A Bride For Windridge Hall

by Jeanie P Johnson

  “She what? Damnation!” Roderick burst.

  “I said she went out for a morning ride with…”

  “Yes…I heard all that. What is this about her riding Lucifer? Jem let her ride Lucifer, and why didn’t Tanner or Willard stop her?”

  “I have no idea. I was not there sir!”

  “What has come over everyone? Don’t they have a brain in their heads? I can’t believe that both Jem and Willard allowed her to ride that horse! Where in the hell was Tanner at the time? Lucifer would never stand still for her, even if she managed to stay on his back.”

  Roderick thought about how upset she may have been at him for leaving so suddenly without a word. Was that her way of punishing herself for his lack of trust in her? Did she hope Lucifer would run away with her and throw her to her death? It would be history repeating itself once again. He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her! Then he would have three deaths on his consciences, to haunt him for the rest of his life!

  “What time did they leave?” he asked suddenly, pulling his watch out of his pocket and checking the face.

  “I believe it was around ten this morning,” Dobbs informed him, scratching his temple as he tried to calculate the time.

  “And it is about a quarter after three right now,” Roderick frowned.

  Roderick headed back to the stables.

  “Jem. JEM!” he called, as he stuffed his watch back in his pocket.

  Jem reluctantly approached Roderick, knowing he was in for a tongue-lashing. His master couldn’t blame him! He had tried to stop the woman!

  “Whatever possessed you to let my fiancé ride Lucifer?” Roderick wailed, as he glared at his servant. “Have you given leave to your senses? If she is killed, it will rightfully be your fault!”

  “No Sir! I will not take any blame! I tried to talk her out of riding that handful of horse, but she would hear nothing of it. Tanner was nowhere to be seen and even Willard tried his hand to deter her. It was like talking to a brick wall. Miss Emily acted hell-bent on riding that horse, and ride that horse she did!”

  “That impossible woman! You had better saddle me Banner, and make haste, there! It never occurred to me that leaving her here would be dangerous to her health!”

  “Sorry, M’Lord, but Willard is riding Banner, while Flag and Ginger are mounted by Miss Emily’s friends.”

  “Drat it! Then saddle the new horse I brought in,” he thought about how he had planned to surprise Emily with the return of her horse, and now all his plans were drastically changing.

  Jem did as he instructed, and Roderick jumped up on Ebony’s back, then sped off in the direction Jem indicated the group had gone. Now, Roderick seemed to forget how tired he was feeling, as he started towards open land, in search of the wayward Emily and Lucifer.

  Roderick had hardly gotten out of sight of the stables when he saw a rider approaching him. There was no doubt in his mind to the identity of the horse and rider. He could see Emily’s red hair flowing in the wind behind her back like streams of scarlet ribbons, that glistened in the sun. The black horse was shining with sweat, and had a foam-streaked chest, running straight for the stable at top speed. Not too far behind, he could see Willard on his chestnut, Banner, with Flag and Ginger, trailing behind ridden by Emily’s friends. Banner was in close pursuit, and it looked as though Willard was pressing Banner to catch up with Lucifer.

  It flashed through Roderick’s head that Lucifer was running away with Emily, eager to return to the stable for a ration of grain, and Willard was desperately trying to stop him. He knew full well that Banner was no match for Lucifer, but he believed that Ebony might be, having been sired by the stud. Roderick kicked Ebony into a full gallop, steering her towards Lucifer, hoping to catch up to Emily before she could pass his position, and then meet her head on.

  Emily looked up and saw Roderick racing towards her. She was so relieved to see him, her heart took a sudden leap, and as he neared her she pulled Lucifer to a sliding stop on his haunches.

  “I see you have decided to return!” Emily said, a little out of breath, as Willard and the others caught up, and slowed their horses as well.

  “What the devil are you doing on that horse!” was all Roderick could think to yell at her.

  He could not believe that she had brought the horse to a halting stop and that she actually had control of him. His heart was racing from his fear of her getting hurt, and now it was drumming in his ears from his anger at worrying over nothing.

  “Why riding him of course,” Emily replied with amusement in her voice.

  The look on Roderick’s face was satisfying to her, after how he had just left without a word, two days ago.

  Willard greeted his cousin, with a huge grin on his face, knowing that Roderick had been thinking the worse and he was truly worried that something might have happened to Emily.

  “Well, dear cousin, we all thought you would be gone for a week or so, Tanner’s words exactly.”

  He winked at Emily.

  “So rude of you to leave Emily in the lurch like that, with no explanation. She came crying on my shoulder. You should be ashamed of yourself!”

  “That is between Emily and myself,” Roderick growled.

  “Really? I suppose it was until you told her I could have the estate and her as well. Now it seems as though she has fallen in my lap. Why would she want to marry someone who was so temperamental that he took off at the drop of a hat, and said to hell with everything?”

  Roderick frowned. Willard was right. Why ever would Emily want to marry him now? Only damned if he would let her go that easily! He stole a glance at Emily, but before he could say anything, she drew her hand to her mouth, and her eyes widened.

  “Roderick! You are riding my horse!”

  She jumped down from Lucifer’s back and rushed over to stroke Ebony’s head.

  “I quite accidentally ran into the man you sold him to and talked him into selling him back to me. I had to find someway to get you to forgive me for running off like that.”

  He looked hopefully at Emily, and Emily’s heart started to melt.

  “All very good, cousin, but it is a little late for that. Emily has cried off marrying you. She is going to marry me instead!”

  Roderick’s eyes narrowed.

  “Like hell she is!” he growled. “Emily, you know Willard is trying to stop this marriage any way he can. Whatever made you agree to marry him when you are engaged to me?”

  “You did release me,” she said in a small voice, not daring to look up at him.

  “I what? Whatever I said, I said it in a fit of anguish. You couldn’t have possibly taken me seriously!”

  “What else was I to think, when you just took off like that without a word? You didn’t even tell me you were leaving! I felt devastated, Roderick. I don’t know what to think anymore! If it weren’t for Willard and my friends bolstering me up, I don’t know what I would have done.”

  “I guess I deserve that,” Roderick admitted. “However, this conversation is not over. We will discuss it later.”

  “Go right ahead, cousin. Nonetheless, you can’t do anything unless I release Emily from her promise to me.”

  He gave Roderick a broad grin, staring him in the eyes.

  Roderick glared back at Willard, while Lilith and Alfred watched on wide-eyed. The first act was certainly full of fireworks, Lilith thought.

  “Right now, I am tired from my little jaunt. I admit I should never have taken it, but had I not left, I wouldn’t have found Emily’s horse,” he said smiling down at Emily. “At least I got my head cleared, and realized I needed to return.”

  “Please, may I ride her?” Emily asked, with pleading eyes.

  “Certainly.”

  Roderick dismounted.

  “I will adjust the stirrups for you.”

  He gave her a leg up, and then lifted the stirrups to change the buckle notch. As he did, he smoothed his hand over the lower part of her leg.

 
“I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me, Emily. I have been a damned fool.”

  “That you have,” Willard agreed before Emily could answer, and Emily shrugged.

  She wanted to forgive Roderick. He had gotten back her birthday horse. Only she knew she needed to learn if Roderick actually trusted or loved her before she gave into him completely. Getting the horse for her could have only been a ploy to soothe her when he realized he was throwing everything away by running off. No one in their right mind could leave all she had seen that day to someone else so easily, rather than confide in the woman who could secure it all for him by becoming his wife.

  When she didn’t answer, he muttered, “We’ll talk about this later,” then went to his own horse, readjusted the stirrups and swung up on his back.

  The group rode in silence back to the stables. They handed the horses over to Jem and Tanner, who was now at his station and trooped into the house. Lilith and Emily exchanging glances, and Emily shrugging her shoulders. Was the situation going to get better or worse, she wondered?

  When they entered the hall, Roderick turned to his guests.

  “I am sorry I was not here to greet you when you first came. You will have to forgive me, the same as Emily. Right now I am going to go and take a long bath. We will then all have dinner, and I suppose Willard will be joining us.”

  Willard smiled.

  “I have moved my belongings into my original bedroom, old chap. Someone had to come and act as host in your absence.”

  Roderick frowned.

  “I guess I brought that on myself,” he shrugged. “All right then. We will all have dinner, and then I will have to ask Willard to entertain Emily’s guests while she and I have a long conversation.”

  “Hmmm, I don’t know if I trust you with my intended,” Willard smiled slyly.

  “She is not your intended,” Roderick seethed between clenched teeth.

  “We will discover soon enough if she is or isn’t,” Willard taunted.

  Roderick merely turned and headed up the stairs. He made one backward glance at Emily and their eyes locked for a moment. He looked so forlorn, Emily thought. Only wasn’t she just as forlorn? He brought this upon both of them! She wondered what Roderick was going to tell her when they were alone?

  After Roderick bathed, he felt much better. The whole time though, he seethed about Willard stepping in and trying to whisk Emily away from him. It was fortunate he had come right back, or no telling what would have happened.

  What was he going to do? He had to persuade Emily to marry him, but he had made such an ass of himself by running off without a word, and then count on Willard to come in and take over. He never could trust his cousin! Only he asked himself why Willard was intent on marrying Emily? If she decided to marry Willard instead, which he truly doubted would ever happen, he could go out and try to find someone else. After all, there was still time.

  However, just the thought of it not being Emily pained him. He couldn’t be falling for the girl like Willard claimed, and his heart acted. It had to have something to do with his pride. He just didn’t want anyone else to have her, once he set his sights on her. Funny, he had set his sights on her on her sixteenth birthday, and it seemed like nothing had changed since then. There she was, snubbing him again in favor of Willard!

  Well, it was more likely that she would marry that brother of her friend, than Willard. The way Alfred was looking at Emily with those sad hound eyes, made Roderick feel almost convinced that Alfred was in love with Emily. Funny, he hadn’t offered for her, when he had a chance to. Only now, if Roderick had his way, Emily would become his bride. He just had to convince her of it all over again!

  Roderick steadied himself for the encounter at dinner, and then he would have to throw caution to the wind and bare his heart to Emily, or he would never win her back. She wanted the truth, and it would be better to give it to her and have her leave him flat than to have her constantly mistrusting him. It may not be love that was prodding him to marry Emily, but he knew it was deep desire. Every time he was near her, all he could think of was how he wanted to wrap her in his arms and make love to her until neither of them could move. So regardless of whether love had anything to do with it, he was sure they could be happy together. He would be happy to give her anything she wanted, if he could only make love to her every night and day, for that matter, he thought with a grin.

  When everyone seated themselves around the dining room table, Roderick could barely wait until the meal ended. However, he found Willard attempting to rub him the wrong way, during the whole meal. First of all, Willard had Emily sit next to him, against Roderick’s direct insistence she sit beside himself. Emily smiled, giving Roderick a sideways glance, and complied with Willard’s wishes, looking so innocently up at Roderick through her long lashes. He could tell those green tiger eyes were daring him to force her to sit next to him! Then, as the meal progressed, Willard kept touching Emily, every chance he got and would lean and whisper something in her ear, which made her smile and sometimes even blush. Roderick tried to control his own rising temper, and just humor Willard until he could get Emily alone. Willard even had the audacity to lean over and plant a kiss on Emily’s cheek. She boldly turned to look at Willard, her eyes afire. She paused and then smiled sweetly, placing her hand on his arm, bowing her head and glancing over at Roderick, as though nothing was amiss.

  Alfred, Roderick noticed, did not take his eyes off Emily the whole time, as though he was at the ready to jump up and protect her honor at the slightest sign of impropriety. Lilith, strangely looked at the two with seething eyes, but she was desperately trying to hide it. It suddenly dawned on Roderick that Lilith must like Willard, and envied his attentions towards Emily as much as Roderick did. He looked from one to the other, and then to Alfred, and he started to chuckle inside. This was the most extraordinary dinner party he had ever attended, and he started to suspect that something was up, which he was not privy of. Something underhanded was going on, and he planned to get to the bottom of it.

  “Did you have a nice time while I was away?” Roderick asked casually to no one in particular.

  “Yes, we had a wonderful time without you, dear cousin,” Willard volunteered. “Sorry, but we didn’t miss you in the least. We were thoroughly entertained by Emily and Lilith’s singing and playing the pianoforte. We happily played cards, and then we went on that fantastic ride and had a picnic. Too bad you did not stay away longer. We would have found so many other enjoyments to occupy our time without you.”

  He lowered his eyes and looked at Emily knowingly.

  “Emily and I were given the opportunity to get to know each other better. It is sad you have chosen to throw her away, old boy. Worst choice you have made thus far.”

  “I have not chosen to throw her away. You have known Emily about the same amount of time I have, and she and I still need to get to know each other better, so we can resolve our differences. Until she denounces me completely, you, cousin, had better keep your hands off of her!”

  Willard smiled, and leaned over and whispered something into Emily’s ear. She smiled back at him and lowered her eyes. It infuriated Roderick that they had some secret going on between them.

  “The ride was quite invigorating,” Lilith chimed in. “First, Emily shocked us all by riding that wild horse, while everyone begged her to reconsider. Then, we rode through the surf and had a picnic afterward. There, we wandered along the paths by the ocean, talking.”

  She glanced at Willard for reassurance, but he was not looking at her. He was looking into Emily’s eyes. He was definitely putting on a good act, Lilith thought.

  Roderick saw the disappointment in Lilith’s eyes when Willard did not look at her. It was, even more, evidence that Lilith had her heart set on Willard, which meant she might help him get Emily back if worse came to worse.

  Alfred, on the other hand, seemed bored. He watched Willard and Emily through narrowed eyes, and then glanced at Roderick every once
in awhile. Roderick was glad when the dinner came to an end, and they all retired to the drawing room. Once there, he told his guests to continue without him and Emily, and he took Emily’s hand and led her away to the parlor.

  When they entered the room, Roderick sat her down on the familiar settee. He couldn’t help but remember their last encounter on that settee, and could not control how the thought made him suddenly desire her. He tried to focus on the problem at hand. He noticed Emily’s eyes were downcast.

  Emily’s heart was beating rapidly, and she was sure Roderick could hear it. The way he was looking at her, tore her heart out of her chest and she knew she could not keep this pretense with Willard going much longer. She only hoped that whatever Roderick had to tell her, would change everything. She waited patiently for Roderick to say something.

  Roderick looked at Emily for a long, pregnant moment, building up the nerve to say what he had brought her here to tell her. He thought of how his life would be without Emily in it, and he knew it would be dull and gray and unexciting. He realized he had only known her for a few short days, two of which, he chose to remove himself from her presence. How could she have so much power over him, in so short a time, he wondered? The tension in the air was so thick, he could barely breathe and Emily kept sighing as though she was steeling herself to hear the worse. Well, she would hear the worse, all right, and the Devil take it! He had to get this over with!

  Finally, he slowly walked to the settee and sat down next to Emily, taking her hands in his. The feel of her skin sent shivers through him, and all he wanted to do was kiss those trembling lips, instead of telling her his morbid story. He looked down at her hands in his and took a deep breath.

  “You wanted the truth, Emily, so I am going to give it to you. When I am done, you probably will not want anything to do with me, but I will take that chance. You don’t think I trust you with my story. It is not that I don’t trust you. I fear that you will loathe me when I tell it, and I can’t endure that kind of look in your eyes for me. It is bad enough that every time I look in the mirror, I see it in my own eyes.”