Tracie Peterson & Judith Miller - [Lights of Lowell 01] (14 page)

‘‘I appreciate your willingness to join with me in accepting his terms, dear. This will all work out for the best, I’m sure.’’

A knock sounded at the front door, and Jasmine checked her reflection one last time. ‘‘There he is. I’d best go down.’’

Jasmine lifted the skirt of her gown ever so slightly before descending the stairs, followed by her grandmother. She could feel Bradley’s gaze upon her as she approached, but she purposefully ignored him. Instead, she turned to Martha, who was holding her shawl, lace gloves, and beaded miser purse. Moving in slow motion, she pulled on one glove and then the other in leisurely fashion. She then took the purse from Martha and methodically reviewed its contents.

When her shawl had finally draped to her satisfaction, she turned around and faced Bradley. ‘‘I believe I’m ready to leave when you are, Mr. Houston.’’

If her actions annoyed him, he didn’t reveal his dissatisfaction.

Instead, he smiled and offered his arm. ‘‘We can leave immediately,’’ he said.

She leaned down and kissed her grandmother’s cheek before taking Bradley’s arm.

‘‘You look quite lovely this evening, Jasmine. Orange becomes you,’’ Bradley emoted.

‘‘Peach.’’

‘‘Excuse me?’’

‘‘The color is peach, not orange.’’

‘‘Oh, I see. In that case, peach becomes you, as does the style of the dress. I was pleased to see you had taken such pains to look your most beautiful tonight. I feared you might come down in sackcloth and ashes.’’

‘‘That would have been my preference. However, Grandmother insisted I dress appropriately.’’

He emitted a deep belly laugh that completely surprised her.

‘‘I realize your youth is responsible in large part for your audacity.

However, you’ll learn that I will tolerate only occasional impudence. Fortunately for you, this evening happens to be one of those instances.’’ He helped her into the closed carriage, then with great audacity, sat close beside her.

Jasmine hugged her side of the carriage, desperate to avoid even the aroma of his cologne. ‘‘Since you are being so tolerant, I suppose I should move forward with great boldness. I’ve hesitated to ask previously, but I would like to know your age. I’m certain you won’t mind sharing such private information with your future wife.’’

‘‘I am pleased to hear you’ve accepted your role as my future wife, albeit I may have detected a caustic ring to the words. As for my age, I’m thirty-nine. Old enough to channel your zealous behavior in the proper direction, yet young enough to father your children.’’

‘‘Mr. Houston!’’

‘‘If you ask cheeky questions, you should expect answers in kind.’’

‘‘I expect nothing but the worst from you,’’ she replied.

He appeared to consider this for a moment before continuing.

‘‘Jasmine, you can make this very easy or very difficult. I cannot deny I have goals and ambitions in taking you as my wife; however, I am prepared to forget our rather rocky beginning and work toward a smooth path. You may find the aspect of our union to be completely abominable, but I assure you it will not change my mind on the matter. I intend to be your husband. The sooner you get used to the idea and accept it, the better for all concerned.’’

‘‘Hardly that,’’ Jasmine retorted. She tried hard to keep from allowing tears to come to her eyes. ‘‘I do not think it better to marry a man I do not love—cannot abide—rather than return to my father’s house and remain a spinster. Does it not bother you in the least that I do not love you—that I will never love you?’’

Bradley surprised her by laughing. ‘‘You are such a child. If only the choices were that simple. This has nothing to do with love.’’

‘‘Exactly my point,’’ Jasmine declared. She determined to ignore him rather than partake in his verbal sparring, and for the remainder of their carriage ride, she turned a deaf ear to his questions. But he seemed not to care, eventually growing silent himself. The carriage came to a halt in front of a gambrel-roofed frame home, banked by an abundance of birches and pines. It was, Jasmine decided, a cozy-appearing house that seemed to beckon visitors enter and stay for a while.

A servant took their wraps and then directed them toward Mr. and Mrs. Harper. Their hosts stood below the two steps leading into the drawing room, and after proper introductions had been made, Bradley escorted Jasmine into the large candlelit room. The rug had been rolled back and couples danced in the center of the room while others congregated in small groups around the perimeter, the muted light causing their shadows to flutter upon the walls. They appeared to go unnoticed until Josiah Baines called out Bradley’s name and waved in their direction.

‘‘Come join us. We’ve plenty of questions, don’t we, Thomas?’’ Josiah said, drawing Thomas Clayborn into the conversation as Bradley and Jasmine neared the men.

‘‘Ah, so this is the future Mrs. Bradley Houston, I take it,’’ Josiah remarked. ‘‘I’m pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Wainwright.’’ He leaned toward Jasmine in a conspiratorial fashion. ‘‘We already know your name since the Boston Associates are quite impressed with your father’s cotton empire.’’

‘‘And because Bradley shared your wedding plans with us at our last meeting,’’ Wilson Harper added as he joined the group.

He slapped Bradley on the shoulder. ‘‘I can see why he was anxious to announce his betrothal.’’

Jasmine blushed at the remark, but her presence was soon forgotten as the men’s conversation shifted to talk of the mills and reduced productivity. Her attention soon shifted to the laughing couples swirling around the room.

‘‘Would you care to dance?’’

She startled and turned at the voice, for her thoughts were distant. ‘‘Why, yes, Nolan. I would be pleased to dance with you.’’

She began to walk toward the dance floor, and he touched her arm.

‘‘Let me ask Bradley’s permission. We don’t want to offend him.’’ He gave her a lopsided grin. ‘‘It would serve no useful purpose.’’

Jasmine nodded and waited. Bradley looked at her before returning his attention to Nolan. She waited, wondering if Bradley was denying the request, but Nolan returned, took her hand, and led her onto the dance floor.

‘‘He didn’t object?’’

‘‘Why should he? Bradley’s hoping to impress the Associates, and he can’t do that if he’s on the dance floor. If you’re otherwise occupied, he won’t be required to leave his discussion.’’

Jasmine shrugged. ‘‘He won’t leave his conversation on my account. Bradley knows I have no desire to dance with him.’’

Nolan moved back an arm’s length and arched his eyebrows into twin peaks. ‘‘You told him that?’’

‘‘No. There was no need. He knows exactly how I feel about him.’’

‘‘But he just now told me the two of you are to be wed.’’

‘‘Since we will soon be related, I don’t think your brother will mind if I share with you the actual reason
why
we will be married.’’

‘‘It’s really not my business, Miss Wainwright. As you likely noticed upon first meeting us at your plantation, both our age and our interests divide Bradley and me. We live, if you will, in different worlds. Bradley enjoys amassing wealth and influence. However, I find my pleasure in seeking the beauty of God’s hand in nature and creativity. Of course, I attempt to find God’s beauty in mankind also, but it becomes increasingly difficult,’’ he said and then smiled at her.

She tilted her head to one side and looked into his eyes. ‘‘Your smile is filled with sadness.’’

‘‘Perhaps because I feel so inadequate to make changes in the evils of mankind. My labors seem fruitless and my prayers continue to go unanswered.’’

‘‘Mammy says no prayer goes unanswered,’’ Jasmine said gently.

‘‘She says God responds to every request with either a ‘yes,’ a ‘no,’ or ‘not right now.’ ’’

Nolan nodded. ‘‘And I’m certain Mammy and the rest of the Negroes living down South are quite used to hearing God’s ‘not right now’ response to their prayers.’’

‘‘Well, I certainly hope God isn’t going to deny my prayers regarding marriage to your brother. This wedding will be nothing more than a charade. The entire idea is nothing more than a proposed business arrangement. I’ve not yet discussed the bargain with my father, and consequently, I’m not privy to all of the details. In fact, my father hasn’t even formally agreed to the marriage.’’

‘‘Possibly you won’t be forced into the marriage after all,’’ he said uneasily.

‘‘I fear all chance of such an escape has been ruined.’’

He led her from the dance floor and retrieved two cups of punch from a nearby table. They walked out the wide door leading into a small garden off the drawing room. The rosebushes were in full bloom, filling the summer night with an intoxicating fragrance.

‘‘Will your father not listen to your protest? Surely he’ll be offended that Bradley has announced your engagement without gaining his consent.’’

‘‘I can’t tell him what Bradley has done.’’ She surprised herself by explaining the requirement exacted by Bradley after his discovery she’d attended the antislavery meeting.

Nolan rubbed his palm across his forehead as though he were trying to erase what Jasmine had told him. ‘‘I wish I could tell you I’m surprised by his deed, but I can’t. My brother mentioned his intentions some time ago. However, I shall pray that having you in his life will soften and change him so that one day he will realize what is truly important.’’

‘‘No doubt he had formulated his plans from the moment he set foot in our home. How is it that two brothers who were reared in the same household could be so dissimilar?’’

Nolan glanced over his shoulder toward where his brother stood in the drawing room. ‘‘Bradley was fifteen years old when I was born. He was being groomed to take over my father’s business.

Quite frankly, another child was quite unexpected so late in my parents’ lives. My father took little interest in a second son. After all, he had already set in motion the plan to ensure his shipping business would survive. Consequently, I spent much more time with my mother, who was an artist. From an early age, I would sit and read the book of Psalms to her while she created lovely pastoral settings with her oil paints.’’

‘‘And were you jealous of Bradley and his close connection to your father and his business?’’

Nolan smoothed down the lapel of his wool coat. ‘‘No. Quite the contrary. I thought my life wonderful—I still do. I never wanted to trade places with Bradley. When our father died, Bradley inherited the entire business. A year later our mother died. I inherited her paintings, as well as her small art collection, and the family home.’’

‘‘Did you not feel a twinge of jealousy when Bradley inherited the business?’’

Nolan laughed. ‘‘No. Bradley had worked for years with my father. He loved the business and deserved to receive it. Besides, I had always known Bradley would inherit the business, and I knew I would receive Mother’s artwork. However, I would much prefer her company to her art collection. I still miss her.’’

‘‘I can’t imagine what it must have been like to lose both your parents in such a short period of time. Of course, you and Bradley had each other, but I do hope you had other family to help you through your time of loss.’’

‘‘We have no other family in this country. Both of my parents emigrated from England at an early age. At the time of my mother’s death, my grandparents were all deceased, except my maternal grandmother, who had returned to England several years earlier. Bradley wasn’t around much. He was involved in negotiations to sell the business shortly after Mother’s death.’’

‘‘I don’t understand why he would sell the family business, especially since it was profitable and he claimed to enjoy it.’’

‘‘He had become acquainted with Nathan Appleton through the shipping business. Nathan was already heavily invested in the textile industry and was looking to expand his horizons by investing in a small shipping firm. It was through Nathan my brother learned about the Boston Associates and their powerful influence throughout New England. He became obsessed with the idea of becoming a member of their elite group.’’

‘‘Couldn’t he have entered into their numbers with his shipping firm?’’

‘‘Nathan was building his own shipping empire and didn’t want the competition. Even though Bradley assured him there was more than enough business for both of them, Nathan rejected the idea. The Associates required a sizable cash investment, more than Bradley had available without selling a substantial portion of the business. He wanted a more powerful position in the business world more than he wanted to retain the business, although I’m not certain the shipping firm wouldn’t have made him wealthier had he retained full interest in it.’’

Jasmine’s head was swirling with all the information Nolan had conveyed during the past half hour. The glimpse into Bradley’s life was even more unattractive than what she had conjured up in her own mind. It appeared his only goal in life was to achieve money and power.

‘‘How did you and Bradley happen to visit The Willows?’’

‘‘He wanted to find cotton growers in the South who would be willing to consider changing their markets from England to Boston. Through contacts in the shipping business, Bradley gained access to manifests with names of growers who shipped large quantities of cotton to England. Your family was his first choice to visit. However, he truly didn’t go to The Willows with marriage in mind. The availability of a prospective bride was an added bonus.’’

Jasmine pressed her fingertips to her temples. ‘‘And now I find myself unwittingly drawn into this quagmire. What little respect I might have had for Bradley has disappeared.’’

Engrossed in their conversation, they failed to hear the approaching footsteps. ‘‘People are going to begin gossiping if you two remain secluded out here much longer.’’

Even in the darkness Jasmine could detect the disapproval in his eyes. She wondered how long Bradley had been listening.

C
HAPTER
•
11

J
ASMINE’S ENGAGEMENT
to Bradley Houston was soon spoken of in all the social circles. Jasmine found it laborious to accept congratulations for a marriage she hoped might never take place, and she avoided discussing the event whenever possible. Her grandmother tried to encourage Jasmine at times when the thought of marriage to Bradley left her particularly discouraged. Still, there was nothing she could do about it. This was, as her grandmother told her in no uncertain terms, the way things were done.