Читать книгу The Marriage Bargain - Angel Moore - Страница 11
ОглавлениеEdward pulled his wagon behind the building and loaded the debris. He came to the front of the shop to enter, so anyone watching from the nearby businesses would see him. He was determined to do his part to squelch the rumors. Going in the back way would only feed the gossipers.
Lily was kneeling in front of an open crate rummaging through its contents and didn’t hear the door when he opened it.
“Think I’ll have to stop by Doc Willis’s office and let him know how you’re taking it easy.”
Startled, Lily jerked up straight. “I’m perfectly fine.”
He watched her frustration as the coughing overtook her again. “As long as—” she coughed “—no one tries to scare the breath out of me.”
He closed the door. “Have you rested at all?” Everywhere he turned he saw evidence that she’d been busy.
“I stopped working and visited with Daisy. She came by to check on me.”
Did he dare bring up the subject that he’d heard being discussed everywhere he’d gone in the two hours since he’d left her? “I saw her when I was leaving the lumber mill.”
“Were you able to get the lumber ordered?” She didn’t seem the least bit curious about anything other than the progress of the repairs.
“I did. Will Thomas said he’ll have the order ready for me after I haul off the debris behind the shop.”
She stood and brushed her hands together. “Let me help you load it.”
“It’s done.” Knowing she’d be stubborn, he hadn’t let her know he had returned until after he loaded the rubble into the wagon.
“I told you I would help.”
“Doc Willis said you need to rest. I only came inside to see if you have anything else that needs to go.”
“No.” She rubbed her hands down the front of her skirt to smooth it. “At least let me go with you to unload it.” She stepped toward the workroom. “Where are you taking it?”
“I’ve got a small burn pit behind my shop. What can’t be salvaged, I’ll burn later.”
She came back into the front of the shop tugging on work gloves. “Are you ready?”
“Miss Warren, you can’t come with me.”
“Why ever not? The sooner you unload, the sooner you can get the lumber order and start on the repairs.”
He cast a glance out the front window. “Have you been anywhere today? Besides the doctor’s office?”
Her brow furrowed. She was cute with her face scrunched in confusion. “No. There’s been too much to do here to go visiting.”
Was it possible she had no clue? “Did your sister go anywhere before she came to see you?”
“No. She stopped by on her way into town.” She looked at him. “Why?”
He didn’t know the best way to tell her, so he just said it straight out. “We seem to be the topic of conversation all over town today.”
“We? You mean about the fire?”
“No,” he said. Her face had relaxed, and he didn’t think she understood what he was trying to tell her. “I mean you and me.”
Her shoulders lifted, and she gave a small snort. “That’s silly.” With one hand she gestured between the two of them. “There is no ‘we.’”
“I know that.” He paused. “But...”
She rose up a bit taller now and drew in a slow breath. “But what?” She angled her head away from him as if it would prevent the full onslaught of something she didn’t want to hear.
“It seems that Mrs. Croft’s assumptions from last evening have captured the fancy of some of the townsfolk.”
Her eyes closed, and she drew her pretty lips inward. He watched her sigh as the implications sank in.
“Everywhere I went, someone brought it up.”
Lily dropped onto a crate and wrung her hands together. “Oh, my. I hoped it would be forgotten in the light of day. No one knows me here. Why would they think I’d be so bold as to entertain a man in my home—unchaperoned—late at night?” Her gaze snapped to his. “Unless...what kind of reputation do you have, Mr. Stone?”
How dare she imply that his name in town was without respect! “Me?”
“Yes, you! In East River no one would ever suspect me of any behavior other than that of a Christian lady.”
“I had hoped because you’re Daisy’s sister these rumors would not take hold.” He shrugged his shoulders. “But they have.”
The front door opened, and Daisy entered the shop. “Oh, Lily! I’ve just come from the general store.” She put a hand on Lily’s arm. “Why didn’t you tell me what happened?”
Lily must not have expected it to be a problem, or surely she would have told her sister what had been said the night before.
Edward could see the panic filling her eyes when she answered. “Nothing happened! Except a fire!” She lowered her voice and asked, “What are they saying?”
Daisy hesitated. “I’m embarrassed to say.” She glanced at Edward, then took Lily by the hand. “Mrs. Croft has given details about you being held in Mr. Stone’s arms.” She seemed to choose her words with great care. “In your dressing gown.”
He needed Daisy to understand the truth. “I pulled her from a burning building. Her hair caught in my suspenders. There was no embrace. I carried her outside because she was overcome by the smoke.”
Daisy shook her head. “That’s not how Mrs. Croft portrayed it.” She looked at Lily. “And because so many people were coming to see what was happening, they witnessed just enough to lend a hint of truth to her tale.”
Lily stiffened her arms at her side and clinched her fists. “Truth? We’ll tell them the truth! You tell them, Daisy. They’ll believe you.”
Daisy’s husband, Tucker Barlow, came into the shop. Edward knew from his expression that this situation was not going to fade away.
Tucker removed his hat. “I see the news has made its way to all of you.”
Lily almost begged for an answer from them. “What am I going to do?”
Edward didn’t know what she was going to do. All he knew for sure was that his situation had become more desperate after he’d left Lily just before noon. He’d stopped in at the post office, and there was still no word from his sister, Jane.
He’d gone by the telegraph office and discovered the query he’d sent to the sheriff in Santa Fe had been answered. An outbreak of influenza had hit the community where Jane and Wesley lived, and they’d become gravely ill. The local doctor had sent them to a hospital in another community. No word on the name of the community or their condition.
If Jane and Wesley had passed, he was Ellen’s only living relative. He’d do anything necessary to take care of her. He wouldn’t risk losing this building. Talking of opening a bakery here would be one of the last things Ellen had shared with her mother. He’d keep the shop for Ellen to have when she was grown. A legacy in Jane’s memory.
He cringed when the answer entered his mind, but he knew it was for the best. “What are we going to do?” He had to protect Ellen from the gossip that would surely swirl around the shop—and Lily if they didn’t act quickly.
“We?” Lily countered.
They were standing in the workroom. The ravages of the fire all around them.
Edward pointed to a small frame Lily had hung on the wall over the workbench. “Are these the verses you live by?” The edges of the frame were scorched, but the intricate needlepoint was intact.
Lily followed his gaze. “Yes. Philippians is one of my favorite books in the Bible.”
He read the words aloud. “‘Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.’” He looked at her, hoping she’d agree. “That’s what we need to do now.”
“What do you mean? I’m not at strife with anyone in Pine Haven. I’m not out for vanity. But I do need a good name to run a successful business. What man will want his wife to patronize my shop if he thinks poorly of my character?”
“I’m afraid that’s already happened. People assumed the worst when they saw us together last night.”
“But we weren’t together.”
He shook his head. “That’s not what they saw. I don’t think we’ll be able to convince them otherwise.”
Lily put her hands to her face and closed her eyes. After a moment she opened them and held her hands out, palms up. “I came here to be independent. How can I do that without the goodwill of the townsfolk? You’ve ruined everything!”
“Would you rather I’d let you die in the fire? I couldn’t stand by and watch the building burn to the ground, knowing you were inside.”
Her shoulders slumped. “You’re right, of course. But what are we going to do?”
Daisy and Tucker stood quietly while he and Lily tried to sort out this conundrum.
What he had to say next was private. He didn’t know Lily well, but he was most certain no lady would want witnesses for what he was about to say. “Will you excuse us, please?”
Daisy looked at Lily. Sisterly sympathy emanated from her.
Tucker took his wife by the arm. “We’ll go for a slice of pie at the hotel and come back after you’ve had time to talk.”
When the door closed behind them, Edward turned to Lily. “You know you’re going to have to marry me now.”
Lily’s jaw dropped. To his surprise, words seemed to fail her.
“There is more to consider here than just you and me. I received word today that it’s very possible my sister and her husband may have died of influenza.”
She closed her mouth. “I’m so sorry. Poor Ellen.” She’d gone from incredulous when he spoke of marriage to compassion for his niece in an instant. He hoped it would help her understand why he was making this proposition.
“I won’t allow gossip to cause an innocent little girl to lose the only family she may have left. If my name is smeared with yours, I could lose her. A judge could say I’m not fit to be a guardian as an unmarried man—especially if I’m purported to have committed unseemly behavior.”
“But we’re innocent.”
“I know that, and you know that.” He put a hand on her sleeve and turned her so she could see through the entry of the workroom to the windows in the front of the shop. Two women had stopped to peer in the glass. When they caught sight of Edward and Lily, they frowned and hurried away. “But we’ll never convince them. Or the people who are like them.”
“Did the doctor put this notion in your head?”
He shook his head. Never would he have imagined himself offering marriage to someone he’d just met. If it weren’t for Ellen, he might not have offered.
Then he looked into those blue eyes, churning to violet with emotion, and knew he was doing this for Lily and himself, too. No one deserved to be destroyed by gossip and rumors. “Believe me, I was just as resistant as you. Until I spent part of the day trying to convince people that nothing happened. Now it looks like we don’t have a choice.”
He willed her to understand. “If you don’t open your shop, I don’t know how I can pay the mortgage. I can’t lose this building. I need to be able to give it to Ellen when she’s grown. Maybe it will help her remember her mother.”
“But why would you want to marry me? I’m not your responsibility.”
“It’s not just about you.” He drew in a breath. “Ellen needs a mother. It’s something I started pondering lately, and this must be God’s way of answering.”
“I can’t mother her. My own mother passed when I was younger than Ellen. I won’t know what to do.”
“I think you will. You’re strong. She’ll need to be strong.” He hesitated. This was not the way he ever imagined proposing to someone. For that matter, he hadn’t really imagined proposing to anyone. His solitary life had suited him just fine before Jane left Ellen in his care. “But you’re also gentle. She needs a woman’s hand.”
“How did this ever happen?” Lily’s head sank into her hands.
“It seems that it was out of our control from the beginning.”
She looked up at him. “Do you think we can do it? Raise Ellen and protect my reputation so the shop will be successful?”
“From what I’ve seen of you, I don’t think the shop’s success is in question, as long as we take care of your honor.” He prayed he was doing the right thing. “As for Ellen, it looks like the good Lord left her in my care. I don’t think He orchestrated your problems, but I’d say as His children, He’s giving us a way to make the best of it.”
“I can’t think why you’d do this for me.” Lily bit her bottom lip.
“It’s like the verse.” He pointed to her needlework. “We’re taking care of the needs of others. Ellen needs us both.”
Lily’s face turned pink, and she met his gaze. “What kind of relationship do you expect the two of us to have?”
He could tell it cost her a great deal to form the words. Then he felt the same heat rushing into his face. “Miss Warren, I’d expect for you to care for Ellen as a mother. This arrangement will be strictly for the sake of my niece.”
Edward watched her as the breath she’d been holding seeped out of her to be replaced by relief.
“For the sake of Ellen?”
“Yes. And you.”
“I didn’t come to Pine Haven to find a husband. I’ll never forget what you’ve done here today, Mr. Stone. You’re giving up an awful lot to take on a wife you didn’t want.”
“I want Ellen to have a mother.”
“In that case, I accept.” She offered her hand for him to shake. Did she really see this as a business arrangement like the one he had with her father for the lease on his building?
It was a relief she seemed to accept his reasons so quickly, but the reality of how much his life was about to change threatened to overwhelm him at any moment.
* * *
“I do.” Lily stood in front of Reverend Dismuke and repeated the marriage vows.
Daisy and Tucker had agreed with Edward, and it had only been a matter of hours before they’d arrived at the church. Long enough for Lily to change to her best dress. The lingering hint of smoke in its fibers reminded her of the reason she was doing this. When she’d prepared for bed the night before, she’d never have dreamed today would be her wedding day.
Edward took her hand and slid a small gold band onto her finger. She’d told him she didn’t need a ring, but he’d insisted, saying it was another way to reinforce their union in the eyes of the community. He’d escorted her into the general store and asked her to choose from the tray of rings. She’d been relieved when he’d asked Mr. Croft to assist them, leaving Mrs. Croft sputtering and mumbling as she’d moved on to help another customer.
Lily looked at the delicate, plain ring. Edward didn’t release her hand for the rest of the short ceremony. His hands were large but gentle. And strangely comforting, as if he was trying to reassure her they were doing the right thing.
“You may kiss the bride.” Reverend Dismuke’s words rang out in the nearly empty church. Only Daisy and Tucker, with their twin sons and baby daughter, sat on the bench opposite the reverend’s wife, who kept an arm around the shoulders of Edward’s niece. Lily wasn’t sure if it was an effort on the woman’s part to comfort Ellen or an attempt to keep the child from fleeing. The young girl had refused to attend until Edward told her she had no choice.
Edward took his other hand and turned Lily’s chin to face him. A small smile played on his lips. He’d said they’d have an easier time overcoming the gossip if everyone was convinced their marriage was born of affection and not shame. But did he honestly intend to kiss her?
“Relax,” he whispered. Then he grazed her cheek with the briefest of contact.
In an instant Lily found herself wrapped in her sister’s hug while the preacher clapped Edward on the back and congratulated him.
Why was everyone so merry? They all knew she and Edward, given the choice, would never have married. Well, maybe the Dismukes didn’t know that, but her family did.
Daisy held her hands and spoke, “We’re taking Ellen home with us for the night.” She gave a nod in the direction of the bench where Edward’s niece still sat clinging to her handkerchief doll. Lily had never seen the child without that doll.
Lily watched as Edward accepted Tucker’s welcome into their family. Lily hadn’t thought about being alone with Edward. No, she needed Ellen to be at the cabin tonight. And every night.
“That’s not necessary.”
Daisy smiled and patted her hand. “We insist. I’ve already told her she can sleep in Rose’s room.”
“But...” Lily felt her life spinning like a toy top. She had to maintain some form of control.
Edward turned and met her gaze. He must have sensed her desperation, because he came to stand beside her. He was close enough for her to feel the warmth of him, but he didn’t touch her. “Tucker just told me they’ve invited Ellen to their place.”
“She can stay with us. There’s no need.” Better to face Ellen’s reluctance than to face alone a husband she hadn’t expected to have.
He leaned in to speak near her ear. His breath ran across her neck, leaving a chill with each word. “We’ve got a lot of things to sort out. I’d like to do it without Ellen’s eager ears close by.”
What did he want to sort out? She straightened her shoulders. There were a myriad of things. How they would handle finances, daily chores, the rebuilding of the workroom in her shop, and how to protect Ellen.
She agreed.
“Thank you, Daisy. That’s very kind of you.” Lily smiled at her sister but knew the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Numbness was the only sensation she experienced at the moment, and she feared it would fade into regret.
Ellen plodded over to Edward. “Do I gotta go to the Barlows’ farm?” Her bottom lip protruded, and the doll hung from her crossed arms.
He lifted the little girl’s chin with one knuckle. “You know you love to go visit the Barlows. You can play with baby Rose.” He smiled at her and patted her shoulder. “You’ll have a good time, I promise. You can come say hello in the morning on your way into town for school.”
Daisy moved to stand behind Ellen and put a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t we go by your cabin and get some clothes? Then we’ll head out to the farm, and you can help John and James feed the animals.”
Ellen’s eyes aimed a dart of resentment at Lily before she agreed to Daisy’s suggestion. “Bye, Uncle Edward.”
“Goodbye, Ellen.” As she started to tromp away, Edward called to her again. “Ellen, you forgot to tell your aunt Lily goodbye.”
“Aunt Lily? I gotta call her ‘aunt’?”
“You are permitted to call her Aunt Lily.” He tilted his head to one side. “It’s a privilege.”
A long sigh came from her little body. “Bye, Aunt Lily.”
“Goodbye, Ellen.” She smiled at the girl, wondering how she must feel. Without warning, her home had changed today, and there was nothing she could do about it. In a way, Lily understood her childish frustration. She was almost tempted to cross her arms and pout, too.
Edward offered Lily his arm. She knew he was merely keeping up appearances. It was comforting and unsettling at the same time. Their marriage was the only way to remove themselves from the whirlwind of tortuous rumors they’d been caught up in for the past twenty-four hours.
Lily wanted to protect their good names. Individually. Hooking her hand on his arm and leaving the church felt as false as the lies Mrs. Croft had spread about them. Were they perpetrating one lie to negate the effects of another lie? Would God honor them for trying to save Ellen? She hoped so.
They rode in silence to her shop. Edward set the brake on the wagon.
“Do you need a few minutes to put your things together?” he asked.
Most of her clothes and personal belongings were still in trunks and crates. There would be little to pack.
She looked across the street to the cabin she would now share with Edward. Her husband.
Her husband? She had come here to escape a marriage to a man who only wanted a companion for his ailing mother. Now she sat in a wagon between the shop she was opening to start a new independent life and a cabin where her primary role would be to care for a young girl she’d only known a few days. A girl who’d made it plain that Lily was an intruder in her turbulent young life.
Lily had heard stories of people who disappeared in the night, leaving only a note for their loved ones, striking out on their own, hoping for a fresh start. She’d come here for that reason—with the blessing and help of her family. Had it only taken two days for her world to turn upside down?
Edward’s touch on her sleeve drew her attention. “Are you all right?”
It was tempting to write a note and steal away in the night. But she could never leave her sisters and father like that. Not after all her father had done to give her a new life. Somehow she’d make this work. Edward had noble intentions, which was more than she could say for her former fiancé, Luther Aarens.
She shook off her thoughts and accepted her fate. “Fine, thank you.”
Edward nodded toward her shop. “You’ll want to get your clothes and such.”
“Yes.” She scooted to the edge of the wagon seat away from him and prepared to step down. “I’ll need a little while to put some things back into the trunks.”
“Wait a minute. I’ll help you down.” He climbed from the wagon and came around to assist her. With the briefest of contact, he lifted her and set her on the ground. “You go in and take care of that. I’ll make space in the cabin for you.”
She looked at him when he spoke, but his gaze went over her shoulder. When he did focus on her, she turned away. “I won’t need much space.” She twisted her hands together.
“I remember you had a couple of pieces of large furniture upstairs.” He pointed to the window of her front room above the shop. “From when I helped carry it in.”
Awkward held new meaning as they stood talking about her things. Things she hadn’t thought she’d share with anyone. Things she’d brought to make her comfortable in her new home. Nothing was turning out as she’d planned.
She remembered a verse in Proverbs. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Her faith in God would have to sustain her now. There was no course except to move forward as she’d agreed.
“We can move those things another day. If you don’t mind, we can just get my clothes and personal items today. Perhaps Tucker can help with the furniture later.”
Edward shuffled from one foot to another. He must be as nervous as she was. “That’s good.” He dipped his head and looked over his shoulder at the cabin. “I’ll just be on my way, then.”
He turned and took a step. Not knowing she was going to do it before it happened, Lily reached for his arm. He stilled and turned back to her.
“I know this isn’t what either of us thought we’d be doing today.” When he looked at her hand on his arm, she dropped it. “I hope we can make this work without everything being uncomfortable or awkward.”
His thin lips curled into a half smile. He really was a giant of a man. Tall and broad with all the strength she imagined a blacksmith would need to do his job. But the softness of the smile and the way his almost-black eyes twinkled was a pleasant surprise. “No promises about not feeling awkward for a while. I haven’t shared my home with another living soul until Ellen came to live with me a few months ago. I’m not quite sure you and I will see eye to eye on everything. It’s a big adjustment to get to know someone new. I’m guessing we complicated it more than a little bit by getting married before we could do that.”
She felt herself smiling in return. “That’s a wise observation, Mr. Stone. I’m sure you’re right.”
“That’s what I mean.”
The smile faded and she asked, “What?”
“Mr. Stone? Really? Is that how you intend to address me?”
She gave a small chuckle. “I see. No. I don’t think that will do any longer.” She drew back her shoulders and took hold of her future with all her strength. “Edward, I’ll be about a half hour preparing my things to move into our home. If you’d be so good as to meet me in the shop after you’ve finished preparing a space for me, I’ll be most grateful.”
She gave a little giggle. “How was that?”
He laughed in a deep tone. “That’s just fine.” He nodded. “Just fine, indeed.”
When he headed for the cabin, she entered the shop. As she climbed the stairs to the home she’d only spent two nights in, she marveled that it would be the only two nights of her life spent as an independent woman.
Her dream of a shop wasn’t dead. She wouldn’t let it die. But her independence was over. She prayed for God to help her as she packed away the things she’d so carefully placed in her new home. When she’d asked for a new life, she wasn’t prepared for this twist. God would have to light her path, because it was one she’d never dreamed would be hers.
In one major event, she’d gone from Lily Warren, milliner and shop owner, to Lily Stone, milliner, shop owner, wife and mother.
