Enthralled (22 page)

They went down the elevator in
silence, hand in hand.

Outside, Darby wished them a
good morning, his eyes twinkling.

Once in the car,
Chazz pulled Teel close to him. "Love, I have a meeting, so Darby's
dropping me off first. I'll see you tonight at home. All right? Alexander has
to fly some of the corporate staff to a meeting in Pittsburgh, so I'll be
flying the Cessna to Selby."

Teel nodded, suddenly sad at
the thought of being away from Chazz for a whole day. When the Rolls pulled
over to the curb in front of his office building, she clung to him for a brief
moment and returned his kiss with fierce ardor. He seemed surprised but
pleased, and with a last gentle caress on her cheek and a jaunty wave, he
stepped out of the car and disappeared inside.

T
he trip back
to Selby was
uneventful, but Teel's late arrival meant that she was buried in work until
after six that evening. She was rubbing the back of her neck when Nancy and
Clint Wills walked into the office. She looked up at them, surprised. "Hi.
I thought you two had gone home. Are you here to pick me up early for the shower,
Nancy?"

"No." Nancy's voice sounded strained, and she sniffed.

Teel stared at
her, alarmed. Nancy had been crying. Teel glanced at Clint. His face had a
pinched look to it. "What's wrong?" she asked, wariness assailing
her, then panic. "Tell me. Is it Chazz? Tell me!" Her voice sounded
shrill in the otherwise silent room.

"There was a plane
crash," Nancy said hoarsely. "The announcement came over Clint's
police radio. He called the sheriff."

"Les Tillman is my
brother-in-law," Clint explained. "He said the man's wallet
identified him as Charles Herman. Don't look like that, Teel. He's in the
hospital. Les said he was unconscious, but that it didn't look bad." Clint
swallowed hard and patted Teel's arm as she stood rigidly in front of him, both
hands pressed to her mouth.

"The plane
lost power and Chazz crash-landed in a field just short of the runway. He was
all the way down and it looked all right, but he must have hit a tree stump or
something because the plane flipped over." Clint took a deep breath. "I
called Nancy because I thought you would want her along when I take you to the
hospital."

Teel nodded numbly, unable to
speak, and squeezed Clint's hand in silent thanks. The car ride seemed to take
forever even though the hospital was located only ten minutes from the school.

Later, Teel had no
memory of what Nancy or Clint said to her or what the nurses and doctor told
her. She only knew that she had to see Chazz. She would make him get better no
matter how bad it was.

When she stepped
inside the door of the private room and saw him lying there, his face white,
his eyes closed, she froze. Though her brain registered that there were no
tubes coming from his body attached to life-sustaining apparatus, that he was
not heavily bandaged, enervating shock coursed through her body.

To her surprise, his eyes
opened and his mouth curved upward in a boyish grin. Was he all right? Suddenly
he looked fine.

She stepped
forward tentatively, still unsure. "Chazz," she breathed.” Are you
badly hurt?"

"I'm fine, love. Fit as a
fiddle," he replied blithely. "Just resting up a bit is all."

All at once Teel
was angry. "You frightened me to death," she cried, trembling with
relief and rage. "I thought you might be dying—or at least have broken
bones." She shook a fist at him, tears streaming down her face as she shut
the door forcefully behind her and stalked over to the bed.

Chazz sat up,
wrapping his arms around her and pulling her down on the bed with him, soothing
her as she cried out her fear and frustration. Several attendants entered the
room, but Chazz said something to them, and then they were alone.

"It's all right,
love," he murmured. "I made it down just fine, but I must have hit a
rock or something as the plane was beginning to stop. No broken bones, nothing
but a scratch on my arm and a bump on my head. Don't cry." Chazz held her
close, rocking her. "They tell me that I landed not too far from the
carriage house." He kissed her forehead. "I guess I was in too much
of a hurry to see my woman." He chuckled softly.

"That's not funny."
Teel sniffed and wound her arms around his neck. "I couldn't bear to lose
you." She tightened her hold. "I just couldn't bear it."

The doctor came in just then
to talk to Chazz about staying overnight for tests. Teel nodded in agreement, but
Chazz shook his head. "Chazz, you must stay—just to make sure," Teel
pleaded.

"I
am
sure." He kissed her
nose, then turned to the doctor.” You’ve run some tests already, haven't
you?" At the doctor's slow nod, Chazz continued, "I'm getting married
next week, and my fiancée and I have things to do that need our attention.
Could you give me an educated guess about the state of my health? I know I feel
fine except for the throbbing in my arm and head."

The doctor stared at Chazz for
a few moments. "I'd prefer that you stay, but I feel that you're in pretty
good shape and could be released tomorrow with a clean bill of health."

"Good." Chazz
squeezed Teel.

"But if you feel dizzy or
nauseated at all tonight or tomorrow, come back." The doctor shook a
finger at Chazz.

"He will," Teel promised, her voice firm, one arm
around Chazz's waist. The two men smiled at her.

As they left the hospital, they met Nancy and Clint in the
waiting room. Teel suddenly remembered the shower, but Nancy reassured her. She
had already telephoned everyone and rescheduled the event.

Chazz was fine. Chazz was
fine.
The words rang in Teel's head just over a
week later as she dressed for her wedding. She looked down at the cream-colored
lace that her Aunt Tessa had brought for her from Spain. Her friend Charine had
fashioned it into a mantilla-like veil. The ecru silk gown that Charine had
made for her swirled out behind her to form a train. Veil lace edged the
sleeves and formed a bertha around the low neckline. Tiers of silk material were
caught at the dropped waist to create a modified bustle, which made Teel's
small waist look even smaller. Her neck rose from the almost off-the- shoulder
style like a slender column. Her skin glowed like translucent porcelain.

Aunt Tessa was giving her away
and, though she promised not to cry, she had pushed several lace-edged hankies
up the sleeve of her sky-blue dress.

Nancy
was her only attendant. "You're the most beautiful
bride I've ever seen," she told Teel, sniffing discreetly.

Darby drove them to the church
in the Rolls-Royce, patiently answering all Aunt Tessa's questions about the
limousine.

At the church Teel looked down
the aisle and saw Father Gargan and Rabbi Levine standing side by side. She was
very grateful to both clergymen for rearranging their schedules so that they
could assist at her and Chazz's wedding on such short notice.

When the organ played the
processional, she walked down the aisle, never taking her eyes off Chazz. He
stared back at her, heat leaping in his eyes.

Later, Teel couldn't remember
saying her vows, but she did remember seeing both clergymen lift their hands in
a blessing. Vaguely, she heard someone say, and "You may kiss the
bride."

Chazz turned her toward him,
and she looked up and smiled. "I love you," she murmured, her voice
as clear as a bell in the sudden silence of the church.

Someone tittered. Someone
whispered, "Did she say what I think she did?"

Teel didn't pay any attention.
She only watched Chazz. She felt relaxed and serene as she stared up into his
familiar face.

"Darling." His voice
was hoarse.

"You may kiss the bride
now," Rabbi Levine whispered once more.

As the organ music swelled,
Chazz pulled Teel close. His mouth touched hers in a tender caress that held a
promise of passion and enough love to last them all their lives.

The reception was
held at the Selby Museum. Chazz had arranged the catering from a New York firm, but when the local ladies asked him if they might bring their own dishes as
well, he had kindly encouraged them. Virtually the whole town was invited
because Teel couldn't think of one family she could exclude. Few of Chazz's
business associates attended, because Chazz had assured them that they would
have another reception in New York in the near future. Nevertheless, he took
great pride in introducing Teel to the small number of his associates who did
attend. And he neither left Teel's side nor let go of her hand the entire time.
"How does it feel to be married, Mrs. Herman?" he asked.

"Lovely." Teel felt
unaccountably shy with him. The look in his eye was possessive, but even more
than that, she had the feeling that she could step inside his eyes and revel in
that golden world.

When it was time to change,
Tilda and Nancy came with her. "I think it's nice that you're going to
take a week on the yacht," Tilda said, and she smiled when Teel's mouth
fell open. Tilda wrinkled her nose in dismay. "Oh, I wasn't supposed to
tell you!" She shrugged, then grinned when Teel and Nancy laughed.
"Teel, dear, one of the crew has taken your portrait to the
Deirdre,
so you'll have your
own surprise for Chazz."

"How can I ever thank
you?" Teel asked, hugging the small woman with sincere warmth.

"You can't," Tilda
answered tersely, "so just go and enjoy yourselves."

In no time at all they were
flying southward toward where the
Deirdre
was docked. "My lovely aunt told you, didn't she?"
Chazz whispered as he held Teel against his shoulder.

"Yes." She laughed,
hugging her secret about the painting to herself.

It was a relief to land and
know that it was only a short drive to the ocean. With Chazz at her side, the
time seemed to fly past.

"We'll just cruise in the
Caribbean for a few days," Chazz said as he helped Teel out of the car
and led her down into the forward cabin, looking surprised when she gasped at
the size of the room and how it was outfitted. "That's right. You've never
been in here before, have you? Do you like it?"

She nodded, staring around at
the oak-trimmed stateroom, which was dominated by a king-sized bed.

"Tell me again,"
Chazz's voice demanded, bringing Teel's head around to him.

She didn't pretend not to know
what he meant. She swallowed once. "I love you," she whispered, her
eyes steady on him.

"Thank God
for that." His mouth quirked in amusement, but Teel knew that the fire
leaping in his eyes expressed his deeper feelings. He reached out and pulled
her into his arms. "When you said that at the end of the ceremony, I
wasn't sure I heard you correctly. Lord, darling, you choose the most public
places to tell me your most important—and most private—thoughts. I almost
picked you up then and there and ran out of the church with you."

Teel smothered a sigh. She
would never regret having told him she loved him, but how she yearned to hear
the same words from his own lips.

"I've loved
you since I leaned over the side of the
Deirdre
and saw you lying unconscious in the dinghy," Chazz told
her.

"What?" Teel pushed
back from him, her eyes searching his face. "You love me?"

Chazz frowned. "Of course
I love you. I've told you often enough."

"You've
never
told me." Teel felt
her sinuses open up and her head clear. Her body felt pliant, alive, and
strong. Her thoughts seemed to regroup in an intelligible order. She suddenly
felt capable of outstanding feats. Her spirit soared. "You love me,"
she repeated simply.

"Of course. Everyone
knows that. How could you not know it?"

"Dumb, huh?"
"Very." Chazz enfolded her in his arms and slowly began to undress
her. "Are you hungry? There's a lovely bridal dinner awaiting us."

"How
nice," Teel answered, unbuttoning his shirt. "I hope it's a
casserole. It will have to wait." She smiled up at him, confidence
coursing through her.

"Quite awhile, I
think." Chazz's breath grew ragged.

"How I've chased you,
woman. You had me scared witless."

"Not true." Teel
stood in front of him clad only in silk bikini panties, the flesh-colored
fabric hiding nothing from her husband's ardent gaze.

"Very true, my love. I
held you in my arms when you were unconscious, and all I wanted to do was make
you well so that I could marry you. You were all the dreams of women that I'd
ever had, all rolled into one bruised and scarred package. You have very few
scars left now from your ordeal in Central America, but my love for you is the
same." He took her hands, smiling down at her. "No, that's not true.
I love you much more now and still more every minute." He lifted her hands
to his mouth and kissed each palm. "You have a beautiful body."

"So do you," Teel
said, feeling a little out of breath and giddy when Chazz chuckled. She watched
his muscular upper torso rise and fall, the arrowed patch of curling black hair
having an erotic effect on her senses. She couldn't control the urge to touch
him and, wriggling one hand free of his grasp, she reached forward and gently
pulled at his chest hair. She saw the leaping gold of his eyes and thought of
the painting over the fireplace in the apartment. Painting! It was on board the
Deirdre.
Darby
must have put it in the lounge area.