“You know this is not proper,” Adeline stepped back.
“What’s not proper?” Ernest inquired.
“Us being alone without a chaperone, and especially you asking me back to your house,” she explained.
“Do you do everything the ‘proper’ way, Miss Adeline?” Ernest teased.
“Most of the time, yes. I come from good breeding, but today, no!” there was a rise in her voice, and Adeline headed toward the barn door.
* * *
The white swinging door shut behind Ernest, as he went into his kitchen to boil water for tea, upon Adeline’s request. She walked around his living room, which was occupied with a large, brown leather couch, a mahogany desk off to the side of the room, and one entire wall devoted to bookshelves. Each shelf was lined with interesting novels, biographies, natural science manuals, and philosophy and mathematic books. Adeline grew more and more impressed as she browsed through them.
“Ah, you have found my friends!” Ernest yelled, peeking his head through the swinging door, “The tea will be ready in just a few minutes. Feel free to borrow anything you like,” he said.
“Have you read all of these?” Adeline questioned him quickly, before he disappeared behind the swinging door again.
“What else does a lonely guy do out here on a ranch alone?” Ernest shouted from the kitchen.
Adeline smiled the most genuine smile she had felt cross her lips in quite some time. Well, well, well! He likes to read as much as I do, and even more advanced books than I have been accustomed to reading! I’ve got myself one smart cowboy here!
She continued to peruse through the volumes of books, and came to a shelf which held a few photographs. One of the photos must have been his parents, as they were older, and sitting on the front porch that she passed coming into the house. The other photo caught her special attention. It was Ernest and a younger girl in the photo.Ernest looked to be maybe in his early adulthood.
Was this his past lover? Is this why he had devoted himself to being alone?
Adeline picked up the picture for closer inspection. Ernest busted through the swinging doors, holding a wooden tray with two cups, much larger than she had expected for a tea cup, “Oh, you found her among my friends!” he said with a smile.
Adeline blushed, feeling as if she had invaded his privacy in some way, “Who…who is she?” she asked, pointing to the young girl in the picture.
“It’s quite a terrible story, to tell you the truth. Why don’t we have our tea, and I will tell you about her.” Ernest sat the tray down on the table next to the large couch, and motioned for Adeline to sit on one side, while he sat near the tray so he could serve her.
“I don’t want to pry,” Adeline said, as she accepted her cup of tea.
“No, no, no. There is no prying going on here. I am an open book. That is, or was, my younger sister. She was killed after my father died in a horseback riding accident,” Ernest looked down at the steam coming from his cup.
“Oh, I am so sorry!” Adeline exclaimed.
“No need. The past is the past, right? We cannot change anything that has happened in our lives up until now, and right now, in this moment, I am content,” Ernest looked Adeline straight in the eyes.
Adeline broke their gaze. There was a long pause as she sipped her tea, contemplating what to say next. She felt that silence was the best atmosphere for this moment he just described.
Ernest broke the silence after a few minutes, “Do you like to read, also? You seemed very enthralled with my book collection,” he asked politely.
Adeline nodded, feeling her throat tighten, and those butterflies stir in her stomach again.
No! Not now! I was doing so well!
“Are you alright, Adeline,” Ernest questioned, noticing that she was turning a bit flush. “Are you feeling well?”
Adeline handed her tea to him, “Oh, it must be the warmth from the tea mixed with this heat we are having!” She excused herself, asking where she might splash some cool water on her face. Ernest instructed her to the first bedroom down the hall, where a vase and basin were available for her use.
“It was Ellen’s room,” he said, as his mood shifted. “I keep fresh water in there, and fresh flowers every day. Seems like a part of me thinks that she will come walking back into this house someday. Sounds crazy, I know,” Ernest explained under his breath.
Adeline stood up, and headed toward Ellen’s room. She stopped mid-way down the hall, turned and looked at Ernest, who had his head hanging down, with his hands resting at his temples. “I am very sorry for your loss, Ernest. It seems you have lost a lot of people in your life.” She continued on to the first room down the hallway.
“Yes, I have,” Ernest spoke out loud, aware Adeline could not hear him, “and now I am ready to gain something.”
* * *
Adeline arrived at Richard’s ranch close to lunch time. When she entered the ranch house, she could hear the humming of Tillie from the kitchen. She tried to pass by the kitchen unnoticed, but Tillie’s humming broke, “Miss Adeline, is that ya? I’m preparin’ your lunch for ya.Ya will love these fresh green beans.I just picked them from our gardin’!” Tillie’s tone was friendly, and not at all suspicious of why Adeline had been gone so long.
Adeline smoothed her hair back, and straightened her dress, entering the kitchen, “Why, I love fresh green beans, Tillie! There is nothing better than fresh vegetables, straight from a garden. Can I help you prepare them?”
“Ya don’t need to be tendin’ to no work, Miss,” Tillie responded. “I’ll have lunch ready around one o’clock, if that be okay?”
“That is just perfect, Tillie, just perfect!”Adeline warmly responded, and headed straight to her bedroom, where she meant to spend some time alone, contemplating the events of the morning.
Chapter Nine
Richard quietly shut the door behind him and laid his hat on the entry way table. He lit the lantern sitting on the table and walked softly to the kitchen, so as not to disturb Adeline upstairs, who he knew was still sleeping. The carriage had made good time overnight, and he had expected to arrive a bit later, at least around sunrise. While making a fresh kettle of coffee, he knocked one of the china cups off of the counter when he turned to put the kettle on the stove. The crash of the cup on the floor echoed throughout the downstairs.
“Darn it!” he exclaimed. “I wanted to surprise her this morning! Clumsy me! I must be a bit more tired than what I believed to be from travelling.”
“Who ya’ talkin’ to?” Tillie whispered, as she poked her head, still wrapped in her night cap, around the kitchen door.
“Oh, Tillie, I am terribly sorry if I woke you, and I surely have woken Adeline too!”
Tillie shuffled into the kitchen, completing the task of making the coffee for Richard, while yawning, “I don’t know about that, Sir Richard. She had a busy day yesterday riding, and might be a bit hard to rouse this morning,’” she explained.
Richard sat down wearily at the kitchen table, awaiting his coffee, “How did things run around here with my absence?” he questioned Tillie.
She grabbed a broom from the closet in the kitchen, and began to slowly sweep up the broken cup, “Things went mighty fine, Sir Richard. Miss Adeline and me went to town and bought some material for me to sew her a new dress for your dinner party tonight,” she replied, as she bent down, and scooped the sharp shards of china up with a small hand brush.
“Oh, my,” exclaimed Richard, rather loudly, “I had forgotten all about the invitations I sent out last week before leaving for my trip! Do you have all that you will need for the cook to prepare dinner? And we have all clean table linen?” he asked, pouring a cup of coffee for himself, while Tillie was still occupied with cleaning up the broken china cup.
“Yes, Sir Richard, we’z got all we need, all the fixins’, and I pulled some fresh vegetables from the garden yesterday for the cook to use for his side dishes tonight.” Tillie deposited the broken china in
the wooden trash box in the corner of the kitchen.
“And what is our main entrée tonight, Tillie?” Richard questioned her, as he sat back down, and began to sip his coffee.
“Duck, Sir Richard,” Tillie responded, beginning to collect the items she would need in order to prepare breakfast for Richard and Adeline. “Those stable boys took some time and went a duck huntin’ yesterday, and they came back with quite a batch of ‘em,” she said.
“Fine, fine, Tillie. Just make sure the cook knows how I like to have my duck prepared,” he instructed, and yawned, while trying to take another sip of his coffee. “I do believe, Tillie, I am going to excuse myself and go to my room. I need to rest for a while in order to be fresh for tonight,” Richard spoke, as he stood up, arched his back, and placed the coffee cup back down on the table. “I will have coffee later this morning, please, and a late breakfast. Please arrange for Adeline to join me.” Richard walked out of the kitchen, nodding to Tillie, as he exited.
“Yes, Sir Richard,” Tillie called to him.
* * *
The sun was beginning to peek through the white lace curtains of Adeline’s bedroom window. She began to stir, and awoke, realizing that she had slept past her usual time, again. She went to her closet, and put on her silk robe and slippers, hoping that she had not missed breakfast, yet. There was a soft tap on her bedroom door, and she walked over to see who might be trying to wake her.
Tillie was standing at the doorway, her hands folded on her hips. She still had her apron on, which was a good sign to Adeline that she had not missed her breakfast. “Sir Richard came home early this morning, and he wants ya’ to join him downstairs for breakfast,” she reported in a monotone voice.
Adeline could feel her heart jump into her throat, and her throat go dry, “Oh, I, uh, did not know he had made it home already. I must have slept past that. Let me dress, please, and tell him I will be right down,” Adeline responded, as she slowly shut the door, her hand almost shaking, as she pushed it shut. She wasn’t ready to see Richard, yet. She had no time to completely analyze what had transpired between Ernest and her, yesterday.
But I must put on a smile, and pretend that there is nothing happening outside of Richard’s knowledge.
With this last thought, Adeline quickly chose a casual dress to put on, and went to the mirror to brush her hair, so she could put it into a long braid. She made no attempt to make herself attractive this morning. The dress she chose was a dull brown, and did not especially complement her thin figure. She splashed some water on her face, and dried it with a soft, white towel. She decided to calm herself down, so Richard would believe that the days he had been gone were just ordinary, lazy days of reading on the patio for her.
Once she reached the kitchen, she saw Richard seated at the kitchen table, sipping a steaming cup of coffee, “There’s my Adeline!” he said with a smile.
“Yes, hello, Richard. I mean good morning. I am afraid I slept a little late this morning,” Adeline said, as she seated herself across the table from him.
Richard reached out for her hand, which she nervously pulled away, “I did miss you, dear Adeline. I suppose you need some coffee?” he asked her politely.
“Yes, that is just what I need. I am a bit groggy this morning,” Adeline replied.
Tillie was busy frying eggs in the skillet she used every morning, and overhearing Adeline, poured her a cup of coffee, bringing it to the table with a teaspoon, since she had learned that Adeline liked a bit of sugar in her coffee.
Adeline smiled sincerely, “Thank you, Tillie, and thank you for delaying breakfast for us both.”
Tillie nodded, going back to her cooking duties, and humming lightly under her breath.
Adeline glanced at Richard, who was staring at her from across the table. To break the awkwardness, she asked, “When did you arrive, Richard?”
“Very early this morning,” he replied. “You should have been woken by the crashing in the kitchen I was doing. I broke one of our china cups, and woke Tillie at some ungodly hour!” he chuckled.
“I never heard a sound,” Adeline stated, sipping her coffee. She pulled the hot coffee away from her mouth quickly and set it on the table to cool a bit. Then she picked up the spoon that she had used to put sugar in her coffee, and began to twist it around. “Is there something on your mind, Adeline?” Richard asked.
Adeline became conscious of her actions with the spoon, and knowing this was one of her nervous habits, she immediately put the spoon back down on the table, “No, nothing at all, Richard. I am just a bit disoriented this morning, having slept so late, and not having gone for my usual morning ride,” she explained, feeling like she was being interrogated.
“How have your rides been these last few days?” Richard said, trying to spark conversation.
Adeline dropped her eyes to her coffee cup, picked it up, and took a small sip, “Oh, they have been fantastic! I have truly enjoyed getting to spend time going around your property, and even meeting some of your hired hands. Why, one of the stable boys took Tillie and I into town this week to purchase some material for a dress she is making for me.”
“For our dinner party tonight?” Richard keenly inquired.
“Yes,” Tillie interrupted, as she put the breakfast plates down in front of Richard and Adeline. “I have to finish up the trim on it today.It is a surprise for ya’, Sir Richard. Wait till you see the beauty in it!” she exclaimed.
“I can hardly wait!” Richard stated. “I am very excited to introduce you to my friends and neighbors, Adeline,” he urged.
Adeline squirmed in her chair, “Yes, so am I. I am looking forward to having a nice evening with you and your friends,” she said, appeasing him.
“We shall announce us being betrothed to one another tonight to our guests,” he informed Adeline. “I have kept the secret under my belt until now, but for propriety sake, it must be known, since you are here in my home, right?” Richard looked directly at Adeline, whose whole demeanor had changed with this statement.
“Right,” she answered softly, and picked up her fork, poking at her eggs.
* * *
Adeline had spent most of the day in her room, despairing about Richard’s impending announcement tonight concerning their relationship. She tried to read, but was unable to focus for very long on the words. Tillie had brought her new dress after lunch, and it hung in the closet, as a reminder of tonight’s possible catastrophe.
The sun was beginning to lower in the sky. Adeline stood, motionless at her window, staring at the sky turning to a deep orange, when there was a knock on her door.
She called to her guest, “Please come in.”
Richard slowly entered the room, with a slender box in his hand. “I would like for you to have this, and wear it tonight at our dinner party.Consider it a gift, Adeline,” he said, as he handed her the velvet box.
Adeline had turned from the window, and held out her hand, receiving the gift, without a word.
After a moment of silence, Richard spoke, “Well, are you going to look inside and see what it is?” he grinned, his large white teeth shining in the dim light of her room.
Adeline conceded, and opened the box, revealing a strand of diamonds.“Oh my, Richard. I cannot accept such an expensive gift,” she refuted.
“Please, do, my dear. That necklace will look wonderful on you tonight, but nothing can outshine your natural beauty, not even those sparkly diamonds!” Richard said, as he reached out to touch her hand that was holding the box of diamonds.
Adeline quickly closed the box with her other hand, and placed it on the desk next to her bedroom window, “I appreciate your kindness, but, please, refrain from such show of emotion. Remember, I am here as your guest, only to be out of the way of that terrible murderer in Frailburg,” she replied, with her back turned from Richard.
“Yes, I know, Adeline,” he continued, “that was the original intentions on bringing you here. But every day that passes with you here, I grow fo
nder of you. I only wish you could feel the same way,” he commented, as he turned to leave the room.
Adeline swung around, facing the bedroom door, where Richard was making his exit, “Richard, I do really appreciate all you have done and are doing for me. Please do not take my intentions wrong. It is just that I do not want to feel forced into any situation that I am not comfortable with.”
Richard did not turn around, but continued to walk out of her bedroom, calling back to her, “I understand, Adeline. I really do.”
* * *
Adeline had taken special care in dressing in her new dress for the evening. She put her hair up in a tight bun, and placed the diamond necklace around her neck, in a show of appreciation to Richard. She stood in front of the full-length mirror, adjusting the blue velvet dress, whenTillie came in the room, after a few, short knocks.
The Cowboy's Stolen Bride (Historical Western Romance) Page 8