Page 29 of If The Fates Allow
“I know Grace ran off with Tommy, and your parents forbid her from returning to Haven House, but you’ll see her again one day.” He glanced ahead at the rise of sand pines in the distance. The thick cluster served as the barrier between the wild forest and the beach. “I bet every time she looks in the mirror and sees her scar, she thinks of you.”
Willa schooled her features, wishing that could be true. “Why did you want to talk about Grace?”
He winced. Not much, but enough to set her on edge. “I didn’t. I wanted to talk about Lucy.”
Chapter 9
She did stop walking then, giving him her full attention. “What about Lucy?”
Noah’s unwavering gaze met her own. “Paul isn’t going to propose.”
“What?” Her shout echoed around the dunes, the sea oats atop them waving in a frenzy as the wind picked up speed. “Why ever not?”
Rubbing the back of his neck, he hesitated, but Hope would have none of that and nudged him with her snout. “Paul wants to marry someone else, and I’m telling you this to soften the blow for her, Willa. Ulrich plans to visit Haven House next week to deal with the news.”
She spun away from him, pacing on the sand. “But there is an agreement!”
“No, there was an assumption,” he corrected gently. “On your father’s part.”
“Don’t patronize me.” Hands fisted at her side, she yelled louder, utterly outraged on her sister’s behalf. “Paul Anderson would be lucky to have Lucy. How could he possibly object?”
Noah followed her. “Willa, watch your breathing.”
“Stop reminding me to breathe!” she screamed, chest pumping and eyes wild. “You will not tell me my sister’s one hope in life—herone dream—will be ruined because Paul Anderson doesn’t think she’s worthy enough to be his wife.”
He was in front of her in a heartbeat, grasping her by the upper arms. “I never said he didn’t think she was worthy. Lucy is a lovely girl, and Paul is an idiot. My uncle nearly killed him when he said he wanted to marry someone else.”
Willa sobered immediately. “What?”
“A young woman who came to The Gathering caught his eye, and they’ve been meeting secretly. It’s an entire group that gathers on the far end of this very beach, right where the bayou joins the sea.”
She stared at him as if he were insane. There had been plenty of women at The Gathering, but Paul didn’t show any of them attention except… “One of the serving girls from Port Michaelson?”
Slowly, he nodded. “Her name is Katie, and Ulrich wasn’t happy, but his own marriage was a love match, so he can’t fault his son for following his heart.”
Could anyone fault another person for following their heart? The answer was no, but at the moment, Willa’s single concern lay with her sister.
“My father…” Air wheezed past her lips, and she pressed a hand to her stomach. This wasn’t a breathing attack but pure terror manifesting itself. “He’ll blame Lucy.”
“But it’s not Lucy’s fault.”
“He won’t care!”
She couldn’t stand still and continued to march as fast as she could along the sandy shore. There was no destination in mind, only a burst of energy propelling her into motion.
“Lucy will find someone else.” Noah chased after her, as did Hope. “I didn’t lie when I said she was lovely. Lucy will make a fine wife to any man.”
“What man?” Willa halted, spreading her arms wide at the empty landscape. “What man, Noah? We’re in the middle of nowhere. Hollingsdale isn’t exactly a bustling city filled with available suitors, andPort Michaelson is worse. It’s nothing but dock workers and brothels. Where is she to find a gentleman among them?”
“Grace found love with a mill worker.” His own anger was close to the surface, and the muscle in Noah’s jaw ticked ominously. “Why can’t Lucy do the same? Why does it have to be some gentleman?”
It was as if he had struck her. Noah couldn’t possibly understand. He couldn’t possibly know what he was suggesting.
“Because there is no other choice.” She would not cry. Not in this beautiful place. Not with him watching. She had been broken a thousand times—in a thousand ways—but she would not permit it to happen now. “Lucy is to go to Paul Anderson so the mills can unite. I am to go to John Richards so the mills can use his land for future growth. There is no other option. Fairweather Lumber and the Anderson Mill cannot survive without them being united.”
He was in her space again, crowding her as the sun began to set behind him. On any other day, she would have marveled at the magnificent show playing out, but in the here and now, with the world crashing down on her, Willa didn’t care. Too lost in her anger and the pain she saw flashing in Noah’s eyes, her stomach turned completely over at his next words.
“Paul and Katie want to marry at Christmas. Ulrich has already approached your brother and asked him to announce the news to your father.”
