The Marriage Bargain

“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 touch on her sleeve drew her attention. “Are you all right?”

It was tempting to write a note and steal away in the night. But she could never leave her sisters and father like that. Not after all her father had done to give her a new life. Somehow she’d make this work. Edward had noble intentions, which was more than she could say for her former fiancé, Luther Aarens.

She shook off her thoughts and accepted her fate. “Fine, thank you.”

Edward nodded toward her shop. “You’ll want to get your clothes and such.”

“Yes.” She scooted to the edge of the wagon seat away from him and prepared to step down. “I’ll need a little while to put some things back into the trunks.”

“Wait a minute. I’ll help you down.” He climbed from the wagon and came around to assist her. With the briefest of contact, he lifted her and set her on the ground. “You go in and take care of that. I’ll make space in the cabin for you.”

She looked at him when he spoke, but his gaze went over her shoulder. When he did focus on her, she turned away. “I won’t need much space.” She twisted her hands together.

“I remember you had a couple of pieces of large furniture upstairs.” He pointed to the window of her front room above the shop. “From when I helped carry it in.”

Awkward held new meaning as they stood talking about her things. Things she hadn’t thought she’d share with anyone. Things she’d brought to make her comfortable in her new home. Nothing was turning out as she’d planned.

She remembered a verse in Proverbs. “In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” Her faith in God would have to sustain her now. There was no course except to move forward as she’d agreed.

“We can move those things another day. If you don’t mind, we can just get my clothes and personal items today. Perhaps Tucker can help with the furniture later.”

Edward shuffled from one foot to another. He must be as nervous as she was. “That’s good.” He dipped his head and looked over his shoulder at the cabin. “I’ll just be on my way, then.”

He turned and took a step. Not knowing she was going to do it before it happened, Lily reached for his arm. He stilled and turned back to her.

“I know this isn’t what either of us thought we’d be doing today.” When he looked at her hand on his arm, she dropped it. “I hope we can make this work without everything being uncomfortable or awkward.”

His thin lips curled into a half smile. He really was a giant of a man. Tall and broad with all the strength she imagined a blacksmith would need to do his job. But the softness of the smile and the way his almost-black eyes twinkled was a pleasant surprise. “No promises about not feeling awkward for a while. I haven’t shared my home with another living soul until Ellen came to live with me a few months ago. I’m not quite sure you and I will see eye to eye on everything. It’s a big adjustment to get to know someone new. I’m guessing we complicated it more than a little bit by getting married before we could do that.”

She felt herself smiling in return. “That’s a wise observation, Mr. Stone. I’m sure you’re right.”

“That’s what I mean.”

The smile faded and she asked, “What?”

“Mr. Stone? Really? Is that how you intend to address me?”

She gave a small chuckle. “I see. No. I don’t think that will do any longer.” She drew back her shoulders and took hold of her future with all her strength. “Edward, I’ll be about a half hour preparing my things to move into our home. If you’d be so good as to meet me in the shop after you’ve finished preparing a space for me, I’ll be most grateful.”

She gave a little giggle. “How was that?”

He laughed in a deep tone. “That’s just fine.” He nodded. “Just fine, indeed.”

When he headed for the cabin, she entered the shop. As she climbed the stairs to the home she’d only spent two nights in, she marveled that it would be the only two nights of her life spent as an independent woman.

Her dream of a shop wasn’t dead. She wouldn’t let it die. But her independence was over. She prayed for God to help her as she packed away the things she’d so carefully placed in her new home. When she’d asked for a new life, she wasn’t prepared for this twist. God would have to light her path, because it was one she’d never dreamed would be hers.

In one major event, she’d gone from Lily Warren, milliner and shop owner, to Lily Stone, milliner, shop owner, wife and mother.

Chapter Four (#ulink_61f81f1e-e239-5595-9025-f309edae99b6)