The Best of Intentions

by Susan Anne Mason

  “It doesn’t matter, as long as it’s far away from my father and Basil Fleming.”

  She stared him down, until he ran a hand through his already disheveled hair and heaved a sigh. “I guess you leave me no choice.”

  “Isn’t that the romantic declaration every woman dreams of?”

  His face had softened then. “Are you sure about this? We don’t have to marry. I’ll go with you anyway to keep you safe.”

  “Don’t you want to marry me, Collin?” For a moment, she’d feared she’d been wrong about his feelings after all.

  “Aye, lass, you know I do. Just not this way.”

  “There is no other way. My father will find out and put a stop to it. If we do it now, he won’t have any recourse, and in time he’ll come around. I know he will.”

  “What if he doesn’t? What will we live on until I find another job?”

  “I have some savings that should tide us over for a while.”

  His dark brows had crashed down. “No, Virginia. I won’t take your money.”

  “Is your pride worth more than a future with me?” She’d gambled that it wasn’t.

  Collin had stared at her for several seconds before expelling a loud breath. “Give me a moment to change.”

  He’d emerged several minutes later, dressed in his Sunday suit and carrying a small bag. Since it was too early for the clerk’s office to be open, they’d taken a cab to the train station, stowed their luggage in a locker, and ridden the streetcar back to the courthouse. Everything had gone smoothly from there, with the issuing of their license and being able to get a magistrate to marry them almost immediately.

  “Please join hands.” The commanding voice of the official jolted Virginia from her thoughts.

  She smoothed down her green Sunday dress, wishing she could be standing before Collin in the fabulous wedding gown Mother had commissioned her dressmaker to create for her. But that dress was meant for another life. She held out her hands to Collin, willing them to stop shaking.

  Collin took her fingers and began to tug at the cotton gloves she wore.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered.

  “We’re about to join our lives together. I won’t have any barriers between us.” He removed the gloves, stuffed them both in his pocket, then took her hands firmly in his warm, solid ones. “Much better.”

  Nerves jumbled around in her stomach, yet the heat from his fingers steadied her.

  “I wish I could have made a bouquet for you. You deserve flowers on your wedding day.”

  “I have you. That’s all I need.” She meant it with all her heart.

  He smiled, crinkles forming at the corners of his eyes. In his good suit, with his dark hair slicked back, he looked incredibly handsome, so steadfast and strong.

  The magistrate tapped his Bible. “If you’re ready, let’s begin. Do you have any witnesses?”

  “No, sir,” Collin said.

  The man turned to a woman sitting at a table near the side door. “Mabel, call Trudy in, please. We’ll need you both as witnesses.”

  As soon as the two women returned, the court official opened a book and began to read. “We have come here today to join Virginia Lillian Easton and Collin Michael Lafferty in marriage. If anyone objects to this union, let them speak now or forever hold their peace.”

  He glanced around the empty room and shrugged. “A formality.” He cleared his throat. “Do you, Collin, take Virginia to be your lawfully wedded wife? To have and to hold, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep only unto her so long as you both shall live?”

  Collin gazed deeply into her eyes and nodded. “I do.”

  Virginia’s gaze, fastened on his, grew misty.

  “And do you, Virginia, take Collin to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, keep only unto him so long as you both shall live?”

  She drew in a deep breath. “I do.”

  “Do you have a ring?”

  Virginia opened her mouth to say no, when Collin took his hands from hers. He pulled a gold signet ring from his finger.

  “It’s not much, but it’ll do until I can buy you a proper wedding ring.”

  She bit her bottom lip and nodded, blinking back the tears forming. Basil’s ostentatious engagement ring did not come close to the meaning of this simple offering.

  “Place the ring on her finger and repeat after me.”

  Collin slid it on. “With this ring, I thee wed.”

  The huskiness of his voice sent shivers up her spine.

  She gazed into his eyes, and the power of the emotions shining there nearly robbed her of breath. This was what she’d been searching for. A lasting love, deep and true, on which to forge her future.

  “By the powers vested in me by the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario, I now pronounce you husband and wife.”

  They stood smiling at each other, as if they couldn’t quite believe it.

  “You may kiss your bride,” the official said. “Unless you don’t wish to.”

  “Oh, I wish to.” Collin took her face in his hands and lowered his lips to hers.

  Virginia’s heart stuttered and then soared in her chest. She returned the kiss in equal measure, happiness spreading through her system like warm molasses. They’d done it. They were legally married. There was nothing her father could do to stop them now.

  Collin pulled back, his eyes serious. “I love you with every breath in my body, Virginia. And I will do my best to give you the life you deserve.”

  “I love you, too, Collin. Forever.”

  He bent to kiss her again, and the official cleared his throat. “I don’t mean to rush you, but I have another wedding scheduled soon. If you could sign the register with the witnesses, I’ll have Trudy file the paperwork. Congratulations to you both. May you enjoy a long and happy life together.”

  Andrew raced down the corridor, his only thought to stop Virginia before she ruined her life and devastated their parents.

  Please, Lord, let me be in time.

  At the end of the hall, a sign over the double doors read Courtroom A. Andrew yanked one door open, glanced back at Grace who had fallen behind, and rushed inside. He came to an abrupt stop at the sight of his sister walking toward him on the arm of Collin Lafferty.

  Her mouth fell open, and the color drained from her cheeks. “Andrew? What are you doing here?”

  He speared Lafferty with a glare, then focused on Virginia. “Tell me I’m not too late. That you’ve come to your senses.”

  She tilted her chin in that stubborn way of hers. “I have come to my senses, but not how you mean. I realized I couldn’t go off with Basil when I’m in love with Collin.” She turned to smile at the traitor.

  “He’s filled your head with nonsense, Gin. Think sensibly. What type of life will you have with him? Cut off from the family with no money. Living above a garage or at the back of a flower shop.”

  Collin’s hands fisted. Virginia tugged at his arm.

  “It doesn’t matter, Drew. Collin and I are already married. And we’ll have a good life together because we love each other.”

  Collin moved forward. “I didn’t want it to be this way, believe me. I wanted to speak to your father, but Virginia forced my hand. Said she was running away with or without me.” He shrugged. “I couldn’t let her set off on her own.”

  “We’ll give Daddy a chance to cool off,” Virginia said, “and then we’ll try to make things right.”

  The blood pounded through Andrew’s head, pulsing at his temples. “Make things right?” His voice thundered over the cavernous room. “Things will never be right again. How could you do this to them? To me?”

  The court official walked toward them, frowning. “Excuse me, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave. We have another wedding in five minutes.”

  “Andrew.” From beside him, Grace’s soft voice penet
rated the haze of his anger. A slight pressure on his arm had him turning to face her. “There’s nothing to be done now,” she said in an infuriatingly calm tone. “They’re married.”

  Grace stepped forward then and embraced Virginia. “Congratulations. I hope that you will be very happy together.”

  “Thank you, Grace. I only wish you could have been here.”

  “I do too.” Grace smiled. “Take good care of her, Collin.”

  “I intend to do just that.”

  “Ginny.” Andrew clutched at her hand. “Come home with us, please. We can fix this mess somehow. We’ll have the marriage annulled.”

  She shook her head, her gray eyes filling with tears. “I’m sorry, Drew. Tell Mother I love her. I’ll write a letter explaining everything—”

  “It won’t matter. He’ll cut you out of our lives. You know he will.” Desperation leached into his system. He was losing her. Just like he’d lost Frank.

  “Maybe. But I’ll always keep trying to change his mind.” She reached up to kiss his cheek. “Good-bye, Drew. Be happy. You deserve it.”

  Then she took Collin’s arm and left the courtroom.

  Andrew’s legs wouldn’t move, his mouth so dry he couldn’t even call after her.

  Grace slipped her hand in his. Warmth enveloped his chilled fingers. “Let’s go home, Andrew. Your parents will need you to be strong for them now.”

  He swallowed the bitterness at the back of his throat as the terrible truth dawned. All his efforts to heal his family—to bring some measure of happiness back to their lives—had been for nothing. Once again, he was left to pick up the pieces of their broken hearts and shattered dreams.

  He looked down at Grace’s pretty face, her worried eyes filled with sympathy, and for one dark moment, he wished that he’d been the one to defy his father. That he was the one heading off on a train to anywhere but here.

  Instead, the shackles of duty chaining him had just become ten notches tighter.

  CHAPTER 33

  October 30, 1918

  I’m sorry I haven’t written sooner, Grace. By now you know my Frank is gone. And with him my heart is too. I don’t know how I will go on without him. Or if I even want to. But for the sake of our unborn child, I have to try. Pray for me, Grace. For both of us.

  Two weeks later, Grace sat in the park, trying to enjoy the beautiful summer day, yet her jumbled thoughts continued to create unrest in her mind. The Easton house had not been the same since Virginia’s elopement. Upon hearing the news, Mrs. Easton had collapsed and had taken to her bed, claiming she could never show her face in public again after another scandal. Dr. Ballard had checked on her daily, and each time he emerged from her room, shaking his head, saying there was nothing he could do. He believed her ailments were mostly psychological, rather than physical.

  Grace had done her best to calm the woman, bringing Christian to her room for a period of time every afternoon in an attempt to bring her out of her dark mood. Yet nothing helped.

  Mr. Easton had holed himself up at the office, coming home barely long enough to sleep and then go right back again the next day. Andrew too had thrown himself into his job. The only thing that seemed to bring him out of his despair was the time he spent with Christian each night. Grace would leave them alone, praying the child would soothe Andrew’s hurt at what he considered his sister’s betrayal.

  What bothered Grace the most was his complete withdrawal from her—again. It was almost as if on top of her deceiving him about her identity, he resented her for not holding the same grudge against Virginia. But Grace saw no point in condemning her friend. If anyone could understand acting on impulse, it was Grace. And though she missed her greatly, she prayed Virginia and Collin would find happiness together and that someday the Easton family would be reconciled.

  “Well, Christian, I suppose we’d best get back.” She smiled at the boy sitting on a plaid blanket on the grass. His chubby arms waved in the air as he reached for the rubber ball that had rolled away from him. He was getting so big now. Soon he would outgrow his pram, and she would have to find another way to continue their daily outings.

  Grace attempted to ignore the ache in her chest, one that felt like it increased in intensity with each day that passed. In addition to the gloomy mood permeating the Easton household, Grace was haunted by the uncertainty of her future. Even if by some chance Andrew wanted her to continue as Christian’s nanny after the wedding, she simply couldn’t do it—no matter how much she dreaded being separated from Christian. The mere thought of sharing a house with Andrew and Cecilia, of having to witness Andrew’s married life with that woman, made her soul cry out in protest.

  Yet how could Grace stand to lose contact with her nephew, her last tie to Rose?

  She dashed useless tears from her eyes. In this time of turmoil, she had to trust God and remain steadfast in her faith that He would provide an answer for her. Even if she couldn’t imagine how.

  “Good day, Miss Foley. Is everything all right?”

  Grace looked up. Toby McDonald stood on the path near the bench she occupied. “Everything is fine, thank you.” She jumped up to retrieve Christian’s ball and hand it to the boy. “What are you doing here?”

  “I was looking for you. Might I have a word?”

  For some reason, Grace’s heart began to thud loudly in her ears. Why would Toby seek her out like this instead of speaking to her at Fairlawn?

  He must have noticed her bewilderment. “I wanted to be sure our conversation wasn’t overheard, and this seemed the best way.”

  “Please have a seat.” Grace smoothed her skirts under her as she resumed her spot on the bench.

  Toby sat at the opposite end.

  “What can I do for you, Mr. McDonald?”

  “For starters, you might call me Toby.” He removed his cap, then ran a hand through his hair, causing his flattened curls to spring back to life.

  Was he nervous about something?

  “Very well, Toby.” She sat with her hands folded.

  “I wanted to talk to you about your plans now that Mr. Easton will be marrying and moving to Ottawa. Do you intend to go with them?”

  Though he wasn’t looking directly at her, Grace sensed his tension, waiting for her response.

  “No, I don’t.”

  “Has he not asked you to stay on as wee Christian’s nanny?”

  Grace shifted on the bench, averting her gaze to the baby on the blanket. How did she begin to explain the complex situation she now found herself in? “I imagine he wants Miss Carmichael to care for Christian once they”—her throat tightened—“once they’re wed.”

  “I see,” he said quietly.

  Grace didn’t dare look at him for fear her feelings about that would be visible on her face.

  “So what do you intend to do then?”

  “I suppose I’ll have to look for another post.”

  “You won’t be heading back to England?”

  “Not right away. But if I can’t find work, I’ll have no choice.”

  He turned toward her on the bench. “I want you to know you have another option available.”

  Christian let out a squawk of frustration. He’d rolled onto his stomach and pushed up on his knees, but could neither go forward or backward. Before Grace could react, Toby reached over to scoop him up and handed him to her.

  “Thank you. He gets impatient when he can’t go where he wants.” She gave a nervous laugh and settled the boy on her lap.

  She half hoped Toby would forget what he’d been about to say.

  But he turned back to her. “I’ve admired you since the first day I met you, Grace. And if you ever found yourself in need, I would be more than happy to do whatever I could to help.”

  She swallowed, not entirely sure what he was offering. “That’s very thoughtful.”

  “What I’m trying to say, and doing a bad job of it, it seems, is that I’d be honored if you’d consider marrying me.”

  Her mouth
fell open. The blood rushed to her cheeks. “I . . . I don’t know what to say.”

  “Now that Collin is gone, there’d be plenty of room in the apartment for the two of us. I know it’s not fancy, but we could fix the place up the way you like.” He paused to catch his breath.

  For a brief moment, Grace considered what it would mean to marry Toby. To have someone to share her burdens—both financial and emotional. To have a means to stay in this country where she could keep tabs on Christian, even from afar, on how well he was doing with Cecilia Carmichael as a stepmother.

  But that wouldn’t be fair to Toby because, though she liked him, her heart belonged to another.

  She looked him in the eye. “I’m very flattered, Toby, truly I am. But I’m afraid I can’t marry you.”

  He stared at her, the intense green of his eyes flashing like emeralds. “There’s someone else.” His flat tone indicated that he already knew the answer. That her refusal had only confirmed it.

  She rose abruptly and laid Christian in the pram. “I’m sorry,” she said as she grabbed the ball and blanket from the grass. “But I really must be getting back.”

  And before he could confront her about her feelings for Andrew, she set off down the path.

  CHAPTER 34

  November 12, 1918

  The war is over at last—bittersweet news, to be sure. If this had happened a month ago, my Frank might still be alive. Mrs. Chamberlain has been most kind, allowing me to stay here until the baby is born. After that, only time will tell. Now that the fighting has ended, would you consider coming to visit? Please, Grace. I need you here.

  On the eve of Andrew’s wedding, Grace sat in the darkened nursery, rocking Christian in an attempt to get him back to sleep. He’d awakened, fretful and crying around nine o’clock, something he hadn’t done since her early days of caring for him.

  Perhaps he sensed the tension that coiled through every cell in her body, brought about in part by the knowledge that Cecilia and her family, along with thirty other guests, were gathered in the parlor below. They had just returned from the wedding rehearsal at the church, and Mr. Easton had gone all out with a lavishly catered meal for those who came back to Fairlawn afterward.