Henry leaped to his feet and gripped his hands at his side, as though fighting the urge to pummel his cousin. However, he had the sense to acknowledge Jeremy’s advantage in strength and height. “You have no right to speak her name.” He flushed. “She is still alive, although ailing.”
“A pity,” Jeremy snapped, no remorse in his voice, earning a gasp from all the women present, including Eleanor. He looked at Eleanor who had eased from his hold. “Eleanor, please leave with me, and I will explain everything,” He said, his gaze filled with pleading, yet his hope fading as she inched toward her mother. However, as Eleanor was almost separated from him, she reached out with her hand so that their fingertips touched.
“Eleanor,” her mother exclaimed. “You will sit down this instant and join us for dinner. And that man will know he is never welcome in our home.” Mrs. Bouchard quivered with disdain as she glared at Jeremy.
Eleanor looked at her family before firming her shoulders. “No,” she whispered. “I will not. I will not be forced into a marriage with disastrous consequences for me.”
“You should listen to your mother, daughter,” her father intoned in a chilling voice.
Eleanor shuddered at his words and his glacial stare. “I will not be sacrificed for the family’s perceived well-being,” she whispered a little louder. She took a step back and stood beside Jeremy, lacing her fingers with his. “If you do not welcome Jeremy for dinner, then you do not welcome me.”
Her mother shook her head. “Never. I will never welcome a McLeod or a Sullivan at my table. They have attempted to ruin our family too many times.”
A genuine smile burst forth, and Jeremy chuckled. “Then I fear you will be reluctant to grant your best wishes and blessings as Eleanor and I plan to marry?” He feigned surprise at their shocked expressions and gasps of horror. “We are eager to start our life together, and we will soon wed.”
Her mother paled to the point that she looked like an albino peacock. Mrs. Vaughan collapsed into her chair, while Henry swore under his breath. Bartholomew watched Eleanor with a mixture of regret and admiration.
“Cease your nonsense, Eleanor, and do what your mother wants,” her father demanded.
Eleanor stared at her father, her brows furrowed with confusion. “Why should I ever listen to anything you say? You’ve never wanted to be involved in any part of my life, unless it was for your benefit. For once, I’m acting for my own benefit.”
“You can’t marry a McLeod!” her mother bellowed. “They’re … They’re …”
Eleanor smiled. “They’re a marvelous, loving family who have welcomed me with open arms. I’m certain that’s what you were going to say, wasn’t it, Mother?” She raised a mocking eyebrow as her mother gaped at her, like she had never seen her daughter before.
Eleanor stood with her shoulders back and with a growing pride as she moved even closer into Jeremy’s side. “Of course I can and will marry Jeremy. I’m of age, and I no longer live under your roof. I have every right to marry whomever I want. I’ll be certain to send you an announcement, in case you are inclined to attend my wedding.” Eleanor squeezed Jeremy’s arm and turned with him, leaving the stunned, silent group behind.
* * *
Jeremy walked with Eleanor in stilted silence to Colin’s house. When they arrived, he motioned for her to sit on one of the comfortable rocking chairs on the front porch, and he paced in front of her.
Her hesitant, worried voice broke into his restless pacing. “Are you disappointed in me?”
“Disappointed in you?” he asked in confusion, as he halted in front of her rocking chair. “Hell no.” He moved to her, kneeling so he could cup her face. “I was filled with so much pride that I thought I’d burst as you proclaimed your freedom from your family right before you left.” He kissed her cheek. “I couldn’t believe my good fortune that you’d chosen me.”
He closed his eyes, dropping his hands as he rose again to pace. After many long moments he murmured, “I can’t believe your mother would consider my cousin an appropriate man to marry you.”
“He is an associate of my cousin Bartholomew,” Eleanor whispered. She watched as Jeremy spun to grip the porch railing, his strong shoulders tensing underneath his jacket. She rose, running her hands over his bunched muscles. “It’s all right, Jeremy. I don’t want him.” She gasped as he turned, yanking her into his arms.
“Promise me,” he pleaded. “Promise me that, whatever happens, you will never marry him.”
She shivered at his words. “Why would I want him when I have you?” Her smile with forced bravado faded as she met his intense stare. “I promise you, Jeremy. I would never marry a man like him. No matter how much pressure my mother or any member of my family exerted.”
He raised a shaking hand and cupped her face. “You are precious to me, Ellie, and I can’t bear the thought of my cousin harming you.” He paused as he saw the deep emotions in her gaze at his words. “However, before we go any further, you need to know more about me. About my past. You need to know the man you are binding yourself to.” He allowed her to ease him to the chairs that sat side by side and joined her.
She clasped his hand, keeping a firm hold of him. “Tell me what you are so afraid to speak of. Free yourself of this fear, my darling.” She met his gaze and nodded her encouragement.
Jeremy looked deeply into her hazel eyes and took a deep breath. “That man is my cousin. He took great pleasure in tormenting me and my brothers when I was a boy and an orphan.”
“He is your aunt Masterson’s son?” she asked. “I was shocked to hear that name.” They had discussed his time living with his mother’s miserly, ruthless sister during one of their many walks.
“Yes, her eldest son. He’s always enjoyed creating mischief as much as his mother did. It’s one of the traits she passed down to him.” He sighed. “Imagine Gabriel’s and my surprise when we saw him here in Missoula with our cousin Patrick. Henry, but known as Samuel to Patrick, had intentionally befriended Patrick so as to see us again. To afflict us with his presence again.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “He … mistreated his secretary, Fiona.” Nodding, he saw the dawning horror in her gaze. “She left his employ, pregnant with his child.”
“Oh, the poor woman,” Eleanor murmured. She paled as her grip on his hand tightened. “I can’t imagine my mother wanting me to marry such a man.”
“I imagine Henry has some hold over your cousin Bartholomew. For some reason, Henry wanted Bart to marry Araminta.”
Eleanor nodded. “Yes, I remember receiving a letter about the scandal of Araminta jilting Bart at the altar. After meeting her and Colin, I can’t imagine why my mother would ever have thought she would be an appropriate choice as a bride for Bart.”
Jeremy smiled as he thought about his cousin and wife. “Colin and Araminta are very much in love.”
She flushed. “I believe it is a requirement for anyone of your family to marry.” When he chuckled at her statement, she leaned into him, kissing him softly. When she would have deepened the kiss, he backed away.
“There’s more you need to know. About me,” he whispered. “I … I was in the army.” His green eyes glowed with self-recrimination at the soft words.
“I know,” she said in a gentle voice. “Savannah wrote me a letter. She told me.”
He gaped at her. “Savannah wrote you?” he whispered. His eyes glowed with hurt. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wanted to wait for you to tell me.” She cupped his cheek. “And it seemed like something out of a novel to receive a letter from your deceased wife.”
“What did she say?” He stared at her with curiosity.
“She said that she knew I must be a good woman for Clarissa to trust me enough to give me her letter. She hoped I loved you as you deserved. And she asked me to let you go if I didn’t.”
Jeremy’s hold on her tightened at that. “No. Please.”
Her smile softened as she shook her head. “No, my love. I have n
o plans of ever letting you go. By her short letter to me, she seemed a truly remarkable woman. I can’t imagine ever having the fortitude to write such a letter.” Her eyes filled. “Of hoping that the woman chosen would learn to care for her child.”
Jeremy’s expression sobered. “She was remarkable. And she hoped I would find someone worthy.” He looked deeply into her eyes. “I’m not proud of what I did when I was a soldier, Eleanor.” When she remained silent, as though waiting for him to speak more, he said, “I treated men abominably.” He lowered his eyes and said in a barely audible voice, “I tortured them.”
She sat in silence, waiting until he raised his eyes to meet her gaze. “I can never presume to understand what you lived through. What the situation was like for you. I will never judge you for what you did.” She looked deeply into his eyes, hers filled with compassion. “And I will listen if you want to tell me more about it.” When he shook his head instinctively, her smile was filled with love. “I know the man you are now, Jeremy. I know you would never hurt me.”
“Not intentionally,” he rasped. “At times I may hurt you without meaning to.” At her nod of understanding, he cupped her face. “I know tonight had to be harder on you than you let on. I know it was hard for you to not obey your mother’s dictates. And your father’s.”
She closed her eyes for a moment and then shrugged. “If you hadn’t been with me, I don’t know what would have happened. Having you with me gave me strength, Jeremy.”
He smiled tenderly and cupped her cheek. “You’ve had all the strength you’ve needed for years. You just needed to believe in yourself.” He kissed her softly.
She pushed herself into his arms, tears leaking from her eyes as he held her. “I’ve known for years that they held me in disdain. That they would never respect or value me or my decisions. I fear I wouldn’t have had the courage to live my life if I hadn’t met you and your family.”
Jeremy ran his hand over her head. “But you did.” His voice shone with relief. “Marry me soon,” he said. “Please?”
“Yes, before the end of summer,” she whispered, as she leaned forward to kiss him again.
* * *
The following day Jeremy told Gabriel about the unwelcome dinner guest at the Bouchards. Although Gabriel was concerned, he was unable to determine why their cousin would wish to marry Eleanor.
“It makes no sense,” Gabriel said, as he hammered at a piece of old lumber that would never be used. He often did that when he needed to work off energy. “First, his interference with Bartholomew and Minta. Now this?”
“I don’t understand him,” Jeremy said.
“Nor do I. And that is a dangerous proposition because he is always so calculating and cunning,” Gabriel murmured. He paused and sighed. “For now, we will have to wait and see.”
“I hate it when you say that,” Jeremy grumbled with a smile.
“The important thing is that Eleanor is safe. She’s with Col and Minta, and you’ll marry soon. Have you thought about a date?”
Jeremy smiled. “We’re hoping by the end of August.”
Gabriel smiled. “Well, set a date and let the family out east know. I’m certain they’d want to be here.”
Jeremy brightened at the idea. “Do you really think they’d come? I know Richard wrote a few months ago, saying he hoped they would visit, but we’ve never heard anything definite.”
Gabriel winked at him and shrugged. “Well, now he has even more reason to travel here.” He was about to say something more, but he stiffened as he noted a shadow in the doorway and tilted his head to see who had entered the workshop. “May I help you, sir?”
“Oh, I highly doubt that, Gabriel. You’ve never been one to want to help your cousin.” Henry stood in the shadows as he watched his cousins work. “You’ll never know how satisfying it is to see the two of you toil away at such meaningless labor.” He sighed with pleasure. “While I am a man respected and revered among those with any sense or power in this state.”
Gabriel slammed the hammer down once more before moving toward his cousin. “What do you want, Henry? You’ll not be getting a hero’s welcome here or a fancy dinner.” His gaze focused on his cousin’s appearance, and he frowned to see him gripping the door, as though he needed to hold on, so as not to fall over.
“I wanted to see my cousins of course,” Henry said with a sneer. “You refuse to visit me in Butte.” He looked at Jeremy. “It seems you’ve managed to foil my plan for matrimony.”
Jeremy frowned as he stared at his cousin. “You’ll never have a chance with a woman like Eleanor. She’s too smart, too kind, too good for the likes of you.”
“Like Fiona?” Henry asked in a taunting manner.
“You bastard,” Jeremy hissed as he rushed toward Henry, only held back from attacking his cousin by Gabriel, who grabbed him around his waist and hauled him backward. “If you touch her, I swear …”
“You swear what, cousin?” Henry asked.
Jeremy shook his head and took a deep breath. “Stay away from her. Stay away from all of us. You are not family.”
Gabriel gave Jeremy a pat on his shoulder and then stood in front of him. “Why are you here, in our shop, taunting us?”
Henry shrugged. “It gives me pleasure to see that you haven’t changed. That I can still get a rise out of you, as I always have.” His smile was filled with evil glee. “Isn’t it disappointing to know you continue to behave like fifteen-year-olds?”
Gabriel shook his head. “No, more is at stake here. I know it.”
“As usual, you’re too simpleminded to figure out what it is. Good day, dear cousins,” Henry said, as he gave them a mock salute and left.
Gabriel followed him, watching him weave in and out of traffic as he made his way to Higgins and then turned toward the train station. Gabriel frowned when he saw his cousin pause to lean against a wall for a short period and then continue on his journey. He turned to see Jeremy watching Henry too. He raised an eyebrow, perplexed.
“I have no idea why he would be interested in Eleanor,” Jeremy said. “Her family is near bankrupt, what with the bank and the sawmill doing poorly.”
Gabriel scratched at his head. “As usual our dear cousin is a mystery. Added to the fact Mrs. Smythe is in town, it isn’t a harbinger of a peaceful summer.” He looked at Jeremy. “But it will be eventful if you marry.”
Jeremy grinned. “I will marry. And I’ll face whatever comes.”
Gabriel slapped him on the back. “Yes, you will, as you know we’ll all support you, no matter what.”
* * *
That evening, rather than return to Colin and Araminta’s the moment she left the library, Eleanor wandered to a nearby park. She found a shaded area under a few trees and sat with a contented sigh to watch children play. A robin flitted nearby, undisturbed by her presence, as it sought out its quarry, and then an orange-and-black swallowtail butterfly flew by in a loping uneven pattern, as though attempting to outwit its prey. She relaxed after a long day in the stifling warmth of the library.
“Mind if I join you?”
She jerked at the question and stiffened as she saw her cousin Bartholomew Bouchard staring down at her. Today he wore one of his most restrained outfits. His linen suit was a robin’s-egg blue, and his waistcoat matched. She had expected it to be a vibrant purple or some other outrageous color. “If you must.”
“Always gracious,” he muttered, as he sat so he could face her. “It’s a beautiful evening.”
“It’s still as hot as hades,” she said, as she fought the urge to fan herself and to swipe at the sweat forming on her brow. Yearning for the privacy of Colin’s backyard, where she could let her hair down and unbutton the top two clasps of her dress, she wondered at her idiotic idea of wandering to the park.
“Well, it is summer,” Bart said with a chuckle. “You surprise me, Eleanor.” When his cousin merely stared at him, he said, “You, out of all of us, had the temerity to stand up to your mother. I neve
r would have suspected you had such courage. How did you do it?”
“I finally realized I deserved better,” she said. She saw his expression darken at her words. “I don’t know if you can understand that.”
“I do,” he said. “Your mother will never forgive you,” he murmured. “And your father is irate.”
“Father rarely shows much lasting emotion, unless it has to do with business. Mother will remain enraged simply because I believe I have the right to live my life the way I want to. She will never understand that I am an independent woman.”
Bartholomew chuckled. “That’s not how she raised you to see yourself. She wanted you to see yourself as her puppet.” He sobered.
“What about you, Bart? I’ve never understood your determination to marry someone who didn’t love you.” She flushed as Bartholomew gaped at her with hurt and anger. “Forgive me, but, after spending time with the McLeods, I am beginning to understand how good relationships can be. How I dream of mine to be.”
“And you believe I could never be that for a woman?” he snapped.
She shrugged. “Not one who loves another, the way Araminta loves Colin, no. You need to find a woman who will love you.”
He closed his eyes. “I did once.” He shook his head as she stared at him in amazement. “But that is a tale for another day.” He pushed himself up. “Take care, cousin. Your mother is on the warpath, and her sights are on you and the McLeods.”
Eleanor shrugged. “It’s about time Mother learned that she has few arrows in her quiver and that the McLeods are impervious to her attacks.” Eleanor smiled impersonally at her cousin as he walked away, although she battled curiosity at all she did not know about him. She fought embarrassment that she had never had any desire to know more about him until now.
Chapter 19
Missoula, Montana; July 1920
Triumphant Love: Banished Saga, Book Nine Page 29
