Page 393 of Conveniently Wed
“A mute, Mr. Richardson? You have no idea who you married.”
“Please call me Josiah, then you may explain that remark.” He let out a soft chuckle. “I must admit that my interest is more than a little piqued.”
She couldn’t believe he had the nerve to laugh. Her hands balled into fists, and her voice turned edgy.
“I’m just another one of those small mercies the Yankees afforded you, Mr. Richardson.” She purposely used his last name. “Without that blasted war and their burning rampage, you wouldn’t have had the leverage needed to force my hand in marriage.”
The smile that had been pulling at the side of his mouth vanished. Hurt flashed in his eyes, turning them gunmetal gray.
She’d said too much. However, had he taken the time to get to know her, he would’ve known that her temper got away from her on many an occasion, and she was never short on opinions.
“I was not aware how you felt. The least you could have done was to be honestbeforethe wedding. Hmm?”
She dared not look at him. He was right, but her family’s need had silenced her.
“After all, I did visit, did I not?” His voice no longer held laughter. “Katherine, please look at me.”
She shifted in her seat and raised her chin before meeting his stare head on.
“I’m not some young buck wet behind the ears. I anticipated that we would need to take time to get to know each other before this would grow into a loving relationship.”
His eyes pierced right through her, but she was determined to not turn away like a coward.
“However, when your father told me that he wouldn’t agree to the match without your permission, I assumed that we were both in agreement. Was I wrong?”
Katie melted under his burning gaze. She shrank into the padded seat and looked down at her hands. Best to be honest.
She lifted her head. “I shoot with a straight arrow, Mr. Richardson. I agreed to the arrangement to help my family, and I intend to fulfill my end of the bargain.” Her face flushed with heat at the thought of what that agreement would include. “I’ll be your wife, bear your children, and help out in any way I can,but I will not promise love. I cannot promise love.” Her gaze dropped to the ring on her finger. She fidgeted under his stare and circled the ring around and around. “Love was never part of this deal.”
Silence filled the carriage after his bride’s harsh words. Thick. Oppressive. Josiah could not believe the pickle he’d gotten himself into.
That incident in the woods had started this insanity. His overwhelming sense of protectiveness toward her had kicked in way back. Then, to find her working in a saloon in the presence of such unsavory characters… That sent his mind on a trip from which he had never returned.
The pluck of that girl was something special, something that bridged the gap between boredom and interest, so different from what the other women had to offer. She was someone he could see himself wanting to spend time with at the end of the day. The fact that her beauty was unparalleled could not be denied, but that brought out his need to protect, to provide, to propose. From honor to need, his motivation and thoughts tossed back and forth like a rowboat on a stormy sea.
He could not explain why his feelings had intensified and somehow had become as permanent as the skin on his bones. He hated the power his emotions had over him, and yet loved them, for he once again felt alive.
He’d chalked up her shy demeanor when he’d visited to inexperience. His ego had convinced him that she would react the same with any suitor. Little did he realize the resentment that flowed beneath the surface and the bitterness that brewed.After weathering years of loneliness, here he was wanting a life with someone who may never want a life with him.
Half of her wished he would start chatting again, but the other half surmised it was better they’d had this discussion from the start rather than somewhere down the line. She comforted herself with the fact that, in their agreement, she didn’t owe him anything more than she was prepared to give. The truth remained the truth. If he had wanted to marry for love, he should have picked someone in love with him.
“Look outside, Katherine.” All humor had leached from his deep voice. His words sounded like a command. “I want you to see your new home. Because, if you thought your snappish words were a way out for you, you can think again. When I make a commitment, I keep it. I made one not only to you, but to your family as well.”
A dart of guilt pierced her heart at the reminder about her family, the sole reason she had agreed to the arrangement. In her anger, she had forgotten, and yet he had remembered. One hand bunched the silk of her dress into a knot while the other pulled the curtain aside.
The carriage stopped as the driver hopped from his seat and opened the gate supported by two brick pillars.Richardsonwas engraved in a brass plate imbedded in one of the pillars. Richardson. The name of the richest man in town. Now, her name. The carriage lurched forward through the gate and stopped. This time, Mr. Richardson was out before the driver could dismount.
“I’ve got it, Abe.”
This humble act of closing the gate both confused her and softened her heart. He jumped back in as if it was a normal occurrence. The rich and haughty did not treat their black hired help like equals, and yet Mr. Richardson did. He was not one of the many angry Southerners who resented having to pay their colored help or set them free.
The long road bedded with fine gravel curved up to a large stone mansion perched on a knoll. A row of sturdy evenly spaced maples lined both sides, their leaves burnished a brilliant red. Captivated by the enormity of the house, she could not stop her mouth from dropping open. The stately two-story building made of gray brick was accented with smooth river rock at its base. The white colonnaded portico that skirted the base was like welcoming outstretched arms—to the rich, and the very rich.
“This is your home?”
“This isourhome.”
“You should’ve brought me here before we married.” She shot him an accusing look.
