The Cold Wife

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  He detected the worried tone in his uncle’s voice which only increased his own fears. He hadn’t realized they were in an unstable position. After a couple of minutes, he finally asked his uncle, “Have you had a chance to speak with Conrad?”

  “Not yet. We agreed to keep things as discreet as possible so that the Grants don’t get suspicious. Chad Walker has agreed to act as a liaison between us and Conrad. I plan to meet with him at lunch.”

  “I didn’t get around to asking about Tyndall on Saturday. How did things go on Friday evening? Is he still our customer?”

  “Yes, he is. Miss Duff did an excellent job of reining him in for us.”

  “So she willingly went to his dinner party?”

  “I managed to get to her house before Harrison Grant Jr.’s new wife did. As you know, Julie is good friends with Mary. Anyway, I was explaining the situation to her, and letting her know she had the right to decline the invitation if she wished when Julie showed up. Mary graciously accepted and I escorted her to the dinner party, so Harrison couldn’t claim being the one who got Mary to show up.”

  “She sounds like a bargaining chip.”

  His uncle turned to look at him. “To Harrison, she would have been. To Tyndall, she certainly was. But that’s not the case with me. I made it clear that she could refuse and I would make sure no one else would talk her into it.”

  Justin raised an eyebrow. “I never thought I’d see the day when you fell in love.”

  The older man shook his head and returned to looking out the window. “I’m not falling in love with her. I’m too old. I merely wanted to protect her.”

  “It seems like I’m as bad of a liar as you are when it comes to the affairs of the heart.”

  “Justin, I am old enough to be her father.”

  “It’s not uncommon for a man your age to marry a woman Mary’s age.”

  “It would be better for her to marry someone closer to her age.”

  “You’re right,” he casually said as he recalled his uncle’s words to him a week before. “Those investment reports are much more interesting to hold and kiss than a woman is. I mean, who needs to feel the soft warmth of a woman’s embrace? I still haven’t been in bed with a woman but heard it’s one of life’s most pleasurable experiences. Of course, there’s pleasure to be had in the fact that we kept Mr. Tyndall on our clientele list.”

  Jonathan scowled at him and promptly left the room.

  Justin grinned. He could turn the situation around if he had to.

  ***

  Carrie decided that she had to get Jim and Mary together. Since she wasn’t able to use the excuse to alter Mary’s dress, she decided to ask Mary over to sample one of his pizzas. She understood that Jim was below Mary’s economic class, but she had grown to know Jim well enough to understand he wasn’t the kind of person who would only display an interest in someone because they were from money.

  Since the summer day was actually cooler than the previous days had been, she decided to go for a walk and enjoy the nice breeze and sunlight. On her way to Mary’s house, she saw her brother. She grimaced. She was still miffed that he made that comment about her needing to be interested in marital relations at the dinner party. He didn’t have to come out and say it in front of everyone. It was embarrassing for the entire group to be reminded of her awkward marital situation. She knew he said it because she tried not to laugh at another one of Justin’s odd analogies. She couldn’t help it if she found her husband’s comparisons to be humorous. At least this time she had tried to hide her laughter.

  She quickly walked down another street so she wouldn’t have to run into her brother. If he knew what was good for him, he’d leave her alone. As far as she was concerned, he had given her nothing but grief ever since their father announced his bankruptcy. It was even worse now that she realized he was right about Justin all along. She no longer wanted out of the marriage, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. At least not yet.

  To her dismay, he followed her. He called out to her, but she pretended she didn’t hear him and quickly ran into a dress shop. She knew he wouldn’t venture in there. She turned to the window and saw him roll his eyes at her. She smiled and decided it would be good to pick up a gift for her friends while she was there. She did have the spending money that Justin had given her. This would be the perfect opportunity to use it.

  She decided to pick out a hat for Mary, a shawl for Helen, and a purse for Julie. She wrote a quick note to each person. She wasn’t sure what to say to Julie, but she didn’t want to continue to be on bad terms with her. Julie was married to Harrison now, so she would do her part to support their marriage. She set up arrangements for the gifts to be delivered.

  “Won’t you be picking something out for yourself, Mrs. Monroe?” Mrs. Lyon, the owner of the store, asked.

  She glanced around. She hadn’t thought to buy anything for herself. She glanced outside the shop and saw that Brad was sitting on the bench near the front entrance. Why doesn’t he just leave me alone? Turning her attention to Mrs. Lyon, she nodded. “I suppose I can get something.”

  She took her time in making her selection. Fortunately, she didn’t have any plans to meet with anyone, so she could afford to be in the store for as long as possible. She finally bought a couple of new dresses with matching hats and a new pair of shoes. She couldn’t remember the last time she went on a spending spree but had to admit it was fun.

  “You know, I do carry some nightgowns suitable for a newly married woman,” the saleswoman told her.

  Carrie’s face grew bright red but she decided to buy one. Maybe it would still the rumors that she was The Cold Wife. Since she started her menstrual cycle the previous Friday, she knew it would be four days before she would consummate the marriage. She couldn’t bring herself to discuss such things with Justin though, so she kept quiet about it. After she was done making the purchase, she slipped the nightgown into the very bottom of one of the boxes so no one would get a glimpse of it.

  Realizing she couldn’t hide in the dress shop forever, she peered out the window and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Brad was no longer there. She thanked Mrs. Lyon for her assistance and left the store. Just as she passed the store, Brad jumped out at her. She almost dropped her packages.

  “Why are you avoiding me?” he asked as he offered to carry the packages for her.

  She refused his assistance and walked toward her home. She would have to see Mary later. Next time, she would let Franklin take her in the stagecoach so that this unfortunate incident wouldn’t happen again.

  “Well?” Brad pressed.

  “I don’t feel like talking to you and you know exactly why,” she finally said.

  “No, I don’t.”

  “You’ve been on my case ever since I got engaged to Mr. Monroe. You can be very annoying.”

  “You’re still calling Justin by his last name?”

  She shrugged. It wasn’t his business what she called her husband.

  “I’m sorry I’ve been such a pest,” Brad said. “I was doing what I thought was best for you.”

  “It’s strange how other people know what’s better for me than I do. It is my life, but apparently, I’m incapable of making my own decisions because I’m a woman.”

  “That’s not true. I don’t think that.”

  She shook her head. “If I were a man, I wouldn’t be in this situation.” Not that it was a bad situation to be in. In fact, she rather enjoyed it, but there was no way she’d let him know that...not yet anyway. Let him squirm. It would serve him right.

  “Your reputation is well deserved,” he muttered. “I’m sorry I put Justin through this. I should have let you run away on your wedding day.”

  She refused to acknowledge his statement.

  “Anyway,” he continued, “I thought you might like to know that Father found an apartment in Oregon.”

  That got her full attention. “He did?” She stopped walking an
d turned to him. “What is it like out there?”

  “Well, there are a lot of trees.”

  “So it’s like Virginia.”

  “I suppose it is. I hadn’t thought about it.”

  “How did he contact you?” It would be too soon for a letter to arrive that far from them.

  “He sent a message through a telegraph. He doesn’t have a telephone yet. He is looking for work.”

  “And?”

  “That’s all. Oh, and he misses us.”

  “I miss him too.” She sighed and started walking again.

  “When I send him a message, what should I say about you? Should I tell him about the annulment?”

  “I’ll send him my own message. Just give me his address and I’ll fill him in on the details.”

  “I suppose that’s the best I can expect.”

  “Do you mind telling me why you waited for me for two hours while I was shopping?”

  “I had nothing better to do.”

  She found that hard to believe.

  “Well, I can help you carry those.” Again, he reached for the packages.

  She refused to let go of them. “I got them. I can do this myself.”

  “Are you being this difficult with Justin?”

  “That’s none of your business.” She breathed a sigh of relief when she reached her home. Maybe she could get Geoffrey to make him go away.

  As soon as she reached the door, Geoffrey opened the door and welcomed her in.

  Jim must have heard her come in, for he ran to her and started explaining his new idea for a pizza.

  “That sounds delicious! Can I try it?” she eagerly asked.

  “I was hoping you’d ask. Come on to the kitchen. I saved you a couple of slices.” He ran back to the kitchen.

  “May I take those packages to your room?” Constance came up to her, ready to do her bidding.

  “No. I got it,” Carrie quickly answered. She didn’t want anyone to know that she got the indecent nightgown.

  “Very well, Mrs. Monroe.”

  Carrie ignored her brother as she walked up the steps and put her things in her bedroom. She realized that she wouldn’t be in here much longer but still took the time to put her things neatly away. She hid her nightgown so Constance wouldn’t find it when she cleaned the room. By the time she went down the stairs, she nearly shouted at Brad to leave.

  “Brad, you are getting on my nerves!” she snapped.

  “I’m getting on your nerves? You’re the one who’s running off to the kitchen to spend time with the cook every time I come over here.”

  “Jim happens to be a gourmet chef when it comes to making pizzas. Even the head chef here agrees to his talents.”

  “Jim? Isn’t it interesting that you refer to the cook by his first name but your husband is reduced to a formal name?”

  She reached the bottom of the steps and loudly sighed. “What are you getting at?”

  “I think you’re being too friendly with the help.”

  “Oh, be serious, Brad. I’m on a first name basis with everyone in this house.”

  “Everyone but your husband.”

  “What is your fascination with Mr. Monroe? I know you’re his friend, but this is bordering on obsessive behavior.”

  “Why is it wrong for me to want my sister to be married to someone who can be a good husband to her?”

  “It’s not,” she consented. “There is nothing wrong with that. But there is something wrong with you controlling me. Really, Brad, in case you weren’t aware of it, slavery was abolished from this country.”

  “You think I’m treating you like a slave?”

  “I wasn’t given a choice in this marriage. I was just told to do it. Isn’t that what a slave is? Someone who doesn’t have the freedom to decide her own destiny?”

  “Is this about Harrison?”

  “No. It has nothing to do with Harrison. Why do people assume I still want him?”

  “Then it’s about Jim?”

  Were they back to that? “You are making me dizzy. All you do is go around and around in circles.”

  “I wouldn’t have to go in circles if you would answer my questions.”

  “I have answered them. You just haven’t been paying attention.”

  “You’ll go through with this annulment just so you can be ‘free’ from the chains I’ve forced upon you. The way you make it sound, it’s as if women have a horrible time.”

  “Personally, I don’t think women are granted enough rights.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. Men can vote but women can’t. As if women don’t have the intellectual capacity to make an informed decision on who to vote for. You believe that we’re helpless little creatures that need to be told what to do, how to do it, and who to marry. As if not marrying is the worst thing that can happen to a woman. And that’s another thing that’s not fair. If a woman wants to work, she should have that right. She shouldn’t have to be confined to a marriage she opposed because her father and brother forced her into it. If she wants to work instead, that should be her right.”

  “You act like we did the worst thing anyone could possibly do to you.”

  “Not only did you take away my right to choose my course in life, but you also made that snide comment at dinner last Friday. My private life is none of your business. In fact, nothing I do in the privacy of my home is any of your business. I will thank you very much to focus on your own life for a change.”

  At that moment, Justin opened the front door.

  They turned to look at him.

  His eyes grew wide. “Did I come at the wrong time?”

  She looked at her brother, waiting for him to say something.

  “Do you know that she’s been eating Jim’s pizzas while you’re at work?” Brad finally asked him.

  Oh, the nerve! She found a closed umbrella by the hat rack and started hitting her brother with it. “Get out of here!”

  “Carrie, you’re being childish.” Brad quickly grabbed the umbrella from her and tried to pull it out of her hands.

  “You have no right to come into my house and badger me. I didn’t do anything wrong, yet you’re treating me like a criminal.” She struggled for control of the umbrella. She nearly tripped on her dress to maintain her hold on it.

  “I’m beginning to think being an only child was a good thing,” Justin commented. “Brad, let go of the umbrella.”

  Brad immediately obeyed and she lost her balance and fell on the floor. Frustrated, she quickly took off her shoes and flung them at him. At least she got the satisfaction of watching one of them hit him on the forehead.

  “I give up!” Brad screamed. He turned to Justin. “Get the annulment. She’s not worth it.” He quickly left the house before she could throw the umbrella at him.

  Justin slowly closed the front door. He walked over to her and helped her up. “Do you mind telling me what that was all about?”

  She rolled her eyes. “He thinks I’m in love with Jim.” She smoothed out the bottom half of her dress. “Just because I try his new recipes with Constance and Geoffrey in the afternoon, he has it in his head that I don’t care for you the way I should.” When she finally stood up straight to look at Justin, she saw that he was smiling at her. “What?” she demanded.

  “You just said you cared for me.”

  Did she? She hadn’t noticed. She shrugged. “You’re alright after all.”

  He took her in his arms and kissed her. She felt the stress of her brother’s visit vanish as she melted into her husband’s arms and kissed him back.

  “So, are we still going to Earl’s Steak House tonight?” she asked when their kiss ended.

  He frowned. “I can’t. Mr. Dean just went bankrupt and we lost some notable clients today because of it. Rumor is that we gave Mr. Dean bad financial advice and some clients fear we have done the same to them. In light of that fact, my uncle and I are going to meet with Mr. Walker tonight to see what our options are. We’
re trying to avoid the same thing happening to us that’s happened to your father, Mr. Rivers and Mr. Dean.”

  She blinked in surprise. “I had no idea that things were that serious.”

  “Neither did I. There is the possibility of gaining Mr. Davidson on as a client. He’d help make up for the clients we lost today, but Mr. Davidson wants to meet with me while you entertain his wife. My uncle offered to go in my place, but Mr. Davidson is adamant that a woman must be with his wife during the day. Apparently, he wants to hunt for a deer before discussing business. Since my uncle isn’t married, he asked if you would be willing to come with me and humor the man. My uncle’s offered to give us a week at his beach house afterwards. It would give us some time away from all the distractions that is my job. But it’s up to us. We don’t have to go to Mr. Davidson’s.”

  “Where does he live?”

  “He lives close to the beach, so it will be an overnight trip out there. The good news is that my uncle’s beach house is only fifteen minutes away if we take the train.”

  “When would we go?”

  “We would make it there by Friday evening. We’ll spend Saturday there and then be at the beach house by Saturday evening.”

  And I’ll be done with my monthly cycle. The thought of being alone with Justin had horrified her during their engagement but now she found that she rather liked the idea. “Alright. I’ll go.”

  “Really?” He seemed surprised.

  “Sure. Why not? How hard can it be to spend the day with his wife? I’m sure I’ll have a good time.”

  He smiled at her. “You’re amazing, you know that? I don’t know many women who would be willing to be around a client’s wife for an entire day.”

  She blushed, pleased that he was delighted with her. “It’s no big deal.”

  Constance came out of the kitchen. “Mrs. Monroe, will you be trying the pizza? It’s as good as anything else Jim has made.”

  “Do you have time to eat something?” Carrie asked Justin.

  He nodded. “I can spare a few minutes.”

  “You won’t be sorry,” she assured him as she wound her arm through his and led him to the kitchen.

  Chapter Eighteen