by Carolyn Bond
Evan turned back to his work and did it with earnest. One day, he would have the respect he craved and it would be earned. He would have it by the work of his own hands. He realized now that running from pain wasn’t going to get him anywhere. Whatever life Lily chose for herself was not his to brood over. If it wasn’t with him, then so be it. He would stay steadfast to his dreams. The Blacks had been good to him. They gave him work and a place to live while he worked for them. He had opened an account with the bank and made steady deposits. He’d planned to have the account transferred to wherever he landed on the Mississippi. By his estimates, he would be able to buy some farmland within a year. Not much, but enough to get started.
***
Two days passed without any sign of Brian. Lily had gone over their conversation in her head numerous times. For a multitude of reasons, she should allow Brian to continue with his plans. Even Bettie pushed her to consider him. If she didn’t, the consequences would be dire. She wasn’t sure what he would do to the Blacks but she had no doubt he could ruin them.
She sat in the parlor gazing out the side window while Bettie worked on a piece of embroidery when a knock at the door jolted her out of her reverie.
“Would you get that, dear? I’m knee deep in my work.”
“Certainly.” She said as she rose and crossed the room. As she reached to grasp the door handle, a flood of hesitation passed through her. Hesitation and dread. She knew it was him. He had come for an answer. She pulled the door open to the sight of him standing with his hand on his hip. He wore a black informal suit and a dark hat with rounded brims. His eyes caught hers like a maestro.
With every expectation that she would give herself to him, he said, “Darling Lily. Just whom I came to see.”
“Mr. Everbright. Won’t you come in?” She stepped to the side to let him in while her face gave away nothing of what she felt. If he could have owned her mind, too, he would have seen the war inside her. There was no doubt chemistry was there. Her body immediately ached to touch him. Her mind numbingly gave in to his demand for ownership. But, her heart railed against the bars of its cage. Her mind spoke up and told her that two out of three was pretty good.
Brian stepped across the threshold and waited for her to close the door. Bettie swung into action and stowed her sewing in the basket at her feet.
“Mr. Everbright! To what do we owe the pleasure? Perhaps you couldn’t stay away from our dear Lily?” Bettie winked at Lily. Lily wanted to shoot her.
“Actually, you are quite right.” He smiled at Lily. A jolt of electricity shot through her core.
“Please come in and have a seat. I’ll call for William to join us.” Bettie turned and darted down the center hallway.
“After you, my darling.” He motioned for her to go into the parlor. She kept her face stoic and sat on the sofa.
He sat beside her and took her hand. She let him. She was so torn, she could only comply. He leaned in and kissed the ridge of her ear.
Oh, I wish he wouldn’t do that. Her arms went limp and she would have collapsed if she wasn’t sitting.
He whispered against her ear, “My Lily, my tender cabbage, I want you.”
Her gut clenched in a visceral reaction to his bold claim using the possessive words. She was just about to make a comment about being called a ‘tender cabbage’ when William came around the corner.
“Mr. Everbright! What a pleasant surprise.” William stepped into the foyer.
Brian casually straightened and then stood to shake William’s hand.
“Please, sit down. Can I get you a drink?”
“Very kind of you, but no. I came to discuss a matter with you.” He turned and winked at Lily.
“I see. Please,” William motioned to the sofa, “let’s sit and hear what you want to talk about.”
Brian resumed his seat next to Lily while William sat in the wing chair across from them. Bettie moved behind William’s chair and rested her arm on the back.
“I understand it hasn’t been long, but I find myself taken with Lily. I would like to ask your permission, as the only male relative of hers in the area, to court Lily with the intention to marry her.”
William stood up and put his hands on his hips thinking. “Well, this is sudden. I surely don’t feel it’s my place to speak for her father.”
Bettie came around the chair, “Dearest William, surely her father would not object to Mr. Everbright. We could send a post out first thing in the morning with the news.”
Lily sat there like stone. She felt paralyzed. She’d dreamed of this moment for most of her life: The moment when a man would pledge to marry her. Here he was. She turned her head slowly and looked at him, trying not to betray the jangled thudding of her heart to anyone.
The most eligible man in Stephensport, a wealthy man of means, crazy good looking, and here he was asking for permission to marry her. She should have been breathless, panting with delight, but she wasn’t. An emotion poked at her but she couldn’t name it. It wasn’t ambivalence because of Evan. It wasn’t revulsion for his opinion of women. It wasn’t even fear of his threat.
Her mouth closed from her slack jaw expression and she pursed her lips. She unconsciously leaned away slowly. Her cheeks flushed and she tipped her chin up defiantly. She may not have been able to control her body’s reaction to his touch but she surely could control her own life.
How dare he? He didn’t wait for her answer to his diabolical proposition. “William, I insist that my father reply to Mr. Everbright. It is his prerogative.”
Brian turned to her and she could see the sparks in his eyes. She had effectively shut down the proposal, at least for now.
“Oh, yes,” William seemed relieved, “I’ll wire Frankfort first thing tomorrow.”
“You do that, Mr. Black. You do that. I look forward to hearing what you find out.” Brian didn’t take his eyes off Lily as he spoke to William.
“Lily,” Bettie said, “let’s go in the kitchen and make some tea.” The ladies silently exited the room.
***
Evan stepped off the dock and was at once both happy and pained to be back in Stephensport. It was late in the day and few people were about on Main Street. The thought of coming back to Black’s Farm with his tail between his legs made him nauseous. There was no other option. He could take a room at the inn. Besides, when the Black’s found out he was in town, they would want answers. They would want to know what they had done to earn his aloofness. All that aside, the last thing he wanted to do was to get in Lily’s way if she didn’t want him.
“Mr. McEwen!” A small boy called out from across the road. He waved his arm wildly.
“Young Master Smith! How is it with you?” he answered.
The boy ran toward him. Breathlessly, “There’s a wire for you. You need to go to the telegraph office.”
“Aye? Certainly, then. I’ll go now.”
Evan briskly walked the boardwalk in front of the stores to reach the telegraph clerk in the post office. As he approached, he could see the light still on and took a deep relieved breath. He pushed the door open and the little bell tinkled announcing his arrival.
“Ah! Mr. McEwen. I wasn’t sure how we would get your message to you since you’d left town. Good to see you.” The clerk stood up and turned to the counter behind him. He thumbed through a box of small slips of paper and found the one he was looking for. He smiled as he held it out to Evan, “I trust this is good news for you.”
Evan gave him a quizzical look and took the telegram. He read the telegram twice trying to understand. It was from his brother, the Laird. Due to an act of kindness toward the Crown, his family had been rewarded a substantial amount of gold. His brother wanted him to share in the windfall and had the bank of Scotland transfer the value of the gold to an account at the bank in Stephensport.
Evan stood stock still forgetting to breathe.
The telegraph clerk smiled bigger than before, “Good news for you, eh?”
; “My God,” Evan choked on the words! “I--, this is,” he couldn’t finish the sentence and tears streamed down his face.
The clerk reached out to shake his hand, “Now you can buy that farm you want, huh?”
“Praise be to God!” was all Evan could say. Rubbing his face to bring feeling back, he looked up at the clerk, “Thank you, good man. This message is a life changer.”
The clerk nodded in acknowledgment and Evan darted out the door with the paper still in his hand. In a few long strides, he found himself in front of the bank and went inside. In the matter of a few minutes, he came back out a new man. He had money in his pocket and enough in an account to start the life he always wanted.
Now he had to decide if he was to return to Black’s Farm or head to the inn. He decided he would stay at the inn since it was late. He would see William first thing in the morning, but tonight he would decide how it would be best to proceed. He had enough to buy farmland, but it would likely use up every bit of the money he now had. The farm would be his, but the life would be hard.
The other option would be to lease a home and work a trade. If Lily would have him, he would have a flush of cash to make a comfortable dwelling. He wished he could give Lily the charmed life Brian could offer her, but to do so would mean turning away from his dream of owning land and being a laird in his own right. He never resented his brother’s birthright, but he did wish to have the same advantage. At least with his own farm, he would have something that would always be his. Even when he died, it would be there for his family. That was the legacy that burned in his heart.
***
The bright sun and crisp air invigorated him. Evan left the telegraph clerk’s office after sending a message to his brother to let him know how much he appreciated him sharing the windfall. His brother didn’t have to share it. He could have reinvested it into their land in Scotland. Having the support of his family so far from home strengthened him.
Walking along the boardwalk, he passed Ragdales’ Drug Store and saw a sign in the window. The Louisville, St. Louis and Texas Railroad had unneeded land for sale. He stopped and studied the sign. The railroad had been given thousands of acres of land through a railroad land grant and was selling off unneeded land to raise revenue. Good, surveyed land was available in eighty-acre tracts in Stephensport. The sign said they offered ten-year credit options, but he could pay cash thanks to his brother.
Evan sucked in his breath. This was just what he needed. He turned his head toward the railroad depot and watched people milling around the station of the new railroad. A steam engine chugged alongside the station and let loose a billowing cloud of pent up steam into the air.
Evan’s feet followed his head as the daydreams of his own farm filled his mind. In no time, he found himself at the door of the station. Stepping inside, the saw the ticket agent’s window, the station manager’s office, and a land agent’s office. Three other men waited their turn to speak to the land agent.
He got behind them and craned his neck to hear what was being said inside. “Now, sir! That piece of land is prime land. I’ll have to put it up for offers.”
“But I was the first one here this morning!” said the farmer.
“I understand and I will duly note that. However, your bid is lower than the railroad thinks we can get for it.” The land agent turned to the men in line, “I have an offer for a tract of eighty acres on the bank of Sinking Creek near the edge of town. If anyone would like to put a bid in, I’ll hear it.”
Evan stepped forward to look at the land agent’s map. He felt the pull in his heart as though the land called him. He had to have this land. It was on the same creek as William’s, just farther upstream.
“I raise his offer by five percent and I can pay cash on the money.”
Not a sound was heard. All the men turned to Evan with wide eyes. Evan had not beheld such respect since he left his lands in Scotland. Acting on behalf of his brother in Scotland, he was given a wide berth, but here, he was looked upon as a common immigrant with nothing but the shirt on his back.
“Can anyone match his offer?” the land agent asked of the group. In an imperceptible movement, they all leaned back as an answer.
“Cash?” one of the men murmured. Common practice was a ten-year offer of credit to pay off the note. Evan didn’t look like a high brow in a brown wool jacket and plain britches.
“Then it’s sold to the man with the offer of cash. If you will excuse us, I have business to tend to with this gentleman.”
The others filed out and left Evan to his business. Evan’s chest swelled as he shook the land agent’s hand when they were finished. Finally, he felt like the man he was born to be.
***
The sky was turning slate gray with a threat of snow when Evan turned his horse toward the house of Black’s Farm. Lily saw movement outside by the front porch and stood to get a better look. She hoped it wasn’t Brian. Her breath caught as she saw the hulk of a man on the chestnut stallion. He’d come back.
A zing of excitement split her core and she darted for the front door. She flung it wide and stood staring like a teenager. On his horse, he looked like he was fifteen feet tall. His brown suit gave away his station in life but she could swear she was staring at royalty. His respected Scottish lineage pulsed through his veins, to be sure. He sat straight in the saddle with the reins wrapped around his fist. His horse pranced, straining at the constraint. Evan’s eyes caught hers and she knew she wanted nothing else but to love him and be loved by him. If this man loved her, she could conquer the world using the joy in her heart as fuel.
Without looking away, he gracefully dismounted. He looped the reins around a hitching post near the house. The horse settled and found a water trough at its feet. The air around her sizzled in the glow of her desire to be near him. He crossed the sleeping grass of winter and stood before her. Both searching each other’s eyes for some sign of affirmation, they couldn’t breech the emotional gap between them.
“It’s been- so long- since I saw you,” she muttered haltingly.
“I am sorry for leaving without saying goodbye.”
“I worried about you.” She noted the sling holding his arm under his coat.
He softened his posture and reached for her hand, “I have not stopped thinking of you the whole of the time.”
A surge of joy flashed through her core when he touched her. “What brings you back now?”
“You.” He pulled her closer to him holding her hands. “I want you for my wife if you will have me. I cannot live without you.”
And with those simple, direct words, she knew she could never deny him. He didn’t hide his love or want her for what she could do for him. It was the plea of a man-overboard calling for a ring buoy. Her heart would save him and he didn’t even realize it was already his.
She leaned in and kissed him. At first he relaxed into it and let her tenderly give her response, melting in her answer that soothed his heart. Her hand went to his chest as he encircled her with his free arm, squeezing her against him. She felt his warm breath on her cheek like a soft caress, before exhilaration lit his eyes with passion. Leaning over her, he covered her mouth with his and plundered her lips. The heat from his body cut through their clothes from his chest to his thighs. She could have melted onto the ground if he didn’t have her in such a firm grip.
Her head lolled back exposing the creamy white skin of her neck. He groaned and bit little bites from the nape of her neck to behind her ear.
“I love you, Lily,” he whispered.
“I love you,” she answered back.
“Tarnation!” came Bettie’s voice. They both jumped back in surprise and Evan pulled on the bottom of his coat to straighten it out. “You’d both better come inside before there’s talk all over town. Mr.McEwen, you have some explaining to do. Good to see you’re alive and,” she creased her brow upon seeing the sling. “Nearly well.” She added the last part after she had already turned to go in, leaving the d
oor wide open for them to follow. The screen door slammed behind her.
Evan looked with wide eyes of apology. She smiled at him and looped her arm in his. He relaxed and smiled back and they walked inside.
Bettie made herself comfortable in an occasional chair and picked up a tea pot and began to pour them each a cup. “I suppose we need to get caught up. It seems as though I have missed something.”
Evan looked at Lily before speaking and then started, “I have come back to ask for Miss Lily’s hand in marriage.”
“Have you, now? You may need to get in line.”
Evan shot Lily a pained look without even closing his mouth. “Are you spoken for, then?”
“No! No I am not. I have not accepted anyone else’s offer of marriage.”
“Now, Mr. Everbright might assume he already has an inroad,” Bettie casually remarked.
Evan kept looking at Lily, who answered, “Mr. Everbright can think whatever he’d like, but I choose whom I shall marry. Besides, he is still waiting to hear from my father.” Lily winked at Evan.
Bettie knew something was awry with Lily and this fact about her father did not escape her. “Yes, and do you think your father will respond,” she paused, “soon?”
“It will be a while, I’m certain. My father is far away.”
“I see.” Bettie thought for a minute. “Perhaps we could assume Mr. McEwen has been to Frankfort while he was away and obtained a,” she paused again, “a letter that could be presented to William?”
“Oh. Yes! A letter. That would do.” Lily said looking at Evan.
Evan sighed. “It doesn’t seem right, being underhanded.”
“Given the circumstances, that’s about all the permission you’re going to get, I presume.” Bettie said.
“Are you certain this is what you want?” he asked Lily. She nodded. “And Bettie, I must ask you to vouch for me that she is making a good choice. Ack! I have not told you my good fortune. My brother forwarded me a portion of the estate money from Scotland. I was able to purchase a parcel of land just upstream. I visited it today and it will make a fine homestead.”