Aaron stopped and turned to Hannah, closing his hands around hers and looking rather serious. “I met your father at his office this morning, and formally requested his permission for your hand in marriage.”
She nodded. “And?”
He twitched his mouth as he looked down at the ground.
“Please tell me he did not refuse your request. How could he?” Hannah’s head shook side to side in disbelief, as tears began to fill her eyes.
His hand reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek. “Relax, my love.” A smile spread slowly across his face. “He was rather excited about our families joining. As such, he has given us his blessings to proceed forward.”
She playfully slapped at his chest. “Aaron, you fiend. How dare you play jokes at my expense?”
He looked around to see if anyone was watching, before placing a chaste kiss on her cheek.
“What of your family? Have you talked with your father, yet, to express your wishes?”
He took a deep breath in. “My family could not be happier about our union. Both my parents find the combining of our families a benefit to the community and to each other.”
Before either of them could say another word, “Aaron Williams, is that you?”
We turned to see a beautiful blonde young woman, with what looked like a handmaiden, dressed in stylish gown and matching petticoat, slowly approach the couple. Aaron’s jaw muscles grew noticeably tense as the young woman approached, and for good reason; her aura was glowing bright red.
“Lucinda Roberts, it has been ages. How is your family?”
“My father was just speaking of your father a few nights ago, mentioning that we have not seen your family lately. I had thought I might run into you at the Franklin’s Ball the other evening, but apparently you were not in attendance.” Lucinda’s mouth went into a pout.
“What are you doing here?” He asked rather tersely.
“Mother wanted me to deliver a late lunch to my father. He came down to oversee the unloading of one of his vessels today.” She looked over toward Hannah, giving her the once over. “Who, prey tell, is this?” Her voice was laced with a venomous tone.
Aaron wrapped a protective arm around Hannah, pulling her close to his side, as he smiled down at her. “This, my dear Miss Roberts, is the lovely Hannah Clark, my fiancée.” Hannah started to put forth her hand in greeting, when Lucinda rescinded hers.
Lucinda’s eyes grew dark and her face scowled. “What kind of joke is this, Aaron? I am your betrothed.” She looked over to Hannah, shaking her head. “I am sorry you had to find this out in such a cruel manner, poor misfit girl. This man cannot marry you, he is my intended and I will not allow it!”
Aaron quickly pulled Hannah behind his back and began yelling, “I have no knowledge of your claim and apparently my father has not either, for he has overwhelmingly given his consent to my marriage to Hannah.”
“My father promised me that our families would combine. With his hand in shipping and trades and your father’s barrister duties, they can both rule the colony and become part of the new government, pending the colonists actually win the battle against the British.”
“At what point in time was this decided and by whom? It sounds to me like a machination set forth in that devious mind of yours, or was it dreamed up by your father? My father will never agree to it and neither will I! I would never agree to marry someone as ruthless and conniving as you. Maybe you would have better luck with my brother, Zachariah; he is yet to become beholden to anyone.”
Aaron pulled Hannah close to him and turned. “Come, let us get the carriage and take you home, away from this unsavory encounter.”
Lucinda huffed. “Mark my words, Aaron Williams. You. Will. Be. Mine. Do you hear that, harlot? He is MINE!”
I could feel Gregory’s arms pull me closer to him, as he watched the scene unfold. I wonder if this dream was part of what Angela was doing to him. Before I could ask, he nuzzled up against my face and whispered, “You are my world, Jordan. It will always be you. Everything will work out just fine. Whatever comes, we will get through this, together.”
We both bolted upright in bed. Gregory turned on the light and held me gently, trying to calm my shaking. The dream had obviously gotten to me. I turned toward him, needing to know. “Has Angela threatened you in the same manner?”
His eyes were full of sadness. “Yes. But, she is all bark and no bite, right now. Our families never agreed to anything. In fact, my parents were thankful when I stopped dating her. They find her family rather crude and judgmental; only desiring social standing.”
“Can her father do anything to jeopardize Worthington Enterprises?”
He shook his head as he rubbed his hand gently up and down my back, in an attempt to soothe my fears. “Her father is in custom car sales. He took a big hit when the overseas manufacturer had a lot of recalls and decided to shut down. His business is in jeopardy, but he could probably save it if he can find the capital he needs to attach himself to another automaker. The worst he can do is bad mouth our company or give it bad reviews on the Internet; but the Neilson Ratings, that rank wireless phone performance, speak volumes. So the answer is no, he really can’t hurt us.”
My mind slowly settled and the rest of the night I found peaceful slumber, wrapped tight in Gregory’s arms. We focused on each other, the wedding and honeymoon locations.
Over the course of the next week, I was able to slowly increase my work hours at the computer to two or three hours, a couple of times a day. I managed to get all the priority projects and reports done for Caroline as well as fielded several questions, twice a day, from Terry. Thankfully, Pamela had heeded Caroline’s warning and left me alone.
I had attempted to look up the first and last names of our predecessors, hoping their names might be on record. Unfortunately, the last names of Williams and Clark seemed to be quite popular during the late 1700’s. There were ten Hannah Clark’s and fifteen Aaron Williams’ during that time frame, spread out across seven of the thirteen colonies. We needed more information from our dreams in order to narrow down the search.
Gregory continued to try and heal my ear and ribs with his “abilities,” each night. To our surprise, his theory worked and each day I found myself stronger and able to breathe deeper; and my center of balance was returning.
Dr. Kurtz had been so flabbergasted by the healing process that he went ahead and removed the cast. He still insisted on a splint, as a safety precaution, for a couple of weeks; but, I could remove it for showers and photographs. He still wouldn’t release me to work at least for another week. To say Caroline was ecstatic about the idea of me returning early, was putting it mildly. Apparently, there was more going on in the office than she was letting on; but she refused to enlighten me until my return, citing I didn’t need the added stress and I should focus on healing.
Gregory’s family held true to their promise and all drove up to Deland to have a wonderful meal out, courtesy of Grandpa Frederick. He ended up taking us to the Italian Bistro, since Gregory had raved about their fabulous Chicken Parmesan.
The food was delicious and the conversations enlightening. It turned out that Gwen was, indeed, pregnant and expecting to deliver in February, near the date we were originally scheduled to get married. Phillip had given a copy of the ultrasound to Gregory’s mom, showing that Gwen was a couple months along when they shared the news.
Lorraine reassured me that Gwen was all talk and no action, regarding her words in the card. “She used to be a really sweet girl when we first met her, then suddenly she got bitter. Phillip still loved her, so we couldn’t deny their marriage. We were saddened to learn of her miscarriage. I don’t know if that’s why her attitude worsened or if that’s been her true personality all along. But, we hope this little miracle will bring back the Gwen we all first fell in love with.”
Naturally, the conversation turned to the upcoming Wedding. I thanked Lorraine for the books and samples that she had sent to
me through Gregory and told her that I had chosen my colors and a few other things and would give them to her when we left the restaurant.
“Have you both decided on where you would like to have the engagement photos made?” Normally, I would have wanted a bigger hand in planning things, but I was happy to defer some of the duties to Lorraine and my mother. I had too much going on between healing, work, trying to figure out our latest mystery and looking for a wedding dress I liked.
“We’ve narrowed it down to two possible locations. We like the photographer’s photos of Harrison Gardens in Winter Park and also the Clarkson Bed and Breakfast in Geneva. We would’ve picked your garden and pool for the photos, but wanted to do something different from the actual wedding photos.” I tried to explain.
Lorraine looked over toward my mother, “Why don’t all of you come down this Friday and we’ll make it a three day weekend? I can have some place settings made up, from the rental/catering company we use for big parties, so you can select which type of table setting you would like.” Her face lit up with excitement, as she continued. “Based on your color and flower choices, I can have the florist meet with us to discuss possible table arrangements and bouquet designs.”
I reached over and held Lorraine’s hand, with my good one. “I want you to know that I appreciate all that you’re doing for us. But, all we want is something small, simple and romantic.”
She smiled warmly at me. “I know, Jordan. I’m sorry if it seems we’re rushing a bit, and I realize you’re still healing and don’t need to think about all this, right now; but, a few of the vendors we will want to use get booked up very quickly. We were lucky to get some of them for the date you both selected, and they’re the ones pushing to get things finalized, so they can plan accordingly. Now, if we could just find a dress you like.”
To appease Lorraine, I added, “While we are down at your place, maybe we can go to one of the bridal shops. I still can’t be zipped into anything tight, but maybe they can at least get my measurements and I can take a look.” That must have done the trick, because the mention of dresses didn’t come up again for the remainder of the evening.
The following Friday morning, Gregory drove us all down to Geneva, to meet up with Lorraine and Douglas. We had opted on the lesser known of the two photo location venues, because it offered a stunning gazebo and a beautiful park-like setting, complete with a fountain. I opted for one of the nicer sun dresses and lightweight jackets that Lorraine had bought me, in a summer multi-color pattern. Gregory wore a medium blue polo shirt and khaki pants.
The photographer posed us in a variety of positions to capture every possible angle and replicated every romantic engagement stock photo in existence; or at least that’s what it felt like. Thankfully, he was careful to pose me where I didn’t have to twist my torso or put my arm in an unnatural pose. My mother and Lorraine, who tagged along, piped up, periodically, with a few ideas of their own, as well.
The photographer was beyond efficient. Apparently, Lorraine had explained our timing was short, as a result of my accident, and she needed to send out Engagement Party announcements, as soon as possible. Because he came prepared with his laptop, we were able to see samples of the packages he offered and were promised the photos back to us within a week or less.
We were so pleased with his photos that we hired him for the Engagement Party, at Lorraine’s urging. It made me wonder if she hadn’t tentatively scheduled him already.
Gregory and I agreed on several photos to order, but everyone’s favorite was the park setting with me backed against the tree and him leaning in to kiss me. He held my hand with a rose in his, proudly displaying my engagement ring. That would be the one we sent with the party announcements.
After the pictures, we picked up some lunch and stopped off at Gregory’s place so he could check his mail and pick up a few items. Lorraine gave Mom the full tour of her son’s townhome, while Gregory took care of unpacking the lunches, before taking a seat next to me on the sofa.
I had to laugh at the expression on my mom’s face when she walked into the living room. I remembered doing a double take and feeling like I had walked into my own home, because we had duplicate furniture, with the exception of the entertainment center. She kept asking, “Are you sure you didn’t move your things into his place? His bedroom furniture looks almost exactly like yours, with exception of it being bigger and the living area…I’m speechless.”
I reassured her all of my apartment furnishings were just down the road in a storage facility and that nothing of mine was currently at Gregory’s. But, I would eventually need to figure out what we could combine and what we would need to get rid of. “I had the same reaction, Mom. Apparently, he and I have very similar tastes.”
We eventually made our way toward the Worthington’s home, where we set Mom up in a room just down the hall from Gregory and me. The rest of the day was spent lounging around the pool and enjoying each other’s company, before cooking dinner out on the lanai.
Gregory finally got his wish of seeing me in a bikini, because the one piece compressed my ribs a bit too much. Everyone winced at the sight of the fading bruises; but was happy to see that I was getting around a bit better.
Gregory used the excuse of my needing sunscreen as an opportunity to touch my skin. I finally told him to give me a break before I started sliding off the patio furniture and into the pool from sheer excess of lotion.
I loved that Gregory was so attentive and cared for me, but sometimes he just went a little overboard. I wasn’t that fragile and needed to toughen up, especially since we were facing an unknown evil.
That night, I settled into his arms and drifted toward my subconscious mind, hoping we would be able to remember more of our Colonial past. I could feel his presence close by, but found myself emerging in the dream as Hannah, in what appeared to be her bedroom.
“Hannah, dear, you have a caller in the parlor. Please come down and greet your guest.” I couldn’t believe it. My own mother’s voice called out from downstairs.
I opened the door to my room and found my way to the stairs, seeing the perfect reflection of my mother in undress with her caraco and petticoat. However, her hair was much longer and placed up under a cotton cap.
She directed me to the parlor, where I expected to see Aaron waiting for me. I could feel my footsteps falter when I saw Lucinda smiling, rather pleasantly, at me. “Thank you Mrs. Clark.” She turned to me. “I would like to request a moment of your time, Hannah, to discuss something in private.”
I looked to my mother, hoping to convey that I did not want to be left alone with this woman. Instead I heard, “I need to tend to dinner. I will leave you two to discuss. There is hot tea and biscuits on the side table.”
Lucinda walked over and poured herself a cup of tea before taking a place on the Chippendale settee. I decided to skip the tea and sit in the upholstered side chair across from her. “To what do I owe the pleasure of your company today, Lucinda?” I asked, mildly curious.
She took a sip of the tea before glancing my way. “This visit is far from pleasurable for me. I have come to warn you away from Aaron. No good can come of your pairing.” Her eyes glowed a slight red in the center and her stare froze me to my seat. “Mark my words, Hannah, you WILL NEVER marry him! If you proceed forward with your plans, I assure you that your family’s name will be destroyed.”
I sat there in trepidation of her boisterous claims. After a time, I was finally able to speak. “Betrothed or not, he has declared his love for me, alone. What gives you the impression that he would so willingly take your hand? Do you act so brazen with all the citizens of our colony? Is that how you achieved your social standing, through intimidation?”
She sat her tea down onto the side table before standing up and fisting her hands. Her voice was dark and controlled. “You had better head my warning or your father’s credibility as a doctor will be shaken in this community. I must take my leave and go pay MY betrothed a visit.”
“I would bid you a good day, though you have sadly attempted to ruin mine. Your vile words have fallen on deaf ears. Aaron will hear of your visit and we will let love and fate decide whose hand he will take.” I paused to gather my strength for one final blow. “Horrid words and empty threats are unappealing coming from someone who is supposedly a lady of culture. My father is the only doctor in this community and well respected, at that. With the backing of the Franklin’s, the Washington’s and other leaders of the city, he will continue to thrive.”
Apparently my words caught her off guard, as she stormed toward the entry and took her leave. She glanced back only once. “You may have won this battle of wits, Hannah, but I will win this war!”
I watched out the window, as she marched down the street and to her awaiting carriage. There was another young woman awaiting her return. When the woman leaned forward, my breath caught as I recognized the red waves escaping her cap and saw Rebecca, whose deep scowl and glowing red eyes were aimed directly at me.
I felt the darkness creeping in and smothering me; I was unable to breathe. Spontaneously, my hand flew up to grasp hold of my throat, trying to will air back into my lungs.
“Jordan, wake up.” Gregory’s panicked voice called out to me, gently shaking my shoulders.
My eyes popped open as he gently lifted my torso. I finally managed to take in a breath of air, with a deep gasp, causing my ribs and lungs to hurt. Gregory’s hands were gently wrapped around me, rubbing up and down my arms trying to soothe me. “It’s okay, honey. I’m right here. Just take small breaths to calm your breathing.”
I nodded, in understanding, and began to take small, cleansing breaths to steady myself and slow my rapid heart rate. The dream had definitely scared me to the point of a panic attack. What was with the glowing red eyes and both of them teaming up, together? Was one the main culprit and the other a coerced counterpart? This dream didn’t make any sense.
Loving You (Remembrance Series, Book 2) Page 5
