Chapter XVII
I smiled at Nathan, then ventured another glance at his father. He caught it, and as if it had reminded him, he frowned.
"You are still bound to Lisa, Nathaniel, things are not resolved… the proposal may have to wait until … until this whole mess is resolved."
Nathan nodded and put an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. "Yes, it shall have to wait, but not for long… I don't intend to lose my Juli ever again," he said softly.
Lord Traven simply shook his head and walked out of the room, mumbling softly to himself. As he reached the door, he turned back, looking thoughtful.
"Miss Christian," he began, "I'm still a bit wary of this… but you seem a fitting match for my Nathaniel. I hope things work out as well… as best we can hope for."
I nodded.
"Of course, Lord Traven… thank you."
"Yes, yes… now there's the matter of my wife to deal with," he mumbled as he exited, drawing a heavy sigh from Nathan, which turned into a chuckle.
Being overly tired from the emotionally strenuous day, I simply elbowed him and threw myself down on the extravagant couch a few feet away.
"Are you alright, Juli?" He asked, peering down at my half-reclined form.
"Yes, Nathan, I'm quite alright really… just exhausted. I need to go take care of Sabra and Marcus still… and ride home… wherever that is! And-…"
He interrupted me mid-sentence with a soft kiss, then pulled me into a warm embrace, stirring emotions in me that I hadn't felt for so long… I could have stayed there forever. Or, at least, I wanted to. But we indulged for only a moment, as a tiny cry from the next room reminded me that I had others who needed me.
"I suppose you'd better go get the twins, Juli?" Nathan murmured as he slowly released me.
I nodded and sighed. "Yes… motherhood calls. I will see you again soon?"
"Of course, love."
With that and another brief kiss, our reunion was over… for the moment.
Life was strangely wonderful after that day. Complicated, yes, but I had the man that I loved, the relationship I depended on, and so the complications did not seem so bad. Although we had not cleared every obstacle, we were happy knowing that we would, and something inside me reawakened with the knowledge.
The twins even seemed happier, being able to see Nathan so much more often. They had missed him. And though I was certainly more reluctant to show it, so had I.
I missed Andrea, Daniel and the children very much, and kept telling myself I would visit them soon… I had decided to stay on with Mary and her mother, and had sent them a letter telling them so, and relating all the important events, though I was sure Nathan had probably already told all.
I looked up from the book I was reading, finally returning to the present as I heard horses approaching the house. I smiled. I knew it must be Nathaniel coming to call. Detaching a sleeping Sabra from myself, I carefully lay her down in her crib, then ran downstairs. It would be good to see him again, since it had been a week since his last visit, and I was tiring of sitting around the house all day, though Sabra and Marcus kept me plenty occupied.
I opened the door to find Nathan standing there, fist in the air as if he was about to knock. I laughed quietly and he looked down at me, first looking perplexed, and then sweeping me off my feet into a warm hug. As he put me down, I looked up at him and he leaned over, planting a kiss on my head. It was then that I caught the somewhat troubled look in his eye, and took his hand in mine, leading him into the sitting room where Mary was playing with Marcus.
"Hello, Nathan!" She said cheerfully, and Marcus smiled, drawing a grin from Nathan.
"Hello Mary, and hello Marcus," he said cheerfully, though I still heard some tension in his voice. He walked over to Mary and pulled Marcus out of her arms, throwing him in the air and catching him, and everyone laughed at Marcus' silly giggle. I shook my head and looked at Mary, who smiled at me knowingly. She knew how much I loved that he did so well with the twins, how endearing it was…
But we needed to talk, so I motioned for Mary to sit down, and I took Nathan's arm and pulled him to the couch.
Before I could even say a word, Mary burst out, "There's something amiss, isn't there, Nathan?"
He sighed and squeezed my hand, then nodded. "I'm not sure I'd say there's something 'amiss', Mary, but the time's come that Juli and I face my parents, and my uncle, yet again…"
I stiffened at that, remembering our last confrontation, but I knew that it was necessary. The thing that made me nervous was not the confrontation itself, but the fact that I needed so desperately to try to be polite and well mannered in front of these people… that I had to try to live up to expectations that I could never fill.
"It's alright, Juli… I think we need to talk with them, and Lisa as well, to get the rest of this resolved… and get on with life," he said, almost smiling as he finished the sentence.
"Yes, that's true, Nathan… I know. I knew we would have to, I just didn't want the moment to come."
Mary was sitting on the other side of the room frowning as if in deep thought, and Marcus was straining to get down on the floor, although he could not yet get around on his own. I took him out of Nathan's arms and lay him on the floor, after which he seemed content for a small while, and Nathan pulled me close.
"Well, then I suppose you two had better figure out what you're going to do. Do you need me to tend Sabra and Marcus, Julianna?" Mary asked.
I sighed and looked up at Nathan, who nodded slowly.
"Yes, I suppose I'll have you do that. I'll put Marcus down for his nap before I go," I said quietly, still pondering how I would handle what was to come.
I had never been to Nathaniel's home before, and quickly realized that his family was quite wealthy, although he had not yet inherited his Uncle's grand fortune yet. I sighed and pulled Lady to a halt, looking over at Nathan, knowing he would see in my eyes how I felt.
We simply stared at each other for a moment, and despite my anxiety, I suddenly felt overwhelmingly happy that I had him, and he had me… hopefully, never to be torn apart again.
"I love you," he said quietly, and every part of me thrilled at hearing the words…
"I love you too," I said, and knew that he had given me all the strength I would need for whatever lay inside the estate in front of us… and that he would continue to be a source of strength for always.
With that, we rode on in silent unity, arriving all-too-quickly at the gate. We left the horses with his stable hand, and slowly walked into the house… it was not as spacious, nor as elegant as Lord Beaumont's estate, but it was beautiful, and still enough so to make me feel out of place. Nathan seemed to sense it and pulled me close as we walked down a long hallway, filled with paintings, expensive looking carpet, and vases of flowers. We stopped when we came to a large library, but found only a maid dusting the shelves.
"Lindy, would you happen to know where my parents and Miss Fontaine are?"
The girl smiled timidly and nodded.
"Yes sir, they have gone to the garden to have tea… You should find them there."
"Thank you, Lindy," Nathan said kindly, and took me by the arm, leading me in a new direction. Arriving in the garden, we paused and I closed my eyes to breathe in the scent of roses that floated on the warm summer air, then remembered what we were there for, and my eyes snapped open. I could handle this, I truly could. That was what I was telling myself, anyway. Sighing, I smoothed the practically non-existent wrinkles in my dress and looked up at Nathan, to find that he appeared as nervous as I felt. He smiled down at me, and finding strength in each other, we moved on, walking down the cobblestone path. Within what seemed like seconds, we were standing in front of the 4 people that I had dreaded confronting for the past month, plus a couple who I decided must be Lisa's parents.
Nathan cleared his throat, drawing their attention to us. His father smiled slightly, then frowned right along with Lady Traven and Lord Beaumont. Lisa took one long look at us and suddenly looked as if she would burst into tears… and strangely enough, my heart went out to her.
"Hello Mother, Father…" Nathan said, then nodded to Lisa and his uncle.
"Well Nathan, I hope you have a good reason for bringing her here now," Lord Beaumont said, which drew a small grin from Nathan's father, but only made me angry, and feeling Nathan tense beside me, I knew he was feeling the same thing. I sighed and squeezed his hand, knowing that retorting would not be the best measure to take at that very moment, and he relaxed slightly.
"May we sit down, please?" I asked.
"Yes, we have a matter to discuss with you all," Nathan said, his voice still somewhat tense.
"I suppose we have a matter to discuss with you, as well, Nathan," Lord Beaumont said, and gestured to two empty chairs.
It was a wonder to me that Nathan and his family were so formal with each other, not loving and kind as I had been accustomed to with my mother, or even with the Haynes'. Almost as it had been with Stanley… I shuddered at the thought. Living in such coldness towards each other, as if they were not even related… it reminded me of that.
Nathan pulled up the chairs and we sat. Again, he reached for my hand and clasped it in his tightly… I looked around at our beautiful surroundings, and then the strange scene before us.
"Listen, everyone… This has been a hard situation for all of us, and I know that it's been hard for you to accept my choice, but I feel that I should marry whom I love," Nathan said, pausing as Lisa whimpered quietly.
"I did not want to hurt anyone, but if I did not follow my heart… how many more would have been hurt in the end? I love you, Lisa, but more as a sister, a friend… than a wife. I never questioned it until I met Juli, but now I realize that it would never work for you and I…"
She frowned at him, then sighed.
"Of course it wouldn't have, Nathaniel… it would not have been … right…" her voice trailed off and she rose from her chair, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Excuse me," she whispered, then took off running down the path the way we came.
I sighed and shook my head, knowing how she must feel… But now I had the man I loved, and she did not. Perhaps she would find someone. She was still young.
Her parents, strangely, did not make a single move as their daughter departed… simply sat and drank their tea placidly, as if nothing had happened. Suddenly I felt a rush of gladness that Nathan did not seem to have any desire to take part in the kind of lifestyle that his parents and relations had set out for him…
And then sympathy took over, and I felt I must go after Lisa, for it was, in part, my fault that she was so unhappy… I sighed and leaned over, whispering in Nathan's ear, "I must go see if I can do something for her, Nathan… I'll return soon…"
He looked at me with such a strange, sad look on his face that I nearly did not dare leave, but then nodded.
"Yes, do that… I will speak with my parents."
So I stood up and followed the path Lisa had taken, running quickly so perhaps I could catch up with her and not find myself lost in the large estate. Soon I heard the sound of sniffling and muffled sobs, so I slowed my steps and soon found the young girl sitting on the ground, not even having reached the house yet… her knees pulled up to her chest, her face in her hands.
She heard me approach and stirred slightly, but did not look up, as if she did not want anyone to see her face when she cried…
I knelt beside her, my heart aching to see such sadness, and spoke quietly. "Lisa, I'm sorry… will you let me talk to you for a moment?"
She was quiet for a moment, the looked up at me.
"I suppose so," she said shakily, her voice breathy from crying. So I carefully arranged my dress so that I would not tear or dirty it, and said, "Good, then. My dear, I did not mean to take someone you cared for from you… I only wanted what would make Nathan happy, and yes I admit that I do need him…"
I took a deep breath, wondering what to say next.
"I know that, Julianna… he was just so kind to me, I doubt I shall ever find someone like that again," Lisa said, sniffling.
I had to agree with her… I shook my head and smiled.
"True, there is no other man like him, but Lisa, you will find someone… you will."
"But my parents, they want me to marry someone … someone like me, who is wealthy, and who has a good place in society… Nathan truly is the only one I have ever met who cared about me and not the money, but it turns out he did not love me anyway…" Her voice broke and she began to cry again. I put an arm around her and to my surprise, she lay her head on my shoulder.
"You must live your life the way that will make you happy, Lisa. Money will not make you happy… go find a man who will treat you well, who will love you and who you will love. There is someone out there, I'm quite sure…"
She sat up again, and looked at me for a long while, looking perplexed… and then she smiled, her lips still trembling.
"Yes, you're right Julianna, you're right… Thank you."
After a few more minutes of speaking with Lisa and attempting to comfort her, I returned to Nathan, and the scene looked nearly the same as it had when I'd left.
"Welcome back," Lord Traven said, smiling at me… I smiled back, despite my confusion at his outright friendliness.
"Thank you."
I sat myself beside Nathan, who turned and smiled to me as well. Though there was still slight apprehension in his eyes, he seemed calmer… I wondered if my leaving had done so much good!
His parents, Lord Beaumont, and Lord and Lady Fontaine were talking amongst themselves for the moment, so he leaned over and said, "how did it go? Is Lisa alright?"
I nodded and smiled.
"I think I may have corrupted her, but I believe I helped… Now, how are things going here?"
He sighed and shook his head.
"Well, Mother is still … upset, but not so much as before, and Father… well, he seems quite understanding. I think it will be alright, Juli, I truly do."
I smiled, feeling hope stirred inside me… yes, things would be fine. They had to be, and for that matter, I'd always known they would.
He smiled in return, then leaned over and kissed me quickly.
"Well, I think Julianna and I shall excuse ourselves now, everyone, we have important business to attend to!"
Important business?… I thought to myself…
"What important busi-…" I immediately broke off the sentence when I saw the glimmer of mischief in his eyes.
"Yes, do please excuse us, it's quite important," I said cheerfully, almost laughing at the sudden silence amongst the others and the looks of confusion on their faces.
And without even a goodbye, Nathan stood up, took my hand and together we ran down the path and around the side of the house, reaching the stables within seconds, and perhaps 5 minutes later were galloping … to where? I didn't know where, but I did not care at that moment. It was exhilarating to be happy, to be with the man I loved, and to be free from all else.
After weaving through a small forest of trees, I found that we were in a clearing, and a small river ran through it. Small flowers of every color sprouted out of the ground, and the reflection of the sun off of the water threw strange but beautiful light on the trees and grass. I brought Lady to a halt beside Nathan and his mount, and smiled at him, feeling breathless from the ride. He smiled back, dismounted, and lifted me off of Lady.
For August, it seemed a cool day, but not chilly… I shivered anyway, and Nathan pulled me into a long embrace that seemed to last for hours, and yet still not long enough.
"Ah, my Julianna, I love you so very much…" He whispered, his face buried in my loose, tangled hair. My heart pounded against my chest so strongly I was sure that he could hear it, but he made no indication, so I pulled back slightly to look at his face.
"I love you too, Nathan…" I said quietly, gazing into those deep green eyes that I loved so dearly.
He laughed softly, not out of mirth but out of pure joy, and I laughed with him. Everything seemed so right and good, I wanted to cry for the pure perfection of it, but I did not. Not until he released me from the embrace and knelt in front of me, still holding both my hands in his. Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, but I simply smiled at him.
"Julianna Noelle Christian," he began, and I could scarce concentrate on his words because my heart was pounding and he was so handsome kneeling there in front of me. How I loved him!
"I have loved you since the first time I lay eyes on you, but made the folly of having not told you soon enough… I consider myself the most fortunate man alive, that you forgave me for that, and I promise you that I shall never forget it… Will you please do me the honor… of being my wife?"
I lifted a hand to brush a tear off my cheek, and it was then that I realized I had been weeping. But as I wept I laughed as well, and felt such joy that I could not contain it.
So I knelt beside Nathaniel to kiss him and say, "Yes! I love you so much, Nathan, I could not bear it if I was not to be with you for eternity."
And as I looked in his eyes then, I thought, I could never know greater joy than this!
Just so you know, this is not the end of the story!!! Just the end of the first section.
Email: littllucy@collegeclub.com
