An Agent for Clementine

by Ginny Sterling

“No. I had no idea it would instruct us to marry.”

  “Then why?”

  “We are to go to Denver and find out.”

  “As husband and wife!”

  “Clementine, we are going to be married in a month. What does it matter?”

  “It matters because…,” she began and turned away from him, crossing her arms protectively against her chest. “Never mind.”

  “Tell me,” Jericho whispered, putting his hands on her shoulders. She shivered at the feel of his fingers on her skin that was exposed by the square neckline of her dress. It made her think of what marriage would entail – a wedding night. She was glad she was facing away from him so he couldn’t see her flushed face. She knew she was blushing something fierce!

  “My heart, tell me what you want out of our marriage,” he breathed against her ear. It was the first time she hadn’t detected a note of insincerity in the endearment. The feeling of his warm breath gave her goosebumps but his words irritated her to no end.

  “Quit using all these sweet words when you don’t mean them.”

  “How do you know I don’t mean them?” he asked, slowly turning her around to face him. They were standing there in the middle of the small telegraph office, with the clerk and another man nearby – yet in her mind, they were alone.

  There was no one else but Jericho. The way his eyes caressed her and captivated her own was incredible. There was no hint of amusement or deceit in them or else she might have kicked him in the shin for playing with her heart. No, there was only honesty and admiration… for her. His hands reached up to cup her chin tenderly, his thumb brushing across her cheek ever so softly.

  “Why would you think that I don’t mean it, my angel?”

  “You are always taunting me or teasing me.”

  “Because I like how fiercely you react to me.”

  “You like me angry?”

  “I like you losing that calm, cool demeanor that is for everyone else- but not for me,” he admitted in a hushed voice. She felt a moment of embarrassment for anyone watching them but then saw his expression. His eyelids closed slightly as he focused on her lips. He was going to kiss her there in the office!

  “You show me another side of you, something that sets my blood on fire.”

  “Don’t do this,” she breathed, frozen in his arms.

  “If not now, when?”

  “Never.”

  “Now.”

  “No.”

  “Oh yes,” Jericho breathed against her lips as they finally touched hers. Clementine felt like everything that was good suddenly had snapped into place around her, stunning her with the intensity of how right it felt. She hadn’t realized this was missing in her life until this very moment. His warm lips gently skimmed across hers, infinitely tender.

  Jerking away from him, Clementine felt like her whole world had been turned upside down. Nothing had been of her choosing – not her betrothal by her parents, not being stuck with Jericho after the train, nor a candidate being forced to marry. Nothing made sense except that her choices were always taken from her.

  “I’m not going to marry you,” she whispered.

  “I would never harm you.”

  “No, you’d take my choices away from me.”

  “Is that it?”

  “That’s a lot!”

  “We are to be married, whether its headed to Denver or back in Chicago a month from now. What choice are you looking to make?”

  “I want to be free to decide what I do with my life and where I go.”

  “You would be told where to go, where you are needed, as a Pinkerton Agent. It would be no different other than we are a team.”

  “I don’t want…” she flushed nervously and looked away, mortified. She was afraid of losing herself to a man that kept her constantly on edge. He had a way of getting under her skin that rankled her. Marriage meant intimacy, children, and creating a home.

  “Let’s go,” he said abruptly, releasing her.

  “Where?”

  “Somewhere we can talk alone.”

  She followed him out into the street and struggled to keep up with his long strides. Another perfect example of how they wouldn’t work together – he kept leaving her behind. He came to a stop, opening the door to a small chapel nearby. Clementine balked immediately, thinking he was forcing the marriage on her.

  “No.”

  “We aren’t marrying – it will be quiet and private since we don’t really have a place to go to. Maisie’s will be full of people unless you want to be alone with me in your hotel room for a while; the telegraph office was getting crowded, and standing on the street makes us the towns entertainment. I just want to talk, sweetheart.”

  Standing there, Clementine stared at him. Her eyes searched for any signs of fallacy from him. He hadn’t lied to her yet, but she was skittish at being cornered once again.

  “Would you rather head out of town and sit under a tree for a while? We’d still be secluded,” he offered, holding the door. “I thought this might be a safe place for you.”

  Gingerly, she stepped inside and blinked at the darkened interior. The windows were too small to let in a flood of sunlight, compared to like what was outside. The pews were empty except for a single person towards the front in prayer. She didn’t want to disturb the woman and took the pew closest to the doorway to give plenty of privacy. Jericho sat down next to her and held out his hand. Clementine slowly placed her hand in his and jumped the moment his warm fingers closed around hers.

  “Shhh. You are safe.”

  “Jericho…”

  “I wanted to talk privately so we can be honest with each other,” he began quietly. “I’m terrified of being married to someone that I don’t know or can’t get along with. That is why I joined the agency, to get away from home.”

  “Me too.”

  “I hated the idea of being shackled to a stranger for the rest of my life. Then I met this beautiful woman on my way to Denver and realized what exactly I was missing out on. I could never pursue her or court her because my life was tied to someone else – against my will. I hated that and resented my betrothed even more.”

  Clementine felt her throat getting thick with unshed tears. He understood and felt the same way she did! She’d hated the idea of being married to the mysterious Jericho Buchannan simply because she was being told to by her family. Things were out of her control and she wanted to be able to have some say in her future.

  “But then I found out that you were my betrothed,” he admitted shyly, glancing at her and then turning to look back at the pulpit. When he spoke again, she could hear the yearning and wistfulness in his voice. It nearly broke her.

  “I was to marry the woman I was falling for unintentionally, and she couldn’t bear to be near me. It seemed like the ultimate joke was being played on me by the universe- until I carried you up to your hotel room when you were sleeping. I knew then, holding you in my arms, that I would do anything to protect you from whatever demons you had… including myself.”

  “Jericho – don’t say that.”

  “I am not the man you’d choose for your own – but I would always give way to whatever you wanted simply because it would make you happy. I want to marry you. I want you as my betrothed but only if you’ll have me. If you don’t want to marry me, then I will step back and make way for you to be with whomever you’d choose.”

  She sat there silently, staring at his profile. His Adam’s apple moved along his throat as he swallowed nervously, pouring out his thoughts and innermost desires to her. He was a good man and was giving her the chance at freedom.

  “If you did marry me,” he uttered gently, staring straight ahead, but his hand grew perceptibly tighter, giving his emotions away. There was a tick in his jaw that had her mesmerized as she saw he was tense.

  “I would never force you. Someday I would want children with your beautiful auburn hair or glorious eyes that make me feel like I’m drowning in them… but if you don’t want
me, I would never press the issue. I don’t know what love is, Clementine, but I do know that I would treasure you beyond anything in this world- or the next- if you would just trust me.”

  A single hot tear spilled from her lashes as she sat there quietly. She felt so amazed by his words and thoughts, a side of him he’d kept hidden under jokes or cute little names that he called her. His words burned themselves in her heart, making her realize that if everything he said was true- she could love someone easily who made her the center of his world.

  Jericho claimed he wouldn’t hold her back, but rather simply wanted to be a part of her life. That was what she’d wanted – her freedom and adventures… but not alone. It was so much sweeter sharing those moments with someone who cared for you. She sniffled and it sounded infinitely louder in the walls of the near-empty church. His eyes snapped to her and she saw the flash of disappointment or guilt in them. It was obvious he thought he’d made her cry.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered and started to get up from the pew. As he pulled his hand from her, she grasped his wrist fiercely and pulled. He sat hard on the wooden pew back beside her with a confused look on his face.

  “You don’t leave a woman who’s crying,” she scolded gently, wiping her eyes fervently. “You offer a handkerchief or try to comfort her.”

  “I don’t have a handkerchief, beloved.”

  “Then I guess your shirt will have to do,” she whispered, staring at his loving eyes as her emotional dam broke free. She eagerly leaned into his open arms where he sat beside her and against his chest, letting all her anxious tears free from her. His arms tightened around her as he held her, his hand smoothing her hair from her face.

  “You are breaking my heart, darling. Don’t cry,” he breathed against the nape of her neck where her head lay on his chest. “I never wanted this.”

  “Well I’m certainly crying now!” a woman whaled out in a broken voice.

  Clementine sniffed and glanced up to see that the solitary person in the church was a young lady with bright orangey hair that was tucked under a scarf. She looked much too young to be in mourning as Clementine assumed, since there was a large black ribbon was tied around her upper arm.

  “I’m sorry we bothered you.”

  “No, I’m sorry I interrupted but if you don’t marry him – some other woman will snatch up a man that can love so deeply. Here,” the woman said bluntly, shoving a handkerchief towards Clementine’s head. “Nothing will bring back my husband… but you should treasure your own.”

  The woman turned around and started to head out of the church. The handkerchief in Clementine’s hand was dry as a bone and embroidered delicately with tiny blue flowers- much too fine to wipe her eyes or blow her nose.

  “Wait!”

  “I will be right back.”

  Sitting up and pulling out of Jericho’s arms, Clementine met his eyes.

  “I meant what I said,” he reminded her, picking up her hand and holding it to his lips as he pressed a soft kiss on her knuckles.

  “What we do next is always your choice. Whether it’s heading to Denver, marry me here, marry me later… or not at all. I will be here for you and support you- in everything.”

  “Yes,” she admitted, looking up at him. Her eyes were blurry with unshed tears as she finally realized that she could have the best of both worlds. The freedom she wanted, an adventure, becoming a Pinkerton agent – all with the person that would treasure her.

  The unknown woman walked back inside the chapel, dragging a minister behind her. The poor man looked to be quite stunned by how he was being pushed around by the young lady – and said so!

  “Miss! This is quite unorthodox to manhandle a man of the cloth.”

  “I told you this was important!”

  “My lunch was too!”

  “It can wait.”

  “Look Miss Gillian, I understand your nerves are frazzled and you miss hi…”

  “It’s not for me!” the woman interrupted loudly, pointing at Jericho and Clementine as they stared at the commotion in front of them. “It’s for these two! Did you agree to marry him yet?”

  “Yes,” Clementine agreed, looking at Jericho in confusion.

  He shook his head and shrugged. He looked just as bewildered as she felt watching the young woman named Gillian as she wrestled to keep the minister from returning to his lunch that was waiting for him.

  “Stop it, Pastor James!” the red-headed woman roared indignantly, stomping her foot, stunning all of them at the sight she made. You could practically see her hair crackling around her head under her scarf from the display of her temper at that moment.

  “You were in an all-fired hurry and rushed through Michael’s funeral. You rushed through everything else and you are guided by your stomach – I understand your motivation. You like to eat – well, me too! These two lovebirds are wanting to get married and if you’ll do it now? I’ll make you a pie unlike any you’ve had before. Do we have a deal?”

  “Can you put extra butter in the crust and make sure it’s flaky,” the minister whispered behind his hand.

  “Yeah, yeah,” she acknowledged rolling her eyes. “Now, take your places.” She yelled obnoxiously out of the chapel doors and another man entered as she barked orders at him. This woman named Gillian could have been a general in an army if she’d have been born a man. There was no arguing with her, just swift, blunt negotiations.

  Jericho took Clementine’s hand and pulled her to her feet. He laced his fingers with hers and she smiled at him nervously as he kissed her knuckles tenderly. The minister’s words blurred in her mind as she did something she’d once had considered unthinkable – she’d married her betrothed. She vaguely recalled saying ‘I do’ simply because Gillian clapped her hands happily behind where Jericho stood, distracting Clementine.

  “That’s it?”

  The words slipped from her mouth, amusing Gillian and Jericho to no end. She felt her cheeks heat with embarrassment as she realized what an insult it was to her new husband. She wasn’t sure what to expect, but she felt the same as she did a moment before.

  “That’s it, beloved. I hope it’s not too disappointing being my wife,” Jericho teased gently, still smiling, as he turned her chin up towards him. He leaned down and gently kissed her lips before kissing the tip of her nose.

  “Now what?”

  “We’ve a train to catch in Adair, my lovely wife. Our next stop is Denver.”

  “What’s in Denver?” Gillian asked quickly as she signed her name in the registry book, bearing witness to their wedding.

  “My wife is becoming a Pinkerton Agent,” Jericho announced proudly, wrapping his arm around Clementine’s waist. “I couldn’t be prouder of her right now – but that is because she puts up with me.”

  10

  Denver, Colorado

  Clementine was a bundle of nerves. She was pacing the office anxiously, wringing her hands. Jericho had been back in the office for nearly twenty minutes speaking with Archibald Gordon. They’d been married a little over a week now and she was still amazed at how comfortable she felt with Jericho as her husband. He was kind and considerate – a true blessing in her life.

  “Would you care for some tea, Mrs. Buchannan?”

  Mr. Gordon’s secretary was the quintessential modern woman. Her dress was perfect, every hair on her head was in place, making her look like she’d just stepped from a portrait. The woman took her seat on the settee next to her. Clementine felt almost dowdy as Marianne exuded a quiet confidence that came with security.

  “Yes, please,” Clementine croaked and cleared her throat delicately.

  “How are you getting along with your new partner,” Marianne asked softly, taking a sip of her own tea cup. “Mr. Gordon tries to pair agents in order to compliment skills or traits that each one brings to the table. Yet, he hadn’t met you and gave you a partner already. Why do you think that is?”

  “I’m not sure.”

  “Are you displeased? If
so, agents are only required to be married during their case. Once the case is over you can have your marriage annulled.”

  “What?”

  Clementine began to choke as the tea went down the wrong way. She quickly set down her teacup in a rush. Grabbing her handkerchief she’d kept from her meeting with Gillian, she covered her mouth and tried to catch her breath. She couldn’t imagine ever annulling their marriage. Surely that was not what Jericho was expecting or hoping for?

  “The agents are only married as long as their case is ongoing?” she whispered, struggling to keep from coughing again.

  “That is typically the only stipulation Mr. Gordon demands of his female agents. It’s for your safety as well as protecting the agency. He would not put you out in the field untrained. Your partner will train you on the job.”

  “How many agents have annulled their marriages?”

  “So far…” Marianne began, looking through her eyelashes at Clementine as if she was measuring her up. “None of our agents have gone through with the annulment.”

  “That’s wonderful.”

  “Mr. Gordon is extremely careful pairing up his agents- which is again why I am curious about you. How did you and Mr. Buchannan meet?”

  “Truthfully, we were betrothed as children by our families but never met each other until the derailment. He’s protected me and helped me at each turn of the way.”

  “Protection is not the only reason to remain married to someone though, is it? There are so many other reasons such as friendship, camaraderie…”

  “Love,” Clementine said softly, looking down at her hands, away from Marianne’s intelligent eyes that saw too much.

  “Do you love Mr. Buchannan?”

  “I was sincerely afraid to be married to him thinking it would rob me of my freedoms and yearning for adventure, but we’ve turned out to be quite similar in our thoughts. He’s surprised me at every turn and broken past any doubts I might have harbored.”

  “Strange. I thought I’d asked a simple question- but received quite an elaborate answer. Perhaps I misspoke? I was curious if you loved your new husband,” Marianne’s gentle voice was encouraging as she set down her teacup. Her eyes never wavered from Clementine’s as she continued speaking.