Lilac Spring (27 page)

“Am I finally going to get kissed properly?” she asked with a giggle.

He smiled at her. “I don’t know about properly…but I shall do my best.”

“Why don’t you let me be the judge of your efforts?”

“Yes, Miss Winslow.”

“Much obliged, Mr. van der Zee,” she answered demurely.

No more words were necessary as his face neared hers and he grazed her lips with his.

She drew in her breath at the first contact. Her hands curved around his neck to bring his head closer to hers. This time his kiss was sweet and gentle.

When he finished kissing her, they looked into each other’s eyes. “How did I do?” he asked, a smile lighting the depths of his greenish-gray eyes.

“I think I shall need a lifetime of repeat performances before I can give you a proper evaluation.”

She touched the lock of hair falling over his forehead. “Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to do that?” she murmured.

“You may do it whenever you wish.”

“May I?” She touched her finger to his face and ran it along his jawline. “How very gracious of you.”

“Do you know how many times I’ve wanted to kiss you?” he asked in turn.

“No, how many?”

“Innumerable.”

She giggled. “Well, you may do so any time you wish.”

“May I? How very amiable of you.”

A few moments later she asked him. “Don’t you think we were meant for each other? Or do you think that’s an excessively romantic notion?”

“I do believe it’s a very sensible observation,” he replied.

Her finger traced the edge of his collar. “I’m glad to see you’re sporting the shirt I made you. I took great pleasure in sewing it.”

His eyes glanced downward to what they could see of it. “Did you indeed? No wonder it’s become my favorite shirt.”

When they rose to go, Silas gave Cherish his hand. “Come, there’s something still to be done.”

She followed him curiously as he led her to a large boulder, where he seated her.

“Let’s see…how would Count—or was it Prince?—Leopold do this?”

“I’m not interested in Count Leopold.”

They looked at each other in acknowledgment. “All right, how would Silas van der Zee go about proposing?” As he spoke, he got down on one knee and took her hand. “Cherish Elizabeth Winslow, will you be my wife?”

“With great pleasure, Silas Todd van der Zee.”

He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

“Do you think we could be married soon?” he asked as he helped her up.

“As soon as you’d like,” she replied.

“That would be this instant.”

“Although it would be nice to be courted by you, Silas…as I was today,” she demurred.

“I shall court you every day until our wedding day…and beyond.”

Abruptly her face clouded.

“What is it?” he asked immediately.

“Silas, are you still going to leave Haven’s End?”

“Your father has offered to sell me the shipyard.”

Her eyes widened. “He has?” She sobered. “Is he asking a lot…?”

“Not more than what he owes me,” he answered with a grin.

Her eyes grew even wider. “He owes you? What do you mean?”

He told her about the twelve hundred dollars.

“It was you!” she whispered in awe. “Of course! How could I not have known? I knew you were saving for your own boatyard. I guess that’s why it never occurred to me you’d be able to part with your savings—especially not to my father.”

“I wasn’t thinking of him. I would have done it for you in an instant, I realized.”

“Oh, Silas.” Her eyes filled with tears. “After how my father has treated you all these years…”

“I told you, I didn’t do it for him. Don’t cry,” he begged softly, wiping a tear that fell down her cheek. “I would do it again gladly. God used it to set me free.”

“Oh, Silas, Papa’s changed toward you. I don’t know what happened while we were away, but he’s been so nice to you since we returned. He’s treating you now the way he always should have.”

“He gave me his blessing to propose to you.”

She smiled. “Did he now? When was that?”

“The first chance he got.”

They laughed happily, linking arms and walking toward the boat. She thought of something else. “So what did you tell my father about buying the shipyard?”

“I haven’t given him my answer yet.”

“Why not?” she asked slowly.

“I haven’t decided yet whether to accept his generous offer or not.”

She waited.

“It depends on you.”

“I leave the decision to you,” she replied. “As Ruth said, ‘Whithersoever thou goest, I will go….’”

He smiled in reply. “Then we’ll stay in Haven’s End for the time being. I have a feeling the Lord will take us places we’ve never dreamed possible.”

• 1) Apart from the courtship of Silas and Cherish, what would you say is the main theme of
  Lilac Spring?
  
• 2) At the beginning of the story, Cherish returns home after a trip to Europe. Do you think her travels abroad help or hurt her ability to fit in with the small town of Haven’s End?
  
• 3) Silas lost his father at an early age and was sent to Haven’s End soon thereafter. How did this separation from his family affect his ability to love?
  
• 4) How does Cherish’s adoration of her father affect her relationship with Silas?
  
• 5) Neither a servant nor part of the Winslow family, Silas is somewhere in between. How does this affect him and his relationship with the Winslows?
  
• 6) Why must Silas give up his dream, and in doing so, give up his sense of self-worth?
  
• 7) After Mr. Winslow throws Silas out of the shipyard in anger, is it believable that he would ask for Silas’s forgiveness so soon afterward?
  
• 8) Despite his outward respect for Mr. Winslow, one might say Silas’s attitude isn’t one of true humility. Why is it important for him to give his life savings to Mr. Winslow?
  
• 9) Why is it important for Cherish to face losing everything before getting Silas?
  
• 10)
  Romans
  12:1 is the verse that converts Silas. Can you explain the verse? And how is it a turning point in his life?
  
• 11) In relation to question number 10, what is “wrong” with Silas’s Christianity?
  
• 12) Both Cherish and Silas are forced to face a situation alone, and are subject to everyone’s scrutiny. Have you ever found yourself in the same situation? How did you find your way out of it?
  
• 13) Some might call Cherish a spoiled young woman. Is it important to you as a reader that the heroine be likable? Why or why not?
  
• 14) What was your favorite scene in the book? Why?
  
• 15)
  Lilac Spring
  is set in nineteenth-century Maine. Was the author’s description of the landscape and the community a good one? How was the setting important to the story? Could it have been set somewhere else?