Emma frowned. “No sleep?”
“Not much,” she said a bit pathetically.
Emma smiled at her. “Is the bed uncomfortable?”
“I wouldn’t know... I didn’t end up in it last night.” Hannah stood and laid the book on the chair. “I’ll be fine, Em. I’m just missing my family. But since there’s nothing I can do about it, let’s just get this dressmaking thing over and done with.”
Emma helped her dress and then they made their way downstairs. Joining Clayton for a quick breakfast, they planned out their day. Sophie and a petite woman showed themselves in at ten, and Clayton excused himself to meet up with Richard and Jamie.
“Christine, this is a surprise.” Emma hugged the smaller woman.
Christine chuckled as she wrapped her arms around Emma. Strawberry-blonde hair, parted in the middle and pulled into a chignon, framed a heart-shaped face, and she had a warm smile that seemed to brighten the room.
“Is it really?” Sophie retorted.
Emma giggled. “Maybe not. Hannah, this is Christine Martin. She’s a close friend and knows our story.”
“Nice to meet you, Hannah.” Christine’s large cornflower blue eyes crinkled warmly as she smiled and folded Hannah into a hug. “Welcome.”
“Are you ready for Madame?” Sophie asked.
Hannah shrugged. “I suppose.”
Emma linked her arm with Hannah’s as they made their way to the foyer. “There’s something you need to know about Madame, but we’ll explain in the buggy.”
Once their outerwear was donned, Sophie led them outside and they climbed into Christine’s buggy.
“So?” Hannah asked as they took off.
“Do you remember that grief counselor I told you about?” Emma asked.
“The French lady?”
“Yes.”
Hannah nodded.
“Well, she’s the facilitator of the time portal.”
Hannah gasped. “Shut the front door!”
“She’ll be able to tell you why you’re here, Hannah, but I’m not certain it’ll be today if we aren’t alone,” Sophie warned.
Hannah leaned back against the seat. “Oh, she’ll tell me.”
“I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”
“Sophie, the woman will spill it all, or she’ll rue the day.”
At Christine’s shocked expression, Sophie chuckled. “Hannah’s quite adept at getting information out of people and is rarely refused, but today, she’s going to tread lightly. Right?”
Hannah snorted and Emma patted her knee. “Yes, Sophie, our little sister is going to tread lightly.”
They made their way to the dressmaker’s and spent the next two hours getting Hannah measured for new gowns. Madame was absent, so her assistants took care of everything, ordering undergarments and breeches for Hannah, and a few new things for Sophie now that her belly was starting to pop a bit more.
“Where’s Madame?” Hannah asked, unable to keep the irritation from her voice.
Sophie sighed. “She’s not here. Her assistant said she’ll return tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry, Hannah, we’ll get answers,” Emma added.
Hannah rolled her shoulders in an effort to relax and then climbed into the buggy to head back to Christine’s parents’ house. Hannah wondered how she’d missed the glorious house they were pulling up in front of. The brick Federal style manor appeared very Paul Revere, especially with the cobblestone porch housing two large white doors bidding entrance. The Maddens’ home was similar, but did not match the opulence of the Wades' home.
Before the carriage rolled to a stop, the front doors opened and a woman, who looked remarkably like Christine, only older, rushed onto the porch, with a large dark-skinned woman close behind her. Hannah raised an eyebrow in question.
Emma chuckled. “That’s Christine’s sister.”
She didn’t go into further detail, and then the carriage door was opened and the women were assisted down by the driver. Sophie climbed out first and Hannah watched Nona pull her in for a motherly hug. “Sophie! Oh, how I have missed you, dear. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to greet you before today.”
“Nonsense, Nona. We understood.” Sophie pulled out of Nona’s arms but kept an arm around the older woman’s shoulders as she turned to face Hannah. “We had a wonderful surprise visit from Hannah Nelson while in D.C. Hannah, this is Mrs. Wade.”
Nona pulled Hannah in for a hug. Unaccustomed to such physical warmth, Hannah tried not to stiffen.
“It’s wonderful to meet you, Miss Nelson. Will you be staying with Emma?”
“Yes ma’am.”
Nona smiled. “Wonderful. Well, if you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Wade.”
“Nona, please.”
“Thank you. Please call me Hannah.” Once introductions were finished, Sophie linked her arm with Nona’s and pulled her away.
Emma grabbed Hannah’s hand. “Let me show you the ballroom.”
The girls walked through the foyer and down a long hallway. Hannah wasn’t expecting the house to be so deep, and it seemed as though they walked a mile to get to their destination. The hallway fanned open to reveal another foyer of sorts, and Hannah did a three-sixty trying to take it all in.
Marble tile, alternating black and white, covered the floor. A wide stairway hugged the west wall and led to a U-shaped balcony jutting out from the upper landing. Two large doors on the opposite side of the stairway and well over eight feet tall, beckoned Hannah into the secret they held. Emma opened the doors and Hannah followed her across the threshold. For several minutes, she stood in stunned silence.
The room was exquisitely decorated. The woodwork ornate, but not overly so, complemented the light blues and golds on the walls. Alcoves had been built strategically around the room in order to provide a modicum of privacy. Still open to the ballroom, but with heavy velvet draping that could be pulled closed, Hannah could imagine herself pulling Christopher inside one for several seconds of make-out time.
Her fingers went to her lips as she gasped. “Wow.”
When she looked up, her gaze met six crystal chandeliers, placed evenly along the ceiling, holding what looked like a hundred candles each.
“I know. It’s gorgeous, isn’t it?” Emma swung herself around, like a little girl twirling in a field.
“Yes! How long do we have to wait to dance?”
Emma giggled. “Let’s ask Sophie.”
“Ask me what?”
They turned to find her walking into the room with Christine.
“When can we dance?” Hannah virtually jumped up and down in anticipation.
“Well, no one is arriving until this evening and then you know, the house will be packed. Maybe you can do something today before everyone gets here. Christine could play for you.”
“I’d be happy to,” Christine said.
Hannah clasped her hands together like an excited little girl. “Come on, Emma, you know you want to.”
“I know, but Clayton will freak.”
“No one’s here, Em,” Sophie pointed out. “You told him you wouldn’t dance when people were around. Now is your only chance to do that in this room.”
“Okay, let’s do it!” Emma said. “We’ll run home and get our stuff. Sophie will you help Christine with music?”
“Of course.”
Hannah followed Emma next door and they changed into their leotards, pulled their clothes over the top, and made their way back next door. The girls spent the next hour dancing, only stopping when Sophie made them aware of the time.
“We should probably get changed, Han-Han. Chris and his family will be here in a couple of hours,” Emma said.
“Okay.” Hannah’s stomach fluttered at the thought.
Oh, hello, elephants. What’s it been? Five minutes?
“Why don’t you take a quick bath here and then get back into what you were wearing? No point in going home when y
ou’re eating here anyway,” Sophie said.
“Yes, that’s a good idea.”
Sophie grinned. “I’ll have Betty get baths ready.”
Sophie set Emma up in one of the rooms and put Hannah in the room next to it. By the time Hannah got undressed, she was shivering and looking forward to a warm bath. She climbed in and sighed her appreciation. A knock sounded on the door. “Who is it?” she called.
“Sophie.”
“Come in.”
“Are you ready?” Sophie asked. “Clayton’s home, so we’ll be eating soon.”
“Where’s Em?” Sophie chuckled and Hannah held her hand up. “Never mind, I don’t want to know.”
Sophie helped Hannah into her corset and skirts, and then the two of them made their way down to the parlor. Jamie, Richard, and Nona were already partaking in a pre-dinner drink when the girls arrived.
“Sophie!” An older man exclaimed as he approached her. “It’s so nice to have you home.”
Sophie kissed him on the cheek. “It’s good to be home, Michael. May I introduce you to a close friend? She’s really the third Wellington sister, truth be told. This is Hannah Nelson.”
Michael Wade was tall with dark blond hair, slightly graying at the temples, and a quick smile. He shook Hannah’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“It’s nice to meet you too.”
Clayton and Emma joined the group a few minutes later.
“The Butler Family,” Daniel announced.
Hannah’s heart raced as she watched Christopher walk in the door with his family. He wore dark trousers, a crisp white shirt, and a dinner jacket that seemed to have been painted onto his body. It fit him perfectly, and he carried another bouquet of flowers. There was an addition to the group that Hannah could only assume was the baby brother, Jacob. He was tall and handsome like Christopher, but Hannah didn’t think he looked eighteen. He was very self-assured, which made him look much older.
Hannah watched as Christopher waited through the necessary introductions and then made a beeline for her. “Good evening, beautiful,” he whispered, kissing her hand.
She beamed up at him. “Good evening, Sir Knight.”
He handed her the daisies. “I missed you.”
“You did not.”
“I did,” he said earnestly.
She smiled, unable to help herself. “Thank you for the flowers.”
“Hannah! It’s good to see you.” Gwen came over for a hug. “Let me introduce my brother, Jacob. Jake, this is Hannah.”
Jacob took her hand and kissed it. “It’s nice to meet you, Miss Nelson.”
“Please, call me Hannah.”
“Miss Nelson will be entirely appropriate,” Christopher cut in.
“Marking our territory are we, big brother?” Jake joked.
Hannah blushed.
“Ignore my brothers.” Gwen pulled a young woman forward. “This is Charity Short.”
Petite, with sandy blonde hair and gray eyes, Charity smiled brightly at Hannah. Pulled in a hundred different directions as people mingled and conversed, Hannah was separated from Christopher and didn’t get a chance to talk with him again throughout dinner. They stole several glances over the next two hours, but didn’t get to touch. By the end of the meal, Hannah’s nerves settled at the surface of her skin. Overwhelmed and smothered, her lack of sleep was catching up to her, and she just wanted to curl up in a ball and be left alone.
Emma sat next to her on the couch and squeezed her hand. “You look exhausted, Han-Han.”
Hannah slumped further into the couch. “I am. I feel quite shattered actually.”
“Why don’t we make it an early night? We could even walk home if Clay wants to stay.”
Hannah nodded. “I’d love that.”
“Okay, let me talk to him.” Emma left to find her husband and Hannah drank her port.
Emma returned a few minutes later and held her hand out to Hannah. “Clayton and Chris are going to walk us home and then come back.”
Hannah let out a grateful sigh and rose to her feet. “Sounds perfect.”
They made their way to the foyer, where the guys waited with their warm outerwear.
“Ready?” Clayton asked.
“Yes,” the girls said in unison.
Christopher took Hannah’s arm and folded it into his. “Tired?”
“Exhausted.” She leaned into him.
“It’s a good thing I’m here now, so that you’ll sleep.”
She chuckled quietly. “Yes, Sir Knight. It is.”
“Would you like to ride tomorrow?”
Yawning, Hannah looked up at him. “I don’t know.”
He smiled. “You have to start some time.”
“You’re probably right.” Hannah nodded. “Yes, tomorrow will be fine.”
He chuckled. “You’ll do well, I know you will.”
She glanced up at him. “You have more faith in my ability than I do.”
“No, I have faith in my ability to teach you.”
Hannah yawned again, mid-smile, and Christopher squeezed her hand. The couples returned home and Clayton walked Emma to their bedroom. Left alone in the foyer, Christopher kissed Hannah deeply and she was grateful for the privacy.
Christopher stroked her cheek. “I have missed that the most.”
“Not my witty banter?”
He laughed and kissed her again. “I love the witty banter, but kissing you is divine.”
“You are a charmer,” she said sarcastically. “Oh, thank you for the daisies... the ones you sent and the ones you brought tonight.”
“My pleasure. I’m glad they arrived.”
Hannah nodded. “They’re brightening up my room as we speak.”
“Good.” He smiled down at her. “Try to rest and we’ll do some riding in the morning before our Thanksgiving celebration.”
“All right.” Hannah couldn’t stop another yawn. “I’m sorry I’m so blah. I’m just tired. I really am looking forward to riding. My mind is just on overload right now.”
“I know that, sweetheart. Get some sleep.”
Hannah walked into her bedroom and found Emma laying a nightgown on the bed.
She turned and smiled. “Let’s get that gown off you, Han.”
“Let me get these shoes off first.” Once she’d slid out of her slippers, she presented her back and smiled. “I love that there’s a fireplace in here. It makes the room so cozy.”
“I know, it’s so romantic.”
“Romance is a bit lost on me without a husband.”
Emma pulled her laces loose. “I don’t think you’re going to have to wait long.”
Hannah gasped over her shoulder. “Be serious, Em. I’ve known the man less than a week.”
Emma nodded toward the daisies. “And you have fallen in love with him.”
“I have not.” Hannah tried to ignore Emma as she undid the front of her corset and slipped it off.
“Have too.” Emma turned so Hannah could unlace her.
Hannah gave a harder than necessary tug on one of the laces. “Have not.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes, really!”
Emma snorted. “Liar.”
Hannah dropped her head back. “Fine! But he hasn’t fallen in love with me.”
“Of course he has.”
“You are so full of crap.” Hannah pushed at her shoulder. “Christopher Butler does not strike me as the type to fall in love quickly. Actually, he doesn’t strike me as the type to fall in love, period.”
Emma laughed. “Perhaps not, but it doesn’t change the fact that you are both head over heels, regardless of whether or not you’ll admit it.” At Hannah’s scowl, Emma held her hands up. “I’m just sayin’.”
“Whatever!”
“I’ll see you in the morning, best friend of mine,” Emma said smartly.
“Yeah, yeah.”
Hannah blew out the candles and climbed into bed.
CHRISTOPHER WAS CLIMBING
the stairs on his way to his room when he heard Hannah scream. Rushing to her room, he pushed the door open and made his way to the bed. Tears streamed down her face as she mumbled incoherently. Sitting on the edge of the mattress, he wiped her tears away with his thumb. “Hannah? Wake up. It’s just a dream.”
She whimpered and pushed him away.
“What’s going on?” Emma whispered from the doorway, Clayton behind her.
“I think it’s a bad dream.” Christopher turned back to Hannah. “Hannah, wake up.”
Hannah’s eyes fluttered open and widened. She sat up, threw her arms around Christopher’s neck, and started to sob. He wrapped his arms around her waist and stroked her back. “Oh no, precious girl. That bad?”
She nodded in the hollow of his shoulder. “Someone kept shooting you, and you were calling for me and I kept screaming, but you couldn’t hear me.”
He held her until she calmed and then handed her his handkerchief. He wasn’t ready to stop holding her just yet, so kept his arms around her. “Better?”
Hannah sighed. “Yes, I’m fine now.”
“How often do you have nightmares?”
“A few times a week, probably.”
He pulled her close and stroked her back. “Well, you’re obviously overtired. Why don’t you lie down?”
“I can’t go back to sleep now.” She pushed her covers away. “I’ll just read or something.”
He tightened his grip. “Hannah, I’m not going to argue. Lie down, please.”
“I’m fine.”
“Lie down.” The growl in his voice broached no argument.
She raised an eyebrow. “Uptight much?”
“Hannah.”
“Fine.” She rolled onto her side and was surprised when Christopher stretched out beside her. “What are you doing?”
Wrapping an arm around her body, he pulled her to his chest. “Go to sleep.”
“Sir Knight to my rescue.” She sighed and promptly fell asleep.
Christopher waited for over an hour before he climbed out of her bed. He was beyond tired, but he was worried about her and chose to sleep in the chair by her fire. He knew it was going to be a very long night.
* * *
Hannah woke the next morning, surprised to feel rested. She didn’t have the dream again and didn’t wake up until well past nine o’clock. She realized she was probably late to meet Christopher for riding and jumped out of bed. Poking her head into the hallway to see if anyone was about, she found Gwen.
The Bride Spy (Civil War Brides Book 3) Page 12
