Inferno Anthology

by Gow, Kailin

  Finally, she answered, “God help me, yes. Tony, I’ll marry you.” He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her tenderly. When their lips separated, Claire confessed, “I love you, too.” She watched his eyes glisten with the reflection of the white lights. It was a gaze she could watch forever. As the carriage continued through the park, Claire scooted closer, laid her head back on his shoulder, and looked again at her left hand.

  Tony’s voice broke the momentary stillness. “If you don’t like the ring we can look at others. It’s from Tiffany’s. We can go Friday and exchange it.”

  “Oh, no! I love the ring, besides you chose it. It’s exquisite. I’m just so surprised.” She thought of something. “Does Catherine know you were planning this?”

  Tony said she suspected, but he hadn’t told anyone. He didn’t know her response. “I never go into a meeting that I don’t know the outcome. I’m always prepared for every situation. Tonight I wasn’t sure. You asked about your debt being paid a few months ago. I thought perhaps you would take that option.” He leaned down to kiss her hair. “I can’t tell you how happy I am you didn’t. I know Catherine will be too.”

  When the carriage arrived back at Seventh Avenue, Eric had the limousine warm and waiting. As Tony helped Claire down from the carriage and led her to the car, and he told Eric, “My fiancée and I are ready to go back to the apartment.”

  “Yes, sir. Congratulations, Mr. Rawlings, and to you too, Ms. Claire.”

  That night after some of the most wonderful lovemaking Claire had ever experienced, she began to consider the reality that she was getting married, and that meant a wedding. “I don’t know how to plan a wedding to someone like you.”

  “Someone like me?”

  “You know what I mean. This won’t be your everyday Indiana or Iowa wedding. You’re Anthony Rawlings. We can’t go to dinner without photographers. A wedding will be a national spectator event.”

  He chuckled. “My dear, that’s why there are wedding coordinators and planners. We’ll hire the best. They’ll assist in everything.”

  That made Claire feel better. She wondered: if the wedding were a catastrophe; wouldn’t that be a public failure?

  “By the way…” Tony added, “…how do you feel about a Christmas wedding?”

  Her mind went into overdrive. “Christmas? As in four weeks from Saturday?”

  “I can’t wait any longer than that to have you be my wife: Mrs. Anthony Rawlings.”

  She knew from experience his mind was made up. With queasiness deep in the pit of her stomach, she replied, “I feel that you must hire the world’s best wedding coordinator and planner.”

  Claire tried to sleep, but the panic of planning a wedding in four weeks made her suffocate. She lay next to her fiancée and attempted to make sense of everything. Maybe she needed to compartmentalize. One thing at a time: wedding, reception, dress, and maid-of-honor. “Tony, I’d like Emily to be my matron-of-honor.”

  He was almost asleep, and his voice sounded far away. “We can discuss it tomorrow. Good night.”

  “Good night.”

  Chapter 25

  This is the finest measure of thanksgiving: a thankfulness that springs from love.

  —William C. Skeath

  THEY TALKED INTO the early morning about the wedding. Therefore, Thursday morning, Claire slept soundly until after 9:00 AM. Sensing she was alone in the big bed, she focused her gaze on her left hand. On the fourth finger was a spectacular engagement ring. Smiling, she marveled at the reality. It wasn’t a dream. She was really marrying Anthony Rawlings. Until last night, Claire hadn’t allowed herself to think of Tony in terms of emotions or endearments. She knew she was having feelings, but she wouldn’t let herself elaborate; however, when he said he loved her, it opened a floodgate. She thought about her feelings and how she missed him when he was gone. How she enjoyed having him around to talk with. How he could make her feel special, and how she thought about him when they were apart. She realized, to her own amazement, she really did love him! She couldn’t contain her smile; this revelation was so astounding!

  Claire wrapped herself in a thick long robe and walked downstairs to the dining room. As she approached, the rich poignant aroma of fresh coffee filled her lungs and brought her senses to life. Jan had coffee warm and ready. Tony wasn’t there. When she inquired, Jan informed her, “Mr. Rawlings is in his office. Ms. Claire, if I may? Congratulations.”

  “Thank you, Jan. I’m sorry you have to work on Thanksgiving,” Claire offered, as Jan poured her coffee.

  “It’s all right, miss. I’m looking forward to having guests this afternoon for dinner. We rarely entertain here.”

  “Guests? I’m sorry. If Mr. Rawlings mentioned guests, with the excitement of our engagement, I’ve forgotten. Do you remember who’s joining us for Thanksgiving dinner?”

  “I’m sorry. I don’t believe he told me names. I know there’ll be two, and they’re scheduled to arrive at 1:30 PM.” Jan convinced Claire to eat an English muffin and grapefruit. After breakfast, Claire went to Tony’s office door and heard him speaking. She may be his fiancée, but interrupting him uninvited in his office didn’t seem like a good idea. Perhaps some rules would change, but she knew if they did he would choose which rules and when.

  Claire went back to their bedroom, showered, and thought about how glad she was she’d bought new clothes. If she needed to be the perfect companion for some business associates, she felt better in well-fitting clothes.

  She chose a black pair of wool slacks and a pink knit sweater from Neiman Marcus. The black boots she decided to wear had high heels; Tony wouldn’t seem as tall. Dreamily, she thought about fuzzy socks and her new hoodie. Being Mrs. Rawlings would teach her to keep up appearances.

  Actually, being Claire Nichols taught her that.

  As she straightened her hair, Claire marveled at the new even lighter shade. The auburn showed through enough to be considered low lights, but she was definitely now a caramel blonde. Although Catherine packed many pieces of Claire’s new jewelry, she wanted to wear her grandmother’s necklace and the O earrings Tony brought her from Europe. She shook her head as she remembered the scene in the gardens that seemed so long ago. Once she was completely dressed, she relaxed on the bed and let her mind wander.

  I’m going to marry Tony. I’m going to marry Tony in four weeks. I need a wedding dress. I need to call Emily. There are guests coming to dinner. Perhaps after dinner I can approach the Emily subject with Tony. Where will we marry? Who will we invite? Suddenly, a nice destination wedding anywhere, seemed like a good idea.

  Her mind went from the wedding, to Thanksgiving. She could hardly believe it was truly Thanksgiving. She’d arrived at Tony’s house on March 20. Now she’d be eating Thanksgiving dinner with him and some associates and planning her wedding. She imagined drowning in chocolate sauce, too much of a good thing!

  As a means of escape she let her mind float to childhood Thanksgivings. They usually went to her grandparents’ home, where Grandma made all the traditional foods. She remembered helping her grandma and mother bake pies. At Thanksgiving they usually had pumpkin, apple, and sometimes pecan and always too much food. Even when she lived with Emily and John, she baked pies and helped Emily with cooking. Part of her wanted to go down to the kitchen and offer to help; however, she instinctively knew it wouldn’t be appropriate.

  Claire was somewhere deep in her memories when Tony entered the bedroom wearing slacks and a burgundy ribbed turtleneck sweater that looked wonderful stretched across his broad shoulders and chest. He wore suits so often, Claire liked seeing him in something other than a jacket and tie. He smiled and came closer. “Good morning, my fiancée.” He kissed her lips. “How are you feeling today?”

  Claire propped herself up. “Good morning, to my fiancé. I feel well. I was just thinking about Thanksgivings when I was young. Did you eat all the traditional Thanksgiving foods when you were young?”

  Sitting next to her on the edge
of the bed, his eyes darkened. “Claire, don’t talk about the past. We have a future ahead of us, let’s look ahead.”

  “I’m sorry, I guess I’m reminiscing.” She touched his arm. “Tony, who’s coming to dinner?”

  “First, let me tell you…” Suddenly, his voice brimmed with excitement. “I’ve been on the telephone all morning. Patricia is going to contact Shelly, and a public statement regarding our engagement will be released tomorrow. Also, you have an appointment tomorrow at a very exclusive bridal boutique in Manhattan for a wedding gown. They’re expecting you, the future Mrs. Anthony Rawlings. They want to meet your every need.” He kissed her lips and continued to hold her gaze with his chocolate brown eyes. “I want you to have the wedding and the dress of your dreams. Patricia will also choose a wedding planner and coordinator to meet with us when we return to Iowa. Since Christmas is on a Saturday, the wedding will be December 18, which too is a Saturday. I hope you don’t mind, but with the wedding only three weeks away, I decided to have it at the estate. Now we don’t have to worry about booking a place, and security is already set. We just need to decide how many guests and where on the estate to hold the ceremony and reception. I did reach Catherine. She’s thrilled and told me to tell you so.”

  Claire felt inundated: information overload! She laid her head back on the pillow and closed her eyes. “Maybe this is all happening too fast.” Tony didn’t say anything, but when she opened her eyes she saw the change in his expression and reached for his arm. “Tony, it isn’t that I don’t want to marry you. I do, but three weeks, that seems very rushed.”

  He scooped her into his arms. “I promise you, money can make anything happen. Don’t worry about it. We’ll marry on December 18, and it will be amazing.”

  “I just worry about disappointing you.”

  “Claire, this is your wedding. I want you to be happy. I also know you’re not back to yourself. I don’t want you to overdo. Just enjoy all the things your money can buy and watch the wedding take shape. It’ll be spectacular.”

  “My money can’t buy us a piece of gum.”

  He laughed and kissed her. “My dear, in three weeks and two days you’ll be able to buy a gum factory if you want. I want you to share all that I have. You’ll have everything the world has to offer.”

  Claire struggled with the meaning of his words. “Tony, I don’t want your money. I haven’t done anything to deserve part of your fortune. I’m happy to share your name. I don’t need any more.”

  “My love, you’ve done more than you’ll ever know, and I’m pretty sure you’ll do more.” While he leaned down to kiss her, his hands were busily undoing the buttons on her slacks.

  “Don’t we have guests coming?”

  “They aren’t due until 1:30 PM. I’m pretty sure we can be successful, multiple times, before then.” He said with a sultry grin, as he removed her slacks. Straddling her legs he removed his sweater and undid his slacks. She watched his seductive smile and his muscular chest as it moved with breaths of anticipation. The scent of his cologne penetrated her senses, and she knew if he bent down she’d be able to taste it on his neck.

  “But, Tony—” He put his finger to her lips.

  “Shhh. I have better things for those beautiful lips to do than talk.”

  THEY LEFT THE bedroom together just before 1:30 PM. As they approached the steps Tony’s stance straightened as he said, “I’m sure you realize, but I’m going to say it for the sake of clarification. Just because we’re engaged, divulging private information is still forbidden.”

  Claire looked up at his eyes and wondered what he possibly thought she would say to his associates. “I promise, I know that.” They continued to the front stairs, and muffled voices came from the sitting room below. “Now who am I meeting?” As she asked, the voices came into range, her eyes moistened, and she looked to Tony for confirmation. “Is it really them?”

  He gently held her shoulders. “Yes, I invited them to surprise you for Thanksgiving, but now you have even bigger news to share.”

  “I can tell them about our engagement?”

  He smiled. “Of course, didn’t you say you wanted Emily to stand with you?” She wanted to run down the stairs or cry out, but his grip on her hand tightened. “Claire, follow my rules.”

  “I will,” she replied, and obediently fell into step with her fiancé.

  When the soles of their shoes hit the marble floor, John and Emily turned toward them. They’d been enjoying the view from the sitting room windows. Her family looked just as Claire remembered: John tall with dark blond hair and playful blue eyes, and Emily with the Nichols brown hair, cut short and sassy, and Claire’s sparkling green eyes. Claire ran to Emily and hugged her.

  “I didn’t know you were coming. It’s a wonderful surprise. Oh, Emily, it’s so good to see you!” Then she hugged John. “And, John! Oh, let me introduce you to Anthony.”

  Emily told Claire it was good to see her, too; however, she and John made eye contact, sharing an expression of concern. Claire looked so different. Nonetheless, they proceeded politely as Claire made introductions. “Anthony, this is my sister Emily, and Emily, this is my fiancé, Anthony Rawlings.” Tony emitted charm as he and Emily shook hands.

  “Very nice to meet you, Mr. Rawlings.” Emily’s seemed to slowly make sense of Claire’s words. She looked at her sister quizzically, and asked, “Did you just say fiancé?”

  Claire continued with introductions. “And Anthony, this is Emily’s husband, my brother-in-law, John Vandersol. John, please meet my fiancé, Anthony Rawlings.” The two men shook hands and exchanged greetings.

  Gracious as ever, Tony said, “Please, we’re about to be family, call me Anthony.”

  Claire smiled and they all sat down to chat before dinner. Jan entered the room to offer hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Claire showed Emily her engagement ring and told them about Tony’s romantic proposal in Central Park. John and Emily were speechless, perhaps in shock. Tony was very attentive, holding Claire’s hand, putting his hand on her shoulder or thigh as she rambled on—cautious to not divulge any forbidden or personal information.

  During Thanksgiving dinner, Claire learned Emily had attempted to reach Tony around her birthday. Emily didn’t know what else to do. She had no way to reach Claire, and she’d seen pictures of the two of them together in magazines. Apparently, it wasn’t easy to get calls or e-mails through to Anthony Rawlings. Just recently, an e-mail finally reached him, and he called. It was during that telephone conversation, about a week ago, that Anthony invited them to New York City for dinner.

  Claire apologized for her inconsiderate behavior. She should have stayed in touch better. Life had been a whirlwind since she started working with Tony. The important thing was that they were together now. Claire asked her family if they were driving home to Troy or staying in the city. John said they decided to spend some time in the city. After all, it was a three hour drive home.

  Tony then surprised Claire again. “Well, Emily, Claire has a reservation tomorrow at a bridal boutique in Manhattan. I’m sure she’d love to have you join her to look at wedding dresses.”

  Trying not to stare at Tony, Claire looked to Emily. “Yes, I’d love to have you join me, if the two of you don’t have plans.”

  Emily looked at John. “Of course, I’d like to help you.”

  “Emily” Claire proposed. “I would also like you to be my matron-of-honor. Would you please stand with me at our wedding?”

  “You want me? Of course, I will.” Emily sounded cautiously enthusiastic. “But, did you say the wedding will be the eighteenth of December?”

  “Yes, it will. That’s all the more reason to find some dresses soon.” Claire smiled at her sister. “Hopefully they’ll have some bright, pink, puffy bridesmaid’s dresses.” Emily laughed.

  From her peripheral vision Claire saw Tony’s fleeting expression of disbelief. She turned to her fiancée and smiled. “Tony, it’s a long-standing joke. Emily made me wear a gree
n dress at her wedding. Since pink is my favorite color, I’ve long threatened to have her wear the puffiest, bubblegum pink dress I could find when I married.”

  He exhaled and smiled, obviously relieved she wasn’t serious.

  Once they finished eating, Tony invited John to the living room for the 4:00 PM football game. He asked the ladies if they’d like to join them, but Emily said she would rather catch up with her sister. Tony kissed Claire before leaving the room. It appeared very sweet, but Claire saw the warning in his eyes.

  Jan poured the ladies coffee and cleared the table. Claire and Emily sat at the table, drank coffee, and tried to catch up. Once they were alone, Claire knew the conversation would be more difficult to dodge.

  Emily was full of questions. How was her little sister, a meteorologist in Atlanta, suddenly engaged to one of the wealthiest men in the country? How did they meet? Where has she been living? Why hasn’t she been in contact? Why is she so thin? Why is her hair blonde? Did she really like living this way, being waited on and having house staff do everything? She always liked cooking. Now she says she hasn’t cooked, why? What is Anthony like? Why were they marrying so fast? Is she pregnant? Isn’t he much older than her? Did she love him?

  Claire did her best to be evasive with some answers and more detailed with others. Above all, she told Emily she did love him. It didn’t start that way. It was strictly a working relationship. Tony could be a wonderful, kind, romantic, and gentle man. She also told Emily that Tony was very private and begged her to not repeat anything about their relationship to the media or anyone else. Claire didn’t understand at first how tenacious the media could be, but the longer she’d been with Tony, the more apparent it had become.

  Claire asked again, “Please, Emily, not for Tony, but for me, please don’t share private information with anyone else.”