An Earl's Wager: Regency Romance (Gentlemen and Brides)

by Joyce Alec

  “Do you, Mr. Clyde Forester, take Miss Emma Waters, to be your lawfully wedded wife?”

  “I do,” he said, grinning down at her. She could see a playful side to him in his gaze, and it was a side that she hoped she would see more often.

  “And do you, Miss Waters, take Mr. Forester to be your husband?”

  “I do,” she replied easily. There was not even a question in her mind. She had made the right decision.

  “Then by the power vested in me, I pronounce you both man and wife before these witnesses, and the Lord Himself.”

  Her heart hammered against her ribs.

  “You may now kiss the bride.”

  And he did. Surely and certainly he kissed her, and the whole world dissolved around her.

  Nothing else mattered aside from him.

  Not a thing.

  And she was perfectly fine with that.

  4

  Emma’s first morning in her new home was a beautiful one.

  She had risen before the sun, her eyes snapping open as if waking from a very vivid dream. She sat up, looked about, and gasped.

  It had all actually happened. It wasn’t a dream.

  She sank back into her pillows and sighed.

  The bed was pleasant and soft. She had not felt cold at all throughout the night. The last embers of the fire in the hearth were still glowing, and she could just see the first amber light of dawn through the windows on either side of the four-poster bed.

  She was a married woman now. She had started her new life.

  She rose as the sun did the same, streaking through the trees. As she dressed and brushed her hair out, she looked about the room in which she had slept.

  It was warm, comfortable, and spacious. There was a large dressing area with a lovely paper screen. Lovely sewn curtains hung around the outside of the bed, and the quilt that Clyde had picked was soft and inviting.

  She could not have furnished it better if she had chosen the furnishings herself.

  Hunger pangs struck her as she stared around, and went to find the kitchen. It was best to learn her way around the house quickly. She resolved to begin a letter to Mary and her parents that very afternoon. Her heart overflowed with joy.

  She stepped out of the room into the hall, feeling the cool draft on her bare feet as she walked.

  She heard a fire crackling down at the end, and when she followed it, she discovered the kitchen already bright and cheerful. A pot was bubbling in the hearth, and there sat Clyde, at the table with a book in his hands.

  “Ah, there you are,” he said brightly, grinning at her. “I hope you slept well.”

  “I did, thank you.” She looked about. “And you?”

  “Quite well, quite well,” he said. He set down his book to give her his whole undivided attention. “I made you some breakfast. I hope you like fresh eggs and porridge.”

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Oh, I’m sorry. I should have been in here to help you. I—”

  “Think nothing of it,” he said, grinning. “I fended for myself for two years now. I’m sure that we will find what works best for us in this house, but I am not above making breakfast for us.” He winked at her. “Besides. I rather like cooking up good things to eat.”

  She crossed the room and joined him at the table. He procured a plate from beside the hearth and set it down in front of her.

  “Well, I hope that you won’t mind me leaving so soon,” he said. “I must tend to the farm. Those animals aren’t going to feed themselves.”

  “Is there anything that I can help with?” she asked.

  He considered her words for a moment. “Well, if you think of it, you could fetch the eggs from the coop. And maybe bring some of the cheese in the larder inside.”

  He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

  “But if you need some time to adjust to everything, I will completely understand. This is all very new, and I don’t want to push you to do anything too quickly.”

  She nodded. “I do appreciate that. But I do want to be able to pull my weight now that I am living here.”

  “All in due time,” he replied. “Maybe I will come and fetch you before dinner so you can meet the rest of the horses. Would you like that?”

  “I would,” she said.

  “Very good,” he said. He scooped up a loaf of bread from a basket on the table and started toward the door that lead outside. “I was thinking some roasted duck for supper. What do you think?”

  “I think that sounds lovely,” she replied.

  “Good,” he said. “I’ll make sure have it all prepared come evening.”

  He paused, his hand on the doorknob.

  “Emma?” he said.

  She straightened as she looked at him.

  “Yes?”

  “I am very glad that I am married to you.”

  The gentleness in his voice made her flush scarlet.

  “I am glad for it, too,” she replied, though her repetition of his words made it sound hollow and insincere.

  He didn’t seem to mind though. He grinned at her and was soon outside, closing the door behind himself.

  And then she was all alone in the new house of her very own.

  She spent a good portion of the morning exploring the house properly. She checked inside every cupboard, reminding herself that they were all hers now, and trying to make herself familiar with the location of the bowls, the pots, and the fresh linens. She found the washing basin just behind the house beside the firewood stack, which she noticed was already very well stocked, as well as the tanning rack that Clyde must use after his hunts.

  It was a rather cozy place, with plenty of room for a growing family, but still it was hard to convince herself that it was her home, and not someone else’s.

  Clyde had been right. It was going to take time to adjust to it all.

  At Clyde’s suggestion, she discovered the chicken coop where she gathered some eggs, pleased to see how healthy the birds were. She greeted the goats and the pigs as well, all of whom appeared to be happy.

  She gathered some wheat from the mill, hoping to prepare some fresh bread for dinner to impress Clyde. He had been so kind making breakfast for her that she wanted to return the favor.

  Once all of her preparations for dinner were complete, and she felt she had completed as many chores as she could with the knowledge she had, she stood in the kitchen and looked about, feeling somewhat lost.

  “I shall write back home,” she said to herself. “There is certainly plenty to tell them all.”

  She retired to her room and her writing desk, where she found an ample supply of paper, fresh ink, and a pen. She pulled some paper from the desk, flattened it, and began to write.

  Dear Father, Mother, and Mary,

  I’m a married woman now! The ceremony was perfect. His family was there. You would all love them to pieces. I can’t wait to spend more time with them.

  She tapped her chin with the end of the pen.

  Our home is a wonderful place. It is on a farm, where there is plenty of fresh air. We even have horses! I spent some time with the other animals here this morning. We will have fresh eggs every morning, and there is a large windmill that produces more than enough flour for baking. I wonder if he has considered selling any of it to the local townsfolk?

  The idea made her smile, but it quickly faded. There was so much that she did not know about Clyde, so much that she would not know for some time. She knew that it was going to take time to learn about him, but she wished that she could know it all at once.

  I think I will be very happy here. There are a great many things to keep me busy, what with running my own home now and all. But Clyde is a very kind man, and he has treated me very well. He’s gone above and beyond anything I could have hoped for. I feel incredibly blessed.

  She sighed. It was true. She did feel blessed.

  I do miss you all something terrible. I wonder when Clyde and I will be able to come out to visit? Work at the farm will surely
keep him busy. Perhaps you could take a long holiday here in the spring once the worst of the snow has passed! I know that I would be most grateful to see you.

  Please make sure to give Andrew all of my love as well, and I shall look forward to hearing your reply.

  With deepest sincerity,

  Emma Forester

  She put the pen down and read over the letter, feeling far less cheerful than she had when she had sat down to compose it.

  Her name was different now. She was no longer Emma Waters, but Emma Forester.

  A reeling, sinking sensation swept over her.

  She was in this strange home living with a strange man, sharing the most intimate relationship that two people can, and was just expected to accept it all?

  It was as if all of her self-convincing, all of the build-up and preparations for her transition out to Colorado suddenly meant nothing. A crushing fear swept over her like a great tidal wave, nearly knocking the very air from her lungs.

  She clutched at her dress, sat back in her chair, and forced herself to keep breathing.

  Certainly, Clyde was a very fine man. Respectable, kind, warm. But what about his flaws? What of his fears? What were things that angered him? Of these, she knew nothing.

  And what of her? What if he discovered her to be someone that he didn’t like? What if she and he could never get along, their personalities so different from one another that she just upset him at every turn? What if he didn’t appreciate her desire for quiet and peace? What if he expected her to know much more about living on a farm than she did? What if he wanted a woman who had more social graces than she had?

  She suddenly understood Mary’s reservations about her decision, and wondered how she had managed to talk herself into it in the first place. Such a foolish woman, reacting so impulsively to a man who had broken her heart clean in two.

  She closed her eyes, and focused herself to slow her breathing. Her heart beat wildly in her chest, and she had to take several deep breaths before it began to cease its frantic pace. How could she have second thoughts? She had already made her decision.

  She could not think about Jack. That was a dangerous path, the path of regret. No, she knew that in her heart she would never have been satisfied with him. Even as her nerves began to calm, she knew it to be the truth.

  Jack had lied to her, no doubt about it. He had gone and disrupted her whole life, and what did he do? He waited until he caught wind of her leaving to marry someone else before he stepped out and told her he had made a mistake.

  No, she told herself. Mary was right. He hadn’t meant a word of it. It was too much of a coincidence.

  The afternoon rolled on, and eventually the fire in the bedroom died and so she withdrew to the kitchen. She had fed it plenty of firewood, hoping to prepare some good coals for that night’s dinner.

  But as she sat in a chair beside the fire, she wondered if she’d have the strength to cook a meal for a man she felt ashamed to see, let alone confused about.

  She heard the door open sometime later, and it was not until then that she saw the room had started to grow dark. Evening was settling in, and she realized that there was so much preparation to be done for dinner that she had not yet done.

  “Emma…are you all right?”

  She whipped around in her chair and saw Clyde standing there, concern all over his handsome face. His hand was scratching his dark beard as he watched her.

  “I’m…” she began, and then she burst into tears.

  Immediately, he dropped the load of firewood he had been carrying and rushed to kneel beside her. He gently took her hands in his own and attempted to calm her with soft, gentle tones.

  “I feel such a fool,” Emma was able to say. “You have been so kind to me, so welcoming…and how do I repay you? By being frightened!”

  She put her face in her hands and cried harder.

  “Emma, it’s perfectly all right,” Clyde said.

  “No, it isn’t,” she said through her wet fingers. “No! Why am I so afraid? You have been so wonderful.”

  “But it is perfectly reasonable!” Clyde replied, laughing lightly. “Emma, you just gave up your whole life—everything—to come halfway across the country to marry a stranger!”

  Her tears slowed as she listened to his words.

  “I cannot even pretend to know what you are feeling right now, but I know it must be difficult. You see, all that has changed in my world is that I have a wonderful, absolutely beautiful wife now.” He laughed softly. “I suppose that does mean that everything has changed for me, too, but not in the same way.”

  He lifted her chin so that she would look him in the eye.

  “I have tried my very hardest to prepare a place for you here where you would feel at home. And I know that will take time. Perhaps even a great deal. But I wanted you to want for nothing, to feel as if everything here is yours, because it is…”

  He gestured around at the kitchen.

  “I can respect how overwhelming this must feel to you, and I hope that I have been gracious enough to you by giving you the space you need to adjust.”

  “You have been more than gracious…” Emma said softly.

  Clyde smiled. “You are very precious to me, even after only knowing you for one full day. You are my wife now, Emma. And I will do everything in my power to ensure that you are always happy, healthy, and safe. And if there is anything that I can do to help make this all easier, just let me—”

  She had thrown herself into his arms, kneeling down onto the floor. She buried her head against his chest, and allowed herself to feel protected and cherished by this man who had taken a great chance on her as well.

  She heard him chuckle softly as he wrapped his own arms around her shoulders and held her tightly against him. She could smell the elderberries, as well as the fresh hay and the dirt from the fields. She allowed herself to drink in the smell, learn it well, for she knew it would be her greatest comfort in the coming years.

  “I am quite fond of you already, as well,” she murmured into his shirt. “Thank you for everything you have done. It has not been in vain. You have made me feel more special than anyone else ever could.”

  And she meant it.

  He ran his fingers through her hair, giving her a few more moments to pull herself together.

  “I will be the very best wife that I can be for you,” she said. “I will be your friend, and I will be your lover. All of these things I have chosen to do, and I will do them.”

  Clyde pressed his lips to the top of her head, and she felt her cheeks blush.

  “That is more than I deserve, but everything that I could have ever hoped to hear.”

  And so they spent the rest of the evening talking, laughing, and learning, for they knew that many nights would be the very same, and both of them would welcome them with open arms.

  The End

  Bonus Books: Amish Romance

  Part I

  Simple Heart Beautiful Life

  By Caroline Johnson

  1

  1945, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

  Another day came to an end, and Rachel stared at the sun setting behind the mountains. Seven months and twenty-nine days had passed, yet the immense pain and emptiness refused to leave her heart. She just could not let the pain go. Or maybe that was the last thing holding her together? She was afraid that if she let this pain go, nothing would be left.

  John was the love of her life. He was her reason for living, and now he was no more. He had died and broken his promise.

  How many times had she read the words in his last letter?

  My dear wife,

  I will come back, Rachel. Have faith in our love. I will return, and you’ll see how beautiful our life will be together. I can see us in the future, building our dreams together. This is just a challenge given to us by Gott. He is testing our strength, our belief and our love. I know we will not fail this, my love. Just hold on tight and never lose hope.

  Death has
n’t come to me, as it has to others around me. I am sure it is your love and prayers that are keeping death far away from me. Your love for me is much more powerful than any army, any weapon in this world. Nothing can take me away from you. Not even death.

  Think of me, Rachel, because I am thinking of you. Your love is what has brought me this far. I’ll see you soon, Rachel. I can feel that this challenge is going to end soon, and then I’ll return to you. After that, there will be no distance between us.

  Your loving husband,

  John

  His last letter had given her hope and happiness. But he hadn’t kept his side of the promise, and instead of returning alive, his body had been delivered. Life was cruel, and fate was crueler. The one person whom she truly loved and wanted to build a life with was taken away from her. She had spent countless lonely days praying for his safe return. She planned their life together and dreamed of the children they would have. After his death, she no longer had a reason to dream or hope for the future. She felt just as dead as her beloved John.

  With the dying sun, Rachel’s heart also fell back into the well of emptiness and despair. She took a deep breath and then started walking back towards her house. Her life had fallen into a dull routine that only involved things as mundane as eating, sleeping, and breathing.

  “Good evening, Ma,” she announced, as she opened the back door of the house.

  There was no answer. She heard muffled voices coming from the living room. Quietly, she peered in the doorway to see who was visiting.

  Her mother, Sarah, was sitting next to a man she did not recognize. He had his back towards Rachel. Her brother, Jacob, sat on a plain wooden chair beside his mother. She crept down the hall and walked into the kitchen. Her sister-in-law, Mariah, was setting the tea tray for the guest.