Rogue Highlander: Played Like a Fiddle

by Sondra Grey

  Till now the list contained, talking too much, lies and deceit, education of women, and reading. Oh dear, her husband seemed to be disliking practically everything she liked or enjoyed or was in some way related to.

  Coming out of her reverie she looked up to see that he was watching her, his eyebrows raised as if waiting for an answer and she suddenly remembered his question.

  “The book was just a distraction. I did not take it very seriously.” She said making light of the issue.

  “You will not have much time for distractions here Elizabeth. You will have duties just like everyone else. Yours will include cooking meals for my men and me, keeping the house clean, doing the chores and laundry. Doing some easy farm jobs like picking the eggs, milking the cow we keep for home use and maintaining the kitchen garden.”

  Elizabeth waited for him to go on and say the rest, doing your wifely duties, warming my bed, satisfying my needs and having my children. She had read enough mail order bride advertisements to know what these men usually wanted and how direct they could be asking for it. But all that never came. Instead, Nicholas said

  “One more thing Elizabeth. As your husband, your first loyalty is towards me. Please do not indulge in conspiring with the servants. This is not the east. Life here is harsh, and one wrong move can take your life.

  “I don’t understand what you mean.”

  “I am referring to earlier when Lydia revealed that you have been asking her to keep information from me.” His voice had become sharp now, and a heavy lump seemed to be settling in Elizabeth’s throat.

  “You cannot contrive secrets with the servants against your own husband. It reflects poorly on your character and the relationship between us. If you make cracks in the trust we share, others will surely try to widen them. So, we must, each trust the other implicitly.

  Elizabeth nodded duly chastised. She was trying hard not to let the tears fall in front of him and give him another opportunity to lecture her, this time on the strength of mind and control of emotions.

  Chapter Seven

  A s they arrived at the church, Elizabeth once again noticed the crisp freshness of the air as opposed to the stale suffocation of the city where she had lived most of her life. As Nicholas helped her descend from the carriage, she could not help looking around in awe. There was so much land, with so less in terms of manmade structures between her and the far away horizon.

  Nicholas asked Xavier and his wife Martha who had come out to greet them to take care of Lydia until the ceremony was over and they accepted joyfully.

  “You like what you see?” Nicholas asked, and she smiled at him. It was the bright smile of a child who has been given a treat. It was a smile of genuine awe and amazement that tugged at Nicholas’ heart strings.

  “This place is so beautiful.” She exclaimed

  “Wait till you see our ranch.” He said, and she did not miss that he had used the term our and not my. It started a flutter inside her heart. They were going to be family soon and together for the rest of their lives. As Nicholas led her to where the church stood on a small incline, Elizabeth did a survey of the place around, and Nicholas took the opportunity of studying his young bride.

  He had noticed her the minute she had peeked out of the bogie door with that childlike eagerness which was so characteristic of her. He had watched her and let her eyes find him before he had walked towards her. The woman had made a quick and profound impression on him as she had stood there framed by the door of the train compartment.

  The first thing that he had noticed was that she was an attractive woman. She had delicate features, slender arms covered entirely in the long white cotton sleeves of her gown, a lean body and an air of quiet strength. As she had peered outside, long bony fingers clad in lacy gloves that matched her dress had curled around the handle bar of the bogie door, and Nicholas had felt their clutch around his heart.

  She had looked around, and even at that distance he had been able to see the array of emotions that had passed across her beautiful face, first shock, then fear, then confusion and a frantic search. And as her eyes had settled on him he could tell she had known him to be the one from the rest of the crowd. A look of relief and attainment had settled upon her. He had felt a primitive urge to possess her at that moment, a surge of pride for his woman for having known him, a sentiment he knew well, he had no right to feel.

  He had acknowledged at that moment that she had taken a big leap by coming so far just on the basis of a few letters. He had to prove himself to be the honorable man she no doubt expected him to be. He had stridden in her direction quickly, not wanting to make her wait anymore. There was not much he would be giving her in terms of affection. Jessica had taken it all from him leaving him dry and scorched. But he would generously give her the rest, his name, his respectability, his protection and the honest life he had promised.

  Then again in the carriage, he had not been unaware, as he had led her to believe, of her discomfort at being enclosed with him in that small space. She had looked terrified when he had asked her maid to ride with Xavier. But he had to put certain things straight at once, and for that, he needed to speak with her alone. He had tried to keep his instructions as less severe as possible, but she had seemed distressed at being admonished, and Nicholas had hated himself for doing it. But it was his experience that certain issues were best nipped in the bud.

  Now as he walked alongside her, a faint scent of lavender and roses wafted towards him, and he brutally crushed a desire to inhale deeply. She was dressed respectably; even her hair was tied in a neat bun and covered with a white lacy bonnet. Not a part of her body was visible except her face and her neck. Around her ears and on her forehead, tendrils of brown silk had escaped her bonnet and were gently caressed by the late morning wind.

  As they reached the church steps, a man and a woman approached them with bright smiles pasted on their faces, their eyes aglow with mirth. They were both very tall and finely built with handsome features. The woman was a few months pregnant.

  “Elizabeth, meet my best friend and my top wrangler Vincent Parker and his sister, Caroline Parker. They are like family to me. Caroline’s husband Joe owns the mercantile shop in town, and a gorgeous wife besides.” Caroline ribbed him hard with her elbow.

  “He doesn’t own me, you boor.”

  “Of course, he does. All men own their women folk,” Nicholas said, and it was evident he was teasing her, but Elizabeth wondered whether it said more about the kind of man that he was.

  “Well, if you still want to marry this man Elizabeth and I won’t hold it against you if you don’t, let’s get inside. The guests are all here, and Nic’s mother is waiting.” Vincent put in as they started up the church steps

  “Nicholas has told us all about your excellent father, and we are sorry you lost him. But if you allow me the honor, I will be giving you away before I take my position as best man.” Vincent said walking beside Elizabeth, and she was suddenly overcome with the memories of her father.

  “Don’t worry, he gave me away too, and I have had a good life for the last three years. So, I can vouch for him, he is not unlucky or anything.” Caroline put in. Elizabeth was grateful for the brother and sister’s attempt at making things light for her.

  As they walked up the steps of the church, they were met by Molly. She was standing on the topmost step, clad in jeans and a work shirt, a sleeveless denim jacket hanging from her shoulders, her feet spread apart and her fists on her hips. A frown of disapproval was etched on her face, and it reminded Elizabeth of how Nic had looked when she had seen him the first time. There, she was already calling him Nic in her head, she needed to be very careful.

  “Elizabeth, Mother…Mother, Elizabeth.” He said, and for the next few minutes, no one said anything. The silence was so loud Elizabeth could practically hear it ringing in her ears. Vincent and Caroline stood a little apart, distancing themselves from the family. Nicholas stood tall and swaggering, looking defiantly at his mother.
Molly stepped forward and cupped Elizabeth’s chin, turned her face this way and that then said.

  “Hmmm…she is a lovely creature.”

  “Do I take it that you approve?” Nic asked

  “Of course, I don’t approve. Not to say she won’t last a week.” She said and without looking back at the young people walked straight into the church.

  Chapter Eight

  A s soon as they were inside, Nicholas went to take his position at the altar, leaving Elizabeth behind. The other three stood just inside the door, concealed from the congregation. Elizabeth looked at the number of people present, and her eyes grew wide in astonishment.

  “Nicholas said it was going to be a small ceremony.”

  “This is small, compared to a real ranch wedding. When someone of Nic’s position gets married around here, there would be eating and drinking and dancing all day and into the night until dawn. Don’t ask me how much money I lost in Caroline’s wedding.”

  “Told you, you should have kept tickets. Who knows, you might have made a profit.” Caroline huffed in exasperation as she fussed with Elizabeth and fixed her veil.

  Elizabeth thanked them both for their kindness. She wanted to say more, but it was time, and Vincent was already drawing her arm through his.

  Vincent walked her down between the pews and left her facing Nicholas.

  The priest whom Nicholas introduced to her as Father Gregory was a tall, lanky fellow in his mid-thirties and Elizabeth had a feeling he would look more at home on horseback than in the pulpit. As Father Gregory was about to start the ceremony, there was a sudden movement behind them, and a man came forward.

  “I will be damned, it's Dr. Lizzie. One of my finest students. I hear you passed the top of your class. No wonder, your treatment of old woman Tessa and Mrs. Rutherford was exemplary.”

  Cold sweat ran down Elizabeth’s spine as she turned and looked into the eyes of Dr. Sommerling. He had been a visiting faculty at the University of Cleveland before word got around that he had gone off to live in the west.

  Elizabeth curtsied as the man took her hand, patted it, congratulated her and went back to his place in the front row. As she turned to look back at Nicholas bile rose inside her throat, and her legs were ready to buckle.

  Nicholas was looking at her with what could only be called undisguised loathing.

  “I wish to speak with my wife, Father. It won’t take long.” He said, then holding her by the wrist he started walking away and pulled her along with him.

  Elizabeth went gathering her gown in her hands and nearly stumbling on her own steps. She looked at the crowd around her from under her veil. Vincent was standing just behind where Nic had been standing, his face expressionless his hands folded over his chest. It was very clear that for him Nic was beyond reprieve. Just behind him, his sister cupped both her hands on her mouth in horror. Lydia stood between Xavier and Martha. When Nic started pulling Elizabeth along, she quickly moved to come to her aid, but Martha held her back. They passed Molly who was looking after them with an, I knew this would happen expression.

  Nicholas pulled her along to a paneled door, pushed it hard and drew her in. He hurled her away from him as she stumbled and took a semicircular turn and stood there facing him, shaking with fear and embarrassment. The room looked like a small office used by one of the church officials.

  “Do you care to explain?”

  Elizabeth was shaking so hard she thought she would fall any moment. But when she began to tell her story, her voice was quiet and steady.

  “It is true that I was a student at the medical college in Cleveland. I graduated top of my class, all twenty-one of them. You can imagine how much of male ego I must have crushed. Then the academic board refused to grant me a degree and permission to practice independently. The reason they gave was that I did not possess the balanced temperament needed for practicing medicine.”

  “You lied to me.”

  “I did not. I am not a doctor. People who have regard for me consider me one. But I am nothing but an ordinary woman, who chose to become a mail order bride and a rancher’s wife.”

  “Why did you come here? Why not stay in Cleveland and make a life there? Seems like you had quite a practice there even without a degree.”

  “Old woman Tessa was a beggar who roamed the streets outside the university campus. She had early stage tuberculosis. She was my final year project. I treated Mrs. Rutherford because her husband was mean to her and would not call a good physician for her. She is my best friend Elinore’s mother. Now that’s hardly a practice”

  “Elizabeth, we are at an impasse here. Please do not get me wrong. I am not against the education of women or their having an independent profession. It's just that I do not want a person like that. What I need is a wife, who will take care of my house and who is dependable and trustworthy. You Elizabeth, however, have lost your credibility.”

  “I did not mean to deceive you. I only eliminated information that I thought was of no concern to my new life.”

  “Twisting the truth is as much of deceit as telling a blatant lie. And I have said before. I hate deception.”

  “Please forgive me this once Nicholas. and I will never again give you a chance to complain.”

  “I will not have you play doctor around the ranch Elizabeth. I have explained your place to you. If you set one foot out of line again, I will pack you up and send you off. Do we understand each other clearly?”

  She wanted to tell him then that it was he who did not understand her at all. Practicing her vocation was not negating her duties as his wife. But right now was not the time for it, so she just nodded.

  “Do you Nicholas Rhymer take Elizabeth Price to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward?” The priest was saying solemnly.

  Elizabeth had heard those words countless times before but hearing them here today suddenly made her feel faint. Nicholas’ warning was swirling around in her mind.

  “I do.” His words were so serene so strong and confident that they gave her strength

  “Do you promise to love, honor, and cherish her for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health?” Once again Elizabeth felt as if the priest’s words were rebounding from the walls.

  What if Nichols found out about how she had been running from Mr. Rutherford and Lord Maclash. What would he think of her then?

  “I do.” Once again, his voice was like a balm.

  “And, forsaking all others, will you remain only unto her for as long as you both shall live?” This time the church moved in a semicircular round in front of her eyes.

  “I do.” Nicholas declared.

  As the priest repeated the vows for her, Elizabeth struggled desperately to keep her voice steady.

  Vincent stepped forward with the rings, and Father Gregory continued

  “May these rings be blessed as a symbol of your union. As often as you look upon them, may you be reminded of this moment, and of the vows you have made and the strength of your commitment to each other.

  May the Lord in His goodness strengthen your consent and fill you both with His blessings. What God has joined together, let no man put asunder. Amen.” Everyone around joined the chorus of Amen.

  The priest declared, “You may now kiss the bride”, and Nicholas quickly brushed his lips over hers. He was about to turn towards his friends to take their felicitations when Elizabeth blacked out and slipped to the floor.

  But Nicholas was quick. He dashed to her side and held her before she could fall to the ground, then picked her up in his arms as easily as if she was a child and strode out of the building.

  Chapter Nine

  W hen she came to, she was lying in a strange bed in a strange room. As soon as she tried to sit up, strong hands pushed her back into the soft bedding. Elizabeth tried to open her eyes, but the room swam.

  Closing her eyes and giving in to oblivion was easier. Somewhere in a corner of her mind, she knew exactl
y what would help and where exactly in her doctor’s bag to find it. But submitting to the darkness was somehow more desirable.

  Sometimes she floated to the surface of consciousness and heard voices around. One, in particular, was strong and comforting. It was the voice that had said I do it was also the voice that had said “I will send you back.”

  Elizabeth woke with a start. The room was dark. A peach-colored moon hung right outside the bedroom window. Next, to the window, Nicholas sat lounging in an easy chair, his feet propped up on a futon. Elizabeth was still groggy, and her head felt heavy.

  She narrowed her eyes and tried to focus on him. That was when she realized he was fast asleep and talking in his sleep. He moved his head from side to side and mumbled something. Elizabeth craned her neck to hear what it was that he was saying, but the only thing she could hear was a hiss. As if he was saying, “Yessss! Yesss!”

  When Elizabeth came around next Nic was sitting by her side looking down at her. As soon as she opened her eyes, he took her hand in his and spoke.

  “Elizabeth,” he said, and there was such tenderness in his voice and his look. The man could actually drive her crazy. One moment he was so furious with her, he could not tolerate her and the next he was gentle and caring. She closed her eyes again.

  He fed her some water. It revived her enough to make her sit up in bed and ask for time.

  “It’s just after dinner time.”

  “Did you have your meal?” Nic shook his head.

  “It was Greg’s turn to cook. So naturally, no one wanted to eat. He thinks food needs to be wholesome, like devotion to God. It need not be tasty.” he tried a bit of humor

  “Father Gregory?” Elizabeth asked smiling in surprise

  “Yeah, he is one of my wranglers. We do not have a regular priest here in Jacksonville. So, he doubles as that too when needed.”

  Elizabeth thought back to how she had wondered about Gregory’s sitting on a horse