Love and Dreams: The Coltrane Saga, Book 6 Read online

  It hadn’t really mattered to Dani when Colt also wanted to sell their ranch near the mine. After all, she had no plans to return to America, and she and her husband, Drakar, were in the process of building a huge château just outside Paris. France was now her home, but Colt had always considered America his. Selling the ranch reminded him of his transient state since meeting Jade, and this awareness birthed the idea that they would return to the United States after their marriage and he would accept Cornelius Vanderbilt’s offer. Even though they had wealth to last a lifetime and beyond, it was boring not having any responsibilities. Further, it was being said that New York, in the 1890s, was the most exciting place in the world to be. The depression would ultimately end, and it really did not touch the lives of the Coltranes, anyway.

  Jade was at once entranced with the idea of moving to America, especially when Colt pointed out that ballet was just being introduced there and how she could open her own studio and teach. From then on, she was filled with enthusiasm.

  How much more wonderful could life be?

  There was a soft tap on the door, and she warmly called out to Colt’s mother to please come in.

  The two women embraced, and Jade marveled, as always, how kind time had been to Kitty Wright Coltrane. If she had been prettier in her youth, then she must have been absolutely stunning, Jade reasoned, for she was still a beauty to behold. Her hair, golden-red and piled high and held atop her head by emerald combs, had only begun to fade from the color of a brilliant sunrise to the last rays of a burnished sunset. Her skin was smooth, unblemished, and the few lines and wrinkles touching her face merely served to lend a sophisticated air. Her eyes, a strange shade of lavender, glowed with mysterious fires, as though the passion within burned as brightly as ever. She was dressed in a stunning but simple gown of mocha satin, her only adornment earbobs of emerald to match her combs, for she had not wished to take any attention from the bride.

  Kitty’s eyes shone with love and pride as her gaze swept over Jade, and she proclaimed, “I just know there’s never been a lovelier bride, except perhaps for my Dani! My son is a lucky, lucky young man.”

  Jade returned her smile. “I’d have been only a shadow compared to the day you married Monsieur Coltrane, I’m sure.”

  Kitty laughed. “Someday I’ll tell you all about our wedding—me in simple muslin, Travis in a battered old Yankee uniform, and Colt crying to be fed.”

  Jade was not shocked. She’d heard the story before. Once, it had probably evoked much pain for Kitty and Travis to remember or talk about, but history had a way of becoming factual without emotion. When Travis rode away with General Sherman in the waning days of the terrible War Between the States, he’d not known Kitty was carrying his child. Neither had he known about Corey McRae and his hellish scheme to make Kitty his wife, how he’d intercepted Travis’s letters to her, causing him to be angry and bitter not to hear from her after they’d pledged undying love to each other. Finally returning to North Carolina after the war, Travis had believed the gossip about Kitty’s marrying the rich, powerful carpetbagger to keep from losing her precious family land…just as he’d believed the son she’d given birth to was Corey McRae’s. How was he to know the baby was his? Eventually, he learned the truth, and after the death of McRae in a land war, he and Kitty found each other again.

  “It wouldn’t have mattered if you got married in sackcloth or satin. I’ll bet your eyes shone like your earbobs,” Jade said.

  “Probably,” Kitty conceded with a warm rush of remembered love for the man she’d adored so long.

  “But,” she went on, “I didn’t come here to reminisce about my wedding day, Jade, or to merely compliment you on how pretty you are on yours. I came to tell you how happy Travis and I are that you’re marrying our son. We want you to know that it’s our prayer you’ll both have a long, long life of happiness, and that you’ll love as we have loved.”

  Jade wondered how many times on this momentous day she would have to blink away spontaneous tears of joy to keep them from dancing down her cheeks. “Thank you,” she whispered, “and I want you, and Colt’s father, to know that I’ll do everything I can to make him happy.”

  Kitty went on to express Dani’s regrets over not being able to attend her brother’s wedding. “You’ll remember I told you Dani’s mother, Marilee, died giving birth to her, and the doctors are cautious about Dani, especially since she miscarried just a few months after she and Drakar got married. They’re being even more cautious this time, and they’ve ordered her to bed for the rest of her pregnancy. Poor child,” she said, sighing with pity, “she’s only into her third month, so that leaves a long time to do nothing but lie in bed. I feel so sorry for her, but she wants a baby so badly she’s willing to do everything she can to keep from losing this one.

  “And Travis,” she continued gravely, “is the one I’m really worried about. Of course he wants a grandchild, but he’s more concerned about Dani, because he remembers how it was with her mother, and he just doesn’t need the added stress and strain right now.”

  Jade understood. “Is he truly all right, Kitty? I’ve noticed the two of you have left the socials quite early, and Colt and I have been worried that all the goings-on were just too much for his father.”

  Kitty nodded quickly. “They certainly are, but he’s not about to miss anything. He says he’s only going to have one chance to see his son marry a princess, so he’s going to enjoy every minute.”

  She rushed on to attempt to dispel Jade’s fears and concerns, not wanting her to worry about anything on her wedding day. “Don’t think about Travis. He’s strong as a mule and three times as stubborn, and you’ll say the same about his son in years to come. Now, there’s another reason I came to see you.”

  Kitty removed the pearl and emerald ring she always wore on the third finger of her right hand. Blinking away her own tears, she stared down at the sentimental piece. “Travis gave this to me on our tenth anniversary,” she said softly. “He said it was not only to celebrate our years of marriage but was a gesture of goodbye to the poverty of the past and a welcome to the wealth of the future. He said it was the beginning of many, many expensive pieces of jewelry he wanted to give me through the years. He was right. But none of the treasures since have meant as much as this.”

  She held out the ring to Jade. “I want you to have it.”

  Jade was momentarily speechless. The gift of such a precious piece was overwhelming. “I…I don’t know what to say,” she murmured, taking the ring with trembling fingers. “You’ve given me so much already.”

  Kitty raised a questioning eyebrow. “What do you mean, dear? We haven’t even given you and Colt your wedding present yet. We’re waiting till you come to Paris, and—”

  Jade laughed, a bit nervously. “Colt,” she informed her. “You’ve given me Colt.”

  Kitty also laughed, shaking her head from side to side as she denied, “Oh, no, I haven’t. I’ll never give away that part of him that is a son, just as you’ll never give to me that part of him which is a husband. We’ll each have him in a different way, Jade, and that’s the way it’s meant to be. We’ll be good friends to each other through the years because we’ll respect each other’s place in his heart. Agreed?”

  Jade hugged her, grateful for her wisdom. “I will always treasure this ring, as I’ll always treasure your son.”

  Just then there was a tap on the door, and the Grand Duchess Marie softly called, “Jade, darling, it’s time. Are you ready?”

  The mother and the soon-to-be wife of Colt Coltrane looked at each other, their hearts reaching out to touch in spirit.

  “Go,” Kitty whispered, giving her a gentle shove. “Go and marry my son and be happy, my child.”

  Jade turned toward the door…and her future…and took one more step to fulfilling her love and dreams.

  Chapter Two

  Marie placed the nuptial crown of sparkling diamonds on Jade’s head; then they made their way to a grand stair
way and began their descent.

  The palace seemed to be alive, to actually breathe amidst the glow of lights, crystal, silver and gold, and the awesome jewels worn by the ladies in attendance. Jeweled medals adorning crimson sashes sparkled on the chests of the men of nobility, gold braids shining. Cossacks of the guard lined the walls of the palace, in long coats of red and purple, curved sabers against spit-polished black boots. The cream of European society vied for a glimpse of the famed, lovely bride as the sweet song of the violins of the court orchestra filled the air.

  Jade found herself wishing for the hundredth time that she and Colt could have just slipped away for a private ceremony. But, adopted or not, she was considered a Romanov. And she was marrying the son of a very respected United States emissary. Protocol decreed such a formal wedding, so she faced what she felt was a circuslike atmosphere, forced a smile on her lips, and made her way to the chapel past the well-wishing guests, praying all the while it would be over soon.

  The chapel glowed with light, the walls and ceiling covered with luminous frescoes. Before the altar stood an iconostasis of gold, layered in jewels. The small gathering of people inside, limited to family members and immediate royalty, seemed bathed in iridescence due to the sheen from the jewels, candles, and golden icons.

  Jade softly drew in her breath, overwhelmed by the ethereality, but then she saw Colt standing, waiting, at the altar, and everything and everyone faded from the realm of her cognizance. He was all that mattered…all that ever would matter, and this awesomely precious moment would forever be etched upon her tremulously pounding heart.

  She took her place beside Colt, and their eyes met and held; a warm, glowing message of love touched their hearts in unison. Forever would they be forged, bonded together, and the words being intoned by the officiator could not make it more binding. In spirit and soul they were already one. This celebration, this ceremony, was for the benefit of friends and family and was spectacle only.

  Jade was only dimly aware of her cousin Nicholas, in the stunning uniform of a Hussar, moving to stand beside her in the position that would have been for her father, and she had but a fleeting impression of Travis Coltrane, handsome and suave as always, proudly beside Colt.

  The ceremony began, and she spoke her vows in recitation, all the while unable to unlock her gaze from Colt’s. Within, she trembled with emotion, with the dazzling, happy awareness that now they were truly one; man and wife, forever and always, for all the world to see and acknowledge.

  At last, the magic words to make it all finally legal and official resounded through the tiny chapel, and Colt gently folded her in his arms and pressed his lips against hers in a kiss that made her shudder all the way to her toes.

  Jade O’Bannon had become Mrs. John Travis Coltrane, and she did not try to hold back the tears of joy at that ecstatic, beautiful moment. The congratulatory murmurs as guests and relatives surged about them were heard only vaguely, for she and Colt were in a world all their own, a world bordered and protected by that special barrier known only to those in love.

  The reception was more glitter and pomp. Fountains in the palace flowed with champagne, and late-summer strawberries floated in the pools or fell to the bottom. Roast pigs and turkeys and chickens filled the platters of the lace-and satin-covered tables in the banquet halls, and fruits and crème desserts tantalized every appetite.

  Jade and Colt devoured only each other with their eyes, hands tightly clasped together except when they were in the receiving line.

  The family made small talk between well-wishing guests, and once Kitty Coltrane teased them, “You’re really going to have your fill of the seas—a honeymoon on the royal yacht, then the trip to America.”

  Jade agreed. “I’ll be ready to settle down to keeping house, no doubt.”

  Colt flashed a mock frown. “House, did you say, Mrs. Coltrane? I’m afraid we’re going to have to buy a palace to have room for all the wedding presents rolling in.”

  Jade’s eyes narrowed mischievously. “We could sell them to Dani for her antiques shop. We should make enough to keep us from starving for a while, at least.”

  Kitty assured that everything sent to them in Paris was being properly registered, then brought to the docks to await transport. “They’ll be on the ship with you.”

  “For storage until we find a place to live,” Jade pointed out. “Home will be a hotel for a while, because we want to have plenty of time to look and find exactly what we want, but I don’t care.” She turned dazzled eyes upon Colt once more. The last thing on her mind was worrying about trivial things like wedding presents and finding a permanent place to live. All she wanted was to be in the strong, possessive arms of her husband, and if she had a magic wand she would have waved away the people, the palace, everything but each other.

  Colt knew what she was thinking and stepped from the receiving line and announced, “Enough tradition and protocol. I want to dance with my wife.”

  No one looked disapproving, and all smiled as Colt led Jade into a ballroom. Those milling about had waited for the newlyweds to dance, and they formed a circle about them as the violinists played a special song just for them.

  They moved together in unison to the gentle, flowing rhythm of a waltz. “My God, you’re beautiful, Jade,” Colt murmured. “I can’t believe you’re really mine you’ll never know how much I love you.”

  She flashed a saucy smile. “Tonight, you can show me, my husband. Tonight, you can prove what you say.”

  His hand at her waist tightened, and he fought the impulse to jerk her tightly against him, then and there in the middle of the ballroom, with everyone watching, and kiss her taunting, daring lips. In a mock-fierce whisper, he warned, “You’ll beg for mercy, I promise.”

  “Ha!” Jade laughed softly, careful lest those guests who were moving onto the floor to dance hear. “You’ll never hear me beg…except for more.”

  Colt pretended to be shocked but was pleased, and secretly aroused, by her brashness. He’d never known a woman so hot-blooded and passionate, and that was one of the reasons he loved her so.

  “May I have a dance with my new daughter?”

  They tore their teasing gazes from each other to see Travis Coltrane waiting expectantly.

  Colt smiled and bowed and gave over his bride to his father, and Jade obligingly moved into Travis’s arms.

  Jade adored her father-in-law and found him handsome, charming, witty—everything her husband was, only more so, for there was a mellowness that Colt had not yet acquired. They chatted amiably, and he complimented her once again on how lovely she was. Then Jade noticed he began to look a bit flushed, and a shadow touched his gray eyes. She suggested a walk on the terrace for some fresh air, saying she’d like a respite from all the crowds and excitement. Travis was quick to agree, and they slipped, unnoticed, into the blue and gold beauty of the August afternoon.

  Outside, with a gentle breeze blowing in from the river, Travis, resplendent in a white suit, took out his handkerchief and wiped his brow. Jade touched his arm, at once concerned, for he did not look well. “Are you all right? Is there anything I can get for you?”

  He waved her away, walked to a nearby bench, and patted the place beside him. She sat down. “Jade,” he began, “I’ve been hoping we’d find a private moment together because there’s something I want to tell you.”

  She tensed, then realized there was no need to be as he continued.

  “I want you to know how happy I am that my son has finally found someone he can truly love. To be honest with you, I was afraid he’d be like me—so bitter over past experiences with conniving, unscrupulous women that he’d close his heart and not let anybody in and wind up a disillusioned, lonely old man.”

  Jade didn’t understand what he was getting at and interjected, “But you have Kitty—”

  “Now I do.” A tender smile touched his lips. “But I sure as hell fought against loving her. I wasted precious time, and I can’t tell you what we went t
hrough. I guess you just had to be there to understand, but the truth was, I’d reached the point where I was going to be a maverick, a loner, all my life. I’m damn glad”—he paused to chuckle—“that I didn’t follow that path, and I’m even more glad that Colt won’t have the regrets I have now—losing that precious time, those precious years.”

  He was silent for a long moment, and Jade respectfully did not intrude upon his private meditation, for it was obvious from the faraway look in his eyes that he was not there, in St. Petersburg, Russia, at the palace of the Czar, at the wedding of his only son. He had moved back in time, in memory, back to the long-ago days of his youth, reliving…and, unfortunately, regretting.

  Then he blinked, shook his head ever so slightly as he returned to the present…and to her. “I’m sorry. Seems I get lost in the past more and more these days. Probably because I’ve come to terms with the possibility I may not have much of a future.”

  Jade stiffened.

  Travis chuckled. “Don’t look so frightened, my dear. The one and only thing we can count on in life is death, and I’ve learned not to fear my own. When my time comes, I think I’ll be ready. And I want to feel that my family is happy with their lives. I’m glad you and Colt are moving to America. I don’t have to tell you about the political unrest here in Russia—discontent, threat of anarchy, total destruction of the autocracy, and the dream of those who want to build a new world based solely on the dignity of labor. There are strikes. Riots. The Czar’s police are constantly struggling with mounting violence, and more and more political activists are being exiled to Siberia.

  “God…” He shuddered with the misery of such thoughts. “How long can it all go on without an ultimate revolution? I’m glad I won’t have any family living here.”

  Jade patted his arm in a gesture of understanding. She knew only too well of what he spoke, and that was one of the reasons she’d so willingly agreed to move away.

  He stood up, held out his hand to her. “Forgive me. I didn’t mean to be gloomy on such a special day, my new daughter, but I just wanted to let you know, in my own peculiar way, that this is a special day for me as well, because it’s the culmination of my last dream—knowing my son has a wife, a life’s mate he loves, and that his future is secure.”