A Bride For Windridge Hall

by Jeanie P Johnson

  “What in the hell is going on? Where is Roderick? He hasn’t hurt you has he?”

  “Only emotionally,” she admitted. “Oh, Willard, I don’t know what I am supposed to do.”

  “I can see you are never going to touch anything on that plate in your frame of mind, so let’s go to the parlor and discuss the matter.”

  Emily rose from the table and meekly followed Willard to the parlor.

  “I am at my wits end! I should be sending for Lilith and Alfred, but I am not sure what I should do now?”

  “Why don’t you know what to do? And why not now? Where is Roderick, the damn fool?”

  “He’s not here. Tanner said he went to London, or some such place, his words exactly. Won’t be back for a week or so, and will see me then, if I am still here…his words exactly.”

  “If you are still here? And why did the cad take off in the first place? I thought he was all eager to marry you, or at least get you in bed with him,” he scowled, “so you would be forced to marry him.”

  “Well, he did get me in bed… Stop looking like that, it is not what you think. We were merely ah, sleeping on the bed, half dressed, maybe, but only sleeping!” Emily tried not to blush when she remembered what transpired before they were only sleeping.

  “I find that hard to believe, but go on, I won’t question your ethics if you do not want to divulge anything.”

  “Anyway, I woke up, and Roderick was having this dream. He thought I was Abigail who had died, but when I tried to wake him up by talking to him, he thought Abigail had not died. He was asking her to forgive him for shooting James. He said he didn’t mean for him to die, and that the shot just went wrong. Only he did not mention James’ name. He just referred to James as ‘him’. When he woke up, in the middle of begging Abigail’s forgiveness, he realized he had been talking about the shooting, and I made the mistake of pressing him for answers. I let James name slip, and then he knew that you had told me about the duel.

  “He was fit to be tied. He was so angry, he yelled that you could have the estate for all he cared, and me along with it. He claimed that you would poison my mind about him anyway, and try to destroy us the way you destroyed his relationship with Abigail. He said he was not going to go through it all again.

  “Then he just took off, and by the time I got dressed and went to find him, he had gone! I should never have mentioned James’ name. I should never have insisted he tell me about it. I already had my answer, that he did not mean to kill James.”

  The realization was too much, and Emily began to sob hopelessly against Willard’s shoulder.

  He awkwardly patted her back, and then firmly put her from him, handing her his handkerchief for the second time since he had met her.

  “Roderick is just a hot head. He will get over it. It upsets him so much because I think he is in love with you, Emily. He just doesn’t want to admit it to you or himself. He fears losing your good opinion of him. If he didn’t mean to kill James, remembering the event must torture him constantly. He doesn’t want to be reminded about it. He must hate himself and doesn’t believe anyone could love him because they would blame him in the same way he balms himself. They would hate him, the same way he hates himself. He was the one who was setting the example until his father forced him into that disastrous marriage. It ruined his own self-esteem, screwed up his future chances of ever finding a new wife, or his ability to love one. Then the killing blow fell with his father’s will, continuing to push him into yet another marriage that was not of his choice.”

  “Roderick told me he wanted to marry me, and that he wanted me to want to marry him as well. He said he did not want to force me into marrying him and wanted me to willingly accept him,” Emily sniffed. “I just could never tell when he was telling me his true feelings because getting married was so important to him gaining his inheritance. I don’t think he knew what was motivating him to marry me,” she confessed.

  “It had to be a combination of his strong feelings for you, and his need to retain the estate, and carry on the family legacy. Considering he said he didn’t care if I got the estate, makes me believe that his motivations for wanting to marry you have changed since he first asked you, which is a good sign. I am sure he will come back, the same way he did when he consented to marry Abigail. He just needs time to straighten his head out and come to grips with what his real reasons are for wanting you for his wife.”

  “I don’t know what I am to do in the meantime? I can’t sit here twiddling my thumbs waiting for him to come to his senses!”

  “Just go on as planned. Invite your friends. Tell them that Roderick is on business in London, which came up unexpectedly. I will stay and be the host until Roderick returns. I do have an old room here, I believe, where I can stay. And when Roderick comes back, if he does not see reason, I will give him an uppercut the same way he gave me one!” he vowed.

  Emily gave a short laugh. She could just see Willard slugging Roderick the way Roderick had slugged him.

  “Oh, Willard. What would I ever do without you?”

  “Sweet Emily, had I only met you and grabbed you up before my stupid cousin caught you with his charms, all this would be unimportant to us.”

  “That is a sweet sentiment,” Emily sniffed, as her tears dried. “I fear I must admit, though, I think Roderick’s charms caught me unexpectedly on the day of my sixteenth birthday. I just didn’t know it then.”

  “I can honestly say, he was more than just smitten by you, when he first saw you, and that is why he made that oath to get back at you for snubbing him like that. It certainly knocked the wind out of his sails!”

  “I regretted doing it the moment it happened. I should never have let Alfred goad me into it.”

  “Water under the bridge now, dear girl. Now we have to try to straighten out the mess. And believe me, I have more blame in this whole affair than I want to admit. I need to make amends to my cousin for my part in his failed marriage.”

  “We can’t change what happened in the past. It was just events that went out of control, and now I am afraid events are getting out of control again.”

  “We will just have to have a steady hand to pull it all back together, then” Willard encouraged. “For now, I will tell Tanner to send a carriage out for your friends. Give me their house number, and I will go with the carriage driver, and explain the situation to them, and introduce myself as the new host until Roderick returns. I am dying to meet your girlfriend again, as it is, and this will give me an opportunity to show her all my charms,” he winked at her.

  Emily could not help but smile.

  “You will adore Lilith,” she insisted. “She is not only lovely to look at, but she has a great personality.”

  “I am love-struck already,” Willard teased.

  Willard stood at the door of the Duval home, feeling like a schoolboy out on his first outing with a girl. He could barely remember what Lilith had looked like, back all those years, except that he found himself drawn to her, in the same way his cousin clearly felt drawn to the redhead. Now he was about to meet her again and wanted to impress her. Too many well-meaning plans had gone wrong in his life. He had constantly tried to overcome his inferior position in the household of his uncle, and in doing so, made an enemy of his only close relative. Now he wanted to make up for the past if he could. He just wasn’t sure how he was going to do it? His stepping in as host in Roderick’s home may infuriate Roderick, instead of pleasing him, but what else could he do to help Emily out?

  Poor Emily. He could tell how forlorn she was feeling. Roderick had a jewel of a woman and was about to throw it all away out of self-pity and stubborn pride. Willard wasn’t sure what he could do about it, but at least he would try to hold things together until Roderick came back, the fool!

  The door opened, after his second ring, and the butler greeted Willard, allowing him to enter the hall. Lilith came running into the hall, thinking it was Emily who had come to fetch her and ran headlong into Willard’s
chest, almost knocking him over.

  “Oh! I beg your pardon, sir. I was expecting my dearest friend. Whom might you be?”

  Willard had steadied her with his hand and was smiling down into her impish face, with pure amusement.

  “You must be Lilith,” he said, taking her hand and kissing it. His eyes took in her dark hair piled on top of her head, with small curls escaping about her forehead. She had a turned up nose, and the sweetest smile he had ever seen, next to Emily’s.

  Lilith gave him a rewarding blush, as she tried to catch her breath.

  “Yes, and you?”

  “I am Willard Nelson Winlock,” he informed her, casting her his most disarming grin.

  “Oh!”

  Lilith drew back.

  “You are the hated cousin!”

  “Hmmm, seems like someone has been telling little tidbits about me behind my back,” he responded, with a scowl, and then laughed. “I hope not hated by you, dear lady, or my heart would feel the sting for sure!”

  “What is all this?”

  Alfred entered the hall, his hazel eyes looking Willard up and down as he approached.

  “Where is Emily, and who are you?”

  “He is the hated cousin I told you about,” Lilith answered for him, flippantly.

  She walked around Willard as though she was sizing him up, and Willard laughed good-heartedly at her antics.

  “I hope not hated for long,” Willard pressed.

  “What is the hated cousin doing here?” Alfred wanted to know.

  “Please, can we drop that title?” Willard asked. “Just call me Willard, if you must address me.”

  “Hmmm… I wasn’t addressing you. I was asking my sister a question,” Alfred informed him.

  “I can answer that question and put your mind at ease, if you will allow me,” Willard offered.

  “I’m all ears,” Alfred assured him.

  “Emily sent me to fetch you. It turns out that my cousin, the one less hated, had to go to London unexpectedly, and I have volunteered to become the substitute host. I am at your service, my good man. I hope we all can become fast friends.”

  Alfred gave him a long appraising look.

  “I guess you’ll do if Emily sent you. I tell you, I do not like the situation at all. Had I had any say in the matter, I would never have let Emily run off and accept the offer of engagement from some stranger she met in a graveyard, of all places! Has polite society gone utterly mad? We have never even met the man.”

  “I have,” Lilith offered. “He comes from a respected family.”

  “Humph. I have heard the stories about Windridge Hall, dear sister, and after what you had to say about the whole unfortunate mess, my opinions of the place and its inhabitants have not improved much.”

  “Oh, shush! You are being rude. Willard will believe we have no manners!”

  “Hardly. How could I have such a thought about someone as lovely and proper as you?” Willard asked her.

  She lowered her eyes.

  Willard glanced at the scowling face of Alfred.

  “I am sure we can air this all-out on the ride to Windridge Hall. Emily is looking forward to your visit, and now that Roderick is not there to keep her company, she will be all the more eager to have you both there to keep her entertained. Is your luggage ready? I can have my driver help your man load it.”

  The butler had been standing at attention, the whole time, and Alfred gave him a signal to see to the luggage. He departed to carry out the order.

  “Why don’t you join us in the parlor, while the luggage is loaded?” Lilith suggested, “and we can talk there first.”

  “Excellent idea,” Alfred agreed.

  “Certainly. I would like nothing better.” Willard assured them.

  They all adjourned to the parlor, where Willard took the seat offered and Alfred rang for some tea.”

  “So kind of you,” Willard responded to their hospitality.

  The tea was brought in, while the three, eyed each other. Willard could barely pull his eyes away from Lilith’s attractive face, to glance at her brother, who didn’t look upon him with any great friendship, as far as he could tell. That uncomfortable feeling at Emily’s 16th birthday party started to rekindle.

  “I must be frank with you, Willard,” Alfred began after the tea was served and the maid had departed. “I do not like this situation at all. Emily is our dear friend, and her welfare is our utmost concern.”

  He lifted the teacup to his lips and took a sip, looking at Willard over the brim of his cup.

  “Needs some milk,” he muttered, as he reached for the cream pitcher, poured some in, and then tried it again.

  He eyed Willard seriously, his brows raised, and his senses alert.

  “The silly woman has agreed to marry a total stranger, that she knows little about. she has asked my sister and me to come to make sure everything is on the up and up. It is highly improper for her being there alone with her intended, which is why we agreed to come. Now you say he has dashed off, and you are here in his stead. This all appears extremely questionable. I’ve a good mind to insist that Emily cry off of this marriage, and come stay with us. At least, until she can find a proper position for a woman of her upbringing.”

  Willard frowned, as his gaze fell upon Alfred. He let his eyes rest there for a moment, lowering his lids

  “A position for a woman of her upbringing? If you are so concerned for Emily’s welfare, wouldn’t it be more charitable for you to marry her instead?” Willard projected. “After all, my cousin is doing her a great favor by offering her the security she needs, by marrying into a respectable family of great wealth. It seems you could have offered her the same sort of security.”

  Alfred looked a little aghast.

  “You are jumping to conclusions, my man. What reason would I have to marry Emily? We are only friends. As to your description of Roderick, I have doubts about how respectable the Winlock name is,” he grumbled, pressing his point while evading discussing his relationship with Emily.

  “I see. It is profoundly sad that she has been left destitute by her father. It appears to me, any gentleman friend should be hard put not to save her from a fate of servitude in a wealthy household. After all, she is accustomed to the life of high society she has been raised in. Have you no chivalry? Since you seem to believe you are more respectable than a Winlock, it should be your duty to offer for her, if you so despise her decision.”

  Alfred looked down, clearing his throat. This man was not going to let up, he grumbled to himself, so he plodded on.

  “She wouldn’t have me, even if I offered. Lilith tells me she is looking for love in a marriage. I don’t believe she has those kinds of feelings for me. We are almost like brother and sister! Tell me, my good man, has Emily found this so called love in Lord Winlock?”

  Willard stroked his chin, and then took a sip of his tea, reached for a spoon of sugar, and placed it in his cup, stirring thoughtfully.

  “Hmmm. Perhaps. Who knows what is in their secret thoughts? She did agree to marry him, after all. If it is love she is looking for, perhaps she has found it unexpectedly.”

  “Yes, and that is what surprises me. It is not like Emily to do something like this, even though she is a compassionate and thoughtful person.”

  “Maybe you do not know her as well as you imagined,” Willard suggested, gazing at him intently.

  “She does love him,” Lilith put in. “She told me she thought she was falling in love with him, only the stipulations of the will has put such a damper on the arrangement. How could she know if Lord Winlock is marrying her to keep his money, or because he actually likes her? It is not enough that she loves him. He must love her in return.”

  “I have my suspicions he loves her,” Willard confided. “Of course, the fool doesn’t know it yet, so I guess it is up to us to try to steer them both in the right direction, don’t you agree?”

  “What made Roderick leave, just before our visit was about to
take place?” Alfred wanted to know.

  “According to his groom, he indicated he had some business in London, that came up suddenly after he had invited you. I believe he left in a hurry, and Emily was quite upset over the matter. She didn‘t want to remain in the house, alone but was not sure what she should do? She consulted with me, and I offered her my assistance. After all, I am not that hated, for all your belief that I am.”

  He gave them both a sardonic smile.

  “Roderick and I have resolved our differences, and he would expect me to take over in his absence.”

  At least he hoped that was true, he thought as he gave a little shrug.

  “I hope you will forgive my remark,” Lilith begged. “It was unthinking of me. It just fell right out of my mouth unbidden!”

  “In that case, you are forgiven, sweet lady,”

  Willard bowed his head towards her.

  “I don’t know what Emily has told you about me, but for your information, Roderick and I have called a truce. Therefore, I am dedicated to helping him secure his inheritance if he will just stop being so stubborn-headed on a few accounts.”

  “Certainly, you can fill us in on the details,” Alfred put forth.

  “What details are you looking for,” Willard wanted to know.

  “We have heard all about the will, and how Roderick needs a wife, and Emily mentioned to Lilith that Roderick’s wife died, and it apparently devastated him, but that is about all we know.”

  “Then you have heard the whole story. I am not privy to add in much more detail. I have already gotten myself in enough trouble filling in the blanks for Emily. However, I assure you, I think Roderick and Emily suit perfectly. It is important for Emily to have our support, especially now, while she must deal with this on her own.”

  “This business in London…?”

  Willard shrugged.

  “I have no idea…neither does Emily. It was something sudden, like I told you. Roderick is not always forthcoming concerning his personal business, and I am not one to pry. I am sure we will discover it when he returns,” he insisted.

  “Very well. I guess it is the least we can do to help Emily out. Lead the way.” Alfred conceded.