by Jerri Hines
“Warning me?” Wade matched Harry Lee’s intensity. “I think not. Don’t come here and try to threaten me. It is I that has the law on my side.”
“The hell you do! You try and marry her…”
“I will do more than try,” Wade asserted. “Wright’s will is firm and direct. Theodore Whitney is Jo’s guardian. Wright made sure that his will was filed all proper and such before his death. Go see his lawyer, Clyde Morgan. Furthermore, Wright gave his blessing for me to marry Jo. He amended his will with the necessary stipulations. It is I that warn you to leave Miss Wright alone. Now, vacate my premises!”
The door slammed. A moment later hurried footsteps took to the stairs.
Jo fell back to a chair and sat. Cullen knelt beside her, holding tight to her hand. The door slung back as the Montgomery men entered.
“Andrew has sent them on a fool’s errand. Hopefully, it has brought us enough time to depart.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Wade…not until I understand what is happening,” Jo’s voice cracked with pain.
“I will tell you everything, but not now. We don’t have time.”
He reached down for her hand. She recoiled back.
“Don’t touch me!” she cried. Looking over at Cullen, she pleaded, “Take me away.”
“I’m afraid he can’t do that,” Clayton stepped in front of Andrew and walked across to his desk. “I will be blunt for we don’t have time for niceties.”
A scowl crossed his face. Jo sensed that the day had become a steady stream of disastrous events. She watched Clayton sit and reached for his pipe. She had no patience.
She glared at him. “Tell me what you want and be done with it.”
Cullen would have none of it. He flew into a rage. “You lied to her, Grandfather! You have put her life endanger. I will never forgive you for this…never!”
Clayton filled his pipe and lit it. “A necessary evil, Cullen. It was Wright’s last wish. I gave him my word on his death bed. I will hold to it.”
“Wright would never have placed Jo in this position!”
“There you are wrong.” Clayton went through a stack of papers and pulled out a letter. “The letter was written in a shaky hand, but it is his.”
Reading it over quickly, Cullen grimaced and flung the letter back down on the desk. “It means nothing.”
“It means everything,” Clayton’s lips twisted, greatly agitated. “When Wright discovered that my grandson fell short of his obligation, that Andrew had deceived everyone, he collapsed. He lived long enough to state his wishes. Legally, he already had it set after the last stunt Harry Lee pulled by cutting off Buchanan from Josephine. Vernon and his boys can bellow all day long…he hasn’t got a leg to stand on.”
“You make no sense,” Cullen declared.
“Brace up and listen,” Clayton said with a jeering note in his voice. “Wright left the whole of his estate to Josephine with Theodore Whitney as her guardian. Which means includes everything that was Wright’s—Magnolia Bluff and all that goes with it along I suspect much of The Groves. The way Buchanan is acting it would have to be. Buchanan will use everything at his disposal to challenge the legality of the guardianship.
“If he wins, we lose most everything that has been ours for generations, but there is a simple solution. Wright stipulated his desire for Josephine to marry a Montgomery. No court will overturn Josephine’s marriage to Wade.”
“Over my dead body! She is to marry me…we would have already wed if not for that false telegram. You knew that it would work…”
“Do you want Josephine to be harmed?” Wade questioned coldly. “You know as well as I what Harry Lee will do to her if he gets his hands on her. Do you not understand if you marry Jo, Buchanan will challenge the legality of it? You will lose in any court within this state. There is no way you will win, not now in this turbulent atmosphere of hate toward any Yankee. The outcome would send Joe back into their hands."
“If Jo was your concern, you would never have tricked her into returning!” Cullen retorted. “What of proprieties?”
“It is at a point where proprieties be damn,” Wade said crossly. “And it was not I that sent that telegram. I did not know she was returning until after Andrew came home.”
Jo was lost in the debate. Her heart choked in her throat. A dreadful feeling enveloped her that she was losing Cullen. How had everything gotten so confusing?
“I don't give a damn about the will or Magnolia Bluff. We will wed and return to Philadelphia without delay,” Cullen said in icy fiercely. “We are getting the hell out of here."
“It is quite the quandary, Cousin, but there is not another way.”
“We will see.”
An unsettling quiet descended the room. Cullen rose pulling Joe up with him. She clung tightly to his arm and began toward the door.
Wade stepped out in front of her with a hard penetrating look. “Ah, if it was only so easy as to run,” he said with a sardonic grin. “You won’t get escape Harry Lee on your own. The only way, to solve this, is to marry me.”
“Step aside,” Cullen commanded.
Wade lunged at Cullen. Dazed, Jo fell back against the wall. Wilting to the floor, she watched in horror as the two unleashed their pent-up anger. Cullen slammed his fist against Wade’s jaw. Wade stumbled momentarily; then answered with a punch of his own.
She could take no more. Curling her knees into her, she hung her head down in her hands. She dared not look up. The day had become a nightmare.
“Enough! Enough! We are family.”
Slowly, she raised her eyes. Andrew stood between the cousins with his hands spread.
“We are not enemies!” Andrew contended, shouting at the two. “If you want to be mad at someone, be mad at me. It does no good saying what should have happened. It will change nothing.”
“Andrew is right,” Clayton said. “Cullen, you want time to come up with another plan. I understand. Give it to him, Wade. Right now it will be safer to get Miss Wright out of the city. Saddle up the horses, immediately without delay. Understand eyes will be upon you. Leave for Magnolia Bluff. Leave now. Andrew and I will stay here to hold them back as long as we can."
Too stunned and weary to move, panic and confusion churned in her. Strong arms rounded her, lifting her back to her feet.
“Come with me. I will help you ready.”
She clutched his arm. “Cullen. Oh, Cullen…” Tears sprang to her eyes.
He embraced her and whispered, “We will find away.”
She needed to change. Clothes were brought to her, boys clothing along with a hat and boots. Clamoring in boots too large, she once more found Cullen waiting for her outside the door.
Seeing the clothes hanging loose about her, he tied a rope around her waist as a belt. Her body trembled uncontrollably. She was frightened, more frightened than she had ever been in her life, not for her life, but the thought of being ripped from her lover’s arms.
He gazed into her eyes and caressed her cheek. The tears began; he wiped them off, kissing her gently.
“Promise me…promise me that you won’t leave me…ever.”
He breathed out deeply but said nothing. Instead, he kissed her again.
“Can you ride?”
She nodded uneasily. He took her hand, walked down the stairs out the door to the stables where Wade waited. Mounting up, she followed Wade’s led with Cullen at her side.
The three rode in silence. She was exhausted, sore and emotionally drained, but she made no complaints. She had to get out of this mad town. It was as if she woke up in a nightmare. As soon as they were on the outskirts of Charleston, they broke into a gallop.
After riding for a couple of miles, Cullen motioned for Jo to slow to a trot; then a walk. Soon, Wade disappeared from view. Startled for a moment, she caught sight of Wade hiding in some overgrowth on the road side. Was he hiding in wait?
Cullen gestured for her to continue onward. Rounding the curve of the dusty road, a shot
rang out behind them. Alarmed, she glanced back over her shoulder.
“This way, Jo,” Cullen said, directing her to a clump of young saplings. “I have to go back. If we don’t come back in a few minutes, ride and don’t stop until you get to Magnolia Bluff.” He handed her a pistol. “Use it if you have to. Understand? They can’t take you.”
She saw the fear his eyes held for her; heard the trepidation in his voice. He tethered back his horse, his gun in hand. “I love you, Josephine.”
He reined his beast around and spurred the horse back toward Wade. Frightened beyond measure, she hadn’t long to wait as horses’ hooves bore down the road, fast approaching, slowing only when coming upon her.
Cullen paused only long enough to utter, “Ride.”
Chapter Twelve
A canopy of Spanish moss arched high overhead served as a shield to the light rain that had begun to fall. It had been a long, tiring ride. The horses had been pushed to their limit; their sides flanked with sweat. Shadows of the day bored down upon the riders. Before long the sun would set.
The road twisted through a line of live Virginia oaks, opening up to a view of Magnolia Bluff. None seemed to notice the signs of early spring around them. Tree sprigs sprouted buds that promised the birth of another season. Soon azaleas and camellias would bloom and engulfed the grounds with rich, vibrant colors.
As Jo neared the brick residence, she saw Cullen and Wade exchange looks. She breathed easier. It was good; all was quiet.
Neither man took to the entrance but rode over the lawn to back. Jo followed. A giant black man ran out from the cookhouse, halting when he saw Wade.
“Amos, take the horses down to the stables,” Wade demanded. “We are not here…do you understand?”
“Yas’m, Master Wade.”
“Come back quickly and met me in the study,” Wade ordered.
Jo took no notice as Cullen’s arms opened to help her dismount. Unsteady, her legs wobbled when her feet touched the ground. Without hesitation, Cullen wrapped his arms under her and lifted her up. Hiding her face against his chest, she felt him carry her upstairs.
“Miss Wright needs attention. A warm bath, clothes, and food.”
His voice resonated in the room. She heard feet scurrying away. Jo doubted anyone would dare defy his orders.
He sat her down on the bed. Pulling off her hat, her hair fell loose down her back. The sight she must look! Dirty…filthy from the ride, dressed in boy's clothes…a far cry from the lady, her papa, envisioned.
Oh, how I disappointed Papa! Her throat tightened with contained grief.
“Jo,” Cullen said. He cradled her face in his hands. “Jo, listen to me. You are safe. Nothing is going to happen to you here. I need to talk with Wade about the situation. I want you to rest. I will be back shortly.”
She heaved a tremulous sigh. “I’m scared.”
“No harm will befall you, my darling.”
A protest lay on her lips but was interrupted by two house girls struggling to haul a small brass tub into the room. She watched Cullen walk out the door, closing it soundly on his exit. She stared blankly at the vacant space he once stood until one of the girls announced the bath was readied.
She dismissed the girls. She had no need of assistance nor did she want any. Slowly, she dispensed with the boyish garb into an indiscreet pile on the floor and eased down into the tepid water.
Closing her eyes, she let the heat seep into her tired limbs, rising only from the tub when her fingers became water-wrinkled. Toweling herself dry, she eased the nightgown over her head and straightened it out as it clung to her wet figure. She managed to walk over to the dresser for a comb to fight the tangled mess her hair had become.
She stared at the woman in the mirror who seemed like a stranger. Suddenly the comb caught in the snarled hair. She fought it for a moment. Freeing it, she flung it across the room.
Standing, she walked back to the bed and grasped hold of the post. All the emotions she had dammed within her burst forth. Papa’s dead. Oh, my God! He’s dead. I failed him! However am I going to defend myself against Harry Lee…he is after me… for my money…then he wants me dead! Worse…Cullen…they are going to take Cullen from me!
Tears, welling in her eyes, fell unheeded as she slid down upon the floor.
Cullen found Jo slumped down clinging to the post. He lifted her, pulled back the covers, and gently placed her within the bed. Frantically, she reached for him, clutching his shirt in a tight grip. He needed nothing more than to pull her to him. He let her cry.
Sniffling, she rubbed the side of her face, wiping her eyes dry. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be this way. I don’t know…”
“Hush, my love,” Cullen whispered, but the words she wanted to hear, longed to hear, needed to hear didn’t come. Where were the words that everything would work out—no matter what they would be together—nothing would stand in the way of their love?
He kissed the top of her head and released her. “Give me a moment.”
Sitting on the side of the bed, he kicked off his boots and pulled out his shirt from his pants. He leaned back against the headboard, drawing her into his arms. Somewhere in the night, she slept.
Jo woke several times, and Cullen held her. At times, he too slept, leaning his head against hers. At others, she would wake with him staring at her as if he was memorizing every inch of her face. She woke long enough to eat a tray of food, which had been left for them.
The door was kept open. She remembered for she woke. Cullen had slipped out into the hall. She heard Wade’s voice whispering to Cullen. There were no harsh words, only mumbling she couldn’t understand, but it was clear. They weren’t leaving her alone.
Suddenly, Jo woke startled and bolted upward. Her heart pounded madly. She had a nightmare, a terrible nightmare. Harry Lee stood outside the house, laughing, taunting her. “Got nowhere to go, Jo. I’ll find you…”
Arms tightened around her and pulled her back to his chest. “You’re safe. It was only a dream.”
In the meager light of wee hours of a new day, she looked so incredibly lovely. Her dark hair hung loose and ran down the curved ripeness of her body; her large telling eyes beckoned to him.
He never thought he would be holding her like this thinking about losing her. The threat was real. For so long he had lived with his life holding to what was right…he didn’t want to be right at this moment.
She needed him; he wanted her. It had taken all his strength not to take her as he desired. He didn’t want to be strong any longer and deny what was his. He shouldn’t, not knowing what the future held.
He resisted no longer. He eased off the bed and crept to the door. Slowly, he closed it and turned the lock. Pausing, his eyes fell back on the beautiful lady. She understood. Reaching down to the hem of her nightgown, she pulled it over her head.
He crawled back in under the covers. He kissed her, gently at first and then as she began to respond to him, his kisses became more passionate. Forgetting everything else, their bodies melted together, enraptured, reaching into their very souls to fulfill the burning desire they held for each other.
In the stillness of the early morning, he held her tight. Both sensed the urgency of their need; neither wanted to let go of the other.
“Tell me, Cullen,” she whispered. “Say the words that will ease my worries.”
Emotions tore at her heart, overcome with love for the man who held her. Overwhelmed with the sensation she was about to have her heart ripped apart.
“If you are asking if I will fight for us…as long as I breathe.”
His ragged whisper echoed in her heart, but his words held pain…pain she felt also.
He slipped out of bed and put back on his pants; his shirt he pulled through the arms lay unbuttoned. He grabbed her gown and handed it to her.
There was no need to tell her that he had to leave her before they were discovered in such an embrace. There was no need to tell her that once he stepped out of t
he room, the world would enter, a world that had spiraled out of control.
He leaned over and kissed her. Lingering on her lips, he whispered, “Know you are loved.”
* * * *
Listlessly, Jo readied for the day. She had been brought a wardrobe, and the girl helped her with her hair to make it look presentable. But Jo found she had no energy, wanting nothing more than to hide in the corner.
From her window, she watched activity swirl around the plantation. Men arrived. Most she did not know, but they were all armed which frightened her. In despair, she sagged back to the bed.
Then, she straightened fearfully as the door creaked opened. Apprehension faded upon recognition of her guest. She ran into the open arms and burst into tears.
“Now, now, sweetcums, your mammy is here,” Miss Hazel said, choking on her tears. “I’m here.”
“Take comfort he went peacefully.” Miss Hazel held Jo as if she would have a child with Jo’s head leaning against her bosom. She went on, “Nothin’ nobody could have done. Mr. Whitney. He took your papa to his final resting place. Took him home.”
“Mr. Whitney?” Jo sniffled. “I don’t understand.”
“I told Mr. Wright to tell ya. I did, but Hon, you don’t need to hear it today. Mr. Whitney owed the Wrights a favor. He made a vow and kept it. He did. In time, Mr. Whitney can tell ya the story.”
Silence ensued. The old woman sighed, patting Jo’s back. “Master Wade came himself to get me. He cares for you.”
Jo stiffened and drew back. “He cares about Magnolia Bluff. It is his love. I am only the string that ties it back to him.”
“It is not what I remember.”
“A lifetime ago,” Jo said laboriously and eyed Miss Hazel confused. “Don’t dawdle if you have something you want to say. I’ve had enough of riddles, but I will say I am surprised Wade sent you to be his ambassador.”
“Child, he ain’t using me for nothin’, except seeing to your needs,” Miss Hazel chided Jo. “I saw ya with him before this whole mess exploded. I saw how you two looked at each other.”
