“What are you smiling about?” Niki asked.
Edward did not know that she had been watching.
“I’ll have to tell you sometime.”
“Not now?”
Edward stopped, and Niki naturally stopped with him. He had always been completely honest with her and was not going to be anything else now.
“Henry seems to think that I’ve been dragging my feet where you’re concerned.”
Niki looked surprised.
“I told him you had company, but he didn’t seem to think that mattered.”
Niki laughed a little. “That must have been a little odd, coming from Henry.”
“I did a good deal of laughing, but he was serious.”
Niki nodded. “Is that why you didn’t want the boys along?”
“Yes.”
“And would you have wanted the day to be today if Henry hadn’t prompted you?”
“I wanted the day to be weeks ago, but I told myself to wait.”
Niki looked up into his eyes. She couldn’t remember a love this deep, not even for Louis, whom she had cared about very much.
“How does a man say what’s in his heart?” Edward asked, his eyes on hers as well. “How does a man explain the mix of joy and uncertainty, the euphoria and fear?”
“I think you just did.”
“Henry said I must get down on one knee.”
Niki started to laugh. “He didn’t!”
“He did. He said it must be special, so when our daughters ask about it, we’ll have the right answer.”
“Henry is a dear,” Niki said, sighing a little.
Edward suddenly cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs stroking the smooth skin on her cheekbones.
“Marry me, Niki. Please say you will. Please become my wife and my partner. Have children with me, and help me to be the man God wants me to be.”
“I would love to marry you, Edward. I would love it more than I can say.”
His hands still holding her gently, he tilted her face just enough to claim her lips with his own.
“I forgot the knee!” Edward suddenly said, and Niki began to giggle. “Quickly,” he took her hand. “We’ve got to find a rock or something for you to sit on. You know Henry will ask.”
By the time Edward found a place for Niki to sit, they were both laughing uncontrollably. And it didn’t help that the large rock Edward found was lumpy and not very comfortable, or that Edward had to kneel in the damp grass in a pair of new pants.
“All right now,” he said, trying to be serious. “I’ve got to do this properly.”
Niki schooled her features and waited, but before Edward could speak, she was lost in his eyes again.
“When did you start to love me, Edward?”
Edward smiled. “I’m not sure. I know it was after you came here, but my memories of you are very mixed. In my mind’s eye, I can still see you dressed as Osborne.”
Niki made a face.
“No, no, I’m serious.” Edward’s gaze warmed. “After I got used to the idea, you began to look a little too good in those pants.”
Niki bit her lip, and for a moment the two looked at each other. Edward took her hand in his and spoke quietly.
“Mrs Bettencourt, will you consent to be my wife?”
“Yes, I will, Mr Steele.”
“When, Niki?” Edward dropped the formality just that fast. “When can we be married?”
“I don’t know, but soon I think.”
“Soon would be nice.”
“Shall we go and tell the boys?”
“Yes, and then the family.”
Edward helped her off the rock and took her hand. They didn’t move swiftly. It was all too wonderful to be rushed. They walked back toward the house to find the boys and tell them immediately, but not before they talked and made plans. It would be a lovely wedding. The boys could stand up with them. And Edward already had his eye on a house—a beautiful house that the four of them would love.
By the time they reached the back door, both felt as if they were floating on air.
Newcomb Park
“Good morning, Henry,” Cassandra greeted her brother in the foyer, going on tiptoe to give him a kiss. “Is Edward about? I have something to show him.”
“He’s at Blackburn Manor this morning.”
Cassandra dimpled. “Do you suppose he’s gained the courage to ask the question?”
“I don’t know,” Henry said with a smile, even though he felt quite confident about Edward’s plans. “We’ll have to wait and see.”
“I guess we will. May I leave this for him?”
“Certainly.” Henry took a folded slip of paper from her. “How are you feeling, by the way?”
“Very well. I’m headed into town to do a little shopping.”
“Alone?”
“Yes, Tate had accounts spread out all about him, and Lizzy is entertaining.”
“Would you like me to go with you?”
Cassandra’s mouth opened in surprised pleasure.
“Why, Henry, that would be lovely.”
Henry smiled. Shopping was not at all his idea of a fun morning, but being with his sister and seeing her delight appealed to him very much.
Leaving word where he was going, Henry took a moment to get his hat and jacket and followed his sister to her coach.
He didn’t think he’d actually shop, but getting out of the house was just what he needed. Maybe Edward would be there with good news by the time he arrived back home. Even as the coach lurched into motion, Henry found himself praying that Edward would have the courage to get the job done.
What if the lady doesn’t accept?
Where this thought had come from Henry didn’t know, but he dismissed it immediately. If there were two people more in love and suited for each other than Edward Steele and Niki Bettencourt, he’d like to meet them.
Cassandra took that moment to say something about stopping for tea, and Henry’s attention was drawn to her.
Maybe I have met them, Henry said to himself, thinking about all three of his sisters and the fine men they’d married.
With a deep sigh of contentment, Henry made himself more comfortable in the seat and settled back to enjoy the ride and his sister’s company, thinking that God’s blessings never ceased to amaze him.
Epilogue
Billings Park
Niki Steele’s breathing became labored. She thrashed against the images in her mind, panic and fear filling her. She was terrified and helpless, desperate to do something but unable to think or act.
“Niki.” Edward’s voice came to her, his hand coming to rest on her waist. “Wake up, Niki.”
With a start, Niki came out of the dream. She panted in fear, even as Edward’s arms came around her.
“It’s all right. It was just a dream.”
“The boys,” she said, hugging her husband tightly. “I dreamed that she came. They cried for me. They were so little.”
Edward held her until her breathing was normal again. Only then did he let go of her to light the lantern. They both squinted against the light as they tried to see each other.
“Do you want me to go and check on them?”
“No,” Niki shook her head. “I know it was just a dream.”
“It might be like this for a time, Niki, but I still think we did the right thing.”
Niki nodded, remembering along with Edward the way they’d recently gone to Patrice Bettencourt’s deathbed and taken the children with them.
Niki had been so certain Patrice would repent after years of letters and threats. Niki envisioned that when Patrice saw how big the boys were, she would see how much she’d given up and be sorry, but it hadn’t happened that way.
With eyes and words only for Richard and Christopher, Patrice had told the boys how selfish their mother had been and how ashamed their father would have been of her. It had not gone well, but the boys held no bitterness toward their grandmother, and because she’d l
eft her entire estate to them, they’d enjoyed the freedom of seeing portraits of their father and gaining a glimpse into his life.
“Maybe I should go check on them,” Niki said, having second thoughts.
Edward chuckled.
“What’s so funny?” she asked, still rather groggy.
“They’re 17, Niki, and larger than I am. Even if Patrice were still alive, neither one of them would sit still for an abduction.”
Niki was forced to agree, even as her mind went to their other five children. Michelle was almost ten; young Edward was nine; the younger twins, Jocelyn and Sunny, were six; and Emmaline was two. Patrice had never even asked about Richard and Christopher’s half siblings. She had had eyes only for them, and selfish eyes they were, wanting things her way or not at all.
“Can you sleep now?” Edward interrupted her thoughts.
“I think so.”
“It must be after midnight, which means the wedding is today, and a long day it will be.”
Niki smiled as she remembered. Penny Jennings, Marianne’s stepdaughter, was marrying Jeffrey Hurst, Pastor and Judith’s oldest.
Jeffrey had been abroad for several years, being mentored by a friend of his father’s. When he’d come home, he was surprised to find Penny Jennings quite grown up and as beautiful as she had been as a child. There were several years between them, but no one seemed to notice. Jeffrey found himself unable to think about much else, and Penny welcomed his interest.
They had courted for the better part of a year, nearly everyone waiting in anticipation for Jeffrey to ask for her hand, and finally the day had come. Penny didn’t seem to have any problem with the wait, even as she watched both of her older brothers get married, as well as cousins Frank, Walt, and Emma Palmer. Two of Jeffrey’s siblings, Jane and Margaret, were also wed. Some married young people from the church family, and others found their spouses from other districts.
This day, however, the pastor’s son and a longtime member of the community were going to be married, and it was going to be something of a celebration. Family members had already started to gather, and knowing how full Thornton Hall and Blackburn Manor were, Niki fell asleep thinking about all who would come.
Thornton Hall
“Are you just coming to bed?” Jennings asked of his wife when the moonlight from the window allowed him to watch her slip into their room.
“No, but I was restless and didn’t want to wake you.”
Marianne climbed into bed, but Jennings could tell she was not ready to go back to sleep.
“You’re going to be exhausted in the morning.”
“You’re probably right, but I’m not sure I can help myself. I don’t know why I’m so excited. The boys got married with little fuss, but with Penny I’m falling apart.”
“It might be the difference between sons and daughters.”
“Maybe so,” Marianne said, a yawn accompanying these words.
Jennings remained quiet, thinking she might be headed back to sleep, and sure enough, her breathing evened out after a short time.
It was, however, too late for Jennings. His own little Penny, his oldest daughter, was getting married in a matter of hours. At the moment sleep was miles away.
The Manse
“You’re up early,” Judith said to Frederick as he stood peering into his closet very early on Saturday morning.
“Do you think my suit is all right?”
“I think it’s fine. Do you have a problem with it?”
Frederick turned to look at her.
“Our oldest child is getting married today. I want to look especially nice.”
“Why do I think I’m the one who is supposed to be saying that?”
Frederick’s eyes twinkled at having been caught out. Nevertheless, he inspected his suit a moment longer, flicked at a speck of lint, and rehung it in the closet. He then joined his wife on the bed, sitting so his back was against the footboard. Judith watched him, amazed to find tears in his eyes.
“Frederick,” she said softly. “What is it?”
“I’m just so proud of him, Judith. He’s a fine man, and although he’s wanted to be married for years, he’s waited for God’s timing.”
“And to our own little Penny,” Judith said with a smile, wanting to cry as well.
Husband and wife looked at each other and shared a smile. The church family had grown over the years. There had been many marriages and new families started. Some couples had settled nearby, and others had moved away. Their own Margaret had not stayed in the area but lived closer to London. Jeffrey and Penny had chosen a home here, something for which the Hursts and Jenningses were thankful.
A noise at the door suddenly made them turn. Ten-year-old Elizabeth, the youngest in the family, poked her head in, coming forward as soon as she saw they were awake. Her dress for the wedding was dangling from her hand.
“Eliza,” her mother asked. “Why are you up so early?”
“It’s my dress. I’m not sure it’s all right for the wedding.”
Frederick and Judith looked at each other, mouths open, before bursting into laughter. It was several minutes before they could even find breath to explain to their bemused daughter.
Marianne Jennings, Anne Weston, Lizzy Morland, Cassandra Tate, and Niki Steele all found themselves standing outside of the church building after the wedding. The bride and groom had already left, but no one else seemed in much of a hurry to leave. Children came and went—they each had many—asking questions of their mothers and being told to stay clean, but as soon as they were able, the five women went back to talking each time.
“She looked beautiful,” Lizzy said, thinking about the bride.
“I think Penny might have looked good in a flour sack,” Anne said dryly.
Marianne only smiled, but she couldn’t have agreed more. Penny’s long, dark hair and huge, lovely eyes had been hard to miss, not to mention the love that shone on her face as she stood at the altar with Jeffrey, whose new suit fit him very well.
“It made me think of my wedding,” Niki admitted, and for a moment, all the women smiled.
Having been married on the same day, Cassandra and Lizzy exchanged glances, sharing a look as they remembered back to that occasion.
“Mother.” Christopher was suddenly at Niki’s side. Taller than his mother, his voice growing more masculine every day, Niki turned to him.
“What is it, Chris?”
“Edward says that Emma is wet through and starting to cry.”
“I’ll be right along.”
Niki said her goodbyes to the women in the group and followed after her son. She kissed Christopher and Richard goodbye—they were spending the night with their Uncle Henry—before climbing into the coach. Emmaline wanted her mother’s lap for the ride home, and by the time they arrived at Billings Park, they both needed a bath.
Emmaline was seen to first and then tucked into bed by her father. Edward went in search of his wife and found her in the bathtub, hair piled atop her head, water up to her neck. He sat on the edge of the tub to speak to her.
“This looks relaxing.”
“It is. I can tell I didn’t sleep very well.”
Niki ran her washing cloth up one arm before she looked up to find Edward’s eyes on her. She stared at him for a moment.
“I was thinking about our wedding day today,” he said.
Niki looked as pleased as she felt. “I thought about it too.”
“As pretty as Penny was, she couldn’t compare with you in your wedding dress.”
Niki smiled. Edward always had loving things to say, even after all these years.
Niki was opening her mouth to say something to him when someone knocked on the door. Edward went to answer it, finding Sunny outside the room, looking for her mother.
“She’ll be out in a little while,” her father told her, and shut the door again.
Edward looked back to find Niki out of the tub and wrapped in a thick robe. He returned to s
tand in front of her and took her in his arms. Not needing words, they hugged and kissed for a long time.
Edward decided, not for the first time, that God’s timing and will were perfect. He wasn’t looking for love when he went to Africa. He wasn’t looking for a wife when Niki Bettencourt came across his path, but God, in His imponderable way, had had a plan.
“Edward,” Niki said, having caught a look on his face. “What are you thinking about?”
Edward knew he would never be able to explain and said only, “Just thanking God for you.”
Niki smiled in her tender way and went up on tiptoe to kiss him again.
About the Author
LORI WICK is a multifaceted author of Christian fiction.
As comfortable writing period stories as she is penning
contemporary works, Lori’s books (6 million in print)
very widely in location and time period.
Lori’s faithful fans consistentely put her series and
stand-alone works on the bestseller lists.
Lori and her husband, Bob, live with their
swiftly growing family in the Midwest.
To read about other Lori Wick novels,
visit www.harvesthousepublishers.com
Books by Lori Wick
A Place Called Home Series
A Place Called Home
A Song for Silas
The Long Road Home
A Gathering of Memories
The Californians
Whatever Tomorrow Brings
As Time Goes By
Sean Donovan
Donovan’s Daughter
Kensington Chronicles
The Hawk and the Jewel
Wings of the Morning
Who Brings Forth the Wind
The Knight and the Dove
Rocky Mountain Memories
Where the Wild Rose Blooms
Whispers of Moonlight
To Know Her by Name
Promise Me Tomorrow
The Yellow Rose Trilogy
Every Little Thing About You
A Texas Sky
City Girl