The vows were made and the rings were in place, the prayers said and the Bible closed. When the groom was given permission to kiss the bride, Mira blushed as she became aware of all the expectant eyes fastened upon them. Alec smiled slightly, hesitating before fram-ing her small face with his hands and brushing his lip-lightly against hers. As he felt the warmth and the yielding of her mouth, he kissed her longer than he had intended, taking advantage of her parted lips with more hunger than was proper to demonstrate in public. He heard a few gasps from outraged biddies who would later whisper among themselves disapprovingly about his demonstration, and there were also a few chuckles from others in the congregation. Their lips parted slowly, similarly moist from the kiss, and Alec thought of the endless day ahead of them with a flare of exasperated impatience. Mira smiled at him as if she knew what he was thinking, her eyes gleaming with private amusement as he reluctantly let go of her.
* * *
Chapter Fourteen
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Mira's bridal anxieties were increased greatly by the sight of the Falkner estate. The thick, clustering forest that surrounded it contained kinds of trees and plants that she had never seen before, brought from faraway places. The private road took a wide, gentle turn, and then Mira was presented with a vision that took her breath away, a castle that rose majestically from a broad hill. Pale gray towers threatened to break through the clouds that wafted lazily overhead. A pair of ornamental lakes framed the east and west sides of the castle, their glassy surfaces reflecting the vaulted arches and mullioned windows that formed a pattern of granite-block on the walls. Mira was convinced that hundreds of people could live there comfortably, and suddenly she wanted to beg Alec to take her to some small, unassuming cottage and stay there with her forever. What was going to be expected of her? How was she going to adapt to this kind of life?
Since it would take days to explore the castle thoroughly, Mira was given only a cursory tour by Juliana, while several other Falkners followed and observed her reactions. Alec's wife was an object of fascination for them all, since they had debated hotly for the past few years about what kind of woman he would eventually choose to wed. There was no sign in their blank, curious faces as to whether she had fulfilled or contradicted their expectations.
Although Mira managed to take note of the mostimpressive features of her new home, more of her attention was focused on the members of the Falkner family. They were as dark as the Berkeleys were blond, most of them black-haired and green-eyed. Mira found them to be an intriguing lot, for although they appeared to be as well-mannered, refined, and haughty as the Berkeleys, a striking air of robustness surrounded them. Though she had hardly been exposed to them long enough to make any judgments, they seemed to be volatile and quick-tempered. After meeting this brood, Mira suddenly understood how her husband had developed his icy, inflexible stare, his manner of authority, and his ability to sense other people's weaknesses and strengths. In order to manage the Falkners and the vast complex of responsibilities that being the head of the family entailed, it was necessary for Alec to bully, persuade, and cajole by turns.
It was a source of interest and amusement to Mira to watch Alec deal with the different people who approached him, and she discovered over the next few days that he had the makings of an excellent politician. To the caretaker, the servants, and the various professional people who came to the estate to speak with him, Alec was quiet and businesslike. With Juliana, his uncle Hugh, and his assorted cousins, he was courteous and unyielding. With Juliana's two gray-haired spinster sisters, Letitia and Jessamine Penrhyn, Alec was gentle. He treated his eighteen-year-old brother, Douglas, who was shy and rather bookish, with an almost fatherly protectiveness. And with his cousin Carr, Alec was sarcastic, frank, and devilishly amusing. He sensed all of their needs, and he managed them with a velvet-clad touch, guiding firmly and yet allowing more than enough freedom when it was needed. Mira was the only one whom he could not manipulate and did not even attempt to. She was not a responsibility but a necessity. She was his essential luxury. And in the privacy of the keep, a suite ofseveral rooms in the castle that were theirs alone to frequent, Alec indulged in her, loved her, and cherished her.
On their wedding night, Alec allowed her private time to prepare for bed, and he lingered downstairs while she dressed slowly in a lacy white gown. The bedroom was resplendent with the same dignity as the rest of the castle, with an intricate plaster-molded ceiling, Louis XIV furniture, a French tapestry, and an Aubusson carpet. Mary, a maid who had left the Berkeleys' employ in order to attend her, arranged Mira's hair in long, perfect curls and brought her a crystal flask filled with perfume. The scent was a fresh, clean distillation of sandalwood and roses, and Mira sniffed it approvingly before applying it sparingly to her throat and wrists.