Nights Like This

Chapter 43

The winter night sparkled with stars as Metty and Alexei walked around the yard. They stopped by a camellia with pink blossoms like those in the vase.

"Is this the poor bush you stripped of flowers to decorate the dinner table?" He touched a half-open flower.

"It's still got a lot of buds. It'll bloom for another month or so." Metty broke a bloom off. She touched his lapel. "Do you want a boutonniere?"

"Of course," he said.

She stripped the leaves off and slid the woody stem through the hole in the lapel of his jacket. She stepped back. "That pink color picks up the tones in your tie."

"So it does," Alexei said. He touched the flower gently, securing it. "Marco and I have to leave soon. We have a great many things to do before we leave for Almurias."

She put her hand on his arm. "I'll miss you. Please tell Don Sebastian and Doña Alma Merry Christmas—er, Feliz Navidad, for me. I'd like to send them, and your parents, Christmas cards, if that's OK."

"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?"

"I've barely met them. I'm not sure of the address. They must get so many cards, mine are bound to get lost, though I'd like to send them, anyway."

"Marvelous. Will I get one?"

"I've already mailed yours and Marcos' cards to the Reynolds."

"I'll give you the address to send the cards, so they'll go directly to Don Sebastian's office. They'll be sure to see them." He paused. "Thank you for inviting us today. I'm glad to meet more of your family."

"Yeah." She looked miserably at him. "I want to, well, thank you for being so tactful. Bryany is used to having her own way. Like sitting at the grown-up's table. Funny, isn't it?"

He cocked his head and looked at her curiously.

"Children's table and grown-up's table. Not adults' table."

He laughed. "Maybe grown-ups and adults aren't always the same thing." He continued, "I've only just met them, but, between us, Bryan indulges her. Perhaps too much. That may make it hard for her in years to come, with people who don't adore her and find her behavior charming. I think your mother follows Bryan's lead. That is not our problem. Unless we want it to be?"

Metty shook her head. She felt a freedom from her difficult family that lightened her heart. "Mom wants to make Bryan happy. They've been arguing over money. He wants her to sell the house, because she'll get one-fourth of the sale. She can't till I graduate. I think she--No, I won't try to guess what's going on with them. Let's talk about us."

"A wonderful topic."

She smiled, running her fingers under his jacket and resting her hand on his chest. She felt his heartbeat, slow and strong. She relaxed, taking a slow, deep breath. "I've got a Christmas gift for you to take back. Please don't open it until Christmas."

"It's our custom to open presents on Nochebuena. Christmas Eve."

"That'll do."

"We can keep in touch over the internet. I'm going to miss you, Marletta. That's an unusual name."

"My parents made up a name. My father's mother, Marlene, and Mom's grandmother, Henrietta. Marletta Sylvia."

He brushed his hands through his hair.

"Pretty name. I was baptized Alexei Fergus Jesús Enrico Juan Bermudo Rodrigo de todos los Santos de Moreno y Leonardo. A mouthful for the Patriarch."

Metty laughed. "Fergus? Is that a family name?"

He grinned and raised an eyebrow. "Actually, it is. Fergus O'Malloy married a princess of Almurias in 1598. They had a daughter, Ceridwen."

"Ceridwen." Metty whispered the name.

"Ceridwen's son was Fergus I. It's our family custom to have a Fergus in every generation."

"Fergus de Moreno." She said slowly. "I like it. And Ceridwen. Such a pretty name for a girl.

"She was the Welsh goddess of poetry. The fair one."

The back door opened and Sylvia looked out.

"Metty? Alexei?"

"Over here, Mom."

"Marco is looking for you. He says it's getting late."

"We'll be right in."

Sylvia shut the door.

"We have to leave. I'll miss you every day." He kissed her.

"I'll miss you every day and every night. I'll get your present."

He reached for her hand. The gold bracelet scattered warm highlights as they went inside.