Catastrophe in a Cloister
Page 20
Everyone watching laughed too, as if she’d given them permission to.
“Who’s idea was that?” Lacey giggled, wiping the tears from her eyes. She looked around the audience and found Gina, the obvious culprit. But Gina was pointing at Frankie—who was supposed to be the original ring bearer. Well, if it had been his idea, then Lacey loved it even more.
“Tom, if you could please place the ring on Lacey’s finger,” the officiator said.
Tom bent down and picked up Lacey’s ring, giving Chester a pet on the head to say thank you.
Then he took her shaking hand and placed the ring at the tip of her finger. He cleared his throat. “I give you this ring as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love,” he said, as he slid it into place.
Lacey’s heart thudded. Her breath caught.
The officiator turned to Lacey. “Lacey? If you could do the same.”
Lacey bent down to Chester. He looked so proud of himself, and so adorable, she couldn’t help but ruffle his fur, just the way he liked. “Oh, you’re a good boy, aren’t you? And so handsome!” she cooed. The audience laughed with delight.
Lacey straightened up and placed the ring at the tip of Tom’s finger. “I give you this ring as a token and pledge of our constant faith and abiding love,” she said, sliding it into place.
Then she looked deeply into Tom’s green eyes, her heart swelling with love.
The officiator smiled and spoke to the audience. “By virtue of the authority vested in me under the laws of the United Kingdom, I now pronounce you husband and wife.” He looked at Tom. “You may kiss the bride.”
A cheer went up from the audience. Tom swept Lacey into his arms and bestowed upon her the most tender, loving kiss she’d ever received. And in that moment, Lacey felt for the first time in her life that everything was truly perfect.
EPILOGUE
Lacey sat at her office desk, her eyes on the beautiful wedding ring now adorning her finger. She was supposed to be working, but she kept getting distracted by it. She’d never felt so at peace in her life. Everything felt just right.
She turned her focus to the computer screen. On it was displayed the research Crispin Noble had conducted into the Latin inscription on the scepter. The inscription related to the canonized monk, confirming its connection. So it was worth a lot, but not the millions “Cousin Harry” had killed Greg Ford for.
Lacey glanced over to the corner of the room, half expecting to see Brother Benedict there meditating. But he was long gone, having returned to St. Cyril’s with the scepter. Lacey was going to miss his calming presence, but she was glad to know that she would see him again soon—he’d promised to come to the charity auction. It was the next big thing on Lacey’s calendar, and she was looking forward to it. Even more so because afterward, she and Tom would be jetting away for their honeymoon in Paris. Three full weeks. She couldn’t wait.
Just then, there came a knock at the door. Lacey turned in her chair as it opened, and in came Shirley, Naomi, and Frankie.
Lacey jumped up. They were here to say goodbye, and suddenly her heart ached for them. It had been a tumultuous trip to say the least, and Lacey had felt something shift between them all during it, almost as if they’d stepped over an invisible line. In a good way. She felt closer to them all now than she ever had her whole life.
“You’re leaving,” she said, going to them with her arms wide for an embrace.
All three folded into her arms.
“When am I going to see you again, Aunty Lacey?” Frankie asked.
She bent at the knees so they were eye level and took his hands. “How about the summer?” she said. “You could come and stay with me. Would you like that? Teach Chester some more tricks. Help out with the sheep. If you’re lucky, there’ll be lambs.”
His eyes widened with excitement. “Yes!” He looked over to Naomi. “Can I, Mom? Can I stay with Aunty Lacey in the summer?”
“I mean, sure… if she’ll have you,” Naomi replied, gazing up at Lacey with querying eyes.
Lacey smiled. She may have had a close call with the pregnancy scare, but it had made her realize that raising a child would not be the disaster she always thought it would be. Especially if that kid was anything like her gingernut, car-obsessed nephew.
“I would love it,” she said, ruffling his head.
Frankie punched the air, looking thrilled. “I’m going to go and say goodbye to Boudica,” he said, darting out of the office.
The others went slowly out after him, taking their time to walk the corridors of the store into the main shop floor. No one seemed to be in a rush to say goodbye.
Lacey reached for Naomi’s hand as they went.
“How are you?” she asked, softly. Of everything that had happened in their lives and over the course of the last few days, it was Naomi’s well-being she worried about the most.
“You know what,” Naomi said. “I’m actually okay.” She smiled. “I kinda feel like a weight’s been lifted, you know? I always thought I didn’t want to know what happened with Dad. I expected the worst and just didn’t want to know. But now I’ve met him, I think I can handle it. Because at least now that I know he’s not some awful person, I can kind of accept that whatever he did back then was a mistake, or a bad decision, and not something deliberately cruel.” She shrugged. “Does that make sense?”
Lacey squeezed her hand. “It makes perfect sense. And I’m really glad to hear that, Naomi. I’m looking forward to the future and us all moving on from this. I really think it’s possible now.”
“Me too,” she said, smiling.
They made it out onto the main shop floor, where all the cases were stacked up by the door ready to go. Lacey saw Shirley’s floral carry-on and felt a sudden, painful ache in her chest. It felt like she and her mom had made more progress during this trip than ever before. Lacey could sympathize with her more now, with the struggles she’d been through with her marriage and raising her children alone. She suddenly realized just how much she loved her, and how much she would miss her once she returned home to New York City.
She reached her mom and pulled her into a hug, feeling tears in her eyes.
“What’s this for?” came Shirley’s voice in her ear.
“I love you, Mom,” Lacey whispered softly.
Shirley faltered. “I love you too, darling.”
Just then, there came a honk from the streets.
“Our ride is here,” Shirley said.
Lacey looked out the window. But instead of seeing a taxi as she expected, she was surprised to see her father’s rusty, muddy, stinky cattle van idling in the middle of the street, belching smoke from its exhaust pipe.
“Wait…” Lacey stammered. “Dad’s taking you to the airport?”
Naomi pointed to Frankie, who was playing with the dogs. “Blame that one,” she said with wry affection. “Once he saw the damn thing there was no way he was going to let us leave without taking a trip in it. And Dad seemed happy to oblige. I think he might change his mind half an hour into the journey when Frankie’s already asked him every possible question about cattle vans there is to ask three times over!”
Lacey grinned. She had a suspicion Naomi was wrong about that. Frank would delight in telling the grandson he’d only just met about the cattle van, grateful for the safe, common ground they could bond over—not to mention having a legitimate distraction from Shirley!
They headed out of the store to the street, joining Frank.
“I guess it’s goodbye then,” Lacey said to her father.
Her heart hitched as he reached for her and pulled her into a warm, safe embrace. Then Lacey felt more arms join in, and realized it was Naomi, and Frankie, and then, finally, Shirley.
She took a long, deep breath, savoring this moment of togetherness. Her family wasn’t fixed, not by any means. There was plenty of hard work in the future, of painful conversations and difficult revelations, but Lacey felt for the first time in years that they w
ere going to be all right.
*
That night, at the cottage, Tom and Lacey sat together on the white couch in the living room, with Chester asleep on the rug before them. Tom, it turned out, was a dab hand at lighting fires, and for the first time since Lacey had moved into Crag Cottage, a roaring fire burned in the fireplace. It lit the room with a cozy orange glow. With the snow blanketing the lawn and the stars twinkling in the black sky, framed by frost on the window, Lacey couldn’t imagine a more perfect moment.
Tom topped her wine glass with some more red. “To us,” he said, clinking his glass against hers.
“To us,” she replied. “To being married, and to finally living together!”
Tom chuckled. It had taken a little while for him to agree to move to Crag Cottage. He was very fond of his apartment in the middle of town. But when Lacey had suggested he rent it to Finnbar rather than sell it, it was as if a switch flipped in him, and he couldn’t wait to leave and move into the cozy cottage on the cliffs with her.
“Shall we get another dog?” Tom said, snuggling in next to her. He sipped his wine. “Or a cat? Or we could be totally crazy and get a goat or something. We’d never have to mow the lawn again.”
Lacey held onto him tightly, feeling so full of love she could almost burst. Then, “I had a pregnancy scare,” she blurted.
Tom sat up. He peered at her, blinking. “What? When?”
“Just before the wedding,” Lacey admitted. “It was negative. I’m not pregnant. But it gave me a false positive so for a day I really thought I might be.”
Tom paused, letting it all sink in. “And how did that make you feel?”
“Honestly?” Lacey said. “Terrified. But… not in the way I expected. Because I realized it’s not so much that I don’t want kids, just that I’m scared of being a mother. Or specifically of being a bad one, and making the same mistakes my parents made. But when I did the second one and it was negative, I actually felt a little bit disappointed.”
A small smile appeared at the corner of Tom’s lips. “Oh really?”
She nodded.
“Well,” he said, snuggling back in beside her. “I personally don’t think it would be all that bad if it happened. We’re pretty cool people, you and me. I think we’d make pretty good humans. And anyway, we’ve proved now that we can handle anything together.”
Lacey snuggled in to her husband. “You’re right,” she said, with a contented sigh. “Whatever the future holds, we’ll face it together.”
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AGED FOR MURDER
(A Tuscan Vineyard Cozy Mystery—Book 1)
"Very entertaining. I highly recommend this book to the permanent library of any reader that appreciates a very well written mystery, with some twists and an intelligent plot. You will not be disappointed. Excellent way to spend a cold weekend!"
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AGED FOR MURDER (A TUSCAN VINEYARD COZY MYSTERY) is the debut novel in a charming new cozy mystery series by #1 bestselling author Fiona Grace, author of Murder in the Manor (Book #1), a #1 Bestseller with over 100 five-star reviews—and a free download!
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AGED FOR MURDER
(A Tuscan Vineyard Cozy Mystery—Book 1)
Fiona Grace
Fiona Grace is author of the LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY series, comprising nine books; of the TUSCAN VINEYARD COZY MYSTERY series, comprising six books; of the DUBIOUS WITCH COZY MYSTERY series, comprising three books; of the BEACHFRONT BAKERY COZY MYSTERY series, comprising six books; and of the CATS AND DOGS COZY MYSTERY series, comprising six books.
Fiona would love to hear from you, so please visit www.fionagraceauthor.com to receive free ebooks, hear the latest news, and stay in touch.
BOOKS BY FIONA GRACE
LACEY DOYLE COZY MYSTERY
MURDER IN THE MANOR (Book#1)
DEATH AND A DOG (Book #2)
CRIME IN THE CAFE (Book #3)
VEXED ON A VISIT (Book #4)
KILLED WITH A KISS (Book #5)
PERISHED BY A PAINTING (Book #6)
SILENCED BY A SPELL (Book #7)
FRAMED BY A FORGERY (Book #8)
CATASTROPHE IN A CLOISTER (Book #9)
TUSCAN VINEYARD COZY MYSTERY
AGED FOR MURDER (Book #1)
AGED FOR DEATH (Book #2)
AGED FOR MAYHEM (Book #3)
AGED FOR SEDUCTION (Book #4)
AGED FOR VENGEANCE (Book #5)
AGED FOR ACRIMONY (Book #6)
DUBIOUS WITCH COZY MYSTERY
SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF MURDER (Book #1)
SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF CRIME (Book #2)
SKEPTIC IN SALEM: AN EPISODE OF DEATH (Book #3)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY COZY MYSTERY
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A KILLER CUPCAKE (Book #1)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A MURDEROUS MACARON (Book #2)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A PERILOUS CAKE POP (Book #3)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A DEADLY DANISH (Book #4)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A TREACHEROUS TART (Book #5)
BEACHFRONT BAKERY: A CALAMITOUS COOKIE (Book #6)
CATS AND DOGS COZY MYSTERY
A VILLA IN SICILY: OLIVE OIL AND MURDER (Book #1)
A VILLA IN SICILY: FIGS AND A CADAVER (Book #2)
A VILLA IN SICILY: VINO AND DEATH (Book #3)
A VILLA IN SICILY: CAPERS AND CALAMITY (Book #4)
A VILLA IN SICILY: ORANGE GROVES AND VENGEANCE (Book #5)
A VILLA IN SICILY: CANNOLI AND A CASUALTY (Book #6)