THE NEXT MORNING, Andrew arrived at the Maddens before breakfast. He was determined not to miss another minute with Gwen, and when he walked into the dining room, he was pleasantly surprised to find her already up and enjoying a cup of coffee.
“Good morning, beautiful.” He kissed her cheek and sat next to her.
“Good morning.” Gwen smiled. “How did you sleep?”
“Other than dreaming of you?”
She sat back in surprise. “You had that problem as well?”
“You were dreaming of me, sweetheart?”
“No, I was dreaming of me.”
Andrew laughed. “I’m looking forward to the day I no longer have to dream of you.”
“Oh? I would have thought you enjoyed dreaming of me. Should I be hurt?”
He cupped her cheek. “The dreams I have about you, my love, make it difficult for me to get back to sleep,”
“Oh,” she whispered as she blushed crimson.
“Good morning.”
“Christopher!” Gwen exclaimed.
“Gwendolyn,” he droned, giving her a look of reproach.
Andrew’s hand fell slowly away from her face. “Good morning, Christopher.”
“Where’s Hannah?” Gwen asked.
“Asleep,” Christopher grumbled as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
Gwen frowned. “Did you not sleep well, Chris?”
“Gwendolyn,” he snapped. “Leave it.”
“That’s twice you have spoken disrespectfully to your sister. Don’t do it again,” Andrew warned.
Christopher raised an eyebrow at his sister. She lowered her head.
“Sorry, Gwendolyn.” Christopher’s tone was somewhat monotone.
“What are your plans today?” Gwen sipped her coffee.
“Hannah needs to rest. What are your plans?”
“We’re going to ride out to the lake,” Andrew answered.
“And have a picnic.” Gwen smiled.
“Alone?” Christopher turned to face them.
“Yes.” Andrew’s voice held a touch of warning.
“What about Charity?”
“She has other plans.” Gwen watched Andrew closely.
“I don’t think so.” Christopher crossed his arms.
“What does that mean?” Gwen’s voice rose with her frustration.
“You’ll not go alone.”
“Excuse me?”
Andrew squeezed Gwen’s hand in an effort to calm her. He could see her ready to attack her brother, which would do no one any good.
“You should have a chaperone.”
Gwen snorted. “To ride out to the lake?”
Christopher gave a curt nod. “Yes.”
Andrew stood quickly. “I would like a word with you, if you don’t mind, Christopher.” Christopher didn’t respond. “Now, if you will,” Andrew insisted.
Christopher set down his coffee and followed Andrew to Clayton’s office.
* * *
Hannah came into the dining room just as they were leaving. Gwen was almost in tears.
“Gwen? What’s wrong?”
“Christopher hates Andrew,” Gwen said angrily.
“What?” Hannah exclaimed. “He does not! Whatever gave you that idea?”
“He won’t let us ride out to the lake today without a chaperone.”
Hannah raised an eyebrow. “You and Andrew?”
“Yes.”
“You’re both adults, Gwen.” Hannah grabbed a piece of toast. “Tell him to sod off.”
“I could never.” Gwen’s hand flew to her mouth.
“Well, that’s part of the problem, I think.” Hannah gave her a gentle smile.
“It’s not just that, Hannah.” Gwen sighed.
“What do you mean?”
“He’s acting strangely, as though Andrew isn’t good enough. He was his friend before Andrew was mine, and I’m uncertain where this is coming from.”
Hannah took her hand. “Gwen, you’re his little sister and he’s being a little overprotective. I don’t agree with how he’s going about it, and I’m sure he and I will have several arguments over the next few months, but he does like Andrew. He just doesn’t think anyone is good enough for his little sister. It wouldn’t matter if Gandhi came courting.”
“Who’s Gandhi?”
“It’s a figure of speech.”
“From England?”
“Uh… sure. Yes, a figure of speech from home,” Hannah answered vaguely. The girls helped themselves to the breakfast displayed, in an effort to distract them from the conversation happening two doors down.
* * *
Down the hall, Andrew was trying not to pummel his soon to be brother-in-law. “I want to know what the hell your problem is, Christopher. I won’t sit around while you insult your sister.”
“You should not be alone with her.” Christopher made his way to the window and stared out. “Her reputation must be protected.”
“Her reputation is perfectly safe.”
“I’m not going to argue with you about this, Andrew.”
Andrew fisted his hands at his sides. “Would it help if you and I meet in the west field at dawn? Because, right now, I’m willing to kill for her, so I think I’d have a chance at beating you… gimp and all.”
Christopher rolled his eyes. “Don’t be dramatic.”
“Damn it, Christopher. Where is this coming from? We’ve been friends for a long time, and I intend to marry your sister, regardless of your opinion. Are you taking issue with that because of my injuries? Would it be better if I were coming to her whole?”
Christopher’s body tensed as he straightened. “That’s not a fair statement, Andrew. I don’t look at you any differently now than I did before the war.”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Christopher started to pace the room. “I don’t want my sister hurt.”
“What makes you think she’ll be hurt?”
Christopher paused for several seconds before answering. “I can’t watch her go through it all over again. I can’t look at her face in agony, knowing that you were injured and couldn’t help.”
Andrew scowled. “The decision was yours not to tell her where I was.”
“At your request,” Christopher pointed out. “I agreed, yes. I couldn’t let her see you like that. It would have devastated her.”
Andrew turned when he heard a gasp from the doorway.
“Why would you think that?” Gwen snapped.
Christopher sighed. “Gwendolyn.”
Gwen advanced on her brother. “No, Chris. Tell me. Why would you think that I am so shallow and weak, I couldn’t see him like that?”
Christopher pinched the bridge of his nose. “It would have changed you.”
“How would it have changed me any more than not being with him did?”
“I believe you would have questioned your feelings.”
Fisting her hands at her side, Gwen scowled at her brother. “I have loved him since I was fifteen years old. Whatever made you think that I would stop loving him because he might not look the same?”
Christopher stepped back slightly. “I never thought you’d stop loving him.”
“And yet you interfered?” Gwen snapped. “I’m tired of you in the role of Christopher the Big!”
Christopher’s eyes widened, prompting Hannah to take Gwen’s hand. “Knight? Did you think Gwen might stay with him in pity?”
Christopher glanced at his wife with a pained expression.
Hannah sighed. “Is it?”
“Perhaps.” Christopher shook his head. “We’ll discuss it later.”
“No, lovey, we’ll discuss it now. Your sister is entitled to hear your feelings on the matter. They do affect her after all.”
Christopher paced the room in frustration.
Hannah approached him. “Is this even about them?”
Andrew wrapped an arm around Gwen’s waist as Hannah made her way to her husband. “Chris?”
Christopher stood by the window and Gwen saw his shoulders sag. Hannah wrapped her arms around him from behind and squeezed him gently. Gwen’s heart broke watching her brother’s distress.
“Quincy’s injured somewhere,” Christopher whispered.
“Is that why you haven’t been sleeping?”
“You’re not sleeping, Christopher?” Gwen pulled away from Andrew.
Andrew pulled her back. “Shh, sweetheart. Let him speak.”
Christopher braced his arm on the wall and settled his forehead against it. “I see him in battle. He’s wounded and left on the field to die. Everything turns red, over and over again. It’s the same dream every night.” Hannah kissed his shoulder and he turned to face her. “We can’t lose our brother, Hannah.”
“Do you know where he is? His current location?”
“No.”
“Could you find out?” Gwen asked.
Christopher shrugged. “I don’t know.”
Hannah pushed him down onto the window seat and he pulled her between his legs. When he wrapped his arms around her waist, Hannah guided his head into her chest. He looked up at her and smiled. She leaned down to kiss him. “I love you. Everything will be fine.”
“I love you, too.”
“And?”
Christopher raised an eyebrow. “And I know everything will be fine.”
“Good.” Hannah tapped his cheek gently. “Because I can’t worry about you and Jamie at the same time. And I’m totally over your little attempts to pick a fight with me. Now, apologize to your sister.”
“I’m sorry, Gwen.” He sighed. “I don’t want to see you hurt. I couldn’t bear to see your pain after Andrew was hurt.”
“Who caused that pain, Christopher? Andrew can’t be blamed solely.” Gwen pointed at Andrew. “Although, you do have some of that blame.” Gwen turned back to her brother. “I don’t wish to be harsh, but if you’d told me where he was and most of all how he was, I may not have been as sad.”
“Gwen’s right, lovey. I’d have wanted to be there for you. It’s the same for her.” Hannah pushed at his shoulder. “If I were injured, wouldn’t you want to be with me?”
He gazed at his wife and then looked at his sister. “I never thought of it that way.”
“I know. You were looking out for your little sister.” Hannah held her hand out to Gwen. “Let’s give our men a few minutes, Gwen.
Gwen followed Hannah out of the room and into the parlor. Sitting heavily on the sofa, she sighed. “Thank you, Hannah.”
“For what?”
“For making my brother bearable...for making him a little less Christopher the Big.”
Hannah laughed. “He just worries about everyone.”
“He shouldn’t,” Gwen said quite emphatically.
Hannah sat next to her. “Gwen, it would be impossible for him not to. He has the added pressure of inside knowledge of the President’s movements, and sometimes battle plans, which only compounds his greater responsibilities. He knows that Quincy is out there somewhere and everything Christopher finds out could potentially affect him.”
Gwen studied her hands. “I didn’t think of it that way.”
“Cut him some slack, okay?”
Gwen wrinkled her brow. “Does that mean, be nice to him?”
Hannah nodded. “In a manner of speaking, yes.”
Christopher and Andrew came back into the parlor, looking as though they were once again friends.
“I’m starving.” Andrew held his hand out to Gwen. “Let’s eat.”
Hannah chuckled. “Coffee. I need coffee.”
The group made their way to the dining room and found Clayton and Emma already serving themselves.
“Did you save any for us?” Andrew joked to Emma.
She grinned. “Not really.”
Once their meal concluded, Andrew grasped Gwen’s hand and pulled her from the room. “I’d like to take our ride now, if that is agreeable.”
“Why the rush?”
“I have to meet with Adam, we have a few things to finalize,” he said cryptically.
“I thought we had the whole day together.”
Andrew sighed. “I thought we did too. However, Adam and I have a few things we need to work through today.”
Gwen frowned. “Will I see you at lunch?”
Andrew shook his head. “No, sweetheart, I’m sorry. I’ve already neglected our business for too long.”
“Oh.”
“But we do have the next two hours to spend together, and I thought we’d ride out to the lake.”
“Yes, I’d love to.”
“Excellent.” Andrew led Gwen to the Madden’s barn and had a soldier saddle two horses for them. While they waited, he pulled her into the tack room and kissed her. “I think this might be my favorite place.”
“You’re naughty.” Gwen couldn’t stop the blush as she rested her hands on his shoulders and tried to jest.
Andrew grinned. “I realize that, but I’ve waited six years to kiss you, and now I can’t seem to stop.”
Gwen jumped away from him quickly when they heard the groom clear his throat.
“Your horses are ready, sir.”
“Thank you.” Andrew chuckled as he tapped Gwen on the shoulder. “You can turn around now, beautiful. He’s gone.”
Gwen smoothed her skirts before turning away from the saddle rack and following Andrew to the mounting block. He helped her mount and then jumped onto his own horse. They took off toward the lake at a gallop, and there were several fences on the way, which Gwen cleared every time. They pulled up just a few hundred feet in front of their destination, slowing the horses to cool them down.
“You scared me to death,” Andrew admonished. He couldn’t keep the admiration from his voice, however.
She cleared the fences riding sidesaddle.
Gwen laughed. “Those were easy, Andrew. I could clear them with my eyes closed.”
“Well, please don’t ever to that.”
Arriving at the lake, Andrew dismounted and then assisted her from her horse. He drew her close for a kiss, breaking it quickly. “Short engagement,” he said emphatically. “Quick marriage.”
Gwen blushed as Andrew took her hand and led her to the lake. He laid a blanket out and Gwen sat down, taking the saddlebags from him with the food. She pulled the items out, as he poured them each a glass of wine.
Gwen took a sip and hummed in appreciation. “This is very good wine. Where did you get it?”
Andrew lowered his head. “Mary, Nona’s cook.”
Gwen laughed. “What does Nona think about you stealing their wine?”
Andrew grinned. “She doesn’t know.”
Gwen took another sip of her wine. “I highly doubt that.”
Andrew chuckled and stared at her for several seconds. “Sweetheart?”
Gwen raised an eyebrow over the rim of her glass. “Hm?”
“What wedding date shall we choose?”
“Wedding date?”
“Yes, wedding date.” Andrew swirled the liquid in the glass. “Which one would you like?”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” She didn’t answer. Andrew rolled his eyes. “Gwendolyn.”
“Andrew,” she huffed using the same tone.
He took a deep breath and then looked at her again. “Do you not want to pick a date?”
“You’re an idiot.”
Andrew leaned forward. “You seem to like that term. Did Hannah teach it to you?”
Gwen shrugged. “Well, it fits.”
“Would you please explain?”
“Do I really need to?”
“Yes, please,” he said through his teeth.
Gwen stared into her glass. “I was expecting romance, and at the very least an actual proposal.”
“How was that not a proposal?”
Gwen set her wine glass to the side and scowled. “You make it sound as though you’re imparting some great favor upon me.”
Andrew picked a blade of grass and flicked it away. “I do not.”
Gwen stood and crossed her arms. “Yes, you do.”
Andrew reached up and grasped her arm. “You want romance?”
“Yes, please.” Without warning, he pulled her down and pounced on her. She squealed as he tickled her. “Andrew! Stop! This is untoward.”
“Oh, my beautiful, Gwendolyn, how do I love thee, let me count the ways.” He didn’t fully release her, but he did loosen his hold. “Gwendolyn, Gwendolyn, wherefore art thou Gwendolyn? Let down your hair.”
She slapped his shoulder. “That’s two different stories. And, it was Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo!”
“You wanted romance. You didn’t specify from where it should come.” He tickled her again. “Marry me.”
“No!”
He tickled her again. “Marry me.”
Gwen pushed at him again. “Stop this, Andrew. It’s making me very uncomfortable.”
Andrew released her and frowned as she stood and crossed her arms. “You truly won’t marry me?”
Gwen pursed her lips. “Andrew, you are frustrating me to no end.”
“We are going to get married.”
“I understand that.”
He stood slowly. “Why won’t you say yes, sweetheart?”
She stared at him for several seconds before saying, “You haven’t asked.”
“Ah.” He grinned and knelt on one knee. “Will you let me rephrase?”
Gwendolyn cupped his face and applied pressure. “Please do.”
“Gwendolyn Butler. I have loved you forever. I have never loved anyone else. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
Gwendolyn gave a curt nod. “Yes, that is much better.”
“And?”
Gwen paused before granting him a wide smile. “Yes, of course I will marry you.”
“You truly will be the death of me,” he grumbled.
She patted his cheek. “You’re not allowed to die until after me.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, absolutely.” He pulled out a small box and handed it to her. Gwen raised an eyebrow and grinned. “What’s this?”
“Open it,” he whispered.
Gwen eased the lid open and then gasped. Inside was an exquisite engagement ring consisting of a large oval green amethyst surrounded by diamonds. “Andrew! It’s beautiful. Wherever did you find it?”
“Actually, Adam did.”
She looked up at him in surprise. “He did?”
Andrew eased off his knee and sat back on the blanket. Gwen did the same. “Yes. It took him a year to find me the right stone.”
Gwen wrinkled her nose. “What do you mean by the right stone?”
“The one that matched your eyes.”
“Oh, Andrew.” Her eyes filled with tears. “When did you get this?”
He cleared his throat, suddenly emotional. “One week before.”
“Shiloh?”
“Actually, one week before Peter and I enlisted.”
“You did?”
“Yes. I had planned to come to you that weekend.”
Gwen grinned. “You were apparently confident.”
“Not confident, sweetheart.” Andrew chuckled. “Hopeful.”
“There’s a difference?”
He took the box from her and slipped the ring on her finger without comment. It fit perfectly.
Andrew kissed her, and Gwen broke the kiss with a sigh. “What are we going to do when I go home? I have to leave on Tuesday. How long until I can see you again? Will we even be together at all before our actual wedding? Are we going to have to write back and forth to make plans? When will—”
“Breathe, sweetheart.”
Gwen smirked. “Sorry.”
He flopped onto his back and linked his hands behind his head. “I’m escorting you home on Tuesday.”
Gwen’s head whipped up. “You are?”
“Yes, I need to speak with your father.”
She laid her hand on his chest. “Will you come back here right away?”
He shook his head. “No. I have spoken with Adam, and I’ll able to stay through the weekend.”
“Will you stay with us?”
He pulled her palm to his lips. “No, I’ll stay with Christopher and Hannah. But we’ll still be close enough to see each other.”
She threw herself into his arms. “I love you, I love you, I love you.”
Andrew laughed and kissed her. “I love you, too. Now, when would you like the ceremony to take place?”
“One week.”
Andrew raised an eyebrow. “When would you really like it to be, love?”
“We could get married here. Mama and Daddy just have to take a train, which is not a long journey.”
“What about your brother? He might not be able to leave again in one week. And you must think about Charity as well.”
“Two weeks?”
Andrew stroked her back. “Why don’t we speak with your parents on Tuesday and we can make the decision together.”
“All right.”
The couple sat by the lake for over an hour and talked about the ceremony and plans for the future. As promised they made it back in time for lunch and a game of croquet.