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Although missed opportunities and misunderstandings
abound, all will soon be revealed and righted.
Cordelia sputtered exclamations at Althia as she left
to try and find a way to salvage her dress. Lord Harrington turned his attention
to the young lady sitting on the other side of him. Althia just sat there
stunned. What was it about that man that made her act the way she did? What was
he even doing here? And what did he mean about "upcoming nuptials"?
Every feeling she thought she had recovered from revealed itself again. Her eyes
welled up as she excused herself and ran from the table.
Althia wasted no time getting her things together and
preparing to return to Hindrake. Who did I think I was fooling? I could never be
fashionable and a part of society. I just want to go home. She threw her things
in her trunk and soon the coachman knocked on her door to retrieve it. She
quickly left London with equal amounts of gratitude and regret.
Nicholas didn't know how he could stand here for the
whole wedding and watch Althia marry that prosaic man. He called upon all of his
naval training as he stood at attention waiting for the bride to appear. He was
surprised to see so many sitting on the bride's side. When the groomsmen finally
arrived, it was not Lord Harrington who looked affright, but Leonard! The crowd
stood as the music began and the bride proceeded down the aisle. As she made her
way toward them, Nicholas could hardly keep his laughter hidden. It wasn't
Althia at all; it was Margaret. This was Margaret and Leonard's wedding. The
orders never stated who the bride and groom were and Nicholas had just assumed
that it was Althia. He tried as hard as possible to stifle any giggles and keep
in mind the solemnness of the occasion. He scanned the crowd for Althia, but
couldn't find her. Afterwards, he went to congratulate the bride and groom. He
started to leave when he heard someone call out to him.
"Why, Lieutenant Metcalf, how nice to see you
again," Lady Chanceler greeted.
"Lady Chanceler, the pleasure is mine." He
bowed as she curtsied slightly.
"I must apologize for Lady Shevington's behavior
last evening."
"On the contrary, I am afraid that I must
apologize to you. I acted most rudely and ruined your lovely meal."
Lady Chanceler reached up and took Nicholas' arm.
"I should love to hear about how you have spent your time since last we saw
you."
"I should think, Lady Chanceler, that a woman of
your influence and position would already know what has happened to me."
She smiled at him. "That is true, but there are a
few holes still in the story," she remarked as she led him away.
Althia was surprised to see Lady Chanceler standing in
the hallway just a few days after the wedding. "That was quite a display
you put on for us, Althia. Everyone is still talking about it. You've definitely
made quite an impression."
"I have already sent my apologies to Margaret and
Leonard," Althia meekly answered as the two women entered the parlor.
"I behaved most distastefully."
"You're lucky that Lieutenant Metcalf is so
forgiving when it comes to you."
"Lieutenant Metcalf?" Althia repeated,
confused.
"Yes, my dear. There are a number of things you
need to know about that man of yours. He promised me only a one day head start
to your door, so I suppose I need to talk quickly." Althia remained stunned
as Lady Chanceler began to fill in the blanks for her.
Lady Chanceler's revelations caused Althia to feel
anxious, excited, nervous, and desirous all at the same time. Unable to remain
in the house any longer, she and Randolph went down to the water to draw. She
found a spot and looked out across the ocean. Today it was a bit rough, but the
sky was a deep blue and large, puffy clouds dotted the foreground. The sun was
bright and felt good on her neck. Althia decided to include the lighthouse in
today's drawing and she began to sketch its lines while Randolph busied himself
digging.
Suddenly, Randolph took off in the direction of the
house. Althia didn't notice until he was already past her and well on his way.
"Randolph? Randolph! Where are you going?" She looked up in the
direction that Randolph was headed and saw a lone rider making his way toward
them.
Instinctively she knew, and she too, dropped all of
her things and began running in the direction of the rider. He rode closer and
then stopped the horse and jumped off, running full speed toward her. He held
his arms out to her and she flung herself into them and held on to him for dear
life.
They were both gasping for breath and Nicholas tried
to speak. "My wife....my child...." he tried to compose himself as he
was gulping in air.
Althia pulled her face away to face him. "I know,
I know." She brought her hands up to his face as he bent down and kissed
her. Althia thought her heart would burst out of her chest as her entire body
tingled with passion.
"Althia, my healer," he whispered as at last
their lips parted, her eyes still closed. "You have healed my body and my
spirit. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?" She opened her eyes and
looked into his, so full of passion and love.
"Yes," she replied smiling.
"Say my given name, Althia." She loved how
her name sounded coming out of the mouth of the man she loved.
"Yes, Nicholas," she said. He gathered her
up in his arms and began twirling her around. She yelled and the pair fell over
on top of one another in the grass. Randolph barked, circling around them and
soon came over to them lying on the ground, licking their faces. Nicholas
laughed and tried to kiss Althia again while fending off Randolph's kisses.
The sound of Althia's laughter carried out to the
ocean and all points beyond.
©2003 StoriesByEmail.com
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