Because of Rebecca - By Leanne Tyler Page 0,4

length gloves and slowly walked out of the bedroom and down the hallway.

She stopped for a moment at the top of the wide staircase to slip on her gloves and spotted Elizabeth’s brother waiting for her at the foot. When she reached the bottom, he offered her his arm with a gentle smile and walked her through the house to the back loggia where the many guests waited on the lawn for the wedding to begin.

Arrangements of fresh flowers decorated the perimeter of the yard. In the center, a dais signified the altar. White chairs positioned in rows around the dais were available for the guests.

Outside, she noticed a very handsome man dressed in black standing alone near the back of the fashionably dressed gathering of men and women. His blond hair was pulled back at the nape in a queue, and he stood military straight with hands clasped behind his back. The string quartet began to play and he turned toward them.

Oh my goodness! He’s wearing a yellow rosebud.

Rebecca’s mind went numb. She hadn’t expected to meet her liaison at her friend’s wedding, nor that he’d be so handsome. The mere sight of him astounded her.

Josiah motioned to him and the man in question came toward them.

“Mr. Jared Hollingsworth,” Josiah said. “I’d like you to meet Miss Rebecca Davis. Miss Davis, Mr. Hollingsworth.”

Rebecca nodded appreciation to the young Mr. Calhoun and curtsied when Mr. Hollingsworth took her gloved hand in his. Tingles of awareness halted her midway, and she forced herself to rise without prolonged hesitation. His blue eyes sparkled as she boldly stared into them, mesmerized by his handsome face.

“It’s a pleasure, Miss Davis. Mr. Cooper tells me you attended Augusta Seminary with Miss Calhoun.”

“Yes, I did. Did you also attend West Point with Mr. Cooper?” she asked, still unable to look away from his ruggedly handsome face.

“Class of forty-eight.” He offered her his arm. “We’d better take our seats. The ceremony should begin soon.”

Rebecca placed her hand in the crook of his arm. Her heart pounded as she walked beside him down the aisle to the reserved seats near Elizabeth’s family members. She felt honored to be included, and oddly, she felt sensationally alive being by this stranger’s side. She couldn’t explain what had come over her, but she had never felt more at home.

Awareness of him consumed her thoughts, and she paid little attention to the wedding ceremony. Yet, when Elizabeth and Mr. Cooper sealed their vows with a kiss, she wondered how it would feel to have Mr. Hollingsworth’s lips pressed against hers and his strong arms holding her close.

Rattled, she chastised herself for her thoughts. She was in Jackson on a mission, and Mr. Hollingsworth as fortune would have it, was her cohort. There was no room for daydreaming about him, even if she did find him handsome.

Today was a day of celebration, but tomorrow would be a day of joy for a very lucky young woman. Rebecca knew what role she would play in this mission, but she couldn’t help but be curious how Mr. Hollingsworth would go about doing his part. She’d love nothing more than to discuss it with him if the opportunity arose, but it was unlikely. Neither of them could risk being overheard.

****

Jared shifted in his chair beside Miss Davis. She was the first woman with whom he’d spent company since his wife had died in childbirth three years earlier. Charisse was his first love and had been a wonderful woman. Losing her and their son had nearly killed him, but fate had been cruel and left him to bear the burden alone.

Now here he was at Mitchell’s wedding playing host to this beautiful young woman whom he couldn’t deny he found attractive. As he’d walked her to their seats, he’d overheard murmuring. One guest wanted to know why he was there and another had wanted to know who she was and why she was here with him.

He feared word had already spread through the town about cousin Rory’s latest scandal, another black mark against the Hollingsworth name. As if he needed any help spreading scandal. He’d been doing fine all by himself being branded a societal outcast when his father had died, and he’d taken over running Oak Hill. Plantation owners from all around Jackson rebuked him for giving his father’s slaves their freedom and hiring those that wished to stay as tenant farmers instead.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Jared stole another glance at Miss Davis. Mitchell hadn’t lied