Chapter Thirty-six
Those They Left Behind
Once everyone began making plans things moved along steadily to the day two weeks later when Andrew walked Trinity down the isle between the chairs that had been set up on either side of the garden walkway of Erik's home.
The women had worked tirelessly so that everything would be perfect. Trinity and Meg's gowns were finished only two days before the wedding.
There had been plenty of time for any adjustments to be made. None were needed but it paid to account for emergencies.
Trinity looked so beautiful. She had baulked at the white silk the dressmaker had shown her. That good woman had pooh-poohed all of Trinity's objections. She and her own husband had three children before deciding they could stand one another for the rest of their lives. They had been happily married for thirty years.
The gown itself had puffed sleeves slightly off the shoulder. The empire waist hid Trinity's slightly protruding stomach. There was an underskirt of the lightest silk. Over that was an outer layer that met in the center at the front while the sides parted to give glimpses of the undershirt. White lace trimmed the collar and cuffs. Her veil had tiny seed pearls threaded over the whole of the veil along with tiny diamonds that sparkled in the morning sun. Erik had given the small sack of diamonds to the seamstress informing her she would be incorporating them in any design she made.
Meg's gown was similar to Trinity's except the color was a light blue color. The color made her eyes seem to change from light sky blue to misty morning grey. Lucas was entranced. He was at a loss to even begin to tell Meg how beautiful she was.
He was glad he had approached her mother the evening before while his tongue and brain were still functioning. At this moment he did not think he could utter one intelligent word let alone complete sentences.
Erik was having a similar problem. Trinity took his breath away. How could anyone be so beautiful and still grace this world? She looked angelic as she walked down the isle on her father's arm. He swallowed hoping to clear his throat so he could speak when it was time for him to say his part of the ceremony.
Antoinette almost dropped to her knees when she saw how handsome Andrew looked in his new suit. The men had all gone into town the evening before to shop for new suits as well as celebrate Erik's last night as a free man.
Lucas and Matthew assured him every man had just such a party on the eve of his wedding. It was so all his friends could beseech him not to give up his freedom. Stories would be told and liquor would be drunk. The usual ladies who would have entertained them were forgone as not one of them thought any woman could match the one waiting at home.
Andrew having consumed much alcohol cried like a baby when he told Erik he must make sure to always keep his Little Dumplin' safe. Tearfully he told Erik that as a gift he would be letting the two of them have his yacht for a honeymoon. The rest of them would make their way home as best they could.
Since Raoul had already offered the use of his own vessel Andrew and his sons would be traveling in comfort. Raoul had thought to offer his own yacht as the honeymoon transport but thought better of it in the end.
What better reason to travel to America than to go to retrieve his yacht. If Meg and Antoinette happened to be passengers who was there to complain?
Since Raoul did not keep a captain or crew the Hardcastle men would be manning the boat themselves. Three men should be able to handle it adequately. If Raoul was any judge of character he thought they were more than capable.
Erik restrained himself from weeping among all those strong men, barely. Lucas stood beside him as his best man. Matthew had conceded that Lucas had earned his place by Erik's side, by default but still he had been the one to uphold family honor.
With Erik at last beginning to go beyond Christine's reach she had come to see Raoul was her future. Erik had been an impossible dream. At one time if she had been courageous they could have been together. Perhaps there was a reason she had not been able to make that kind of commitment to Erik.
Seeing all these people around her in different stages of courtship, whether declared or not had opened her eyes. If she did not want to end up alone and lonely, Christine knew she had to make a choice. She had to either give herself wholly to Raoul or let him go forever. There could be no half measures. Raoul deserved better than only to be partially loved by the woman he made his wife.
Christine had thought of little else the last few days. She had come to the conclusion that without Raoul she did not have a life nor did she want one. She could live without Erik. She could not live without Raoul. Raoul was her stability, her warm soft place to land. He was her friend and her lover. He was her life.
Christine felt tears falling down her cheeks. It saddened her that she had not been able to come to these conclusions sooner before she had hurt Raoul. Christine did not honestly think she could have made Raoul a good wife before. Now she did. She could look at Erik and still be sad for all that had happened but she did not feel as if there was a place in her heart that needed to be filled. Raoul filled each portion with his love for her and hers for him.
Antoinette sitting beside her handed Christine a handkerchief. Christine took it with a quiet, "Thank you." Antoinette squeezed her hand comfortingly. Christine raised her head to beam a smile toward her adopted mother. Her Maman. She signaled with that smile that everything was right with her world. She would be fine.
Meg's eyes returned again and again to Lucas. All she could see was his strong profile. Every little bit he would cast a look to the side toward Meg so she could see his handsome face in its entirety. That man was…well he was an Adonis. Yes, a living, breathing Adonis. Erik was handsome and hypnotic but he was taken. Besides Lucas had a different sort of wildness just under the surface that was similar to what Erik possessed. Erik's wildness would take a certain woman and Meg was aware it was neither Christine nor herself.
Lucas had something magnetic about him, at least where she was concerned. Something in him called to something in her. She damn well would answer that call if she had to follow him to America. She had told her mother she was going to marry him. At the time it had been said more to aggravate her mother than she had been stating anything she had given any consideration.
Now she dissected and examined every encounter they had as well as the chemistry she knew they shared. One look from his dark blue eyes and she would willingly follow him anywhere he asked her to go. A small part of her wished he would ask her to go home to America with him. Realistically she knew it was too soon. They may be attracted to one another but really they did not know one another well. What little Meg did know she liked. Surprisingly her mother did too.
Well there was no law that said a woman could not make a trip to America to visit old friends. If Lucas just happened to be around well who was she to protest? Indeed why would she?
Meg smiled secretly to herself. She had a little money put aside. Enough for a ticket to America if needed. The idea of joining Raoul when he went to reclaim his yacht had been forming and growing. She thought of how she might plant a little seed in Raoul's mind. She was inventive. It should not prove too difficult. He was a man after all and had she not had practice handling men since she could walk? Women in the theatre needed to know what was what in order to keep any sense of propriety.
Meg's mother had taught her long ago how to handle men to that she could rebuff them without damaging their egos. Men were so fragile in that area. Meg had also learned the art of flattery and manipulation. Not that she made a practice of such things but desperate times called for desperate measures. If following one's heart did not call for desperate measures then what did?
Erik and Trinity had joined hands at the request of the man before them. Erik was not a man of faith nor did he have any particular liking for one religion over another. The relief he felt when he found out that he was not to be wed by a priest puzzled him.
For a couple of days the answer had eluded him. Then late last night once he had returned from all the revelry with the others. Erik had been struck with the memories of when he was a young boy. He could only have been three or four.
He remembered the sessions with the priest his mother had forced on him. The painful beatings he was forced to endure that would "drive the devil out". He remembered being deprived of food for days to starve the demon to force him to show himself.
When he had asked where the demon was his mother had given him a mirror telling him to look into it, that he would find the demon inside the glass. Erik had been confused. He was the only person or thing he saw in the mirror. Surely they did not think him to be a demon.
Erik learned quickly that he was indeed the demon they wished to exorcise. His mother wanted to be part of society again. With this possessed child she could not. She was isolated and alone. Erik was too clever for his age. He frightened her with his knowledge. She thought the demon inside was trying to influence others by having her son sing so beautifully and play the piano without lessons. He played by ear alone.
For more than a year Erik suffered at the hands of his mother. Then one day it suddenly stopped. His mother told him when he asked, that the priest would never come again. Erik had been so overjoyed he had sung such a glorious song. He had thought he would make his mother proud. It had only angered her. For once she did not force him to the dark basement in her anger. Instead she promised him a treat.
When asked what sort of treat his mother had replied that he would be attending the last night of the fair.
Since Erik had rarely been aloud out of the house let alone to walk among strangers, he was excited by what wonders he would see. He had asked if there would be lions, bears, monkeys and elephants. She had told him there would indeed be beasts on display.
Erik had soon learned, but not quite understood for many years, that his mother had referred to the strange men and women in cages of the fair when she spoke of beasts.
That was the night his mother relinquished her only son into the hands of a cruel and sadistic Gypsy. He became property. He was no longer a boy. He was a beast. He became The Devil's Child.
The Devil's Child he had remained until he was perhaps ten when Antoinette had released Erik after he had killed his owner.
Erik had locked those memories and many others away. Now he brought them out as he gazed into the loving eyes of his new bride.
He could remember them without pain. He could let them go. Trinity would sooth away all his past injuries to his heart and soul. She had made him whole once more. He was no longer that frightened little boy who was confused by all the pain being inflicted for no apparent reason he could see. Whenever he would ask why it was always the same. The demon had to be driven out.
No matter how many times he swore there was no demon present it was only him, Erik, he was given some punishment then prayed over until the pain took him away to a safe place in his mind where there was no pain, no man trying to drive a demon from him. There was only peace and tranquility.
Once the man pronounced them husband and wife Erik's joy could not be contained a moment longer. He kissed Trinity thoroughly as he picked her up then swung her around. She threw her head back laughing, begging him to stop for she felt quite dizzy.
Contrite and concerned Erik placed his hand on Trinity's stomach protectively as he asked with worry in his voice, "Are you alright? I did not hurt you did I? Please forgive me."
"Erik a little exuberance on your part is not going to harm me or the baby. For goodness sakes I have not suddenly turned into some dainty, breakable object."
Placing her hand over his Trinity asked her unborn child, "So shall we forgive your foolish papa?" Unmistakable movement answered her to the surprise of both of them.
Erik jerked his hand away in fear that he had done something. He did not know what it could possibly have been but there had to be something.
Trinity sighed and pulled his hand back to place it over her still moving stomach. Her child had decided he or she wanted their papa to know they were there.
"That is your child Erik. He or she is moving about kicking the devil out of my insides at this moment. Isn't it wonderful?"
"That…that is our child?"
"Of course it is silly. Did you think I had developed some stomach ailment?"
Erik felt foolish for having little knowledge about things others learned simply by living among people. His exposure to others had only recently been a positive experience.
He knew in time that would change. It had already begun with Trinity and her family. He learned new things every day that came to others as a part of living. Well, finally Erik would live. Live a real life.
After celebrating with a meal in mid-afternoon it was time for Trinity and Erik to leave so they could board the yacht. It had only occurred to them this morning that Trinity's aunt would still be on board.
Andrew road with Trinity and Erik to the where the boat was docked. His sister-in-law was glad to see him and Trinity. She was a little less sure about Erik as she had an idea who he was. Trinity and Andrew's acceptance of him along with the fact that Erik was now her nephew by marriage convinced her he could be trusted. She prayed all that business in Paris was behind her. She was a woman who had to make changes in her life so often that sudden shifts in circumstances no longer affected her as they once did.
Since she had not unpacked many of her belongings it was a simple matter of packing a few items then going back with Andrew to Raoul's. Raoul had assured them that one more guest would not be an imposition.
At last Trinity said a tearful good-bye to her father. She and Erik departed to begin their life as man and wife. A life filled with happiness and joy.
A/N: Not quite the end but close. Please review. I will miss those little pings alerting me to a review.