She blushed and looked at her feet. He was always saying that, she thought, did he really mean it?
He reached for her hand again. He really liked holding her hand. It just fit into his so perfectly. She trusted him to take care of her. He brought her down to breakfast. They were the first ones down.
Emily knew it was her job to get food on the table for her husband but her aunt had warned her not to cross the other women in the house. “What would you like to eat?”
Nathaniel smiled at her, wondering if she could even cook? He doubted it. She seemed so nervous. “I'll help you.” He found a loaf a bread and started cutting while she lighted a fire in the stove.
Good she had already learned how to do that.
“Should we toast the bread?” she asked as she got out a pan.
“Sure.” They had toast every morning. She got out the sharpest knife and carefully cut the ham. She was cutting slices when he looked at her. “I'll set the table.”
“Thank you.” She carefully laid the ham in the pan. Five pieces fit perfectly into the large frying pan.
The room smelt liked breakfast should, Nathaniel thought. He stood to the side and watched her work. She seemed to know exactly what she was doing. She was always surprising him.
The others came down as she added eggs to the pan where the ham had been.
Nathaniel counted ten eggs. Five pieces of ham and ten eggs. That wasn't enough. He thought back to what she had eaten since she had been here. It really wasn't much. He said his good morning to the others and sat down at the table with the men. They discussed what work needed to be done this week but Nathaniel thought that he would have to be having a talk with his wife. Something was wrong. Why wasn't she eating enough?
Charles went to hitch up the horses while the women got their prayer books. Emily had a very beautiful one done up in green leather to match her dress. It even had her name on it. Well, her old name. She was no longer a Stuart. Now she was a Tate. He was feeling so possessive of her.
He helped the women into the carriage and then got in himself to sit next to his wife. Normally, he rode alongside of the carriage on his horse but now he didn't have to. As a married man he got to sit in with the women and hold Emily's hand.
He thought about the lone piece of toast she had eaten for breakfast. He would have a private word with her about her eating habits.
The carriage stopped and Nathaniel jumped down to help the ladies down. Emily had remained sitting. He had hoped that she would come out last. He didn't want to have to let go of her.
Word must have gotten out because the whole town seemed to want to go to church this morning.
She took a deep breath and went to Nathaniel's waiting hand. There were so many people here and they were all looking at her. Nathaniel was holding her close to him, but still she felt scared.
The preacher came forward to them and ushered them into the church. Nathaniel felt Emily sigh relieved. The preacher led them to the first pew. Edward and Katie sat at the aisle, showing that he was the head of the family. The church filled quickly. Everyone was staring at Emily's back. Nathaniel felt her shaking again. The shaking stopped as the service started.
The congregation all stood to sing the first song. Emily's voice could be heard above all others. Most of the town folk had stopped singing when they heard her. She had a fine voice. Nathaniel had yet another reason to be proud of her. He sang along, extra loud, so she wouldn't get scared and stop singing. When the song was over she looked over at him and smiled.
He hoped the whole room saw her smiling at him that way. He wanted to get up in front of everyone and say that she was his and just his but he would say just that in his own gentlemen's way.
The preacher welcomed everyone to church and mentioned how happy he was that so many of them appeared here today.
After a light laugh he looked over at Emily and Nathaniel. “As you all seem to know, our Nathaniel took a wife this week. Emily welcome to our church. Why don't you two stand up so we can congratulate the newlyweds.”
Emily's hand squeezed Nathaniel's hand tightly as they stood and faced the congregation.
A collective awe came from the town's men when they saw Emily. Nathaniel laid his arm around her and gave the men a very unchristian look. They sat back down and Emily concentrated on the service. When it was time to sing the next song no one sang except Emily and Nathaniel. The others just listened to them. Nathaniel's family also began singing, once they realized that the whole congregation was also listening to her.
After a bit the others sang too. The preacher stood in front of his flock and beamed with pride. He had been right. Good christian families like the Tate's set a good example for everyone else.
After church the town's women swarmed around her. She held on tightly to Nathaniel's hand and said little. Those who couldn't get close enough to talk to her and Nathaniel talked to his brothers and their wives. One woman, Mrs. Brown, the town's busybody marched right up to Emily and asked her all sorts of questions. She wanted to know where she came from and how she had gotten here and how the two had met.
Emily answered all of her questions. Nathaniel listened to her answers. Some were questions he hadn't been brave enough to ask himself.
“Why didn't you marry a man in Boston?” she asked.
“I wanted to have the right to choose my own husband.”
Nathaniel had finally heard the reason why she was with him. He was pleased, but he was worried that she was a runaway again. He sure did hope that her family wouldn't show up and try to take her away from him. Nevertheless, it was too late for that. Theirs was a true marriage.
The family drove home after church. Emily was as quiet as usual and Nathaniel thought about what she had said. It was starting to really bother him. He watched her as she ate lunch. It really wasn't enough. He would talk to her this evening when they were alone.
Edward read from the bible and even led a discussion group. Emily was surprised how devote the family was. Later the bible got passed around and everyone read aloud. Katie and Bessie got help from their husbands. They were just learning to read.
Everyone looked unsure when it was Emily's turn. It was clear that she could read, but would she be too shy to do it?
She cleared her throat and read until Edward stopped her. She had a fine reading voice, he thought. There was no reason for her not to talk. He liked hearing her voice. It was so refined, like their mother's had been.
Charles and Nathaniel were thinking the same thing.
Nathaniel still hadn't gotten around to talking with Emily about her not eating enough. Every time they were alone he needed to make love with her. He was trying very hard to make himself last longer so she could have her pleasure too, but he took her too quickly every time.
She didn't complain, but she didn't know better, he thought. He felt he was improving. He wanted her to be happy with him.
Emily was fitting in so well and she kept their room as neat as a pin and his clothes were always clean and mended. She was trying very hard to be the perfect wife for him. She deserved to have a husband that took care of all of her needs.
He often thought back to the time before she had come here. He had known that he had been a bit lonely back then, but having her here was showing him how lonely he had really been.
Nathaniel was completely devoted to her now. His every thought had to do with her. When he was with her he wanted to get her to smile for him. When they were alone he wanted to make love to her.
With each passing day he got her to say more and more.
Katie and Bessie reported that, she was slowly starting to talk to them too.
He liked that she talked with him the most. In fact, he didn't notice her shyness at all anymore, when they were alone. He felt that God had perfectly matched them together. Only God, in his divine wisdom could have brought her to him.
Nathaniel thanked the Lord every night before he fell asleep and every morning when he woke up next to
her.
Chapter 5 Maintaining the Peace
Katie and Bessie had been acting strangely all morning. They were especially quiet and they weren't worried about lunch.
Emily had a feeling that something was wrong. Something they weren't telling her.
Had she done something wrong? Were they mad at her?
She did as they said all morning. She waited for them to scold her and tell her what she had done wrong but nothing came.
They seemed almost nervous. Maybe there were wild animals outside? Emily let her mind wonder.
Edward came in and nodded at the women. “Katie,” he called her to him. She went slowly, with her head hung. They went up the stairs together.
Emily wondered even more what was going on. If he would have wanted to make love with her than she would have been happy, but she wasn't. A few minutes later Emily heard him thrashing her. Emily paled and looked at Bessie. “Why is he hurting her?”
Bessie shrugged and continued her work.
Emily stood next to her with her mouth wide open.
Katie screamed out.
“Bessie, we have to help her. He is hurting her.”
“Emily, we can't. This is just between them. We may not disturb them. Later, when it's my turn stay away, please. It wouldn't help me. Please understand.” Bessie turned away from Emily and continued to work, but Emily couldn't quite understand what she was doing. Bessie wiped the table again and again.
Edward came down the stairs and left. Emily found something to do, so she looked busy too. A minute later Charles came in. He called for his wife and then they, too, went upstairs.
Emily sat down at the table and cried. The two of them must have broken one of the four rules. They had even known it was coming. That was why they had been nervous the whole day.
Emily laid her head down on her folded arms and continued to cry into them as Charles started in thrashing his wife too. They believed in corporal punishment for grown women.
She heard Charles coming, and jumped up to pretend that she was busy with something. He left then, too. She moved to the bottom of the stairs, and debated going up to see if she could help.
She heard the door open and Nathaniel came in. She met his eyes. Should she tell him what had happened?
He laid his hand on her elbow. He could tell that she had been crying. “Come on, Emily. Let's get this over with.”
“I beg your pardon? No. But I didn't do anything wrong.” She backed away from him.
“Emily, please come here.” He had put a lot of thought into this. He had made the decision, that it was the right thing to do. Now he just had to do it. If he waited too long then she wouldn't take him or his rules seriously.
She backed away from him. “I'm sure I didn't do anything wrong. If I did then I'm sorry. You can just tell me what it was and I'll never do it again.” Her back hit the wall. There was nowhere to hide from him.
Nathaniel smiled at her confused face. Her mouth was formed into a shocked O.
He closed the distant between then and took both of her hands. He tried to pull her with him but she stemmed her feet into the floor.
Nathaniel tilted his head a little to the side and looked at her. He had honestly expected her to come along with him meekly. He had imagined that she would hang her head and even nod, but her head was held high and she had fire in her eyes.
“This is going to happen now. We can discuss it shortly in our bedroom. Either you come with me, or I will pick you up and carry you upstairs.” His tone told her that he wasn't kidding.
The only problem was that, she didn't feel she deserved to be hit. She was trying so hard to fit in and he wanted to hit her for some unknown reason, when she offered to change whatever had bothered him.
She pretended to step forward.
Nathaniel let go of her arms and she darted around the table away from him. He looked surprised as she positioned herself across from him. He went to go get her again.
She moved accordingly.
“Emily, I won't play games with you!” He tried to grab her but she was always gone before he reached her.
They were running in circles around the table. He was getting more and more mad, as he chased her. “Emily, you agreed to obey me. Come here, now!” He stood by the staircase side of the table and waited.
Emily let her eyes dart to the door. She wanted him to think that she was going to go for it but she wasn't about to give up her safe place across the table from him.
He looked like he had figured out how to get her.
Fool, she thought. She faked running in that direction. He practically threw himself at the door. She went and stood by the stove. She smiled at herself until he turned back to her.
“Emily, you are going to pay for that.” He stepped back towards the table. He looked ready to choke her.
She positioned herself to see which way she should run.
He was very mad now, but so was she. She had extra married him so she wouldn't get hurt and now he wanted to beat on her, too, and for no reason. If she had done something very wrong, then maybe she could understand his way of thinking, but this was just unjust.
He was feeling livid. She had even purposely made him look like a fool. In the end he would win and then she would learn not to play games with him anymore.
Nathaniel was sure his sister-in-laws could hear them. Her behavior was embarrassing him. He had even pointed out that she was breaking a rule. “Wait until I get my hands on you.”
“I'm not planning on letting you.” She didn't take her eyes off his muscles. She watched them to tell her in which direction he would be coming at her.
He charged at her one more time. This time he knocked a chair down and kept coming. He would have her now, he thought. Teach her to never pull anything like this again, he grinned at his own thoughts.
She jumped over the chair and kept safely on the other side of the table. He stopped and so did she. She even grinned at him. Her whole face said, huh.
This had to stop. He couldn't let her get away with something like that.
Nathaniel jumped up on the table and watched her face pale. He was the one grinning now, as she really did run for the door.
He had his arms around her as she kicked at him and demanded he let her go. He carried his fighting little bundle up the stairs and into their room.
Nathaniel let go of her and she ran to the wash basin.
He locked the door before he turned back to her. She was still as far away from him as she could get. He straightened out his clothes before he stepped towards her.
“Emily, I never want to see that behavior repeated. Do you understand?” He sounded strict and fatherly.
She wasn't about to give up. She would fight this point. He had her so mad at the moment that she almost felt sorry for him even.
He crossed a line, that she had drawn in her head, moving too close to her. She picked up the water pitcher and let the water fly at him. Hopefully that would cool him off.
Bessie was sneaking out of her bed and into her sister's, like she did every week after their spanking. She heard the water land and guessed what had happened. She covered her mouth as she continued down the hall.
Bessie liked Emily so much already, but she was gaining even more points for herself now. She could be feisty. Bessie liked that. Katie was sitting up and also listening to their struggles. She was laughing too. They could both hear Nathaniel yell that she should come down from the bed.
He wiped the water out of his eyes and looked at her. She had jumped on the bed and stayed as far away from him as she could.
“Get down from that bed, right now!” He yelled at her.
“No,” she whispered it but her face told him that she was determined.
“Emily, I will just jump up after you. I already proved I would.” He whispered back. The thought of his sister-in-laws could hearing all this, was terribly embarrassing for him. He would show them that he had his little wife under control.
She held up her hands in front of her to stop him. “Whatever I did that displeased you, I am sorry for, and I won't do it again. You only have to tell me. There is no reason for you to hit me.”
He was shocked that she didn't think that she deserved a good licking in the meantime. “After everything you just pulled, you don't think I have reason to hit you?”
He said that louder than he had wanted. They sure were giving a good show to anyone listening, he thought.
“That was self defense!” She put her hands on her hips and stared him down.
He smiled at her. “I am really going to enjoy this.” He jumped up on the bed and she jumped down.
Being the one chased was no fun. He always got to determine when they would move around again. He stayed on the bed and turned to look where she was now. She had pulled the chair out and was hiding behind it. Only she was in the middle of the room with it.
He sure did look foolish standing on the bed like that with his dusty work boots on. She sighed and tried to reason with him one last time. “You don't have to hit me just because your brothers hit their wives. I'll be good without that. I promise. I won't cause you any more problems you just have to promise not to hit me, and mean it, and this will all be over with.”
He jumped down and slowly went to her. He was weary of what her next trick might be. “This was just for you, so you wouldn't do anything in the first place. A spanking to let you know that I was watching you. I believe that it is my responsibility to watch out for your soul and ensure that you obey me. This is my duty and I will go through with it even if it takes all day, and night.”
“Says who?”
She still had fire in her eyes. He was looking forward to putting that fire out. “Says me.”
She cast her eyes down for a moment and then looked back at him. “No, thank you.”
Southern Discomfort Page 4