§ § § -- January 16, 2001
There were tears in most eyes; only Camille seemed composed, and she winked at Leslie as she and Roarke passed. Leslie's own tears had been banished by the joyous excitement of the moment. Heightening her own burgeoning anticipation, she let her gaze rest on each of her friends' faces for a moment till she and Roarke had come abreast of Michiko on the one side and Maureen on the other, and then shifted her eyes to Christian.
His face was a stunned mask; he gaped at her in wonder, his eyes glittering, his lips slowly stretching into an enchanted smile. Leslie was no less impressed; he looked irresistible to her in the carefully tailored black uniform with its gold braid and a small row of military decorations he must have earned ages back. There was a moment of indulgent silence while each one got an elegant eyeful of the other, till Roarke moved his arm, prompting Leslie to let go and Christian to step forward and take his place beside her.
Ringing the terrace behind the minister, who stood in the middle with the bridal couple, were Christian's family—everyone except King Arnulf and Queen Kristina, neither of whom had been able to leave the country—and Rogan and Julie, the former of whom held a small crystal saucer containing the rings. Roarke stood off to one side now, and Leslie's friends gathered in a slightly uneven line behind her and Christian; Julie came forward long enough to take Leslie's bouquet, an arrangement of white roses that matched the silk ones in her hair. The minister looked around at everyone, then smiled and began.
"It's my immense privilege to stand here today and conduct the long-awaited wedding ceremony for Leslie Susan Hamilton and Christian Carl Tobias Enstad. I heard their story just yesterday afternoon from Mr. Roarke, and I must say I'm greatly impressed by the strength and endurance of the love between Christian and Leslie through the years they waited for each other. A love like that will see them through decades together, and there's no doubt in my mind these two will still be holding hands when they're old and gray and more wrinkled than a Shar-pei." Quiet amusement rolled around the gathering. "They have written their own vows, which I find a lovely and moving testament to their love for each other. Leslie Susan, you may begin."
Christian and Leslie turned then to face each other, mutual wonder still gleaming in their eyes. They had made this decision a very long time ago, and though each knew the other had already written their vows, neither knew what the other was going to say. Leslie had had her heartfelt words to Christian memorized for so long now that they came from her without pause or hesitation.
"I didn't know it was possible to love this much," she said, the volume of her voice just high enough so that all could hear. "You are my prince, my hero, my knight in shining armor…my miracle worker. You opened a closed heart and shone a light into the dark.
"Despite the hard times we've gone through, my love for you never died: and I promise that I'll love you to the end of my days. I will stand by you till the end of time. And with these words, I take you, Christian Carl Tobias Enstad, as my husband."
When she finished, she removed his ring from the crystal saucer Rogan held out and slipped it onto his finger before looking up. Christian's eyes had filled with tears, and he actually bit his lip in the attempt to hold them back. She smiled at him, and he returned it.
"Christian Carl Tobias, you may now speak," the minister prompted.
Christian drew in a deep breath and grasped Leslie's hands in his, as though he needed her to anchor himself to the spot, then spoke, his soft voice ringing with emotion. "You are the love and the light of my life…never had I even remotely imagined that love could be like this, until I met you and you gave me the gift of your heart.
"We have had much to go through, many obstacles to face, and there will be more. But this I promise you: I will stand by you, today and every day, till the very end of my life. This I vow before all present here. With these words, I take you, Leslie Susan Hamilton, as my beloved wife."
He in turn made Leslie's eyes fill again, and one of hers escaped; automatically he reached up and gently brushed it away, then slid her ring onto her finger. One of Leslie's friends clapped a hand over her mouth in the attempt to hold back a sob, but it escaped and they all looked at Frida in sympathy. Frida turned red but smiled and let her tears fall. Michiko's eyes overflowed in reaction, and so did Lauren's; they were standing on either side of her. The Liljefors powers strike again, Leslie thought humorously and smiled at her friend. From behind them they heard Anna-Kristina sniff loudly as well.
The minister broke the emotional silence. "If anyone here can find just cause to prevent this marriage, speak now or forever hold your peace…"
Christian couldn't resist. "If anyone dares breathe a word, he or she will live to regret it," he promised half-seriously, and relieved laughter exploded out of everyone. He winked at a giggling Leslie, and she squeezed his hands.
"Well," said the minister, "now that we've made that clear…" He waited for the new chuckles to subside and cleared his throat. "By the power vested in me by God and island law, I now pronounce you husband and wife…and Christian Carl Tobias, by all means, you may kiss the bride." Christian wasted no time stepping closer to Leslie, cradling one side of her face in his hand while he clutched her hand with the other, and kissing her with just enough passion to make promises for the night ahead.
They broke apart, stepped back and stared at each other, and Leslie said in stunned wonder, "We're finally married, can you believe it??"
That set off a loud, prolonged cheer from all her friends, Christian's entire family, and Rogan and Julie; even Christian released a whoop of celebration before hugging Leslie hard and beaming at everyone. "This calls for the biggest party of the year," he shouted above the noise. "Let's start it now!"
But nobody had really had any idea of just how big the reception was going to be, so that when the wedding party spilled out of the main house and into the lane to make their way there, Mariki had to chase them out and shout after them at the top of her lungs. "Don't go to the luau clearing!" she roared, stopping them all in bewilderment. "It's not big enough by far to hold this celebration. We're using the greensward near the Japanese teahouse."
Leslie's mouth dropped open, and hers and Roarke's gazes somehow found each other in the small crowd. "The whole greensward?" Leslie croaked in shock.
"Surely you didn't go that far," Roarke said skeptically.
Mariki grinned smugly. "We certainly did, Mr. Roarke and Miss Leslie, believe it," she told them with pride in her voice. "Go over there and see for yourselves."
Christian laughed at Leslie's expression. "I think the end of four and a half years of waiting calls for something of that caliber," he said. "Now let's see exactly what they did, hm? I'm really curious…not to mention hungry."
"Well, then, lead on, MacDuff," Leslie said, evoking laughter before the group scattered into the assorted vehicles waiting in the lane. Roarke joined Christian and Leslie in the limousine he'd rented for them, which would later take them off to the honeymoon he had planned for them. He had yet to tell them, and was looking forward to the gift he would soon present to them.
In the car on the Ring Road, he noted their tightly clenched hands and smiled. "I see it hasn't sunk in yet that you're married now," he remarked.
"It's going to be a while, Mr. Roarke," Christian admitted. "We're both so used to waiting that we still haven't quite even grasped the fact that the wait has ended, never mind that Leslie's my wife at long last." He lifted Leslie's hand, entangled in his, and kissed the back of it, earning a silly, delirious grin from her.
"For this I'll even get up and dance," she said giddily, and Roarke and Christian both burst out laughing. They talked a little on the short ride to the teahouse and the greensward that lay just beyond it and the nearby pond that was surrounded by leafy willows and spanned by a steep, cherry-red Japanese bridge. Once the car passed the little willow grove, though, the greensward came into full view, and what they saw shocked all three of them speechless. The only audible reaction was Leslie's loud gasp.
As far as the eye could see, twinkling Christmas lights in every possible color were strung along light poles on either side of the broad expanse of grass. There were long tables crammed with food, from hors d'oeuvres to desserts and everything in between; a large dance floor had been set up in the middle of the lawn; and there was even a small stage complete with podium and microphone. And there were people—already dozens of them were milling around, filling plates and chatting while the sound system played a CD of 80s songs. The trio looked at one another in disbelief; they couldn't even see the end of the lights or the tables. Apparently Mariki hadn't been exaggerating!
"I think I'm afraid to get out of the car," Leslie finally ventured. "If we do, we'll be mobbed to death."
"She forgot to hire security guards," Christian agreed, shaking his head.
Roarke eyed his daughter till she felt his scrutiny and looked back, at which point he said, "I believe we have you to blame for this, Leslie Susan. If memory serves, the pivotal phrase was 'knock yourselves out'."
She shrugged sheepishly. "Well, heck," she muttered, and Roarke grinned, while Christian laughed again and hugged her close.
The rest of the convoy pulled up behind them and discharged the wedding party in a noisy, excited stream; they piled up beside the limo, opened the doors and all but pulled Christian and Leslie out of the car, bearing the startled newlyweds off to be the unwilling center of attention. Roarke followed behind at some little distance, feeling a bit sorry for them, but understanding the crowd at the same time. It was a huge event, and everyone wanted a chance to celebrate it, even if only in a small way.
Mariki had spared no time or expense in creating this enormous bash, and had gone so far as to hire a DJ whom she now hurriedly alerted to the arrival of the stars of the moment. With a flourish he boomed over the sound system, "Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention…may I present Mr. and Mrs. Christian Enstad!" Instantly a deafening cheer went up from the ever-growing crowd, and all Christian and Leslie could do was stand there and grin stupidly, both of them feeling like sideshow attractions.
"I guess it's true that everyone on the island knows you," Christian exclaimed, a bit dazed, having to lean over and speak directly into Leslie's ear.
"Unfortunately, yes," she confirmed dryly, and he grinned, shaking his head.
Roarke threaded his way through the crowd that was congratulating the two and made a raft of apologies while gently shepherding the bewildered couple off to some chairs near the dance floor. "Try to bear with all this for at least an hour," he said, "and then I'll see to it that you have the opportunity to leave unmolested, all right? At that point I'll give you my wedding gift to you, but in the meantime, take this in as good grace as you can."
"Just so long as they let us eat something," Christian said. "I was too nervous and excited to eat much for lunch, and now I'm paying for it."
"Me too," said Leslie. "Maybe they'll be nice and let us eat before we have to do that bride-and-groom's-first-dance ritual."
"This appears to be a titanic buffet," Roarke observed, scanning the seeming miles of tables laden with edibles of all sorts, "so if you wish to eat, you'd better find plates and help yourselves. Don't worry about details or anything else—I'll take care of it all."
"You're being such a good sport about this, Father," Leslie said gratefully. "I didn't think Mariki would turn this into a stadium event, honestly."
"I think you can be forgiven for being unable to read her mind," Roarke replied humorously. "Go ahead and serve yourselves."
They didn't need a second urging and made a long tour of the tables, astonished at all the food that waited to be consumed. When they'd filled their plates with all they could safely hold, they lingered there where they stood, watching the crowd continue to expand and the DJ playing dance music that instantly filled the floor. Here they were relatively out of the way, and had a chance to sate the worst of their hunger before slowing down and giving each other sheepish looks. "So," said Christian, "how much of Mr. Roarke's hour is left for us to endure?"
Leslie giggled. "You're the one with the watch, my love," she reminded him.
"I didn't wear it today," Christian parried, grinning back at her. "Carl Johan and Gerhard both announced with authority that you don't wear extraneous jewelry to your wedding, because the spotlight is on the wedding rings. So I left it behind in the bungalow."
"Then I guess we'll have to wait for Father to come back and give us a countdown every so often," Leslie said, rolling her eyes. "Geez, I have to tell you, next time I see Mariki I'm really going to let her have it for letting things get this out-of-hand. Honestly, that woman seems to think she's my surrogate mother or something."
Christian looked alarmed. "Does that make her my mother-in-law?!" This sent Leslie into fits of laughter, while he stood there peering cautiously into the crowd in case Mariki might be headed their way and then eyeing his wife in consternation.
Giggling helplessly, she finally noticed his expression and popped a kiss onto his cheek. "Cheer up, my love, we won't have to see her every day. Remember, she's Father's cook, not ours."
"I suppose not," Christian said, suddenly pensive, "but that reminds me yet again that we still don't know where we'll be living. Your father's gift to us wouldn't happen to be a new house, would it?" He half-smiled to indicate this last was meant to be facetious.
"That's pretty extreme," Leslie remarked, shaking her head. "Let's just wait and see. I think we'd better finish eating before they demand to watch our first dance."
In companionable silence they cleaned their plates, went back for a few more things, and decided they'd had enough. Hand in hand, they discarded the paper plates and dared venture a little closer to the thick of the party, both looking for Roarke.
It was the DJ who spied them first, though, and before they knew it he'd urged them behind the booth where he was spinning CDs. "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Enstad," he said, grasping Leslie's shoulder for just a moment and energetically shaking Christian's hand. "Are you ready for your first dance?"
"Actually, we were just looking for my father," Leslie said. "Have you seen him?"
"He's probably making rounds," the DJ observed, cursorily scanning the throngs but not seeing Roarke. "It's pretty sheltered back here, though, and it looks like every single person on the island is here. Why don't you stay here for now?"
They agreed and waited a few minutes; fortunately Roarke soon found them and came back to rescue them from the chatty disc jockey. "Why don't you two have your dance now," he suggested, "and give some of those who know Leslie well a chance to extend their congratulations and good wishes. That should take about half an hour, and then I'll come back and make your excuses for you."
"Half an hour till we can escape?" Christian said, looking relieved. "I guess I'll live that long. Come on, my Leslie Rose…what are you doing?"
"Looking for an appropriate song," she said, picking curiously through the DJ's large collection of compact discs. "Wow, there's stuff in here I never heard of. Oh, here it is, he's got it after all!" She plucked a disc out of the lineup and brandished it in the air with gleeful triumph before turning to the DJ and pointing out the song she wanted him to play.
"What did you pick?" Christian asked.
"Shania Twain, 'From This Moment On'," Leslie told him. "And you're gonna have to excuse me if I sing along with it."
"Mr. Roarke, do you happen to have any earplugs on you?" Christian asked, which earned him a new punch in the arm from his wife and got a laugh from Roarke. "All right, I take it back. Come on, my darling, let's get this over with."
The dance floor cleared with amusing speed and the DJ announced the newlyweds' first dance as husband and wife, evoking applause before he put the song on to play. Leslie did indeed sing along with it, and Christian found himself listening to her voice as much as the lyrics, smiling to himself and feeling very lucky indeed.
After that, the dance floor refilled to another slow song, and couple after couple managed to dance their way past Christian and Leslie and offer their congratulations and hopes for a long and happy marriage. After three songs' worth of this, they began playfully expressing their thanks in Christian's native jordiska after he taught her the appropriate words, getting a wide spectrum of reactions in the process. The entertainment value of this kept their spirits up enough to endure till Roarke appeared from the crowd once more. He fielded their relieved looks with a wink and took over the DJ's microphone for a moment.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "my daughter and son-in-law are truly grateful for your enthusiasm and happiness over their marriage; but as I am sure you realize, they have had a very long day, and need the opportunity to wind down and spend some time alone to come to terms with everything. So if you would, please, give them one last round of applause before they depart, and continue to enjoy yourselves." He stepped down amid the roar of clapping, then escorted Christian and Leslie off the dance floor and back across the lawn to the waiting limo.
However, he stopped about halfway between the outer perimeter of the reception area and the shoulder of the road, surprising them. "Is something wrong?" asked Leslie.
"Not at all, child," Roarke assured her. "Remember, I have something to give you two as my wedding gift." With that, he reached into his jacket pocket and brought out a key ring that held two keys. "These unlock the door of Glen Cottage," he said quietly, pressing them into Leslie's hand.
"Glen Cottage…" she echoed, searching her mind, then stilled in shock and stared at her father with huge eyes. "The beach house where you and Helena had your honeymoon?"
Roarke nodded solemnly, with a small reminiscent smile. "That's right. Not only is it to be the site of your honeymoon, it will also be your home until you can have your own house built from the plans you mentioned Christian having."
While Christian watched blankly, Leslie swallowed and blinked back tears, then hugged Roarke with all her strength. "That place meant so much to you," she said hoarsely. "I can't thank you enough, Father…muchas, muchas gracias." She felt Roarke's embrace tighten at her use of the language he had grown up speaking, and for a long moment father and daughter held on.
Then Christian said, "Uh-oh. I see a reporter and photographer coming this way, and I've dealt with enough reporters and photographers to know them when I see them. Maybe we'd better leave while we still can."
Roarke chuckled and released his daughter, relinquishing her to her new husband for the final time. "Consider yourselves on honeymoon until the end of January," he told them. "The bags you packed earlier today are in the car, and you need only get in and let the driver take you to the house. There's no need for you to keep in touch with me—isolate yourselves from the world if you will. Just be happy, both of you, all right?"
"You're much too generous, Mr. Roarke," Christian said softly, shaking his father-in-law's hand. "There aren't words to properly thank you for all you've done."
Roarke smiled. "Go, and hurry," he urged warmly. Christian and Leslie squeezed his hands and then made for the car at a fast jog; he stood and watched them go, his eyes stinging again with tears. For some reason he missed them already.
