“Maybe you should close the door?”
She did.
“Will you tell Miss Douglas I’m here?”
The girl finally found her tongue. “Yes sir, right away sir.” She giggled aloud, bobbed again, and then without taking her eyes off him, backed toward the stairs.
The stairway was serpentined with evergreen tied with satin ribbons. The foyer itself was filled with vase after vase of fresh flowers in yellow and white hues. The heady fragrance of so many blossoms in such a small area was nearly overwhelming.
J.T. suddenly remembered the top hat he’d taken from his father’s supply and doffed it before he walked into the drawing room unescorted. More flowers were spread about the room. Another maid was lighting one of what appeared to be hundreds of candles. Jason nodded to a woman seated behind a pianoforte in the corner, then paused before a long mirror above the fireplace and nervously smoothed back his hair. He hoped the black formal wear was correct and wondered if the maid who answered the door had thought him ridiculous in the hat. That might account for her odd reaction to him. From the looks of the decorations the Barretts had supplied, the wedding ceremony that was supposed to be a simple affair might prove far more elaborate than he expected.
“Jason! Welcome!”
He was surprised at the sound of Reggie Barrett’s ingratiating tone. Yesterday evening the man had not exactly welcomed him—now he was hosting J.T.’s wedding. Jason could not find it in his heart to greet Reggie enthusiastically, but he did manage to extend his hand and exchange a polite greeting.
“Your attorney will be bringing Judge Cartwright,” Barrett explained. “And of course, the women won’t be down until we are all in place.”
“In place? I thought this was going to be a very simple ceremony.”
“Let’s see,” Reggie said, studying the parlor carefully, “if I remember correctly, and I had better”—he said confidentially to Jason—“we are to wait near the bay window while Babs descends the stairs and precedes Jade into the room. Then Jade will walk in and stand beside you. The judge will stand with his back to the bay window. Mr. Van Buren will stand beside you. Luckily we don’t need to remember to do anything but just stand there.”
“What does it matter where we stand when we’ll be the only ones here?”
Reggie shrugged and ran his finger around the inside of his loose collar. “It matters to Babs, which means it matters a great deal.”
“Isn’t someone supposed to give the bride away?” Jason asked.
Reggie fidgeted again. “That’s exactly what I thought, but Jade can be very obstinate at times. For some reason, she declined my offer. Said she doesn’t want to be given away.”
Jason thought he knew why Jade would be opposed to having Reginald Barrett escort her into the room, if the man had always been as hypocritical with Jade as he had with him for the past two days. J.T. silently saluted her decision.
“Would you like to sit down, Harrington?” Reggie offered. “How about some sherry to calm your nerves?”
“How about some whiskey?”
Reggie cleared his throat. “Well, yes. I think I have some here somewhere.” He walked to a table covered with crystal decanters and poured Jason a liberal dose of bourbon.
Jason pulled on his watch chain and checked the time. Seven o’clock. He took the heavy crystal tumbler from Reggie and tossed back the liquor. “What time is this supposed to start?”
“Seven thirty. I heard Babs tell Jade she told you to be here by seven just so you wouldn’t be late.”
Wonderful, Jason thought. That left him to suffer an uncomfortable half-hour of conversation with Reggie Barrett.
JADE STOOD BEFORE the full-length mirror and held her breath as Babs cinched and laced her corset strings. She held her hand lightly against her midriff and took shallow breaths until Babs stopped grunting and tugging and tied a bow with a flourish.
“There! That ought to hold you. Until Jason unties it that is.” Babs snuck a glance at Jade out of the corner of her eye and chuckled knowingly.
Jade felt her stomach lurch. She pressed the palm of her hand flat against it and shook her head at Babs. “Take it off. I can’t stand this corset. I’m too nervous to deal with it.”
“You need it to mold your figure into the style of the dress,” Babs argued.
“Well, I won’t wear it or the bustle,” Jade replied.
“Jade!”
Jade shook her head. “No, Babs. I have to think about . . . well, later.”
“About Jason’s undressing you?”
Jade nodded, her face flaming. “Without having to battle a corset and bustle.”
“I wouldn’t worry about his ability if I were you,” Babs said.
“Why do you insist on tormenting me?”
Babs tweaked Jade’s glowing cheek. “Because you are so teasable, dear friend.” Then her expression grew serious. “Jade, there’s nothing to be frightened of. You love Jason, don’t you?”
“I think so.” Jade twisted her hands together. “I hardly know him, but what I know of him I’ve come to love.” She began to pace as Babs went to the armoire and took out the white tulle dress Jade had worn to the ball at the Palace Hotel. “I didn’t set out to love him. I didn’t even want to meet him, if you remember correctly.” She shot a meaningful glance at Babs before she smiled again. “But he is such a gentle man, so very opposite my father. And he seems to genuinely care for me. Can you imagine it, Babs? I never dreamed this could happen to me.”
Babs signaled her forward and slipped the dress over her head. From deep inside the folds Jade continued talking. “I guess this must be love; I’m even looking forward to going to New Mexico with him.”
Jade’s head appeared through the neckline, then she wriggled her arms into the puffed sleeves.
Babs began working the buttons closed. “Of course it’s love.” She stepped back and studied the dress where it had been mended. “I wish you would have agreed to a new gown for tonight, Jade. It’s your wedding after all. This only happens once or twice in a lifetime.”
Jade shook her head. “This dress is beautiful, Babs. Besides, I didn’t want to buy a dress that Jason would have to pay for later. I don’t want him to think I’m marrying him for his money. In fact, I’d be happier if he was as poor as I am.”
“Please, Jade, stop. If the two of you were penniless, everything would be quite dismal.”
With a faraway smile, Jade shook her head and thought about her near-escape last night in Little China. Whenever she had needed Jason, he had been there. “I think that together we can overcome anything.”
“Hold your hair up,” Babs directed, “I can’t see the buttons.”
Jade did as she was bid.
“Are you certain you won’t wear your hair up? You are a little old to wear it loose like this, you know.”
“Jason likes it this way.”
“Well, I guess that counts for—”
A timid knock at the door interrupted Babs, who called out, “Come in, Doreen.”
“Oh, mum,” said the wide-eyed Irish maid, “he’s here. I never seen a man so beautiful, mum. Tall as a mountain in a high black hat. Eyes the color of an Irish sky, he has. Dressed all in black with a sparklin’ white shirt and diamond studs a twinklin’ against a broad chest that any woman would be proud to cozy up to—”
“Doreen! Really! Hold your tongue,” Babs commanded.
The girl shook herself and curtsied. “Yes, mum. Anyway, he’s here.”
“Thank you, Doreen. See if there’s anything the chef needs and then check on the gentlemen again. We’ll be down exactly at seven-thirty.”
Babs stepped away from Jade and eyed her carefully from the crown of her head to the tips of the white satin slippers. “Exquisite. Now, for the flowers.” She
went to the vanity and took up the wreath of baby’s breath and miniature white roses and motioned Jade forward. Long white ribbons trailed down the back. She positioned the wreath on her friend’s head, then gave Jade a warm hug.
“You are a beautiful bride, Jade. The most beautiful I’ve ever seen.” Her eyes misted with tears.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Jade felt tears smart behind her own eyes and hugged Babs to her again. No matter what her faults, Babs had always been the dearest friend Jade could have ever wanted. Last night, when Jade and Jason announced that they wanted to be married as soon as possible, Babs had thrown herself into the preparations.
She had insisted they marry in her parlor, ordered and placed all the flower arrangements, planned the ceremony, hired the pianist, and secured a French chef to prepare the wedding supper to follow the ceremony. She was up before dawn orchestrating the preparations. Jade would have objected except for the fact that Babs thrived on organizing social events.
Jade had suggested they be married simply, in the judge’s chamber, but Babs would not hear of it. “We’ll do this properly Jade, so that your wedding day will be unforgettable. It’s bad enough you are already twenty-three, but there’s no sense in denying yourself a grand evening.”
After Jason had left them alone that evening, Jade took Babs aside. “I can’t afford a grand evening, Babs.”
It was the first time Jade had ever seen Babs genuinely angry. “I want to do this for you, Jade, as my gift to you both. Besides, it’s the least I can do.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” Jade told her. “You have always been there for me when I needed you.”
It was the first time that Jade could ever remember seeing Babs at a loss for words. She was deeply touched by her friend’s feelings. Graciously she accepted Bab’s offer to stage the wedding and take charge of the entire affair. Only when it came to spending money for a new gown did Jade balk.
There was a second knock at the door and Babs called out, “Who is it?”
“Doreen again, mum.”
Babs sighed and rolled her eyes. “Again? Come in then.”
Doreen slipped in and gave Jade a long box covered in navy velvet. “Your gentleman said to give this to you, mum.”
Jade held the box reverently and stared at it. “Oh, Babs! I didn’t think of getting anything for Jason.” Not only had she not thought of it, Jade realized, but she had no money to buy him anything even if she had remembered that a bride and groom exchanged gifts.
“For heaven’s sake, open it!” Babs looked about to rip the box from Jade’s hands.
“I’d like to be alone.” Jade gave Babs a look that brooked no argument. This was a special moment, and she did not want to share it with anyone.
Babs shook her head. “You are such a sentimentalist, Jade. I’ll have to content myself with being surprised. I’ll be back to collect you in twenty minutes.”
“Doreen, would you wait outside the door for a moment?” Jade asked.
The girl curtseyed and promised to wait. Finally alone, Jade walked to stand beside one of the lamps so that she might have a good look at the gift Jason had chosen for her. Slowly she opened the jewel box and stared down at a set of pearl and emerald earrings and a matching necklace. She lifted the rope of heavy pearls with an emerald medallion in the center and then gently placed it back in the box. A small card carefully lettered in neat, even script read: These pearls reminded me of your flawless skin, the emeralds of your eyes.
Overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness of his gift, Jade felt she had to send J.T. something in exchange. She snapped the lid closed and set the jewels on the vanity while she crossed the room to her bureau and opened a small lacquer box. She owned nothing of real value except her mother’s wedding ring and the adobe. By tomorrow she would not even own that. Inside the box lay a few French coins she had saved as mementos of her days in Paris, as well as the object she sought. She drew out a piece of Chinese copper cash—a small round coin with a square hole in the middle and the Chinese symbols for good fortune on either side of the hole.
Hastily she went to her desk and bent over her pen and paper. Carefully she dipped the pen into the inkwell and wrote, Jason, Accept this as a token of my affection and know that my heart is yours. Jade.
She carefully wrapped the copper cash piece in the note and handed it out to Doreen with instructions to give it to Jason. She closed the door and went to put on his precious gifts.
JASON STOOD IN the drawing room half-listening to Reggie Barrett converse with Matt Van Buren and Judge Cartwright about the state of financial institutions in San Francisco since the August market crash. The nearer the time came to seven-thirty, the quieter he grew, until he found himself unable to add anything more than monosyllables to the steady conversation. Matt tried to turn the conversation his way once or twice, but finding it impossible, left Jason alone with his thoughts.
It’s normal to be nervous, he told himself.
But I’m thirty years old. Nearly thirty-one. What right do I have getting married at my age? And to a girl seven years younger?
Old men marry young girls all the time.
I’m not that old.
“It’s time gentlemen,” Reggie said.
J.T. took a deep breath and looked at Matt. He felt like a man going before a firing squad. Matt was struggling not to laugh.
The lawyer stepped close to Jason and whispered, “You look like you’re about to be shot.”
Jason shook his head. “I never thought I’d be this nervous. I’ve never been so nervous in my life.”
“I hear every groom goes through it. That’s why you have a best man. By the way, do you have a ring?”
Jason reached into his vest pocket and pulled out the delicate gold band he had purchased when he bought the pearls and emeralds for Jade. He planned to give his mother’s wedding ring to Jade as soon as they returned to New Mexico. For now, the thin gold band with tiny flowers engraved around it would have to suffice.
“It’s not much,” he said, as he handed it over to Matt, “but I have another one for her at the ranch.”
The woman seated at the pianoforte began to play a lilting tune. Jason shoved his hands in his pockets and glanced toward the open double doors that lead to the foyer and the stairway beyond. When his fingers came in contact with Jade’s note and the copper token she had sent down a few moments ago, he held it tight and felt a sense of calm settle over him.
He knew he was doing the right thing. He was doing something honorable by marrying Jade, and he knew in his heart that he was getting the best end of the bargain. She made him feel alive, able to take on the world. They were right for each other. As his apprehension fled, he squeezed the token for good measure and pulled his hands out of his pockets.
Barbara Barrett’s maid appeared in the doorway and signaled Reggie with a nod. The men took their places: Judge Cartwright stood before the bay window, Jason stood to his right with Matt beside him, and Reggie stood far to the left, leaving room for Babs.
The pianist began to play the wedding march and Doreen burst into tears. All eyes turned to the doorway and they watched as Babs entered the room. Even Jason had to admit she was a stunning woman. Nearly as tall as Jade, she moved with the assurance of a woman who knew she was beautiful. Her dress was the color of a mountain lake. Pearls were clasped about her throat and shone luminously at her ears. Carrying an intricate lace fan, she walked regally through the room and took her place beside Reggie, then turned to face the door.
The sound of the music intensified. Jason could not take his eyes off of Jade when she paused on the threshold. She was a vision, an angel in white wearing a crown of flowers. A nimbus of red-gold curls swirled in a rippling mass to her waist. She seemed ethereal, unaware of her earthly surroundings as she held a small bouquet of yellow and white flowers in her hands. Jaso
n watched her as she hesitated in the doorway. His heart swelled with pride when he realized she was wearing his gifts to her. The emeralds caught the light and sparkled, but he had been wrong—they would never match the radiance of her eyes.
Jade looked so vulnerable standing there all alone, that without thinking of anything except putting her at ease, Jason left his place and crossed the room. As a courtier of old might have done, he bowed and then held out his arm to her. Jade laid her hand upon his sleeve and let him lead her to the wedding party waiting near the window.
Tears she could not hide filled her eyes when Jason crossed the room and gallantly escorted her to the others. Any doubts she had about marrying him fled when she realized that he sensed what she was feeling as she stood alone in the drawing room doorway. Everything seemed to come into focus in that one instant in time, and she knew her life would never be the same. No longer would she think of herself as alone. From this day onward Jason would be a part of her life, and she a part of his. His recognition of her need, his caring act of coming to her when she felt so alone to escort her across the expansive room, proved to her that she was not making a mistake. It was as if someone had sent her a sign that all was well.
Jason looked down at the woman at his side as they stood before the judge and felt his blood run hot in his veins. He wanted her as he had never wanted a woman before. He wanted her, not for one night, but for a lifetime—and because of that he knew that he would be willing to wait until she wanted him. They had known each other less than a week, and although he hoped with all his heart that Jade would wish to consummate their union, he would understand if tonight was still too soon. As he tried to cool his racing blood, tried to ignore the touch of her hand on his and the subtle fragrance of orange blossoms that surrounded her, he told himself they would have the rest of their lives together. But deep inside he hoped he would not have to wait too long to claim his marital rights.
As Judge Cartwright read the words of the ceremony, Jade thought about her future with Jason. She was determined to make this marriage work. She intended to love and honor Jason just as he promised to love and honor her. She agreed to the word “obey” as well, but in her heart she knew she would never be like her mother. It was hard to imagine Jason forcing her to do anything that she did not want to, and as her thoughts drifted to the night ahead, she felt her face flame with color. She surreptitiously glanced at him from beneath lowered lashes. She could only guess at the mysteries of intimacy and what the night held in store for her, but she was more than willing to be Jason’s wife in every way.
Jade Page 20
