by Regina Scott
“You will not be sleeping on the sofa,” Charles informed her. “Meredith and I refitted the attic. Our room is there. You will be sleeping in the master bedchamber.”
That was a concession. “You needn’t have done that, Charles,” she said. “I only came to visit. Simon will be expecting me home.”
Meredith frowned. “Why, when you clearly cost him the land he cared so much about?”
Nora stared at her. Meredith had seldom read the paper back in Lowell. Had Charles seen the odious complaint against Simon and then told her?
As if sensing an argument coming, Charles stepped between them. “Now, then, we shouldn’t quarrel. We’re expecting company for dinner.”
Meredith’s face lit, and she clasped her hands together. “Yes, of course! That delightful young Mr. Pomantier from the bank.” She sobered as she turned to Nora. “You likely remember his father, dear.”
Certainly she remembered her father’s elderly banker. It sounded as if the son had taken over.
“I remember Mr. Pomantier,” Nora said. “But why has his son come all the way West? Is the bank moving to Seattle?”
“No, no,” Charles assured her. “He had dealings in San Francisco and made the trip north to consult with me. It’s all a matter of business. Nothing that need concern you.”
“No indeed,” Meredith agreed. “In fact, he can be a bit intimidating, dear, so I’m sure no one will mind if you let me and your brother do all the talking.”
“Capital idea,” Charles proclaimed. “In the meantime, come see your room.”
She allowed Charles and Meredith to lead her to the main bedchamber, which looked considerably different. The wide bed had been replaced with a smaller one, and the coverings and curtains were now made from a dainty red chintz.
She wandered in, touched the tortoiseshell brush on the dressing table, the ivory combs waiting for her hair. What a shame they’d gone to such trouble, for she had no intention of using the room beyond tonight.
“Very nice,” she told the two of them.
Charles and Meredith had been watching her avidly, as if eager for her approval. Now Meredith let out a breath.
“Oh, good,” her sister-in-law said. “Then you’ll stay.”
“Only for tonight,” Nora insisted.
Meredith’s look leaped to Charles. “Will that be sufficient to satisfy Mr. Pomantier?”
Her brother frowned as if considering the matter.
Nora glanced between them. “Satisfy? Charles, what is all this about?”
Meredith fluttered her fingers before her face as if feeling faint. “Why must you question your brother after all he’s done for you? Is one dinner too much to ask?”
Nora refused to let the guilt catch hold of her this time. “What is going on? Why is it so important that Mr. Pomantier meet me?”
Charles sighed. “I had hoped to spare you this, Nora. It is a matter of Father’s last wishes.”
“Father’s wishes?” Nora shook her head. “Father has been dead for eight years.”
“But he impressed upon me the importance of caring for you,” Charles insisted. “He had grave concerns about your future, so he left money in trust for you.”
Nora frowned. “In trust? His solicitor said nothing to me.”
“Well, of course he wouldn’t have,” Meredith scolded. “You are your brother’s ward.”
Nora glanced between them again. “Father left me money, and you were managing it?”
She must have sounded skeptical, for Meredith drew herself up. “Your brother managed it brilliantly. It’s not his fault that wretched war wreaked havoc with the stock exchange.”
“So you lost it,” Nora said with a sigh.
Charles took a step back, but he didn’t deny it. “I fear you will remain dependent on me even after you reach your majority, Nora. Mr. Pomantier of the bank wants to confirm we are treating you well. Just smile and be pleasant, and then you can go about your business.”
Meredith took a step closer, her eyes narrowing. “But give him the impression you are unhappy with us, and I can promise you will never leave this house again.”
Nora started forward, but Charles pulled Meredith out the door and shut it. Nora heard a lock snap into place. She ran to the door, pulled on the handle. “Charles! Let me out this minute!”
“It will all be fine, Nora,” her brother said through the panel. “Just play your part, and you will be free to go back to your wild mountain man in a few days.”
A few days? Simon didn’t have that long.
She turned and glanced around, her gaze lighting on the curtains. She rushed to the window and yanked the pretty material aside to find a wrought-iron screen like lace covering the glass. She would never be able to force her way through that.
Lord, please help me!
The prayer came easily, guilt free. She’d always believed the Lord looked out for her. She knew now why she had hesitated to bring her concerns to Him before. Charles and Meredith had made her feel worthless. Simon and his family had made her see the lie in those feelings. Now she could only pray for wisdom to thwart her brother.
But had she found her courage too late?
Chapter Twenty-Two
The sun had long set by the time Simon reached Seattle. Leaving Fleet in James’s care, Simon had stopped at the cabin only long enough to collect his and Nora’s marriage certificate. John had insisted on coming with him while James explained the situation to the rest of the family. Now John took charge of the oxen while Simon climbed the hill to the Underhills’ home.
The house was ablaze with lights as he approached the front porch. Count on Nora’s brother to make a show, not bothering to consider frugality or practicality. But Charles was a minor inconvenience next to the anticipation of seeing Nora. Simon couldn’t wait to talk to her, take her in his arms and confess his feelings. All he wanted was to see her smile, hear her say she did indeed return his love.
He was a little surprised when an older woman in a tailored black dress answered his knock.
“Mr. Underhill is entertaining,” she informed Simon. “He cannot be disturbed. Come back tomorrow.”
Simon refused. He’d go mad waiting.
“If you tell Nora her husband is here, I’m sure she’ll want to see me,” he told the woman, who he assumed must be a new housekeeper.
She put her long nose in the air. “Miss Underhill has no husband. Be gone with you, fellow, before I send for the sheriff.” She shut the door in Simon’s face.
No husband? Simon’s stomach sank. Had John got it wrong? Had Nora decided against Simon? Had he made her wait too long?
No, he refused to give up. He stepped back from the door and glanced through the window overlooking the porch. The Underhills had yet to shutter the glass, and he had a clear view through the parlor to the dining room beyond. Charles sat at the head of a table that sparkled with crystal and silver; his wife perched at his right.
For a moment, he didn’t see Nora, then the gentleman on the left side of the table leaned back, and Simon spotted her at her brother’s left, still gowned in the dress she’d been wearing that morning, the spring green one in which she’d married him. The newcomer, a dark-haired man in a fancy suit, was speaking intently to her, and Nora was smiling as she answered. It all looked very proper except for one thing.
Charles’s shoulders were hunched, and Meredith kept fidgeting in her chair. What was going on?
Simon strode back, grabbed the handle and pushed the door open. The woman must have assumed he’d heed her warning, for she hadn’t set the lock against him. Simon walked into the house.
He could hear the guest now, speaking in a pleasant voice.
“I had hoped to meet you sooner, Miss Underhill. My father served as your father’s banker f
or some years before passing the account on to me. He was most concerned about you and made me promise on his deathbed that I would make sure your father’s wishes had been honored.”
Simon eased around the entry and peered into the dining room in time to see Charles shift forward on his chair.
“As you can see, Mr. Pomantier, Nora is well cared for, just as our father intended,” he insisted. “She remains under my protection. There was no need for you to travel all the way from San Francisco to check on her.”
“Or to suspend our monthly stipend,” Meredith put in. “It is difficult to see to Nora’s needs when funds are low.”
“And nothing is more important to me than my sister,” Charles said, laying a hand on Nora’s. Though his touch seemed kind, the look he leveled at Nora promised retribution if she should gainsay him.
Simon tensed, waiting to see how she would respond.
Nora pulled away. “That is not at all the case, Mr. Pomantier.” Her quiet voice rang with conviction. “Even now, my brother is attempting to silence me and hide me from the world. I won’t stand for it another minute.”
Neither would Simon.
“And that is why she offered to wed a stranger at Christmas to escape his domination,” Simon said, moving into the room.
Nora’s head snapped up. Her smile to Simon lit the room. Whatever her brother had planned, Simon knew he and Nora would triumph.
Charles surged to his feet. “Who are you, sir? How did you get into my home?”
The woman who had told Simon to leave came through the door to what must be the kitchen. “I’m so sorry, sir,” she said to Charles. “I told him to leave. He claims to be married to your sister.”
“Rubbish,” Charles said, but Simon could see sweat beading on his noble forehead. “Nora, you know I have always been the only one who cared for you. I took you in when you had nowhere to go, gave you a home. Tell Mr. Pomantier that you have no husband.”
Nora glanced at Simon. Once again her brother had reminded her of the debt she felt she owed. Would she have the strength to gainsay him at last?
“No, Charles,” she said. “That would be a lie. I gave Simon Wallin my hand in marriage nearly a month ago, and I’ve given him my heart every day since.”
Joy leaped up inside Simon, and he took a step closer, ignoring the outcry from Charles and Meredith. “To my shame, I found it harder to give my heart, Nora. I suppose I had grown used to everyone arguing with me, being the cynic in the family. But from the first, you treated me with admiration and kindness, which is far more than I deserved. I want only to be a good husband to you.”
Nora rose, her gaze on his. “But, Simon, are you sure you didn’t come to this conclusion to protect the land?”
“No!” Meredith scrambled to her feet before Simon could answer. “Don’t you see? He’s after your dowry! Why else would he marry you?”
Simon met Nora’s gaze. “Because she is good and kind. Because she makes me believe that love and laughter are possible, every day of my life. You see, I love my love with an N. Her name is Nora, she is a needleworker and she is all I will ever need.”
With a cry, Nora ran around the table and threw herself into his arms.
Simon cradled her close, pressed kisses against her upturned face. Laughter rose inside him, mingled with her precious giggles. He would love and honor her all the days of his life. He would never let her go.
* * *
Nora cuddled against Simon, her heart so full she could scarcely speak. He loved her! She could see it in his tender smile, feel it in his gentle touch. This was what she’d longed for all her life. This was where she belonged, at his side and in his heart.
“It’s a joke!” Meredith shrieked from the table. “It’s a lie! Look at her! No one would marry her. She needs us to take care of her.”
Nora turned in Simon’s arms, determination blazing inside her like a torch. “No, Meredith. I don’t need you. I will always be grateful you and Charles gave me a home, but my place now is with Simon.”
Mr. Pomantier rose. “Miss Underhill— That is, Mrs. Wallin, you seem to be laboring under a misperception.” He glanced at Charles. “And I begin to suspect why.”
Charles bristled. “Now, see here, my good man...”
Mr. Pomantier ignored him, turning his gaze to Nora once more. “The fact of the matter is that your brother had no choice but to take you in. Your father’s will makes it a condition of his inheritance. Further, your father set aside a portion of his estate to be kept in trust until your twenty-fifth birthday, longer if you do not marry. You were to be given a monthly allowance for your upkeep until that time. The amount was paid to your brother. Am I right to assume you have seen none of it?”
Nora stared at Charles. “Not one penny.”
Charles shriveled.
“Ah.” Mr. Pomantier straightened. “It appears my father was right to bring this situation to my attention. I called at the house in Lowell some months ago now but was told you were unavailable. The next time I called, the house was empty, and a neighbor said your family had moved to Seattle. A letter requesting the forwarding of your allowance arrived shortly thereafter. It seems your brother felt it necessary to hide his omissions.”
Charles adjusted his bow tie. “I sought only to care for my sister. I will say no more on the matter.”
“Just as well,” Mr. Pomantier said. “With your permission, Mrs. Wallin, I will draw up the papers to have the allowance sent directly to you instead of your brother. And of course, you will have the entire fortune at your disposal at your next birthday when you turn five and twenty.”
“But she is my responsibility,” Charles protested, albeit weakly.
Nora held up her hand to silence her brother. “How much money are we discussing, Mr. Pomantier?”
He named a figure. If she hadn’t been standing in Simon’s arms, she would likely have fallen over.
“And I may spend that however I like?” she asked.
Mr. Pomantier smiled. “It is entirely at your discretion, yes. Once you reach your majority, of course.”
Nora cocked her head. “Does my brother have a similar amount?”
The banker’s face hardened. “I regret to report that, though your brother’s portion was significantly larger, he has already spent the lot.”
“Of course he has!” Meredith exclaimed. “Do you think living in society comes cheaply, sir? We have a reputation to maintain. And to be held responsible for such a nonentity. Is it any wonder I encouraged her to leave?”
“That’s enough, Meredith,” Charles murmured.
“Quite enough, Mr. Underhill,” Mr. Pomantier said. “By all rights, I could have you brought up on charges of fraud.”
Charles cringed.
How very sad. They simply had no concept of family. But Nora did.
“Mr. Pomantier,” she said, “I will not press charges against my brother. Please arrange the paperwork so that he and his wife receive an allowance each month from my share of the estate, but—” she held up a hand as her brother brightened “—they must learn to live within their means.”
Meredith slumped.
“And,” Nora concluded, “if they cause me or anyone associated with me the least bit of trouble, they are to be cut off without a cent.”
Charles blanched, but Mr. Pomantier nodded. “I’ll start on it tonight, Mrs. Wallin.”
“I plan to travel to Olympia tomorrow,” Nora told him with a look toward Simon, “but I’ll be back on the twenty-eighth. For now, we have a land claim to save.”
* * *
They left for Olympia at eight the next morning. John had stayed at the livery stable with the oxen, and Nora and Simon had stayed with Maddie and Michael, each taking one of Maddie’s siblings’ beds while Ciara and Aiden camped under the
dining table. Maddie had made them all a hearty breakfast and sent Simon and Nora off with cinnamon rolls wrapped in paper for later.
“So my father thought of me, after all,” Nora mused aloud to Simon as they stood at the rail of the lumber schooner. On either side, the mountains rose beyond the blue-gray waters and the clouds crowded close. “He provided for me even if he put Charles in charge. I can’t believe Charles lied to me all those years.”
“I can,” Simon said darkly.
Nora rubbed a hand along his arm. “It doesn’t matter now. Mr. Pomantier will make the arrangements. And when I have my fortune, I am buying Thomas Rankin new clothes and picking out the perfect material to make you and your brothers new suits.”
“Of course you will,” Simon said. “You always think of others. Have you nothing you want for yourself?”
With him beside her, her wants were few. She grinned at him. “A sewing machine. And a new hat, something in purple, I think, with roses. Meredith can wear that awful black one.”
She laughed as he shook his head with a smile.
“All we have to do now is convince the registrar we deserve those acres,” she reminded him.
Simon wrapped his arms about her. “That doesn’t matter either. I meant what I said last night, Nora. I love you. With you beside me, I know we will succeed.”
“Whatever happened to my cynical husband?” Nora marveled. “The one who saw problems everywhere?”
“He realized what was truly important,” he said, resting his head against hers. “And what was worth the risk.”
So had she. Nora did not leave his embrace until they docked at the capital.
The registrar eyed them when Simon stated the reason they had come. Then he pushed his hair out of his eyes and pulled out his record book.
“We had a formal complaint lodged by a Charles Underhill,” he told them. “He said you had fabricated a marriage for the purposes of filing a land claim.”
“Charles Underhill is my brother,” Nora explained. “He was perpetrating his own fraud, and he needed it on record that I had never married. He is the one lying.” She handed the registrar the marriage certificate that Simon had brought with him from Wallin Landing. “As you can see, Simon and I are legally wed.”
