by Merry Farmer
Nick stopped and frowned, turning to her. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, your mother and my mother are waiting for us at the church.”
Suspicion crawled down his back, leaving him restless, as if under attack. “Why are they at the church?”
“Because it’s Sunday?” Mavis suggested. Her eyes darted to the side, as if looking for something or waiting for someone.
“Services were over hours ago,” Nick pressed her. “Why would they still be at the church.”
“I don’t know,” she said, not meeting his eyes. “I only know that Mama told me to meet her there, and to bring you, since your mother would be there too.”
His mum had told him no such thing. He hadn’t spoken to her much since they’d had their talk over tea, but he went home every third Sunday. It was possible he’d missed a message from her that Mavis had received, but still, something seemed wrong.
“I think I’ll head home first,” he said, starting off down the street.
Mavis grabbed him and yanked him to a stop. She laughed, but there was an anxious light in her eyes. “Why do you need to do that? I told you everyone is at the church. And the church is just over that way.” She pointed in the opposite direction he wanted to go.
Nick let out a breath and swept the cap from his head, rubbed his forehead with his arm, and set his cap back in place. The church both of their families attended wasn’t far from the station. It wouldn’t take too much out of his day to stop by and see if what Mavis said was true. If she was leading him on some wild goose chase, he could explain that to his mum later, possibly use it as further proof that he and Mavis weren’t suited for each other.
“All right,” he said at last.
“I knew you’d see things my way,” Mavis said with a relieved smile.
She hooked her arm through his, holding on as though he would bolt at any moment as they started down the street. He might have run if given half a chance. Nothing about the errand felt right.
“Have you given more thought to what I said a few days ago?” he asked as they walked.
“What did you say a few days ago?” She glanced quickly at him, but for the most part kept her eyes on the sidewalk in front of them. Her steps were rushed.
“About postponing the wedding,” Nick said through clenched teeth. “Mum thinks, and I agree, that, all things considered, we should give it a little more time, really think about whether we’re suited for each other or not.” The way he said it, even the hint that there was a chance for the two of them to marry after all, felt like a terrible lie and left Nick’s stomach sour.
“Of course we’re suitable,” Mavis said quickly. “Why would you think we’re not?”
“Because I love Poppy,” he said, almost laughing at the absurdity of her question.
“No you don’t,” she said, pulling him along faster. “You love me. You just had to get something out of your system by being with her.”
“No.” He pulled her to a stop, staring hard at her. “I love Poppy. I want to marry her, not you. The only reason I haven’t called things off altogether is because Mum asked me to take some time, to think about it. But I don’t need to think about it. I want Poppy. Not you.”
Rather than the fury Nick expected to see in Mavis’s eyes, he saw panic. “No, you want to marry me. You’ve always wanted to marry me. You have to marry me.”
“How can you still want me after everything I just said?” Nick asked, skating too close to losing his temper for his comfort.
“Because…because I love you,” Mavis burst out. Her expression shifted slightly, and she burst into a smile that felt as false and brittle as fool’s gold. “That’s right, Nick. I love you. I always have. You’re the man I dream about at night. I was a fool to leave for London when I did, when I could have had you by my side forever.” She threw her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. “Can you ever forgive me?”
Nick stumbled back as her body hit his. He held his arms to the side, keenly aware of the passersby staring at them. “Get ahold of yourself,” he whispered, tugging Mavis away from him and setting her on her feet. “You’re making a spectacle of yourself.”
“No I’m not,” she snapped, back to anger again. “You’re making a spectacle of me. If you hadn’t dallied with that little trollop, I wouldn’t be in this mess.”
“Don’t speak about Poppy like that,” he warned her, his voice low.
She winced. “All right, all right. I won’t. I won’t ever say another word about her, if you just marry me.”
“Mavis,” he began, pinching his eyes shut in a grimace.
“There isn’t time for this.” She grabbed his hand, startling his eyes open, and dragging him on down the street. “We have to get to the church.”
Nick wanted to protest. He wanted to yank Mavis to a stop and demand she tell him what was really going on. But the prospect of a public confrontation left him cold. At least if they were at the church, they would be away from the prying eyes of strangers.
But when they finally reached the small, parish church where both of their families had been members since well before either of them were born, the only people there were the priest, his wife, and her sister.
“There you are,” Mrs. Corning, the priest’s wife, greeted them with a wide smile. “We were wondering when you’d get here.”
“Is my mother here?” Nick asked with a frown. His back itched with suspicion.
Mrs. Corning sent him a confused, slightly sympathetic look. “Why would she be here when she’s at home with a cold?”
Nick’s suspicion flared to alarm. “She didn’t send me word that she’s sick.”
Mavis laughed anxiously. “Did I not mention that?”
“You said she’d be here.” Nick narrowed his eyes at her.
“Well, it doesn’t matter.” She brushed the air with one hand and grabbed his hand with the other. “Let’s get on with things.”
“What things?” Nick asked, his feet planted firmly in the middle of the aisle.
“Why, your wedding, of course,” Rev. Corning said as he approached them from the front of the church in full robes. He blinked in confusion between Nick and Mavis. “That is why we’re here, isn’t it?”
“The bans have been read,” Mrs. Corning added.
Nick whirled to face Mavis, heart pounding with fury. “Is that why you dragged me here?” he demanded.
“The bans have been read,” Mavis said with a thready laugh and a shrug. “Why wait a moment longer.”
“Because I don’t want to marry you, Mavis,” he said, far louder than he intended.
Rev. and Mrs. Corning jumped in surprise. Mrs. Corning’s sister gasped from where she stood, closer to the front of the church.
“Oh dear. This is quite irregular,” Rev. Corning stammered, his large jowls flapping. “I’m not sure what the Church recommends one do in a situation like this.”
Nick knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to turn around and march right out of the church, never seeing Mavis again. He got as far as turning toward the door when Ginny and Poppy burst through the entrance. They were both red-faced, windblown, and panting.
“Stop the wedding,” Ginny managed to gasp as they rushed up the aisle. “It’s a sham.”
“What are you talking about?” Mavis yelped, clutching Nick’s arm.
Nick shook her off and took a few steps toward Poppy as she leaned against the back row of pews, hand pressed to her chest as she caught her breath. “You can’t marry her, Nick. She’s been lying to you.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Mavis laughed, high and nervous. “I’ve never told you an untruth in my life.”
She tried once more to grab him, but Nick dodged her. He closed the distance to Poppy, but stopped short of pulling her into his arms.
“What do you mean she’s lying?”
Poppy gulped and took a few more breaths, pushing away from the pew to stand straight. “She’s pregnant.”
&
nbsp; Shock reverberated through Nick. Silence seemed to fill the church. He stared at Poppy, seeing nothing but honesty and love in her eyes.
“At least, she’s probably pregnant,” Poppy went on, her already pink cheeks growing redder. “It’s what the staff from London thinks.”
“Those jealous cows?” Mavis laughed. Nick twisted to find her wringing her hands and glancing around anxiously. Guilt was written across her face. “They’d say anything to undermine me.”
Nick studied her with narrowed eyes, desperate to know the truth. “Are you pregnant?”
“No,” she laughed, then swallowed as though she might be sick.
“The London staff seems to think Mavis has had a great many gentlemen callers since moving to Town,” Ginny said, moving to stand by Poppy’s side. “They believe she was recently involved with a married doctor, and that the only reason she volunteered to come back to Cornwall was because she’d gotten in trouble.”
“That’s ridiculous.” Mavis swayed from one foot to the other, sending a desperate look to Rev. Corning and his wife. “I would never do anything like that. I’m a good girl. I always have been.”
Nick narrowed his eyes further. Mavis hadn’t been particularly good when the two of them had gotten involved years ago. She certainly hadn’t been a shrinking violet, and even then, he’d doubted she was a virgin. It hadn’t bothered him. Women were free to pursue their interests as much as they wanted. But not when they’d made promises, promises they were forcing him to keep. And not when it meant innocent women, like Poppy, were hurt in the process.
“I don’t think the London staff is lying,” Ginny said.
Nick turned to her, but quickly glanced on to Poppy to see what she thought. Poppy’s breathing had slowed, but her expression was pinched with regret. “I hate to think ill of anyone,” she began, “but I don’t think the London staff is lying either.”
A blossom of warmth filled Nick’s chest, his pounding heart at its center. If she had spoken out and condemned Mavis, he wouldn’t have held it against her. But it was clear that she was trying hard not to speak ill of anyone, even the woman who was intent on destroying her chance for happiness. And Nick suddenly felt just how much he loved her. Nothing, not even familial duty, would stop him from marrying her.
All the same, he needed to be sure of the truth.
“Fine,” he said, turning back to Mavis. “You tell me you’ve been faithful to me and that you’re not carrying another man’s child, and I’ll marry you.”
“What?” Ginny snapped, clearly irate.
“Really?” Mavis blinked at him as though she could hardly believe her luck.
Nick crossed his arms. He glanced to Poppy with nothing but confidence in his eyes. A slight smile touched the corners of her mouth. She trusted him. She might have even predicted what he was about to say.
He turned back to Mavis. “I’ll marry you. In one year.”
“A year?” Mavis’s back snapped straight. “No! No, I won’t wait a year. I need to marry you now.”
“Need to?” Nick arched a brow.
“Want to,” Mavis corrected herself, shaking her head. She was breathing fast and shallow, and raised a hand to her stomach. “I want to marry you, Nick. I’ve always wanted to.” Her nervous laugh was painful to watch.
“Fine. Then next year—”
“No, not next year. It has to be now.”
“Six months from now.” Nick shrugged.
“No, now. Now, now, now.”
“If you won’t wait, I won’t marry you,” Nick insisted.
“But you have to,” Mavis said, swaying, eyes wide, looking as though she would jump out of her skin. “If you don’t, I’ll be humiliated.”
“No you won’t,” Nick said. “Plenty of women have broken engagements. Unless that’s not what you’re talking about. Unless you mean something else entirely.”
“But…you can’t…if you won’t….” She gulped in a breath as though she were drowning. “He said he’d leave his wife and marry me,” she burst. “Or if not, that he’d keep me on the side. But…but when I told him it was his baby, he refused to believe me.”
A strange, awkward sense of relief splashed through Nick as the truth came out. Mavis had been false, and he wouldn’t have to marry her. Not even his mother would expect him to now. He was free to get down on one knee to Poppy and promise to love her forever. But that didn’t stop the odd sense of embarrassment and pity that rushed in as Mavis continued to talk, as though she’d held the truth inside for too long.
“And then he refused to help me get rid of it,” she went on, bursting into tears. “And him a doctor. Said it was immoral. But he wouldn’t marry me or give me any money. Like that’s any less immoral than getting a girl in trouble and casting her aside. So what was I supposed to do?” she pleaded with Nick. “What was I supposed to do?”
“You could have told me the truth, and we could have figured out a way to deal with it,” he said, surprised by the pity he felt for her.
“You…you would have married me if I’d told you I was carrying another man’s child?” She blinked at him, incredulous.
“No.” Nick shook his head. “I love Poppy, and I’m going to marry her. Nothing could possibly change that.” He glanced quickly to Poppy with a smile. She hadn’t moved from her spot, but her hands now covered the bottom half of her face as if she were shocked. But her eyes shone with love and happiness. Nick wanted to run to her, but he wasn’t quite finished. He turned back to Mavis. “I would have helped you find a way to have your baby without ruining your life. We all would have.” He glanced back to Poppy and Ginny.
Ginny’s face was a mask of ire, but Poppy rushed forward until she reached Nick’s side. “We can still find a way to help,” she said, taking Nick’s hand.
Mavis stared at her, incredulous. “You would help me?”
Poppy looked up at Nick. In spite of everything, in spite of how horrid Mavis had been to her every step of the way, the look Poppy sent him appealed to every bit of kindness Nick had in him. Poppy’s selflessness left him breathless. She was far and away the best person he’d ever known, and he would gladly spend the rest of his life working to deserve her love.
“Of course we’ll help you,” Nick said, not so much because he harbored any burning need to help someone who had played him for a fool, but because Poppy wanted it.
“Maybe Jack Fisher would be interested in a woman who’s already expecting a child,” Poppy suggested.
“Surely not,” Nick said, his mouth twitching into an incredulous grin.
Poppy shrugged. “He was willing to marry me, even though he knew I loved you and would only ever love you.”
Nick smiled. The warmth of Poppy’s sweetness filled him, body and soul. “You really love me?”
“How could you possibly doubt it,” she said, her eyes shining.
He turned fully to her, sliding his arms around her. “I don’t. I just like to hear you say it.”
“I love you, Nick Parsons,” she said, smiling so widely she laughed. “I love you, and I will always love you.”
“I love you too,” he said, feeling it to the bottom of his soul. “And I swear, I’ll do whatever it takes to make you the happiest woman in the world.”
“You already have,” she said.
And, bold as brass, she lifted up on her toes to kiss him. Nick held her tighter, letting her warmth infuse him. He would never grow tired of kissing her, never grow tired of her smile or the way her laughter made him feel as though his heart was filled with sunshine. He would never disappoint her again, if he could help it, and he’d never let anyone hurt her. Because she was his, now and forever.
Epilogue
The wedding took place on a blustery, November day. The wind beat against the walls outside the small, seaside church, but inside, the congregation was cozy and happy. Poppy held tightly to Nick’s hand, beaming with joy as the priest read the wedding vows.
“The bride looks so pre
tty,” she whispered, leaning closer to Nick.
“Really?” Nick whispered back, sliding his arm around her shoulders, even though they were in church. “I hadn’t noticed.”
Poppy shook her head and tried to hide her laughter. “You know she’s pretty.”
He shook his head. “The most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen was you on our wedding day. No one else will ever come close.”
She couldn't help herself. Poppy twisted and beamed up at her husband. They’d only been married a fortnight, but it felt as though they’d been part of each other since the dawn of time. There hadn’t been any reason to wait, once things with Mavis had been sorted out. Before they left the Porthleven church, Nick had dropped to one knee and begged Poppy for her hand in marriage, in spite of all the trials and confusion they’d had to endure to get there. Poppy had said yes before Nick could finish his question, which had seemed as clumsy as tripping over her own feet at the time. Nick had laughed and then kissed her, and the two of them had asked Rev. Corning if there was any possible way they could be married immediately.
Since there wasn’t any legal way to marry without the bans being read over three Sundays, or with a special license, which neither of them was fancy enough to obtain, they’d had to settle for an early November wedding. Miss Victoria was sad to lose Poppy as a maid, but happy enough for them to attend the ceremony, along with Lord Peter and Lady Mariah, which was considered a stunning show of approval for the wedding of two servants.
But Nick and Poppy’s wedding wasn’t the only one that made a great many people happy.
“Do you, Jack Fisher, take this woman, Mavis Jenkins, to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, ’til death do you part?”
“I do,” Jack said with a fond smile for Mavis.
And do you, Mavis Jenkins, take this man, Jack Fisher, to have and to hold, to love, honor, and obey, ’til death to you part?”
“I do,” Mavis answered, a look of gratitude in her eyes. Poppy could have sworn that she added a mouthed, “Thank you,” before the priest moved on to the rings.
