Harnessed Passions (20 page)

“
What?” Julia gasped;
certain he would have refused her conditions.

“
Is there a problem?”
Daniel nearly laughed at the expression on the young woman’s face.
“You made the conditions, I agreed to it. That’s called
negotiations. Did you want to alter the parameters?”

“
No, I just
thought….”

“
Yes?” he asked, edging
closer to her, forcing her to back up against the doorframe as she
tried to escape him. Julia didn’t answer; she could barely
breathe.

Daniel smiled a crooked grin at her,
actually anticipating being married to this woman. The pleasure he
was going to derive from crumbling her restraints was going to be
as much fun as the conquer itself.

“
I’ll make you one promise,
Princess,” he said barely above a whisper, a long finger gently
tracing the outline of her jaw. “You and I are going to be very
close, very soon. We will be partners and will have to spend many
long, hot hours together. By the end of summer, I will have you
begging me to make love to you. I’m making that my utmost goal.”
Julia swallowed hard; her lips suddenly dry, her heart pounding
wildly between her ears.

Without another word Daniel turned and
walked away from her, leaving her to deal with the array of
emotions twisting in her stomach. If he was serious about keeping
his promise, she was either going to be totally insane within a
month, or completely satisfied. Neither idea did much to relieve
her raging nerves.

Julia spent the next three days in complete
and utter shock. She would never have believed that Daniel would
agree to this ridiculous idea, let alone actually go through with
it. He had announced to Louise and Jeremy the morning after their
discussion that they were to be married by the end of the week.
Louise of course was thrilled and excited beyond words, and
immediately began issuing orders and making plans. Jeremy was
confused and a little bit more than surprised, but let his own
feelings go unheard for the time being.

The house was in a literal uproar with
wedding preparations. Flowers were cut, arranged and placed in
expensive, colorful vases in every room. Multiple recipes were
explored while breads were baked, cakes decorated and side dishes
mixed together in abundance amounts. Beef, ham, chicken, and pork
were slaughtered and prepared for the big day, while Louise ordered
the printing of invitations which were hand delivered, while more
than a hundred telegrams were sent. She had unpacked her old
wedding gown, handed down through four generations - Julia being
the fourth - and ordered an immediate fitting. It was altered
within less than two days’ time, with three women working on it,
practically around the clock.

Much to Julia's irritation and amazement,
the gown fit like a white satin glove, hugging her delicate curves
and accenting all the right places. The three foot train flowed
behind her, with the veil hanging delicately to her hips. Tiny
pearls were stitched to the neckline and sleeves, since it was a
tradition to improve on the original design. The only contrast to
the snow white gown was a small delicate broach Daniel had
purchased and insisted on having attached on the bodice. Not at the
neckline as the tailor would have preferred, but at the apex of her
cleavage.

The broach was a 14 karate creation in the
shape of a crown; encased in a row of tiny sapphires surrounding a
four karat emerald. The entire design was about four inches in
diameter and sparkled as the light caught it. The stones had been
part of a tie tack and cufflink set Daniel’s father had left him
upon his death, with the exception of the emerald. That was a new
addition. The whole design had been a symbol nobody understood,
except for Daniel, who smiled when he saw the completed project.
After all, he thought with a smile when he gave it to Louise the
day of their wedding; a princess needed a crown.

Louise didn't know about the agreement
between Daniel and her daughter; it was their wish not to confide
in her. The woman had been through too much already and neither
Daniel nor Julia wanted to add to her distress, so they pasted on
smiles and held hands whenever they knew anyone was watching and
pretended to be passionately in love. Not that it had fooled
Jeremy, though. He could see through the pretense and confronted
Julia the first chance he had to get her alone, the day before her
wedding.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"
he snapped, pulling her into the sitting room and quietly shutting
the door.

"Don't start with me Jeremy; I'm not in the
mood to discuss this stupid thing with you."

"So you admit you're not marrying Daniel out
of love? So why the hell are you going through with this
farce?"

"I don't have a choice. I made a bargain I
didn't think he'd accept and Daniel called me on it. I have to go
through with the plans."

"Julia damn it," he cursed, his temper full
blown, nearing the point of no return. "Why are you allowing the
bastard to do this to you?"

"Daniel isn't..."

"Not Daniel," her brother interrupted. "I
meant father. How can you let him control you? He's dead Julia,
tell him to go to hell and live your own life." Julia knew she
could never explain to her brother why she was marrying Daniel.
Hell, she could barely explain it to herself. She couldn't let him
know, that without this marriage both he and their mother could
lose everything. He would never be able to marry his Malinda and
Louise would never be able to return to Europe.

"Dad has nothing to do with this," she
defended finally, hoping to sound as confident as she pretended to
be. "This is between Daniel and myself and that's all there is to
it. You're supposed to be happy for me, little brother. You're not
supposed to be trying to talk me out of getting married."

"It's not Daniel I'm against, I like him and
I think he cares a great deal for you, but I just don't like to see
you hurt. Father has condemned you to living with a man you don't
love and bearing children you don't want. Can you do that and not
honestly say you'll never regret it?"

"I'm not going to sleep with Daniel,
Jeremy," she announced, irritated by her brother's sudden change of
attitude. One minute he was defending the man, the next he was
tearing him apart. It was as though he didn't know what to think,
just so long as somebody got the blame. “The marriage won’t be
consummated. It will be a marriage in name only.”

"Did Daniel agree to this?" Jeremy asked,
shocked and stunned by her news. He couldn't believe a man like
Daniel Browning was going to let his wife - hell, his bride! - get
away with not having sex. Jeremy frowned as he thought about
Malinda. He knew without a doubt, he would never have agreed to a
ridiculous arrangement like that.

"Yes he did agree, willingly in fact,” Julia
answered; a tone of disbelief and disappointment echoed through her
words. “He only wants the land, Jeremy. He doesn't want me."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Of course I am. Why else would he have
agreed so eagerly?"

"What about you? Did you agree to the same
conditions?"

"Who do you think made them?" Jeremy walked
to his sister where she sat rigid in a chair next to the fireplace
and leaned down, laying his hands gently on her shoulders, forcing
her to look up into his eyes.

"If you agreed and you thought of the
condition Jules, then why do you sound like your heart's breaking?"
She knew how she sounded, but she couldn't keep the disappointment
from her voice. Did she really want to keep the man at arm's
length, or could she find her way into his bed, after all?

Saturday morning arrived with its usual
hustle and bustle of farm life, but this day was by several degrees
worse. Daniel had secured a marriage license and Louise had
finished putting the final touches to everything the night before.
Julia hadn't slept more than four hours the entire night and found
small circles under her eyes when she looked in the mirror.
Somehow, it seemed a fitting addition of her current mood.

As she sat staring into the oval mirror of
her vanity, she began thinking of her dream wedding. She had spent
many childhood years daydreaming of this day, as she and Heather
Farnsworth planed and contemplated their day of glory.

They would marry in a double ceremony, so
they could always share their joy together. There would be an
orchestra and a huge buffet, catered by only the finest chefs
brought over from Europe, just for this special day. They would
decorate the entire town with tinsel and balloons, and the church
bells would ring, announcing their marriages.

A team of white horses would carry them to
the chapel in a coach of solid gold and when they walked down the
aisle, their future husbands would smile and stand straight and
proud, because they were going to belong only to that one man,
forever and eternity.

Heather would be Julia's witness and Julia,
Heather's. They would announce that they were pregnant on the same
day and have their babies in the same room together; both boys
named after their fathers. The one thing they always planned on,
above all the else was that the men they were marrying would be
passionately in love with them. Who would have imagined that Julia
would be marrying in compliance with her father's will, or that
Heather wouldn't be here to share her day?

"Oh, Heather," she whispered, as tears
streaked down her pale cheeks. "Why did you have to leave me? I
need you, so much." Julia laid her head on her arm and sobbed from
too many years of loneliness and solitude. Her life was a mess, the
man she wanted to love her, only wanted her land, and her best
friend was dead and buried. Even her father was gone. God, what
else could go wrong in her life?

Reverend Parker had agreed to perform the
ceremony and Daniel had asked Harold to stand as his witness. Julia
didn't have any friends left in Kentucky, most had moved on after
graduating school or getting married, so she asked her mother to
stand beside her. Louise had acted as though it was the greatest
honor of her life to be her daughter's maid of honor.

The service was an elaborate affair,
surprisingly so considering the short notice to make all the plans.
There were flowers lining the walls of the small church, the pews
were tied together with large satin bows in the color of the sky
and the church choir leader was at the piano, playing a variety of
reverent, romantic tunes. Jeremy had agreed to escort his sister
down the aisle in the absence of their father and was dressed in
the new black suit and waistcoat his mother had ordered for him.
Daniel stood at the end of the aisle next to Harold, smiling as she
approached him in a manner that confused her. She tried to look
happy, but found herself fighting the tears from her eyes. She
wanted to be happy, it was her wedding day after all, but she
couldn’t bring herself to be more than nervous.

Reverend Parker ended the wedding ceremony
as he had so many before, announcing to those who watched that they
were man and wife, but what followed nearly knocked Julia off her
feet.

Daniel pulled her to him, smiling softly as
he lowered his lips to hers. The moment they touched, Julia felt a
knot tighten in her stomach. He took her in his arms and what she
expected to be a simple act, turned out to be a soul searching,
knee weakening kiss, filled with more passion than she could have
imagined. Her arms wrapped around his neck voluntarily as he held
her tightly to his chest. The tip of his wet tongue, forced her
lips apart, then darted inside with such eager exploration, she was
certain the skies had turned black and time had stood still.

He explored the depths of her mouth, as
though he had found a rare and valued treasure. The tenderness
brought a sting of tears to her eyes and her back arched
voluntarily into his embrace. She was lost and she knew it. If he
chose to push his rights and take her to their wedding bed, she
knew he wouldn't find any opposition.

When he released her several moments later,
she felt a sudden rush of disappointment wash over her; she had
hoped for more, had wanted to feel more and learn more. But as his
eyes searched hers, she became painfully aware of the guests who
sat watching them and felt the color steal into her cheeks. Daniel
chuckled and pulled her against him, hugging her tightly.

"You're priceless," he whispered against her
ear, sending waves of goose bumps across her flesh. When he
released her again, it was with a soft groan of reluctance.

He continued to hold her, keeping her within
a few feet of him the entire day. His arms would wrap around her
waist whenever he came near and she found his touch stimulating and
arousing. Her cold heart was beginning to melt and he knew it. His
attention on her was keen and alert, and whenever another man came
within three feet of her, he was there. He acted the part of the
doting, adoring groom and made everyone think he had married her
for love alone and not for what her father had given her.

As the evening came to a halt, Julia felt
herself falling into a pit of despair. She knew everything he did
that day was for the sake of those watching. She also knew when it
came time to go upstairs, it would be to separate rooms and
separate beds.

Julia was ushered to the winding staircase
by a gentle hand on her arm. When she glanced around she saw Daniel
holding onto her. Why should that surprise her? It had been his
hands she felt all afternoon. He walked up the first four stairs
with her and stopped suddenly. She glanced behind them and saw the
group of females gathered below the staircase.

"What's going on?" she whispered, hearing
his chuckle against her back.