Chapter 44

Their weekend was spent quite pleasantly. A nice hotel suite in Dallas, complete with a jacuzzi by the bed, made a comfortable home base, and a dance club that allowed all ages wasn't too hard to find, either. They spent quite a bit of time in bookstores, too, buying books on paganism and witchcraft. After picking up those books, though, he called Steven to suggest a installing a decent safe in the basement.

Kristen's fitting for her new wardrobe went smoothly, as did Kayla's measuring, despite her protests. Aaron obeyed meekly when Mark told him he was to be fitted for a suit, and Johann eyed him slightly lasciviously. "Ja, we can do that just fine," the old man said. "Wish I were younger, though. Come along young man." He stopped and grinned at Mark. "You, as well. Mr. Davis said."

Mark sighed. "I should have expected it, I suppose."

"Ja, you should have."

Sunday night they returned to a house that was, as promised, completely unlivable. Floors were torn up, walls had holes in them, machinery and supplies were everywhere.

Kristen frowned, looking at the devastation. "I hope we're not hurting the ghost with all of this."

Mark winced with the sudden pang of guilt. "Oh ... I didn't think of that. On the other hand ... maybe it will set her free?"

"I ... don't know," she said. "But I guess if the renovations ten years ago didn't hurt her, this probably won't, either."

They gathered what they needed as quickly as possible and headed for Steven's house to spend the night.

Monday morning was surprisingly calm, though there was a bit of gossip going around the school about the emergency meeting of the School Board that had been called for that night. Mark wasn't surprised to receive the note that the principal wanted to see him.

"I'm meeting with the School Board tonight," Ward said without preamble. "If you want there to be a chance of this working, you'll need to be there. She and her father should be on-hand, as well."

Mark nodded. "What else do I need to know?"

"We need to decide on a tact to take. Was it love at first sight, did she seduce you and then honor and guilt forced you to make an honest woman of her, did her father arrange your meeting and encourage the relationship in hopes of marrying off his difficult offspring, or what?"

Thoughtfully, Mark stared at the desk for a moment. "Which one do you think will go over best with them? The truth is love at first sight, but I don't know if they'll buy it."

Ward shook his head. "I honestly don't know. Love at first sight is hard to believe, but might appeal to some of the more romantically inclined on the board. A combination of that, which caused you to stray from the moral path and thus feel honor-bound to propose marriage, might be the best strategy." He shrugged. "On the other hand, it might be best to avoid any hint that you were sexually active with her before marriage, even though no one will believe it."

Mark chose to ignore the slight sneer to the man's voice ... for now, anyway. "How about love at first sight, but me not doing anything about it, and her father noticing and encouraging the relationship to get her safely married?"

"Within a month?" Ward asked. "Endangering your career? They'd want to know why you didn't simply avoid her."

"Hmm ... What do you suggest then?"

"I suggest that it has to be your choice," Ward said. "Which part can you most convincingly play?"

"Most convincing would be the truth -- love at first sight."

"Then we'll play it that way. You saw her, you loved her, she felt the same." Rolled eyes showed what Ward thought of the likelihood of that. "You tried to fight it, but you couldn't help yourself when you saw how miserable your rejection of her was making her. Her father would do anything to make his daughter happy, and was delighted to give his blessing to the marriage. You never even considered not marrying her ... you're just that kind of guy."

"I shouldn't have any problem with that," Mark said coolly, "considering that it is, in all respects, the truth."

"Right," Ward said with a skeptical look. "Whatever you say. Make sure her and her father will back up your little story, and just be here tonight."

Mark reminded himself that they needed the man for this, and just nodded. "I shall."

The meeting started at 7:30, but they were asked to wait in the library for the first thirty minutes or so, while Ward explained the situation to the Board. The wait did nothing to soothe Kristen, who was a mass of nerves from the beginning. When they came to get him, asking Kristen and Steven to wait further, she released him reluctantly, trembling and looking up at him with pleading eyes.

He smoothed her hair. "It'll be okay, love," he whispered. "No matter what. I promise." She tried to smile, but he could feel her unhappy eyes on his back as he followed Ward out the door.

Upon entering the cafeteria, where the meeting was being held, he was greeted by a tall, thin, balding older man standing behind the podium. "Mr. Hasseran, I don't believe we've met. I'm Reverend Marshall. I'm chairing this meeting." He went on to introduce the other members of the School Board.

Mark nodded pleasantly. "It's good to meet you."

Marshall folded his long, thin hands in front of his chest, in what seemed to be an unconscious gesture of prayer. "I wish it could have been under other circumstances. You do realize, I'm sure, why you're here tonight?"

"Yes, I do."

"And you realize that under most circumstances, such a thing would be cause for immediate termination of your employment? A blatant contract violation, especially one so morally questionable as this, usually requires no hearing."

"I do understand it's unusual," Mark said. "But ... Can you really choose who you fall in love with?" He shrugged. "I couldn't. I tried."

The look Marshall gave him was full of disapproval. "No. Perhaps you can't. But you can choose how you act upon your feelings. When one has inappropriate feelings towards a child ... one of his own students, he should seek out help."

Before Mark could answer, a grey-haired woman in the front row interjected, "With all due respect, Reverend, a girl of Miss Davis' ... I mean Mrs. Hasseran's ... um ... sophistication, should perhaps not be considered a child."

"In the eyes of the law, Emily, a child she is," he replied.

"In the eyes of the law, Jacob, their marriage is perfectly legal," she retorted, and they glared at each other for a tense moment.

Mark decided the wisest choice was to stay out of it, so instead took the opportunity to study the other members while their attention was focused on the pair. They seemed to be pretty evenly divided in their support, though, with as many nods of approval as frowns and head-shakes.

Finally, Marshall turned back to Mark. "Perhaps you would like to give us your side of this sordid little story, Mr. Hasseran?" he asked, his voice dripping with disapproval.

"Certainly," he said, with a polite smile. "It may sound ... well, corny ... but it truly was love at first sight, Reverend. For both of us. I tried to deny it, but all that did was make Kristen miserable. Her father is more than just a little observant, and figured out why she was upset. When he told me that not only would he not object to our marriage, but that he actively approved of the idea and was willing to help us with the legalities..." He shrugged, spreading his hands with a smile.