“Of all the underhanded…,” Lee began. “Father and I will go after her and—.”
Blair cut him off. “And do what? She’s already married and, besides, what’s wrong with Alan? I thought he’d make a very good husband.”
Quickly, the anger left Leander. “I guess he will at that. But why couldn’t she have stayed here and been married in public? Why did she have to run away as if she were ashamed of him?”
“Nina and I have been friends all our lives, and I imagine that she was afraid of me. After all, I didn’t get to marry the man I had originally planned to marry, so perhaps she thought I’d be angry about how Alan left me at the train station. No doubt he left me for Nina.”
Leander leaned against a tree and took a cigar from his pocket. “You seem awfully cool about this. I gave you the chance to back out. You could have gone back to Pennsylvania. You had the chance.”
Later in her life, Blair thought that that was the moment she fell in love with Leander. He’d made such a fool of himself to win her, yet here he stood like a sulky little boy, saying that she didn’t have to marry him, that he would have let her go.
“And what would you have done if I’d boarded a train? I seem to remember your shaking me and telling me that I was going to marry you and that I had no say in the matter,” she said softly, as she moved to stand in front of him, her hand touching his collar. Around her was spread yards of the heavenly silk satin, the beading gently flashing colors in the soft light of the garden.
He watched her for a moment, then tossed the cigar to the ground and grabbed her to him in a kiss of great passion, holding her close to him, trying to merge their bodies into one. He pulled her head to his shoulder, almost smothering her as he hugged her in a way that a mother holds a child that has almost been lost. “You did choose him, you went to the train to go with him.”
Blair tried to untangle herself and the cascading veil from his grasp. She wanted to look at him. “That’s behind us now,” she said, as she looked into his eyes and thought about the man behind that handsome face. She remembered the many times she’d seen him working to save a life, especially the day they’d brought in an old cowboy who’d been gored by a bull, and when Lee had been unable to save him, and the man had died on the operating table, Blair was sure there’d been tears in Lee’s eyes. He’d said he’d known the old man for years, and it would hurt to know that he was gone.
Now, she stood within his grasp, and she knew that she’d married the right man. Alan hadn’t really loved her, nor she him. Not if he could one minute demand that she choose, and a few hours later leave her standing at the train station. And she remembered how relieved she’d been when he hadn’t shown up.
“A great deal has happened between us,” she said, as she ran her hand down his cheek. It was so nice to be able to touch him, as she’d wanted to since their first night together. He was hers from now on, totally and completely hers. “But today marks a new beginning, and I’d like to start with a clean slate. You and I work well together, and we have…other things in common,” she said, as she moved her hips just slightly against his. “I want this marriage to work. I want us to have children, and I want us to keep in practice together, and I want us to…love each other.” She said the last hesitantly, because all he’d ever said was that he desired her, and love had never entered the picture.
“Children,” he murmured, pulling her even closer. “Especially, let’s make children.” He began to kiss her as if he were starving.
“Here they are,” someone shouted. “Now, stop that. You have a whole lifetime for that. Now, you have to come and join the party. The cake has to be cut.”
Reluctantly, Blair pulled away from her husband. Another few minutes of his kisses and she’d be rolling about the grass with him. She’d already proven that she had no control when it came to him.
With a sigh, Lee took her hand in his and led her back to the mass of people gathered on one of Taggert’s too smooth, too big lawns.
Immediately after the cake cutting, the guests separated them and several women started asking Blair hundreds of questions about where Houston had gone.
“That man swept my daughter off her feet,” Opal said in a demure way that didn’t allow for any disbelief. “Both my daughters have married strong men who knew exactly what they wanted and went after it.”
Two of the women in Opal’s audience looked as if they were about to swoon at the romance of the stories.
“Mother,” Blair said, holding out a dish. “Have a slice of ham.” She leaned forward so only Opal could hear her. “Now I know where Houston and I get our acting ability.”
Opal smiled at the women, took the dish from Blair and gave her a quick wink.
With a laugh, Blair went away, leaving her mother to brag about her new sons-in-law.
At sundown, there was dancing in the library, and of course Leander and Blair had to lead the dancing. Several people asked if it had been she that night at the governor’s reception and not Houston. Both Blair and Lee laughed secretly, and he swept her away in his arms again, whirling her about the polished dance floor.
“It’s time we left these people and went home. I don’t think I can wait much longer to make you mine,” Leander whispered in her ear as he held her.
Blair didn’t even nod, but tightened the train about her arm and quickly left the room to go upstairs to change into her going-away clothes. Her mother came to help her and Opal was silent until Blair stood ready.
“Leander’s a good man and I know you’ve had some problems, but I think he’ll make you a good husband,” Opal said.
“I do, too,” Blair said, looking radiant in an electric blue suit that Houston had chosen for her sister. “I think he’ll make the best of husbands.” And I know he’ll make the best of lovers, she thought, then kissed her mother quickly and ran down the stairs to meet Leander.
Amid showers of rice so heavy that their health was threatened, they left the Taggert mansion for the pretty little house that would be their home.
But once they were away from the crowd, Blair began to feel timid and shy. Fr
om now on, her life would be tied to this man whom she knew only in a professional way. What did she know about him personally? What had he done in his life besides study medicine?
At the house, Lee swept her into his arms and carried her over the threshold, took one look at her white face and said, “This isn’t the woman who risked her life to keep a man’s chin clean, is it? You’re not afraid of me, are you?”