Senator's Bride

by Jane Peart

  ZONDERVAN

  Senator's Bride

  Copyright © 1994 by Jane Peart

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of Zondervan.

  ePub Edition July 2009 ISBN: 978-0-310-83320-8

  Requests for information should be addressed to:

  Zondervan Publishing House

  Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Peart, Jane.

  Senator's bride / Jane Peart.

  p. cm. - (Brides of Montclair series : bk. 12)

  ISBN 0-310-67151-5

  1. Family—Virginia—Williamsburg Region—History—20th century—Fiction. I. Title. II. Series: Peart, Jane. Brides of Montclair series : bk. 12.

  PS3566.E238S45 1994

  813'.54—dc20

  94-2149

  CIP

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

  Edited by Anne Severance

  Cover design by Art Jacobs

  Cover illustration by Wes Lowe, Sal Baracc and Assoc., Inc.

  94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 / DH / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

  Contents

  Cover Page

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Prologue

  Part I

  Chapter 1

  Part II

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Part III

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Part IV

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Part V

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Part VI

  Chapter 30

  Collect the Entire Saga!

  About The Author

  About the Publisher

  Share Your Thoughts

  Prologue

  FOR NEW READERS of the family saga of the Brides of Montclair—and to refresh the memories of readers of the previous books in the series—the following summary is presented.

  The members of two Mayfield families—of English and Scottish heritage and both early settlers in Virginia—have been friends and neighbors since before the American Revolution. Their lives and destinies have been interwoven through many generations. In the two books before this present one, Mirror Bride and Hero's Bride, we have now entered the twentieth century.

  Several years have passed since we left Kip Montrose and the Cameron twins, Cara and Kitty (from Hero's Bride). All three young people were profoundly affected by the First World War in which they all played vital roles, Kip as an aviator in the volunteer Lafayette Escadrille (attached to the French army); Cara as an ambulance driver; and Kitty as a Red Cross nurse. Now all three have returned to America and are trying to find their way in the post-war world.

  Emerging into adulthood are the three children of the artist Jeff Montrose (Blythe Cameron's son by her first marriage to Malcolm Montrose) and his late wife, Faith. Faith, the daughter of Garnet and Jeremy Devlin, perished tragically in the sinking of the Titanic in 1912.

  Their three children, Lynette, Gareth, and Bryanne, have been separated since the tragedy. Their grief-stricken artist father, Jeff, has sought solace in the art colony in Taos, New Mexico. Lynette lives at Cameron Hall; Gareth is at boarding school; and Bryanne lives with her grandmother Garnet in England.

  Senator's Bride begins on the eve of 1920 and brings new people into the lives of the Montrose and Cameron families—people who will change their lives dramatically.

  Brief Family Background

  Jeff Montrose is Blythe Cameron's son by her first marriage.

  Scott, and Cara and Kitty (the twins) are Blythe's children by her second marriage to Rod Cameron. This make's Jeff, Scott, Cara, and Kitty all half-siblings, and, therefore, Jeffs children are Scott, Cara, and Kitty's nieces and nephews.

  Jonathan Montrose is Jeffs half-brother, both being sons of Malcolm Montrose, Therefore, Jonathan's children, Kip and Meredith, are cousins of Jeffs children.

  Since Garnet Devlin (Cameron) was Rod Cameron's sister, she and Blythe are sisters-in-law. Since Garnet's daughter Faith married Blythe's son Jeff, they also have mutual grandchildren: Lynette, Gareth, and Bryanne.

  Part I

  Cameron Hall

  December 1919

  chapter

  1

  LYNETTE MONTROSE stood at her bedroom window, staring out into the wintry darkness. It was New Year's Eve and guests would soon be arriving for her Grandmother Blythe's first Open House since the war's end. At eighteen, Lynette would be participating in the festivities for the first time. She should be feeling excited and happy; instead, she was gripped by an inexplicable sense of melancholy. What on earth is wrong with me?

  Shivering, she turned back to the room, cozy with the glow of lamplight and the warmth from coals burning in the fireplace. Her glance fell on the lovely new red velvet dress, a gift from her aunt Kitty Traherne and her first really grown-up evening gown, spread out on the bed ready to put on. Only a few days before, Lynette had been ecstatic about finding it in its gilt-bowed box under the Christmas tree. But now she felt no particular anticipation about wearing it.

  Maybe she was feeling the normal let-down because the holidays were nearly over and she would soon be returning to school. Or maybe it was the familiar sadness of yet another Christmas spent apart from her father, brother, and sister that made her feel this way.

  Lynette smoothed her hand over the rich fabric of the dress. How dear of Kitty to buy it for her. But then, ever since Lynette had come to live at Cameron Hall after her mother Faith's death, Kitty had spoiled her. It was almost as if Kitty was trying to make up for what she perceived to be the neglect of his parental responsibilities by Jeff Montrose, Kitty's half-brother. Of course, Lynette's father, Jeff, had sent her a Christmas present—some heavy silver-and-turquoise Indian jewelry from New Mexico, where he was living now. But even his selection of the gift stung a little. I f he knew her better, he would have known that the bracelet and necklace were the kind she would never wear!

  Lynette felt instantly guilty. She had tried not to resent her father for distancing himself from her both geographically and emotionally. Not just from her, of course, but from her brother Gareth, too, and their younger sister, Bryanne.

  Maybe she shouldn't blame him. When their mother died in the aftermath of the sinking of the Titanic, their grief-stricken father had been inconsolable. He had left everything in the care of others—his flourishing career as an artist, his island home, Avalon, and his three children. Lynette had tried to unde
rstand, but ever since their mother's death, the little family had been adrift—Bryanne, living at Birchfields with their maternal Grandmother Garnet Devlin; Gareth at school; and she here at Cameron Hall with Grandmother Blythe. It had been nearly seven years now, and they were still apart.

  For the last few years Grandmother Devlin had used the war as an excuse for not bringing Bryanne back to Virginia, thwarting all attempts to reunite the motherless children by forcing their father to accept his responsibility in making a home for the three of them.

  Gareth had spent some time with their father in Taos, New Mexico, but at Grandmother Blythe's insistence, he had been sent back here to Virginia and enrolled at Briarwood Prep. At least now they could see each other on holidays and during summer vacation. But it was Bryanne who concerned Lynette most. Growing up in England, she scarcely knew her Virginia family.

  Maybe it was just because she was the oldest that Lynette so deeply mourned the loss of both parents and dreamed often of a reunion with her brother and sister. Now at eighteen, she seemed more conscious than ever of the inner loneliness she tried to mask all these years.

  Of course, no one knew . . . at least, no one acknowledged her loneliness. After all, why should they? No doubt, they would probably only wonder how one could feel bereft when surrounded by people who loved and cared about her. Certainly she had had everything a child could possibly want—her own room, lavish toys and games, even her own pony.

  Perhaps Kitty had guessed and for that reason gave Lynette her special attention. But when the war started, Kitty had left to become a Red Cross nurse in England. Her other cousins had joined the war effort, too. Kitty's twin, Cara, had gone to France as an ambulance driver, and their brother Scott had joined the army. With everyone away and her grandmother busy with all sorts of volunteer work, Lynette's loneliness had been especially keen.

  She had sometimes been able to lose herself in reading. Especially such books as The Secret Garden and The Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett, in which she could identify with the abandoned young heroines, imagining that someday someone would come along and rescue her, ending her loneliness forever.

  But the war was over now. Kitty and Scott were both back at Cameron Hall, and life here was almost the way it had always been. Why then tonight was she feeling so sad, so close to tears?

  Maybe it was because of the letter from Bryanne that had come only two days ago. Although most of Brynnie's letters were filled with humorous anecdotes of teachers and fellow students, field trips, and school events, between the lines Lynette could read how much her little sister hated the strict English girls' boarding school where their other grandmother had placed her.

  Thinking about it brought on a feeling of anxiety, and Lynette took the envelope out of her letterbox and opened it. In a twelve-year-old's deplorable scrawl, Bryanne had written:

  Dearest Lynette,

  I'm back at my dreadful old school after Christmas at Birchfields. We stayed in the estate manager's house where we lived during the war, because the big house is being completely redone—"put back the way it was," as Grandmama says, before it was turned into a hospital-convalescent home for Allied officers. As you might imagine, there were workmen all over the place—painters, plasterers, carpenters—and scaffolding and paint buckets sitting around everywhere. There wasn't much for me to do, because Grandmama was so busy telling them all what to do, then staying nearby to see that they did it to her satisfaction!

  I did have my horse to ride, of course, though the stables are not restored yet. Only my dear old pony who is out to pasture nowadays and Duchess, my horse, are there. There was no one my age to go riding with, though, since most of my school chums spent the holiday in London with their parents. I'm sure everyone had a jolly time at pantomimes and parties.

  Was Christmas lovely in Mayfield? I try and try to remember what it was like, but I can't. I'm not even sure if the memories I do have are real, or if I've imagined them from pictures in books! Do write soon and tell me all about it.

  Ever, your loving sister,

  Bryanne

  It was clear to Lynette that, in spite of the privileged life Bryanne was living with their wealthy grandmother, her sister felt deprived and every bit as lonely as she did. So what could be done to change things ? To bring them all together again?

  Suddenly Lynette knew what her New Year's resolution would be, the goal she would set for herself. She must do something to heal her family's wounds, arrange a reunion for the three of them and their father. Perhaps she should talk with Gareth first. Now that the war was over, perhaps they could travel together to England and bring Bryanne back to Virginia. Then maybe her father would return from the Southwest and they could all go home to Avalon and be a family again.

  Just then there was a quick tap on the door. It was Kitty's voice, asking, "Lynette, are you ready?"

  "Not yet. But I will be in a few minutes." Lynette shrugged off her kimono and slipped the ball gown over her head. "Come in."

  The bedroom door opened and Kitty entered. "Need any help?"

  Lynette pivoted toward her, holding out the flared skirt. "Do I look all right?" Kitty drew in her breath. At eighteen, Lynette had become a real beauty. Having outgrown the coltishness of her early teens, her figure was gracefully slim, her peach-bloom skin fine-grained, her dark-lashed eyes almost violet blue.

  "The dress is perfect, dear, you look lovely," Kitty assured her, knowing it was much more than the dress.

  "Do I? I'm not sure about my hair though. . . ."

  "Here, let me." Motioning Lynette to sit down at the dressing table, Kitty picked up the hairbrush. Freshly washed, the young woman's hair was as slippery as silk, and it took three tries to sweep it into a French twist.

  "Sorry to put you to all this trouble, Kitty," Lynette sighed. "Maybe I should get my hair bobbed . . . like yours!"

  "I wouldn't recommend that. Richard wants me to let mine grow again." She anchored the upswept hairdo with the last of twenty pins and a rhinestone comb. Kitty laughed. "There! It looks very soignée, if I do say so myself, like the latest Parisian style," she declared, handing Lynette a mirror. "Take a look."

  Lynette turned her head to view her cousin's handiwork. "Oh, I like it! It looks so . . . sophisticated. Thanks, Kitty." She put down the mirror, stood and gave her cousin an impulsive hug. "Oh, Kitty, I missed you terribly! I'm so glad you're back!"

  "I'm so glad, too, and grateful." Kitty's tone became serious. "There were times in France when I was afraid I might never be back. I used to dream about Christmas at Cameron Hall and wonder if I'd ever celebrate again . . . the way we used to." Quickly her smile was back.

  "But here I am at last! This will be Richard's first time with us, you know."

  At the mention of Kitty's husband, Richard Traherne, Lynette winced a little. Her aunt had returned to Cameron Hall to marry a man who was a cruel casualty of the war and was confined forever to a wheelchair by a wound that had shattered his spine. Richard would never walk again. Yet they seemed happier, more in love than any couple Lynette had ever seen.

  Their wedding in October had been touchingly beautiful. Everything seemed to shine with a particular brilliance—the blue sky, the sun spilling through the gilded trees that surrounded the small house in the woods called Eden Cottage, where the ceremony took place. Richard, holding himself as erect as possible in his wheelchair, his handsome face chiseled to a kind of Grecian-sculpture fineness by the suffering he had endured, its pain-etched lines giving it a strength of character more compelling than mere good looks. Kitty, as radiant as any bride could be, in her simple cream knit ensemble, her eyes meeting his unwaveringly as they exchanged their vows. Never were the ancient promises spoken with more loving conviction: "I will love, honor, and cherish you in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, for better or worse, until death do us part."

  Listening to this pledge, Lynette had felt her throat constrict and quick tears had sprung to her eyes. In that sacred mome
nt she had determined she would never marry until she loved with the same devotion that Kitty and Richard felt for each other.

  "Can you believe that soon it will be 1920?" Kitty's question brought Lynette back to the present. "Shall we go down now and start welcoming in a brand-new year?"

  Trying to shake her earlier feelings of depression, Lynette forced a smile. For Kitty's sake, for her grandmother's, too, she would try to enjoy the party, although she had never felt less like celebrating.

  Decorated for Christmas, Cameron Hall sparkled. In the curve of the staircase festooned with swags of evergreen and red velvet bows, stood the ten-foot-tall cedar tree, trimmed with glittering gilt balls and other ornaments collected over the years. This year there were also frosted cookies and animal-shaped gingersnaps along with the tinseled branches. In the polished brass chandelier, crimson candles caused the crystal prisms to dance with rainbowed color.

  As if following the dictates of the old-time carol, the halls of the mansion were literally "decked with holly." Every surface boasted its own special arrangement. Pinecones, spruce boughs, and red-berried pyracantha encircled pyramids of fruit. On tables at either end of the dining room, a gleaming silver punch bowl held the famous Cameron eggnog and a cut-glass one shimmered with cranberry punch.

  Rugs had been rolled up in one of the parlors, and the floor waxed for dancing. A quartet stationed on a small platform in the windowed alcove were already playing danceable melodies.

  Kitty went to check on Richard. Finding him comfortably settled and engaged in conversation with a family friend, she went to help her mother receive the guests who were arriving in a steady stream. This was Blythe's first large-scale party since Rod Cameron's death, and Kitty knew her widowed mother would appreciate her help.

  Left alone, Lynette gazed over the crowd, hoping to spot her brother. Even though Gareth didn't like fancy parties, he had promised Grandmother he would come. Tall and attractive, with a pleasant manner and quiet sense of humor, Gareth was already the target of the hopes of many young Mayfield ladies. But he avoided most social affairs, preferring the solitary pleasures—tramping through the wooded acres of Avalon or riding his horse along its winding bridle paths.