Emmeline's Exile (The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides Book 5) Page 6

  Torn between concern and amusement, he asked, “Did you hurt yourself?”

  His wife waved him off. “Oh, I’m fine. There isn’t much down there though, is there? It was rather dimly lit. All I could make out were a few extra desks and some boxes of Christmas candles.”

  “I think the town just uses it for storage, mostly,” Lawson said.

  “Good, good. I’ve told your brother he can use it for his work.”

  Lawson stopped dead in his tracks. They had just come around the side of the schoolhouse and begun making their way down the street. “You told Jason he could use the cellar for his ‘work?’” he verified. “When did you see him?”

  “Oh, he stopped by about an hour ago. He said he’d had an idea and wondered if I would mind.” She shrugged. “It seemed like a harmless enough thing. He wants to store some things he’s purchased for his leather-working.”

  Lawson’s stomach gave a growl and he tugged Emmeline onward, heading down the street toward their home. Their home. The house he shared with his wife. He quite liked the sound of that. What he did not like the sound of, however, was his brother’s newfound interest in leather-working. “Did he happen to say why he needs to store it here when he still lives in Cheyenne?”

  “No. He did not.” Emmeline began to worry her lower lip between her teeth, and had Lawson not been so distracted, he might have let his mind wonder what it might feel like to nibble on her lips as well. He kept himself grounded however, and only allowed the briefest of un-gentlemanly thoughts to skate about his head before he cleared his throat. He needed to explain and try to make her understand.

  “My brother… he’s been known to… You see… he isn’t very…” Lawson made his best attempt to be kind, but what came out of his mouth instead was: “He is a rather foul individual, that brother of mine.”

  Emmeline laughed as they arrive at the garden gate that led into their yard. One, two, three, his dogs scrambled out from beneath the shade of the porch to greet them. They were barking up a storm, their tails waving enthusiastically, and Lawson felt Emmeline draw back behind him.

  “Settle down now. Settle!” The three quieted, and Cooper’s tail drooped sadly.

  Lawson tugged open the gate and led his wife past them, patting each on the head as he went. “Good boys,” he murmured, and he smiled reassuringly at Emmeline.

  She did not smile back, she was peering over her shoulder cautiously as the dogs moved to follow them up the front porch steps. Her expression was just as scared as it had been the night before.

  “They really won’t hurt you,” Lawson said. “I’ve worked with them for years.”

  Emmeline nodded, but Lawson saw her draw her hand away from Cooper as the pup attempted to give her fingers a friendly lick.

  Once inside the kitchen, with a sandwich apiece and a smile, Emmeline became her normal self once more. She was full of information about her morning and the supplies she had discovered still in the schoolhouse. “Once the grant comes through,” she said enthusiastically, “I’ll send away for some workbooks. I can order them by age group.”

  Lawson sat back in his seat, his sandwich already gone, and grinned at her. She was lit up from the inside like a lantern; all golden, happy glow. He wanted to find out if she was as warm as she looked, so, before he’d really paused to consider the matter, he reached out and took her hand.

  Emmeline stilled, and Lawson’s heart leapt in his chest when she returned the pressure of his fingers. “Are you happy?” he asked interestedly. “Happy you came, I mean? Happy… with me?”

  Her fingers tightened on his. “Very much so, Mr. Aldridge.”

  “Lawson,” he corrected her.

  “Lawson.” She smiled tenderly at him.

  He wanted to kiss her again, but she was straightening up, and her fingers fell away from his. Her expression had clouded over with some unknown emotion. What had happened? Women were very strange sometimes. With another soft smile and a pat, she reached for his plate and took it to the wash basin in the kitchen. “Do you think the mayor will still be at home?”

  Lawson frowned. Their shining moment had popped like a soap bubble. “Yes, I suppose. If he’s not there, he might be at the mine today.”

  “The mayor works in the mine?” Emmeline asked, confused.

  “No, but he often meets Mr. Brittler in the office there for lunch. Joseph Kent might be mayor of Buffalo Creek, but Mr. Brittler owns most of it. They talk business. Town developments…” he waved his hand in a dismissive circle as if to say, “Etcetera, etcetera.”

  They went to the mayor’s house first, and it was very lucky that they did. There they encountered the mayor’s assistant, a man by the name of Henry Bradford. He opened the front door just as Lawson raised his fist to knock.

  “Oh! Mr. Aldridge! Good morning!” He beamed at the pair of them through wire-rimmed spectacles, his arms full of rolled parchment that looked as though they might be building documents. “I hear congratulations are in order.” Shifting his burden to the side, he stuck out his hand to Emmeline. “Henry Bradford, at your service, my dear. You’re the new school teacher, are you not?”

  Lawson could tell that Emmeline took a liking to the man instantly. He looked to be about twenty-two or three. He had black hair combed neatly back from his face and an open, inquisitive expression that always reminded Lawson of a duck.

  “Yes, I am,” Emmeline beamed as she had her hand shaken. “We were actually hoping that the mayor might have a record of all the previous students. I’d like to visit with their parents today, so we can begin class as soon as possible.”

  “Right-O! You’re rather on top of things, aren’t you? You’ll fit right in around here. Why don’t you two come in? I’ll have a poke around in the mayor’s office and see if I can’t find what you’re after.”

  Lawson had never been inside the mayor’s residence. It wasn’t an especially grand house. In fact, it was probably close to the same size as his own. He looked around surreptitiously as they entered. The furnishings were all neatly polished and rather rigid. It lacked the cozy, homey feel of a home and really felt more like an office building.

  Mr. Bradford disappeared into the back room, shouting over his shoulder, “Have a seat. I’ll be back in a flash!”

  And he was. Lawson had hardly settled himself onto the edge of a very uncomfortable settee when he was back. Emmeline took the sheet of parchment he offered her with a smile, thanked the man, and they were on their way.

  Mr. Bradford followed them out the door, his rolls of building plans and notebooks back in his hands.

  “Busy afternoon ahead of you?” Lawson asked conversationally as the three of them stepped off the front walk, heading for the street.

  The younger man grinned at him. “I’ll say. You’ve given the mayor and Mr. Brittler quite a lot to think about, Mr. Aldridge.”

  “Sorry?” Lawson turned to examine Mr. Bradford, raising his eyebrows. “What was that?”

  Mr. Bradford winked. “It’s about time we had a few more ladies in this one-horse town, don’t you agree?” On that enigmatic note, he strolled off down the street, bouncing on every other step and humming tunelessly.

  “Well,” said Emmeline, staring after him. “He was a cheerful sort of fellow, wasn’t he?”

  Lawson glanced down at Emmeline’s face. “The odd thing is… he’s not usually.”

  “Not usually what?”

  “Cheerful,” laughed Lawson. “I’ve spoken with him a handful of times, and the poor man always seems harried and distressed. Not today, evidently.” He shook his head. “Never seen him in such a good mood before. What do you suppose he meant, about needing more ladies in town?”

  Emmeline shrugged. She was already looking down at the list of names Mr. Bradford had handed her. Lawson watched as she pulled the parchment right up close to her face, so that the tip of her nose was nearly touching it, and something clicked into place.

  “Shall I read it for you?” he asked gently.


  Emmeline whipped the paper down to her side. “No, I am quite all right, thank you very much,” she said stiffly.

  Lawson raised a supercilious eyebrow. “Oh, are you?”

  “Yes.” Her tone made it so very clear that the topic was not up for discussion that Lawson let it fall.

  They walked back to his pharmacy in silence, and Lawson, glancing at his pocket watch, realized he was a half an hour late to open back up after lunch. There was a handful of people milling about outside his shop.

  “Sorry! Sorry! Here I am!”

  Emmeline’s hand fell away from his arm as he withdrew his keys and inserted them into the lock. He ushered her over the threshold and indicated a stool behind the counter for her, then he flipped the ‘closed’ sign to read ‘open’ and hurried back to the cash register.

  An elderly man entered the shop first, glaring up at Lawson from two feet down. He banged his walking stick on the checking table as he grumbled, “I been waiting here for a whole entire hour, sonny. Where you been?”

  Lawson glanced guiltily at his new wife and away again quickly as the door opened for a second time. “Mr. Grunkle,” said Felicity Darling reprovingly over the chiming of the bell above the door. “You’re lucky Mr. Aldridge is here at all today. He was married yesterday, don’t you know?”

  “Married, eh?” The crochety Mr. Grunkle eyed Emmeline squintily. “Who is she then? Who’s her family?”

  Lawson frowned. “She’s Emmeline Wigg, and she came here from New York,” he said.

  “One of those mail-order deals, is it?” Mr. Grunkle banged his cane so hard on the table that it left a dent and caused Emmeline to flinch on her stool. “What’s a matter with ye?” he barked. “Ain’t enough men in yer own city, girlie?”

  Emmeline flushed scarlet and Lawson frowned. The lady behind him whacked him smartly on the top of the head with a rolled up newspaper. “Mr. Grunkle! Have you no manners at all? Emmeline will have her own reasons for wishing to travel here to marry Mr. Aldridge, and who could blame her? He’s much the kindest gentleman around town!”

  Mr. Grunkle made a noise of deep disapproval in the back of his throat as he handed Lawson his prescription sheet from Dr. Valentine. Lawson shook his head, smiled at Mrs. Darling, and moved to the shelves in the back room.

  Chapter Seven

  Emmeline was excited to set out to meet the parents of her pupils, but she knew she would not get very far in finding them without her husband’s guidance. She enjoyed the afternoon, wiling away the hours watching Lawson work. Most people, with the exception of the grouchy Mr. Grunkle, seemed friendly and cheerful. She did notice that the general portion of Lawson’s patrons were men. Some of them were nursing small injuries, and others dropped in simply to say hello.

  When five o’ clock came around, the hour was announced by a harsh steam whistle that echoed over the whole valley. Emmeline looked up at the sound and Lawson stood and stretched. “One more hour,” he said, pulling his arms up over his head.

  Emmeline suddenly wished she was just a bit closer to him. If she were nearer, she could see the way his muscles shifted, and the tired smile on his face. She just wanted to be able to see. She’d never missed her clear sight so much before. She had had it, when she was younger, but now every day was a warning of the coming blackness. It was drawing near, she knew it was. It was only a matter of time.

  Lawson was talking, and Emmeline brushed away her gloomy thoughts so that she could make sense of what he was saying to her.

  “—stay open an hour after the men come back from the mine. Gives them time to come in and pick up anything they haven’t had time for during the day.”

  “That’s awful kind of you.”

  Lawson shrugged. It looked as though he was toying with a pencil on his table top beside the blur that Emmeline knew to be the register. “I sometimes feel guilty,” he said suddenly. “Working in the mine isn’t exactly a laugh. It’s hard work, and dangerous a good amount of the time you’re down there.” He shook his head. “Being a pharmacist in a town full of men that risk their lives every day isn’t the most satisfying of occupations.”

  Emmeline smiled. “How can you say that? You’re just as important to this town as they are!”

  Lawson snorted.

  “You are! You spend your days helping people heal. If you weren’t doing this, no one else in this town would be learned enough to take care of these sorts of things.”

  “The town doctor…”

  “—might know what to recommend to his patients, but he is far too busy to run around after it. It looks as though you gather many of the herbs for this medication yourself!” Emmeline had wandered into the back of the shop this afternoon and ran her fingers over dried twigs and leaves that hung from the ceiling there.

  “Well… it does take a fair bit of knowledge…” There was no doubt about it. Lawson’s sober demeanor had fallen away. He was smiling again. He came right up to her perch, and Emmeline grinned as his handsome face came into focus. “You are very sweet,” he said. “Do you always see the best in everyone?”

  Emmeline chuckled, very aware of the fact that her husband’s hands had slid around her waist. “Perhaps it is only something I reserve for you,” she murmured.

  His grin widened. “Something special for me?” He bent his head so that their foreheads were nearly touching. “I quite like the sound of that.”

  He tilted his head nearer, and Emmeline was ready this time. She was flowing toward him. She had closed her eyes…

  The bell above the shop door gave an almighty jingle, and Lawson leapt away from her. Emmeline would have quite liked to hide her face in her hands as a handful of grimy workmen entered the pharmacy.

  One of them let out a low whistle and the others chuckled appreciatively.

  “S’cuse us for interrupting, Lawson,” said a man who had black coal stains on his cheeks and forehead. “This’ll be your new bride, I take it. Heard you went and got hitched yesterday. Congratulations.”

  Lawson moved out from behind the register and shook hands all around. He was clearly just as well liked by the miners or “working men” as he had called them, as he was by the rest of the town. Several men patted him on the back and one of them said. “Join us for drinks?”

  Lawson glanced over at Emmeline, who was smiling as she watched this affecting scene.

  Another man said, “Don’t be stupid, McMillan. He’s only been married for a day. We’ll take him out for drinks in a few weeks, once things’ve settled down.”

  “Thank you, gentlemen,” said Lawson. “Anyone need anything today?”

  Two men from the group had their prescriptions refilled, then waving and slapping Lawson on the back, the miners departed. One of them offered Emmeline a cheery wave as they left.

  “That’ll bout do it then,” said Lawson. “They usually all come in together. If we head out now, we’ll be able to catch some of your students’ families before they sit down for dinner.”

  There were only fifteen students on Emmeline’s list. A handful of them came from the same households. They moved strategically through the neighborhoods, and Emmeline introduced herself after knocking on each door. It took a good long while, and night had truly fallen by the time they had moved to the last family on the list.

  “Brittler,” Lawson read aloud. She had conceded defeat and allowed him to read the names off to her by the light of the windows they passed. “We’ll need a lantern,” he suggested, and he pointed again to the house on the hill above them. Emmeline could just make out the twinkle of lights above them on the dark hillside. “But the last several on your list should be up there, at the manor.”

  “These aren’t all Brittler names,” Emmeline said. She had grabbed the list from Lawson and pretended to read it by the light of the next window. Really, she had memorized as much as she could the last time Lawson had read it aloud to her. Lawson came up beside her and ran a finger down the parchment.

  “Margaret and Jeremy
Black, those are Noelle Brittler’s children. The daughters all have different names except the eldest one, but most of the town calls them by their father’s name. Dianna and Shiye—that’s the one who married the Indian man—they’re the only ones that are really called Brittler. Their girls are Rose and Lavender. The next one is Sarah… Her name is—” he squinted down at the list. “Williamson, I think. He’s some fancy hotel owner over in New York and a few other places. They live here though. Sometimes he heads back that direction to manage things. Their kids are Marie, Thomas and Fredrick.” Lawson paused to peer over Emmeline’s shoulder and he jabbed his finger at the next set of names. “Evangeline Drexel. I think that’s Charlotte’s kid… and… I think that’s all of them.”

  Emmeline glanced around, but her surroundings were made almost completely indistinguishable by the darkness. “They all live in that one house together?”

  Lawson shook his head and bent close to her ear, pointing in the direction of his gaze. “See the outbuildings?” Emmeline nodded, although she couldn’t see a thing. “Those are all houses Thomas and the other Brittler men built together. Should be four of them.” He counted softly, pointing at what, Emmeline could only guess. “Yeah. There’s four. They all have dinner together in the big house every night though,” he finished. “If we hurry, we might only have to make one trip.”

  They stopped by Lawson’s home on the way to pick up a lantern and the wedding dress Noelle had lent her, then together, they headed up the winding track to the manor house where the Brittlers lived.

  Emmeline found herself growing more and more nervous as they neared the front garden. She had never been so close to such a grand house before, and she’d never knocked on the door of one to interrupt the occupants at dinner before either. She held tight to Lawson’s arm as they climbed the front stoop.