Marrying the Major

Freddie tried to seem bored, but his brows lifted with curiosity. Bessie greeted the boy, then said hello to Dora. Both children enjoyed the attention.

Caroline thought the first meeting went well. She turned to express her pleasure to Major Smith and saw a frown creasing the corners of his mouth. He dismissed the children with a terse order to go back inside, instructed Jon to report their arrival to the stage office, then motioned for Caroline and Bessie to enter the house. In the entry hall she saw a tall black man. When he broke into a smile, she thought of Charles.

“Good evening, Miss Bradley.” He greeted her with a slight bow. “Welcome to Wheeler Springs.”

Major Smith stood to the side. “Ladies, this is Sergeant Noah Taylor. Noah, I’d like you to meet the Bradley sisters, Miss Bessie and Miss Caroline.”

She and this man were peers and equals, employees of the major. Caroline extended her hand. “Please call me Caroline.”

“Yes, Caroline.”

He greeted Bessie with equal aplomb. Behind him a black woman emerged from the kitchen. Tall and graceful, she looked at Major Smith with a mix of dignity and frustration. “Good afternoon, sir.”

Major Smith answered with a nod. “Ladies, this is Evaline. She’s Noah’s wife and will show you to your rooms.”

“Yes, sir,” she said. “But first I must apologize.”

He raised one eyebrow. “Does this have something to do with my children being here?”

The woman dipped her chin. “I know you left orders to keep them at The Barracks, but they were lonely for you.”

Caroline loved Evaline on the spot. She’d risked a scolding to do right by the children. The major claimed no one disobeyed him, but his housekeeper had the freedom to follow her conscience. The major gave orders, but he wasn’t unreasonable. Deep down, he cared about people. It showed, if one knew where to look.

Looking wry, he traded a look with Noah. “I seem to have lost all authority.”

The man grinned. “No, sir. Just with Evaline.”

The major harrumphed but made no effort to scold the woman. Instead he seemed to forget all about the transgression. “See to it the Bradley women have bathwater and whatever else they need.” He turned back to Caroline. “Supper will be served at seven o’clock. The children will be present.”

“Yes, sir,” she answered.

Evaline indicated the stairs. “This way, ladies.”

The housekeeper led the way with Bessie behind her and Caroline bringing up the rear. When she reached the landing, she looked down. At the same instant, the major looked up. Their gazes locked in a test of wills. She’d defied him when she’d spoken to the children, and he’d let her. Neither had he chastised Evaline. The major conducted himself with acerbic authority, but his final decisions showed respect, even a deep caring, for his friends and family. Why would he be so cold on the outside when he plainly loved Freddie and Dora?

They looked away from each other at the same time. Silent but determined to bring joy to this troubled household, she followed Evaline and Bessie up the stairs.

It was a sad day when a man’s housekeeper disobeyed him and he let her. It was an even sadder day when he couldn’t control the governess, or even his own children. Wondering why he bothered to issue orders at all, Tristan went to his study, shut the door and dropped down in the leather chair. It squeaked, yet another act of defiance against his desire for quiet.

He couldn’t be angry with Evaline. He’d been happier to see Freddie and Dora than he could admit. But he’d held true to his resolve to keep his distance. With the malaria threatening his life, he had to stay strong for them. They had to learn they could live without him. The decision had seemed wise until Caroline skewered him by giving Dora the doll. He’d known how much his daughter missed her mother, but he hadn’t realized how alone he’d left his children. It took discipline to stay strong for them, but that’s what a father did … what an officer did. When everyone else succumbed to tears and flashes of temper, an officer kept his wits about him.

At the moment Tristan’s wits were in tatters. He needed another dose of quinine, but he hadn’t taken the bottles from Bessie’s medicine bag because he’d been distracted by the children. Neither did he have easy access to the small supply he’d brought from The Barracks. It was upstairs in his bedroom, and he didn’t want to pass his house-guests in the hall. He’d wait, but only for a bit.

To fortify himself, he picked up the letter that had been delivered before he’d left. Pennwright’s neat script was badly smudged, but he expected the man’s dry humor would be intact. He sliced the envelope with an opener, removed a single sheet and began to read.

Dear Tristan,

I’m writing to you with a heavy heart. Both of your brothers are dead.

Tristan read the opening words again, then a second time. As the ramifications sunk in, his insides shook the way they did before weapons were drawn for battle. The shaking signaled danger and the loss of life … his life … the life in Wyoming he wanted for his children. With his brothers dead, he’d become his father’s heir and the next duke of Willoughby. The clock in the entry gonged six times, a death knell to accent Pennwright’s perfect script.

As if surveying a battle report, he took in the rest of the letter. Andrew had died of cholera, and he’d left no sons or daughters. Tristan immediately thought of his widow, Louisa, alone and grieving without even children to comfort her. She’d broken his heart when she’d married his brother, but he held no bitterness. He only wondered why she jilted him and if somehow he’d failed her. Oscar had died a week after Andrew. Pennwright’s explanation chilled Tristan to the bone.

He died from a gunshot to the head. Your father is calling it a hunting accident.

Tristan knew his brother well enough to read between the lines. Oscar had called hunting the sport of fools. He didn’t like horses, exercise or perspiration. With a heavy heart, Tristan acknowledged what hadn’t been written. Oscar’s “hunting” accident had likely been suicide. Tristan viewed the deed as cowardice, but he understood why Oscar had done it. A man of little discipline, he’d have become the duke’s whipping boy.

Pennwright’s next words carried no surprise, but they jarred him nonetheless.

You, Tristan, are now heir to your father’s title and holdings. He wishes you to return to England immediately to assume your duties.

If Tristan had been healthy, he might have gloated at the irony. The son his father had dismissed as worthless now had value to him. But Tristan wasn’t well … Chances were good his father would outlive him, and Freddie would fall under the man’s influence. The thought chilled Tristan to the bone.

The duke could issue whatever orders he pleased, but Tristan wouldn’t snap mindlessly to attention. He had to protect his son. The duke had turned Andrew into a pampered poodle and Oscar into an alley cat. Tristan refused to be paraded like a pet, nor would he allow Freddie to be turned into Andrew or Oscar.

In the same breath, he recognized the profound responsibility of being a duke. He’d been born a third son, but he’d become a leader of men. By blood and British law, he had a duty to the people of Willoughby and wanted to fulfill his obligation with honor.

But he was also a father and he had to protect his son. Tristan was the only defense between Freddie and the duke. He refused to allow his son to be used and manipulated. Dora would suffer, too. His daughter would be valued solely for her worth as a future wife, not for the charming little girl she was. As long as Tristan and his father were both alive, he had time to come up with a strategy. There was no need to rush back to England, at least not yet.

Weary to the bone, he left Pennwright’s letter on the desk and headed to his room. After supper he’d speak to Jon about ways to protect Freddie. Tristan was a good strategist, but Jon had a more creative mind. First, though, he needed quinine.

He entered his suite and shut the door with a click. He took the dose of medicine, then washed his hands and changed into attire befitting a meal with the new governess and her sister. The women would talk throughout supper and so would his children. Jon would be charming, and Tristan would be stoic. With a bittersweet longing to be well again, he headed for the dining room, wearing the stiff upper lip he was so very tired of maintaining.

Chapter Six

Caroline had never had a better-tasting meal in her life … or a more awkward one. She was sitting to the right of Major Smith and across from Bessie. Jon was next to her sister, and Freddie was next to Jon. Little Dora sat in a child’s chair to Caroline’s right.

The instant she sat, Caroline had been determined to bring an air of cheerfulness to the meal. Jon and Bessie had been willing participants in the banter, but the major ignored everything except the food on his plate. He could have been eating in separate quarters, which she suspected he’d have preferred to Jon’s joking and the laughter of his children. How could he not smile at Dora’s face as she tasted the raspberry tart Evaline had made for dessert? Did he know Freddie imitated his every mannerism? Someone needed to open his eyes to the love he was denying his children. She wouldn’t do it tonight. His skin had the pallor of exhaustion, and he’d eaten more lightly than she would have expected. She couldn’t help but worry about him.

Unexpectedly Noah appeared in the doorway to the dining room. “Sir?”

“Yes, Noah?”

“I apologize for interrupting, but a courier delivered this letter.” He handed the envelope to the major. “He won’t leave until you reply.”

“That’s odd,” Jon said for them all.

Attempting to be nonchalant, the major opened the letter and began to read. His eyes flicked to the bottom of the page, then back to the top. As he read, his face turned into stone. Caroline glanced at Jon for a hint of understanding and saw his mouth tighten with apprehension.

Freddie broke the silence. “What does it say, Father?”

“It doesn’t concern you.” He stood abruptly and headed for the door, the letter dangling from his fingers.

Dora called after him. “Daddy! What’s wrong?”

If he heard the child, he’d chosen to ignore her. And if he hadn’t, he should have. These children had lost their mother and lived in a fragile world, one that could be easily shattered by their father’s thoughtless behavior. Caroline put her napkin on the table and stood. She looked first at Dora. “I’m going to talk to your father, okay? I’ll find out what’s wrong.”

Dora nodded too quickly.