Lucy

Before Lucy could sit in her assigned seat at dinner, Lady Radnor muscled her way into the chair, thwarting Lucy’s chance to sit beside Everett.

“I won’t have you ruin the marriage your father has brokered on your misguided ideas of love and lust,” Lady Radnor hissed at her daughter.

Lucy was stunned at the venomous words and stumbled back, taking another seat. Throughout dinner, Lucy retraced the event of the past two days, seething with anger. How could her mother even imagine Lucy would do anything improper? She had never created a situation that would shame her parents or even call her actions into question. At least before the tainted punch.

For years, she had followed their guidance. For months, she had allowed them to abuse the marriage contract they had with Everett. For two days, they took advantage of her incapacitated state and manipulated her into an embarrassing situation. And they were the very people who should have suspected that her heart hadn’t flipped and protected her.

No more. She waited with excitement for the women to leave the room. Lucy practiced what she had to say to her mother and hopefully her father too.

“I will not be a party to a broken engagement especially when I have every hope and desire to be Everett’s wife.” She imagined that those words wouldn’t satisfy them. “I am of age, and I’ll choose my own husband.” That part was sure to cause a heated scene. Lucy was determined to be strong and not capitulate to whatever threat they bombarded her with.

As the fruits in jelly were carried into the room, signaling the final course, a servant approached Lady Radnor and whispered a message to her. She excused herself from the table and bustled out of the room.

Lucy wondered if that meant that her father was finally back. She hoped that he returned empty handed since he’d left with the intention of finding a shady vicar who was willing to perform a sudden wedding between titled persons without banns or special license. Maybe her father had been magicked too and didn’t see what a foolish, impossible errand that would be.

Cora led the ladies to the salon and took up various activities. Lucy sat on the sofa with May. She had wanted to talk with her about the ridiculousness that had overtaken her.

“I’m sorry, May,” Lucy’s chest constricted. She ached to imagine how she’d hurt her friend. “Please believe I would never have considered such a thing as marrying Henry.” Lucy recoiled within herself at the memories of being with him. She didn’t want to think of it and wanted even less to say more.

“Of course not, and I feel the same. We’ll each marry the right person and laugh about this in the future. Not now, of course.”

Lucy wondered how far in the future it would have to be before she’d laugh about it.

The salon’s door opened and the men entered. “It’s Christmas Eve, and we wanted to join you early,” Simon announced.

Before the door had a chance to latch shut, Lord and Lady Radnor pushed into the room, followed by a staggering man in vicar’s garb. Lord Radnor had a determined line to his brow, and Lady Radnor raised her chin to look down her nose at the gathered friends.

“You are all invited to the wedding of my daughter, Lucy, to Lord Saalfeld in the morning.”

Saalfeld turned white as a sheet. His mouth dropped open, but before he could speak Lucy’s father did.

“Lord Saalfeld,” Lucy’s father demanded. “Did you request to marry my daughter?”

Lucy could see the indecision on his face. If he answered yes, he was bound to marry her. If he answered no, he would degrade himself to be less than his word. The moments stretched without Saalfeld answering.

Lord Radnor turned his attention to Simon. “Your Grace, do you deny hearing that a marriage agreement was made between myself and Lord Saalfeld in the library two days ago?”

Simon glared at the man, but didn’t deny it.

“Mr. Hawley, do you deny that you desired cancelling the banns between you and our daughter yesterday after your morning ride with Lord Saalfeld?”

Everett likewise glared, but he couldn’t speak a word against it either.

“Honor demands that we all keep our agreements.” Lord Radnor turned back to Simon. “We will need another room for the vicar, who has agreed to conduct the wedding in the morning.”

Then Lady Radnor spoke to their daughter. “Come, Lucy, it will be an early morning for you tomorrow. It’s best that we get to bed early. Good evening, everyone.” She nodded to the people in the room.

Lucy wondered what she could do to stop her parents. The men’s honor was also at stake. A plan struck like lightning. She would play the dutiful daughter for a few more hours. She walked to Cora first. “Wish me happiness?” she asked.

Cora looked from Lucy to her parents and toward Everett. Reluctantly she answered, “Of course.”

Then Lucy hugged her and whispered, “Don’t worry. I have a plan.”

Lucy likewise hugged May and then Nellie, delivering another secret message. “Aunt Nellie, I need your help tonight.” Lucy pulled away from the hug but Nellie didn’t let go.

“Oh, you’ll make a beautiful bride.” Nellie hugged her again and whispered, “I’ll be here for you at half-past one.

When Lucy and her mother entered Lucy’s room, her mother dragged the traveling case out of the clothes press. “I left you packing days ago. Why is this empty?” She didn’t appear to really want an answer as she turned and opened the drawers in the bureau. She pulled enough clothes to last a day, rolling them into a wad and pushing them into the case. Then she closed it and hauled it over to the door.

“We’ll have the wedding before breakfast. Then you can leave with Lord Saalfeld. We’ll get this sealed up right and tight before he can back out.”

Lucy bit her tongue, since she doubted she would be there in the morning. As much as she was angry with her parents at this moment and maybe for a few weeks she didn’t want them worrying about her. After her mother left, she penned a note, letting them know that she and Everett had eloped to Scotland. Lucy was relieved when Miller came in to help her into her nightgown. That was the last person who would expect to see her until breakfast. She could slip out now without notice.

After midnight, Lucy changed back into a simple dress. With her traveling case in hand, she cracked open the door and found her father was standing guard outside her bedroom. Or really sitting guard. His boots stretched into the hallway. Her heart dropped. She had hoped it would be easy. She shut the door softly and looked around for another plan.

Her window was large enough for her to fit through but how would she drop fifteen feet to the ground? She supposed she could try to walk over to the roof on the veranda, then she’d only have to drop eight feet or so. As she pushed open the window, cold air lashed at her face. She had lifted one leg over the window sill when she heard a scratching noise at her door. She pulled her leg inside.

“Coming,” she said.

She shut the window behind her before she pulled the door open cautiously to find Aunt Nellie on the other side and her father slumped soundly against the doorjamb.

Aunt Nellie must’ve noticed a surprised look on Lucy’s face and said, “Oh, he’ll be sleeping for a while. Your mother is very, very tired too.” She chuckled. “Now, we have to get you downstairs.”

“What about Everett?” she asked.

“Simon is taking care of that,” Nellie answered. “Let’s get going.”

Lucy grabbed the letter from the small table and pressed it into Nellie’s hand. “When my parents awaken, please give them this note. I do want them in my life, just not in my wedding.”

Nellie tucked it into her pocket, and they hurried down the hallway.

As they scurried down the stairs, Lucy’s taffeta dress rustled as it hit each stair tread. At the bottom, they dashed across the marble floors to the kitchen. She shut the back door behind her, and she took a calming breath. It didn’t work. She wouldn’t be at ease until she left her parents far behind.

Miller handed Lucy a basket of food.

“This wasn’t exactly the kind of help I needed,” she said looking at Nellie, then put the heavy basket down. How in the world did tiny Miller hold that basket out to her?

“Oh, there’s plenty more going on, my dear,” Nellie replied.

At that time, Everett stumbled into the kitchen. He had a bag of clothes with him, dropping it to the floor to take Lucy into his arms.

“Ah! Young love.” Aunt Nellie clasped her hands and held them to her chest. “Well, we really haven’t time for that just now. We’re in a bit of a rush. There’s a carriage waiting for you by the kitchen garden. Grab your things. Let’s go.”

They approached the carriage, and the door flew open. James jumped out. “I’m hardly worthy to do this job—rather like putting a fox in charge of the hen house,” he told them, “But I am your chaperone.”

Vera stuck her head through the doorway behind him. “Me too. This is so exciting. I’m helping you elope.”

“In with you, now,” Nellie said.

Everett settled next to Lucy across from Vera.

“Stand,” James commanded Everett when he entered the carriage. “If it were just up to me, I’d let you sit next to Lucy all the way, but I was given strict rules as a chaperone. You’ll find I’m not completely untrustworthy, though you might have wished I would be,” he said with a laugh. Everett and James sat together as did the women.

The carriage jerked to a start. It felt as if the horses were soon at a trot.

Cora woke up to a man shouting and a woman screaming. She dragged herself out of bed and donned her housecoat, charging into the hallway. About the same time May came out of her room too, rubbing her eyes and yawning.

Lord and Lady Radnor stood a few doors down. “Our daughter has been abducted.” Lord Radnor speared his finger through the air toward Simon. “I hold you in blame, Your Grace.”

“And your American wife.” Lady Radnor began wringing her hands. “Who knows what’s happened to Lucy? She could’ve been killed. Oh, my poor baby.”

Aunt Nellie entered the hallway, carrying a tray of cold meats. “Just a little midnight snack,” she said, waving a drumstick.

Lady Radnor took that as a sign to continue her rant to update the newest person to join the ranks. “How could someone just waltz into your home and steal her away? Heaven only knows where she is. I’m simply beside myself.”

Aunt Nellie handed the tray to Henry and turned to Lady Radnor. “Oh you poor dear,” she clucked. “Not to worry. Everett’s mother will take good care of her. No harm will come to her.”

Lord Radnor roared beside his wife, “Why is she at Mr. Hawley’s home?”

May yawned again. “She’s probably eloped. I would if you were my parents.” Then she re-entered her room and slammed the door.

Lady Radnor squealed. “Oh my, she’s eloped.”

“We must stop this,” Lord Radnor demanded, turning an accusing eye toward Simon. “That marriage could irreparably harm me.”

His wife slapped his left shoulder. “You mean her—harm her.”

“There will be restitution to be paid!” Radnor yelled.

Simon didn’t seem the least bit worried. “I’ll have a horse brought out for you and several of my footman will travel with you. But I have to say, I hope you’re too late to stop them.”

Lucy, Everett, James, and Vera traveled all night and reached Everett’s estate, Elder Weald, early Christmas morning before his family gathered for breakfast. Everett could never begrudge even the mayhem the mistletoe had caused. Without it, Lucy might never have acted against her parents’ will, and they might have kept him in limbo for many more months.

Everett’s mother squealed and his sister screamed, converging on him with a hug. His mother turned to Lucy next and took her by the hands. “So, you are to be my daughter at long last?” she said with a bright smile that looked so much like Everett’s it made Lucy love the woman right away.

“We’re in a bit of a hurry. We’d like to marry before Lucy’s parents learn our whereabouts,” Everett said.

Lucy could hear his sisters gasp behind her. Would they think it a scandal?

“I couldn’t be happier,” his mother said.

“Do you think the victor would perform the ceremony today or will we have to wait another day?” Everett asked his mother’s, hoping her answer was optimistic.

“I do hope so, but I suppose that depends on his Christmas plans. You should ask. Not a week goes by but he inquires on the state of the banns that were read for the two of you. We’ll come to the parish in an hour or so.”

“And if he refuses me?” Everett asked.

“Then we’ll be early for the Christmas service,” his mother replied.

After breakfast, Everett’s mother sent him away to the church.

“You’re coming with me, James,” he said.

“Why?” he asked, staring at the eldest of Everett’s sisters.

“Because I know you. Outside,” he commanded.

James tipped his hat and left with Everett as his sisters took Lucy upstairs to get ready for the wedding.

Lucy pulled her wrinkled dress from her travel case. Since her mother hadn’t cared what Lucy would look like, she had chosen a simple day dress, and an old one at that, to shove into the traveling case for Lucy to take the next day. It was hardly appropriate to be married in.

Still, it was all she had. She shook it out, wondering if it could be presentable, but there was no saving it. Lucy looked up to see Everett’s sister looking at her through the mirror while she was arranging brushes and combs.

“I don’t think we have time to have your dress laundered and ironed if we’re to get to the parish within the hour. Would you be willing to wear one of my dresses?” Margaret asked. Her words were kind, and Lucy felt no judgment in them. It touched her heart that her new family was reaching out to her with love. Gratitude swelled inside of her, and she couldn’t speak but nodded in appreciation.

Margaret hurried out of the room and returned moments later with a beautiful red dress draped over her arms. The embroidered skirt was trimmed with scallops along the bottom. The flounce around the neckline was adorned with the same design. “I had this made months ago but I’ve never worn it,” she explained. “My blonde hair and colorless skin—”

“You are not colorless,” her mother said, tapping on her shoulder. “You’re simply very fair.”

“And my very fair skin,” Margaret amended. “Makes me look rather dead. But with your dark hair, you’ll be striking.”

They hurried to dress Lucy. The dress slipped over her and was tightened to a perfect fit. This was the kind of dress one wore to a wedding.

She threw her arms around her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “Thank you. This is perfect.”

The women boarded the carriage and left for the church. Lucy thought her wedding day would be full of nerves, but instead she found quiet peace within her heart. Everett was the right man. This was the right day.

Everett sisters preceded her into the small church, and his mother took her by the arm, twining their hands together.

“You’re binding yourself to a wonderful man today,” Mrs. Hawley said.

Lucy could hear the emotion in her voice and looked into her tear-filled eyes.

“He’s grown into the man I had always hoped he would be.

Lucy recognized Mrs. Hawley was struggling with trying not to cry and patted her hand. “I credit you with preparing a husband for me. Thank you.” Now, if the vicar will perform the ceremony, her Christmas miracle will be complete.