“I made it last week just for you. We picked up the material when we were shopping together. I felt sure you would remember it.”
Yes, I remember it well and your excitement at finding it, and you are wearing the necklace I gave to you. It goes perfectly with the dress. You were right. It is a very versatile piece of jewelry. I am so glad I chose it for you.”
They got in the car and drove on to the restaurant, ordered their meal, and enjoyed a drink of champagne while they were waiting. The first course was brought. As she moved her hand to reach for something, she saw the sparkle of her beautiful ring and held her hand up to look at it and smiled. He also smiled and squeezed her hand. The waiter arrived with the meal. It was delightfully arranged on the plates and looked far too good to disturb. But they ate it, then sat a while before they ate the dessert. It was a beautiful dessert and they served exquisite coffee to accompany it.
The view of the water was simply marvelous and by now it was getting a little dark which showed up the lights as they began to come on around the shoreline. It was a sight to behold, one of which they were sure they would never tire or ever forget. He had been here before but not under such ambiance and lovely enchantment.
After dinner and dessert were finished, they did some dancing. It was so romantic and the plans of the last few days made it all so incredibly enchanting.
As they danced cheek to cheek, they spoke of their love for one another in tender and passionate words. Her dress was sparkly and lovely. They danced for hours and at last went back to the hotel and planned for tomorrow and his jewelry showing. She was truly eager to see it and remembered the exquisite lines of her necklace and new ring.
Back at the hotel they said goodnight and kissed and held each other for some time. They wished each other a wonderfully good night and she went inside. He went up to his room.
She took a quick shower and put on her nightie to prepare for bed. She had bouquets of beautiful flowers she had received from Todd. They arrived while they were out today. She read the cards and smiled as she remembered the events of the past few days. She put some of the flowers in the bedroom so she could see them when she first awoke in the morning. Suddenly she realized that she could not take them home with her and decided to ask Todd where they could donate them for other’s enjoyment, maybe at a hospital or orphanage. She got into bed, stretched, put her hands up under her head and looked at the flowers. She'd had a galore of them in her lifetime from her own beautiful garden, but these had a special appeal and glow because of the occasion. That made them so much more beautiful than any she had ever seen before. It was like they were the first ones she had ever received. She drifted off to sleep and dreamed of being with Todd. She would have been reluctant to disturb it by waking except that she’d be with him for real again today.
She jumped out of bed and hurried to the shower to get ready for the day. She wore one of the pretty dresses she had made back home. It was a beautiful, delicate print which fit her like a glove. She just knew he would like it.
When he came to pick her up for breakfast, he told her, “I adore you in your new and pretty dress, precious, and how wonderfully well the necklace matches it.”
After breakfast they drove to the place of his jewelry showing. They had some time before the meeting so they walked around town to see some of the shops. She loved to look at the clothes to see what styles were in and see where her line needed to lead. She went by a window and saw some of her fashions in it. She was overwhelmed. This usually did not happen for they were in different areas.
“Look, Sweetheart, these look like my fashions. Can they be? How did they get here? This is so amazing to just happen upon something like this. How did they get here in this area?”
“Do you remember at our first meeting at your show when I ordered your fashions? I brought some of them here at one of my jewelry meetings. They were readily accepted and displayed, and they have gone very well. I wanted to surprise you by letting you see them for yourself.”
“That is great,” she exclaimed. “I will be getting checks in the mail from these when I get back. I am so happy that I have a wonderful and marketable talent and for all the joy and pleasure the whole process has brought to me and the joy it gives to others, most of all my chance to meet you on that fantastic trip in my most favorite city. I never even wildly imagined such a thing would ever happen, least of all there.” She smiled and he snuggled his arm around her.
They strolled on down the street and she saw something in another window across the street.
“May we cross over to the other side of the street? There are some of my prints in the window from my fabric patterns. How did they do this so quickly? I’m so happy to see it here.”
“So am I,” he replied, “but this is a surprise to me also because you had just brought that with you on this trip. I know how it pleases you and it makes me very happy. It really adds to our joy and ecstasy. You are surely the most versatile person I have ever met and I am very proud of you. I know you put a lot of work into these things, though to you it does not seem like work. After we are married you will, no doubt, continue to keep your own creative ideas flowing for the sheer joy and pleasure of its accomplishment. I cannot take that away from you, but I want to support and care for you, for I love you so very dearly and cannot do enough for you. I want to show you my love in every way I can possibly imagine and know it will grow as we spend our lives together as man and wife. It is inevitable.”
“Thank you for such deep and wonderful love. I also want to do all I can to make you happy and comfortable. No matter how much I do, it will never seem to be enough. I feel like I want to try to design my own wedding dress and do some of your things, which I feel the desire and capability to do, because it will make it all ours all the way.”
“I am not at all surprised to hear that. Please do whatever your heart desires. I will be very pleased with it. I am confident that you will be able to do a great job.” He then looked at his watch, “It is time to go to the show.”
So they turned around and strolled back to the car, then drove the few blocks to the building. He helped her out and they went inside to get set up for the jewelry show. He took his place behind one of the exhibits, ready to answer any questions or give advice as needed. She was so proud of him, how handsome he was in his perfect suit and one of her ties. She was so glad she had been able to add to his overall look.
She paraded past the exhibit which was just stunning. Jewelry buyers from all around the world were here to check it out and seemed to be very impressed with the selections.
He saw her looking at something and asked, “Do you see something you like?”
“I cannot take my eyes off that gloriously beautiful necklace and earring set. It will work for the wedding, and look at that ring, that is a perfect match to the one you gave to me,” and she pointed to the one on her finger.
He smiled, winked at her and said, “I am setting this aside for our wedding. I certainly did not plan for it to be in there. It’s also my design and goes with the one you have.” He took it out to put in his pocket. “I want this set to be one-of-a-kind and not to be owned by anyone but my beautiful princess bride. Here, you keep the necklace with you.”
He received many large orders and stacked them up in his briefcase. After the meeting was over, they went to dinner and he could see that she had enjoyed herself and was overwhelmed by all the beautiful jewelry that he had on display today.
She thought, “It is so good to see him at work, he looks so at ease.”
At dinner they talked of the days ahead knowing that it would soon be time to part again. They had one more day together before she’d leave. They tried to imagine being married and always together.
“We must plan on our shows, how many we will have and plan to wait on most until after the wedding,” he said to her. “We want to have plenty free time for our wedding and honeymoon so we can go wherever we want and stay as long as we wish.”
> She smiled and looked at him, “We will have to spend some time together to finalize plans and get everything together.”
“I know and I think we should do it at your home and set a date to do that. Now that we plan to wed, I can see no reason to delay it any longer than necessary. But there are a number of things to settle, dates, wedding plans, where to live, guest list, honeymoon plans, and plans for work in the future. Whatever we do will be for both of us. I know that any timely separation will be very painful, if not definitely impossible. In the future, maybe we can plan our trips so we can always be together. Oh, what a delight life is going to be.”
It was time once more for her to return to her hotel. She went in after the parting goodnight kiss and sat down to think for a while. There would be times she would need for her personal side of life, but they certainly could plan an area where they could work together. He would have to plan his work area with all its needs. They may have to decide to live in both places for a time, her home and his. She decided to go to bed and try to get to sleep.
CHAPTER 6
Tomorrow he arrived early to take her to see his home. She had never been there and he had not talked about it all that much. She was dressed and waiting when he arrived and they started on the trip. It was not too far. They drove halfway up a large hill through winding roads and he pulled into a large estate with a beautiful wrought-iron fence around it. It was not too close, but left lots of space around the house. The view of the whole valley was spectacular and a river wound around through it and behind a fairly large hill ahead. The gate had a large area in the center with his initial ‘N’ in it. She was impressed. The building was very large with a second story. Every window had a beautiful wrought-iron balcony which she loved. His brother designed them for him as a present when he bought the place.
As they drove to the front of the building, two large Great Danes bounded around the corner to meet him. It was obvious they knew his car and had missed him a great deal. Their names were Prince and Major. They were a gift from his sister, Dirje.
Jeremy, his butler, met them at the door. Triessa was delighted with his British accent; it had always been one of her favorites, the other being Irish. She was delighted to learn that his charming middle-aged cook, Marjolaine McDunphy, was Irish and straight from Dublin. She loved her accent. Triessa had Irish ancestors and loved Irish music and dancing. She met the housekeeper, Elana, who was French and found her delightful as well.
“You have a real international staff here, how remarkable and fantastic.”
“It is not all that unusual for this part of the world.”
His place was definitely planned by a masculine hand as hers was by a feminine one. It was still very pleasant and she did love it. In the back was a large lawn that led down into the slope of a hill. It was very well landscaped with beautiful trees full of gorgeous blossoms. In the center stood a huge fountain, and he told her it had colored lights which beamed up at night into the waterfall.
“I am eager to see it. Oh, what a truly enchanting place.”
He looked at her and smiled, “Would you like to spend the night here? When does your plane leave tomorrow?”
“It leaves at two o’clock in the afternoon.”
To which he replied, “Great, wait here and I will be right back.” He ran into the house and was gone for fifteen to twenty minutes, but she did not notice the time. She was so engrossed with looking around the place. It was so wonderful. He rushed back out, went to her side, picked her up and swung her around in a circle. “Guess what,” he exclaimed with great excitement. “I got two seats together on the plane and I will be flying back with you. We will spend some time making plans at your place. It may be the one place where we can find some peace and quiet to do it.”
Well, she was just overjoyed and held both his hands and jumped up and down with squeals of delight. “How wonderful of you to think of that. I could not bear the thought of leaving you again after coming up here. That surely makes things much easier.”
“Tonight I will pack and get ready,” he said gleefully. He, too, was thrilled at the thought that they didn’t have to part tomorrow. It seemed like such a hopeless and devastating thing to have to do. Especially under present circumstances. It would be pure torture.
Marjolaine called and told them lunch was ready and they decided to eat on the back patio, so they walked to the house and got seated for lunch. She brought out the first course for a start, went back and returned with wine and two gold-colored goblets.
“I designed these and had them done after I met you. I wanted them to be here when you came to see the place with me.”
She was stunned at the great beauty and detail and each one had their name on it and the date and place they had met, their beloved Monaco.
“You never cease to amaze me. What a delightful mind you have to think of so many nice things to do.”
After lunch they walked around the grounds some more and looked out over the hill. He told her, “I own a large area there and plan to see if I can have some grapevines planted on the slope. It will be a great area for them to grow and they will look so natural there.”
“What a wonderful idea,” she agreed, “Do you have a particular type in mind?”
“I am in a discussion on it now and it is down to a choice between two types. I just may decide to try them both. One can produce a white wine and the other a medium red.”
“That sounds delightful to me,” she exclaimed, “We can have both to use.”
“Then it is decided. I will call the gardeners tomorrow so they can get right on it while I am gone. Why hesitate?”
“Wonderful, how long will it take for them to grow?”
“They will be transplanted as full grown plants and bear some grapes the first year, but the harvest will be better the next year.”
“How wonderful things are working out so well,” she replied. “Life is truly splendid and beautiful.”
He took her inside to see the house. “We will dine inside this evening in the dining room,” he said as they passed through. “It is a delightful room, medium-size and pleasant. It gets lots of light in the day. The living room is right off the dining room and quite large. You might want to lighten it up some later on.” She smiled and thought that there was plenty of time to consider that. A large fireplace was on the side of the house that faced the back yard and looked down over the hill, their future vineyard.
His bedroom was on the ground floor and at the further end was a master bath. Everything had been done in masculine taste pleasing to him, not at all unlike what she would have imagined.
“Upstairs there are three bedrooms,” he told her, “and my workroom.” The stairs were wide and went up part way, had a level to the right, and more stairs going up to the landing at the top. First they looked at his workroom. It had tools she had never seen before and he began to explain them to her. “Though,” he said, “you may not fully grasp it until you can see them at work.” He had a large cupboard on one side of the room with a glass door. It held his gemstones from which he made his designs. What a fascinating world this place was. Life was taking on an unexpected fullness and richness that humbled them as they began to realize what their combined lives could entail. Right now everything was in a whirl and it would take some time to adjust to everything.
They quickly looked in at the bedrooms, and went downstairs for it was nearly time for dinner. She wished she had brought a change of clothes, but he told her she looked just fine.
“I will bring you a robe,” he said. “We will leave early tomorrow because you have some packing yet to do before we leave.”
They washed up and came back to the dining room just as Marjolaine was setting the table. Beside each plate stood the special gold goblets for their wine. As soon as they sat down, Marjolaine brought in the salad and some delightful Potato Leek Soup with Cheese. This was one of Triessa’s favorites which she had whenever she saw it on a menu. How could Marjolaine have
guessed it was her favorite? She hadn’t said anything to anyone about it. It had a special taste which she had not encountered previously and was delightful. It may have been the pure Irish influence. After these were eaten she brought the dinner, Venison with a special rich, dark gravy, vegetables, Broccoli Malange, Pommes Novelle, and Sauce. What a truly appetizing delight. They sat a few minutes before dessert, Bavarian Cream with Raspberries, served with a very special imported blend of coffee. The smell was heavenly and she quickly took a sip, closed her eyes and sighed deeply.
“Exquisite,” she proclaimed.
After dinner they sat before the fireplace. Though it was not cold, a fire was very pleasant, cheerful, delightful and romantic. He had some special wood that burned in several colors and was aromatic and purely delightful to watch. They sat on the sofa with her head on his shoulder, his arm around her shoulders, watching the fire for a while. There was no need to talk, their joy was fuller than they could ever have imagined could exist and words would just be a useless attempt to describe it at this point. It could only be felt between them and it surrounded them like a bow tying them together. It was a time to be quiet and absorb all the joy and the thrill of the moment while it was here. It was amazing how different everything became, what they had enjoyed before to a degree now seemed many times more wonderful as they planned to share it and put it to a different purpose. A whole new world had opened up before them and it had become almost too much to contain. They felt as if they should go to the top of the highest hill and expel some of it to the world with wild, ecstatic shouts so they could stay in control.
After some time in silence he asked, “Are you tired? Do you want to go to bed?”
She replied, “No I would like to wait a while if you don’t mind.”
“I agree. I am glad, for I want our evening to last longer. We still need to make plans for tomorrow regarding our departure. I will pack tonight and we can leave about nine o’clock in the morning after an early breakfast to go to your hotel so you can finish packing.”
Once Within A Lifetime Page 9