Page 58 of For the Roses (Claybornes' Brides (Rose Hill) 1)

  Mary Rose awakened Harrison around one in the morning when she tried to ease out of the bed.

  “Where are you going?” he asked in a sleepy whisper.

  “Downstairs. I’m starving. I didn’t mean to wake you. Go back to sleep.”

  Harrison decided he was hungry too. He put on his pants, stubbed his toe in the process, and hopped around the room muttering expletives.

  “Hush,” she whispered in a laugh. “I don’t want to disturb my brothers.”

  It was already too late. Harrison had made so much racket complaining about his foot, he got everyone up.

  Cole was the first to join them at the kitchen table. Mary Rose was cutting slices of cheese while sitting on Harrison’s lap.

  She scooted onto her own chair as soon as her brother walked in.

  “I couldn’t sleep,” he explained. He straddled the chair across from Harrison and gave him a hard look. “You going to be able to fix this?”

  “If you want a guarantee, I can’t give it to you, Cole.”

  “Then you’ve got to help me convince Adam to run.”

  “I can’t do that. The decision has to be his, and his alone. Back him up on this, Cole. He’d do the same for you.”

  The brother shook his head. “He wouldn’t stand by and watch me die. I’m telling you here and now. If he’s condemned, I’m getting him out.”

  Mary Rose was quickly losing her appetite. Fear tightened her stomach into a knot. “I think we need to have faith in Harrison, Cole. Trust him to do everything he can to save Adam.”

  Harrison reached over and clasped her hand in his. “I’m not a miracle worker, but thank you for having faith.”

  “The hell with faith,” Cole muttered.

  Douglas joined them in time to hear his brother’s remark. He’d put on pants and a long-sleeved flannel shirt. He had it buttoned up all wrong. Mary Rose smiled when she noticed.

  “Have you figured out a plan yet?” he asked Harrison.

  “I’m going to send a telegram tomorrow to the attorney I used in St. Louis. He’s with a large firm. He might know the name of an attorney in South Carolina. I’ll find one, even if I have to go there myself.”

  “For what purpose?”

  “To get a sworn statement from Livonia and Rose. Time is critical now. It will work out though. I’ll make it work.”

  “What good will their statements do?” Douglas asked.

  “They’ll confirm what Adam told me. Right now it’s two men against one. I’m evening the odds. I hope to God Livonia cooperates. She may be too frightened.”

  The brothers nodded. “Adam will balk at this. He knows what will happen to the woman when the sons get back home. I don’t think he’ll let you go after her for a sworn statement.”

  Harrison didn’t argue with the men. He would do what he had to do to make certain Adam was given a fair trial.

  “Let’s talk about something else. Mary Rose is becoming upset.”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “You aren’t eating.”

  She shrugged. “What would you like to talk about?”

  Travis came in and answered for Harrison. “What happened after she left London? Did all hell break loose? Did that aunt call her ungrateful? Mary Rose thought she might.”

  Mary Rose stared at her plate. “I hurt my father, didn’t I?”

  Harrison didn’t soften the truth. “Yes.”

  “I wish he could understand,” she whispered.

  “Sweetheart, he had plenty of time to try. He never gave you a chance. I think I might have made a sound argument. He seemed to understand when I was finished. I’m still not sure. I didn’t want to wait around to find out.”

  “Why didn’t they like her?” Cole asked.

  “They wanted Victoria back. None of them could accept the fact that Mary Rose hadn’t been a victim all those years. In their minds, they believed she’d been deprived because she hadn’t been surrounded by riches. None of them took the time to get to know her. They were too busy trying to create someone else. It was crazy, all of it. They had this image of how she would have turned out, and they were all trying to mold her into what they wanted her to be.”

  “Their masterpiece,” Mary Rose said.

  “Why didn’t you punch your aunt when she told you to think of yourself as a blank canvas?” Harrison asked.

  Doing such an outrageous thing was absurd to her. She burst into laughter just thinking about it.

  “My Aunt Barbara gave me that suggestion. I could never have hurt her. She had my best interests at heart.”

  “Are you going to take her back to England and try again, Harrison?” Douglas asked.

  “No.”

  The brothers smiled. They didn’t need to know specific plans tonight.

  They stayed at the table another half hour or so talking. The discussion eventually circled back to Adam, but Mary Rose had finished eating by then.

  “What can we do to help?”

  “Quite a lot,” Harrison answered. “I’ll give you all the particulars as we go along. When we’re inside the courtroom, I don’t want Mary Rose sitting by Adam. Cole, you sit on Adam’s right side and I’ll sit on his left side. Travis and Douglas will put Mary Rose between them in the first row behind the table. If there’s a recess called, when you sit down again, sit in the same places.”

  “Why can’t I sit next to Adam?” she asked.

  “I want you to separate yourself from him as much as possible,” he answered.

  His bluntness took all of them by surprise. None of the brothers looked angry though. They looked curious to find out his reason.

  “If you put your hand on his or hug him or pat him, all everyone is going to see is a white woman touching a black man. People know all about your family, and they somewhat accept Adam now. Don’t push them, Mary Rose. I don’t want anyone to forget he’s your brother. We aren’t just fighting a murder charge now. Hell, that would be easy. We’re fighting prejudice too. I don’t want to hear any argument about this,” he added when she looked like she wanted to disagree with him. “You’ll all show your support for Adam as a family, but not as individuals.”

  “Why did you choose Cole to sit next to Adam instead of Travis or me?” Douglas asked.

  “For intimidation purposes. He makes people nervous.”

  Cole smiled. “I do, don’t I?”

  “Yes, you do. The jury will hear all the evidence, and Cole’s going to stare at every one of those twelve faces and act like he’s memorizing each reaction.”

  “Couldn’t that backfire?” Douglas asked.

  “In a more sophisticated courtroom, it probably would backfire, but not out here. Mary Rose once told me people are more concerned about surviving than worrying about what other people do. I want the jury to think about surviving Cole’s wrath if they let their prejudice guide their decision.”

  “You fight dirty,” Cole said. “I like that.”

  “I might remind all of you that what I’m now saying is privileged information. Got that?”

  Mary Rose yawned. Harrison immediately took her back up to their bedroom.

  “I have a surprise for you. Sit down on the bed and close your eyes.”

  She did as he ordered. She peeked once and saw him pulling clothes out of his satchel.

  “Are they closed?” he asked.

  She squeezed them tight. She felt him brush her hair away from her face, and then she felt something cold around her neck.

  She knew what it was before she opened her eyes.

  “Mama’s locket,” she cried out. “Where did you . . .”

  She couldn’t go on. She’d started crying again.

  “It was wedged between the mattress and the headboard.”

  She threw herself into his arms and thanked him over and over again. It didn’t take him any time at all to want her again. They fell on top of the covers and made wild, passionate love.

  He knew the blissful interlude would have to last them a

long time.

  The storm was coming.

  Mary Rose saw little of Harrison during the next week. He spent most of his days over at Belle’s house, pouring over the letters they’d all sent to Mama Rose that the Adderley boys had taken. At night he sat in the library and read the letters their mother had written them. He took page after page of notes, and when he wasn’t working, he sat on the porch to think and plan.

  She didn’t have to ask him what progress he was making. His grim expression told her everything she needed to know. She felt completely useless and powerless. She asked him every single morning if there was some little thing she could do to help him. His answer was always the same. If he thought of something, he’d let her know.

  The closer to trial the more preoccupied he became. She didn’t feel at all slighted, even when he would go up to bed without telling her good night. He was thinking about the case, and that was all she wanted from him.

  They came together as a family on Sunday for supper. She made a promise that no matter what, the meal would be pleasant, and so, every time someone mentioned anything having to do with the trial, she quickly changed the subject.

  Everyone caught on to her game. They went along with it too, and in no time at all, Travis was even able to smile about something she’d told him.

  “Cole, you never asked me about Eleanor. Aren’t you curious what happened to her?”

  He shrugged. “Is she happy?”

  “Yes,” Mary Rose answered. “She went to work for my Aunt Lillian.”

  “The general? Eleanor’s got more guts than I thought. Good for her.”

  Harrison smiled. “You call your aunt a general?”

  “She acts like one,” Mary Rose admitted. “Corrie left me a note yesterday. Would you like me to read it to you?”

  “No.” All four brothers shouted the word together. Then they burst into laughter.

  She wasn’t put off by their rudeness. “I’ll be happy to read it to you, Harrison.”

  “Sweetheart, I’ve already heard it three times. Corrie wants you to bring her another book.”

  “And?”

  “She’s happy you’re home. You’re sure pretty when you blush.”

  “I’m not blushing. I don’t mind my brothers laughing at me. They can’t help being uncivilized at the table. Ignore them.”

  “I think I missed being uncivilized most of all while we were in England.”

  “Oh, Lord. Have I married someone just like my brothers?”

  “I hope so. It would be the highest compliment you could give me.”

  “I told you he liked us,” Cole drawled out, embarrassed by his own reaction to Harrison’s praise.

  “Someone’s coming up to the house,” Douglas announced. “He’s dressed in a suit and driving a buggy.”

  Harrison stood up. “It’s Alfred Mitchell,” he guessed. “He’s the attorney we hired to do some work for us. You wait here,” he told the brothers when they all started to get up. “I want to talk to him alone first. You can meet him later.”

  He left the room before Adam could ask him to explain the work this Mitchell fellow was doing for them. He posed the question to Cole.

  “Harrison wanted to get some information about Livonia’s sons. He sent a wire to an attorney in St. Louis, asking for a recommendation, and Mitchell was suggested. The man must have ridden day and night to get here so soon. I can’t imagine how he did it.”

  “Should we listen at the door?” Travis asked.

  “We’ll do no such thing,” Adam dictated. “We’ll give Harrison privacy.”

  They all heard the screen door open once again. A few seconds later, Harrison came back into the dining room.

  He looked stunned.

  The reason was standing right behind him.

  Mary Rose staggered to her feet. “Father?”

  Her brothers all stood up. Their attention was focused on Lord Elliott.

  Harrison was watching his wife. Her complexion had turned a stark white, and he thought she was going to faint.

  He hurried to her side and took hold of her arm.

  Elliott stood there in the entrance staring at the family. He still didn’t know what he was going to say to them. He’d worried about it all the way here. How could he let her brothers know he accepted them as part of his family and hoped they would accept him?

  Harrison saw the worry in his eyes and decided to help the reunion along. He leaned down close to his wife’s ear, and whispered, “Your father’s very nervous.”

  He knew he wouldn’t have to say another word. Mary Rose’s heart immediately went out to her father. She hurried to his side, leaned up on her tiptoes, and kissed him on his cheek.

  “I’m very happy to see you again.”

  He came, out of his stupor with a start. He took hold of her hands. “Can you ever forgive me, daughter? I’m so sorry for all the pain I caused you.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes. Her father had spoken in such a passionate voice that she knew the words had come from his heart.

  “Oh, Father, I love you. Of course I forgive you. I love Harrison, and I have to forgive him all the time. He forgives me too. It’s what family is all about. I’m so sorry I hurt you by leaving.”

  “No, no, you made me come to my senses. You did the right thing.”

  Her brothers heard every word of his apology. None of them showed any outward reaction. Harrison thought their expressions could have been set in stone.

  “Father, I’m called Mary Rose here.”

  “All right then.”

  “All right . . . It’s all right?” She threw herself into his arms and hugged him.

  “When you come to England to visit me, I may slip now and then and call you Victoria. Will you mind?”

  “No, no, I won’t mind at all.”

  Elliott patted her shoulder, a soft smile on his face. His worry eased away. He had done the right thing.

  Mary Rose finally remembered her manners. She pulled away from her father and smiled up at him.

  “Father, I would like you to meet my brothers,” she announced, her voice filled with pride.

  Elliott closely studied all of them. Harrison moved to stand with the brothers. Elliott realized why he’d done so. He was helping him remember what the pecking order was in Mary Rose’s heart. Her husband came first, then her brothers, and finally her father. He didn’t mind being last on her list because he now knew she had enough love for all of them.

  The time had finally arrived for him to acknowledge her brothers as family. He didn’t feel rushed. He stared at the strapping young men and suddenly felt as though he were. in the presence of giants. He was both humbled and in awe of them.

  They were God’s answer to his prayers. All those years of anguish and terror, in the dark hours of the night when desolation threatened to devour his very soul, he had prayed for a miracle.

  And all along God had already given him four.

  He had been truly blessed. He had a wonderful daughter, a noble son-in-law, and now . . .

  “It appears I have four sons.”

  November 28, 1877

  Dear Mama Rose,

  It was voted on and I got stuck writing this letter to beg you to let up. Mama, we think it’s wrong for you to keep pestering us to get married. We know you think Adam should marry first because he’s the oldest, but he’s not going to do it, and that’s the way it is. Adam likes it just fine the way things are, and so do we, so please let go of your ideas about grandchildren.

  We all expect Mary Rose to get married one day. Now that she’s away at school, we can all relax our guards a little. The men around here are constantly fighting for her attention. None of them mind that smart mouth of hers either. We miss her though, more than we thought we would. You don’t have to worry about her at all. I taught her how to take care of herself if any of the men in St. Louis try to bother her. She packed her six-shooter and two boxes of bullets. That should be enough.

  I hope you aren

’t angry with me because I had to be so blunt with you. We all love you and wish you could come here and live with us.

  Cole

  23

  God definitely had a sense of humor. Elliott came to his conclusion after observing the behavior of the brothers for an hour or so. Mary Rose’s guardian angels were rough and rowdy, argumentative and wary at the same time, and loud. Lord, they were loud. They had the peculiar habit of all talking at the same time, and yet they were all able to hear what everyone else was saying. Elliott felt as if he were sitting in the center of a rally.

  He was having the time of his life.

  After he’d spoken to the men, they’d come forward to shake his hand. They were hesitant to accept him as part of their family, of course, but Elliott wasn’t discouraged. In time they would realize that, like him, they had little choice in the matter. God had pulled them all together, and together they would stay.

  He met Adam first. “You’re the one who likes to argue, aren’t you?” he remarked as he shook his hand.

  Adam immediately turned to Harrison. “Did you tell him that?”

  “I said you liked to debate,” he explained.

  Elliott nodded. “Same thing,” he announced. “I like to argue too, son. You’ll find I always win.”

  A gleam came into Adam’s eyes. “Is that so?”

  “You were wrong about the Greeks’ motives, you know. I’ll have to set you straight.”

  “I welcome the challenge,” Adam responded.

  Elliott met Travis next. “You’re going to be an attorney,” he announced.

  “I am?”

  “Yes, you are. Harrison says you’ve a natural ability to sort through quagmire.”

  Travis grinned. “You just used yesterday’s word of the day, sir. I’ve always wanted to shoot lawyers, not become one.”

  Douglas shook his hand next. “What did Harrison tell you about me?” he asked.

  “That you work magic with your horses. You could make a fortune in England working with thoroughbreds. Animals trust you and that tells me you have compassion. I wondered where my daughter came by hers. Now I know.”