by Lori Wick
“What were you going to say?” Holly urged her.
Sunny, wanting to confide in someone about the servants, explained briefly and then asked Holly to be praying with her. “It might not be anything, and I don’t want to overreact. I’m going to talk with your father after the wedding.”
“Why don’t we pray right now?” Holly suggested, and they did just that. They sat together for an hour, covering subjects far wider than Ravenscroft as they lifted loved ones near and far to the Lord.
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sunny had never seen or even imagined a bride as beautiful as Holly Gallagher. She was a vision of loveliness in a snow-white gown and a veil that streamed out for yards behind her. Sunny, who couldn’t take her eyes off Holly, didn’t realize the vision she herself made in a deep rose gown. Her hair was piled atop her head and little curls fell around her neck and forehead.
As maid of honor, Sunny was to be the last to come down the aisle ahead of Rand and Holly. She waited in a room by herself this time, and found she was more nervous than when she had stood up at Dexter and Judith’s wedding. Sunny’s nerves had been affecting Holly, so Rand had found his sister a small room where she could be alone to wait and pray.
Brandon seemed to know he was needed and sought out Sunny while guests were being seated. They’d had little contact since he had been to Ravenscroft, but when he showed up to keep her company, she was much relieved to see him. Keeping his feelings for her at bay, Brandon carried on an effortless conversation, and even managed to make Sunny smile and forget her nerves.
“Have you seen Mother?” he asked kindly.
“No.”
“Well, I think she looks especially lovely, but since the first of her grandchildren is being married, she’s somewhat tearful.”
“She is?” Sunny was very concerned, not ever having seen Andrea break down and cry. “Is she all right? Maybe I should go to her.”
“Well,” Brandon smiled to himself at how selfless she was. Sunny had quickly forgotten the long walk she must make up the aisle. “I believe she’s already seated, but do find her at the dance. I know she’d enjoy talking with you. Did I tell you how lovely you look?** Brandon’s tone was just as conversational with this change in subject, but Sunnv’s entire demeanor altered.
“Do I really Brandon?”
“Yes.” He was surprised at her question. “Did you think otherwise?”
“It’s not that,” Sunny admitted, her cheeks heating slightly.
“What is it?” Brandon prompted her gently.
Sunny hesitated for just an instant, studying the floor as she answered. “I just value your opinion, that’s all.”
Brandon’s long-fingered hand was gentle as it captured her jaw and brought her gaze to his own. His fingers were tender as they stretched up onto the soft skin of her cheeks.
“I’m glad to hear that. And since I am now aware, allow me to alter my first choice of words. Utterly captivating is a much more accurate description for the way you look.” His eyes were loving, and Sunny could not tear her gaze away.
“And please allow me to apologize once more,” he went on in soft regret, “for my unforgivable question while in your home. I can’t think what caused me to act in such a fashion, or to speak to you that way, but I’ve deeply regretted it ever since.”
“Thank you, Brandon.” This second apology meant more than she could say. Again their eyes held, and Sunny thought her heart would melt with the love she felt.
/would make you ct wonderful wife,she said in her heart, hoping beyond hope that he would someday see past the calm face she always presented, and also hoping that someday she too would be able to share her feelings.
Brandon did see something, but he wasn’t sure of the source. He opened his mouth to speak, but someone knocked on the door.
“That’s your cue,” Brandon told her, moving his hand slowly from her face and taking a step back.
Sunny’s thoughts were such a jumble that she moved past him without a word. In just moments Brandon was forgotten. Sunny caught sight of the crowd and took her place at the rear of the church, her heart again thumping with fear.
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Jordan led his bride onto the dance floor in cadence to the first waltz. Sunny stood watching them and worked to control her tears. She thought they made the most beautiful couple in the world. The love she saw in Jordan’s eyes as he looked into Holly’s face made something painful squeeze around her heart.
Jordan had said that Holly looked at him as a big brother and that he was going to change all of that. Sunny couldn’t help but hope that someone else might be feeling the same way. Brandon, unnoticed by Sunny, was feeling just that, as he stood to the side of her and surreptitiously studied her face.
Does she regret that it’s Holly who*s married and not her?Brandon asked the question of himself, now knowing that Sunny was not in love with Jordan. Through various conversations Brandon had learned that the very day he had seen Sunny with Jordan was the day Jordan had come to tell Sunny of his love for Holly. Brandon felt agony all over again at how he had judged her. He now watched as Foster claimed Sunny for a dance and found himself wishing he had asked her first.
“You’re scaring them away, do you know that?”
“Who, Mother?” Brandon feigned innocence, his eyes still on Sunny.
Andrea was not fooled. “The several young men who were interested in dancing with Sunny. Your scowl was so fierce it even scared me.”
Brandon chuckled softly, but sobered on his mother’s next words.
“If you’re not going to claim her, Brandon, give her a chance to love someone else.”
“You make it sound as though she loves me now.”
“Indeed. I believe she does.” Andrea watched Sunny and Foster’s progress on the floor as well.
Brandon looked at his parent for the first time. Her face was a study in confidence. Still, Brandon slowly shook his head.
WI would act within the hour if I believed that were true, but I’m afraid I see no evidence.”
Andrea could only nod. He was right. Sunny was a master at
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hiding her feelings. However, Andrea believed that Sunny wouldn’t be hiding her feelings if Brandon would only reveal his. Suddenly she smiled to herself. Milton had asked her years ago if she would wish to marry again.
No, my sweet matchmaking father-in-law,she thought to herself.The Lord has made me most content just as I am.
“Where are my manners?” Brandon’s voice broke into her thoughts. “Mother, may I have this dance?”
Andrea beamed up at her oldest son and allowed him to swing her onto the floor for a minuet. The dance took all his concentration, or Brandon might have noticed the way Rand had captured Sunny and was talking to her in an alcove just off the dance floor.
“I don’t want to overreact. That’s why I didn’t come to you right away.”
“And you say that it’s Wilson, Tina, and one of the stable hands?”
“Yes, but there’s more to it than that, Rand. I always felt protected at Willows’ End, but never spied upon. Now at Ravenscroft I hear noises in the hall, but no one is there. I feel eyes on me, but no one appears to be watching. My room feels as though it’s been invaded at times, but nothing is ever missing. A few times I thought I misplaced something, only to have it turn up a day later.” Sunny shrugged, suddenly uncomfortable with how near to tears she felt.
“I don’t want to cry at Holly’s wedding” was all she said, and her brother understood completely. His voice was no longer tender, but became extremely businesslike.
“I’ll be coming by just as soon as we head home. I’ll do some checking and have a look around. I think we should return to the dance, but before we go I need to tell you that I trust Wilson. Call it gut instinct if you will, but I think he’ll do all right by you.”
Rand’s voice, as well as his words, rescued Sunny, and within moments they returned to the dance floor.
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“You can come in, Sunny,” Chelsea answered from the bed, “but if you’re looking for Rand, he’s still downstairs.”
Sunny shook her head and slowly approached the bed; she climbed onto the foot, her feet tucked beneath her.
“It was a beautiful wedding, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, indeed,” Chelsea agreed, and waited for the real reason Sunny had sought her out at this hour of the night.
“Whenever a new woman would come into the harem,” Sunny began, “she would be prepared, bathed, and groomed for her first night with the emir. It didn’t matter how she had come to be there, as a slave or as the daughter of another household; she was always terrified. All the women went willingly to the emir’s chambers after the first night, but they were very frightened that first time.”
Chelsea, a bit in shock over Sunny’s words, watched as tears puddled in her eyes. “I can’t stand the thought, Chelsea,” she finally sobbed. “I can’t stand the thought that Holly will be frightened tonight. I know Jordan is a wonderful man, but I can’t stand the thought that she’ll be afraid.”
Chelsea’s arms opened, and Sunny climbed high onto the bed to be held. She was 18 years old, but tonight she felt about ten. Chelsea pressed a large handkerchief into her hands, and Sunny didn’t notice that Rand had joined them. Chelsea waited a moment for the harsh sobs to abate, and then began to speak calmly.
“First of all, you’re exhausted, and everything always looks worse when you’re tired. Second, you couldn’t be more right about Jordan; he is a wonderful man. But there is something else I want you to consider. Have you thought about how scared Jordan might be tonight?”
Sunny’s head came off Chelsea’s pillow, and she stared at the older woman in the lantern light. Rand was in the dark, sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed. He smiled at the look on Sunny’s face.
“Sunny.” Chelsea spoke gently as she brushed the tangle of hair from the younger girl’s face. “Rand and I both saved ourselves for marriage. Neither one of us came to our marriage bed with experience, but Sunny, that’s just the way God wants it. I won’t tell you that we weren’t a little nervous, but we loved each other, desired
each other, and knew we were married in the sight of God and with His blessing. No relationship is perfect, but because we’ve always worked to please each other above ourselves, we’ve enjoyed the physical side of our marriage for years.”
“Oh, Chelsea,” Sunny was sobbing again. No one had ever explained it that way, and Sunny was so relieved that all she could do was cry. Chelsea knew it was time to get this girl into bed. They moved down the hall toward Sunny’s room, Chelsea’s arm around her, still talking softly. Chelsea bent low over Sunny’s bed to kiss her goodnight and told her to sleep as late as she wanted in the morning.
Sunny had drifted off before Chelsea could get out the door, and Chelsea was glad to return to her own bed. She herself was more weary than she had ever been in her life, and with Rand’s arms around her, she felt sleep coming swiftly to claim her. Rand’s whispered words, telling her he thought she was wonderful, sent her into slumber with a smile on her face.
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brandon and sunny rode in companionable silence on the ridge between Ravenscroft and Bracken. They had been to visit the ruins of Hawkings Crest. Hawkings Crest, as Brandon explained, had been the home of his early ancestors, a mighty fortress built in the mid-1400’s.
Brandon told Sunny that he actually had a document from King Henry VIII, commanding Bracken of Hawkings Crest to marry a daughter from a neighboring castle. Knowing this made the name of Brandon’s home all the more special.
As they rode, they talked of many things, and Sunny’s heart was nearly singing with how well they were getting along. After more than an hour with nothing but gentle words between them, Sunny found herself confiding in Brandon about the goings-on at Ravenscroft.
She was able to tell him that Rand had come on the scene after the wedding, and in a few weeks’ time had dismissed Phipps, the stable hand, and given word to the staff that they were all on notice. Rand, not willing to take any chances, had even told Aunt Lucy’s staff. It had taken some days to calm ruffled feathers.
After feeling secure for many days, Sunny was once again growing uncomfortable. Convinced that it had nothing to do with Ravenscroft or the people there, Sunny admitted she would move back to Willows’ End without delay if she could uncover evidence that she truly was in danger.
“I don’t understand you,” Brandon said after she’d told all,
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thinking this uneasiness was the perfect reason to move back to Willows’ End.
“Well, I think all of this has something to do with me, not the house or even the staff. I don’t know why, but if I go back to Willows* End, I’ll always feel as if I’ve left a job undone.”
**In the light of your safety, I think that’s a small price to pay.” Brandon’s voice had become very formal.
Sunny sighed. They were sitting beneath a huge willow. Their horses were tethered nearby, and they were leaning back against the tree, their shoulders just touching.
“You’re going to get angry, aren’t you, Brandon?”
“Not if you go back to Willows’ End.”
Again Sunny sighed. “It’s gotten so that I can’t tell you anything anymore, Brandon. What’s happened to us? You disapprove of everything I do.”
“No, I don’t.” He spoke softly, regretting the way he had made her feel. “But what youVe told me is very alarming, and I can’t stand the thought of your being hurt. Why don’t you live with Heather and Foster for a time, or Mother? That would give you a nice break, just until Rand and I can make sure all is well.”
“I won’t do that because Ravenscroft is my home, and I don’t know that I’m in any serious danger,” Sunny told him calmly. “Whatever is going on, I want to see it through.”
Now it was Brandon’s turn to sigh. He had to stop treating her like a child. She had trusted him with this confidence, and he must now trust her decision, as well as God’s care of her. It went against his own judgment, but he had begun to wonder if he could even trust his own reasoning where Sunny was concerned.
Brandon turned away from his thoughts and glanced over to find Sunny, her face near his own, studying him intently. His look seemed to tell her he would not argue, and the pleasure Brandon saw on her face made him act without thinking. With a move so gentle that Sunny never felt threatened, Brandon brushed her lips with his own.
He was a fool to think that one kiss would be enough and a moment later his lips had claimed hers again, this time with a good deal more insistency. Brandon raised his head seconds later to find Sunny’s face frozen in shock. Regret knifed through him so deeply that a look of near-revulsion crossed his face.
“Why did you do that?” Sunny’s voice was stiff, having misinterpreted his look.
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Brandon came awkwardly to his feet. “I’m sorry, Sunny. It won’t happen again.**
The ride back to Ravenscroft was made in silent agony, and Sunny was never so glad to see her own room. Without a care for the dust on her clothing or boots, she lay across her bed and cried herself into exhaustion.
Three hours later, Sunny sat with a cold cloth on her eyes as Christie brushed her hair. Not wanting to deal with Aunt Lucy’s questions at supper, she was trying to erase the signs of her tears.
There was a knock on the door just as Sunny was being buttoned into a fresh day dress. Wilson entered and informed Sunny she had a visitor; she assumed it was Brandon.
**I don’t really care to see anyone, Wilson. Thank whoever it is and tell him another time.**
Wilson hesitated.
**Is there some problem, Wilson?” Sunny had a headache, and her voice was a bit sharp.
“No, my lady,** Wilson’s said apologetically. **But it’s Lord Miles, my lady,
and I know he is most anxious to see you.**
Sunny’s eyes slid closed. “Thank you, Wilson; of course I’ll see him. Tell him I’ll be right down.**
The door shut, and Christie spoke softly. “You don’t like Wilson, do you, my lady?”
Sunny*s head turned sharply at her impertinence, and Christie looked swiftly at the floor. “I’m sorry, my lady. It won’t happen again.**
Sunny was sorry she felt so ill-tempered. “It’s all right, Christie. Why did you ask that?**
The personal maid shrugged and looked hesitant.
“Go on. You can tell me,** Sunny urged.
“I don’t care for him any more than you do. I saw him peeking into your jewel box one day. He told me he was fixing the latch, but I pack your jewel box for you every time you travel, and I’ve never seen it broken.**
Sunny trembled just a little. She thanked Christie and dismissed her, needing a few moments to be alone. Rand had been so sure of
Wilson. Dare she approach the man? Her thoughts were such a muddle that for the moment she forgot about her guest. With measured tread she moved to the jewel box, took it from the dresser, and placed it in the large drawer in the bottom of her desk. It was never out of place when she was home, and she hoped such an action would not draw attention to her newfound knowledge.
As she finally went down to meet Miles, she remembered that Rand was on a trip. Just before opening the door to the salon, Sunny prayed and made an instant decision not to say anything to anyone until Rand returned.
Miles Gallagher was tanned and gorgeous, and Sunny could only stare at him where he stood near the mantel.
“Have I grown another head?”
Sunny laughed. “No, you just look so wonderful and older and-** Sunny faltered for more words.
Miles smiled and the two met in the middle of the room and shared a great hug. Sunny held his hand as she led him to the davenport. When they were seated, she repeated herself.
“I’ve missed you, and you look just wonderful.**
It was Miles’ turn to chuckle. “I missed you too, but if I can be very honest, you look a bit drained.**
Sunny looked indignant. “Of all the nerve, Miles Gallagher, telling a lady she doesn’t look well!”