The Bride Fair by Cheryl Reavis

Author:Cheryl Reavis [Reavis, Cheryl]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781489273307
Publisher: Mills & Boon Series Special Releases
Published: 2018-10-01T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter Ten

It was only by the merest chance that Max saw them. The wick in the lamp needed to be turned up, and when he got up to do so, he glanced out the window. There was just enough moonlight for him to catch a glimpse of someone outside in the yard below. He turned the wick down instead of up and moved closer to the window where he could see.

It was Maria, talking to Phelan Canfield. The man had what looked like a cloth sack of some kind, and he held it out to her. She wouldn’t take it. At one point, she turned and walked away from him. He caught her arm.

Max could hear them now—or at least some of the conversation, and it struck him that he was making a habit of eavesdropping on these little tête-à-têtes with Phelan Canfield.

“I can’t stand any more, Maria!” Canfield said.

Max couldn’t hear her response, but he could tell she was trying to get away from him.

He glanced at Mr. Markham. The old man was sleeping now—exhausted by the effort it had taken to say what he wanted done. Max quietly left the room with every intention of going to fetch Maria—as her father had indicated he wanted done when he had finished talking. Fortunately or unfortunately, Max knew exactly where she was.

He went down the back stairs into the kitchen and stepped outside, but he stopped short of interrupting. He waited by the well where he could hear but not see them. For all intents and purposes, he just wanted to be…on hand, in the event that some intervention was needed. Who knew how drunk Phelan Canfield was by now? The man certainly had the justification to be as inebriated as possible.

But it occurred to Max as he stood there how much he didn’t like this association between Maria and Canfield, in spite of the fact that they had probably known each other all their lives. He didn’t like that Maria had risked her reputation on Canfield’s behalf, and he didn’t like the man coming to the house to see her now, even if his children were inside.

“Take it, Maria!” Phelan suddenly said. “It’s for the boys—don’t look at me like that!”

“They don’t need this,” she said. “They need you.”

“Maria—”

“Goodbye, Phelan,” she said.

Max could hear her walking in his direction, but he made no attempt to evade her. When she came into view, she was carrying the cloth sack.

“Out keeping the peace again, Colonel?” she said without stopping.

“If need be, yes,” he answered truthfully.

“I’m not on a public street now. Whatever happens here is none of your concern—and I don’t need your help.”

“Perhaps. Perhaps not,” Max said. He stepped in front of her. “Are you…all right.”

“No. I am not.”

She slipped by him into the house. And she didn’t stop. When he came into the kitchen, she had already gone up the stairs.

Max stood for a moment, then followed after her, but he didn’t see her anywhere. The door to her bedchamber was open when he passed, and he looked in.

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