Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four- Three Days Until the Wedding, Early Evening

Dianna dropped the letter she had written to her father as her hands came up to cover her mouth in shock. She tried not to scream again as she witnessed the scene before her.

There was Olivia, lying across Dianna's bed, screaming... With none other than Arnold between her legs.

When the two noticed Dianna, Arnold quickly jumped off of Olivia and pulled his trousers up clumsily. Olivia got off Dianna's bed and straightened her skirts and hair, her face a deep scarlet blush.

"Dianna!" Dianna turned to see her father, Josey, Tobias, and Mack running towards her.

"What happened? Why did you scream?" Walter came up next to his speechless daughter. Dianna merely pointed into her room. Everyone turned to see what she was pointing at. All of them blushed and quickly averted their eyes, Mack and Josey laughing nervously, Walter bug-eyed and dumbfounded.

Only Tobias was able to muster out words. "What the devil is happening here? Arnold! Explain yourself!" His face was slowly turning from red to purple, and his eyes bulged out of his head. Everyone took a step away from him from fright. Tobias had never looked so angry in his life.

"Father, I just... We... I..." Arnold mumbled under his breath, averting his eyes and blushing. He looked just like his usual shy self. Dianna couldn't believe this was the same man who had just been on top of Olivia. Dianna turned to Olivia. The maid was backing away to stand in the corner of the room like a little girl being punished.

"Don't mumble! Speak up and explain yourself!" Tobias had had enough.

"Father, I'm in love." Arnold said quickly, as if his courage might run out before he could get the words out.

"In love? But you're getting married!"

"Actually, I was planning on running away with Olivia before the wedding." Arnold looked at the ground, shuffling his feet and twiddling his thumbs.

"Running away? Running away! How could you do this? When did this happen?"

"Ever since Dianna was kidnapped. We came over here a lot to help Mr. Desmond with things and Olivia was always around. We got to talking, and we fell for each other." Arnold looked back at Olivia for support. The maid stepped up from the corner and took Arnold's hand, her face burning red, but she held herself confidently and looked Tobias straight in the eye.

Tobias sighed when he met Olivia's eyes, never a man to yell at a woman. He turned to Dianna and said, "I'm so sorry, dear. I hope you're not too heartbroken."

"No, she's not." Everyone turned to look at Walter, who had been quiet up until now. Dianna saw her letter in his hands, opened. She gasped quietly, and looked into his sad, crushed face.

"Father, I'm sorry, I--"

"No excuses. You can't have any excuses." Walter was quiet as he spoke, but even in a whisper, his words held a strong conviction behind them. Everyone was silent, and the tension in the air became unbearable. Finally, Walter spoke again. "You were going to leave me? No proper goodbye, no warning? Just up and gone? How could you do that to me? How could you break my heart and leave me again?"

"Father, it was the only way. You would never have allowed--"

"How could you think I wouldn't allow it? Have I ever forced you to do something you didn't want to do? Have I?" Walter's voice rose a level with each sentence, his anger and sadness cracking his speech.

"Allow what? What's happened, friend?" Tobias stepped a bit closer to Walter, but still left a space between them. Walter needed a moment of space.

"I happened." Josey stepped forward and slowly put his arm around Dianna. "In that letter, Dianna is confessing her love for me and my love for her. We were going to run away together, tonight."

"Why does everyone want to run away? I just don't understand anymore," Tobias threw his arms up in a surrender motion, shaking his head. His anger had completely evaporated. Everyone who knows Tobias knows that he can't stay angry for too long; and he loves his son more than anything. No matter how angry he had seemed at first, he was going to let Arnold be with Olivia, if that's what made him happy.

"How could you just kidnap her? I thought you understood how I felt about my daughter, but you're just like the gypsies!" Walter pointed an accusatory finger at Josey.

"He wasn't kidnapping me! I want to go! It's not his fault!" Dianna protected Josey. Josey held her back, calming her.

"Sir, I understand your anger. I did not want Dianna to leave you like this, but she was convinced it was the only way. When I first met you, and you told me about Dianna, I could see your pain and your hurting. I knew I had to successfully complete this mission. If I didn't, I wouldn't feel right. But I slowly saw everything that you loved about your daughter, and I fell for her too. We couldn't stop it." Josey wrapped his arms around Dianna as she cried on his shoulder. Walter was silent as Josey spoke. He sighed and massaged his temples. Then, he stepped forward and placed a hand on Dianna's shoulder. Slowly, Walter turned her around out of Josey's arms, so she could face him.

"You really love him so much?" He whispered to his daughter, tears pricking his eyes as well.

Dianna composed herself. She wiped her tears and looked her father straight in the eye. "As much as you loved my mother."

Walter nodded, a tear escaping his eyes. He just kept nodding and staring at Dianna. Then, he finally spoke.

"If it's that much, then I know what it would feel like to lose him. And I love you too much to let you feel what I felt when I lost her." Dianna looked at her father expectantly. He continued, "And so I accept your relationship."

Dianna threw her arms around her father and wept again, this time tears of joy. Josey sighed. He made eye contact with Walter over Dianna's shoulder, and they nodded at each other, still understanding each other like they had that first day when Walter gave Josey the mission.

***

-Three Days Later-

Dianna stood before her vanity mirror as Olivia tied her corset. She smiled in her reflection, rouge on her cheeks and lips, her hair done up in a grand style, and her wedding dress glistening in the morning light.

When Olivia was done dressing her in her bridal finery, Dianna turned around to face her. "Thank you so much. You've been such a great friend to me."

"It was my honor. You were a great friend too." Olivia forced herself not to cry. Dianna hugged her tightly. "I'm so happy to see you getting married today! I just wish you could stay long enough to see my wedding day as well."

"I wish it too," Dianna told her. Olivia was going to wed Arnold next week, but Dianna wouldn't be able to attend. She'd be long gone by then.

They pulled apart, and Olivia led Dianna out of the room. They walked out of the mansion, and Dianna turned around to look at it. It had been her home for almost all her life, and now she would be leaving it. Dianna turned her back to it, ready to start her new life. Olivia helped her into a carriage, grabbing the long train of her dress. They both settled themselves into the carriage and the driver got the horses to start moving.

A few minutes later, they arrived at a church near the London Harbor. The two women got out of the carriage and ran into the church.

"There you are! Come on, we're late!" Walter exclaimed when they burst into the church's foyer. Olivia went into the church and sat in one of the pews, on the side with Dianna's family. The other side held Josey's crew.

Walter put Dianna's hand in the crook of his arm and they both stood up straight and proud.

"Father?"

"Yes, my dear?" Walter and Dianna whispered to each other.

"I love you."

"And I love you, my darling daughter." They smile at each other through Dianna's veil. Then, the piano player began to play the Wedding March, and Walter led his daughter down the aisle, and to Josey.

Dianna and Josey stared at each other through her veil throughout the entire ceremony. For them, no one else was there. It was just the two of them in their own perfect little world. She looked beautiful in her white wedding gown, the same gown worn by her mother. And he looked handsome in his tailcoat. They said their I Do's and put rings on each other's fingers, and the deed was done.

Everyone cheered as they made their way out of the church and into the afternoon air. Dianna began hugging and saying goodbye to all her friends. Lastly, she hugged Walter, and they held each other for what seemed like forever.

"You will visit every holiday," Walter began. "And when you are pregnant, you will stay home until the baby is born. I don't want you jeopardizing my unborn grandchild's life on the high seas."

"Yes, father. We promise," Dianna said, giggling. She finally let him go, and went into Josey's arms. The wedding entourage began walking down the pier towards the ships. They reached Josey's ship, his crew already on it, prepared to sail.

Dianna hugged Walter one more time. "I love you."

"Love you," Walter choked out between sobs. "Take good care of her, son."

"Will do," Josey replied, shaking Walter's hand.

Dianna and Josey climbed aboard Josey's ship. Immediately, Josey and Mack began instructing the crew, and they set sail.

Walter watched them sail away, Dianna in Josey's arms as he shouted his orders to his crew. He tried not to cry as he thought of her out in the world, and him alone at home. He remembered the numbness that had taken over him after his wife died. He remembered the ache in his heart when Diana was kidnapped. Again, he'd be left alone.

But this time, he knew he wouldn't lose feeling, or feel too much pain. This time, he would be alone in his mansion, but in his heart he'd never feel lonely again.

~

THE END