In Love with a Stranger

by Rose von Barnsley

  "The pair of you are mad," Camille teased.

  I was surprised, when it was my mother who came to our defense. "Let them be, they're in love." Her approving smile was the best wedding gift she could’ve given me. I’d suspected my mother would eventually come around, and I was so glad she had.

  Chapter 17 – Doubts and Outs

  HANNAH

  I let Penelope pick which “crown” she wanted, and I figured we’d work around it. This was her wedding, too. Emmaline was looking at me strangely. I knew she didn’t trust me. She might’ve accepted me as part of her family, since I was her granddaughter’s mother, but I knew she still didn’t really believe I hadn’t taken the money.

  “How did you meet William?” Emmaline asked.

  “We were in a café in Carson City, Nevada. I was heading home from school.”

  “Oh, you lived in Carson City?”

  “No, I went to college there. I’d graduated a few…” I hadn’t realized it, but I’d never stopped to think about the time between my graduation and meeting William. Had it been a few days…a few weeks?

  “What is it?” Ophelia asked.

  “I just realized I’m still missing some time, but I don’t know how much.”

  “What do you mean?” Ophelia was getting worried.

  “I don’t know. I remember graduating and my dad taking pictures, and then I remember the café. Do you know how long that was?”

  “Brody, get in here! He can settle this for you. You said he was at school with you, too, right?”

  “Yeah, he’d know.” I was sure Brody would remember, at least the timespan.

  “What’s up?” Brody came in, and so did William.

  “What happened between graduation and me meeting William?”

  William pulled me into his arms, looking down at me worried. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I guess, but I just realized I’m still missing pieces. It’s probably no big deal. I remember the important parts.”

  “You were in Carson City for a little bit after graduation, just like me. Then you took off with this weirdo,” Brody teased.

  “So nothing happened?”

  “Nah, we packed up, sold some of our books at the used bookstore, and you donated some stuff, like…I don’t know. OH! Remember that lamp I had? You made me get rid of it. So cruel, but you were right, Lisa said she’d planned on accidentally on purpose breaking it. Other than that stuff, nothing really stands out in my mind.”

  “So, you helped her with her boxes and dropped her off at the café?” William asked.

  “No, I’d already left. I don’t know who she got to help her with her boxes, but it had to have been someone. One was heavy as hell, filled with books. I nearly gave myself a hernia with that one.”

  “I remember that box as well. Thankfully, I was better built back then. Lots of travel and visits to hotel gyms, when I had nothing to do, had kept me in shape. I was scared I’d drop the box, and she’d think me a wimp,” William laughed.

  “No, you were very impressive.” I squeezed William’s bicep, reassuring him. He pulled me into his arms, and we were back to kissing. I loved him so much. It was so hard not to kiss him. I never wanted to leave his embrace.

  “Not this again!” our daughter huffed.

  William, the amazing father he was, snatched her up and kissed her all over her face and tickled her.

  “Alright, back to work, people,” Camille ordered.

  I did go back to work, but then I wondered who’d moved the heavy box for me. I knew I’d remember in time.

  “Do you think we have everything covered?” I asked the ladies helping me.

  “We need centerpieces as well,” Camille insisted.

  I rolled my eyes, thinking Ophelia would have my back and tell her we didn’t need centerpieces for the two tables we’d have, if even that many. There’d only be ten of us. We could probably all fit at one long table. “Do we really need one?”

  “ONE?” Emmaline sounded shocked.

  “Counting you, there are only ten of us,” I explained.

  Emmaline’s disapproval was clear on her face. “You really are going about this in a…”

  “Mum,” Camille cut her off with a glare before she could finish. “Just pick out a centerpiece, and we’ll order two of them. We don’t know how large the tables are, so we may need the second one.”

  “Two should be good,” Ophelia agreed. “Make sure they’re low, though, so they don’t impede conversation.”

  “I like that one.” Penelope pointed to one that matched well enough with the other flowers. I quickly added them and sent her to get my purse to pay.

  I wondered what the real reason was for Emmaline joining us with the wedding planning. She hadn’t done much, other than smile at Penelope. I could only guess it was her way of spending more time with her granddaughter.

  “Are you going somewhere?” William asked, as he led Penelope in with my purse.

  “No, I was just ordering the flowers.”

  When I pulled out my credit card, he saw that it was my own, not his. His hand covered mine to stop me from using it. “I told you I’d pay for it. Where’s the card I gave you?”

  “You’re the groom. You’re not supposed to be paying for everything. I used your card to reserve the venue and the cottage for our guests. I can handle the rest.”

  “That was not what we agreed on.” He looked upset.

  “We didn’t really agree on anything. You told Ophelia to make sure I got the castle I wanted, and she did. Getting the cottage for our friends actually saved you a lot of money.”

  “She’s right, you know. That cottage was cute and insanely well priced. I might rent it for the following week, so I can do more exploring myself.” I wondered if Ophelia would follow through with that.

  “I want to pay for the flowers. What else is on the list?” he asked, looking around.

  “I’ve already taken care of everything else.” There really wasn’t much else, just the dresses, and I felt he shouldn’t be the one paying for my dress. “I did let you pay for the registrar fee,” I told him, hoping that would appease him. It didn’t look like it was working.

  He let out a frustrated huff, and then he suddenly wore a huge grin. “It doesn’t matter, because once we’re married, I can replenish the accounts.” He clapped his hands and pointed his fingers at me in a taunting way. “I’m paying for it anyway,” he practically sang.

  Ophelia and Camille laughed, but Emmaline didn’t look amused at all. “I hope you have your prenuptial agreement in order.” Everyone went quiet. “You’ll need to follow it up with a postnuptial agreement as well. It’s hard to get anything to stick in the courts these days,” she continued.

  “Mother, can I have a word with you, alone?” William sounded furious.

  She was not moving. Camille took Penelope to her room, and Ophelia ushered me into the living room. She was trying to lead me down the hall to my daughter’s room as well, but I waved her off. “Go take care of Penelope. I need to be here for this.”

  “Are you sure?” Ophelia was ready to fight me.

  “She’s going to be my mother-in-law. I need to learn how to deal with her.”

  “Alright, but you know where we are,” she conceded.

  I moved back toward to living room, just as William lit into his mother.

  “You were allowed to stay, because you’d accepted my decision to marry Hannah!” William yelled at his mother. “If you’re going to…”

  “I accepted the fact that you have a daughter and want to be a part of her life. William, how well do you really know this woman?”

  “Mother, if you’re going to cause problems…”

  “I’m trying to be the voice of reason, since no one else is.”

  I went to my bedroom, realizing I didn’t want to get in the middle of that fight. Unfortunately, I could still hear them loud and clear, thin walls and all. I was grateful Penelope’s room was down the hall and had a closet a
nd bathroom to muffle the fight.

  “I don’t need a voice of reason.”

  “I can’t believe your sister is letting you get wrapped up in that woman. Money is all she’s after.”

  Camille slipped into my bedroom, her worried eyes settled on me, and she glanced back at the bedroom door, where the sound came in the clearest.

  “I think you should leave,” William snapped. I guessed he realized he actually wouldn’t be changing his mother’s mind about me anytime soon.

  “The truth of the matter is you don’t know her. I don’t understand why you’re doing this. Has she refused to sign one?”

  “I’ve never brought it up.”

  “Well, if you’re going to go through with this marriage, you need to discuss it.”

  “There’s nothing to discuss,” he insisted.

  “I still don’t understand why you’re even bothering with a marriage.”

  “Don’t listen to her,” Camille implored.

  “Your daughter, that’s why, isn’t it? You’d have no rights if you didn’t marry her. I get it now,” Emmaline said, sounding sure of her conclusion.

  My heart crumbled. Camille’s eyes were wide, and she was shaking her head no.

  “I’d like to be alone.” I barely got the words out, before I rushed into the bathroom and slammed the door. I turned on the shower, so she wouldn’t come in. I sat on the floor crying. I loved William, but what Emmaline said made more sense than him loving me back. The sound of the water thankfully canceled out the fight. I climbed into the shower, in hopes it’d drown out my sobs and hide the sound of me crying.

  A gust of cold air made me shiver, and William pulled me into his arms, settling under the water with me. “Camille told me what you heard. I hope you put that silly thought out of your head.”

  I hid my face in his chest, not sure how to respond to him.

  “My mother is worried about me. She doesn’t know you. She was rude, because she’s very protective of our family, which also includes Penelope at this point. It’ll include you with time. I don’t want a pre or post-nuptial agreement. I don’t believe we need one.” His arms tightened on me, and he kissed the top of my head. “You’re going to be my wife. You’re my family, and we’re trying to add more to it, are we not?” he asked, his hand settling on my tummy.

  “Please don’t question my love for you. Remember, I asked you to go for coffee that first day, before I even knew who Penelope was, even before I knew who you were. I pushed for an insane project that was a longshot, just so I’d have a legitimate reason to see you. I wanted to be in New York for you. You said you’d let me take you out for coffee if I was here. Well, I’m here, and I want a whole hell of a lot more than coffee.” He tipped my chin up and kissed my lips softly.

  “Please, don’t question how I feel about you. Recognize by my actions…I can’t be away from you, beautiful. There’s no way I’d ever divorce you. It’s just not going to happen. We don’t need a prenuptial agreement,” he insisted, and then he proceeded to make me understand just how much he loved me.

  Embarrassed by what the others might’ve heard, I took my time dressing. There was no reason to be embarrassed, though, as everyone had left. Brody couldn’t cook, and with William not in the kitchen, dinner had burned, so Ophelia took everyone out to eat, leaving us alone. The apartment was silent, and William actually complained about me attempting to put on clothes, as he sprawled naked on my bed. That was all the convincing I needed that clothes were overrated.

  WILLIAM

  I wanted to investigate Marvin. I had a feeling Hannah would think I was overreacting or possibly get defensive, though, since she was always defending him as a harmless loyal patron. I decided to bypass the issue altogether and went to Shawna for answers. Marvin had paid for things with a credit card before. I was sure if I had his full name and card information, I’d be able to find out more on him.

  When I told Shawna what I was doing, she was more than happy to help. “Ever since the first time I met him, he’s freaked me out. Hannah was in the backroom, and I was ready to run back there and hide out with her. He didn’t say anything to me, other than ask where Hannah was. That’s all he ever asks. He always wants to know where she is. She swears he’s never hurt her, but I know she’s scared to be alone with him. Something’s not right with that man, and our instincts are telling us to stay away from him. She’s just too nice to do anything about it.”

  Shawna’s words didn’t comfort me. His interest in Hannah alone had me worried that he was working for my father. The men who worked for my father had to be greedy bastards or mental to actually take part in his debauchery. I was worried Marvin might’ve been both, and so I decided to possibly incur Hannah’s wrath and investigate him anyway.

  The first report I received from my privately-hired investigator yielded some interesting facts. Marvin Dooley had gone to college with Hannah, and they’d graduated at the same time. He’d moved to New York a week after we had. I would’ve been worried that she’d been followed by a stalker, but he’d had a job waiting for him when he’d arrived. He’d most likely planned to move here before I’d met Hannah.

  The next time Marvin came into the shop, I followed him to the back aisle to confront him with what I’d found. I decided it was best if I did it casually in polite conversation. “Mr. Marvin, Hannah tells me you’re her best customer. I’d like to thank you for that.”

  “It’s not your place to thank me,” he snapped.

  “So, how long have you known Hannah?” I asked.

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “College. However, I consider Hannah a friend, and if she hasn’t divulged more personal information to you than that, I’m not going to go against her wishes.”

  “I was just trying to make conversation.” My plan was not working. He was not divulging any incriminating information.

  Marvin shook his head at me, looking annoyed, and then he turned back to the bookshelf where he’d been browsing. I stood there a moment longer, trying to come up with a way to get him to talk to me. I headed back to the front of the shop, where Hannah promptly put me to work moving a couple of boxes over by the shelves where they needed to be placed. When I was finished, I headed back to the counter, where I was sure Hannah would be. She was there, but not alone.

  She was giving Marvin a polite smile. “This one looks good,” she said, holding up the graphic novel he’d chosen.

  “I’m looking forward to reading it. There’s rumor of an unexpected twist at the end,” he spoke easily, completely oblivious to her discomfort. I decided to make that work for me.

  “Hannah, did you know you and Mr. Marvin went to college together? That’s brilliant, isn’t it? Did you guys know each other there?”

  Hannah looked at me shocked, furiously fighting tears. I was not exactly sure what I’d done, but it wasn’t good.

  “You’re out of line,” Marvin snapped at me.

  Hannah’s hand went to her mouth, and she ran upstairs crying. I felt like a complete jackass and realized it was very possible Marvin and Hannah might’ve been friends before, and he was just waiting for her to remember him. It’d explain why he constantly sought her out, hoping she would. I knew I would’ve done the same. Unfortunately for Marvin, he didn’t have the same connection with Hannah I did.

  Marvin took a twenty out of his pocket and opened the till himself. He paid for his book, not taking any change. “You’re an ass,” were his parting words.

  I found Hannah upstairs, ready to brownnose. “Beautiful?”

  “What the hell were you thinking? Why would you talk to Marvin about my life? If you knew we’d gone to school together, why didn’t you come to me? And how the hell did you know that, anyway?”

  “He made you uneasy, Hannah, so I had him looked into. That’s how I knew he went to school with you. I don’t like him making you feel uncomfortable.”

  “Well, you sure as hell made me feel uncomfortable just now. You were talking to him like I was intere
sted in him, like we had common ground to relate on. What’s wrong with you? Why would you do that? Are you trying to force me away? Do you want me to have had a deeper relationship with Marvin?”

  “No, never, I just wanted to get him talking. I thought if I could get him to speak with you comfortably, with us together, he’d clue us in as to why he acts the way he does.” I tried to think of something to else to say, but she cut me off.

  “I have to get ready to go shopping with Ophelia, but I’m not through with you!” she shouted, after she looked at the clock. She stormed out of the room and into the bathroom, not wanting to look at me anymore. I heard the shower kick on, and I flopped back on the bed. She was really mad. I heard the bell below signaling there was a customer. I hurried down the stairs, only to find the door closing and the shop empty.

  Ophelia came in shortly after that, and Hannah was lost to the wedding planning mess. I had escaped her wrath for the moment.

  That night in our bed, I explained how I was worried that Marvin might’ve known her in school and had an agenda. The sad response she gave me made me feel horrible. “I don’t think so, but I’m afraid that maybe I haven’t remembered more than I thought. His odd behavior would make more sense, if he thought I knew him.” She curled up on my chest and cried herself to sleep. I felt horrible for going about things the way I had.

  My second report on Marvin Dooley was more confusing. He’d lived in the same apartment for the past seven years. It was only three blocks away from his work, but a forty-five-minute train ride to Hannah’s shop. It made no sense for him to travel so far, when I was sure there were several stores between there and his home.

  I noted on a few occasions Marvin had made references to a “graphic novel.” I asked Shawna about it, and she told me about the series Marvin read. Most of the series’ sales were mail/online orders to be picked up from the shop, because it was the only authorized place to get it in the tristate area. Marvin traveling forty-five minutes suddenly didn’t seem so ridiculous. I myself had traveled far and waited in the rain for a piece of literature, so I couldn’t begrudge him that.