A Matter of Marriage (11 page)

Julia
massaged her temples. Once again, too many thoughts swirled and pulled at her
like a dangerous undertow in the sea. Her head ached. What was happening to
her? She no longer knew what to think or how to feel.

“Have
you started the ball rolling for our big event?” Alex asked.

“Yes.
Reverend Spencer will be here at the appointed time, and lights will be draped
around the inside of the gazebo. Other than that, I’m keeping everything
simple, with a minimum of fuss and fanfare.”

“All
right. That’s better than no fuss at all, hidden away in your apartment.”

At
a knock on the door, she rose. “That will be Jonathan Byrnes. He used to be my
father’s lawyer. Now he’s mine.” As she walked to the door, her light green
dress rustled with each step.

Alex
got up, too, though with a grimace. He rubbed one side of his ribcage. Julia
felt terrible. He was suffering because of what he’d done for her, and tonight
he was going to save the hotel and her. She owed him more than she could ever
repay.

She
let the lawyer in. “Mr. Byrnes, thank you for coming.”

“I’m
glad to be here.” He removed his hat, hooked it on the rack, and smoothed his
hand over the limited amount of hair he still had. “And I’m very glad your
fiancé finally arrived. I was getting worried you might not make the deadline.”

“So
was I, but”—she motioned to Alex—“this is—”

“Mr.
Williamson,” the lawyer inserted, his smile stiffening as he took in the sight
of Alex’s face. Nevertheless, he stuck out his hand. “I’m pleased to meet you,
and very happy you could help Julia out of her difficult situation. You will be
amply rewarded.”

“I
expect I will,” Alex said, shaking his hand. A corner of his mouth quirked
upward.

Julia
tried to ignore the kind of repayment she assumed was on his mind. “Mr. Byrnes,
Phillip Williamson met with an accident and couldn’t be here. You will need to
remove his name from the contract and replace it with that of Alex MacLean.”

“Alexander
Devlin MacLean,” he said. “That’s what I use on legal documents.”

The
lawyer pushed his spectacles higher. “Well, I suppose unforeseen setbacks do
happen in these kinds of situations. I’m just relieved the deadline will be met.
Shall we proceed?”

“Please.”
She motioned for him to take her chair behind the desk. Once the contract was
signed, she would move one step closer to legally owning the Hotel Grand
Victoria. Her home would never suffer from neglect, and her employees would not
lose their positions.

After
unbuttoning his gray frock coat, Mr. Byrnes sat down, withdrew a set of papers
from his leather portfolio, and laid them on the blotter. Next he brought out a
shiny gold fountain pen. “I’ll just strike out Mr. Williamson’s name and
replace it with Mr. MacLean’s.”

Standing
next to her desk, she eyed his careful penmanship. Alex stood beside her, so
tall she felt as if the room had grown smaller. If not for the little window that
looked out onto the Garden Patio, she might’ve been inclined to claustrophobia.

“There
we go. If you’ll both initial the change on each copy and sign at the bottom on
the second page, we’ll be done.” He held the pen out to her.

She
didn’t take it. “Several more changes must be made as well.”

“Oh?”

Alex
shifted closer to the desk and to her, making her mouth go dry. He spoke to the
lawyer. “The terms Mr. Williamson agreed to are different from what Julia and I
have settled on.” He outlined the new terms that specified he would be staying,
giving their marriage every chance to succeed. The clause pertaining to her
ownership of the hotel would not change.

Mr.
Byrnes’ eyes blinked owlishly behind his spectacles. The lawyer peered up at
her with a troubled expression. “Julia, are you sure this is what you want?”

She
almost laughed. Of course it wasn’t, but what choice did she have? People were
depending on her, and she loved the hotel. “Yes. I’m going to marry Alex.”

“As
you wish. I’ll make the appropriate changes.”

After
more strikeouts, additions, and initialing, he presented them with two copies
of the final contract.

Alex
signed first, his signature bearing a creative flourish.

She
signed next. Though her hand shook and the ink smeared slightly, Julia was relieved
to get it done and move forward. After handing the pen to Mr. Byrnes, she
pulled a velvet pouch from her skirt pocket. “Here.” She gave it to Alex. “You’re
going to need this.”

“What
is it?”

“My
wedding ring.”

“Oh.”
He poured it into his palm. A small diamond set in gold winked up at them both.
“Nice. Simple, but elegant. It suits you.”

“Thank
you. I’ll be wearing that ring for a long time, so I thought it should be
something I liked.”

“I
don’t suppose you got one for me, too.”

She
opened her mouth, but a moment passed before any sound came out. “No. Do you … want
a ring?”

“Nah.
I rarely wore the one Elizabeth gave me. When I worked with my drafting tools
or the tools and materials on a building site, it always seemed in the way.
It’s gone now.”

She
relaxed. Running to one of San Diego’s jewelry stores at the last minute was
not on her agenda for the day. She did wonder about Alex’s first wife, though.
How had Elizabeth felt about his not wearing the ring she had given him?

He
put her ring back inside its pouch and pushed it into his pants pocket. “So I
guess that leaves us with the ceremony.”

Mr.
Byrnes slid his copy of the contract into his portfolio. “You’ve already
procured the marriage license then. That’s good.”

She
gasped. “Marriage license! Oh, no! I completely forgot.” She had been so
worried about finding a replacement for Phillip, she’d forgotten about the
license.

Alex
laid his hand on her shoulder. “Take it easy. Everything will be all right.”

She
spun away from him, and his hand dropped to his side. “No, it won’t,” she said,
dismissing the expression his eyes, first of hurt, then of nothing, as though
he had drawn a curtain in front of his feelings. She avoided thinking about the
woman in Oregon who had rejected him so cruelly. “Things are already going
wrong. We have to go to San Diego for it, and today is Friday. The County Clerk’s office is always busy. If we don’t get in today, there’s no hope. They’re
closed on Saturdays.”

Mr.
Byrnes looked between them, pinching his bottom lip together. “Julia, I agree
that Fridays are notoriously busy in the clerk’s office, but you have time. All
is not lost. Not yet.”

She
felt like screaming. Why did this have to be so difficult?

Her
lawyer stood up and looked between them again. “Well, don’t just stand there.
If you don’t get going, there will be no wedding.”

Eight
minutes. Eight minutes until she would be late for her own wedding. While the
sun neared the horizon and Mary and Kate Dolan bustled around her bedroom, Julia
stood in front of the full-length mirror and tried to position her small bridal
hat on her head, but she couldn’t get it right. Her hands trembled so badly the
pin slipped in her perspiring fingers.

Her
nerves were beyond frazzled. Though the marriage license had been safely
procured, the County Clerk’s office had been worse than a Saturday night in
August on the Grand Ballroom’s dance floor. Then the ferry had been delayed due
to engine trouble. On top of that, Alex had barely spoken to her the entire time.

She
realized now that she owed him an apology. In her office with Mr. Byrnes, Alex
had attempted to soothe her worries by placing his hand on her shoulder, but
she had essentially snubbed him and his efforts to reassure her. Too wrapped up
in her problems and deadline, she had continued to keep him at arm’s length
during the trip across San Diego Bay. Despite her thoughtless behavior, Alex
had remained nearby, looking out for her every minute, as if trouble might have
followed them from the hotel. This was not how she wanted to start her future
with him. He deserved better.

She
tried again to pin the hat in place, without success.

“Mary,
will you please help me with this?” She heard the pleading tone in her voice.
Pressed for time and needing support, she had changed her mind and asked Mary
and Kate to help her dress. After returning late from San Diego, she needed all
the help she could get.

Mary
clucked her tongue and took the pin. “Julia, if you’re not careful, you’ll
prick herself and ruin your beautiful dress.”

“Do
you really think it’s beautiful?” She touched the Brussels lace that was sewn
over a modest white satin bodice. It reached from her waist to her throat and
was tucked into a smooth, white, unadorned satin skirt. “It’s only ready-made,
and I never expected to wear it in public. I’m not sure why I bothered buying a
dress at all, but I did, and I wanted something simple.”

“Simple
on you looks exquisite, so stop fretting. Now bend your knees so I can reach
your hat.”

Only
moderately relieved about how she looked, Julia tried to think clearly as she
watched Mary in the mirror. She knew she was forgetting something, but what?

“There,”
Mary said. “All set. Is there anything else?”

She
attempted an inventory. “My shoes! Where are my shoes?”

“They’re
right here.” Kate picked them up from the floor in front of the bureau. Her
eyes shone brightly from her freckled face.

“Julia,
please,” Mary said, “you must calm down.”

“I
can’t. I’m going to be late. I just know it.”

Mary
patted her forearm, where the pompadour sleeve of her wedding dress narrowed. “It’s
perfectly normal for a bride to be late, so stop worrying.”

“But
there’s nothing normal about this wedding.” She held out one foot as Kate
crouched like a lady’s maid and slipped on her shoe. “The guests and staff might
think I’m not coming at all because everything was arranged so quickly.”

“They
will think no such thing,” Mary said as Kate slid the other shoe on Julia’s
foot.

Julia
chewed on her thumbnail. “I should have checked on the patio and gazebo when I
got back. And so many other things. Oh, Mary, I completely neglected the hotel
today.”

“Julia,
my dear girl, stop. Tonight, you are off duty.”

Kate
giggled. “Tonight Julia’s duty will be to her husband.”

“Kate,”
her mother admonished, “don’t be silly. Even though Julia said Mr. MacLean is
not going to leave her immediately after the ceremony, this is still a marriage
of convenience. She doesn’t have to do anything she doesn’t want to.”

Uttering
a groan, Julia considered locking herself in the apartment and never coming out.

Kate
stood and pressed her hands to the waist of her light blue dress. “She might
want to, though. I saw Mr. MacLean this morning, and he is to swoon for.”

“What
are you thinking, Kate?” Mary smoothed a wrinkle in Julia’s skirt. “The man’s
face is horribly scarred.”

“Only
on one side, and it’s not
horrible
. In romantic novels, all the best men
have been scarred in some way or another. A scar like his is a badge of honor. I
wonder how he got it. Perhaps he saved a woman from being stabbed by her jealous
lover. Or maybe he was injured in a terrible war somewhere.”

“Sweetheart,
you read too many novels. I believe the doctor and I will have to pay more scrutiny
to your choice of books.”

Kate
ignored her mother. “Julia, how did Mr. MacLean get his scar?”

“I
don’t know, but he is self-conscious about it.” She remembered when Dr. Dolan
had attempted to examine the scar. “Your father asked him what happened, and he
wouldn’t say. I didn’t want to distress him by bringing it up again.”

“Maybe
he’ll confide in you after you’re married.” Kate slid a glance at her mother. “My
parents tell each other everything.”

“Which
is as it should be,” Mary said, in spite of fanning her rapidly coloring
cheeks.

Since
the moment Alex chose to stay, Julia had hoped he would confide in her. She wanted
to know everything about him.

“Mother,
stop blushing. I didn’t say anything inappropriate.” Kate smiled slyly. “Not
yet anyway.”

Mary’s
eyes widened. “Not at all, I hope.”

Kate
twirled in a circle, then leaned close to Julia. “Mr. MacLean, as a widower, is
obviously a man of experience. Imagine what a kiss from him must be like.”

Mary’s
mouth dropped open. “Kate!”

“Oh,
Mother, don’t be an old hen. Kissing a man like Mr. MacLean must be heavenly.”
She sighed dramatically. “I’m glad he’s staying.”

“Only
if we are compatible,” Julia said.

Kate
continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Julia will have a real marriage, and she
won’t have to pretend to anybody or make up stories.” She swished her skirt. “I
can’t wait to see him kiss her during the ceremony.”

Julia
started to shake her head, but the clock in the sitting room began chiming. Six
o’clock. She froze. She was late, and yet she hesitated to go at all now that
the moment was here.

Mary
pulled a handkerchief from inside her sleeve and dabbed at her eyes. “Oh my
goodness, the next time that clock chimes, you’ll be a married woman. I can
hardly believe it.”

Neither
could she. Maybe being homeless and penniless wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe the new
owners would care about the hotel and her employees as much as she did.

“Come
on.” Kate grabbed her elbow and dragged her toward the door.

“Wait,”
Mary said between sniffles. “Where’s your bouquet?”

“I
… don’t have one. Oh, Mary, there’s so much I didn’t do. I didn’t even arrange
for music.”

“It’ll
be fine, dear. All you really need is the minister and the groom.”

“Hurry
up,” Kate said. “Let’s go.”

Julia
hastened from the apartment feeling as if she were trapped in the surf, her
lungs burning for air. Each successive wave rolled her over and over, driving
her deeper under the sea. She tried not to think about it. Soon she would
fulfill her father’s final decree, and the Hotel Grand Victoria would be legally
hers. But the price was so steep. She was tying herself to a stranger.

*   *   *

Alex
checked again that his new pewter-gray, lightweight wool frock suit was
buttoned properly. It was, which left him with nothing to do but peer around
the Garden Patio from his station at the bottom of the gazebo’s stairs. Two
sparrows chirped to each other from the branches of a fruit-laden lemon tree.
Above, streaks of pink and orange tinted the twilight sky. Guests and employees
lined the walkway railings along the upper floors surrounding the courtyard.

Alex
examined the faces for anyone who looked out of place, whose expression
betrayed hatred or malcontent. No one like that popped out at him in the
diminishing light. He saw Theo, however, in a prime viewing spot on the second
floor. The bellboy waved.

Alex
nodded to him, then scanned the area again, this time for Marshal Landis and
Alberta Hensley. He saw no sign of either of them, but that didn’t mean they
weren’t there somewhere. Now that he was dressed like a man of means again, he
worried that Alberta would recognize him. And that would not be good.

Reverend
Spencer stood inside the lighted gazebo. The round-faced, black-robed minister
wore a smile that stretched from one thick red sideburn to the other. It seemed
the man enjoyed officiating at weddings.

Alex
swallowed hard and fiddled with his new cravat. He could hardly believe he was
about to say “I do” to a woman he’d known for a day—to any woman, for that
matter. He still couldn’t believe his scar didn’t bother Julia to some extent.

“Quit
fidgeting,” Dr. Dolan said, standing beside him as his best man. “I didn’t buy
you that suit so you could wear it out the first time you had it on.”

“I’m
a little nervous. Two days ago, I never thought I’d be getting married again.”

The
doctor patted his arm. “You have a generous heart, helping Julia out of her
predicament like this. We appreciate it.”

“I’m
not as generous as you think, Doc. I believe Julia and I have a good chance of
making this marriage work. Of having a real relationship.” At least, that’s
what he had thought before Julia whirled away from him in her office.

The
doctor’s eyes sparkled. “Well, if this isn’t a most interesting turn of events.”
He laughed. “Welcome to the family.” He shook Alex’s hand. “My Mary and Kate
will be delighted. Oh, here they come now.” The doctor’s smile grew. “And, oh
my, look at Julia. What a beauty!”

Amidst
the sweet fragrance of a nearby orange tree, Alex peered along the subtly
lighted pathway, past palms and bird-of-paradise, fruit trees and blooming
hibiscus. Mary and her daughter scurried forward, taking their places nearby.
When Alex finally saw Julia, he forgot to breathe.

She
stood at a bend in the path with the painted sky reflected in the white satin
of her skirt. A lace-covered bodice hugged the curves of her waist and chest,
enticing him with thoughts of what lay beneath. Her lovely face, and the
luminous blue eyes he could only imagine at this distance, were framed by
delicate, curling tendrils of ash-blond hair.

Alex
couldn’t tear his gaze from her. Julia Fairbanks, heralded by the muted sound
of the surf, was about to walk down that path and become his wife.

But
she didn’t move.

Wringing
her empty hands, glancing around at the growing number of spectators, she
looked as if she might bolt. She had no father to walk her down the aisle, and
it seemed she hadn’t asked anyone else. No fuss or fanfare was right.

Alex
almost left his station to go and get her himself, but then a man he’d seen
working in the hotel’s gardens hesitantly stepped up to her, offering her a
bouquet of deep red roses.

The
thoughtful gesture appeared at first to surprise her, then to calm her and
strengthen her resolve. She gave the man a warm smile and started forward. The
Crown Room’s string quartet, seated behind a large hibiscus bush, began playing
a soft rendition of the Wedding March.

Her
steps faltered, and her head twisted toward the sound. The men had apparently taken
it upon themselves, like the gardener, to make this evening special for her.

She
regained her footing, and a quavering smile touched her lips. Her eyes
glistened. Slowly, in time to the music, she made her way toward him. Her skirt
and petticoat whispered with each step that brought her closer.

Alex’s
heart raced. His blood streamed through his veins. Judging from his body’s
reaction to her, he knew that Julia’s insistence on having the kiss omitted
from the ceremony had been a good idea. There would be plenty of time for
kisses later.

Two
steps away now, she passed her bouquet to Kate Dolan.

Alex
stepped forward. She did not reach for him, though, and he kept his arms at his
sides.

Dr.
Dolan left them alone and joined his wife, who dabbed at her eyes and sniffed
into her hanky.

Alex
leaned down, nearly touching his cheek to Julia’s loosely bound hair and the
stylish hat barely covering her head. “You look stunning.”

“Thank
you,” she whispered. “You look quite dashing yourself.”

He
studied her for any sign of a lie. To his amazement, he saw none. Since his
injury, he had never expected to hear a woman honestly describe him as “dashing.”

“Is
that a new suit?” she asked.

“Compliments
of the doctor. He insisted I dress appropriately for the ceremony and took me
to the gents’ furnishing store downstairs. I promised to pay him back, but he
wouldn’t hear of it.”