A Widow's Salvation

by Becky Lower

  “If you’d let me get out of this bed, I’d get to one knee.”

  “There’s no need for such a display, Elijah. I’ll accept your proposal. I am merely taken off guard, that’s all.”

  “When can we marry, then?”

  She stepped back and stared at him for a second. Her hand went to her stomach before she stepped forward again. He interpreted it as a good sign. She was stepping into her future. With him. She leaned down and kissed him, lather and all.

  “I think it should be soon. Perhaps it would be best if you moved back to the barracks until we can be married, though. We don’t want to flaunt society too much. Mother will be thrilled to plan another wedding. She’ll be over later today to take the boys out to the park. I’ll tell her then. Right now, I need to finish shaving you.”

  She accomplished the remainder of her task with a beautiful smile on her face. After wiping away the last of the lather, she kissed him again.

  “I think it might be best if we break the news to Mother with a sound plan of execution already in place. Otherwise, she will take over our wedding and turn it into a three-ring circus.”

  “The boys might appreciate a circus, though.”

  Pepper laughed, and the sound of her amusement created a symphony in his ears. She’d seen so much tragedy in her young life, and she’d had very little opportunity to laugh. He’d make it a priority from now on. Helping her find something to laugh about each day would be his life’s work. He was truly blessed.

  “All right, then. I’ll move back to the Bronx for a few weeks. We’ll have an engagement dinner at Downing’s to announce our intentions. Then, I’ll move back in here after the wedding ceremony. It’s settled.”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  It was official. Not even Mabel Wentworth could find anything to complain about. Elijah had a grin on his face a yard wide as he began his journey and turned his mount toward Manhattan. He and Pepper had announced their engagement in the newspaper, tonight was their engagement dinner at Downing’s, and they’d be married within one week. All official, traditional, and by the book, which appealed to Pepper’s desire to heed society’s rules. Much to Mabel Wentworth’s dismay.

  He was a bit late heading out toward town, but the last operation he’d taken part in had been tricky. He’d managed to save the man’s life, but the rest of the Fitzpatrick family, including Pepper’s young sons, were already assembled at the restaurant. Elijah urged his horse forward. It wasn’t only that he was longing to see his new family. As the horse churned up the miles, he had a niggling sense of foreboding. He had to see his new family with his own eyes and assure himself they were safe. He didn’t know what kind of problem they had, but the icy fear that crept up his spine told him not to delay.

  He slowed from his gallop as he got nearer to the center of town but still kept his horse to a trot. It had been more than an hour since he’d left his barracks, and his fear intensified with every minute, every mile, becoming a tight ball in his stomach. A shiver of dread made him tremble as he got to the street where the restaurant was. Or had been. Flames licked from the roof of the restaurant, and people were screaming and running in all directions. Elijah got as close as he could while still mounted on his horse, but the tangle of fire engines and carriages got in the way. He soon was on foot and running toward the fire as everyone else fought to escape.

  He scanned the street, searching for Pepper and the rest of the family, relieved to locate Charlotte and George, milling about.

  “Where is Pepper? And the boys?”

  “We can’t find them! Everything turned to chaos so quickly. Elijah, please save my family!” Charlotte’s tears left trails down her sooty face.

  He grabbed Charlotte’s shoulder and began to push her and George further into the street. “You stay back, out of harm’s way. I’ll find them.”

  Elijah ran toward the burning building, only to be stopped by fire hoses and men with axes, who were making their way inside the restaurant. He could barely see with all the smoke in the air but knew there were still people coming out of the building. A familiar figure came through the smoke, toward him, and his heart lurched.

  “Pepper! You’re safe. And the boys.” His arms wrapped around the two oldest boys and his fiancée.

  Pepper was frantic, though. “I couldn’t find Luke! Elijah, the baby’s still in the restaurant.”

  Elijah urged them toward the street. “Your parents are in the street, and safe. Go to them. I’ll find Luke.”

  She made a move to get past him and rush back into the building. He took hold of one of Pepper’s arms and held her firmly. “Only one of us needs to put ourselves in peril by going inside, and it’ll be me. You need to get to your parents and get safe. I’ll get Luke. Trust me.”

  Tears filled Pepper’s eyes as she pleaded with Elijah. “Please find him. He must be terrified.”

  He ran toward the building, praying she’d do what he asked of her, but not wanting to take any more time to assure himself she wouldn’t follow. Elijah held his shirttail over his nose and mouth as he went closer to the roaring flames. One of the firemen attempted to hold him back.

  “You can’t go in, Colonel. It’s too dangerous.”

  “My son is in there. Try to stop me.” He wrenched his arm from the fireman’s grasp and plunged into the burning building.

  Faint cries came to him through the fire, which was now roaring all around Elijah, the flames lapping at him, eager to engulf him.

  “Keep crying, Luke. I’ll find you.” His words were stifled by the flames roaring around him.

  Elijah ran toward the faint sound of his son’s voice. He’d recognize Luke’s cries anywhere. The fire roared around him, and the flames jumped higher, but he could finally make out the baby, crawling out from under a tablecloth, which was beginning to burn. Elijah cried out in relief. His child was still alive, but far from safe. It was up to him to get them out of this inferno.

  He crossed the room, used his hands to put out the flames on the tablecloth, and fashioned it as a cover for Luke as he scooped up the crying child and turned to leave. His lungs were screaming for air, but all he inhaled was smoke. A wall of flame roared between him and the exit. He hesitated, not wanting to run through the gauntlet of fire. He covered Luke’s head further with his shirttail, at his own expense, as the smoke filled his lungs. The firemen who had followed him during his headlong plight threw their pitiful buckets of water on the blaze. A narrow passageway opened through the flames for a brief second, and Elijah darted through it to the other side.

  With Luke in his arms, Elijah burst through the wall of smoke and made it outside into the street. Pepper rushed to Elijah’s side and grabbed the baby from him, as Elijah collapsed onto the ground, fighting for breath.

  “Take shallow breaths, Elijah. Your poor lungs.” She cried as she knelt beside him, patting his back to help him get rid of the smoke.

  His compromised lungs screamed for air, but the smoke he’d inhaled kept him coughing instead of inhaling. On the verge of passing out, he lay in the yard and forced himself to take small inhalations, as Pepper suggested, between each coughing attack. Each cough produced a small amount of smoke, which he exhaled as if he were a dragon. A random thought about what a good story a fire-breathing father would make for the children ran through his head as his labored breathing began to ease a bit. The vise that had been around his heart since he had ridden in from the Bronx in a panic loosened somewhat.

  Noise and confusion filled the air as people other than the restaurant-goers were made aware of the fire by the noisy trucks and joined everyone else on the street to have a front-row seat for the spectacle. Charlotte and George Fitzpatrick came running up the sidewalk and folded Pepper and the children into their arms.

  “Thank God you’re all safe.”

  Pepper stood in their embrace, and allowed her tears to fall. The shock of the evening was beginning to wear off, and she trembled as she cried. “But Downing’s is a disaster. We
loved this place.”

  Charlotte cradled Pepper in her arms as she replied, “And they’ll build again. One of the firemen said the blaze began in the kitchen. I only hope everyone got out from the basement without difficulty. Who knows how many slaves were hidden down there tonight.”

  “Thank goodness for Elijah. He found Luke and got him out of the blaze when I couldn’t locate him.”

  Pepper moved from her parents’ embrace and put her arms around her fiancé. Elijah’s fear as he’d barreled down the highway between the barracks and the restaurant was that he would never get to hold this woman again. So, despite his sooty body, his burned hands, and the fact they were standing in the street and in front of his future in-laws, he leaned down and kissed her tear-stained cheeks. The taste of smoke was replaced by the much-preferred taste of his soon-to-be wife.

  Pepper turned back to her parents. “Elijah was brilliant, Mother and Papa. When the firemen tried to stop him from going into the blaze, he yelled that his son was in there and they could not stop him. Without him, Luke would have perished. It was a miracle Elijah showed up at the exact right moment.”

  George Fitzpatrick turned to Elijah and extended his hand. “I had my reservations about you, as you well know. But I think you’ve proven this evening, beyond any doubt, you have a place in our lives and in our family. Please forgive me for ever questioning your intentions.”

  Charlotte wrapped Elijah in a bear hug. “You saved my grandsons and my daughter, and for that, I’m immensely grateful. I’m so glad George has finally come to his senses but sorry it had to take a fire for him to do so. Welcome to the family, Elijah.”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  A mere week after their engagement dinner, which had turned into a near disaster, Pepper and Elijah were standing side by side in the formal living room of her home in front of a justice of the peace. They had squashed all of Charlotte’s plans for a formal affair, claiming Elijah was not yet well enough to go through an elaborate ceremony and a reception attended by friends and family afterwards. Pepper had no patience to be fitted for a new bridal gown, either. She wore the same ivory gown she had worn the night they had gone to their first dinner at Downing’s. The night Elijah had gotten sick.

  So, she stood in front of the official, her heart pounding against her ribs, and recited her vows to love, honor, and cherish this man beside her. Pepper’s insides warmed as she remembered their conversation about the vows.

  “I think we should take out the word ‘obey’ when we recite our wedding vows, don’t you?” Elijah had asked.

  “Are you saying we should defy tradition?”

  She caught his upturned lips and the sparkle in his eyes. “I’m saying no one needs to tell you what to do. You manage quite nicely on your own.”

  “Mother would approve. We Fitzpatrick women are known for thumbing our noses at tradition. At least, my sisters and mother are good at it. I’m still learning.”

  So here she was, wearing a previously worn dress and forsaking tradition in both her marriage vows and in the length of their courtship. She’d forsaken tradition the previous time she’d worn the gown, too. The night she had invited Elijah into her home for the first time and he lowered the sleeves of the gown and kissed the swell of her breasts. Her nipples puckered at the memory, and she hoped no one noticed. But, even as she recited her vows, her thoughts drifted to the coming evening, when Elijah would do more than kiss her breasts. Her breath caught in her throat as she envisioned their wedding evening.

  Suddenly the ceremony was over, and she’d been so busy thinking of other things, not much of their ceremony registered. Other than that she had been standing beside the most dashing gentleman in the room. One who was still so gaunt from his illness, but who stood tall beside her and recited his vows with a firm and forceful voice. And kissed her soundly after the vows were recited.

  Charlotte approached the couple and enveloped them in a hug. “Now it’s official. Welcome to the family, Elijah.”

  Mabel Wentworth came next through the receiving line. “Nicely done, Pepper. You managed to snare the good doctor before my daughter was able to get to the hospital to volunteer.”

  “Thank you, Mabel. I am truly blessed.”

  “I only hope he knows what he’s getting into, with all your children.”

  Pepper smiled at the irritating woman. “He’s aware I have children, Mabel. He loves them already. He literally walked through fire to save them.”

  “Hmmm. I hope for his sake they don’t cause too much more trouble.”

  The excitement and exertion of the day were exacting their toll. Elijah seemed to be fading in strength, so Pepper made certain he took a break from the receiving line. He held Luke in his arms while he sat at the dining-room table and ate from the plate of food that magically appeared from the kitchen. Pepper’s cook really appreciated Elijah’s approval of her culinary skills and had been trying all manner of new dishes since he had moved into the house. She constantly found ways to spoil him by incorporating his favorites into the menu.

  Pepper approached her new husband and youngest son, taking a seat beside them as the other guests mingled around the table.

  “Once again, Cook has done a masterful job with the food, Pepper. The roast beef is tender, juicy, and well-seasoned.” Elijah loaded up a fork and sighed in appreciation as he put it into his mouth.

  “And it’s just what you need to regain your strength. Mother and all our guests tired you out this morning, I see. You should take your leave and get a nap in along with Luke.”

  Elijah glanced at her, a smile hovering at his lips. “Are you so anxious to get me into bed, Mrs. Williams?”

  Heat rose to her face as she covered his hand. He was right. She had been thinking about their wedding evening. But at present, he seemed close to passing out on her, so her plans for him were not sensual in nature but rather vital to his wellbeing. She leaned in to him and whispered in his ear, “I doubt you have the strength to even pull the covers over yourself in your current state. So, if you want any kind of wedding night, you’d best take a nap at the same time Luke does.”

  His chair scraped the hardwood floor as he pushed himself back from the table. “Since you put it that way, my love, I’ll do as you suggest.”

  They rose, and the nanny came into the room to retrieve Luke. Pepper walked beside Elijah as they moved through the dining room and thanked everyone for coming before Elijah finally was able to escape and make his way to the bedroom he’d been using while he recovered from his pneumonia.

  Soon, everyone had eaten their fill and left, with the exception of Pepper’s parents. Her father’s gaze warmed her as he brushed a hand over her arm.

  “Well, daughter, it’s done. I’ve given you away for a second time now.”

  “I hope you don’t feel I’ve backed you into a corner.”

  “I only want your happiness, Pepper, and if Elijah is capable of putting a smile on your face every day, so be it. He’s proven to me that he loves the children almost as much as he does you, so I couldn’t ask for anything more.”

  George looped an arm around her shoulder as they talked.

  “He does, and he’s willing to be a father figure to Michael’s sons. You just witnessed him hauling Luke onto his lap and sharing a meal with him. Their tender moment wasn’t merely for show, either, Papa. I always thought your fears about Elijah were unfounded.”

  George leaned over and brushed her cheek with his lips. “I should know by now not to question the judgment of the women in my life. You and your mother could tell immediately what a good man he was. It took me a bit longer.”

  Charlotte’s peal of laughter rolled over them. “George, finally you’ve come to your senses. I thought Pepper and Elijah were perfect for each other from the first day they met. It took them a bit longer to realize it, but I couldn’t be happier for them. And I now suggest we leave them alone. Do tell the butler to bring our carriage around.”

  Pepper smiled as Charl
otte gathered George and his last remaining misgivings and bundled them into the carriage. She sighed softly as they took their leave. There had been no doubt in her mind Elijah’s intentions were true. He loved her and her family. He’d known from the moment he declared himself that being an immediate father would be part of the package, and he’d taken on the challenge wholeheartedly. She didn’t want the boys to ever forget their real father, of course, and trips to the gravesite would help cement his memory. But their recollections of Michael were so few and fleeting, it was already difficult for them to remember what color his hair was and the fun times they’d had. Luke didn’t even have those small memories. Her boys needed a firm hand to guide them into adulthood and Elijah was perfect for the job.

  Tears smarted at her eyes, and she ran her hand over them. She needed to mourn Michael one last time. The years she’d shared with him, the tremendous love they’d had together, the children they’d created, were all fond memories. Nothing could take the place of experiencing the births of their children. Matthew, who was not only the couple’s first child, but also the first of the Fitzpatrick grandchildren. Then, two years later, Mark had been born. The children had been so excited for Michael as he strode off to war with the rest of the volunteer army, which had been formed in New York City. He had stood so tall and proud in his blue uniform. And had been cut down so quickly.

  A few tears escaped, despite her efforts to stem them. She blinked them away and took a deep breath. Well, every family in the country was being asked to contribute to the war effort in some form or another, and she supposed Michael had been her family’s donation. She hoped everyone else in her extended family would survive the war intact and an ordinary life would resume again soon. Her first step toward the future had been taken by her marriage today. The rest of her life awaited them. She rose and walked down the hall to Elijah’s room. Her husband’s room.

  Her husband. The sound of his new title rolled through her brain, much to her satisfaction. And the way he’d referred to her already as Mrs. Williams instead of Mrs. Brown. Yes, she was ready for her future to begin. She only hoped he hadn’t been too worn out from the ceremony to not be able to fulfill his duties in the marriage bed this evening. It had been a long time since she’d shared her bed, and she wanted him to be awake and loving. She’d make certain he was sleeping soundly now before she went upstairs to play with the boys.