Coulson's Wife (The Coulson Series) (5 page)

“Did William ever tell
his grandparents?”

“Not that I know of.”

“What was my
mother-in-law like? Did she try to protect her son?”

“She was a quiet woman.
I really don’t remember much about her. She had her hands full with the twins
—
Mr. Randall’s younger brother
and sister were twins. They were the ones killed in the house fire.”

“Mr. Hunter is here for
Mrs. Coulson,” Lily interrupted the conversation. She stood at the entrance to
the dining room.

“I
t’s a lovely
morning,” Mary Ellen noted as she looked out the car window and watched the
landscape roll by.  Steering the motorcar down the drive, William glanced over
at his passenger and smiled. She looked lovely this morning, wearing a crisp
new lavender dress, her hair pulled back in a matching bow.

“I was wondering, Mary
Ellen, would you be up to going to a picture show later this week?
Tarzan of
the Apes
is playing.”

“Oh my!” Mary Ellen
looked at William, clearly delighted with the offer. “I wanted to see that
movie, but my father wouldn’t let me.”

“Why not?”

“He said he didn’t want
his daughter watching a movie where people are running around the jungle half
naked.”

William chuckled at her
response.

“I read the book and am
curious to see the movie. I discussed it last night with Randall, and he said
you could go with me, if you want to.”

“You spoke to Randall?”

“Yes. Hasn’t he called
you?”

“No. I really don’t
expect him to. We never talk much when he’s here. But yes, I would love to go
with you. I’ve also read the book. It’s actually one of my favorites.” Mary
Ellen looked back out the car window and smiled, content for the moment.

Instead of responding, William
silently considered the fact Randall was not making much of an effort to
develop a deeper relationship with his young bride. He was treating Mary Ellen
the same way the elder Mr. Coulson treated Randall’s mother. William cringed at
the thought and told himself he must convince his friend to cultivate a deeper
relationship with Mary Ellen.

“My father told me
Randall’s parents were killed in a house fire. Did you know them?” She already
knew the answer, but she didn’t want to betray Mrs. Parker’s confidence and she
was curious to learn more about the man she married
—
and his best friend. William looked momentarily
startled at the question, because he was silently thinking of the couple when
Mary Ellen asked.

“Yes, we were
neighbors. He also lost his brother and sister that day.”

“That must have been
devastating to him, losing his parents and siblings.” Mary Ellen turned to face
William, whose eyes were fixed on the road ahead.

“He was never close to
his father. And his mother, well, she really didn’t pay much attention to him.
But his younger brother and sister
—
they
were twins
—
he seemed quite
fond of them. Of course, they were much younger and didn’t spend a great deal
of time with Randall. But losing his entire family in one day, it was rough.”

“But you were there for
him, weren’t you?” Mary Ellen asked softly, already knowing the answer. She
suspected William was always there for Randall, when he needed him.

“We were at different
schools when it happened. I left for college a year before him. But my
grandfather
—
I was raised by
my grandparents
—
sent me a
telegram, telling me about the fire. I came home that weekend to give Randall
my support.”

“Did he go back to
school after the funerals?”

“Not right away. His
father raised horses, and none of the animals were hurt in the fire. Both of us
pulled out of school for a while
—
until
he could settle his father’s estate and sell off the horses and land.”

“You pulled out of
school too?”

“The term was almost
over, so I went back to finish up, then dropped out for a year. Randall was
pretty devastated by the event and didn’t have any other family. He stayed with
me and my grandparents at their home, since his house was gone.”

“And he didn’t want to
rebuild and carry on his father’s business?”

At that question, William
let out a laugh before answering.

“Oh no, Randall hated
—
and I mean
hated
horses.
He hated everything about the ranch. He was the sole heir, so he sold
everything, and used that money as capital to fund our first business venture.”

“Which was a success.”

“Yes. I was reluctant
at first; I had my own plans, but Randall begged me to go into business with
him. I told him I would, after I finished college. That was important to my
grandfather, and at the time, I only had a year left.”

“So you both finished
college?”

“No, actually, I
finished, Randall was too impatient. He dropped out when I graduated, but it
all worked out for him. Oh, and by the way, maybe forget what I said about your
husband begging me to go into business with him. I doubt he would appreciate
that characterization of the events.” William chuckled.

Mary Ellen was so
enthralled with the conversation, she failed to notice William had pulled off
the road and was driving the motorcar into a lovely park area. Maple trees
lined the landscape, their leaves fluttering in the late morning breeze.

“Where are we?” Mary
Ellen asked when he stopped the car.

“I thought we could get
out, stretch our legs a bit and take a walk. Before we head back home, perhaps
I can convince you to have lunch with me.”

“I had a nice
breakfast, but I confess, I’m kind of hungry already.”

William chuckled then
said, “That’s to be expected.” Mary Ellen blushed, embarrassed because he
thought she was pregnant. She wanted to tell him the truth, but she was afraid
he would tell Randall, and she couldn’t risk that. Especially not now that she
was enjoying herself so much.

Why can’t my husband be
more like William?
Mary Ellen asked herself. She wished it
had been William instead of Randall who made the bargain with her father. She
suddenly wondered how William would treat her in the marriage bed. For some
reason, she believed he would be different. She could almost imagine him saying
sweet things to her as he helped her undress.
Foolish girl,
Mary Ellen reminded
herself
—
your husband
doesn’t even remove your clothes, he just tosses up your skirt and forces his
way in.

William turned off the
engine and got from the motor car. Mary Ellen fitted her hat on her head as she
waited for William to open her car door and help her out. Without thought, William
tucked her right hand under his left elbow and held it in place as the two
strolled down the grassy lane between two rows of maple trees.

“It’s getting rather
warm today. I have a feeling we’re in for a hot summer.” Mary Ellen noted.

“Yes, it’s rather
warm.”
But I’m not sure the rise in temperature is completely due to the
weather,
William silently speculated.

“It’s rather sweet of
you, taking me out today and promising me a movie later this week. But I’m sure
you have other more important things to do.” Another woman, one a little older
and more experienced, might sound as if she were fishing for a compliment. When
Mary Ellen asked the questions, it sounded sincere, devoid of an ulterior
motive.

“I can’t think of
anything I’d rather be doing,” he answered with sincerity. Without thought, his
right hand gave the hand he held a reassuring pat. Mary Ellen blushed at his
response.

“Surely, you have some
special young lady in your life?” Mary Ellen couldn’t imagine such a handsome
man wouldn’t have beautiful women fluttering around him.

“At the moment, no. I’m
not seeing anyone. Although Randall did point out it was time I got married.” William
chuckled.

“Perhaps he wants your
children raised with ours?”

“Perhaps. But when I
marry, I plan to do so for love.”  He instantly regretted his words, and wanted
to kick himself for being so insensitive. He could feel Mary Ellen tense. Stopping
in his tracks, William turned to face her, releasing her hand so he could place
his on her shoulders.

Looking into her face,
he could see his careless words had chased away the joy that had been in her
eyes just moments before.

“I’m sorry I said that.
It was thoughtless of me. Marrying for love is a fanciful notion. The truth is,
love grows over time. I’ve no doubt love will grow between you and Randall.
He’s a good man. Someday you’ll love him, especially now that you’ll be sharing
a child.  Just give it time.”

Without thought, William
raised his right hand to her face and gently brushed the back of his fingertips
down along the length of her left cheek, and whispered, “I can’t imagine
Randall not falling hopelessly in love with you.” 

 Mary Ellen’s clear
blue eyes widened in surprise and she let out a little gasp. Her heart raced,
and in that moment she wished he would kiss her.

Startled by the
yearning so clearly reflected in the innocent blue eyes, William once again
cursed himself for his foolishness and turned to resume their walk, tucking her
hand again under his elbow.

Biting her lip, Mary
Ellen told herself to steady her breathing and stop acting like an infernal
ninny. William Hunter was simply being kind, and she was a married woman. The
man believed she was carrying the child of his best friend.

When they reached the
restaurant an hour later, she was grateful to have an opportunity to wash up. After
the server showed them to their table, she excused herself to visit the
facilities. William tucked a coin in her palm, assuming she would need it to
gain access to one of the stalls. The gesture made her blush, but she
appreciated his thoughtfulness.

Over lunch William
brought up the topic of the movie again, which lead them to a discussion on books
and literature. He recalled Randall’s comment about how his bride knew how to
read, yet by his tone it sounded as if she had only a rudimental grasp on
reading and writing. By the books she discussed, it was obvious she was a voracious
reader. He wondered if Randall had any idea how bright his young bride was.

“I’ll admit I was a
little surprised Randall’s estate didn’t include a library. For some reason I
always imagine estates, such as his, would have one.”

“No, Randall has never
been much of a reader or collector of books. But I’ve quite an extensive
library and you’re welcome to borrow anything that interests you.”

“Oh, I would love that!
Thank you. I’ve never asked, do you live very far from us?”

“Not too far. It’s
about a fifteen minute drive. My humble estate is modest in comparison to your
new home. My one indulgence is my library. It’s a passion inherited from my
grandfather, I suspect. I have his collection, and have added to it over the
years.”

“Do you have family
back in Kentucky?”

“No. My mother’s parents
raised me after my father died. She was an only child, as was I. I don’t
remember either of them. According to my grandmother, she came down with a
fever when I was just a baby and died. My father was killed shortly after, in a
carriage accident.

“I never knew my
father’s family, although I know he had several brothers and a sister. From
what I understand, they moved to Oregon before my parents were married and my
father never really kept in contact with them.”

“So you and Randall,
you’re like family.”

“I suppose so. I love
him like a brother. Sometimes I want to throttle him.” William chuckled then
added, “Yet I would throttle anyone that would do him harm.” 

Mary Ellen smiled
softly and took a sip of water.

W
illiam didn’t have
dinner at the Coulson Estate that night. After spending the morning and early
afternoon with Mary Ellen, he needed to get back to the office and intended to
work into the evening.

Wanting to finish her
room, Mary Ellen instructed the cook to bring a tray with dinner upstairs. Lily
brought the tray of food and silently set it on the dresser. She didn’t extend
another offer to help Mary Ellen right the room, but left mumbling under her
breath about the mess and was convinced the misguided bride would eventually
come whining to the household staff begging for help.
She’s clearly in too
deep
, thought Lily.

 Mary Ellen closed the
door behind the maid and continued with her reorganization project. Instead of
sitting down to eat her supper, she nibbled on bites of food as she worked. Earlier
she discretely washed her soiled rags in her private bathroom, and they were
almost dry, due to the unseasonably warm July evening. 

It was a quarter past
ten when Mary Ellen finally finished with her project. Propping her balled
fists on her hips, she surveyed the room and smiled. She had managed to
rearrange some of the lighter pieces of furniture along with her personal
belongings. Now the only thing that looked out of place was the empty food tray
atop her dresser. Snatching up the tray, she set it on a table in the hallway
then went to her bathroom to wash up for bed.

Lily found the empty tray
outside Mary Ellen’s room the next morning. The bedroom door was still closed
and Lily couldn’t hear anyone moving around on the other side of the wall. She
suspected the mistress of the house was still sound asleep and she was dying of
curiosity to see if the room was still in shambles. Succumbing to her
curiosity, she gingerly opened the door, careful not to make any sound.

The curtains were still
closed and the room was virtually dark, save for a faint hint of sunshine
peaking in around the edges of the window coverings. Lily tiptoed into the
room, allowing her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. She could see a lump on
the bed under the coverlet–Mary Ellen was still sound asleep. Or so she
thought.

Tiptoeing around the bedchamber,
Lily nosily looked around, surprised that the girl had actually managed to
straighten up the room. She even noticed several pieces of furniture had been rearranged.
She wondered how Mr. Coulson would feel about
that
.

From the bed, Mary
Ellen opened her eyes slightly, enabling her to identify the intruder while
still playing possum. There were no damp rags drying in her bathroom, so she
wasn’t concerned Lily would be seeing something she didn’t want her to see and
allowed the maid to continue snooping while she quietly watched from the bed.

After thoroughly
inspecting the room and peeking into several drawers, Lily tiptoed back to the
door, and quietly let herself out. Mary Ellen didn’t know if the nosey maid had
her fill of snooping, or if this would be a regular inspection. She didn’t
intend to take any chances, nor did she want to get the maid discharged. That
would only create hard feelings with the rest of the household staff, and the
last thing she wanted was to be surrounded by vindictive servants.

At breakfast Mary Ellen
summoned Mrs. Parker, as she had the previous morning. The housekeeper sat
across the table from her young mistress and poured herself a cup of coffee.

“I was wondering about
the locks for my bedchamber. How many keys do you have that fit the lock?” Mary
Ellen asked as she spread strawberry preserves onto her biscuit.

“Your bedroom door?
Why, I believe there are two keys that fit that lock. There wouldn’t be more
than that–and I don’t recall ever losing that key, so yes. Two.”

“I would like them
please. Both of them.”

“Excuse me?” Mrs.
Parker frowned.

“Since I’ll be cleaning
my bedroom and bathroom, there really is no reason for anyone to have a key to
my room, except me. Of course, when my husband returns, I’ll give him one if he
wishes. But for now, I would like them both.” Mary Ellen smiled sweetly, as if
her question was most rational.

The request caught Mrs.
Parker by surprise. She stood up and pulled a key ring from the pocket of her
skirt and then sat back down and fumbled through the keys, looking for the
desired one. At that moment, one of the maids came into the dining room with a
fresh tray of breakfast pastries.

“Please send Lily in
here,” Mrs. Parker asked the woman bringing the pastries. The woman gave a
little nod, set the plate on the table and left to go find Lily. A few minutes
later, the summoned maid entered the dining room.

“You called for me,
Mrs. Parker?” Lily asked, paying little attention to Mary Ellen, who was
sampling one of the newly arrived pastries.

“Last month I gave you
a key to Mrs. Coulson’s room. Can I have it please?”

“Excuse me?” Lily
looked nervously from Mrs. Parker to Mary Ellen and back to Mrs. Parker.

“I don’t believe my
request was difficult to understand. The key to Mrs. Coulson’s bedchamber
please,
now
.”  Mary Ellen almost choked on her pastry, finding it
amusing that Mrs. Parker snapped at Lily for her response when asked for the
key, while Mrs. Parker gave the very same one when she was asked.

Lily frowned at the
request and dug her hand into her apron pocket, retrieving her set of keys. It
took her just a moment to locate the desired one and remove it from the ring.

“Is anything wrong?” Lily
asked nervously as she handed the key to Mrs. Parker.

“I don’t think so,”
Mrs. Parker took the key, stood up and then placed both keys on the table by
Mary Ellen’s plate. Lily silently watched.

“Thank you,” Mary Ellen
said sweetly, then snatched up both keys.

• • • •

 “What was that all
about? Why did she want the keys?” Lily asked Mrs. Parker later that morning,
when the two women were alone.

“I don’t think Mrs.
Coulson trusts us. Yesterday she made it clear she doesn’t want anyone going
into her room uninvited, and today she asks for all the keys to her room.” Mrs.
Parker then narrowed her eyes and studied Lily’s face. The younger woman looked
guilty of something.

“What did you do, Lily?”
Mrs. Parker demanded.

Lily gulped nervously
before answering. “I thought she was asleep.”

“What are you talking
about?”

“This morning. I was
just curious. I wanted to see how her room looked.”

“You went in there uninvited,
while she was sleeping?”

“Well, I thought she
was sleeping. She didn’t say anything. I didn’t disturb anything, I promise. I
just had a look around. Oh, and you know, she actually put everything away. The
room looks good.”

“Oh Lily, what a ninny
you are! That could cost you your job! What were you thinking?”

“I just wanted to see.
Oh, do you think she’s going to let me go? Oh no…” Lily looked as if she was
about to get ill.

“No, I don’t think she
is. Had she wanted me to let you go, I think she would have said something this
morning. She never mentioned you. In fact, she has never said anything about
you
—
nothing
. Not
even when she was clearly upset with how you and Jane got too pushy with her that
first morning. The only reason I know about that
—
you told me
.  

“If you think about it,
Mrs. Coulson has been very nice about her displeasure with you. She hasn’t come
to me or to her husband about any complaints. Had she gone to Mr. Coulson, he
would have come to me. You’ve been very fortunate, Lily. But you are pushing it,
girl. The next time you do something this foolish, she may be asking for more
than room keys.”

An hour later Mary
Ellen sat at the small desk in her bedchamber, penning a letter to her Aunt Rachael
when a knock came at the door.

“Come in,” Mary Ellen
called out as she looked up toward the bedroom door. It opened slowly and in
walked a very nervous Lily.

“Ma’am, may I have a
moment of your time?” the maid timidly asked.

“Certainly, come it.”
Mary Ellen set the pen on the desk atop her stationery and turned around in the
chair to face the maid. Lily gave a little nod and then stepped closer, nervously
fidgeting with the edge of her apron.

“I’ve come to
apologize, Mrs. Coulson.”

“Apologize, what for?”
Several reasons for an apology sprung to Mary Ellen’s mind.

“I’ve been doing a
great deal of thinking this past hour.”

“And?”

“When you first
arrived…well….I guess I was pretty pushy.”

“Pushy?” Mary Ellen
raised one brow.

“Yes, when you arrived
I…well….I treated you like I might my younger sister. That was inappropriate.”

Mary Ellen was about to
respond when Lily continued on.

“This morning, well, I
came into your room uninvited. I imagine you already know that. That’s probably
why you asked for the keys, because you felt you couldn’t trust the staff. But
please Mrs. Coulson, don’t judge the other girls by my behavior. I know Jane or
Mrs. Parker would never come into your room uninvited, not after you told them
not to.”

“So why did you do it?”
Mary Ellen asked softly.

“I…I guess I was
curious. I didn’t think you could really put this room back in order.” Suddenly
realizing what she just said, Lily stopped talking for a moment and closed her
eyes. Her complexion turned bright red.

“I didn’t mean that
like it sounded…” Lily started, then paused a moment and said, “Oh pooh, yes I
did mean that. I didn’t think you could get this room back in order, and figured
you would eventually come to us for help. But you did a great job. I don’t know
what is wrong with me, Mrs. Coulson. I’m not usually so mean.”

Lily’s eyes filled with
tears and Mary Ellen couldn’t help but feel sorry for the girl.

“Lily, how old are
you?”

Lily took a deep
breath, wiped unshed tears from her eyes with the back of one sleeve and
proceeded to answer the question.

“Twenty-five, ma’am.”

 “Are you married?”
Mary Ellen was curious to find out more about Lily, who seemed far less
irritating now, compared to their first meeting.

“I was. My George was
in the army. He was killed this past fall.” A tear slid down Lily’s face. She
wiped it away and took a deep breath, calming herself.

“Oh, I am so sorry, Lily.
I lost an older brother in this horrible war. Have you any children?”

“Yes, two little
girls.”

“And who watches them
when you’re at work?”

“My mother and George’s
mother. They take turns.”

“That’s nice you have
family to rely on.” 

Lily nodded, feeling
less vulnerable.

“Lily, why don’t we
start over? I know I was rather sharp to you and Jane that first morning
—
but I was very nervous about my
new life. And you, well, you did overwhelm me.”

“I understand, Mrs.
Coulson. And I am very sorry for that.”

“Yes, I believe you
are. And please don’t take it personally, my desire for total privacy. Unlike
you, I haven’t the support of a family to help me through challenging times. So
I choose to create a sanctuary of sorts
—
here in this room.”

“Yes, ma’am, I
understand.” Lily didn’t really understand. Yet if Mrs. Coulson wanted her
privacy, Lily would honor her employer’s wishes.