The Bride Found

by Piper Davenport

  “My proposal. I want you to finally agree to marry me. If I have witnesses, it will be harder for you to say no.”

  Sophie grinned. “Put the poor man out of his misery, Teeny.”

  Christine narrowed her eyes into a glare which elicited a laugh from Stephen. “Yes, Teeny. Put me out of my misery.”

  “I would love to.” Christine huffed. “I’m just not certain my definition is the same as yours.”

  “Let me clarify. You marry me and we’ll sort the rest out later.”

  Sophie rushed forward. “She accepts.”

  “Sophie!”

  “Christine, if I have to force you into an arranged marriage, I will.”

  Stephen smiled and leaned down to kiss Christine’s cheek. “Whatever works.”

  Christine’s response was cut off by Jamie and Clayton entering the room carrying trays of sandwiches. Clayton raised an eyebrow in question. “Dr. Paxton?”

  Stephen stepped forward, his hand out in greeting. “Mr. Madden. Sorry to drop in on you like this.”

  “Not at all.” Clayton set his tray down and shook his hand. “Can I offer you a drink or something to eat?”

  Stephen nodded. “That would be most appreciated.”

  “I’ll make you a plate,” Emma offered.

  “Thank you.”

  Clayton indicated for him to sit next to the fire and handed him a glass of whiskey. “Where are you staying?”

  “I haven’t thought that far. I thought I would get a room over at the Willard.”

  Emma handed him a plate. “That seems like a waste of time and money. You should stay here. We have plenty of room.”

  “Yes, Stephen, you are welcome to stay,” Clayton said.

  “Thank you, that’s very generous.” Stephen smiled and glanced at Christine in question.

  Christine sighed. “Yes, it’s fine with me.”

  Stephen tipped his drink toward her. “I’m leaving tomorrow and I’m taking you with me.”

  Christine smirked. “We’ll see.”

  Jamie cleared his throat. “Well, let’s eat. I’m starving.”

  * * *

  The next morning, the group met up for breakfast. Discussions naturally turned to their upcoming travel plans to Gettysburg.

  “What time do we need to leave on Wednesday?” Sophie asked.

  “We’ll take the noon train.” Clayton sipped his coffee. “Christopher is escorting the President later that day, but he’ll try to meet up with us for dinner at the hotel.”

  Emma raised an eyebrow. “Won’t Christopher be staying at the hotel?”

  “No. The President is staying in a private home, so he’ll stay to protect him, but he hopes to meet us for dinner.”

  “Is Gwen going to join us?”

  “Not this time, sweet.”

  Emma frowned. “Why not?”

  “Her parents have other plans for her over the next few weeks, so she’ll be very busy,” Clayton explained. “She and her parents, however, will travel with us at Thanksgiving.”

  Emma sighed. “She’ll be disappointed she won’t get to experience this.”

  “There will be other things for her to experience.”

  Sophie waved her fork dismissively. “Not quite like this, Clayton.”

  Stephen glanced at his pocket watch. “We should really think about getting to the train station.”

  “Stephen, we have nearly two hours.” Christine dabbed her lip with her napkin. “Plenty of time to enjoy breakfast.”

  “You’re already bossing me around.” He grinned. “That’s a good sign.”

  Christine rolled her eyes.

  “Will you both make it for the speech?” Sophie asked.

  “Yes, we’ll be there. We’ll join you for dinner on Thursday as well if you like,” Stephen assured them.

  Emma took a sip of orange juice. “How long does it take to get from Harrisburg to Gettysburg?”

  “The train is a little over an hour.”

  “I didn’t realize it was that close.” Emma winked at Sophie. “Modern travel is a marvel.”

  Sophie smiled. “Yes, it is. Which means you must visit me often when we go home.”

  “I will. Don’t worry.”

  Jamie and Clayton veered the conversation to horses and war. Before Emma knew it, almost an hour had passed.

  Stephen rose from the table and stood behind Christine. “We really should get to the station.”

  Christine sighed. “Yes, I suppose you’re right.”

  Clayton stood and ushered everyone to the foyer. “Jack’s going to drive you.”

  “Thank you, Clayton.” Stephen held Christine’s coat open for her. “I appreciate the hospitality.”

  Christine slid her arms into the warmth and sighed. “Thank you for everything, Sophie.”

  Sophie hugged her. “I’ll see you in a few days.”

  Christine slipped her gloves on with a nod. “Yes, you will.”

  Sophie grinned. “Safe journey, my friend. Be nice to Stephen.”

  Christine laughed. “I’m always nice to Stephen.”

  Jamie and Clayton bid them farewell and then made their way back to Clayton’s office. Christine hugged Emma and then followed Stephen outside. Emma and Sophie stood in the street and watched the carriage roll away from them. Sophie sighed and followed Emma back inside. “I’m going to drag my husband out for a ride.”

  Emma grinned. “Good idea.”

  The girls entered Clayton’s office and Sophie made her request. Once the couple left, Emma sat across from Clayton and settled her chin in her hand. “I think I’m going to take a nap.”

  He glanced up. “That’s a good idea, sweet. I have to meet with Christopher again to finalize a few things.”

  “Oh,” she said disappointedly.

  “What’s amiss?”

  She stood and slid around to his side of the desk. “I thought perhaps we could nap together.”

  Clayton gathered various papers and set them in a pile. “I have no time for sleep, sweetheart,” he said distractedly.

  She swiveled his chair and leaned down to kiss him. “Are you sure?”

  “Are you trying to sidetrack me, Mrs. Madden?”

  She slipped her hand inside his shirt. “What do you think?”

  He kissed her deeply and broke it with a groan. “I’ll try and make the meeting quick.”

  “Don’t try, baby. Do.” She gave him one more kiss before he left.

  * * *

  Wednesday arrived with great anticipation. Emma could barely sit still on the train and when they finally pulled into the station, she jumped up almost as quickly as Sophie. Clayton grasped her arm and pulled her against him. “Emma, wait for me, sweet.”

  He led the group out onto the platform and the men left the ladies to collect the bags.

  Sophie linked her arm with Emma’s. “I’m so excited, I can barely breathe.”

  Emma giggled. “It might be the corset.”

  Sophie raised an eyebrow without comment. Clayton and Jamie returned with a porter, and after letting him know where they were staying, Clayton took Emma’s hand and led everyone to a carriage.

  “Would y’all like a tour?” Clayton asked as he assisted Emma inside.

  Sophie nodded. “Yes, please.”

  Jamie took Sophie’s hand and she climbed inside next to Emma. Once she was settled, the men sat across from them. Clayton gave instructions to the driver and they took off through town.

  Emma squeezed her sister’s hand. “Maybe your Civil War isn’t so boring.”

  Sophie grinned. “I told you so.”

  Emma leaned her head out of the carriage and tried to take in as much as she could. Before she knew it, the driver had pulled up in front of the Gettysburg Hotel and set the brake. Emma frowned at Clayton. “That’s it?”

  Clayton chuckled and jumped down from the carriage. “The President won’t arrive until late this evening, so we’ll have time to explore after we check in.”


  Emma clapped her hands and let Clayton lift her down. “Yay.”

  Jamie climbed down and held out his hand for Sophie. She bent down and stepped through the door. “Tomorrow, I don’t necessarily want to follow the parade route. I’d like to get to the town cemetery so that I can see everything.”

  “I thought he spoke at the new National Cemetery?” Emma’s eyes widened. “Isn’t that the whole point?”

  Sophie nodded. “You’d think, but nope, it will be at the town cemetery.”

  Emma smirked. “Well, if anyone would know, you would.”

  Sophie smiled.

  Once they checked in, Clayton led the group on an in-depth exploration of the city of Gettysburg, ending their tour at the battle site. Sophie stood in the middle of the field in between her sister and her husband, and squeezed their hands.

  “A little different, isn’t it?” Jamie observed.

  Sophie nodded. “I can’t believe it’s only been four months since the battle. It’s so surreal to me. It doesn’t look much different than… you know.”

  They took a slight detour to visit the cemeteries and then made their way back to the hotel for dinner. The train with the President and Christopher on it still had not arrived, so they decided not to wait to eat.

  They enjoyed a meal which began with oyster soup, followed by lamb chops with fresh vegetables and potatoes, and finished off with southern sweet bread.

  Dessert was homemade bread pudding with fresh cream. They lingered over the sweetness and coffee before going back to their rooms. Just as they took their final sip of coffee, Christopher walked through the door of the restaurant. Followed closely by Gwen.

  Emma gave a little squeal and jumped up to hug her. “What are you doing here? I thought your parents made you stay home?”

  Gwen giggled. “I pouted and stomped my foot long enough for them to let me come.”

  “You did not!”

  “No, you’re right, I didn’t. I simply explained that this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to hear the President speak, and I made Christopher back me up on the argument. He is occasionally good for something.”

  Christopher chuckled. “You’re entirely too logical at times, Gwennie.”

  “Come and have some dessert,” Emma said and they both sat at the table.

  Christopher turned to Clayton, a look of concern on his face. “We have a small problem.”

  “What’s that?” Clayton asked.

  “The hotel is booked solid. No room for Gwen. I’m staying with the President and hadn’t planned on staying here.”

  “We have a huge suite, she can stay with us,” Emma offered.

  “Yes, that’s fine,” Clayton said, although he didn’t sound like it was fine.

  When Gwen and Christopher were done with their desserts, Emma pulled Clayton aside. “I’m sorry. I just jumped in.”

  “It’s all right. I had other plans for us tonight that required us to take our clothing off. That won’t be appropriate now.”

  Emma scrunched up her nose. “No, I don’t suppose it would be appropriate. Bummer.”

  Clayton took her hand and kissed her palm. “We’ll make up for it tomorrow night.”

  Emma heard Sophie gasp and turned to see the President walking through the door. Christopher rushed to greet him and Clayton followed. The three moved toward their small group.

  Emma grabbed Sophie’s hand. “Are you ready to meet the President, Sophie?”

  “No.” Sophie grimaced and leaned over to Jamie. “I think I’m going to pee.”

  Jamie chuckled quietly as he pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her palm. “You’ll be fine. I promise.”

  “I hope so.” Sophie took a deep breath.

  Jamie smiled gently “You’re overreacting, just a tad, don’t you think?”

  “Oh, really? How do you think you would feel if you got to meet Bono?”

  He raised his eyebrows at her.

  “Exactly. You’d have to pee too.”

  Clayton introduced the President to Jamie and then Emma. “May I present my wife, Emma? Emma, the President.”

  “It’s an honor to meet you, Mr. President.” Emma smiled and before Clayton could say anything, Emma pulled Sophie forward. “This is my sister, Sophie.”

  Sophie shook visibly as the President took her dainty hand in his very large one and bowed to her. His smile lit up the room and Emma could tell that Sophie was immediately smitten with him.

  After several minutes of conversation, the President lifted Sophie’s hand to his lips with a grin. “Pressing matters must take me from your presence, I’m afraid. It has been a pleasure meeting you, Mrs. Ford. I hope that when you are in town, you will join me and my family for dinner.”

  Sophie blushed. “I would be honored, Mr. President.”

  Christopher cleared his throat. “We must get back, sir.”

  The President patted Sophie’s hand. “Yes. Of course.”

  Christopher escorted the President out of the dining room and Clayton grinned at his wife. Emma sat next to Sophie at the table. “Are you okay, Soph?”

  “No, I want to throw up.”

  “Better aim for your reticule,” Emma retorted.

  Sophie let out a quiet snort in an effort not to laugh. Jamie held his hand out to her. “I think we should turn in. We have a long day tomorrow.”

  Sophie nodded and took his hand.

  Jamie narrowed his eyes at Clayton. “Do not wake us before ten, unless it’s an emergency. Got it?”

  Clayton laughed. “Nine a.m., got it.”

  Jamie scowled.

  “Come on, grumpy.” Sophie squeezed his hand. “We’ll give you an attitude adjustment.”

  Clayton turned to Emma and Gwen. “Shall we retire?”

  At the girls’ agreement, he led them up to their suite. Stepping into their sitting room, Clayton pointed to the bedroom. “I’ll sleep on the sofa and you two can sleep in the bed.”

  “Are you certain, Clayton?” Gwen asked.

  “Yes, of course.”

  She smiled. “Thank you.”

  Emma gave him an apologetic smile. “I’ll grab you a pillow.”

  The girls stepped into the bedroom. Emma returned with a blanket and a pillow and dropped them onto the sofa. She wove her hands around Clayton’s neck. He kissed her nose. “I’m going to miss you tonight.”

  “I’ll make it up to you tomorrow, I promise.”

  He chuckled. “Yes, you will.”

  After his more thorough kiss, Emma went into the bedroom and Gwen helped her off with her corset and vice versa. They climbed into bed and Gwen fell asleep immediately. Emma didn’t have as much luck. She tossed and turned for over an hour before giving up and climbing out of the bed. She quietly opened the bedroom door and slid into the sitting room.

  “Emma?” Clayton whispered.

  “Hi.”

  He sat up. “Is everything all right?”

  “I can’t sleep.”

  Clayton held his hand out to her. “Come here.”

  She grasped his hand and he pulled her down on top of him. He drew the blanket over both of them and she settled her head on his shoulder.

  “Better?”

  “Much,” she whispered and yawned as she snuggled against his warmth.

  “Sweet, you need to stop wiggling,” he said with a groan. “You’re driving me to distraction.”

  “Oh, really?” Emma slid her hand down his chest.

  “Emma.”

  “I wish we were naked.”

  Clayton chuckled. “Ditto, sweet. Now, lie still and try to sleep.”

  “Kiss me first.” He did and she broke it with a sigh. “You’re killing me.”

  “Who invited Gwen?” he whispered.

  “Touché.”

  EMMA WOKE UP the next morning and raised her head slowly to find Clayton staring at her. “How long have you been awake?”

  “About an hour,” he said.

  She ran a finger down his cheek. “W
hy didn’t you wake me?”

  “Because you needed to sleep.”

  “What time is it?”

  Clayton glanced at the clock on the wall. “It’s eight o’clock.”

  Emma rolled off him and tried her best not to elbow or kick him. The sofa just wasn’t quite big enough for the both of them.

  “You really can sleep anywhere can’t you?” he joked.

  “Apparently so. Of course, you are very comfortable to sleep on.”

  He smiled and kissed her. “I’m happy I could be your mattress for the night.”

  “I’m hungry, are you?”

  “Yes. Why don’t you wake Gwen and get dressed and we’ll go downstairs. We won’t wake Jamie and Sophie until later. Although, I’m a little tempted to do it now.”

  “That’s because you’re an evil man.”

  He chuckled. She went into the bedroom and woke Gwen. They dressed quickly and joined Clayton to walk down for breakfast. Christopher joined them just before they ordered and the small group enjoyed a simple meal. Emma was surprised to see Jamie and Sophie walk into the restaurant at nine.

  “I was certain he said ten. Didn’t he say ten, Emma?” Clayton joked.

  “Oh was it ten? I thought he said eleven.”

  “Nice. Keep going, you’re both very funny,” Jamie said sarcastically.

  “Join us for breakfast, won’t you?” Clayton mocked.

  “Yes, I believe I will. Thank you.”

  Jamie ate quickly and then it was time for the guys to work. He leaned down and kissed Sophie’s cheek and whispered, “Don’t get into any trouble, love. We’ll meet you here in a few hours.”

  “Trouble? What kind of trouble could we possibly get into? Other than to spend your money.”

  Clayton kissed Emma’s palm and raised an eyebrow. “Stick to a budget, sweetheart.”

  “Yes, dear.”

  Once the men were gone, the girls decided to have another cup of coffee before they did anything else. “What time was Christine planning on arriving?” Emma asked Sophie.

  “She was expecting to be here by eleven. They said they’d meet us for lunch and then we’ll all go to the cemetery.”

  “Shall we shop?” Gwen suggested.

  “Yes,” both the girls said in unison.

  They set off for a few of the boutiques near the square and purchased more than might have seemed possible in their limited amount of time. The girls arrived back at the hotel just before eleven and found Stephen and Christine waiting in the lobby.