The Marriage Mishap

Adam stared at his plate. Haley couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed or simply accustomed to their behavior.

She pressed her fingers to her lips, as if trying to recall something. “So, what did you tell me was the reason you moved into your own home?”

He looked up at her, and she gave him a smile. Adam relaxed marginally. “It was a tough decision.” He tossed his napkin on the table. “Let’s get out of here.”

He clasped her elbow and they headed for the foyer, but commotion in the front of the house stopped them. The front door stood open, and two men were piling trunks in the foyer.

“Well, I’ll be. It’s Isabelle.” A genuine smile parted Adam’s lips, and he went into the parlor.

Haley followed and saw a tall, statuesque woman in traveling clothes standing in the middle of the room. Gray streaked her black hair. Kip was at her elbow, looking mystified, while Gwen sipped another glass of wine. Shoulders hunched, Martin stood in the corner.

“Where have you been, Aunt Izzy?” Kip asked anxiously. “Lots of great places?”

“You dear, dear boy. The world—I’ve been around the world, I tell you. Wait until you see what I’ve brought for you.” Isabelle gestured grandly with her hands.

Gwen raised her glass in a toast. “Here’s hoping it’s liquid.”

“Adam!” Isabelle’s gaze fell on him, and she threw out her arms. “Come here, you handsome thing.”

“I missed you, Aunt Izzy.” He crossed the room and reached for her hands.

“Wait!” Isabelle’s eyes bulged, and she threw out her palm, stopping him. She pressed her thumb and forefinger to her temple. “Don’t move.”

Kip’s eyes widened. “Are you getting a reading, Aunt Izzy?”

“Oh, for God’s sake…” Martin groaned.

She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m getting something.” Isabelle rotated her outstretched palm in a circular motion. “Yes, yes, I’m picking up another aura.”

“I know who it is,” Kip exclaimed. “Adam got married.”

Her eyes popped open. “Married!”

Adam smiled and gave her a hug.

“Martin finally goaded you into it, huh? What did he do, get you drunk and have the ceremony performed while you were unconscious?”

Adam caught Haley’s gaze and saw the sharp intake of her breath. His chest tightened.

“Well, where is she? I’ve got to see this new blood. It’s about time you and Amelia tied the knot.”

Haley left her station in the doorway, then stopped dead in her tracks. An embarrassed silence fell over the room, and Adam shifted uncomfortably.

He took her arm. “Aunt Izzy, my wife, Haley. Haley, this is my aunt, Isabelle Gladmore.”

Isabelle looked confused. “But what happened to—? Never mind, she had a strange aura, anyway.” She gave Haley a solid hug. “Welcome to the family, my dear.”

Despite her own heart’s pounding, Haley liked Isabelle immediately.

“I got the letters you sent, Aunt Izzy.” Kip’s eyes were bright. “Did you get to go to England?”

She dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. “England—boring, boring people there. No, dear, I sailed to Hawaii. Beautiful, pristine beaches and simple grass huts. I fell into a deep friendship with Queen Liliuokalani. She gave me my own island.”

“Gosh.”

“Can’t you just go places like other people?” Martin complained. “Proper places?”

Isabelle pinched her lips distastefully. “Winter in New York, spring in Europe, summer in Newport. No, thank you.”

“Where else did you go?” Kip asked anxiously.

“To the Far East, where I had an acquaintance with a Japanese baron. I visited Burma, and lived in the harem of an Indian maharaja—as an observer, of course.”

“What’s a harem?”

“Oh, for God’s sake, Isabelle,” Martin barked. “Not in front of the boy.”

She turned to him. “And I didn’t forget my only brother. Wait until you see what I brought you from China.”

“Whatever it is, I don’t want it.”

“I’ve collected the most fabulous Oriental art.” She whirled to face Haley again. “You’ve got to see them.”

“I’ve got to,” she agreed. “You must come over soon.”

“You have your own home?” Isabelle eyed Adam. “So, one of you finally escaped this mausoleum. Good for you!”

“All right, all right, go get settled upstairs.” Martin waded into the cluster of people in the center of the room, dispersing them. “I guess you’re staying here.”

“How long will you be with us, Aunt Izzy?” Kip asked.

She patted his slim shoulders. “Until the wind whips in from the east and whispers that it’s time to go.”

Martin rolled his eyes. “Christ…”

“I’m glad you’re here, Aunt Izzy, because—”

“Wait!” She threw out her palm again and touched her temple. “I’m getting something.”

Kip’s eyes widened. “Another reading, Aunt Izzy?”

The room fell silent while Izzy closed her eyes, communing with some unknown force. After a moment, she shook it off. “Never mind. It was nothing. Stand aside, everyone. I have gifts to unpack.”

As they all headed out the door, Isabelle caught Adam’s arm. “I must speak with you,” she whispered.

Adam bent down. “What is it, Aunt Izzy?”

“It’s your wife. I’m picking up a strange reading from her.”