Zylphia stood in the receiving line, smiling at the ever-growing number of well-wishers. She shifted as her new shoes dug into her heels and attempted to feign interest in another business associate of her father’s. She felt Teddy stiffen and glanced up, meeting a pair of eyes that matched her husband’s. Her smile faltered for a moment as she awaited the introduction.
“Zylphia, Mrs. Goff, this is my father, Mr. Goff. He was unable to attend any of the pre-wedding festivities,” Teddy intoned in a flat voice.
His lack of all emotion sent a shiver down Zylphia’s spine. She conjured a smile for her father-in-law. “Mr. Goff, it is lovely to finally meet you.”
“I hope you understand what you’ve just done, my girl,” he said, the crisp British accent unmistakable.
“Yes, I’ve married the man I love and admire,” Zylphia said, her smile fading as she dared him with an intense stare to contradict her. “As should anyone who knows him.” She turned her attention from Teddy’s father to his mother, her vivacity diminished as she stood next to her husband. “Mrs. Goff, thank you so much for all your kindness and support.” She pasted on a smile as her in-laws were pushed into the large ballroom.
Zylphia reached her hand down and gripped Teddy’s in solidarity and support. “Ignore his spite, darling,” she whispered as she straightened her shoulders.
A few guests later, she smiled broadly and leaned in for a warm embrace when Parthena reached her. “Oh, P.T. Thank you for being here today,” Zylphia whispered.
“I wouldn’t have missed it. You look radiant, Zee, and I’m delighted for you and Teddy. At last,” she murmured, her gaze shining with joy for her friend. “Be happy.”
Zylphia hugged her again quickly before shaking Morgan’s hand and focusing on enduring the remainder of the receiving line.
When they were free from greeting their guests, Zylphia separated from Teddy to mingle. She snagged a flute of champagne and joined Sophie and Florence for a moment. Parthena was across the room with Rowena, while Morgan was nearby with his business associates. The ballroom—festooned in bouquets of yellow roses, sunflowers, and dahlias—was filled with people she barely knew. “How did they find all these yellow flowers this time of year?” Zylphia asked.
“It’s why they have hothouses,” Sophie said. “I want to know why a piano is on that dais.” She nodded to a corner of the room. At Zylphia’s confused stare, Sophie frowned. “I was surprised to see that Russell boy stand up with Teddy today.”
“He and Teddy became friends, and Teddy didn’t really have anyone else to ask. His English family refused to come over due to the dangers of sea travel.”
“There is an agreement that the Germans will no longer sink American merchant ships,” Florence said.
“Yes, and I’m thankful for that agreement as that’s how Teddy managed to return to me a few months ago. However, I think his English relatives were afraid the truce would end and they’d become marooned in America.” Zylphia shared a wry smile with Sophie and Florence.
“Heaven forbid,” Sophie said. “It’s a pity a train didn’t derail and prevent his father from arriving in time to attend the wedding. A singularly uncouth man.”
Zylphia bit back a bark of laughter. “I agree.” Her face lit with joy as she saw Teddy motioning for her. “I have to go.” She leaned forward to embrace Sophie and Florence. “If I don’t see you before I leave, thank you for everything.”
“Don’t for one moment think about meetings or the cause. We’ll have plenty of work for you upon your return. Enjoy your time with your young man,” Sophie said.
Florence raised her eyebrows. “Yes, enjoy yourself.” She giggled as Zylphia blushed.
Zylphia wove her way through the crowd to join Teddy toward the center of the ballroom. He took her hand and raised it, kissing her fingertips. “What is it?” she whispered.
“First, I missed you and wanted a moment with you,” he said, his smile reaching his eyes when he saw the pleasure his simple comment evoked. “Second, this is my surprise for you. Dance with me?” he asked.
Zylphia glanced around to realize the majority of the dance floor had been cleared for them. She saw Lucas sitting at the piano but with no music in front of him. Teddy nodded to Lucas, who winked at Zylphia before he raised his hands and began to play.
A soothing, slow lullaby of a song emerged, and Zylphia followed Teddy into a sedate dance akin to a waltz. The sweet, melodious music was filled with yearning, love, and promise. She gazed into Teddy’s eyes and battled tears.
“Why the tears, my love?” he murmured as they danced in front of the large crowd. “I had hoped to please you.”
“You do please me. Your desire to bring me joy dispels all my nonsensical fears.” She leaned forward and laid her head on his shoulder and whispered into his ear, “I love you, Teddy. I wish I had thought of a wedding present for you.”
He chuckled. “You are a fine present, my love. I could ask for nothing more.” He fought a groan as his father-in-law, Aidan, interrupted his dance with Zylphia, while Teddy found himself dancing with his mother.
The music changed subtly, no longer meant for a newly married husband and wife but for family and friends. The harmony from the song “Suwannee River” echoed throughout the arrangement, and Zylphia beamed at Lucas while others joined them on the dance floor.
“It does me good to see you this happy, Zee,” her father said as they danced. “Lucas wrote you a beautiful song.”
“Yes, he did. And now he’s forcing everyone to dance to one of our songs.” At her father’s confused expression, she said, “This is a suffragist song, Father.”
Aidan threw back his head and laughed. “Oh, I need to learn to never underestimate the cunning of an artist.” He shared a smile with his daughter. “He has us dancing to your tune.”
“He does,” Zee said with pride. “I just wish we could sing the lyrics so everyone understood.”
Aidan saw a few disgruntled faces on the dance floor and nodded to them in an approving manner. “Enough of them understand, Zee. And, if they didn’t realize we weren’t giving up the battle, the fact that every flower and adornment in the room is a variation of white, yellow, and purple should have given them their first indication.”
He could sense his time with his daughter was coming to an end, and he held her arms a bit more tightly. “Take your time with your husband, and enjoy it. Don’t fret about what needs to be done. Plenty of opportunities await you to further make your mark in the movement.” He kissed her head and released her as the music came to an end.
Aidan and Zylphia joined in applauding Lucas, and she blew him a kiss. He nodded his understanding to her, and they shared a smile. He bowed a few times, ignored calls for an encore, and disappeared into the crowd.
Lucas pushed through the crowd, intent on finding a space to hide away from peering eyes and preening fans. He pushed into a small room, the family’s private parlor, and sighed with relief to find it empty. He moved to a comfortable gentleman’s chair and settled into it. He stared into the banked fire, stretching his legs in front of him. At the click of the door opening, he groaned. “Please go away and leave me alone,” he murmured.
“If you wish,” a female whispered. A voice he dreamed about still.
“Parthena, wait,” Lucas rasped, rising from his chair and facing her as she made to leave the parlor. “What are you doing here?”
“Same as you, I suspect. I wanted to escape the crush of bilious businessmen.” They shared an amused smile. “My husband is in his element.”
“He’ll be irate if he finds you here with me,” he said, settling again into his chair, now angled so he could see her near the doorway.
“He has no reason to doubt my constancy, not after months as a dutiful wife.”
“I suspect he fears you have a quota of such months in you and that you’ll run through them quickly. His unease comes from the fact he doesn’t know how many months you have, so he is left in constant trep
idation of your imminent departure,” Lucas said with a teasing smile.
“Don’t,” Parthena snapped. “Don’t be nice to me. Not after how I treated you.” She entered the room and shut the door to ensure privacy but remained near the exit of the room. She held her hands low over her waist, the sage green of her skirts highlighting her beauty.
“I’m not an idiot, Parthena. I might act like one on occasion, but I’m not a permanent idiot. I came to understand why you acted like you did.”
“Why? Why did I act like I did?” she challenged.
“Because you needed to have marital harmony and couldn’t have me pressuring you to dishonor your vows. It was wrong of me, and I am sorry.” He looked away, toward the fire. “My only excuse is that I thought I’d found in you someone who, … well, someone who’d understand.” He shook his head ruefully. “I found that dream hard to relinquish.” He frowned when he saw her battling tears.
“I never meant to hurt you, Lucas. I’m sorry for … for everything.”
He rose, his cheeks limned with an angry flush. “For God’s sake, don’t be sorry. For, if you’re sorry, then it means it was all a mistake. A mistake for me to write you. To find hope in another. I will never regret that.”
A tear trickled down her cheek. “I pray you find that hope again, Lucas.”
He reached forward, grasping her hand and preventing her from fleeing the room as she had intended after speaking those words. “Have you found your hope, Parthena?” His worried gaze roved over her face. “Does he understand you any better now than before?”
She sniffled. “My marriage is not your concern, Mr. Russell.”
He smiled sadly. “Then that is my answer. I’m sorry, Thena—for you will always be Thena to me—that you have martyred yourself for the sake of your family’s well-being. I will find another who fills me with joy. And what you and I shared will become nothing more than a wonderful memory.” He released her hand and looked toward the door in dismissal. “Good-bye, Mrs. Wheeler.”
He returned to his chair and sat, his gaze again focused on the grate. He counted his breaths after the door clicked behind her retreating form. He counted to one hundred, then one thousand, and knew that he had lied. He had little hope for finding joy for himself.
Aidan stood in a rear parlor with business associates, discussing the war’s impact on trade. He excused himself when he saw Delia enter the room. After clasping her hand, he kissed it, frowning as he saw her battling tears. “What’s the matter, my love?”
She swiped at her cheek at his gentle inquiry. “Zee is preparing to leave.” Her voice broke on the word leave.
“She’ll come back to us,” Aidan whispered as he kissed his wife’s forehead. “Come. Let’s be there to send her off.”
He and Delia maneuvered their way through the crowd, their arms linked. He smiled and called out his thanks to those who congratulated them but kept moving. They approached the grand staircase as Zylphia descended, sophisticated in an ice-blue traveling suit.
She laughed at something Florence said as she accepted her bouquet from her. Then she spun, flinging it over her shoulder as she giggled. “There, those who were prepared had a fighting chance.” She laughed with glee as one of Rowena’s cousins caught the elaborate floral display.
Aidan stepped forward to embrace her. “I’m very proud of you, my darling daughter. Today and every day.” He swiped at her cheeks as a tear fell. “I hope you have a wonderful journey and that you come home with a multitude of stories for us.”
“I will, Father. I’ll miss you,” she whispered as she first hugged him and then her mother. “I’ll write.”
“I should hope not too often,” Delia said, causing Zylphia to laugh and Aidan to snicker. “Enjoy your time away, my darling Zee.”
Zylphia squeezed her mother’s arm, her gaze brightening as she beheld Teddy. She moved toward him, and they departed amid cheers and catcalls to the awaiting automobile.
Aidan exhaled deeply, his breath stuttering. “And they’re off. The house will seem deserted without her.”
Delia leaned into his side, seeking comfort as she comforted him.
“Russell,” a man called out in a deep voice, and a hand clapped on his shoulder, just as Lucas was about to depart the McLeod mansion. “I need a word with you.”
Lucas stilled and studied a very apprehensive-looking Morgan. “Speak.”
Morgan shook his head and motioned for him to follow him into Aidan’s library. He shut the door behind him, the room softly lit with a desk lamp and a wall sconce near Zylphia’s painting. “I asked Aidan if I could use his study, and he agreed.”
Lucas remained standing near the door, ignoring Morgan’s wave to take a seat in one of the comfortable leather chairs in front of Aidan’s desk. He crossed his arms and glowered at Morgan.
“I’ll not attack you, so please sit. I have a proposition for you, and I would appreciate it if you would hear me out.” Morgan settled into his high-backed chair and crossed his legs, appearing relaxed. Lucas sat and mimicked Morgan’s pose.
“I know you’ve taken quite an interest in Mrs. Wheeler’s artistic accomplishments. I also know that you both believe I married her out of spite, which is patently untrue.” He took a deep breath. “One of my main reasons for marrying her was to save her from the likes of Mr. Carlisle.”
Lucas squinted as he thought through the catalog of influential people he’d met in Boston. “I remain unacquainted with him.”
“Consider yourself fortunate. He’s older than our fathers and has a cruel streak. He’s desirous of a young bride to produce a legitimate son, and he doesn’t care if the woman who is his bride is willing or not.”
Lucas paled. “Surely her father would have sense to protect his daughters from such a man?”
Morgan arched an eyebrow. “When one is desperate …”
Lucas stared at Zylphia’s painting. “She never explained to me what had been threatened, only that she needed to marry you to help her family.”
“If she didn’t marry a man wealthy enough to overcompensate what Mr. Carlisle offered, then she, or her next younger sister Genevieve, was to marry him.”
Lucas’s expression became desolate. “I never understood because I was too caught up in my own sense of betrayal.”
Morgan laughed. “An interesting word choice, Russell. It seems her father has little sense of honor as he’s promised his next eldest daughter to marry Carlisle on the fourth of December.”
Lucas’s appalled expression clashed with Morgan’s stormy one. “Why? I know you provided a generous settlement. It was the talk of Boston last summer, with most thinking you a fool for paying so dearly for a woman …” Lucas flushed and bit off the remainder of his words.
“For paying so dearly for a woman who hated me?” Morgan asked, ignoring what else Lucas could have said. “Yes, perhaps I was a fool, but I couldn’t allow harm to come to Mrs. Wheeler or her sister.”
“For God’s sake, call her Parthena,” Lucas snapped. He leaned his head against the high back of his chair as he thought through what he’d learned. “I’m sorry for the predicament your extended family finds themselves in, but I don’t know what it has to do with me or why you’ve shared the sordid details with me. A man you must despise.”
“If rumors are to be believed, you’ve done quite well for yourself this past year. You’ve made a tiny fortune,” Morgan murmured. “And, from what I’ve discovered, you live a modest life in rented rooms barely big enough to hold your cherished piano.”
“Not that it’s any of your business, but you are correct.” Lucas shrugged his shoulders. “I was raised among the elite, and I’ve learned that there is very little they have that would cause me to want to beggar myself in the obtaining of it.”
“I also heard you were left a sizeable amount from your childless aunt.” Morgan speared him with an intense look as Lucas flushed with anger.
“How dare you make inquiries into my personal finances,”
he rasped.
“I needed to learn if my wife had good instincts in trusting you. I believe she was correct. I’ve already tried once, and failed, to save Genevieve with my money. I won’t be so foolish a second time.” He paused, nodding as he saw understanding glimmer in Lucas’s gaze. “I want someone Mrs. Wheeler and I trust to travel with her sister. To take her far away.”
“You can’t know what you’re asking,” Lucas said.
Morgan steepled his fingers. “I do actually. I’m asking you to travel with Genevieve. Whisk her away from Boston and keep her safe from her father and Mr. Carlisle.”
Lucas gripped the arms of his chair in panic before he rose and paced around Aidan’s office. “I can’t travel with a young unmarried woman, unchaperoned.” He ran a hand through his hair. “Not unless …”
“Not unless you’re married.”
Lucas stilled, staring out the blackened window overlooking the front garden. In the distance, he heard the faint sounds of laughter, of guests taking their leave, of the front door opening and closing. “You ask too much.”
“Parthena is lost to you. She always will be.” Morgan’s voice held no note of triumph in that statement. “She is an honorable woman.”
“She cares for you,” Lucas murmured. “Yes, she’s honorable, but she also cares.” He rested his forehead against the cool windowpane, his thoughts racing. “I’ll need a few days to consider what you are requesting,” he murmured.
“That’s more than I thought you’d give,” Morgan said. He rose and followed Lucas from the room, nodding once before he melted into the crowd.
Lucas sighed and reentered the office, shutting the door behind him. He slumped into the chair he’d only just vacated, deep in thought as he sat mesmerized, staring at Zylphia’s painting. He rubbed a hand over his face, uncertain of his decision.
Unrelenting Love: Banished Saga, Book Five Page 24
