Greg will be gone by the time we return! she exulted. The next time I see him will be in a court of law when I sue him for plagiarism. She felt a freedom she hadn’t thought possible.
She appeared in the lobby with her suitcase. There was a glow about her that had been missing for the past two years. She was looking forward to meeting Jay’s folks. She felt a slight pang of loneliness, thinking how nice it would be to have a family she could visit - to have a sense of belonging. She shook it off.
* * *
Jay was still trying to figure out what he termed Hildy’s sudden mood swings. “She’s holding something back,” he muttered. “Why doesn’t she trust me enough to confide in me? What is she concerned about? There’s nothing that could change my love for her. Nothing. Oh, well,” he mused, “it will be different when we’re married.”
Married? The thought took him by surprise. “Yes!” he declared out loud. “I want to marry her and spend the rest of my life with her!” This sudden realization hit him so hard it made his head spin, but he knew beyond a doubt that this was what he wanted. The very idea of their not being together forever was inconceivable.
* * *
When Jay joined Hildy in the lobby Jenny, Peter, and Zack were already in the restaurant waiting to have breakfast with them and wish them a bon voyage.
Greg was nowhere around.
“If you don’t mind, we’ll just drop you off at Orly Airport on our way to the studio,” Peter told them. “We need to get an early start, now that Hildy will be away for a couple of weeks.”
Traffic was light and the limousine arrived at the airport in plenty of time for the scheduled flight. After checking their luggage at curbside, Hildy and Jay said their goodbyes and the limo, with Peter, Jenny, and Zack on board, drove off to the studio to continue filming.
Hildy and Jay were comfortably seated in the First Class section of the plane as it lifted gently off the runway and headed for Scotland. The moment they took off, Hildy removed her glasses.
Jay stared at her. Her soft brown eyes stared back at him. How lovely she looked! “I’ve never seen you without your glasses. Do you have any other surprises for me?” he teased.
Hildy managed a smile before turning away to hide her misgivings. The longer this deception went on, the more guilty she felt.
The chauffeur was waiting when they arrived in Scotland. After picking up their luggage from the carousel they were whisked away to the family Castle. The air was cold, and they were glad for the warm coats they had brought.
Hildy was excited. Jay had told her about Courtney Castle that had been in his family for years, and she couldn’t wait to see it. After a forty-five minute drive through the lush countryside, the chauffeur stopped in front of a huge iron gate that bore a large plaque that read, “To Lord and Lady Stuart on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, a gift from the staff.”
The chauffeur pressed the remote button inside the limo, and the gate opened. They entered a long, winding driveway, with giant trees which provided a majestic archway overhead. The sound of a roaring brook rushing alongside the Castle was almost deafening. The water tumbled eagerly over the giant boulders on its way to the River Dee. A more delightful setting Hildy couldn’t possibly imagine as she realized that this was where Jay had spent his boyhood. How was he ever able to leave such a beautiful place? she marveled.
As they drove under the porte-cochere, the front door opened and a gray-haired gentleman dressed in kilts of the Stuart tartan came out to greet them. “Welcome! Welcome!” he exclaimed as he shook hands with Jay. He smiled at Hildy. “So,” he said, “this is the young lassie you’ve been telling us about.” He studied her for a moment. “My, she is a bonnie lassie!” he told Jay. “You certainly know how to pick them, my lad!”
He motioned them inside. While the chauffeur took care of their luggage, Jay’s father led them up the stairway which was covered with carpet of the Stuart tartan. The drapes bore the same design.
As they entered the drawing room, Hildy looked around. A fire leaped gaily in the fireplace. She had never seen a room quite like it. A large room whose ceiling was painted with scenes from centuries ago, in beautiful hues of blue, rose, and white. Much like a miniature Sistine Chapel, Hildy mused. It was furnished with a Victorian style decor, and gave Hildy the eerie feeling that she had stepped back into a former century.
“I know just the drink to warm you up,” Jay’s father told Hildy as soon as they were comfortably seated. “Have you ever had Scotch Malt?”
“I don’t think so,” Hildy replied.
“You don’t think so? You would know if you had!”
“Scotland is famous for it,” Jay explained. “Pure Scotch, not blended with anything as they do in the States. You’ll like it. It’s just the thing to take away the chill.”
While Jay’s father went to the mirrored table that housed the Scotch and the sherry, the door opened, and a beautiful, middle-aged woman walked in, a broad smile on her face, arms outstretched. As she moved, the delicate scent of exquisite perfume gently wafted its way across the room. “Jay!” she greeted her son.
Jay rose and enveloped his mother in a bear hug. Hildy saw her quietly hand Jay a tiny box. Without a word he quickly deposited it in his pocket and led his mother over to the sofa where Hildy was sitting.
Hildy rose to her feet when she saw them approaching.
“Mother,” Jay said, “this is Hildy Swenson.”
Hildy found herself looking into beautiful, loving, blue eyes that reminded her of her own mother, and she liked her immediately.
Jay’s mother shook her hand warmly. “My dear,” she said, “I’m so glad to meet you at last. Jay has told us so much about you. You’re every bit as lovely as he said.”
Hildy was at a loss for words. How gracious they are! She felt she was in the presence of nobility. Their titles were truly fitting. “Thank you!” she said when she finally found her voice. “You’re just as Jay described you, Mrs. Stuart - uh - or is it Lady Stuart?” she asked.
Jay’s mother laughed a delightful musical laugh that sounded almost like singing. “Oh, dear me, no, Hildy!” she replied. “Please call me Margaret. And that’s John,” she said, gesturing toward Jay’s father. “We’re delighted to have you visit us. Please, sit down and let’s get acquainted.” She gestured toward the sofa.
“Margaret,” Hildy said, once they were seated, “I had no idea that you and John were titled until I saw the inscription on the gate. Jay never told me.”
Margaret smiled. “We don’t make anything of it,” she said. “As Shakespeare so aptly put it, ‘What’s in a name?’ Or a title?”
“What does that make you?” Hildy asked, turning to Jay. “Are you a Lord, too?”
Jay shrugged. “I suppose I’ll inherit the title some day, but as Mother said, we don’t make anything of it. It’s really not that important.” He looked at her with a tender, but slightly mischievous gleam in his eye. “Who knows? Maybe some day you’ll have the title of Lady.”
Hildy was confused.
Jay sat down and put his arm around her. “Now that we’re all here together there’s something I’d like to say. Hildy, you may not think this is the time or the place to ask you, but I think it’s perfect.” He looked at his parents, who smiled encouragingly. He reached out and took Hildy’s hand in his. “Hildy Swenson,” he said, “I’ve been in love with you since I first saw you. Will you marry me?”
Hildy was stunned. At first she didn’t know what to say. She looked at Margaret and John who were beaming, then back at Jay. Tears came to her eyes and brimmed over, running down her cheeks. She brushed them away. “Yes! Of course I’ll marry you!”
Jay lifted her up from the sofa and swung her around the room. Hildy was so happy she thought she would burst. She loved Jay more than she ever dreamed she could love a man.
After her frightful experience with Greg she was positive she would never feel the deep love for a man that she now felt for Jay. But she was wrong. Jay wasn’t anything like Greg.
As soon as Jay stopped spinning her around and put her down she looked at his parents, her eyes twinkling. “I’m going to love being part of this family. I don’t have any family of my own left. No brothers - no sisters - and my parents died in an automobile accident a few years ago. I’ve been alone ever since.” Again her eyes filled with tears as it took her back to that awful day. She tossed her head, dismissing the hurt, and smiled.
Margaret rose quickly from her chair and embraced Hildy. “I never had a daughter,” she said, “and now I will!”
“Welcome to the family,” John said, holding out his arms. “This calls for a toast!” he declared. “Time for another Scotch!”
Jay stopped him with a gesture. “Dad, there’s something I’d like to take care of first.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out the blue, velvet box that his mother had slipped to him when she entered the room. He handed it to Hildy.
Hildy’s eyes widened with surprise as she took it from him.
“What is this?” she asked him.
“Open it,” Jay told her.
As she lifted the lid she gasped. Tucked inside the fold was an exquisite three-carat diamond surrounded by twenty small diamonds in a unique antique setting. Sitting beside it was a matching wedding band with diamonds in the same antique style. “Oh, Jay!” she exclaimed, “they’re beautiful! Where did you get these? And on such short notice?”
He smiled, pleased at her reaction. “I’m glad you like them,” he said. “Mother has been saving these for my future bride. I called her first thing this morning and asked her to have them ready when we arrived.” He took the engagement ring out of the fold. “Here,” he said, taking her hand in his, “let me put it on your finger.” It fit perfectly. “Honey,” he told her, “these rings belonged to Lady Elizabeth Stuart two hundred years ago. They’re priceless. They’ve been in the family all these years just waiting for a gem like you to come along and claim them.”
Hildy threw her arms around his neck and kissed him, her eyes glowing with happiness.
Jay shut the box with the matching wedding ring still in it and deposited it in his pocket. “I’ll give this to you later,” he told Hildy.
The rest of the afternoon was spent exploring the Castle. There were forty rooms, each one with its own fireplace. Hildy was awestruck as she turned to Jay’s parents. “When we’re married with our own home, you’ll have to come and visit us, but I’m afraid it won’t be as grand as this,” she apologized.
“Thank God!” said Margaret. “Do you have any idea what a burden this place is to maintain? It’s beautiful, and we love it, but I wouldn’t wish it on anyone - especially newlyweds.”
After spending a delightful evening getting better acquainted and enjoying a delicious dinner prepared by the staff and served in the ornate dining room, they retired for the night.
CHAPTER XXIV
Early the next morning, Jay surprised Hildy by taking her to the town of Forfar where the foremost expert on tartans, Allan MacPherson, a friend of the Stuarts, greeted them. As they walked into the store, Hildy saw row after row of tartans of every clan. They covered the shelves and the racks.
“Allan,” Jay said as he introduced her, “this is my brand new fiance, Hildy Swenson. I want you to measure her for a skirt to be made in the Stuart plaid.”
Hildy felt a warm glow. A sense of belonging took away any empty feeling she had had in the past. The Stuart family had pulled her into the fold.
Jay was also measured for a jacket in the same plaid as Hildy’s skirt.
“They’ll be ready for you tomorrow at noon,” Allan told them.
“That soon?” Jay was surprised and pleased. “Good! I have something in mind where we’ll want to wear them.”
Hildy was curious. “What’s going on in that head of yours?” she asked him.
“I’ll tell you later,” he teased. He took her by the arm and steered her toward the rack of clothes that stood in the middle of the room. “Here,” he said, “try this on. It’s just the thing to go with your new skirt.” He handed her a beautiful, pale gray, silk blouse and a navy blue jacket. He reached for a pair of men’s slacks in the same navy color. “And this with a white shirt will go with my jacket,” he told her.
After making their purchases, Jay took Hildy by the hand and led her out of the store. “Let’s go to the pub around the corner and get something to eat,” he suggested. “We can talk there. Have you ever eaten in a pub?”
“No,” she replied, “but I’ve always wanted to. I’ve heard so much about them, and the wonderful food they serve.”
It took only a couple of minutes to reach it - a typical English-Scottish pub, with pewter plates hanging on the walls and table cloths of tartan design. It smelled a bit musty due to the damp weather outside, but inside it was warm and cozy as Jay led Hildy to the sofa in front of the fireplace. The warmth of the crackling fire provided a perfect setting for what Jay was about to propose. After the waitress had taken their order he turned to Hildy.
“Honey, what do you think about getting married right away? The day we leave here to see the rest of Scotland? We could be married in the morning at the Castle in the garden by the brook. How about it? Why should we wait? Will you marry me day after tomorrow wearing our Stuart tartans?”
Panic overtook Hildy. It was the last thing in the world she had expected, and she didn’t know what to say. She had mixed emotions. She hadn’t figured out yet how and when she could marry Jay with all the complications involved. What name shall I use if we get married now? It has to be legal. But Swenson is my own name, she reasoned. And Hildy is my true nickname. The only thing that will be missing is my last name - Simone. But I can’t tell Jay who I really am! Not yet. It wouldn’t be safe. He would confront Greg, who would deny everything, and come after me. No, Hildy Swenson will have to do. These thoughts spun dizzily around in her head, like a top at high speed.
“Hildy? Hildy - where were you?” Jay’s voice cut through her perturbed thoughts.
Hildy came to with a start. “Oh! I - I was just thinking - what will the others say if we go back to Paris married? Won’t they feel left out?”
“We could get married all over again just for them. That’s not a problem.” He took her hand in his. “Honey, we’re here together in beautiful Scotland, and I’d like it to be as husband and wife. It could be our honeymoon.”
Hildy gazed at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of happiness and fear. How she longed to get married right away! And what a perfect place for a honeymoon! She threw all caution aside and smiled that wonderful, sparkling smile that he loved so much. “Yes!” she said. “I’ll marry you in the garden by the brook day after tomorrow.”
Jay took her in his arms and kissed her deeply, passionately, as they sat on the sofa by the roaring fire.
When they returned to Courtney Castle, Margaret and John were in for quite a surprise. Margaret started making plans right away for the wedding.
The next day, spent with Jay’s parents at Courtney Castle, sped by all too fast. Margaret completed her lovely but simple plans for the quiet ceremony to take place in the morning, just before Hildy and Jay were to depart for their honeymoon.
That night Margaret and John took them to a local show where the performers did the Highland Fling, a unique dance of Scotland done with swords. Singers were there to render some of the beautiful, nostalgic songs native to the area.
Hildy was enchanted, and new ideas for future musicals flowed into her consciousness.
Then came the highlight of the evening - the serving of the Haggis and Neeps! Parading down the aisles were the waiters and waitresses carrying the most famous dish in Scotland. Never in a
ll her life had Hildy tasted such delicious food!
She felt a deep sense of belonging - something she hadn’t felt in a long time. She glowed with a happiness that in the last two years she had thought she would never feel again.
She shivered, wondering how long it would last before Greg found a way to ruin it. She shook it off. Once Jay and I are married, and this film is finished, there’s no way Greg can interfere. He’ll be behind bars, and I’ll be safe.
CHAPTER XXV
The sun shone brightly on their wedding day. Margaret and John, as Maid of Honor and Best Man, stood proudly by Hildy’s and Jay’s side as they repeated their vows to the Vicar. And so, to the music of the bagpipes played by local musicians, Jay placed the matching wedding ring on Hildy’s finger next to the engagement ring as they were married in the garden beside the roaring brook. They were dressed in their brand new Stuart tartans.
The wedding feast was an elaborate Scottish breakfast, prepared meticulously by the staff, and served outside in typical European style. Tables were set up on the lawn beside the brook, and the staff joined them for the feast. The birds were singing merrily for this happy occasion. It was everything that Hildy and Jay had hoped for - a day filled with enchantment.
They left right after the wedding breakfast, anxious to be on their way. Jay wanted to show Hildy as much of Scotland as he could - the Highlands, the Lochs, the heather, and everything else that Scotland could brag about. And he couldn’t wait to hold her in his arms.
They planned to tour for the next week and a half, coming back to the Castle to return the car that John had lent Jay for the trip, and to say goodbye once more before flying back to Paris.
It had started to mist in the fast changing Scotland weather as Jay and Hildy climbed into the car and took off. “See you in ten days,” he told his parents.
La Fleur Rouge The Red Flower Page 13