Ecstasy's Promise (Historical Romance)

by Constance O'Banyon

  "You look lovely, child. Why do you seem so nervous?"

  "I am a little frightened of meeting so many new people, I suppose," Victoria told her.

  Her grandmother smiled. "You need not worry about that. Just be yourself and they cannot help but like you. I heard Dan drive up a moment ago. I will go downstairs and entertain him while you finish getting ready, but do not be too long," her grandmother cautioned.

  Victoria picked up the brush from her dressing table and ran it through her hair. It had grown long and curled about her face and down her back. She slipped her feet into the shoes that Manuel had crafted for her. She wished she did not feel so nervous about the picnic. Oh, well, she told herself, at least I will know Dr. Owens.

  "My, my, don't you look handsome," Mammaw greeted Dan. His brown hair was neatly groomed and he wore tan trousers and a brown shirt.

  "I am afraid I am a bit late," Dan said, smiling at her. He had already resigned himself to the fact that he was going to be stuck with Miss Farraday for the day.

  "Do not apologize. Victoria is just now ready. I hear her coming down the stairs."

  Dan stood tongue-tied before the beautiful girl who entered the room. This could not possibly be the same one he had met at the Delgados' that night. This had to be the most beautiful girl he had ever laid eyes on. She walked over to Dan and smiled, offering him her hand. He took it and tried to speak, but could only stare into her lovely face.

  "Dr. Owens, this is the first time I have had the chance to thank you for riding out in the rain to treat Bodine when he was injured. I have thought of you so often and hoped I would have the chance to tell you how grateful I am."

  "You thought of me? I mean, you do not need to thank me; it was my job," he stammered.

  "Just the same, I am grateful," Victoria told him, smiling.

  Dan noticed that he was still holding her hand. He released it and crammed his hands into his pockets.

  Never in all his life had he felt so ill-at-ease. How could he have been such a fool?

  "Shall we go?" Mammaw said, coming to his rescue.

  He pulled out his pocket watch and checked the time. "I am afraid we are going to arrive a bit late."

  "That does not matter," Mammaw said. "The picnic will last all day and into the night. Come into the kitchen and help me gather the picnic baskets," she told Dan. He was glad to have something to do so he could pull himself together.

  As they drove to the picnic grounds, Dan could not keep his eyes from straying to the lovely girl beside him. She was so elegant, so beautiful. Her voice was like music to him. The faint scent of lilac drifted his way, dulling his senses.

  "Why does everyone call you Dr. Dan, and not Dr. Owens?" Victoria asked him.

  He looked down at her. "Since I grew up here, everyone had always called me Dan. Then, when I became a doctor, they simply added doctor to it. Some do not even call me doctor," he said looking at Mammaw meaningfully.

  "Yes, I have noticed that my grandmother calls you Dan."

  "Not out of disrespect," Mammaw said. "It is just that it is hard to think of him other than Dan, when I was present at his birth, and have watched him grow to manhood."

  He smiled at Victoria. "See what I am up against, Miss Farraday? I hope you will call me Dan," he said to her, hoping he had not been too forward.

  "I met you as a doctor first, remember?" Victoria smiled. "But, yes, I will call you Dan if you will call me Victoria."

  He drew in his breath. "Victoria," he said, testing the name out loud.

  "Where is the picnic being held?" Victoria asked.

  "It is a lovely spot," her grandmother told her. "There are green rolling hills, the Wolf River runs through it, and there is a pavilion for dancing. The land belongs to Edward Hanover. His father had it set aside for the annual picnic many years ago, and it has become a tradition for the community to get together on May 15 every year."

  "Why May 15?" Victoria asked.

  "It was the day Edward was born. His father was so overjoyed that he had a son, he wanted a celebration that the whole county could enjoy. When he was alive, he provided all the food, but now, everyone just pitches in and brings their own."

  Victoria was very curious about this Edward Hanover, whose name kept coming up. Perhaps she would meet him today.

  Edward Hanover sat with his back resting against the tall oak tree that grew on a small hill. He looked down on the people milling about, and wondered what had possessed him to come to the picnic. These affairs always bored him.

  He stretched his long legs out in front of himself. The same faces, he thought, always the same faces. He had never felt a kinship with most of his neighbors. He did not know if it was his fault or theirs. He supposed it was his.

  They had always looked up to his father as a sort of leader, and when he died, they had transferred that feeling to Edward. He had wondered how the community would receive him after the war, and today he had found out. They had acted as though he had never been away. Edward supposed he should feel grateful, but something was missing and he thought he knew what it was.

  He wished he could have the close relationship with his neighbors that Dan had. Dan, always so easygoing, inquiring about their children's health, knowing them all by name. Edward felt a bit envious of the open affection everyone had for Dan. That thought surprised him. Why should he want to be close to a bunch of small-time ranchers? He had nothing in common with them. There were exceptions, of course, like Mammaw and the Pattersons.

  The war had changed him, he supposed, made him more aware of the people about him. Or maybe it was that it was his twenty-eighth birthday. Edward sensed a restlessness about himself, but could not understand it.

  "I thought I saw you walk off in this direction, Edward. You remind me of a king surveying his lowly subjects."

  He looked up and saw Clarissa Patterson. She was a pretty girl of twenty-three. She had long brown hair, and hazel eyes. "I was just enjoying the peace and quiet," he told her. She seated herself next to him and spread out her blue dress so it cascaded about her.

  "You seem very thoughtful, Edward," Clarissa said, smiling.

  "Perhaps I was," he told her, "but I am glad for your company.

  "Are you really?" she asked breathlessly.

  Edward nodded. "You look very lovely today, Clarissa."

  She moved closer to him. "Thank you," she said prettily. "Do you like my dress? I had it especially made for the picnic."

  Edward wondered why women always wanted to be complimented on their wearing apparel. "Yes, it is very nice," he told her.

  "I have missed you," she said. "Why have you not been by to see me?"

  "There was a lot of work that had piled up since my mother died. It has kept me pretty well tied to Rio del Lobo."

  Clarissa reached out and touched his hand. She ran her hand over his long lean fingers. Then she looked up into his handsome face. "Did you think of me while you were away, Edward?"

  "Of course," he lied.

  She brought her face closer to his. His lips came down on hers in a long and lingering kiss. He knew this was what Clarissa had wanted him to do, and wondered why it meant so little to him. He released her and looked into her eyes.

  "I love you, Edward," she said softly.

  He shifted uncomfortably. "Clarissa, you only think you love me."

  "No, no, it is true. I have loved you for a long time."

  "I am really not worthy of you," Edward said.

  "Don't you love me just a little?" she asked softly.

  He thought for a moment. "Clarissa, you are a beautiful woman, and if I loved anyone, it would be you. But I have been told that I have no heart and I believe it to be true."

  Tears were swimming in her hazel eyes. "Perhaps you will learn to love me just a little."

  "This is much too nice a day for us to be having so serious a talk. Let us join the others. Look, there is Dan's buggy. Shall we go and find him?" Edward said with relief.

  "Will y
ou share my picnic lunch with me?" Clarissa asked.

  He rose and helped her to her feet. "It would be my pleasure, Clarissa." She smiled and linked her arm through his. They made their way down the hill. Just as they reached the bottom, Clarissa's little brother came up to her and told her that their mother needed her. She smiled at Edward. "I will only be a moment; you will wait for me, Edward?"

  "Of course," Edward told her. He watched as she rushed off with her brother. Edward walked toward the crowd of people that surrounded Dan. Then his eyes fell on Mammaw. He smiled and walked up to her. "My one and only love," Edward said, kissing her on the cheek.

  She smiled at him affectionately. "If I was forty years younger, that might very well be true," she told him.

  "What do you mean? You outshine everyone here."

  "Almost everyone," she corrected him. "I do not believe you have met my granddaughter."

  Victoria watched with interest as her grandmother and the tall, handsome stranger talked with each other. She wondered who he was.

  "Victoria," Mammaw said proudly, "I would like you to meet Edward Hanover. Edward, my granddaughter, Victoria Lee Farraday."

  Edward had not noticed the girl who stood beside Mammaw. He turned, prepared to meet the homely girl Dan had told him about. His eyes widened in surprise. Her honey-colored hair fell about her face in ringlets. Her face was beautiful—the mouth soft and red, the eyes dark blue, with depths that seemed to hold him prisoner. She smiled up at him, glad at last to meet the famous Edward Hanover. Her blue eyes met and locked with his brown ones. They were hypnotic eyes that seemed to draw her to him. His dark handsome face swam before her. She was unable to move. She held her breath, waiting—for what she did not know. Edward could not tear his eyes from hers. She was so perfect, he felt his heart race. Neither of them was conscious of anyone else. They might have been alone for all they cared.

  Edward was the first to speak. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Farraday," he told her. His eyes never wavered from hers. His voice was deep and husky.

  "How do you do, Mr. Hanover?" she said softly.

  Dan clapped Edward on the back and broke the spell that had bound them. "I was not sure you were going to come today, Edward."

  Edward turned to his friend and smiled. "I thought you might beg off at the last moment. I see now why you did not." His eyes returned to the beautiful girl at Dan's side.

  "I see you have met Miss Farraday," Dan said, feeling uneasy.

  "Yes," Edward said, his eyes moving over Victoria's beautiful face. "Your description of her lost something in the telling." Dan's eyes begged him not to continue.

  Victoria paid no attention to the conversation between the two men. She was wondering at her reaction to the handsome stranger to whom she had just been introduced. Mammaw, however, who was familiar with the way Edward and Dan always sparred with each other, smiled. "Victoria, you are not to let the two overgrown boys frighten you. They will always have their private jokes."

  "Tell me, Victoria Lee Farraday, how are you liking Texas?" Edward asked.

  "It is very big," she said, feeling a little uneasy at the way his eyes seemed to look right into her soul. His voice was deep and cultured. His words were polite, but she sensed a deep undertone.

  "As a native Texan, I would like to welcome you to our state." Then he added, "Georgia's loss is our gain."

  "Thank you, Mr. Hanover," she said simply.

  "Edward," Mammaw asked him, "why have you not been by to see me? You have neglected me shamefully."

  He slipped his arm about her shoulders. "It was very remiss of me, but I promise to make it up to you in the future."

  "See that you do," she told him. "Now if you young people will excuse me, I will seek out my own age group."

  "Do not go, Grandmother," Victoria said.

  "You do not need an old woman to keep you company. Besides, I promised Mrs. Nelson we would eat our lunch together. She has a new jelly recipe I want to get."

  Victoria's eyes beseeched her. She had been shaken by the tall Edward Hanover, and needed the comfort and security of her grandmother. Mammaw looked at Dan. "Victoria is a little uneasy about meeting so many new people. You will look after her, won't you?"

  Dan smiled and picked up the picnic basket. "Come, Victoria, we will take our picnic lunch and eat up on that hill." He indicated the hill where Edward had been earlier. Just then, Clarissa joined the group, carrying her picnic basket. Dan introduced her to Victoria. Clarissa was warm and friendly. Victoria relaxed a little when she saw Clarissa was Edward Hanover's companion.

  "Let us eat together," Clarissa said. "We can combine our resources and have a feast."

  Dan looked at Victoria. "Would that be all right with you?"

  "Of course," she answered, still a little apprehensive.

  Edward took the basket from Clarissa, and she placed her hand in the crook of his arm. Dan and Victoria led the way up the hill. Victoria felt as though the dark eyes of Edward Hanover burned into her back. Edward watched Victoria as she walked in front of him. Her slim body moved gracefully. He remembered his first reaction to her, and wondered what it was about her that stirred his blood. He smiled to himself. She would probably turn out to be just another pretty face with an empty head, caring only for compliments and pretty words from a man, but still, she was the loveliest creature he had ever seen.

  "This is perfect," Victoria said, helping Dan spread out the bright red- and white-checkered tablecloth Mammaw had provided for them.

  "Edward and I used to come here often as boys," Dan told her. "We would go fishing first, then cook and eat our catch."

  "What happened if you caught no fish?" Victoria asked lightly.

  "Then we left early," Edward said, sitting down with his back to a tall oak tree, his long legs crossed in front of him.

  "Yes," Dan agreed, "and as often as not, we stopped by Mammaw's for a raid on her kitchen."

  "Oh, that reminds me," Victoria said. "Grandmother sent an apple pie with a message for you, Dan. She said to tell you she owed you two slices."

  Dan's eyes twinkled. "So she does." He laughed. Dan went over and sat beside Edward while Victoria and Clarissa laid the food on the tablecloth.

  "Why did your description of Miss Farraday fall so wide from the mark?" Edward asked, smiling at Dan. "Were you afraid of the competition?"

  "No, I swear to you, Edward, she really did look, I mean . . . well, I was mistaken."

  "I'll say you were," Edward said. His gaze wandered to Victoria, who was chatting easily with Clarissa. "Doctor, I think you had better have your eyes examined."

  "Yeah, she is so lovely," Dan said softly.

  They ate the picnic lunch and chatted easily. Victoria was beginning to relax, and felt some of her confidence return.

  "Edward, did you like the chocolate cake? I baked it myself," Clarissa said.

  "It was indeed delicious," he told her. "How about you, Miss Farraday, did you prepare the food we enjoyed, with your own little hands?"

  She caught the sarcasm in his voice and wondered at the reason for it. "No, I am afraid I cannot take credit for any of it, as my grandmother did all the preparations."

  "Have you not heard that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach?" Edward asked.

  Victoria looked into his face. "I have always thought that to be a vulgar description," she told him.

  He laughed heartily. "I think I have just been put in my place," he said.

  Victoria chose to ignore Edward Hanover. She turned to Dan instead. "Have you been out to see the Delgados?" she asked.

  "No," he said, "I have not seen them since the night you and I met."

  "I worry about Consuelo," Victoria said; "she seems so fragile."

  Dan smiled at Victoria. "She is strong and healthy. You need not worry about her."

  "Dan," Victoria said wistfully, "I do worry about them. They are such nice people and they are trying so hard to remain in Texas."

  Dan studied her
face. "You have become good friends with them?" he asked.

  "Yes. I will never forget their kindness to Bodine and I. They had so little, but were willing to share with us."

  "Who are you speaking of?" Clarissa asked with interest.

  Victoria turned to her. "Manuel and Consuelo Delgado."

  "Oh, I have heard of them," Clarissa said. "They are the poor Mexican family that lives beyond Rio del Lobo."

  "Yes, that is right," Victoria said.

  "Surely your grandmother does not allow you to associate with them?" Clarissa asked.

  Victoria drew herself up proudly. Her eyes sparkled dangerously. "I have the great honor of being their friend. My grandmother also, considers them her friends."

  "Well," Clarissa said indignantly, "I am sure my mother would not allow me to visit them."

  "Pity," Victoria said softly.

  Edward was leaning against the oak tree. He was listening with interest to the conversation, but did not wish to take any part in it. He was content to just watch the lovely Victoria. He searched for some flaw in her, but could find none. His interest in her increased.

  Victoria turned back to Dan. "Are you aware that they may have to return to Mexico if Manuel does not find someone to buy his leather work?"

  "Yes, I did know that," Dan said, "but, I am unable to help them. It is inevitable, you know."

  "I suppose so," Victoria said sadly.

  "I am sure Mama and I could dig around in the attic and come up with some clothes for them," Clarissa said thoughtfully. "Mama is always willing to help the unfortunate."

  Victoria turned to Clarissa quickly. "I hope you will not do that. They are very proud. They do not want charity. They only want to earn their own way.

  "When one is poor, one should not be proud," Clarissa told her airily.

  "I had not thought being poor meant giving up one's pride," Victoria said, beginning not to like Clarissa. Clarissa frowned, looked at Edward, and shrugged her shoulders. There was no expression on his face. Victoria turned back to Dan. "Consuelo is teaching me Spanish. I ride over every Thursday. To tell you the truth, the Spanish lessons are only secondary. I adore little Roberto. He has me twisted about his little finger. I am lost when he looks at me with his big brown eyes."