“Please don’t be angry with me,” Roxanne said, tears once more shining in her eyes. She put her arms around Rachel and hugged her hard. “I just can’t help it. Tell David I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. But he’ll be better off without me, you know he will.”
Stunned, all Rachel could do was nod her agreement.
“I wish I could get my clothes, but they’re all packed in the limousine.” She started to leave, then stopped and pulled off her engagement ring—the ring Rachel loved so much—and handed it to Rachel. “I’ll call you when I get to Mexico.”
She gave Rachel another quick hug and kiss, and then she was gone, and Rachel was left standing there alone.
For a long moment she didn’t move. She looked at the ring in her hand. It sparkled brilliantly under the fluorescent lighting. Then, slowly, she looked around. The beautiful lace wedding dress still hung in its plastic covering. The frothy veil still lay in its protective box. The white satin shoes with their pearls and little rosettes lay abandoned where Roxanne had left them, as abandoned as Rachel felt.
What was she going to do?
How was she going to go out there and face everyone?
She closed her eyes, imagined the disbelief and horror her news would generate.
Her mind whirled as the ramifications settled in. The church would soon be filled to capacity with hundreds of wedding guests. She could see her father and David, who were probably already out there, dressed in their tuxes, roses in their buttonholes…waiting.
She could imagine the eagerness in David’s eyes, the happiness and anticipation he felt. She swallowed. Her stomach felt hollow. Dear God. He would be so humiliated and hurt in front of all of his family and friends. How could she possibly go out there and tell him? What could she possibly say to make things right?
And her father. She closed her eyes, shuddering as she thought about her father and what his reaction to this shocking news would be. He would be enraged. He would probably blame her. Didn’t people always blame the messenger for bad tidings?
For a moment anger engulfed her, and she clenched her fists. How could Roxanne do this? Why hadn’t she told David the truth, weeks ago, as Rachel had urged her to?
Oh, David, David…
As quickly as her anger had formed, it faded, leaving only a desperate wish that she could do something, anything, to keep from hurting him.
She loved him so much. Roxanne’s desertion would be devastating, all the more so because it would be so public.
Rachel looked at the wall clock.
Twelve-fifty.
The church was probably already full. If only there was more time. If only all those people weren’t already out there. If only she could tell him gently, in private, and they could concoct a face-saving story. At least then he could lick his wounds out of sight of all those curious—and pitying—eyes.
I can’t do it. I can’t go out there and tell him.
Once again her gaze moved to the beautiful wedding dress hanging a few feet away. How different things would be if she were the one engaged to David, if she were the one getting ready to go out there and marry him instead of Roxanne.
It should be me.
Suddenly, in the mirror across the room, she caught sight of herself standing there in her bridesmaid’s dress that was still unzipped. And just as suddenly, she knew what she must do.
Heart pounding, she slipped Roxanne’s engagement ring on her finger. Then, before she could change her mind, she stepped out of her dress and tossed it on a nearby chair. Next she kicked off her aquamarine pumps and put on Roxanne’s white ones. She had to stuff facial tissue in the toes before they fit comfortably, because that was one of the few, minor differences between her and Roxanne. Roxanne’s feet were half a size larger.
Once Rachel was satisfied with the feel of the shoes, she walked over to where the wedding dress hung. Her hands shook as she reached up and removed it from the hook. But somehow she managed to remove the plastic covering and put the dress on. She blessed the designer for putting a hidden zipper up the back instead of the tiny buttons that were so popular, because she knew she would never have been able to manage the buttons. The zipper was hard enough, but somehow she got the dress zipped up.
Calmer now, she lifted the veil out of the box and, walking to the mirror, placed it on her head, securing it with bobby pins. Once again, she blessed fate—and the hairdresser—for giving her the same hairstyle Roxanne had been wearing.
The veil settled into place.
A tremor snaked through Rachel as she looked at her image in the mirror. Large, frightened eyes stared back at her. For a few seconds she almost lost her nerve. What did she think she was doing? Was she crazy?
Maybe she was, but the alternative didn’t bear thinking about. She could not go out there and tell David that Roxanne had deserted him.
Quickly, before Rachel could change her mind, she walked to the door that led to the vestibule and the waiting attendants. With her hand on the doorknob, Rachel whispered a hurried prayer. Then she took a deep breath, opened the door and walked out.
Chapter Four
Just as she’d pictured them, the wedding coordinator, the other four attendants and her father all waited in the vestibule. Paula Donofrio, Roxanne’s best friend, was the first to spot Rachel. Her dark eyes lit up and, smiling, she rushed forward.
“Oh, Roxanne, you look so gorgeous!”
Soon everyone was milling around, exclaiming, oohing and aahing. Her father, looking handsome and proud, his blue eyes bright, stood to one side, beaming. When the attendants had finally stopped gushing, he walked slowly forward and reached for Rachel’s hands.
“Angel. You look beautiful,” he murmured. He gave her a tender smile and leaned forward to kiss her cheek. He smelled of his favorite aftershave and cologne.
Love and fear and the pain she always felt knowing her father loved Roxanne best churned inside her. “Thanks, Daddy,” she whispered.
Liz Preston, the wedding coordinator, handed Rachel the bridal bouquet—an exquisite creation of orange blossoms, baby orchids and stephanotis. As Rachel took it, the flowers’ fragrance drifted around her. Liz bustled about, straightening her veil, adjusting her train, as Rachel fought the tumult inside her. She wondered when someone would ask about her.
Finally Paula, looking around curiously, said, “Where’s Rachel?”
This was the moment Rachel had been dreading, even though she knew exactly what she was going to say. She looked at her father. “I don’t know how to tell you this, Daddy, but…Rachel is gone.”
Her father frowned. “Gone? Gone where?”
“She…she left with a man she met several weeks ago. A man she’s in love with.”
For a moment, no one said a word. Then, as if at a director’s cue, the attendants gasped and her father boomed, “What? You can’t be serious! Rachel? Run off with some man? Where? And who in tarnation is he and why am I just now hearin’ about him?”
Paula’s eyes looked as if they were going to pop out as they met Rachel’s gaze. Rachel shrugged the way she imagined Roxanne would have done if she had been the one standing here now. And then she began to tell the story of Carlos and Roxanne, substituting her own name in place of her sister’s. It was amazing, but throughout the recitation Rachel’s voice hardly quavered. In fact, as she talked, she became more and more sure that, under the circumstances, what she was doing was the only thing she could do.
It was also amazing that she could so easily deceive everyone, especially her father. Maybe it’s true, she thought, that perception was everything. She had appeared in Roxanne’s wedding dress, with Roxanne’s engagement ring on her finger, and so, in the minds of everyone, she really was Roxanne. Knowing this gave her even more confidence.
“You mean to say that Rachel intends to marry this Carlos?” Sharon Lester, a childhood friend of both twins, asked. She was shaking her head in disbelief. “And she just took off, with no warning at all?”
“�
�Yep,” Rachel said, grinning the way Roxanne would have grinned. “I think it’s kind of romantic, don’t you?”
“I think it’s unbelievable,” Paula said. “I mean, this is your wedding day. How could she just go off like that? I don’t understand why she couldn’t at least wait until after the ceremony.”
The others chimed in with their opinions, but just then, the strains of the wedding march sounded, and everyone fell silent.
Rachel looked at her father. This was the moment of truth. What would he do?
“None of this is important right now, sugar,” he finally said. “What’s important here is you. This is your wedding day. Let’s not let anything spoil it” He held out his right arm, and—trying hard to bury the pain his words had caused—she took it.
As Liz Preston lined everyone up and the first attendant began the hesitation step down the aisle’, Rachel’s father leaned closer. “I mean it now,” he said, his voice hard. “You forget all about that sister of yours. I’ll deal with her later.”
Everything about the wedding was exactly the way Rachel had imagined it in her fantasies. The sun shining through the stained glass windows, gilding the assembled guests in shades of ruby, emerald and sapphire. The organ music, swelling in joyful crescendo as it heralded the approach of the bride. The scent of roses and camellias floating in the air. The tiny nosegays of flowers with streaming white ribbons that decorated the ends of each pew. The whispery rustle of silks and linens as the wedding guests turned to catch a glimpse of Rachel and her father making their slow way down the aisle. The solid feel of her father’s arm guiding her slowly down the wide center aisle to the foot of the altar where David, backed by his groomsmen, waited.
David…
Rachel’s heart skidded as her veiled gaze met his. Oh, David She could hardly breathe. He looked so handsome. So wonderfully, incredibly handsome. And his smile! It lit up his face and caused a powerful rush of love to weaken her knees and constrict her chest.
As he’d been instructed at the rehearsal, her father stopped a few feet in front of the altar. Tearing her gaze away from David, Rachel turned to look up at her father. He smiled, his blue eyes filled with love and pride. For a moment, guilt flooded her as the reality of how she was deceiving these people she loved really hit her.
Don’t think about it. You’re committed now, so put it out of your mind. Just concentrate on getting through the day without giving yourself away.
As these thoughts swirled in her mind, Reverend Fitch, in the melodious voice Rachel had heard every Sunday since she was a little girl, began to speak.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today in our beautiful church, in the sight of God and loving friends and family, to witness the marriage and commitment to each other of these two fine young people….” He gave them one of his beatific smiles. “I’ve known David Ross Hanson and Roxanne Alicia Carlton since they were children.”
Hearing Roxanne’s name spoken aloud was nearly Rachel’s undoing. The words ricocheted in her mind.
Roxanne Alicia Carlton.
Everyone in this room believed she was her sister.
But she, Rachel, was a liar and an impostor.
Dear heaven.
The magnitude of her deception made her head spin, and her heart beat so fast and so hard she was certain everyone could hear it.
“And who gives Roxanne to be married to David?” continued the unsuspecting Reverend Fitch.
“I do,” Rachel’s father said. He released her hand and, taking it, placed it in David’s.
As David’s warm hand closed around hers, Rachel trembled. He squeezed her hand reassuringly, his eyes soft and loving, his smile for her alone.
Oh, David, darling David…my love…
Suddenly, as their gazes clung, all the guilt, all the fear and all the nervousness disappeared. A great calmness filled Rachel as together, her hand firmly and securely held in David’s strong grasp, the two of them faced Reverend Fitch.
She had done the right thing, the only thing she could do, under the circumstances. Roxanne had really left her no choice. She knew that later that night she would have to tell David the truth. She also knew there would be consequences to face, but for now, she wouldn’t think about any of that. For now, she would pretend she really was David’s bride, and she would be happy for as long as the fantasy lasted.
The rest of the ceremony was dreamlike. Rachel made her responses and did everything she was supposed to do without hesitation. And then David slipped the wedding ring—a narrow circle of diamonds—onto her finger, where it joined Roxanne’s engagement ring, and the minister said, “I now pronounce you husband and wife.”
At his words, Paula, who had stepped in as maid of honor now that the supposed maid of honor had disappeared, lifted the veil away from Rachel’s face. Then David put his arms around her, and his lips met hers in a kiss so sweet and so loving, it touched Rachel to her very soul. Slowly they drew apart, and he smiled down at her.
In that moment Rachel would have given anything on earth to really be Mrs. David Hanson—not just today, but for the rest of her life.
Triumphant organ music resounded through the church, and David, grinning widely, clasped her hand and the two of them walked quickly down the aisle amidst a sea of smiling guests.
Reaching the vestibule, Rachel and David, along with their attendants, Rachel’s father, and David’s grandmother, formed the official receiving line. Rachel’s dreamlike state continued as she received the kisses and hugs and congratulatory handshakes. She found it was easy to smile and thank people for coming and she even managed to answer questions about the absent “Rachel” without any slipups.
Her only close call came when Kurt Avery, a fellow teacher and someone she had dated a few times the previous month, came up to her. Unthinkingly, she smiled and greeted him by name.
He gave her a puzzled smile. “How’d you know who I was?”
Immediately she realized her mistake. Roxanne had never met Kurt.
“Oh, Rachel pointed you out to me one day,” she said, hardly missing a beat. “She told me what a nice guy you are.” She smiled in the flirty way Roxanne always smiled at men. “And she didn’t exaggerate.”
He chuckled, but his eyes were speculative as they studied hers. “Obviously not that nice, since she’s run off with another man.”
Rachel laughed, too, but inside she was quaking. She would have to be more careful or she would be unmasked before she ever left the church.
Rachel drew a deep breath of relief when he moved away. After that, there were only a few more guests to be greeted before it was time to leave for the reception. As they walked outside to the waiting cars, Hank fell into step with her and David.
“Did Rachel really run off to Mexico to marry a guy none of you have ever met?” he asked.
Rachel nodded.
“Hank had designs on Rachel, himself,” David said, his eyes twinkling.
Rachel hoped the surprise she felt didn’t show in her face. She’d had no idea Hank was interested in her. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey, nothing for you to feel sorry about,” he said. “That’s the breaks.”
By now, most of the wedding party had piled into the waiting cars for the short drive to the country club. Hank and Rachel had been scheduled to ride with David and Roxanne, and Rachel felt sorry for Hank, who seemed to feel awkward now. “You can still ride with us,” she offered.
“No.” He shook his head. “That’s okay. I’ll ride with Steve.”
“Okay, see you there,” David said, putting his arm around Rachel’s waist and guiding her to the limousine parked at the end of the front walkway. The driver smiled and held the back door open.
Once inside the- plush car, David drew her close, tipping her chin up so he could look into her eyes. “I can’t believe we’re finally married,” he said softly.
“I can’t either,” Rachel said. Her heart was beating too fast.
He bent down, his mouth cap
turing hers in a long, thrilling kiss that left Rachel breathless.
“I’m also glad Hank didn’t come along for the ride,” he said when he finally broke the kiss.
“Me, too.”
The teasing twinkle in David’s eyes faded as he studied her upturned face. “I love you, Mrs. Hanson,” he murmured.
“I love you, too,” she said fervently. “I’ve loved you all of my life.” It felt wonderful to say aloud the words she’d thought so many times, the words she’d never believed she would ever be able to say.
“Really? All of your life?”
“All of my life,” she whispered. “There’s never been anyone else.”
He held her close again. “We’re going to be so happy, Roxanne.”
Roxanne.
Rachel swallowed, blinking back tears. If only she could stop time. If only she really were Roxanne.
“Hey, why the tears?” he said, even though she tried to unobtrusively wipe them away. “I thought you were happy.”
“I am happy. I—I always cry when I’m happy.”
“You do?”
She nodded.
“There are a lot of things I don’t know about you, aren’t there?” he said after a moment.
Rachel once again felt miserable. David was such a nice man. And this was such a not-nice thing she and Roxanne had done to him.
“Aw, sweetheart, come on,” he coaxed. “If you’re so happy, let’s see you smile.”
Rachel did her best, and thankfully, just then, the limo driver pulled in to the curved driveway of the country club, and in the flurry and excitement of arrival, Rachel’s spirits lifted.
Hand in hand, they walked into the large ballroom where most of the guests were already gathered, and Rachel steeled herself for another round of questions and incredulity over “Rachel’s” defection.
“This is just so hard to believe,” said Melissa Chasan, a mutual friend of the twins, who, along with her husband, Joel, had been exclaiming over Rachel’s uncharacteristic behavior for the past fifteen minutes. “I mean, Rachel’s always been so predictable. She’s never done anything spontaneous in her life!”
Substitute Bride (Special Edition) Page 5