Chapter Text
The first few weeks of spring were a blur of activity and preparation. Demelza was getting the garden ready for the Farmer’s Market at Redruth. They’d secured a booth for her, and the season began in April. Between administering Ross’s businesses, maintaining the household, growing flowers for the market, and planning their wedding, she had little time for much else.
She was browsing dresses at an online boutique when Ross interrupted her. They were in the studio, after lunch, and Ross was working on a jewelry commission.
“Did you hear me?” he asked.
“Sorry, I’m shopping. What was it?” Demelza closed the laptop.
“I saw Mr. Trennard in town yesterday. He claims he never got a bill for the work I did last month. Will you check into that, please?”
“Of course.” She opened the laptop again and started up the billing program.
“Have you found a dress yet?”
She flicked her eyes up to meet Ross’s. “Not yet, but I have a few possibilities picked out.”
“Well, don’t drive yourself crazy. You know I wouldn’t care if you wore jeans, just so long as you don’t leave me at the altar,” he smiled wryly.
“We agreed on informal, Ross, not homeless. And how would I leave you at the altar if we’re just getting married here at Nampara?”
“Fine, as long as you don’t leave me in the—yard?” he said, taking her hand.
“I wouldn’t dream of it.” She was quiet for a moment. “But I would dream of expanding the garden—”
“For the wedding?”
“No, for the business—for Hendrawna Floral. I was out there looking it over, making some estimates for what I’ll need every week, and I don’t think the current space will do it. If that test weekend last fall was any indication of sales...”
“Take more space if you need it.”
“And I might need another pair of hands, too.”
Ross raised his eyebrows. “You think?”
“I do,” she said. “I was considering asking Emma to help out a day or two each week. And Ross,” she added, “When the floral business picks up, I want to help out with household costs. I should contribute.”
He looked thoughtful. “You want to take over some of the utility bills? That’s fine.”
“Yes,” she said. “You’ve done so much for me, and for us, I need to do this, too. If things go the way I anticipate, I might even sell flowers directly to shops later next season.”
He scratched his chin while he thought. “That sounds promising. If our businesses keep growing, I may need to hire another assistant at some point—I wouldn’t want to overload you.”
“Just make sure she’s not a red head, or you’ll have trouble on your hands, Mr. Poldark.”
“One red head is quite enough. Two would kill me, no doubt,” he said, and kissed her.
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Emma and Caroline arrived at Nampara in the early afternoon of June 24th. Demelza had sworn she didn’t need any help getting ready for the wedding, but both ladies had insisted she wasn’t to do it alone. As she looked around the kitchen, she was glad to have them there. The three of them began pulling food trays out of the refrigerator. The cake was to be delivered any minute, and Demelza needed to spruce up her floral arrangements that she’d displayed the day before.
“Shall I set out the candles?” Caroline asked, peering into a box on the island.
“Yes, wherever you think they will look nice, both here and out in the yard,” Demelza responded. She clipped a wilted flower from the large arrangement in front of her. Caroline set to work, bustling around the kitchen and dining room, setting votives out on tables and along window sills.
Emma was rummaging around in the cabinets. “Where do you keep your napkins?” she asked.
“Check the drawer on the island, ‘round the other side,” Demelza said. “Since it’s buffet style, put a stack on the kitchen table, by the plates, and a stack here on the island,” she directed.
She finished cleaning up her flowers, and set the large arrangement on the table in the vestibule by the front door.
The ladies were back in the kitchen, setting out bottles of wine, when the doorbell rang.
“I’ve got it,” Caroline called over her shoulder as she went to answer the door. She came back a couple moments later, carrying a large white box. “The cake is here,” she announced.
“Set it on the kitchen table,” Demelza said. Emma came over to watch them open the box. The cake was beautiful, made of delicate white sponge, layered with fresh strawberries, and covered with white chocolate that formed a shell across the top layer and dripped down over the sides. Three large, ruby-red glazed strawberries crowned the center. She and Ross had chosen it the day they’d gone shopping at Truro’s fanciest bakeries and boutiques, looking for delectable treats to offer their guests for the reception. The ladies cooed their appreciation as Demelza and Caroline carefully lifted the cake out of the box and set it on a tray on the table.
As Demelza busied herself adding touches of greenery and tiny flowers to the cake, Emma and Caroline buzzed around the kitchen, setting stacks of plates and trays of silverware out.
Ross breezed in from the studio. “ ‘Afternoon, ladies,” he said, and kissed Caroline and then Emma on the cheek. “What time must I make myself scarce?” he asked, smiling.
Caroline glanced at her watch. “You’ve got about an hour before we start getting ready,” she said. “And Dwight is coming over a touch early, in case you need anything.”
“Noted,” he responded. “You gave me such a strict warning about not seeing the bride all done up that I fear what you’ll do to me if I slip up, Caroline. Dwight can protect me,” he joked.
Caroline smirked and rolled her eyes at him.
Ross turned to Demelza. “How’s my bride?” he asked, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her on the lips.
“Mmm, I am wonderful,” she said, and returned his kiss. “I hung your suit in the closet upstairs, Ross. It came back from the dry cleaner this morning. Did you finish the band?”
“Just about,” he responded. “I have to polish it yet, so I’ll be off to do that in a moment.” He had been working on his wedding ring during the past week, a simple white gold band with a tiny, rectangular Montana sapphire set flush into the surface of it. He opened the fridge and pulled out a beer.
He pecked Demelza on the cheek, “So, this is it, my love. I won’t see you until you’re all fligged up, walking down the aisle tonight,” he said, smiling.
“In just a couple hours!” she responded, as he left by the back door.
Their wedding, by design, was a small, quiet affair. Demelza invited her brothers, Sam and Drake, and their girlfriends. Drake would be giving her away. Emma’s Charlie arrived shortly before the ceremony began, followed by Ruth and John. Ross invited his cousin Verity, her husband Andrew, and their son, as well as a few good clients he’d grown close with. The local vicar performed the ceremony in the back yard of Nampara, just before sunset. The flowers in the garden, in full bloom, provided a colorful backdrop.
Demelza had made her own bouquet, and decorated the house with summer flowers and garlands everywhere—above the front door, and in vases and bowls placed throughout the house. She was breathtaking in a tea-length, pale pink dress she’d found at one of the boutiques. She’d pulled her hair up for the occasion, using combs that she’d decorated with flowers, and finished the look with a few dainty sprigs of floral tucked in among her curls. Ross wore a navy summer suit with a white shirt, casually unbuttoned at the top. Demelza thought he looked handsomer than she’d ever seen him.
When their officiant announced the new couple as husband and wife, they beamed at each other and kissed sweetly, to cheers and applause from their friends. Ross rested his forehead against Demelza’s and held her hand.
“You’ve made me whole, Mrs. Poldark, and for that, I will be forever grateful.” She gazed into his eyes and sighed contentedly. “We’ve made each other whole, my love.”
The party that followed was casual and relaxed. Guests filed into the kitchen to get plates and goodies from the buffet. Everyone ended up sitting around the large dining table, and the candles flickered and gave the house a cozy glow.
As the crowd assembled in the dining room, Dwight cleared his throat. He stood up, holding his wine glass.
“I’d like to say a few words.” The murmur of conversation died down, and everyone waited for him to speak.
“Not long after Ross and I met in boot camp, I noticed that he had a habit of making things difficult for himself. So, maybe his road hasn’t always been the easiest to travel.” He shot Ross a teasing glance. “He didn’t always read the signs along the route, and, like most men, he refused to ask for directions.”
Ross grinned and blushed as his friends laughed knowingly.
“Since then, I think we’ve both learned that traveling on that road is a little easier, and a lot more enjoyable, when you have someone to share it with,” he continued, smiling at Caroline, “especially when she makes you read the road signs.”
More friendly chuckles from the guests.
“Ross couldn’t have chosen a better partner for his journey than this beautiful woman next to him. I want to say no one is happier for these two than I am, but I think they just might be. To Ross and Demelza, may you have many years of joy and happiness on your journey together!”
Dwight raised his glass to smiles all around, and the guests whistled and cheered their congratulations. Ross jumped up and the two men hugged, and then Dwight leaned down to kiss Demelza. “Thank you, Dwight. That means so very much to us,” she said, as he squeezed her hand.
The party continued on into the night. Ross had set the speaker up to play music, and he and Demelza danced around the kitchen. Guests helped themselves to wine and grazed at the buffet, spilling out into the yard to sit in the chairs that were still set up by the garden. Sam and Drake and John had found one of Garrick’s tennis balls and were throwing it back and forth while their girlfriends looked on from the seats. Garrick saw his toy being tossed and ran between the boys, jumping in the air, trying to catch the ball. Verity and Andrew swayed together by the back door to a slow song that was just audible from the speaker in the kitchen.
After another waltz around the island with Ross, Demelza looked at the clock on the oven. It was going on two o’clock.
She leaned into Ross and kissed him. “Can we make them leave?” she asked quietly, looking up at him, while biting her lip. He laughed and squeezed her about the waist. “Shall I do the honors, my dear?”
Ross picked up a glass and hit the side of it with a fork, “Attention, please!” he called. Guests quieted and gathered around. “Mrs. Poldark and I want to thank you all for coming, and sharing our special day with us. It means so much to have our good friends celebrating our marriage, and we are truly lucky to have all of you in our lives, and with us today.” He cleared his throat. “My beautiful new bride has informed me that she, ahem, needs my attention, and she’s asked me to throw you all out,” he concluded, grinning from ear to ear. Drake let out an ear-shattering whistle, and hoots, laughter and applause floated up from the small crowd while Demelza smiled happily and turned a deep shade of pink.
“Sure, blame it on your wife,” Emma called, laughing.
“We love you all,” Ross said, as everyone began to collect their things. “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here, not tonight,” he concluded, to laughter from the guests. They stood together at the front door, hugging and kissing their friends as they left. Dwight bear-hugged both of them, and Caroline kissed Demelza on each cheek. “Pace yourself,” she whispered, grinning mischievously.
Emma threw her arms around Demelza’s neck. “I’m so happy for you both,” she said, as the girls hugged. She wiped a tear from her eye as she pulled away from the hug, and turned to Ross. She kissed his cheek, squeezed his hand, and said, “I know you’ll be good to her. You’ve made her so happy.”
Ross watched the red brake lights on the last car as it turned from the driveway onto the main road. He closed the front door, took his bride by the hand, and looked into her eyes as he pulled a comb from her curls. A silken lock of hair fell to her shoulders, and he pressed a gentle kiss to her neck. Demelza inhaled as he worked to release her hair from the updo she’d had it in. He lovingly pulled the loose flowers from her tresses, and worked a few pins out, and more hair tumbled over her back. He removed the other comb, pressing kisses to her neck with the locks of hair that unfurled, rustling softly as they fell into place. When all the pins and combs were stacked on the island, Ross gathered her in his arms.
“Will you join me in the bedroom, Mrs. Poldark?” he asked, and softly kissed her, nudging her mouth open with his lips, twining his tongue with hers.
She raked her fingertips over the bare patch of skin at his collar and looked up at him with her large, dark green eyes. “I’d like nothing better, my love.”
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The following April (Ten months later)
“Which one do you think?” Demelza held out two jars of pasta sauce for Ross to inspect. They’d stopped at the store on their way home from an estimate.
“Get the Bolognese,” he said. Demelza put the other jar back on the shelf, and then caught up with Ross, who was strolling up the aisle with their basket. She put the jar into the cart with the other groceries, eyeing the contents as though something was missing.
Ross stopped and looked at her. “What?” he asked.
“I do think we should get a new dog dish. Garrick makes such a mess with the one he has.”
“We were just over there,” Ross began.
“I know, I know, but I changed my mind. I’ll just be a minute.” Demelza peeked up at him, her eyes pleading. She knew he couldn’t resist that look.
He sighed lightly and took her by the hand. “Go quickly. I’ll finish getting the last few items on the list.”
Demelza smiled and Ross pulled her to him and kissed her. “Off you pop, now.” He watched her trot back toward the pet supplies and turned his cart into the next aisle.
He was searching the shelves for their brand of rice when he heard another cart tap his, followed by a flustered apology.
“I’m sorry about that—”
The voice was familiar. He turned from the shelf to see that Elizabeth had driven her cart into his. She colored subtly when she saw who it was.
“Ross, hello,” she began.
“Elizabeth! Funny meeting you here,” he said. “Although I suppose not, seeing as we’re closer to your neighborhood than ours.”
“Oh?”
“I had to meet with a potential client in Helston, and Demelza decided to come along. We saw Sainsbury’s on the way out and stopped to pick up a few things.”
Elizabeth surveyed the pile of groceries and housewares in their cart. “So it seems. How are things going?” she asked, and they began exchanging pleasantries.
Demelza was headed back to find Ross, two matching stainless steel dog dishes with high sides and heavy, skid-proof rubber bottoms clutched in her hands. She was peering down each aisle in search of her husband when something she saw stopped her dead in her tracks. At the opposite end of the aisle stood Ross—and Elizabeth, of all people. They appeared to be absorbed in conversation, smiling at each other, talking quietly. Elizabeth was touching his arm.
Demelza leaned against the shelves as disbelief and resentment shot through her. She was unprepared to see Ross talking to Elizabeth, and she wondered for a paranoid instant if Elizabeth had somehow engineered the meeting. Quickly, she hurried down the next aisle, fear churning within her.
The movement caught Ross’s eye, and he turned his head in time to catch a flash of red curls as she retreated from view. He excused himself and went to find her. The expression on Demelza’s face was like a knife to his gut; he knew exactly what she suspected.
“Demelza, darling,” he began. She looked up at him, angry tears welling in her eyes.
“Don’t do that, it’s not what you think,” he said softly, and reached to touch her face. “She was telling me she’s leaving the country,” Ross stated. “She’s moving.”
Demelza blinked and wondered if she’d heard him correctly. “Moving?” she said.
He smiled and nodded. “Yes. Why don’t you come say hello? I think she saw you anyway, so…”
Relief washed over her as she took his hand, and they walked back to where Elizabeth was waiting.
“Elizabeth, you remember Demelza,” Ross said, as he put his arm around her shoulders.
“Of course, I do. It’s nice to see you again,” Elizabeth said.
“And you as well,” Demelza responded, reaching to set the dog dishes in the basket. Her ring gleamed in the light. Elizabeth’s eyes were drawn to the flash from the sparkling diamond on her finger.
“Is that—?” she began, and then abruptly stopped.
“It is,” Ross said. “We’re married, as of last June. Coming up on a year now, and we couldn’t be happier.” He drew Demelza closer to him. She beamed and held her hand out.
“Ross made it for me,” she said proudly.
Elizabeth looked taken aback. She licked her lips and smiled around her surprise, admiring the ring. “I hadn’t heard anything…” she trailed off, then continued, “Ross is quite talented—he was always good with his hands. What a beautiful design. Congratulations to you both.”
Demelza swallowed the acid words that had formed on her tongue, smiled, and breezily said, “I hear congratulations are in order for you as well, Elizabeth?”
“You heard correctly. George and I are moving for his job!”
Good riddance, Demelza thought. Aloud, she said, “How exciting for you both.”
“We’re thrilled—George has been offered a position by Deutsche Bank. Their headquarters are in Frankfurt, so, eventually, we’ll be looking for a place to buy.”
“I guess, you and George…?” Ross began. “I had heard you two were an item—”
“Oh, yes, things have been moving quickly, but we’re two peas in a pod. In fact, we’ve been talking about tying the knot once we’ve settled in Germany.”
“That’s wonderful! And when is the move?”
“Soon now. The movers arrive in a few weeks to pack us up, and then George and I will follow shortly after. We’ve got an apartment in downtown Frankfurt waiting for us, and his first day of work is the end of June.”
“We’re so happy for you!” Demelza started. “I hear that part of Germany is quite charming. Do send us a postcard, Elizabeth.” She was absently re-arranging the items in the cart. Ross shot her a look, but she pretended not to see it.
Elizabeth smiled tightly.
“Our congratulations to you, Elizabeth. We’re happy for you and George, and we wish you all the best,” Ross said. Elizabeth nodded, and continued down the aisle, still looking a little dazed from the revelation of Ross’s nuptials.
Demelza wheeled their cart around the corner, where she pulled the last item from their list off the shelf, and they turned toward the check-out area. She entertained some dark thoughts regarding Elizabeth’s remark about Ross’s hands, and suspected that Elizabeth had carefully chosen her words. But she didn’t want to dwell on this encounter longer than she had to. Ross put his arm around her waist as they rolled the buggy to the truck to load the bags inside.
Back at Nampara, as they put away the groceries together, Ross watched his wife with growing concern. She’d been quiet on the ride home, and now her face was clouded over and closed off in the bright light of the kitchen. He knew she was brooding over the run-in with Elizabeth. He took a glass off the shelf and poured her some lemonade from the fridge. She sipped it absentmindedly and set it on the counter, turning back to finish organizing the cupboards in front of her.
When she’d finished her task, she wandered over and stood at the back door, looking out over the yard as the spring twilight descended around them. Ross came to stand quietly behind her, his hands on her waist. He opened the door and slipped outside, looking over his shoulder at her.
“Fancy a walk with me, Mrs. Poldark?” he asked. Demelza followed him into the yard, and Garrick came loping up to dance around them as they walked out toward the path leading down to Hendrawna beach. A cool breeze coming off the sea prompted Demelza to clutch her jumper tightly around her, and Ross put his arm across her shoulders to draw her closer. Garrick suddenly raced away through the tall grass, and returned a moment later to drop a ball at Ross’s feet. He bent to pick it up, Garrick jumping up at the treasure as Ross reared back to throw it. They stood, watching the dog bound after the toy.
Ross laughed, a loud and long chuckle, recalling something Demelza had said while at Sainsbury’s.
“What is it?” she asked, her green eyes searching his face.
He pitched his voice up in imitation of her, but the result was squeaky and cartoonish. “Oh, do send us a postcard, Elizabeth,” he squealed, clasping his hands together.
She grinned, her radiant smile lighting up her face.
“My dear, do you know how much I love you?” he asked, his voice dropping back to its warm, rich baritone. He took her face in his hands. “Especially in that moment?”
She met his gaze with steady, unwavering eyes. “I have an inkling, Mr. Poldark,” she said, and leaned in to kiss him.
Garrick returned and dropped the ball in front of them again. Ross picked it up, tossing it from one hand to the other as the dog jumped and bounced in front of them. He reached to scratch Garrick’s shaggy head, and the dog circled happily, his eyes never leaving his master’s hands. Finally, Ross launched it once more into the clear twilight, the ball arching high overhead, diminishing in perspective until it disappeared in the violet stretch of sky above them.
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