“I wouldn’t be so sure about that. Did you see the way he reacted when I mentioned other eligible young men?” Amy laughed. “Do you love my brother enough to fight for him?”
“Yes, but what can I do?” Eddy wrung her hands.
“You leave it to me. I know Josh better than anyone.” Her brightness faded, like a lamp suddenly being snuffed out. “After Ma died, I virtually brought him up, even though I’m only three years older.”
“And your Pa?”
“He was in the Union army during the war between the states. He was captured at Gettysburg and spent years in some hell-hole Confederate prison. According to Ma, he was never the same. Used to have bouts of drinking and got into drunken rages and took it out on us. Josh ran away to sea when he was thirteen and I found a job as a maid with a nice family. I eventually met Tom, who was a wagon master. We fell in love and were married all within six weeks. Come on, I’ll show you around the house.”
Amy stood up. “We’ll go upstairs first.”
“Are you sure, I mean…”
Amy airily waved away Eddy’s concern. “I’m pregnant, not sick. That’s what I keep telling Tom. He does fuss so.”
“When is the baby due?”
“I’m not exactly sure, but I would like it to be born on Christmas Day.”
“That would be lovely.”
Eddy followed Amy up a narrow staircase. The pine handrail was intricately carved, obviously some of Joshua’s handiwork.
Upstairs was a landing with a porthole style window. The main bedroom was large with a double bed covered by a brightly colored patchwork quilt. The carved bedhead matched the dressing table and wardrobe. Two other bedrooms were smaller, but similarly furnished. Her luggage was in the end bedroom. Pretty lace curtains covered the dormer windows.
Downstairs was the parlor which opened directly on to the porch. The kitchen was large with a stove built into the fireplace.
“That’s the latest model. I haven’t had it long. Tom bought it for me when I told him I was expecting.”
“Oh my, it must make cooking so much easier for you.”
A large pine table with six matching chairs was set in an alcove. Eddy felt a stab of envy, Amy had everything she had ever dreamed for herself.
“You can have all of this too, Eddy. Josh would be a good provider. We only need to convince him to put the past behind him and look to the future with you.”
If only he would. Joshua was still a young man, so he might eventually decide to marry. Sadly, it wouldn’t be to her.
Amy must have seen the shadows passing across her face, and her next words confirmed it.
“We’ll make him see you would be the perfect wife for him.” Amy wrapped her arms around Eddy’s waist. “We’ve only just met, but I feel as though I’ve known you for years.”
“Isn’t that strange, because I feel the same about you. I always wanted a sister,” Eddy said wistfully. “After I was born Ma couldn’t have any more children.”
“Don’t worry.” Amy squeezed her hand. “We’ll have lots of babies between us. All we have to do is get my idiot of a brother to realize you are right for him. And I’ve got a plan.”
“You have?”
“Yes.” Amy laughed. “All you have to do is play along with me, no matter what.”
“All right, I will.” Eddy would fight to the death for him if it helped.
“Let’s take a quick look around before it gets too cold,” Amy suggested. “You can explore more tomorrow.”
The homestead yard, about half an acre in size, had a white post and rail fence. Joshua’s neat little house stood a couple of hundred yards away from Amy’s. A ribbon of smoke drifted from his chimney. Eddy forced herself to gaze elsewhere.
His garden was neat and tidy, mainly shrubs, whereas Amy’s was pretty with colorful daisies nodding their heads in the slight breeze. The shedding was in good condition also. Contented cows grazed on rich green grass.
“Josh usually has his evening meal with us when he’s here.”
Dusk had fallen by the time Tom entered the house. He was a tall, clean shaven, grey haired man, probably a few years older than Amy.
“So this is Edwina. Pleased to meet you, my dear.”
“I’m pleased to meet you too, Tom. My friends call me Eddy. Thank you so much for allowing me to stay here.”
“You’re welcome to stay as long as you wish.” He had a gruff voice but his brown eyes twinkled. “My Amy could do with female company.” He gave his wife such a sweet, tender smile, tears welled in Eddy’s eyes and she quickly averted her head. Thankfully the couple were now embracing, which gave her a chance to get herself under control.
She couldn’t believe how weak and weepy she had become. She’d read about unrequited love in a romance book she had found in Charlotte’s room, but never thought she would become one of those soppy women breaking her heart over a man.
“Tom, while you were milking, did Josh say whether he would be eating with us?” Amy asked.
“No. He was in a surly mood, said he was going back to the cabin tomorrow.”
“Oh dear.” Amy turned her head and gave Eddy a conspiratorial smile.
“Don’t meddle in his affairs,” Tom said.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, but Eddy would be so perfect for him, and she’s quite smitten with him.”
Eddy squirmed, and Tom grinned. “You’re a mighty fine looking gal. He could do much worse.”
“See.” Amy threw her arms around his neck. “You can help us persuade him.”
“I’d do most things for you darlin’, but not this. He has to make up his own mind.”
“But you could help.”
Eddy spoke up. “Please, Amy. Joshua doesn’t like me, he’s made it plain enough.”
“I’ll go wash up.” Tom headed out to the washroom attached to the back of the house.
They were preparing to eat when Joshua strode in via the back door. He hung his hat and coat on the hooks provided. He still wore the same brown trousers as before, but had changed into a blue shirt, over which he wore a black leather waistcoat.
“Evening, Tom, ladies.” He stared at Eddy who now wore a soft blue gown with a white lace collar, with tiny pearl buttons from the neck to the waist. Her hair hung loose, except for some strands that had been pulled back from her face and held in place with a ribbon.
Eddy was sorry she had let herself be talked into dressing up by Amy, who had changed into a simple gingham dress.
“You’re looking very fetching, Edwina,” Joshua finally said, and she noticed a slight huskiness in his voice.
“Thank you.” She smiled. “Amy suggested I tidy up a little.”
He became stony faced, his lips drew into a thin angry line and Eddy inwardly cursed her wayward tongue. “I…I would have changed anyway. I felt rather bedraggled,” she added hastily. Too little, too late. The damage had been done.
“Well, sit down, while I dish up. Fresh bread and my special savory stew,” Amy said.
Tom pulled out a chair for Eddy on one side of the table, and Joshua sat opposite. He sat at the head with Amy next to him.
The bread, still warm from the oven was delicious, the stew aromatic and tasty, but Eddy had to force herself to eat it. Joshua, however, ate with enjoyment. Amy tucked in with a healthy appetite.
“Do you attend church, Eddy?” Amy’s question came from nowhere.
Tom and Joshua’s cutlery clattered on to their plates.
“Well, sometimes. There was a small chapel not far from where we lived.”
Once everyone was eating again, Amy went on chattily. “We have a pretty church here, too. It’s only a couple of miles away. There’s a new Minister. He’s young and unmarried. I heard he was looking for a wife.”
Eddy nearly choked on a lump of meat.
“Hell’s bells,” Joshua growled. “Give it a rest, will you woman.”
Heat raced into Eddy’s face and neck. Her skin must be fiery red by now.
“Enough,” Tom said. “There’s only so much tormenting your brother can take. Any dessert?”
“Um, yes, steamed apple pudding.”
“I could dish it up,” Eddy said. “You must be exhausted. You wouldn’t let me help you before.”
“All right, I do feel rather tired.”
“I told you not to overdo it, darlin’,” Tom said, while Joshua rolled his eyes. Eddy’s embarrassment gave way to mirth as she stood up.
“You’d better show her where the bowls are kept, Josh.”
Amy really was a master at manipulation. Eddy couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling up.
“You’re so subtle.” Joshua pushed his chair back from the table and stood.
“Yes, aren’t I, brother dear?”
The dessert bowls were on the bottom shelf of the dresser. He leaned over and opened the double doors, and Eddy reached in to retrieve them.
“You look beautiful, Edwina,” he said softly, his breath lifting the loosened strands of hair. “Your hair is the most wondrous color. Smells good too,” he shocked her by adding.
“Thanks. I…I just washed it.” She had bathed at Amy’s insistence. Warm water in the large tin bath in the washroom had been so relaxing she could have stayed there for hours.
“The bowls, Edwina,” he said with a grin. “We do want to eat dessert tonight.”
“Sorry, my mind must have wandered.” She hurried over to the bench under the window and, with a trembling hand, cut slices off the still warm pudding.
Why could he unnerve her with a few mundane words? Why compliment her when he had made it so obvious he felt little for her?
Back at the table, Tom and Amy stared lovingly at each other. Joshua grimaced but Eddy thought it was sweet. She swallowed down on her despair, sadly, she would never know such happiness.
Chapter Six
Saturday dawned, cold but dry. At Amy’s insistence, Eddy wore one of her best gowns, an emerald green velvet. She gathered a swathe of hair from either side, plaited it, and pinned it across the back of her head.
“You look beautiful.” Amy went into raptures. “Your hair is the most vibrant color, the preacher will be smitten the moment he sees you.”
“Please,” Eddy beseeched. “I’m embarrassed. I don’t want to appear desperate. Besides, the only man I want is Joshua.”
“And Joshua you will have,” Amy predicted with confidence. “He’s never liked to be beaten at anything, and he wants you, I can tell. He’s just too mule headed to admit it. If he thinks some other man wants you, and they will, he’ll soon come to heel. He’ll go down on bended knee, begging you to be his wife.”
If only he would, Eddy thought. It would be a dream come true, but no matter how confident Amy was, doubt, like a black cloud, descended upon her. Amy and Tom had invited her to stay for as long as she liked, in return for helping around the house, keeping Amy company, and being there when the baby arrived.
“What if the preacher really likes me?” Eddy would never knowingly put anyone through the torture of unrequited love. She knew only too well what it felt like. “It wouldn’t be fair.”
Amy brushed her concerns aside. “We wouldn’t let it get that far, Josh won’t either. Trust me, I know my brother.”
The quaint, wooden church stood on a green, grassy knoll with a wooded area behind it. Tom wore a dark suit, Amy a sprigged cotton gown with a matching short coat for warmth. They discarded their cloaks before alighting from the buggy in the church yard. Several buggies and a couple of single horses were tied to the hitching rail, an indication the service was well attended.
Eddy walked beside Amy and Tom who were arm in arm. A family of six filed into the church in front of them. Eddy glanced around with interest as they made their way to an empty pew in the middle of the church. Hymn books were neatly stacked at the end, and each of them picked one up. The church was pine lined, so plain as to be austere except for an arched stain-glass window overlooking the pulpit.
***
Josh rode up to the church, dismounted, and tied his horse to the hitching rail. He wore his usual sheepskin coat over a blue shirt. He’d only attended here a couple of times when the old preacher had been here, but as he was to be the baby’s Godfather, he decided on the spur of the moment to put in an appearance. It had nothing to do with Edwina being here. Of course it didn’t.
He grimaced as he entered the church. The place was almost filled to capacity. Typical, he thought savagely, he would have to sit in the front pew and run the gauntlet of any unmarried woman in the congregation. Women were such a predatory lot, determined to ensnare a man. Well, he wouldn’t be caught. No Sir-ree.
Striding up the aisle, he nodded to people he knew, while attempting to keep his gaze from Edwina’s flame colored hair. Tom sat at the end of their pew, Amy next to him, and Edwina at the end. Tom grinned as Josh squeezed past. Amy gave what could only be a triumphant smirk, and he gritted his teeth. That woman was incorrigible. If she wasn’t his sister…
He slid in beside Edwina, somehow resisting the urge to kiss her on those pretty pink lips. Hell’s bells, what was wrong with him? Her eyes widened - shock followed by wariness.
“Good morning, Joshua.” Her soft voice caressed every nerve ending he possessed.
Sitting so close to her, he could smell the faint elusive scent of her hair. Lavender? He wanted to bury his face in it. Momentarily he was struck dumb. “Good morning.” He managed a loud whisper.
“What are you…?”
The preacher cut off her words. “We will now stand for the opening prayer.”
Everyone stood and bowed their heads. Josh had never been a regular church goer, except in boyhood, when Amy forced him to attend with her. He knew the basics though, especially the funeral service words. As a captain he had conducted several burials at sea. “We commend his body to the sea.” A shiver passed through him, and he was relieved everyone’s head was bowed so they wouldn’t notice.
Seated once more, Amy whispered, “What are you doing here?”
“I…I, well, if I’m to be the baby’s Godfather, I thought I should put in an appearance.”
“Nothing to do with Edwina?”
“No, of course not.” He glanced at Amy. She raised an eyebrow in question. “All right, I want to make sure the preacher doesn’t take advantage of her.”
“Joshua Sinclair! Really!”
“I feel responsible for her,” he snapped. A glare from Edwina made him realize, the words did sound rather abrupt when spoken aloud.
Everyone rose to sing the opening hymn, and he purposely shared Edwina’s book. There was not a blemish on the milky white skin of her face. Her cheeks were fiery red, he didn’t know whether from anger or embarrassment, but it was mighty pretty.
What an insipid looking man the preacher was. Small, effeminate, with pale blond wispy hair and pasty skin. No competition there, surely? The two Cavendish boys kept turning their heads around to stare at her, lecherous varmints. He ground his teeth; they would be worn down to the gums if he wasn’t careful.
He did not even attempt to sing. Edwina and Amy’s voices were soft and sweet, Tom’s loud and rough as gravel as he sang ‘Onward Christian Soldiers,’ with gusto.
At last, the service ended with the benediction. The congregation remained standing as the preacher walked down the aisle, and disappeared out on to the porch. Filing from the front row first, it was almost their turn to move when Amy slumped back on the pew fanning herself with a handkerchief.
“Are you all right, darlin’?” Tom sat down next to her.
“I feel a bit light-headed, must have stood up too quickly.”
“Are you sure?” Edwina asked worriedly. She hovered over her new friend.
“Yes, I’ll sit here for a couple of minutes.
For a second or two, Josh was worried for his sister, but on seeing the gleam of triumph in her eye, he knew she was pulling one of her stunts. Once the congregation had all left, she made a m
iracle recovery.
“I’m feeling so much better.” She dropped her hymn book on the floor and pointed to it. “Would you mind, Josh? Tom can help me into the aisle.”
He minded very much, but could hardly say so. “Leave it on the floor,” he muttered. There was nothing else for it but to crawl under the pew and collect it. He bobbed up too soon, and bumped his head. Biting off a curse, he retrieved the book, and climbed to his feet.
Amy wanted them to be last to leave, so they could have the preacher all to themselves. She had always been devious. “I know what you’re up to,” he mouthed at her.
They walked to the door, Tom and Amy in the lead, followed by Edwina, while he took up the rear.
The preacher stood waiting for them.
“I’m so sorry to hold you up,” Amy said. “I felt a little faint.” She patted her stomach.
“Do you need to sit down Ma’am?” Concern etched his voice.
“I’m completely recovered now, thank you. I’m Amy Reynolds. My husband Tom and my brother Joshua.”
They shook hands. The preacher’s grip was weak and limp as Josh knew it would be.
“This is my friend from Boston,” Amy said. “She’s staying with us for a time. Miss Edwina Pearson. Sadly, she came out here to be married but was cruelly let down.”
Josh was mad enough to swallow a horn-toad backward. He ground his teeth, and thrust his hands into his pockets to prevent himself throttling his sister.
“Oh, how dreadful for you, Miss Pearson.” The preacher took her hand and held it far longer than Josh determined was necessary. It took all his willpower not to knock the lily white hand away. Who did this man think he was?
“I do hope we can get to know each other better, Miss Pearson.”
Not if I can help it. Josh shoved his hands into his pockets to curb the urge to punch this weedy specimen of a man on the nose.
Edwina smiled sweetly. “That would be lovely.”
After what seemed like ten minutes but was probably only one, Edwina stepped away from the preacher. She wore a satisfied smile on her face. Josh’s jaw ached from clenching his teeth so hard. Edwina might be desperate to get hitched, but surely she wouldn’t consider such a pathetic worm of a man. His gut contracted thinking about those puny, lily white hands touching her.
Edwina: Bride of Connecticut (American Mail-Order Brides 5) Page 6