The Bride Found

by Piper Davenport

  The bluster went right out of her and she realized how stupid they’d been. They didn’t know anyone here and they didn’t know their way around. It could have been a dangerous situation and neither of them even thought about it.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered. “You’re right.”

  “Come here, sweetheart.”

  She stood and walked into his arms.

  “If anything ever happened to you, I don’t know what I would do. I love you and I want you safe. Do you understand?”

  “Yes, I understand, but it wasn’t like we thought about it and decided we didn’t care. We used to go riding alone all the time at home.”

  He stroked her hair. “It’s different here.”

  “I know.” She laid her cheek against his chest. “At home, we had cell phones.”

  “What’s a cell phone?”

  “It’s very complicated.”

  “Why don’t you explain?”

  She pulled away and looked up at him. “I think I should start at the beginning.”

  “Should we sit down?”

  “Probably.”

  He sat on one of the chairs that faced the fireplace and pulled her onto his lap. “Please, continue.”

  “A telephone will be invented, I’m not sure when. Sophie probably does. Anyway, Alexander Graham Bell invents this device that will allow people to talk in real time. For instance, if you’re at work, I could pick up the phone in this room, dial a number and we’d be able to speak – voice to voice. A cell phone utilizes cell towers and satellites and it allows you to take it anywhere in the world. You don’t have to plug it into the wall.”

  “What do you mean by ‘plug it into the wall’?”

  “In the future there’s electricity, so you don’t have to light a candle to create light. You can just flip a switch on the wall, or plug a cord into the wall for a lamp to illuminate.”

  His eyes widened. “That’s amazing.”

  “I know. Pretty cool, huh?”

  “Yes, but still not a diversion enough to get you off the hook.”

  “Dang it!”

  Clayton chuckled quietly. “Sweet, you need to remember who you’re married to. I don’t want to scare you unnecessarily, but at the same time, you need to be a little extra careful. These are dangerous times and I have enemies.”

  Emma sighed. “I’m sorry. I promise I’ll be much more careful.”

  He gave her a squeeze. “That’s all I ask.”

  “Oh! I almost forgot. I saw Rose today.”

  “What? Where?”

  “Over by the park.”

  “Are you certain?”

  She nodded. “I’m sure it was her.”

  “Did she see you?”

  “No, we were in the buggy with Gwen, so pretty hidden.” Emma sighed. “Do you believe me now, that she’s up to something?”

  He frowned. “I wonder what her game is?”

  Emma shrugged. “I don’t know, but I’m hungry. Can we go back downstairs and finish dinner, please?”

  “Yes, sweet.”

  They made their way downstairs and heard more yelling coming from the parlor.

  “Do I need to remind you of the stable incident, Sophie?” Jamie yelled.

  “Oh, nice, throw that back in my face! You are such an ass!”

  “You cannot just go off and do whatever the hell you want here. Think, Sophie. It’s a different time, not to mention a place you’re not familiar with.”

  “Samson needed to be ridden, James. So, what exactly would you have had me do? Let him kick the stall out? He barreled poor Jack down trying to get free.”

  “You aren’t listening to me!”

  “Perhaps because you’re talking out of your ass!”

  “I’m about ready to send Samson back.”

  “You wouldn’t!” Sophie bellowed.

  “I would if it means your safety. I’m sick of you putting yourself and our baby in danger, and I won’t sit by and watch you continue to do it. Pull anything like this again and that damn horse gets shipped back.”

  Clayton pulled Emma away from the parlor and back into the dining room. Emma grimaced as she took her seat. “I’ve never heard Jamie that mad before.” She started to stand. “I wonder if I should go help.”

  Clayton grabbed her hand. “No. They need to work it out themselves.”

  Emma gave a little huff. They heard a door slam and then a few minutes later, Jamie walked in and sat at the table.

  Clayton handed him a glass of whiskey. “Is everything all right?”

  Jamie downed the drink. “It will be.”

  “Where’s Sophie?” Emma asked.

  “In our room.”

  “I’ll make her a tray. She didn’t eat much.”

  Jamie sighed. “Fine.”

  Emma prepared a plate for Sophie and then made her way to her bedroom and knocked on the door. No one answered, so she pushed the door open. “Sophie? I brought you a tray.”

  “I’m not hungry.”

  Emma set the tray on the nightstand. “You need to eat, Sophie. You’ll get sick if you don’t.” Sophie sat up and wiped the tears from her face. Emma handed her a handkerchief. “If it’s any consolation, Clayton was pretty angry too.”

  “Jamie’s so smothering at the moment and it’s driving me crazy.”

  “Um, hello… you’re pregnant.”

  Sophie shook her head. “No, there’s something else going on, but he refuses to talk to me about it.”

  “Are you sure it’s not because you had a scare a little while ago?”

  “No. It’s more than that. And now he’s threatening to send Sammy back.” Sophie rubbed her temples. “He’s been weird ever since they had that conversation with Topper. He’s being such a jerk.”

  Emma sighed. “Did you ask Jamie what was going on?”

  Sophie picked up a piece of bread and took a bite. “Of course I did. He won’t tell me.”

  “Well, it’s obvious they both know something we don’t, so even if we hate it, maybe it would be better to be careful.”

  Sophie shook her head. “He’s lying to me, Emma.”

  * * *

  In a small row house on the outskirts of D.C., two men and one woman discussed their plans to take care of what they referred to as “The Problem.”

  “They arrived yesterday. They brought her sister and brother-in-law with them. That’s a complication I was not expecting.”

  “Darlin’, it’s a small snafu. Nothin’ we can’t take care of. James is with Clayton all day and the bitch’s sister is pregnant. She won’t be difficult to subdue.”

  “It has to happen before they leave for Gettysburg. If we can’t get the information from her husband, we won’t be able to take care of the problem. He needs a certain motivation.”

  “You were supposed to take care of the Wade boy. That should have been motivation enough.”

  “We didn’t count on him being smart, Tony. That was your first mistake.”

  “I say we take care of them Monday, unless we can nab ’em this weekend. Lew, are you prepared? Don’t kill them, understand? We’ll just grab them and take them to the hideout.”

  “I understand. I’ll take care of it.”

  EMMA VAGUELY REMEMBERED Clayton’s kiss when he left for work the next morning. She climbed out of bed, wrapped her robe around her, and went in search of her sister. She found her in the dining room. Emma grabbed a piece of toast. “You’re up.”

  Sophie sipped her coffee. “It is past nine o’clock.”

  Emma smirked. “Did you and Jamie work things out last night?”

  “He thinks we did.”

  Emma poured herself a cup of coffee. “This is so unlike you. You don’t hide stuff from Jamie. You never have.”

  Sophie sighed. “He’s hiding something from me… payback.”

  “Sophie. Really? How do you even know he’s hiding something?”

  Sophie popped a grape into her mouth. “His sense of humor has disappeared
.”

  Emma shrugged. “Yeah, he does seem a little less jovial. Kind of like when we couldn’t find you.”

  Sophie grimaced. “I guess I didn’t get the pleasure of witnessing that.”

  Emma frowned. “It wasn’t much fun.”

  “I just wish he’d tell me what’s going on.” Sophie dragged her lower lip between her teeth. “I don’t like the rules being changed midstream, especially when no one tells me what the new ones are.”

  “How about we take our minds off this whole business.” Emma rose to her feet. “Why don’t we try another dance lesson?”

  “Oh, yeah, ’cause that sounds fabulous.”

  “Come on, it’ll help kill time. You’ll want to know something, especially if we get invited to balls or soirees or whatever.”

  Sophie shook her head. “I don’t feel like it, Em.”

  “What if we’re somewhere and the President asks you to dance? A chance to dance with Abraham Lincoln, Sophie. What would you do?”

  Sophie scowled. “You’re absolute, pure evil.”

  “Yep. Come on.” Emma grabbed her hand and dragged her into the parlor.

  She spent the next two hours teaching Sophie some of the most popular dances and was thrilled when she began to pick them up. Emma made Sophie sing one of their favorite Metallica songs that just happened to be in the right time signature for a waltz. Emma thought it might help her pick up the timing and it appeared to be working. “You’re getting it! I’m so proud of you.”

  “I can’t believe it!” Sophie glanced at her feet. “That was really fun, Em. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Ladies.” Clayton pushed the parlor door open.

  “Clayton!” Emma threw herself in his arms.

  “Good afternoon, sweet.” He kissed her quickly.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “We were able to conclude our business early, so we thought we’d join you for lunch and then go riding, what do you think?”

  “Where’s Jamie?” Sophie asked.

  “He’s checking on Samson. He’d like you to meet him out there if you don’t mind.”

  Sophie left the room and Clayton pulled Emma down on the sofa next to him. She slid her arm around his waist as he pulled her close. “You look tired.”

  He forced a smile. “I’m fine.”

  “Did you sleep last night?”

  Clayton took a deep breath. “A little.”

  Emma sat up. “What’s going on, Clayton?”

  “What do you mean?”

  She stood and faced him with a frown. “Clayton Madden, I am not an idiot. Neither is my sister. We know something’s going on, and I’d like you to tell me what it is.”

  He leaned on his knees and ran his hands through his hair. “I cannot discuss it.”

  “The horses are ready if you are,” Jamie interrupted their conversation when he strolled into the room.

  Emma raised an eyebrow. “I thought you wanted to eat.”

  Jamie shook his head. “Samson’s freaking out, so we need to ride now. If you want to wait, I’ll take Sophie alone.”

  Emma sighed. “No, it’s fine. I’ll change.” She made her way to the stairs.

  Clayton nodded toward Jamie. “We’ll meet you outside in a few minutes.”

  Jamie nodded. “Okay.”

  Clayton jogged up the stairs and let himself into their sitting room. As soon as he closed the door, he pulled her into his arms. Emma pushed away. “Don’t. I’m mad at you.”

  “If I could tell you, I would.”

  “Don’t you think it would be safer for me to know, so that I can be aware of my surroundings?”

  “The less you know, sweetheart, the better.” He leaned down and kissed her. “All you need to be aware of is me.”

  With a wicked grin, she slid her hand under the waistband of his trousers. “I’m already aware of you.”

  Clayton groaned. “I won’t be able to concentrate now.”

  “All you have to worry about is staying on your horse.”

  Clayton chuckled and kissed her again. Emma removed her hoops and pulled her breeches on under her skirts. “Ready?”

  Clayton and Emma joined Jamie and Sophie at the carriage house. Sophie was already on Samson and three other horses were tacked up and ready to go. Clayton assisted Emma onto her horse and then the men mounted and they took off for their ride.

  “I thought I would take you to the capitol building and the White House,” Clayton said.

  “Sounds good,” Jamie said.

  Emma could tell that Sophie had to work double time to keep Samson from bolting. He pranced and sidestepped, anxious to run.

  “Ten-Cow, are you okay?”

  “Yes, he’s just antsy today. He wants to run.” Sophie bent down to pat his neck and croon to him.

  Clayton nodded toward the north end. “There’s an open strip ahead where we can let them go a bit.”

  Jamie frowned. “I don’t know.”

  “Jamie, Samson needs to run. If you want to get on and ride him, feel free, but it needs to happen,” Sophie snapped.

  “Sophie.”

  “What? Your concern is starting to piss me off! I can ride better than any of you, and I’m on a horse that I have a bonded trust with. Nothing is going to happen.”

  “Fine, but a short run.”

  “Thank you, oh great and wise husband.” She dug her heels in and let Samson fly.

  “I hate it when she does that.” Jamie took off after her.

  “See ya,” Emma said to Clayton, and followed.

  “Emma!” Clayton hollered, but had no choice other than to pursue them.

  They ended up running almost all the way to the White House. Sophie slowed Samson to a walk and patted his neck as she cooled him down. Jamie glared at her as he shook his head slowly.

  “Whatever, Jamie. Look at him. He’s totally calm now. And…” Sophie checked herself over, “…what’s this? No injuries anywhere on my body? It’s a miracle!”

  “Sarcasm was never pretty on you, Sophie.”

  Despite the tension between the Fords, they spent another hour on a tour of the city. Emma was in love. It was much more modern than Harrisburg and even though it wasn’t 2017, it suited her a little bit more than the wide-open spaces of Pennsylvania.

  Clayton flanked Emma as they made their way back to the house. “Other than a small reception tomorrow night, we have no other commitments for the weekend.”

  “Does that mean we can explore the city more?”

  Clayton nodded. “If you like.”

  She smiled over at him. “I really just want you all to myself for a few hours.”

  “Ditto,” he whispered.

  They arrived home just in time for dinner.

  “I’m starved.” Emma removed her gloves and cloak. “I say we eat now and change later.”

  Clayton handed his coat and hat to Walter. “I think that’s a great idea.”

  Emma followed him into the dining room and took her seat. Sophie sat across from her, while Jamie and Clayton sat at each end.

  Emma accepted a glass of wine from Clayton and took a sip. “Where is the dinner tomorrow night?”

  “At Christopher’s parents’ home.”

  “In Maryland?”

  “Yes.” Clayton poured two glasses of whiskey. “Gwendolyn lives there with their parents and younger brother. It will be a small affair.”

  Emma raised an eyebrow. “How far is it?”

  “Not far.”

  Sophie laid her napkin in her lap. “Will we have time to ride tomorrow?”

  Clayton nodded. “You can probably ride Samson to their home, if you like. It will take several hours, but we’ll be able to stay overnight and come back at our leisure. The other option is to take the train to Camden Station and ride from there.”

  Jamie shook his head. “I’ll take Samson out tomorrow and we’ll leave him behind this time.”

  Sophie dropped her fork. “W
hat? Why?”

  “We’ll discuss it later, Sophie.”

  “I’m tired.” Sophie rose to her feet. “I’m going to bed.”

  She stomped from the room.

  Emma turned to Jamie. “Why are you being such a jerk? Just tell her already.”

  “Emma,” Clayton broke in.

  “Don’t ‘Emma’ me. He’s being an ass.”

  “Sweetheart,” Clayton warned.

  “No!” Emma turned back to Jamie. “Jamie, come on. She has more chance of being hit by a meteor than being hurt by Samson. You were never like this at home. We rode everywhere, without your permission. You know how independent she is, why are you trying to take that away from her?”

  “Emma, this is none of your concern,” Clayton said.

  “Step off, Clayton. I’m not some quiet little Victorian bride raised to never speak her mind or stand up to you big strong men. Get used to it quickly or our marriage will be miserable.”

  “Emma.”

  “Forget it.” She threw her napkin on the table and pushed her chair back with a scrape. “Feel free to sit here alone and beat your chests for each other. I’m going to bed.”

  Instead of going to her room, she went to Sophie’s. She wasn’t there. She went straight out to the carriage house and found her in Samson’s stall. Emma leaned over the door. “I thought you might be here.”

  “I feel like I’m in jail, Em. He’s driving me crazy.” Sophie stroked Samson’s nose.

  “Clayton’s not much better. He wants a quiet mousy wife who never makes waves. I’m sure they’re in the dining room discussing the best way to ‘handle’ us.”

  Sophie dropped her forehead onto Samson’s neck. “Maybe we should have just stayed home.” Samson nickered quietly. “I know, boy.”

  All of a sudden, they heard a yell and Emma stepped out of the carriage house to see Jamie in a frantic run towards her.

  “Where’s Sophie?” he snapped.

  Emma pointed inside. “In there. What’s wrong?”

  He rushed into the carriage house and Sophie leaned her head outside of Samson’s stall. Jamie grabbed her arm. “You said you were going to bed. I went to our room to bring you a tray and you weren’t there. What the hell were you thinking?”

  Sophie shrugged out of his grip. “I was thinking I’d like to visit my horse.”