She still wasn't eating that much more. Even her aunt had commented about it which meant she normally ate more. Hopefully she wasn't sick.
Edward said the prayer and everyone bowed their heads. Edward really wanted to settle everyone down. Sundays were supposed to be very quiet days. Their new relatives were always very loud. They didn't fit the picture that he had in his head of a Boston gentleman. Aunt Vicky could be quieter but she seemed to chose not too.
“I would like to take this chance to explain how we do things on Sundays. On this day we all go to church afterwards we have a simple lunch and retire to the parlor for a prayer group. After that we read from the bible until suppertime.” He saw both his wife and Bessie sink their heads. “We may not all have the same reading levels but the lord doesn't mind things like that. After supper we read quietly for ourselves until bedtime. Sunday is a day to quietly think about the lord and to give him respect.”
Nathaniel bowed his head to hide that he was laughing. Edward had been in a bad mood all morning. He figured it had something to do with bath time last night. He and Katie had gone and quickly returned.
It had been the same with Charles and Bessie. He too had been hard put not to make love to his Emily there but she had begged him so prettily not to that he had given in. Her arguments had been sound. She didn't want to get seen by her aunt and uncle. After they had come back in her aunt and uncle had gone out. They had been out there for over an hour when they came back in smiling at each other. He figured that they had – well they didn't have the same worries as his sweet little Emily had. They had an unspoken rule that between bath time and church that they didn't make love to their wives but he had very quietly broken that rule last night.
Everything quieted down considerable after Edward's speech. That pleased him and he smiled out over his family. They would make a fine figure at church this week. Emily had given Katie and Bessie a few of her dresses. They all looked like ladies now.
“Do we really all have to be quiet all day?” Aunt Vicky asked the girls, as the sat in the carriage on the way to church.
Katie smiled at the woman, “I afraid so. What does a normal Sunday sound like for you?”
“Well we go to church in the morning and afterwards we have a very fancy meal and sometimes other families are invited over. Afterwards we had to beg Emily to play something for us on the piano. We often sang along with her and had a marvelous time. We definitely got loud. When it was warm enough we went for a walk in the park and talked with friends. Sunday is always a very friendly day.”
Emily had always been shy when they had invited guests to the house. It always took her awhile to get used to people. She was glad that things were quieter at her new home. It suited her better.
That Sunday the whole town had once again felt the need to attend church. The men drooled over the three pretty Tate women. The townswomen were pleased to see that Emily had come form a very good home. Their presents here and words like dowry made everything all sound very normal.
The town was impressed with them. They were getting the reputation as being the most respectable family around. Edward was pleased that Emily's family was behaving properly at church. He was looking forward to them leaving on Wednesday morning. The week could take it's normal course in every way.
The same women who had circled Emily last week were now speaking with her aunt and uncle, who were telling everyone, who would listen how hard it was for them to give up their Emily, but that Nathaniel was taking good care of her.
The family went home for a simple meal and then they gathered together in the parlor. Emily sat next to Nathaniel just like she had last week.
Edward led the prayer group, where they prayed for everyone present and everyone else that everyone present knew. They talked about several bible passages and then he brought out the family bible. It was his turn to read first.
Katie almost had tears in her eyes as he passed the bible to her. She leaned in close to her husband and began to read. Katie read a lot worse than the week before. She looked up at her husband, who was smiling at her kindly. “Keep going until there.” He pointed about half a page further. Her eye widened and her mouth fell open.
Katie knew that this could make her spanking on Wednesday even worse if she didn't obey now. She looked around the room and no one really seemed to be paying attention to her. She read on and gained a bit of confidence. Her husband was beaming with pride as she finished and passed the book on.
Charles read several pages and then past the book on to Bessie with similar results. She had really cried when it was her turn. She had to wipe her eyes with her handkerchief several times, before she got to pass the book on to Nathaniel, who read a long time before he passed that book to his wife.
Emily also read until Edward cleared his throat. She past the book to her aunt, who read even longer than she had. She stopped at the end of the book.
“Edward would you mind me reading from the book of Psalms?”
“Of course not. That's a good idea.” Uncle Edmund got up and walked around as he read, but he read with such feeling that not even Edward wanted to complain. They all felt that listening to him was a treat. He read the entire book before he finished.
Edward leaned over to his wife, who had been completely absorbed in the reading that her mouth was even a little open, and whispered that it was time to get supper on the table. She stood and Bessie and Emily followed her out.
“Your uncle can read very well,” Bessie told her.
Emily smiled at her. “I know but when I was younger and my aunt and uncle brought me to bed he also read like that. My aunt had to scold him because he read so loud that I couldn't sleep when he was finished.”
The other two laughed imagining it. “They weren't blest with a child so I got spoiled with lots of love and attention. I hope nothing will happen to them when they get home. I really hope that they don't get into any trouble because of me. That would break my heart.”
“I'm sure they will be fine. You were very brave coming here. I think it was the right thing to do. Plus I couldn't even picture this house without you in anymore.” Bessie hugged her.
After supper Edmund got Edward to allow Emily to play a few church songs on the piano. He hadn't given in easily but Katie and Bessie were pleading with their eyes for him to say yes. They had yet to hear her really play anything. Just a bit as she had tuned it, when it arrived.
Emily was now the nervous one, as she saw that everyone was watching her. She looked at Nathaniel. He nodded for her to start, but she was worried that he would take it away from her if he felt that she didn't play well enough. She started to play and everyone sang along. With the next song she sang and everyone listened to her. Her aunt had tears in her eyes. Uncle Edmund had to hold her. Emily felt very guilty about everything. She wished that she hadn't attracted Victor Wellington's eye. She had brought that on her family.
Chapter 8 Emily Turns Eighteen
Nathaniel woke his wife with a kiss. “Happy Birthday, darling.”
“Thank you.”
“What's wrong?” he asked when she didn't give him a true smile.
“Today is the day that that man would have come to collect me. I hope he doesn't do anything to my uncle when they get back home.”
Nathaniel moved on top of her. “Is there nothing I could do to get your mind off of your troubles?”
“I couldn't think of anything,” she teased her husband with a large grin on her face.
“That's odd because I can't think of anything else.”
Katie and Bessie had gotten up extra early to make a special meal and a cake for their new sister. Each loved her dearly. They had feared that she would upset their well oiled household, but instead Emily had enriched their lives.
Nathaniel walked down the stairs holding his wife's hand. He knew that he had a silly grin on his face but he couldn't for the life of himself wipe it off.
These past several days had been amazing. He had come
to love her more than his own life. He sat her down at her spot and then sat down next to her. “Please, eat something today. They went to so much trouble.”
“I'll try. I can just never eat when I'm nervous about something,” she admitted.
Finally, the reason why she didn't eat. She had so much to be nervous about. “I understand, but it would mean a lot to them if you could.”
Emily nodded at him.
Bessie laid a plate down in front of her that was surrounded with flowers.
“Thank you,” Emily looked up at her sister-in-law, thinking that she had really lucked out with them.
Her aunt and uncle were beaming at her. They looked so proud of her. Emily was going to miss them when they left tomorrow morning. They had wanted to set off at daybreak.
All three of the women wished that they could have stayed a day longer, thus postponing their Wednesday spankings.
Everyone sang happy birthday to Emily, making her feel important and like she really did belong here.
Her aunt gave her a beautiful necklace that had belonged to her mother. Her uncle gave her a tin of her favorite lemon candy. The others hadn't known that is would be her birthday. They hadn't had a chance to get her anything.
Emily didn't mind. Her stomach was still in knots as she worried about her aunt and uncle. She felt so responsible for all of this chaos.
Victor Wellington pulled the bell to his pretty little bride's house. Today was the day. He could care less about the wedding. If she had wanted to plan a party and the such then she should have done it in advance. He would take her with him as she was.
His lawyer was standing behind him, holding the contract that he had made with her father. He had been ensured that it was binding.
The door opened and a plump maid stared at him with her jaw dropped.
“I have come to collect my wife.” He pushed his way into the door.
“She isn't here,” the woman protested.
He ignored her and looked around. He ran up the stairs and looked behind every door. She wasn't there.
“Where is my bride?” he demanded, grabbing onto the maid by her arm.
The maid had heard bad things about this man. She was very afraid of him. The truth spilled out of her. “Miss Emily took off almost a month ago. Mr. and Mrs. Stuart left to look for her. They aren't back yet.”
Victor let go of the woman and stormed out of the house. His lawyer followed him out. They talked and discussed what they could do. They decided to have the house watched, day and night.
The Tate household was up earlier than normal. Katie was packing enough food for them to eat so they wouldn't have to buy anything at the station or on the train. She would think of something that she could add and hurry off to pack it.
Bessie had really taken to aunt Vicky, who made her feel like she was her real niece. She looked for her kind of attention. She had never thought that someone like her would have such fine relations.
Edmund was talking to Edward about the ranch and how glad he was that their Emily had such a lovely home. Edmund had a way about him that made everyone like him, even strict Edward did.
Charles helped Nathaniel pack their wagon. Both men thought it was funny that such fine people would ride in a wagon to the train station. They had proven that they weren't too fine to do anything for their Emily.
Emily tried so hard not to sob when then left. She stood next to Nathaniel and waved happily. Once they were out of sight she buried her face in his chest and cried her heart out, while he held her and whispered that they could come back anytime. He told her that they would visit Boston too.
He held her until she had settled down some, kissing her often. He felt sorry for her. They had been like parents to her. Nathaniel missed his parents too. He promised her that she would see them again.
Emily went into the house to help with chores once she had herself under control. Today was Wednesday and that was something that wasn't easy to forget in the Tate house. She sure didn't want to do anything to make her husband mad today.
Chapter 9 Quality Time
Emily was nervously waiting. Charles was upstairs with Bessie. It was almost her turn. Edward was already finished with Katie.
Today she was sitting at the table, instead of pretending to be busy. She heard Charles coming down the stairs and going to the door. He said nothing to her, and she didn't even turn her head to look at him.
Her heart was beating like mad as she waited for her husband.
He had been clear. If he had to do it then he would do it once a week, just like the others. Once again she wished that that snake and her hadn't crossed paths. She was the winning party and the loser all in one. The snake had lost its life and she had lost her pride. Or, better said, she would every Wednesday. Would he use that leather strap again? That had stung so.
Emily wished that he aunt and uncle had stayed a little longer. At least one more day.
She felt like she would burst out into tears. Knowing it was coming made it worse.
She heard his feet on the porch. The sound of his boots on the wooden boards were so loud, because all else around her was so quiet.
The door opened and still she sat without moving. She couldn't turn and look at him. Her stomach had been bothering her since this morning.
Yesterday had been such a nice day. They had gone for a long walk hand in hand after breakfast. They had gotten along so well. Katie and Bessie had made her a nice cake, that everyone had enjoyed. Emily had played the piano. Her aunt and uncle had praised her every chance they got, making her feel important. They were trying to tell her that she had been right to come out here. Afterwards she and Nathaniel had gone up to their room, where they had cuddled together and had made love. He had once again promised to protect her for the rest of her life. She had believed him but here she sat a day later feeling too sick to turn and look at her husband.
“Emily, come with me.”
She just couldn't do it.
Nathaniel looked at his wife. He had yet to step into the house. “Emily, look at me.”
Emily peeked over her shoulder and saw him standing in the door.
“Come here, darling.”
Emily was a little confused, but she pulled her courage together and went to him.
Nathaniel held out his hand and waited for her to take it. He smiled at her surprised face as he pulled her outside again. He took her to the stable.
Emily hoped he wouldn't want to spank her out there. She worried that someone could drop by for a visit when they were in the house behind a closed door. But out here would be even worse.
The only thing that was giving her hope was that the strap was still hanging in the house.
Nathaniel was still holding her hand. He talked to her about going for a ride.
Riding was something that her aunt and uncle hadn't allowed her to do. They were just too worried that something could happen to her.
Nathaniel nodded as he took in that information. “I think that a woman, living on the range, needs to be able to ride a horse. I will be teaching you. We should start right now.”
Emily listened to her husband explain this and that to her. She could so easily picture him standing in front of a classroom and explaining things to the children. He was a born teacher.
“Are you sad that you didn't get a chance to teach?”
Nathaniel grinned down at her. He must have sounded very teacher-like just now, or she wouldn't have asked that. “Sometimes. I had to decide back then. Either stay and be a teacher, or move west with my family. I decided to stay with my brothers.”
Charles had been an army doctor in the war. He needed to get away from the memories.
“I think family is very important. Besides, now that I have you with me my family has grown. Perhaps we will have a child.” He grinned at her. He really wanted too have children with her.
“I plan on teaching in town once there are enough children. At the moment there aren't that many women here,
and thus not that many children. I will take the teaching of our children in hand.”
Emily was thinking about that and nodding. “But I would be responsible for their music training.”
“Of course, darling.” Nathaniel was staring at her and trying to picture her with a few children gathered around her.
He liked that. He hoped that their daughters would look like her. Just seeing her smile made him want to take her upstairs and give her children.
He hoped that he wouldn't have the same problems that his brothers had. They had been married over a year now and there were no children on the way. Both feared that there never would be. Charles figured that their time at the whorehouse had ruined them somehow. But Emily had been a virgin and he was careful with her. In fact, she could be expecting right now.
He grinned back at his wife, once again thinking that he had been so lucky to get her.
“Do you want to go for ride, right now?” he asked her.
Emily's face turned confused. She glanced back at the house. “But today's Wednesday.”
“I know, but I have decided that you don't need weekly spankings. Don't make me regret that.” He stared her down.
Emily didn't realize it but her hands had moved back to cover up her backside. “You won't regret it. I promise.”
“Good, but that decision isn't carved in stone. If I feel you need it, I will give it to you as I think you deserve it. And you don't need to try to sway me.”
“No, I understand. I think that is very fair of you. Thank you.”
He smiled down into his angel’s face. She just looked so innocent. He was really pleased with her.
God had sent him the best woman in the world and he knew he was lucky to get her. If he had gone to Boston, looking for a bride, he would have never been allowed in her circles of friends.
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