CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
After Myra finished work, Hank spent the rest of the day with her. Samantha's carer was keeping her for the afternoon to give Myra more time to sort things out for her wedding. First she wanted to choose a dress and Hank paced impatiently outside the store for over an hour until she came out, smugly telling him she had found the perfect thing. After that, they went to a jewellery store to get a wedding ring.
"Are you going to wear a ring too?" teased Myra as they walked towards the store.
"Will if ya want," he said.
"Are you serious?" Myra said in surprise. "You'd wear a ring? I didn't think you liked men wearing jewellery."
"I know what kinda man I am, wearin' a ring that says I'm your man don't make me a sissy," he smirked.
He bought a pair of matching rings; one small and narrow and the other larger and wider but both identical in style. The store assistant put them into a ring box designed especially to hold a pair. Afterwards they went to the Juniper Cafe again for a late lunch and then collected Samantha. Hank saw them home and spent the rest of the day at the guest house.
Myra only had three more days at work and on each day, Hank met her in the afternoon and they picked up Samantha and took her for lunch or out for a buggy ride. On Tuesday, Myra looked much happier than she had before.
"Suzannah's coming to the wedding after all!" she exclaimed as they walked away from the bank. "We talked last night. She said she'd been thinking and felt that she'd been unkind to me by agreeing with Edward. She says it's obvious that I'm happy and she was only concerned because of my past with you."
"Well, that's great news," grinned Hank. "I suppose that stuffy husband of hers ain't comin' though."
"No, but she told him she intends to and that he needn't try persuading her otherwise. She even ordered a carriage to collect us and Samantha from the house and bring us to the church."
"I'm real glad she came 'round," Hank said, doing his best not to look smug.
They spent the rest of the day together and then Hank walked Myra and Samantha back to the house. Myra opened the door and stepped inside, then turned to say goodbye to him. Suzannah appeared behind her in the hallway and gave him a small smile as Myra bent to take off Samantha's coat. He nodded at her in return and she slipped away into the drawing room.
The next two days passed in a similar way and when Myra finished work for the final time on Thursday, she emerged from the bank carrying a huge bouquet of flowers and a basket containing a boxed water jug and bowl which her colleagues had got together to buy for her. Her boss had also promised a glowing reference should she decide to work again in the future.
At last it was Friday. Hank took most of his things over to the St Louis Grand Hotel where they were to spend the night and then passed the rest of the morning at the guest house, pacing impatiently for most of it and chatting to Mrs Claybourne. He took a bath, washed his hair, put on the fine grey suit he had obtained along with a crisp white shirt, red silk tie and finally added the pocket watch Myra had given him. He was ready by twelve-thirty and then paced around some more.
"Don't you have a best man or anything?" Mrs Claybourne asked him at one point.
"No. Ain't nobody 'cept me and Myra and her sister. Plus her daughter's gonna be a flower girl."
"You didn't want your family there? Or friends?"
"Ain't got no family," Hank said. "As for friends - well, if ya can call 'em that, they're all back in Colorado. We're just havin' a quiet weddin'. Neither of us wanted any fuss." He had been a little surprised that Myra hadn't wanted to invite more people and have all the trimmings that usually went with weddings, but she had told him all she was interested in doing was becoming Mrs Lawson and heading back to Colorado Springs.
"Well, at least wear a buttonhole," Mrs Claybourne told him.
"A what?"
"Here." The lady plucked a red rose which matched his tie from the vase on the kitchen table, broke the stem short and tucked it into the buttonhole in his lapel. "There, that's better. Good luck to you and your lady."
At last it was time for Hank to head for the church. He walked there briskly and arrived at ten minutes before two. The Reverend was waiting and indicated that Hank should sit on the front pew while he waited for Myra. His heart began to thump faster and faster as he sat there alone. It suddenly seemed impossible to believe that he was about to get married. He had never considered it, up until Myra married Horace. He'd briefly wished it had been him standing there at the altar with her and then written the idea off, guessing that it wasn't for him. If he couldn't have Myra, he didn't want anybody and any thoughts of a wife and family had been buried.
Now he was back at that point, only this time he did have Myra. In half an hour she would be his wife and his whole life would change. He took a deep breath and tried to relax. At first he had thought his pounding heart and sweating palms were from fear of tying himself to someone for the rest of his life, but now he realised that he wasn't worried about getting married, but that for some reason she might change her mind at the last minute and leave him waiting there alone.
He wiped his hands on his pants legs and chewed his lip, wishing he could smoke a cigar. The church clock showed it was exactly two o'clock and she wasn't there. He began to feel a little sick.
The door opened and he jerked his head around at once. There was Suzannah, wearing a beautiful pink gown with a matching hat. She held Samantha's hand as the little girl climbed carefully up the step into the church. She was dressed in a frilly and lacy white dress with pink flowers stitched on it and carrying a basket full of flower petals.
Hank heaved a sigh of relief and watched as the two began to make their way slowly up the aisle, Suzannah guiding her niece and the child scattering petals as she walked. When they reached the altar, Suzannah picked up Samantha and they sat on the front pew on the left opposite Hank.
The door which was still ajar, now opened wider to admit Myra. She was wearing a stunning cream coloured dress in a simple style with long narrow sleeves and a deep neckline which showed a hint of cleavage. Her hair was pinned up loosely, a pink flower pinned into it and she carried a bouquet of pink and red flowers. She looked beautiful and Hank got to his feet and stared in admiration as she walked towards him. At last she reached his side, passed her flowers to Suzannah and slid her hand into his as they waited for the Reverend to begin the ceremony.
With no one to give Myra away and only the pair of them involved, the service was short. The Reverend began by speaking about their commitment to each other and then proceeded with the vows.
"Do you, Hank, take Myra to be your wife," he began.
"Yes," Hank said firmly.
"Ssshhh," whispered Myra. "He hasn't finished."
"Sorry." Hank smirked and held his tongue.
The Reverend smiled and continued. "To have and to hold from this day forward; for better, for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," Hank said after a brief hesitation to make sure the Reverend wasn't going to say anything else. Myra squeezed his hand harder and beamed.
"Do you, Myra, take Hank to be your husband; to have and to hold from this day forward; for better for worse; for richer, for poorer; in sickness and in health; to love and to cherish as long as you both shall live?"
"I do," Myra replied at once, her voice shaking just a tiny bit. She had tears in her eyes and blinked rapidly in an effort to stop them spilling over.
The Reverend then asked for the ring and Hank drew the box out of his pocket and passed it to the clergyman, who seemed a little surprised that there were a pair.
Hank took the smaller ring from the box when asked and carefully slid it onto Myra's finger, then she did the same with the larger ring, her hands trembling a little. Hank stared at the ring on his finger, surprised that rather than look strange, it seemed right at home there already. He began to grin proudly, barely aware of the Reverend pronouncing them husband and wife.
"You may now kiss the bride."
Those last words penetrated his stunned brain and he drew Myra closer to him, sliding both arms around her as their lips met. She was his wife. He wanted to snatch her off her feet and swing her round and round in delight. So many years he had longed for her and finally, she was his, because she wanted to be, not because a contract said she had no choice.
He released her reluctantly now and she took his arm as they walked back down the aisle to the door, Suzannah and Samantha following. The carriage complete with driver that Suzannah had hired to bring the three of them to the church waited outside and they all climbed in. Inside was a bag of Myra's belongings, the remainder of her things to be sent on by Suzannah after they had left for Colorado. Now they rode to the Grand Hotel to drop off Hank, Myra and Samantha and then Suzannah instructed the driver to take her back to the house.
Hank checked them in at the hotel reception, obtained the room key and then picked up Samantha and led the way upstairs to the room. It turned out to be a large suite complete with a drawing room, private bathroom and an enormous bedroom with a four-poster and a smaller cot bed suitable for Samantha in one corner.
They relaxed in the room for a little while and changed out of their wedding clothes, then went down to the dining room for supper. The hotel staff had been advised they were newly married and their waiter for the evening supplied them with the best choices from the menu including food which Samantha would enjoy accompanied by as much wine as they wanted and milk for the little girl. For the first time they were addressed as 'Mr and Mrs Lawson' and both eyed each other and grinned at this.
Eventually Samantha began to nod off on her chair and Hank picked her up again as they returned to their room. Myra put her to bed, then went into the bathroom to freshen up and change into the pink nightgown Hank had given her for Christmas. When she returned, she smelled of the French perfume and Hank didn't waste much time discarding his own clothes and drawing her into bed. They made love slowly and gently, then lay in each other's arms, talking softly.
"Can't believe yer my wife," Hank murmured.
"Me neither."
"Ya happy?"
"More than I've ever been," she whispered.
"Me too." He kissed her softly. "Love ya, Mrs Lawson."
Myra smiled. "I like the sound of that. I love you too."
They were woken early by Samantha, scrambling onto their bed and shaking Myra awake.
"Mama, I'm hungry!" she exclaimed.
Hank opened his eyes slowly as Myra sat up. "We'll get up in a minute," she yawned.
"Why's Uncle Hank sleeping with you?" asked Samantha then.
Hank smirked and bit his lip.
"Because we're married. We're always going to be together now. Remember I told you that we'll be going back to Colorado Springs with him?"
"Yes." Samantha nodded solemnly. "Does that mean I call him Papa now?"
Myra glanced at Hank and he just grinned and raised one eyebrow. Horace wasn't going to think much to his daughter calling Hank 'pa' he thought.
"Do you want to call him Papa?" asked Myra.
"Yes, but what about my other Papa?" Samantha frowned and chewed her lip.
"He's still your Papa too. You'll be seeing him very soon."
"Why don't ya just call me 'Pa'?" suggested Hank. "So ya know which of us yer talkin' about?"
"Alright." Samantha nodded firmly. "Pa." She smiled again now. "Can we have breakfast now?"
"Why don't I get some breakfast sent up to the room?" Hank looked at Myra, who seemed a little lethargic and pale. "Then ya won't have to rush about and get ready."
"Thank you, I'd like that," she said. "I feel a bit drained this morning."
"Must be all the excitement." He glanced at Samantha who was still sitting on the bed and then leaned closer to Myra to whisper. "Ain't got nothin' on."
Myra smiled and slid her legs out of the bed. "Come on, Samantha, let's go in the bathroom and get your face washed ready for breakfast."
As the door closed behind them, Hank sprang out of bed and dragged on his clothes, then went downstairs to order breakfast. He was advised a tray would be sent up within half an hour and he returned to the room quickly, finding Samantha now dressed, but Myra still in her nightgown.
"I don't feel so good," she said. "I don't often drink wine and I had two glasses last night, it's probably that."
"Ya wanna stay in bed a while?" asked Hank. "If ya don't feel up to travellin', we can stop here another night."
"No, it's alright, I'll be fine as soon as I have some coffee," Myra said. "It's a long journey, I'd rather get on with it." She returned to the bathroom now and got dressed, emerging just as the breakfast tray arrived.
Myra sipped coffee and nibbled a piece of bread, but that was all. Hank and Samantha both tucked into bacon, eggs, tomatoes and bread and jam, managing to eat everything the waiter had provided between them. After the meal, they gathered up their belongings and went down to the reception. Hank paid the bill and the hotel manager arranged one of the carriages to take them to the railway station. Myra was feeling better now, sure that the coffee had chased away the lingering effects of the wine and she was now eager to be on the way back to Colorado.
The Denver train was on time and they boarded at ten forty-five, finding an unoccupied carriage which they were lucky enough to keep to themselves until they changed trains. At eleven o'clock, the train pulled out of the station and slowly made its way out of St Louis, taking them towards the start of their new life together.