Chapter 25 #2
The prince offered me his arm, and I took it with ease.
It had been nice to have a few days in his company before the wedding.
He still felt like a stranger, and intimidated me because he was the prince, but I was starting to grow more comfortable in his presence.
I wasn’t sure when I would see him again after today, but he’d told me he was great at correspondence and expected long, newsy letters from me as often as I could write them.
In return, I should expect the same from him.
I took his arm, and we stepped into the narthex. The double doors into the nave were closed, but upon our entry, two footmen opened them, and we moved into place.
The “Bridal Chorus” began on the organ as the congregants rose to their feet.
My heart beat a quick, joyful pace as the prince patted my hand, laying on his arm.
“I’m very happy for you, Keira,” he said. “And I’m honored to be here today. I wish things could have been different, but I’m glad they’ve ended this way.”
“Thank you, for everything.” I smiled at him, my eyes awash in tears. “This is all because of you.”
“I think you had something to do with it.” He laughed and let out a contented sigh. “I’m only thankful I could be here to witness it. Shall we?”
With a nod, he began to lead me down the aisle.
Pleasant smiles greeted me as we walked toward the altar.
I knew some of those in attendance, but many of them were strangers from Mrs. Astor’s Four Hundred.
Alec’s parents were in attendance, and I had instantly loved them, quickly understanding from whom Alec had inherited his kindness.
They’d been at the hotel all week and we’d spent many happy hours together.
As I was about to turn my gaze to the front, where Alec would be waiting, one face caught my attention, and I paused in surprise.
My mother had come.
I quickly regained my footing, but it was enough for the prince to look at me and then follow my line of sight.
I knew the moment he saw her, because he, too, faltered.
Nellie O’Day.
The three of us were in the same place together for the first time.
We continued toward the altar. There would be an opportunity for them to reunite later, if they so chose. But it was not my place to be there, or to even know if they did.
For now, all I wanted to think about was Alec.
He stood at the front of the church, attired in a beautifully tailored black suit, his face shining with love.
I broke into a smile as all other thoughts faded away.
The top was down as Alec and I sat side by side in the small buggy, a trunk strapped to the back. He managed the single horse with ease. My arm was wrapped around his and my head was on his shoulder.
Our wedding breakfast was held at The Prince of Wales Hotel dining room, and the prince had given a speech to a round of cheers.
My mother sat in the back of the room, alone, watching us with pride.
I had wanted to go to her, but there were so many things pressing for my attention, and when I finally had the opportunity, she and the prince were no longer in the dining room.
I smiled to myself now, as the sun warmed my face and the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves pressed against the dirt road hugging the edge of the cliff.
To my right, the Atlantic Ocean spread out in all its glory, a gateway to both my past and future.
Someday, I would return to England with Alec and perhaps I could get to know both my mother and father better.
For now, I was quite content to focus on my husband.
“Where are you taking me?” I asked Alec in a lazy sort of voice, not eager to be anywhere in particular, except by his side.
“You’ll know the moment we arrive,” he said with a smile in his voice.
We’d only been married for six hours, but it felt as if I’d known him my whole life. Being Alec’s wife was the most natural thing I’d ever done. And our journey had only just begun.
“Do you think Aunt Maude is angry that we’ve decided to use your family name?” I asked him.
“Perhaps,” he sighed. “But she’ll have to get used to it.” He kissed the top of my head. “I like being Mr. and Mrs. Paxton. And I am especially fond of the name Keira Paxton.”
I snuggled closer to him, thankful I’d taken the time to have Gallagher help me change into a traveling gown, though I still wore my locket and I’d attached the flower broach Alec had given me for Christmas.
He’d also changed clothes with the help of his valet, and he was wearing the silk flower he’d purchased from me outside the Metropolitan Opera House.
We’d left the breakfast before anyone was the wiser.
No doubt Aunt Maude and the prince would do a fabulous job entertaining people for as long as they wanted to stay.
And since many of them were renting rooms at the hotel, the party might continue all day.
Seagulls dipped and glided over the ocean as a gentle breeze tossed the tendrils of hair around my face.
I’d quickly fallen in love with Newport and had decided that whenever Alec needed to travel there for work, I would come with him.
We had our own suite of rooms in the hotel, and they would very much feel like home.
We were only five miles north of Newport when he turned off the road and onto a tree-covered lane. The sunlight dappled the horse as we plodded forward, and I looked up at Alec with anticipation.
“Soon,” he said, kissing me gently on the lips.
A small stone bridge appeared up ahead, and I sat straight, delighted by a bubbling brook that ran beneath it. He paused on the bridge to give me the opportunity to watch it for a moment and then tapped the reins against the horse’s back to continue.
We hadn’t gone far when the path turned to the right and the trees opened to reveal a little stone cottage, tucked into the woods. The stream meandered around it, disappearing into the trees. Just behind the cottage was a stone foot bridge and beyond that was an orchard.
Alec pulled the reins and the horse stopped. But he wasn’t looking at the enchanting scene before us. He was watching me.
“What do you think?” he asked me. “It’s almost as far as you can get from the Mississippi River, and it’s not really a cabin, but it’s near a stream and it’s all yours, Keira.”
I tore my gaze away from the cottage and studied him. “All mine?”
“Every last square inch. It’s my wedding gift to you, and whenever we come to Newport for business, we won’t need to stay at the noisy hotel, if you don’t want.
We can get away here, just the two of us, and enjoy a little solitude.
There are no neighbors for miles—and even if someone wanted to build a house here, they couldn’t, because I’ve purchased several hundred acres around the cottage. ”
“Alec.” I shook my head in amazement and disbelief.
He grinned. “You don’t need to say anything. Your face is telling me everything I need to know.” He kissed me, tenderly and thoroughly, leaving me breathless.
“Let’s go inside,” he said. “I have another surprise for you.”
“How did you manage all of this?” I asked.
“I’ve had my eye on this cottage for a long time, even before I met you. And when you described your dream to me, long ago in Aunt Maude’s library, I began to picture this moment.” He chuckled. “I still can’t believe God orchestrated all of this, but I will spend the rest of my life thanking Him.”
He tethered the horse to a hitching post with a mounting block nearby, and after securing the reins, he helped me use the mounting block to step down from the buggy.
The cottage appeared bigger up close, with large windows on either side of the front door and a second floor under the eaves above. A small porch covered the front of the house and Alec held my hand as we stepped onto it.
Two rocking chairs graced the porch, with a view of the stream nearby.
I smiled, picturing us there in the evenings, Alec reading aloud as I spent my time sewing.
I’d already laid plans for an organization to provide clothing for children in the tenements.
In my spare time, I hoped to sew dresses for little girls who grew up like me, and I’d already found others who wanted to help.
I couldn’t wait to return to New York and set our plans into action—but first, our honeymoon.
After he opened the front door, he surprised me by lifting me into his arms to carry me over the threshold.
I laughed in delight and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. He kissed me again, using any opportunity he could, and I relished it.
The main room of the cottage was just as charming as the rest, with rustic timber and a stone fireplace. But it was the far wall that made me inhale with pleasure.
“A library!” I told him.
He grinned and set me on my feet. “Everywhere we live, I want us to be surrounded by books.”
“Alec.” I shook my head as I walked across the wide-plank floor to the shelves that covered the wall. “There are so many of them.”
“Not quite as many as in Aunt Maude’s home, but these are my personal books. I had my parents bring them from Boston when they came, and Mother helped me organize them.”
“Your parents have been here?”
“Many times this week. Mother helped to decorate, just enough for us to be comfortable these next two weeks, but I told her that you would want to put the finishing touches on everything.”
I turned to look at the main room, noting the crisp white curtains hanging at the windows and the fresh bouquet of wildflowers on the table. There were pictures of Alec as a child on the mantel and comfortable rugs on the floors.
“It’s perfect,” I said, turning back to look at him. “I wouldn’t change a thing. Thank you, Alec.”
He wrapped his arms around me, his tenderness and love making me feel cherished. “I’m the one who should be thankful. I’ve never known such happiness in my life, Keira, and it’s all because of you.”
“Then it seems we’re a good pair, because I feel the same way about you, my love.”
It was so quiet and peaceful in our little cottage, and there was no one and nothing to bother us.
So this time, when Alec kissed me, nothing stopped him.