by Sondra Grey
“Elizabeth, Mother…Mother, Elizabeth.” He said, and for the next few minutes, no one said anything. The silence was so loud Elizabeth could practically hear it ringing in her ears. Vincent and Caroline stood a little apart, distancing themselves from the family. Nicholas stood tall and swaggering, looking defiantly at his mother. Molly stepped forward and cupped Elizabeth’s chin, turned her face this way and that then said.
“Humm…she is a lovely creature.”
“Do I take it that you approve?” Nic asked
“Of course, I don’t approve. Not to say she won’t last a week.” She said and without looking back at the young people walked straight into the church.
Chapter Eight
A s soon as they were inside, Nicholas went to take his position at the altar, leaving Elizabeth behind. The other three stood just inside the door, concealed from the congregation. Elizabeth looked at the number of people present, and her eyes grew wide in astonishment.
“Nicholas said it was going to be a small ceremony.”
“This is small, compared to a real ranch wedding. When someone of Nic’s position gets married around here, there would be eating and drinking and dancing all day and into the night until dawn. Don’t ask me how much money I lost in Caroline’s wedding.”
“Told you, you should have kept tickets. Who knows, you might have made a profit.” Caroline huffed in exasperation as she fussed with Elizabeth and fixed her veil.
Elizabeth thanked them both for their kindness. She wanted to say more, but it was time, and Vincent was already drawing her arm through his.
Vincent walked her down between the pews and left her facing Nicholas.
The priest whom Nicholas introduced to her as Father Gregory was a tall, lanky fellow in his mid-thirties and Elizabeth had a feeling he would look more at home on horseback than in the pulpit. As Father Gregory was about to start the ceremony, there was a sudden movement behind them, and a man came forward.
“I will be damned, it's Dr. Lizzie. One of my finest students. I hear you passed the top of your class. No wonder, your treatment of old woman Tessa and Mrs. Rutherford was exemplary.”
Cold sweat ran down Elizabeth’s spine as she turned and looked into the eyes of Dr. Sommerling. He had been a visiting faculty at the University of Cleveland before word got around that he had gone off to live in the west.
Elizabeth curtsied as the man took her hand, patted it, congratulated her and went back to his place in the front row. As she turned to look back at Nicholas bile rose inside her throat, and her legs were ready to buckle.
Nicholas was looking at her with what could only be called undisguised loathing.
“I wish to speak with my wife, Father. It won’t take long.” He said, then holding her by the wrist he started walking away and pulled her along with him.
Elizabeth went gathering her gown in her hands and nearly stumbling on her own steps. She looked at the crowd around her from under her veil. Vincent was standing just behind where Nic had been standing, his face expressionless his hands folded over his chest. It was very clear that for him Nic was beyond reprieve. Just behind him, his sister cupped both her hands on her mouth in horror. Lydia stood between Xavier and Martha. When Nic started pulling Elizabeth along, she quickly moved to come to her aid, but Martha held her back. They passed Molly who was looking after them with an, I knew this would happen expression.
Nicholas pulled her along to a paneled door, pushed it hard and drew her in. He hurled her away from him as she stumbled and took a semicircular turn and stood there facing him, shaking with fear and embarrassment. The room looked like a small office used by one of the church officials.
“Do you care to explain?”
Elizabeth was shaking so hard she thought she would fall any moment. But when she began to tell her story, her voice was quiet and steady.
“It is true that I was a student at the medical college in Cleveland. I graduated top of my class, all twenty-one of them. You can imagine how much of male ego I must have crushed. Then the academic board refused to grant me a degree and permission to practice independently. The reason they gave was that I did not possess the balanced temperament needed for practicing medicine.”
“You lied to me.”
“I did not. I am not a doctor. People who have regard for me consider me one. But I am nothing but an ordinary woman, who chose to become a mail order bride and a rancher’s wife.”
“Why did you come here? Why not stay in Cleveland and make a life there? Seems like you had quite a practice there even without a degree.”
“Old woman Tessa was a beggar who roamed the streets outside the university campus. She had early stage tuberculosis. She was my final year project. I treated Mrs. Rutherford because her husband was mean to her and would not call a good physician for her. She is my best friend Elinore’s mother. Now that’s hardly a practice”
“Elizabeth, we are at an impasse here. Please do not get me wrong. I am not against the education of women or their having an independent profession. It's just that I do not want a person like that. What I need is a wife, who will take care of my house and who is dependable and trustworthy. You Elizabeth, however, have lost your credibility.”
“I did not mean to deceive you. I only eliminated information that I thought was of no concern to my new life.”
“Twisting the truth is as much of deceit as telling a blatant lie. And I have said before. I hate deception.”
“Please forgive me this once Nicholas. and I will never again give you a chance to complain.”
“I will not have you play doctor around the ranch Elizabeth. I have explained your place to you. If you set one foot out of line again, I will pack you up and send you off. Do we understand each other clearly?”
She wanted to tell him then that it was he who did not understand her at all. Practicing her vocation was not negating her duties as his wife. But right now was not the time for it, so she just nodded.
“Do you Nicholas Rhymer take Elizabeth Price to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward?” The priest was saying solemnly.
Elizabeth had heard those words countless times before but hearing them here today suddenly made her feel faint. Nicholas’ warning was swirling around in her mind.
“I do.” His words were so serene so strong and confident that they gave her strength
“Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health?” Once again Elizabeth felt as if the priest’s words were rebounding from the walls.
What if Nichols found out about how she had been running from Mr. Rutherford and Lord Maclash. What would he think of her then?
“I do.” Once again, his voice was like a balm.
“And, forsaking all others, will you remain only unto her for as long as you both shall live?” This time the church moved in a semicircular round in front of her eyes.
“I do.” Nicholas declared.
As the priest repeated the vows for her, Elizabeth struggled desperately to keep her voice steady.
Vincent stepped forward with the rings, and Father Gregory continued
“May these rings be blessed as a symbol of your union. As often as you look upon them, may you be reminded of this moment, and of the vows you have made and the strength of your commitment to each other.
May the Lord in His goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with His blessings. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. Amen.” Everyone around joined the chorus of Amen.
The priest declared, “You may now kiss the bride”, and Nicholas quickly brushed his lips over hers. He was about to turn towards his friends to take their felicitations when Elizabeth blacked out and slipped to the floor.
But Nicholas was quick. He dashed to her side and held her before she could fall to the ground, then picked her up in his arms as easily as if she was a child and strode out of the building.
Chap
ter Nine
W hen she came to, she was lying in a strange bed in a strange room. As soon as she tried to sit up, strong hands pushed her back into the soft bedding. Elizabeth tried to open her eyes, but the room swam.
Closing her eyes and giving in to oblivion was easier. Somewhere in a corner of her mind, she knew exactly what would help and where exactly in her doctor’s bag to find it. But submitting to the darkness was somehow more desirable.
Sometimes she floated to the surface of consciousness and heard voices around. One, in particular, was strong and comforting. It was the voice that had said I do it was also the voice that had said “I will send you back.”
Elizabeth woke with a start. The room was dark. A peach-colored moon hung right outside the bedroom window. Next, to the window, Nicholas sat lounging in an easy chair, his feet propped up on a futon. Elizabeth was still groggy, and her head felt heavy.
She narrowed her eyes and tried to focus on him. That was when she realized he was fast asleep and talking in his sleep. He moved his head from side to side and mumbled something. Elizabeth craned her neck to hear what it was that he was saying, but the only thing she could hear was a hiss. As if he was saying, “Yessss!Yesss!”
When Elizabeth came around next Nic was sitting by her side looking down at her. As soon as she opened her eyes, he took her hand in his and spoke.
“Elizabeth,” he said, and there was such tenderness in his voice and his look. The man could actually drive her crazy. One moment he was so furious with her, he could not tolerate her and the next he was gentle and caring. She closed her eyes again.
He fed her some water. It revived her enough to make her sit up in bed and ask for time.
“It’s just after dinner time.”
“Did you have your meal?” Nic shook his head.
“It was Greg’s turn to cook. So naturally, no one wanted to eat. He thinks food needs to be wholesome, like devotion to God. It need not be tasty.” he tried a bit of humor
“Father Gregory?” Elizabeth asked smiling in surprise
“Yeah, he is one of my wranglers. We do not have a regular priest here in Jacksonville. So, he doubles as that too when needed.”
Elizabeth thought back to how she had wondered about Gregory’s sitting on a horse
“Lydia?”
“She is fine. Just very tired. Martha gave her some of her herbal concoction and put her to bed…Elizabeth how do you feel?” Nicholas asked.
She nodded at him in assurance. She did not want to tell him that she had a monstrous headache and her limbs throbbed like they were being pulled out of their sockets.
“I feel better now. But you were talking in your sleep. Do you feel well? You were saying something like yes. Did you have a nightmare?”
Nicholas was taken aback of a moment. Then suddenly he forced a broad smile.
“You were delirious in your sleep. You must have imagined it.”
Elizabeth was pretty sure that among all the other dreamlike things she had been seeing in her feverish sleep that particular memory had seemed somehow more real. But she did not want to argue.”
“You are right.” She said smiling.
“You don’t look so well. But I know just the thing that will help you. Take off your clothes.” When he saw her eyes going wide with surprise, he looked back sheepishly.
“What I meant was that I am going to draw you a bath. You get ready for it. Martha unpacked your things earlier. They are inside that chest of drawers over there. And the water closet is just behind that door over there. It has another door that opens into the corridor outside. I will go out from there and fill up a tub for you.” Saying that he patted her hand and disappeared.
Ten minutes later when Nicholas came back, Elizabeth had fallen asleep sitting propped up on her bed. He woke her up and helped her to the water closet.
“Don’t fall asleep in the bath and make me come and get you there,” he warned before he disappeared. Elizabeth took his threat seriously had a quick bath. The water was steaming hot, and Nicholas had added some salts to it that not only smelled good but relaxed her. She was sore all over due to the long journey, and the hot water felt so good. However, she was scared Nicholas might come back any moment, so she did not linger.
He had been right. The bath had revived her. When the knock came, and she went to open the door, she was a different person. Nicholas pushed into the room with a tray on hand.
“The boys saved you some soup,” he said setting the food on a bedside table. Then drew up a chair for her to sit and took a seat next to her.
She took a spoonful tentatively then cringed
“He really is a bad cook. This soup is horrible.” She said then as he smiled back in glee she attacked the food.
As Elizabeth ate hungrily, he watched. She looked fresh and swollen from her bath and the chaste nightgown she wore covered her from neck to toe not leaving even a bit of skin bare. She looked too thin to be healthy. Nicholas wondered if she had had a decent meal recently. He had sent her more than enough money for the journey even considering she had bought Lydia along. Had she been so poor after the death of her father that she had not had enough to eat? For Nic that was unthinkable. He had grown up on a ranch and food had always been in high supply.
Suddenly that instinct to protect was back. Nic pulled her out of the chair and picked her up with ease.
“You need rest. You are lighter than a feather pillow,” he said and laid her down on the bed. Elizabeth, who had never had anyone look after her, felt guilty inside. He was so strong and so dependable that for the first time in her life she felt safe.
Nicholas drew the patchwork quilt around her tightly covering her beauty from his eyes deliberately. Though her nightgown was nothing but decent when he had picked her up, he had felt her soft curves and her tender body under his hands. That touch had stirred a tug deep inside his belly. He had not felt anything like this for a long, long time, since the time Jessica had so cruelly used him, and he was surprised.
He had to stay away from this girl. If he did not complicate things with emotions and sentiments and kept it a clean, uncomplicated arrangement, they could both be safe, even happy. He could handle that any day. What he could not handle was having any feelings for this lovely creature. Because he knew if allowed himself to fall for her he would be doomed
For a moment he thought of distancing himself from her completely. But that was not possible. If he went out to the barn to sleep, Vincent would not approve. And though the man would not say anything out loud, his expression would say it all.
Besides if he slept out on the ranch on the night of his marriage the boys would get curious. They would not dare to say anything, but they would talk behind his back and spread gossip. So he quietly lay down on the huge bed, as far as he could from his young new bride and mulled over his day.
Elizabeth had fallen asleep, and her chest heaved with her even breathing. Nicholas watched from the other side of the bed, and suddenly he was furious with himself. He had behaved like a lunatic. There had been no need to be so severe with the girl the very first day. He could have waited and seen what she said and did. After all, she was a mail order bride. And they were technically strangers. Only time would make them better acquainted each other.
Now as he saw her lying there, a small, frail thing in his huge bed he prayed to a God he had not believed in for five years, to make her well. He remembered how Jessica had looked, like a broken doll, when he had finally reached the foot of the hill and pulled her out from under the debris of that carriage. Then he deliberately shut that door off. Bringing to life those memories could never do any good.
Jessica was just a shadow from his path. And though the shadow would always mark the deepest feelings he could ever conjure for another woman, he did not want to make Elizabeth unhappy. So he lied there quietly, resting his head on his pillow looking at his new bride. A nearly full moon hung right outside the window, and a gentle breeze blew in.
Chapt
er Ten
T he next morning, Nic opened his eyes to find the other side of his bed was empty. He quickly got dressed in his work clothes, pulled on his boots and went down the stairs that descended into a large living area.
On one side of it was a large kitchen with wide open windows and a door that led to the back yard. Next to the kitchen was a huge dining area with a long wooden table with two long benches along its sides. And the comfortable head bench, as they called it, that Xavier had made for Nic and placed at the head of the table. Next to the dining area was a small parlor where his mother had entertained her friends back in the days when he was a little boy, and his father was alive and taking care of things for them.
The staircase came down between the eating area and the parlor, and one could see the entire place as they descended.
Even as he sauntered down the stairs, he heard voices and knew the boys were in for breakfast. That was just perfect, the morning after his marriage he comes down to breakfast last, giving a room full of his men ample opportunity to make fun of him. And though they would not have the courage to do so in front of him, they would do it all the same when he was not around.
Besides, he had told them that he was getting married so that the Lord would save them from Greg’s cooking so that there would be someone who would take care of their meals. And now his new bride was missing. What was he going to tell them? These were hard working ranchers. They worked their backs off from sunup to sundown. They would have little patience for Elizabeth’s eastern sensibilities.
Suddenly a delicious smell of eggs frying assaulted his senses and his stomach grumbled. After he had brought Elizabeth home from the church, he had made Martha watch over her for the afternoon and gone back to finish some work. In the evening the men had eaten out in the open from the basket Martha had packed for them. After relieving her, Nic had taken up her vigil of Elizabeth. When she had woken, he had busied himself with taking care of her. As a result, he had eaten nothing the whole day. Now as he smelled fresh bread and bacon along with the eggs, his eyes nearly watered. God bless the man who had cooked that breakfast.
