by Jerri Hines
It had not come to violence.
“Wade.”
He looked up to find his wife. She was dressed in one of Charlotte’s old day gowns with a kerchief wrapped around her head. She had come to nurse the wounded slave. He had not expected the reaction from Clarissa…moreover, he hadn’t known she had come to Magnolia Bluff.
“I have brought your man some opium. Your grandfather sent a message to Andrew, but he had already departed back to Philadelphia. But Dr. Jameson, my father’s doctor, sent the medicine out. He said he will be here by morning if needed.” Clarissa handed it to Wade. She took in a deep breath and entwined her hands together in a nervous manner. “I know you are annoyed with me, Wade, but I thought I would come to show you that I’m sorry not only by my words, but deeds.”
Wade set it down on the table, then he took her by the elbow and led her out the door. “My dear, do you have any concept of what nursing a wounded man means? There’s nothing romantic in the work and it is work. There are no comforts here in the sick house. It’s hot and sweaty. I would think it would go against your sensibilities.”
Wade stared at her. Her face was paper white; her eyes narrowed. She lowered her gaze. He had never seen her so downcast.
“It is my fault. You told me as much. I will not be able to live with myself if he dies,” she said in a low, trembling voice. “I came because I do not want you angry with me. I want to be the wife you want.”
“I told you we can have no marriage if you do not trust me…if you don’t take me on my word.”
“I’m ashamed of what I have done, truly. I thought upon what you said and found I could not disagree.” Her lip quivered. “I have been selfish and ever so jealous. I want to show you that I can be mistress of Magnolia Bluff.”
Wade suddenly laughed, a low, soft laugh. “Hon, you have taken me by surprise. I did not expect you to follow me.”
“I told you, Wade, I love you. I have always loved you. It was only…when I heard those rumors…I got so afraid you would leave me. My heart could never bear it.” Her voice, barely a whisper, faded into the air. “Then to hear that you pressed Cousin Cullen to offer for me…”
He slowly raised his eyebrow. “I did what?”
“I have reconciled that our marriage was forced upon you. It was only being told that you did not want me…”
He gripped her arm and whirled her around her to face him. “Who told you such?”
She had no time to answer, for at the moment, rapid footsteps approached. Wade looked up to see a distraught Miss Hazel and Gillie rush to the entrance of the cabin. Wade released his grip on Clarissa.
“Calm yourselves. He is resting. Clarissa has brought some opium for his pain.”
“Thank you, Master Wade.” Miss Hazel hurried by him. “Lieutenant Smythe told us. He did. My heart sings. Thank ya…thank ya all.”
Wade let Miss Hazel pass into the cabin. He paused Gillie. “I expected to see my cousin and Miss Josephine. Are they up at the house?”
Gillie shook her head. “No, sir. Miss Josephine refused to come.”
“My cousin?”
“He stayed with Miss Jo. I think he wanted to convince her to come back to Magnolia Bluff…he did let Master Buck leave beforehand.”
Wade shrugged indifferently. “I’m certain Cullen will take care of Miss Jo. Go see to Heyward.”
Gillie hesitated a moment, and then rushed by him. Wade turned back to his wife. A strange expression came over her face as she regarded him.
“Something wrong?”
“It may be nothing, but did the girl say that Buck was with Josephine?”
“Does it matter?”
“No, I suppose not.” She hesitated, and then she said, “Odd, though. I thought there was a rift between Josephine and the Buchanan brothers.”
“They are still family. Family stands by family.”
“Then why would they…Harry Lee and Buck…have been the ones to tell me the sordid tales of you with Josephine.”
* * * *
Sounds of the early night surrounded the couple who sat on the porch. Their legs dangled over the edge; their hands entwined. From the corner of her eyes, she saw him smile at her. He pulled her hand to his lips.
“I will miss this.” She turned to face him. Gone were the reservations she held. She was ready to face a new life Cullen promised to her. “You will be there with me?”
“I will be by your side,” he assured her. “I haven’t been home in over two years, but I doubt it has changed much. I believe you will enjoy it. I have a house, Rosemount, outside of the center of Philadelphia in Fairmount Park. It’s a home I inherited from my grandmother, my father’s mother.
“She left it to me so I would feel the pull back to Philadelphia. She had been extremely upset with my father for letting my mother raise me in Charleston. She feared I would not become a true Smythe. You see, it is not only my grandfather and yours who dictate to those they love. My grandmother did so from the grave.”
“By leaving you a house?”
“Besides my father, I’m the last of the Smythe line. My father remarried after my mother died, but I have no siblings, only a step-sister. My grandparents’ estate was left to me. She cut my father from the will.”
“I don’t understand.”
“It is not complicated.” He shrugged. “In honesty, I have given it little thought. I handed over my financial holdings to my father. I gave my father the rights to what should have been his.”
“He will not be angry with you for choosing me?”
“I admire my father more than any man I know. He is honorable and true. When he meets you, he will understand.”
His dark eyes gleamed. She felt her face warm.
“He will know that I love you,” Cullen said. “It will be enough for him.”
He drew her to him and embraced her closely. “My father married my mother against his parents’ wishes. Mother hated Philadelphia and was so unhappy. When she announced she was with child, he consented to her returning to her home while he traveled on business.
“Father never saw her again. He blames himself for her death, thinking she would have survived if she had been in Philadelphia…if his mother accepted her. That is the reason I know he will accept you.”
She leaned up and kissed him. “You have never said you loved me.”
“I thought my actions said more than words,” he said. “It is your commitment I have not heard.”
“I said those words not long ago to another and he left me. My heart reeled from the hurt and betrayal. But you were there.” Her heart rose in her throat. “You stepped into his place to hold to the honor of the Montgomerys. You did not have to do so. You watched over me, all the while knowing you were being used by my family, only to have your proposal slung back in your face. There were no strings to tie you to me.”
The intensity of the moment grasped hold of her. Only this morning, she thought herself doomed to be shunned by good society, never to have hope for a life she yearned to have. She choked on her emotion. “You asked if I love you. Cullen…you flow through my heart. My feelings deepen every moment we are together.”
He kissed her hard. “You have made me a happy man.” He released her. “It’s best we return to Magnolia Bluff before I change my mind and ravish you completely.”
“I do declare, Lieutenant, I believe you have compromised me,” she teased.
“Without question, Miss Wright. I believe now the only recourse is to marry you.”
He gazed down into the warm, brown eyes. It was easy to become mesmerized in their clear depths. Then slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers. For a moment, the world was theirs. Passion burst forth, all his good intentions forgotten as his desire owned him.
She met his mouth eagerly and unafraid. Every fiber of their being yearned for each other— here and now.
“My…my…my. Josephine Buchanan Wright, why ever are you in the arms of that damn Yankee?”
Abruptly, Cullen
broke from the kiss and whirled Jo behind him. He stood and faced Harry Lee and Buck…once again. This time, he looked down the barrel of a gun.
The night’s darkness gave way only with the lamps lit in Miss Hazel’s cabin and the lantern Cullen had sitting on the porch. But he could see clearly the cocked gun that bore down upon him.
“Harry Lee, have you done gone and lost your mind?” Jo asked incredulously. “Put that gun away.”
Harry Lee’s eyes narrowed and glared. “Never been more serious. Now step away from the good lieutenant.”
Cullen refused to have her move. Suspicion became realization for him. His mind raced with the events that had led to this point. There had to have been someone to rile up the rumors surrounding Jo and Wade…but why protect Jo afterwards…why help her save Heyward? Unless…
“It was you…you were the one who started the rumors about Wade and Jo?”
“’Course it was.” Harry Lee smirked. “Who else could have riled up Miss Clarissa where she badmouthed Jo to the point where Jo was on the verge of being shunned by any respectable family in Charleston…to a point… Almost over did it a bit. Had to add disreputable details because just meeting each other didn’t send her over the edge. You should have seen her when I told her I caught Wade humpin’ ya.
“Gave her vivid details no lady should ever hear…Didn’t realize she was such a little hellfire.”
“You bastard!” Jo cried. Stunned, her hand went over her mouth. “You hate me that much! Look at the damage you have done to the family’s name.”
“I’m saving the family, Jo,” he sneered. “Otherwise, do you think I would have gone to all this trouble…for you?”
“For me?”
Oh, Good Lord, he wants Jo for himself! Cullen glanced over at the porch, where his pistol lay. He had to distract the boys long enough to ease over close enough to lunge for it.
“So you knew about Jo’s dowry. You didn’t help her this morning to save Heyward. You wanted her money. A mere twenty-two hundred?”
Harry Lee swung his head back with an uproarious laugh. “You’re a fool…much like your idiot cousin, Wade. He doesn’t even know what he walked away from. Duty and honor. Thinking his sacrifice will help the Montgomerys hold on to Magnolia Bluff!”
“Sur’ was dumb when he had it in his hands,” Buck offered with a snicker.
Wade’s hands? Magnolia Bluff? Josephine? Made no sense. Cullen eyed the brothers. Harry Lee and Buck exchanged pleased looks. Cullen was openly confused. He grasped that Harry Lee had been behind the vicious rumors that threatened Jo’s reputations. He had even suspected the scoundrel of being the cause, but he had thought it malicious, not with purpose.
No matter the reason, he sensed the immediate danger. He pushed Jo down on the ground and lunged for his gun.
Harry Lee nudged his horse forward in response. With the heel of his boot, he smashed his right foot to the side of Cullen’s head. Whipping around, he spun Cullen until he lay sprawled on the grass.
“No! Don’t hurt him!” Jo cried. “For God’s sakes! What is wrong with you?”
Cullen pushed himself up on his knees. Blood trickled down from a gash on the side of his head. His head hurt; his vision blurred from the warm fluid oozing over his eyes.
Jo rushed to Cullen’s side. Harry Lee leaped off his horse and jerked her away.
“I can’t have that, Jo. Ain’t right,” he taunted her and gripped her arms tighter. “You’re going to hafta learn some manners.”
Jo tried to wrench free, to no avail. Cullen rose and contemplated his next move.
Buck maneuvered his horse in front of Cullen and cocked his gun. “Don’t go trying anything, Yank.”
“Keep your gun on him. I have what I want. I’ll get Jo back to the Groves. You know what to do when I’m gone.”
“Cullen.”
Her voice cut through his pain. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. “Damn you, bastard! Let her go!” Cullen roared, “If you lay a hand on her, I swear I will kill you.”
“I ain’t gonna hurt Jo…not yet. There are things we are going to hafta do first, like get married,” Harry Lee laughed as he told Jo. “Now, mount my horse. Don’t trust you on one by yourself. If you give me any trouble, I’ll shoot lover boy between the eyes right in front of you.”
Jo complied. Her hand reached up to swing her leg over the saddle. Harry Lee extended his hand to help her. Without warning, she kicked him once and then across his face. She swung her leg across and tried to gain control of the horse, grasping for the reins.
Harry Lee grabbed hold of the reins in one hard motion and abruptly yanked her off the horse. She stumbled backwards, unable to stay on her feet. Harry Lee reached down for her.
“I wouldn’t do that if I was you.” Cullen held tight to his pistol and aimed straight at Harry Lee. “Jo, come here.”
“Goddammit, Buck! I told you to keep an eye on him! Lord a’mercy, you let him saunter over and pick up his gun!” Harry Lee fumed.
Jo scrabbled to her feet and raced to Cullen.
“Are you all right?”
She nodded. “I just want to get out of here.”
“Ain’t gonna happen,” Harry Lee said. “Buck, shoot Jo if he makes a move on me.”
Cullen wrapped his free arm around Jo and pushed her behind him. “Go home, you two! I don’t know what has gotten into you, but your game is over.”
Harry Lee shook his head. “But it ain’t. You can’t marry Jo. I won’t let it happen. I’ve gone through too much to let her simply slip through my fingers now.”
“It will be over my dead body,” Cullen answered him. From the look in Harry Lee’s eyes, Cullen saw that would not be an issue for Harry Lee. Cullen pressed, “Why? Why are you doing this?”
Suddenly in the distance, Cullen heard horses that sounded as if they were coming their way. He felt Jo’s hand grip the back of his shirt.
“That would be my men.” Harry Lee chuckled deep in his throat. “I suppose it won’t hurt to tell ya now, considering you won’t be able to tell anyone. Everyone’s got it all wrong when it comes to Jo. She ain’t a poor relation. She’s probably the richest heiress in Charleston.”
“You lie, Harry Lee,” Jo murmured. “I don’t have anything except what Papa left me for my dowry.”
“You little imbecile. That was your pin money for your gowns and such,” Harry Lee scoffed. “When I found out that you thought it was your dowry, Pa allowed you to withdraw the money. How do you think you got it so easily?”
“It makes no sense,” Jo said, puzzled. “What good does that do you?”
“Convince you, you had no choice but to marry me,” Harry Lee acknowledged. “It would have been so much simpler if you had just accepted your fate. I had the tongues of Charleston wagging about ya. Made you think you had no dowry. I would have swept in and saved the face of the family from the scarlet hussy all of Charleston thinks you are.”
“You have roused my curiosity, Harry Lee. What do you hope to gain?”
“Not that complicated, Lieutenant,” Harry Lee snarled. “Seems Jo’s Papa is a mighty good poker player. In one night, he not only wiped out my grandfather, I would guess Douglas Montgomery lost a mite bit. So much so, Clayton Montgomery had to mortgage Magnolia Bluff. Want to know who bought out the mortgage?”
“Brantley Wright,” Cullen replied as if digesting the information.
Harry Lee smiled smugly. “Seems he made some sort of deal with you Montgomerys. Somewhere in the middle of all of it, Clayton Montgomery tried to outsmart Wright. How or why he thought he could, haven’t a clue, but Wragg is in the middle of it.
“Grandpa Henry and Pa figured it out quick enough.” Harry Lee shrugged. “Clayton Montgomery forced Wade to marry Clarissa Wragg and in the end it will cost him Magnolia Bluff.”
“That day in the garden, you were set to find Wade…you were going to call him out?”
“It would have been the simplest thing. Since then, Jo has had
me on my toes, trying to keep one step ahead of her… and you.”
“Even if you are telling the truth, I will never marry you, Harry Lee.” Jo shook her head violently. “Nothing on this earth will force me to…I will tell Papa…”
“If he’s alive, Jo. Have you wondered where he is?” Harry Lee asked contemptuously. “The last Grandpa Henry heard was that he was high ’ni sick with the fever in New Orleans.”
“No…Papa is on his way here.”
“He’s had plenty of time to get here. I wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t been dead for weeks now.”
Cullen held Jo back from lunging at her cousin. Harry Lee had hit a nerve.
“Papa’s not dead. I would know…I would…”
“See, I tol’ ya. Got no choice with Grandpa Henry being your guardian. Now come along with me and be a good girl.”
“She’s not going anywhere with you.” Cullen aimed his pistol straight at Harry Lee.
Harry Lee’s confidence grew as the mounted men rode in and reined in their horses. He uttered in a crazed voice, “Be smart, Yank. Nobody’s gonna help you out here. If you wanna make sure Jo gets out of here unharmed, lay down your gun.”
“Wade! Cullen! It’s Wade.”
Jo’s voice resonated around Cullen. He looked up to see Wade headed a group of men from Magnolia Bluff.
“Don’t mean to rush you, Cousin, but let’s get the hell out of here.”
* * * *
“Bastards,” Cullen snarled, watching Harry Lee and Buck walk down the road in the darkness. Their horses had been taken from the brothers, along with their weapons, but the threat of Harry Lee’s men still loomed. He looked over at Jo, who sat mounted on her horse. “You ready to ride?”
“The sooner the better.” She nudged the side of her horse. “I just want to get as far away from here as possible.”
“At this point, Magnolia Bluff is the safest option,” Wade offered, trotting up to the two. “Don’t want this to escalate further. Knew Harry Lee was mean as they come, but never figured him to act so brazenly. I have questions.”