by Craig, Emma
Tacita’s words dried up when Jed opened his mouth. She flinched, dreading what he’d say.
“Does this mean you don’t love this fellow?” Jed shrugged towards Edgar.
Surprised, as she’d expected an explosion of wrath, Tacita shook her head again.
“And you didn’t come here to marry him?”
“No,” slipped past her teeth, tiny and soft.
“And you never wanted to marry him?”
“No.”
Jed took several deep breaths. Tacita didn’t know what he intended to use them for, but she’d never been more frightened in her life. He’d hate her for sure now. She’d always feared he would when he found out, but she thought it would kill her to hear him say the words out loud. His hands were tight on her shoulders and they hurt, but she didn’t’ dare say anything for fear he’d break her in half like a dry twig. He was so strong.
The dogs. She’d hired him to take her to San Francisco so she could breed the dogs. It wasn’t her and Jeeves. It was—the dogs.
It was almost more than Jed could take in, but he tried.
Tacita didn’t love Jeeves. She hadn’t come here to marry him, but to mate Rosamunda to Prince Albert. They’d traveled over a thousand miles, endured heat, cold, hardship, her uncle Luther, Farley Boskins, Stagecoach Willy, Avinash Agrawal, Pickleflisker and about a million other perils so that she and Jeeves could mate their dogs and create another four or five snot-nosed terrors.
Jed’s heart rose like a hot-air balloon. Elation filled him.
Rosamunda had worked her way from his trouser cuff to his boot. Jed didn’t care.
Miss Amalie Crunch be damned. Jed Hardcastle was going to ask Tacita Grantham to marry him!
He dropped Tacita’s shoulders as if they’d caught fire and fell to one knee before her.
Tacita squeaked in terror.
Edgar backed up another foot or so.
Prince Albert snarled.
Rosamunda fell off his boot, hit her head, rolled over, and landed on her feet. She shook her head, too stunned to resume her attack. She glowered at Jed and Tacita.
Jed lifted Tacita’s hand.
“I love you, Tacita.” His voice sounded funny. He didn’t care. He didn’t care, either, that by asking Tacita Grantham to marry him he’d be breaking the hearts of his parents, his aunts and uncles, Miss Amalie Crunch’s parents, and Miss Amalie Crunch herself. Plus, he might be making a big fool of himself.
Tacita squeaked again.
“Will you marry me?”
Her eyes almost bugged out in astonishment. Tacita opened her mouth and nothing came out. She closed it, swallowed, and tried again. “You want to marry me?”
He nodded, his heart too full for words.
“You—” Tacita poked a finger at Jed’s enormous shoulder. “—want to marry me.” Her finger veered away from Jed and landed over her heart.
“Yes.”
“Me.”
“Yes.”
“You.”
“Yes.”
“Oh, Jed!”
Tacita flung herself into Jed’s arms and burst into tears. “I’m the happiest woman in the whole world!”
Flabbergasted, Jed could only hold her, his heart near to bursting. “Y-you mean you’ll marry me?”
“Oh, yes! Oh, yes!”
“You—you like me?”
“Like you? Oh, Jed Hardcastle, you silly man, I’ve loved you for weeks and weeks!”
Tacita’s declaration shocked Jed so badly, he had to sit down. He took Tacita with him and cradled her, not daring to let her go until he made sense of all this.
Still holding onto his dog as if to give himself courage, Edgar Jevington Reeve took a step closer to the couple who had just collapsed onto one of the lobby’s elaborately upholstered sofas. He peered at them with unbridled interest. So did Prince Albert. For that matter, so did everybody else in the lobby.
Rosamunda stared at the ecstatic pair for several seconds, as well. Then she turned away, crawled under an overstuffed lobby chair and curled up into a knot of absolute disgust.
# # #
“I don’t think I could be happier, Jed.”
“No?”
“No.”
He squeezed Tacita tight. “Me, neither.”
Jed lay on his back, Tacita melted on top of him. They’d just made beautiful love on the most comfortable feather mattress Jed had ever had the honor of lying upon. He’d just told her the absolute truth, too. His mind and heart were at peace.
Except for one tiny little particle of guilt remaining about having jilted Miss Amalie Crunch.
He tried not to let it spoil his mood which was, all things considered, superlative.
Tacita sighed happily, which made her body, slick with perspiration, rub against him, which made him happy. “I can’t wait to see Busted Flush, Jed, and to meet your family.”
“They’ll love you, Tacita, just like I do.” And they would, too. Jed knew it. Even though they’d also blame him for breaking his promise. Jed wracked his brain, but he couldn’t think of another single instance in which a Hardcastle had broken a promise. He shook his head, trying to dislodge the unpleasant notion.
Tacita peered into his eyes and he smiled because he couldn’t help it. She had the prettiest eyes he’d ever seen.
“Is something the matter, Jed?”
“No. No, not really.”
Brushing his hair away from his forehead, Tacita murmured, “It’s Miss Crunch, isn’t it?”
Surprised by her perspicacity, Jed hugged her. Lord have mercy, he loved her. “I reckon I jilted her, Tacita. That’s not a very honorable thing to do, jilt a lady.”
“Well, you couldn’t have known we’d fall in love, though.”
“No. I couldn’t have known that.” He scarcely believed it yet, in fact.
Tacita’s finger traced his jaw line. He gave her precious rump a little squeeze.
After a moment, Tacita asked, “Did—did you give her a ring, Jed?”
Her voice sounded unusually small, as though she were embarrassed to be asking her question.
Surprised, he said, “Criminy, no! What do you take me for, anyway?”
A little frown pursed her lips. “Well, you said you were engaged.”
“Yeah, we were promised. It wasn’t official or anything yet, though. It was understood.”
“Understood?” She pushed herself slightly away from him. He hauled her back again.
“Yes. Everybody expected us to tie the knot. We had an understanding.”
“You had an understanding.”
“Well, yes. Kind of like you and that Jeeves fellow. Or, I mean, kind of like I figured it was between you and that Jeeves fellow.”
She pushed herself away again. “You mean to tell me you’ve never asked her to marry you?”
“Not in so many words.”
Tacita stared at him for a full minute. Then she shook her head, heaved a sigh, and flopped down onto his chest again. Jed was pleased.
# # #
Rosamunda’s revulsion at the state of Tacita’s affairs lasted the remainder of that day, overnight, through the following morning, and even during luncheon. It ceased abruptly when she was carried into Edgar Jevington Reeves’ suite at the Palace Hotel, and she was wed to Prince Albert.
Their union was sublime. Rosamunda’s ecstasy was so profound, she barely noticed the long journey back to Busted Flush. Of course, it helped that the return trip was accomplished in the luxury of private stagecoaches, trains and padded wagons and took less than half the time their trip to San Francisco had.
She was not particularly taken with Busted Flush. On the other hand, Jed had a large home—indeed, it was almost as big as the one Tacita’s parents owned in Galveston—with a big yard which even boasted a flower garden. Eyeing it critically, Rosamunda decided it would do.
She didn’t even glare at Jed the next time he called her Rosie.
# # #
After their arrival in
Busted Flush, where they were greeted by what seemed to Tacita to be more relatives than one human being ought to possess, Jed left her in the care of his mother. With his heart alternating between heaviness and almost unendurable lightness, he took himself off to visit the Crunches.
Tacita didn’t mind being left at his parents’ home. Jed’s mother, a large woman in her own right, nearly smothered her in hugs.
Two days later, however, Tacita insisted upon being taken to meet Miss Amalie Crunch herself. Jed being the honorable soul he was, Tacita knew why he felt guilty. She figured it wouldn’t hurt if she were to apologize to Miss Crunch in person. After all, this was as much her fault as Jed’s. More, probably. Jed would never have met her if Tacita hadn’t devised her plan to mate Rosamunda with Prince Albert. He’d have dropped her association like a hot rock if she then hadn’t fibbed about it.
Now she stared up at the woman before her and gulped. Good Lord, the female was as big as a house.
“M-Miss Crunch?” she stammered. Heavenly days, she hoped Amalie Crunch wasn’t a vindictive sort. If she took it into her head to hurt Tacita, Tacita wasn’t sure even Jed could stop her.
Amalie smiled, showing a set of teeth that reminded Tacita of a lion she’d seen once in the zoological gardens in New York City. “That’s me, all right.”
At least she sounded friendly. Tacita decided Amalie’s mood was not the issue. It was up to Tacita to clear the air. “I—I just wanted to tell you how sorry I am that things didn’t work out between you and Jed.”
Amalie’s smile broadened. “Shoot, ma’am, that’s not a problem. I’m happy as can be for the both of you.”
“You—you are?”
Good heavens, what did this mean? Surely Miss Crunch must be heartbroken. Any woman would be if she had understood Jed would be hers and then learned otherwise. Why, it was inconceivable that a female wouldn’t tumble head over heels in love with Jed Hardcastle once she met him. Not for a minute did Tacita believe Amalie’s heart wasn’t broken. And, from the looks of her, hers was an extremely big heart. It must, therefore, hurt a lot.
Amalie slapped her on the back, a friendly gesture that nearly knocked Tacita off her feet. “Why, shore, Miss Grantham. I’m happy as a hog in slop for the both of you.”
After she regained her breath, Tacita choked out, “Well, I truly do feel guilty about this, and I know Jed does—”
Amalie interrupted Tacita with a hearty laugh. Tacita blinked in surprise, then continued resolutely. “At any rate, I should be happy to know if there is any way in which I can make up to you for the loss of Mr. Hardcastle.”
“The loss of Jed?”
Amalie guffawed again, then stopped laughing abruptly. Tacita braced herself. She even backed up a little when Amalie frowned.
“You mean it?”
“Of—of course, I do.”
Amalie frowned some more. Tacita took another step back.
Then Amalie said, “Y’know, ma’am, there is one thing.”
“Anything,” said Tacita quickly. She wanted to reassure Amalie in case her pleasant mood took a turn.
“Y’know, when Jed come to visit me and my folks a couple days ago, he said as to how you come from money.”
Money. Well, that was easy. Tacita would gladly pay this creature any sum, although she knew full well that no amount of money could possibly compensate for the loss of Jed Hardcastle. She nodded.
Amalie shook her head and smiled some more. “Must be nice to be rich, ma’am.”
“It—it is rather pleasant. I suppose.”
“Jed’s got heaps o’ money, too.”
As Jed had sat Tacita down and explained his financial situation to her the very night of his proposal in the lobby of the Palace Hotel, Tacita knew Amalie’s assertion to be true. She nodded again, uncertainly. Surely, Amalie didn’t want so much money that it would take their combined fortunes to pay her off. Did she? “I—I understand he is beforehand with the world,” she said, hedging.
“Beforehand? Why, laws a’mercy, the man’s as rich as a king!”
Amalie went off into a peel of laughter again. Tacita wasn’t sure, but she thought that was a good sign. As she didn’t dare take anything for granted, she decided merely to nod.
“Y’know what I really want, ma’am?”
“Er, no, Miss Crunch,” Tacita told her honestly. “Actually, I don’t.”
“Call me Amalie, ma’am. I’d take it as a kindness.”
“Thank you, Amalie. Please call me Tacita.”
“Well, all right, ma’am. It’s an odd name. Don’t find many womenfolk called Tacita out here in Busted Flush.”
“No. I don’t suppose you do.”
“Y’know what I want, Tacita, more’n anything?”
Tacita wondered if they’d ever get to the point, but didn’t suppose it would be wise to ask. She shook her head.
Amalie sighed deeply. “I want to marry up with Sheldon.”
Tacita’s eyes popped open. “Sheldon?”
Nodding, Amalie sighed again. “Yup. I’ve loved Sheldon Fellows fer a coon’s age. Feared I’d have to marry Jed, ‘cause our folks expected us to get hitched, don’tcha know, but I always had a hankerin’ for Sheldon.”
“Mercy sakes.” Tacita could think of nothing else to say.
“I used to sit on the banks of Luggett Lake with Sheldon and we’d spin daydreams about marryin’ up with each other and openin’ a bakery shop right here in Busted Flush.”
“My goodness.”
“Neither one of us had no money to get the business started, though. I figured I’d have me some cash after I married Jed, but that ain’t going to happen now. Anyhow, if’n I’d a-married Jed, I wouldn’t have Sheldon, but only the bakery shop. What I want more’n anything else in this whole world is to have ‘em both: Sheldon and the bakery.”
Reaching out to put a hand on Amalie’s arm, Tacita said quickly, “Miss Crunch—Amalie—please. I should be more than happy to advance you the money to start your bakery. In fact, please allow me to gift you with the money. It would be my extreme pleasure. And I know Jed would want to help, too.”
Amalie’s eyes sparkled. For the first time, Tacita realized her eyes were really quite fine. That they were located a good foot above Tacita’s own head had prevented her from noticing before. She was pleased as punch, too, as she’d never expected her problem to be solved so easily. Money was the easiest thing in the world to give a person.
“You mean it, Tacita?”
“I mean it absolutely, Amalie-eeeeeeek!”
Tacita’s affirmation ended in a squeak when Amalie picked her right up off the ground and swung her around. When she was set down again, Tacita gasped for breath and realized Amalie was crying. Since she couldn’t think of anything else to do, she withdrew one of her lacy handkerchiefs from her reticule and handed it to Amalie. It all but disappeared in Amalie’s large hand.
“Please, Amalie, don’t cry. I’m happy to help you and Mr. Fellows establish yourself in business.”
“And in life, Tacita,” Amalie said thickly. “Nobody ever did me such a good turn before. You’re makin’ our whole lives possible.”
# # #
Thus it was that when Jedediah Buchanan Hardcastle took Miss Tacita Helen Grantham to bride in the biggest Texas-style wedding the town of Busted Flush had ever seen, the couple celebrated their nuptials at a reception featuring a wedding cake almost as large as Jed himself and decorated with more pink sugar roses than anybody present could count. The cake was provided by Sheldon and Amalie Fellows as a gift to the happy couple.
Everybody within a hundred-mile radius of Busted Flush was invited to attend the wedding, and Tacita hardly noticed that she no longer possessed any immediate family. Except, of course, Rosamunda, who watched the ceremony from her basket of honor while nursing her newborns.
Tacita took the expression of resignation on her beloved pet’s face as having sprung from the rigors of motherhood.
# # #
Not that one was always successful in such an endeavor, and she wanted them to learn that fact of life, as well. Rosamunda strove to teach her two boys and two girls that true success lay in how one fought one’s battles, even though the outcome of such battles might not always be what one could wish.
Rosamunda herself, for example, had fought the good fight. She had few regrets, the largest being that everybody in the Hardcastle household now called her Rosie. Including Tacita.
Nevertheless, as she led the way, she held her head high. Truly, if one were to study her situation closely, one might even say she had won. The look on Jedediah Hardcastle’s face the first time she jumped up on his lap, dug out a nest for herself, and settled in for a snooze, had been worth all her struggles. The knowledge that he was profoundly shocked and—even better—wouldn’t dare thrust her away—not with Tacita watching—made triumph soar in Rosamunda’s breast.
So Rosamunda did not regret her new name too much. She didn’t even regret the fact that she’d been unable to prevent the romance between Mistress and Monster. After all, the Hardcastle estate was as grand as any she’d seen in Yorkshire, and much grander than Tacita’s former home in Galveston.
As she told her children while they paused to mark bushes along their path, living well could indeed be accounted the best revenge.
