by Megan West
“Oh my! I apologize for that!” she said, laughing.
“No, it is I who must apologize to you,” Noah said. “I’ve kept you up way too late.”
“Oh please! I have enjoyed this time with you,” she blurted out before thinking. “I am very excited about this party.”
She was sure that she had cleverly disguised her involuntary outburst.
“I’m going to start planning the menu with Larissa first thing in the morning,” she said. “But I probably do need to go to bed, now. I wouldn’t want to fall asleep on you.”
Smiling, Noah stood and held out his hand to her. With only a slight hesitation, she took it and let him pull her to her feet. He did not let go of it this time, either. Instead, he continued to look deeply into her eyes. It was as if they were locked in time.
With no warning, the look in Noah’s eyes changed and he crushed her to him as his mouth molded to hers in a kiss that was anything but chaste. Cassandra was stunned, but welcomed it all the same. She realized in that moment that, somewhere along the way, she had fallen in love with her husband and had been longing for this moment.
Their kiss broke when Noah pulled back.
“I…I’m so sorry,” he began.
Cassandra put her fingers over his lips.
“Noah, if you apologize for kissing me, I just might start screaming,” she whispered fiercely. “I have wanted you to do that for so long. Please do not make me feel as if you regret it.”
His answer was to look at her closely and then kiss her once more.
That night, Cassandra finally got to look at Noah’s bedroom suite up close and personal.
The weeks leading up to the holiday party went by quickly and happily for Cassandra. She finally had a true marriage in every sense of the word and she was happier than she had ever been in her life. Larissa was beside herself with joy that Cassandra and Noah had finally found true love and joy with each other. Of course, she claimed to have known all along that it would happen.
Cassandra and Noah were rarely apart and never spent the night away from each other. They talked for hours, making up for lost time. She finally felt secure and blissful.
The night of the party dawned bright and cold with plenty of stars decorating the night sky. Everyone invited had accepted the invitation to attend. Even Lizbeth Aberdeen had been invited and was bringing along someone as her escort. Noah and Cassandra had discussed whether or not they should invite Lizbeth but had agreed that excluding her would only cause speculation as to why and, so far, they had not revealed the scene that had happened in the alley.
Cassandra and Noah stood in the massive foyer to greet each of their guests as they arrived. Cassandra’s gown for the occasion was deep green velvet, with a low décolletage, fitted waist and flowing skirt. Her auburn hair was done in an upswept style with tendrils loosely framing either side of her face.
Noah thought she had never looked more radiant and beautiful. As for himself, he couldn’t seem to stop smiling these days. Having Cassandra in his life had made him realize what he had been denying himself all these years. He was already planning a trip for the two of them as a surprise for her.
“Good evening, Noah,” a familiar voice greeted him. “Thank you so much for inviting me.”
Instantly on guard, Noah looked Lizbeth Aberdeen directly in the face. He had to admit that she was quite stunning this evening, but he knew what she was and that took away drastically from her beauty.
“Good evening, Lizbeth,” he said as he shook her hand. “It is wonderful to see you tonight.”
“Is it?” she asked somewhat archly. “I would like for you to meet my friend, Douglas Monroe. He is from New Orleans and says he is acquainted with your wife. I thought they might want to say hello.”
“I see,” Noah replied, not really seeing at all as he turned to Cassandra.
“Darling,” he said. “Lizbeth has brought along a new friend who apparently knows you from New Orleans.”
The expression on Cassandra’s face was fleeting, but violently startled when she saw Douglas.
“Why, Douglas,” she managed to say. “What a surprise to see you in this part of the country. What brings you here?”
“Oh, you might remember that my business takes me all over the place, Cassandra,” he drawled. “It just so happens that I’ll be in Salem for several weeks and Miss Lizbeth has been kind enough to be my guide while I’m here.”
“How wonderful for you both,” Cassandra said, once more in control. “I hope you will enjoy the party.”
Noah watched his wife carefully and knew that something was very wrong, but he would not ask her about it now.
Finally, all of the guests had arrived and were having a wonderful time eating, drinking and dancing. Cassandra’s chest felt so tight that she could barely breathe. How dare Douglas come here? She knew that he only meant to cause trouble for her. How did he even know where to find her?
“Are you alright, darling?” Noah asked suddenly appearing at her side.
“Oh yes, of course, Noah,” she said, struggling to smile. “It’s all so lovely, isn’t it?”
“It is,” he agreed. “The place looks indescribable.”
At that moment, one of their guests requested Noah’s attention and Cassandra went to check with Larissa to make sure that things in the kitchen were going well. She had not quite made it down the long hallway when a hand grabbed her arm and pulled her into the study. Gasping, she looked up into the face of Douglas Monroe.
“What are you doing?” she hissed. “Let go of me!”
“I will let go of you as soon as I’ve said my piece. You always found me to be inferior to you back home. I offered to marry you on several occasions and you were always too good to say yes. Tell me, Cassie; does your rich and handsome husband know how you made your living back in New Orleans? I daresay that he and his high and mighty friends would not find the career of a fortune teller to be very respectable.”
“What do you want, Douglas?” she said through gritted teeth.
“Why, I want what I’ve always wanted, Cassie,” he said as he leered at her. “I believe we can work out an arrangement that will prevent me from telling your husband and all of his friends what I know about you.”
“I will never agree to anything like that,” she said as she glared at him. “Stay away from me and from my husband. You have no place here, Douglas.”
“You take a couple of days to think on it, Cassie. I’ll be back in touch.”
With that, he stepped into the hallway and returned to the ballroom. Tears ran down Cassandra’s face as she dropped into the nearest chair. What was she going to do now? Douglas was definitely a low life, but he was also correct in thinking that Noah would not accept her background. She had known this all along and it was the reason she had chosen never to tell him.
Taking a deep breath, she wiped away her tears, knowing what she must do. She stood up and returned to the party, attempting to pretend that everything was fine. It seemed that she had done a good job of pretending as everyone was complimenting her on what an amazing party it was and how much fun they were having.
She stood with Noah as they said goodnight to their guests much later. When the last guest had gone, Noah turned to her.
“Well, it seems that we do make an excellent team, darling,” he smiled as he took her hands in his. “The night was an unqualified success.”
“It was nice, wasn’t it?”
“Cassandra, please tell me what’s wrong. You’ve been acting strangely ever since that Monroe fellow arrived.”
Sighing, she made a decision.
“Noah, we need to talk. I’m afraid that I have not been totally honest with you.”
“Let’s go upstairs and you can tell me everything, then. Cassandra, there is nothing that we cannot get past.”
They climbed the stairs together and went into what was now their bedroom suite. A fire was burning merrily in the hearth and they sat on the love seat in
front of it. Noah took Cassandra’s hand.
“Now, tell me everything,” he said.
Cassandra began to talk. Leaving out nothing, she told him all about her time in the French Quarter as a fortune teller. She told him how Douglas Monroe had tried more than once to get her to marry him. But she knew the kind of man he was and wanted no part of him. Noah’s face took on the look of a thundercloud when she told him of Douglas accosting her earlier that night, but he said nothing and let her continue to speak.
Finally, she came to the end of her story.
“Now, you know the truth,” she said sadly. “I’m so sorry for deceiving you into thinking that I was worthy of a man like you. I’ll pack my things in the morning and be on the next train back to New Orleans.”
Noah looked shocked when she said that.
“You’ll do no such thing!” he exclaimed. “You’re my wife! Cassandra, listen to me, please. You have brought so much joy into my life since you arrived. I was an idiot to ever suggest that we have a marriage of convenience. You are everything that I’ve wanted in a woman and I just never realized what I was denying myself. I’ve fallen deeply in love with you and I cannot imagine my life with you. If you leave, it would destroy me.”
Tears were streaming freely down her face as she looked at him.
“Oh Noah! I love you, too! I can’t imagine living without you, either! But I cannot make your life uncomfortable here because of my past.”
“I don’t care about your past, Cassandra. Being a fortune teller is nothing compared to other choices you could have made. I love you and, in fact, I feel that your past makes you even more fascinating. I will handle anyone that dares to speak against you. Lizbeth organized all of this as revenge. She is going to get a bit of a surprise for this. But what is important is that we love each other and we have created a wonderful, happy life for ourselves. Please do not leave. I want you and I need you with me. You have become my life.”
By now, Cassandra was openly sobbing.
“If you’re sure, Noah,” she managed to say between her tears. “I don’t want to leave you, but I don’t want to make life difficult for you, either. So if you want me to stay, there’s nothing that I want more.”
“Then it’s settled, darling,” he said as he pulled her into his arms. “You will stay, be my wife, and make me the happiest man in the world.”
In late spring of the following year, the lawn of the Montgomery estate was decorated with flowers, tents, and chairs. At least a hundred guests watched as Noah and Cassandra renewed their vows with a more traditional ceremony. This time, the Pastor Paul gave Noah permission to kiss his bride, which he did with enthusiasm.
Lizbeth Aberdeen was not among the guests and Douglas Monroe had mysteriously left town suddenly. Neither one was missed from this gala event.
There was much dancing, laughing, eating and drinking until the sun set. The happy couple left their guests to continue having fun while they slipped away to their bedroom suite.
Cassandra had a very special surprise to share with her husband, but she would do that later. Now was time for just the two of them.
Later, she would tell him that he was going to be a father.
She couldn’t wait to see his face.
The End!
Next up: ABBY AND LUKE'S STORY
Abby and Luke
“Abigail,” Charlene Davis called to her daughter. “Please come down for moment, dear.”
“Yes, Mama,” Abby said as she hurried down the stairs.
“Your father has invited a guest for dinner tonight and he has requested that you join us. He also requests that you look your best.”
“Really? Who is this guest?” Abby asked her mother.
“I believe he said that it is Arthur Shaw, the bank president,” Charlene replied.
Abby suddenly went very quiet. She truly hoped that this invitation did not mean what she feared it did.
“Did Papa say why he wanted me to join you?” she asked hesitantly.
“No, he didn’t,” Charlene said. “But he seemed to feel that your presence was important.”
I’ll just bet he did, Abby thought with a sinking stomach.
“Alright, Mama,” Abby replied. “I’d be happy to join the three of you for dinner, then.”
“It will be served at 7PM sharp,” Charlene said.
“Yes, Mama. I will be ready.”
Suddenly feeling the need for some fresh air, Abby picked up her parasol that waited in the umbrella rack by the door and headed outside. Shielding herself from the hot midday sun, she strolled slowly along the sidewalk. She so loved her home in Charleston, South Carolina. It was actually rather beautiful here all year long, not to mention being only a stone’s throw from the ocean. She couldn’t imagine ever leaving here.
Her father had been pushing the idea of marriage on her of late. Abby’s younger sister, Louisa, had been married for over a year now and Abby could not have been happier for her. On the other hand, her father saw it as a deterrent to Abby ever getting married. She was only 20 but Louisa had married at 18, a fact that her father constantly brought up to Abby.
She was quite sure what this dinner tonight was all about. Her father had mentioned Arthur Shaw to her on more than one occasion and what a fine husband he would make. Abby had not really taken him seriously but, now, she was rather worried that he was rather determined after all. Once Raymond Davis had made up his mind about something, there was no changing it.
Now, Abby was sure that she knew what was going on and she dreaded it. There was no way that she was going to be forced into marrying Arthur Shaw. Just the thought of having him as a husband made her feel physically ill. It wasn’t that Mr. Shaw was a bad person. She didn’t really know him all that well to know what sort of a man he was. That was another reason that she could not imagine being married to him.
Yet, she had no doubt that her father was getting ready to marry her off to this wealthy man old enough to be her father.
Stopping in at the newsstand, she bought a copy of the local newspaper to take home. She wasn’t ready to go back just yet, though. She wanted to walk some more and enjoy the day while she could. Once she returned home, she knew that she would have to get ready for dinner. That wasn’t something she was anticipating with pleasure.
Finally, she realized that she couldn’t put it off any longer. She needed to go home and start dressing for dinner. Trudging slowly up the steps, Abby closed her parasol. Entering her home, she placed the parasol into the umbrella rack and went upstairs.
She walked into the bathroom and started to run water for her bath in the claw footed tub. Once it was filled with warm water, she undressed and slipped into the soothing water. It was so relaxing that she almost started to doze while soaking. Before the water was too cool, Abby washed her long wheat blonde hair.
Then she drained the tub and wrapped her hair in a towel. Putting on her robe, she padded back to her bedroom. Once there, she opened her wardrobe and withdrew a lovely but rather chaste lavender dress. She carefully pinned up her hair and slid into the dress.
Glancing in the mirror, she saw that the color of the dress set off her cornflower blue eyes. Her waist was slim and she was grateful for that. She had no need for stays or a corset. Besides, she had decided that she didn’t want to appear overly attractive at this dinner with Mr. Arthur Shaw.
Lounging in her room, she waited rather than going down and socializing prior to dinner. She had heard knocking on the front door and knew that Mr. Shaw had arrived. At exactly 7PM, Abby left her bedroom and made her way downstairs. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, her parents and Mr. Shaw appeared.
“Ah there you are, Abigail!” her mother said a bit too enthusiastically. “We were starting to wonder where you were.”
“I was getting ready for dinner, Mama,” she replied trying very hard to avoid looking at either her father or Mr. Shaw.
“Abigail, you know Arthur Shaw, our bank’s president,” her fa
ther boomed.
“Yes, I have met Mr. Shaw. So nice to see you again,” Abby managed to somehow get the words out of her mouth.
Arthur Shaw was a rather portly gentleman with a seriously receding hairline and a porcine face. His dark brown eyes could only be described as beady. A good two inches shorter than Abby, his eyes seemed to travel up and down her body.
“Oh now, Miss Abigail, you don’t have to be so formal with me! Please call me Arthur!” he practically bellowed.
“Alright…..Arthur.”
“Please allow me to escort you into the dinner,” he said as he took her arm before she could say anything.
Raymond looked rather pleased with himself but Charlene did not look quite as comfortable as she cast a worried glance in her daughter’s direction.
Even though dinner was delicious, Abby couldn’t bring herself to eat much of it. For the most part, she pushed her food around in her plate so that it would look like she was eating. She listened as her father and Mr. Shaw….no, Arthur….talked throughout the meal. She was grateful that she was not expected to try to make conversation.
Then the moment came that she had been dreading.
“Abigail, why don’t you show Arthur to the drawing room?” Raymond said to her. “Your mother and I will be right along.”
“Well now,” Arthur was practically leering at her. “I think that’s a fine idea!”
Casting a pleading look at her mother, she was terrified to see that Charlotte would not look at her.
So she knows what’s going on here, Abby thought sadly. I never dreamed that she would have a part in auctioning me off to the highest bidder.
Deciding that she would simply need to deal with this situation on her own, she took the arm that Arthur offered to her and they left the dining room. Leading him down the hallway to the drawing room, she tried to keep her distance.
Once they were in the drawing room, she made a beeline for one of the large single chairs as she carefully avoided either of the loveseats. After she was seated, Arthur chose the loveseat closest to her.