Enchanting Nicholette

by Dawn Crandall

  “You know, even after I’d learned that William had been killed, I thought I’d come to the point of being content to let you go. I thought, because of what my father had done, with my being stripped of my inheritance and having to work at Rochester Farms, I’d never have another chance with you.”

  “But your Great Uncle Perceval.”

  “Yes, while you were still in Europe last spring, my father’s Uncle Percy had fallen deathly ill. He’d never married himself, had no children...and so, in his will, bestowed everything he had to us, increasing our wealth by a tenfold compared to what we received from my father.”

  “Why did you keep working for Mr. Rochester long into the summer?—and why work for my father?”

  “Because I needed to keep up appearances with Ezra, and because I loved working at the bank with your father. And then there’s May... I’ll likely need to produce quite the dowry for her...” Cal laughed under his breath. “In order to induce someone to marry her.”

  “Oh, she isn’t so terrible as that.” I hugged him closer.

  “Possibly.” He shrugged. “Perhaps with a bit of guidance from you, she’ll make a fine match...without the need of bribery.”

  “I’d heard that your father’s name was Robert,” I dared to ask with a low voice. “How is that?”

  “In the same way my name is Cal, he’d chosen the name as a boy when everyone confused him with his father.”

  “Then why are you called Cal, and not Chauncey?”

  “Because no one wants to be called Chauncey.” He gave me his amazing half-grin that had so brilliantly captivated my attention all those months before.

  “So when I met you years ago, it was as Chauncey Hawthorne III, and not Cal Hawthorne, wasn’t it?”

  “Correct.”

  “I still don’t remember meeting you… just that name.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me.” He smiled down at me again, but this time in self-depreciation. “Apparently, I wasn’t very memorable back then.”

  “Well, you are now.”

  “I had so many doubts. I didn’t know how you’d react to the muddle my life had become.”

  From listening to Miss Abernathy’s judgments upon the “disgraced Hawthorne family” a half hour before, I could easily imagine the difficult time it had been for him, his mother, and Mabel to live through. And my heart only went out to them.

  “Apparently, I don’t mind the muddle.” After a few seconds, I continued. “From the moment we met at Brittle Brattle Books, Cal Hawthorne, you’ve had me turned inside out.” I clutched the lapels of his jacket and stared into his blue eyes. “You’ve invaded my life, enchanted my heart, my very soul. I had no defenses, and there is now no way I can stop.”

  As this registered, his gaze lingered, and he remained quiet for some moments. “Then you’ll forgive me for being such a mystery—for keeping you in the dark about so many things?”

  “Of course.” I laughed. “Just no more secrets, all right? You can tell me anything, always, and I’d like you to start with answering one last question I have.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Why have you purchased Hilldreth Manor from Nathan and Amaryllis Everstone?”

  “Oh that…” He looked away, shyly, though we were still very much in each other’s arms. “It’s just that lately, I’ve been strongly considering the idea of getting married again.”

  I pulled his lapels again, bringing his gaze back to meet mine. “Is that a fact?”

  “I thought any new bride would want a home to call her own, and it seemed like a nice house...one she would like.”

  “And may I ask, who the fortunate young lady is?”

  “You, silly. If you’ll have me.”

  “Hmm…” I stalled playfully. But I didn’t take my eyes from his, nor did I let him go. “I think I will have to, Mr. Chauncey Hawthorne III, for I fear I am desperately in love with you.”

  “Good, because I feel quite the same.” Cal took his arms from around me and stood, taking my hand as he helped me to my feet. “Now, why don’t we find your parents and do what we can to shock Miss Abernathy by making our happy announcement?” He placed his hand over mine and caught my eye as he guided me out of the curtained-off room, out to the crowds. “But first, Mrs. Everstone, I do hope you know how to waltz.”

  “But of course.”

  Ignoring the groups of people congregated about, Cal pushed through them, pulling me along. When we reached the open floor, he took my hand in his, extended our grasped hands, and then wrapped his arm around my waist. I sank into his embrace, delighted by the feel of his arms about me again. I hadn’t danced in years, and never with anyone able to make my entire body hum with anticipation, the way he did.

  We joined the dancers waltzing to “The Fairy Wedding Waltz” the orchestra played at the other end of the ballroom, and for a few moments we were silent, simply relishing being in each other’s arms, with so much to look forward to in our future together. Then, as his blue eyes took on a new gleam, he said, “I just realized you haven’t told me your given name. You know mine now—what’s yours?”

  “Oh, right.” I leaned back against his hand at my waist and glanced down, a bit embarrassed.

  “I do think if I’m going to marry you, I should have the privilege of knowing what it is. We had a deal, remember?”

  “My first name is Guinevere. I was named for my mother, and then Nicholette is for my father.”

  “Guinevere Nicholette Fairbanks Everstone? It is beautiful. Just as you are.”

  “No, it’s about as atrocious as Chauncey O’Callaghan Hawthorne III.”

  “Our names are well-matched.” Cal tugged me closer, near enough that his breath tickled my hair as he whispered, “But I must admit, adding ‘Hawthorne’ to the end of your name, very soon, will improve your name, and a great many other things, besides.”

  Immensely glad to hear his opinion concerning the projected length of our engagement, I smiled and caught his gaze, matching gleam for gleam. “Yes, I do believe it will, Mr. Hawthorne. Very, very soon.”

  EPILOGUE

  Five Weeks Later

  “A wonderful fact to reflect upon,

  that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other.”

  —Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities

  Saturday, September 23, 1893 • Laurelton, Maine

  I’ve always heard mention of Everston, since it was close to where Violet resided most of her life,” Mabel said cheerfully. She sat beside her mother, across from me and Cal, in our rented carriage from Severville, Maine, where the train line from Boston had ended. “I never imagined it would take almost half a day to get here. What was the town called, Mother? And how much farther is it to Blakeley House?”

  “Westward, dear,” said Mrs. Charlotte Hawthorne, my new mother-in-law. “I don’t think it is far from here. It certainly is a trip, though not so long that you can’t easily take the train up and visit me a few times a year.”

  “Yes, of course I will, Mother....So the town of Westward, that is where the Hawthorne Inn was located?” Mabel winked at me and gave Cal a sly grin. “Is that correct?”

  “Yes, May.” Cal gave his sister a rather harsh look and tightened his arm around my shoulders.

  I could just imagine what Mabel was thinking, knowing her penchant for adventure. I was sure she would try to find a way to get there in the next two weeks so she could snoop around the house, which was currently abandoned.

  “But now that Ezra’s been put in jail and his business pursuits have been put to an end, Violet has regained ownership of the Hawthorne Inn,” Cal told her pointedly. “I think she and Vance are planning to turn it into a summer home away from Boston. And we won’t be going there until it’s finished.”

  “Oh! How glorious!” Mabel responded snidely, knowing she’d been caught.

  “The poor old house…” I said softly, turning to Cal, for I could not imagine going bac
k to a house so terribly misused in my absence.

  “I know what you mean, but don’t worry,” he reassured me. “There have been a great number of prayers said in and over that house, and I’m sure the Lord will bless the time Violet and Vance spend there, despite what’s been going on within the walls in recent years.”

  My mother-in-law sighed, staring out the window. “Let’s speak of something more edifying.” She turned her sad, gray eyes to Cal and slowly revealed a little smile. “I cannot wait to see Claudine again. I’m glad she was able to quickly move out of Hilldreth so you two could marry and live there for a little while before helping me move to Everston to join her.”

  I was also glad for the last three weeks, living at Hilldreth Manor…married to Cal...feeling so intensely, immensely over the moon. Something about having the house all to myself—and Cal—was invigorating when it came to “going home.” I’d been inside that house a thousand times over the course of my life, but never had I imagined that I’d feel the most complete happiness I’d ever known within those walls.

  And I was also happy that with a little help from me, Mother Charlotte had persuaded her two children to let her live year-round at Everston near her good friend, Miss Claudine Abernathy. Dexter and Estella had basically given Miss Abernathy their newly remodeled apartment on the top floor of the six-story tower of rooms when they’d had their new house built over the summer. But of course, Cal’s mother wasn’t about to let them do the same for her, when she had plenty of funds to pay them for her room and board at the elegant resort. She would be living in one of the smaller apartments on the ground floor. She and Miss Abernathy could enjoy a life of peace and tranquility, without anyone expecting anything from them, as would have been the case had they remained in Boston.

  “It’s a wonder that Estella ended up married to the new owner of Everston when her father sold it a few years back,” I said, trying to keep the conversation light, as we would soon arrive at Estella’s newly built Blakeley House. “I’m not certain how it happened, but from what I’ve gathered, it was most definitely a love match.”

  “Well, good for them,” Mother Charlotte commented. “That is the very best kind.”

  I glanced down bashfully. It pained me to think from whence her kind words had come—for she’d definitely not had the fortune of marrying for love herself and then had gone through so much misery because the harsh betrayal Cal’s father had put them through when he’d died.

  Yet there she was, smiling and so happy for us and our marital bliss.

  “I’m happy for her,” I said. “The last I knew, she was sick in love with someone who wouldn’t have her. He wanted to be a missionary and didn’t think she’d suit.”

  “How tragic!” I looked up just in time to see Mabel’s worried gaze dart from Cal and me to her mother. Which was odd. Mabel had never mentioned anything about having a specific interest in any one gentleman. What would make her so melancholy at the mention of such rejection?

  “Yes, well, only if you look at the situation from her perspective years ago,” I reassured her. “I think Estella would say she’s very happy with the way things have turned out. She has Dexter and Gracie, and now baby Kent...and all this—” With an outstretched hand, I directed Mabel’s gaze to the open carriage window which, at that moment, revealed a long lake surrounded by pine and white-barked birch trees. Just above the treetops, a red roof came into view—the top story of the resort and Miss Abernathy’s new home. “We’re getting close to Everston now. Look.”

  As all four of us gazed out the windows, even more of the impressive hotel came into view.

  “It’s too bad we’re expected to go straight to Blakeley House first,” Mabel said with a little more composure. “I was looking forward to riding the elevator at Everston.” She tapped her fingers impatiently against the clasp of her reticule.

  “There will be plenty of time to explore the resort, Mabel,” her mother replied. “You’ll have two weeks, after all, until you’ll return to Boston with Violet. I doubt that you’ll be expected much at the house once the party is finished today. Not with the new little one for them to care for. I must say, two babies in a year is quite a feat for your dear friend, Nicholette. Isn’t Estella’s first child not yet a year old?”

  “Gracie will be a year old in a few weeks.”

  “And your old friend Meredyth will be there at Blakeley House when we arrive, won’t she, Nick?” Cal asked, purposefully removing the topic of newborn infants from the conversation. Although his mother was moving to Maine and we would likely only see her a few times a year, he knew from the short period he’d been married to Alice that we would soon be badgered about when our own children would make an appearance.

  Although the idea wasn’t a terrible one to dwell upon, and I looked forward to the day I’d become a mother, Cal and I certainly did enjoy that we had Hilldreth Manor to ourselves. After all, we were newly wed.

  Before I was even able to answer Cal’s question about Meredyth, the long gravel, forested road we’d been traveling upon turned into a narrow lane, a virtual tunnel of trees, and we came upon an impressive limestone house. And there, on the porch watching for us, were Meredyth Hampton and Amaryllis Everstone. It had been almost two and a half years since I’d seen either of them—at my wedding to William. Amaryllis looked much the same, but Meredyth was most definitely with child.

  As the carriage came to a halt, more of my old friends joined them on the porch and I realized what a great number of people were in on this surprise get-together for Bram Everstone. Of course, Nathan was there with Amaryllis and Lawry Hampton, Meredyth’s long-time best friend and now husband, all stood on the porch. Nathan’s twin sister, Natalia, and her husband, George Livingston, came down the steps with Estella and Dexter Blakeley, whose house everyone had apparently invaded.

  The only people who seemed to be missing—besides Bram and his wife, Evangeline—were Vance, Violet, and Miss Abernathy. They had been tasked with getting my former father-in-law and his wife from Everston to Blakeley House at a certain time.

  Since Cal and I had mostly kept a low profile throughout our very short engagement—and then even more so while secluding ourselves in our wonderful Hilldreth Manor, with only the exception of having his mother and sister over for dinner every other evening—I was not prepared for the hail of celebratory comments from everyone as we alighted the carriage. Oh, yes, it certainly was difficult to remember the time I wasn’t Cal’s wife. I’d felt that my place beside him had been established for ages, not a mere three weeks.

  I bowed my head shyly and clutched Cal’s hand, unused to the compliments from these friends of mine, half of whom I’d known my entire life…and should have been related to, if not for William’s accidental death.

  But Cal.

  I glanced up to my husband of three weeks, taking in his gorgeous smile as he greeted everyone with ease, completely in awe of what we’d become, and how, together, we seemed to fit perfectly into this circle of friends I’d known forever.

  Dexter went to the wide front door and held it open. “Now, do let’s all get back into the house, for they will be here any minute.”

  As I turned to follow the others in, Estella came up beside me and then took my arm in hers as we walked through the doorway. “I’m so glad you and your Mr. Hawthorne were able to make it, but there’s barely time to spare. I hope they didn’t spot your carriage on the road past Everston.”

  “I think our rented carriage is inconspicuous enough,” I reassured her. “They shouldn’t have thought anything of it.”

  “I hope not. We’ve been planning this weekend for months. Even before we knew there was a possibility that you’d ever be married to Violet’s cousin.” Estella gave me a sly grin. “My, I thought I’d had a hurried engagement! But it does seem that it’s the best thing to do once your love is sure. There’s no use waiting after that.”

  I hugged her. “No, there isn’t.”

  Her large stone house w
as decorated with a very English look, very much like the castle that it resembled from the outside. There were two main rooms off the front hall, and Estella and Dexter guided everyone into them, so there were a few of us on each side of the hall. Fortunately, Cal had followed Estella and me into the parlor to the left, with Amaryllis, Nathan, my mother-in-law, and Mabel.

  “This family of Vance’s takes some getting used to,” Cal whispered to me with a slight grin. “Not that it surprises me…now that I think about it.”

  I thought it odd that he would think of the Everstone family as “Vance’s family,” but then I realized that’s how he’d first come in contact with them. And Vance had been the one whom he’d befriended, first and foremost.

  Vance. I was beginning to forgive him…slowly. He was one of Cal’s best friends now and I knew we would be spending much time together in the future, so there were multiple reasons I needed to keep trying. It wasn’t as difficult to visit Everthorne anymore, now that I’d had a chance to heal from the pain of losing the life I’d looked forward to having with William, and especially since I’d fallen in love with Cal…but still.

  Vance was such a conundrum. He had reconciled with his family when he’d married Violet and moved in down the street from his father instead of running all around Europe evading him. Vance definitely wasn’t the same man who’d caused so much grief for everyone when he’d thoughtlessly brought the danger from his past full force to my wedding with William. Somehow, I had to forgive him for that.

  Estella drew back the curtains at the front window. “The carriage is here—they’re almost up to the porch!” Her excitement about this surprise party for her father made my heart swell and a smile form upon my lips. This really was a great and wonderful family. When was the last time that Bram Everstone had seen all of his living children together? At Estella’s wedding almost two years before?

  What a surprise for him, indeed.