THE GIRLS MADE their way back inside, through the parlor, and down the hall. Sophie knocked on the door and entered when bid. “What the heck is going on, guys?”
“Is this a secret society meeting that we’re not invited to?” Emma made her way to Clayton.
“You know my motto.” Jamie grinned.
“No chicks in the band,” Emma and Sophie said in stereo.
Clayton wrapped an arm around Emma’s waist. “We’re done here, so we can join everyone for croquet.”
Andrew pulled Gwen in for a quick hug. “We’ll be right there.”
Once everyone left the room, Andrew closed the door.
“What’s going on?” Gwen stared up at him.
“We have a plan now, so there is nothing for you to worry about.”
Gwen laid her hands on Andrew’s chest. “But who was that man? Did Adam know him?”
He stroked her cheek. “Sweetheart. Concentrate on tomorrow, nothing else. I promise you, it’s nothing to be troubled about. We have the matter fully under control.”
Gwen frowned. “Why are you so unwilling to tell me what’s going on?”
“Because it’s nothing for you to be concerned about.” Andrew pinched the bridge of his nose. “I don’t want it to even enter your mind.”
He leaned down to kiss her and Gwen allowed herself to be swept up in his embrace, but that didn’t mean she would stop worrying about the strange man. She didn’t think she could, even if she tried.
* * *
Dinner was served less than an hour later, but to a much smaller crowd since Adam and Elizabeth took the boys home, and Michael and Nona had plans with friends. Once dinner concluded, the men and women separated, and once again Andrew found himself in the library with Christopher, Clayton, and Jamie. Jamie poured them each a drink and they sat around the unlit fireplace to enjoy a cigar.
“Where’s Richard?” Andrew sipped his drink.
“He had to get back to work.” Jamie lit a cigar and gave a little puff. “In fact, I need to join him shortly.”
“He seems to be quite taken with Charity.” Andrew grinned.
“Does he?” Jamie raised an eyebrow.
Andrew nodded.
Jamie sipped his drink. “You know, Andrew, in the future tonight would have been your bachelor party.”
Christopher leaned forward in his chair. “What happens at a bachelor party?”
Jamie blew a smoke ring. “Much of the time it involves strippers and alcohol, but for mine it was much more creative.”
Clayton chuckled. “How so?”
“My groomsmen knew I would have objected to watching any woman, other than Sophie, take off her clothes, so they took me to a pool hall for beer and billiards.”
“That sounds quite tame.” Andrew puffed his cigar.
Jamie nodded. “It was. Although, they made me wear one of her bras on the outside of my shirt and a necktie that had hearts all over it, in order to humiliate me. I’m glad I’m not easily embarrassed.”
“What is a bra?” Andrew frowned.
Christopher and Clayton both made a strange sound in the backs of their throat and Andrew stared at them in confusion.
“It’s magnificent,” Christopher said.
“Yes, it is,” Clayton agreed.
“I’m sorry, I think you’ll need to excuse me.” Christopher stood. “I’m concerned about Hannah.”
“Yes, and I should check on Emma.” Clayton moved toward the door.
Both men quickly left the library and made a beeline for their wives.
“What did I say?” Andrew asked.
Jamie laughed. “It’s not something that can be described Andrew. You’ll just have to trust me.”
Andrew forced a smile. “I’m actually glad that I have some time alone with you.”
“Oh?”
Andrew rested his hands on his knees. “As you know, my father passed away when I was a boy and I was raised with three sisters.”
Jamie set his drink aside. “Yes.”
“I have come to view you as much more than a close friend, more like a brother, so I feel I can ask you a question of a personal nature.”
Jamie smiled. “Of course you can.”
“I’m not an expert in the way of…” Andrew’s voice shook, but he willed himself to continue, “… in the way of pleasing a woman.”
Jamie nodded in encouragement.
“I was wondering if, perhaps, you could… I don’t know…”
“Give you some advice?” Jamie finished.
Andrew let out a deep breath. “Yes.”
Jamie approached his advice delicately and on occasion clinically, but did his best to stay respectful to his wife and veer away from the personal experiences they had shared.
* * *
Andrew came away with practical information and the knowledge that Jamie would never betray his confidence. They left the library and made their way back to the parlor where they found Sophie and Gwen.
“Did everyone else leave?” Andrew leaned down to kiss Gwen’s cheek.
“Yes, rather quickly.” Sophie raised an eyebrow at her husband.
He winked at her, but didn’t respond.
Andrew pulled Gwen from the couch. “I should take my leave.”
Gwen nodded and said goodnight to Jamie and Sophie. Andrew took her hand and they made their way to the door and then outside. He pulled her down next to him on the porch swing and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. He kissed her temple. “How are you feeling about tomorrow?”
“Excited. What about you?”
“The same. It feels as though I have waited a lifetime for you.”
She sighed. “I know. Thank you, Andrew.”
“For what?”
“For loving me.” She leaned heavily into him.
Andrew chuckled. “That part’s easy.”
“It might not always be.”
“I don’t doubt that, but it won’t stop me from doing it.” Andrew stood and pulled her up. “I’m going to leave you here, beautiful.”
“What? Why?”
“Because I’m at the point where if I don’t, I might not be able to.” He pulled her close and cupped her cheek. “I love you.” Leaning down, he proceeded to give her a kiss that she would never forget.
It seemed to go on forever and she grasped the lapels of his jacket, simply to stay on her feet. She melted further into him with each passing second and by the time he broke the kiss, she could barely breathe.
“A prelude to tomorrow,” he whispered.
“Now I won’t be able to sleep,” she grumbled.
“Neither will I.”
“Can we run off and get married now?”
Andrew chuckled. “I love you.”
“I love you, too.” She stood on her tiptoes for one last kiss and then he was gone.
Gwen let herself inside and went upstairs to bed. The house was quiet, but Charity was waiting for her when she walked in the room. “Char? Shouldn’t you be asleep?”
“I thought I’d assist you with your corset.”
Gwen giggled. “You know I can do it myself, so what’s the real reason?”
“I needed to talk. Are you too tired?”
Gwen shook her head. “Not at all. I want to hear all about your walk with Richard.”
Charity loosened Gwen’s stays and helped her slip out of the corset. Gwen removed the rest of her clothes and put on her nightgown.
“Richard is handsome and very gallant. He showed me all of his horses and even a few that he and his brother were looking at acquiring. I tripped over something while we were walking the property and he caught me and made sure I was all right.”
“You tripped? No!” Gwen droned.
Charity let out a snort, followed quickly by a sigh. “After that, he took my hand and slipped it into his arm. He laid his hand over mine and kept it there.”
Gwen smiled. “That seems very romantic.”
“When he spoke to me, he was focused solely on me. He didn’t seem distracted and was interested in what I had to say.”
“Why do you sound as though you’re unhappy, Char?”
Charity flopped onto her stomach. “I’m unconventional, Gwen.”
“So?”
“I’ve been watching what I say, and have done my best to make myself a lady worthy of a man like Richard Madden.” Her eyes filled with tears. “But what happens when he gets to know the real me and realizes I’m entirely too forward for him.”
Gwen sat next to her and patted her hand. “Dearest, if he doesn’t want the real you then why would you want him? You’re the absolute best person I have ever known, and Richard Madden would be blessed to have you.”
“But I like him so very much, Gwen. I’ve never met anyone like him. I know he’s older, but he doesn’t treat me like a child and I—” Charity groaned.
Gwen smiled. “Charity, you’re mature for your years, as mama always says, and it seems as though Richard is quite taken with you. You deserve to be happy, and I think Richard will like you, especially, when he gets to know you.”
“I hope so.”
Gwen made her way to the bureau and poured water into the porcelain bowl. “Has he told you anything of his past?”
“We just met, Gwen.”
“I know that, silly. It’s just that I understand he has an alcohol problem.” Gwen glanced over her shoulder.
Charity nodded. “He mentioned that briefly, but didn’t linger on the subject.”
“Does that concern you?”
Charity’s eyebrows puckered. “I suppose it would if he was trying to hide something, but he doesn’t appear to be.”
“What did he say?”
“When he brought me home, he asked if he could see me again and I said, yes. He said that there were some things in his past that he’d like to tell me about, one of which was relating to whiskey, but he didn’t go into detail.”
Gwen smiled. “How wonderful would it be if you two got married? We could live close to each other again!”
“Aw, Gwen.” Charity grinned. “Are you going to miss me?”
“I doubt you know the extent of that statement.” Gwen sighed. “You’ve been my sister forever. Now I know how Sophie feels living away from hers.”
Charity hugged her. “I’ll visit. Often. Especially if Richard is part of the visit.”
“Here I was thinking you would miss me just as much, and visit because of that fact. Now you admit it’s for a man?”
Charity nodded. “Yes, exactly.”
The girls dissolved into giggles and stayed up entirely too late. Gwen finally forced Charity to leave and went to bed.
* * *
The morning of the wedding dawned and Gwen woke just before five. She found she couldn’t go back to sleep, so climbed out of bed and pulled her robe on. She felt a certain disappointment knowing she wouldn’t see Andrew until she walked down the aisle, and it added to the melancholy she had already been experiencing over the past few days.
She decided to read and picked up the book she brought with her. It didn’t take long before the pages began to swim before her eyes and she realized she wouldn’t remember anything she read anyway. “Well, I can’t sit here and wallow.”
Inching open her bedroom door, she made her way downstairs. She thought she might be able to find a cup of coffee, but when she got to the dining room, it was empty. Breakfast wasn’t typically set out until seven, which meant there was over an hour before the rest of the house would even start to stir. She moped her way back up the stairs and back to her room. As she opened her door, she heard her name called.
“Gwen?”
She turned to see Jacob in the hallway. “Good morning, little brother,” she whispered.
“Good morning, bride to be.” He smiled. “How are you feeling?”
She wrinkled her nose. “A bit bored.”
Jake chuckled. “What time did you wake up?”
“Five.”
“No wonder.”
“Come inside.” She motioned to her bedroom. “I don’t want to wake the house.”
Jake followed her inside and turned one of the chairs to face the bed Gwen had just flopped onto. He folded his tall body into the chair and watched her as she rested her chin in her palms and sighed. “Are you nervous?”
She giggled. “Not at all. I feel as though I’ve waited a lifetime to be his wife, so I’m excited more than nervous.”
Setting his feet on the edge of the mattress, he grinned. “I’m glad.”
“What about you? With all the wedding plans, we haven’t talked in several weeks, how are you?”
He sighed. “Restless.”
“I wished you liked school more. You’re so very good at it.”
Jacob laughed. “It’s not that I don’t like it, Gwennie. It’s more that I feel as though the world is spinning at a rapid pace, while I’m standing still. I want to contribute to the fight, not sit in a classroom.”
“What about your dreams of being a doctor? You can’t do that unless you sit in a classroom.”
“I know.” He ran his hands through his hair. “However, it’s no less frustrating.”
Gwen smiled. “You know, you should talk to Dr. Paxton about volunteering at the hospital during your school break. You could perhaps apprentice under him and contribute to the fight all at the same time.”
He sat briefly and thought about her idea, while she watched the wheels turn. “That’s actually an exceptional idea.”
“You should talk to him soon, Jake. Just not during the ceremony.”
Jacob laughed. “That’s a promise.”
Gwen ran a hand over the quilt and raised an eyebrow. “Now that I have solved one of your life’s dilemmas, what about a special lady? Is there anyone?”
“No.” Jacob linked his hands behind his head and pushed back in his chair. “I’ve discovered I want something different than the expected. The ladies I know are very plain.”
“That’s not true! Mary Byrd is beautiful.”
“She is, but she has no sense of humor,” he lamented. “She also barely speaks, but when she does, it’s to agree with everything I say.”
Gwen groaned. “Oh no. She’s fallen in love with you Jake.”
He dropped his chair back to the floor. “Good lord, I hope not.”
“What if she has?”
“Then I would have to disappoint her.”
“Well, let’s wait and see who Quincy marries.” Gwen giggled. “Perhaps he’ll marry a sweet, plain girl like Mary.”
“I highly doubt it.” Jacob waved his hand dismissively in the air. “But, it’s your wedding day, Gwennie. Let’s discuss happy things.”
Gwen grew serious. “You know that I will listen if you need to talk.”
“I do know that and I appreciate it.”
They heard a knock at the door. Gwen sat up on her bed and called for them to enter.
“Good morning, children.” Wilhelmina and Charity walked into the room.
“Good morning, mama.”
“Jacob, your brother is downstairs if you’d like to join him.”
He smiled and gave Gwen a kiss on the cheek and then left to join Christopher for breakfast.
Wilhelmina opened the drapes and then turned to face Gwen. “How are you this morning, precious daughter?”
Gwen smiled. “I’m wonderful, mama.”
Wilhelmina began to lay out Gwen’s wedding dress and personal items. Hannah knocked and then let herself in. “Good morning.”
Gwen’s eyes widened in surprise. “You’re awake early.”
“Your brother is making me coffee as we speak so that I can try to forget.”
Gwen giggled.
Hannah closed the door. “Emma’s awake as well, so she’ll be in shortly. She’s organizing a tray and bath for you.”
“I get both of you before ten?” Gwen laid her hand over her chest.
Hannah laughed. “Yes, just this once.”
“Knock, knock. Is there a bride ready to eat?” Emma walked through the door with a tray.
Gwen grimaced. “I’m not certain I can.”
Wilhelmina frowned. “Well, you must, dear. It wouldn’t do for you to faint on your wedding day.”
“Yes, mama.”
Emma smiled and set the tray on the bed. “I chose things that would be easy on your stomach. I have some for you as well, Charity. I wasn’t sure if you had eaten.”
“Thank you, Emma,” Charity said.
Emma prepared toast for everyone and handed a dry piece to Hannah, who shook her head. “Han-Han, you need to eat something. Just take a bite and then go from there.”
Hannah scowled at her, but took a small bite. After a few seconds, she took another. One of the maids knocked on the door and a tub was brought in and filled with water. Emma poured orange essence into the water and set out the towels the maid left. When Gwen finished her toast, she undressed and climbed into the warm water. There was a knock at the door and Hannah propped it open an inch.
“Coffee, sweetheart.” Christopher kept an appropriate distance from the door.
“I love you,” she said through the door and then turned to speak with Emma. “My knight has prepared my wake-up juice, I’ll be back in a bit.”
Gwen reached out her hand. “Oh, Hannah. Could someone get a message to Andrew for me?”
Hannah nodded. “Of course.”
Gwen leaned over and whispered in Hannah’s ear and then Hannah sidled out the door. Emma called out, “Bring me some coffee back, please.”
Gwen heard her brother laugh as they walked down the stairs.
“Your brother still has that laugh,” Wilhelmina said wistfully.
“Mama.” Gwen giggled.
Wilhelmina sighed. “My babies are growing up and leaving me. There are things I’ll miss.”
Gwen rolled her eyes. “We’re not going far, and soon you’ll have a grandchild to dote on.”
“There is that, yes.” Wilhelmina smiled.
Hannah came back into the room a few minutes later with a cup of coffee for Emma who took it from her eagerly. “Thank you!” She took a quick sip before she busied herself again.
Another knock on the door brought Sophie. “Good morning, everyone.”
Gwen sat at the vanity and Emma brushed out her hair.
Wilhelmina smiled. “Good morning, Sophie. How are you, dear?”
“I’m doing very well, Mrs. Butler, thank you. How are you?”
Wilhelmina wiped her eyes. “I’m trying not to cry.”
Gwen groaned. “Mama! If you cry, I’ll cry, and it will be downhill from there.”
“Perhaps this will help.” Sophie handed Gwen a box.
“What’s this?” Gwen asked.
Sophie smiled. “A gift from Andrew.”
Gwen’s gasp echoed through the room. Inside, a green amethyst and diamond bracelet lay shimmering in black silk. Charity peeked over her shoulder. “The stones match your ring perfectly.”
Sophie handed Gwen a sealed envelope. “He sent a note as well.”
My Beautiful Gwendolyn. Words cannot begin to describe the depth of my love for you. Forever yours, Andrew
Gwen’s eyes filled with tears.
“No tears,” Charity warned.
“No tears,” Gwen agreed, even as she sniffed.
“Let’s get you in your corset before we finish styling your hair,” Emma suggested. “We won’t tighten it though.”
Gwen nodded and quickly dressed in her underclothes. She sat back down and let Emma finish brushing out her hair. Another knock at the door brought Christine, who had a hair iron and various pins for Gwen.
“Thank God!” Emma clapped. “Gwen would have hated it if I did her hair.”
Christine smiled. “Well, until you and Sophie came into my life, I had no idea I had a gift.” She went to work right away. She pulled Gwen’s hair into a simple chignon and then made two braids, which she wove in and around the bun. The style accentuated her green eyes and complemented her high cheekbones.
“It’s beautiful, Christine.” Sophie grinned.
“May I see?” Gwen asked.
Emma shook her head. “Not yet, missie. Let’s get you dressed first.”
Gwen’s ivory satin gown had an attached, wide-gathered skirt. The neckline and hem were trimmed with hand-made lace, as were the three-quarter inch sleeves. The veil was made with the matching lace and a nine-inch border of floral motifs.
Charity tightened her corset and once she stepped into the dress, her mother secured the back-laced closing. Sophie and Charity pinned her veil around her chignon and arranged it to flow down her back. “Ready?” Sophie squeezed her shoulder.
Wilhelmina sniffled as Gwen made her way to the mirror. “My word.”
“You are so beautiful, daughter!” Wilhelmina hugged her.
“Don’t make me cry, mama. Thank you so much for everything. All of you. I can’t tell you how much this means to me.”
“Here’s your grandmother’s ring, sweetheart.” Wilhelmina handed her the ring both she and Hannah wore on their wedding days.
A knock at the door brought Gwen’s father, who let them know it was time to go. “Gwendolyn, I am so proud of you. You look beautiful.”
“Thank you, daddy.”
The group climbed into the two awaiting carriages and made their way to the church. Many of Gwen’s extended family had made the trip to Harrisburg, but the plan was to have an additional reception back in Maryland a few weeks later, so that the rest could celebrate.
When they arrived at the church, Vincent assisted Gwen and Charity from the carriage, and they made their way up the stairs of the church. Before she knew it, the wedding march began and it was time for Gwen to meet her groom. Vincent gently kissed Gwen’s cheek and then they began their way to Andrew.
Gwen smiled when she saw a tear roll down Andrew’s face. He looked so handsome in his black finery. The only white, was his elaborately tied ascot around his neck.