Southern Discomfort (10 page)

Nathaniel had
been waiting for this moment all day. They had said good night to
their guests and he was opening the door for his wife to their
bedroom. He lit the lamp and looked over at her. She was standing by
his desk. The chair of the desk was piled high with dresses.

She saw him
looking at the dresses. “I just have so many that they don't fit in
our wardrobe. My aunt suggested that I ask you if I may give Katie
and Bessie some.”

Her aunt had made
it very clear that he would decide about all of her things. The dowry
was now his and he could burn it all if he wanted to. She should be
thankful for everything he would let her have.

“Yes, if that
is what you want but I could build you a bigger wardrobe if you would
prefer that?”

“I would rather
they get the dresses.”

He nodded and
moved over to her side of the bed. He sat down on the chair there.
Her head hung.

“Come here,
Emily.”

She figured that
he would be mad. She slowly went to him. He reached for her hips and
pulled her onto his lap.

“Emily, just
start talking.” He didn't sound mad but he had her in a position
that clearly told her that he better like what she said.

“I – I – ”
She hung her head and just didn't know what to say.

“Why did you
answer an announcement where it was clearly stated that no dowry was
required?” He had promised himself that he would never ask but she
was just so mysterious.

“I just thought
that, well, that if you didn't care about a dowry that it was because
you wanted a wife and not her money.”

“I understand
but why didn't you tell me since we have been married?”

She hung her head
again. She was quiet for a very long time. “My aunt and uncle
didn't approve. They were worried. They didn't think it would work
out,” she stammered.

“So they are
here to save you?”

“I guess that
was the plan,” she admitted.

“Was?”

“They were
really very worried,” she laughed a little.

“It was your
idea to come here?”

“Yes.”

“And they
didn't approve?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn't
they forbid it?” Now that he had started asking questions he didn't
want to stop. Her answers were too interesting.

“They did.”

“Then how did
you get here?”

“I put my foot
down.”

He laughed. “What
does something like that look like?”

“I told them I
would go no matter what. They were even more apposed to me traveling
alone.”

“Why did you
feel the need to put your foot down?” Here it was the question he
really wanted to hear. The one he promised himself not to ask.

“It's a long
story.” She looked into his eyes. Did he really want to hear this?

“They always
are. Just start wherever you feel is right.” He wondered to himself
if he should push the point. If she refused would he force her to
tell him. He had opened a can of worms and now he wasn't sure if he
could handle it.

“My mother died
when I was twelve. My father was gone away from home a lot when I was
little so he decided that it would be best if I went to my aunt and
uncle. He visited me often, but his business was in New York, and not
in Boston. As I got older a man in town took notice of me. He went to
my father on one visit and asked if he could marry me when I turned
eighteen. His family holds a good position in the community and he
had more than enough money in his own right to take care of me. So my
father promised me to him.

My father died
about a week later. We were all very surprised to find a written
document among his things. He even sent me a letter with the
wonderful news, which I received after he had died.

My uncle had
heard rumors about my betrothed and he checked into him even more
once he found out that he was my betrothed. He hired a man to have
him followed. He wasn't the gentleman he pretended to be by day.

My uncle refused
to give me to him. That made him very mad. He threatened legal
action. He had bragged that I would be his wife. He felt that his
pride would suffer if I didn't go through with it. But he had a
reputation of the worst kind.

I heard a couple
of the servants talking in the kitchen, they talked about other
servant girls who moved out west after answering marriage
announcements. I went to a newsstand and got one of those papers that
had such announcements. I read through them and decided I would
answer yours. I had the best feeling about yours.”

She continued to
stare into his eyes. His face told her that he was shocked.

Nathaniel was
thinking about what she had said. He saw several solutions that
weren't as drastic as marrying a stranger. He probably shouldn't
point that out, seeing as how he was that stranger.

“But you had
said 'no' to him.”

“He threatened
my uncle. He said that he would ruin him if he refused. I had to be
the one to do the refusing to save my uncle. The story back home will
be that I took off and they followed me out to stop me, but by the
time they found me it was too late.”

“Why didn't you
just marry him? Don't get me wrong I wouldn't have had it any other
way but why not just bite the bullet instead of deciding for the
unknown?” He needed to understand her now.

Her eyes filled
with tears and her head hung. “Victor Wellington is the kind of man
who hurts others for fun. He burnt a woman once because she refused
to do something that he wanted her to do. She didn't die but she
can't work anymore either. That was one of many such stories. My aunt
and uncle said that he couldn't have me and they meant it. My uncle
would have dueled with him. You've seen my uncle, I would have lost
him and I would have still had to marry him. That wouldn't be any
good either. I had to protect them and clear their name. This was all
my own idea.”

Nathaniel pulled
Emily close to his heart. The thought of that man getting her and
hurting her was too much for him to bear. Then something else crossed
his mind. “Emily, how old are you?”

Emily was
surprised he didn't know. She had written it on their marriage
certificate. She signed before he did. “I'll be eighteen on
Tuesday.”

He laughed a
little to himself. He had wondered about how quickly she had decided
to marry him. She had only sent him two letters and the last had been
the telegram that she would be there in a week. He hadn't really had
a chance to say, no. He had thought it was a little odd.

Nathaniel had
pushed those feelings aside just glad that he didn't have to wait all
that long for a wife and he would have forgiven her almost anything
the second he saw her.

He hugged his
beautiful wife again. Her reasons for coming had been to protect her
family. She really was beyond reproach. “Emily? Are you sad that
you had to come here?”

She lifted her
face and looked at him. “Of course not, I have you now.”

“But you had to
give up so much to come here.”

She was confused.
“No, I didn't. You are even letting me keep my cat.” Her face
lite up and the end.

He could see that
she was telling the truth. He wondered how she would answer that same
question in the years to come. “You don't regret it?”

“No, well maybe
every week. Wednesdays around midday. Just don't ever ask that
question then.”

He threw his head
back and laughed his heart out. He held her tight so she couldn't
fall off his lap.

On Sunday morning
the house was buzzing. Katie was making breakfast for everyone while
Emily explained that there wasn't an organ at the church. It was just
a one room building with a simple wooden cross on it. They looked
shocked. They hadn't driven through town to get to their ranch, but
they had asked the way at several farmhouses.

Nathaniel
wondered if they would be expected. The church would be full again
because they would want to see Emily again. Now that she came with a
respectable rich family more eyebrows would raise. He wanted to make
a good impression on his new family too. He felt he was off to a good
start.

“Food's ready.
Everyone, have a seat.” Nathaniel took Emily by her hand and
brought her to the table. They had had a discussion about her eating
habits. Emily had promised to eat more.

She still wasn't
eating that much more. Even her aunt had commented about it which
meant she normally ate more. Hopefully she wasn't sick.

Edward said the
prayer and everyone bowed their heads. Edward really wanted to settle
everyone down. Sundays were supposed to be very quiet days. Their new
relatives were always very loud. They didn't fit the picture that he
had in his head of a Boston gentleman. Aunt Vicky could be quieter
but she seemed to chose not too.

“I would like
to take this chance to explain how we do things on Sundays. On this
day we all go to church afterwards we have a simple lunch and retire
to the parlor for a prayer group. After that we read from the bible
until suppertime.” He saw both his wife and Bessie sink their
heads. “We may not all have the same reading levels but the lord
doesn't mind things like that. After supper we read quietly for
ourselves until bedtime. Sunday is a day to quietly think about the
lord and to give him respect.”

Nathaniel bowed
his head to hide that he was laughing. Edward had been in a bad mood
all morning. He figured it had something to do with bath time last
night. He and Katie had gone and quickly returned.

It had been the
same with Charles and Bessie. He too had been hard put not to make
love to his Emily there but she had begged him so prettily not to
that he had given in. Her arguments had been sound. She didn't want
to get seen by her aunt and uncle. After they had come back in her
aunt and uncle had gone out. They had been out there for over an hour
when they came back in smiling at each other. He figured that they
had – well they didn't have the same worries as his sweet little
Emily had. They had an unspoken rule that between bath time and
church that they didn't make love to their wives but he had very
quietly broken that rule last night.

Everything
quieted down considerable after Edward's speech. That pleased him and
he smiled out over his family. They would make a fine figure at
church this week. Emily had given Katie and Bessie a few of her
dresses. They all looked like ladies now.

“Do we really
all have to be quiet all day?” Aunt Vicky asked the girls, as the
sat in the carriage on the way to church.

Katie smiled at
the woman, “I afraid so. What does a normal Sunday sound like for
you?”

“Well we go to
church in the morning and afterwards we have a very fancy meal and
sometimes other families are invited over. Afterwards we had to beg
Emily to play something for us on the piano. We often sang along with
her and had a marvelous time. We definitely got loud. When it was
warm enough we went for a walk in the park and talked with friends.
Sunday is always a very friendly day.”

Emily had always
been shy when they had invited guests to the house. It always took
her awhile to get used to people. She was glad that things were
quieter at her new home. It suited her better.

That Sunday the
whole town had once again felt the need to attend church. The men
drooled over the three pretty Tate women. The townswomen were pleased
to see that Emily had come form a very good home. Their presents here
and words like dowry made everything all sound very normal.

The town was
impressed with them. They were getting the reputation as being the
most respectable family around. Edward was pleased that Emily's
family was behaving properly at church. He was looking forward to
them leaving on Wednesday morning. The week could take it's normal
course in every way.

The same women
who had circled Emily last week were now speaking with her aunt and
uncle, who were telling everyone, who would listen how hard it was
for them to give up their Emily, but that Nathaniel was taking good
care of her.

The family went
home for a simple meal and then they gathered together in the parlor.
Emily sat next to Nathaniel just like she had last week.

Edward led the
prayer group, where they prayed for everyone present and everyone
else that everyone present knew. They talked about several bible
passages and then he brought out the family bible. It was his turn to
read first.

Katie almost had
tears in her eyes as he passed the bible to her. She leaned in close
to her husband and began to read. Katie read a lot worse than the
week before. She looked up at her husband, who was smiling at her
kindly. “Keep going until there.” He pointed about half a page
further. Her eye widened and her mouth fell open.

Katie knew that
this could make her spanking on Wednesday even worse if she didn't
obey now. She looked around the room and no one really seemed to be
paying attention to her. She read on and gained a bit of confidence.
Her husband was beaming with pride as she finished and passed the
book on.

Charles read
several pages and then past the book on to Bessie with similar
results. She had really cried when it was her turn. She had to wipe
her eyes with her handkerchief several times, before she got to pass
the book on to Nathaniel, who read a long time before he passed that
book to his wife.

Emily also read
until Edward cleared his throat. She past the book to her aunt, who
read even longer than she had. She stopped at the end of the book.

“Edward would
you mind me reading from the book of Psalms?”

“Of course not.
That's a good idea.” Uncle Edmund got up and walked around as he
read, but he read with such feeling that not even Edward wanted to
complain. They all felt that listening to him was a treat. He read
the entire book before he finished.