After hugging her mother, Alice came up the stairs. “Well, look at you, cousin,” Alice said. “Is there going to be a wedding?” Alice laughed at her own teasing, and Nelle was grateful that, despite everything, Alice hadn’t changed with her marriage.
“Shouldn’t you be hidden away in the bedroom?” Alice asked, her tone light. “You wouldn’t want the groom to see you.”
Nelle smiled, and they embraced. After Alice had been introduced to Pearl, the women all moved back into the bedroom.
“When Mother wrote me of your wedding, I just had to come,” Alice gushed, taking Nelle’s hands in hers. “I hope Mathew won’t mind. We were worried about the travel conditions, so we took the train and then hired a carriage.”
“We’re glad you’re here,” Nelle said, truly meaning it. She determined then that she wouldn’t worry about any awkwardness that might still exist between Mathew, Lucien, and Alice since they’d all be in the same room.
Alice released Nelle’s hands and looked over at her mother. “Mother, Lucien and I have been talking. We want you to come live with us in the city.”
Aunt Corinne gave a small gasp.
“I know you’ve always wanted to,” Alice continued, “and we thought if you sold your place, we could invest in a larger apartment, so we’d all have our own space. You’ll love Lucien’s friends. He meets the most interesting people, and we are forever hosting dinner parties.”
Aunt Corinne still didn’t speak. Alice only smiled and pulled out a letter from her purse. “Mathew told me of your concerns, I hope you don’t mind. Together, we came up with the perfect solution. It’s all in the letter Mathew wrote to me.”
Aunt Corinne didn’t move, didn’t speak.
“Well, what do you think, Mother?” Alice asked. “Will you come to New York City with Lucien and me?”
“I’d love to,” Aunt Corinne finally managed to say. As mother and daughter embraced, Nelle found herself carefully wiping away tears from her eyes. She looked over at Pearl and Mrs. Janson, who both had triumphant smiles on their faces.
Another knock sounded at the front door. Alice, Aunt Corinne, and Mrs. Janson bustled out of the room to make sure everything was ready downstairs.
“I’m glad we have a moment alone,” Pearl said. “I will need to leave right after the ceremony, but I wanted to say good-bye now.”
“Oh,” Nelle said. “Is everything all right?”
“Everything is wonderful,” Pearl said, her eyes glittering with tears. “But I will miss you.”
“Will you be able to return?” Nelle asked, her throat tightening into a lump.
“I don’t know,” Pearl said.
“You’re going to help another couple, aren’t you?” Nelle whispered.
Pearl nodded, a single tear falling onto her cheek.
Nelle pulled Pearl into an embrace. “You are the most kind and selfless person that I know,” Nelle said. “I will miss you dearly. Thank you for being my friend and for helping me to see the right path to follow.”
As Pearl drew away, Nelle saw a sad smile on her face.
“It has been a pleasure to become your friend,” Pearl said. “If you open your heart, you’ll always find happiness.”
“Yes,” Nelle agreed.
Pearl touched Nelle’s cheek. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
Nelle nodded, her heart feeling heavy as Pearl left the room. Today was a day of bittersweets. She could hear the murmuring of voices coming from downstairs, and then one of Mrs. Greenwood’s daughters started playing a soft piano melody as they had planned.
Nelle looked over at the clock. Everyone had been on time. Now they’re all waiting for me, Nelle thought as she took a deep breath and reached up to touch her veil. She had no pictures of her mother’s wedding day, but Nelle knew that, with the similarities between herself and her mother, Nelle was probably looking at a comparable visage.
“I miss you, Mother,” Nelle whispered. “And I miss you, Father.”
She turned, sensing someone in the room, but she did not see anyone. Her eyes smarted. Perhaps her parents were truly here. She heard footsteps in the corridor. Mathew walked past the room, pausing to lock gazes with her. He wore a dark, well-cut suit, and his hair was combed back, making his eyes seem even a darker gray than usual.
“Mathew,” she breathed. She was about to tell him that he wasn’t supposed to see her yet, but Nelle couldn’t move.
Mathew stepped inside the room, scanning her from head to toe. “You’re beautiful.”
He was beautiful, she thought. And he was hers.
Mathew ignored convention and crossed to her, taking her hand in his. He lifted it to his mouth and pressed a kiss onto her palm.
“Will you marry me?” he whispered, his eyes twinkling.
“I am wearing a wedding dress,” Nelle whispered back, trying not to laugh or swoon or both.
Mathew’s gaze scanned her again, and he leaned forward, kissing her lightly on the mouth. His touch felt barely there, but it sent warm tingles throughout her body. Then he kissed her again, deeper and with more warmth this time. His hands moved to her waist, and he pulled her close, kissing her a third time.
“Everyone’s here and waiting for us,” Nelle said in between his kisses. The music downstairs had changed now from a quiet melody to that of the bridal chorus. “I think that’s our notice.”
“They’re enjoying their conversations so much that a few more minutes of waiting won’t matter,” Mathew murmured against her ear.
Nelle slid her hands up his suit jacket and linked her hands behind his neck. “In that case, kiss me again, Mr. Janson.”
Mathew had no trouble obliging and kissed her deeply. And, indeed, a few more minutes had passed when he finally drew back. “Are you ready to become my wife—Mrs. Mathew Janson?”
“Nothing sounds more like music to my ears than the idea of taking your name.” Nelle smiled at him, trailing her fingers along his shoulder. She wished they could skip past the next few hours and have it just be the two of them alone together again.
“As long as you’re happy,” Mathew said. “That’s all I have ever wanted.”
“Then you have your wish,” Nelle said, lifting herself up and kissing him one final time before she became his wife, “because I’m definitely the most happy woman in the world.”
“Mmm,” Mathew murmured. “And I’m the most happy man in the world because my love is come to me.”
Dear Reader,
Thank you for reading Love is Come! This series has been in the works since 2014, and I hope you’ll enjoy all the other books in the Power of the Matchmaker Series. They all have the linking character, Miss Pearl, but they can be read in any order. If you haven’t read Pearl’s story yet, check out Power of the Matchmaker, the novella.
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Thanks for your support!
Heather
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About Heather B. Moore
Heather B. Moore is a USA Today bestselling author. She writes historical thrillers under the pen name H.B. Moore; her latest is Finding Sheba. Under the name Heather B. Moore, she writes romance and women’s fiction. She’s one of the coauthors of The Newport Ladies Book Club series. Other works include Heart of the Ocean, The Fortune Café, The Boardwalk Antiques Shop, the Aliso Creek series, and the Amazon bestselling series Timeless Romance Anthology. Heather also writes in the young adult genre under pen name Jane Redd, her first book is Solstice.
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.B. Moore
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Acknowledgments
When Rachael Anderson contacted me about a multi-author project in fall of 2014, I was really excited, to say the least! First, I knew that any project with Rachael would be fun and brilliant, and second, I loved her idea of having a matchmaker who can transcend time and bring together people meant to fall in love. Rachael, Karey White, and I met for lunch and brainstormed about the project. By the end of our meeting, we’d come up with a list of authors to invite, the series title, the character of the matchmaker (Miss Pearl), the cover image, and an assignment for me—to write Miss Pearl’s story as a novella. (Yikes!)
I’m grateful for all the talented authors who agreed to join us, and I’ve enjoyed working with all of them. A special thanks to Rachael and Karey, Kelly Oram, Julie Wright, Heidi Ashworth, Taylor Dean, Michele Paige Holmes, Janette Rallison, Regina Sirois, Sheralyn Pratt, and Jaima Fixsen. Thank you as well to Heather Justesen, who has formatted many books for me and is always willing to work with my deadlines. (She is also a great author.)
And thanks to my husband and children for their unending support. Behind every writer is a family who puts up with odd hours, random meals, and frequent bursts of gushing about books.
And, finally, many thanks to my readers. Because of you, I’m able to continue doing what I love.
Table of Contents
Other Books by Heather B. Moore
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Chapter Thirty
Chapter Thirty-One
Chapter Thirty-Two
Chapter Thirty-Three
Chapter Thirty-Four
Note to the Reader
Other Works by Heather B. Moore
About Heather B. Moore
Acknowledgments
Love is Come (Power of the Matchmaker) Page 21