The Marriage Bargain. Angel Moore

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СКАЧАТЬ of how much his life was about to change threatened to overwhelm him at any moment.

      * * *

      “I do.” Lily stood in front of Reverend Dismuke and repeated the marriage vows.

      Daisy and Tucker had agreed with Edward, and it had only been a matter of hours before they’d arrived at the church. Long enough for Lily to change to her best dress. The lingering hint of smoke in its fibers reminded her of the reason she was doing this. When she’d prepared for bed the night before, she’d never have dreamed today would be her wedding day.

      Edward took her hand and slid a small gold band onto her finger. She’d told him she didn’t need a ring, but he’d insisted, saying it was another way to reinforce their union in the eyes of the community. He’d escorted her into the general store and asked her to choose from the tray of rings. She’d been relieved when he’d asked Mr. Croft to assist them, leaving Mrs. Croft sputtering and mumbling as she’d moved on to help another customer.

      Lily looked at the delicate, plain ring. Edward didn’t release her hand for the rest of the short ceremony. His hands were large but gentle. And strangely comforting, as if he was trying to reassure her they were doing the right thing.

      “You may kiss the bride.” Reverend Dismuke’s words rang out in the nearly empty church. Only Daisy and Tucker, with their twin sons and baby daughter, sat on the bench opposite the reverend’s wife, who kept an arm around the shoulders of Edward’s niece. Lily wasn’t sure if it was an effort on the woman’s part to comfort Ellen or an attempt to keep the child from fleeing. The young girl had refused to attend until Edward told her she had no choice.

      Edward took his other hand and turned Lily’s chin to face him. A small smile played on his lips. He’d said they’d have an easier time overcoming the gossip if everyone was convinced their marriage was born of affection and not shame. But did he honestly intend to kiss her?

      “Relax,” he whispered. Then he grazed her cheek with the briefest of contact.

      In an instant Lily found herself wrapped in her sister’s hug while the preacher clapped Edward on the back and congratulated him.

      Why was everyone so merry? They all knew she and Edward, given the choice, would never have married. Well, maybe the Dismukes didn’t know that, but her family did.

      Daisy held her hands and spoke, “We’re taking Ellen home with us for the night.” She gave a nod in the direction of the bench where Edward’s niece still sat clinging to her handkerchief doll. Lily had never seen the child without that doll.

      Lily watched as Edward accepted Tucker’s welcome into their family. Lily hadn’t thought about being alone with Edward. No, she needed Ellen to be at the cabin tonight. And every night.

      “That’s not necessary.”

      Daisy smiled and patted her hand. “We insist. I’ve already told her she can sleep in Rose’s room.”

      “But...” Lily felt her life spinning like a toy top. She had to maintain some form of control.

      Edward turned and met her gaze. He must have sensed her desperation, because he came to stand beside her. He was close enough for her to feel the warmth of him, but he didn’t touch her. “Tucker just told me they’ve invited Ellen to their place.”

      “She can stay with us. There’s no need.” Better to face Ellen’s reluctance than to face alone a husband she hadn’t expected to have.

      He leaned in to speak near her ear. His breath ran across her neck, leaving a chill with each word. “We’ve got a lot of things to sort out. I’d like to do it without Ellen’s eager ears close by.”

      What did he want to sort out? She straightened her shoulders. There were a myriad of things. How they would handle finances, daily chores, the rebuilding of the workroom in her shop, and how to protect Ellen.

      She agreed.

      “Thank you, Daisy. That’s very kind of you.” Lily smiled at her sister but knew the smile didn’t reach her eyes. Numbness was the only sensation she experienced at the moment, and she feared it would fade into regret.

      Ellen plodded over to Edward. “Do I gotta go to the Barlows’ farm?” Her bottom lip protruded, and the doll hung from her crossed arms.

      He lifted the little girl’s chin with one knuckle. “You know you love to go visit the Barlows. You can play with baby Rose.” He smiled at her and patted her shoulder. “You’ll have a good time, I promise. You can come say hello in the morning on your way into town for school.”

      Daisy moved to stand behind Ellen and put a hand on her shoulder. “Why don’t we go by your cabin and get some clothes? Then we’ll head out to the farm, and you can help John and James feed the animals.”

      Ellen’s eyes aimed a dart of resentment at Lily before she agreed to Daisy’s suggestion. “Bye, Uncle Edward.”

      “Goodbye, Ellen.” As she started to tromp away, Edward called to her again. “Ellen, you forgot to tell your aunt Lily goodbye.”

      “Aunt Lily? I gotta call her ‘aunt’?”

      “You are permitted to call her Aunt Lily.” He tilted his head to one side. “It’s a privilege.”

      A long sigh came from her little body. “Bye, Aunt Lily.”

      “Goodbye, Ellen.” She smiled at the girl, wondering how she must feel. Without warning, her home had changed today, and there was nothing she could do about it. In a way, Lily understood her childish frustration. She was almost tempted to cross her arms and pout, too.

      Edward offered Lily his arm. She knew he was merely keeping up appearances. It was comforting and unsettling at the same time. Their marriage was the only way to remove themselves from the whirlwind of tortuous rumors they’d been caught up in for the past twenty-four hours.

      Lily wanted to protect their good names. Individually. Hooking her hand on his arm and leaving the church felt as false as the lies Mrs. Croft had spread about them. Were they perpetrating one lie to negate the effects of another lie? Would God honor them for trying to save Ellen? She hoped so.

      They rode in silence to her shop. Edward set the brake on the wagon.

      “Do you need a few minutes to put your things together?” he asked.

      Most of her clothes and personal belongings were still in trunks and crates. There would be little to pack.

      She looked across the street to the cabin she would now share with Edward. Her husband.

      Her husband? She had come here to escape a marriage to a man who only wanted a companion for his ailing mother. Now she sat in a wagon between the shop she was opening to start a new independent life and a cabin where her primary role would be to care for a young girl she’d only known a few days. A girl who’d made it plain that Lily was an intruder in her turbulent young life.

      Lily had heard stories of people who disappeared in the night, leaving only a note for their loved ones, striking out on their own, hoping for a fresh start. She’d come here for that reason—with the blessing and help of her family. Had it only taken two days for her world to turn upside down?

      Edward’s СКАЧАТЬ