True Love (54 page)

Jared had stared at the bracelet in puzzlement. “It’s an expensive gift for someone you’ve never met. Izzy is—”

“Izzy? This is for Alix. It’s you and her getting hitched, right?”

“How did you figure that out?”

“You wouldn’t invite me to an unknown person’s wedding, would you? Certainly not with a tux.”

For Jared it was a relief to have another man to talk to about the coming wedding. Ken was busy during the day putting the finishing touches on the chapel and his evenings were spent with Jilly. Jared thought perhaps they were no longer in separate bedrooms.

Jared talked with Tim, a great money person, about the arrangements for the wedding, and about how the gifts would go to Izzy and Glenn, who needed them. “Kingsley House certainly doesn’t need anything added to it.”

Tim, who was married, had set Jared straight on that issue. “Alix may not want a new blender, but there must be something that she truly wants.”

Jared realized what that was. “Her own office here on Nantucket.”

The only place that made sense as an office was the two-bedroom maid’s quarters. Victoria was out for the day so they could do it.

“You’ll need the other bedrooms for the kids,” Tim said. “In my experience they start coming about six months after the ceremony.”

“Alix might like that,” Jared said.

“You two have talked about kids?”

“It was either that or ghosts, so we went with kids.”

“Wise choice.”

Jared called a couple of cousins, who called some more, so they had enough people hired to remove the old wallpaper and paint the rooms. While they worked, Tim and Jared went shopping the Nantucket way, meaning that they raided the attics of the old houses the Kingsley family owned. They found everything they needed except for a drafting table.

Jared and Tim looked at each other and said, “Stanley.” It took only one call and Stanley said he’d fly over with the table the next day and would install it during the wedding.

By ten that night they had it done. They’d moved Jared’s office in from the guesthouse so he and Alix would be together. They’d found some magnificent artifacts hidden in the attics, from scrimshaw to whale bones, and they hung them about the rooms. The only thing
they didn’t have was the table. Stanley had managed to find an ex-client who was going to Nantucket on his private jet, and he was giving a ride to Stanley and the table.

All in all, Jared was glad for the physical labor of the day. It kept him from thinking about what might happen the next day.

It was late when the house was finally quiet, and, with Tim asleep upstairs, Jared found Dr. Huntley on the couch. Poor man, it looked as though Victoria had exhausted him. There were circles under his eyes and his skin had a gray pallor to it. Tomorrow after the wedding Jared was going to tell Victoria to let the man rest.

At that thought, all Jared’s anxiety came back to him. Tomorrow was the twenty-third, and his grandfather would leave the earth forever. The question was whether Victoria would go with him.

He saw her in the hallway and was afraid to leave her. When they finally said goodnight, he wondered if he’d ever see her alive again.

As soon as she went into her bedroom, Jared started toward the attic stairs. He meant to go talk to his grandfather, but he took one step and was so overcome with sleepiness that he almost fell. He had no doubt on earth that Caleb was doing this, using his new powers to control and manipulate.

Jared fought the feeling of being drugged, but it was no use. The door to Alix’s bedroom was open and the bed—tidily made and so very soft looking—pulled him in. He barely made it to the bed before he fell across it and was sound asleep.

That had been last night, and now he was sitting in the attic, where he’d always gone when he was upset. He wasn’t sure whether this was going to be the happiest day of his life or the worst. Tim appeared in the doorway. His friend had visited Nantucket often and knew that Jared often hid out upstairs.

“Please tell me you’re not changing your mind,” Tim said as he sat down in the wing chair.

“Change my mind? What are you talking about?”

“You look like a man who’s going to be executed, not a happy bridegroom.”

Jared tried to remove the frown from his face, but it wouldn’t leave. “Everything is great with Alix. It’s just …” He trailed off. “If I asked you to do something with no questions, would you do it?”

“Does it involve firearms?”

“Only a beautiful woman.”

“I agree. No questions asked. Don’t tell the wife.”

Jared didn’t smile. “I want you to go downstairs, open Victoria’s bedroom door, look inside, and check on her.”

Tim had met Victoria yesterday and had made some jokes about his own mother-in-law not looking like that. “Peeping in her bedroom? That’s a bit invasive, isn’t it? Illegal, maybe?”

“No questions, remember?”

Tim raised his eyebrows but stood up. “This isn’t a question, but is there anything special I’m supposed to see? And if she asks what the hell I’m doing, what do I say?”

“I only care that she’s still breathing and you can tell her that you got the wrong room.”

“Breathing? As in alive?”

Jared didn’t answer, just looked at his friend, and Tim left. While he was gone, Jared didn’t think he took a breath. He could feel his heart pounding in his throat.

It seemed like an hour before he heard Tim on the stairs again, and Jared’s right hand gripped the arm of the couch so tightly he probably left fingerprints in the wood.

“She’s fine,” Tim said as he came through the doorway.

“What does that mean?”

He sat back down in the chair. “It means that she’s all right. She’s sound asleep.”

“Are you sure she’s breathing?”

“What is
wrong
with you?” Tim asked, exasperated.

“I just want to know for
sure
that Victoria is well and healthy.”

“Yes, she is breathing, and she certainly looked healthy to me. When I opened her door, she turned over in the bed. I guess you know that she sleeps in the raw.”

Jared took a relieved breath of air. Caleb Kingsley hadn’t taken his beloved Valentina’s spirit with him when he left the earth.

Jared took a few more breaths, the frown left his brow, and a smile followed.

Tim was watching him. “What in the world happened to make you think your bride’s mother wouldn’t be alive this morning?”

“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me,” Jared said, a full-fledged smile on his face now. “You’re my best man, so tell me what we need to do to get ready for this shindig.”

“First, we have to choose some poor sucker to tell the crowd that Izzy and Glenn have been replaced by a couple they don’t know. That crowd is going to be pretty angry at having gone to all this trouble just to see someone else’s kids get married. Not to mention the expense.”

“Tim, old friend, your job is to get an accounting from each of them and reimburse them. The point of all this has been to keep them away from Izzy and let her have some peace. They won’t be out any money.”

Tim sighed. “I’m glad you’re getting married, but I guess this means you won’t be in the office on Monday. Honeymoon and all that.”

Jared stood up. “You haven’t met Alix. Her idea of a honeymoon will be to get her hands on every commission my company has and scrutinize every line of every plan. Those kids you hired are at last going to see some real talent—and precision. Ken taught her well.”

“She won’t hand out balloons and gold stars?”

Jared snorted. “I drew a wall four inches off and she told me—me!—that I needed to improve my observation skills.”

Tim was looking at him with wide eyes. “If I weren’t already married and you weren’t marrying her, I’d call her right now and propose.”

“Naw, this one is mine and I’m keeping her. Let’s go to Downyflake and get something to eat. After we tell Ken he’s to inform the crowd of the change, that is.”

“We better invite him to go with us. Poor guy,” Tim said in sympathy.

“Don’t worry about him. He owes me big time. You see, I brought Parthenia to him.”

“I thought the woman I met was named Jilly.”

“Victoria, Valentina, Parthenia, Jilly, it’s all the same.”

Tim stopped at the head of the stairs and looked at him. “You really
need
to get back to New York. This island is doing something to your mind.”

Jared was grinning. “What can I say? It’s Nantucket.”

It took both her bridesmaids to get Alix into Aunt Addy’s dress, which made her wonder how she’d put it on the first time by herself. She paused with her hand on her cuff and wondered if Captain Caleb had somehow helped. That thought made her suppress a giggle. “Has anyone seen Jared today?” she asked.

They were in the house Lexie and Toby shared and the young women were wearing the dresses they’d bought in New York: a simple style but in glorious colors of sapphire and ruby. The hairdresser and makeup man had been and gone and it was less than two hours until Alix was to walk down the aisle.

Lexie stood up, scrutinizing the crisp, clean skirt. “He went with Tim and Ken to Downy this morning. I don’t know what they’ve done the rest of the day, but I think they’re planning to give Ken the job of telling the guests that Izzy and Glenn aren’t here.”

“You know,” Alix said, “I feel bad that Izzy’s mom won’t see her get married.”

“So they’ll have a second ceremony later,” Lexie said. She was always sensible.

Toby picked up the veil. “Alix, you only feel bad about Izzy’s parents missing out because you have a great mother. Those of us who
don’t would look forward to a peaceful wedding, however we could get it.”

“I do have a great mother, don’t I?” Alix said softly.

“Do
not
cry!” Lexie ordered. “You’ll have mascara all down your face.”

“Okay,” Alix said and sniffed as Toby handed her a tissue. “Tell me again what the plan is.”

“We go to the chapel and you’re to wait in the small tent with Jilly until your dad has dropped the news bomb,” Lexie said. “After the blood from the ensuing battle is cleared out, Toby and I will walk down the aisle first, then Ken comes with you. After that we eat and dance. Simple.”

“Mom’s going to be really hurt,” Alix whispered.

For a moment the two women just looked at her, unable to reply, but then Lexie said, “Let’s leave. We need to get this show going.” She glanced at Toby. At first it had seemed like a great idea to not let Victoria boss everyone around, but when you got down to it, Victoria was Alix’s mother.

Lexie had borrowed her boss’s driver and Bentley for the day and they helped Alix get inside. She was so quiet that no one else spoke on the short drive to the North Shore.

There were a lot of cars there but only a few guests were outside, all of whom Lexie shooed away so they wouldn’t see the bride. They quickly ushered her into one of the two tents that were set up with tables and chairs. It was a beautiful sight, with white tablecloths and bouquets of blue hyacinths, cream-colored roses, and sprigs of grasses, all tied with pale blue ribbons. Big ribbons of a darker blue were on the backs of each chair and draped around the top of the tent.

“Toby,” Alix said, “it’s all incredibly beautiful. Thank you.”

“No tears!” Lexie ordered again. “Now come through here and wait until we return to get you. Jilly should be here by now.”

A little tent had been set up beside the large one. The only thing
in it were two chairs and Alix carefully sat down, spreading her skirt out so she wouldn’t crease it. She could hear people outside, but so far there’d been no shouting. Obviously, they hadn’t been told yet. The truth was that she dreaded being married in the midst of anger. There would be the guests’ disappointment and her mother’s hurt.
Not
a good way to begin a marriage! She truly hoped the guests would be understanding.

When the tent flap moved, Alix expected to see Jilly, but there her mother stood in an emerald green silk suit and a little pillbox hat with a short veil. Alix didn’t think she’d ever looked more beautiful. A light about her face made her glow.

“Mom,” Alix said, sounding like a lost five-year-old. She stood up and flung her arms around her mother’s neck—and the tears came from both of them. “How did you know? I thought I wouldn’t see you. I waited—”

“Ssssh,” Victoria said, pulling out of her daughter’s embrace. “Now look what we’ve done to our faces. It’s a good thing I brought a repair kit. Now sit down and let me fix you.”

Obediently—and very, very happily—Alix sat back down. Her mother took the other chair, pulled a full makeup kit out of her bag, and began to work on her daughter’s face.

“How?” Alix whispered.

“Oh, my goodness, Alix! You and your father are so much alike. Did you really think you could pull off something like this and I wouldn’t know about it? All that whispering, all that sneaking around. So where’s the ring?”

Alix proudly held up her left hand.

“Not bad.” She paused with the makeup sponge in her hand. “Who do you think told Jared your ring size?”

“You?”

“Of course it was me.” She smiled at her daughter. “When I got here and saw that you and Jared had already settled into what, by all accounts, was a married life, I knew I had to break up that overly comfortable arrangement.”