Joseph stood against the wall looking miserable while the party raged around him. Vincent and I kept him supplied with beverages of the bottled water variety, and I shared my plate of delicious French canapés, but nothing improved his mood. Even my jokes only evoked forced laughter, and he seemed especially embarrassed to look me in the eye. Thankfully, Caleb and Minnie arrived after a treacherous journey through the swelling storm, adding a much-needed distraction.

"Reese, that dress..." Minnie said first thing. "I think it's missing something."

Caleb followed Minnie's gaze and gaped at my cleavage. "You're right, Minnie. Didn't you pack your black bolero."

"I sure did. You never know when a bolero will come in handy. I'll go fetch it."

Minnie bustled away, and I felt Vincent's warm breath at my ear as he spoke into it. "You should have gone with the green dress. Poor Joseph has nearly swooned three times."

I smacked him playfully. "You bought the dress."

George decided to join us after spending what looked like a painful half hour speaking with Boris, who decided to attend the celebration he had been adamantly against. It was odd seeing George wearing a yellow Tommy Hilfiger shirt and blue silk pants rather than his formal white robe. He looked very California, and after making a botched effort not to ogle my breasts, he greeted everyone as he handed Joseph a glass of wine.

"Here, Joseph. You look like you need this more than I do."

Joseph eyeballed the wine as if it might be poisoned, but after a few seconds of scrutiny, he took the glass and tucked into it.

"You and the family are welcome to use our home," George told Joseph. "Domus Sterling will always be at your service."

"I know, George," Joseph said, looking thoughtful over his glass. "But that plan is riddled with potholes. Our domi are too far, and the Tavareses could not abandon the city like that. We are the last domus standing in Buffalo."

Minnie returned with the black bolero, and everyone watched as I snugged it over my shoulders. Thank goodness Minnie was a broad girl like me.

"That's much better," Minnie said as she tugged the lapels closer, scrunching my breasts together. "Did you tell them about the Barads yet, Caleb?"

Caleb seemed entranced with what Minnie was doing, and he cleared his throat when he realized he'd been put on the stand. "The Barads are not waiting for confirmation from a paternity test," Caleb said. "They are already at the Bourdain domus waiting for Marco's plane to arrive. He's walking into a hornet's nest."

"Do you think he'll go home, or will he make a run for it?" I said. "There's a lot of empty space in Portugal."

"If he runs, I will be very surprised," said Caleb. "Marco is a coward, but he has too much pride to flee. He will face his punishment and find a way to come out smelling like a rose."

"If he manages to pull that off, it will be after he's been stripped of his pride and castrated," Vincent offered sourly.

"I think the traditional punishment is to give the mate of the offending party permission to dissolve the union," Minnie offered. "Castration fell out of practice when our numbers started decreasing."

Vincent nodded to his aunt, acknowledging her but not appearing to agree. "The Barads have always operated on the fringes of gollum protocol. I would not put it past them to rid Marco of his manhood and throw it into the Ganges River."

"What about everyone else who kept the secret?" I said, before anyone could elaborate on Vincent's gruesome comment. "Will the Barad's seek revenge on them?"

"I expect we won't get away without some kind of gauntlet being thrown down," Caleb offered soberly. "Let's just hope they're too busy dealing with their insolent son-in-law to bother with us for a while."

I heard a familiar tune over the party noise, and Vincent plucked my phone from his pocket as it rang in his hand. We both looked at the screen.

"That isn't a U.S. phone number," I said. "Maybe it's the delivery company. Oh, crap. My dress. The snow." I answered the call with more than a small amount of panic in my voice. "Hello."

"Signorina Kentwell?"

"Yes."

"I am with your dress on the west side of the Mincio. I am sorry, but the road, it is closed due to an accident. The police are asking us to stay here until the snow stops falling and the road is clear. Could be tomorrow."

I frowned as visions of my one-of-a-kind Italian wedding dress grew wings and flew out the window. "How far away are you?"

"Not far. Forty-five minutes by country roads, but the weather. My employer says it would be too treacherous to travel. I am sorry, senorina."

"What is it, Reese?" Vincent asked.

"Un momento," I said, before turning to speak to Vincent. "The delivery driver is stuck on the other side of the Mincio River. There was an accident due to the snow. The road could be closed until tomorrow morning."

"The snow should stop falling around two AM," said Caleb as he scrolled over the screen of his cell. "What time is your flight out?"

"Six-fifteen," Vincent said. "That is, if the weather doesn't cause delays."

"A gollum could make the journey to the Mincio, easily," Caleb said, scratching his head with the corner of his phone. "I could do it. I'll fly to the driver's location and pick up the dress for you, Reese."

I stared at Caleb's kind face. He definitely ranked up there with the good ones. "Thanks, Caleb. That would be..."

"I'll do it," Vincent said. "But, I'll need you all to keep a close eye on Reese while I'm gone." Vincent's commanding tone left no doubt about his intentions, and he held me captive in that same commanding stare. "I don't want you without a chaperone until I get back. Promise me that, and I will rescue your wedding dress."

"How many times have you flown in a snowstorm?" I said. "Don't risk life and limb for a dress I'm going to wear once."

Vincent attempted to reassure me with a snort of derision. "I have flown plenty of times in blinding snow. I don't need to see to know where I'm going. Do you promise?"

"Yes, I promise." I stretched for a kiss from his firmly-set lips then returned to the stranded delivery man holding on the phone. "Signore, give me your location and my fiancé will pick up the dress from you."

"But the roads... How will he do it?"

"Um, he's making the journey on his snowmobile."

"Oh, Si. I am at the Santa Cristina Inn. I will wait for him in the lobby. My name is Dario."

"Grazie, Dario."

"Prego, signorina."

Vincent didn't waste a moment preparing for his snowy mission, and he never let go of my hand as he sought out Adamo. While Adamo advised Vincent against making the journey, he seemed impressed by Vincent's irrefutable bravery. I, on the other hand, didn't want to let go of Vincent as we stood outside on the third floor balcony where we said our goodbyes.

"You have no obligation to engage with Boris," he said. "In fact, avoid him if you can. And don't go into our room alone."

"I know, Vincent. You're repeating yourself." I glanced at his gollum-sized vest as snow accumulated on it. "You don't have to go. I can find another dress."

"Nonsense. You will have your dress in hand in two hours. I'll text you when I land. Don't worry. Just enjoy the party, but not too much."

Vincent left me with a long, for-our-eyes-only kiss, and I stood back as he swept his massive wings up and down in powerful bursts, lifting his body gradually but forcefully into the storm. I continued to track him until he became a dark speck among the white, then I ducked inside out of the snow where Minnie and Caleb waited.

"He's going to be fine," Minnie said as she wiped snow from my shoulders. "Gollums train under conditions just like these. We learn to navigate by internal radar. It is especially easy when there is a body of water nearby. Water helps us keep our bearings."

Minnie's pep-talks always sounded like gollum 101, which didn't bother me. I knew she meant well, and I listened somewhat absently as we walked back to the party. When we arrived, I scanned the room for Boris so I could avoid him, and I found him talking to one of the jury magisters, the gollum Vincent had called Stanhope, although I heard the others call him Stan.

Stan was what I would call a hot gollum. Of course, I wouldn't say it in front of Vincent. Still, a girl could admire, and as soon as I started admiring Stan's fine assets filling out his wool slacks, he turned to look at me as if he knew what I was up to. This prompted Boris to turn and do the same, and I quickly found something else to look at.

"Are you thirsty, Reese?" Caleb asked. "I haven't seen you with a glass in your hand."

"I was fine before, but now I think I'll have something." I glanced over at the buffet table and saw Joseph standing next to the wine-infused punch bowl, filling his glass to the rim. Was he getting smashed? "Let's go see Joseph at the punch bowl. Someone might need to monitor his intake."

"He does appear to be unsteady on his feet," Caleb said as we moved though the bodies toward our destination, but our efforts were thwarted by a large gollum smelling of cigar smoke and Stan in his wool slacks.

"Caleb, too bad you missed the hearing. Quite a show," Boris said as he stuck his chest into our path. "I expect Vincent would have appreciated the support. He and Joseph sure opened Pandora's box with these unfounded accusations."

"Marco's paternity is not unfounded," Caleb returned. "I have known of his deceit since the beginning."

Boris' face hardened, reminding me of bread that had been baked too long. "Yes, a ruse that was perpetrated without my knowledge, and something Marco will face the consequences for. I am talking about this murder business. I hope you're not buying into that nonsense."

Caleb appeared impatient as he responded to his father's questioning. "I only know what I've heard from Wren. I expect Vincent and I will discuss more when he returns."

"Ah, yes. Where did that reckless gollum fly off to?" Boris said as he made a false show of glancing around the room. "I know how protective he is of his true love, here. I don't believe Reese has formally met Stanhope."

Boris turned to his companion without waiting for Caleb's reply, and Stanhope was already smiling at me with an outstretched hand. "Please, call me Stan. Pleasure to meet you," he said in a distinctly British accent. "Courtrooms are difficult places to get on with people."

I nodded. "I'm not a fan of courtrooms. Traffic court was enough."

Stan chuckled easily, and I couldn't help noticing his heavily tanned skin. Was it fake, or had he recently spent time on the beach? "Fortunately, gollums don't hold traffic court, but sometimes I think they should. My grandad has taken out more tree limbs than anyone I know."

"Stan's domus serves the queen personally." Boris directed his statement at me as if he meant to impress me. "His grandfather, Rupert, has been invited to the palace many times."

"It's not as glamorous as it sounds," Stan offered, looking embarrassed by Boris' boastful nature. "We do get a greeting card from the palace at Christmas, though. Mum likes to set it on the mantle to remind everyone."

"Have you ever had to rescue a royal family member?" I asked, properly intrigued.

"Not me, but Rupert did, and he'll tell you the story ten different ways if you ever get to meet him." Stan's smile never left him. A refreshing change after all the drama that had taken place recently.

"We were on our way to the punch bowl," I said, glancing at the table in time to catch Joseph topping off his glass again.

"I could use a drink myself," Stan said. "I believe Adamo spikes the punch with Timorasso."

"I'd prefer something non-alcoholic," I told him as we made our way to the table. Boris detained Caleb behind us, speaking in a hushed tone. Nothing I could make out amid the revelry, but Minnie stayed on our heels, fulfilling Vincent's wishes.

When we arrived at the punch bowl, it was clear Joseph had already reached his limit as he weaved from side to side with the background music. Minnie swiftly took up residence beside him, grabbing a plate and filling it with starchy items. It was the motherly thing to do.

"What's your pleasure, Reese?" Stan's comment startled me, and I turned to find him standing dangerously close, as if he'd been there for a while, studying me, or smelling me.

"Water, please," I said as I took a polite step away.

Stan eagerly fetched me a Pellegrino while I checked the time on my phone. Vincent should have made it halfway to his destination. I felt like such a diva having my mate fly in a snowstorm to retrieve my fancy Italian wedding dress, but he seemed determined to make sure our wedding turned out just the way I wanted it. I truly adored that reckless gollum.

The party continued the way Vincent predicted it would, with most of the guests getting hammered, including Joseph, who had been cut off from the punch bowl by Minnie when he engaged Boris in a discussion about tolerance. Boris was still grumbling when I checked my phone, hoping for a text from Vincent. More than an hour had passed and still radio silence.

Of course, anything could have delayed him. He could have dropped his phone in the snow, but he would have called from the inn when he arrived. Maybe he hadn't arrived. I continued to speculate as I checked the weather forecast. Had they cleared the road yet?

"What would I look up to check if that accident has been cleared?" I asked my chaperones.

Caleb pulled out his phone and started scrolling. "I'll find it for you Reese, but a traffic accident is not going to delay Vincent."

"I know, but he hasn't texted me yet. I'm just curious."

"And worried," Minnie added with an empathetic smile.

"Where did Vincent go?" Stan asked from his position in a high-backed chair, the one that was separated from mine by a Tiffany floor lamp. I hadn't failed to notice he kept his hand on the edge of his armrest, occasionally reaching out to touch me whenever he made a point during conversation.

"He's rescuing my wedding dress from a delivery driver who is stranded near the Mincio River," I said.

"You and Vincent are getting married? As in white dress and church bells?" Stan looked at me like I had cotton for brains.

"No church bells, but yes, we are having a formal wedding. I know it's not traditional for gollums, but I was raised by humans, and Vincent is big news in Manhattan. It just seemed like the thing to do to shut people up." 

"Right," Stan said as he bobbed his head. "Whose idea was it? Yours or his?"

"His, actually. He's a bit protective of me. I think he announced our engagement to get the rumor mill going and take me off the market."

"So, you're getting married without the consent of the council?" he pressed. "Pardon my ignorance. I came late to the party."

"Yes, we are."

Caleb cleared his throat as he leaned over his phone, his brows knitting between his eyes. "We might have a problem. The delivery man lied. There have been no accidents reported in that area."

Oh no. Vincent!