The Lady and the Sheriff

by Carole Archer

  Emma smiled and took her father’s hand. The dinner party they attended that evening was very lively and Emma had a great time. She danced with several men, but she was especially keen on one by the name of Percival Woodhampton. He was very handsome, though a little clumsy, and Emma liked him a lot—he was a perfect gentleman and very charming. Her father enjoyed his company too and was very pleased when his daughter said she would like to see Percival again.

  Thomas was thrilled when he and his daughter spent a lot of time over the next week with Percival. Thomas hoped that Percival might ask for his daughter’s hand in marriage, especially as his daughter finally seemed to have found someone that she liked, and maybe now that she’d travelled to America she might finally be ready to settle down.

  Unfortunately, as Emma got to know Percival a bit better she wasn’t as keen on him as she had been initially. He had an arrogance to his manner that she began to find off-putting, and he rarely seemed to show the slightest interest in actually listening to her father speak, let alone Emma herself. She intended to speak to her father and hoped that he might agree to her not seeing Percival again and instead take her to another dinner party where she might find someone more suitable.

  Before Emma had chance to speak to her father, however, Percival told Thomas and Emma he was hosting a dinner party in their honor and when they arrived Percival took Thomas to one side for a quick word. Emma watched from the open doorway and her heart sank as her father smiled brightly and shook Percival’s hand enthusiastically, slapping him on the back.

  Please don’t ask me to marry you, Emma pleaded silently. Although she had been very smitten with Percival at first, over the last week she had found him to be pompous and overbearing, and on top of that he sometimes appeared way too friendly with his female servants. She had spent some time at his home whilst her father had attended a couple of business meetings and she had been horrified to witness his behavior with his staff when no-one else was around. One maid in particular—a very attractive one at that, Emma thought—seemed to act very inappropriately around her boss and Percival didn’t seem to mind one little bit. Emma was very tense during dinner. She did not want to marry Percival but she had made a promise to her father that she would try harder to find a suitable husband. She could hardly tell her father she did not like Percival after she had enjoyed his company so much at first. He would surely take her across his knee again and that was something Emma did not want to experience ever again. Emma swallowed nervously when Percival got up and dropped to one knee beside her. Oh no, please don’t, she thought. Not in front of all of these people. Emma glanced around the table and all of Percival’s friends and family looked delighted. They don’t like me, thought Emma. They’ve barely given me the time of day since I arrived. It’s Daddy’s estate and the prestige that will bring that excites them so.

  Emma looked at her father and seeing the obvious delight etched on his face, she forced a smile. She would talk to him later and try to make him understand how she felt, but she would not risk a spanking in front of all of these people. She had no doubt in her mind that her father would definitely carry out his threat to do just that if she humiliated him in public again.

  “Emma, I’ve loved spending time with you this last week. My family thought I was going to be the eternal bachelor, but finally I have found the woman I have been waiting for,” he gushed.

  Emma felt sick. He was such a fake and she wanted to slap him and run away. She sighed. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe this is for the best. Emma glanced at her father and seeing his happiness she did not have the heart to turn Percival down.

  “Please Emma, don’t keep me waiting?”

  “What?” Emma looked back at Percival, who was looking increasingly anxious.

  “I’ll say it again. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife, Miss Emma Bell?”

  Emma closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “OK,” she whispered. As she opened her eyes Percival was grabbing at her hand and pushing a ring onto her finger. It was a huge diamond and must have cost a fortune; it was way too showy for Emma. A bit like you, she thought, glaring spitefully at Percival. He did not seem to notice though as he turned to her father and shook his hand enthusiastically.

  “Thank you Thomas, we will marry as soon as possible in New York, then I will bring Emma back to England and we will move into your estate. This is so exciting,” he gushed.

  “Congratulations Percival,” Thomas responded.

  “Oh please, call me Percy. All my friends call me Percy,” he said, as his friends and family all got up to offer their congratulations. Emma had never felt so alone or so unhappy and she got up and sat on her father’s lap, hugging him tightly. “Daddy, I want to get married in England.”

  Percy spun round to face them. “We’re getting married in New York, end of discussion,” he snapped.

  Emma glared at him. “Percy, I want to get married in England. I won’t marry you otherwise.” Emma got up and stamped her foot. Her father gripped her hand and looked at her sternly as she took a step away from him.

  Emma was stunned when Percy approached her and gripped her face firmly in both hands. “As your husband, I will expect you to speak to me with respect at all times. Disobedience will be dealt with in the traditional manner.”

  Emma’s cheeks flushed bright red. She knew exactly what he meant.

  “We will marry in New York and you will not argue with me about this. Any further disagreement and you will be a very sore and sorry young lady. Do you understand?”

  Emma nodded meekly as Percy went back to his friends and family who continued to congratulate him. Emma looked at her father with tear-filled eyes. She was disappointed that her father had not objected to Percy’s treatment of his daughter.

  Thomas smiled at her. “Emma, I’m so proud of you. I know you wanted to get married in England but we can stay here until the wedding. Maybe you can persuade Percy to take you for a trip west before we head back to England?”

  “I’d rather go with you Daddy. You promised we would do that together,” Emma pouted.

  Thomas smiled and hugged his daughter. “OK. I’ll take you. We’ll go tomorrow and head back in time for the wedding. Maybe Percy might like to come with us?”

  Emma scowled but seeing the warning look in her father’s eyes she smiled and nodded. “I’m tired Daddy. It’s been a very long day.”

  Thomas helped his daughter to her feet and turned to face Percy. “I’m going to take Emma back to the hotel now. It’s been a long and exciting day for her. She’s absolutely exhausted.”

  “Please Thomas, stay here tonight, both of you. We have guest rooms prepared. We can discuss the wedding tomorrow, and arrange to have any of your family or friends from England brought over,” Percy offered.

  “That’s a splendid idea,” said Thomas. “Thank you for your hospitality. It’s very kind of you. I’m so glad Emma’s found herself a husband who is willing to move over to England and run the Windmere estate. Emma is my only daughter and I desperately wanted to keep it in the family.”

  Percy smiled brightly. “I am very much looking forward to coming to England and becoming lord of my own manor,” he laughed. Percy put his arm around Emma’s waist and pulled her close to him. “We’ll be very happy, and I’m sure you will quickly bear me a suitable heir to the Woodhampton estate.”

  Emma scowled and looked at her father. She assumed she would be keeping the Bell name but knew better than to argue. Glaring at Percy she yawned loudly. “I really am very tired,” she said, desperate to get away from him. Am I the only one who can see that his only reason for marrying me is to get his hands on my father’s estate? Emma was relieved when one of the maids led her and her father upstairs and showed them to their rooms.

  “Daddy, I love you,” she sobbed, clinging to him.

  “I love you too,” he comforted his daughter, kissing her softly. “I know you have some concerns, especially as it seems that Percy is very much like your father and
believes in keeping his wife in line with good old fashioned discipline.”

  Emma gasped and her cheeks reddened. So her father had spanked her mother, she realized in horror, and he had no qualms about allowing Percy to treat her the same way.

  “Come on Emma, get yourself off to bed. I’ll talk to Percy tomorrow. I’ll suggest you get married in London and we could have the reception at Windmere. Percy could then show Windmere off to all of his friends. I’m sure he won’t pass up the opportunity to do that,” he smiled.

  Emma smiled brightly. She felt a little more optimistic now.

  Her father’s tone was once again stern. “If Percy is still adamant that he wishes you to marry in New York, the subject will no longer be up for discussion. You will accept your future husband’s decision with good grace. Do you understand?”

  Emma nodded and pouted, reluctantly going into her room for the night. “Will you also tell Percy you’re taking me on a trip west before I marry him, Daddy?”

  Thomas nodded. “Yes, we’ll discuss it tomorrow. Percy may wish to come with us, but I’m hoping it’ll just be the two of us. It would be nice to spend some time with my little girl before Percival Woodhampton takes you away from me.”

  Emma shook her head. “Daddy, you’ll see me every day. The three of us will live at Windmere together.” Emma smiled with pride, pleased that at least she had finally managed to save her family’s estate. She knew that it meant the world to her father and she went to bed feeling a tiny bit better.

  Chapter Three

  After a restless night’s sleep Emma woke. She looked at the enormous ring on her second finger and sighed deeply. I’m so pleased that I could help Daddy to save Windmere, Emma thought, but is marrying that obnoxious man really the only way?

  Emma got out of bed and got herself ready. Her father had always been an early riser and she guessed he would already be downstairs talking to Percy. Not wanting to go downstairs alone, Emma went to the room next door to her own where her father had spent the night. She knocked on the door and after receiving no response she turned the handle and pushed the door open.

  “Daddy,” Emma called out, and was surprised to see her father was still in bed. She had never ever known him to sleep so late. She grinned as she approached him, sleeping soundly on his side with his back towards the door. Emma crept over to his bed and as she reached him she put her hand on his shoulder and shook him gently.

  “Daddy, it’s time to get up. Come on lazy bones. We have a trip west to plan.” Emma giggled as she shook her father again, but her playful expression quickly changed to one of horror.

  “Daddy,” she screamed, shaking him harder. “Daddy, wake up.”

  Percy rushed into the room, took one look at Emma and then at her father and put his arms around her, pulling her quickly away from the bed. “Get the doctor,” Percy called out to nobody in particular, holding Emma as she wailed uncontrollably and struggled to break free.

  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “Come on. Let’s get you back into your room.”

  “Are you sure he’s dead?” Emma whimpered, her voice breaking with emotion as tears poured down her cheeks.

  Percy nodded. “I’m sorry. Come on. Get out of here. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ll look after this and see to the funeral arrangements.”

  Emma looked at him in horror. “Oh, Percy, I need to get Daddy back to England. Can we arrange that please?”

  Percy looked sad as he shook his head slowly. “I’m sorry. You can’t travel for two weeks with your father’s body. He’ll be buried here just as soon as I can sort it out. When we move to England, I promise I’ll bring you back here to visit his grave as often as we can manage.”

  Percy kissed her gently before guiding her into her own room and pushing her down onto her bed, telling her to try and get some sleep. “Will you lay with me and hold me please?” Emma begged, feeling as if her whole world was crashing down around her.

  Percy looked over his shoulder towards the door, walked over and whispered something to one of his staff, closed the door and returned to Emma where he encouraged her to lay down. He lay alongside her and pulled her into his arms.

  Emma sobbed as she clung tightly to Percy, seeking comfort. What will I do now, she thought, what will become of me now that Daddy is no longer here? How will I get back to England? Is marrying this horrible man really my only hope of saving Windmere for Daddy?

  Emma suddenly felt extremely guilty and clung tighter to Percy. “I’m sorry. I’m so very sorry,” she sobbed, wondering if perhaps she had unfairly judged Percy. He was being so very kind to her and although she knew that a lady should not be laying down on her bed with a man, even if he was to be her husband, she felt comforted by his closeness and under the circumstances she thought she could be forgiven for her actions.

  Her father had been so happy that she was saving Windmere by marrying Percy, and now that he was gone she felt she owed it to him to keep her promise as it was the last thing she would ever be able to do for him, she realized with sadness.

  Emma lay and sobbed quietly, clinging with desperation to Percy, until someone knocked on the door a few minutes later and he gently pried Emma’s hands away from him and got up to go and answer it. Emma could hear Percy and someone else talking quietly and she strained to hear what was being said. Percy then entered the room with a well-dressed gentleman carrying a bag. She guessed he was the doctor. He approached the bed and sat down beside her.

  “Miss Bell,” he said, taking her hand in his, “my deepest condolences to you on your loss. If it’s any comfort to you, your father didn’t suffer at all. He died in his sleep, I suspect of a massive heart attack. He wouldn’t have known a thing. I have completed his death certificate and Percy is going to make the funeral arrangements. I’m just going to give you a little something to make you sleep.”

  Emma shook her head. “No, I need to go to the hotel and collect our things. I need to write to Mary and John in England, they’re looking after the estate while we’re in America. I need to let them know what’s happened. I need to arrange the funeral. Are you sure there’s nothing you can do for Daddy?” wailed Emma, unable to accept that her father was gone.

  The doctor shook his head with regret, got up and went into his bag as Percy sat beside Emma and gently stroked her hair. “I’m so sorry for your loss Emma. Let me help you, please.” Percy pulled her into his arms and kissed her gently on the top of her head. Emma sobbed as she thought how her father often consoled her in a similar fashion when she was sad. She longed to be held by her father again and she clung to Percy as she cried loudly.

  “Daddy was going to talk to you today. He was going to ask you to marry me in England, to bring all your family and friends over to see the estate. We could have our wedding reception there. He was also going to take me out west for a trip before the wedding. We were going to travel by railroad. We were so looking forward to doing that together. He can’t be gone, he just can’t, we had plans,” Emma wailed, looking desperately at Percy.

  “I’m so sorry,” he said, taking her in his arms.

  Emma was aware of the doctor unfastening the cuff on her dress sleeve and rolling it up. She struggled but Percy warned her to hold still. “Be a good girl,” he scolded her gently as he held her face in his hands and brushed away her tears.

  Emma yelped as the doctor stuck a needle into her upper arm. “Ouch, what’s that?” “It’s just a little something to make you sleep. Now be a good girl and lie down,” Percy said. Emma clung tightly to him and sobbed. “I want my Daddy,” she wailed. “It’s my fault. I should have married someone in England. If I hadn’t demanded I be allowed to travel we never would have come here. I’ve killed him,” she sobbed.

  “Hush,” Percy whispered. “This would still have happened if you were in England. It wasn’t your fault. Be a good girl and get some sleep.”

  Emma’s eyes became heavy and eventually she could fight the effects of the injection no longer and she drif
ted off to sleep. When she woke several hours later, it took her a while to remember where she was. She sat up and felt a little light-headed. Eventually the cloud across her mind seemed to lift and she remembered the events of the morning.

  Emma got shakily to her feet and headed towards the door. It was just a dream, she told herself. It was just a bad dream. Daddy’s sleeping next door. I’ll go and wake him now and we can plan our trip west. It was just an awful dream.

  Emma walked tentatively towards the next bedroom. She tapped gently on the door before slowly pushing it open. The bed was empty. Emma smiled. Daddy always gets up early. He’s downstairs talking to Percy about the wedding and our trip west, I know he is.

  As Emma turned to head towards the stairs, Percy stood in the doorway watching her and his sad expression told her it was no dream. She ran towards him and fell sobbing into his arms. “No, please tell me Daddy isn’t gone, please,” she wailed. “Please Percy.”

  “I’m sorry,” he said, catching her as her unsteady legs gave way beneath her. Percy lifted her into his arms and carried her back to her bedroom. He sat down on the edge of her bed, cradled her in his arms and rocked her gently.

  “Emma, your father had a massive heart attack. He died instantly. He didn’t feel a thing,” Percy explained.

  Emma shook her head. “No! I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want it to be true.”

  “I’m sorry sweetheart. I wish it wasn’t true, but it is.” Percy held her in his arms as he comforted and reassured her. “I’ve been out to the hotel and collected your things, and your father’s. I’ve arranged the funeral. It’ll be held the day after tomorrow. We’ll hold the service here in the house. I have contacted your father’s business associates in New York. He had many friends here and although I am sure he would have received a bigger send-off back in England, there are very many who will be here on Thursday to pay their respects,” Percy whispered comfortingly.