The Cold Wife

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  After the driver started the stagecoach, her father continued, “I want you to be on your best behavior tonight. Do not disgrace me and your brother by acting defiant in public. It’s one thing for you to act this way at home, but I will not tolerate such behavior in front of others.”

  “What will you do if I am defiant? Marry me off to someone I can’t stand?” she snapped.

  “You don’t even know him. How can you detest him so?”

  “The very fact that I don’t know him is exactly why I shouldn’t marry him.”

  “If you were to marry Harrison, you would end up miserable before the first year is up. You don’t have as much in common with him as you think you do. I know you think he would make you happy but you’re wrong. Marriage is more than attraction and excitement.”

  “Both of which Justin sorely lacks,” she bitterly added.

  Her father closed his eyes. She knew he was praying because his mouth was moving though she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

  “Is Mr. Monroe really an intelligent and good man?” she suddenly asked as an idea formed in her mind.

  Her father and brother seemed shocked at her question.

  “Yes,” her father said.

  “Am I going to get a chance to speak with him tonight?” she further inquired.

  “Of course. It’s only right that the engaged couple speak to one another.”

  She nodded. Then she would do just that. Perhaps she would be able to reason with Justin. Surely, he would understand why it was a bad idea for them to marry each other. Seeing as how he had as much to lose as she did in the marriage, it made sense that he would listen to her. She felt much better now that this course of action was set. Once she spoke with him, he would tell her father and his uncle that this marriage wasn’t going to happen, and she’d be free to get a job and marry someone she loved.

  “What are you planning?” Brad frowned at her.

  “I’m going to talk to him,” she replied.

  He didn’t look convinced.

  “Now Brad, don’t assume that she’s up to something,” their father admonished.

  “How am I going to get to know him if I don’t talk to him?” she asked Brad.

  “What are you going to talk to him about?” Brad wondered.

  “I believe that will be between me and my future husband.” There was no way she was going to reveal that information to him.

  “Brad, some things are private,” their father remarked. “I think it’s a good sign that she’s willing to talk to him without being forced to.”

  Though her brother kept quiet, she could tell that he didn’t trust her. She didn’t like the fact that her brother knew her so well. She decided she would find a way to avoid him during the evening, which wasn’t so hard to do considering he usually took center stage while she hovered in the background and watched others around her. Except, tonight she would be of particular interest to the people there since she was the fiancée of the host.

  When they arrived at his two-story home, she groaned. A lot of people were there. Everyone would know of the engagement after tonight. The hot Virginia August air seemed to push down on her, making it hard for her to breathe. She suddenly felt like a caged animal. She could only hope Justin was as reasonable as her father and brother claimed.

  She had never seen his house before. It was in a neighborhood with similar two-story houses, and it was just as immaculate and beautiful as the rest of them. It was light blue and there was a light blue picket fence to match it. A sidewalk led to the front door. The lawn was a beautiful shade of medium green, and two large oak trees decorated the front yard. Obviously, someone in Justin’s position had to maintain an impressive home. And I just happen to be another addition to his impressive house, she bitterly thought.

  “You’ll enjoy living here,” her father assured her. “This is one of the nicest homes in Virginia. It has six bedrooms, three bathrooms, two parlors, an entertainment room, a large kitchen and dining room, a basement, and a large veranda out back that overlooks a good-sized lawn. He has a butler, two cooks, a maid, and a stagecoach driver. He plans to hire another stagecoach driver so Franklin can be at your beck and call. He is generous and will provide you with everything you wish.”

  She hoped that included a way out of the marriage.

  She followed her father and brother out of the stagecoach and into the house. If his house had looked impressive on the outside, it was not nearly as gorgeous as the inside. There were three benches in the hallway. Two benches were on the left and one was on the right. Some guests were seated on the benches. The entertainment room was to the immediate left, and she could see the large circular room where half the guests danced to the music that the live orchestra was playing. There was a staircase on her right that led to the top floor. The hallway on the main floor led to a parlor on the left and the right. The hallway ended at a door that led to a large dining room. The dining room had french doors that led to the veranda where some people stood around and spoke to each other. There were several round tables and chairs on the veranda too.

  Justin Monroe stood by the french doors talking to one of the chefs. He motioned to the dining table. He wasn’t a bad looking man. He was clean shaven with medium wavy brown hair and green eyes. He was 5'8" and slender. He maintained himself with an air of confidence that made him appealing. He seemed very secure with himself. He didn’t need a wife to make him look good. Surely, he would see that this marriage wasn’t necessary.

  She took a deep breath as she scanned the people around her. She recognized most of them. She noticed that Harrison wasn’t there. She wasn’t surprised.

  “Julie Muse and Mary Duff are here,” Brad whispered to her.

  She looked to where he motioned and saw her two closest friends in the corner of the entertainment room. They sat on one of the sofas. She and her friends usually sat to the side at these dinner parties and kept mostly to themselves. It was Brad and his friends who dominated the room.

  “Good evening,” Justin’s butler greeted them. “My name is Geoffrey Crow. I look forward to serving you in the future, Miss Allen. Mr. Monroe is eager to speak with you.”

  I hope you won’t have to serve me after tonight. She smiled, said thank you, and followed her father and brother further into the house.

  “Will you follow me?” Geoffrey asked.

  She sighed. Did she have a choice? From the look on her father’s and brother’s faces, she knew that the answer to that question was a resounding no. She reluctantly let the butler lead her to Justin who was still talking with the chef. She noted that he wore a dark blue suit. If he wore black, we would match.

  As the butler left, she glanced back at her father who nodded encouragingly to her. Her brother was already talking to some of his friends in the entertainment room.

  “Jim put salt instead of sugar into the pies,” the chef complained to Justin. “So the dessert is ruined.”

  “Is there anything else in the kitchen we can use for dessert?” Justin wondered.

  “We might have enough ingredients for ice cream.”

  “Go ahead and make that then.”

  “Sir, I don’t wish to be disrespectful, but is it wise to keep Jim on the payroll?”

  Justin took a moment before answering the head chef. “Louis, I understand your frustrations but Jim hasn’t even been here for three days. He has no experience and is a bit clumsy but he does have a lot of motivation and hasn’t repeated one of his mistakes.”

  “The wedding will be a disaster if you let him prepare anything.”

  “Perhaps we should have him set out the dishes.”

  “He has a tendency to break them.”

  “Then have him set out napkins and utensils.”

  Louis grumbled but nodded and returned to the kitchen.

  Carrie noticed that the backyard was lit up with torches, and there were tables and chairs set up for the guests who wished to eat outside. The dining room table was meant to seat
twenty people, and there were more than twenty people at the house. It only made sense that allowances were made for the extra people.

  Justin turned his attention to her and smiled. “Miss Allen, it’s a pleasure to see you,” he warmly greeted. “You look lovely this evening.”

  They didn’t even know each other well enough to be on a first name basis. What was her father thinking in arranging this marriage? She could only hope that Justin would listen to reason.

  “Mr. Monroe,” she began, “there is an important matter that we must discuss.”

  He seemed concerned by her words. “What is it?”

  “Sir,” a maid called out as she ran up to him. “Forgive me for interrupting, ma’am,” she quickly told Carrie. Turning back to Justin, she continued, “Mr. Hunter and Mr. Leroy are arguing. They are disrupting some of the guests.”

  He frowned. “I’ll be right there.”

  The maid nodded and ran off to take care of another matter.

  “I’m sorry, Miss Allen. Mr. Hunter and Mr. Leroy don’t get along but I had to invite both of them. Can we discuss whatever is on your mind after dinner?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she reluctantly agreed.

  “Thank you.”

  She rolled her eyes as he ran to one of the parlors where the two men were shouting. She noticed that several guests had stopped talking to stare at the argument. She passed by the parlor, aware that Justin was calmly talking to the two men, and walked into the entertainment room where she saw her friends still sitting on the couch.

  “Good evening, Julie and Mary,” she greeted as she sat in the chair across from them.

  “Good evening, Carrie.” Mary smiled at her. “We had no idea you were entertaining romantic thoughts for Mr. Monroe.”

  “I’m not. My father and his uncle arranged this marriage.”

  “Really? Why?” Julie asked.

  “You promise not to tell anyone?” Carrie looked at them. She knew she could trust them to keep her secret.

  They nodded.

  She quickly made sure no one was listening to them before she said, “Father went bankrupt and is determined that I should marry Mr. Monroe since he’s rich.”

  Mary’s eyes grew wide. “All we heard was that your father and his uncle arranged the match. No one knows exactly why. We assumed it was because your father and his uncle get along very well.”

  “Yes. They are friends.”

  “I’m sorry to hear about the engagement then,” Mary replied.

  “What a dreadful fate,” Julie agreed. “Mr. Monroe is so dull.”

  “I’m hoping he’ll let me out of the engagement,” Carrie said. “It looks like I won’t be able to talk to him until after dinner.”

  “That would be a blessing if he agreed that this marriage is wrong,” Mary responded. “We shouldn’t be forced to marry someone against our will. It’s 1894 for goodness’ sakes.”

  “How is Harrison taking the news?” Julie asked Carrie.

  “I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to talk to him. All I know is that his father isn’t willing to let us marry since he wishes for him to marry a woman who comes with a dowry. Since my father is going bankrupt, I have become unsuitable.”

  “I wonder if he feels the same way,” Mary said. “Perhaps, he would be interested in courting you anyway. After all, he did just ask to court you.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know if I can even get out of this engagement. Though I hope I can, I’m not sure what Mr. Monroe will do. My father surely isn’t going to let me out of it since he adores the man.”

  “What father would wish to confine his daughter to a man that she doesn’t want?”

  “One who wants his daughter to be rich,” Julie replied.

  “What if you and Harrison eloped? Wouldn’t that be romantic?” Mary mused.

  “It would be foolish,” Julie argued. “He would be disowned by his father and Carrie would be as poor as she is now.”

  “But at least she could be with someone she wants to be with.”

  Carrie thought over the idea. What if Harrison did want to marry her? Maybe he would be willing to leave his wealth behind and be with her. It would certainly be much nicer to be with him than Mr. Monroe. She decided that she would visit Harrison the next day and discuss the possibility with him if Mr. Monroe still insisted on the marriage.

  Chapter Three

  Justin had wished to speak with Carrie but he knew the situation between Nathan Hunter and George Leroy could get serious if left uninterrupted. He found the two men in a heated argument.

  “May I ask what the problem is?” Justin quickly intervened before Nathan threw the first punch.

  Justin ignored the onlookers who had crowded the parlor.

  “I’m sorry, Justin,” Nathan apologized as he cooled down. “I let my emotions get the best of me. I didn’t intend to cause a scene.”

  “You really should be more careful when you’re inviting people to your dinner parties,” George remarked.

  Justin turned to George. One look at George’s date notified him of the problem. George had brought Linda Hunter despite Justin’s request for him not to. Linda had married Nathan three years ago but was recently discovered in an adulterous relationship with George. Upon discovering his wife’s infidelity, Nathan divorced her, and there had been tension between him and George ever since.

  “May I speak with you gentlemen in private?” As private as possible considering the many guests. Justin led them out of the parlor and onto the veranda where there was a secluded spot. The three men stood silently for a moment as Justin thought of how to begin. Finally, he said, “I can appreciate the sensitivity of this issue.” He turned to George. “Mr. Leroy, I specifically asked you not to bring Linda here tonight.”

  “I know you did, Mr. Monroe,” the twenty-three-year-old man replied. “She assumed I was with another woman, and in order to reassure her that I wasn’t, I had to bring her. She’s insecure. I can understand her feelings.”

  “What would either one of you know about insecurity?” Nathan spat. “She was my wife and both of you dismissed the marital vows.”

  “If you had treated her better, she wouldn’t have sought comfort in my arms,” George argued.

  “I treated her just fine!”

  “You constantly put work first. A woman needs to be appreciated.”

  “Please, gentlemen,” Justin intervened, aware that their emotions were running high. “Mr. Hunter, you are having dinner in the dining room with me. Mr. Leroy, please eat out here with your date. In the meantime, please find separate rooms to be in. I am sorry but this is the best I can do given the circumstances.”

  George turned to Nathan. “Will you be dancing tonight?”

  “No. You know very well that I came alone,” Nathan pointedly responded.

  “I will be in the entertainment room,” George told Justin before he left to go back into the house.

  Justin breathed a sigh of relief. “I’m sorry, Nathan. I did tell Mr. Leroy to come alone or bring someone else. I had to invite him because he’s Conrad’s son and my uncle does business with Conrad on a regular basis.”

  “I don’t fault you for this,” Nathan assured him.

  Geoffrey announced that it was time to eat. Justin was relieved that the emergencies from earlier had finally been resolved.

  “Which seat would you like at the table?” he asked Nathan as they went into the house.

  “Since I’m the best man, I suppose I should sit across from Carrie. You’ll be at the head of the table and she’ll sit at your right, correct?” Nathan asked.

  “Yes. That’s the plan. Do you feel up to being my best man?”

  “As long as George isn’t at the altar on Saturday, I’ll be fine.”

  “There’s no danger of that. George is sitting in the back of the church.”

  “I hope that Carrie is good to you.”

  “I don’t see why she won’t be.”

  “Well, good luck.”r />
  Only the immediate family and friends of the bride and groom were seated at the dining table. The rest of the guests were outside. Justin had to hire additional servers for the event but he wanted to make everyone comfortable so it was worth the expense. The wedding and reception on Saturday would be even more elaborate. His uncle was paying the bill for that event since Mr. Allen went bankrupt. Since no one knew of his bankruptcy but a select few, Carrie was spared the humiliation of people knowing her father couldn’t pay for the wedding.

  Justin supposed that most men in his economic class would be dismayed to marry a woman who came into the marriage without a cent to her name, but he had secretly entertained romantic notions for Carrie since her family moved to town when he was fourteen. Though he knew Brad very well, he never got up the nerve to have more than a two sentence conversation with his sister. Usually, he managed to tell her hello and asked her how she was doing or what she thought of the weather. He was too nervous to figure out what else to say.

  She was beautiful. He often stole glances her way when they attended the same dinner parties. They usually sat on opposites sides of the room. It seemed that the more he saw her, the more beautiful she got. He supposed other men didn’t find her as attractive as he did, but they weren’t in love with her either. She was shy, so it was no wonder that more men hadn’t taken notice of her.

  Before the dinner, he stood up and gave the official engagement announcement. Then he sat down as the guests started eating. He couldn’t help but notice that Carrie wore a black dress. It was the same dress she wore at her mother’s funeral. He wondered why she chose that particular dress to wear when he had seen her in more festive colors in the past. He dismissed his questions and tried to think of something she might find interesting to discuss.

  Currently, she was quietly eating her meal. Her father sat next to her on her right. Her brother, who was the groomsman, sat next to Nathan on the opposite side of the table. They talked about automobiles. Justin had recently acquired an interest in motorized transportation, so he had to fight the urge to join the conversation.

  Instead, he turned to Carrie. He cleared his throat before he began to speak. “Do you wish to discuss the issue that was on your mind earlier?”