The Frenchman's Revenge (43 page)

For the first several moments
,
they all sat quietly
,
looking appropriately solemn.
As several minutes passed
,
the twins started getting restless and Bai caught
N
ianzu’s eye and winked.
Lei saw him and
coughed slightly
,
hiding her smil
e
behind
her handkerchief.
She looked up at her father and saw the surreptitious twinkle in
Wan’s
eyes.

After another moment
Gabriel
whispered loudly enough for all of them to hear, “Where is she?”

Jacob
whispered back, “Can’t you see she is late?”

Lei threw them both a menacing glare and whispered, “She’ll be here any minute now
,”
and looked back down at her hands
stifling a
laugh.

The only one who
was
not smiling
or amused w
as Alex
,
sitting
upright
in his chair
,
his eyes
focuse
d
on
the patio floor.

Gabriel
twist
ed
impatiently
in his chair
,
then
rose up and turned back
to the group
, his eyes wide with excitement
. He
said in a stage whisper, “I think I see her.”

Jacob
jumped up and looked where he was pointing and indeed
,
coming through the garden entrance was Wyatt with a very beautiful Elena on his arm.

The
sweet longing notes of the string quartet sheltered behind the bower escalated to a throbbing high point
when
Wyatt and Elena
entered
the garde
n
. As if in a blur
,
Elena saw her stepmother and brothers, Nianzu and Quitin
. H
er eyes rested for a moment on her grandfather
,
struck by the love in his eyes.
He had seen so much violence and hate in his lifetime
,
but he never looked at her with anything but love.
S
he saw
in his eyes
the strength and fierceness he had bequeathed to Bai and
thanked him
with
her heart that he had also taught h
is son
to love.

W
hen she saw Bai
, she gasped
. H
er breath stuck
in her throat
.
She sucked in a gulp of air
,
willing herself to breathe.
Standing under the bower
,
Bai
was the epitome of handsome sophistication. T
he slim grey and black striped trousers, grey waistcoat and
fine
black
suit coat
accentuate
d his
tall lean frame,
broad shoulders and long strong legs
. His white silk shirt
highlighted
the warmth of his
dark
skin
and
glittering
amber eyes
.
In contrast
,
he
had let his hair
loose
. It hung
down
to his
collar,
slightly wild, tousled by the
breeze
.
He wore a bright red sash tied in an X across his chest, the traditional
groom’s
garb
.
He
gazed
at her through half closed eyes,
the
dark, demanding
war
lord
he’
d
teased her about.
The command in his eyes said it all. He
was hers,
and
,
God help her, she was his. A
flash
of lust simmered
through her groin
. Swallowing hard,
she grasped her father
’
s arm to keep from swooning.

~~~

Bai smiled at
E
lena
when she entered
, flushed, trembling,
unconscious of the gasps
from
her family.
Bai loved that about her.
As beautiful as she was
,
she
was
always caught off guard
,
surprised at the a
dulation
she received.
He nodded in appreciation at he
r dress
,
a long white strapless column
held in place by a jeweled band of fabric across her breasts. The four inch band of
jewel en
crusted
satin
was the only ornamentation on a gown that depended on the glorious body of the wearer
for its striking beauty
. The fabric
clung
lovingly
to
her lush breasts
, hugged
her slim waist
and
the
curve of her hips
,
then trailed
down her long slender legs. A daring slit up the front of
the
dress rose several inches above her knees
,
a
n outrageous
liberty
.

A single white orchid decorated the riotous mass of colorful curls piled on her head. In a tasteful nod to the simplicity of her gown, a
narrow
train of gossamer silk flowed from a diamond clasp at the base of her curls
,
floating to the
ground four
feet behind her
.

Elena
stood at the entrance
and allowed
the
gossamer
train
to pool
at her feet
. She caught
Bai’s eye and
with a saucy toss of her head
,
kicked
the train
aside
,
revealing not only the slit up the front of her dress but her three inch
bright red
high
heeled
slippers
. Bai didn’t try to hide his grin
,
an amused
acknowledgement
of
her
scandalous
choice.
H
er breath hitched and her stomach clenched with excitement
at
his
insolent,
warning
look
.

She didn’t know she gasped and licked her lips
until
Wyatt tightened his grip on her arm and chuckled under his breath.

“Hang on darlin.’
You can’t eat him up just yet.”

Only Wyatt’s restraining tug on her arm kept Elena from running up the aisle giggling with excitement
,
eager to be in Bai’s arms.

When they reached the altars, Elena bowed to Wan and he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
Wyatt and Wan exchanged a bow
,
then Wyatt bowed to Bai
. He
stepped aside as Bai reached out and pulled Elena next to him
,
breathing in her fresh citrusy smell and the
exotic
odor of the orchid in her fiery curls.

Looking straight ahead
,
Elena tapped him on the ankle with the
t
oe of
her outrageous
shoe.

Bai leaned down and pinched her bottom
and
muttered
, “You are wicked, aren’t you
,
ma petite
?”

She gave a little start and a nervous giggle
then
tossed her head, her eyes dancing.

“Very.”

Wide-eyed
,
Gabriel
whispered
loudly
to
the tittering
group behind them, “Bai pinched Elena’s butt.”

Wyatt
’s dry
response
was audible.

“I’m confident she deserved it.”

Bai poured tea in the row of cups lined up on the altar and Elena placed two red dates and two lotus seeds
in each cup
,
the traditional
omen
for luck and fertility.
They
poured tea in each others cups then bowed to each of the altars, first to the gods of the heavens and earth, then to the altar honoring their ancestors
,
and finally to the
k
itchen
g
od honoring hearth and home. Together they handed the cups first to their fathers
,
then to Lei and Alex, Nianzu and Quitin, and finally
Deshi
and the twins.
They
all dr
a
nk f
rom
the cups and bowed low
to Elena and Bai
, who returned their bows
.

Deshi
whisper
ed,
“Is that it?”

Jacob
echoed his surprise,
“Are they married?”

Bai looked over his shoulder and said with a wry grin, “That’s it.”

Wan step
ped forward and in a departure from the traditional
ceremony
,
held
both of their hands in his
. C
alling on the
k
ung
f
u traditions that
had
anchored them all
their lives,
Wan
delivered
a
beautiful
b
lessing in Chines
e
.
He described
his
love
for his
son
and his
beloved granddaughter
.
Bowing low,
he
wished them a
long life filled with love
, joy
,
and devotion
to
one another.

When he finished
,
Bai held up his hand and pulled Elena next to him. His voice was husky, strained.

“One moment, please.”

He lifted her chin and looked down at her his eyes glittering with unshed tears. He bent down and kissed her softly, lightly at first
,
then their bodies melded together
and they held each other for a long breathless moment
. When they turned to the others
their faces
were
damp with happy tears and glorious smiles.

~~~

Course after course of rich beautifully prepared food delighted the guests.
The pungent odors of roasted meats contrasted with the sweet smells of fragrant
sauces
.
Roast suckling pig,
f
attened lamb
and trays of roasted fowl
--
duck, pigeons, squab and quail were followed by shark fin soup, lobster and an array of succulent fish
es
. Vegetables with sea cucumber and other fresh delicacies were paired with every kind of noodle dish imaginable
. S
weet red bean soup and lotus paste buns rounded out the feast.

Bai and Elena moved from table to table
greeting their
guests.
They spoke to each one of the young
girls;
Bai’s
cultured
voi
ce in his French accented Chinese translating for Elena. T
wo
Sing Leon members followed behind
,
carrying a stack of beautifully wrapped red boxes filled with an array of treasures
:
jewelry, dolls, books, combs, brushes, mirrors
, candies
,
and other surprises.
Elena handed a box to each of the girls
,
who squealed with delight when they saw the riches inside.