Tears sprang into Emmeline’s eyes. “Thank you, Mrs. Fields.” She brushed the tears hastily from her cheeks. “For that, and for all of your kindness. You people don’t even know me!” She laughed, and held up her hands in a sign of disbelief. “I never expected such a welcome.”
“Oh…” Noelle smiled knowingly at her. “I think you’ll find that the people of Buffalo Creek are always good to their own. Now, we best get you ready. You’ve a meeting with the pastor in just about an hour!”
Noelle Brittler stayed to help ready Emmeline for her wedding. “No! Oh no. You must have something white!” she declared in the upstairs bedroom of the pastor’s home after Emmeline had shown her the simple, pink, A-line skirt and white blouse she had intended to wear. “And you’ll need something blue, borrowed, old and new, as well!” She grabbed Emmeline around the waist and held her hands to her own hips a moment later. Emmeline, who hadn’t seen or expected the other woman’s touch, was thrown off balance and had to reach for the back of a nearby chair for support. A moment later, she realized that Noelle was comparing their sizes. “I think I have just the thing,” she said. “It can be your ‘something borrowed,’ I’ll just nip home and get it.”
When she had vanished out into the hallway and they heard her tromping down the stairs, Emmeline blearily sought out Mrs. Fields expression. “Is she always like this?” she chuckled, sinking weak-kneed into the chair she had used to steady herself a moment before.
Mrs. Fields let out a snort. “I think you will find that most of the Brittlers have a certain way about them.” She shook her head. “They are a very… unique family, but no one in town seems to have a bad word to say about them either. They are generous and kind. Thomas Brittler is firm, but he is not domineering. He owns half of this town, and when he bought the land, he kept the rent the exact same as it had been from the previous owner. A worse man would have raised the rates. He was certainly within his rights to do so.” She grinned and indicated that Emmeline should turn about and face the vanity mirror. Then she began adding pins to her hair and twisting up curls onto the top of her head. “They come and sit in the same place in church every Sunday. The entire family. Even that… that Shiye. Noelle wasn’t lying to you. He’s a good man, that Indian.”
Emmeline shook her head. “I never expected to run into someone from home,” she said. “I never expected it would be a big to-do at all, my wedding. You really don’t have to go through all this trouble, Ma’am.”
Mrs. Fields whacked Emmeline gently on the top of the head with a comb. “Call me Lue, girlie. Everyone does. And there are really no thanks needed. We’ve had precious little to be excited about in Buffalo Creek for a long while yet. Perhaps it is us who should be thanking you,” she chuckled and continued adding pins to Emmeline’s hair. Her head was beginning to feel rather heavy.
Emmeline couldn’t tell, their combined reflection was so blurry, but she thought that the older woman winked at her in the mirror. She grinned in response. She was beginning to feel unexpectedly comfortable in Buffalo Creek. Perhaps I can make a home here, she thought, her heart rising. Perhaps it will be wonderful after all.
Just under an hour later, Emmeline was standing before the church doors. It seemed as though the entire town had turned out to see her married to Lawson Aldridge. She wondered briefly if Lawson was a particularly popular man or if Buffalo Creek was simply an excitable sort of place! She grinned at Noelle and whispered another “Thank you” to her out of the corner of her mouth. She could not help it.
Noelle had returned from her home with a magnificent white dress in a satin-lined clothing bag. “I’ve no use for it at the moment,” she’d said. “I wore it when I married my husband, Kenneth, but I don’t see any reason you couldn’t borrow it.”
Emmeline had never worn anything so fine in all her life. She had already thanked Noelle a dozen times, but the woman kept waving her off.
Emmeline’s something blue and something new had been a small handkerchief provided by a woman named Georgia Hannon. “I took just a bit to embroider it for you,” she whispered, showing Emmeline the tiny, blue “A” in the corner of the kerchief. “For Aldridge,” she said. “Lue dropped me a note this afternoon at the flower shop. I brought you these as well,” and she handed Emmeline a startling bouquet of roses. Before Emmeline had finished stammering her thanks, the doors of the church opened. Luella poked her head out, grinning widely. “They’re ready!” she beamed, gesturing frantically for Emmeline to come forward.
Emmeline took a deep breath and tried not to stumble as she mounted the short set of stairs into the church. This is it. I am doing this.
The air seemed to have lost all taste in her mouth.
The two women that had stood beside her flitted away to pull open the church doors. Luella danced from foot to foot just inside, beaming. She took hold of Emmeline’s arm as her stomach muscles tightened. Ahead of her, the church was lit with the light from two large windows on either side of two rows of pews. Everything was a great blur to Emmeline, but the one thing that stood out clearly to her from all the rest, was the figure standing at the end of the aisle.
As she drew nearer to him, her ears caught the whispers floating through the small crowd sitting in the pews, as though a light wind had swept over them all. Each of their faces was nothing more than a colored splotch amidst the blur. What were they all thinking? But then she had stepped up beside Lawson Aldridge, and for a the briefest of moments, his face loomed before hers, perfectly discernable from the blur of meaningless shapes around him. Her breath caught. He’s so handsome.
His jaw was clean-shaven this afternoon, and Emmeline felt her eyes skating over the sharp lines she could now see clearly. His nose was long and straight, and he had tired circles beneath his blue eyes. Blue. Like the lake after a storm. Blue. Like a winter sky on a sunny day. Emmeline might have sighed. If she was being honest with herself, she had not expected to feel any sort of attraction toward her future husband. She had spared very little thought for what the man might look like, too concerned about the fact that she may not be able to see him at all by the time she arrived. But Lawson Aldridge was…delightful. How in the name of heaven had he managed to make it so long without finding a wife? Any woman within five hundred miles should have come running at the mere scent of him.
The smell of him. Emmeline found herself breathing very slowly and deeply as her eyes feasted on him. It was like honey and leather in the midst of a forest of pine. As she stood there, staring at him like a fool, he grinned.
It was an odd smile, a sort of uncomfortable shrug with his lips, as if to say, “Well, shall we get this over with?”
The pastor had remained silent for a moment, but Emmeline was scared that if she looked away from Lawson, she might never bring his handsome face back into focus.
But now Pastor Fields was speaking, and she had to turn away. She had to, because Lawson was no longer looking at her, and it would be odd of her to continue to stare at his profile. The pastor’s face was a friendly blur. “Do you take this woman, Emmeline Wigg, to be your lawfully wedded wife? To love, honor and cherish. To have and to hold, forsaking all others until death shall part you?”
Emmeline held her breath. She should have told him. She should have made sure that he understood. In as little as a few hours or a few days, the woman he had chosen to marry could be completely blind, dependent on him for everything. She should have said…
“I do.” Lawson’s vow was firm and commanding, and she was sure he could see her fingers trembling on her bouquet. The leaves on the flowers were bobbing with the jitter of her heart.
“And do you take this man, Lawson Aldridge, to love, honor and obey, to have and to hold, forsaking all others until death shall part you?”
Emmeline’s stomach gave a lurch. She was binding him to her with this ceremony. He wouldn’t have an option. Would he ever forgive her for deceiving him? When she opened her mouth to respond, the words came out in a breathless rush. “I
do.”
“Then I now pronounce you man and wife!” Pastor Fields declared, with such obvious enthusiasm that Emmeline could not help grinning, despite the flood of guilt that took hold of her. “You may now kiss your bride, Mr. Aldridge. And mind you do it quickly, she looks as though she may need you to hold her upright!”
Emmeline turned back to face Lawson and was terrified for a moment. His face had slid back into that unfamiliar blur, and she could not see exactly where…but then his face swam into focus… there he was. She breathed a sigh of relief. He was lifting her veil. He was bending his head. Emmeline realized what the pastor had said just a moment too late, because Lawson had pressed his lips to hers and she hadn’t been prepared. He was warm and masculine and right there, but then he pulled away, and Emmeline frowned.
Her first kiss.
He had stolen it.
The small crowd of townsfolk that had gathered to witness their wedding was applauding politely, and Pastor Fields was offering them his congratulations. Lawson thanked the man and offered Emmeline his arm. She took it, and together they left the church, both smiling rather awkwardly and avoiding one another’s eyes.
Chapter Four
Lawson didn’t quite know what to make of his new bride. She was beaming around and thanking the people of Buffalo Creek that had turned up so unexpectedly at their wedding, but her hands were still trembling. He wanted to be alone with her, to try and calm her, but had no idea what he could possibly say to assuage her fears.
Luella Fields was instructing everyone to make their way to the old schoolhouse, which was often used as a sort of meeting hall, where she and the other ladies of her sewing circle had prepared dinner for them all. Lawson couldn’t believe it. On Monday, he’d been nothing more than the town pharmacist, set in his ways and determinedly single, now it was Wednesday evening and he had a beautiful wife on his arm. He shook his head as he led Emmeline to the schoolhouse. She was watching her feet, and he wondered if she was frightened of tripping on the beautiful gown she was wearing. Where had she found such a garment? It looked as if it were rather expensive.
He spotted Noelle Brittler bobbing about through the crowd and understood. The woman must have leant her wedding gown to his wife, no one else in this town could afford such an expense. But as he looked at his new bride, Lawson couldn’t help the sudden rise of envy that spiraled into the back of his mind. He wished he could afford to provide Emmeline with fine things. She looked so lovely in the evening light that he wanted to drape her in silk all the rest of her days. What had he been doing? Why had he always been content as a mere pharmacist? What if Emmeline was not as content as he? Would she leave him?
Sudden fear contracted his lungs, making it difficult to breath. Don’t be a fool, he told himself. She wouldn’t have married you if she were only going to turn tail and run off. She’s your wife now, you’ll have to trust her.
But a quiet voice in his head whispered that trust was earned over time, and the way Emmeline’s eyes continued to avoid his own made him think that she might indeed have something to hide.
The after-wedding celebrations were short enough. Lawson only just had time to wish they would end before the townsfolk began filtering out the schoolhouse door. Many of them were still congratulating Lawson on finding such an excellent match. They were all acting as though they had known Emmeline her entire life. He’d witnessed several of the women of the town rush forward and hug her, and noticed that his wife appeared startled each time, as though she was unaccustomed to being handled by strangers. He couldn’t blame her, but as Luella had said to him earlier, the people of Buffalo Creek were always welcoming to strangers. The more their little town grew, the better it was for all of them.
There were very few weddings here. Mostly, men came into town to find work in the mine on their own. There was only a handful of women in Buffalo Creek, and as such, they were all rather close friends. Most of them were married to mine workers, while a handful were married to shopkeepers in town.
Twenty or so women in a town as large as Buffalo Creek must make for a lot of lonely hearts, Lawson thought wryly.
“Did you hear me, Mr. Aldridge?”
Lawson blinked and looked around, then he looked down. Mrs. Fields was peering nearsightedly up at him.
“Apologies, Mrs. Fields. I let my mind wonder.”
She chuckled knowingly. “I imagine so,” she said with a small wink. “I said, isn’t it about time you be getting your bride home? She looks rather exhausted. Just think… She’s traveled all the way here, now she’s married and she hasn’t even had a moment to rest. I’ve had James take her luggage over to your house.” She waved her hands to chivy him on his way. “Off. Go. Scoot. Have a wonderful night.” She winked again and Lawson felt his face flushing.
He glanced over at Emmeline. She was alone now, sitting at a school desk across the room and drinking deeply from the glass in her hand. The last of her well-wishers had departed.
Lawson squared his shoulders and strolled across the room to her, trying to look as though his mind was not filled with thoughts of the night to come.
She glanced up as he approached, but for some reason, she did not appear to recognize him. “Oh, hello!” she said, her voice sounded a little hoarse. “Have we been introduced?”
Lawson stopped short. He could not be more than ten feet away from her. He looked around and then peered doubtfully at the cup in her hand. Had she been drinking? Why did she not recognize him?
“Emmeline?” he said her name carefully, doubtfully.
“Oh, Mr. Aldridge!” she squinted at him, her eyes out of focus and a pretty pink blush crept up her cheeks. “I’m sorry. It has been such a terribly long day. I’m afraid I rather lost my mind for a moment.”
Lawson approached, watching her carefully for other signs of drunkenness, but there did not appear to be any. Why hadn’t she recognized him? He brushed off his suspicions for what they were and extended his arm to her. “It’s rather late,” he murmured. “And it has been a long day. Would you like to see your new home?”
She got swiftly to her feet. “Oh, please! Yes.”
He thanked Luella and the other women for the food and the help, then led his new wife out the door. Luella sped them on their way with a hearty chuckle that made the back of Lawson’s neck turn red all over again.
He’d spent several hours that day at his house on Oak Street. Never having intended on actually marrying the woman his brother had sent for, Lawson had had to do some very fast reorganization. He needed it to look as though he had been somewhat prepared for this.
As he led Emmeline down the street and past the handful of other dwellings, he compared each in his mind, pretending he was seeing each of them through the eyes of his wife. Would she be pleased with his home? Or would she wish that Lawson’s house was bigger? More impressive? He certainly did. He felt like an utter imbecile as he pushed open the gate and led her up the front walk. She was watching her feet again.
He paused for a moment before they began to climb the porch steps, waiting for her to look up. When she finally did, he saw that same vague, unfocused look in her eyes. They darted all around as though attempting to make sense of her surroundings, then she offered him a falsely bright smile and said, “This is quite lovely! Did you build it all on your own?”
Larson shook his head, trying to hide his confusion. “I hired a few of the men from town to help out,” he said, shrugging. “I’m better with a touch of medicine than I am with building. They did a good job though.”
“A very good job indeed,” Emmeline said enthusiastically, but she still held tightly to his arm as they ascended the steps, and he wondered if it was because she had spotted the small hole in the corner of the porch. He was about to say something about how he had been meaning to replace the rotting board there when a resounding bark echoed from inside his house, and Emmeline let out a hair-raising shriek.
“What was that?!”
Lawson stared at h
er. “It’s only Joe,” he said, frowning. Another low bark followed by frantic scrabbling at the door frame. “And Smudge, sounds like,” he added with a chuckle, reaching for the doorknob. “They’re harmless, really. Just a bit enthusiastic.”
“No—wait!”
But Lawson hadn’t been listening. He shoved open the door and one, two , three—his dogs came tearing across the threshold, barking and yapping with excitement. He laughed as they bounced around his legs, and only looked up when he heard a shout from across the yard.
“Emmeline?” he looked around, but his wife had disappeared from his side. She had torn across the lawn at lightning speed, her layers of satin fabric and petticoats billowing out behind her like a cloud. Lawson’s third dog, Cooper, was hot on her tail, nipping playfully at her heels as he gave chase.
“Cooper! Cooper, heel!” He shouted, and the collie halted mid-step, almost tumbling over, but Emmeline had already tugged herself into the branches of the nearest apple tree.
Lawson burst out laughing. He couldn’t help it. Cooper was perhaps the friendliest of his dogs, but his herding instincts always came out at the worst of times. His new wife was perched in the lowest branches of the apple tree in his front garden. Her skirts were hiked up to outrageous heights and had he not been her husband, he might have averted his eyes from the sight of her creamy thighs. As such, he did not feel the need. He was only just realizing how much he had needed a woman in his life. Perhaps his brother, Jason, had done him a good turn for once.
Emmeline's Exile (The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides Book 5) Page 3