Authors: Kari Edgren
Thanks a fat lot!
So glad you could clear that up for him.
My smile faltered as I debated kicking the man in the shins.
“How exactly are you related?” Mr. Jones continued.
“I am Miss Kilbrid’s second cousin once removed,” Henry said quite smoothly. “Mr. Kilbrid arranged the marriage before his death.”
Mr. Jones frowned. “How very timely for you.” He put down the quill and leaned back in the chair, crossing his arms in front. “I now see why you wish to keep this elopement secret. Certainly I will do my best to bury the information as we agreed, but considering the fortune involved, a mere whiff of impropriety could set people talking for months. I am afraid Philadelphia can be a difficult city for secrets.”
“We’ll double the fee if that makes it any easier,” Ben said from behind me.
“You are most generous.” The magistrate looked over my shoulder at Ben. “Yes, I believe that should cover any additional safeguards.” He picked up the quill and returned his attention back to the certificate. “Please state your full names and dates of birth.”
“Selah Elizabeth Kilbrid,” I said. “February 2, 1712.”
“Very good,” he said, filling in the space. “And you, sir?”
There was a brief pause, and I glanced over at Henry, praying he hadn’t forgotten this information from yesterday.
“Henry Samuel Kilbrid,” he said after a few more seconds had passed. “August 16, 1710.”
My brows arched in surprise. Ben gave a small cough like he was clearing his throat as the magistrate hurriedly scratched the quill across the parchment. Henry kept his eyes straight ahead. Other than a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, there was no indication he had just changed my cousin’s first name and date of birth.
“Very good,” Mr. Jones said once all the spaces were properly filled. “Ben requested the most basic vows.”
I nodded, and the magistrate continued. “Do you, Selah Elizabeth Kilbrid take this man, Henry Samuel Kilbrid to be your lawfully wedded husband, until death do you part?”
My future depended on this moment, and I gulped nervously, doubting for the first time since yesterday that I could follow through with this sham wedding. As if in answer to my indecision, Nathan’s red face flashed through my mind, looking just like he did the day he had threatened to ruin my life. I straightened my shoulders and answered, “I do.” To my ears, the words sounded no more than a squeak, but it was sufficient.
The magistrate turned to look at Henry. “And do you, Henry Samuel Kilbrid, take this woman, Selah Elizabeth Kilbrid, to be your lawfully wedded wife, until death do you part?”
“I do,” Henry said in his deep voice, and I nearly collapsed on the spot. We had both agreed, and now the Devil be hanged.
“Are there rings to exchange?” Mr. Jones asked.
I had temporarily forgotten this formality. “Oh...yes,” I said. Ben fished the newly purchased gold bands from his waistcoat pocket.
Henry moved first, reaching down and gently lifting my left hand. As he slipped the ring over my finger, I felt a slight shake and guessed he was equally nervous despite his calm demeanor. Emboldened by his actions, I placed the gold band on his hand and then turned back to face Mr. Jones.
“Very good,” the magistrate said when we were done. “By the power vested in me by the governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and His Majesty King George II, I pronounce you man and wife. If you will each sign here, the marriage will be official.”
With great efficiency, Mr. Jones blotted the wet ink and handed the certificate to Henry. “Here you are, Mr. Kilbrid. May I be the first to wish you a most joyous life together.”
“Thank you, sir,” Henry said, accepting both the certificate and good tidings.
The magistrate packed up his belongings and walked with Ben to the door, eager to collect the rest of his bribe and be on his way. I didn’t know how much his silence had initially cost, but if he buried the evidence of this marriage in the bottom of a desk drawer then any additional money was well worth the cost. Assuming of course, that my
cousin
refrained from altering any more essential details. Otherwise every farthing would have been for naught.
I held my peace just long enough for Ben and the magistrate to leave the room. “Congratulations,
Henry Kilbrid
,” I said, rounding on my new husband once we were alone. “Is there any particular reason why you felt impelled to change my cousin’s name and birth date?” We hadn’t yet moved apart from the ceremony and were standing uncomfortably close.
He shrugged. “The date slipped my mind so I used my own. As for the name, it’s a small concession in light of everything else I’ve agreed to.”
“Everything you’ve agreed to!” I repeated, incredulous at his gall. “I saved you from Mr. Fletcher!”
“You took advantage of my situation and forced me into an undesirable marriage. The least you can do is allow me the use of my first name.”
“Do not presume I wanted this marriage any more than you did.” My cheeks flushed hot with anger. “Believe me, Mr. Alan, marrying you was truly my last option. Why else would I willingly connect myself to a servant when half of the single men in Hopewell wanted my hand?” Well, maybe not half, but I wasn’t really going for accuracy at the moment.
“Then why didn’t you take one of them instead?” he asked, giving me a sardonic grin.
“That is none of your concern.” I lifted my chin, but he was so tall my nose barely topped his sternum, taking away from my attempt at a dignified air. “You are making such a fuss, I almost wonder if you would have preferred Mr. Fletcher’s company to my own.” I smirked at him, pleased with the insult.
The elegant curve of his mouth tensed in warning, but I was not about to back down after being so rudely insulted. It was high time he remembered who was an heiress to a great fortune and who had arrived a day before, indentured for service with nothing more than the clothes on his back.
Undesirable
,
indeed!
“Was it him you wanted instead of me?” I asked, pushing a little bit further.
His green eyes flashed dangerously as he leaned over me, bringing us almost nose to nose. “A wife should never doubt her husband’s natural desires,” he said menacingly.
Disconcerted by his closeness, I started to move away when he grabbed my upper arms and pulled me hard against him. Inhaling sharply, my rational mind scattered beneath the heady scent of soap and masculine spice. Without thinking, I drew another breath, and my eyes strayed to his mouth.
A soft chuckle vibrated deep in his chest. “So that’s why you’re angry.”
I jerked my gaze upward. “What do you—”
His fingers tightened on my arms. Then, with a dip of his head, he pressed his mouth to mine. The suddenness so startled me, I forgot to kick and scream until his hold slackened a moment later.
The floor felt strangely off-kilter as I stumbled back a step. My eyes blinked open, and Henry loomed large, looking angrier than before.
“Are you satisfied now?” he asked in a chillingly quiet voice.
Indignation roared to life inside me. “How dare you!” I cried, my hand rising in retaliation. His reflexes were snakelike, and he caught my wrist in midair.
“There’s no need for that,” he said, guiding my hand back down. “A bride is promised one kiss on her wedding day, but ask as you may, you’ll be getting no more from me.”
We stared at each other in tense silence, two opponents sizing up for a fight. His flippant words could not hide the red splotches on his cheeks, evidence that his pride had been bruised no less than my honor. Ben’s knock on the door broke up our little bout and I pushed past Henry, glad for an excuse to be away.
“Would you be wanting breakfast before we go?” Ben asked hopefully. With some effort, I smoothed the anger from my face. “We’ve a long journey ahead of us. I’ll speak to Mrs. Bradford about packing some food to take along.”
Though I still longed to feel the crack of my hand against Henry’s skin, his impertinence hardly compared to my other worries. Our time spent dillydallying had given the little redheaded demon ample opportunity to stir up trouble. Out of sight, out of mind was my strategy, and the sooner we were off the better.
Ten minutes later Ben was still grumbling at the prospect of eating on the road. He quieted down when I handed him warm bread and a thick slice of ham wrapped in a cloth. Having anticipated our stay at one week minimum, the landlady was still shaking off the shock of our hasty departure, but had no reason to argue once she learned my cousin had arrived earlier than expected. Under the assumption I needed to rush home to my ailing father, she didn’t make a fuss, and proved rather helpful in seeing us off.
To more than a few raised eyebrows, I insisted we all leave together through the servants’ door instead of waiting for Ben to pull the carriage around to the front. Even with this precaution, I was on pins and needles when we stepped from the inn, but the demon was nowhere to be seen. Once inside the carriage, I had no more time to spare fuming over a stolen kiss. I sat ramrod straight as we made our way through the crowded streets, my eyes darting from face to face for any sign of Dirk Fletcher’s fiend. It was unnerving how quickly he had tracked me down at Meredith House, and I wanted to be far away before he had a chance to learn anything more.
Only when the red brick houses of the city finally gave way to smaller farms and large expanses of forest, was I able to relax. Relieved to have left one problem behind, I glanced over at Henry and debated what to do about the next. His actions earlier had been inexcusable, though admittedly not entirely unprovoked. With how things now stood, no one in Hopewell would believe we felt anything other than contempt for each other. I despised what needed to be done, but if we were going to make this work, hurt feelings had to be put aside, and an olive branch extended. There was also the added advantage of deflating his victory by simply feigning indifference to our earlier dispute.
A good hour had passed since we left Philadelphia, and I wrestled with how to best initiate a truce.
Do you make a habit of attacking young ladies in order to prove your manhood
didn’t seem like a good place to start, so I kept mulling it over until something more appropriate came to mind. “It’s a beautiful day for travel,” I finally said, for there was no safer subject than the weather.
Henry had been staring out at the countryside and looked surprised when I spoke, as though he had forgotten I was still in the carriage. He glanced at me briefly then returned his gaze back outside. “It is too warm for my taste.”
Already precariously close to the edge, my temper flared, but I bit my tongue in the nick of time, forcing back a tirade of angry words. Obviously it was going to take a little more effort to get past his stony demeanor. “I do hope you find Pennsylvania to your liking,” I said. “I’m sure it’s nothing compared to London, but Philadelphia has grown remarkably since I was a little girl.”
He looked bored with my feeble attempts at conversation. “You’re right, it’s nothing to London. But for the Colonies, I’m sure it will do.”
My pride burned from his words, and if there hadn’t been so much at stake, I would have stopped the carriage that instant and ordered him from my sight. Instead, I took a deep breath and put on the pretense of a smile. “Did you have a nice voyage on
The Berkshire
?” I asked, giving it another try.
This got his attention, bringing a dark shadow to his face before it disappeared behind his mask of casual indifference. “Eight weeks of being treated like an animal, subsisting on biscuits and salted meat does not qualify as a nice voyage.”
“Oh,” I said, not expecting such an answer. “I had no idea.”
Henry stretched out his long legs, filling much of the space between us, and then closed his eyes. Three times I had tried to make peace, only to be curtailed with each attempt. I sighed, defeated. “If you would like to post a letter to your father letting him know you’ve arrived safely, I’m sure we could get it to Captain Harlow before he departs for England.” I had meant to make the offer yesterday, but it had slipped my mind.
Henry opened his eyes and stared at me. “Thank you,” he said with more warmth than I expected. “Yes, I would like that very much.” He closed his eyes again, and I stayed quiet to let him sleep.
Judging by how long we had traveled, I guessed we would arrive at our lodgings within five hours. Henry’s breathing slowed and I watched him openly while he slept, marveling at the events of the past twenty-four hours. Over the course of his transition from an indentured servant to my pretend husband, I had witnessed the extremes of his personality—both the cold indifference and the hot-blooded anger. Neither was to my liking, and I hoped to find substantial ground in between.
The sun grew warmer, and with the gentle rocking of the carriage, I found myself being lulled into sleep as well. After such a stressful morning, I welcomed the temporary oblivion.
I don’t know how long I slept before the carriage came to a stop and my eyes fluttered open. Henry sat alert, his body tense with anticipation.
“Henry,” Ben called from the driver’s box. “Would you mind joining me for a minute?”
“What’s the matter?” I asked.
“I don’t know.” Henry frowned and stepped from the carriage.
Through the wall behind the driver’s box, I heard Ben rummage around the compartment below his seat. He then swung down to the ground where he and Henry spoke in hushed tones. A mechanical problem would not have warranted so much secrecy, making me fear for more serious troubles. The Lenape Indians weren’t known to attack travelers, which made bandits and highwaymen the sole aggressors on these long stretches of road that passed through thick, unadulterated forests.
Irritated by the suspense, I stuck my head out the door to get some answers. Henry saw me and hurried back with a sword in his right hand and a pistol tucked into the front of his breeches. He came very close, effectively blocking me from going any farther. Leaning forward, he spoke in a low voice. “There’s a tree lying across the road up ahead. Ben thinks it was purposefully cut down to block the carriage. We’re going to walk the horses for a space to see what happens.”