“I’m not pressing you. You can share as much or as little as you wish.”
Alice took a steadying breath. “I’m a mail-order bride.”
Lillie’s eyes widened. “Good Lord. I’ve heard of such things, but I always thought the women were desperate.”
An apprehensive laugh escaped Alice. “I suppose we are, but I’d like to think we’re women willing to take a risk and embrace the adventure of an entirely new situation.”
Lillie abandoned her tea and slumped back against the sofa. “James actually sent for a mail-order bride?”
Alice shook her head. “No. It was his brother, Frank.”
Recognition dawned on Lillie’s face. “Ah. That makes more sense. Frank has always been a tad impetuous.” Lillie’s brows knit together. “So why aren’t you married to him?”
“When I arrived, Frank was already spoken for. James agreed to take his place.”
Lillie shook her head. “This sounds so unlike James. Does he treat you well?”
“Yes, of course.” Before Alice could consider the ramifications of baring her soul to the other woman, she plunged ahead. “But we haven’t consummated the marriage.”
“Oh.” Lillie became silent.
“At first I thought it was because of me,” Alice continued nervously, “but now I’m keeping him out of my bedchamber.”
“Is there a reason the two of you haven’t, well, you know?”
Alice nodded. “I’ve recently learned some news that seems to put our marriage into a different perspective. On my twenty-first birthday, which is in three days’ time, I’m to inherit Menhaden Fishing.”
Once again, Lillie was speechless. Then, after the span of several seconds, she began to laugh, rocking back and forth, one arm holding her stomach and the other covering her face. She leaned forward, her chin upon the hand she’d used to hide her mirth. “Alice, I can’t emphasize this enough. Do not let these men run your life.”
“I’m trying, but I don’t have many resources.”
Lillie’s eyes sparkled. “I can help you with that. I have a lawyer—who can’t be swayed by the power of Daniel Endicott, I might add—and I understand the fishing business.” She paused. “Do you know the history between James’ father and Daniel concerning Menhaden Fishing?”
“Yes, I do.”
“James told you?” Lillie asked in surprise.
“No. I learned of it elsewhere.”
“Well then. I can tell that you’ve deduced this might be why James married you. Does he know about the inheritance?”
Alice chewed her lower lip. “I don’t know how he could, but he must. I believe he means to divorce me and take it once I receive ownership. I suppose I can’t blame him. Menhaden Fishing belonged to his father, after all. He simply wants it back.”
“But he used you to get it.” Lillie narrowed her eyes. “That’s rather backhanded in my book, if you ask me.”
“But we’re married, and as soon as I inherit—presuming, of course, that my stepfather doesn’t have something up his sleeve—James will take over, end our marriage, and be on his merry way.”
Lillie reached for Alice’s hand. “What is it that you wish from all of this?”
Taken aback by the question, the answer bubbled up from the depths of Alice’s soul. “I want a real marriage with James. I can’t help it, but I love him. I also want something of my own. I want to run Menhaden Fishing myself, but to be honest, I don’t know the first thing of how to go about it.”
Lillie retrieved her teacup and sipped thoughtfully, watching Alice with a cool gaze. “In the beginning, I didn’t understand business either, but Stephen was patient with me. He taught me much. I can’t say whether James would be as patient with you, but if you’ll let me, I can help you.”
“Why would you do this?”
Lillie grinned. “Bravo. You’re wise to be skeptical. Already you’re headed in the right direction.” She leaned forward. “All right, I will expect something in return.”
“What would that be?”
“First, that we be friends. Second, that you’ll negotiate an exclusive contract with my fish oil factories in Tiverton once you own Menhaden Fishing.”
“But James will technically own it.”
“Not if I can help it.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
James was relieved when Alice made an appearance for dinner. He hadn’t seen her all day, not since the steamy kiss in the carriage this morning, and anticipation for her company had swirled in his belly since. He’d sought to give her space, and she had apparently taken him up on it. Daniel Endicott was away and had left word that he’d return in the morning. He’d also requested a private meeting with Alice.
“You don’t have to see him alone.” James spooned the aromatic mushroom soup into his mouth. He’d forgotten to eat a noon-day meal. Thoughts of Alice all but consumed his mind of late. Sitting across from him, she was stunning, and he found it difficult to take his eyes from her.
“I’ll be fine,” she answered.
“You look exceptionally beautiful this evening.” He leaned back as the maid took his empty soup dish and replaced it with a plate filled with pork roast and golden potatoes.
The maid exchanged the dishes before Alice. “Thank you.”
He waited until they were alone again before asking, “Where did you go this afternoon?”
She sipped a glass of sherry. “To visit my friend Vera at her dress shop. I wanted to give her a gift that I purchased this morning.”
“About this morning...”
Alice cleared her throat. “Let me ask you something.”
He stopped slicing his meat and gave her his full attention. “Of course.”
“Do you truly think we could have a long marriage? Is that something that you want?”
Guilt gnawed at the edges of James’ reasoning. He hadn’t been honest with her from the start. Frank had brought her from Boston under an egregious pretense. “There are many things I want, Alice, but we don’t always get the things we desire, do we?”
She took a large gulp of her sherry and set it hard upon the table. “No, we don’t.”
Like a cold splash of water, the reality of the situation hit James. There was no guarantee their marriage would survive. In a few days, he’d have possession of the one thing he’d desired all along—Menhaden Fishing. If Alice couldn’t forgive him for absconding with her inheritance, then divorce was still a real possibility. And if he ruined her virtue on top of it, then what kind of man was he?
If Alice hadn’t held him off, he’d have damn sure bedded her by now, most assuredly complicating matters. But he had come to care for his stubborn, intelligent wife, and he didn’t want to hurt her, at least no more than he could help.
Dinner proved to be a solemn affair, and when Alice excused herself, James let her go.
* * * *
The next morning, Alice took a small breakfast in her room. She’d tossed and turned all night, worrying, and awoken with even less appetite than she’d had sleep.
She drank half a cup of coffee and ate a boiled egg before descending the stairs to her stepfather’s study where he sat behind the desk. She closed the door behind her.
“Please sit down.” Daniel collected a pile of papers and set them aside. “I’m happy to see you still here at the house, although I’d be happier to see James Martel elsewhere.”
Alice sat in the chair facing the desk and didn’t respond.
Daniel folded his hands and gave her a stern look. “I really think we should talk about this.”
“About what?”
“About this hasty marriage. I did a bit of investigating. All the girls from that factory where you worked became mail-order brides, not just a few of them. Is that what you are, Alice?”
Alice fought to squelch the sting of reprimand in her stepfather’s voice. “It doesn’t really matter. I’m an adult. I can make my own decisions.”
Daniel sighed. “I suppose that’s true. But you f
orget that you’re an Endicott.”
Anger filled her. “I’m not. I’m a Harrington.”
Reclining in his chair, Daniel shook his head. “I’ve done everything I can for you. I took care of your mother. I’ve managed what your father left behind. I’ve given you a good life, Alice. I’m only asking for a little respect in return.”
She refused to meet his gaze. He was right, of course, and it weighed on her. Was she simply behaving like a foolish girl? Was she wrong to have thrown away the life that he offered her? But that life entailed being married to William Evans, and she knew in every fiber of her body that she didn’t want that.
Now, however, she was wed to James Martel, a man she loved but who might prove to be just as bad for her as Evans. While Evans would surely have battered her spirit, James had the power to break her heart. She wondered if she could ever recover from that.
She raised her eyes to her stepfather. “What is it that you want from me?”
His gaze yielded, revealing what appeared to be weariness. “I would like to protect you. I would like to help you end your marriage to James Martel.”
“And what do you offer in exchange?”
He arched an eyebrow. “I see you’ve acquired a backbone. Perhaps menial labor has changed you for the better. What did you do in that factory?”
“I was a seamstress.”
He nodded. “Well, I gather you don’t wish to marry William, so you can remain here with me. I’ll take care of you.”
Alice considered the deal. While she had no desire to live the rest of her days with Daniel Endicott, he did have everything that had once belonged to her father. Didn’t she owe it to her family to preserve what was rightfully hers? Was she a coward if she ran away? Was she a coward if she stayed?
“We’ve no time to waste,” her stepfather continued. “Your birthday is in two days. And Christmas the following day. We can end this marriage tomorrow before everyone goes on holiday. I know someone in the court system who can expedite this.”
Unable to find the words, Alice silently agreed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Endicott is only chasing you because he wants those contracts.” James hadn’t meant to raise his voice to Lillie, but her reluctance to acknowledge her vulnerable position with the man annoyed him.
Lillie Jenkins took a sip of tea and gave a slight shake of her head. “It’s not like you, James, to make a scene.” She glanced around at the restaurant they occupied. Gaiety filled the room; conversation from the patrons at crowded tables swirled in the air and waiters hurriedly saw to their customers. The holiday spirit was in full swing. Garland decorated the walls of the upscale establishment, and a lavish Christmas tree sat in one corner. “You look a bit peaked. Is marriage not agreeing with you?”
“I’m fine. Alice is fine.”
Lillie gave a pacifying smile. “You know how much Stephen meant to me. You know how much we loved each other.” Her voice broke and she took another sip of tea. “You deserve to have that kind of love, James. And so does Alice.”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that your anger about what happened to your father has caused you to take a path that isn’t a good one.”
James stared at his cup. Lillie had pricked the conscience he did battle with more and more with each passing day.
“As for this business with Endicott,” Lillie continued, “I’m well aware of what is going on. I’m not as helpless as you think. While I’ve appreciated your concern since Stephen passed, along with your efforts to help me, I plan to run his businesses myself.”
James raised his eyes to hers. She’d been telling him this all along, but he hadn’t believed her. Comprehension finally dawned as he saw the conviction in her expression.
“And for what it’s worth,” Lillie added, “I suspect I won’t be negotiating with Daniel Endicott for much longer.”
“Has he mentioned matrimony?”
Lillie’s face took on a serene expression. “Arranged marriages aren’t my style, so have no fear. But you’re no stranger to such a situation, are you?”
James gave a mirthless laugh. “You have a knack for uncovering the truth wherever you go, don’t you?”
“I pay attention where I can. It was a trait Stephen both admired and grumbled about. I like Alice. She’s a bit unsure of herself, but in time, she’ll find her footing. She just needs guidance. She doesn’t deserve to be tossed aside.”
“I would never toss her aside.”
Lillie watched him with a skeptical expression.
“It’s complicated, Lillie.” He ran a hand through his hair. Is this why she’d requested this meeting? To lecture him about his marriage?
“It doesn’t need to be. Do you even care for her?”
His throat closed and his chest tightened as the truth pounded in his skull. “Of course I do.”
Lillie stood. “Then remember that.”
James came to his feet.
“I’m sure I’ll see you again before this is all over.” She grasped his arm and stretched upward to kiss his cheek. “I do love you, James. Please remember that as well in the coming days.”
And on that cryptic remark, she left the restaurant.
* * * *
Like a rudderless ship, Alice walked down to Newport Harbor with no clear destination or purpose. She passed sailmaker shops and sail-drying lofts, her boots clicking on the brick walkways. Bundled into her coat, she still felt chilled. The emptiness in her heart left no warmth in its wake.
She had agreed to end her marriage. Daniel had already sent a messenger to begin the process. Was it the right thing to do?
Despite whatever brief moments of passion had ignited between her and James, she could never be entirely certain that he wouldn’t claim her innocence alongside her inheritance, then leave her emptyhanded, her heart bleeding in the wake.
She needed to be smart about this.
Leaving the safety of the road, she took wooden stairs to Bowen’s Wharf and the granite quays that were surrounded by tethered boats. Newport Harbor was considered one of the best on the New England coast, with a natural protection that inhibited freezing during the winter months.
The giant ships beckoned Alice forward, the masts reaching to the gray skies, the endless array of ropes covering the deck like a spider’s web. Men milled about, but not many. She suspected most had come home to spend Christmas with their families.
Another wave of despair washed over her. She missed her mother, the longing deep and sharp.
She came to the end of a dock and paused. Beyond was Narragansett Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. She thought of the whales her father had sometimes described to her, giant leviathans that would rise from the depths and glide past his big ship, dwarfing it. At times, he’d said they were violent and wild, and other times languid and serene.
“What would happen if I jumped on the back of one, Papa?” she’d asked him.
“You’d sail to the ends of the earth.”
“What would I find?”
“I don’t know. When you return you can tell me.”
A sad smile tugged at her mouth as she recalled the memory.
Would she own Menhaden Fishing in two days’ time? Did she have what it took to run a company and make it successful? And if, by chance, she did triumph, would she one day have enough money to buy her own ship and sail to the horizon, to find what lay out there, to finally tell her Papa?
So many unknowns. She supposed this is what it meant to mature from a child to an adult.
“You shouldn’t stand down here, miss.”
Alice spun around. A disheveled man approached in tattered clothing. His odor assaulted her, and she coughed to rid the smell from her nose.
“I’m sorry,” she replied. “I didn’t realize this was private property.”
The man kept lumbering toward her, white puffs of cold air spewing from his mouth from his exertions. “It ain’t safe.”
Alice st
epped back, but she had nowhere to go. The edge of the dock dropped directly into the water. And he wasn’t slowing down!
She tried to duck away and angle around him, but he pushed her with surprising strength. Screaming, she fell from the platform, dropping into the icy water, the impact knocking the breath from her.
Struggling to the surface, she screamed and gasped as the frigid water slapped her face. The heavy wool coat that covered her gown and layers of petticoats kept the icy fluid from reaching skin, but then the water-soaked garments began to drag her under. She flailed desperately to keep her head afloat. Surely the crazy man who had pushed her would get help.
She yanked her gloves from her hands and worked at the buttons on her coat, finally freeing enough to peel it from her. She didn’t sink as much, but now the ocean began to saturate her clothing right down to her skin.
With chattering teeth, she continued to yell for help, but no one came.
She searched for a ladder—anything—that would get her out of the water.
Slowly she began to swim toward a nearby ship, where rope webbing hugged the hull. She could cling to it until aid arrived. Surely someone had seen what happened to her.
Her sluggish limbs became more useless as the minutes ticked by. Concentrating on her movements, she struggled to get her body to obey the commands from her brain.
The webbing was still too far away, and she could no longer feel her legs. She fought to move her limbs the way they ought to, but she had no idea if they obeyed.
Her forward motion stopped.
No.
She wasn’t near anything.
Her arms were like heavy trunks, moving too slowly to keep her afloat.
She gasped her last breath of air then slipped below the surface.
Chapter Twenty-Five
James arrived at the hospital in a panic.
He rushed to a woman sitting at a desk. “My wife is here—Alice Martel.”
The woman scanned a paper on a clipboard. When she didn’t respond immediately, James added, “Alice Endicott.”
“Oh yes, here she is. She’s in room 211, on the second floor.” She pointed down the austere hallway. “Take the stairs, then make a right.”
Alice: Bride of Rhode Island (American Mail-Order Bride 13) Page 11
