A Matter of Marriage (24 page)

He
had trouble speaking. Had to clear his throat several times. Judging by the
marks, he had come very close to losing her. When he dropped his hands, she
quickly refastened the buttons.

“Tilden
made sure you wouldn’t be there. Even if you had, he acted so quickly he would
have surprised even you. Tyler and Theo were only inches from me when he
attacked. They tried to pull his hands away from me, but he was too strong. I
scratched his face. Even that wasn’t enough. Not until Tyler dealt him a
crippling blow near his kidneys did Tilden let go. “I’m all right now. Just a
little sore. There’s no permanent damage.”

“I
could kill him.” Alex wanted to punch the bellboy himself, and keep on punching
him. He wanted to mash Tilden’s face in and make him suffer for the damage he’d
done and the lives he had taken.

“Don’t
say that. The law will take care of him. He will hang for what he did to Father
and Mrs. Hensley.”

“Where
is he now?”

“On
his way here with the marshal. He admitted to everything. Not even Tom can
question your innocence. You’re coming home with me once the warden has spoken
with Tom.”

Alex
could hardly think beyond what he wanted to do to Tilden. The bellboy had
nearly killed Julia three times, and he dared to put his hands on her.

“Alex,
are you listening? I’m taking you home, but you are not leaving here in those
clothes. I won’t have people seeing my husband in prison garb.” She strode to
the door and rapped on the window.

The
guard’s face appeared. He unlocked and opened the door.

“Please
bring my husband’s clothes to him. He will be leaving momentarily.”

The
guard’s deep-set eyes widened with amusement. “Oh, yeah? That’s news to me.”

“Well,
I assure you it’s true. The real killer has been apprehended and will be here
shortly, if he isn’t already. He is in Marshal Landis’s custody.”

“I
haven’t seen him, ma’am, so as far as I know, your husband here is still a
guest of the county.”

Her
back stiffened, and her chin came up. “The warden knows,” she said. “I told him
the situation when I arrived.”

“Ma’am,
he didn’t tell me nothin’.”

“Why
do you think he removed the handcuffs from my husband’s wrists?”

He
shrugged.

“Please
go and speak to the warden. He’ll clear up everything.”

“Can’t
leave my post.”

“Then
I’ll go.” She huffed. “I don’t want my husband staying in those clothes any
longer than is absolutely necessary. He is an innocent man.” She started
through the doorway. “Oh, there they are now.”

Alex
surged up behind her and through the doorway. Tilden shuffled toward them along
the corridor with Tom Landis. He wore his innocuous bellboy’s uniform, minus
the pillbox hat. Bandages covered his cheeks. When the bellboy spied Julia, the
blue of his eyes seemed to flare like the hottest part of a flame. Alex ducked
around her and lunged at him.

“Alex!”
she cried. “Stop!”

He
kept going, but something was slowing him down. He glanced around to find his
wife hanging onto the back of his shirt. He was towing her, her feet sliding
over the concrete floor.

The
guard raised his arm, a wooden club gripped in his hand.

Fearing
he might hit Julia by mistake, Alex stopped short and threw up his hands. “I won’t
do anything.” His consolation was in knowing Julia had fought the bellboy and
left her mark on his face. She had bested him, and Tilden would go to his grave
knowing that.

Arm
still raised, the guard glared at him, looking as if he’d like nothing better
than to knock him to the floor.

Julia
faced the guard. “Don’t you dare strike my husband.”

Alex
liked having her defend him, but not when it put her in harm’s way. He grasped
her shoulders and shifted her to one side.

“What
is all the commotion?” The warden had stepped out of his office, pudgy hands
propped on his hips. “Laramie, put down that club.”

“Yes,
sir.” The guard tossed Alex a narrowed glance and slowly lowered his arm.

Tyler
came out of the office as well and
nodded to Alex.

He
nodded back, grateful for what Tyler had done to save Julia from Tilden.

Marshal
Landis shoved his prisoner forward. “Warden, this man is charged with two
murders and the attempted murder of Julia Fairbanks MacLean. Her … husband”—he sounded
as if he might choke on the word—“was set up to take the blame for one of those
murders. As much as it pains me to say it, he’s innocent.”

Alex
cocked his head at the marshal. “Landis, I appreciate your statement, as
begrudging as it was.”

Tom
gave him a minuscule nod.

Julia
took Alex’s hand and smiled up at him. “You see, it’s all straightened out now.”
She turned to the warden. “Warden, may I please have the clothes my husband
arrived in? I’d like to take him home now.”

“Yes,
ma’am. Laramie, get the man’s clothes. I’ll process our new arrival.”

The
guard returned shortly and handed her the clothes.

“Thank
you,” she said, though not as sweetly as she could have, Alex noticed. “Come
with me, Alex.”

He
would follow her anywhere. They reentered the interrogation room, and he closed
the door. Nobody locked it, and when he peered back out the window, no one was
guarding him. He truly was a free man. Soon he’d be going home with his wife,
to the future he had hardly dared to dream of.

She
laid his clothes on the table and watched him as he removed his prison-issue
shirt and tossed it into the farthest corner. “When we get home,” she said, “you
are going to get a thorough scrubbing in the bathtub. This place has a
distinctly unpleasant smell.”

His
fingers paused in the act of buttoning his shirt. “Will you do the scrubbing?”

Her
eyes sparkled. “I believe I could be persuaded to perform that task.”

As
his breathing turned shallow, Alex decided he had better postpone any thoughts
about their immediate future until they were alone in their apartment.

He
quickly changed his pants, noticing that Julia averted her gaze and withdrew a
folded paper from her skirt pocket. “What’s that?”

“A
telegram. It was delivered as I was leaving the hotel.” She unfolded the paper
and held it out to him.

Alex
fastened his pants, took the paper, and read aloud. “The Bank of New York would
be pleased to loan you the amount specified in your correspondence regarding
the Hotel Grand Victoria, Coronado Island, California.”

She
smiled at him.

He
picked her up, careful not to hurt her wounded side, and spun them in a circle.
“You did it.” She laughed and held tight. When he set her down, Alex brushed
her lips with a kiss. “I knew someone would recognize a good investment when it
was offered to them.”

“You
were right, but I’m not sure I’m going to take it.”

“What
are you talking about?” He gripped her shoulders. “Julia, you love the hotel,
you belong to it.” How could she think of letting it go? She’d married him to
get it.

“I’m
thinking about accepting Tyler’s offer instead, the one in which he and I would
become partners.”

“Oh,”
he said, drawing the word out.

“I
know my relationship with him didn’t start out on the best of terms, but I
think he has redeemed himself. With his financial help, the hotel would be paid
off, and, for the most part, he’d be a silent partner. What do you think?”

“It’s
your hotel, Julia. Your decision.”

“No,
it’s our hotel and our decision.” She clasped his hands in hers. “I love you,
Alexander Devlin MacLean, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I
want your children, and I want to raise them on Coronado. Hopefully they’ll
love the Hotel Grand Victoria as much as I do, but if their interests lie
elsewhere, I will support their choices.”

“They’ll
love it. They’ll race through the hallways, climb into the towers, and tell
each other stories about their fairy-tale castle and a princess named Julia.
Most of all, though”—he raised her hands to his lips and kissed each one—“they
will have us and their uncle.”

“Does
that mean you approve of a partnership with Tyler?”

“I
do. And I think he’ll be especially pleased that you chose him over the Bank of
New York.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and steered her toward the
door. “Shall we tell him the good news?”

“Yes.”
She slipped her arm around his waist and smiled up at him. “We’ll tell him on
the way home.”

On
a blanket spread over the warm sand, Julia struggled to keep six-month-old Lily
from yanking off her little sunbonnet. Her daughter had a mind of her own, and
her determination had no limits.

Muffie
watched from a corner of the blanket, safe from the wriggling Lily. Though the
summer sun beat down, the breeze off the ocean cooled the air.

Julia
smiled under her straw hat, more content than she had ever thought possible.
She had a brother, a husband she loved and who loved her, a growing family, and
a position as manager of the Hotel Grand Victoria. The hotel was thriving under
her direction and the occasional suggestion from Tyler. Theo, promoted to
assistant manager when she discovered she was pregnant with Lily, kept the
employees happy and hardworking. Mr. Chalmers managed the reception desk, his
attitude much improved since receiving her ultimatum. Jacques Levesque had
chosen to seek employment elsewhere.

She
smiled and studied a line of pelicans gliding above the waves. The surf was
gentle today, and many of the guests frolicked in the water. Two boys and a
girl shrieked with laughter as they splashed each other.

She
laughed, too. “See that, Lily? Someday that’ll be you and your brothers or
sisters.” She looked forward to adding more little ones to her family. Lily’s
birth had been easier than she expected. Alex had insisted on staying with her
the entire time, holding her hand and calming her fears. Dr. Dolan, upon Lily’s
delivery, had stated Julia was one of those women who seemed destined for a
large family.

Lily
wasn’t looking toward the ocean. She gurgled and held out her arms.

Julia
turned to see Alex plodding toward them through the sand. He smiled broadly, as
he frequently did these days, so different from the first day they had met.

“How
are my two best girls this afternoon?” He reached down for his daughter and
swung her up through the air.

Lily
laughed and kicked her feet.

“We’re
very well,” Julia answered.

He
lifted Lily once more, then plopped down onto the blanket. He settled his
daughter against his shoulder and kissed Julia on the mouth.

She
responded in turn, not caring who saw them. He often kissed her or hugged her
no matter where they were or who might be watching. She’d become accustomed to
it, though she had to admit she was looking forward to the privacy and space
their new home would afford them. Under construction on a nearby lot was a
house designed especially by Alex to hold a big family.

“You’re
home early,” she said. “What’s the occasion?”

“I’m
celebrating. Alonzo Horton himself was so taken with my design for the building
he wants to put up on Broadway that he hired me on the spot.”

“Oh,
Alex, that’s wonderful. Does Liam know?”

“He
was with me, smoothing the way with a proper introduction followed by praise
for the designs I’ve done for his projects.”

“He
knew a good thing when he saw you scribbling on that stationery in the bar,
just as I knew a good thing when I asked you to marry me.”

“Hmm.
That’s funny,” he said as Lily patted his jaw. “Dr. Dolan told me our marriage
was his idea.”

“The
good doctor has a short memory.” She adjusted a ruffle on Lily’s dress. “I get
credit for the original idea, although I didn’t seriously consider it an option
when I said it out loud. Mary helped me see the light, and the doctor quickly
agreed that you were just what I was looking for, a down-on-his-luck drifter
who would take the money and go.”

He
laughed. “My luck changed that day.” He leaned into her and kissed her with all
the love, tenderness, and passion she had never expected to experience in her
life.

Julia
responded in turn, loving him with her heart, soul, and body. She had been very
fortunate the day Alex MacLean arrived in search of a job.

The End

I
hope you’ve enjoyed visiting the shores of Southern California’s Coronado
Island with Alex and Julia. In real life, the Hotel Grand Victoria is the Hotel
del Coronado, a storybook Victorian resort hotel designed by the Reid brothers
and originally owned by Elisha Babcock, Jr., and partners. Construction began
in 1887, and the hotel opened its doors to guests in 1888. Still operating
today, it has hosted United States presidents and been the setting for books,
television shows, and such films as
Some Like It Hot
with Marilyn
Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon. The Hotel del, also known as The Del, is a
National Historic Landmark and a beautiful place to spend the day or stay
overnight.