28 Lawrence - I Should have Let Him Kill You (2/2)
He then bowed deeply to my mother who was still in a state of shock over the interruption. ”My dear lady, will you come with me.” He said grasping her lifeless hands, he gathered Serina and me up with a look. ”Bishop, may we use your office for a moment?” The Bishop merely nodded, too stunned by the rapid and amazing change of events to say anything.
”Thank you, Sir,” the Emperor acknowledged his nod. ”If you would settle the guests for us it would be a great help. Join us as soon as you can.” He invited with a tone of command in his voice that brooked no denial.
A squad of Marines escorted the five of us out of the chapel. Diana left the group as she came close to a beautiful (no other adjective could be used) tall, blond haired, blue eyed, young man. They coalesced in what was obviously not their first embrace. Nor—as was apparent from the intensity of their embrace—would it be their last.
The four of us continued to the Bishops office. The Marines took up guard outside the room. The Emperor bowed to my mother and formally requested, ”Will you give your blessing to the union of my daughter to your son?”
I still don't think she was really aware of what was going on yet, for she just stood there in a stupor. ”I have no right to ask more of your family for you have already given me your husband, but perhaps I can make some small amends by giving you, my daughter.”
Slowly the light came back into her eyes as she realized what he had said. She curtseyed deeply and said, ”Sire, you do me much honor, may I reciprocate by offering my only son?”
”My dear lady the honor is mine. Son,” he said turning to look at me, ”I think some explanations are in order.”
Suddenly it hit me ”Your Daughter?” I exclaimed.
”She is indeed my daughter. Her real name is Jane. Her mother and all my other children by her are dead at the hands of the late Duke of Paldonia. I only found this out when Imp was able to tap the information held in the Lady de Winters villa on Draco. I thank you, for the service that you did for me.”
”Imp told you—” I started, my jaw sagging in shock.
He held up his hand forestalling my reply, a smile on his face and continued. ”I have had an ironclad rule that my personal life is not subject to the public's eye. Every now and then as new reporters have come on the scene, I have had to remind the media of this rule. However, the punishment that I met out is so severe that I generally only have to remind them once every generation or so. So it is no wonder that you never heard of her or my loss.
Jane became very close to me, as she was the only thing I had left of her mother. She was special too in another way; she was named in honor of my first wife, the beautiful Jane Porter, (as she was called by a good friend who told the world the story of my birth.) She died hundreds of years ago. It has been my curse and my blessing to continue living for these many years. My body will never age, but Jane and her mother brought youth back into my soul long after I thought that it died forever. There is no greater gift that I could give you other than her hand in marriage.”
”Sire—”
”I have a name—'John'—John Clayton, I have had other names, but this is the name that I now use in honor of a long departed friend.” The Emperor said in almost an aside to me. ”Now that you are family won't you use it?”
Mother said, ”What is your intent now? Do you want a full wedding or what?”
I turned to Serina who still held my hand. ”The longer the better, but I don't know if—”
”Yes, we can if that is what you want?” Serina interrupted my question with her answer.
”Want! . . .” I exclaimed. Our words were short, but the tone of our voices spoke volumes.
We were interrupted at that point by a Marine who knocked once on the door then opened it to announce that the Bishop had arrived. ”Have him join us,” John ordered. The Marine ushered the Bishop in. As soon as the door was shut and the Bishop ensconced in his chair behind his desk, John informed him, ”These two young people wish to get married according to the laws of the empire and the laws of their god. They are both of the same belief and mind. Will you arrange it?”
Two hours of frantic preparation passed, and Jane 'Serina' Clayton and Lawrence 'Lance' Richard Young were married in a quiet ceremony, made intense by unspoken emotions. Diana served as Serina's—I mean Jane's—maid of honor. Mother cried even larger tears than I had expected while the Emperor of the known universe offered a shoulder to cry on…. We were married not just, ”till death, do we part,” under the laws of the empire, but under a higher law, we were promised to each other after this life was over, and we had progressed into the great unknown that faces each one of us.
Serina's father gave us the use of his private island retreat on Caribbia for our honeymoon. Of our wedding night, I will only mention one incident. Serina had come into our bedroom dressed in a white and silver negligee, which revealed and accentuated as well as hid her charms. She had no more than melted into my waiting arms, and hungry embrace than Imp choose this time to give us our wedding present.
”Lawrence I have long waited for this moment, and now I grant you my wedding present.” As he talked, I noticed a funny look come into Serina's eyes as if she were hearing some internal voice speaking to her. Suddenly without warning our inner selves touched, and our minds coalesced into one mind with an intimacy that far outstripped the mere physical intimacy, which would occupy the night, as Imp, became the conduit between us—for each of us had an implant and Imp had been our mutual guardian all this time.
We both realized with our one mind that he had indeed tricked us again. Our wrath rose and was dashed upon the gales of laughter that poured from him. Until we too laughed until tears of joy ran down our faces. I kissed the tears away from Serina's face feeling the touch of my lips on her face through the one mind that we shared.
Thus progressed that sharing with the delight of each other's touch and a sureness of knowledge as to what the other felt we finally joined into a physical union that was as close and wonderful as the mental union that bound us forever.