Mary turned to face her husband-to-be and saw the accusatory look in his light brown eyes. "Pelham, I don't know what's going on here, but it isn't what you think."
"Really?" Pelham sneered at her. "Because I'm thinking that maybe she's"—he jerked his head in Madeline's direction—"the prior claim he has on you."
Mary gasped. "That's not true! I've never seen her before. And I've only know this man for four months. I couldn't possibly…" She let her words trail off as she caught a glimpse of the skeptical expression on Pelham's face, then impulsively reached out to touch his arm.
But Pelham brushed her hand aside. "Oh, come on, Mary, do you take me for a complete fool? She ran to you and called you her mama. And even I can look at her and see that she's related, with that black hair and those big blue eyes. She looks just like your cousin Reese's little girl."
Mary focused her attention on the child in Lee's arms. Pelham was right. She did look like Hope, so much so that they could almost be twins. She turned to Pelham and tried again. "There's a definite resemblance, but Pelham, that doesn't mean you're correct in what you're thinking."
"I'm thinking I made a terrible mistake in thinking you would make a suitable wife for me," Pelham told her. "I've ignored the advice of my friends and colleagues and generously overlooked your unfortunate heritage. I was willing to marry you and make you Mrs. Pelham Everhardt Cosgrove HI because I thought you were different. I thought you were a lady."
"I am a lady!" Mary protested, reaching out to him as huge sparkling tears clung to her lashes and rolled down her face.
"No, you're not."
"Pelham, you don't understand…"
"I understand all I need to understand. You're not a lady, you're a—"
"One more word," Lee spoke to Pelham through tightly clenched teeth. "Say one more word, insult her one more time and, mister, you'll be swallowing your pretty white teeth."
Pelham drew himself up to his full height and puffed out his chest. "I don't have to stay here and listen to this." He held his hand out to Mary palm up. "My ring, if you please."
"Pelham, please don't do this." Mary saw her dreams for the future rapidly turning to dust. She made no attempt to stop the flood of tears. But she had to try once again to salvage the situation. "Listen to me."
"My ring," Pelham demanded.
Mary removed the heavy pearl-encrusted gold ring and dropped it into Pelham's hand, then watched as her former bridegroom pocketed her betrothal ring, turned his back on her, and walked down the aisle.
"Pelham…" Mary started down the aisle after him but Lee blocked her path.
"Let him go," he said.
She looked up at Lee. "I need to talk to him. I know I can make him understand."
"No, you can't." Lee stared down at Mary. He saw the shimmer of unshed tears and traces of the tears she'd already cried on this, her wedding day. He reached down and caught one shiny droplet on his fingertip and prayed he could make everything up to her.
"I don't know what the devil is going on here but you'd better have a good explanation for staging this… this… little melodrama." David Alexander pointed a finger at his friend, Lee Kincaid.
The wedding party, now minus the groom, had retired to Father's Joseph's office away from the prying eyes of the congregation while they attempted to console the bride. David had stayed outside the office to discuss the situation with Lee in private.
"I didn't stage this melodrama," Lee told him.
David raised an eyebrow at that. "Oh no? I thought your appearance at the church rivaled that of Edwin Booth on stage."
"All right," Lee admitted, "I did intend to stop the wedding, but I didn't plan the rest."
David was skeptical. He glanced over at Judah and Madeline sitting quietly on a bench down the hall. "I suppose the old man and the little girl materialized out of thin air?"
Lee raked his fingers through his hair. "They were supposed to wait outside in the buggy until I came to get them."
"But you didn't stage anything?"
"Look David, I know you're upset. And you've got a right to be."
"You're damn… dead right I'm upset." David began to pace. "I ought to shoot you full of holes, or better yet, give Mary her little gun and let her do it."
Lee nodded, "I'd probably feel the same way if I were in your shoes. But you've got to believe me when I tell you I didn't come here to hurt your sister."