She felt a twinge of jealousy at the thought, but why should she? John didn't belong to her. At least, not in that way. “Do you have a husband or a special someone, Mary?”
“I do, ma'am. We have been together for a while now. I expect him to propose any day,” Mary blushed. “I'm sorry, ma'am. Here I am rattling on about my personal life and you wanted some coffee. I'll pour you a cup right away. Would you like it in bed?”
“I would, thank you. And please, do not apologize to me, Mary. I want to know all I can about John's staff. He seems to care about you all very much.”
“Yes, Mrs. Kingston. Mr. Kingston is a very good and generous man. He pays each of us a fair wage, even Herbert, the main cook. Sometimes he can't make it into work because of his gout. The pain is too much for him to bear. But Mr. Kingston won't fire him like other employers would. Instead, he hires the widow Watson to come in for a day or two until Herbie recovers. Ain't nothing like I ever seen, ma'am. Like I said, he's a good man. And fair. He’s a right fair man. You are a very lucky woman, Mrs. Kingston.”
“Yes, I suppose I am,” Regina admitted. Even though she and John weren't really married, she considered herself very lucky to be able to call him her friend. And knew she could always count on him too.
“You are to call me Regina, remember? And please, let the other staff members know they are to call me Regina as well.” She didn't want them to think she thought herself above them just because she was married to their boss.
“Yes, ma'am. Regina. I will pass that on. Now, if you will excuse me, I am needed downstairs. I’m sure Mr. Kingston will be returning soon.”
Mary curtsied and left the bedroom, closing the door behind her.
Regina sighed and leaned back against her soft pillows, plumped against the massive upholstered headboard. She settled the down bed covers around her with her free hand and balanced the cup of coffee in the other.
Another contented sigh escaped her lips. She had to admit, she could get used to this life with John.
John had been every inch the gentleman last night. He allowed her some privacy before he joined her in bed. When he did come to bed, he discretely doused the lamps and undressed in the dark.
She would never admit this to him, but she’d feigned sleep while she quietly watched him undress in the moonlight coming through the window. She didn't know what made her do it. She had never behaved so brazenly in the whole of her life. Maybe it was the novelty of her situation. Or, maybe it was her connection with John. Whatever it was, she did not regret that she had done it.
Memories of last night had her heart racing and her breath catching in her throat. John had an incredible body. And when he had laid down on the mattress down beside her, she could feel the warmth of his body through the bed covers. He’d worn his long underwear to bed, but slept bare-chested. He teased her that he didn't usually share his bed fully clothed, but for her, he would make an exception.
His words made her wonder whom he was referring to. Was there a woman waiting for John in the shadows? The thought made her jealous again and she allowed herself to imagine John was truly her husband. In every sense of the word.
It wasn't a huge leap to think her friendship could grow into something more. After all, she and John had been friends for years. He was clever. Kind. Generous to a fault, if his employees were to be believed, which she was sure they were. And, it didn't hurt one bit that he was handsome as the devil. Why she wouldn't mind one bit if he decided to—
“What are you thinking about, Regina? You look like the cat that swallowed the canary.”
She jumped at the unexpected sound of John's voice and spilt hot coffee all down the front of her night clothes.
“Ow!” she yelled as the hot liquid burned her skin. She tossed the coffee cup away from her and jumped out of bed, brushing at the hot liquid.
“Regina! Are you alright? Let me help you. I’m so sorry.”
John rushed to her side and began pulling the stained gown away from her body.
“Take your damn filthy hands off my daughter, you degenerate piece of filth!”
Regina turned to see her enraged father standing in the doorway of John's bedroom, followed by her shocked mother, and a very embarrassed lawman.
John pushed Regina behind him to hide her accidental near nakedness.
“How dare you enter my home uninvited. Sheriff, do you have a warrant to be here?” John demanded.
“Ummmm, well, no, I don’t. But Mr. Beckett here seems convinced that his daughter is here against her will. And as a lawman, it is my duty to—”
“I thought I made myself clear last night, Henry. Regina and I are married. A legal and binding marriage. And you sir, are embarrassing yourself, as well as my wife.
“Sheriff, if you will escort my wife's parents to the door, perhaps we can make other arrangements for a familial visit. At a more decent hour.” John’s voice carried authority. He knew his rights and could have the town council remove Sheriff Wiley from his post if he chose to. He would rather not resort to that, but he would if the man continued to jump every time Regina’s father said boo.
“Yes, Mr. Kingston. I'm sorry to have intruded on what is clearly a private moment with your new bride, but he and Mrs. Beckett convinced me their daughter was in trouble and needed my help.”
John still stood between Regina and her parents. “I understand Sheriff, but as you can see, we are in no need of a third party. Now, if you all will be so kind….He let his words hang in the tension-filled air.
The implication was clear. They did not require an audience.
John saw the sheriff hesitate. “I would be remiss in my duties if I took your word for it, Mr. Kingston. If you don’t mind, I’d like the lady to answer for herself.” The sheriff then directed his question to Regina. “Are you in distress, ma’am?”
Still hiding herself behind John, he felt her shake her head and answer. “No, Sheriff. I’m fine. My husband and I were, as he said, having a private moment. And I would appreciate it if you would all leave.”
John raised one eyebrow in question to the sheriff. He nodded and turned to Regina’s parents. “Let's go, Beckett. It's obvious that your daughter is not in distress and this was all a big mistake.” The sheriff tried to escort them out, but Henry refused to go.
“I will not! He's holding her against her will. Can't you see that, you imbecile.” Regina's father's face was mottled by his rage. This was nothing unusual for the man, but John could see Regina's mother was genuinely distressed and he felt he needed to put her worries to rest.
“Mrs. Beckett, I offer you my sincere apology for cheating you out of seeing your daughter wed. The truth of the matter is that Regina and I have been in love for quite some time and she feared she was being used as a pawn for your husband's financial dealings. We felt it was time to take a stand.”
Neither of Regina's parents denied his words, so he continued, “I assured her that, although her father was misguided in his intentions, her devoted mother would not wish her to be married to a man she didn't love. I finally convinced her that it was true, asked her to marry me, and she said yes.”
“Regina? Is this true? Do you love this man?” her mother asked.
“What difference does that make, Lila? The child is obviously delusional and incapable of making her own decisions. I told you to stop coddling her long ago, but you insisted as her mother you knew what you were doing. Apparently, you are as clueless as she is.”
Regina spoke, again from behind John’s back, “I would very much like to grab a robe. I’m covered in coffee and I’m beginning to catch a chill.” She pulled the silk duvet off the bed and wrapped it around her body to hide her nakedness underneath the coffee-soaked gown before she stepped from behind John’s protection and faced her parents along with a very embarrassed lawman.
“To answer your question, Mother, I do love John. Why else would I agree to marry him?” Regina turned to her father, but she did not leave John's side. “A
nd my dear loving father.” John could not miss the sarcasm in Regina's words, “I am certain this show of affection is most sincere, but I am a grown woman capable of making my own decisions. And choosing a mate is my decision, not yours. As you have reminded me many times, I’m way past my prime and would be lucky if anyone looked my way.
“I'm happy to report that I am very lucky indeed to have such a handsome, well-respected man look my way. I am married now, Father. To John Kingston. And, we have a marriage certificate and witnesses to prove it. I am here because I choose to be. So if you will excuse me, I'd like to get dressed.”
Regina left the room in the bulky whirl of a silk duvet and disappeared into the bathroom. John turned to his uninvited guests. “I think that should be proof enough that my wife is neither distressed nor being held against her will.”
“Yes, I think I've seen all I need to,” the sheriff said. “Mr. and Mrs. Beckett, would you please follow me? It's clear your daughter is where she wants to be, and I don't appreciate being led here under false pretenses. This is a family matter and any dispute should be settled between family members…in private. Now let's go before I decide to lock you both up for trespassing.”
“Now you see here, Sheriff—” Henry turned on the sheriff. “I'm not leaving until I get my daughter out of this den of iniquity.”
“Henry. Please stop,” her mother begged. “You are making a fool of yourself. Regina has made it clear this is where she wishes to be. Now, let's go home. This is all very upsetting for me. I had no idea she had such strong feelings for Mr. Kingston.”
John watched Regina's mother dab at her eyes with her handkerchief, then turn on her heels and lead the way out the door. The sheriff stood aside and waited for Henry to follow. Henry stabbed John with a glare of pure hatred.
“I swear, you flea-bitten street mongrel, you have not gotten the best of Henry Beckett. Just because you've managed to somehow fool the citizens of Durango, and my addled-brained daughter, doesn't mean I don't see you for what you are—a lying, low-class con artist.
“I have no idea how you convinced my daughter to go along with this plan of yours, but I can assure you she will come to her senses at some point and I'll be there to watch your downfall with great satisfaction.”
He didn't like that the man was getting a bit too close to the truth. Though not precisely as her father thought, John had, in fact, tricked Regina. And he had no doubt her father would be overjoyed to enlighten her to that fact should the opportunity present itself.
“Let's go, Beckett. You've worn out your welcome today.” The sheriff gave Regina's father a look that would brook no argument.
John watched the man struggle with his decision. He was an arrogant man, but he wasn't a stupid man. At least, not enough to go up against the experienced lawman and risk a trip to the jailhouse.
Henry gave him one last look that left no doubt the man wanted to see him burn in hell. John ignored it and Regina’s father had no choice left but to leave or experience the business end of a lawman’s gun. He spun on his feet and walked down the hallway, his footsteps hard and angry. John heard his front door slam and he let out a sigh of relief.
“Are they gone?” Regina's voice called to him from the bathing room.
“Yes. They’re gone. You can come out now. There's nothing to be afraid of,” he assured her.
“I wasn't afraid, at least not for myself. I feared if my father's ire grew any worse, he might shoot you dead.”
John laughed. “He's not stupid enough to shoot an unarmed man in front of the sheriff, now is he?”
Regina didn't answer right away. He looked at her in surprise. “You don't think too highly of your father, do you? What has he done to you over the years to make you fear him so?” John wanted to know, but then again, he didn't for fear his anger would force him to do something to the man they would both regret.
“I know my father, John. Would he shoot you in front of the lawman? Probably not. He wouldn't sully his hands. Would he hire someone to shoot you in the back? I wouldn't put it past him.”
“Then I will just have to watch my back,” He said, hoping his wide grin would ease her fears.
Regina nodded in agreement. “Yes. You will. And I suppose we’ll eventually have to produce that marriage certificate. If I know my father, he will accept nothing less as proof. Not my word, or yours, obviously. It’s a good thing your friend took such care to make our marriage look as real as possible. At the time, I thought it silly, but now…”
John watched Regina, her frown indicating something was still bothering her.
“But now, what,” he urged her to way what was on her mind.
“I think we should hold out until the last possible moment to produce the document.”
“Why, I thought you wanted to shove it under your father’s nose as soon as possible,” he teased.
“I’ll admit that was true, but now, I think the longer we keep my father guessing, the more time I’ll have to plan my escape.”
“Escape?” The word put dread in John’s gut. He pretended to find her comment amusing instead of an arrow to his heart. “Don't say that in front of your father. He'll have me hanged for kidnapping,” John attempted humor even though Regina's words emphasized her determination to leave.
He knew he had to tell her the truth, but he prayed he would be able to convince her that their lifelong friendship had blossomed into so much more.
Chapter 9
Regina bathed and dressed for her first day as a married woman. She couldn’t wait for today’s meeting of The Ladies Club of Durango. Her friends would be astonished when she told them the news. And they would absolutely swoon when they heard it was John she had married.
She smiled at herself in the vanity mirror as she put the finishing touches to her hair. How many times had John been the topic of conversation among the ladies of the club?
Her friends often gushed over John's good looks and the air of rebellion he carried about him.
Regina had to admit that she had often been impressed by his looks and charm too. He might have had a rough start, but he had made his own mark in the world and quite a mark it was.
Money, charm, and looks made John a very sought-after bachelor. Until now. She should feel bad for taking him off the market—or rather pretending to take him off the market—but a part of her was quite looking forward to impressing her friends with the fact that she managed to capture the town’s most elusive bachelor.
A twinge of jealousy took her by surprise as she thought of all the ladies who would be clamoring to take her place when their pretend marriage was over. She didn’t particularly like the feeling, but she couldn’t seem to help it. And it wouldn’t just be her friends, their mothers had also been known to make inappropriate comments about John. As soon as the word circulated around town that she had left John, any number of them would be lined up around his hotel looking to fill Regina’s shoes before her toes had a chance to get cold.
Her swirling thoughts took her back to John’s comment about last night being the first time he shared his bed with his clothes on. What exactly did he mean by that? Surely, if there was a special someone in his life, he would have told Regina about it…wouldn’t he? They were friends after all. If she were seeing someone special, she would have told him, right? Yes, of course, she would have. He was her very best friend and she shared her secrets with him. She wondered if he did the same.
She shook the thoughts away. What business was it of hers what John did or who he did it with? She would be far away from this town in pursuit of her own life. And yet, she could admit—if only to herself—she wished things could be different between her and John Kingston. Alas, that was not to be, for he had made that fact painfully clear more than once—
“Mrs. Kingston...Regina? I'm here to gather the breakfast dishes,” Mary called to her from the hallway.
Thankful for the welcomed distraction, Regina gave herself a slight shake and collected her thoughts
. “Mary, please come in. I'm almost ready to go downstairs and face the music—so to speak—but I need some help with my necklace. Would you be so kind as to help me fasten it?”
“Of course. I'd be happy to.”
Mary stepped inside the bedroom and stood behind Regina. Handing her the two ends of her necklace, Regina sat straight and bent her head slightly to give Mary access to her neck.
“Thank you for your help, Mary. I never could have done this without—” Regina heard Mary sniffle. She looked at the woman's face in the mirror. Her eyes were red and swollen as if she had been crying for quite some time.
“Mary? Is there something wrong?”
“Please don't worry yourself about me, ma’am. I'm just a fool who has made a terrible mistake,” Mary burst into tears.
Regina turned and pulled the young woman down next to her on the vanity bench. “Mary? What is it? Tell me, please. Perhaps I can help,” Regina offered.
Mary hid her face behind her hands. “No one can help me now,” she murmured through her tears.
“Oh, nonsense. What can be so bad? Tell me and we will put our heads together and figure something out. Everything will be alright, I swear it.” Regina promised, even though she had no idea what was the matter.
Mary shook her head in denial. “I fear it will never be alright again, for you see…”
She hesitated and then crumbled into a fresh round of sobs and hiccups.
Regina was at a loss. Until she knew the problem, she could do nothing to help the poor woman. “Now, now.” She rubbed Mary’s back in slow circular motions in hopes of calming her and comforting her enough so that she would feel she could share her troubles with Regina. “It can't be that bad. Just tell me. Tell me what has you so upset. Please, Mary. I want to help. Truly.”
Mary uttered another hiccup and a snuffle, then she wiped her nose and eyes with her apron. Regina remained quiet to give her time to gather her courage. Finally, Mary looked up at her, eyes swimming in tears. “I fear my beau is not the man I thought him to be. He and I…we…I thought he loved me. I let him…you know, do things that only married people should do. And now…” Mary's words drifted off as if she couldn't bear to say more.
The Debutante's Escape Page 9
