Unrelenting Love: Banished Saga, Book Five

by Ramona Flightner

  He felt her behind him as she reached for his hand, tugging on it to turn him toward her. She swallowed and shook her head. She spoke in a voice barely above a whisper. “I couldn’t speak. I can’t speak when I imagine a life without you. The thought of not marrying you is more terrifying than never voting. Than never painting again.” She dropped his hand and took a hold of both his cheeks between her palms. “I need you, Teddy. Please, darling, don’t doubt my desire for us to wed.”

  “And I need you, Zee. I need to know I’m as important to you as the cause you’ve chained yourself to.” He met her gaze with impassioned entreaty.

  She nodded. “I agree. I’ll speak with Sophie, and I know she’ll inform me of what happens at the meeting.”

  His face brightened with delighted surprise. “You mean it? You’ll spend the honeymoon as I planned rather than cutting it short?” At her nod, he pulled her close. “Promise me that you won’t regret it.”

  “I promise, for I’ll be with you,” she murmured, kissing him beneath his ear.

  Lucas tapped on the door and slipped inside, closing it behind him. Zylphia, curled on the settee, looked toward the door and smiled in welcome. She fought tears as she saw the bouquet of yellow roses he carried, and she reached out a hand to him. “Oh, Lucas, thank you,” she murmured.

  “How are you, Zee?” He gripped her hand once before releasing it. He placed the bouquet in a clean pot of water she had waiting for a painting project before he pulled over a tufted red chair toward the settee and sat. “You don’t look like a blushing bride-to-be.”

  Zylphia curled up farther on the settee, burying her face into a pillow. “It’s terrible enough we lost the referendum two days ago. Now I’m terrified of Saturday.”

  Lucas leaned forward and traced a soothing hand down her back. “Why terrified, Zee? I’d think you’d be eager to marry your Tedd after all you’ve been through.”

  “I know this sounds mean, but I don’t know that you can understand all a woman gives up with marriage. I’m petrified I’ll no longer know who I am. That it will change us somehow.”

  Lucas laughed. “It will change you, Zee. It will change your relationship with Tedd. As it should. You’ll be as committed to his life as he is to yours, as in a good marriage. And that’s the type of marriage I hope for you.” His voice became teasing. “Besides, you’ll no longer have to skulk around for time alone. You’ll no longer have to hide in alcoves …” He laughed as he dodged the pillow she threw at him.

  “We never hid in alcoves!”

  “No, you were smart enough to meet at his house.”

  At his raised eyebrow, Zylphia flushed.

  “What else troubles you, Zee?” His brows furrowed as he saw her momentary joy rapidly disappear.

  She took the pillow back from him and hugged it to her chest. “I never told you how I’d visited your mother.” At his shocked expression, she grimaced. “I wanted to meet your parents and invite them to my show. I thought they would be like an aunt and uncle to me as I consider you my cousin.”

  “Oh, Zee,” Lucas breathed, as he closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers.

  “I never believed she was as horrid as you’d said.”

  “I have no doubt she proved herself to be so,” Lucas rasped, his eyes lit with fury. “Anything she said to you was meant to hurt and give rise to self-doubt. If she could provoke discord, she would consider it a successful day.”

  Zylphia flushed, her grip on the pillow tightening.

  “Tell me what she said, Zee.”

  “Oh, Lucas, I should never have mentioned it! I’m causing a greater rift between you and your mother now.”

  “There could exist no greater rift between my mother and me, unless she were dead,” he snapped. He flushed at his harsh words and looked away. “Forgive me.”

  She reached out to clasp his hand. “Lucas, I’m sorry I wasn’t more understanding when you spoke of how difficult things were with your parents. I wish … I wish you could have known what it was like to have parents who found joy in all you do.” A tear leaked from her left eye.

  Lucas smiled at her fondly, the anger slowly seeping away. “My father does. Sav does. You do. I take comfort in that.” He leaned forward, and his gaze sharpened. “Now tell me what Mother said to you.”

  Zylphia flushed. “She said I’d fail at obtaining the vote for women and that the women who’d had their hopes raised would come to despise me as they became bitter at their unchanged circumstances. That I’d never succeed.”

  “You know she only speaks her truth. It’s not a universal truth. She’s the woman who’s become bitter and cynical, despairing of any hope, any change. It’s a reflection on her, not you, Zee.” He reached forward and swiped away another tear. “Don’t allow her voice to tarnish what you know to be true.”

  “I know. I thought I’d forgotten what she said. Then we lost by such a huge margin, and all I felt was embarrassed. Embarrassed that we couldn’t even get 40 percent of the men to agree with us.”

  “There is no embarrassment in trying to change the world you live in, Zee. I think persuading 20 percent is monumental, never mind almost 40 percent as you did.” He smiled fondly at her. “You’ll continue to take what you learned from this campaign and use it so that you will be even more successful next time.” They shared a smile. “Now tell me what I can do for your wedding.”

  “Promise you’ll be there with Teddy. That you’ll ensure he’s there,” Zylphia entreated.

  Lucas threw his head back and laughed. She swatted him on his knee. “Oh, Zee, you have no concerns about him not showing up. He’s anxious to wed you. He’d wed you this instant if it were possible.”

  Zee relaxed onto the couch and flushed. “I know. I hate waiting, and the longer we wait, the more my mind conjures all the things that could prevent us from marrying.”

  “Nothing will, Zee. Soon you will be Mrs. Goff, and you will be departing on a grand adventure.” He winked at her. “And, no, I will not give you a hint.” He leaned forward to kiss her on her forehead and then left her contemplating her mysterious honeymoon.

  Parthena and Rowena sat in Sophie’s small back parlor, sipping warm cups of tea and eating too many tea cakes as they awaited the arrival of a few more guests. Sophie sat in disillusioned silence in a seat near the fire, her gaze focused as though on a distant object. She glared at the new arrival. “You’re late,” she said in her scratchy voice.

  Zylphia shook her head. “It couldn’t be helped. I had a last-minute fitting with my dressmaker, and then the automobile broke down. I had to walk the last few blocks,” she said as she bent to kiss them all on the cheek. “Have I missed anything?” She settled on the settee, running a hand down her plum-colored skirt.

  “We waited for you. I assume your mother isn’t coming?” Sophie asked as Zylphia accepted a cup of tea from Parthena. Zylphia shook her head. “Now that we are all here, I want to first say that I couldn’t be more appreciative of the hard work you did for the ballot measure. I want none of you to believe you could have done more to see it succeed.”

  Sophronia’s aquamarine gaze became piercing as she met their inquisitive gazes. “However, now we must work even harder. I am convinced the only way forward is the constitutional amendment, and I believe the national leaders are also in accord. Alice was right when she pushed for the amendment in ’13.”

  Parthena set down her cup with such force that she cracked the bottom of her saucer on the marble top of the tea table. “I think we should move to Washington, DC, now and join Miss Paul and Miss Burns in the movement. Wouldn’t it have been thrilling to drive across country as we’ve been reading about in the Suffragist? Why should we continue to miss out on the important events because we are here?”

  Zylphia arched an amused eyebrow at her friend. “You seem to forget that you are married and that we have participated in important events, the recent march in Boston an illustrious example.”

  “Are
you saying you no longer wish to travel to DC?” Rowena asked.

  “I’m marrying Teddy in two days. I can’t make any plans for a while,” she said. “I know I will eventually join Miss Paul in Washington, but I can’t yet.”

  “I want all of you to sit beside me at the gathering in Faneuil Hall on the sixteenth. It is imperative that we have a show of force and that our opinion about desiring an amendment be heard.” Sophie frowned as she saw Zylphia squirm.

  “I won’t be there, Sophie,” Zylphia admitted, earning a gasp of shock from Parthena. “I promised Teddy that I would travel with him on the honeymoon he planned for us. I can’t ask him to shorten that trip, not after he’s already waited for the vote.”

  Sophie squinted at Zylphia in displeasure. “Are you saying that you are allowing the dictates of your marriage to already interfere with your commitment to universal suffrage?”

  “Not at all. I will always be committed. I know that you will represent me well and that you will inform me of what is discussed. However, I want a good marriage with Teddy, and we need to start well. I can’t ask him to always come second. I won’t,” Zylphia proclaimed with a defiant tilt of her jaw.

  Sophie smiled and nodded her approval. “Good. That’s how it should be. I will not always approve if you absent yourself from your activities, but I understand. You must start your marriage as you want to go on. With mutual respect.”

  Rowena smiled at Zylphia. “Even without you, Zee, we’ll be a strong force to contend with. We’ll keep you informed.”

  “But not on your honeymoon,” Sophie barked. “I believe your young man has been patient with us and our cause, and you both have earned time together, free of interference from family, a war, or any suffragist activities.” She shared a warm glance with Zylphia. “However, on your return, you had better be prepared to plunge back into the battle.”

  Zylphia smiled. “I will. Never doubt my devotion to the cause.”

  Sophie jabbed Parthena with her cane. “Quit sitting there as though you were at a wake. She’s only going on her honeymoon.”

  Parthena raised luminous eyes to Zylphia and shook her head. “I know. I hope you have a wonderful time, Zee. I couldn’t help but feel melancholy as I know that, no matter how much you say it won’t change things, it will. You have another allegiance now.”

  “As do you,” Rowena murmured, earning a glower from Parthena and a snicker from Sophie.

  “Some choose to acknowledge such an alliance. Others choose to ignore it,” Sophie said. She cleared her throat. “I presume we are all in agreement that the only way forward is the constitutional amendment?” At their nods, her mouth firmed. “We will have to find some way to change President Wilson’s mind.”

  Zylphia took a sip of her tea. “I have no doubt that Miss Paul will think of something.” She shared a small smile with Parthena and Rowena. “And soon we will be in Washington to help.”

  19

  Zylphia stood in front of her mirror, her hands shaking as she smoothed down the long ivory-colored satin skirt of her wedding gown. She stilled her instinctive bristling as the maid fussed with her hair before placing the veil on her head. The thin lace did little to obscure the panic reflected in her gaze.

  “Oh, dearest Zee, you look marvelous,” Delia breathed. “I can’t wait for your father to see you.”

  Zylphia almost bit her lip, stopping at the last moment to prevent a reprimand from her mother and maid. “Don’t you think it’s a bit overdone? I would have liked something a bit more simple.” She eyed the dress’s long train. “I fear I’ll trip.”

  “You’ll do fine, darling,” Delia said. She nodded for the maid to leave the room and waited until she heard the click of the door behind her. “Why are you nervous? I know you love Teddy.”

  “It’s a big step, Mother. I feel like I’m leaving my girlhood behind.”

  Delia laughed. “You left that behind years ago. With your successful career as a painter and your involvement with the suffragists, you have been a woman grown for some time.” Delia gripped Zylphia’s hands for a moment. “My mother died before you were born and long before I was reunited with your father. However, she instilled in me a belief that I should be loyal to my husband first. As you should to Teddy.”

  “I know, Mother. We’ve already suffered through enough disagreements and misunderstandings for me to understand that I must speak with him when I’m concerned about something or when we’ve quarreled. Although the counsel of good friends and family is often needed.”

  “Exactly, my darling.” Delia tugged on Zylphia’s hands, urging her toward the door. “Let’s meet your father and get to the church so your poor man isn’t left to wonder if he’s being stood up.”

  “I’d never do that to Teddy,” Zylphia said, her pace quickening behind her mother. She looked behind her as her dress’s train flowed like a small creek in her wake.

  She paused halfway down the velvet-covered staircase to see her father pacing at the base of the stairs. He’d tossed his top hat on the newel post, and he looked dashing in tails. “Father,” she whispered.

  He looked up at her, and a broad smile burst forth. “Oh, Zee. I knew you’d be a beautiful bride, but I never suspected you’d be this beautiful. You’d better be careful, for some other young man may try to steal you away on the drive to the church.”

  Zylphia laughed at her father’s teasing and walked the rest of the way down the stairs. She leaned in for his kiss against her cheek and then forced herself to straighten.

  He took her gently by her shoulders, staring with loving intensity into her gaze. “This is a momentous day for you, my darling daughter. For your mother and me as you leave our home. I want you to know how proud I am to call you my daughter. You are a brave, intelligent, inspiring woman, and I feel so fortunate to have found you.” He swiped at her cheek, marring the thin lace veil with her tears.

  “Thank you, Father,” Zylphia whispered.

  He nodded his understanding that she was unable to say more. He smiled at the love shining in her expression. “Let’s go meet your young man. I imagine he’s anxious to see you,” he said, winging his arm out for her. She gripped his arm, walking beside him as they moved outside to the waiting automobile.

  Teddy paced the alcove off the main nave in the church, the long tails of his formal attire snapping behind him. Lucas Russell sat on one of the uncomfortable wooden chairs with his legs crossed and fingers tapping away on his knees as though he were playing the piano. “She’s a bit late, but brides are always late,” Teddy muttered to himself.

  “Knowing Zee, she made a fuss about the fancy dress Mrs. McLeod bought, and it took extra time to dress her,” Lucas said with a chuckle. He watched Teddy with amused interest.

  Teddy took a deep breath and nodded before continuing his pacing.

  “If you’re this nervous, I’m surprised you’d want to marry the girl,” a man with a deep voice intoned from the doorway. He stood with shoulders slightly stooped, his gray hair parted to one side and nearly matching his eyes. “I’m sure your mother could have found you a more appropriate girl had you asked for her assistance.”

  Teddy stiffened at the older man’s entrance. “I’m surprised you could rouse yourself from the delights of New York City. And I haven’t needed neither your nor Mother’s assistance for some time.” Teddy shook his head at Lucas in silent entreaty to not leave him alone. Lucas settled into his chair, an air of relaxed ennui about him as he studied the two men.

  “I couldn’t have my only living son marry without my presence,” Mr. Goff said.

  Teddy’s previous nervous agitation had fled, and he stood stock-still as he faced his father. “I don’t see why not. You’ve approved of little I’ve done since I was a child. I don’t see that your appearance today will make much difference.”

  The elder Mr. Goff flushed, accenting his gray hair and the sallow color of his complexion. “There’s been little to celebrate in a hermitlike son whose one great cla
im was causing the death of my heir. You can’t even go to war and become a hero. You come back a wounded recluse.”

  Teddy took a step back as though he’d been hit in the chest.

  Lucas jumped to his feet and stood between Teddy and his father. “I know you think a fatherly reunion is de rigueur at moments like this, but I have to admit, I find them overrated. At least with regard to my family. Why don’t you join your wife and see if she is more desirous of your company than we are?” Lucas asked with a feral smile as he effectively pushed Teddy’s father from the alcove.

  When the elder Mr. Goff had departed, Lucas spun to face Teddy, who remained frozen in place. “I thought I was the only unfortunate one to have a parent desirous of causing internal bleeding.” He slapped Teddy on the shoulder, the action jolting Teddy so that he reentered the moment. “He spoke lies intent to hurt, Tedd. Ignore him.”

  Teddy raised luminous eyes to meet Lucas’s worried gaze. “I wish you could have met my twin, Lawrence. Larry. He was everything I’m not.”

  “If you even utter what I think you’re going to utter, you’ll marry with a black eye,” Lucas grumbled.

  Teddy laughed at Lucas and shook his head. “I can see why Zee is so fond of you.” His smile faded. “I know it’s not my fault he died. It wouldn’t be better had he lived and I’d been the one to die.” He took a deep breath. “And I hate my father for making me think about all this minutes before I’m to marry Zee.”

  “You stopped your infernal pacing,” Lucas said as he sat again on his chair. He glanced to the doorway again, this time filled by one of the young men acting as ushers, all from the orphanage Delia used to run, although none of the high society members or businessmen would suspect as much with their fine dress. Lucas smirked. As long as they refrained from speaking. He nodded to the young man in silent understanding and motioned for him to leave. “It’s time, Tedd.” He shared a smile with him. “Your bride awaits you.” He slapped him on the back again as he propelled him from the alcove into the front of the church.