do one of those conference calls to all of them at once? It will give you an idea of how
'I think it might be fun to call Ryan's sisters,' Ashley agreed. 'But is he brave enough to beard them all at once, I wonder?'
'Beard who?' Ryan had come up on his mother and bride. His arm slipped about Ashley, and he leaned down to kiss her cheek.
'We'll have to call your sisters tonight or tomorrow, and tell them you're married,' Ashley said. 'The announcements go out on Monday, and they can't learn of your marriage that way. It's cold and impersonal. It's bad enough we didn't invite them to the wedding, Ryan.'
'I wanted us to have a happy wedding day,' he said, 'and with the harpies here it wouldn't have been. But you're right. We need to call them. We can do it tonight.'
Byrnes had been watching for the women to return to the living room, and when they did he nodded imperceptibly to the head server, who then announced dinner. They all trooped into the formal dining room, oohing and ahhing at the table setting as they sat down. Immediately a clear vegetable broth was served and the wineglasses filled. It was followed by a salad of mixed lettuces-Boston, both green and red, endive, arugula, and peppery nasturtium flowers, dressed in a raspberry vinagrette. The main course was leg of lamb cooked with garlic and rosemary, fresh French cut green beans, slivers of yellow summer squash, and small white potatoes that had been roasted about the meat as it cooked. The wineglasses were filled again. When the meal had concluded the guests once more adjourned to the living room, where the wedding cake had been set up.
'The first one of you who starts singing 'The Bride Cuts the Cake' is going to get it,' Ashley said grimly. 'It's so corny.'
'I'd like to get a shot of you two cutting the cake,' the photographer said. When he had learned the charity party was actually Ashley's wedding he almost fainted. And then when she generously told him he could sell three pictures to the local newspaper, he was rendered almost speechless. He had taken a picture of both the bride and the groom together, with Judge Palmer, with Mr. and Mrs. Byrnes, with Angelina and Frankie, with their friends. He had taken a picture of Ashley seated demurely with her wedding bouquet, and then he had taken another of her seated and Ryan standing behind her, his hand on her shoulder, her hand on his hand. At one point she turned to look up at him and smiled. The photographer had photographed that too. Now he took pictures of the bridal couple cutting their wedding cake while the guests mischievously hummed the forbidden tune. Ashley fed her new husband a bite of cake. The photographer snapped. Ryan fed Ashley a bit of cake, and some of the frosting got on her nose. She laughed, and the photographer snapped. The cake was served with miniature scoops of lemon sorbet.
It was evening, and the party was coming to an end. A stretch limo had arrived to take Ray and Rose Pietro d'Angelo, Angelina, and Frankie back into the city. The local guests were departing in their own cars. The top layer of the wedding cake was wrapped, boxed, and put in the freezer to celebrate their first anniversary. The servers were busily cleaning up. Byrnes and his missus had disappeared, probably to their own quarters.
Ashley turned to look at her new husband. 'I guess we had better call your older sisters now,' she said.
'Yep,' he agreed. 'Business first. And then pleasure.' Reaching out he pulled her into his arms and kissed her mouth gently. 'I like the way you kiss, Mrs. Mulcahy.'
'Ditto,' she admitted as her cheeks warmed.
They went into the library, where there were two handsets for the telephone. Ryan pressed the appropriate buttons to set up the conference call, and then he dialed. 'Bride, it's Ryan. This is going to be a conference call with all of you, so hang on,' he told her, and before she could question him he moved on to the second number. 'Betta, Ryan.' And he gave her the same message.
'How can you be certain they're all at home?' Ashley asked.
'It's Saturday night,' he said with a grin, and then he was speaking with his sister Kathleen, then Magdalena, and finally Deirdre. 'Okay, girls, you all there?'
'Who's died?' Bride, the eldest, wanted to know.
'Is Mom all right?' Magdelena demanded.
'Nobody's died. Nobody's been in an accident. Nobody's been diagnosed with a wasting illness. Okay?' he said.
'So why a conference call with all of us?' Bride asked. 'You know we have other things to do, Ryan, than listen to your foolishness.'
Ashley raised an eyebrow.
'I have an important announcement to make, girls,' Ryan said.
'You're drunk,' Betta decided.
'Probably a little, because it's been an exciting day. I got married today, girls. Ma and Frankie were here with us. Since the announcements go out on Monday I thought my big sisters would want to know before they arrived in the mail.'
There was a long, very deep silence, and then Bride said, 'Who is this person you married? Some little gold digger who thinks she's hit the jackpot by marrying you?'
'As a matter of fact, she's richer than I am. And it's old money, girls. Not new like ours. Old money. Beautiful home filled with antiques. Servants. Breeding and background. Her ancestors helped found the town.'
'What's her name?' Kathleen demanded to know. 'Just who is this rich girl?'
'Her name is Ashley Cordelia Kimbrough, and she's beautiful, with hair the color of good mahogany, and green eyes that I get lost in every time I look into them,' he said.
'Oh, my God,' Betta groaned. Her brother sounded as if he were in love.
'Is this a joke, Ryan? Because if it is, it's in very poor taste,' Bride snapped.
'No joke, Bride. I'm married. I have a beautiful wife, and now if you don't mind I'm going to go off and spend a delightfully active wedding night with my bride. Actually, it was Ash who suggested I call you. She didn't want your feelings hurt.'
'If she didn't want our feelings hurt she could have asked us to the wedding,' Bride said acerbically.
'I didn't want you here,' Ryan told his sisters bluntly. 'You would have spoiled what has been an incredibly wonderful and happy day for us. I didn't want my wife having to look back on our wedding day with unhappiness because the five of you were sniping at her and bitching at me. You had better call Jerry Klein, girls, and tell him the deal is off. Big brother has a beautiful new wife, and now he's going to go and fuck her.'
Ashley almost burst out laughing at the collective gasp that arose from the women on the other end of the phone.
'Good night, girls,' Ryan said. Then he hung up.
'Oh, Lord, and you say I've got a wicked sense of humor,' Ashley said, laughing. 'Those poor women are going to have a terrible weekend now.'
He picked up the phone again and dialed. 'Ma, I wanted you to know-Frankie too-that I've called the girls and told them. You'll probably have several messages on your machine when you get home tonight. Frankie too.' He listened, and then laughed. 'Thanks,' he said, and then he hung up.
'What did she say?' Ashley asked him.
'She said I was to love you very gently on our first night together,' he answered low, and his eyes were filled with his open longing.
Ashley felt her cheeks growing pink, and, laughing, he pulled her into his arms, nuzzling her soft dark hair. Her heart was hammering nervously. The tip of her tongue touched her lips briefly, and she put her palms flat against his chest, realizing as she did so that the house was suddenly very quiet, and that they were very much alone. And then his mouth took hers in a fierce kiss that rendered her weak-kneed.
Chapter 6
