Chapter 17
Richard returned to Paris to discover Meredith had taken his advice and decided to take a vacation. “How much do they know?” He asked his mother.
“I told them everything; including Henry having the marriage annulled, forcing us to live in the country.” “Do they know anything about Natalie?” he questioned.
“They know the Guild is trying to convict her in that boy’s death and you have taken the precautions to hide her. How did your meeting work out by the way? Please tell me she’s safe,” Meredith pleaded.
“I told you I would handle everything. She’s completely safe; but unfortunately, you won’t be able to recognize her. Her appearance has been altered. Mahlyssa did a remarkable job. I could barely recognize her myself,” Richard laughed.
“What do we do now?”
“You’ll do nothing but relax and enjoy your vacation. I can only stay here for a day and then I need to return to Utopia.” Seeing the concern on his mothers’ face he added, “Everything is going according to plan save a few minor setbacks.”
“The Guild is planning to hold the hearing in a week. Will you be ready by then?”
“I’ll be ready. I need to get some rest and then I must leave youagain. I’ll be in touch as soon as I can.”
As he started up the stairs, he asked Desiree to join him. He missed her terribly these last few days and he was looking forward to spending some time alone with her. As they left the room together, no one said anything. They were aware of their relationship. Meredith would speak to Richard about having Caspian declared legally dead.
Aura and the rest of the party returned home later in the afternoon. Joshua was right; some of the girls knew where to go. They all had a great time shopping and Aura promised she would invite the entire group to the valley soon. When they walked in the house, she was surprised to find Aidan waiting. Aura knew he wanted to speak to her, but he would have to wait. He certainly wasn’t in any hurry last night and she thought she would return the favor.
The girls were tired from shopping all day, so they decided on pizza for dinner. They could tell Aura was still upset with Aidan, but no one dared mention it; not even Rita. Will asked Rita to take a walk with him and she reluctantly agreed.
“Do you want us to join you?” Joshua asked. “Not this time. I’m sure Jessica would prefer you stay here and help Aura set up for dinner,” Will replied.
“It’s only pizza. How much setup do we need?” Jessica laughed. But when she saw Will’s face she knew he wanted to be alone with Rita.
Will helped Rita put her coat on and walked with her towards the park. It was cold outside, but not brittle. She remained quiet the entire time they were together today. Will had to explain his behavior if he had any hope of Rita forgiving him.
“I wanted to apologize to you. I had no right to be so angry,” Will said.
“There’s no need to apologize. I understand completely,” Rita said.
“You don’t understand at all. You didn’t know my family. They were good honest people and they suffered a fate they didn’t deserve. I know it was those creatures that killed them. I would’ve been home too, but Joshua and I were out with Natalie and Renatta when the attack happened.
“You used to date Natalie?”
“No, of course not, but Meredith insisted we spend time together, because Renatta was going to marry Richard. I had a fight with my brother earlier in the day and I was still angry when I left. I never had the chance to tell him I was sorry.”
“What did you fight about?”
“Natalie. Arian thought Meredith was trying to force me into a relationship with her and my brother warned me to stay away. Meredith was trying to secure her future because my family was worth a substantial amount of money. I told Arian he had nothing to worry about, but he didn’t believe me. I lost my temper and walked out of the house, slamming the door behind me.”
“ It was the last time I saw him. My parents were so mangled when we found them, I could barely identify them. I looked everywhere for my brother, but he was gone. I was scared when I found out you and Jessica went after those creatures by yourself.”
“Jess and I can call for angel -fire. It doesn’t mean you’re not a powerful angelblood. If you had access to our weapons, you would have done the same thing. We were thinking about you and Joshua when we went after them,” she said. “After I saw the vision showing us where they were, we had to go after them. I knew my grandfather’s shield would protect us.”
“I wasn’t thinking about that. I’ve lost everyone I cared about in this life except Joshua and I didn’t want to lose you too. I love you Rita.” He chuckled.“I guess I’ve loved you since the first day we met.”
She smiled.“I think I love you too.”
“You think?” Will laughed. “What’s not to love?” He took his hands and wrapped them around her face. As he pulled her closer he looked deep into her eyes before kissing her. It was a gentle kiss, but a memorable one, because it was Rita’s first kiss.
She smiled as he took her hand. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but I can’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. Would you mind if I put a ring on your finger, to show you how committed I am to you?”
Rita held both her hands out and laughed.“I won’t stop you if your mind is made up.”
“Did you see the creatures on your own or was Aura sending you one of her visions?”
“At first I thought it was Aura, but then I was able to show Jess. We knew the rings would help, but the vision was so clear,eventually we decided it was mine.”
“So you’re a seer too,” Will laughed. “Your gift could come in handy; especially in a fight.”
“I have to admit I never believed I had the sight. I’ll never be like Aura, but Jess thinks the power will become stronger each time I use it.”
“I’m glad you have so many gifts. No one is more deserving than you. I’m afraid I don’t have any gifts of value,” Will laughed.
“You have me,” Rita assured him.
He kissed her again. “I hope this gift lasts forever.” “I’m sure of it,” Rita smiled.
“What are we doing hanging around out here? It’s freezing.” Will wrapped his arms around her.
When Rita looked up at the tree she saw a change. “Look Will,” she pointed to one of the branches. It was her name andentwined around it was Will’s name. If the tree joined them together, Rita knew it would last forever. They stood there staring at the tree for a few minutes before walking back to the house.
“I need to speak to your parents when we get back,” Will said.
“Are you afraid?” “Not at all; I’m looking forward to it.” “I knew you were a brave man.”
When Rita and Will returned to the house he asked hers parentsif he could speak to them privately. “We can go into the library,” Eve smiled.
“Do you want me to go with you?” Rita asked. “I can handle this.”
As they entered the library, Paul asked Will to sit down. “No thanks, I think I’ll stand.”
“What’s this about Will?”
“I’d like to marry your daughter.”
“Which one?” Paul asked.
Will had a look of confusion on his face until Eve said, “He’s teasing you.”
Paul smiled. “Is Rita accepting of your offer?” “She said she would accept my ring.”
“I know a wonderful jeweler,” Eve said.
“Actually, I was planning to give her my mother’s ring.”
“I think that would be lovely.” “Have you given any thought to the date?” Paul asked.
“I know that Jasmine and Tristan are getting married on New Year’s Eve. I thought we could get married on the sixth of January. It’s my mother’s birthday. If that’s alright with you,” he added. “I know it’s only nine days away, but with everything else happening, I don’t want to wait.”
“ Nine daysis more than enough time. I’m sure you’ll have a beautiful
wedding,” Eve said, as she wrapped her arm through Will’s.
“I guess we should tell everyone else.”
“I’m sure they’ll all be happy for you,” Paul assured him.
As they left the library, Will went up to his room to get Rita’s ring. He hoped she would like it. It was a beautiful platinum ring with a large heart shaped diamond in its center. His father had the ring made for his mother. It was found on her hand when she died.
Arthur removed the ring and gave it to Will. “I know your mother would want you to have this.” Will accepted the ring graciously. He didn’t know if Arian would have wanted it, but at the time he wasn’t even sure his brother was alive.
When Will returned, he asked Rita to sit down. Bren and Alannah saw the conversation he had with her parents and informed Tracy. Will got down on one knee. He held her hand.“I never dreamed I would find someone as beautiful or as wonderful as you. I couldn’t imagine spending my life with anyone else. You are the light that lives inside me; each day growing brighter. Rita Quinn Allheart would you please do me the honor of becoming my wife?”
A smile crossed Rita’s face.“Nothing would give me greater pleasure.”
Will reached into his pocket and pulled out the ring, placing it on her left hand. “This belonged to my mother. She was a kind and beautiful lady and I know she would want me to give it to you.” Rita stared at the ring for a second and they could see the tears falling gently down her cheeks. She was too overwhelmed to speak.
“If you don’t like it, I can get you another ring.” “No - it’s perfect,” Rita said between sobs. “I wouldn’t want any ring but this one.” She then leaned forward and gave Will a soft kiss that made the entire room applaud.
“Have you set a date?” Jessica asked. “We were thinking about the sixth of January if that’s Ok.”
“That’s only nine days.That’ll work,” Bren said. “We don’t want him to change his mind.” Everyone laughed, including Rita.
“We have to find a new dress. I think we should go shopping in New York again. What colors are you using?” Bren asked. “We can have a party to celebrate after church tomorrow.
She looked at Aura. “You can put something together by then; you’ll have more than a week.” Bren then took Alannah and Tracy to gather some magazines so they could choose their dresses.
“She should wear som ething with green in it to match her eyes,” Alannah said. They quickly turned the pages looking for a white wedding dress with green trim. When they were sure they found the perfect dress they showed it to Rita and Jessica. Bren winked at Alannah. Theydidn’t say anything, but the girls knew Joshua would be proposing to Jessica today too.
“I want to say thank you; to all of you. When I lost my family a couple of months ago, I thought I would only have Joshua to help me get over my loss. I was so wrong. I have come to regard each of you as family and I’m more grateful for that then anything else. I hope I won’t disappoint any of you,” Will said genuinely.
“There’s little chance of that happening,” Eve assured him.
“Welcome to the family,” Papa said, vigorously shaking Will’s hand.
Jessica ran over to look at Rita’s ring. She couldn’t help feeling a little jealous, but she was ecstatic at the same time. Joshua had a grin from ear to ear.“I’m your best man right?”
“You’ll always be my best man.”
“Excuse me for a minute.” own room. He bought the ring couldn’t find the courage to ask her. After Ella and Jasper’s death, he wasn’t sure it was the right time to ask her to marry him. But since Will asked Rita, he knew the timing couldn’t be better.
Joshua left to go to his before Christmas, but
When he returned, he asked Jessica to take a seat. Like Will, he got down on one knee. “I want you to know, I’ve been holding on to this for a while now. “Jessica Dunn, I swear no one will ever love you more than I do. He placed the ring on her left hand.“Will you marry me?”
Jessica was overwhelmed with joy. She looked at Joshua and whispered, “I’d love to be your wife.” Like Rita she had tears falling down her cheeks. “Do you think we could get married onthe same day as Will and Rita?”
“I was hoping you would say that,” Joshua smiled.
“We’re saving you all kinds of money Papa,” Bren said. “We’re having a two for one special,” she giggled. The rest of the family joined her.
“Does that mean we get to shop for two dresses?” Alannah asked.
Aura smiled at her daughter.“Of course we can.” “What color do you want to wear Jessica?” Tracy asked.
“It has to be something that goes with green,” Bren insisted.
Rita and Jessica both started laughing. “We won’t have to do any of the planning.”
“ Bluegoes with green,” Alannah said. “You’re right,” Bren said. The girls started sifting through the books trying to find a white dress with blue trim. Aura was sure they would be occupied for hours.
Jessica’s ring was almost identical to the ring Will gave Rita.“Where did you find it?” she asked Joshua. He looked at Eve who was smiling.“I had a little help.”
Eve and Angie took the other wives into the dining room to discuss the wedding plans. They had already made plans for Tristan and Jasmines wedding. Now they would have two more receptions to plan in less than nine days.
Though Aura was still upset with Aidan, she didn’t want anything to dampen the mood, so she agreed to speak with him privately in the library.
“Aura I am sorrier than you know for not returning home last night. You misunderstand my intentions.
“I doubt I misunderstood anything Aidan. You’re my guardian. I expect nothing more. I appreciate honesty over anything else.”
“But you’re angry with me. I thought you would understand how important friendship is.”
“Why do you feel like you owe me an explanation? I suspected when you left yesterday morning you would be searching for Jeziel. You haven’t been right since the fire.”
“Jeziel and I have k nown each other a long time. After the Great War, many were distrustful of her. She was only a child, no older than Willow. I befriended her so she would never feel alone. Would you not do the same for your friends?”
“Of course I would, but there is a vast difference between my friends and yours. I sympathize with her; I do. But I can’t fathom why she wouldn’t meet with the Council and put this whole matter to rest if she were innocent.”
“She’s frightened and fears retribution from the Guild. Leaving your charge is a serious offense.”
“I understand what you’re saying, but that’s all the more reason she should tell her side of the story. She’s had ample opportunity to come to us for help. You’ve been here for over a month; perhaps you share the samedistrust.”
“Nothing could be further from the truth. I regard all of you as family.”
“I know a great many truths, but Jeziel is a mystery to me. I don’t know her as you do, but surely she should trust my father. They share the same blood. You say that she was afraid of retribution from the Guild. If she was trying to discourage Samhael from contacting her, why didn’t she tell them about his visits? I know of three separate occasions when she was in his company.”
“I can’t explain why she didn’t tell your father about meeting with Samhael. Perhaps it was the same reason that she feared she was in trouble for not being there when the fire started. Shouldn’t she be given the same opportunity as the others you welcome to your home?”
“When have I not tre ated her with respect? Did I not try to include her in all the family’s celebrations? Perhaps you should remember it was she who shunned us after getting close to Natalie. That was her decision, not ours,” Aura was starting to feel the heat rising in her cheeks.
“Rita showed her very little courtesy.”
“Rita had great reason not to trust her. I doubt she gave any of us a chance. Did you not see the changes in her after she befriende
d Natalie? They say blood calls to blood; perhaps it is Lucifer’s blood that calls to her.”
“That’s unfair Aura. She hasn’t done anything wrong.”
“She left Elijah alone to die. What excuse did she give you for that?”
“The house was already engulfed in flames when she arrived. It would have been futile to rescue him at that point.”
“According to Jayden; Natalie and Jeziel went to Elijah’s home together. If the house was already burning, why didn’t Jayden see it?”
“She has sworn to me she did not kill Elijah and his sister; nor did she start the fire.”
“I’m sure you and J eziel have enjoyed a close relationship. That’s none of my business. My main concern now is the safety of my family, especially Alannah.”
“Do you think I care nothing for them?”
“I think you care enough about Jeziel that you were unavailable yesterday. You should concentrate on your friends well being.” She looked down at the ring on her hand and thought about removing it. “Perhaps you’re guarding the wrong girl. I can speak to my father and ask to release you from your contract.”
“Contract, is that what I am to you?”
“You are my guardian. I didn’t ask for you and I don’t need you.”
Aidan was stunned. “Jealousy doesn’t suit you Aura.”
“Jealousy - do you honestlybelieve I’m jealous of Jeziel?”
“I said I was sorry, what more do you expect of me?”
“ I expect nothing of you. I have learned if you expect nothing; you won’t be disappointed when you get nothing. You should consider there is a little girl whose sun rises and sets on you. Perhaps you might consider her feelings. She waited for you and you never came! This wasn’t the first time.”
Aura continued her rant. “I don’t give a damn about your relationship with Jeziel, but I won’t let you hurt Alannah. She’s been hurt enough already. I wasn’t going to tell you this before I met with the Guild, but you have a right to know. Since you were so concerned that Jeziel was in the house, I have identified the fourthlight.”
Fall from Grace (Book 2: An Angelblood Novel) Page 12