Under the Midnight Sun

by Tracie Peterson

  Mr. Dunham stepped beside her mother. “Let’s not forget the family ties, Miss Hale. Your mother simply wants the best for you and for the whole family. As she mentioned, investments have been made on both sides that would be irresponsible to dismiss when speaking of the future of your fortunes.”

  Mother nodded.

  Emerson played innocent and stayed quiet, but all the while he watched her like a cat sizing up his prey.

  Something wasn’t adding up in her mind. Her mother’s behavior the past few months. Mr. Dunham’s visits. Hushed conversations in the study and private meetings elsewhere. If her heart could break again after Emerson’s betrayal and then the loss of her beloved father, she was sure it would shatter into a million pieces on the floor. If she ever wanted her big brother to walk through the front door, it was now. Why couldn’t Joshua put aside his own grief and help her?

  “Tayler Grace, you must know that this is the right thing to do. For the Hale and Pruitt family legacies.” Emerson simpered at her, a very unbecoming look.

  Tayler turned to Mother and looked her square in the eye. “So let me get this straight. You want me to marry this louse because you have invested heavily? Isn’t that how Dad built your precious empire—by investing? Is that what all this is about? Your precious money and family legacy? I don’t care about who has invested in what or whom.” She flung an arm out in front of her. “I doubt you even know all the companies that Dad built by investing, so why does this matter? You and the Pruitts can continue on investing however you please. What happened to the mother who cared about my hopes and dreams rather than marrying me off to a man who probably has five mistresses lined up already?”

  Mother gasped and put a hand to her throat. “You will not speak to me in that manner, young lady!”

  Dunham placed a hand on Mother’s arm. “Henrietta, she’s distraught. Let me.” He turned to Tayler. “Your mother cares for you a great deal. But yes, your family has invested quite heavily in the Pruitts’ businesses, and they have reciprocated. It’s been ten years since you two pledged to each other, so quite an industry has been built. The two family holdings are quite intertwined now. Real estate, iron, steel, oil . . . many purchases and investments have been made together.” He moved a step forward. “Your mother has so much weight on her shoulders. She simply wants you to be happily married and settled down.”

  Tayler couldn’t believe it. The Hale family was extremely wealthy. What did a little investment in the Pruitts’ holdings have to do with this? Why not just sell off the purchases they’d made together? Was it that big of a deal? Tayler didn’t understand it and didn’t want to. And now she was a burden to her mother? What was going on? And why was Emerson here all of a sudden? “But I broke off the engagement three years ago . . . why didn’t Dad just adjust things if those investments were a problem?”

  Mother swallowed. “Emerson’s father came to us a few months after you broke it off—while Emerson was in Europe—and assured us that everything would go as planned and Emerson had changed his ways. . . . We all just thought you needed time. . . .” Her voice trailed off as if the excuse uttered didn’t sound all that good anymore.

  “But you’ve had plenty of time to grow up. We both have, my dear. Mistakes were made and now we must forgive and put it all behind us.” Emerson finished and gave a small smile.

  Tayler backed up a few paces and shook her head. Looking at the three people staring back at her—waiting for her reply—made her feel very alone. Had she really been this blind? All this time? Her own parents had thought she would still marry Emerson? Dad had listened to her time and again and consoled her. Why hadn’t he told her the truth?

  “So you all just thought you could plan my future without even consulting me?”

  Mother sighed. “I’m sorry, Tayler Grace. I really thought you would be all right with this. It’s been long enough. It’s time for us to move forward with the wedding. You’ve loved Emerson forever.” Her tone was sad and motherly. For a brief moment it reminded Tayler of the woman her mother had been. The woman Tayler wished she could see on a regular basis. The real lady underneath all the layers of aristocratic and rich nonsense. The woman who had genuinely loved her husband and not just his business dealings. Or were they ever his? Perhaps Mother had always orchestrated the business and this was all just an act. Oh, it was too confusing and too much to bear.

  “Tayler, your father loved to talk about the camping trips and how well you and Emerson got along. We both thought you would be perfect for each other.” Her mother looked out the window. “Your father even told me . . . that . . . well . . . he knew in time you would work things out, because your love was genuine and you had such a forgiving heart.” She looked back at Tayler. “He said there were many people in the world who pretended to love, but he knew your heart would never allow for that.”

  Tayler felt the weight of her mother’s comment. Had Dad really said that? If he had, then surely her mother understood why she couldn’t play a game of loving Emerson.

  Mr. Dunham cleared his throat again. “Maybe we just need to give Tayler some time to think.”

  Emerson held out his hand toward Tayler. “This isn’t about time, it’s about forgiveness. I thought God wanted us to forgive one another. I know I have His forgiveness, and if God can forgive me, then I know you will want to do likewise. After all, Tayler, it is about pleasing God, is it not?”

  Tayler was never at a loss for words, but the fact that Emerson would bring God into the conversation when she knew full well he didn’t have much to do with God, church, or even prayer was enough to momentarily stupefy her.

  He took advantage of her silence. “Now, let’s not delay things anymore. Everything is fine. Really. Isn’t it, Tayler? We simply need to work through a few things. You know we’ve always been destined for each other, and I’m completely devoted to you.”

  That cleared the shock from her brain. “Completely devoted to me? When you were running around with other girls and getting into all sorts of trouble? Really?” Tayler could hardly believe her own ears.

  “You know me . . . I needed to ‘sow my wild oats,’ as my dad put it. But now I’m ready to settle down and be respectable.” His smile seemed pasted on. “I’m a new man.”

  What was his game? She knew that Emerson didn’t care for her like a husband should for a wife, so why was he trying to convince her? Especially with an embarrassing explanation of sowing his wild oats. “No, Emerson. How many times can I tell you in one day? No. It’s not fine. We’re not going to work through anything. And I will not marry you.” She put a hand to her stomach and took a glance around the room. A room that was filled with beautiful memories with her family. But today, it only felt cold and lonely. The marble floors and deep bookcases seemed sterile instead of inviting. There wasn’t a fire in the fireplace to warm the chill from her bones. No tea or sponge cakes on the tray inviting her to stay and read a book. And Dad. He was gone. Forever. She’d never have the chance to watch him work at his desk again. This room had been her favorite.

  Instead she wanted to run from it. And hope no one would follow. But she’d never been one to run from her troubles.

  Until now.

  “I leave in three days—as you all well know—and I’ve made a decision. I won’t be returning in the fall.”

  Her mother gasped.

  “Tayler.” Emerson’s voice cracked. “Don’t make any hasty choices right now. If time is what will prove my sincerity, we can wait a bit.”

  As much as she wanted to honor her parents, since that was what the Bible said, and it was the good Christian thing to do, she couldn’t abide by their decision to force her into a loveless marriage with an unfaithful man. It didn’t make any sense. At all. She closed her eyes and tried to block out the people before her.

  Lord, I don’t understand what You want me to do. Help. Please!

  How had things spun out of control so fast? When she’d awoken this morning, everything was normal.


  While she didn’t comprehend what was happening with her family, peace had washed over her. God would supply all her needs. She simply needed to trust Him. He hadn’t brought her this far and through all that pain for nothing.

  She turned to go, but Emerson stepped in front of her. “But my parents have had our engagement party planned for months. It’s next week.”

  “Wait . . . what? Months? And I’m just now hearing about this today?” She furrowed her brow. Had they all gone mad? She glanced at her mother. “You knew about this too, didn’t you?”

  “Of course.” Her mother sat on the couch, looking confused. “Honestly, Tayler Grace, it was what your father wanted.”

  Tayler shook her head. “Don’t even attempt the guilt trip, Mother.”

  “I have no idea what you mean.” Her expression turned stony—like she became unfeeling all of a sudden.

  “How could you do this to me? It was what my father wanted?” she mimicked. Unbelievable. Maybe she was having a nightmare. How else could she explain all this? But as Tayler looked around the room, her eyes came back to rest on her mother, a woman she hardly recognized anymore. In her mind she longed to question the woman who’d given birth to her. What have you done?

  But the question remained silent on her lips. With a deep breath, she tried to still the quaking that started in her hands. “I wish you would have told me, Mother.” Tears pulsated behind her eyes, but she bit the insides of her cheeks to stop from breaking down and took another shaky breath. Raising her chin, she looked each one of them in the eye. “I don’t understand what is going on here, but there will not be an engagement party next week. We are not engaged, Emerson. Now, or ever.”

  “But—”

  “No buts, Emerson. It’s over. Now leave me alone. Please.” Tayler went around him and exited the study as fast as she could. Voices called out to her, but she ignored them. Running up the massive staircase, she felt the hot tears releasing, and they stung her cheeks as they rolled down her face.

  Her parents weren’t perfect, but they’d always been supportive and loving. Mother had her quirks, yes, but she’d never been like this. Where in the past she had merely been annoying, now Mother was harsh and unfeeling. The loss of Dad had put them all in a tailspin.

  Trying to put the puzzle together, she attempted to get her breathing back to normal as she walked the long corridor in the east wing to her suite. The purple carpet had been her favorite, with the cream-colored wainscoting and gold wallpaper above it. Daddy had always called it her “royal pathway” because she was the princess.

  Oh, how she missed him.

  With her father gone, nothing seemed balanced. It was like her whole world had tilted on its side, and she didn’t know how to set it right.

  As she approached the door to her rooms, she turned and looked back down the hall. How she loved her home. The citrusy scent of the wood oil used to polish the furniture would forever be imprinted on her mind as a smell of home. It made her want to cry. It was all too much.

  She couldn’t stay here another night. That fact stabbed her in the heart. She hoped Millie wasn’t in on the charade too, because Tayler needed her maid in this hour of madness. She’d always been independent and strong-willed, but she longed for someone to lean on. Someone to love her for being her. Longing for a bright future filled with adventure and love and family threatened to overwhelm her.

  It all seemed unattainable now. With Dad gone, Mother’s coldness, Joshua’s absence, and Emerson’s lies . . . her hopes and dreams lay dashed. . . .

  Except for her job at Yellowstone.

  She took a deep breath and stared at her door. She could honor God with her talents and gifts. Maybe things hadn’t turned out the way she’d wanted, but that didn’t matter. Maybe she hadn’t understood God’s plans for her life, but she could move forward.

  One thing was certain—she had her faith and knew that God loved her more than anyone on earth could. She’d have to rest in that.

  Opening the door to her room, Tayler breathed in deeply. Millie stood at the foot of the bed twisting her hands. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, miss. Your mother swore me to secrecy.”

  “So you knew about Emerson? About the engagement party?”

  The maid nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. “I’m sorry. Truly, I am.”

  “I’m surprised Mother didn’t demand that you unpack all my things and put them back.”

  “She didn’t. And I wouldn’t want to, either.” She swiped at her cheeks. “Look, I need to report back to Mrs. Henderson since I missed the evening check-in, but I’ll be right back to help you finish your packing. Again, I’m sorry.”

  Numbness took over Tayler. She nodded and Millie left to find the housekeeper, while Tayler could only sit and stare at the room. Her room. All her life, she’d slept in this room. Read in this room. Dreamt of her future.

  But in that moment, it no longer felt like home.

  Rubbing her forehead with her hands, Tayler looked at her suitcase and focused on her packing. Thoughts of the past weren’t going to help her move forward.

  Inside the case, she’d packed three brown split skirts, six brown neck scarves, six olive-green neck scarves, three burnt-orange blouses, three rose blouses, three deep golden yellow blouses. Two pairs of sturdy hiking boots, her favorite wide-brimmed, Stetson-style campaign hat, and her three green split skirts lay on the bed—Millie must have found them. Her chosen uniform as a naturalist wasn’t grand, but it was practical. Now she needed plenty of undergarments, and she’d be packed. When she glanced back to her closet, some of her gowns called to her. The sequins, lace, and frilly trim always made her feel like such a lady. And she indeed loved being noticed as a lady, but shouldn’t practicality win out?

  She shook her head and put her hands on her hips. A million thoughts tumbled through her mind. She couldn’t wear her uniform everywhere. While she needed to be prepared for her job, she also needed to be prepared for . . . life away from home. As the weight of it all pressed into her thoughts, she knew her mind had been made up.

  She wouldn’t be coming back.

  Decision made, she started making piles on the bed. It hurt to think she may not return to this house, but relief also filled her being. A heaviness felt like it had been lifted. This was the right thing to do.

  Millie tapped on the open door. “I’ve returned, miss.”

  “Would you mind grabbing the rest of my cases for me?”

  Her maid tilted her head for a moment and then nodded. “Of course, I’ll be right back.”

  Tayler made a few more trips to her dresser and back, piling the rest of her things on the bed. When Millie returned with the other three cases that matched her luggage set, Tayler went back to the closet. “I need your advice, Millie. I need to be practical but need to pack for the long-term.”

  “You’re not returning home after the summer, are you?” Millie put a hankie to her eyes. “I had a feeling.”

  Tayler walked over to her and grabbed her hands. “No, I’m not. And I need you to promise me that you won’t tell a soul.”

  Her sweet maid nodded. “I promise.”

  “Anything that I tell you this evening?”

  “I promise.”

  “You’ve always been a dear friend to me, Millie. Much more than just my maid. I hope you know how much I appreciate you.”

  Millie nodded and sniffed.

  “I hate to create any problems for you when Mother finds out. . . . I’m sorry.”

  “When she finds out what, miss?”

  Tayler bit her lip and then blurted it out. “I’ve decided that I’m not waiting to leave in a few days. I’m going to leave tonight. And I need your help covering for me.”

  Millie nodded with understanding in her eyes. No condescension. Just trust. And a bit of sorrow. “I can do that.”

  “Let them think that I’m pitching a fit, pouting, whatever. Just don’t let them know that I’ve gone. I need to distance myself from it
all and settle into my job. Who knows? Maybe it will all die down and they’ll leave me be.”

  Millie chuckled. “I highly doubt that, miss.”

  Tayler sighed. “I know, but a girl can hope, can’t she?”

  2

  Emerson Pruitt stood before the fireplace in his parents’ home and thought of all that had transpired that evening. He hadn’t seen Tayler Hale in some time, and it was most impressive how the period apart had added to her loveliness. With her dark, long, curly hair that begged to be touched, Tayler’s beauty drew him like a moth to the flame. Her enviable hourglass shape needed no help from those pesky undergarments women used. Not that he knew anything about such things. A slight laugh broke the silence. Ah, the innocence of youth. Of which he had none.

  Something Tayler knew all too well. He’d seen it in her eyes. Those eyes that he remembered most. The darkest of chocolate brown and so intense. He felt almost as if she knew every thought he was thinking. She’d been certain of his character . . . or lack thereof. Emerson smiled. Who would have thought that the sweet little playmate his parents had chosen for him to marry would turn out to be such a gorgeous dame? Unfortunately, convincing Tayler to forget the past and marry him hadn’t been as easy as he had hoped. But it was necessary, and it would happen. Determination would win. It had to.

  He paced in front of the fireplace and tried to figure out a way to convince Tayler. She’d always been headstrong. She was one woman who truly knew her own mind. When she was a child, it was amusing, but now it was threatening all of Emerson’s well-laid plans.

  Pop’s ultimatum was all too real. And Emerson couldn’t risk getting cut off. He was too accustomed to living in wealth.

  It all seemed easy when he had Mrs. Hale in his corner. For some reason, she was just as convinced that the two should marry and soon. But Tayler was being stubborn. He’d have to figure out how to worm his way back into her affections.

  A noise sounded in the hall and Emerson’s father passed by the door. When he spied Emerson, he stopped. “Why are you back so soon?”