by Diane Darcy
“What is it? Tell me what you thinking.”
She wasn’t ready to. She grasped upon the first thing that came to mind. “Reverend Dutton won’t go against Mrs. Braxton.”
“Don’t worry so much. If Reverend Dutton listens to the widow and refuses to marry us, we will simply go to Santa Ana and find a man of the cloth who will.”
He held her close and kissed her temple. “Marry me. Marry me tomorrow, Grace.”
He kissed her, and when his mouth touched hers, it clouded her ability to think.
She gave herself up to the sensation of his body against hers, his lips murmuring reassurances against her skin.
Maybe she could get away without telling him she was actually Miss West?
Ever?
Maybe she shouldn’t risk her future this way.
Right now she had a train ticket, and a job back east. She did have some semblance of security if she wanted it.
She could go to London, and eventually take care of Penny’s children.
But she didn’t want any of that anymore. What she wanted was to have her own children. Luke’s children. She loved him. Happiness with an edge of pain expanded in her chest. She loved his determination and drive, his belief that he knew best, his charm, the look and feel of him. She loved the teasing side of his nature, the part of him that wanted to challenge her thoughts and match wits with her. She even loved to fight with him.
Luke pulled away to look into her face. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll take you back east and we can talk to your parents and announce our marriage in person. From there, we can go on a honeymoon to Europe or wherever you choose. Would you like that?”
She could hardly think what Mr. Carmichael would say when she showed up to tell them in person that she’d married.
Probably, Congratulations. Have a nice life. We’ll replace you post-haste. She almost giggled at the thought and would have if she weren’t so scared to tell Luke the truth.
“So will you marry me tomorrow?” His dark eyes were earnest, and the contents of his heart were right there for her to see.
Emotions roiled and warred within her. Fear, hope, and yearning. She did want Luke—she badly wanted to be his wife. She should just tell him everything!
“Grace? Are you having second thoughts?”
The worry in his voice made her reach out and clutch the arm he had about her waist. To keep it there forever. “No. I mean, yes. I will marry you tomorrow.”
He smiled, then kissed her again, possessively, the kiss more passionate than all of the others combined. When he finally let her go, he wrapped both arms around her shaky figure and led her inside. “You won’t ever regret this. I swear it.”
Mrs. Samuels wasn’t impressed when they told her they were engaged and to be married the next day. “Congratulations. So you’ll be sleeping in your office tonight, I presume?”
Luke grinned down at Grace and agreed. “Fine, I’ll sleep in my office. Just for tonight.”
Grace blushed and let Mrs. Samuels lead her away. She shook her head at the dream-like state of affairs. What in the world was she doing?
Grace stood in the back room of the church, waiting. She couldn’t believe how quickly everything happened.
It was her wedding day. Her wedding day. Disbelieving, she repeated the thought in her head. It must be close to three o’clock in the afternoon, and so much had already happened.
Far from shunning them, the community rushed together to create a beautiful wedding.
Nothing, it seemed, had been overlooked.
The church was decorated, the doors and pews were overflowing with flowers and bedecked with ribbon.
Copious amounts of food had been provided for after the ceremony.
Women clucked about, excited and festive. Everyone seemed genuinely happy for the two of them.
A fiddle, guitar, and pianoforte harmonized to fill the air with music.
The Hardison’s daughter, married two years earlier, had been gracious enough to loan Grace her dress. Flowers adorned her hair and she clutched a lavish bouquet in her sweating hands.
She was quite touched by the generosity of the women in this town.
But what was she doing?
She took a deep breath, aware of the pounding of her heart. How could she start a marriage rooted in deceit?
She should have told him everything last night. She cringed slightly. Why hadn’t she told him?
The Reverend Dutton had defied the widow and agreed to marry them. He’d been appalled that they’d even consider anyone else.
The church was completely packed, and Grace wasn’t even sure how everyone had heard about the wedding so quickly.
The entire thing was like a dream. Moments from now, she would be Mrs. Luke Carrington.
Still, it wasn’t over yet. There was still time to change her mind, to do the right thing.
She considered it. With everyone so excited, everyone in attendance, the decorations, the food, the well-wishers, and Luke.
She couldn’t do this to Luke.
There was no going back at this point.
Even Mrs. Braxton sat front and center with Mrs. Simpson, of course. It seemed all had been forgiven. Even after yesterday, she couldn’t disappoint Mrs. Braxton in such a fashion.
The music stopped, only to start again as organ music filled the air.
She clutched her flowers to her chest, took a breath, and walked to the back of the room. As everyone stood, she started a slow walk down the aisle. There’d been several offers to walk with her, to give her away, but she’d turned them all down.
She didn’t want to include anyone else in her perfidy.
Earlier, in an interview with the Reverend, she’d realized she’d marry Luke under the name of Miss Penny Grace Carmichael. She’d been frozen, and unable to admit the truth.
Was this even going to be legal?
What did she know? She didn’t know anything about the law. Did it matter what name she married Luke under?
They had witnesses. And her new name would be Grace Carrington.
She could feel her upper lip sweating, and the center of her back.
What was she going to do?
What could she do at this point?
Her heartbeat picked up speed as she looked wildly around the room, and her gaze finally settled on Luke.
He was the only spot of calm in the whirlwind this day had become. He smiled gently at her, and there wasn’t a shred of doubt in his expression.
Grace had written a letter to the Carmichaels, telling them the villain had been caught, jailed, and was awaiting trial. Penny was safe, and Grace was getting married.
She hoped they’d be happy for her.
Did she owe them more than that?
And what about her own mother? Grace would be married by the time her mother received the letter. Her sister would find out even later.
She’d be Grace Carrington.
It would be easy enough to convince Luke to postpone the honeymoon to New York City.
She couldn’t have Mr. Carmichael meeting her new husband under such false pretenses.
She gripped her bouquet with cold hands. She loved Luke with all her heart. She was marrying him for the right reasons. That had to count for something, didn’t it?
Since her father’s death, she had always done for others. Wouldn’t it be all right, just this once, to take something for herself?
He wanted her too. He loved her. He’d told her so, and she could see it in his gaze, could feel it when he touched her.
Would he love her any less if she came with a different name?
Why was she even worrying about this now?
She was going through with this.
She just hoped neither of them lived to regret it.
Chapter 34
She’d almost reached Luke. Just a few more steps. She glanced around the church again, and wondered if every single person in town had shown up?
There were people standin
g against the wall, for heaven sake. It was like they were all determined to see their mayor properly married.
Only he wouldn’t be properly married, would he?
The next thing she knew, she was finally standing beside Luke. He looked happy, proud, sure of himself, of them.
Reverend Dutton welcomed everyone. He seemed happy to be the one joining them in holy matrimony, but it was as if he was speaking from a long distance away. He quickly started the ceremony.
Very aware of Luke standing at her side she started to shake. It was simple nerves, she told herself; that’s all it was. Every bride was entitled to nerves on her wedding day, wasn’t she?
She hardly heard a word the priest said. Luke took her hand, and stated his vows in a strong, firm voice. He looked directly into her eyes as he firmly stated, “I do.”
It was her turn.
Luke glanced down at her trembling fingers, then into her wide eyes. He suddenly looked concerned.
As if in a faraway voice, she heard Reverend Dutton ask Grace Penny Carmichael if she would have this man to be her lawfully wedded husband.
“I … I …”
Everyone waited—it was like everyone in the entire chapel held a collective breath. The whole thing felt so surreal, so fanciful, that there was a giggle pressing at the back of her throat.
She couldn’t release it. This was a big enough mess as it was. She could not laugh during her wedding ceremony.
“Miss Carmichael? The reverend prompted her. “Can you give yourself in marriage?”
No, Miss Carmichael could not give herself in marriage. Miss Carmichael resided in London at the moment. Her nanny, however …
“I’m not Miss Carmichael.” The words flew out without plan or consent. They just burst from her mouth.
As the man beside her turned to stone, whispers fluttered through the crowd, then took flight, the confusion floating to a rising crescendo.
Grace kept her head bent and stared at the rough wooden planks. “My name is Grace West.” She forced herself to lift her head and look directly at Luke. “I’m sorry. I can’t marry you. You don’t even know who I am.”
His mouth was partially open as he stared down at her. His hands clutched hers and tightened to the point of pain. “Grace West?”
A man in the audience stood. “Excuse me. I don’t care what her name is. If you don’t want her, I’ll have her, wedding ring and all.”
Another man stood, a regular at the pie shop. “Now wait just a minute. If he doesn’t want her, then I will marry her.”
A third man hopped out of his seat. “What about me? I want to be considered. I have some property and—”
As the men started to argue in the background, Grace waited for Luke to say something, anything, but he remained silent.
Feeling ridiculous and humiliated, unable to stand there for another moment, Grace ripped her hands from his, turned and fled.
Luke was so stunned that he didn’t move for a moment.
He looked at the three men standing, then at the rest of the wedding guests, all of them watching Grace leave, and he couldn’t help it … he started to laugh.
This was her big secret? Here he’d been worried about other men, her father possibly pressuring her to marry another, or even that she was worried that her father would reject his suit because he found a small town mayor an unacceptable match for his daughter.
As the wedding guests turned to look at him, he started down the aisle after Grace.
She was running up the dirt road, but as her wedding dress made it hard to move, it didn’t take him long to catch her.
He spun her around and gripped her by the shoulders. “I like it when you run, remember? So after we’re married, do it as much as you like. But for now, just where do you think you’re running off to, Miss …West?”
“I … I don’t know.”
“Just to be clear, you are not Miss Carmichael?”
“No.” Her chin rose, and her fists bunched, and he was hard-pressed not to laugh all over again.
“You are Miss Grace West, from New York City?”
She seemed to deflate all at once, looking miserable. “Yes.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
Her dark lashes lifted and she looked at him. “How do you do.” A small smile tilted her lips.
“Very fine, indeed. Do you have any family?”
“My mother and my sister. Mother works as a lady’s companion in New York City, and my sister Rachel is employed at a clothing factory in Massachusetts.”
“And you? Do you have an occupation?”
“I used to work as a governess for the Carmichael girls in Clinton Hill.”
“The Carmichaels? The name is familiar. I do believe I’ve heard of them. What brings you to town?”
“I was sent out west to lure a villain away from Miss Penny Carmichael. He’d fixated upon her and meant to harm her, you see.”
The Carmichael’s had used Grace as bait? He didn’t feel so cavalier upon hearing that. “The people you work for endangered you, rather than risk their daughter?”
“I agreed. It was my fault the man spotted her. I dragged her to the library one day and he took one look at her and was determined to have her.”
“That’s hardly your fault.”
She shrugged. “She didn’t even wish to go to the library that day. Who else was to blame if not me?”
“Does Widow Braxton know you are Grace West?”
“You know, I just don’t know. She’s never said either way. I can’t imagine the Carmichael’s didn’t tell her, though. And I tried once to do so myself, but she wouldn’t listen.”
“She knows,” he said darkly. “She knows everything that goes on around here. Now let me tell you what I know. I know that no matter your surname, I cannot live without you. If I let you go, who will argue with me and call me pigheaded? Who will read to the men in town and keep them out of trouble? Who will make me laugh and drive me to distraction? Who will make me feel alive? I really don’t care what your last name is, because it is about to be Carrington.”
Without releasing her hand, he knelt on one knee. “Miss Grace West, will you marry me?”
When she started to cry, he chuckled.
“But you don’t really know who I am.”
“Oh, I know you all right. I know that you are kind to others, you are crazy about books, you kiss like a dream, and I want you by my side and in my bed for the rest of my life. What else do I need to know?”
She started to sob harder.
He chuckled again. “If you marry me, I’ll build you a library with the proceeds from next year’s gambling tournament.”
“What about your political career? The prestige of being married to a debutante?”
He shuddered. “I tried that once. All I ended up with was interfering in-laws, a wife who didn’t love me and turned up pregnant with another man’s child, and a lot of heartache.”
She stared. “Oh, Luke.”
“I already purchased your wedding gift, you know. It’s a book. But if you don’t marry me, you’ll never find out which one it is.”
She glanced behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder to find the entire town spilled out into the churchyard, watching them. He paid them no mind. “So, I will ask you again, Miss Grace West. Will you marry me?”
Still sobbing, she threw herself at him. “Yes. Yes, I will. As I said before, if it’s me you want, I’ll marry you.”
He stood, gathered her in his arms, and kissed her.
When he finally pulled away he said, “One more concern. When we met, you claimed to be eighteen. You’re not, are you?”
She smiled. “And if I was?”
He grinned at her. “I love you enough to wait for you to grow up.”
She laughed. “I’m twenty-five.”
His grin widened. “Whew. Only five years younger than me.”
“Is that acceptable, Mr. Carrington.”
“It’s perfect, Mi
ss West.” He grabbed her by the hand and tugged. “Come on.”
When they came back toward the church, the entire town cheered. Well, most of them anyway. There were a few who looked more than a little disappointed.
He wrapped an arm around her, and led her back through the crowd, up the church steps, and straight to the altar where he had a few words with the reverend.
As the rest of the town filed in behind them, he dried her tears.
When she was finally smiling, and everyone was ready, they stood in front of the Reverend Dutton and Miss Grace West became Mrs. Luke Carrington.
At last.
When Luke kissed Grace, Mrs. Braxton dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief. She turned to her good friend, Mrs. Nancy Simpson. “Aren’t weddings wonderful?”
Mrs. Simpson was looking around, enjoying the crowd’s reactions. “Not for everybody.”
Mrs. Braxton followed her gaze. Some of the younger girls in the audience frowned, dabbed at their eyes, or were otherwise visibly unhappy.
Some of the gentlemen weren’t exactly thrilled either.
Helen nudged Nancy’s shoulder. “Now that the ceremony is final, it’s time to pay up.”
“So it is.” Nancy pulled out a twenty-dollar gold piece and handed it over with a smile.
Helen took the coin, bit the inside of her cheek, and tried to refrain from gloating. But really, she’d seen this coming, hadn’t she? And getting one of those boys married off truly was something to gloat about. “When Mrs. Carmichael wrote to me to see about hiding their governess, I just knew she’d be perfect for one of the boys.”
Nancy dabbed at her eyes as she watched the bride and groom follow Reverend Dutton back up the aisle. They stood just outside the church doors so that they could greet everyone as they came outside. “You were so right. I’d never have believed that Luke, of all people, would marry again.”
Mr. Cooper Stillwater walked over and stopped in front of them. He handed Helen a couple of small gold nuggets. “You might’ve won this one, Helen, but next time you won’t be so lucky. Who or what are we betting on next?”
She had a pretty good idea, but wasn’t ready to show her hand yet. “I’ll let you know.”
