The Topaz Brooch
Page 91
She shook her head. “Not gonna happen.”
Elliott stepped aside, and instead of a lift, Rick spun her out for a three-step turn and another turn back in, and the newlyweds danced the salsa while Penny’s tiara glinted and gleamed in the candlelight.
Meredith reappeared at Elliott’s side. “I had my doubts about the triple tour and the knee spins, but Rick pulled it off. And your kilt swished very seductively.”
“Did it turn ye on? That’s all I want to know.”
“Of course it did. Come on. Time to go.”
Sophia, seven months pregnant with twin girls, met them at the front door and handed over their coats. “You have thirty minutes. Your helpers will be here with the bags. Call Morgan if there’s a glitch.”
Elliott kissed her cheek. “I haven’t forgiven ye, lass, for the deal ye struck last July. Though the invitation to Wilhelmina and Rick’s church wedding in exchange for what we’re about to do seemed worth it at the time.”
“Oh, Elliott. Go ahead and admit you loved the idea even then. Now hurry up and don’t be late. Morgan will have heart failure if this doesn’t go off as planned.” Sophia opened the door. “The coast is clear, now go.”
Elliott and Meredith left the warmth of the mansion for the cold December night and climbed into an already running—thank you, Morgan—Mercedes for the short trip back to the big house.
As they walked into the house, Elliott said, “If ye need any help, yell.”
“Everything’s laid out in my dressing room, and I’ve rehearsed getting out of this gown and into the ensemble several times. Do you need help?”
“I can manage.”
They split up once they reached their suite and rushed off to their dressing rooms. Thirty minutes later, Elliott was waiting at the bedroom door when Meredith walked out. He whistled. “If I wasn’t already in love with another woman, I’d ask ye out on a date.”
“I’m glad I’m already in love, too, because you’re a little over the top.”
Elliott laughed as he escorted her out of the big house. The elf who had warmed up the car thirty minutes ago had either warmed it up again or kept it running because it was toasty warm when they climbed in for the short ride back to the mansion.
The snow was falling by the time they reached the walk, and they left their booted footprints behind. When they climbed the porch, Elliott stopped to gaze through the window at the family gathered in the main room for a toast. The timing was perfect.
Rick was leading the gathering in “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.”
“That’s our cue,” Meredith said.
Before she could turn the knob, the door magically opened, and there stood Emily and Tavis dressed as elves.
“Oh, my gosh. You look adorable,” Meredith said.
“We could say the same about you, Aunt Meredith,” Emily said, kissing Meredith’s cheek.
Tavis handed Elliott two large sacks. “Everything is labeled with the kids’ pictures, and Morgan says, ‘don’t screw this up or you’ll have lots of disappointed children.’”
The singing stopped.
“That’s your cue, Uncle Elliott. Come on. Let’s see that smile.”
Elliott smiled, and with Meredith at his side and Emily and Tavis behind them, they entered the room, and in his deep, chuckling voice, he shouted, “Ho-ho-ho!”
“Look, kids. It’s Santa Claus,” Rick cheered.
“And Mrs. Claus and their elves,” Penny added.
Two dozen kids from three to eighteen rushed over, much as they did months ago at the July 4th celebration, and for the next hour the O’Gradys sang, David played his sax accompanied by Remy on drums, and Santa and Mrs. Claus handed out presents to everyone in attendance and took dozens of selfies and group pictures.
The presents had been carefully selected and guaranteed to please. And as midnight approached and Santa’s sacks were empty, and his cheeks were flushed from the heat, champagne, kisses, and excitement, the bride and groom said goodnight and left for the cabin in a blizzard of confetti.
“Well, Mrs. Claus. I believe our job here is done.”
Meredith’s eyes were glistening. “Can we do this again next year?”
Elliott kissed her cheek. “I’m rather fond of ye in red. If it would make ye happy, I’ll do it every year from now on.”
They stood to leave, and the children followed Santa, Mrs. Claus, and the elves to the door, asking why they were going that way and not up the chimney.
“There are fires in the fireplaces,” Rhona said, beaming with good health. “The door is the only way out.”
And before Mr. and Mrs. Claus disappeared out the door, Elliott’s booming Scottish voice blessed them, every one, saying, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.”
And then, just before the door closed behind him, he winked and added, “May God hold all ye lads and lassies in the palm of His hand.”
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine graduated from Rowan University in New Jersey, where she earned a BA in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. Following college, she returned to Central Kentucky, where she worked as a real estate and tax paralegal.
Katherine is a marathoner and lives in Lexington, Kentucky. When she’s not running or writing romance, she’s enjoying her five grandchildren: Charlotte Lyle, Lincoln Thomas, James Cullen, Henry Patrick, and Meredith Lyle, and a dog named Ripley.
Please stop by and visit Katherine on her social media sites or drop her an email. She loves to hear from readers.
Website * Facebook * Twitter
I’m A Runner (Runner’s World Magazine Interview)
Email:
KatherineLLogan@gmail.com
Family trees are available on Katherine’s website
* * *
THE CELTIC BROOCH SERIES
THE RUBY BROOCH (Book 1)
Kitherina MacKlenna and Cullen Montgomery’s love story
THE LAST MACKLENNA (Book 2 – not a time travel story)
Meredith Montgomery and Elliott Fraser’s love story
THE SAPPHIRE BROOCH (Book 3)
Charlotte Mallory and Braham McCabe’s love story
THE EMERALD BROOCH (Book 4)
Kenzie Wallis-Manning and David McBain’s love story
THE BROKEN BROOCH (Book 5 – not a time travel story)
JL O’Grady and Kevin Allen’s love story
THE THREE BROOCHES (Book 6)
A reunion with Kit and Cullen Montgomery
THE DIAMOND BROOCH (Book 7)
Jack Mallory and Amy Spalding’s love story
THE AMBER BROOCH (Book 8)
Amber Kelly and Daniel Grant’s love story
Olivia Kelly and Connor O’Grady’s love story
THE PEARL BROOCH (Book 9)
Sophia Orsini and Pete Parrino’s love story
There are many more Brooch Books to come!
If you would like to receive notification of future releases
sign up today at KatherineLLogan.com or
send an email to KatherineLLogan@gmail.com and put “New Release” in the subject line
* * *
Thank you for reading THE TOPAZ BROOCH.
I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed writing it.
Reviews help other readers find books.
I appreciate all reviews, whether positive or negative.
AUTHOR NOTES
First, all errors and inaccuracies belong to me! Keeping up with the MacKlenna Clan is like juggling with two hands and two feet, and in a book of this length, keeping all the balls in the air was crazy at times. I hope any errors you found didn’t interfere with your enjoyment of the story.
I didn’t set out to write a dark and raw book, but from the first page, it was apparent The Topaz Brooch would travel a different path to the hero and heroine’s Happily Ever After. I let the characters tell their story the way they wanted it told. I have tried throughout the series to let
them stay true to themselves with all their inner demons and weaknesses, hoping they would eventually find their way to emotional freedom. Penny and Rick had a long way to go, but they got there, and I can’t wait to see how they manage married life. I think we’ll see a lot more of them in future Brooch books. And I’m glad Sophia and Pete had a chance to continue their story.
Special thanks to:
• Dr. Ken Muse, retired Chief of Endocrinology at the University of Kentucky. Ken has walked me through all the medical disasters in the Brooch books.
• My fantastic Editor Faith Freewoman and Virtual Assistant and Copy Editor Annette Glahn.
• Gunnery Sergeant John Retelsdorf, USMCR, retired, and his wife, Paula, beta readers and Marine Corps advisor.
Jean Lafitte was a fun character to write. No one knows what happened to him, but one thing is for sure, Jackson would have lost the battle if not for him.
General Andrew Jackson was ill during the entire War of 1812, and especially on the morning of January 8, 1815. Giving him antibiotics was a way for Sophia to work her way into the general’s inner circle.
For more information on New Orleans historical sites mentioned in the story, click here.
To see a map of the battlefield, click this link: Map of the attack and defense of the American lines below New Orleans on 8th January 1815. And for more information about Chalmette, click here.
To see the house I used for the Fontenots in 1814 New Orleans, click this link: Madame John’s Legacy, 632 Dumaine Street, New Orleans, Orleans Parish, LA. To see the Saint Charles Avenue house I moved to Mallory Plantation, click here. And if you want to know more about moving a house, click here.
To see pictures of the rental house the clan used in New Orleans, click here.
For beignets and café au lait, visit the Café Du Monde in New Orleans.
To see pictures of the Cabildo in New Orleans, click here.
For information about Jackson Square, click here.
The biggest and oldest bald cypress tree in the world—the Senator—was burned to the ground by a meth addict. You can see its remains in Big Tree Park in Longview, Florida. I moved it to Louisiana for purposes of this story.
If you’re interested in the metal detector used to find Lafitte’s treasure, check out the Nokta Makro Invenio Pro Pack Smart Metal Detector and 3D Imaging System.
If you’re interested in staying in a castle in Sweden, check out Torskog Castle.
For information about Massey Cancer Center bone marrow transplant program, click here.
Is the Gothia Cup for real? Yes, it is!
In July 2019, I accompanied my granddaughter Charlotte to Gothenburg, Sweden, to watch her play in the Gothia Cup on the girls ’04 team (those born on January 1, 2004, and later). Charlotte’s team played a Swedish team in the quarterfinals and lost during the penalty shoot-out. After playing so well all week, it was devastating to lose that way. But it was a fantastic trip. And yes, Charlotte and I rode scooters!
Between games, I walked over to the Gothenburg Museum to see the Viking exhibit. After seeing the ship and jewelry, I knew I wanted to include the museum in the story but didn’t know how I could work it in. Thanks to my “muse,” the story came together.
For more information about Jarlshof, click here and here.
For more information about the Crossed Keys symbol of the Illuminati, click here.
I didn’t know anything about Telomeres until I read the story about Mark and Scott Kelly. Since then, I discovered TeloYears and sent my blood sample in to have an analysis of my current telomere length. My average Telomere length puts me in the 58th percentile, which means that my telomeres are longer than 58% of women my age (69). My TeloYears is 65.
Several factors can influence Telomere length, such as physical activity, nutrition, quality of sleep, stress management, as well as chronic diseases. Along with the results, I received a Blueprint for Aging Well—eat fruit and vegetables, exercise, sleep, and reduce stress! Reduce stress? That’s hard to do when you hang out with the MacKlenna Clan!
It was fun to pick out music for Rick to sing. If you’d like to listen to the songs, check out The Topaz Brooch playlist on Spotify.
What’s next for the clan? I’m still tossing around ideas, but I’m thinking about a story involving Teddy Roosevelt, but I also want to do Austin’s story. So stay tuned.
Blessings to all, Katherine