She watched Willow nibble contentedly on some salty peat a short distance away and reminded herself to appreciate the good in this. Lately, she’d found happiness again after a terribly dark phase. And now, she wouldn’t have to leave all the things and people she loved. There would be no sad goodbyes. Nothing to dread in that way.
“When should we tell your father?” Logan asked, sitting up beside her.
“The sooner the better, I suppose. We could tell him today.” She shot a fast glance at Logan. “But don’t tell him I’m expecting. Only that we’re getting married. One thing at a time.”
Logan regarded her uncertainly. “He’ll be happy, I hope?”
“Oh, Iknowhe’ll be happy,” she replied, linking her arm through his and resting her head on his shoulder. “He never wanted me to go to university in the first place. He always wanted me to stay here and get married to one of the staff men. This is his dream come true.”
Logan nodded, and she sensed a renewed confidence in him. “Then I’ll say it again. It’s fate. We were meant to find each other, Emma. I’ll keep my job here and support us, till death do us part.”
Emma tensed slightly. She had no doubts about speaking those vows, but if there was one thing she’d learned on Sable Island, it was that nothing ever stayed the same.
“You won’t want to return to Saskatchewan one day and apply to teach somewhere?” she asked. The possibility filled her with hope. If they lived in a university town, she could perhaps apply to a different psychology program. Part time, of course. Eventually.
“Not anytime soon,” Logan replied. “I signed a one-year contract for this job, and with a baby on the way, I think we should hang on to that paycheck. Then we’ll see how things look at the end of it.”
Emma agreed and believed her father would support that plan as well. It was sensible.
She felt another welcome wave of relief as her private fears from the past few days dissipated. Logan loved her, and they were going to raise this baby together as man and wife. The rest of it they’d figure out as they went along.
With a newfound rush of happiness, Emma tackled Logan on the sand and planted a dozen kisses on his cheeks while he laughed, and the waves rolled onto the shore, and the horses nickered nearby.
Emma and Logan were married a month later, on Boat Day, when a Protestant minister came ashore for the afternoon to perform the ceremony. All residents of Sable Island crowded into the superintendent’s great room to watch Emma walk down the stairs. She wore hermother’s white silk chiffon wedding dress, which her father had kept in his wardrobe for many years. Only a few alterations were required to fix the lace on the asymmetrical hem, and she carried a bouquet of pink Sable Island roses she’d collected that morning.
As for the rings, her father provided that for Emma as well. On the day she and Logan revealed their intention to marry, he’d presented them with the diamond engagement ring and wedding band her mother had worn until the day she was laid in the ground. Logan’s wedding ring came on the supply ship with the minister, just in time for the ceremony.
Shortly after they said “I do,” Philip McKenna helped them pose for a formal wedding portrait on the stairs.
That evening, after the supply ship departed, Emma said good night to her father, who took the Jeep to the McKennas’ for dinner and to sleep in Abigail’s sickroom, which would give Emma and Logan privacy on their wedding night. Emma had cooked a roast-chicken dinner for her new husband. After dark, as a thick, briny fog enveloped the island, they drank bubbly wine, wound up the gramophone, and waltzed to “Louise” in the great room. Then they went to bed with hearts and bodies filled with desire.
Shortly after midnight, they were interrupted by a noisy ruckus in the yard. Emma slipped out of bed, pulled on her white silk robe—specially ordered for her wedding night—went to the window, and pulled the curtain aside.
Outside, the lifesaving crew was gathered, each man wearing his Sunday best. Frank was among them.
“What are you all doing down there?” Emma shouted with amusement as she opened the window, leaned out, and rested her elbows on the sill.
Joseph strummed his guitar. “We’ve come to serenade the newlyweds! Ready, boys? Five, six, seven, eight ...”
The men launched into a harmonized version of “The Way You Look Tonight,” one of Emma’s favorite tunes. Her eyes found Frank’s, because he knew this about her. He gave her a friendly, affectionate salute.
Logan joined her at the window. By the end of the song, she was weeping with laughter and joy, blowing kisses at the men as they waved goodbye and departed, slowly disappearing into the fog.
After she closed and latched the window, she and Logan returned to her warm bed, snuggled together under the covers, and felt amorous again—for the third time that night.
Chapter 15
The month of October brought cooler temperatures and a shift in hues from lush green to golden brown as plant life fell into dormancy for the long winter ahead. The Eaton’s Christmas catalog arrived, and the following month, extensive orders were placed for the Christmas Boat in December.
As the holidays approached—and Emma’s condition as a newlywed continued to deliver all sorts of new pleasures, day and night—she found it surprisingly easy to forget about her old dream of a university education. With each day that passed, her interest in psychology retreated one step further toward the back of her mind while marital bliss and the anticipation of motherhood advanced to the front.
And of course, Emma was pleased that her father was delighted to see her settled at last. Thanks to Logan, her departure from the island had been postponed, perhaps indefinitely, and for that reason, in her father’s eyes, his new son-in-law could do no wrong.
During that first Christmas of 1947, Emma adored being a wife, had never been happier, and saw no reason why anything should ever change.
It was not until early January that Emma began to show. It was only a small bulge at first, but by that time, Logan knew every curve and contour of her body. One night, he kissed her belly and looked up at her lovingly. “I want to raise our child here on Sable. There’s nowhere better than this, don’t you think? It’s like the world’s best-kept secret.”
Emma laughed and ran her fingers through his wavy golden hair. “You’re a special man to feel that way. Most men can’t bear to be so far from civilization. Did I tell you about the two men from theBelvederewho stole a lifeboat and rowed into a storm to escape?”
