“Actually, I’ve considered a great number of things since my confrontation with Raelynn’s uncle,” Jeff stated slowly, as if allowing her time to digest his words, “and I’ve also come to some conclusions. The only way I can be certain that Cooper Frye can never interfere… ”
Hoofbeats sounded in the lane outside the house, drawing Jeff’s immediate attention. In a rush now, he quickly gave his excuses, disappeared into the hallway, and after a muted exchange with Kingston, leaped up the stairs two at a time, leaving the servant to answer the door. A moment later Kingston led Reverend Parsons into the drawing room.
Heather exchanged a quick, worried glance with her husband, who responded with an almost imperceptible shrug before he strode quickly forward to clasp the other man’s hand in greeting.
“So good to see you, Reverend,” he said affably. “We missed you while you were away.”
”’ Tis good to be back with my flock and reassure myself of their good health. You and Heather are certainly looking well.” He paused as he glanced around in search of his host. “But where is Jeffrey?”
“I think he took flight when he heard you coming,” Brandon quipped, then tried to curb his grin as his young wife looked around, seeming completely disconcerted by his statement.
“Aye,” the reverend answered wryly. “I heard about the commotion in Charleston. It makes me wonder if some of my flock have taken on different coats in my absence, although I can’t imagine Jeffrey being a wolf in sheep’s clothing.”
Brandon smiled with droll humor. “Whatever the precise cut of his coat, Jeff certainly has a way of calling attention to himself.”
Heather rolled her eyes heavenward in disbelief, wondering how her husband could make light of this dreadful situation with Reverend Parsons present.
“Jeff was just being chivalrous, Reverend Parsons,” she assured him, ready to defend her brother-in-law with unswerving loyalty.
Reverend Parsons chortled as he accepted a glass of lemonade from Kingston. “Now, Heather, don’t get your pretty feathers ruffled. Jeff and I are old friends. Why, I’ve known him about as long as anybody has, excepting Brandon here. His gallantry is unquestionable…uh…for the most part, that is.”
While the two men exchanged amused glances, Heather took up a lacy handkerchief and began to fan her flushed face. She wished fervently that she would suddenly awake and find that this whole incident had been nothing more than a bad dream.
Eyeing his agitated wife closely, Brandon acquiesced and came to sit beside her on the settee. A fleeting moment of cherished intimacy passed between them as he lifted her slender fingers to his lips and looked at her with warmly glowing green eyes, winning a soft and loving smile from her lips in response.
Reverend Parson settled into a chair across from them. “What does your son think about his parents acquiring a new baby? Is he hoping for a sister or perhaps a brother to play with?”
“Our black housekeeper swears we’ll be having a little girl this time.” Heather smiled as Brandon threaded his fingers through hers. “Hatti deciphers the signs so well, we’ve considered telling Beau that he’ll be getting a new sister named Suzanne Elizabeth in the next couple of months.”
“And if it turns out to be a boy?” the reverend inquired.
Brandon chuckled. “We’ll just have to tell him Hatti made a mistake and let her explain it away.”
Manly footsteps were heard accompanying those of a more delicate tread, and all eyes became riveted on the parlor entrance as the footfalls approached the drawing room. Then Jeff slid back the panel doors and, holding Raelynn’s hand, led her into view, prompting the two gentleman guests to rise in appreciation of her stirring beauty. Her rich auburn hair had been swept high on her head and intricately woven with a corded ribbon that matched her gown of silver blue satin. Elegantly coifed and regally gowned, Raelynn Barrett was lovelier than any cherished dream.
An aura of warmth swept Heather as she stared at the couple, and it came to her that she had never seen Jeff looking quite so proud or handsome. His shirt and stock of flawless white seemed to gleam beneath his meticulously cut black silk frockcoat. Narrow breeches, waistcoat, silk stockings and low shoes, all of the same hue, completed the sleek, manly costume.
“Gentlemen.” Jeff dipped his head forward slightly as he gave verbal recognition to the men. Then he clicked his heels in a crisp, shallow bow as he faced Heather. “My lady.” He swept a hand to acknowledge the splendid beauty who stood beside him. “I would like to present Raelynn Barrett, the woman who is to become my bride.”
For a moment the occupants of the room could only stare in amazement. Heather felt her heart swell with unbelievable gladness. Confident now that all was well in the family, she slipped her hand into Brandon’s, which clasped and held it lovingly. Together they turned as Reverend Parsons beckoned the couple into the center of the room. Raelynn accepted Jeff’s proffered arm and seemed to glide effortlessly beside him.
“Is the lady consenting?” Reverend Parsons queried with careful concern.
Raelynn lifted her gaze to Jeff and smiled as she gazed into his shining green eyes. “I could not have hoped for a more chivalrous champion had I spent the last ten years of my life searching for him. In the short time I’ve known him, I’ve come to realize that he’s incredibly kind and tender, and I am honored that he has asked me to become his wife.”
Jeff faced the man and lent further insight behind their motivation. “We’ve discussed the matter at some length,” Jeff avouched. “Raelynn is in desperate need of a protector, and marriage is the only way we can strip Cooper Frye of his claims as her only kin. I sent for you tonight, Reverend, so you could perform the ceremony for us here in the privacy of my home. Are you consenting?”
The man looked to Brandon as the elder Birmingham. “You know your brother better than anyone. Can you name a reason why I should delay the nuptials?”
Brandon spoke with unswerving confidence. “Jeff has always been clear about what he wants out of life, Reverend. He’s acted with a great deal more certainty than I’ve been able to lay claim to at certain times. If he says this marriage should take place, then I am one to believe him.”
Reverend Parsons nodded as he accepted Brandon’s vote of approval; then he peered questioningly at Heather. “Have you anything to say, my dear?”
“Only to lend my heartfelt endorsement,” she murmured with a radiant smile.
The reverend slid a small black book from inside his coat and began to leaf through the pages. “When I was summoned here by Jeffrey’s servant, the man advised me to come prepared to perform a wedding ceremony. Little did I know then that it would be for my host.” He smiled at the couple. “Now if you will stand before me, Raelynn and Jeffrey, I will speak the words to unite you in marriage.”
The moments sped past as the muted voices melded in a ritual nearly as old as time itself. Jeff drew a simple gold band from his pocket and slipped it on Raelynn’s finger as he repeated the words:
“With this ring I thee wed.…”
His voice was strong and steady, attesting to his unwavering confidence in the decision he had made. When Reverend Parsons spoke the final words of the ceremony unifying the couple, Jeff faced Raelynn and was amazed to see her translucent eyes awash in mistiness.
“You may kiss the bride,” the reverend invited.
Raelynn blushed as she lifted her face to accommodate the tall stranger whom she had just married, feeling rather forward doing so. A peck on the cheek was certainly all that she was expecting since Jeff had agreed to give her time to get acquainted with him before pressing her to become his wife in actuality. When she felt the first light brush of his mouth on hers, she was startled by the warm, sweetly moist contact and was hardly aware of her own lips opening in surprise. Her breath stilled in waiting suspense of her first kiss. Then, as lightly as thistledown being borne along on a gentle breeze, his lips moved upon hers, parting ever so slightly to conform to the suppleness of he
rs.
When Jeff finally drew back, Raelynn swayed weakly against him, realizing with some astonishment that his kiss had sapped the strength from her limbs and been far more potent than she had ever imagined anything could be. Considering that mere minutes ago she had asked for separate rooms, how could she now tell him that she yearned for more of that blissfully sweet nectar?
Jeff laid his arm across the small of her back and drew her closer still, lending her needed support as he whispered, “Are you all right?”
Raelynn nodded slowly as she sought to calm the frantic pounding of her heart and dull her senses to the breathtaking reality that she was in the arms of this tall, handsome man and he was her husband. She was entranced by his nearness and vividly aware of the casual pressure of his manly form. Had she been able to command her wishes into existence, she entertained no doubt that Jeff Birmingham would have been exactly where he was at that precise moment in her life.
Gathering some remnant of her scattered poise, Raelynn managed face the other occupants of the room. “I beg your forgiveness for my faintness. ’Tis been some time since I last took food.”
Heather was there immediately to give her an affectionate hug. “I’m so happy for you both. I’m sure that if Jeff had searched the wide world over, he could not have made a better choice for a bride. And whether you know it or not, my dear, your husband ranks among the best.”
Reverend Parsons took his leave shortly after bestowing his blessings and good wishes on the couple. Having other visits to make before retiring to home and to bed, he declined their invitation to stay and partake of the wedding supper. Instead, waving farewell, he rode away, leaving the small clan of Birminghams to gather in the main dining room.
The elegant table was long enough to sit twelve or more easily, but no rigid formality was on display tonight. Jeff had long ago pooh-poohed the idea of the master and mistress of the house sitting at opposite ends of a long table unless they were entertaining a large crowd. Tonight the settings were cozily arranged near one end. A place had been provided on Jeff’s right for his young bride and, close on his left, one for Heather, leaving Brandon to take the chair beside his wife.
“All I can say, brother,” Brandon commented with puckish humor as he considered the table setting, “is that you’re true to your mold. You haven’t changed a whit since I first brought Heather home to Harthaven.”
“Nary a mite,” Jeff agreed. “’Tis certain I’m still the friendlier of us two and have no penchant for isolating myself, as you have been known to do.”
Brandon sought to shrug away his brother’s waggish gibe with a chuckle, but for a moment his humor was poorly contrived. Because of his own stubborn arrogance, he had once endured the torturous separation of not only a long, formal table between himself and his young wife but different bedrooms as well. In retrospect, he mentally likened the pain of his lengthy abstinence to that which a roué might have suffered had he been imprisoned in a cell right across from a woman whose beauty and form he could see but not touch. Though Heather had come into his house as his wife and been close under his hand, he had found himself beset in much the same way. Even now, the memory of his own foolishness made Brandon squirm uncomfortably in his chair.
“No one’s infallible where pride is concerned, Jeff,” he replied, having learned that truth the hard way. “In fact, you might be surprised to realize where you are susceptible.”
Laughter twinkled in Jeffs green eyes. “I’ve tried to learn from your example, brother, and refrain from making any rash vows that I’ll later regret.”
Heather sensed Jeff’s pointed glance as the two men made subtle reference to the torment Brandon had suffered while trying to hold her at arm’s length. Reaching out, she squeezed her husband’s hand reassuringly and conveyed her loving devotion with a warm, gentle smile. “We should all be willing to learn from other’s mistakes, Jeff,” she responded gaily, glancing toward her brother-in-law, “but sometimes when we make them ourselves, we’re better able to grasp the full import of the lesson.”
Jeff leaned back in his chair and sipped his wine. He thought of his own recent pledge to wait before claiming his conjugal rights with Raelynn and hoped he could be as strong-willed as his brother had been in controlling his manly desires, yet perhaps not quite as stubborn so that he could quickly discern a warming in his wife. “’Tis strange how similar circumstances seem to follow in a family,” Jeff said. “I may find the pigeons coming home to roost after all.”
Brandon elevated a brow in curious question, then glanced at Raelynn as he began to understand Jeff’s quandary. In view of the fact that they had wed in haste, he could imagine his brother being gallant enough to agree to a gentlemanly wait before reaping the pleasures of a marriage bed.
Raelynn seemed confused by the brothers’ repartee. “Is something amiss?”
Heather dispelled the very idea. “Oh, you needn’t fret that it’s anything serious, Raelynn. The Birmingham men take great pleasure in sharpening their wit on each other’s hide. They’re about as tough-skinned as a pair of ol’ mules, and it’s always a challenge for them to see which one gets the last word in. Still, I’ve never known two who are closer friends.”
It was some time later when Raelynn and Jeff stood on the portico of Oakley and bade farewell to the other couple. The night was still and warm with the faint scent of jasmine in the air. The kind of evening made for lovers, Jeff mused as his young wife strolled along the porch and looked out on the moonlit grounds and huge trees that raised their lofty canopied heads into the belly of the starlit sky.
“There were recent times in England when I yearned to look out and see something besides the squalor of London,” Raelynn reminisced in a soft, murmuring tone. “You see, my father, who was once a wealthy lord, was falsely accused of treason against the crown. Everything was taken from him except for a wee bit of money he managed to hide for us. Later, he died in prison, though he claimed his innocence with his last breath. When my uncle found my mother a few months ago, he said we could start a new life here in the Carolinas where no one would lay the title of traitor to our name. During the voyage, my mother discovered that my uncle had spent the last of our money. She died during the crossing, and upon landing my uncle set about providing for himself. He brought Gustav Fridrich to look me over, and the man promised him a purse once Cooper Frye delivered me to his house, but on the way I managed to escape. Now all that seems an eternity ago and a whole continent away. Little did I dream when I woke this morning that I would be married before the evening was over and living amid such splendor. It seems, Jeffrey, that I owe you much more than my life. Indeed, I cannot imagine how I can ever repay you for saving me from a miserable existence and bringing me to this safe, beautiful haven.”
“No payment is required beyond the vows we exchanged, Raelynn.” Jeff’s gaze was nourished by his wife’s fluid grace as she came across the porch toward him. When she stood close, he gazed down into her shadowed face and lifted his lean knuckles to lightly brush a loose tendril from her cheek. “And I am patient.”
Raelynn sighed as her eyes searched his. “Do you mean that?”
“We have certainly done this whole thing wrong-about, Raelynn. We have put the sail abaft the mast or, if you will, the cart before the horse, but I would have you consider this, madam. The most serious vow was given first, and now we must take into account all the rest.” He cupped her chin and stared into her liquid eyes. When he continued, his voice was soft and husky. “It seems I’ve known you for a thousand years and have only awaited your coming, yet with trembling breath I shall tarry even longer ’til you know the full extent of my honor, as well as my failings, and choose to come to me of your own free will.”
“We are strangers.…” she whispered breathlessly.
“We are married,” Jeff countered gently. “And you are everything I desire. I knew that the moment I saw you.”
“Please take me in, Jeff,” Raelynn pleaded faintly.
&n
bsp; “Your wish is my command, my lady.” He took her arm and gallantly complied, then accompanied her upstairs in silence as she made a slow, measured ascent. Escorting her to the entrance of the bedroom adjoining his, he reached out to push the door open and waited for her to leave him. She did not.
Blushing lightly, Raelynn faced her handsome husband. “Would you think me forward, Jeffrey, if I asked to be kissed?”
He stepped close, and she reached parted lips up toward his in anticipation, eager to receive his gently questing kiss. Her senses quivered crazily as Jeff’s arms tightened about her and pulled her fully against his long frame. His eyes flamed as he searched her face, seeming to stare into her very soul, demanding answers she was too embarrassed to give.
Jeff was rather amazed that she did not pull away, for the sensual pleasure of holding her against him had affected him in ways he was sure his young wife could not ignore. But instead of pulling back, Raelynn yielded completely to him, leaning into him and raising on tiptoe to accommodate his height.
Desiring her more than he had any woman, Jeff was bold enough to forge ahead, though a part of him waited apprehensively for that moment when she might show some resistance. Lowering his head, he seized her lips with a greedy fervor that made Raelynn catch her breath in delight, and she clung to him with a fevered passion she had not even known she was capable of.
No denials came, and Jeff bent to sweep Raelynn in his arms. He bore her to the bed, pausing only to thrust the door shut with his heel.
Three Weddings and a Kiss Page 34
