Chapter 15
Enoch stood at the great room window, the blackness of night pressing in around him.
Behind him, muted sounds came from his brothers—James and Thomas’s chess pieces clacking against the board, Robert’s occasional page turn.
But they faded to a distant hum as his thoughts circled on the woman in the bed chamber down the hall.
Will’s chamber. Though he rarely thought of the room that way anymore.
Mandie Beaumont had swept in and taken ownership of far too much around here. Including his thoughts.
He scrubbed a hand over his face, his calluses snagging in his beard. He’d been trying to keep from pacing for nearly a half hour now, ever since James returned with Doc Hansen in tow.
The doctor had disappeared down the hall to the bedchamber where Mandie rested, and Enoch had been tied in knots ever since.
Waiting. Worrying. His gut churning with possibilities he didn’t want to consider.
“Enoch, come sit down.” James’s voice cut through the quiet, laced with a thread of exasperation. “Brooding won’t make the doc finish any faster.”
Enoch’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t turn from the window.
Robert spoke up, his tone gentler than James’s. “Worrying won’t change anything, Enoch. Mrs. Beaumont likely overdid it today. With some rest, she’ll be fine.”
Thomas snorted. “He’s probably more worried that Mrs. Wang will give him what-for. He didn’t take proper care of our guest.”
The words were clearly meant to lighten the mood, to draw him out of his dark spiral of thoughts. But Enoch couldn’t find it in himself to respond, couldn’t muster even a halfhearted retort.
Not when his realization of Mandie’s possible condition churned through his mind. After he’d made that comment about Mrs. Jenkins feeling a fluttering when she was with child…Mandie had reacted.
He’d not put the pieces together at the time, but now…
She’d said her husband died three years ago. Had she taken a lover in his absence? Was that the real reason she’d answered Will’s mail-order bride advertisement?
The thought churned bile inside him. He couldn’t reconcile the image of the kind, determined woman he’d come to know with such a scandalous act. But what other explanation could there be?
In truth, why would any beautiful, genteel widow leave her home and family to travel across the country and marry a complete stranger? The very idea seemed preposterous now that he thought about it.
The sound of a door opening jolted Enoch. He spun from the window to see Doc Hansen stepping into the main room, his weathered face unreadable.
Enoch strode forward to meet the man. “How is she?” The words came out harsher than he intended, almost a demand.
The doctor held up a hand, his expression calm. “Mrs. Beaumont will be fine with rest. But I’ll let her share the details with you herself if she chooses.”
His gut twisted tighter at the doctor’s words. So there was something to tell. Something Mandie might choose to keep from him.
He gave a terse nod. “Thank you for coming.”
“I’ll be back to check on her in about a week.” The doctor gathered his bag and headed for the door. “Send for me if anything changes before then.”
As the door closed behind him, Enoch stood rooted to the spot, his mind racing. He had to know what the doctor had said. Had to know if his suspicions were correct.
Ignoring the questioning looks from his brothers, he strode down the hallway to Mandie’s room. Her door stood ajar, lamplight spilling out into the dimness. He hesitated only a moment before rapping his knuckles softly against the wood.
“Come in.” Her voice drifted out, soft and weary.
He pushed open the door and stepped inside. Shadows draped the room, the single lamp on the bedside table casting a soft glow over Mandie’s pale face. She looked small and fragile propped against the pillows.
Too fragile.
His chest tightened at the sight of her so vulnerable, so unlike the vibrant, determined woman she’d proven to be.
“Are you…” His voice rasped, so he cleared his throat. “Are you well?”
She motioned to the chair beside the bed. “Please sit.”
He hesitated, then crossed the room and lowered himself into the chair, the wood creaking beneath his weight. This close, he could see the faint tremble in her hands where they rested atop the quilt.
The urge to reach out and cover them with his own to offer comfort and strength rose sharp and strong. He curled his fingers into his palms, holding himself in check.
Maybe now she would give him answers, explanations that would ease the knot in his gut. But would the truth only make things worse?
Mandie’s dark eyes met his, a flicker of trepidation in their depths. Then her gaze moved away, settling on some distant point beyond his shoulder. “I…some of my memories returned today. Not all, but…enough to understand my condition.”
His pulse pounded in his ears. “And?”
She drew in a shaking breath, her fingers gripping the quilt. “I believe my deceased husband’s brother, he…he took advantage. Forced himself on me.” Her voice cracked on the last words. “And the doctor confirmed that…that I am now with child.”
A flash flood of emotions crashed through him. What man, what vile, filthy creature would commit such a heinous act? Against his brother’s widow, no less.
Rage seared through him, hot and primal, urging him to violence against this monster. It took everything in him to keep from leaping to his feet. Demanding the man’s name. He would make him pay. See him tortured until his last breath.
But Enoch forced himself to stay seated, to hear what Mandie was still saying.
Her face had grown paler than the white edging around the quilt. “I understand this isn’t what you expected when you made your proposal. I’m aware the offer of marriage is likely no longer open to me.”
She raised her chin, but he could see the tremor in it. “If you would allow me to impose on your hospitality a few more days, until I regain my strength, I would be most grateful. Then I’ll be on my way.”
Her words pierced through the red haze of his fury, dousing it like icy water. She thought he would rescind his proposal? Turn her out because of the vile acts of another?
“No.” The word burst from him, almost too loud.
She flinched, and he took in a breath, then forced himself to speak more gently.
“I am so, so sorry that happened to you, Mandie.” His voice broke midway through that sentence, but he pressed on.
“Sorrier than I can say. If you haven’t already brought the man to justice, I will gladly do so myself. ”
He leaned forward to catch her gaze, willing her to see the sincerity in his.
“As for the rest, my offer still stands. I would never hold against you something so awful done to you. You’re not to blame in the slightest. And the child.
..” His throat tightened. “I was raised to believe a child is a blessing from God. A gift to celebrate. To protect and cherish. I’d be honored to do so. For you both.”
Mandie stared at him, her dark eyes wide and shimmering with unshed tears. “You can’t mean that.” Her voice came out as little more than a whisper. “A child born from such circumstances—”
“Is innocent.” He cut her off before she could finish the thought.
He reached out and took her hand in his. Such a small, delicate hand against his roughened palm. “This babe has done nothing wrong. And neither have you.”
A single tear slipped down her cheek, and she dashed it away with her free hand. “But the scandal, the shame it would bring on your family…on you. How can I ask you to bear that?”
He tightened his grip on her fingers, willing her to feel his conviction. “You’re not asking. I am.” He held her gaze, letting her see the truth in his eyes. “I’m strong enough to help. To face this with you.” He infused his tone with a bit of that strength. “Please let me.”
Mandie’s eyes searched his for a long moment. At last, she drew in a shuddering breath, her fingers tightening around his. “I don’t know what to say.” Her voice trembled, thick with emotion. “Your kindness, your generosity...it’s more than I could have hoped for.”
He squeezed her hand, a gentle pressure. “You don’t have to say anything. Just know that my offer comes with no conditions, no expectations. I want to help in whatever way I can.”
She nodded, another tear slipping free to trail down her cheek. “Thank you, Enoch. Truly. I…I don’t know if I can accept. Not yet. It’s so much to take in.” Her free hand drifted to her middle, resting there. “But knowing I have a choice, that I’m not alone in this…it means more than you can know.”
His chest tightened at the vulnerability, the tentative hope in her eyes. He wanted to pull her into his arms, to shelter her from all the cruelties and hurts the world had inflicted. But he held himself in check.
She’d had too many choices stripped away. He wouldn’t pressure her now.
“You have all the time you need.” He kept his voice as soothing as his rough tone could manage. “And whatever you decide, you have a place here, for as long as you need it.” With a final gentle squeeze, he released her hand and sat back. “I’ll let you sleep. Can I bring you anything?”
She shook her head. “No. Thank you.” She hesitated. “Only…”
He leaned forward again. “Yes?”
“I…can we not tell your brothers? Yet. About the babe, I mean. I just… I want to come to terms with it myself first.”
That tightness pulled in his chest again. How hard it must be to face all this in such a wave. “Of course. When you’re ready. I’ll tell them you merely need rest for now. They’re nosy buzzards, but they won’t push.” They wouldn’t push her at least. They’d nag at Enoch until he put an end to it.
A hint of a weary smile curved her lips. “Thank you.”
He stood and moved away from her bed. “Call out if you need anything.”
She nodded. “I will.”
As he reached the door, her voice drifted to him. “Good night, Enoch.”
With his hand on the knob, he glanced back at her. “Good night, Mandie.”
Something about those words, the simple sentiment using her given name, felt far too intimate for his heart. He’d best do a better job of shoring it up, or he’d be hurting once again when he lost this woman too.