Righteous Obsession (23 page)

“I have my work cut out for me,” Louisa remarked. 
“Finding someone to do a wedding cake on short notice, a caterer to do the
reception, a printer to do the invitations and a photographer to take the
pictures.  At least the flowers I don’t have to worry about.  I have more than
enough flowers in my garden for the floral arraignments.”

“Mom, if anybody can arrange our wedding in three
days, you can,” Alethea said.  “We have complete confidence in you.”

“I’m sure mom will be happy to help you with all the
planning,” Colin said.  “I’ll give her your number.”

“I’ll certainly be grateful to her for whatever help
she can offer, Colin.”  She sighed.  “The one thing I’m not sure about is if
I’ll be able to book a church on such short notice.”

“Why can’t we be married in your rose garden, Mom,
it’s much more beautiful than a church and so much more romantic!”

“That brings up another problem, darling.  Who will be
willing to marry you on such short notice?”

“How about Judge LeCarre?”

“That’s an excellent suggestion, Alethea.”  Louisa
decided.  “Beau, will you call him?”

“I suppose I don’t have any choice,” Beau commented
sourly.

“What about your gown, darling?”

Alethea shrugged.  “I suppose I’ll just buy something
off the rack.”

“What about great-grandmother Faubourg’s wedding
gown?”  Louisa suggested.

“Of course!  You know, I’d forgotten it completely. 
Who wore it last?”

“Genevieve wore it last for her wedding, I wore it
before her and Jeannine wore it before me.  You were only five at the time of Genevieve’s
wedding so you probably don’t remember how it looked.”

Alethea shook her head.  “No.  Where is it now?”

“It’s been professionally stored.  All of your cousins
chose modern gowns.”

“Mom, I’d love to wear it,” Alethea declared.

“I’m so happy, darling.  I’ve always dreamed of you
wearing it for your wedding.  I’ll get it out of storage this afternoon and
I’ll call Mrs. Hunter.  You can try it on tonight so we can see what
alterations it might need then Mrs. Hunter can take it with her and have it done
in plenty of time.”

“That sounds fine, Mom.  I’m going to take Colin back
to his hotel so we can call his parents.”

“I’ll expect you for supper tomorrow night, Colin. 
I’m preparing some of my Cajun specialties.”

“I’m looking forward to it.  What time should I be
here?”

“Six-thirty will be fine.  We usually eat our evening
meal at seven.”

“I’ll be back in a bit,” Alethea called as she and
Colin left.

Beau shook his head.  “Louisa, I can’t believe he’s
what all the fuss has been about the last couple of days!”

“I’m so happy, Beau, that Alethea followed her heart! 
It’s so obvious how much they love each other and how perfect they are
together.”

“Are you really looking forward to tomorrow night?” 
Alethea asked as she and Colin walked into the hotel.

“Yes.  I’d feel better if I knew your parents liked me
and approved of our marriage.”

“They do.”

“Well, your mom does, but I don’t think I’m at all
what your father had in mind for a son-in-law!”  Colin joked.

“Dad just has to get to know you better,” Alethea replied
comfortingly.

Before going to Colin’s room, they stopped by Liam’s
room. He didn’t look surprised to see them.  “What’s up, you two?”

“We thought you’d like to know we’re back together,”
Colin said.

“That’s great!”  Liam exclaimed, giving Alethea and
Colin a hug.

“Liam, I want to apologize for the horrid way I
treated you the other night,” Alethea said.

“Don’t worry about it, Alethea.  I never gave it a
second thought.”

“So, what are you doing Saturday morning?”  Colin
asked him.

Liam shook his head, “Nothing I can think of. Why?”

“We’re going to be married and I want you to stand up
with me.”

“Married?  That’s even better!”  Liam whooped.  “Sure,
I’d be honored to be your best man!  Have you told mom and dad yet?”

“We’re just on our way to do that,” Colin replied. 
They went into his room where he sat down on the bed and picked up the phone. 
He punched in the number then put on the speaker phone.

“Matthews Family Law Practice.  How may I direct your
call?”

“Hi, this is Colin.  Can I speak to mom if she isn’t
busy?”

“Can you hold for a moment, Colin, while I’ll check?”

“Sure.”  After a few seconds of music - Led Zeppelin’s
Stairway
to
Heaven©
, not surprisingly.  Amanda’s voice
came on the line.  “Hi, Colin, what’s up?”

“Are you sitting down, Mom?”  Colin teased.

“Yes.  Why?”

“Alethea and I have decided to get married on
Saturday.”

“That wonderful, Colin!  I’m going to call your father
right now!”  He heard a couple of clicks and then, “Peter Matthews.”

“Hello, Peter.”

“Mandy, what a nice surprise!”

“I have Colin on the line and he has important news.”

“Hi, Dad!”

“Where are you calling from, son?”

“New Orleans.  Dad, Alethea and I have decided to get
married Saturday.”

“Colin, that’s fantastic!  Congratulations to both you
and Alethea!”

“Does Alethea’s mother need any help with the
arraignments?  I’d be more than glad to help wherever I can,” Amanda
volunteered.

“Actually, Amanda,” Alethea said.  “Mom will
appreciate any help you could give her.”

“Why don’t you give me her number and I’ll give her a call
as soon as I’m done talking to you.”

Alethea gave Amanda her mother’s number then added, “I
appreciate your wanting to help, Amanda.  There’s so much that needs doing.”

“Liam’s going to stand up with me,” Colin informed
them.

“Hi Mom, Dad,” Liam called.  Both his parents
responded.

“Are you going to call your grandparents, Dick, and
Angie or would you rather we did it?”  Peter asked.

“No, that’s okay, Dad.  I’ll call them all as soon as
I finish talking to you and mom.  I know it’s awfully short notice, but I sure
hope they can all come.”

“If they’re coming, tell them to give us a call and we
can work out our travel arrangements,” Amanda suggested.

“That’s a good idea, Mom.  After you get everything
worked out, call me on my cell.  I’ll be here all night.”

“We’ll talk to you later tonight, Colin,” Peter said.

“Okay.  Goodbye.”

“Who are Angie and Dick?”  Alethea asked.

“Dick is dad’s older brother and Angie is his younger
sister,” Liam explained as Colin was calling their grandparents.  “Mom’s an
only child so we don’t have a real big family.”

Colin spoke to both his maternal and paternal
grandparents then phoned his uncle and his aunt.  He exhaled in relief as he
finished speaking to them.  “Well, despite the short notice, it looks like
they’re all going to be able to come.”

“I’m so glad!”  Alethea said, squeezing his hand.

Colin chuckled suddenly.  “I probably shouldn’t tell
you this, but our maternal grandmother wanted to know if there was a reason for
the rush.”

Liam snorted.  “Grandma Eileen would think that!”

“She thinks I’m pregnant?”  Alethea asked appalled.

“I set her straight,” Colin assured her as he grabbed
up the phone directory and gave it to Alethea.  “I don’t have my glasses at
hand.  Would you look up
Brennan’s®
number for me?”

“Why are you calling them?”  She asked, finding the
number and giving it to him.

“I’m making reservations for Friday night.  The
groom’s family is supposed to host the rehearsal dinner, I think.”  He dialed
the number on his cell and spoke briefly.  “We’re all set for Friday night at
seven-thirty.”

“Wow!  Isn’t that one of the best restaurants in New
Orleans?”  Liam remarked.  “And one of the more expensive ones?”

“Lucky for me I didn’t leave home without my platinum
American Express card,” Colin joked.  He squeezed Alethea’s hand.  “I figure if
there’s something your father and mine don’t agree on, which I suspect will be
just about everything, they’re too polite to argue about it in a public place.”

“Good thinking!”  Alethea laughed.  She looked at
Colin’s watch then said.  “I’d better be going.  I have to try on my gown and
see if I can get hold of Vanessa.  I hope I can because I can’t imagine having
anyone else for my maid of honor.”

“I’ll walk you out, Alethea,” Liam volunteered.

“Will I see you at all tomorrow?”  Colin asked her.

“No, not until tomorrow evening.”

“Under the watchful eyes of your parents!”  He joked.

“I’ll pick you up at six-thirty, okay?”

“I’ll be waiting.”  After she and Liam had left, Colin
lay back and stared at the ceiling.  He wished they both didn’t have so much to
do and there had been time for them to make love.  Alethea hadn’t even
mentioned coming back later that night and he somehow instinctively knew that
she probably didn’t feel ready to resume the physical portion of their
relationship right away.  He rolled over on his stomach.  Even though he knew
he had no one to blame, but himself.   It still hurt!  “It’s your own fault,
you stupid bastard!”  He muttered.

Diana sat beside Deb’s bed.  She had been there
constantly since the night of Deb’s assault.  She still couldn’t believe the
cruelty of Deb’s parents who disowned their daughter and refused to pay for her
care.  If Colin had not offered his assistance, Diana shuddered to think what
might have happened to her best friend.  She sighed as she looked at Deb.  She
was still unconscious and unable to breathe on her own.  She knew, having
overheard the doctors and nurses talking about Deb’s case that the longer she
remained unconscious, the more likely the chance of permanent brain damage. 
She studied Deb’s still form, noticing that she’d lost weight.  Her face was
thinner and her breasts, which she’d always been so proud of, looked smaller. 
Her hair, which normally shone, looked dull and lifeless despite the fact that
she or her mother brushed it every day.  Her reverie suddenly broke off when he
mother entered the room.  “Hello, darling,” Monique Conrad said giving her
daughter a kiss.

“Mom!  I didn’t realize it was after five already!”

“How’s Deb, darling?  Any change at all?”

Diana shook her head.  “None.  You know, Mom I’ll bet
Deb’s parents are happy she hasn’t made any progress.”

Her mother sighed and nodded in agreement.  “I try not
to say unkind things about people, but they are an extremely strange family.”

“I’m glad Father Michaels left!  He seemed to have a
lot of influence over them and I’ll bet it was him who convinced them to disown
Deb.”

Her mother nodded and replied, “It wouldn’t surprise
me a bit, Diana.  They seemed to be birds of a feather.”

“I know if he’d told them that Deb’s case was hopeless
so they could turn off her respirator, they would’ve done it!  I’m glad he’s
gone.  He gave both of us the creeps!”

“He was odd!  I can’t believe Jeff Michaels is
actually his father – they’re nothing alike.  I recall you telling me how he
ranted and raved about Colin Matthews during that panel discussion.”

Diana smiled faintly at the memory.  “Deb was madder
then a wet cat when it was over!  You should have seen her, Mom!  She was so
totally angry because he was such a dork!”

“You know, darling, Colin may be the key to Deb’s
recovery.”

“How can he help Deb anymore than he has already,
Mom?”

“I recall hearing about two cases that were similar to
Deb’s.  Both of the girl’s parents constantly had music playing at their
bedsides by their favorite singer or band.  Both girls eventually regained
consciousness.”

Diana turned to her mother, hope showing on her face
for the first time since Deb’s assault.  “You mean if I were to bring my boom
box and play CDs by Unforgiven; it might help Deb to get well?”

“I don’t see how it could hurt since conventional
medicine doesn’t seem to have any answers.”

“I’ll bring my boom box and Unforgiven CDs back with
me tonight,” she decided.

Father Michaels sat in his rental car near Colin’s
hotel alternately reading his breviary and watching the entrance to the hotel. 
He’d arrived late last night and with God’s grace, he’d found Colin by noon. 
It was frustrating though because he was never alone.  Part of the day he’d
been with his half-brother and his bodyguard and the rest of the day he’d been
with an older woman whom he’d recognized immediately as Colin’s mother.  It was
hard following them with that bully of a bodyguard constantly looking around
and getting in the way.  His attention was suddenly diverted to the hotel
entrance where he spotted somebody familiar going inside.  She was Colin’s
blond whore, the one whose picture had been in Colin’s room in Minneapolis. 
They were probably going to fornicate, no doubt screaming and shouting lewdly
as they did so.  Father Michaels reached under the front seat and removed a
leather sheath.  From inside it he pulled out a sharp knife. Formerly, he’d
used it when hunting, but now it had a much more important job, killing Colin! 
Deciding that this was the manner in which he’d execute Colin, he’d mailed the
knife to himself at general delivery and had picked it up when he arrived.  He
looked up at the hotel again.  Colin had better enjoy his lewd activities while
he still could because his judgment day was fast approaching!

Colin got back to the hotel shortly before five.  He,
Liam, Liam’s bodyguard, and McGregor had spent the morning exploring the French
Quarter, sampling the cuisine and touring the 18
^th
century houses. 
He found the many different combinations of styles of the architecture
fascinating.  After lunch he, they drove to the airport to pick up Amanda.  She’d
called last night, saying she’d decided to come down early.  Their father would
follow with the rest of the relatives on Friday.  The first thing she did after
getting settled in the hotel was to take them shopping for wedding clothes.  He
was glad she’d thought of it because he’d given absolutely no thought to what
he was going to wear.  It was hot and humid and he was a sweaty mess.  He
glanced at his travel alarm and grimaced.  He’d better get a move on it because
the one thing he didn’t want to be was late.  He had a suspicion that would not
impress Alethea’s dad!  He pulled off his sweat-soaked T-shirt then the rest of
his clothes and showered, shaved and dried his hair then hurried to get
dressed.  He wore his black jeans, a long blue silk shirt, a black vest and
boots.  He picked up a shopping bag off the bed and took the gifts he purchased
for Alethea’s parents out of it.  He’d called Alethea earlier to get some
ideas.  He hoped they liked what he’d chosen.  There was a knock at his door
and he opened it to find Alethea, looking very beautiful, standing outside.

She smiled at him.  “Hi!”

“Hi!”  He opened the door wider and motioned with his
arm.  “Come on in.”

She came inside.  “I’m so glad Amanda decided to come
early.  She’ll be so much help to mom.”

“She’s already taken Liam and me shopping for wedding
clothes,” Colin commented.  He surveyed Alethea appreciatively.  “You look
absolutely gorgeous!”

“Thank you,” She replied with a mock curtsey.  She was
wearing a mid-calf length silk dress of a rose color.  Though plain, it
showcased her generous breasts and complimented her creamy skin.  Her hair was
in a loose ponytail from which tendrils escaped and curled around her face. She
looked so sexy and desirable that he virtually ached with wanting her.  He
stirred out of his reverie and said, “I suppose we’d better leave.”

“Aren’t you going to kiss me?”

“I didn’t know if you’d want me to.”

“I do!”

Colin put his arms around her and gave her a long,
lingering kiss. It ended abruptly when she suddenly pulled away from him and
took hold of his hands, exclaiming, “Colin, your hands are so cold!  Are you
feeling all right?”

“I’m fine.  I’m sorry,” He apologized.  “My hands get
cold whenever I get really nervous.”

“You’ll do fine.”

“I know, but I want things to be right with your
parents.  I get the distinct impression your dad never envisioned having a
son-in-law with waist-length hair!”  He joked, picking up the bag containing
his presents for her parents.

Alethea laughed and agreed, “You’re probably right!” 
She took hold of his arm.  “Come on.”

They stopped briefly at his mother’s suite so Alethea
could say hello to Amanda.  Colin’s mother greeted her with a hug and a kiss. 
“I always wanted a daughter and now I’ve got one.”

By the time Alethea had pulled into the driveway of
her parent’s home, Colin had calmed down a bit, or at least, his hands weren’t
as cold as they’d been.  Neither of them noticed the car that was following
them that continued on past as Alethea turned into the driveway.

“Mom, dad, we’re here,” Alethea called as they entered
the foyer.  Looking around, Colin noticed the beautiful marble floor.  He hadn’t
even noticed the house yesterday.

“In here, darling,” Louisa called from the living
room.

Alethea’s parents were sitting on one of the couches
that sat opposite one another on either sides of the fireplace.  A large
mahogany coffee table with a large floral arrangement on top of it sat between
them. The floors were hard wood and were polished to a high sheen.  The walls
were a warm peach color and the long windows had lace curtains and heavy
drapery.  There was a faint scent of lemon.

“It’s nice to see you again, Colin.  Please sit down,”
Louisa said, motioning to the opposite couch.

“Thank you,” Colin replied, sitting down at the edge
of the couch.  Alethea sat down beside him.

“I had a call from your mother earlier.  She’s so nice
and she volunteered to find a photographer to take the wedding pictures.  I did
find somebody to do the cake and a caterer to do the reception.”

“I didn’t have a chance to tell you, but mom and I
found a printer who was willing to do a rush job on the invitations.  He
delivered them this morning and we got them addressed and sent out by Priority
Mail for the ones that live out of state.  Mom called Amanda last night and got
the guest list for your side of the family.”

“I feel like a positive slacker next to you two,”
Colin joked.  “I did call my manager to tell him that Alethea and I were
getting married on Saturday, but he’s not going to release the information to
the media until Sunday.  I also talked to Jazz and he volunteered to bring a
video-camera guy with him and tape the wedding.”

“That’s wonderful, Colin!”  Alethea said.  “I’ll love having
it on DVD.”

“I’ll call him back tonight and tell him we think it’s
a great idea.”

“Would you like something cold to drink, Colin?  It’s
terribly humid today.”

“Iced tea would be fine.” 

“I made some fresh this morning,” She said, rising. 
“Beau, would you give me a hand?”

“Of course, Louisa.”

“How am I doing so far?”  Colin muttered to Alethea.

“You’re doing fine,” She assured him, squeezing his
hands.

Beau and Louisa came back into the room and handed the
drinks round.  Alethea took a sip of hers then nudged Colin and nodded towards
the gifts.

“Excuse me!”  Colin apologized as he set down his
glass.  “These are for you.”

As Alethea’s parents opened their gifts, Colin studied
them silently.  He could her resemblance to her mom in her height, build and
coloring.  He thought Mrs. Ford was very attractive.  Her father looked, to
him, like everybody’s idea of a typical college professor.  Mr. Ford was
shorter than his wife; a bit stoop-shouldered with gray hair and wire-rimmed
glasses.

Louisa exclaimed in pleasure over the first-edition
book he had given her while Beau appeared to enjoy the crystal dragon he could
add to his collection of medieval figurines.  They both thanked Colin
graciously.

“You have a very lovely home,” Colin commented,
looking around.

“Thank you, Colin.  This house has been in Beau’s
family for generations.”  Louisa replied then smiled.  “But I believe I’ve
managed to leave my mark on it.”

“You certainly have, my dear,” Beau agreed, raising
his glass to her.

“I think I wrote you that Colin lives in this really
old Victorian house and has some interesting history, but he’ll have to tell
you about that.”  She knew this was one topic that would get him talking.

“It was built by this painter in nineteen-hundred. 
Everybody thought he was really eccentric because there wasn’t much in what
would eventually become Sausalito.  Of course, there wasn’t a bridge either, so
you had to take a ferry across, and the Bay gets pretty choppy sometimes, and
then travel by carriage or horseback the rest of the way.  I guess he must’ve
liked his privacy,” Colin joked.

“How long have you lived there?”  Louisa asked.

“Almost two years.  It had been vacant for several
years, but surprisingly, it wasn’t in too bad of shape.  It needed a bit of
work done on the interior and the exterior, but nothing major.  After the
repairs were finished, I had it painted in typical Victorian fashion.”

“It sounds fascinating.”  Louisa remarked.  “I hope we
can see it for ourselves sometime.”  She glanced up at the mantle clock. 
“Well, I’m going to get dinner on the table.”

“Can I help you, Mom?”  Alethea asked.

“Your father can help me, darling.  Why don’t you take
Colin outside and show him my rose garden,” she suggested.

“Come with me,” Alethea said, taking his hand and
leading him out the French doors off the dining room, across the patio and
around the back of the house.

Colin looked around him in amazement.  Louisa’s garden
was beautiful and had many different varieties of roses.  “This is beautiful! 
Your mom must spend a lot of time and energy on it.”

Alethea took hold of his hand and led him over to a
rose covered trellis that was in the center of the garden. “This is where we’re
going to be married.  Won’t the scent of these roses be a perfect accompaniment
to our wedding?”

He took a sniff of one of the roses and smiled. 
“Definitely.”  They walked back into the house where dinner was waiting.  Colin
seated Alethea while Beau did the same for Louisa.  The meal consisted of
several different Cajun dishes served with a red wine. They passed the food
around the table then everybody began to eat.