by Barbara Goss
Nathan gave Alex a pleading look. “Sign the papers, I don’t really want to hurt Nora.”
Sylvia rolled her eyes. “For God’s sake, Nathan, man up! You are such a sissy that I’m ashamed to call you my son. If your father were alive…” She shook her head. “If you don’t do as I tell you, I’m finished with you. I’ll throw you out in the street and never see you again.”
“I said, I’d sign the papers.” Alex said, locking his eyes on Nora. “Nothing in the world is worth more to me than Nora.”
Nora closed her eyes. Despite the awkward situation, she smiled tearfully at him.
“Hand me the papers,” Alex said.
Sylvia handed Alex a pen, ink, and the papers. “There are three of them to sign at the bottom,” she said.
Alex didn’t even bother to read the papers. It didn’t matter what they said. Nothing mattered but Nora’s safety. He addressed Sylvia, “I’ll sign one and then, you untie Nora’s ankles. I’ll sign the second, and you’ll untie her wrists. I’ll sign the third when Nathan goes outside." Alex knew that with Nathan outside, Nora couldn’t be carried away.
Alex carried out his side of the bargain, and Sylvia carried out hers. Once Nora was untied, she ran to Alex, who took her in his arms and hugged her.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“I’m fine, Alex.”
“Sylvia, I want you out of our future home.” Alex pointed to the door, “Out!”
When they’d gone, Nora said, “I can’t believe you signed those papers. I know Nathan wouldn’t have left me out there in the woods. When he tied me, he assured me that he wouldn’t hurt me. He said I should go along with him, and everything would be fine.”
“He didn’t hurt you at all?”
“No.”
“You mean more to me than the mill. The mill is my livelihood, but you are my life,” Alex said, kissing her forehead.
Nora kissed him passionately. “I love you, Alex. And my answer is yes.”
“Yes, what?” he teased. He wanted to hear her say the words.
“Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“Come here, darlin’," he said in that low, husky, alluring tone she loved. He set her on his lap. “I love you so much. I’m so glad you are all right. You have no idea how frightening it is to be helpless in a wheelchair while your loved one is being threatened. I’ve got to walk again so I can protect you.”
“Alex, you did protect me, with your pen. But, where do we go from here? We can’t go back to that house.”
“We’ll go to a hotel,” he said. “Then, somehow, we’ll manage to get our things. We’ll stay at the hotel until the paperwork for the house goes through.”
“Will you work as a partner with Phillip Randolph then?” she asked.
“Never. I’ll sell my share, and maybe start up another business. Don’t worry, I’ve plenty of money,” he assured her.
“We’ll have to walk to a hotel,” she said.
“We enjoy walking, don’t we, sweetheart?” he asked with a wink.
She pushed him to the door. “Yes, but how far is the nearest hotel?”
“Not far,” he laughed. “A few blocks, and we’ll pass the general store on the way, so we can purchase necessities.”
“We’ll have to let Doc Sharple know where you are,” Nora reminded him.
“I’ll send word to Doc as soon as we are settled.”
They passed three hotels before Alex pointed to a large four-story building. “That’s the one. We hold business meetings here. I know the proprietor.”
Nora looked up. “That hotel takes up the whole block. I’ve never been inside a building that big.”
“Oh, no!”
“What’s wrong, Alex?”
“There isn’t a ramp. I’d forgotten about that.”
Nora stared up at the huge, hotel. “We’ll have to go back to Sylvia’s.”
“No, we won't. Can you go inside and ask at the front desk for Harry Easton? When you see him, explain to him who I am and my problem.”
“Harry Easton… yes, I can do that.” Nora entered the hotel and came out five minutes later with two burly men. They picked up the chair with Alex still in it, and carried him effortlessly into the hotel. Nora followed.
A friendly man with graying temples greeted Alex with a handshake. “Alex! Good to see you.” He looked past Alex to Nora.
“This is my fiancée, Nora Bennett, Nora, meet Harry Easton, proprietor of the St. Charles Hotel.”
“How long are you planning on staying?” Harry asked, after theniceties had been said.
“Until our house is ready for occupancy,” Alex said.
“I have the perfect rooms for you, a double suite on the fourth floor. There’s an adjoining door between the suites,” he winked, “but it’s perfectly proper since no one will know that the adjoining door is not locked.”
Alex didn’t worry about propriety at this point. They had no choice in the matter.
Nora felt nervous walking into an elevator for the first time. She clutched Alex’s hand as the operator slammed the doors shut. It seemed to take forever to get to their floor, and the elevator made odd noises along the way that caused Nora to squeeze Alex’s hand even tighter. He smiled up at her and patted her hand with reassurance.
Once inside their rooms, Nora stood in awe.
Identical rooms with printed turquoise wallpaper, matching the turquoise wooden trim around the doors, windows, and baseboards greeted them. The floors were glossy hardwood with oriental throw rugs scattered about. The carved wooden bedposts matched the dressers. Mirrors were hung in various places around the room, and the French curtained windows were dressed in beige.
“Which room would you like?” Alex asked.
Nora thought for a moment. “Back at Sylvia’s, my room was on the left of the hall, so I’ll take the room on the left. It'll make it seem more like home, especially for you. But before we get comfortable, we need to send some messages.”
“The hotel can send the messages.” Alex looked at her in puzzlement. “I know one is for Doc but who is the other message for?”
“My mother.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’d forgotten. Do include in your message the secrecy of our presence, darlin’.”
They ate dinner in the elegant hotel dining room. Nora thought this an improvement over running down to the kitchen to bring up their trays of mediocre food.
“So,” Alex said between bites of his porterhouse steak, “now that you’ve agreed to marry me, I have to find a way to exercise here. I refuse to marry you from a wheelchair.”
“I spoke with my mother and aunt, and they suggested a wedding in my aunt’s back yard.”
“That won’t do. I want you to have the best,” he said.
“But they—”
“I’m paying. He paused and then asked, “How would you like to have the wedding right here?”
“I’d love it, but it’s tradition that the woman’s family provides the wedding. Aunt Frances has a lovely back yard with a garden and trellises,” she said.
He smiled, and his eyes sparkled. “Nora, I don’t care where we marry. If a wedding at your aunt’s is what you want, then so be it. Whatever makes you happy! This will be your special day, a day that most women dream of all their lives, and I want to be walking by your side.”
“I never did,” she said with a grimace. “I never thought about marriage until… you.”
“I wish I could say the same thing. I was on my way to propose to Celeste on the day of my accident. I want to be completely honest with you, always,” he added. “I thought I loved her. How foolish of me. Instead of thinking about someone I could cherish and who was fit to be the mother my children, I thought of how perfect she’d fit in with my society friends. I thought about how good we looked together. I kissed her several times during our courtship, but I always felt like something was missing. I’d never been in love before, so I had no idea how it should feel, but I do now.
&nbs
p; “I felt angry that all my plans died in that accident, but ultimately, something good came out of it—Celeste rejected me and I met you. It didn't seem like it at the time, but God actually did me a favor.”
“Then, why were you so depressed when I met you?” she asked.
“I was still mad at God for letting the accident happen and I felt sorry for myself. Until you came along with your encouragement, I thought my life as I’d know it was over. I thought I’d be stuck in that chair and in that room for the rest of my life, but you gave me hope.”
Nora smiled. “Thank God you weren’t killed in that accident.” She reached over and put her hand over his. “If you'd never been in love before, how did you know you’d found it with me?”
He sighed. “I can only tell you some of the symptoms,” he winked. “I liked you from day one, when I felt moved to cooperate with you. Until then, I’d never been moved to cooperate with anyone. I found it difficult to change my mood at first, but I made the effort, and found I actually enjoyed your visits. I think that, back then, I did feel appreciation. But then, it changed, and I thought about you day and night. I felt my heart skip a beat when you popped into my room. And when Nathan put his arm around you that day, I felt furiously jealous. But the moment I actually knew I loved you was the night we kissed. I’ve kissed many women, but none of their kisses affected me the way your kiss did. And since that day, my love has only continued to grow.”
15
Back in Alex’s hotel room, he hugged her to him, and whispered in her ear, “Do I still get my backrubs?”
“Certainly,” she said. “But that’s all. It’s far too tempting here, for us to gamble with temptation by moonlight.”
“But there isn’t any moonlight here. It’s not one bit romantic.” He frowned. “Shall I complain to the management?”
“Definitely not. I’m glad there's no moonlight—it would be far too tempting if there were,” “But my dream, Alex, is to have the perfect wedding night. Our first time should be a night we’ll never forget, a night we’ll remember each time a son or daughter climbs on our lap, or a grandchild smiles up at us. We’ll know it was that one beautiful night that started it all.”
He sighed, “You do have a way of managing me, Nora. I promise to behave…most of the time.”
They both laughed. Nora said, “Get ready. I’ll be back for your massage. Open the adjoining door a crack when you’re ready.”
During the day, they shopped, went for walks and even found another park where Alex could fatten some ducks, but he could no longer do his exercises, and he missed them. So Nora helped him with stretches and leg exercises. She had him stand from his wheelchair by hanging onto the bedpost, and then he eventually graduated to the doorpost. He remained diligent with his exercises. She knew he wanted to marry her as soon as he could walk, and he pushed the exercises, hard. Nora wondered why he felt it so important to walk in order to marry. Male pride, perhaps?
One morning, after four days of hotel life, Alex was notified of a message for him at the front desk. Now that Alex could move about independently, he wheeled himself down to the lobby to pick up his message. After opening and reading it, he quickly returned to his room, where he wheeled to the adjoining door, where Nora sat brushing her hair.
“I’ve a message from Doc Sharple.” He said. “He’s stopping by to examine me today.”
Nora smiled. “That’s good news. I’ll use his time with you to check the hardware store for something to help with your exercises.” She wrapped her arms around him. “Now that I’ve agreed to marry you I’m anxious to get started.”
“Do you need money?” he asked.
“No. My boss is quite generous.”
“Is he?” He pulled her down onto his lap.
She put her arms around his neck. “He is, but sometimes he offers me too much, and the temptation is driving me mad.”
He kissed her forehead tenderly. “We could have our wedding night now and the wedding later—”
“Alex!” Nora scolded, “I don’t think so!” She then started kissing his neck and nibbling on his ear.
“Enough!” Alex laughed. “Off my lap. You tempting Jezebel!”
“Jezebel? I had a cat, once, named Jezebel.” She grinned. “And I don’t want to leave your lap. I feel safe and secure here with your arms around me.”
“If you only knew how unsafe it actually is,” he said in a voice low and seductive.
When the doctor arrived, Nora excused herself and walked to the hardware store. She could find nothing to help with his exercises. They sold rope, but what would they tie it to? They didn’t carry weights, so she gave up and started a slow walk back to the hotel. She’d only been gone an hour, and she missed Alex already.
The desk clerk stopped her as she walked past, and told her she had a message. She took the envelope and put it in her pocket. She knew it was from her mother, and judging by the thickness, it was a long message, and she preferred to read it in her room.
Back in her room, before she could get comfortable, Alex burst in wearing an ear-to-ear smile. “I’ve fantastic news!” Nora’s looked up at him in anticipation. Alex continued, “Doc is sending me to Sweden for what they call physiotherapy. It’s new. He says he believes it might help me to walk.”
Nora’s face fell.
“You aren’t happy?”
“How long do you think you’ll need to stay there?” Nora asked.
“I don’t know… months, maybe. It’s all right, darlin’—you’re coming with me.”
“We’d have to marry first,” she said.
“And we will, when I am able to walk down the aisle,” he said. “Doc said this is my best chance to walk again.”
Nora tried to put on a happy face, but Alex detected her mood. “You aren’t happy about this, are you?”
“I’m happy for you, but how soon are you going?”
“Doc is taking us. He wants to see first-hand what this physiotherapy is and how it works, so he can educate himself and bring some of the methods back here. He’s making all the arrangements.”
She hugged Alex, “I’m sorry for not sharing your excitement. It’s just that I won’t be able to go.”
Alex frowned. “Why not?”
“We aren’t married, Alex. We can’t travel abroad together.”
“Doc will be our chaperone.”
“You make it sound so simple. I’d have to leave my mother for who knows how long. And Doc is not a proper chaperone.”
Alex looked so disappointed that Nora felt guilty. This was the best chance he’d ever have to walk again, and she’d put a damper on it. “Alex, go with the doctor. I don’t want you to wait,” she said.
“Without you? I think not.” Alex wheeled over to the window and stared out.
Nora thought it must be an old habit for him to stare out the window whenever he was troubled. “Alex, go with the doctor and we can keep in contact by letters.”
“I need time to think…” he brooded.
Nora hadn’t seen him this troubled in a long time. She came up behind him and massaged his neck and shoulders. “Our love is strong enough to be apart for a time, Alex.”
“No offense, Nora,” he said blandly, “but I feel the need to be alone.”
Nora went to her room, and suddenly remembered the message from her mother. When she opened the envelope, two letters fell to the carpet. She picked one up and read it. Her mother didn’t say much except that she worried that something must be wrong if she had to keep where she was living a secret. Nora decided she’d have to visit her mother soon and tell her the whole story.
She picked up the second letter, but didn’t recognize the handwriting. “To Nora, kindness of Evelyn Bennett” was written on the outside. She unfolded it with curiosity and read it.
Dear Nora,
Your mother wouldn’t tell me your whereabouts, but she did promise to see that you got this message. It’s urgent that I see you. If you don’t want to reveal your lo
cation, under the circumstances, I understand. Please meet me in our park, on the bench we shared often. I’ll be there on July 10 at twelve noon. Trust me.
Yours,
Nathan
That was tomorrow! Nora re-folded the note and set it on her dresser. Alex was in no mood for this news. She’d wait until he perked up a bit to show it to him.
Alex continued to brood during dinner. Nothing Nora said seemed to make a difference for his mood. When Nora gave Alex his nightly backrub, she told him she needed to visit her mother to reassure her that all was well.
He nodded. Moments later she heard him snoring. He’d fallen asleep. She guessed that was the purpose of the massage, to relax him. She smiled and placed a cover over him.
When Nora announced her plan to visit her mother, at breakfast the next morning, Alex’s mood had improved somewhat, and he offered to go with her.
“I think it’s time I met her, don’t you? She’ll be my mother-in-law soon.”
“I’d love for you to come along, but my aunt’s house has many stairs and narrow doorways. I’m afraid the house is not wheelchair compatible. Can we invite them here one day?”
“Sure. We’ll invite them to dinner here at the hotel one night soon.”
“Harry has offered me the use of his buggy complete with driver, so you needn’t walk. Now that we’re at the hotel it’s too far to walk anyway,” he said.
“That’s generous of him! How did you meet Harry?” she asked.
“We’ve been doing each other favors for years. I arranged all our business meetings for the mill here, and it brought him a lot of business in return,” he explained.
Nora fiddled with her coffee cup. “Alex, we need to settle this problem between us. I hate seeing you so unhappy.”
“After a lot of thought, I’ve decided not to go. I can’t be apart from you for that long. That’s my final decision, and I don’t want to discuss it further,” he stated clearly. “Understood?”
“Could I suggest just one other solution?” she asked coyly.
“All right, but my mind is made up.”
“Let’s get married, and we can honeymoon in Sweden. The more I think about it, the more excited I become. I’ve never been anywhere, and Sweden sounds wonderful.” Nora really wasn’t excited about going across the ocean, but she had to make it sound as if she were if she hoped to convince him. He needed to do this, and she knew that, deep down, he really wanted to go.
