“I’ll try.” She shook her head, as though gowns were the least of her worries. She moved away and plucked an apron from the peg on the wall. “I’ll manage. Please let Bess and Farjana know I need them. It’s going to be a fine dinner.”
Capable, dependable Bridgit. “I know.”
Her smile was worth the words, worth the morning’s trouble. He’d made the right decision. Now to convince everyone else.
* * * *
Bridgit knew nothing of horses, only that by looking at the four standing in an uneven row by a post designating the starting line, they were handsome animals. If anyone asked her opinion, she’d say Coalface was the finest of the lot, but he was the only horse with Jonah astride him. The only one carrying her fiance. Her heart raced as she recalled their conversation.
The horses sidestepped and pranced, antsy as the spectators. Jonah looked her way and smiled. The secret they shared hung in the air like a rainbow, not yet solid, but a symbol of hope. Her dreams weren’t dead after all.
“Do you think he’ll win, Bess?” she asked over the din of voices.
“Bother and damn, there’s Davy. Right in the middle of those horses and with them so nervous. I’ll fetch him back,” Bess said, leaving to push through the crowd.
Brigit chewed at her lower lip. She hoped her friend would reach him before the race started. Without warning, a shot rang out. The horses lunged forward, hooves churning up the red soil. The noise from the crowd nearly deafened her.
The big bay called Ranger surged to the front. The horse Phil insisted would best Coalface. Beneath her feet, the ground rumbled with the thunder of hooves. Human voices crackled in the air. Men waved their hats and women clapped. The horses rounded the first turn and Bridgit stood on her tiptoes, peering over other spectators.
A hand grabbed her elbow. She tried to pull free, sure someone had mistakenly caught her arm. The tugging was persistent. She turned away from the track and her gaze fell on Rob Langnecker, looking scruffier than before.
“Come with me,” he demanded.
With all the guests it would have been easy for Langnecker to slip into the yard. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Now.” He pulled the edge of his jacket back, revealing the handle of a wicked hunting knife.
Her eyes widened and she leaned away from him, but his grip wouldn’t break. No one noticed her distress. The noise from the track hadn’t abated. Langnecker jerked her behind him, forged a path through the guests and around the tent village. He didn’t stop until they were at the edge of the yard where some tall bushes grew.
Sweat cut trails down his dirty face and his eyes, once friendly, were hard as stone. “Bloody lot of fuss over a handful of horses.”
“What do you want?” she demanded, squaring her shoulders.
“Where’s Charlotte?” His eyes softened at her name. By the look of him, it had been some time since he’d bathed or barbered. His hair was over-long and a rough beard covered his jaw.
“She isn’t here. Nor has she been for...for several weeks.” She glanced toward the house where Olivia was with Farjana, safe and sound.
The softness vanished, replaced by stone. “Where the hell is she? I’m tired of the runaround.”
From the direction they’d come, excited cheers reached her ears. The race was over. Langnecker held her wrist, tight enough it hurt. Tighter than manacles.
Panic choked her. “Please, you’re hurting me.”
Sadness and confusion darkened his eyes. “All I want is to know where she’s gone. No one will tell me a damned thing. Jonah thinks he’s as good as royalty, but Charlotte never acted uppish. She–” He broke off when his voice cracked.
Though it felt like he was crushing her bones, she couldn’t help feeling sorry for him.
“Gone. She’s gone to England. Where her mum was from,” Bridgit lied. “To live like a lady should.”
Langnecker growled. “It wasn’t her idea. He sent her there, I know it. She’d never leave on her own. Not after she promised to wait for me.” He dropped her hand like it scalded his.
She cradled her wrist, unsettled by his temper. “If Jonah finds you here, he’ll–”
“What? Kill me?”
The knife appeared in his hand before she could draw a breath.
“Please, Mr. Langnecker. I should get back before anyone notices I’m gone.”
The razor edge of the knife reflected the sunlight. “Tell me the name of the ship and the port.”
“I–I don’t know,” she began. The knife would fly far faster than she could run.
“You must know. She left after you got here, didn’t she?”
He thought she knew Charlotte. In order to maintain her loyalty to Jonah, she had to continue the lies. Bridgit struggled to remember any ships she’d seen at Port Jackson when she disembarked. She pictured them, but the names wouldn’t come. Cold sweat trickled down her back. “I’m frightened, I can’t think with your knife pointed at me.”
“You’d best overcome that fear, love,” he urged, twisting the knife. Its blade caught the sun again.
“The Golden Maiden. Port Jackson.” The first to come to her mind, a merchant ship bound for anywhere.
Beyond the scrub, voices grew louder. Langnecker frowned and waved the knife at her. “If you’re lying, so help me. That baby I’ve seen you carrying around won’t be long for this world if you’ve tricked me.” He slipped through the brush and vanished.
Bridgit’s knees turned weak as water and she sat heavily on the ground. Threatening his own daughter, even if he was unaware of it. A shiver crawled down her spine.
“I saw her only a few moments ago. She was right beside me until I spotted Davy.”
Bess’s worried voice carried through the thicket.
“Why wasn’t she waiting at the track?” Jonah questioned.
What if Langnecker lingered, suspecting Jonah might come? The possibility made the hair on her neck stand up.
“Bridgit, are you out here?” Bess called, closer now.
“I’m here,” she answered, scrambling up. Leaves and debris clung to her skirt.
Jonah pushed a bush aside and stared. “What are you doing?”
“I saw...a dog. A dog ran this way and I thought it might be Nell. Rupert locked her in the barn, but she might’ve gotten loose. I didn’t want her to get hurt or frighten the horses.” The lie sounded weak to her ears and she waited for one of them to catch it.
“You missed the finish. Coalface won by two lengths.” A triumphant look stole over Jonah’s features. Dark eyes crinkled at the corners.
“How exciting. You must be very pleased.”
“Are you unwell? You’re pale.” He raised his hand to her face where a damp strand of hair clung to her cheek.
His touch strengthened her, helped her heartbeat slow. “It’s hot out here. The excitement.”
“Come to the house and have some water,” Bess urged. “Once you’ve cooled down we can put the finishing touches on dinner. Then Farjana can help you dress.”
Jonah’s brow rose, the crinkles loosened and his smile widened. No doubt recalling the night before. Excitement tinged with fear coursed through her. The house was safe, but the bush posed threats from an unseen ex-convict.
* * * *
“I can’t. I can’t do it, Farjana.” Bridgit ignored her reflection, staring at the woman putting her hair up. “They’ll know I’m an imposter, a fraud. They’ll think I’m marrying him for his money and status.”
Which was the worse fate: Langnecker and his knife, or dozens of people staring, judging, speculating about her intentions?
“In my tribe, we marry to end wars and bring tribes together. To gain wealth and power. I think your world is no different,” Farjana said around the hairpins between her lips.
The words didn’t soothe her. “I have no way to end wars, no money, and no power. They’re going to assume he’s gotten me with a child and this is the only way to prevent embarrassment.”
Farjana looked up with interest. “Has he?”
Bridgit covered her face with her hands. “I don’t think you understand.”
“Sit still. I understand fine. Go out there, let Mr. Jonah tell everyone the good news, and enjoy the party. That’s why everyone came. They will understand about the fuss this morning. When they see you, those men will be jealous of Mr. Jonah. He has Laurie Lark, money and the love of a beautiful woman.”
“Do you think they suspect what I am?” She ran her fingers over the cold, smooth handle of the hairbrush.
“What are you?”
“A convict.” She flinched at her own words and looked at her wrists.
“They don’t know any such thing.” The final pin slipped into place. “Look at those other men and women and hide your fear behind a big smile. They won’t see past it.”
The whole of Laurie Lark would soon learn about Jonah’s intentions to make her the next Mrs. Andrus. From pauper to princess in a matter of weeks. The suddenness made her head spin, and at the same time, her heart danced with joy.
The mirror reflected a woman of stature. The temptress who emerged with the slightest look from Jonah. Like dew on a flower, the pearls hung at her throat. Velvet sleeves the color of new grass gave way to a bodice of evergreen colored velvet with gold trim. The borrowed corset encircled her waist, accenting the flair of her hips, creating a figure she hadn’t known she possessed.
Bridgit barely recognized herself. Pale compared to Mrs. Burbank perhaps, but there was no sign of the convict who’d stared at her the first time she’d tried on the pearls. For Olivia, for Jonah, for herself, she could do this.
19
“You’re certain this is what you want?” Thomas’s mustache wriggled with agitation.
The gold band on Jonah’s palm glistened. His mother’s wedding ring, set with a perfect white diamond. Meant for Charlotte’s finger, but Bridgit would wear it well. He smiled at the solicitor. “Without any doubt.”
“It may be possible to salvage the situation with Taggart. I did talk him into staying for dinner. It’s fortunate you keep a large stock of scotch.” Thomas’s voice carried a dry edge.
“Escort Anne and the girls to dinner, Thomas. Tell them to save a dance for me after.” He tucked the ring in his jacket pocket.
“She truly makes you happy?”
As though the notion were inconceivable. “She does.”
“For your sake and Olivia’s, I hope you’re making the right choice.”
Jonah took a letter out of his pocket. “I need you to make certain the governor receives this.”
“What is it?” Thomas asked.
“A request for a pardon. She’s going to be my bride and I don’t want to worry about all that Ticket of Leave nonsense. You can handle the transaction.”
Thomas raised his brow and took the letter. “You’re talking about a bribe.”
“In a few words, yes.” He wouldn’t be the first or the last man to line a governor’s pockets when it came to freeing convicts. The practice was as old as gaols.
“It may take a considerable sum,” he warned.
“Whatever it takes. You’re capable. I’ve always known it.”
Thomas shrugged. “I’ll see you at dinner, my friend.”
On the front lawn the sounds of merrymaking drifted through the open windows. He resisted the urge to check his pocket watch. Knowing Bridgit, she was agonizing over her dress choice, or whether to wear the pearls he’d given her.
Seconds later, the soft rustle of a gown caught Jonah’s attention. A woman paused at the top of the stairs. Graceful as a swan, she picked up the front of her skirt, laid one hand on the banister and descended.
Since he’d first encountered Bridgit, he’d seen her uncertain, frightened, amused, bereaved, embarrassed, and enraptured. The only sign of the woman he’d asked to marry him was the sliver composed equally of doubt and determination in her pear-colored eyes. The tilt of her head allowed curls to frame her face. Shoulders set firm and straight gave her an air of authority. A high flush colored her cheeks and he knew she’d been nibbling her lower lip by the slightly swollen way it pouted.
He wanted to say the hell with dinner and take her to his room.
The idea must’ve reflected on his face, because the worry faded from her eyes. She looked him over and nodded with approval.
She smiled. “Handsome, but I’ve always thought you are.”
“You’re radiant.”
At his compliment, she raised a hand to bounce the curls hovering at her ears and looked at the floor, shy again. “Thank you.”
“You look the part of the station’s mistress, Bridgit. Next week, we’ll make it binding. I want you to have this. My mother’s and now yours.” He slipped the ring from his pocket to her finger.
“It’s beautiful.” She held her hand up to let the diamond catch the light. After a few seconds of studying it, she threw her arms around him.
“Careful, you’ll wrinkle your dress.”
“Oh, it hardly matters. I’ve never been this happy. I never thought I would be again, but this...” She sniffled and buried her face against his neck.
“You’ll wrinkle me,” he teased.
“You’re right. I mustn’t cry now.” She wiped her eyes with her hand. “We’re holding the meal up.”
Her reaction warmed his heart. No doubt he’d made the right decision. “Don’t cry. I hope life with Olivia and I will make you happy.”
“I am happy. Today’s seen its share of ups and downs. It’s a lot to deal with.”
“Agreed. Tomorrow people will leave and we’ll have some peace again. Let’s make the best of it tonight. Dinner and dancing. It seems appropriate to announce our intentions on the same evening my parents were married years ago.” He’d just thought of it, but he liked the idea and he knew Charlotte would have too.
“It’s a wonderful idea. I’m nervous, but with you there, I’m sure I can get through anything. I’m not afraid when you’re with me.”
He touched her cheek. The matron had won. He’d take Bridgit to Parramatta, announce the banns, and pay to expedite the marriage. Bring her home, start a life and a family with her. The strangest feeling welled inside his chest and for the first time since before Charlotte had told him her secret, he experienced happiness.
“Let’s not keep them waiting, love.”
* * * *
Jonah rose and looked at his guests. When he tapped a glass with his spoon, the chatter died and the guests turned toward him. He glanced at Bridgit and saw her bright smile. One he hoped to see everyday.
“Before we share a meal as friends, I have an announcement. My grandfather started the station with a few crops and no real idea of farming. My father took over and laid the foundation for Laurie Lark. As you know, the care of the station has fallen entirely to me. It’s a difficult task for a man alone. Thank God for my employees. For my friends. And the woman at my side tonight. Stand up, Bridgit. Let them see how pretty you are.”
She flushed and removed the linen on her lap, smiling shyly when the attention turned to her.
“This is Bridgit. Many of you met her when she greeted you at the door. Everyone here has eaten something she helped prepare and used cutlery and china she washed. She’s taken over duties as hostess and housekeeper the last couple of weeks. I’m appreciative of everything she does. Most of all she keeps Charlotte’s daughter, my niece Olivia, happy. That’s why my closest friends are the first to know Bridgit’s agreed to marry me.”
Applause and murmurs broke out around the dining area. He took her hand and held it up, displaying the ring.
“I told you. Didn’t I say they were in love?” Taggart’s voice rose above the rest.
The people sitting nearest offered congratulations. Someone raised a glass and toasted their happiness.
“When will you hold the wedding?” Anne Server asked.
“Soon. A quiet affair,” he answered. Very quiet, no fuss l
ike this party. The sooner the documents were signed and they returned to the station, the better.
Anne smiled. “Do come see us. We’re always glad to have you at the house, Jonah. We’d love the opportunity to know more about your beautiful bride.”
“You’re very kind. Thank you, Mrs. Server,” Bridgit said.
Thomas’s mustache twitched, but he said nothing. If Bridgit noticed, she didn’t appear worried by the lack of comment. Beneath the table, she placed her hand on Jonah’s leg. His heart gave a sudden lurch. Love, Taggart proclaimed, but he thought of the marriage as a business arrangement. They were both getting something they needed out of it. Love wasn’t an issue.
* * * *
On the far side of the dance floor, Jonah waltzed with one of the Server girls. Bridgit couldn’t remember her name. He smiled politely at something she said.
Charity Burbank stepped up beside her. A scarlet gown brought out the red-gold highlights in her masterfully styled dark hair. Bridgit couldn’t believe she was alone and not surrounded by fawning admirers.
“This is my favorite part of the party. I couldn’t care less about horse races and dinners. I’m glad everyone is having a good time.” Charity smiled. “You’re a lucky woman.”
There was no hint of jealousy surrounding the words. “Thank you. I was a bit shocked when he proposed.”
“Was it romantic?” Charity sounded wistful.
Bridgit smiled. “Not in the least.”
“Jonah seems rather bored. He’s looked over here at least two dozen times since agreeing to dance with that girl. Eyes only for you.”
She’d noticed, because she couldn’t take her eyes off him. The sight of his muscular body moving around the dance floor made her think of the intimacies they shared in bed. Sometimes soft and sweet, other times fast enough to make the blood roar.
“What will you wear when you speak your vows?” Charity asked.
Bridgit frowned. “I hadn’t thought of it. It’s so soon, I’m sure I’ll wear something I already have.”
The Convict and the Cattleman Page 15