Chapter Eight
Thursday evening, Natalie felt a mixture of excitement and
nervousness about having dinner with Annabelle and Mr. Gordon’s
nephew.
“This will be good practice for you to learn
what dinner parties are about,” Mark told her as she was trying to
decide which jewelry to wear with the green gown she’d chosen for
the occasion.
It was still overwhelming to pick out a gown
from all of the ones she now owned. She’d never had such difficulty
picking anything to wear until she married him. She recalled a time
in the past when she’d only had three dresses. She used to wish she
had more, and now that she did, she wasn’t sure what to do with
them. So she relied heavily on the maid’s input. And this evening,
the maid had narrowed her choices down to a blue gown and this
green one. It was only after Mark made a comment about how pretty
she’d look in green that she picked that color.
Now she had the arduous process of picking
either the emerald, diamond, or pearl jewelry to go with her
outfit. She glanced over at Mark as he sat at the vanity, waiting
for her to finish getting ready for the dinner party.
She turned to him. “Please help me make a
decision. I’m not good at this kind of thing.”
He got up and went to the dresser where she
had the jewelry laid out. “Any of those will match the gown you
have on.”
“I know, but I can’t decide which one to
wear. The necklace and earrings are all so pretty. I didn’t realize
having so many things would make it hard to make a decision. I
almost wish I could go back to having very few things.”
“Don’t wish for that. It would mean we
wouldn’t be together.” He glanced at the jewelry. “I suppose I got
you too many things. I was just so excited to be marrying you, I
bought you everything I liked.”
She laughed. “It seems like you bought three
stores’ worth of inventory.”
“Well, I didn’t buy that much, but the owners
were happy with me.”
“I bet they were.”
“I won’t make things harder for you by
purchasing more things. You do, however, have my permission to go
shopping at any time. Just tell them to put it on my account. They
know I’m good for it.”
“I can’t think of anything else I need.” She
had more things than she knew what to do with!
“I’m sure you’ll think of something once you
go out with the women for some social engagements.” He pulled her
against him and gave her a lingering kiss.
She melted in his embrace and returned his
kiss. Every time he held and kissed her like this, she forgot about
everything else going on around her. She had no idea a man could
have such an effect on her, but Mark certainly did. And that made
her grateful that things hadn’t worked out with Mr. Dodson. As her
grandmother had told her while growing up, “Things happen for a
reason. God knows what He’s doing.”
With a heavy sigh, Mark ended the kiss. “It’s
times like this that I wish I didn’t have a dinner party. I’d much
rather spend the evening alone with you.”
She felt her face warm in pleasure. “I enjoy
spending time alone with you, too.”
He turned to the dresser and selected the
pearls. “I think this best matches your style. Not flashy but
absolutely gorgeous.” He picked up the necklace. “Want me to put it
on?”
She nodded and turned her back to him. Since
the maid had pulled her hair up into an attractive style, she
didn’t have to lift her hair for him.
After he clasped the necklace behind her
neck, he leaned forward and kissed her neck.
She giggled. “That tickles.”
“Really? You don’t say that when we’re in
bed.”
“We’re not in bed.” She turned back to the
dresser and gathered the matching earrings. “The kind of kisses you
give me when we’re in bed are different. Those are never
ticklish.”
He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively at her.
“I can always give you the other kind of kisses when we’re not in
bed.”
“Mark, be serious. We have to focus on this
evening. It’s my first dinner party, and I want to make sure I do
everything right.”
“You’ll be fine.” Mark set the rest of her
jewelry back in its drawer. “We should get downstairs in case
Annabelle shows up before Mr. Gordon does. I didn’t warn her there
would be another guest.”
“That’s because you didn’t know he was coming
until after you talked to her.”
“Don’t worry. She’ll understand. Besides,
she’s just glad to have a chance to meet you.”
“I’m looking forward to meeting her,
too.”
He escorted her out of the bedroom and down
the stairs. “Before I forget, when it comes to which utensil to eat
with, start on the outside and work your way in. It’s a trick I
learned when I was little.” When she shot him a questioning look,
he added, “There will be a salad fork and a dinner fork. There’s
also a butter knife and a knife to cut into the steak. As for the
spoon, there will be a spoon for the soup and another for the
vegetables.”
Her jaw dropped. “Why do you need so many
utensils?”
“My parents never understood it, either, but
it’s the way things are done. Like I said, start on the outside and
work your way in.”
When they reached the formal parlor, the
butler came in with a tray of four wine glasses and a decanter
filled with what Natalie assumed was the wine. As he poured the
dark liquid into the glasses, Mark adjusted the chairs so that they
were across from the couch.
“Annabelle and Mr. Gordon will sit in these,”
Mark told Natalie. “We will sit on the couch. We’ll talk for about
ten to fifteen minutes. When the butler says it’s time to eat,
we’ll go to the dining room. Afterwards, you and Annabelle will
return here, and Mr. Gordon and I will go to the informal parlor.
We’ll probably spend thirty minutes apart before we come back
together to play a game.”
“That a lot to remember,” Natalie
replied.
“Just follow my lead. Once you’ve been
through this, you’ll know what to do in the future. All dinner
parties go like this unless there’s dancing. In that case, we eat
first then dance.”
She cleared her throat and waited until the
butler left before she asked, “What kind of dancing do you do?”
“Ballroom dancing. Mostly the waltz.”
“The only kind of dancing I’ve ever done has
been the square dance. And that was in the barn or outdoors. I’ve
never done the…” What did he call it? Oh yes. “I’ve never done the
waltz.”
“It’s a simple dance. All you do is make a
square. You’ll have it down after the first time of doing it. Just
follow my lead when the time comes.” He winked at her.
She wasn’t sure she shared his enthusiasm.
Yes, it sounded simple, but would it really be easy?
As if he heard her unspoken question, he
said, “You have nothing to worry about. Remember, I’ll be with
you.” He closed the distance between them and held her hand. “Most
of the time, we won’t dance. Most of the time, we’ll do what we’re
doing tonight. Sitting around and talking.”
That sounded like a much easier activity than
trying to figure out how to ballroom dance.
She saw the butler pass the doorway of the
parlor as he went to the front door.
“One of our guests is here.” Mark gave her
hand a squeeze. “Everything will go well this evening. I’m a good
judge of character, so you can trust me. Annabelle and Mr. Gordon
will like you.”
She couldn’t help but admire his confidence.
It was no wonder people liked doing business with him. He had a way
of making it sound as if everything would go as well as he
expected.
The butler came into the room with a young
woman who, upon first glance, reminded Natalie of Velma. The two
were both slender and tall, and they had dark hair. But as Natalie
studied her, she realized they had other things that made them
distinct from one another. Annabelle had higher cheekbones, a
smaller nose, and a chin with a dimple in it. She also had a
smaller bosom and narrower hips.
“This is Annabelle, my little sister,” Mark
introduced.
Annabelle smirked at him. “I’m not that
little anymore, Mark, and I’m only two and a half years younger
than you.” Turning her attention to Natalie, she said, “He used to
point out I was his little sister when we were children, and,” she
shot him a pointed look, “that was fine when we were children. But
I’m an adult now, and I insist to be addressed as such.”
“Forgive me.” Mark cleared his throat and
then made a grand gesture to her. “Natalie, I’d like you to meet
Miss Larson. I don’t know if I have her permission to refer to her
by her first name since we’re being so formal.”
Natalie chuckled, and Annabelle playfully
reprimanded him with a swat on the arm. “I just don’t want you to
think of me as a child, that’s all. You can’t tell me what to do
and who to do it with anymore.” She paused then added, “I found out
about your plan to bring Ben over here this evening.”
“Let me guess,” Mark said. “Tony told
you?”
Annabelle nodded. “You know I don’t like Ben.
I never have, and I never will. You should be glad Ben decided not
to come. I would have let both of you know how much I hate being
deceived.”
“Ben was only going to be here for one
dinner,” Mark argued. “It was to be one evening of your time.”
“I’ve been subjected to these things before.
How many times do you have to pair us up until you understand that
I will never, under any circumstance, marry him?” She rolled her
eyes and told Natalie, “I swear, it’s been like this for most of my
childhood. Ever since they became friends, it’s like I’m expected
to marry Ben.”
“You mean the preacher who married Mark and
me?” Natalie asked.
“Yes, that’s the one,” Mark said. “He’s a
great friend.”
“He’s a great shadow, you mean,” Annabelle
interrupted.
“He’s not a shadow.” When she shook her head,
he insisted, “He’s not. I don’t think of Ben as my shadow.”
“He does everything you want,” Annabelle
said. “All you have to do is snap your fingers, and he comes
running.”
“If that’s true, then why isn’t he here
tonight?” Since Annabelle didn’t respond, he gave her a satisfied
smile. “That’s what I thought.”
“Anyway,” Annabelle began as she directed her
attention to Natalie, “I’m glad to be finally meeting you. I saw
you at the wedding, but you and Mark were out of there so fast I
didn’t get a chance to get to know you.”
Natalie waited to see if Mark would continue
with the banter the two siblings had been sharing, but since he
remained quiet, Natalie knew it was safe to answer. “I’m glad I can
finally meet you, too.”
The butler returned to the parlor, and this
time there was a handsome young man with him. Mark went over to him
as the butler left.
“I’m glad you could make it,” Mark told him.
He led the man over to Natalie and Annabelle. “This is my wife,
Natalie.” After he and Natalie exchanged hellos, he said, “And this
is my sister, Annabelle Larson, who is exactly two years and eight
months younger than me.”
Natalie expected Annabelle to show a sign of
exasperation, but she smiled at the man and said, “It’s a pleasure
to meet you.”
“He’s Mr. Gordon,” Mark introduced. “Your
uncle didn’t tell me your first name.”
“It’s Kenneth,” he replied, not looking away
from Annabelle.
“What a wonderful name,” Annabelle said, her
smile growing wider.
Natalie blinked in surprise. She glanced at
Mark, who also seemed startled by the instant attraction the two
shared.
“Kenneth’s uncle just signed an agreement to
let me work on the construction for the restaurant he wants to
build,” Mark spoke up, though neither Annabelle nor Kenneth looked
away from each other. Mark turned his gaze to Natalie. “That’s why
I was meeting with Mr. Gordon this morning.” He paused. “I didn’t
get Mr. Gordon’s first name.”
“It’s Alan,” Kenneth said.
Natalie wasn’t aware Kenneth was even paying
attention to what Mark was saying. Apparently, Mark hadn’t been,
either, since he blinked in surprise.
“Did you and your uncle just arrive in
Omaha?” Annabelle asked. “I don’t recall seeing you before.”
“We just recently came here,” Kenneth
replied. “We haven’t even been here for a month.”
Annabelle’s smile widened. “Well, it’s my
pleasure to welcome you to this city. We’ve expanded a lot in the
past few years.”
“That’s what my uncle tells me. He said this
is the place to be if you want to get ahead in business.”
“He’s right. My parents said there wasn’t
much here when they first arrived, but my father’s had so many
construction projects that business boomed for him. He says Omaha
looks a lot different than it used to.”
“I bet it does.” He scanned her up and down.
“I must say that I like the scenery.”
Annabelle giggled.
Mark went over to Natalie and shook his head
in bewilderment. Natalie couldn’t believe it any more than he
could. She’d heard that love at first sight was possible, but she’d
never seen it until this moment.
The butler came into the room and announced
that dinner was ready.
Natalie noted the relief on Mark’s face as he
extended his arm to escort her to the other room. She was surprised
he wasn’t all that thrilled to see how well Annabelle and Kenneth
were getting along. She would think that would be a good thing
since he was going to be doing business with Kenneth’s uncle.
Annabelle accepted Kenneth’s arm, and the two
followed Natalie and Mark to the dining room.