Part 16 (1/2)
Elizabeth could only nod, letting herself be swept away on a tide with a life of its own.
NOAH STOOD WITH Will at the front of the church in somewhat of a state of shock that their wedding was finally here, now. Once Cara had heard, he had only to sit back and watch her enthusiastic planning in amazement. She had arranged everything from the ceremony, complete with church and flowers, to the dinner party afterward at the post.
Elizabeth had been kept out of sight since bedtime the night before. He had heard much running to and fro and some laughter upstairs, but he hadn't had even a moment to speak to her. He wanted to ask if she was OK, if she was sure, but then again, maybe it was better that he didn't have the opportunity. If he was this nervous, it was hard telling what Elizabeth was feeling.
An organ began to play and Noah swallowed hard, trying to force down the knot in his throat.
And then he saw her a and all emotion was swept away except wonder.
She came in the back door, brilliant in a pale, bluish-silver gown. Her dark hair was elaborately curled and sat in a rich pile on the top of her head. Her face was radiant, creamy skin, eyes bright and sparkling in their darkness. His body responded to her, straining for the moment to touch her. His soul ached, antic.i.p.ating the moment when his other half would be one with him. His spirit rejoiced, a rising ripple of joy expanding and overcoming him.
When she reached him, her head was down. He watched her lift her eyes slowly to his, uncertainty and something else in them, something he had never seen in them before now. Was it hope? He wanted to reach out and touch her, to ascertain she was real, that he wasn't dreaming, but he couldn't seem to move at all. It was all he could do to breathe.
In a daze, he heard the ceremony begin. Clearly and solemnly the pastor spoke of the vows and the covenant they were about to enter into. Noah tried to concentrate on the words, but all he could do was drown himself in the fullness of her eyes. They had made their covenant weeks before, on the sh.o.r.e of their brokenness. This was just a formality.
”I do.”
He heard her say the soft words and cherished them. They had been so hard won. His own ”I do” was triumphant, jubilant even. He felt a war had been won and he was now being crowned the victor. And then he was told to kiss her. It wasn't the kiss he wanted to give her, this chaste peck. That kiss would wait a little while longer and would last the rest of their lives.
WITH MIXED EXCITEMENT and dread, Elizabeth slipped out of her wedding clothes and gave herself a quick sponge bath from the pitcher of water on the bedside stand. She had just pulled the nightdress over her head and had begun b.u.t.toning the row of tiny b.u.t.tons when there was a faint knock on the door. Oh, no. Not yet! Standing frozen, she heard a voice say, ”Elizabeth, open up. It's me, Cara.”
Relief pooled through her as she rushed to open the door. ”What are you doing? He could be here any minute.” The wedding party had ended a half hour ago, and Noah was down talking to Will and giving her time to get ready.
Cara sidled through the crack and whispered, ”We have a few minutes, and I wanted to help you.” She began working the b.u.t.tons as she talked. ”Now hold still.”
Elizabeth's stomach was a ma.s.s of quivering nerves.
”You're shaking like a leaf. Now relax, it will go better that way.”
Elizabeth gave a nervous laugh. ”Oh Cara, must I go through with it?”
Cara's mouth formed a rueful line. ”You'll wonder why you ever said that in the morning.”
Cara's confidence helped boost her spirits. Once the gown was b.u.t.toned, they pulled the pins from her hair. Cara quickly took down Elizabeth's hair and brushed it. It was long now and hung in rich, dark waves around her slim shoulders.
Turning Elizabeth to face her, Cara laid the brush on the dressing table and smiled. ”Don't look so worried dear. Everything will be fine.”
”I hope you're right, Cara. I really do.”
”You hope she's right about what?” came a deep voice from the doorway.
Startled, they both froze. Cara regained her composure first and silently walked toward him. Noah and Cara exchanged glances at the door, Cara handing Noah the brush, but Elizabeth couldn't make out his face in the shadows. She stood like a statue and waited.
Noah walked into the room and shut the door behind him without taking his eyes off her. After what seemed like an eternity, he walked over to her until he was very close. She could feel his breath in her hair. ”What are you doing, Elizabeth?”
His voice sounded strained. Tilting her head back, she closed her eyes and said in a husky voice, ”I'm not doing anything.”
The seconds ticked by, seemingly endless, but she wouldn't, couldn't open her eyes.
Finally, she felt his hand cup her cheek and she turned into it. When she heard him expel his breath in a rush, she let her eyelids flutter open. He looked deep into her eyes, saying heatedly, ”I want to kiss you.”
She felt the battle within her, fear versus love, and knew she had to make a decision. Noah was not Ross. Noah was not any of the others who had hurt her. Noah was her husband, a man who loved her more than she had ever imagined being loved. How could she give him anything less than her whole heart? Elizabeth lifted her hands, placed her flat palms against his chest, felt the steady rhythm of his quickened heartbeat, slid them up to his shoulders, her gaze rising to his neck, feeling the rush of his breath across her face, and then she bravely lifted her gaze to his.
She gasped, tears springing to her eyes. She had expected to see l.u.s.t, to see what she'd seen a hundred times in men's eyes, was prepared to sacrifice herself to it. But instead, she saw love. Life-giving, heart-restoring love. Heated and real and masculine.
And hers. He was hers.
She felt the knot inside unravel, felt the stiffness in her spine melt, reached up on tiptoes and coiled her arms around his neck. G.o.d help me, I love him.
DOWNSTAIRS, THE NEXT morning, Will pulled Noah aside and said quietly, ”I hadn't the chance to tell you yesterday, but we had an interesting telegram arrive while you two were away.”
Noah raised his eyebrows. ”What was it about? Who from?”
”It was from a Margaret Dunning. She said she is looking for Elizabeth.”
Noah frowned and sat forward in his chair. ”That's Elizabeth's adopted mother, the one who hired Ross. What did she want?”
”Noah, she says Elizabeth's real mother is on her way to Juneau. She's looking for Elizabeth.”
Noah let out a breath in a rush. ”So her mother is alive a”
”It would appear so. She might have been told at the orphanage her mother died. It is a common practice.”
”Possible,” Noah said quietly. He didn't know what to make of it. All he knew was that suddenly he wanted to get Elizabeth home. ”Thanks for telling me, Will. Her adoptive parents are not the kind of people to be trusted, from everything I've heard. Don't tell Elizabeth about this. I don't want to upset her.”
Will nodded in understanding.
”If Elizabeth's real mother shows herself, which I doubt will happen, we'll tell her then.”
Twenty-Two.
Jane s.h.i.+elded her eyes on the Juneau dock and gazed at the mountains. ”Oh, Ben, it's so beautiful.” ”Breathtaking,” he agreed, but he wasn't looking at the mountains.
She blushed when she caught his meaning.
”You have to stop that.”
”What?”
”Looking at me like you've never seen me before.”
He grasped her hand, lifting it to his lips, brus.h.i.+ng her knuckles with a whisper of a kiss. ”I've never seen you like this.”