“If you were trying to scare me, Dylan,” she said, “you have done so very poorly. And, yes, I really do wish to ride that horse and if you do not take me to the stables then I shall certainly do so alone.”
Dylan’s evident surprise had become more intense. Clearing his throat, he said,
“Very well, I shall take you to the stables. But Lori, do not blame me if anything happens,” he said with a wink.
Lori flushed but instantly recovered herself and accompanied him outside.
When Lori came back after galloping the horse in the field, her face was reddened and she found Dylan intently looking at her from the stables. His back was resting against the door and a proud expression was etched across his handsome face; his clear blue eyes glinted in the sunlight. She felt her heart beating very fast.
She is a most wonderful woman, Dylan thought as he watched her crimsoned face glowing in the sunshine, her long eyelashes fluttering as she blinked to remove the dust. She was unusual, different from any other woman he had ever confronted. Lori was definitely not like Lily, who was graceful and mannered, but she had a different air of attraction surrounding her. Maybe, she is the right woman for me, Dylan thought…he could feel his heart melt under the glare of her stormy gray eyes; she was certainly very beautiful.
One rainy evening, Dylan had been indoors all day and was now looking for Lori but had been unable to find her. He had not found her in her room, nor in the kitchen or the lounge. As he opened the door to the drawing room, he could hear soft whispers from inside. Very gently, he pushed the door open, cautious not to alarm the people inside, and peeped secretly. He was amazed! Kate was teaching Lori to read and it seemed that Lori was doing wonderful. The strong determination in her eyes as she tried hard to pronounce a difficult word on the page left him astounded. Her strong-willed character just made him like her even more than before. With a bright smile on his face, he stepped outside, once again gently closing the door, leaving them peacefully studying.
NINE
It was a sunny day and a light breeze was blowing. Lori, along with the Owens family, was having a picnic by the river. She was dressed in a knee-length, soft blue frock and her hair was open, falling at her back. The fresh air made her face glow under the sunlight, and a broad smile played around her lips.
Being a good swimmer, she decided to swim across the river. As soon as she jumped in, the cool, rich blue water brushed against her skin and sent a shiver down her spine. It felt like heaven. Slowly and gradually, she began to swim to the other side. There was a sharp turn in the course of the river but Lori was sure she could make it. Suddenly, a loud gasp pierced the air. Immediately, she turned around and saw Dylan’s anxious face, his eyes fixed on her. He was racing towards her and as soon as he reached her, he dove in and wrapping his hands around her waist, he carried her out of the river. Taking heavy breaths, they both landed on the river bank, their clothes drenched with water.
“Lori! How could you be so ridiculous? Acting incredibly immature! You could have died had I not saved you!” Dylan scolded her angrily in front of everyone and Lori felt immensely embarrassed.
“You shouldn’t have come to save me, Dylan. I am a good swimmer and I could have easily swam across the river,” Lori replied, equally angry.
“Are you insane?! It was very dangerous! Stop acting like a child Lori, and for once in your life, talk some sense!” Dylan’s voice was very loud now. Lori could feel the awkward glare of everyone on her; she could not believe that Dylan could be so harsh.
She immediately got up, gave Dylan a nasty look and stamping her feet on the soft grass, left for the carriage.
Next morning, when everyone gathered on the dining table for breakfast, Lori did not even look at Dylan’s face; the very sight of him made her flinch. Though she could constantly feel the heat of his stare upon her, she kept her head down, facing her plate and only looked up to reply if anyone addressed her.
After breakfast was over, she went up to her room and dressed herself in loose brown pants, a white, button-down shirt and a cool cowboy hat. Wearing her boots, she went out into the fields and saw Dylan’s father, Mr. Owens Richard, standing at the stables with a bunch of friends. Approaching him, she said,
“Mr. Owens, would you mind if I accompanied you in the cattle drive?”
Mr. Owens, knowing Lori’s superb skill in riding a horse, pleasantly replied,“Of course, dear, no problem at all.”
Instantly, she helped herself on a pearly-white muscular horse and joined Mr. Owens and his friends. On the way, however, a misfortune struck them. A group of savage looking, brutal Indians headed towards them; and after wounding their cattle, began attacking them with their whips and punches. Alarmed, Lori immediately began racing towards safety. Doing so, she separated herself from the group and though she escaped the baleful attackers, she lost herself in the wilderness.
Wandering alone, slightly scared, Lori stumbled across a tall, handsome looking stranger with dark, curly hair. After inquiring about her, he led her to his house where his beautiful wife greeted her. She led her to a room, and gently told her to rest for a little while; then, asked her to explain the issue. Lori told her that she was Dylan Owens’s fiancée and had lost herself when a group of Indians attacked her, Mr. Owens Richard and his friends. Astonished, the woman replied,
“You are Dylan’s fiancée? Well, it’s extremely nice to meet you! I was Dylan’s former fiancée but it was not possible for me to marry him. Our parents had arranged the marriage without my consent but I decided that I did not wish to ruin my life by accepting a loveless marriage. However, it did pain me to be so brutal to Dylan by not appearing at the wedding day. I tried persuading him to tell everyone that this could not work but you know Dylan, he is a man of his word and could not possibly, move out of this arrangement. Anyways, forget the past; it is more important to send you home. Do you know Nash? He is Dylan’s former friend and my husband. He shall take you home when you have regained your strength.”
“Lily, you do not know how grateful I am to you for your help. Thank you,” Lori replied, managing a weak smile towards her.
***
“Where is Lori, father?” Dylan asked as his father entered the house, his face looking pale.
Mr. Owens immediately explained to Dylan the solemn situation, and Dylan became intensely alarmed. He had never felt so panicked before. Instantly, he sent out a search party, consisting of his neighbors and close friends, and asked them to look for Lori everywhere. The whole afternoon passed but Lori could not be found. Dylan could feel a sickening tension crawling up his senses and he became very worried. What if something happened to my Lori? He thought, and a chillness succumbed his heart.
Towards the evening, the bell rang and Dylan instantly ran towards the door and swung it open. Nash stood in the doorway with Lori who looked extremely pale. Promptly, without any care in the whole world, Dylan wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly, not letting her go; the mere sight of her melted his heart.
“Thank goodness, you’re alive!” he exclaimed, letting go and then shook his friend’s hand.
As he allowed Nash in, he took Lori to a corner, and whispered in her ear, his voice, awfully imploring,
“Forgive me, Lori, I’m extremely sorry. How can I ever part from you, when I cannot even breathe air without you? Lori,” he continued, his voice growing more intense, “marry me.”
Instantly, Lori slid her arms around his shoulder and resting her head against his chest, she murmured, her voice soft and silky,
“Of course. I cannot even imagine a life without you.”
***
It was the 15th of December, a Saturday morning when Lori at looked herself in the mirror, and a mixture of surprise and an unbounded elation passed over her face. She looked beautiful. She was laced in a white, pearly dress on which intricate stonework had been quite wonderfully done across the narrow bodice and white roses slept at the huge train of the dress. A charming shrug wa
s wrapped around her bare arms, making the dress even more beautiful.
As Lori looked out of the glass window, she could not help but admire the beautiful shades painted across the sky on her wedding day; livid threads of hilarity melted with the orange shafts from the golden ball, entangling to form a wonderful mesh across the huge sky. Removing her head from the prepossessing view outside, she, slowly and gradually, recovering her emotions, making her nervous senses calm, she stepped outside. A chill gust of wind slapped across her face, making it glow, allowing a crimson shade to ignite her fair cheeks. As she motioned forward, towards the altar, she could feel the heat from the glares of the millions of people perched on both sides. A nervous feeling gripped her and she began to shiver. However, as she looked up, a heaven-like view met her eyes. Dylan…Oh, she thought.
The powerful look in his piercing, ocean-blue eyes, glinting in the sunlight; his strong jaw-line falling under a shadow from the sun, his hair set in the most perfect spikes, the light brown shades glowing like golden under the sieving rays of sunshine. He was attired in a black frock coat, an onyx bow secured at the tip of his neck. He looked charming. As soon as their intense gazes met each other’s, the whole world melted around Lori. Now, there was only she and Dylan. The strong colors sketched across the sky, glowing more intensely, as if singing to their passions. A warm, proud smile played around Dylan’s lips, a crease at the tips of his lips, making it evermore enchanting. It seemed like golden rays of zeal emancipated from their souls, reaching out, like the desperate fingers of the drowning towards its savior, meeting at a juncture, melting into each other, entangling, glowing more fiercely; their hearts entwined together. It was a moment of eye-stilling surprise, heart-melting passion and heaven-wrecking love, unbounded and eternal.
As they walked towards each other across the aisle, their feet brisk and eager; the smooth brush of Dylan’s shoes across the pearly white tile and the piercing sound of Lori’s heel touching it, echoed through the pin-drop silence. The fervent gaze of the people passed from one to the other, an eye-binding expression painted across their awestruck faces. What was happening in their hearts was unimaginable and impossible to mold into words. A fierce air dwelled between them as they stood paces apart, their eyes fixed on each other; the stormy sky sinking into the deep-blue ocean; beautiful and intense. It was Dylan’s fingers that reached out for her arm, breaking through the thick barrier. Instead of offering it, she hoisted her body gracefully towards him, her chest brushing against his buttoned-up shirtfront.
Slowly and gradually, like fire burning more intensely as if offered magnanimous fuel, as the crimson shade glowed, their arms moved across each other’s backs; Lori’s slender fingers running the length of his spine, spiraling around his waist while Dylan’s tender fingers tickled her skin, running a shiver down her back as his arms wrapped around her narrow bodice, their hearts and their souls truly blending into each other. Lori moved into his heavily beating chest, placing her palm across it, making him skip a beat and, placed her head on his shoulder, her soft, silky brunette hair melting into its warmth. As Dylan’s head allured down, he shifted his gaze downwards, smelling the sweet smell of her enchanted hair.
Everything— everything about her was wonderful, Dylan thought, as he pressed her towards him, their bodies spiraling around each other like a serpent wrapping around its prey. The mere sight of her snowy-white face made his heart melt, the livid, green veins striking intensely against her pale skin, like fire burning on snow. The wise, thoughtful words pouring out of her thin lips, acting like melody to his ears, calming his disturbed senses, cleansing his mind, sucking all the worries from it. Her presence was like the dawn sun, the arrival of light and brightness, bidding adieu to all the darkness that occupied one’s senses. It was miraculous how they had met each other and how, after knowing each other they had found about the stark similarities and differences in their characters. They were like yin yang- impossible for one to live without the shade of the other. Without her, he would feel like a tree without its canopy, rain without water, a whole human body without its heart.
As Lori was enclosed in his arms, she could feel her heart beat slowing down, all the nervousness fading into nothingness. The glare of the people that had tensed her a few moments ago, mattered no more because now, she was with Dylan; the darkness towering her soul now crouched under his stark brightness, scared. As she closed her eyes, completely sinking into his warmth, she felt as if heaven slept into her arms. She did not need anything now. Everything was perfect now.
As they wrapped around each other, their souls entwining around each other, the sun glowed fiercely in the background, dancing to their ardent emotions; their figures standing out as two intense silhouettes from far apart.
The End
20. The Tag-along Bride
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ONE
Sarah Walker grabbed her favorite book and sweater and headed off toward the kitchen to grab a biscuit or other tasty treat. Her “big plans” for the afternoon included sitting on the front porch, enjoying the autumn sun and fresh air, and getting lost in the fictional stories she so dearly loved—and, she figured a snack would be the perfect finishing touch, like the icing on a cake.
Just as Sarah neared the kitchen, however, she heard something that made her stop dead in her tracks. Her family’s two housemaids—a stubborn old cow named Patty and a much younger, much thinner, dimwitted girl named Anna—were laughing uproariously in the kitchen, and Sarah was intrigued as per why.
“I swear,’” Patty said with a hearty chuckle, “I don’t know which one of them is worse. One always has her head in the clouds, and the other’s always got her nose buried in a book. No wonder their parents don’t take them along with them on their travels. They’re probably quite ashamed. I know I would be if those two ninnies were mine.”
Sarah bowed her head, took a deep breath, and decided to forgo her snack. There was no way she was going to go into the kitchen after what she’d just heard. She was far too embarrassed and self-conscious, and, with the book in her hand, she did not want to prove Patty’s point.
Sarah turned to leave for the porch. But, no sooner than she did, she heard Anna chime in, and she decided to linger and hear the conversation out.
“I don’t think they’re that bad,” Anna said, obviously realizing that she had little room to talk. “They both seem rather cheerful and pleasant, and they’ve been nothing but kind to me. In fact, just the other day—”
“Ah, my dear,” Patty interrupted with a loud sigh, “you haven’t worked here nearly as long as I have. But, once you’re here for a while longer, you’ll surely see what I mean. They’re not insufferable—I’ll give them that—but they’re a lot to put up with and care for. And, if it wasn’t for this roof over my head, this money in my pocket, and access to all this delicious, nourishing food, I would’ve been gone ages ago and found a much more fulfilling use for my time.”
Patty’s words were harsh for anyone to hear, but they were even harsher on Sarah’s ears. Patty had been the Walkers’ housemaid for going on 15 years now, and, in addition to her chores, she’d been caregiver to Sarah—and her sister—the whole while.
Though Patty was stubborn and, at times, a bit mean, Sarah had grown fond of her over the years, and she thoroughly believed that the feelings were returned. But, given what the older woman had said just now, Sarah began to question that fact, and she also began to question how she could have been so blind, or oblivious to what a “burden” she was, for such a long time.
Mr. and Mrs. Walker—or, Rupert and Viola, as they were more favorably known—had been regularly traveling back and forth between England and the United States, on business, for nearly two decades. And, truth of the matter was, Sarah was more ac
quainted with Patty than she was with her own parents. So, to hear such harsh words from Patty’s lips hurt Sarah to her core.
“Well, they’re both still young,” Anna replied. “Perhaps, in time, they’ll grow into their adulthood and both become more sensible.”
“Young?” Patty chortled. Sarah heard the sound of something being dropped into a pot—possibly potatoes or other hard vegetables.
“They’re 21,” Patty went on. “That isn’t young by most folks’ measures. They should have grown into their adulthood by now, and should already be far more sensible than they are. For heaven’s sake, neither one of them has any independence or social graces! If I’m not telling one what she shouldn’t do, I’m tell the other what she should. They both need so much supervision and instruction. I doubt either would survive very long without my guidance.”
Sarah’s heart ached inside of her chest, and, at some point, she’d started quietly crying. Patty’s comments weren’t just cutting and painful to hear; they also were sharp and, Sarah wanted to believe, short-sighted. Indeed, she and her sister were a bit spoiled and dependent on their parents and Patty. But such things were common, and acceptable, in wealthy families; and, in any event, Sarah didn’t think she was as incapable or limited as Patty purported.
“And, I’ll tell you something else,” Patty went on, taking on a more somber tone. “I think that one of them is up to something. I don’t know what, exactly. But, whatever it is, it can’t be good. Just yesterday, when I went around the house collecting linens and soiled clothing to do the laundry, I noticed that many of her garments were missing.”
“Her garments were missing?” Anna asked curiously. Sarah’s curiosity had been piqued by Patty’s remark as well, and she arched her eyebrow and listened more carefully as Patty answered.
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