Wow. It really has been a while, hasn't it? You have no idea how bad I feel about that. I don't want you to think that the last chapter was the end of the story. They aren't married yet, you know. So here's chapter nine. Sit back and prepare for a little fluffiness. But it's good fluffiness, I promise.
About ten or so minutes later, Liberty and Henri had recollected themselves enough to realize that it had started to rain. Henri took off his jacket and held it above their heads. "We should go inside," he said.
Liberty laughed a little, moving closer to him to keep from getting wet. "Yeah," she said, "I guess we should."
Henri opened the door and ushered her inside. Once they were out of the rain and standing in the front hall, he turned to look at her. Her face was pink from the cold, framed by her damp, wavy golden hair. He just couldn't believe that she was finally his. Coming closer, he took her upturned face between his hands and wiped away a drop of water that was sliding down her cheek. Then he kissed her again. She moved into his arms, and they were in real danger of losing themselves in each other for the second time, when he forced himself back to earth. "We should go find your mother," he whispered. She nodded, and they went off to look for her, hand in hand.
They found her in the dining room, polishing silver. Hearing them, she turned, saw their clasped hands, and dropped the fork she was polishing. It made a small clinging sound on the wooden floor. "Liberty," she breathed, "what's going on?"
"Sit down, Mama." Mrs. Hiller sat, wordlessly. Liberty and Henri sat down across from her. "Mama," she continued, "I have something to tell you: Henri and I are engaged."
"So that's where you've been all morning! I should have known when Mercy said someone had come to call on you. I thought and I thought, but I had no idea who it could be. At least this explains why that girl has been acting so peculiar."
"Are you angry, Mama?," asked Liberty anxiously, "Please don't be angry."
"Liberty, darling, I could never be angry about something so wonderful as this. I always knew the two of you were meant for each other. Ever since you were children, I just had this feeling that it would be wonderful if the two of you were to fall in love. That's why I was so surprised to hear of Henri's engagement to Anne. But when I saw you together at the party, I knew it really was love after all. And love always wins. Take it from me; I know."
Henri thought back to a time nearly sixteen years ago, when he had been not quite ten. He remembered James and Sarah's wedding. He remembered how in love they had been, how in love they still were. Sarah was right: she did know something about love. Who could have predicted that their first child, the tiny baby he had first seen when she was two hours old, would grow up to be the beautiful woman sitting beside him? Certainly not he.
The sounds of women's voices brought him back to reality. Liberty and her mother were arguing about something. "But I don't want a big church wedding!" Liberty was saying. The wedding. He should have known. He listened closer.
"But I want to give you the wedding I never had," Sarah replied plaintively. Having seen her wedding, he could understand where she was coming from. But it was Liberty's turn now, she was the bride, and she deserved whatever wedding she wanted. Besides, he agreed with her: he didn't want a big church wedding either.
The argument grew more heated, and he realized that he needed to step in. "She's right, Sarah," he said, "And I don't want a fancy wedding either." Liberty looked up at him with shining eyes. "In fact, I think the sooner, the better. How about a wedding here, in the parlor, a week from now?"
Liberty could have kissed him right there, if it hadn't been for her mother. He had just read her mind. She didn't want to wait and have a big ceremony; she just wanted to marry him and start their life together. After everything they had been through, she felt it would be no less than they deserved. She reached over and squeezed his hand beneath the table. He squeezed back.
"But that's exactly what I had when I was married," protested Mrs. Hiller.
"And look how well it worked for you and Papa, Mama," argued her daughter, "I agree with Henri completely. A week is fine with me. I just want a nice, simple wedding, with family. Please, please just let us have the wedding we want. It would make me so happy."
Mrs. Hiller pursed her lips. "I don't know..." she said hesitantly, "But nothing gets planned until your father comes home. We won't make any decisions until he and Henri have a little talk and he gives his consent."
Liberty sighed. The last thing she wanted was a long conversation between her father and her fiance, especially after what had happened at the ball several months ago. Mr. Hiller had been angry about that for weeks. She hoped everything would go well, and looking over at Henri out of the corner of her eye, she knew that he was thinking the same thing.
Mrs. Hiller invited Henri to stay for dinner, and he and Liberty spent the rest of the day sitting together in the parlor, talking and laughing, and kissing. Around five o clock that evening, Mr. Hiller could be heard at the front door, taking off his coat and hat and saying that it was freezing outside. "Here it comes," Liberty whispered to Henri, "Mama's going to tell him everything, and then he's going to want to talk to you."
Henri squeezed her hand and dropped a quick kiss on her cheek. "Don't worry," he whispered soothingly, "I can handle it. You and I are going to have the perfect wedding, and it's going to take place a week from now. I promise."
She looked at him dubiously. "I don't know, Henri. I want to believe you, but knowing my father, I find it hard to believe that he's going to be very happy about this."
A shadow fell across the parlor doorway. "Henri," said Mr. Hiller, "It's so nice to see you again. It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
Henri coughed nervously, not quite sure what he was getting at. "It is good to be back, James."
"I'm sure it is. And now," he said, looking at his daughter's diamond ring, "I think it's high time the two of us had a little talk. The study will do nicely, I think."
Liberty looked at Henri with big wide eyes. He squeezed her hand once more, rose, and followed Mr. Hiller out of the room and down the hall. Once they were in the study, Mr. Hiller closed the door and motioned for Henri to sit down in a chair upholstered in slick brown leather. Wordlessly, Henri sat. This situation was giving him horrible flashbacks to his meeting with Mr. Hawthorne. He gripped the chair arms tight, hoping that all of this would somehow work out.
Liberty's father cleared his throat. "Sarah told me," he said, "She told me everything. Or at least, she told me everything that she knew. But I have this feeling that there was always more going on between you and Liberty. So what do you have to say for yourself?"
"First, I just have to say that I love your daughter. I do. More than life itself, even. And I do have to say that I believe she feels the same way about me."
"Oh, I have no doubt that she's been in love with you this entire time. Looking back at things, I have no doubt."
Henri flushed. "Be that as it may, things didn't really start between us until the engagement party. Honestly."
"I believe you. But if you loved Liberty, why did you get engaged to Anne?"
Henri told him the story of the loan. "But when I saw her at the party, I knew I couldn't go on without her. I asked her to dance, and well, things just sort of went on from there. You saw everything, so I'm not going to go into it again. I am sorry that it made you angry, though."
"I was angry at the time, I will admit. But I'm not now."
Henri breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."
"And so now you want to marry her."
"And she wants to marry me. We can't forget that."
"What is it that you want me to do?" Mr. Hiller asked.
"She and I want a small family wedding, a week from now. All we need is your consent and blessing for it."
"Henri, she's so young. What's the hurry?"
"But James, how old were you and Sarah when you were married? I was there, so don't think you can lie to me."
"Point taken. This whole thing just seems so surreal to me. When Sarah and I were married, we never dreamed that our firstborn child..." He trailed off, unsure of what to say.
"I agree," said Henri, "It does seem quite surreal that I would be marrying your oldest child. I mean, I saw her when she was just two hours old, remember? But you have to understand that I love her. I love her so much."
James thought for a moment. Finally, he leaned forward across the table and extended his hand. "I, of all people, ought to know something about falling in love when you least expect it. And so I have to say that it would be an honor to welcome you into the family."
Henri took the proffered hand. "Thank you, sir," he said, "From the bottom of my heart, thank you."
Meanwhile, while this exchange was going on, Liberty sat alone in the parlor. Her mother and sisters were cooking supper, and so she had no one to talk to. Her seven year old brother Matthew had wandered into the room about a minute after Henri and her father had left, but he hadn't stayed long, hurrying away after she had started talking about her wedding. So now she sat alone in her father's big chair, nervously twisting her diamond ring about her finger, waiting and wondering. Would everything turn out alright? Would she and Henri have the wedding they wanted? Would they finally be able to be together? Everything depended on what was going on in her father's study right now.
While she waited, she forced herself to think of something better. Henri loved her, he really loved her. It was all so strange. Just a day ago, she had thought all her dreams of happiness were over, that Anne would become Mrs. LeFerve, and she herself would be doomed to live alone. But now, she had heard him say those three words that meant he wanted her and her alone. And she was so very thankful for that.
She heard the door of the study open, and in a few moments, Henri and her father were standing in the parlor doorway. "Smile, Libs," said her father, "You're going to have a wedding a week from now."
"Papa!" she exclaimed, "Do you really mean it?"
Her father wrapped her in a hug. "Of course I mean it. You do love him, don't you?"
"Do I love him! Of course I do!" She fled to Henri's arms, and he pulled her close.
"I think I'll leave the two of you alone for a minute," said her father, and he went off to the kitchen to find his wife.
Once he was gone, Henri pulled Liberty even closer and showered her with kisses. "We did it," he whispered jubilantly in her ear, "We really did it!"
She giggled. "Don't be so sure-we aren't married yet. I can still change my mind, you know."
"But you wouldn't do that, would you?" he said teasingly.
"What do you think?" she laughed.
"I think that you want me to kiss you right here." He nuzzled the side of her neck.
"You're very astute," she whispered.
"I know." And then he kissed her.
Can I get a collective "Awwww"? Umm...I think you know the drill by now. Reviews are always nice. There should be two more chapters after this one, and then I'll let you know what else I've been working on/plan to work on. Sound like a plan? Love you guys! Mwah!