As the afternoon shadows grew long, hammers fell silent and the soft rustle of tired conversation took their place. Blankets were spread on the ground as fresh food was set on the tables. People filled their plates and settled around the yard to relax and enjoy the evening.
Kevin had just started fixing a plate when Karl stepped up beside him. “Joan said she’s ready for you.”
Kevin frowned.
“You’re supposed to bring the wedding cake down, remember? She and Blair are waiting for you at the tavern.”
“Oh. Okay.” Kevin handed Karl his half-full plate, took out his key, and left.
When he reached the tavern kitchen, there were four huge cakes sitting on the worktable. All of them were decorated, but only one had the traditional look of a wedding cake.
“Wow,” Kevin said. “Just wow.”
“You like it?” Joan asked with a grin.
“It’s even fancier than Laryn’s.”
Joan took a good look at the cake. “Maybe, but I doubt Laryn would have wanted one this fancy. And I kept hers simple since it had been so long since I’d done one.” She grinned at Kevin. “Can’t wait to see what I come up with for you and Rhianna.”
Blair’s mouth formed a big “O” and she looked at Kevin.
Kevin shook his head. “No one’s getting married anytime soon but Cameryn and Zeb, Blair.” Then he raked his hand through his hair. “Joan, I’m not sure I can do this.”
“What do you mean? Allisandra moved Laryn’s without any problem.”
“Allisandra’s been using magic a lot longer than I have. I haven’t tried to move anything like this before, much less through the energy field.”
Joan shook her head. “Do not tell me you can’t do this, Kevin. Not now. It’s too late to do anything else.”
Kevin looked at the cakes. “Maybe if I take one at a time…”
“Fine. Take one, but don’t start with the wedding cake. Take one of the others first. Leave the wedding cake until you know you can do it.”
Kevin took a deep breath, put a big sphere around one of the extra cakes, gently lifted it, and turned the key.
The cake was in one piece and no worse for wear when he got there. He gently set it on the table that had been set up for the wedding cake, removed the sphere, and let out a relieved sigh.
Karl frowned. “That’s the wedding cake? I figured she’d do it in white.”
“She did. They made four cakes.”
“Four?”
“Guess they figured this would be a hungry crowd.”
“Is this table going to be big enough?”
Kevin shook his head. “And I’m not bringing that wedding cake until I know we have room for it. Joan’ll kill me if anything happens to it.”
“Then why didn’t you bring it first?” Karl looked around for something he could make another table out of.
“Because I’d never moved anything that fragile before. I wasn’t sure I could do it.”
“Well, go get it. I’ll find something we can use for the other ones.”
When Kevin got back to the tavern, Joan was waiting, hands on her hips. “Did you get it there in one piece?”
Kevin smiled. “It’s fine, but we didn’t know there were going to be four cakes. Karl’s looking for something to make another table. The one they have is too small for all four of them.”
Joan put her hand on Kevin’s arm. “Take me out there. Then come back for the wedding cake. I want to be there so I can tell you where to put it and which way to turn it.”
“Turn it?! I’ll be doing good to get it there. Once I set it down, I’m not touching it. If you want it turned, you do it.”
Joan rolled her eyes. “Let’s go.”
By the time Joan and Kevin got there, Karl had made another table and slid the two together. Joan nodded. “That should do it.” Then she put her hands on one end of the table. “I want the wedding cake right here with Congratulations lined up with this side.”
Kevin nodded and turned the key. A few minutes later, he came back with the wedding cake. When he had it where she wanted it, he set it down and put his arm around her shoulders. “See? No problem. Told you I could do it.”
Joan grinned and elbowed him in the ribs. “Go get the others, and bring Blair. She made these cakes. She needs to be here. Don’t let her tell you she’s got to clean up.”
Fifteen minutes later, all four cakes were on the table. It took a little convincing, but Blair finally agreed to come.
While Blair set out plates for the cake, Tolliver rang a bell to get everyone’s attention. Once the hum of conversation settled down, he said, “Zeb, would you and Cameryn join me, please?”
Zeb took Cameryn’s hand and the two of them walked through the crowd towards Tolliver.
While he waited for them, Tolliver cleared a spot on the end of one of the tables and set the Register of Marriages on it. When they reached him, he took a quill out of his pocket and set a small bottle of ink on the table near the register. He handed Zeb the quill while he opened the register and found the right page. “Now, if you’ll sign right here,” he said as he pointed to the first vacant line.
Zeb opened the bottle of ink, dipped the quill in it, and signed the register. Then he handed the quill to Cameryn so she could sign, too.
Once both signatures were in the book, Tolliver smiled. “Congratulations. On behalf of the town of Milhaven, we welcome you to our community and wish you happiness as you begin your life together.”
While everyone cheered and clapped, Joan handed Cameryn a knife, and pointed to the wedding cake. “If you’ll cut a piece for the two of you, we’ll handle the rest.”
Cameryn hadn’t noticed the cakes. As she walked around the table looking at them, tears filled her eyes. “They’re beautiful,” she whispered to Joan, “much too beautiful to cut.”
Joan grinned. “I’m glad you like them, but Blair made those cakes and you’re going to want some. They’re delicious.”
Zeb laughed, put his hand over Cameryn’s, and helped her cut the first slice. Then, as soon as it was on a plate, he broke off a bit and rubbed it in her hair. A cheer went up from the crowd as they fell in line. Joan picked up a knife and started cutting one of the other cakes while Ainsley and Blair did the same with the other two. Cameryn cut two slices of wedding cake for Zeb’s parents and handed Miranda the knife.
A couple of hours later, after everyone was done, Joan, Miranda, and some of the other women started clearing the tables. Once the tables were cleared, Karl and some of the men took them down. Meanwhile, Marcus and some of the guards moved the furniture Zeb had stored in the barn into the house.
Cameryn and Zeb circulated around the crowd, thanking people for all their help. Finally, a little before midnight, after most of the people had gone, Kevin put his hand on Cameryn’s shoulder. “Do you want your trunks tonight? Or would you rather wait until tomorrow?”
Cameryn shook her head. “I’d rather get them tonight.” She looked at her house and hugged herself. “I want to put my house to rights tomorrow.” Then she sighed. “My house. I can’t believe it. We have a house, and a farm, and we’re married.” A slow smile spread across her face.
Kevin gently hugged her. “I’m happy for you, Cameryn. And if ever there’s anything you need, let us know.” Then he stepped away and took out his key. “Now, if you’ll tell me where you want them, I’ll go get your trunks.”
~~~~
Marcus had a lot of work to do during the week after Cameryn’s wedding because he was spending the next week, the first full week of September, in Bridgeport. He wanted to take care of everything on his list in Milhaven before he went, so rather than take Sunday off, he was up at daybreak and ready to get started. By mid-afternoon he’d finished what he’d planned for that day, so he dropped by the newlyweds to see if Zeb needed any help putting the finishing touches on the house. He found the young man out in the barn, making cabinets, so Marcus pitched in to help.
&nbs
p; For the rest of the week, Marcus started at daybreak and finished around the middle of the afternoon. Then he went by Zeb’s to see if he needed any help before heading home. By Friday evening they’d hung all the doors, put up the cabinets, and made a couple of chairs for the front porch.
Marcus had known Cameryn since he’d arrived in Milhaven, and he’d met Zeb shortly afterwards while he was doing some work for the young man’s father. He’d watched from afar as they’d found each other, grown interested in each other, and fallen in love. That week, as he helped Zeb put the finishing touches on the house that would become their home, he saw the bond between them grow with each passing day, and he found himself longing for the same thing. By the time he left for Bridgeport Saturday afternoon, it had turned into an ache.
During the next week, Marcus joined Hayley for breakfast and then set out to take care of the jobs on his list while she took care of her patients. Then, after they ate dinner either at the chapel with Sherri, at Marcie’s, at Thom’s, or with Morris and Gloria, they walked around town and ended up in the tavern for scog. And each evening, after walking Hayley back to the chapel, Marcus kissed her and told her goodnight before returning to Morris’s house to spend the night alone in his old bedroom. By Saturday, he’d decided he didn’t want to sleep alone any longer. He wanted to get married, and he wanted Hayley to be his wife.
So Saturday night, as they were walking back to the chapel, he said, “I need to talk to you about something.”
“Sounds serious.”
“It is.” Marcus put his hands on her shoulders and gently turned her towards him. Once they were face to face, he took her face in his hands, leaned in, and kissed her tenderly. As he leaned back, he sighed.
“Marcus?” Hayley whispered. “What is it? What’s wrong?”
Marcus shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. Everything’s right, or it will be if you say yes.”
Hayley frowned. “Say yes?”
“I love you, Hayley,” Marcus said with a sigh. “I don’t want to say goodnight and leave you anymore. I want us to be together, every day, every night, in every way.”
Hayley closed her eyes. “I want that, too.”
“So, will you marry me, Hayley?”
Hayley’s eyes were damp with unshed tears as she nodded. “Yes, yes.”
The breath Marcus had been holding whooshed out of him as he laughed and hugged her tight. “Thank you, thank you so much.”
Hayley leaned back and looked him in the eye. “And every time I drive you nuts, I’m going to remind you that you said that,” she said with a giggle. Then she frowned. “How are we going to do this?”
“What?”
“Get married. You live in Milhaven, You’re their sorcerer. They depend on you. I live in Bridgeport. I’m their Sister. They depend on me. What are we going to do? How…”
Marcus shook his head. “It’ll take me some time to get it worked out, but I always intended to move back up here. Myron can find someone else to help out in Milhaven.”
“But what about emergencies? You always help him with those.”
“And I’ll still do that if he needs me. He’ll know where to find me.”
Hayley nodded, and then after a moment, said, “Where are we going to live? I live at the chapel. How will the town feel about you staying there?”
“I don’t know, but we don’t have to stay at the chapel. You can live with me in my house and let Sherri live in the chapel.”
Hayley slowly shook her head. “I don’t want to leave her there by herself.”
“We’ll find someone to move into your room then.” Marcus shrugged. “Look, most of the people around here want me to move back and all of them want you to stay. If we give them a choice between us living here or in Milhaven, which one do you think they’ll choose?”
Hayley grinned. “You have a point.”
“Now, when do you want to get married?” Marcus asked as they resumed their walk. “And how do you want to do it?”
“What do you mean, how?”
“Do you want to just sign the register and be done with it, or do you want a party?”
Hayley sighed. “I want a big party with lots of food and a big cake, but all I need is you.”
“That’s nice, but I think we can arrange a party. Where do you want to have it? Here or in Milhaven?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Can I think about it?”
“Sure,” Marcus said. They had reached the back door of the chapel. “If you want to, we can have a party there and then another one here.”
Hayley laughed. “Any idea when we can get married?”
Marcus thought for a moment. “There are a few things around Milhaven I’ve promised to do. Let’s aim for sometime near the end of the year. That’s a quiet time for me. The fall work’s done and the spring work hasn’t started. That would be a good time for me to leave. Someone else can pick up with spring planting.”
“Will Myron get mad at you for leaving?”
Marcus shook his head. “It’s been a temporary job from the beginning. He’s known all along that I plan to move back here someday.”
“Does he know about us?”
Marcus laughed. “Sweetheart, everybody knows about us.”
“Do you think Theresa could be there?”
“I’ll ask Myron to tell her about it, but as to whether or not she can come...” Marcus shrugged.
Hayley glanced towards the light in the kitchen. “Sherri’s still up.”
“Probably waiting for you.”
“Are you coming in?”
“I want to, but if I come in tonight, I won’t leave, so I better not.”
Hayley grinned. “Soon.”
“Soon,” Marcus echoed and kissed her goodnight.
~~~~
Monday morning, Marcus knocked on Kevin’s door and asked, “Do you have a minute?”
“Sure, come on in.” Kevin put his pen down.
Marcus sat down but didn’t say anything.
After a few minutes, Kevin asked, “Did you want something?”
Marcus gave a little laugh and then asked, “Ever know what you want to say until the time comes to say it, and then you have no idea how to start?”
Kevin grinned. “Yeah. Why don’t you just spit it out and we’ll go from there?”
Marcus took a deep breath and said, “I’m leaving at the end of the year.”
Kevin leaned back in his chair. “She said yes?”
Marcus felt his face grow warm. “How did you know?”
Kevin chuckled. “I’ve been expecting it ever since she moved to Bridgeport. You’ve held out longer than I thought you would. Are you getting married now or waiting until you move up there?”
“We’re going to wait until I move up there. Not much point in getting married until I do.”
“You go up there at least once a month.”
“But with all the work requests, we don’t have much time together. I don’t want to start our marriage that way.”
“You think it’ll be better once you’re up there?”
“I know it will. Everyone up there knows I work down here, so they consider what I do for them favors. But once I move up there, it’ll be my job, and I’ll start charging. There won’t be as many requests then.”
Kevin nodded. “I wish you both the best. And if there’s anything I can do for you, let me know.”
“Well, there is one thing Hayley wanted me to ask you. I realize Sister Theresa is somewhere doing something for you, but Hayley really wants her to be there when we get married. Is that possible?”
Kevin grinned. “Not only possible, but Theresa would kill me if she wasn’t there. We’ll have a big party, either up here or down at Fenway’s. The folks around here will want to celebrate with the two of you.”
“Hayley would love that.”
“Have you set a date?”
Marcus shook his head. “Probably near the end of December. That way I can finish the fall jobs before I
go, and the spring ones won’t have started yet.”
“You know you can go now if you want to. I can handle the stuff around here until I find someone else.”
“I know, but I accepted the work. I should do it.”
Kevin nodded. “If you decide you don’t want to wait, let me know. And be sure you let me know when you decide on a date.”
Marcus nodded as he stood up. “I will, and thank you for giving me the opportunity to work here with you. I’ve learned more over the past two years than I did the whole time I was an apprentice, and I’ve done more than most sorcerers do in a lifetime.”
Kevin shook his head. “I’m the one who should thank you. You’ve been more help than you realize. You’ll definitely be missed around here.”
“You know if you ever need me…”
Kevin smiled. “Thank you for that. Same goes if you ever need anything from us.” Then Kevin shook his head and laughed. When Marcus raised his eyebrows, Kevin said, “I was picturing the life you’ll have with Hayley. It will definitely be interesting.”
Marcus grinned. “And fun.”
~~~~
After lunch on Wednesday, Karl peeked in Kevin’s office and asked if he was busy.
“No more than usual.” Kevin tilted his head towards a stack of mail.
Karl grinned as he sat down. “Not the most interesting part of your job, I’m sure.”
Kevin shrugged. “Depends on what I find when I open them.”
“True, and I got one this morning you may be interested in.” Karl took a note out of his pocket. “Do you remember Montock?”
Kevin thought for a moment. “The Minister of Grainger?”
Karl nodded. “His sister’s son, Trystan, wants to work in a minister’s office when he grows up, so his sister asked Montock to let Trystan work with him, like an apprenticeship, I guess. Anyway, Montock’s wife is his assistant, and she enjoys being involved in his work, so he doesn’t want to ask her to step aside.”
Kevin frowned. “What does he want you to do? Let Trystan work in yours?”
Karl shook his head. “No, he asked if I knew of anyone who might need some help. He said the boy is inexperienced, but he reads and writes well, and his sister has taught him how to keep accounts. I know you’ll be short a page when Isak leaves, so I was wondering if you’d like to talk to him before I start asking around.”
The Rambling Spy Page 56
