Bonds of Matrimony

by Carrigan Fox

  “A bit,” she shyly admitted. “But I haven’t allowed him to make love to me, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “Why not?”

  Chase dropped the sandwich she had been holding and met Elisa’s eyes, certain she hadn’t heard her correctly. “Pardon?”

  “I just figure that if you don’t marry Colton Webb, you won’t marry anyone. And I feel quite confident that you and Colton will find your way. Your self control isn’t benefiting anyone, Chase. It’s just making your situation more uncomfortable.”

  “But it isn’t proper. My reputation would be ruined. Marcus’s business would be ruined. How could I do that to him?”

  Her pretty eyes widened. “Are you planning to post an announcement in the Midland Gazette?”

  “Of course not. But if anyone ever found out…”

  “Nobody ever would, Chase. And personally, if you’re interested in forcing the man to admit that he’s in love with you, becoming intimate with him might help him to realize the truth that he’s been denying to himself…probably since the first time he met you.”

  She smiled to myself, remembering the first time they had met. They had been playing poker in the saloon in Liverpool. She certainly couldn’t imagine Webb ever admitting that he’d fallen in love with her that night. He had thought she was a young man that evening…and for many evenings after that, too.

  “Naturally, Chase, it’s your decision. But I hate seeing the two of you skipping around each other, when it seems obvious that the two of you are perfect for each other. I want you to feel like you can talk to me. And I would be happy to help in any way, even if it means beating some sense into the man.” She grinned and added, “And I’m only half joking about that last bit.”

  Chase laughed in response, feeling some long overdue relief over her feelings for Colton Webb. And besides that relief, her stomach also fluttered with excitement over the idea of her next encounter with him. Elisa had only repeated Webb’s earlier argument. No one would have to know. There was no shame in submitting to her passions, particularly when these passions revolved around one irresistible man. Granted, it was contrary to everything her mother and society had taught her. Somehow, coming from Elisa, the suggestion hadn’t sounded so sordid.

  Her grandmother returned laughing with Marcus and Reese. They ate sandwiches and met a number of the others celebrating the festivities. People had come from all over Midland County for the celebration.

  As the sun began to set, couples began circling the musicians in a variety of lively dances. Marcus danced with all four of us repeatedly. Chase had just finished a dance with him, and they were returning to their blanket when she spotted him. He was squatting beside her grandmother, biting into an apple and laughing robustly. Elisabeth had come along with him and was chatting with Reese.

  “Chase!” she greeted warmly, taking her hands and kissing her cheek. “I am so happy to see you all here. I was terrified when I saw all of these strangers. It’s not quite the same as the Season, is it?”

  “It’s similar,” Chase suggested. “I mean, if you add the prissy, stuffy men and the gossipy old women and the warm lemonade…and take away all of the pleasure,” she added, “it’s almost feels like we’re in London again.”

  She had forgotten how beautiful the sound of Elisabeth’s laughter was.

  Webb squinted up at her. “Evenin’, Lady Chastity,” he greeted.

  She narrowed my eyes at him, unsure of whether or not he was mocking her by using her given name. Her name was made even more ridiculous by her most recent thoughts of becoming intimate with Colton Webb.

  “Good evening,” she answered simply. She glanced in Elisa’s direction just in time to catch her ducking her head to hide her grin.

  Webb had caught the exchange and pushed himself to his feet. “Honor me with a dance, Mrs. Fairfax?” he asked, holding out a hand to Elisa.

  Chase watched enviously as she accepted his offer and climbed clumsily to her feet, allowing him to help her up and lead her to the dance floor. Marcus scowled after the two of them.

  ***

  “Does dancing bother you?” he asked. He and Elisa moved slowly and cautiously among the dancers.

  The pretty woman laughed over his shoulder. “I’m not going to give birth if I bounce around the dance floor a time too many, Colton.”

  He smiled down at her and picked up his pace. “You and Lady Chastity seem to be getting on pretty well,” he prodded. He had seen the look they had shared, and he was fairly certain that it had something to do with him. If Elisa Fairfax was anything, she was honest and forthright. If he asked, she would tell him.

  “She’s an incredible woman, isn’t she?” Elisa asked. He pulled back and looked down into her laughing eyes. She was definitely taunting him.

  He looked over her head again and spun her a bit too rapidly. “I don’t know her well enough to say,” he lied. Incredible? That hardly seemed to accurately describe how amazing Chase Fairfax was.

  Elisa laughed softly. “You always were a rotten liar, Colton.”

  He danced in silence until the song was nearly done. “What do you want me to say?” he asked. Even he was able to hear the choking restriction in his voice.

  Elisa tiled her round face up to study his. “You don’t have to say anything, Colton. I have always believed the two of you would be perfect together…long before the two of you even met. I will stand by that until the day I die. I just hope that you can be honest…with yourself and her.”

  The song ended to punctuate the seriousness of the conversation. Elisa gave a slight curtsy and nod and left him speechless among other winded dancers.

  The band immediately began another song, and he made a decision as he crossed the grassy field, following Elisa’s awkward form. She was right, of course. They were perfect for each other. He didn’t know what that meant. He didn’t know what they were supposed to do next. He just knew that he wanted to dance with Chase. He wanted to look into her eyes and see the same raw need that he was feeling at that exact moment.

  And as he neared their blanket, she pranced past him in the opposite direction on the arm of young Hadley, a cocky blond farmer who was extremely popular with the young women of Midland County. She didn’t even see Webb as she was laughing sweetly and following Hadley into the crowd of dancers.

  Webb paused only a moment to watch their backs. He’d be damned if she caught him watching her giggle and flirt with the young man. He had to force himself to slow his furious pace toward the blanket. He put a playful grin on his face and held a hand out to the younger, fairer Fairfax sister.

  “Honor me with a dance, Lady Rosalie,” he suggested.

  She smiled up at him sweetly and allowed him to pull her to her feet. They walked past her sister, who took a startled second glance at them. He deliberately oozed charm for her sister, doing his best to make her laugh. And all the while, he was enjoying the daggers that her sister kept trying not to shoot at him with her dark eyes.

  And as much as it pained him to do so, he promised himself that he wouldn’t give the woman the satisfaction of a dance as long as she was going to play games and deny the attraction between them.

  CHAPTER 13

  She frequented the dance floor as often as possible, but never once was Webb her dance partner. He danced with Elisa once, her grandmother twice, and Reese three times. And still, he refused to ask her to dance. And she’d be damned if she asked him to dance. It wasn’t so much an issue of violating social norms as her pride and refusal to allow him to see how badly she wanted to dance with him.

  More often than not, she found herself following William Hadley toward the band. He was a handsome and charming young man who flirted shamelessly and was one of the most insincere men she’d ever met in her life, second only to Mr. Jett Stockton, suggesting that the men in America were perhaps not so different from the men in England. He was also the worst dance partner she’d ever had. As much as she was enjoying the celebrations, she was eag
er to get home and rub her poor toes. But she smiled and laughed loudly, determined to make Webb see that other men found her desirable and pleasant. And although he was polite to her all afternoon and evening, he didn’t seem to take much notice of her presence.

  “He’s being ridiculous,” Elisa growled under her breath as she watched him waltz his cousin around the other dancing couples.

  “He’s being perfectly civil,” Chase argued quietly, although her heart was definitely not in the retort.

  “He’s being stubborn. I was certain that he was going to tell you how he feels, but as soon as he saw you dancing with Will Hadley, he got that scowl on his face. He is apparently determined to make you pay for daring to dance with another man.” She frowned in his direction. “How dare you enjoy yourself, Chase,” she scolded mockingly.

  She shrugged, fighting to keep the disappointment from her face. Although the women were talking in muffled tones, Chase’s grandmother was sitting within earshot, and she didn’t dare let her see or hear how upset she was.

  Elisa stared at her for a moment and then sighed heavily. Having not gotten the response she’d hoped for, she pushed herself to her feet and wandered off to join a large group of people gathered farther from the band. Chase recognized the burly general store owner, Henry Armstrong, even at this distance. The group seemed to greet Elisa warmly, and chatted with her for a bit.

  In spite of her efforts, she couldn’t stop herself from looking for Webb among the dancers. Having spotted him laughing with his cousin, she comforted herself with the reminder that Elisabeth posed no threat there. After all, she was his cousin.

  “So, Chastity, is America everything you’d hoped for?” her grandmother asked, breaking the silence and giving her a welcome distraction.

  Chase smiled at her and took her hand in her own. “I had never imagined anything like this. Hasn’t it been a beautiful day?”

  She smiled sadly. “Only one thing could have made it more perfect.”

  “A big piece of chocolate cake?” she joked.

  She smiled broadly. “That sounds heavenly. But that wasn’t what I was referring to. It would have been an even more perfect day if you had gotten your dance with Mr. Webb.”

  Chase smiled sheepishly at her and shrugged. “It isn’t important,” she lied.

  “When I talked to you of him that day on the train, there was something important that I forgot to mention.”

  “It really isn’t anything, Grandmother. There’s no need to—”

  “I forgot to mention love,” she interrupted. “I know that you claim it is nothing but a little attraction and innocent kisses. And if that is true, then my warnings stand. But if you’ve fallen in love with the man, then you need to fight for him.” The fire in her eyes reflected her youthful resolve.

  “I’m not in love with him, Grandmother,” she assured her softly.

  “Then let him go, Chastity,” she advised simply.

  But for Chase, it wasn’t nearly that simple. She couldn’t get him out of her mind. Her body ached for him. And after talking to Elisa that afternoon, she had already made her decision. Granted, his refusal to dance with her was a minor setback. But she was confident that given time and some privacy, both Colton Webb and she would get what they wanted.

  The song had ended, and Elisa was returning to their blanket with Henry Armstrong and another older man with thinning white hair and brilliant blue eyes. She introduced this man as James O’Flaherty, an Irish farmer from Greenwood, only a couple miles south of her own ranch. As a new song started up, Lady Colchester was whisked onto her feet by the Irishman, while Marcus asked Elisabeth to join him. Will Hadley approached and asked Reese to dance, leaving Chase sitting on the blanket beside Elisa while Webb stood beside them grinning at the noisy crowd. He tapped his foot unconsciously, and his fingers kept the rhythm against his thigh. She forced her eyes away from the sight of his large rough hands moving against his muscled leg.

  “Leave the pregnant woman in peace for a bit, won’t you?” Elisa finally blurted out. “Take this lady for a dance, Colton.”

  His jaw muscle twitched in anger or at least irritation when he glanced down at Elisa. Then he reluctantly held a hand out to Chase. She considered batting the hand away. He acted as though she was a huge burden; the recluse that he danced with only as a favor to her sister-in-law. But she had been longing to feel his hands on her all day. Even her pride wouldn’t let her turn him down.

  His hand was warm as it circled her fingers. When they reached the other dancers, he seemed to hesitate before putting his free hand on her hip. She placed her hand on his bicep, pausing a moment to appreciate the strength of his arm. She was surprised when they began moving. He was as graceful as the most polished gentlemen of England’s Season as he moved her in circles. The skin beneath her hand was burning, and she glanced up at his mouth, remembering how he tasted.

  He was refusing to look at her. Instead, he stared over her head, looking almost bored as he led the dance effortlessly.

  “How awful for you to be forced to dance with me like this,” she muttered proudly.

  He looked down at her for a moment and then lifted an eyebrow, though not in argument.

  “What has you so angry?” she demanded to know. “You’ve barely spoken to me all day, and you seem to have made a very special effort to ask everyone to dance but me.”

  “You did not seem to be short on dance partners, Cochrane. What is it you’re complaining about?” he answered gruffly.

  She smirked up at his anger-darkened eyes. “You were jealous? That’s why you have practically avoided me all day?”

  “I wasn’t jealous. You wanted to play games. I was simply playing along.”

  “Games?” she hissed. “I agreed to dance with the others because nobody else was asking. I wasn’t deliberately trying to provoke you.”

  “Provoke me? You’re entitled to dance with any man you choose, m’lady,” he mocked.

  “Yes, I am,” she agreed. “Just as you are entitled to bed any woman you choose.” She didn’t have to close her eyes to see him following one of Chantal’s girls upstairs again.

  “Not any woman,” he answered huskily.

  Caught off guard, she didn’t know how to respond to that. “Don’t use me as an excuse to carry on with Chantal’s trollops. You’re a grown man capable of making your own decisions,” she sputtered.

  “I didn’t bed Virginia that night,” he fired. “I was too worked up over you.”

  She was shocked and more pleased than she dared admit by this admission. They danced in silence for the remainder of the song. As the final note played, she whispered, “If it’s any consolation, I was worked up over you, too.”

  He shook his head and tucked her hand into his arm to lead her back to her family. Behind them, the band began packing up their instruments, putting an end to any hope she might have had of sharing another dance with him.

  “I think it’s best if we avoid each other for a while, Cochrane,” he suggested quietly.

  “You think that’s necessary?” she asked.

  “Things aren’t getting any easier like this.”

  “I don’t think avoiding each other will make things easier, either,” she argued softly.

  “What do you suggest we do?” he asked with exasperation.

  “I suggest you convince me.”

  His muscles tightened beneath her hand. “Convince you of what?” he asked slowly, probably not daring to believe she was suggesting what she was.

  “Convince me that we would both be better off if we simply…” she trailed off, blushing furiously, judging by the warmth in her cheeks.

  “Get it out of our systems?” he asked.

  She wasn’t certain that giving her body to Webb would get him out of her system. But as Elisa had pointed out, for her it was not an issue of ruining her possibilities for marriage. She glanced up at him and saw his Adam’s apple bob as he swallowed thickly.

  “Do you have any
idea what you’re doing?” he asked gently.

  “Aside from destroying any hopes my grandmother has of marrying me off?” she joked half-heartedly.

  “It’s not a joking matter, Chase.”

  They were too close to her family to risk continuing the conversation. “I know,” she answered. Then more loudly, she said, “Thank you for the dance, Mr. Webb.”

  He met her eyes and held her gaze for a couple of seconds before turning abruptly in search of his cousin. “Elisabeth,” he called as she approached them, “shall we be heading home? You must be exhausted by now.”

  “What a delightful evening!” she exclaimed excitedly. “It was so exciting!”

  Chase smiled at her and exchanged another glance with Webb. Exciting? Indeed.

  ***

  That evening, Chase moved distractedly through the house. She considered heading to Chantal’s in an effort to find Webb, but she knew better than to be seen meeting him in public. She had made a decision about what she wanted, but she wasn’t going to dismiss discretion.

  She tossed and turned in bed that night for hours before finally falling asleep and dreaming of more innocent days in England.

  She busied herself the following day with chores around the ranch. One of the cows who had recently delivered seemed to have an infection of some kind. Marcus wouldn’t give her the details. He only cursed the fact that the local vet who typically would come to treat the infection was in Chicago visiting his brother.

  “I’ll have to go into the city tomorrow to pick up the treatment for her,” he complained.

  “I can go for you,” Tom suggested.

  “That’s all right. I’ll go. There’s something I need to pick up for Elisa anyway.” He looked over at his sister and then asked, “Do you want to come with me?”

  It seemed a clear way for her to get away from the ranch and, therefore, farther away from Colton Webb. If anything would distract her, a visit to Midland would probably do it. “Of course,” she answered quickly.

  Shortly before lunch, Marcus suggested that Chase go clean up and give Elisa a hand in the house. She put a saddle on Artemis and rode her hard to Colton Webb’s pond. She was more than a little disappointed to find that he wasn’t there waiting for her. She dismounted to splash the cool water up her arms and on her face. She rested for a couple of minutes before finally giving up and riding Artemis back to the ranch.