A Bride Most Begrudging

  Hopkin cleared his throat. “Emmett, here, holds some strong accusations against you.”

  Drew allowed his gaze to slide past Hopkin and roam over those more familiar to him. Morden, a bear of a man, had a heart in proportion to the rest of his body--massive, generous, and malleable. Unfortunately, the preacher was nothing more than a figurehead on this council and rarely offered an opinion on anything.

  Kaufman, on the other hand, held a legitimate position but reminded Drew of a thick candle with two eyes and a hook nose--fairly solid looking, but continually melting when things heated up.

  Both avoided his gaze, while Colonel Tucker looked him square in the eye. Thank God he was here. The military man was well respected and had been particularly close to Drew’s father. If mischief brewed, Tucker would bank the fire.

  Hopkin pulled the waistband of his breeches up around the hill of flesh surrounding his gut. “Emmett says you succumbed to drunkenness, assaulted him, and spirited his bride away.”

  Drew leaned his shoulder against the doorframe. “I joined in the festivities at the meetinghouse. During the course of the day, Emmett made a wager with his bride. I won the wager and have the receipt to prove it.”

  “He cheated!” Emmett barked.

  Drew stood straighter. “I struck Emmett for that comment yesterday. It is an untruth, and many were there to witness it.”

  Hopkin nodded. “May I see the receipt?”

  Without being asked, Josh reentered the cabin to collect the voucher. Tucker’s serene gaze met Drew’s. Drew relaxed. Everything would be all right.

  Returning, Josh handed the piece of parchment to the governor. Hopkin perused the document, then restored it to Drew. “All appears to be in order.”

  Emmett blustered, then quieted in the censure of the other council members.

  Drew folded the document and tucked it inside his belt. “Care you to share some cider with us? We were just breaking our fast.”

  Hopkin again pulled up his slipping breeches. “Actually, we’ve a bit more business.”

  Drew frowned. A scattering of chickens clucked nervously about the clearing, mirroring his confusion.

  Grandma stepped out of the cottage, pouch in hand. She tilted her head in acknowledgment. “Governor. Councilmen.” Looking at Emmett, she simply snorted.

  “Mistress Lining,” Hopkin said. “What are you about this fine day?”

  “It’s Nellie’s time,” she answered. “I’m off to tend to her for as long as she has need of me.”

  “You are away at this moment?” he asked, looking at her bundle.

  The morning’s light blazed down into her eyes. She squinted over at Hopkin. “I am.”

  Drew stiffened. “I will escort you, Grandma, if you will but wait until our business here is concluded.”

  “No need. You have the indentured men servants to fetch down at the wharf. Besides, I’m of a mind for some peace and quiet.” She transferred her pouch of belongings from one arm to the other. “Good day, sirs.”

  Hopkin tipped his hat. “Good day, Mistress. Our prayers will be with your Nellie.”

  Looking at Josh, Drew tilted his head toward Grandma. Josh reached for her pouch.

  She swatted his hand. “Cannot an old woman get some peace when she wants it?”

  Josh lifted his brows and turned back to Drew. She must be sorely vexed to scold them in front of the others. Still, he should have expected it. He knew his late grandfather had squandered away his fortune with cards, forcing Grandma and their only daughter to come to the colonies. Though neither Grandma nor his mother had ever bemoaned their life here, Grandma always lost her perspective where cards were concerned. With an almost imperceptible lifting of his shoulders, he motioned Josh to let her go.

  She wasted no time in presenting them with her back. “Don’t know what all the uproar’s about,” she muttered, setting off down the path. “I’m not in my grave and don’t plan to be anytime soon. If I wish to walk to Nellie’s by myself, then so be it.”

  Listening to her litany, Drew felt a pang of remorse. He waited until her voice drifted off on the breeze before turning his attention back to Hopkin and the council, who were busy murmuring amongst themselves. He glanced at Josh, who shrugged in a gesture of bafflement.

  “O’Connor?” Hopkin cleared his throat. “Seems the situation is more serious than we realized. “Tis a sign from God that we arrived when we did.”

  A sign from God, indeed. Drew crossed his arms in front of his chest and leaned back against the cottage’s frame.

  “How many women have you living under your roof?” Hopkin asked.

  Drew adjusted himself more comfortably against the cottage. “At the moment, two.”

  “I see,” he said through pursed lips. “And when are you and your brother planning to marry them?”

  Drew stilled, as did Josh. “They’re servants,” Drew replied.

  A babble of voices broke out amongst the council. Emmett’s scrawny frame bristled. Hopkin held up his hands for silence. “These, uh, servants, they are of breeding age?”

  Drew narrowed his eyes a margin or two. “They are.”

  Hopkin yanked down on his doublet. “And they are unmarried?”

  “What are you getting at?” Drew uncrossed his arms and pulled slowly away from the cottage.

  “And they are residing in this dwelling with you, Joshua, and your baby sister?”

  Drew stiffened. “Where would you have me keep them, Hopkin?

  With the goat?”

  The governor reddened.

  Tucker quickly stepped forward. “Hopkin, I recommend the council discuss this matter at length before taking any undue action.”

  “Undue action?” Emmett screeched. “We dare not leave these immoral creatures with the unattended ladies fer even a moment. No tellin’ what deviltry would take place in our absence.”

  Josh grabbed Drew’s forearm, forcing him to check his inclination to knock out the few teeth left in Emmett’s mouth.

  “Enough!” Tucker exclaimed. “You are not a member of this council, Goodman Emmett, and have no voice here. Be silent.”

  Emmett narrowed his eyes.

  “Hopkin,” Tucker continued, ”I insist we discuss this more thoroughly.”

  opkin wiped a bit of spittle from the corners of his mouth. “There is not much to discuss. These men are living in a climate that breeds corruption. Regardless of the character you insist they have, the fact remains that they find themselves in this situation through their own unsavory actions. That alone makes me question your opinion of their character.”

  “Unsavory?” Tucker asked. “The whole settlement was playing cards yesterday. Shall we pay them all a visit this morning as well?”

  “Do not patronize me. No other man in this colony lives with unmarried females in an unsupervised fashion. Your outspokenness troubles me greatly. Perhaps I need to write our gracious king and suggest a replacement or two.” Hopkin met each councilman’s eyes in turn. “Any other objections?”

  Drew looked to Tucker’s colleagues for a show of support. None was forthcoming.

  Expelling a wad of phlegm from his mouth, the governor turned back to Drew. “Under no conditions will the council of this settlement allow you to harbor these women in a licentious fashion.”

  Drew’s breathing grew deep. “There is nothing licentious in keeping a cook and a woman to watch Sally.”

  “There is if you defile ’em!” Emmett shouted.

  The council broke out in more murmurs. Tucker grabbed Emmett’s shirtfront.

  “Call them out here, O’Connor,” Hopkin demanded over the confusion. “We would have a look at these servants you keep.”

  “And if I refuse?”

  Silence fell upon the group. Tucker’s grip on Emmett loosened.

  “O’Connor, we would have a look at these servants or you will stand before this council on charges of misconduct and risk losing all you and your father before you have worked for.”
r />   Drew’s jaw tightened. Constance and Mary stepped out of the cottage. There was no doubting they’d heard every word through the cottage’s uncovered window.

  Drew clinched his fists as Hopkin’s eyes crawled over each woman’s body with slow deliberation. The chirping chatter of the blue jays and playful antics of the squirrels mocked him and the others gathered in the clearing.

  Hopkin shifted his attention back to Drew. “You and your brother will either marry these women or you will have your arms broken and your tongues bored through with an awl. Then you will be banished from Virginia, relinquishing any privileges of freedom in this country. Fornication will not be tolerated by this council.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Dumbfounded, Constance could only stare at Hopkin.

  “Morden? Have you your Bible?” he asked.

  The large man with rounded cheeks and troubled blue eyes stepped forward. “I have it.”

  “Then let us get on with it.” Hopkin turned to Drew. “Decide which woman you will wed and which your brother weds.”

  Drew’s face cleared of all expression. “I agree to marry one, but Josh cannot. He is betrothed, with the contract negotiated and signed.”

  Hopkin narrowed his eyes. “Betrothed to whom?”

  “Lady Hannah Eastlick of Bowden,” Josh said.

  Astonished, Constance snapped her attention to him.

  “Why would a lady consent to marry a simple farmer?” Hopkin sneered.

  “I have the contract,” he replied.

  “I would see it.”

  Josh stepped inside the cottage, then returned with contract in hand.

  Hopkin briefly reviewed it. “The date set is not until next spring.”

  “I plan to return for her after the tobacco’s been harvested and packed.”

  Hopkin handed the contract back. “I like it not. Even with your brother married, the situation asks for wrongdoing.”

  “Be that as it may,” Drew interjected, “I will be eligible to chaperon once I wed. I choose Lady Morrow.” He turned to face her. “Will you be my wife?”

  “I cannot.” She turned quickly to the governor, bobbing in a curtsy. “Governor Hopkin, I am Lady Constance Caroline Morrow, daughter to the Right Honorable the Earl of Greyhame, My Lord Randall Christian Morrow.“ She reveled only for a moment in the startled silence that passed before she continued. “The captain of the Randolph kidnapped me. I am not a felon, nor was I commissioned to come here voluntarily as a bride.”

  Hopkin lifted his brows. “Kidnapped? I heard nothing of a kidnapping.” He turned to Drew. “What do you know of this?”

  “The captain had no transport papers for her, and Lady Morrow claims he took her by force.”

  Emmett shoved his way to the front. “What! More likely than not, she’s a lady’s maid trying to better her position here.”

  “Perhaps,” Drew said. “Perhaps not. But can we take the chance? What happens if she is indeed the Earl of Greyhame’s daughter? We would have the king’s displeasure for certain.”

  “After Marie Bernard’s escapade? I think not,” Emmett argued.

  Hopkin frowned. “What escapade?”

  “Miss Bernard was a lady’s maid to one of the queen’s women,” Emmett said.

  “What has that to do with us?”

  Emmett hooked his thumbs beneath his armpits. “Miss Bernard filched a valuable jewel from one of the royal apartments and was sentenced to death for her trouble.”

  “Get to the point,” Hopkin urged.

  “Well, due to some fancy talkin’ by her former mistress, the sentence was changed to transportation. Miss Bernard was deported and sold right here in Virginia to Goodman Bushell. After a brief time, the girlie escaped and made her way up to Watertown.”

  “And?”

  Emmett rocked back on his heels. “This is the inter‘sting part. Thinking ’erself well and truly free, she claimed the title of Princess Jeannette Francoise Sophie, declaring ’erself a sister of our dear queen.”

  Hopkin snorted. “How could anyone mistake a runaway for a princess?”

  “Miss Bernard was a wily one, she was,” Emmett replied. “She’d planned to run, so she hid away a few jewels and a medallion portrait of Her Majesty. It was some impression she made. Even promised promotions to them fools up there.“ His matted beard quivered. ”Well, her game was up when Goodman Bushell’s messenger came, raising a loud hue and cry for her serene highness.”

  Constance felt the councilmen eyeing her. Nay, judging her. If she had managed to have a private audience with the governor, she felt she could have convinced him of her situation. But she’d been around her father’s friends enough to know when men and their political decisions are under the watchful eye of others, they very rarely make sound choices.

  She sighed. There was naught to do but fasten her gaze upon Emmett and hope her exasperation over his tale was evident.

  He cackled, then patted his rail-like frame. “She was hauled from her fine quarters in Watertown and back to Bushell‘s, where she’s servin’ the rest of ’er term.”

  “If you’re so certain Miss Morrow is no lady,” Drew asked, “then why did you pay a whole hogshead for her?”

  Emmett jutted out his chin. “‘Cause a lady’s maid is better’n some filthy felon.”

  Josh straightened. “Are you maligning Miss Robins?”

  Emmett took a step back. “No, I’m just saying this talk of kidnapping is pure nonsense, and the girlie in question should be given back to me.”

  Back to him? Emmett thought to get her back? Absolutely not. She wouldn’t allow it.

  “Enough, Emmett,” Hopkin said. “Let me consult with the council.”

  The governor and his men stepped to the edge of the clearing for a brief conference, their voices rising and falling in waves.

  Constance bit her lip. They must take Drew’s word on the matter. What other choice did they have? Mary glanced at her with a tight smile.

  Walking back to the cottage, Hopkin hitched up his breeches. “You may keep Miss Morrow until her story can be investigated, but meanwhile, you’ll have to marry this other one.”

  Drew’s shoulders stiffened. “Miss Robins?”

  “Yes.”

  Drew and Josh exchanged a look.

  Mary paled, then took a quivering breath. “I cannot marry, good sir.”

  Hopkin scowled. “What’s this?”

  Mary visibly swallowed.

  “Speak up, girl!”

  She jerked, stumbling back a step. “I’m already married, I am.”

  “What a great bunch of tripe,” Emmett exclaimed. “If I cain’t have back the one I originally bought, then at least let me have this wagtail. By trow, just give her to me and be done with it!”

  “Married!” Hopkin roared. “To whom?”

  Mary looked at her feet. “‘Tis true. My man was press-ganged into the Navy two years past. I ain’t seen nor heard from him since.”

  “She lies!” Emmett screeched.

  “He cannot marry her, Hopkin,” Colonel Tucker insisted, looking to the other councilmen. They nodded their encouragement. “Even with the tiniest chance at truth, the sin of marrying one while still married to another would be too great. It is out of the question.”

  Hopkin whirled on Mary. “How did you get on a bridal ship if you were already wed!”

  Mary cringed, falling back several more steps. Josh moved forward, partially shielding her with his body. “She’s a felon, Hopkin. Her sentence was deportment. She’d no choice in the matter.”

  “What do you know of this?”

  “Only that I contracted her for Drew and when we arrived at the cottage, she told my brother what she just told you.”

  Hopkin’s face mottled. “What was your husband’s name?” he barked to Mary.

  Josh laid a hand against her waist, pressing her ever so slightly forward.

  “Obadiah Robins,” she answered.

  “That could be anyone,” Emmett cr
ied. “Her brother or father or anyone.”

  “Occupation?” Hopkin asked.

  “A street sweeper.”

  “Oh, fer--” Emmett murmured.

  “How long were you married?”

  “Four years.”

  “Children?”

  “Two.”

  “Where are they?”

  A discernible pause. “Dead.”

  This last was said barely above a whisper. Constance clasped her hands together. Poor Mary. It was clear she didn’t want to talk about it.

  “Why were you in Newgate Prison?”

  “I was accused of committing perjury, sir.”

  “She was forced to testify against a lord,” Josh said. “The lord’s influence decided the outcome of the trial before Miss Robins ever stepped into Old Bailey.”

  Hopkin turned to Josh. “If I want any more of your input, I will ask for it.”

  Hopkin’s anger was there for all to see, building as if it were a living, breathing entity. He turned to Drew, searing him with his eyes. “I am this close to banishing you, your brother, and your bawd-strutting women.“ He pointed his pudgy finger directly at Constance. ”That one. You will either marry that one or sell her back to Emmett. And if I hear one single dispute from your lips, it will mean the end of your freedom here in the colonies, and not only yours by troth, but every member of your family’s--extended or otherwise.”

  Tension radiated from Drew’s frame.

  “Morden, open your Bible,” Hopkin ordered. “We’ve wasted enough time.”

  “Excuse me,” Constance whispered.

  Drew’s head slowly pivoted toward her, along with the rest of the men present.

  “Might I have a word with you?” she asked Drew.

  His eyebrows lifted.

  “It will only take a moment...sir.”

  He looked past her to Josh. Josh shrugged. Drew turned to Hopkin. “May I have a word with the lady?”

  “It’s highly unusual.”

  “So is this whole situation,” Drew replied.