Lili Wentworth was staring blankly out the train window. Katherine didn’t notice her best friend lost in distant thought. She was too busy fidgeting with her computer so she could look at the seating chart once again. This was their last trip to New Jersey to make the final wedding arrangements.
Katherine’s parents were gracious hosts, but Lili always stayed with Uncle Thomas when she was in New Jersey. Thomas was the closest thing Lili had to a father, and his wife Frances was very kind to Lili. Their home was the first place Lili lived after her parents died. They gave her emotional support and financial advice. Uncle Thomas was Lili’s lawyer too. He was there to make every idea she had come to fruition, and Lili had great ideas, including turning their family farm in Tully, New York into a bed and breakfast, opening the ‘James Henry Art Gallery,’ and her latest venture: creating a record label called ‘Brownstone Records.’
“Uncle Thomas, I need to ask you something,” Lili said, as they cut vegetables for dinner.
“You can ask me anything, Lili.”
“I was wondering if you would reconsider letting me read the prophecy my father left you.”
Thomas stopped peeling the zucchini and tried to look into his niece’s eyes. Lili did not return his gaze. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing…”
“Stop,” Thomas took her hands, “What’s going on?”
“I’m just going through a lot.”
“Can you be more specific?” he asked.
Lili dried her hands. It was time to start being honest. “I’m going through a lot of emotions right now. I never knew a person could be jealous, angry, abandoned, and rejected all at once. I’m angry with my father and I have no idea why. I’m in love with Coleman and I shouldn’t be. I’m trying to follow my heart and do what’s best for everyone else at the same time. I just want to do the right thing.”
“Following your heart does not mean doing what’s best for everyone else. You must always remain true to your heart and as long as you are not trying to control anyone or change someone or force others to agree with you, you’ll be fine. People may get hurt along the way. It is part of life. Just be honest and respectful. That’s what your father would tell you.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Lili returned to chopping the vegetables and then suddenly stopped. “What’s everyone’s damn hurry to express their feelings anyway? There is a lot on the line here.”
“Like what?” Thomas chuckled at her subject change. He unwrapped the fresh pink salmon and began to squeeze a freshly cut lemon over it.
“Cole’s future, for one.” Lili took the lemon from her uncle and squeezed it in a bowl that she had prepared of freshly cut garlic, basil, parsley, salt, pepper and olive oil. “Use the rest of the lemon in here.” Uncle Thomas smiled and took to his task. “And you know he is going to accept that I can’t have children,” Lili continued. “You and I both know how gracious and loving Cole will be about it. But years down the road he could have a change of heart. Coleman could decide a few years from now that having a child is the most important thing to him. People change, Uncle Thomas. What they desire and hope for and dream of, everything changes.”
“Are you reading him? Is that where this is coming from, your intuition?”
“No, I can’t read him,” she mumbled. “He smells too good.”
Thomas raised a brow.
“I mean he distracts me. I can’t read anything when I’m around him. I’ve been having mostly dreams. He leaves me. He walks away. And I would just like to avoid it. Not just for me, Uncle Thomas, but for Grayson, and my friends, and for Cole. Everyone will be heartbroken. I can feel it. I just don’t see the point in falling into each other’s arms just to have him realize it was a mistake. Why would anyone take that kind of risk?”
“Because you dream prophetically I interpret this as a process you are going to have to trust.” Thomas paused for a minute. “Hold on, I just realized I’m giving you your father’s advice.” He started to walk out of the kitchen, “I’ll be right back.”
Thomas returned with a neatly folded piece of paper in one hand and an envelope in the other. He handed it to Lili.
The blond angel was born under the moon and her life has always been written in the stars. As she overcomes her most vulnerable stages in waves of joy and grief the most painful lesson of all is separation. To overcome the illusion one must look within. Then, and only then will her Knight join her. Only he can accompany her in the Otherworld.
Thomas could see Lili was trying to sort it out. She had more questions than answers as prophecies usually conjure. He braced himself for her tears. Lili read the words over and over.
“You aren’t yelling or crying.” Thomas said.
“Of course not. I hardly know what any of it means, except for the joy and grief. That’s the circle of life. You have no idea how happy I am that the emerald ring isn’t a sign.” She burst out laughing.
“Bravo, Lili. Your heart is much lighter than usual.”
“Well, I was hoping for answers, Uncle Thomas, or at the very least some guidance.”
“We all have to weed our gardens, Lili. Cole may in fact leave but that doesn’t mean it won’t work out. Have you thought that maybe Cole needs to experience the separation from you? Maybe you need to experience the separation from him so you can move on together without the fear of ever being apart.”
“Maybe.”
“We wouldn’t be having this conversation if you didn’t love him, sweetheart. It would be devastating to not acknowledge that openly with him.”
“We all have to make sacrifices, Uncle Thomas.”
“How can you sacrifice something you never had? You can’t surrender to a love you haven’t acknowledged. Don’t kid yourself, Lili, that’s just avoidance, and avoidance is based in fear.” Lili slunk down in the kitchen chair and raked the hair from her face. “No one is asking you to be a martyr, Lili.”
“I have a responsibility to the people in my life. I care about them. If they hurt, I hurt. I’d say I’m being more selfish than I am a martyr. But I get your point, Uncle Thomas.” She sighed heavily, but then perked up instantly.
“Who is this Knight?” she said brightly, smoothing the paper with her hands.
“Ha! I don’t know but I kept this prophecy out of Emmeline’s hands for that reason,” he waved his finger jokingly. “Your Aunt wouldn’t rest until she found your ‘Knight in shining armor’,” Thomas laughed making air quotes with his hands.
“I don’t think we’re in the right century for that!”
St. John the Divine Cathedral was decorated with white roses. Katherine’s gown was made of white silk, and Keith was dressed in a classic tuxedo. The paisley fabric of his suit added to his signature flair. The collar was deep blue silk and the jacket was in a slightly lighter blue and black paisley print. Gerard had worked on this garment personally and Emmeline could not have been more pleased with the results. It was clear that Keith was the stylish one in the relationship, but he didn’t want to show up this bride. Keith was indie-rock and Katherine was classic-preppy. Emmeline was aware that she could put this girl in a paper sack and Katherine would still have looked like a princess.
Everyone dear to them was there to witness Keith and Katherine exchange vows. Lili watched the ghost of Rev. Quinn on the altar prepare communion as if it was his service. He blessed the bride and groom and stood proudly as they left the church.
Lili lingered in the church after everyone gone outside. Davin watched as Lili sat down in the first seat closest to the altar. The same altar she wept at when she had buried her beloved Terrence. Dr. Davin Christoff remembered it very well. He was her surgeon back then and he let Lili out of the hospital for the funeral. He watched the wounded ballerina on crutches make her way to the podium and give a beautiful speech in honor of her beloved Terrence.
St. John the Divine was the first place Lili went to after she overheard a conversation that changed everything for her. The insurance investigator was in Liam’s office at the pub telling him and Coleman how Terrence had sacrificed his life to save Lili. Lili was remembering her conversation with Rev. Quinn that day.
“Do you think good people die and bad people have to live on earth?”
“No, I don’t believe that,” Quinn answered.
“Well, I know people don’t die because they are bad, that’s for sure. So it must be the latter.”
“I think neither is true, Lili. I believe life unfolds as it should. I also believe that life regenerates.”
“What if someone chooses for you and it’s not what you wanted?”
“We are all affected every day by the choices of others. It is unavoidable. However, it is up to you to make the best out of it. Life will find a way…if you allow it.”
Rev. Edward Quinlan, better known as Quinn, knew Lili from the day she was born and vowed to protect her. ‘Eddie’ had been her father’s nemesis and ended up becoming his most trusted friend. He had beaten Andrew almost to death, and then chose to protect him fiercely with abounding love, all in the same lifetime. It was a journey few would dare to take, but Andrew Wentworth was not like anyone else. Lili would have more than one opportunity to love beyond the hurt. It was the only way she could live up to her legacy.
Rev. Quinn’s shadowy figure continued to clean the altar, putting the wine away, and wiping down the chalice. It was a job for the altar boys, and they did their duty completely unaware that Quinn’s spirit was working beside them.
“You really need to make peace with yourself and then you will find the God of your childhood again, when everything was easier. Before life challenged you and your spirit became a murky pool of uncertainty. Return to the place in your mind when you were young, and you believed that God loved you. It begins in a moment like this. When a woman faces her pain and her fear, and makes a choice to let go.”
Lili stood up with a smile. How lucky she was to have known him. He guided her with such wisdom. Lili was about to turn and leave, when she felt a breeze around her. The hair on her arms stood up.
“Lili, there is something you should always remember when you think of your parents and Terrence…the soul never dies.”
“He’s here, isn’t he?” Davin whispered.
Lili reached for his hand, “Yes.”
Davin Christoff lost his best friend, Rev. Quinn, in Sri Lanka. He brought his body back to New York City in a coffin. Davin didn’t have the gift of talking to the dead. His gift was tranquility and he had helped Lili more than once since she had known him. He loved her in ways that made no sense in the modern day.
Davin was able to get away from the hospital long enough to attend Keith and Katherine’s wedding ceremony.
“Dinner at Grayson’s tomorrow, Davin. Don’t forget,” Lili said.
He opened the door for her. “I’ll be there. I miss, Maggie.”
“I know you must. She’s the best nurse in the world.”
Maggie helped nurse Lili back to health after the accident. And then Maggie fell in love with Lili’s brother and gave her a niece, Vanessa.
“Maggie is due next week. She can barely see her ankles, poor thing, yet she’s determined to make an appearance today.”
Davin laughed as he walked down the sidewalk back towards the hospital.
“Lili! Come on!” Keith, Katherine, and James yelled from the limo. She heard the pop of an uncorked bottle of champagne just before she climbed into the car. It was just the four of them now.
“I’d like to think it is the official state of our relationship that has you smiling so much,” Keith said as he held Katherine’s hand out, displaying the wedding ring.
“Did you find my purse?” Katherine asked.
Lili handed it to her. “I’m smiling because of who was officiating your wedding,” Lili replied.
“Huh?” James sputtered.
“I saw Rev. Quinn! He was there the entire time.”
“Really?” Katherine sat up taller.
“How is he?” Keith asked.
“It’s like he has never left,” Lili smiled.
The tables were covered in antique white satin with huge vases filled with white roses in the center. The dance floor was backlit with soft purple lighting and Terrence’s old band setup center stage. They continued to gather mostly due to Keith’s influence, but he wouldn’t be singing tonight, that job belonged to Isabel. Christian didn’t just stand next to her and play the guitar he and Isabel were in a relationship. They lived together in Soho. Isabel had finally found someone she was compatible with and encourage her passion to sing. Josh played the drums whenever the band recorded Keith’s music. He wouldn’t miss this event for anything. Neither would Rich, Joel and Matt. They did have one new addition, Alex. Terrence had been his heart donor and Alex played the fiddle almost as well as Terrence did.
“Alex!” Lili wrapped her arms around him.
“Hi, Lili!”
“I’m so happy to hear you were able to play a few songs on Keith’s new album.”
“Lili, it’s the most amazing opportunity I’ve had. I never imagined I would enjoy doing something this much. What a ride this life has been!”
“Sounds like passion, Alex, and it can’t be suppressed if you truly have it.” Lili pinched his cheek.
“Ha! You sound just like Keith.”
“I know. I’ve heard him say that a few times.”
“So, have you heard from Terrence lately?”
“No.” Alex shook his head. “I think he just used me to get to you.”
They both burst out laughing.
“Hey, Lili…” Alex paused, “Do you hear from Terrence?”
“Yes, I do, Alex. Yes, I do.”
“How is he? Do you think he is happy with what I’ve done with his heart?”
Tell him I’m quite proud but he needs to practice more.
Lili giggled at the sight of Terrence’s ghostly figure swinging his arm around Alex’s shoulder.
“He is very proud,” Lili smiled.
Christian tapped on the microphone to get everyone’s attention. He announced the first dance for the bride and groom. James was best man and Lili the maid of honor. They were the only attendants. The goal was simple elegance, great food and great music.
James and Lili waited for their queue to join the newlyweds on the floor. Coleman was standing off to the side with Liam. He bowed his head in approval. Lili wouldn’t have had a clue how to slow-dance if it hadn’t been for Coleman, and neither would James. Coleman had ended up teaching him too.
Liam and Deirdre were on the dance floor when Coleman gave James a respectable tap on the shoulder. He cut in. Lili was wearing a gold silk gown, and had her hair pulled up and twisted in a bun.
“Sorry to interrupt.” Coleman pulled her close.
“Don’t be sorry, Cole,” Lili whispered. “James stepped on my foot 3 times.” A scowl formed between her brows.”
“Oh, he wasn’t that bad,” Coleman laughed.
“You are not a very good teacher. Hey! Did you intentionally…”
“Be careful what you accuse me of, Lil. I still carry a badge.”
Lili burst out laughing and so did Coleman.
Gabriel Kohn was in town indefinitely. He left his estate in Hampshire in the care of his capable children, his cook, his butler, and the groundsman. His youngest daughter, Grace, was in boarding school.
Gabriel was Emmeline’s date this evening, her confidant always, and her lover forever. Lili met him when she joined the Royal Ballet for a special presentation of the nutcracker for her Aunt’s birthday. Gabriel’s son, Jonathan, was protective of Lili and although he paired well with her on the dance floor, he knew he wasn’t “the one.”
“Oh, boy, I can see the wheels turning,” Gabriel said to Emmeline as she watched Lili and Coleman on the dance floor.
“Don’t be silly, Gabriel. I have no intention of interfering.”
Gabriel reached his long fingers to straighten her necklace. Neither of them was much for public displays of affection. Yet, these simple gestures sent very clear messages of the love and passion that was between them to anyone within a respectable radius. Every movement they made was a delicate seduction.
She removed a piece of lint from his lapel. “Gabriel, take me home,” her breath was warm, her dark brown eyes, serious.
“We just got here, darling,” he whispered, then kissed her temple softly.
Emmeline was changing her ideas about life, relationships, and work. She let Gabriel into her life and enjoyed every minute with him. This new attitude was transforming her business as well. Emmeline of London was a European based company. If you wanted her designs, you would find them in Paris at the Montaigne Market, Mode De Vue, and L’Espionne. Or boutiques that bought high-end collections like ANSH 46 in the Netherlands, Biffi in Milan, Renaissance in Belgium, and Atelier in Germany. Emmeline was finding new ways of self-expression in every area of her life, and Gabriel was the catalyst. Her first goal was to work with indie boutiques while in New York. Pixie Market carried almost everything in Emmeline’s new line. Babel Fair picked up Emmeline’s coziest trends, while Oak carried her edgiest designs. It wasn’t long before a buyer from Bergdorf’s approached Emmeline to consider a vintage line, which would carry traces of her earliest designs.
Emmeline had designed Katherine’s wedding gown and Lili’s dress while living in the condo she and Gabriel purchased at the Metal Shutter Houses in Chelsea. She produced new concepts, drew sketches and developed patterns all from this location. Six large tables were strategically placed in the living and dining areas of the condo. Rolls of fabric, sewing machines, and a few mannequins were the decor. She was waking up very early these days. At 4 AM she struggled to fall back to sleep, ideas always flooding her mind. All she had to do was walk into the living room and begin to sketch, sew, or cut material.
Gabriel knew Emmeline was driven and he wanted to support her anyway he could, but he insisted not one scrap of material find its way into their bedroom. That’s where he made love to her and there was only room for one creative genius in this bedroom. He did, however, have a 50-inch LCD screen hung on the wall so he could watch the World Cup from a cozy leather chair in the corner of the bedroom. Only then could she snuggle on the bed just fingertips away from him with her sketchbook in one hand and her colored pencils in the other.
The condo had plenty of room for meetings with potential buyers and to showcase her new designs, but Gabriel and Emmeline never entertained at the Shutter House, because neither of them could cook. Luckily, Chelsea Market was within walking distance and the largest food market in the city. Emmeline’s favorite was the Taco Salad at One Lucky Duck. It was not surprising that every time Lili visited with her friends, champagne flowed and some gorgeous concoction in the means of food was being created by Lili in their state-of-the art kitchen. Gabriel would gleefully open the 20-foot pivoting glass wall like you would a garage door. This created an open floor plan from the living room straight outdoors, which had views of West Chelsea and the Chelsea Piers.
Emmeline’s assistant Gerard flew in from London to help her build her business, and has remained in New York since then.
“No one who lives in the Upper West side does any actual shopping there, darling,” Gerard explained to Katherine as she sipped champagne. Her strapless gown was made of silk and fitted to her figure, leaving nothing to the imagination. It was the length and train that made the dress unique, moving with her every step.
“Gerard, I haven’t had time to shop at all this year. We should go together. How about Soho when I get back from my honeymoon?”
“Williamsburg is the superior option, darling.”
“Yes, but that’s in Brooklyn. That’s a haul.”
Gerard rubbed the top of his balding head. “It’s fashion, Katherine, there is no trip not worth taking.”
Keith walked over to them. “Please tell me you’re not talking about handbags.”
“Not yet,” Katherine and Gerard said in unison.
Christian tapped on the microphone and announced the first course would be served momentarily. Uncle Thomas was seated next to his sister, Emmeline. The two siblings had been through a lot over the years, but losing their brother, Andrew Wentworth, was the worst. Protecting the family secret, protecting Andrew’s prophecies, and protecting Lili as her wings began to unfold were just a few responsibilities left in their hands after Andrew and his wife, Abigail, died in a plane crash. Grayson was about to begin his internship at St. Luke’s Hospital, so change was on the horizon for him when his parents died, but Lili needed to finish her last year of high school in a new town. Lili had to leave her ballet teachers behind and start over. Pennington, New Jersey was home for Thomas and his wife Frances. They took good care of Lili while she finished high school. That’s where she met Katherine and Keith. Thomas had to thank his wife, Frances for that. She arranged a meeting between Katherine and Lili, and with that introduction, the 17-year-old gained the most supportive friendships she would ever know.
Thomas was a corporate lawyer, and he used his skills to help Grayson and Lili turn the Wentworth estate located in Tully, New York, into a booming business. The bed and breakfast was Lili’s idea. She loved growing up on the farm and wanted people to experience the life she had while growing up. It was all about the horses originally. Riding lessons were the main draw, but if you stayed on the Wentworth Estate, you had to clean stalls and feed the animals.
Lili’s mother, Abigail, was a fine cook. Being a physician and understanding what the human body needed for vitality, Abigail created recipes that were delicious and healthy. She had written two cookbooks that were successfully published before she died. Their guests spent the day taking care of the horses, and riding magnificent trails along the valley into the Onondaga Indian Nation Territory, ending the day with dinner in the dining room. Chef Theresa Paul didn’t need to embellish Abigail’s recipes. The chef worked with local farms to create fresh organic meals that included grass-fed beef and fresh fish. All evening meals were capped with a bottle of the finest wine, usually from the Finger Lakes region. The Wentworth Estate was gaining notoriety and with that came more responsibility for Thomas.
Thomas also helped Liam with negotiations of the air rights above the pub. He was building another loft above the one Coleman was living in.
“My dear sister, you look smitten,” Thomas said, as he sat down.
“She does have a beautiful light about her,” Rana added.
“Rana, how have you been?” Emmeline reached an arm out to hug her. “I haven’t seen you in over a month.”
“I’m almost as busy as you, Emmy.”
“Almost? You have a 6-month waiting list, darling.” Emmeline said.
Rana practiced Ayurvedic medicine in an office on Riverside Drive, just a few blocks from the brownstone. It is something she would have done with her sister, Maya, but a Tsunami had taken her sister’s life and hidden her body in the Indian Ocean, and only a Tsunami could raise her from the ocean bed where she rested. Rana had continued her life and taught her children Sri and Kavi the ways. She still read the light, her innate gift, but used it quietly, yet consciously in the treatment of her patients. Rana volunteered her time working for the Foundation of Goodness, a Sri Lankan based organization. She sought out financial donors for scholarships.
“I’ve heard a rumor that we are all expected for dinner every Sunday as soon as Keith and Katherine return from their honeymoon,” Gabriel said.
“That’s right,” a very pregnant Maggie sat down at the table. “…and no excuses. Every one of you has Sunday’s free.”
“Well, I don’t.” Liam chimed in, his voice an Irish lacquer.
“I think you can afford to let someone else tend to the pub on Sunday’s,” Deirdre curled her arm around his waist.
“Aye, alright, but if one of ya don’t show up I will retract my agreement.”
“Then we’ll just have to have dinner at the pub!” Grayson said.
“Children at the pub? I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Maggie said.
“Bollocks, ya gotta start ’em young,” Coleman said. “It’s about the conversation, the food, the music. Tis’ what life is all about.”
“I don’t think Vanessa is going understand anyone’s conversation, or this soon to be newborn,” Maggie smirked, rubbing her pregnant belly.
“I barely understand a word you are saying,” Keith threw his arm around Coleman’s shoulder.
“Oh, the comedian’s here!” Liam shouted and slapped him on the back. “Nice wedding, lad.”
“Yup, the open bar was my idea,” Keith winked.
“And we thank you for that!” Liam said.
“I’m not affected by that decision, but I’m thankful on my brother’s behalf.”
“What’s in that glass,” Keith took a peek at what Coleman was drinking.
“It’s this clear liquid called water. Perhaps you’ve heard of it.”
“I’m seriously worried about you, man,” Keith frowned.
Christian tapped on the microphone and beckoned Keith to his seat at the head table so they could begin serving the first course. Katherine thought this was a pretty good indication that Keith was always going to be late for dinner.
Lili surprised Keith and Katherine by hiring a group of shadow dancers from Australia. Lili knew of the troupe through Jack and Skye Adair. Isabel sang as the band played a song Keith had written for his new album. Lili had a picture in her mind for every scene. The dancers stood behind a screen with special lighting, and it revealed a silhouette of their bodies joining as they created a tree with a swing. The crowd let out a soft gasp.
Most people didn’t know Keith and Katherine’s story. How they met and how they fell in love. As children, they grew up in the same neighborhood, attended the same schools and had the same circle of friends. The moment they truly connected was at Gigi’s Playhouse. Keith and Katherine each had a sister with Down syndrome, Amelia and Maria. A fondness grew between Keith and Katherine. The dancer’s silhouettes formed a neighborhood of houses and children playing. Keith and Katherine’s interests were revealed early on. The silhouette reveals a girl on a typewriter and a boy with a guitar.
The silhouettes formed the New York City skyline and people walking the city streets. The next scene was a man performing on a stage and finally the wedding day. James and Lili were behind the screen now playing the bride and groom and then Amelia and Maria joined them and walked away in the distance with the remaining dancers forming a silhouette of a heart.
The room erupted with applause. Both Keith and Katherine were in tears. Their relationship deepened because of their sisters who were teenagers now. Keith and Katherine knew what it meant to live with passion and follow their dreams, and they made sure Amelia and Maria had every opportunity to do the same.