow. “I'm truly sorry I added to your concern, but I have a feeling those men you saw are up to no good. I think they may somehow be involved with the problems at the work site. Mr. Morley has developed a plan that may reveal who's behind everything or what is going on, and we're hopeful it won't take long before we meet with success. Until we figure it out it's probably safer if you and the girls remain close to Bridal Fair. I don't think these men have plans to harm anyone, but if they thought they'd been seen and could be identified, who can say what might happen.”

Audrey's arm shivered beneath his fingers. Maybe he shouldn't have told her. He didn't want her to startle at every shadowy image that crossed her path, but he was determined to keep her safe. Better to have her frightened than to have her wander into harm's way.

“You need not worry. I plan to be much more cautious about where I take the girls.” Disappointment shone in her eyes. “I never thought I'd have reason to fear walking the beaches or wooded paths of Bridal Veil.”

“I don't think you'll need to worry for long. If Mr. Morley's plan works, this will be settled in short order.” When her lips curved in a slight smile, he decided she'd been encouraged by his remark. He inhaled a deep breath. This might not be the perfect time, but he needed to speak his heart and didn't know when they'd be alone again. “There are a couple of things I'd like to clear up between us, Audrey.”

She peeked from beneath the brim of her hat. “Clear up?”

“Something I feel God would have me share with you, and I hope you'll hear me out.”

“I can't imagine,” she said softly.

There was no doubt she knew exactly what he was talking about. He detected a hint of reluctance in her tone, but he needed to state his case. “First of all, you need to know that I never promised your father I would marry you. I promised only that I would look after you. To die in peace, your father needed assurance you were going to be all right. To him, that also meant having a man around to help or protect you when needed.”

“I don't—”

He held up his hand to stop her protest. “Let me finish. I know you may not think you need a man's help. I didn't set this plan in motion. It was your father's doing. I told him I didn't know if you'd permit me to help, but I would do my very best.”

He stopped in the path and took her hands in his. Although they were much smaller than his own, he could feel their strength. With one finger, he lifted her chin and was struck by the vulnerability he discovered in her eyes. She was an intriguing mixture of meekness and defiance—perfect for him in every way.

“I love you, Audrey, and I'm asking that you give me a chance to prove my love for you. I don't want to marry you for any other reason than love, and if it takes forever . . . I guess I'll have to be patient and wait it out.”

She tilted her head to the side, the brim nearly hiding the faint smile that curved her lips.

“Forever is a terribly long time.”

He nodded. “I feel like it's been forever since you would even speak to me.”

She grew quite serious. “You know I've come to care for you, but I won't build a life on promises you made to my father. If we are to build a future, it has to be formed from our love and from a belief that this is God's design for our lives. I know my father's motives were pure, but they weren't the basis for a strong marriage.”

Marshall chuckled. “I keep repeating that I never promised your father I would marry you. Would you please erase that thought from your mind? The only promises I want to build our life upon are the ones I make to you—starting with this: I promise to love you forever.” He lowered his head as he took her in his arms and captured her lips in a slow, lingering kiss. Lifting his head, he looked deep into her eyes. “Do you believe me?”

She remained in his arms, the softness of her body resting against his own. “I do.”

“The next time you say those words to me, I hope it will be in front of a preacher.”

The twins shouted in the distance, and the embracing couple jumped apart as if they'd heard a gunshot. Audrey laughed and took hold of his arm. “I believe we'd best check on the girls.”

“And I owe them each a piece of candy for permitting me time to talk with you.”

Audrey let loose of his arm and turned toward him with a look of mock horror. “Marshall Graham! You bribed them?”

“I prefer to think of it as a reward for good behavior.” He tipped his head back and chuckled, pleased when she joined in his laughter.

A little later they all gathered around the dining table. Even Audrey sat with her guests. Irene had been adamant that a hostess should dine at the table when she'd invited special guests, and Sadie had agreed. In fact, Sadie had insisted upon taking over Audrey's kitchen duties for the evening.

Audrey peered down the table and was struck with a pang of melancholy for the days when the dining chairs would have been filled by family members and valued friends who had come to partake in a festive meal and would then join her family in the parlor to be entertained with a musical performance or a poetry reading. Tonight the faces that peered back at her were boarders and acquaintances, not dear family friends—except for Marshall, of course, and the twins. They had become dear to her heart. Though the girls had wanted to sit next to Audrey, they'd lost the battle. With their hair neatly combed and their faces scrubbed clean by Sadie, they flanked their father at midtable.

Mr. Fenton craned his long neck around Jim Parks. “Glad to have such pretty young ladies with us this evening. You girls been studying with Miss Audrey today?”

Julie eyed him suspiciously, but Josie scooted to the edge of her seat for a better look at Mr. Fenton and his beaklike nose. “We studied nature today. It was lots of fun because we picked up shells.” She turned her attention to her father. “I found a special one for you, Papa.”

Julie pushed her lower lip into a pout. “I would have found you a good one, but Miss Audrey made us hurry from the beach like some monster was chasing us. We ran down the path, and I got scared when she screamed.”

Josie poked her sister in the side. “She didn't scream. It was just a little yip like a puppy or something. Besides, she was okay when she saw it was Marshall.”

Julie bobbed her head. “Um-hum. 'Specially when he put his arms around her and stole a kiss.” The child wrapped her arms around her own shoulders, pursed her lips, and blew an imaginary kiss into the air.

The boarders' heads swiveled in unison to gawk at Audrey, their eyes awash with curiosity. In spite of the coolness of the room, she could feel the heat crawl up her neck and spread across her cheeks. Forcing a laugh, she said, “I do believe we have apple cobbler for dessert. I'll let Irene know we're ready.” She pushed away from the table and hurried into the kitchen, hoping the conversation would change before she returned to the table.

Both Irene and Sadie attempted to shoo her back into the dining room, but Audrey refused and insisted upon helping with the dessert. When Audrey and Irene entered with the apple cobbler, all conversation shifted to the hearty servings topped with fresh cream that Sadie had whipped until it stood at attention.

Once the girls finished their dessert, Dr. Wahler pushed away from the table. “I know it's impolite to leave so soon, but the girls need their sleep, and I have a patient over at the workers' quarters that I promised to look in on this evening. I hope you'll overlook my bad manners.” He didn't wait for a response before signaling to Sadie. His housekeeper gathered the girls' belongings and, amidst their protests, ushered them on their way.

Though Audrey didn't want to admit it, not even to herself, she was glad to bid the girls farewell. She figured the men would tease Marshall about the stolen kiss, and maybe a few would be bold enough to tease her, as well. If so, she'd stop their taunts with a frosty retort—if only she could think of one.

Before she could give the matter further thought, Mr. Morley tapped her on the shoulder. “If you have a minute or two, I'd like to speak with you in the parlor.”

“Of course, but then I must help Irene with the dishes.” She certainly hoped he didn't plan to mention Marshall's stolen kiss. Pleased that she'd thought to give herself a reason to escape in case he wanted to discuss inappropriate behavior among unmarried couples, she followed Mr. Morley into the other room.

After closing the doors, he gestured toward the chairs on the other side of the room. “Marshall tells me you had quite a scare today down on the beach. He told me about the men and the boat that you saw while there.”

She nodded, her throat suddenly dry. Perhaps he simply wanted to reinforce Marshall's warning about going to the beach. “I've promised Marshall I'll stay close to the house.”

“Good.” He stared out the window into the darkened sky. No stars shone to light the night. Even the moon had hidden its face behind the clouds. “I believe there are those who want our plans ruined here at Bridal Veil.”

She frowned, disliking the thought of danger visiting itself upon Bridal Fair's doorstep. “Surely there need not be any rivalry between Jekyl and Bridal Veil. There are enough wealthy Northerners to fill both resorts.”

Besides, if competition for guests was the reason for this subterfuge, wouldn't these same men also target the new hotel in Biscayne? If her boarders got wind of this, she feared they'd want to arm themselves. It was bad enough when Aunt Thora had been wielding a shotgun; she didn't want men sitting around her dining room table wearing guns.

“You're absolutely correct. I'm sure both islands will have waiting lists long before the doors open.” He glanced at the door and leaned a bit closer. “The thing is, I'm not sure this has anything to do with rivalry. The more I dig into the matter, the more I'm wondering if it has something to do with a personal grudge.” He rubbed his jaw. “Problem is, I can't determine if this is aimed at me or at one of the other investors in our consortium. That makes it doubly hard to figure out why it's happening. Heaven knows there's not a member of the consortium who hasn't made an enemy or two. Could be any one of us.”

“I don't know if I can be of any help, but I'll keep my ears open, and if I hear anything, you can be sure I'll let you or Marshall know.”

“Thank you, Audrey. By the way, I seem to have misplaced my pocket watch. Have you or Irene seen anything of it while cleaning?”