I didn’t know what to say. He continued before I had the chance to frame my response.
“I know it seems a bit impertinent for me to be asking you these private questions. You’re entitled to your privacy, to be sure. But I suppose by now you’ve learned that with Liane around, and her mother before her, there was very little privacy of thought to have under this old roof.” He drew on the pipe and the tobacco glowed red, sizzling a bit. “I also have reason to believe you’re not here to sell me stock or Girl Scout cookies.”
“No, sir, I’m definitely not.” This was my chance. He was giving me an opening and even introduced the topic himself.
“Vicar Coventry, I’ve come to pay my respects to you, sir, and to tell you that I’ve fallen in love with your daughter. I’m asking your permission to marry her, sir.”
“I see,” he nodded. “I assume you wouldn’t be here unless Liane was in favor of your proposal?”
“That’s true, sir. She laid down the rules of ‘engagement,’ shall we call it. I love your daughter and respect her name, your rules and now the conditions she laid down before she would accept my proposal. Reuniting with my family, in some sense, was the first, and naturally, meeting with you and asking your permission was her second.”
He nodded. “So, you think you’ve jumped the hurdles and deserve an answer, is that it?”
“I do.”
“What do you do for a living, Hawk, or will you be taking back your real name before you marry my daughter?”
“Hawk is my nickname, sir. My family used to call me ‘Ford’ for my mother’s side of the family, but I felt that Hawk was more in keeping with my, shall we say, ‘situation.’ It’s a bird I’ve long admired. A loner, not a songbird. Neither am I, sir, and I probably don’t have to tell you that.”
I paused, waiting for a response, but when I got none, stumbled on.
“I’ve had a troubled past, but in all fairness, it wasn’t all my doing. I believe my parents left me alone too often, and I’ve been told I’m a product of genetics, the worst of the genes coming to me. When my parents couldn’t control me, they sent me off to military school and later put me in the hands of a doctor who drugged me. My behavior deteriorated in a way I still don’t remember but regret to this day. I truly believe it wasn’t my true character, sir, but an effect of the medications I was being force fed. I got into trouble, did some damage and was resentful and willful. The result was a judge’s decision that I be institutionalized.”
He nodded. “Go on, son.”
I flushed a bit before I continued. “I was beaten up by some boys and managed to escape. A friend of the family took me to Mexico and after a few leaps and jumps, I wound up back here.”
“Haven’t you left out a small detail?” When I simply stared at him, he added, “Murder?”
I thought I would vomit on the flowered rug. “Sir, that’s not fair. That man was my uncle, but he was waging vengeance against my family and kidnapped me to force my father into something he didn’t want to do. My uncle intended to kill me. I got to him first. I believe, sir, that’s called self-defense.”
The vicar nodded and tamped his tobacco down before taking another long inhale. He squinted through the cloud of smoke hovering around his head. “Hawk, I knew all of what you’ve shared, but I wanted you to cleanse yourself of the guilt, and because I wanted to know if you would be truthful with me. A man who is truthful with his worst secrets can be trusted.”
My entire body seemed to exhale. “Thank you, sir.”
“It seems my daughter has her heart set on you. What was it you said you do for a living?”
“I own a tech company, sir. I employ outside sources to build apps for company employees to connect securely to their intranets.”
“I would say ‘I see,’ but obviously perhaps more to myself than anyone else, I’m behind the times and don’t understand what you do, but apparently it provides you a good living?”
“Yes, sir. Your daughter won’t want for anything. I don’t look to my family’s money and have made a substantial fortune on my own.”
“Hawk, can you tell me sincerely that your anger and less than ideal behavior is behind you?”
“Sir, I’ve behaved in the way that I had to in order to survive. I cannot excuse that and if put in the same position again, I would behave in the same way. Your daughter knows me, sir, as only you can understand. She has already made me a better man, and I give you my word, you’ll never regret letting me be responsible for her.”
As I spoke, emotion clogged my throat. I swallowed it down, amazed that my face was also burning. The vicar said nothing, just studied me, his pipe tapping his lower lip.
“She’s a rare jewel,” I said when I was able to continue, “and I understand that only too well.”
“Very well. You’ve answered admirably under pressure, and I admire that. So, I will give you my permission, but with one condition. You must never take her away from here for good. She is all that I have left, and I don’t wish to die without her at my bedside. Call it selfish, if you will, but I believe you will understand when I say that she has powers that no one else exhibits. As far as anyone I know, that is. She will be a comfort to me, and when I’m gone, she will have no one but you. I want her to know that when I go, I will be in God’s hands so she need not worry or be overly sorrowful. Can you promise me that, Hawk?”
I stood and presented my hand. “You have my word, sir.” We shook, and I knew we had come to an agreement.
Liane already knew. She was crossing the yard and coming in the door. She went to her dad and hugged him, kissing him on the forehead. “See why I love him so?” she asked me.
“You are indeed a lucky young lady.” That said so much about who she was and who I wished I’d been. It was enough, however, that I be given a second chance to make the most of my life. I thanked her God and all the others for the opportunity.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Auggie
Lily, as it turned out, was absolutely ideal for the farm manager’s job. She had that rare combination of understanding the business and a love of horses. She could help a mare to foal and be dressed and groomed for a business conference by lunchtime. I was amazed at the coincidence that had brought our paths to cross on that flight.