The Bride Spy

by Piper Davenport

  Christopher linked his fingers with hers. “She did agree to a courtship, however.”

  “Excellent.” Jamie grinned. “A word of warning... she can be a little bossy.”

  Christopher squeezed her hand. “I’ve noticed that.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “Only when necessary.”

  “What’s only when necessary?” Emma asked from the doorway.

  Christopher let go of her hand and rose to his feet. Jamie followed suit and said, “Hannah’s need to be bossy.”

  Emma made her way inside, Clayton followed. “Oh, yes, she is bossy.”

  “She wasn’t before she met you,” Jamie retorted.

  Emma laughed. “You didn’t know her before me.”

  He shrugged and sat. “No, but I knew you.”

  Christopher sat down again and leaned over. “Are they still jesting?” he whispered.

  Hannah chuckled. “Most definitely.”

  Emma sat on the sofa kitty-corner from the one Hannah was on. “How was your walk?”

  Hannah glanced at Christopher and then turned back to Emma. “It was great.”

  “Hannah has given me permission to court her,” Christopher said.

  “Congratulations!” Emma jumped up and pulled Hannah from the sofa for a hug. “You like him,” she whispered in her ear. “You really like him.”

  “I like him,” Hannah whispered back.

  “Good.”

  Clayton shook Christopher’s hand. “I assume you’d like to stay for dinner?”

  Christopher smiled. “Yes, thank you.”

  He sat back on the sofa, but didn’t take Hannah’s hand again. She was surprised by her disappointment. She felt somewhat bereft without his touch. Conversation swirled around her for several minutes, and she stared at her hands clasped in her lap. Christopher touching his shoulder with hers brought her back to her surroundings. She glanced up and found him smiling. She gave him a quick smile and focused back on Jamie, who was teasing Emma again.

  “Shouldn’t you check on Sophie?” Emma asked.

  Jamie pulled out his pocket watch and popped it open. “Yes, I should.” He grinned at her as he stood. “You’re off the hook for now.”

  Emma giggled. “I’ll have some snappy comebacks when you return.”

  Jamie laughed. “Excuse me, everyone. I’ll be back shortly.”

  “Chris?” Clayton asked. “Would you like a drink?”

  He nodded. “Yes, please.”

  Clayton rose to his feet.

  “Could you get me one, please?” Emma asked.

  “Red wine?”

  Hannah didn’t miss Emma’s bottom lip pop out, even if it was just for a second.

  “Yes, red wine would be lovely,” she said a little sarcastically.

  Clayton smiled. “Hannah? Would you like wine as well?”

  Hannah nodded. “Sure. Thanks.”

  “I’ll help.” Emma made her way to him, stepping into the foyer.

  Christopher turned to face Hannah. “You’ve gone quiet again.”

  “Have I?” Hannah forced a smile. “Sorry.”

  He glanced over his shoulder and then leaned down to kiss her. When he broke the kiss, he grinned. “Better?”

  Hannah pursed her lips. “You think I was quiet because I wanted a kiss?”

  “Weren’t you?”

  Hannah sighed... she didn’t want to admit how close to the truth he was. She didn’t have to. Emma returned with a cheeky grin on her face. Hannah narrowed her eyes. “What did you do?”

  Emma sat back on her sofa and laid her hands on her lap. “I can’t imagine what you’re talking about.”

  Clayton returned, followed by Jamie and Sophie. Jamie handed Hannah a wine glass with something other than wine in it, and then handed Christopher a tumbler with whiskey. Hannah lifted the glass to her lips and drew in the unmistakable woodsy aroma of her favorite vice. She took a sip and let the liquid slide over her tongue and then down her throat. She hummed in elation and grinned at Emma. “I love you.”

  Emma giggled. “Thought you might.”

  “How do you feel, Sophie?” Hannah asked.

  “Pretty good.” Sophie smiled and settled herself in the chair next to Jamie’s. “How are you enjoying your sherry?”

  Hannah tipped her glass toward her. “It’s very nice.”

  “Dinner is served,” Mrs. Price said from the doorway.

  Christopher stood and held his hand out to Hannah. She took it and let him pull her up from the sofa. As she followed the group into the dining room, Hannah couldn’t help leaning back against Christopher’s hand that she felt firmly on her lower back. She relished the brief touch.

  Before she knew it, dinner was over, and they were making their way back to the parlor. Clayton pulled a small table to the middle of the room while Emma started gathering chairs. “Cards, Han?”

  Hannah shook her head. “No way. You and Sophie are sharks.”

  Christopher took one of the chairs from Emma and placed it next to the table. “Why don’t you and I bow out of this game, Hannah?”

  Hannah smiled. “Sounds good to me.”

  The men finished setting up the table, then Christopher pulled Hannah to the window seat on the opposite side of the room. “I thought we could talk.”

  Hannah settled herself on the soft cushion and smiled.

  “Don’t go quiet on me again.”

  Hannah chuckled. “Is that a warning that you’ll kiss me again?”

  Christopher shrugged as he folded his tall body onto the short seat. “A promise, perhaps.”

  Hannah put her hand on his thigh and leaned toward him. “I dare you.”

  His eyes darted above her head, and then she found herself kissed and released just as quickly. Hannah chuckled.

  “Hannah?”

  She turned to the sound of Emma’s voice. “Yes, Emma.”

  Emma grinned. “Just checking.”

  Hannah turned back to Christopher and found him grinning. She wrinkled her nose. “You’re cheeky. I’ll have to remember that.”

  The grandfather clock in the foyer clanged ten o’clock, and Christopher frowned. “I should take my leave.”

  “It’s only ten.”

  “Clayton and I have an early day tomorrow.” He smiled gently. “I’d like to spend some time with you before you leave for Harrisburg on Tuesday. Shall I collect you for a drive tomorrow? I’d love to show you D.C.”

  “Will I have to ride a horse?”

  Christopher chuckled. “No. I’ll bring my buggy. I’ll even bring blankets so you don’t get cold.”

  “Then I’d love to go for a drive with you.”

  “I’ll collect you at ten if that’s acceptable.”

  A shout and a giggle from Emma interrupted their conversation. “I win!”

  Hannah raised an eyebrow at Christopher. “Don’t ever let her sucker you into playing cards with her.”

  CHRISTOPHER WAS LATE, and Hannah’s nerves were on edge. She’d been ready for over two hours and driving Sophie and Emma nuts with her pacing. They’d forced her to eat lunch, which she did reluctantly. In the end, she’d holed herself up in her room with a book. Not that she read it... she spent more time obsessing over all the reasons why he wasn’t there on time. The biggest being he’d changed his mind, made a terrible mistake, and didn’t want to court her.

  Just before one, Emma knocked and pushed her door open. “He’s here.”

  “I don’t care. Tell him to go away.”

  Emma stepped inside. “Why?”

  “Um, hello.” She closed the book with a snap. “He’s three hours late.”

  “Oh, no, you’ve got it bad.”

  Hannah pushed out of the chair. “Excuse me?”

  “You’ve fallen in love with the man. That was quick.”

  Hannah dropped the book on the bed. “You got that from me not wanting to be disrespected?”

  Emma grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the door. “Come on, grumpy. Let
him explain.”

  Hannah pulled on her hand. “Why should I?”

  Emma tightened her grip. “Because there was an emergency, and need I remind you that it’s not like he could call you.”

  Hannah bit her lower lip. “I guess I forgot about that part,” she grumbled and followed Emma down the stairs.

  Christopher paced the foyer, a bouquet of flowers in his hand. Not just any flowers, Hannah noticed... but daisies. Her favorite. Emma glanced back at her with her Cheshire grin.

  Hannah laid her hand on the balustrade and forced a smile. “Chris?”

  He glanced up at her and smiled apologetically. “Hannah. I’m so sorry I’m late. I hope you’ll forgive me.”

  She made her way down the rest of the stairs and pointed at the flowers. “Are those for me?”

  “Yes.” He gave her a cheeky grin. “However, I won’t give them to you until you promise to forgive me.”

  Hannah rolled her eyes. “I forgive you.”

  He handed her the flowers and leaned down to give her a chaste kiss on her cheek. Emma took the flowers from her. “I’ll put these in water. You two go for your drive.”

  Hannah nodded. “Thank you.”

  Christopher gathered Hannah’s heavy cloak and laid it over her shoulders. Once she’d pulled on her gloves, Christopher set his top hat on his head and led her out to his buggy.

  Lifting her skirts while Christopher held tightly to her hand, Hannah stepped up into the open buggy. While she settled in, Christopher gathered several furs he’d brought with him and laid them over her knees. “Thank you.”

  “Are you warm enough? There are hot bricks by your feet, but if you start to feel a chill, please let me know.”

  Hannah smiled. “I will.”

  He climbed up next to her and released the brake. “Comfortable?”

  “Very.”

  He clicked the horse forward and they pulled away from the house. Although he drove Hannah around the city for almost an hour, she was still surprised when he pulled in to a secluded area near a small park. “We’re not going back to the house?”

  Christopher set the brake. “And waste valuable time with a modicum of privacy with you?” He grinned. “No, we’re not going back to the house. We are going for a walk.”

  Hannah’s stomach flipped. She didn’t know if it was because of his smile, or the fact they weren’t finished with their date.

  Christopher jumped out of the buggy and strode around the back. Reaching her side, he wrapped his hands around her waist as she laid hers on his shoulders. He lifted her down and leaned in to kiss her. Hannah broke the kiss and tapped his chest with her palm. “We’re in public, Sir Knight.”

  He chuckled. “No one’s around. I made certain of it.”

  Hannah raised an eyebrow. “Well, then, may I have another?”

  Smiling, he leaned down and delivered one more heart-defying kiss before sweeping her away from the privacy of the buggy and leading her into the park.

  Hannah’s hand was firmly inside his arm, and she gave it a little squeeze. “Tell me about Quincy.”

  “My brother?”

  “Do you know anyone else named Quincy?” she teased.

  Christopher stalled briefly and then moved forward again. “What would you like to know?”

  “I want to know him. Through your eyes.” He frowned and Hannah smiled gently. “When you mentioned him the other day, you looked sad and I’d love to know why. Maybe I can help.”

  “Well, he’s fifteen months younger than me, looks quite a bit like me, although he’s shorter—”

  “Which I’m sure you remind him of, right?”

  Christopher grinned. “Absolutely.”

  “What else?”

  “He’s a good man.” Christopher led Hannah to a bench under a large willow tree.

  “I’m sure he is.” Hannah sat down and waited for him to sit next to her. He did, but she noticed his hand fisted so tight, the leather of his glove strained against the pressure. She laid her hand over his and squeezed. “Tell me everything.”

  The shadow crossed his features again as he stared at her.

  “Talk about it, Chris. It’ll make you feel better.”

  “He enlisted in Company A, 1st Regiment Maryland Heavy Artillery, at the start of the war. I’ve heard reports that he’s moved quickly up the ranks to Sergeant First Class.” His smile was tight as he said, “Which doesn’t surprise me.”

  “Heavy artillery means sharpshooters and canons, right?”

  Christopher nodded. “Among other things.”

  Hannah forced his fist open and slipped her fingers through his. “You’re constantly on alert, waiting for the news that something’s happened to him, and the thought of being without your best friend and brother causes you not to sleep, right?”

  His eyes widened and he nodded. “Something like that.”

  “Tell me about him... not his military movements... but him.”

  “Hannah,” he whispered.

  She pursed her lips and then smiled. “Would you please let your lady come to the aid of her Sir Knight? You have the weight of the world on your shoulders, and I know you can’t talk freely about your work, but you can talk about your brother, so why don’t you let me share some of that burden with you?”

  “Are you always this persistent?”

  “I’m usually much, much worse.” She smiled. “Tell me about something you two did as kids. Is he as serious as you are?”

  Christopher let out a snort, which turned into a chuckle.

  Hannah poked his arm with her finger. “I’ve hit a nerve.”

  Christopher smiled. “There was never a time when Quincy could have ever been called serious, except for once, I suppose. He pulled me into many of his pranks, and somehow escaped the punishments as well.”

  “Really? Tell me about the serious part.”

  Christopher sank further on the bench. “If I tell you this story, you may never breathe a word of it to anyone.”

  “I won’t.” Hannah clapped her hands together and grinned. “I promise.”

  “It was my fifteenth birthday and Mama had planned a big party, as she did with all of us each year. We’d invited close friends and neighbors, and everyone had shown up. Our closest neighbors are the Atwoods, and they have two sons and a daughter. Frank is their oldest, Jimmy, then Millicent.” Christopher frowned. “There has always been something off with Jimmy. He has a mean streak in him and likes to tease anyone smaller than him. Especially girls. Anyway, he’d been bothering Gwen... she was barely seven at the time... and she’d come running to Quinn. Unbeknownst to me, he set up a trap for Jimmy.”

  “I like this story already.”

  Christopher nodded. “A group of us, boys only of course, decided we’d perform a few death-defying acts in the barn. Our hay loft was a good thirty feet up, and Quincy talked everyone into swinging down to the ground using a rope he’d tied to one of the rafters.”

  Hannah covered her mouth with her fingers. “I can kind of see where this is going.”

  “There were seven of us, and Jimmy was puffing out his chest, saying he could do it higher than everyone else, calling out obscenities as each of us swung down from the top. When his turn came up, Quincy handed him the rope and stood back. Jimmy took a flying leap, the rope came loose, and he landed in the hay pile at the bottom, which would not necessarily been a problem...” He stalled.

  “What happened?” she asked, somewhat breathless.

  “Frankie had shoved a plank of wood under the hay, so when Jimmy landed, he landed so hard, he broke his leg.”

  “Oh, no! What did you do?”

  “Well, the rest of the boys scattered, which left me, Quincy, and Frank. Quincy let Jimmy know that it had all been planned and if he came near Gwen again, he’d break more than his leg. Frank had been a willing participant in all of it, although, I don’t think he realized Jimmy would get that hurt.”

  “I want to feel bad for this Jimmy character,
but I have to admit, I kind of don’t.”

  Christopher grimaced. “The blame was laid squarely on my shoulders, and I was forced to assist Mr. Atwood with all the chores Jimmy would have done, on top of my own.”

  Hannah cocked her head and narrowed her eyes. “Why do I think you were the one who took full responsibility for the act, insisting that Quincy and Frank had nothing to do with it?”

  Christopher crossed his arms and stared at her and then let out a deep breath. “Quincy was already in trouble. He’d been caught kissing one of the young ladies at the party... twice. If he’d admitted any part of it, Father would have made his life miserable.”

  “So, you took all the blame, and Quincy skated free.”

  “It’s much more complicated than that.”

  Hannah raised her hands. “Hey, I’m not judging. Quincy was protecting Gwen. I get it. All I’m asking is if he recognized what you did for him.”

  Christopher ran his hands through his hair and nodded. “Yes. He repaid the debt several times over.”

  “Did Jimmy stop bothering Gwen?”

  “Yes.”

  Hannah gave a quick nod. “Happy ending, then, right?”

  Christopher grinned. “The fact Jimmy wasn’t mobile for several months was the best part.”

  Hannah smiled. “Quincy sounds pretty devious.”

  “He is.”

  “Well, then, I have a feeling he’s devious enough to survive whatever this war throws at him.” She patted his knee. “If he’s as smart as you and has the same integrity to back it up, he’s probably outsmarting the other side.”

  Christopher blinked several times and then pulled her hand to his lips. “Thank you, Hannah.”

  His voice was full of emotion, and she didn’t miss the sheen of tears in his eyes. She cleared her throat and bit her lip. “Shouldn’t we get back? It must be close to dinner by now.”

  He nodded and rose to his feet, pulling her up and slipping her hand in his arm. He led her back to the buggy and she found herself in seclusion again and kissed to the point of breathlessness. She groaned when he broke the kiss and she stared up at him. “You are really good at that.”

  He pulled off his glove and stroked her cheek. “You have the most amazing skin.” He ran his thumb along her lower lip. “And lips that I can’t seem to resist.” He kissed her again.