Wilhelmina, A Winter Bride (Brides for All Seasons Book 1)

by Hildie McQueen

  When he came to lie next to her, she froze, panicked at knowing any moment now, he’d mount her. And the part of him she’d thought much too large to fit, in any form, would be driven into her body.

  Wilhelmina let out an involuntary yelp when Marcus leaned over her. His chuckle made her scowl up at him. “No need to make fun of me. I don’t think it’s very gentlemanly of you to do so.”

  “You’re scared of what is about to happen. I apologize.” Sounding not at all apologetic, he pressed a kiss on her lips. “Relax, I will go slow and give you time.”

  His touch was soft, the press of his body against hers ever so perfect. He deepened the next kiss and she found herself not wanting him to stop.

  Instead of pushing away as she’d hoped not to do, she clung to his shoulders, never wishing their closeness to end.

  Minutes later, the room and everything in the surroundings disappeared as Wilhelmina became lost in the caresses and sounds of their lovemaking.

  At one point, she wished him to move faster, to take her fully and end the fervent need boiling inside. At the same time, she expected it would be a painful union of their bodies the first time.

  The piercing did, in fact, hurt. But she was so lost in him, so needing of whatever it was that eluded her, that Wilhelmina’s pushed past it.

  Marcus took her to heights she’d never thought existed to the point the pain was forgotten.

  Mouth over hers, he swallowed her exclamations, ensuring the others in the household did not hear.

  When Marcus’ movements hastened, all rhythm lost, Wilhelmina, too, lost control and dug her nails into his back. Marcus shuddered in what she assumed was the culmination of lovemaking for a man. When he lay spent over her, Wilhelmina slid her palms up and down his back.

  The sounds of their heavy breathing were the last things Wilhelmina heard. Unable to stay awake any longer, her head on her husband’s chest, she fell into a deep sleep.

  Morning came too soon. Wilhelmina stretched like a cat in the sun and instantly realized she was in bed alone. She’d hoped to greet the family alongside Marcus, but it seemed he’d risen early by the lack of warmth on his side of the bed.

  She was mortified at facing the family, as they’d, no doubt, know what exactly had transpired between her and her husband. Wilhelmina remained a bit longer, unsure what the day would bring.

  “Did you sleep well?” Eleanor’s question was, of course, laden with mischief. The twinkle in her eyes since he’d entered the room made Marcus roll his own.

  He gave his sister a droll look only to gain a pointed one in return. “Yes, thank you for asking.”

  His mother was absent from breakfast again and his chest constricted at her attending family meals less and less often. Tight lines around his father’s mouth made him hesitate to ask how she fared. Instead, he’d ask Eleanor once they were alone.

  Tobias reached for a biscuit, his eyes trained on Marcus. “When are you moving into your house?”

  As much as Marcus wanted to live with Wilhelmina and start their new life, a part of him dreaded not being around his mother in what could prove to be her last days. Over the last few months, she’d become weaker and had aged until barely recognizable. There was no doubt in his mind she was in a great deal of pain, going from one day to the next in a fog from high doses of laudanum and opium his father procured for her.

  “Next week. We need to get settled before winter fully sets in.” His mind instantly went to spending long, cold nights and days with Wilhelmina. She’d surprised him by her passionate acceptance of their lovemaking.

  Although tentative at first, he’d not had to hold back. His lips curved only to gain him a cough from Eleanor who looked past him to the doorway.

  He stood along with his father and brother as Wilhelmina made her way to the table. “Good morning. I apologize for my lateness.”

  “No need, of course,” Eleanor replied. “I’ll get your breakfast.”

  “Please, allow me. I can do it.” His bride avoided looking at anyone. When Tobias grinned widely, Marcus kicked him under the table.

  When his brother yelped in pain, Eleanor laughed. “That’s what you get.”

  When Wilhelmina and Eleanor returned and sat, there was an awkward silence.

  Marcus leaned forward and kissed her cheek. “I’m sure Eleanor will have plenty for you to do here today.”

  His wife looked to Eleanor. “I have so much to learn.”

  Everyone ate in silence. Finally, Marcus had to ask. “Pa, how is Mother doing today?”

  Jacob Hamilton was the strongest man Marcus knew. At only forty-seven, he seemed too young to be his father. The fact his mother and father married at only sixteen made him wonder how they’d been so fortunate to find true love at such a tender age.

  His father’s eyes, identical to his, lifted only to look back to the plate. “She’s not well at all. I plan to ask Evan Jones to come and check on her.”

  “I’ll go fetch him,” James, Eleanor’s husband, volunteered. “I’d like to see what’s new over at Clover Ranch.” He referred to his own family, which consisted of several siblings and two quite austere parents. Marcus often wondered if the reason James rarely showed any emotion was due to his upbringing.

  His sister’s wedding had been devoid of more than stilted conversation and no music whatsoever as James’ mother insisted it would be sinful.

  Marcus had laughed at how often his sister sang while cooking. James always looked on with the closest he could come to a smile and warmth in his gaze. It always assured him to know how much James loved Eleanor.

  The large man stood. “Is there anything else anyone would like me to get?”

  Wilhelmina looked to Marcus before speaking. “If I may ask,” she said in a quiet voice. “I have two letters to mail.”

  “Of course,” James replied with a nod. “Anyone else?”

  Eleanor smiled at her husband. “Pick me up some peppermint and tea.”

  Once James left, Tobias and Jacob followed suit.

  Eleanor, not seeming in any hurry to leave the table, lifted her cup of tea and sipped. She looked toward the hallway and then to him. “Mother is not well at all. I think we should prepare ourselves.” Her whisper was hoarse with emotion. “She’s refused to eat for three days now. I haven’t told Pa about it. I have tried to get her to drink some broth, but that is all she will have.”

  The tightness in his chest brought moisture to his eyes and he closed them tightly. “Evan will help. He is a good doctor.”

  “What, exactly, ails your mother?” Wilhelmina asked, covering his hand with hers. “Is there anything I can do?”

  “We don’t exactly know,” Eleanor said. “It started as aches and pains, then her stomach constantly cramped. At first we tried all sorts of tonics hoping it would pass, but she got progressively worse. So we called for Dr. Jones to examine her.” Eleanor stopped talking, too choked up.

  The warmth of her hand strengthened Marcus. “It’s stomach cancer.”

  “Oh no,” Wilhelmina replied after a soft gasp. “That is horrible. She must be in great pain.” She pushed her barely eaten breakfast away. “I will go find some herbs and make some tonic that will sooth her stomach. Will you accompany me?” She looked to Eleanor.

  “No, Marcus can go with you. I will see about cleaning up. Thank you for doing this. Anything that helps her feel better is appreciated.”

  Marcus gave his sister a grateful nod when Wilhelmina reached for her cup of tea and Eleanor responded with a saucy wink.

  Although the air was brisk and the breeze quite strong, it didn’t cool Wilhelmina’s heated face. She’d not wanted time alone with Marcus just yet. She wasn’t prepared for any kind of normal conversation, as her heart couldn’t seem to settle in his presence. Yet, thankfully, he acted as if he’d not noticed.

  He pointed to a crop of trees in the near distance. “Over there is where my mother and sister used to always harvest herbs and such. There was a garden beside
the house, but with all the housework and such, Eleanor hasn’t the time to keep it up.”

  “I’ll need a basket or something to carry them in.” Wilhelmina spoke without meeting his gaze.

  When he left, she touched both hands to her face and, sure enough, it was warm. “Darn it,” she said out loud, grateful for the cool air.

  Once he returned, they walked to the trees. Marcus, seeming in a good mood, hummed.

  He turned to her with a smile. “I used play hide and seek here with my brother and sister when we were kids. We often left Tobias for last until he’d give himself away by crying.”

  “That was quite cruel, poor little boy.”

  “I agree, it was. However, that poor little boy was quite a handful, constantly in trouble. He once escaped through the window when mother sent him to bed without supper. He then crawled through the front door hoping to make it to the kitchen.”

  “Did he?” Wilhelmina asked, giggling.

  “Almost, but Eleanor caught sight of him and threw her shoe at him.” Marcus chuckled, showcasing deep dimples Wilhelmina had only caught glimpses of. Her husband was very attractive and she was grateful for it.

  “Pa grabbed him by the scruff of his shirt and held him up but Ma couldn’t stop laughing long enough to scold him.”

  The story told of a close-knit family. Marcus had a good upbringing, unlike hers. Once her mother died, things had changed drastically.

  When they reached a shaded area, she scanned the ground for pepper root. Unsure it grew there in Montana, she’d not thought to ask Eleanor.

  Marcus crouched down and plucked a young plant and held it up. “Do you have any siblings? Is this something herbal?”

  It was hard not to smile at his attempt to pass a weed off as something useful. “I have one stepsister. You shouldn’t pluck plants from the ground unless we will use them.”

  He stared at the weed. “You feel bad for this plant? Maybe we should use it for something.”

  “It’s a dandelion. And yes, parts of it are edible, but you’d need quite a bit to make anything.”

  Looking her in the eye, he tossed it over his shoulder.

  Wilhelmina lifted a brow. “I would say Tobias was not the only naughty boy in the family.”

  They continued to walk, the discussions going from their pasts to the current weather and what to expect in the coming months. Wilhelmina laughed when Marcus attempted to climb a tree to show her how easy it was only to fail before reaching the first branch.

  Heart warm, she realized they were comfortable around one another. No matter how intimate they’d been the night before, her husband ensured she was not left adrift with her feelings.

  She was lucky, indeed, and very grateful for him.

  “Marcus, thank you for sending for me. I hope I don’t disappoint you with my lack of knowledge of homemaking.”

  When he neared and wrapped his arms around her, Wilhelmina couldn’t suppress a smile.

  “I’m sure you won’t.”

  Chapter Ten

  Wilhelmina cut potatoes while watching how Eleanor dusted chicken with flour. The woman had a no-nonsense way around the kitchen, remaining on task, her brows pinched in concentration. “Now you do the rest of it.”

  It was simple to follow directions. She completed the tasks Eleanor set her to in between jotting notes in a journal she’d brought. To think, the book she’d planned to write thoughts in was now going to be her instruction manual for household duties.

  At suppertime, Wilhelmina smiled broadly, her chest bursting with pride when placing the finished meal in the center of the table.

  “It smells great,” Marcus told her and she could only flush and look to Eleanor.

  “Your sister did the hard part. She taught me how to make the roasted potatoes. She cooked most of the chicken and made the bread.”

  Once again, the matriarch of the family was absent from the dinner meal as well as James.

  Wilhelmina looked to Marcus’ father noting his somber demeanor. “How is Mrs. Hamilton?”

  Jacob Hamilton shook his head. “Not well. I’m hoping James arrives soon with Doctor Jones. Something has to be done.”

  “I’ll check on her,” Eleanor said and got up from the table, leaving the four remaining people to eat in silence. Although she noted exchanges of glances between the men, Wilhelmina didn’t see fit to comment. It was obvious everyone was worried about their mother.

  An hour later, James returned with a sandy-haired, elegant man holding a medicine bag. Evan Jones, the doctor, was much younger than Wilhelmina expected. He appeared to be, perhaps, barely thirty. He removed his hat and nodded in her direction.

  Jacob went to the doctor and they spoke in low tones while Tobias and Marcus remained seated, but quiet. When the doctor and Jacob went toward the back, Wilhelmina looked to Marcus. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “No.” He shook his head with a grim expression. “Why don’t you get ready for bed? There isn’t much more to be done today. Once Evan finishes examining Mother, he will probably have something to eat and spend the night here. Tobias and I will see about it.”

  Too tired to argue, Wilhelmina prepared for bed and waited for Marcus to join her. She wondered about the repercussions if the doctor pronounced the ill woman would not live much longer.

  Although her own mother died when she was young, the pain of losing her returned full force at times.

  For Marcus, it would undoubtedly be as hard to accept and deal with.

  Through the bedroom window, she spotted James taking horses toward the stables. The sun had dipped below the horizon, elongating the shadows that stretched across the earth.

  The view would never tire her. How very different Montana was from Philadelphia. Everything from vegetation to the landscape did not resemble anything she’d seen before. There were mountains in Pennsylvania, but in Montana, they seemed majestic, grander in a way.

  Absently, she wondered what her family did at the moment. Slept, probably, as it was later in the east. They thought she’d left to go to Virginia. Instead, she’d boarded the train and debarked at the next station where she transferred to a train headed west. She’d left a note with the Lady Price, asking it be delivered to her father two days after she’d left.

  It was probable her stepmother and stepsister were not sorry Wilhelmina had not gone to Virginia. The farther she was, with her scandalous reputation, the better for them is what they’d think.

  Although her father would be sad at her decision, they’d distract him by stating how she’d done the most impulsive, irresponsible thing and they should concentrate on keeping it a secret from their society circles.

  The two letters she’d sent with James to town were to Aurora and Lady Price. She informed them about marrying Marcus. She’d not asked either to keep it a secret and, hopefully, they wouldn’t. It would serve her stepsister right to find out she’d married a handsome man.

  The door opened and she turned. Her husband entered and sat down to remove his shoes. He seemed deep in thought. “Evan is still with Ma. He’s drinking coffee and waiting to see how the treatment he administered is working.”

  “Would you like some hot water? I can fetch it.” When she reached the doorway, he took her arm.

  “I’ve decided we’ll remain here through the winter months. I can’t move away right now.” Marcus looked at her then away. “We can move in the spring.”

  “I understand what you must be feeling, but this is a decision we should speak about. Make together.” Wilhelmina attempted to keep her temper in check.

  “It’s for the best.”

  “You are not listening to me. Why can’t we discuss it? How are we to have a good marriage if I am not to be included in any major decisions?”

  He stood to his full height, whether to intimidate her, she wasn’t sure. “This is not up for discussion. Wouldn’t you want to be with your father during his last days?”

  Both hands flat on his chest, Wilhelm
ina pushed him back. “I am not intimidated by you. How dare you question my feelings toward my father?”

  “I’ve decided we will remain. Discussion is not needed at this point.” Although he spoke softly, he lifted an eyebrow in challenge.

  There it was; the temper she’d been expecting. Wilhelmina refused to back down. “I do not agree and I will not be spoken down to by you.”

  “Why, because you’re from high society? Is that going to be your reasoning against me whenever we disagree? That I’m not worthy of you?”

  “Don’t you dare put words in my mouth.” Wilhelmina blinked back angry tears. “I did not refer in any way to my upbringing.”

  “What do you want me to say? That I will move into our house regardless of what is happening just to make you happy?” His voice rose just a bit and then his jaw clenched.

  Of course, she realized at the moment that, perhaps, her argument was without foundation as she would have agreed to remain. But the fact that he didn’t ask for her opinion would not do. If there was a lesson she’d learned from her stepmother it was to ensure, inside the home, the marriage should stand on equal footing.

  “My happiness is not the concern at the moment. What is my concern is your attitude.”

  “What?” He scowled and narrowed his eyes.

  Wilhelmina lifted her chin and pointed at his face. “There, that. Most disagreeable.”

  “I don’t…”

  Knocks sounded on the other side of the door and Marcus yanked it open.

  Eleanor looked from one to the other. “I can hear you all the way in the front room. This is not a time to be arguing. I suggest you both calm down and go to sleep. Get some rest and wait until morning to talk.”

  “I won’t be sleeping in here with him.” Wilhelmina crossed her arms.

  “Fine by me. I’ll sleep in the front room,” Marcus said and stormed from the room.

  Wilhelmina let out a huff. “I’m so sorry. I hope we didn’t disturb your mother.”