True Love

“Toby,” Alix said, “it’s all incredibly beautiful. Thank you.”

  “No tears!” Lexie ordered again. “Now come through here and wait until we return to get you. Jilly should be here by now.”

  A little tent had been set up beside the large one. The only thing in it were two chairs and Alix carefully sat down, spreading her skirt out so she wouldn’t crease it. She could hear people outside, but so far there’d been no shouting. Obviously, they hadn’t been told yet. The truth was that she dreaded being married in the midst of anger. There would be the guests’ disappointment and her mother’s hurt. Not a good way to begin a marriage! She truly hoped the guests would be understanding.

  When the tent flap moved, Alix expected to see Jilly, but there her mother stood in an emerald green silk suit and a little pillbox hat with a short veil. Alix didn’t think she’d ever looked more beautiful. A light about her face made her glow.

  “Mom,” Alix said, sounding like a lost five-year-old. She stood up and flung her arms around her mother’s neck—and the tears came from both of them. “How did you know? I thought I wouldn’t see you. I waited—”

  “Ssssh,” Victoria said, pulling out of her daughter’s embrace. “Now look what we’ve done to our faces. It’s a good thing I brought a repair kit. Now sit down and let me fix you.”

  Obediently—and very, very happily—Alix sat back down. Her mother took the other chair, pulled a full makeup kit out of her bag, and began to work on her daughter’s face.

  “How?” Alix whispered.

  “Oh, my goodness, Alix! You and your father are so much alike. Did you really think you could pull off something like this and I wouldn’t know about it? All that whispering, all that sneaking around. So where’s the ring?”

  Alix proudly held up her left hand.

  “Not bad.” She paused with the makeup sponge in her hand. “Who do you think told Jared your ring size?”

  “You?”

  “Of course it was me.” She smiled at her daughter. “When I got here and saw that you and Jared had already settled into what, by all accounts, was a married life, I knew I had to break up that overly comfortable arrangement.”

  “Why on earth would you do that?”

  “Darling,” Victoria said, “what’s on your finger right now? What dress are you wearing? Sometimes men need a nudge to get them going. Look up.”

  Alix was trying not to blink as her mother reapplied mascara, and thought about what she was hearing. “No cathedral? No fourteen-foot train?”

  “Really, dearest, give me credit for having some taste.”

  “Mom, I didn’t want to leave you out. I mean …”

  “No more tears,” Victoria said, smiling. “Now, aren’t you glad I made you design a larger cake and choose better flowers and invite more people?”

  “I am, actually. But Izzy—”

  “Is happy. I talked to her in Bermuda this morning, and she’s calm and peaceful, and the baby is no longer under stress. Later, after the baby is born, she and Glenn are going to have another ceremony and all the relatives will be there. You’ll be her matron of honor. It’s all going to work out. You’ll see.”

  Alix was looking at her mother. “You seem extraordinarily happy and I’m glad, but is there something else?”

  It didn’t seem possible, but Victoria’s face got even brighter, even more lovely. “Well, dear, I know you’re a virgin until tonight, but—”

  Alix laughed.

  “I had a rather interesting night.”

  “How so?”

  “Oh no, it’s not something I can tell you about. At least not now. This is your day.” Victoria was redoing her own makeup and she looked at her watch. “I’m going to have to leave you. Your father has the job of telling everyone of the bridal switch and I know he’s going to make a mess of it. I can hardly wait to see it!”

  “Mother, be nice.”

  “I’m being extraordinarily nice to your father. I haven’t said anything but sweet words to him all day. He’s beginning to look downright terrified.”

  Alix knew she shouldn’t laugh, but she did.

  “I have to go meet Caleb,” Victoria said as she stood up.

  “What?!” Alix said.

  “You and Addy and your ghost! It’s not Captain Caleb, it’s Freddy, you know, Dr. Huntley. And I can assure you that his body is quite solid.” She paused a moment to smile. “Anyway, this morning he told me that from now on he wanted to be called by his middle name, Caleb.”

  “That’s odd,” Alix said.

  “What’s odd is the energy of that man.” Victoria held up her hand. “But you’re still a virgin so I can’t tell you about that.”

  “Later, I want to hear every word about what’s been going on.”

  Victoria looked outside. “I will. I promise. Jilly is coming, and I’m going to sit in the church with Caleb and watch your father make a fool of himself. What a divine day this is!” She threw a kiss to Alix and left the tent.

  “There he is!” Lexie whispered to Toby. They were hidden inside a tent in their pretty jewel-toned dresses, and peeping out at the chapel. The ballerina-length gowns were alike, with form-fitting sleeveless tops, tight waists, and full skirts. The silk of the skirts was overlaid with tulle of a matching color. The only ornament was the little silver belt at the waist. Outside, the small building was packed with people and the two bridesmaids were waiting to be given the word to go in. Alix was secreted away with Jilly in another tent.

  Last night the three young women had gone out for a bachelorette party at the island’s liveliest nightspot. But they hadn’t stayed long because the whole place seemed to have been taken over by one man.

  As soon as Lexie saw him, she said, “He’s a Kingsley.”

  “I think in this case he’s a Montgomery,” Alix said. “Jilly told me a man was flying in for Toby.”

  Lexie looked surprised.

  “To walk me down the aisle,” Toby said. “Roger is for you, but I need someone.”

  “Plymouth?!” Lexie exclaimed. “You got my boss to fly in just to walk me down the aisle?”

  “Yes,” Toby said, “I did.”

  “Why didn’t you ask me?” Lexie said.

  “Because you would have said no.”

  “Yes, I would have. That man—”

  “Come on, guys,” Alix said. “This is my night. No fighting.”

  Reluctantly, Lexie had stopped arguing, but she didn’t smile.

  The three of them had ordered drinks, but the place was so loud that they couldn’t talk. The Kingsley-Montgomery man and the people around him were causing too much commotion. Great howls of laughter, both male and female, filled the place.

  “He certainly does love to party,” Lexie said. “I got the impression from Jared that the Montgomerys were paragons of virtue.”

  “There’s always a black sheep.”

  “Uh-oh, he’s spotted us,” Lexie said and looked away.

  The man removed the young woman from his lap and sauntered over to their table. He did look like Jared, but he was younger and there was a devil-may-care look in his eyes that Jared had never worn.

  “And what are you lovely ladies doing here all alone?”

  Lexie started to speak. After all, he was probably a distant relative, but without a word, Toby got up, left the table, and went outside.

  “Looks like we’re leaving,” Alix said as she finished her drink in one gulp, got her purse, and left.

  “See you tomorrow,” Lexie said and followed the other two outside.

  Now they were at the chapel and there he was, dressed in a tux, standing at the door and ushering people in.

  “That’s not him,” Toby said.

  “Are you kidding?” Lexie said. “That’s the man we saw last night. He’s doing well at covering up his hangover.”

  Toby didn’t say anything more as she stepped back inside the tent.

  Lexie had never been one to let a challenge go by. “Pssst,” she said to the man. Wh
en he looked, she motioned for him to come to the tent, then held back the flap for him to enter. Toby had stepped away, but was watching them. “How do you feel today?” Lexie asked.

  “Well enough,” the man said. “And you?”

  “Great. I’m Lexie and this is Toby. I take it that you’re Jilly’s relative who will be walking Toby down the aisle?”

  The man looked at Toby in her pretty blue dress, thought how perfectly it matched her eyes, and smiled. “Graydon Montgomery,” he said and bent his head forward in a sort of bow.

  Toby didn’t move, nor did she say anything to the man.

  Lexie was a bit annoyed at her rudeness, especially since she’d never before seen Toby even be unpleasant to anyone. “I think you and I are cousins of some sort—I’m a Kingsley through my mother.”

  “Ah, yes. I got in late yesterday and have yet to meet any of my new family.”

  “Not too late,” Lexie said. “You don’t remember seeing us last night?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  Smiling, Lexie looked at Toby, whose face was immobile. What was wrong with her? “I can see why you don’t remember us—or anyone else. You were really plastered.”

  “Oh,” he said and there was a bit of color rising in his face. “I see. Singing? Dancing? Champagne?”

  “So now you’re remembering?”

  “Yes, I do remember evenings like that.” He looked at Toby. “Perhaps you and I should rehearse before the ceremony?”

  Lexie looked from one to the other. Toby might not like him, but he certainly seemed attracted to her. “I think that’s a great idea,” Lexie said. “Start at that end of the tent and walk slowly to the other end and back.”

  He held out his arm to Toby and she took it, but she kept her body as far from his as possible.

  When a waiter came into the tent and took Lexie’s attention, Graydon said to Toby, “Did I offend you last night?”

  “The man who came to our table was quite unpleasant,” Toby said. “He seemed to think that we had gone there for him.”

  “I do apologize,” he said. “I didn’t mean to give offense. Perhaps tomorrow I could have the pleasure of your company at dinner. I don’t know anyone here and—”

  “You hate to eat alone?” Toby said, her tone disdainful of the unspoken cliché. She stopped walking and pulled her arm from his. “Look, I don’t know what your game is, but that wasn’t you last night and I have no idea why you’re trying to make us think it was. I don’t like liars, so the answer is no, I won’t go out with you. Now, please leave until they call for us.”

  He looked shocked, as though no one had ever said such a thing to him before. Without a word, he turned and left the tent.

  Just outside, he saw his aunt Jilly standing beside the bride’s father and talking quietly. Ken looked quite glum.

  Graydon would never tell his aunt, but a family meeting had been called to discuss their beloved Jilly’s sudden involvement with a man they didn’t know. After what had happened with her late husband, they were quite worried about this new man. All that they’d found via the Internet was good, but they’d wanted to learn about him on a more personal level. When Jilly called with her request for a groomsman, everyone had looked at Graydon.

  “I don’t think that would be appropriate,” he’d said at first, but then the idea had begun to appeal to him. Why not? Three hours later he was packed and on a plane to Nantucket.

  He’d started asking questions about Ken as soon as he got into the ratty old pickup some man named Wes had met him at the airport in. As far as Graydon could tell, no one on the island had the least bad thing to say about Kenneth Madsen. And when they were introduced, Graydon had liked him.

  “There you are,” Jilly said when she saw Graydon coming out of the tent, and Ken stepped away. “Everything settled?” she asked. “Did you get to rehearse walking down the aisle?”

  “I did, but …” He glanced at Ken, who was standing close by, but he didn’t seem to be listening to them.

  “Is something wrong?” Jilly asked.

  “No, nothing,” Graydon said. “It’s just that …” He smiled a bit. “Something rather odd happened. The young woman I’m to escort down the aisle … Toby, is that her name?”

  “I believe it’s a nickname, but what about her?”

  “She and her friends saw Rory last night—I didn’t even know he was here—and the other woman …”

  “Lexie?”

  “Yes. Lexie said they saw me.”

  “That’s understandable given that you and Rory are identical.”

  “Yes,” Graydon said. “We are, except that Toby got rather angry because she said I was lying, that it was not me they saw.”

  “Oh, my goodness!” Jilly said, her hand to her mouth.

  The alarm in her voice made Ken come out of his reverie. “Is something wrong?”

  “No,” Jilly said, but her eyes were wide and fastened on Graydon’s. “But surely this has happened to you before.”

  “Never. Not even once.”

  “Oh,” Jilly said. “What are you going to do?”

  “I think I might arrange to stay here on this island for a while. Lexie and Toby are roommates, are they not?”

  “Yes,” Jilly said, caution in her voice. “What are you thinking of doing?”

  Graydon smiled in a way that let her know he wasn’t going to reveal what was in his mind. “I think I should find out about this, don’t you?” He picked up his aunt’s hand and kissed the back of it. “I think I’ll be seeing more of you in the coming weeks.” He looked at Ken, nodded, then walked away.

  Ken looked after the young man. “I don’t mean to be nosy, but what was that all about?”

  “It seems that our dear Toby can tell the twins apart.”

  “You have to give me a clue as to what that means,” Ken said.

  “It’s just that identical twins run in our extended family, and there’s a silly—ridiculous, really—saying that whoever can tell the twins apart is a person’s True Love.”

  “And Toby can do this with this young man? Graydon, is it?”

  “Yes, it seems that she can,” Jilly said.

  “Does this mean our Toby has met her True Love?” Ken was smiling at the idea.

  “I don’t know, but Graydon is certainly curious.”

  “Why do you look so apprehensive?” Ken asked. “Is there something wrong with this young man?”

  “With him personally, no. It’s just that the circumstances of his birth are rather extraordinary.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Graydon is the crown prince of Lanconia.”

  Ken’s eyes widened. “ ‘Crown’ prince? Doesn’t that mean he will be …?”

  “That someday he’ll be king? Yes, it does.”

  Ken thought about that for a moment. “The first time I held Toby she was about four hours old, and I’ve watched her grow up since then. In my opinion, if your prince can win her, he’s the one who’ll get the prize.”

  “I’m not sure, but I think Graydon may feel the same way.”

  Smiling, Ken kissed her cheek. “Queen Toby. Sounds good to me.” He took a deep breath, looked at his watch, and the smile left him.

  “Is it time to go?”

  “Yes,” he said, “it is.” Together, they walked toward the chapel.

  Feeling as though he was going to the gallows, Ken walked to the front of the chapel and looked out at the many guests. The little building was packed with chairs full of people and there were more guests standing around the perimeter. They’d brought in generators so the building was lit with soft lights, and the walls were hung with ribbons and what looked to be bouquets of wildflowers. And candles were everywhere.

  Standing beside him were three women wearing dresses the color of spilled grape juice. They were to have been Izzy’s bridesmaids and he’d heard that she hadn’t chosen them. The women weren’t pretty to begin with, but their sour expressions made them worse. They??
?d been loudly complaining because no one had given them bouquets to carry. No wonder Izzy ran away! Ken thought.

  Since he taught at a major university, Ken knew he should be used to speaking before a crowd, but as he looked at the many men and women, he felt nothing but fear. The people in the little wooden chairs were mostly Izzy’s and Glenn’s relatives.

  On the front row, separated only by a narrow aisle, were Glenn’s and Izzy’s mothers. Both women were wearing silk suits and they looked like they had tried to outdo each other with the amount of jewelry they had on. In a dark room they’d still sparkle.

  Both women were frowning, glaring really, at each other, and when Ken stepped to the front, they turned their glowers on him. The wedding was already late and there was still no sign of the bride or groom, but Ken knew that Jared was just outside the side door.

  “I have an announcement to make,” Ken said loudly, but no one paid any attention to him—which made him look at his ex-wife. She sat at the end of the front row, beside Dr. Huntley, and every once in a while she’d look at the man with a dreamy expression on her face.

  What is wrong with her? Ken wondered. She hadn’t taken one potshot at him all day. Usually she couldn’t go fifteen minutes without making a crack about whatever Ken said or did. But not today. He wondered what she was up to.

  Louder, Ken called the room to attention and a few people in front stopped grumbling and looked up at him.

  “There has been a change in the plans for this lovely evening,” Ken said and he couldn’t help glancing at Victoria. He knew she hadn’t been told of the bride switch and that when she heard, she was going to be furious—and there was no doubt in Ken’s mind that he would be her target.

  He looked back at the crowd. “Everything is the same,” he said, “except that there will be a different bride and groom. And attendants,” he added with a glance at the unlovely bridesmaids near him.

  That shut everyone up. In an instant, every person in the chapel, even the ones standing in the back—who were mostly Nantucketers—quit talking and looked at Ken.

  For a moment, he tightened his shoulders as he awaited the onslaught, but it didn’t happen. Everyone, even Victoria, was staring at him in silence.