Mirror Bride

by Jane Peart

  After sending off the telegram, Jonathan went back to the hotel, partook of a hearty Scottish breakfast of sausage, bacon, mushrooms, and tomatoes, then went over to Phoebe's house.

  Jonathan had no idea whatsoever of what the day would hold for him as he and Phoebe started out. It was a rare Scottish morning with the sun slowly unveiling itself. Occasionally they stopped to watch lambs cavorting over the tawny hillsides, purple with heather and dotted with dark green pines and paler green larches.

  They walked on, heedless of time's passing, telling each other bits and pieces of the years apart, sharing the events, the people, the incidents that had influenced and shaped their lives. When they stopped for lunch, they were barely conscious of what they were eating from the contents of the wicker hamper, they were so engrossed in conversation. Nor did they notice that the afternoon was far gone until they halted on the crest of a little bridge and saw that the river had turned amber with the soft light of approaching evening.

  They had talked for hours, yet had not seemed to run out of things to say to each other. They had explored many topics—agreed on many, lightly debated others. Yet Jonathan was now suddenly struck with the panic of time's swift passage, of opportunity slipping out of his grasp.

  Phoebe leaned on the ledge of the stone bridge, looking down at the water. Her profile looked so endearing that Jonathan could barely resist running his finger along the slightly upturned nose, or cupping the delicate chin in his hand to turn her face toward his. He thought Phoebe even lovelier than she had been as the vivacious lass, blooming with health and vitality, he had met when she was nineteen. There was character in that face now—the little laugh-lines around the eyes, the sweet, generous mouth. He longed to kiss that mouth . . . but he dared not.

  Suddenly he felt the urgency of breaking through to her, of reaching some hidden part of her that he innately felt might respond to his honesty. He began to confide how meaningless his life had seemed in the past few years. Now with Kip out West and Meredith married and living so far away, how lonely he had been.

  "Life can be very lonely," Phoebe agreed.

  "Yes, that's true," he replied, then asked quietly, "Has it been lonely for you?"

  She hesitated. "I suppose you might say I've been lonely all my life. As the only girl growing up on a farm with brothers, then living in other people's houses, taking care of other people's children. And, yes, you might say I've been lonely for Scotland, too, and that's why I came back—" She paused, then added thoughtfully, "But there's another kind of loneliness . . . a heart loneliness . . . a kind of searching for something—"

  "Or some one?' Jonathan took Phoebe's hand and lifted it to his lips. "Phoebe, do you think it at all strange that I came to Scotland and, by some . . . happenstance . . . to Kilgaren and that we met again after all this time?"

  Phoebe looked startled, thinking that he must have read her mind. Ever since Jonathan had appeared in the lobby that morning, the thought of Divine Providence, the belief that God arranges time and circumstances to fulfill His purposes in our lives, had thrust itself into her mind. Now, his question brought roses blooming to her cheeks.

  "Yes, I suppose I do . . . I have," she murmured.

  He put out his hand and turned her head so he could gaze into her eyes. "Phoebe," he said very softly, "would you . . . could you consider marrying me?"

  To Jonathan, it seemed an eternity before she responded. Had she not heard him, or failed to understand what he was asking her?

  He had to bend very near to hear her soft, "Aye."

  "What did you say, Phoebe?"

  She laughed, her soft mirth all the more heart-lifting in the gathering gloom and mist. "I said yes, Jonathan, I'd be most pleased to accept," she said in that musical lilting accent he had come to love.

  There was no longer any reason to resist the temptation of those sweetly curved rosy lips so near . . . and as he kissed her, they both knew it was the end of loneliness for them both.

  They were married at the "wee kirk," with all Phoebe's Kilgaren friends and many of the McPherson clan in attendance. Gordon, in full Highland dress, kilt and all, looking as proud as any clan chieftain, brought his niece down the aisle. She wore a heather-blue suit of softest wool, a hat trimmed with ribbons in the McPherson tartan, and carried a small bouquet of field flowers, centered with a sprig of white heather, the talisman of a long and happy wedded life for a Scottish bride. Yes, the time for loneliness was over. Only rejoicing lay ahead.

  Since neither Kip nor Meredith were in Virginia to welcome their father and his bride, Blythe went to meet Jonathan and Phoebe at the station. Kip, restless and unhappy, was off on one of the several spur-of-the-moment trips he had taken since his mother's death. Meredith, living in Massachusetts now, was expecting her first baby and could not travel.

  Blythe's own family was scattered, too. Cara, of course, was in Ohio with Owen in his first pastorate, Scott in law school at the university. Kitty had taken Lynette to England to visit her other grandmother in the hope of persuading Garnet to let her bring Bryanne back to Virginia. Jeff, still inconsolable, was in Taos, New Mexico, his little son Gareth with him. Blythe sighed. Would that little family, so broken by the terrible tragedy that had befallen them, ever be put back together?

  Being at the station reminded Blythe of the day Jonathan came home after Davida's death. They had all gone down to meet him, hoping to be there, his family and close friends, to lend some comfort to this saddest of all homecomings. Ironically, in contrast to the grief they were all experiencing, the day had been one of the loveliest of the spring—the sky cloudlessly blue, the flowers in bright colored profusion all about the yellow station house. The sad part had been that even if Davida had come home with Jonathan, would she have seen its beauty?

  Davida had not loved the peaceful Virginia countryside as Jonathan did, as did all the Montroses and Camerons. Her heart had remained in Massachusetts, and she had never consciously accepted her husband's home as her own.

  Blythe recalled that in the months after the tragedy, everyone had wondered what Jonathan would do. He was still young, handsome, virile. Would he marry again, bring another bride home to Montclair? Someone who would share his affection and pride in the splendid house and plantation? Enjoy the tranquillity of the Virginia countryside?

  Suddenly Blythe was brought back to the present by the sound of the engine rounding the bend, and the train was chugging into the station and pulled to a stop. In a few minutes the passengers began to emerge. Blythe searched the emerging passengers for a glimpse of Jonathan and his bride.

  When she saw him, she was amazed at the change in him. He looked at least ten years younger! Turning, he held out his hand to help Phoebe down from the train. She was dressed in a navy-blue suit with a ruffled white organza collar and a wide-brimmed straw hat. Unaware that anyone was observing them, they exchanged a happy smile, and Blythe saw that what Garnet had written was true. This was truly a "marriage made in heaven!"

  chapter 24

  June 1914

  "MAYFIELD! Mayfield! Next stop!"

  At the conductor's sing-song call, Kitty Cameron began to gather up their belongings. "We're almost home, Lynette," she said to the small dark-haired girl whose tiny nose was pressed against the train window. "Please help me get your things together."

  "Will Grandmother meet us?"

  "I suppose so. Or somebody will, anyway. Here, put your book into this tote bag, and your crayons, too."

  "Everything looks different."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean, it doesn't look like England."

  "Well, of course it doesn't. We're in Virginia now. Back home."

  "I wish Brynnie was with us. Why couldn't she come?"

  "Your Grandmother Garnet will bring her later. 'In the fall,' she said."

  "Really and truly?" The little girl's voice was plaintive.

  "That's what she said," Kitty replied with more conviction than she felt. Her aunt had been less tha
n specific in the message she had given Kitty to relay to the Camerons. Kitty knew that this latest change in plans would upset her mother. But there had been nothing she could do about it.

  The quick trip to England had been a strange one, Kitty feeling some sort of subtle undercurrent when she had arrived at Birchfields. Aunt Garnet had seemed aloof, remote, and Kitty had not been able to get through the wall she had erected. Perhaps she was still grieving. No wonder, Kitty thought with a rush of sympathy. The poor woman had lost more than any of them—her daughter to the Titanic, followed by her husband's passing only a short time later. The fact that Faith had left three children half-orphans was another kind of tragedy.

  Garnet had mentioned Jonathan's visit with pleasure, but since he was in Scotland when Kitty arrived, she had not seen him until the newlyweds came through on their way home to America and Montclair. What an affirmation of Gods grace, she thought. Jonathan deserved the happiness that was written all over his face when she had seen him for the first time with his bride, Phoebe McPherson, Kitty's former nanny from that unforgettable Jubilee summer!

  Quickly her mind had turned to the other family that had suffered such pain with the passing of Davida Montrose. Kitty wondered how Kip was doing now. H e had been so devoted to his mother, and the blow of her death had been cruelly severe. On top of that, his heart had been broken by Cara's marriage to Owen Brandt—

  The grinding of the train braking to a jolting stop brought Kitty's thoughts back to the present. "Come on, Lynette, let's go."

  "I don't see anyone waiting," said the little girl with a last look out the window.

  "Oh, there's sure to be somebody" Kitty assured her, taking her hand.

  Kip saw Kitty before she saw him. Slim and graceful, smartly dressed in a lime pongee traveling suit and wearing a perky braided straw hat, his old friend swung lightly down out of the train. Then she turned back, holding out her hand to help Lynette step onto the yellow stool and down to the platform. He saw her bend to straighten the little girl's wide-brimmed straw sailor hat and tie the ribbons under her chin.

  "Kitty! Over here!" Kip called, striding toward her.

  At his words, she raised her head. She looked startled, then happily surprised. "Kip! I didn't expect . . . how are you?"

  As he came up to her, Kip had the strangest sensation that he was seeing Kitty for the first time. For a moment he was speechless and simply stared.

  "It's wonderful to see you, Kip." Kitty smiled, "I didn't know , . . When did you get back?"

  "Just last week. You're looking splendid, Kitty. And, by golly, Lynette, you've grown two inches since I last saw you! Here, let me take your things." He reached for her hatbox and valise.

  Kitty handed them to him, knowing that she was blushing, and why. "How did you happen to come for us?" she asked as the three of them walked down the platform.

  "Your mother called when she got your telegram. Said she had some kind of meeting at the church this afternoon. Seems she's the chairwoman of a committee and couldn't get out of going. And your father's out of town at a horse show in Kentucky. Actually, she asked my dad if he would meet you, but I volunteered to do the honors."

  Kip led the way over to a shiny jade green automobile. Kitty stopped short. "Is that yours?" she gasped.

  "You bet!" Kip grinned proudly. "Isn't she a beauty? A birthday present from my father. You two will be my first passengers. Come on, hop aboard." He put their bags in the back, strapping them on behind.

  Lynette's eyes sparkled as she climbed into the back seat. Then Kip made a ceremonial bow and opened the door on the passenger side for Kitty. The interior was upholstered in smooth russet leather, the dashboard panel made of gleaming polished wood.

  Closing the door, Kip rounded the front of the vehicle and slipped behind the wheel. "All set? Hold onto your hats, ladies. Here we go!"

  He shifted into reverse gear and backed the car out of the graveled space where horses with buggies were still hitched, and turned down Main Street. Kitty caught curious glances from pedestrians as they roared past. At the crossroads, they swerved, turning into a narrow lane, and within minutes, they were traveling at a high rate of speed along the familiar tree-lined country road.

  "This unpaved road's hard on my tires!" Kip shouted above the roar of the engine. "But you should see how she rides on the paved streets! Just hear that sweet engine purr!" He smiled, tapping his hand on the leather-covered steering wheel as if keeping time to music.

  "You sound like my father, bragging about a new hunter!" Kitty laughed. Leaning her head back, she felt the wind cool on her face and sighed happily. "It's so good to be home! I always feel like a part of me is missing when I'm away from here."

  Kip glanced over at her. He'd forgotten how pretty she was. And there was something different about her, too. A kind of gloss, a self-confidence, a new poise.

  "I guess, in a way, I do, too." He shrugged. "Everybody talks so much about California—the sun, the palm trees, the desert—and New Mexico, too. But I didn't think it was all that great."

  "You were in New Mexico? You saw Jeff?" Kip nodded.

  "How is he?"

  "Surviving . . . just. He's painting again. I guess that's a good sign."

  "And Gareth?"

  At the mention of her brother's name, Lynette leaned over the front seat. "Are they coming home soon?"

  The two adults exchanged glances before Kip answered her. "Well, Gareth will, anyway. Your mother, I mean your Grandmother Blythe wants him to come back to Virginia. She wants to enroll him at Brookside Prep."

  "Oh, goody!" Lynette gave an excited little bounce. "Will he live with us then?"

  "You'll have to ask your grandmother about that."

  "I hope so. I miss him. And Daddy, too, of course." She paused, then added solemnly, "I'm afraid Brynnie is going to forget us."

  Kitty turned around quickly, patted the little hand. "Oh, no, she won't, honey. Remember, Aunt Garnet is bringing her to Virginia this fall."

  Just then Kip turned into the long, winding drive leading up to Cameron Hall. Almost before he brought the car to a full stop, Lynette was scrambling to get out.

  "Can I go down to the barn and see if Princess is all right?" she begged.

  "Go ahead, honey. Mama's probably not home from her meeting yet anyway. But don't stay too long."

  Lynette was already out of the car and running in the direction of the stables.

  Kitty turned to Kip. "Well, thanks for the ride. I think your new car is the 'berries,' as they say," she teased. "So when are you going to let me drive it?"

  "Just say when."

  "You mean you'd actually trust a woman at the wheel of this—this chariot?"

  Placing his hand over his heart, Kip intoned dramatically, "I'd trust you with anything, Kitty."

  The words were barely out of his mouth when Kip suddenly knew he meant what he had just said. Looking at Kitty, he felt a melting warmth. In those dark brown eyes he saw something . . . the end of all the aching loneliness, the loss and emptiness of the last months. Was it possible that he had missed something before? Was it Kitty, after all, who could fill his life with hope and happiness?

  His throat felt tight, constricted, but somehow he managed to ask, "When can I see you again?"

  "Oh, Kip, any time. I've come home now."

  In a funny sort of way, Kip felt that he had come home, too.

  Cast of Characters in Mirror Bride

  Mayfield, Virginia

  At Montclair

  Jonathan and Davida Montrose

  their son, Kendall (called "Kip")

  and their daughter, Meredith

  At Avalon

  Faith and Jeff Montrose

  At Cameron Hall

  Blythe and Rod Cameron

  their son, Scott

  and twin daughters, Kitty and Cara

  The Brides of Montclair Series

  . . . a sweeping saga of an American family from the Revolutionary War to the twentieth century.
In twelve volumes:

  1. Valiant Bride

  "If you enjoy reading romances, you'll enjoy reading Valiant Bride"—Jane Mouttet, book reviewer, KHAC radio

  2. Ransomed Bride

  "Earns a rousing A + " — T h e Bookshelf WBRG

  3. Fortune's Bride

  "Another triumph for Jane Peart!"—Christian Readers Review

  4. Folly's Bride

  The stunning "prequel" to Jane Peart's Yankee Bride/Rebel Bride.

  5. Yankee Bride/Rebel Bride: Montclair Divided

  A newly revised expansion of the book that won the 1985 Romantic Times Award for Best Historical Fiction.

  6. Gallant Bride

  "Such a splendid book!"—a reader in Ontario, Canada

  7. Shadow Bride

  More of Blythe Dorman's story (many readers' favorite Jane Peart heroine) and her struggle to find lasting happiness.

  8. Destiny's Bride

  Druscilla Montrose finds love unexpectedly among the sun-drenched hills of nineteenth-century Italy.

  9. Jubilee Bride

  A Cameron and Montrose family reunion amid all the splendor and romance of Victorian England.

  10. Mirror Bride

  Twins—alike yet not alike—search for their hearts' desires.

  11. Hero's Bride

  A story of epic faith and endurance during World War I.

  12. Senator's Bride

  Love, politics, loyalty, and abiding faith in the restless era "between-the- wars." (Due spring 1994.)

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Jane Peart, award-winning novelist and short story writer, grew up in Asheville, North Carolina, and was educated in New England. Although she now lives in northern California, her heart has remained in her native South—its people, its history, and its traditions. With more than twenty-five novels and 250 short stories to her credit, Jane likes to emphasize in her writing the timeless and recurring themes of family, traditional values, and a sense of place.