Jewel of the Pacific (40 page)

After Rafe carried her over the threshold and set her down, he stared at all the containers of lush flowers filling the floor, tables, and lanai.

“Leave it to Ling to store all the congratulatory flowers here.”

Eden lifted her skirt and stepped over one more container of white gardenias with their heavenly scent. She laughed. “I’ll send them to Kea Lani for the luau. When we’re able to live at Hanalei, I’ll bring the best to be planted in the garden … as a reminder of our honeymoon.”

“You won’t need honeymoon flowers in the garden to remind you that I’m a romantic man. The honeymoon continues.”

“It does, does it?”

He pulled her into his arms and bent to kiss her when someone rapped on the door. Releasing her, Rafe maneuvered around pots of flowers to reach the door.

“Welcome back to reality, old chap,” Zachary said cheerfully. “Unfortunately, I’ve got to see you. It concerns—”

“Don’t tell me, let me guess.” Rafe ushered him into the room. “Don’t trip. Let’s see, could it be about our friend Silas?”

“How did you know?”

Rafe shut the door. “Just got lucky, I guess.”

“Hullo, Eden, dear cousin—” Zach said. “Just look at the flowers! Say—maybe I can take one of these pots to Claudia when I see her later.”

“Take as many as you like,” Rafe urged smoothly.

“By all means,” Eden said, but quickly removed the gardenias and orchids she wanted to keep. “Let me collect the name tags first, too. Otherwise I won’t be able to thank the people who sent them.”

“Yes, and don’t forget the big hullabaloo on Saturday,” Zach reminded them. “That’s another reason why I came. Grandfather wants to make sure you’ll show up early since the party is to honor you.”

“Hoolaulei,”
Eden corrected with amusement.

“Sounds the same to me,” Zach said.

“Maybe they are,” Rafe commented lightly. “This
hoolaulei
is better suited for one of the hullabaloos of Kalakaua’s heyday.”

Zach laughed.

“If I don’t show, do you think anyone in the huge crowd will miss me?” Rafe asked Eden.

“Yes.” Eden smiled. “I will.”

Zach, standing behind Eden caught Rafe’s eye and smiled faintly.
Lucky you
, the look seemed to say.

“Oh another thing,” Zach said to Rafe, reaching into his pocket. “Ainsworth asked me to give this message to you. He said it was in answer to the one you’d sent a day or two ago about a meeting with him.”

Eden, unaware of any meeting between Rafe and her grandfather, looked at Rafe as he took the message and put it in his pocket. She wondered what it was about.

Eden went to send for coffee to be delivered since she was unfamiliar with the workings of the small “kitchen” Ling had set up. Ling was spending time with his family on Hanalei.

When the coffee was served, and good-natured small talk over, Zachary began to talk about Silas. Eden, however, did not care to hear any new information until later when she would hear it from Rafe.

She went into Rafe’s bedroom for the first time, now her bedroom as well—she was still a bit dazed about the tremendous change, and unloaded her smallest traveling bag. She wanted to change from her traveling clothes into a cooler afternoon dress. As she did, she thought about Rafe. She had thought she knew Rafe well in the past, but each day was a new experience in learning new things about him. Especially how romantic he was, his sense of humor, and his patience with her. She would not have thought he was patient during the miserable time of their misunderstanding, but he was.

She also discovered his great love for reading in the evenings, that he had a lovely singing voice and could play the guitar. He was captivated with the study of the universe. He liked to take her outdoors on a clear night and tell her about the planets and constellations.

He also spent more time studying Scriptures than she had known, and prayed often. At the first light of dawn he would fling back the drapes or bamboo blinds to watch the sunrise. Eden would cover her head with the sheet and he would tease her about what she was missing. He would always hold her in his arms and pray a brief prayer aloud for them before they would begin the day, either together or apart.

These were only a few interesting things she had learned since becoming his bride. If possible, she loved Rafe even more now than before they were married.

Rafe is the most wonderful man in the whole world
, she told herself.
Now he is mine
.

So far, marriage was exciting. She was not the least disappointed in anything marriage offered or demanded.

All those lonely nights she had spent on Kalawao, and now, she could sleep contentedly in his arms, with her head on his strong chest and depend upon him. Marriage to the right man like her darling Rafe was
thrilling.
She looked forward to many years of happiness with a large family and life on Hanalei.

A
fter Zachary left the hotel suite, Eden entered the living room and found Rafe at his desk leafing through what appeared to be legal forms.

“Was Ainsworth’s message about the celebration on Saturday?”

Rafe glanced up at her. He hesitated, and then came to a decision. He stood from the chair with papers in hand.

“We have no secrets now.” He snatched the message on the desk, and passed it to her.

“It’s about Kip.”

Her light mood vanished. After Ambrose had performed the marriage ceremony, she had returned to Kea Lani to pack for the two-week honeymoon. She had intended to leave all serious concerns behind and think of the exciting time before her. Then, aware that such a serious matter as Kip’s parentage would not disappear just because she’d become Mrs. Rafe Easton, she had packed Rebecca’s journal at the bottom of one of her bags and later told Rafe she’d brought it along.

“This is our time alone. Everything else must wait.”

He had not mentioned the matter any further until the day before their return to Honolulu.

On that morning when she arose, she saw that Rafe had taken the journal with him on his usual early morning hike. She had worried and prayed about his response to the disappointing facts surrounding Kip’s birth, and when he returned that noon she could see the truth had soberly affected him. Even then, he had set aside any discussion until they were back in Honolulu, where he was obligated to return to the Legislature for an important vote.

The fact Ainsworth had sent a message about Kip through Zachary told her that Rafe had made a decision about the dilemma facing them. She found his action surprising, since Ainsworth would surely seek control of his blood grandson, and Kip meant so much to Rafe.

Eden read Ainsworth’s message:

Eden looked up from the message.

“Then you’re going to tell him?” she said anxiously. “Darling, are you sure?”

“The truth is always best. Ainsworth must be told the facts.” She took hold of him, her eyes searching his. “If he learns Kip is his grandson, you’ll lose him.”

“He’ll do everything in his power to claim him. I know that. He’s received Silas, and he’ll certainly want a young boy to bring into the Derrington family, especially after losing Townsend. Trying to hide Kip will harm rather than protect.”

Yes, she could see Rafe’s reasoning. Lies and secrets would bring a harvest of trouble.

“It’s Townsend who seems the great risk,” she protested. “What if he seeks control of his son just to hurt us?”

“After his crimes? He won’t dare show his face in public soon. If he does, he’ll be arrested. As we know, it’s Ainsworth who will want control of his grandson.”

“Then, what will we do about Kip?”

“I don’t know yet. I’ll need to talk to Ainsworth.”

“I should have burned the journal when I had a chance. Then no one would have known.”

He enclosed her in his arms. “No, you did the right thing, Eden, my love.”

“Did I? Do you sincerely believe that?”

“Yes. I sent a letter to Ambrose before contacting your grandfather. Ambrose asked point-blank whether I could raise a boy, knowing Townsend had fathered him.”

Eden, too, had worried about that aspect of proceeding with Kip’s adoption.

“I told him it didn’t matter. Zach and Silas are Townsend’s sons, too. That doesn’t provoke my dislike.”

“What did Ambrose say?”

“Ambrose agrees with my decision to let the truth prevail, to allow God to work out His purposes with Kip and with the rest of us. When Kip grows up he will face his parentage the way many of us face our problems. He’ll need to find God’s calling in his life’s circumstances. It will be up to us, to his Grandfather Ainsworth, and the rest of the family to see that he is raised in a way that prepares him.

“If he is raised to trust in Christ then, when a young man, he’ll be able to confront the giants. I have a feeling he’ll be strong enough to handle it. And so,” he said calmly, “I’m going to have a talk with Ainsworth. He has blood rights because Kip is a Derrington. I won’t fight him if he insists on bringing Kip to Kea Lani as his grandson.”

She supposed he was right. It was wiser to put everything on the table now.

At Kea Lani, Hawaiian music rolled along the expanse of lawn, while frothy-tipped waves from the Pacific curled onto a stretch of white sand near the dirt road leading to the Easton pearl beds. Thanks to Rafe, the historic church founded by Eden’s parents remained, and the Sunday morning sermons continued to be faithfully preached by his uncle, Ambrose Easton.

The nearly one thousand adjacent acres reaching toward the Koolau mountain range now made up the new Hawaiiana pineapple plantation, of which Keno now held his share. Keno was also managing Hawaiiana during Rafe’s term in the Legislature, and the rebuilding of sections of Hanalei on the Big Island. Rafe was adding to the plantation house to make it even grander for Eden, as its new mistress.

It was late afternoon and palm trees rustled as if swaying to the music. The sun was low in the cloudless sky as Rafe walked with Ainsworth across the lawn, away from the crowd of the merry guests, where they could discuss Kip without interruption.

“I’ll be forthright, Rafe. You provide my family with something that I didn’t recognize during the years you were growing up at Kea Lani. I always thought you an intelligent boy, but headed for trouble. You didn’t seem able to accept your father’s death or your mother’s marriage to Townsend.” He looked at Rafe. “Of course, now I know why. Back then I hadn’t accepted the truth. I thought you had a chip on your shoulder. Ambrose insisted otherwise, but I was stubborn. I shouldn’t have permitted Townsend to bully you and treat your mother cheaply. The older I get, the more ashamed I am about it.”

Rafe wondered that Ainsworth was apologizing at this late date.

“I never held that against you. It was Townsend.” He could have said more—but what good was continued resentment?

“There is one thing,” Rafe said. “Have you heard anything about Townsend?”

Ainsworth’s face melted into troubled bewilderment. “Not a word, Rafe. I thought he might come to me for money soon after his hideous deed, and I alerted the marshal, who had a few fellows on watch. Needless to say, he didn’t show up. I have no idea how he managed to escape the Islands.” He met Rafe’s gaze squarely. “He received no help from me. I hope you believe me.”

“I do, sir. I’ve not always agreed with the decisions made about his actions—”

“I know that.”

“But you were always honest about your intentions. Now I prefer to move forward in life. I have what I’ve wanted most, Eden, Hanalei, and thankfully, my sight. I’m married to your granddaughter and I happen to be a contented man. And I anticipate a good relationship with my new grandfather. After all, I never had a grandfather until now.”