The Bride Found

by Piper Davenport

  When the dance was over, Clayton led Emma back to Sophie. He kissed Emma on the cheek, and made his way to the terrace outside to join Jamie, Michael, and Andrew for a cigar.

  Sophie squeezed her hand. “You looked so good out there, sis. I’m envious.”

  “Thanks.” Emma took a sip of champagne. “I’ve decided you are going to learn to dance, Sophie. Christine and I will help you, right, Christine?”

  “Absolutely,” Christine answered.

  Sophie shook her head. “I’m not teachable.”

  Emma grinned. “I haven’t taught you yet.”

  Sophie waved her hand dismissively. “You won’t be able to, either. I guarantee it.”

  “Thanks Men’s Wearhouse,” Emma retorted.

  Sophie giggled and then explained to Christine about advertising taglines. Emma glanced around the room and realized someone was missing. “Where’s Rose?”

  Christine shrugged. “We don’t know. She said she was going to the ladies’ sitting room, but hasn’t returned.”

  Emma scowled. “There is something off with that woman.”

  “Yes, I agree,” Sophie said.

  Rose magically appeared seconds before the men returned, which sparked even more distrust in Emma. She didn’t have much time to dwell on it, though, as Clayton pulled her out for yet another dance.

  “Isn’t there a rule about dancing with the same woman three times in a row?”

  “Is there? I invite anyone to try and enforce it,” he said in warning. “How’s your ankle?”

  Emma narrowed her eyes. “You ask me now, after three dances?”

  Clayton grimaced and paused. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Is it too much?”

  Emma pushed him back into the waltz. “I’m fine. I would have told you if I wasn’t.”

  The dance ended sooner than Emma would have liked, and she reluctantly let Clayton lead her back to the table. Sophie raised an eyebrow as she sat down.

  Emma smiled. “What?”

  “There are several other men who would like to dance with you.”

  Emma’s eyes widened. “There are?”

  Sophie nodded.

  “Then why haven’t they asked me?”

  Sophie giggled. “Every time they get close, Clayton scowls at them and they scurry away.”

  “Shut up,” Emma whispered.

  Sophie turned and patted Jamie’s knee. “Jamie, watch Clayton. See that soldier? He’s been eyeing Emma all night. I think he’s going to ask her to dance. Let’s see what happens.”

  The young soldier had almost reached the group, when Clayton made a possessive move toward Emma and gave him a look of warning. The soldier turned on his heel and walked the other way. Jamie chuckled.

  “Clayton,” Emma admonished.

  “Yes, sweet?” he asked innocently.

  Emma rolled her eyes. Sophie turned it into a game. Three within ten minutes, and now a fourth approached.

  “He doesn’t look as young, maybe he’ll get through,” Jamie said.

  “Not a chance,” Sophie said.

  Jamie grinned. “I bet you a fifteen-minute foot rub, he won’t be intimidated.”

  Sophie shook his hand. “You’re on.”

  Emma scowled at her sister as the soldier approached. Handsome, with dark hair and a very serious mustache, he seemed confident as he caught Emma’s eye. Clayton made his move and it didn’t even faze him. He stopped before Emma and bowed. “Ma’am, would you honor me with the next dance?”

  Emma wasn’t sure what to do, so she looked at her sister, and then at Clayton. She could tell that Clayton was not happy, but he couldn’t object. He had to let her go. Emma nodded and then stood and followed the man onto the floor.

  “Clayton, sit. She’ll be fine.” Sophie laughed at his obvious discomfort.

  Clayton wouldn’t sit though. He kept his eyes on her the entire dance, pacing his way around the outer reaches of the dance floor. Emma looked up at her partner and smiled politely as he cleared his throat. “My name is Lieutenant Gregory Payne.”

  “Nice to meet you, sir.” Emma glanced at Clayton and then back at her partner. “My name is Emma Wellington.”

  “Are you new to the area, Miss Wellington?”

  Emma nodded. “Yes.”

  “Where do you come from, originally?”

  “Why?”

  “How is it you know Clayton Madden?”

  She shivered at his tone. “That seems like an awfully personal question, sir.”

  “Forgive me.”

  She felt more and more uncomfortable as the dance went on. He would pull her closer and she would attempt to push him away, but he would keep trying. When the song ended, they were on the opposite side of the ballroom from her family. She curtsied to him and he bowed, then immediately took her elbow, and began to lead her away. “Sir, I should get back to my family.”

  Gregory paused. “I thought you might want some punch before we returned.”

  Emma shook her head. “No, thank you. I would like to get back to my party.”

  “Of course.” He gripped her arm and led her the wrong way again.

  “Let go of me.” Emma couldn’t stop the shiver when she tried to pull away from him, but he tightened his grip. “Get your filthy hands off me,” she hissed.

  Gregory’s expression grew cold, and Emma swallowed. He said nothing as he dragged her into a secluded alcove.

  “What are you doing?” Emma squealed.

  “Shut your mouth,” he snapped.

  “I’ll scream.”

  He yanked her toward him and glared down at her. “You will do nothing of the sort.”

  “Unhand her,” Clayton ordered from behind them.

  Emma sighed in relief at the feel of Clayton’s hand on her lower back. She leaned into him and tried to tug her arm away from Gregory. He didn’t release her right away, and when Clayton inserted his body between the two of them, Emma whimpered when Gregory’s hand tightened.

  Clayton grasped Gregory’s wrist and did something… she didn’t know what… but Gregory groaned and his hold was broken.

  Clayton reached behind his back and pushed Emma gently away without breaking eye contact with Gregory. “I said unhand her.”

  Gregory rubbed his wrist and scowled. “We were simply getting punch.”

  “If you come near her again, I’ll kill you.” Clayton grabbed the front of his shirt. “Do you hear me?”

  The man nodded and then was gone.

  “Are you all right?” Clayton asked in concern.

  “I think so.” Emma struggled to catch her breath. “I told him I wanted to go back to you, but then he pulled me in here. All through the dance he kept asking me all these personal questions and… it made my skin crawl.”

  Clayton kissed her hand. “You’re safe now.”

  “Any idea what he wanted?”

  Clayton shook his head. “There’s something strange going on, and I think we should get you home.”

  Emma nodded. “I’m fine with that. As long as you’ll still stay once we get home. I feel as though we haven’t gotten to talk all night. Or other things.”

  Clayton chuckled. “What other things?”

  Emma smiled up at him and winked.

  Clayton directed Emma back to the group. Rose pursed her lips as they arrived at the table. “I do declare, Miss Wellington, you are as white as a ghost.”

  “I’m fine, Miss Johnson. Thank you.”

  Rose continued to fuss over Emma, and Clayton pulled Jamie aside. Jamie agreed it would be best to return home, so with the promise from Andrew to keep Rose occupied, Jamie and Clayton gathered up the girls’ cloaks and gloves and ushered them out to await the carriage.

  Emma shifted from foot to foot as they waited for their ride. Clayton wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple. “Cold, sweetheart?”

  “Freezing.” He removed his heavy coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. Emma sighed. “Thank you. Much better.”

  The ca
rriage inched forward and pulled up in front of them just as rain began to fall. Once they were on their way, Emma sank further into Clayton’s side.

  “Are you all right, Em?” Sophie asked.

  “Yes, just tired. Something’s off, and I can’t quite put my finger on it, but I’m too tired to think right now.”

  Sophie leaned forward. “Em? Did you drink too much?”

  Emma snorted. “Four glasses of champagne is not too much.”

  Clayton glanced down at her. “Four?”

  Emma shrugged. “I couldn’t find the whiskey.”

  Sophie sighed. “Your humor abounds, I see.”

  Emma smiled. “My ankle was bothering me, and I liked the champagne. I’m not drunk. Just kind of tired.”

  Jamie frowned. “Still four glasses over several hours shouldn’t make you so tired.”

  Emma shifted slightly. “Maybe it was the fifth that did me in.”

  “Emma!” Sophie slapped her palm to her forehead.

  Emma giggled then hiccupped. “Come to think of it, it was kind of cloudy. I only took one sip… it tasted weird. Kind of like the tea Gwen gave me.”

  “Laudanum.” Clayton filled in the blanks, then lifted Emma’s chin. “Who gave you the fifth glass?”

  Emma wrinkled her nose. “Isn’t that like an opiate?”

  Sophie squeezed her knee. “Emma, focus. Who gave you the last glass of champagne?”

  Emma yawned and then mumbled, “Rose.”

  CLAYTON SHIFTED HIS weight when Emma sagged beside him. He wrapped his arm around her and settled her against his chest. She sighed and he kissed the crown of her head. She fit perfectly in his arms. The new development didn’t sit well with him, but Sophie assured him that despite the fact the laudanum probably made her sleepy, she hadn’t taken enough of it to hurt her.

  The trip home took close to thirty minutes. By the time the carriage rolled to the front door, Clayton’s arm tingled after being stuck in the same position for the duration. Jamie assisted Sophie out of the carriage first and then Clayton tried to wake Emma.

  Kissing her cheek, he whispered, “Emma, we’re home.”

  “Hm?” she grumbled sleepily.

  “Come on. I’ll help you down and then carry you into the house.”

  Emma smiled behind closed eyes. “Gallantry is alive and well.”

  Clayton jumped down and faced the door. As Emma leaned out, she stumbled off the carriage step. “Easy, sweetheart.” Clayton caught her and lifted her into his arms.

  She looped her hands around his neck and promptly fell back to sleep. Holding her closer, he carried her inside. Sophie and Jamie had removed their outerwear, and Sophie swept her hand toward the parlor. “Let’s talk for a little while.”

  Clayton glanced down at Emma and frowned. “I’m not sure we’ll get much out of this one.”

  “Even if she wasn’t under the influence, she’d probably still be asleep.” Sophie glanced up at Clayton. “Clay, don’t worry. Truly, she’ll be fine. She loves to sleep in the middle of it all. I swear that girl can sleep anytime, anywhere. I used to be so jealous of her.” Sophie sighed. “I have to have optimal conditions in order to snooze.”

  Clayton followed Sophie into the parlor and sat on one end of the sofa as he kept Emma in his arms. Sophie helped her stretch out with her head on his lap and laid a blanket over her. Emma barely stirred. Clayton stroked her arm as Jamie sat in one of the chairs opposite them. Sophie handed the gentlemen a glass of port and poured some water for herself.

  “Clayton, what’s happening with Rose? I agree with Emma and Sophie. I think she’s up to something,” Jamie said.

  “I can’t imagine what.” Jamie and Sophie glanced at each other. Clayton frowned. “What are you not telling me?”

  Jamie leaned forward. “Do you think she might be spying?”

  Clayton shook his head. “No, absolutely not.”

  “Clay, you’re part of the War Cabinet. I think she’s trying to find information,” Sophie argued. “Plus, the whole business with Topper.”

  “Rose doesn’t know Topper. No,” Clayton snapped. Emma groaned, and Clayton lowered his voice and stroked her arm. “Rose Johnson would never betray our friendship.”

  Sophie sighed. “Clayton, think. She shows up unannounced two days after her brother is killed. Wouldn’t it have taken her longer than that if she was traveling from Virginia? All of a sudden, she’s asking all sorts of questions and going through your personal things at home.”

  “How do you know that?”

  Jamie squeezed Sophie’s knee and gave her a quick nod. Sophie sighed. “Hattie told me.”

  “That doesn’t mean anything. She’d just arrived; she was probably searching for something that she needed.”

  “In your bedroom?” Sophie asked.

  Clayton shrugged. “She may have gotten turned around. Perhaps she thought she was in the guest room.”

  Jamie’s eyes widened. “Seriously, Clayton?”

  Clayton swore, which seemed to shake Emma from her slumber. She sat up with a groan. “What’s wrong?” she asked, stumbling over her words.

  Clayton took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “I’m sorry, Emma. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  She yawned. “Did Jamie give you the note?”

  “What note?”

  Jamie sighed. “The note from Topper. Emma deciphered more of it.”

  Emma rubbed her eyes and nodded as she focused on Clayton.

  He shifted to face her. “You did? How?”

  Emma shrugged. “Um, I don’t know. Logic, I guess.”

  “I took the note to Andrew, Clayton. We were going to speak to you about it tomorrow,” Jamie said.

  “I’m exhausted.” Sophie rose to her feet. “I think I’m going to go on up to bed.”

  Sophie kissed her sister. “Clayton, why don’t you stay for a little while? I know you and Emma haven’t had much time together.”

  “I’ll go with you.” Jamie gave Clayton a quick nod. “Don’t ignore what’s right in front of you, Clayton.”

  Sophie grabbed Jamie’s hand and the couple left them alone. Emma folded herself further into Clayton’s arms. “I could stay like this forever, you know.”

  He gently cupped her cheek and leaned down to kiss her. Emma wove her hands through his hair as she opened her mouth for him and the kiss became more intense. The blanket slipped lower and her abundant cleavage seemed to beckon Clayton. He ran his fingertips along the neckline of her low-cut dress and she let out a sigh. He broke the kiss a few minutes later and realized how easy it would be to go further.

  “Emma, we need to stop,” he said as he breathed heavily.

  “I know.” She shifted slightly in order to sit up more.

  “Sorry, sweetheart. If we don’t stop now, I’m not sure I’ll be able to.”

  “I know.” She let out a frustrated sigh as she sat back onto the sofa.

  Several minutes passed before Clayton said anything. “How did you decipher the note, Emma?”

  Emma shrugged. “I noticed some of it was written in Navajo.”

  “How would you know how to read Navajo?”

  “I don’t. I just know a word or two.” Emma narrowed her eyes. “Why do I feel as though I’m being interrogated?”

  “I’m simply confused. I don’t mean to make you feel like a suspect.” Clayton took a deep breath. “I’m sorry.”

  Emma pulled her legs onto the couch and stretched out on her back with her head in his lap. “Tell me about Tim.”

  “What would you like to know?”

  She reached up and stroked his cheek. “Whatever you’d like to tell me.”

  Clayton swept her hair from her forehead. “Our parents had small plantations next to each other. We were unique in that we shared the slaves and their quarters.”

  Emma frowned. “You had slaves?”

  “My parents had slaves.”

  “How many slaves did you own?” She tried to keep the disgust out
of her voice.

  “About a hundred between the two families.”

  Emma covered her mouth with her hand.

  “Sweet, Richard and I freed every one of them before we sold the property. He and I never agreed with the holding of human beings in bondage.”

  Emma nodded, visibly relieved.

  “Our families had been there for what seemed like forever. My father was born in the main house and all of us were born there too. Our two families tended to overlap each other with children. Richard was born, then Anthony, then Timothy, then me. They had another brother who died when he was just six, then came our baby sister Lillian, followed two months later by Rose.”

  “How sad,” Emma whispered.

  “We were with each other day in and day out, with the natural order of ages falling into place. I think Richard and Anthony butted heads the most out of all of us. They are polar opposites when it comes to politics, trade, women, you name it, and they constantly argued. I was closer to Tim. He was like a brother to me, and we chose the same school to attend and had the same friends. 1853 was the year it all changed. Tim and I arrived home to find that a typhoid breakout had ravaged our plantations, along with a few others in the vicinity. Our parents succumbed quickly to the disease, so did Lillian.”

  Emma wrapped her hand around his forearm. “What about your friend’s family?”

  “The Johnson’s came through, except for their mother. Rose wasn’t home. She’d been sent off to boarding school before this all happened, so she was safe. But we lost everything.”

  “I’m so sorry.”

  He forced a smile and shook his head.

  “What did you do after that?”

  “Richard and I decided to move to Pennsylvania, away from the memories and away from the slavery we so objected to. We freed the slaves, as I said. All that survived, anyway, and sold the plantation. Tim and I kept in touch through the years, but we didn’t see each other again for close to five years. I saw the three of them just before Lincoln was elected, but haven’t seen any of them since.”

  “Wow.” Emma smiled. “When you tell a story, you tell a story.”

  He leaned down and gave her a quick kiss. “I should go.”

  Emma sat up. “I feel like we haven’t spent enough time together.”