“We know George Carroll’s nephew, Peter.” Callie smiled. “He and my stepdaughter, Molly, are showing great interest in each other.”
“Excellent! Peter is a fine young man.” Key neatly squared the stack of papers and slid them back in the portfolio. “Now I must render myself presentable and meet with my brother-in-law about another matter.”
Callie stood and offered her hand. “Thank you so much for taking the time to help us during such a confused period!”
With a charming smile, Key shook her hand. “We poets are a nervous lot. It was worth being a lawyer before breakfast in order to hear enthusiasm for my latest work.”
“Very genuine enthusiasm,” Richard said as he shook Key’s hand. “Good day, sir. I look forward to hearing ‘The Defence of Fort McHenry’ being sung on every street corner!”
Callie took Richard’s arm and they left the hotel room together. And once again, the words “the land of the free and the home of the brave”rang in her mind.
Chapter 33
The next days were spent talking to lawyers and signing papers. Peter Carroll took a day off work after returning from the battlefield, and he spent it with Molly. Callie envied the innocent purity of their romance, uncomplicated by the scars and betrayals of life. She’d never had that, but now she had Richard, and that made up for the rest.
The next day Peter returned to his desk in his uncle’s office and became one of the assistants copying the original documents. It was a huge job since copies were needed for Callie, the Adams family, Mr. Key, and the courts. Callie’s hand was tired from signing, but she thought the process would go smoothly since the paperwork hadn’t been questioned. Though it would take months to settle the probate, when it was done, Molly and Trey would be comfortably set for life.
The weather had cooled to a pleasant autumn. The night before their wedding, she and Richard decided to stroll along the waterfront, holding hands, saying little, simply absorbing the sights and sounds of Baltimore. As the sky darkened, they headed back to the warehouse, and saw a familiar dinghy gliding up to the nearby pier.
“The dinghy from theZephyr!” Richard exclaimed as he recognized the two men aboard. “Hawkins has excellent timing.”
“He certainly does!”
They quickened their pace and met him on the pier as his crewman secured the dinghy. “Hello there!” Hawkins called. “I’m glad to see that you survived the late excitement. Any interest in sailing away home?”
Richard reached a hand down and helped the other man up onto the pier. “Indeed, yes. But first, care to attend a wedding tomorrow morning?”
Hawkins’s gaze moved from Richard to Callie. “I’d love to, and I’m glad to see that you two finally figured out what to do with each other!”
Callie laughed and offered her hand. “Was it that obvious?”
“Not to you, maybe, but to everyone else.” Hawkins bowed formally over her hand. “I haven’t a proper gift, but I’ll give you the use of my cabin on theZephyrfor the return voyage.”
Callie said uncertainly, “It seems wrong of us to drive you from your own bed, Captain Hawkins.”
“We accept,” Richard said, overriding Callie’s qualms. “And thank you, Hawkins.” He gave Callie a teasing glance. “I really do not want to spend my honeymoon in a bunk bed.”
“Nor do I,” Callie admitted. She kissed Hawkins’s cheek. “Thank you, Captain.”
He colored and quickly changed the subject. Callie smiled as she invited him and his crewman up to the loft for dinner. This was going to be one fine honeymoon.
* * *
On the whole, Gordon decided, it was easier to face down a group of armed and drunken soldiers than it was to get married. As he waited at the altar of St. Paul’s, he muttered, “I am never going to do this again!”
Josh, an experienced married man, gave his deep chuckle. “You’ll only have to do it once. Miss Callista isn’t the sort to give up on anyone, so you’re going to be mated for life like a pair of geese.”
“Interesting way to put it,” Gordon said, but the thought of grooming Callie’s feathers was sufficiently arresting to distract him. He didn’t really think she’d change her mind, but he wanted this to beover.
The only guests were Peter Carroll and Hawkins, with Trey ready to wield a cane if needed. The church seemed very empty until the organ sounded. It filled the great space with celebration, and the ladies filed in.
Molly walked down the aisle first, a small bouquet in her hands and a wide smile on her face. She was dark and stunning in a garnet-colored gown and looked much more mature than when Gordon had first met her just weeks before. She had to be thinking about her own future marriage. From the way she and Peter exchanged glances, the subject was obviously on their minds.
Then Sarah, mature and magnificent in green satin. Lastly, his Callie, glowing in gold and cream, her bright hair like fire, and topazes dancing in her ears. Gordon’s heart considered stopping at the sight of her gliding down the aisle.
He realized with sharp awareness that however he and Callie defined the terms of their marriage, she would give meaning to his life. For so many years his life had been first about survival, and then later it was about solving intriguing problems for people who needed help. Some of those tasks counted as redemption for past sins, but it wasn’t the same kind of meaning that Callie brought to this marriage.
How had he become so lucky?
