Box Set: The ArringtonTrilogy (41 page)

“She is the exact image of Charlotte,” Adam
had told Patrick.

Betsy was a jovial woman and instantly
befriended me. She was soft spoken and generous when caring for
me.

“You and Patrick can stay as long as you
wish. Besides, you can’t leave in your condition,” she said one
balmy late summer night. “And,” she continued, “I am enjoying your
company. It’s nice to have another woman in the house, and it is
especially wonderful to have the baby here. Nothing is as precious
as a baby.”

Patrick and I we were able to maintain the
appearance of a platonic relationship for the benefit of Adam and
Betsy for some time. We shared no affection when we believed we
were being watched, but behind closed doors, Patrick would come to
me when the house was quiet and still, and the baby was sleeping.
If I felt well enough, he loved me with a passion that nearly
stopped my heart.

I worried that he wouldn’t find me attractive
and might be appalled by the healing scar that ran the length of my
stomach, but he didn’t seem to even notice.

“You’re more beautiful than ever,” he
murmured faintly in my ear before taking me. “I love you beyond
belief.”

Then there was the night that Patrick was
caught stealing out of my room. Adam couldn’t sleep and had gotten
up for a cup of warm milk. He bumped into Patrick in the dark
hall.

The next morning Adam asked to see us in his
private study. Adam was Patrick’s age and a successful
attorney.

His study was surrounded with bookshelves all
the way up to the ceilings, filled with what must have been
thousands of books. I glanced around in amazement while I sat
beside Patrick in one of the fine leather chairs situated before
Adam’s bulky, hand-carved mahogany desk.

“I need you both to be honest with me. What
is going on between you two?”

Adam was tall and lean, with light
summer-sun-colored hair. As he spoke, for a moment I had the
impression I was sitting in Daddy’s office, waiting to be
lectured.

Adam’s patient stare was fixed on Patrick. He
calmly waited for an answer, sitting behind his desk, slowly
tapping his fingers on his chin.

“Dare I ask you, my good friend, to overlook
your suspicions?” Patrick casually asked.

“You are indeed a good friend, Patrick. Both
Betsy and I enjoy your company. You are like family to me, like a
brother. And Amelia, I must admit having you here is like having
Charlotte alive again. She was a lovely, sweet, vibrant young
woman. I have only the fondest memories of her. Then there is the
baby, Lillian. Betsy loves that child, and helping you care for the
infant has allowed her to finally heal after the loss of her own
baby, our son, Francis. Nevertheless, I cannot condone what I see
before me. It is unspeakable, I don’t understand it.” Adam’s tone
was mild. He wasn’t angry at us for lying to him and stealing
around in his home. He was confused and aghast, as could be
expected. If he wasn’t such a good friend to Patrick, he certainly
would have thrown us out on the street.

“I see the way you two look at one another. I
know what love is. How can this be? You are her brother!”

Patrick’s face turned flushed and his
chiseled jaw tightened. I knew Patrick was flustered. After all, he
had struggled with the same burning question. It pained him so
deeply that he ran from it.

Adam looked to me. “Can you tell me, Amelia?
Tell me how it is possible for you to be in love with Patrick?”

Without hesitation, guilt, or an ounce of
shame, I exposed the profound love I felt for Patrick Garrett
Arrington.

“I never knew of my half-brother until he
appeared at Sutton Hall. The moment my eyes fell on him, I fell in
love. And I believe Patrick felt the same. We had an unspoken
passion, and it frightened and confused us both. We ran from it,
but it was a lost cause. This love was made by God. Patrick is my
lover, my protector, my best friend. And although he is not the
father of my baby, Patrick is my soul mate; we share a soul and no
matter what you may believe, we share the purest love
imaginable.”

I was exasperated and winded, and I reached
for Patrick. He came and lifted me out of my chair into his arms
and stood before Adam. “We will leave first at light.”

“Patrick, wait!” he called. Adam’s eyes
became soft, and after a heavy sigh, he said, “Stay on. Stay as our
guests. Until you have another place to go, at least.”

“Thank you, Adam,” Patrick replied and he
whisked me off to my room. I lay down to rest.

“When you wake, we’ll go for a walk in the
park.”

The late afternoon turned chilly, the sun was
low in the crisp blue sky, and the wind was brisk and blustery.

“Is it too cold for you?” Patrick asked as we
walked hand in hand along the paths of the enormous park. People
strolled behind us, and others sat on benches feeding the pigeons.
Some sped by on bicycles, desperately fighting the wind. In the
park, it didn’t seem as though we were in a city at all. The
scenery was peaceful, unlike the bustling city streets filled with
horse-drawn wagons and carriages, street vendors, and city
dwellers. Pedestrians came and went on foot with incredible
swiftness, in a rush all the time.

Patrick hadn’t spoken, and I didn’t mind. I
was enjoying the fresh air, and the feel of the cold wind sweeping
through my long hair, lifting it and causing it to flow gracefully
behind me.

When we came to a bench overlooking the lake,
he asked me to sit. I snuggled close to him, resting my head on his
broad shoulder as I gazed out onto the water and watched a couple
in one lone rowboat. The man was steadily rowing while the woman
sat and gazed at him. I assumed she had a smile on her face, but
they were too far away to tell for certain.

Patrick couldn’t seem to get my attention as
my thoughts drifted to the couple in the boat. Finally, he gently
took hold of my chin and turned my face toward him. Our eyes met
and locked.

“You haven’t heard a word I said.”

I gave him a sweet smile and placed a quick
kiss on his warm lips.

“I’m sorry. I was daydreaming. Look at the
couple out on the lake. Do you think they are happy and in
love?”

He turned and looked. “I suppose.”

“Is our true love that obvious? Is that how
Adam knew?”

“Amelia?”

“Yes?”

“Amelia, look at me.”

I pried my eyes from the happy couple in the
rowboat and focused my attention back on him.

“I have some good news for us,” he began. “I
have a job offer.”

“You do?” I hadn’t known he was looking for
work. “How is it possible? Isn’t it too risky? What if you are
caught?”

“This is no ordinary job. By good fortune,
through some connections, I have obtained a position as a keeper of
a lighthouse. It’s on a remote station somewhere out in the
Atlantic Ocean, far from the war and the prying eyes of suspicious
people. We will be safe there and can live in peace, at least until
the war is over. This position is normally offered through the
appointment of the government. But the station is without a keeper
and there is no one to fill the position. No one wants it, and they
are desperate. So this position is being offered through word of
mouth.”

Patrick appeared excited. I, however, was
less than excited.

“We will be living out on the ocean in the
middle of nowhere? What kind of life will that be for us, for our
baby?” I cried. I hated the thought of being surrounded by deep,
dark, water, with no land in sight.

“Don’t you understand? This is perfect. No
one will know anything about us, so we can fade into life now,
blend in and just disappear with Lillian. We will have a place to
lay our heads, eat, and raise her out of harm’s way. We can have
the private life that we need to be together. It’s the only
way!”

Patrick took my gloved hands in his and held
them tight. I was frightened at the thought, fearing for our
future.

“Do you not believe in me?” he cried. “Won’t
you listen to me, trust in me?”

“I do; it’s only…”

Patrick slipped down off the bench and knelt
before me. The tears in his eyes sparkled when a beam of sunlight
that passed through the leaves of the surrounding trees.

“Be my wife. Run away with me. I promise to
love you until my dying day.” He buried his cold face in my
lap.

“Marry you?” I whispered. I couldn’t believe
what he was asking me. I didn’t know what to say.

“Before God, in a church. Just you and me and
baby Lillian. No witnesses, no priest, just us, standing before
God. Let us take our vows and become man and wife.”

I fell into his embrace and began to cry.

“Why are you sad? Don’t I make you
happy?”

“You have made me the happiest woman
alive.”

“So these are tears of happiness?” he asked
anxiously.

“Only tears of happiness from now on.”

The next day couldn’t go by quickly enough
for me. Patrick and I planned to be at the church by eleven in the
evening, when mass was long over. We agreed to spend the day apart
and meet only when we were ready to make our way to St. Patrick’s
Cathedral.

I hummed hymns all morning; a beaming smile
wouldn’t leave my face. After tending to the baby, I sat before the
mirror and brushed my hair for hours until it became like
shimmering silk and cascaded over my shoulders.

Though I hadn’t a dress fit for the occasion,
I did the best I could to clean up my best day dress. I was working
on a stain in the kitchen when Betsy appeared.

“What are you doing? Esther can take care of
your laundry for you.”

“It’s no bother. Just a small spot on the
dress,” I said blissfully.

Betsy took a good look at me.

“You have such a happy glow today,” she
commented. “What gives you such happiness?

“Nothing especially,” I lied. “It’s merely a
fine day, that’s all.”

Betsy came to me and made me stop brushing
the stain away.

“I have something for you. Come…”

Betsy took me to her room and to her closet.
She moved her half-dozen dresses aside, then reached for the one
she had been looking for. The lovely dress was ivory colored, with
silk tapestry brocade for the bodice and sleeves, and elaborate
embroidered lace for the underskirt and sleeve flounces. Elegant
satin ribbon rosettes accentuated the sleeves and skirt draping.
Delicate lace with hand-sewn pearls trimmed the sweeping
neckline.

“It’s my wedding dress,” she said as I
admired the stunning gown she held up before me.

“The gown is breathtaking.”

“I want you to wear it tonight.” Her
suggestion took me by surprise. I choked on my response.

“It’s all right. Patrick came to Adam. They
are as close as any blood brothers. Patrick asked for Adam’s
blessing.

“He did?”

“Sit with me,” she said.

I sat beside her and listened intently. She
was only a few years older than I, yet very well-spoken and wise.
Betsy watched over me like an older sister. I was grateful for her
unconditional benevolence toward me.

“I am certain you have seen troubled times
and in your short life have experienced things I can’t imagine. It
pains me to know you have suffered.”

Her earnest words suddenly opened a floodgate
of pent-up emotions. I was mostly crying for a childhood lost. I
had been forsaken, beaten, and deprived of love. Though I had
gained the love of Patrick, gone were Mammy and Hattie, Jacob
Thomas, Perry, and a daddy I’d once adored.

Betsy warmly hushed me and eased me out of my
flood of sadness. “I have never seen two people as in love as you
and Patrick. When you two are in the same room, no one can ignore
it. Adam and I love one another very much. He is a kind, gentle
man. But I don’t ever see the fervent passion in his eyes for me
that Patrick casts upon you. He doesn’t come yearning for me every
night. I must confess I am envious. I wish I had what you have - an
adoring man and a beautiful baby.”

She patted me lightly on the hand. “This is a
joyous day. I want you to wear this dress when you marry Patrick,
and Adam and I would be honored to be there, beside you two as you
exchange your vows.”

“Truly?” I asked in disbelief.

“Truly. I spoke in length with Adam, made him
finally see that what you and Patrick share isn’t immoral lust but
true, pure love, the kind of love that every man and woman dreams
to share. I will be your matron of honor, and Adam will be
Patrick’s best man,” she gave me a warm, sisterly hug. “If it is
all right with you?”

“Of course it is,” I choked. “Thank you.”

“Now, let us go in your room and make sure
the gown doesn’t need any adjustments. You might need the bodice
let out an inch or two. Esther can take care of that.”

Together we giggled and genuinely laughed and
carried on in good spirits all day. Betsy only lay down for a short
nap after supper while I nursed Lillian, then returned to my room
to style my hair.

I hadn’t seen Adam all day, and I wasn’t
certain where Patrick was. Betsy revealed that after Adam’s day at
the firm they planned to meet for a few drinks to celebrate the
occasion.

I began to get restless as the evening came
closer and the time for our rendezvous at the church grew near.
Memories of my hasty marriage to Perry Montgomery left me ill with
fear that something terrible would happen to Patrick. Betsy noticed
my anxiety building as I paced back and forth in the parlor,
staring worriedly at the clock.

“Amelia, you’re going to make a permanent
path in the rug. Just relax. The baby is ready, all bundled up, and
the carriage will be here in a moment to take us to the church.
Patrick and Adam will be there,” she assured me.

Adam and Betsy were generous enough to have
ordered me a fresh bouquet of flowers and their personal driver was
to take us to the church.