Love's Battle (True Blue Trilogy)

by Angela Hayes

  Beginnings

  Throughout the years our mother would come to find a small measure of peace as day by day she began to see the young warrior king in our matching faces.

  We had each been given our father’s raven hair, marred only by a slash of white along our forelocks where Avelbane had run her silver comb across Riona’s belly. It was a small reminder of the magic that blessed us with an unusual gift. Our delicate cheek bones spoke volumes of the royal blood running through our veins.

  From Riona we looked out on the world with her purple eyes, our bodies growing slim and straight as we aged. It was a wonderful combination of the two people whose love had created us.

  At Riona’s side we learned of our heritage, of the gift that we had been given, and what the future held for us. We learned the art of healing and were taught the gift of music.

  Now as we stand at the foot of a statue marking the resting place of our first bodies we recite a Gaelic prayer; exalting the lives that have passed and asking for blessings in those still to come. Turning the lock of the now hollowed box we return a piece of history back to its resting place to await our second pilgrimage. Shovel by shovel we rebury our secrets; our clandestine journey hidden from the world.

  We will return again as the end of this life draws near, the strongboxes tucked under our arms full of new additions from this life.

  I’ve been known through the centuries by many names- Gra, Caresse, Zofia, Liubov, Minna. In this life I’m known as Love Howard and this is the story of my battle for true love.

  “It is difficult to know at what moment love begins;

  It is less difficult to know when it has begun.”

  ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

  Chapter 1

  Here Comes the Bride

  Love

  I was going to be late - I just knew it, and for a day that needed to run like clockwork, everything was going wrong!

  First thing this morning my elderly neighbor, Mrs. Perceval had knocked on my door asking for help in the search for her lost teeth. A common enough occurrence, it seemed the woman lost her false teeth at least twice a week; more as an excuse to have someone to visit with than anything. Helping her is something I am more than willing to do, just not today when there is so much that needs to be done.

  Shimming into my dress and shoes I dashed out the door, barely remembering to grab my briefcase before the door locked behind me.

  Climbing into my car I made a mental note to take Mrs. Perceval to lunch sometime during the week. She would really enjoy the new tea shop that had opened down the street. Making it a girl’s day sounded good.

  Following a frenzied drive, in which I barely made it to work on time, the day had been progressing fairly well until it hit a brick wall. In my rush I’d forgotten to bring the extra change of clothes I would need for the wedding I was set to make an appearance at this evening.

  Unfortunately that left me spending my lunch break shopping for a new outfit instead of eating. Really, who can complain about shopping? I was just sorry I hadn’t thought to grab a hot dog or a pretzel somewhere along the way.

  Wardrobe malfunction taken care of everything seemed to be falling back into place. Thinking the worst was over I was ready to breathe a deep sigh of relief, until I was caught in the midst of a small traffic jam due to a minor fender bender on BLW-I695 where I sat for no less than thirty minutes due to onlookers delay!

  Irritated, my premature sigh turned into a frustrated growl. How anyone could find interest in a smashed hunk of metal absent of bloodshed was beyond me. Didn’t these drivers know people had places to go and other people to see? Obviously not.

  And last but not least, for we all know disasters don’t just happen in three’s, it’s a whole cluster fuzz that hits all at once, there was the issue of the flat tire…the one I’m currently looking at on my red Alfa Romeo 8C Spider, halting any progress I might have made less than five miles from the church.

  Italian sports care are not supposed to get flat tires!

  I might look calm on the outside, but inside I’m fuming; my temper no match for the heat wave currently attacking Ellicott City and the neighboring municipalities in the state of Maryland.

  The rare humidity had my new dress clinging to my body in an uncomfortable fashion, making me glad I had the fore thought to carry an extra supply of deodorant in my purse for those times when a girl felt just a little funky.

  Under the boiling rays of the summer sun I looked down at the shredded mass of rubber, beginning to feel just as deflated and lifeless. Mentally cursing my luck, I pondered the sanity of the person who had decide to get married in the month of August and on a Friday evening during the height of rush hour traffic. No good could come of it.

  The events of the day slowly taking its toll, I stomped my new beaded sandals on the burning asphalt.

  Looking to the heavens I begged for just a little bit of help. “Look, I’m trying to do what you want me to do,” I seethed, hungry and sweaty. “It wouldn’t hurt to give me a little bit of a break!”

  When no resounding answer was forth coming I stomped my foot once again and resigned myself to changing the massacred tire. It would ruin my pretty turquoise maxi dress with its matching chunky coral necklace and earrings. But, I reminded myself, true love was more important than grease and oil stains any day.

  Fuming with indignation I stalked to my trunk. “Do it myself. See if I don’t.” I mumbled, rather put out, until as luck would have it, just when I was pulling the jack from its depths, a white knight came to my rescue.

  He wasn’t exactly riding a horse or even driving a Ford Mustang for that matter, but Everett Smith in his sporty Escalade was a godsend.

  Whispering my never ending thanks to the Man upstairs I closed my trunk, beaming a smile at the man leaning out of the driver’s side window.

  “Looks like you could use a lift.”

  “Do you mind?”

  “No, get in.”

  Before locking my car up tight I quickly grabbed my purse. It wouldn’t do to forget that. As the day was progressing, I would more than likely be in major need of some bail money within the next hour or so.

  “Oh, you’re a life saver Everett.” I sighed, the blast of cold air from the Escalade’s air conditioner making my eyes cross with relief.

  Warning Everett that he might not want to look, I unabashedly held my sweaty pits toward the cool air. Moment of brief serenity over I strapped myself in, fumbling through my clutch for my cell phone to call my sisters. I was in need of reinforcement. Rescue now, Triple A later.

  Hope was certainly closer but she was such a stick in the mud that I could guarantee I’d hear a lecture or something, which was far from what I needed at the moment. What I needed was a partner in crime and Hope was not in contention for that title. You know the old saying, ‘When life give you lemons…” Oh well no time to get into that now. Let’s suffice it to say that Hope did not have anything refreshing to drink at the moment.

  So Faith it was. Dialing her number I gritted my teeth together in frustration as I was forwarded straight to her voice mail.

  “Hey, had a little car trouble. Call me ASAP.”

  Closing the flip top I resisted the urge to stomp my foot again. I couldn’t pull this off without her help. Reopening the phone I placed a quick call, helpful but not so helpful in my case, to Triple A where an agent assured me my tire would be replaced within the hour.

  Doing my best to act casual I eyed the handsome Everett. Well dressed in a smartly cut but somber charcoal gray suit with white pinstripes, he was bathed in a familiar powder blue light.

  As I watched my knight I thought of the best way to approach the situation. I know this would be wedding day was anything but happy for him.

  “You know I almost didn’t come.” Everett confessed with a smile that didn’t quite reach his cheerless eyes. “I changed my mind at least a hundred times on the way here. I just couldn’t seem to turn back.”

  Thi
s was exactly the opening I was looking for. Maybe my day was starting to look up after all.

  “I sure am glad you didn‘t.” I smiled. “Hey, did you know that almost eight hundred years ago today, King John of England kidnapped Isabella d’Angouleme on the eve of her wedding to Hugh le Brun, Count of Lusignan?”

  “You’re the history buff, not me.”

  Casually I watched as Everett’s fingers took a death grip on the steering wheel. “The bride was reported to be a Middle Ages beauty that rivaled even that of Helen of Troy.”

  “Interesting.”

  I raised an eyebrow, unimpressed by Everett’s one word answer and overall lack of encouragement for the current conversation at hand.

  “Yep. They were married until John’s death sixteen years later and had five children.” I didn’t see any reason to add in that in the years following John’s death

  Isabella had married the son off her cast of fiancé, Hugh the tenth. Or that their union produced an additional nine children!

  Such pesky little details had no need to be mentioned. It was the kidnapping part I wanted Everett to concentrate on.

  “John loved Isabella greatly. So much so that he risked losing all of the French land England had acquired over the years and an ensuing war when he took her as his bride. A hefty price to be paid for true love.”

  “Is it that obvious?” Everett asked, his voice full of self depreciating laughter.

  “That you’re in love with the bride? For me, yes. For others, no.” Knowing time was of the essence I reached across the seat to lay a comforting hand on Everett’s shoulder, resisting the urge to slap the back of his head as his need for confession wasn’t quite over.

  “I’ve loved Melanie DeAngelo for years. We met in college, but she’s always been with Stephen. So I settled for being what I could to stay close to her. I settled for being her friend when all I want is to be more than that.”

  “It wasn’t right until now,” I placated, giving him a hurried pat of support and another smile as we turned to join the line of cars being directed to the next available parking spot.

  As the church came into view so did the product of a guest list that I was only just now beginning to fully consider. Yikes! Hope certainly was not going to be happy when word got back to her about this- and word would certainly get back to her.

  Oh, she’d gripe on and on about how image is everything and how her lively hood depended on word of mouth and discretion. But then again, Hope hadn’t been in a good mood for the past three hundred years, so what did I care?! I was here to do a job and do it well. Bad news can be just as helpful as good, right?! I just hoped no one I knew would be in attendance. Talk about awkward!

  “How could you tell?” Everett asked, his question interrupting my pondering about what an incredible fool I was going to be making out of myself. “I mean, if others don’t see it, how can you? I work hard to hide it. Especially from Melanie.”

  “It’s a gift.” I shrugged as we pulled it to slot next to a Beamer. “Do you remember senior prom when I dared Thomas Daniels to dance with Kelly Benson?”

  “The quarterback and the debate club geek.” Everett chuckled. The trip back in time had him reverting into the snob mode he’d long since out grown. “That was priceless.”

  “Hey!” I punched him in the arm, Kelly was a friend and I took exception to the flashback bring out bad behavior I know Everett has since corrected.

  “Oww! Sorry.”

  “The quarterback and the debate club geek as you so eloquently put it have been happily married for the past seven years; since the week after graduation. They have a set of twins that’ll be five in a few months.” This is where pride filled my voice. “The debate club geek is now a small town lawyer and Mr. Quarterback is running plays as Mr. Mom. They’re loving every minute of it.” Unbuckling my seat belt I stepped out. Before I closed the door, I leaned back in.

  Well and truly chastised, Everett’s head hung in shame, but I was having none of it. “Like I said, I’ve got a gift Everett. One that allows me to see true love. And I can tell you with certainty that Melanie is not supposed to marry Stephen today or any other day for that matter. You are!”

  When Everett’s eyes met mine, they were brimming with renewed optimism. Before I shut the door I only had one more thing to say. “So I tell you exactly what I told Thomas Daniels years ago.” I enunciated each word clearly so there would be no doubt in what I was saying. “Double dog dare ya!”

  Scrambling out of his seat Everett hurried to catch up with me as I strode resolutely toward the church.

  “Dare me? You dare me to stop the wedding and ruin what is supposed to be the best day of Melanie’s life!” He thundered, his hand wrapping around my arm, pulling me to a stop.

  “No,” I assured him, patting his cheek. “I’ll do that silly. I dare you to take the step that will make your world complete. To ignore the past and accept what the future has in store for you.”

  “She doesn’t even… she doesn’t love me.” Everett confessed, his hand falling from my arm, his small measure of hope draining away.

  “Sure she does. She just doesn’t know it yet. You’re a smart man Everett, you’ll find a way.”

  “You’re crazy.”

  I shrugged, continuing on my way. “So I’ve been told.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I can’t tell you.” I smothered a giggle, Everett’s expression priceless. “Look. Don’t you want to be able to tell Melanie honestly that you didn’t know what was going to happen?”

  “Well, yeah. But…”

  “Problem solved. Okay. So don’t worry about it. All you need to do is go in there, sit on her side of the church where she can see you and not give up. It’ll be touch and go for the next few weeks. I’m not going to lie Melanie’s going to feel like her world is falling apart and it will be. But for the better. You are going to be the one to put it back together my friend, and make it more than she could have dreamed of. You’re a great guy Everett, one who deserves true love.” I reached up to brush a speck of lint from his collar and patted his cheek again.

  “You and your sisters have always been strange, but this…”

  I cut Everett off, needing to get him away from me. The man obviously didn‘t understand guilt by association. “Smith, I’m going to take that as a compliment. Now get your butt in there and act like you have no clue who I am. Just don’t forget to name your first kid after me.”

  With that last bit of advice I stepped into the cool air of the church. Giving Everett one last smile of encouragement, I turned my back on him.

  Losing myself in the crowd, and boy was it a big one, I found an empty corner. Fishing my cell phone from my purse I called Faith again.

  “Hello.”

  “Oh thank God. Look, my car blew a tire and I need a ride, really, really bad.”

  “Where are you?”

  On the other end of the phone I winced, bracing myself for a coming blow, “St. Agnes.”

  “Payment?” Faith asked without preamble. It was a harmless game we’d come up with a few thousand years ago when one of us needed a favor from the other.

  “Um,” I thought fast. “Ah ha. Half a dozen skeins of yarn, whenever and whatever color you want from that craft store you like so well. The expensive stuff.”

  Silence.

  “Make it the half dozen and you help me raid an attic in the next few weeks and you’ve got a deal.”

  “Done.” I wasn’t stupid, at this point I’d agree to pretty much anything. Besides, I loved raiding attics. If Faith really want to stick it to me, she would’ve demanded a pair of shoes from my extensive collection.

  “Can you be here in ten?” I pleaded until Faith gave in. “Please, please, please.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Great thanks.”

  Call ended I pressed my now quiet cell phone to my ear, waylaying any chance of friendly conversation as I exited my corner, scouring th
e groom’s side for a seat.

  This task alone had my pulse jumping up a notch. For my plan to go off without a hitch, I needed to be near the back and have aisle access. If not, the chances of this getting out of hand were going to sky rocket. It was going to be tricky enough to pull off without the ensuing witch hunt. And a witch hunt, well, that’s one event I do not care to repeat.

  Chapter 2

  There Goes the Groom

  Danton

  I really, really. . . really didn’t want to be here.

  Here was standing at the front of the church as best man to my first cousin’s fiancée.

  I love Melanie as if she were my own sister, but this could be taking family loyalty too far. I don’t do weddings. Unfortunately for me - and the rest of male-kind- Melanie DeAngelo is cut from the same cloth as her aunt, my mother. A woman she’s not even biologically related too, yet seems to bare an uncanny resemblance in mental outlook to. Funny thing, now that I think about, every female in my family who is attached to the DeAngelo name some way shape or form thinks much along the same lines.

  Each one of them believes deeply in true love; in finding their prince no matter how many frogs they have to kiss. Problem is, like in my mother’s case, they must first marry their frog before determining that his amphibian tendencies are all too permanent. Trust me, that comes to a lot of weddings.

  From where I’m standing Melanie is only minutes away from beginning the same journey. Don’t get me wrong I like Stephen well enough. Having only meet the guy a handful of times, I have no real bar of judgment by with which to measure him, but he seems to have his head on his shoulders. It’s the whole binding yourself morally and physically to a human being of the opposite sex that I have a problem with. No one, in my opinion, should have that amount of control over another person. It never turns our well.