Chapter 15 #2
Her hand was still under his chin, her fingers entwined with his own and facing one another like this, their bodies all but touching, was the closest they’d ever lain on purpose.
They woke plenty of mornings with him spooned against her back, but this felt more intimate for some reason.
Maybe it was because they’d finally talked and had a conversation that wasn’t about the deception she’d forced him into.
Regardless of what happened earlier in the tub, guilt she hadn’t felt before made her stomach ache.
Knowing what she now knew about Ruth, forcing him into her little drama, seemed almost cruel.
He’d asked Ruth to marry him and someone had killed her for no other reason than she was his.
She understood his reasonings for not wanting a wife now and knew he was only worried about something happening to her as well.
He hadn’t said as much, but knew it was why he was so determined to get the marriage annulled.
As much as she hated the thought, and the turmoil her life would be in when it happened, she needed to put a stop to all this mess. It was her fault to begin with, and she needed to be the one to end it.
She turned over and stared out the window and was still blinking at it when the sun started to lighten the sky.
Sleep hadn’t come and during the long night, her heart broke a little bit more every hour, knowing her fake marriage would never be anything more.
She knew what she had to do now. She had to end this once and for all.
Sitting up, she slipped out of bed as the first roosters started crowing. Her dress was still damp, but she put it on anyway and looked over her shoulder to Josiah before slipping out of the room.
The streets only had a few people walking them, most of the windows in the houses and businesses were still dark.
One that wasn’t was the doctor's office.
Bonnie was asleep in a small cot under the window when she peeked in.
Archie was sleeping as well, and she watched him sleep until she heard the doctor moving around in his attached private residence before turning and heading back outside.
A man heading up the sidewalk tipped his hat at her when they were close enough to make eye contact, and she smiled at him in return. “Good morning,” she said.
“Morning, Ma’am. Looks to be a pretty day.”
She looked at the sky. It was lit in shades of orange and blue. “That it does,” she said. Meeting his gaze again, she asked, “Do you by chance know where I can find Reverend Peele?”
The man stopped and scratched his chin. “Can’t recall knowing a Reverend Peele. Does he live here in Elkin?”
“I thought he did, but I may be mistaken.”
“Well, ask someone else. I haven’t lived here but a few months. Someone who’s lived here longer might know of him.”
They said their goodbyes, and she did as he said, but after the fifth person told her they’d never heard of Reverend Peele, she found herself marching across town to the mercantile.
The closed sign was still up, but she could see people walking around inside the store.
She stepped up on the sidewalk and stared into the windows at Edwin and four other men who were inside with him.
They seemed to be arguing about something, if the look on their faces were any indication.
The tallest of the men was standing toe to toe with Edwin, his face red as he yelled something she couldn’t quite make out.
When he straightened and looked her way, she stilled, met his angry gaze, then turned and hurried away. She hadn’t made it more than ten steps when she heard the door to the mercantile open. When Edwin said, “Violet, wait!” she paused and looked over her shoulder.
The men who had been in the store with Edwin were leaving, heading down the sidewalk in the opposite direction. Edwin didn’t even glance their way, only stood there staring at her as if everything was perfect in his world.
“Did you wish to speak with me?”
She did, and blurted out, “Where is Reverend Peele?”
The smile on his face disappeared in an instant. He straightened and held the door open for her. “Come inside, Violet.”
She looked down the sidewalk toward the hotel. Being alone with Edwin was the last thing she wanted, but if she wanted answers, she had little choice.”
The mercantile looked much like it did when she was a child. It was bigger than the store her family owned, but only because it was two stories. The bottom floor was nearly identical in size.
A pot-bellied stove sat in the middle of the store as it did in her own and the smell of leather and gun oil hung heavy in the air. Barrels of grain and flour sat along one wall and tables of folded trousers and shirts filled most of the space.
The door shut behind her, and she turned to see Edwin leaning against it.
She’d never had reason to fear him, but after Josiah’s story about Ruth, she couldn’t help but wonder if Edwin would hurt her.
After hearing of Ruth’s fate, Edwin’s erratic behavior would make her question every move he made now.
She turned away from him and started toward the stove and the chairs that sat around it. She settled into one and looked around the store before meeting his gaze. “Does your father not work in the store anymore? I know you said he was sick.”
“He doesn’t. It’s just me every day.” He pushed off the door and headed her way. He smiled when he was close. “It could be us if you’d just agree to marry me.”
Violet sighed. He wasn’t ever going to let this go. “I’m already married, Edwin, or have you forgotten?”
Something in his eyes as he looked away made her sit up straight. There was no way he could have forgotten, so what was that look about?
This entire situation seemed odd to her.
He’d made such a big deal out of bringing Reverend Peele to the Founder's Day picnic. She had no doubt he’d done it with plans to either marry her himself or to force Josiah to, so, it was impossible for him not to know she was married, which really begged the question, why did he continue to ask her to marry him knowing she already had a husband?
“Where is Revered Peele, Edwin?”
He shoved his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. “Why?”
“I’d like to talk to him.”
“About what?”
“What I wish to speak to him about is a private matter.” He glanced around the room and for reasons she couldn’t name, she started to get a bad feeling. “I’ve asked several people in town about where I could find Reverend Peele and no one knows him.”
Edwin shrugged. “He’s not from around here.”
“You said he was.”
“No, I said he was a friend. I never said he lived in Elkin.”
She blew out a frustrated breath. “Then tell me where I can find him.”
Instead of answering her, he quickly took the seat beside her and grabbed her hand. “Do you doubt I could make you happy, Violet?”
“You could make any number of women happy, Edwin.”
“I don’t want anyone else.” He leaned toward her. “I’m only getting married once and I’ll have the perfect bride or it's not worth doing. I want you, Violet. I’ve always wanted you.”
“Edwin—”
“—I know,” he said, interrupting her. “You already have a husband, but what if you didn’t? Would you marry me then?”
What if she didn’t? What does he mean by that?
“I know I could make you happy, Violet, if you’d just give me the chance.”
Violet pulled her hand from his own. This was getting so ridiculous, it was starting to grate on her nerves.
Meeting his gaze, she made sure to hold it and leaned toward him.
“Edwin, I’m going to tell you something that will be painful to hear, but it needs to be said.
” She took a deep breath and let it out.
“When I came here with my father as a child, I was told proper young ladies were nice and kind, so I was as nice and kind to you as I could be. All the times you talked about marriage, I never said anything because, well, frankly, the idea of marrying you wasn’t something I wanted to think about.
“I had listened to my parents tell me and my sisters how they met and fell in love instantly and I knew I wasn’t going to settle for anything less, so marrying you was never something I entertained.
I liked you Edwin, but only as a friend and telling you that wouldn’t have been nice or kind of me, so I never said anything.
“And my feelings haven’t changed and I’m sorry, Edwin. Were I not married to Josiah, I still wouldn’t want to be your wife.”
His demeanor changed in an instant. The calm look on his face morphed into one of fury and she jolted when his hand shot out to grab her face, his fingers digging into her cheek. “You think you’re too good for me?”
She jerked her head back, dislodging his tight hold on her face, and stood, knocking her chair over in her haste. “I never said that.”
He slowly stood, every line on his face etched in anger, and she took another step backwards. “You don’t have to say it, Violet. Your actions speak volumes.”
They stared at one another, Edwin’s angry glare causing the hair on her arms to stand on end, and she jumped again when something banged against the front door. They both turned to it, the doorknob rattling.
The relief she felt at seeing Josiah lasted long enough to realize he was on the other side of the door, still jiggling the doorknob, because Edwin had locked her inside with him.
Skirting around her fallen chair, and the others sitting around the stove, she made a wide arc around Edwin and headed toward the door. Surprisingly, Edwin never made a move to stop her.
The lock on the door was simple, but she fumbled with it while staring at Josiah. His gaze was locked on Edwin, and as long as she’d known him, she’d never seen that particular look on his face. When she finally got the door open, he grabbed her and pulled her into his chest.
“Why was the door locked?” he asked, his chest rumbling under her ear as he spoke.
Edwin had turned to face them. “Because the store isn’t open yet, and I didn’t want to turn customers away.”
His explanation made perfect sense, but something about the look on his face told her it was a complete lie.