A Christmas Wedding Wager (29 page)

Emma stilled, remembering. He had known what was in that cup. He had made her drink it.

He had wanted her like that. A cold shiver ran down her back. No, that was impossible. This was Dr Milburn, the man who had devotedly tended her mother in her last days. She had to give him the benefit of the doubt...for her mother's sake. 'Dr Milburn, neither of us can change the past.'

'I have thought it over, and it is the only thing to do. You must allow me to repair the damage to your reputation. You must marry me.' His mouth pursed, as if the very idea was distasteful.

He captured her hand and held it between his clammy ones. 'You would do me the greatest honour.'

Emma drew on her inner resources and kept her face blank. 'You need not fear, Dr Milburn. I have already taken steps, and I regret that I must decline your offer.'

'Decline my offer?' Dr Milburn opened and closed his mouth several times. 'Are you mad?'

'I know what I am doing.' Emma withdrew her hand. 'I have accepted a prior offer.'

'Whose?'

'Mr Stanton's.'

'It is good to know that you have finally seen sense, Miss Harrison,' came Jack's cold voice from the doorway.

Emma turned and saw him lounging against the doorframe. 'How long have you been there?'

'Long enough.'

'It is not the done thing to listen at doorways.' Emma silently cursed her wayward tongue.

'That is one of the reasons I am very glad not to be well bred, Miss Harrison.' He inclined his head. 'And now I believe I must ask you to depart, Milburn.'

Dr Milburn's face turned red, and then white. 'I was only doing my duty as I saw it.'

'As you can see, there is no need.'

'Ah, yes...well, that is to say...' Dr Milburn placed his hat on his head. 'Should you change your mind, Miss Harrison--'

'She won't.'

Emma heard the door close with a decisive click, but did not turn from where she faced the fire.

'I thought you were going to give me an hour.'

'Shall I call Dr Milburn back?' His voice, silken-smooth, slid over her. 'But then I forget--

you have already given him your answer. You are engaged to me.'

'I wanted him to leave with the minimum of fuss.' Emma closed her eyes. Trapped, and she had no one to blame but herself. She slowly opened her eyes and discovered Jack regarding her with an amused expression. 'I thought you were going to give me an hour. You weren't meant to hear.'

'One can learn such interesting things, and your voices were raised.'

'It is a bad habit.'

'Forgive me, Miss Harrison, but circumstances dictated.' Jack held out a piece of paper. 'This arrived by messenger. I thought it best to inform you at once.'

'What is it?'

'The results from the laboratory. My friend was most thorough.'

'What does it say? You mustn't keep me in suspense.' Emma looked over the spidery writing, and the notations. She could follow most of it, but some of it made little sense.

'It is as I suspected. Your father has been ingesting arsenic. You are lucky that he has a strong constitution. The amount in his body would have killed a lesser man.'

'It does explain why he was getting ill. But was it the tonic?' Emma started towards the door.

'Why did you not confront Dr Milburn?'

'I am having them check other bottles of tonic.' Jack hooked his thumbs in his waistcoat. 'I need to be certain if I am to go to the authorities.'

'But my father has high levels of arsenic in his body?'

'Yes.' His expression offered her no comfort.

'That means someone was trying to poison him. Who would do such a thing?' Emma clasped her hand over her mouth. 'I cannot think of anyone in the house. They are loyal servants. And I would never, ever hurt my father.'

'I never suspected you.'

'Thank you.' Emma closed her eyes briefly. Someone had tried to poison her father. His fits had definitely been caused by someone rather than something. He was not dying. She put her hand to her mouth and looked towards the door. 'You don't think it was Dr Milburn?'

'I may not like the man, but he is well respected in the community. He has a following, a reputation.' Jack shook his head. 'I cannot fathom a reason why he should want to poison your father.'

'Or why he might give me the wrong cup of punch,' Emma said quietly.

'I am sorry? I don't follow your line of thought.' Jack looked at her intently, his eyes suddenly flaring with emotion. 'The wrong cup of punch? How could that have bearing on anything?'

'That is why Dr Milburn offered me his hand, as distasteful as it was to him.' Emma bit her lip. 'He believes that he took Mrs Charlton's cup by mistake and says Mrs Charlton is a secret laudanum user. Therefore his sense of duty compelled him to offer for my hand as I am now a fallen woman.'

'Have you heard this of Mrs Charlton before?'

Emma paused. Her brow wrinkled. 'I have heard Mrs Charlton called many things. She and my mother were great rivals once. But never that. She is highly respectable, a pillar of the church. Though the punch did taste foul...'

'And...?'

Emma thought back to her encounter with Dr Milburn. The cold, inexplicable fear washed over her again. 'What if Dr Milburn had planned on kidnapping me?'

'For what purpose?' Jack crossed his arms and his mouth turned down in a frown. 'Why would Dr Milburn wish to kidnap you? Did you tell him of your suspicions about the tonic?'

'No, I never did.' She put her hand to her head. 'It makes no sense. Nothing makes much sense. Why would he offer me his hand in marriage?'

'People need motivation to act, not some melodramatic reason.' He gave a sudden heart-stopping smile. 'And if his purpose was to marry you, I believe the situation has been remedied.'

'How so?'

'You have agreed to marry me...tomorrow...and there is very little Dr Milburn can do about it.'

'But what will we do about the tonic? Someone has tried to poison my father.'

'There is very little we can do without proof. I will find that proof. Then act. Never fear.'

Jack's fingers caught her elbow. 'Dr Milburn will have no escape if he is to blame.'

The expression on Jack's face made her shiver. He was not marrying her for love, but out of duty. And now it was duty that compelled him to protect her. To protect her, or the company?

She longed to know which.

Grey light filtered through stained glass, providing the only light in the church. Staff from the house occupied a few of the pews but the rest remained empty. Even Emma's sister had been unable to attend. The journey from Carlisle was too long for her and her children at this time of year.

Emma risked a look at Jack, perfectly correct, with not a hair out of place, the very image of the successful gentleman. His expression bore no signs of welcome, but was black and furious, leaving her little doubt that he was not pleased with the state of affairs. Any doubts she'd had about her father's hand in the matter were dispelled by the radiance of his smile as he gave her to Jack and the vicar began speaking.

Emma concentrated on looking at the altar and the vicar. She recited her vows in a mechanical voice and barely heard Jack's deep ones. She kept feeling that this was somehow not right.

They were marrying for the wrong reasons. And yet she was not unhappy to be married to Jack.

'And now I pronounce you man and wife.'

The vicar's words resounded in the nearly empty church. To Emma, it seemed like the closing of a door. It had happened. She was married. There was no going back. She could only face the future and hope.

'You may kiss the bride,' the vicar intoned.

Emma could not control the slight surge in her pulse. Would he kiss her like yesterday? Or the day before? Something to demonstrate his power over her?

His cool lips brushed hers. A quick, impersonal kiss. Emma bit her lip.

'Shall we go, Mrs Stanton?' He held out his arm.

'We have no cause to linger. We are married. The wedding is over.' Emma kept her voice brisk. This was not what her wedding was supposed to be like. She had always envisaged white silk and roses, but there hadn't been time. Instead it was her best blue dress and a nosegay of white narcissi and green ivy. Emma forced her head to be held high as they exited from the cold dark church, blinking into the sunlight. A loud cheer rang out.

Emma's feet skittered into each other and she looked about her in amazement. The churchyard was full of people. She recognised a number from the company. She glanced up at Jack, who shrugged but did not appear displeased. Had he known?

'Best foot forward, Emma,' he said in a low undertone. 'They have come to see the blushing bride.'

'What is going on here?' she asked. 'Who told them?'

'That is not for me to say.'

'We wanted to wish you and the gaffer well, like,' Davy Newcomb said, plucking at her sleeve.

'You mustn't greet the bride yet, lad,' Davy's mother said, pulling him back. 'I am begging your pardon, miss...I mean Mrs Stanton, ma'am. It wouldn't be right and proper until the sweep has been.'

A very blackened and sooty man came up and grabbed Emma's hand, shaking it heartily.

'May much good luck come to you and your marriage.'

A ragged cheer rose from the crowd. 'Three cheers for the gaffer and his missus.'

'Exactly what is going on here?' Emma asked again.

'Harrison and Lowe belongs to me now. The employees and their families have come to wish us well.' He touched his hat. 'As I plan to marry only once, it seemed like the right thing to do. I do not plan to have our marriage spoken of as a hole-and-corner affair. Appearances matter.'

'Me mam went and suggested it to him once she heard, like,' Davy remarked.

Jack laughed. 'Yes, I am afraid young Davy here has been my partner in crime. Are you upset by the attention?'

'Upset?' Emma shook her head. 'More surprised.'

'And we shall celebrate well at the Goose Feast tomorrow. Eh, Davy?'

Jack ruffled Davy's hair.

'Yes, Mr Stanton. That there pine tree has been delivered to the hall, just as you asked. It's huge, like!'

'Good lad.'

'The feast is going on as planned?'

'I told you before, Emma, I keep Christmas as well as any man. A change in ownership means nothing.' He glanced up at the heavy skies. 'I hope for a thaw soon.'

Emma nodded. She knew what he meant. He would keep the employees on as long as possible, but if the present weather continued he would have to start letting them go. At least he was waiting until after Christmas, she thought.

'Emma--Emma, you bad, miserable excuse for a friend.' Lucy came hurrying up. Her little girl held out a sprig of holly for Emma. 'You might have confided in me. This has apparently been planned for ages.'

'We wished to keep the ceremony quiet as my father has not been well.'

'And to think how you must have laughed when I told your Mr Stanton to take care of you on your sleigh ride.' Lucy pressed her hand against Emma's. 'I nearly died of shame for you when I first heard Lottie's lurid account.'

'I am sure Lottie spared no details.' Emma cringed when she thought of Lottie's superior tone.

'Henry was furious with her when he heard. I thought he was going to shake her. He told her to stop spreading lies and rumours. He fairly thundered it, slapping his fist on the table.

Mother Charlton was very taken aback as well. I was proud of him.' Lucy lowered her voice.

'Lottie has been sent to live with Mother Charlton's sister in Haydon Bridge in strict seclusion until Henry decides what to do with his sister. She won't be able to spread the tale any further.

Her tricks have finally caught up with her.'

Emma reached over and squeezed Lucy's hand. 'Henry did not have to do that.'

'Henry cares about you, and about what happens to you. He was most distressed.' Lucy gave a smile. 'But sometimes he is forgetful. He told me that he'd thought Dr Milburn would marry you. That he would make it all right. But I knew Jack Stanton would prove his worth.'

'Dr Milburn?' The back of Emma's neck pricked. Henry had made a pairing of her and Dr Milburn? How curious, as she had never said anything to Lucy about Dr Milburn. 'I have never wanted to marry him.'

'And I know it is a real love-match, despite what everyone is saying.' Lucy pressed her gloved hand to Emma's cheek. 'You may try to hide it from everyone else, Emma, but I saw the way you two looked at each other by the pond.'

Emma shifted uneasily. She glanced to where Jack stood, speaking to a few of the employees.

The black material of his jacket was pulled tight across his broad shoulders. And she saw the spot where his hair curled as it met his neck. A lump grew in her throat. A love-match. Lucy was correct. It was a love-match. A one-sided love-match. She wrapped her fingers tighter around her bouquet. She had done the unthinkable.

She had fallen in love with Jack Stanton.

She watched Jack move down the line, chatting and laughing. Jack would never know. She refused to give him that sort of power over her. He was only interested in the company, in business. He was marrying her for the company and for social respectability.

It was impossible to discern a time or a place, but it had just happened, and now she knew.

The full evidence of the emotion hit her between the eyes. She had fallen hopelessly in love with him, despite everything that he'd done.

'Are you all right, daughter?' her father asked. 'You are frowning. All is well that ends well.'

'Perfectly well, Father.' Emma leant forward and gave his cheek a quick peck.

'I thought just then you looked unhappy. I am doing what is best for you. It seemed the most sensible solution to the problem.' He gave her hand a squeeze. 'After my illness I knew I wouldn't live for ever. The company needs to be in safe hands. I needed to know that you would be looked after properly, just as I saw your sister looked after properly. I have a duty towards you. You are ideally matched, if I do say so myself--you share the same interest in civil engineering. I wish your dear mama had.'

Emma nodded. When the time came she would have to let Jack go. She remembered his words from the first day--he had too many projects, a wife and children would tie him down.