Chapter 5, Legacy (The Guardian Trilogy, Vol. III)

Thank you to my betas. You are the best! Gayle (scmema), Steph (SdHamm), Julianne (Benji’smom), Wendi (MomofTriplets), Tiffany, and Maria (China)

Chapter 5

“ ‘. . . God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”
I Samuel 16:7

On the first Monday in October after classes were over for the day, Darcy and Elizabeth drove to Thomas & Sons Formal Wear in Spartanburg to select tuxedos for the groomsmen and ushers. David and Lynne Bennet, Charlotte and her brother Joshua, and Chance and Janna were meeting them there. Anne Bingley, Chance’s mother, was going to Chance and Janna’s house to babysit her grandson, Matthew, while her son and daughter-in-law were out for the evening.

The Bennets felt that it would be a good opportunity to become better acquainted with their future son-in-law’s family and had invited everyone to dinner at a nearby restaurant after the fitting. Darcy also thought it was a good idea, for it gave his “brothers” an opportunity to acclimate themselves to conversing and eating with humans before the rehearsal dinner and the wedding.

While Niall thought of the outing as an adventure, Michael and Gabriel were not so sanguine. The idea of appearing in human form while being fitted for clothing, and then eating a meal in front of five guardians and ten warriors did not appeal to them, though Gabriel was his usual diplomatic, unruffled self.

After everyone had arrived, Michael, Gabriel, and Niall flew to the back of the store where the tuxedos were stored and exited through the rear wall of the building. In the secluded area, they took human forms dressed in business casual clothing and walked back around the store, through the parking lot, to the front door. As they entered the building, a sales clerk behind the counter caught sight of them and stood frozen to the spot, her amazement written plainly across her face.

Her thoughts were loud. I wondered how we would find one tuxedo large enough for the six foot nine inch groom. I suppose the three giants will need to buy tuxes and have them altered. I’m estimating seven feet for the green-eyed blonde and nearly that for blue-eyed one. The dark-haired man looks small in comparison, but he must be at least six feet two inches. We can fit him, I think. They are all built like Olympic athletes, too – and gorgeous! I have never seen anyone like them around here. Where are they all coming from? I wonder if they have girlfriends or wives. She glanced quickly at their hands. No wedding bands!

Hurrying from the fitting area, the store manager looked at the clerk in mild irritation and walked quickly toward the men, reaching out her hand to shake theirs. “Hello. You must be here with the Bennet party.”

Darcy, standing to the right by the fitting rooms, watched Michael scowl as he shook the woman’s hand. Michael, smile. She thinks that you are angry with the sales clerk. She has no way of knowing that you simply hate the idea of trying on clothes.

Michael immediately smiled, and the sales clerk nearly fainted. Great idea, brother. If her heart rate goes up any more, she may have a heart attack, thought Michael as his green eyes flashed. I will try to be pleasant, though this gives me little pleasure.

Gabriel and Niall shook the lady’s hand while smiling at her and introducing themselves. Niall had chosen earlier to use the name Neil, the more modern form of his own angelic name.

Darcy spoke into Elizabeth’s mind, Remember to call him Neil.

Thanks for the reminder, she thought.

While the manager looked the men up and down, professionally estimating their measurements, Elizabeth stood up and, with Darcy, walked over to greet them, accompanied by her parents and Roark. Janna and Charlotte remained seated in the area to the right of the front door, and Josh and Chance waited by them. Alexis, Hector, Edward, and Skylar stood by their charges while ten stalwart, unsmiling warriors stationed themselves along the perimeters of the room.

As the introductions were being made, the manager and the clerk went to find the correct style of tuxedos in sizes which they thought would fit the men.

Elizabeth greeted Darcy’s “brothers” warmly, surprising Michael by reaching up to hug him. “Michael, it’s so good to see you again.” He recovered and returned her light embrace. She stepped back and gestured toward her father and mother. “These are my parents, Lynne and David Bennet. Mom, Dad, this is Michael, Fitzwilliam’s big brother, and this paragon of good manners is Gabriel.”

Gabriel did not wait for Elizabeth to hug him; instead, he surprised her by leaning over to initiate the gesture of affection himself. “It is always good to see you, Elizabeth. My brother has done well to secure you. ‘He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord.’”

Elizabeth laughed lightly, “Proverbs 18:22. You just keep telling Fitzwilliam that, Gabriel.”

As Lynne and David shook hands with Michael and Gabriel, Elizabeth turned her attention to Niall, putting out her hand to him. “You must be Neil. Fitzwilliam has told me about you. He said that you’re his best friend as well as his brother.”

Niall’s dark eyes sparkled with good humor. “Elizabeth, you cannot hug Michael and Gabriel, yet give me only a hand shake. Where is the fairness in that?” Darcy smiled broadly as Neil ignored Elizabeth’s hand and wrapped her in a quick, friendly hug instead.

“Hey, careful there, brother. Elizabeth is my fiancée, and do not forget it,” said Darcy, smiling.

Niall smirked at Darcy over Elizabeth’s shoulder.

David and Lynne watched, delighted with the way Elizabeth was being received by Darcy’s brothers.

After Niall stepped back from Elizabeth, he turned to Lynne and David, saying with a smile, “I feel that I have always known you.”

As Lynne shook his hand, she tilted her head and looked at him quizzically. “And I feel the same about you. Strange, isn’t it?” Her mind went back nearly ten years before to Janna’s car accident her senior year of high school. She could vaguely remember the young man who helped her, and the man before her seemed startlingly like him. This man is too young to be the same guy. “Your name is Neil? You look very much like someone I remember. Have we met before?”

He smiled, and his dark eyes twinkled. “Anything is possible, but I am not originally from this area. Yes, I am Neil. It means ‘champion.’ And you are Lynne? May I call you Lynne? Mrs. Bennet sounds too formal for a lovely lady like you.”

“Oh, you are a charmer! Of course, all of you must call me Lynne, and my husband is David. We don’t stand on ceremony,” she said, looking up at each of the brothers in turn.

David looked closely at the imposing, handsome men. He put his hand out to clasp each of theirs in turn, sensing a connection as he did so.

David knew that he had never met them before, but he felt that he should know them. There was something very familiar about them; it was almost as if his spiritual self reached out to them, very much like meeting another believer. That must be it. The Spirit in me witnesses to the Spirit in them, but it is somehow more than that. They are like Fitzwilliam to me. There is a family connection of some sort.

Standing beside Elizabeth, Darcy could tell that David’s feelings only became stronger as both Michael and Gabriel smiled at him.

Elizabeth, accompanied by Darcy, then led the angels to her sister, brother-in-law, and friends. “This is my sister, Janna Bingley, her husband, Chance, my friend Charlotte Lucas, and her brother, Joshua. Michael, I’m sure you and Gabriel remember meeting Charlotte in San Diego when Fitzwilliam had his biking accident.”

As both Michael and Gabriel smiled at Charlotte and nodded, they heard her thoughts. My future children will definitely be taking piano lessons, or voice, or something artistic. Elizabeth has met the most interesting, beautiful people through her music. Jon. Remember that you love Jon, Charlotte. Well, I can admire the wrapping without opening the gift.

Elizabeth continued, “And this is Neil, Fitzwilliam’s best man.”

Darcy and the other men stepped back as the manager and sales clerk returned with the tuxedos. Based on her estimates of their sizes, she handed each man a tux. Because there were only four fitting rooms, Chance, Joshua, David, and Niall took their suits to try them on first, leaving the three larger, harder-to-fit men for last.

Elizabeth nodded her approval as the men emerged from the rooms dressed in her choice: black, traditional, one button, satin shawl lapel tuxedos, vented, with satin beasom pockets, vests, black bow ties, and white tux shirts.

“Very nice,” she said, looking to the other ladies who were smiling in agreement.

The manager made notes concerning whose pants needed to be lengthened or shortened on the orders for Chance, Joshua, and David, but frowned when she looked at Niall.

“This won’t do. We can work with the pants, but the jacket is too tight across the shoulders. Let me get a larger one,” she said, hurrying away while Niall shrugged out of his coat, and the other men went back into the rooms to change back into their own clothes.

Chance, Joshua, and David returned to the group, handing their tuxedos, hung back on the hangers, to the sales clerk as Michael, Gabriel, and Darcy took their tuxes into the vacant fitting rooms.

The manager returned with another jacket for Niall just as Darcy, Michael, and Gabriel were emerging from the fitting rooms. She went behind Niall and helped him into the jacket, and then came around the group of men to face them, shaking her head in dismay.

“Gentlemen, we have a problem,” she said grimly. “We can make the pants long enough, and take in the waists on them, but even if we lengthen the sleeves on the jackets, they will never fit you as they should.”

The four angels looked distinctly unhappy. While they had managed to stuff themselves into the jackets, none of them could move their arms, and the garments hung loosely around their waists.

Darcy said, “I have to have my dress clothes tailor-made. Nothing off-the-rack has ever fit properly.”

She nodded. “I can certainly see why, though I can hardly believe that all four of you have the same problem. Your shoulders are unusually wide in proportion to your waists and hips.”

Michael looked especially displeased, and even Gabriel and Niall showed disappointment.

Elizabeth thought quickly. “Is there not anything you can do? We understand that we may have to pay more in order to get something that fits well.”

The manager’s face brightened at once. “In that case, I think I have an idea. We have a warehouse here in Spartanburg. I can have larger jackets sent over immediately. If we can fit the shoulders properly, I have seamstresses who can alter the waists and hips to fit perfectly. The only catch is that you will have to buy the jackets. I won’t be able to rent them once they are fitted to each of you, because no one else in this area would ever be able to wear them.”

Gabriel was happy with the solution and spoke quickly, “Can the jackets be sent over right now? We are not in this area very often, and we really need to handle this today if possible.”

Michael added, “We will be happy to pay any extra expenses you incur for your trouble.”

“Excellent,” replied the manager, happy to have found an answer to the dilemma. “I’ll call the warehouse now so that they’ll have several jackets in this style ready for each of you. If the warehouse can’t deliver them right now, my assistant can go pick them up while I phone a few of my seamstresses. I want them to do the actual pinning, because this job is beyond my skills. We can probably have your jackets and the seamstresses here in half an hour. Would that suit?”

“Absolutely. Thank you for your trouble,” answered Darcy, smiling at her as he wriggled out of the ill-fitting jacket. His brothers followed his example and took the coats off, handing them to the manager.

The lady took the coats, handed them to the clerk to put away, and hurried to the counter to make her calls. After the first call, she confirmed to the group that the warehouse would send the jackets to the store immediately.

They all moved to the couches at the front of the store to wait until the clothing and seamstresses arrived.

Niall looked around at the group and spoke brightly, “I suggest that we make the most of the situation and use this time to get to know each other better.”

Just what I was hoping for – an extra half hour in which I can make a mistake, grumbled Michael.

There is a scowl on your face. Think about your expression and remember that everyone can see it, thought Gabriel.

I will get right on that. Thank you, Miss Manners, returned Michael, refraining from glaring at him only with great effort. He looked at the floor in an effort to hide his face.

Michael, with the utmost respect, lighten up, thought Niall.

Roark and the other guardians were grinning openly, though the warriors never changed their expressions.

Darcy noticed Michael’s rigid posture and searched his mind for a topic that might distract him.

David unintentionally came to the rescue. “Fitzwilliam is something of a martial arts expert and has been training El. Do the rest of you know his style of fighting?”

Darcy smiled as he released his breath. “Michael taught me a great deal of what I know,” he said, nodding toward his brother.

“How very interesting,” said David, looking at the tallest of the brothers. “Who taught you, Michael?”

Michael lifted his head and fixed the older man with his gaze. “I developed my methods myself a long time ago. There has never been a time when I did not use my skills and seek to improve them. And my brother is being modest. He was already a master when I began to help him hone his skills; I merely added to his knowledge of the art.”

“And what about you, Gabriel?” asked David. Everyone looked at Gabriel awaiting his reply.

“I practice so that my technique does not suffer. I am always ready to do whatever is needed, though I rarely use my skills to fight. I find that the discipline required to maintain my fighting form helps me to control myself in other ways as well. Conflict distresses me, so I make peace whenever it is possible,” Gabriel replied. His sincerity shone from his azure eyes.

Lynne raised a brow in surprise. “You have actually fought then?” she asked.

Gabriel leveled a tranquil gaze at her. “Oh, yes. Sometimes it is unavoidable.”

Darcy interjected, “Mom, you must understand that because we are unusually large, others sometimes test themselves against us, trying to prove their superiority. We defend ourselves as well as others, but none of us prefers to fight. We would all rather live in harmony.”

Speak for yourself, thought Michael. I would cheerfully unbody every demon in the universes.

His warriors nodded and rumbled in agreement.

Niall spoke softly. “Our Father wants us to live in peace, but He understands that fighting is necessary at times. We are careful to please Him before we please ourselves.”

With that I will agree, praise His holy name, thought Michael.

Praise His holy name, thought every light being present in agreement.

“The respect with which you speak of your Father is commendable,” said David smiling gently. “He must be very special to command such love and loyalty in His children.”

“He is,” replied Darcy. “He truly is.”

There was a lull in the conversation until Elizabeth spoke up.

“Where do you want to eat tonight?” she asked, addressing the group.

Chance spoke up. “There’s a Longhorn Steakhouse, a Red Lobster seafood restaurant, and an O’Charley’s nearby. At O’Charley’s, you can order steak, seafood, pasta, burgers, or salads. Janna and I like all of them. Do you guys prefer steak, seafood, or something ethnic? We also have Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Mexican restaurants.”

Janna added, “We really enjoy O’Charley’s, and they have a wider selection.”

“Elizabeth and I have been there many times, and we’ve always enjoyed it,” said Darcy, reaching for Elizabeth’s hand.

“The food was good, but the company was even better,” Elizabeth said, smiling at him.

Charlotte laughed, “Ah, young love! We like to eat there, too. Don’t we, Josh?” she asked, ruffling his hair.

“Well, if you gentlemen agree, I believe we have a consensus. O’Charley’s it is,” said David.

It matters not to me. Unfortunately, food will be served at all of those places, thought Michael.

If no food were served, it would be of little use to go there with the intention of eating, said Gabriel reasonably. We shall be fine, brother.

Niall spoke for the group. “O’Charley’s is fine with us.” Step out of your box, Michael. Come out of that comfort zone and embrace the experience.

Michael’s grunt was imperceptible to everyone except the angels.

Charlotte looked sharply from one angel to another, and they all heard her thought. I could swear that there is a conversation going on that we can’t hear.

Fortunately, the manager returned at that time. “If you will follow me back to the fitting area, the jackets and seamstresses are here.”

Chance, David, Joshua, Janna, and Charlotte remained on the couches as the four brothers, Elizabeth, and Lynne did as she asked. With very little delay, the four angels were in coats that fit them through the shoulders while they hung loosely at the waists. Four seamstresses busily pinned the garments to ensure that they fit perfectly, checking the pants as well.

Michael held himself erect, keeping his expression neutral while the woman touched him, pinning and prodding him. He had never before allowed anyone such liberties with his person. I am doing this for Darcy and Elizabeth, he kept reminding himself.

Darcy smiled into the mirror, I used to feel the same way every time I visited my tailor, he thought. You become accustomed to it.

I will not, replied Michael.

You do not have to, brother, said Gabriel with patience.

I doubt that we will be in any more weddings, Michael, added Niall.

Elizabeth and Lynne closely watched the process, and at last proclaimed themselves to be satisfied.

~~oo~~

Darcy and Elizabeth took Charlotte and Joshua with them to the restaurant, while Janna and Chance rode with her parents. Niall, Michael, and Gabriel had promised to meet them at the restaurant.

After Darcy and David had parked the cars, everyone walked together to the front door, closely followed by their invisible contingent of guardians and warriors. Michael and Gabriel walked up to join them as they entered the restaurant. The group waited as David went to the hostess and asked for a table for eleven in the non-smoking area. After a few minutes, a waitress came and led them to their table.

Once they were all seated, the waitress took their drink orders, eight iced teas and three waters, and left them to peruse their menus.

“What do you recommend?” asked David, looking at his daughters, Chance, and Darcy.

“Their baked potato soup is the absolute best, Dad,” replied Elizabeth.

Janna added, “Mom, you’d probably like the California chicken salad. I usually order the ribs, but they’re too messy to eat in front of so many people.” Everyone laughed at her shy smile.

Darcy said, “I like the shrimp scampi, and the spinach and artichoke dip appetizer is excellent. Elizabeth and I share that when we come here.”

“I always go for a juicy steak,” Chance said, grinning.

It all sounds like a gigantic stomach problem to me, thought Michael.

Try the soup and a salad, Michael. Stay away from anything too heavy – like meat or fried foods, replied Niall.

I think you must be right, Niall, said Gabriel. I think I will order the baked potato soup with a side salad.

By the time the waitress came back with their drinks and served them, everyone was ready to order. Darcy watched his brothers in case he needed to help them, but soon saw that they had matters well in hand.

As long as you eat slowly, you will have no problems, thought Darcy. You have watched Elizabeth and me long enough to know how to use your utensils. I will be listening for you if you have any questions.

Do not worry. We can do this, Michael answered, his natural confidence reasserting itself.

I know that you can, replied Darcy, pleased with Michael’s change of attitude.

As her parents chatted with Janna, Chance, Charlotte, and Joshua, Elizabeth took Darcy’s hand under the table and pulled it onto her lap.

What are they thinking? she asked.

They are nervous about eating, but they will be fine. They have done very well so far. Darcy spoke with pride, and his brothers, hearing his thoughts, smiled.

Yes, they have been impressive. I am marrying into a very distinguished family. She squeezed Darcy’s hand and winked at Niall.

Charlotte, seeing Elizabeth wink, tilted her head and watched her friend closely. One day, I will know what is going on with them. I can just feel the undercurrent. Fascinating.

Darcy, listening carefully to Charlotte, began to talk aloud with Elizabeth about the upcoming rally in Jacksonville.

Though the two of them put on a convincing show, Darcy knew that Charlotte was not fooled. She continued to gaze at them with a small smile.

Go ahead. Try to divert me, Charlotte thought. I know when I am not hearing the whole story. Don’t I, Fitzwilliam?

Darcy looked quickly at her when he heard his name. Too late, he realized his mistake and returned his attention to Elizabeth.

Charlotte smiled enigmatically. I knew it! You can hear me. You can hear all of us, can’t you? Elizabeth knows it, too. But how does she hear you? I will know the answers to my questions eventually, Fitzwilliam. Don’t worry, though, my friend. Your secret is safe with me.



~~oo~~

I welcome your comments.

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®,
Copyright© 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995
by The Lockman Foundation
Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/24/2012 09:34PM by Amy I..