Cora (The Brides of San Francisco #3) by Cynthia Woolf

Author:Cynthia Woolf [Woolf, Cynthia]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Firehouse Publishing
Published: 2015-03-28T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 8

Harry stood in the shadows on the corner across the street from Cora’s shop. Asa had stayed with her all day which hadn’t given Harry a chance to talk to her. He held one of his mother’s cheroots in one hand. Even though he didn’t like the things, smoking gave him something to do for the long hours he waited to get Cora alone.

He watched Asa come out and thought, now was his chance, but then he saw Cora follow him and knew they were going to dinner. No point in waiting here any longer. There was no telling how long they would be gone.

A pang of regret tore through him. He and Cora were supposed to go to the opera tonight. He had planned to ask her again to marry him. If his mother had only waited… He felt sure Cora would have chosen him. She’d told his mother she was leaning toward him…until all this happened. Now he’d have to force her to marry him. He didn’t like the thought of doing that to Cora. He really did care for her, but she had to marry him, she had to bear him a child. The marriage was the only way he could continue living the lifestyle to which he’d become accustomed. But he was running out of time.

*****

Cora and Asa returned to her store after their dinner at the Golden State Hotel restaurant. After they got out of the cab, Asa paid the driver, took Cora’s arm and escorted her to the door.

“Asa! Look! My door.”

The glass in her door was shattered. She quickly unlocked the door and was about to enter.

Asa stopped her.

“Let me go first.”

Once across the threshold, he looked down,

She followed his gaze. A brick was just inside, lying on the broken glass, a note tied to the stone.

Crouching, Asa carefully cut the string with his pocket knife and handed the letter to Cora.

She unfolded the paper and quickly read it.

This is your last warning. You know what must be done. Your decision will determine if there is a next time and if there is, the damage won’t be from a brick through your window.

H

“It’s her. It’s Henrietta. She warned me she’d burn my shop down if I didn’t marry Harry.”

Asa took the paper from her and read it for himself. He frowned and crumpled the note in his hand. “You’re not marrying Harry. You can’t seriously be considering it after this? What if the H stands for Harry not Henrietta? Could he be behind this and not his mother?”

Cora picked her way through the shards of glass and walked back to the sewing room to get a broom and dust pan. “I don’t know. He doesn’t really seem capable of this kind of behavior whereas his mother is totally capable. She’s insane. Absolutely insane and will stop at nothing if it gets her what she wants…namely for me to bear Harry a child.”

Asa shook his head. “Seems like a lot of trouble to go through just to get Harry a son or daughter.

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