Dorothy Garlock - [Wabash River] (37 page)

Evansville, when they reached it, was a bustling river town of several thousand inhabitants. Twelve years ago, in 1818, it was made the county seat of Vanderburg County. The first session of circuit court was held in the home of one of the town founders. At that time the town was only a cluster of log cabins. Now the seat of government was housed in a two-storied brick courthouse, set in the middle of the town square.

Daniel drove down a street lined with shops fronted by a boardwalk. Freight wagons, buggies, carts and horsemen clogged the street, but Daniel skillfully guided Zelda through the traffic to a framed and painted building at the end of the street. He stopped in front. A small Negro boy jumped off the porch with a huge smile on his face.

“I watch yo’ wagon, sah.”

“All right.” Daniel smiled and rubbed his knuckles over the woolly head. “I’ll take the lady inside and I’ll be back.” With his hands at her waist, he swung Mercy down to the boardwalk.

“Is this where we’ll stay?” Mercy glanced at the open door and beyond to a carpeted floor. “It looks nice.”

“It’s the best the town has to offer.” Daniel took her elbow and escorted her inside. He set the carpetbag down, left her, and went to the counter.

“Welcome, sir. Are you needing lodging?”

“The best room you have.”

“Yes, sir. Sign here please.” Long, slender hands that looked as if they had never done a day’s work turned the open register toward Daniel. The young man’s dark eyes went from Mercy to Daniel and back. Ooo, la, la, to have such a wife, he thought, or a mistress. He revised his thoughts to
wife
when he looked at the neat script on the register—Daniel Phelps and wife. He adjusted the lace at his cuffs. Oh, well, some men were born lucky, even this rough, crudely dressed one.

“My wife will want a bath.”

“It will be extra.”

“No matter.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll see to it at once. You will be in Room Two, directly above.” He took a key from a board on the wall behind him and placed it on the counter.

“Meals?” Daniel asked, picking up the key.

“We start serving at six o’clock—in the dining room.”

Daniel turned away. He didn’t like the way the man eyed Mercy, but as long as the young popinjay kept his thoughts to himself, he’d tolerate him. He picked up Mercy’s bag, cupped her elbow with his hand, and led her up the stairs.

The first thing Mercy saw when Daniel opened the door and she entered the room was a big, high, four-poster bed with two plump pillows. A washstand with china pitcher and bowl stood against one wall. Beside it on the floor was a blue-flowered chamber pot. A bureau, with a straight-backed chair beside it, stood against the other wall. A square of carpet lay on the floor beside the bed. The room was small, and when she turned, she came up against Daniel’s tall, hard body. Her skin began to tingle. This was their wedding night. They would be together in that soft bed!

“They’ll bring up a bath.” Daniel’s voice was raspy. He set her carpetbag down, and they came together, wrapping their arms about each other. “I’ll go find a livery while you take your bath.” His lips moved against her ear.

“Kiss me before you go.”

“I’ve been wanting to for hours.”

His brown fingers lifted her chin and his eyes searched hers. He lowered his head and kissed her softly, reverently. There was no haste in it. She kissed him back hungrily, her lips moving beneath his. A slow fire began to seep upward from his toes, and he turned his lips toward her cheek. His arms loosened and his hands came up to cup her head. A rap on the door caused him to step away from her.

Daniel opened the door to a maid with a tin hip bath and a burly man with huge buckets of water hanging from each arm. The maid placed the tub in the corner of the room, and the man emptied the water into it and went out.

“I vill bring the kettle ta hot the vater.” The maid, a plump German girl, placed towels on the chair, curtsied in an old-world manner, and left the room.

Mercy opened her carpetbag and searched for her soap.

“I didn’t think they’d bring it so soon.”

“I’ll wait until she comes with the hot water. After I go, I want you to bar the door.”

The maid returned with the kettle of boiling hot water and poured it in the tub, trailed her fingers through the water, then nodded approvingly to Mercy and went out.

“Enjoy your bath, honey. I’ll be back in about an hour, and we’ll go down to the dining room.”

“I’ll be ready.” She looked into his quiet face, and her eyes mirrored the love in her heart.

“If you look at me like that, sweetheart, I’ll not go.”

She moved close to him, snuggling in his arms, and held her lips up for his kiss.

He kissed her quickly. “If I don’t leave now, I’ll not go, and your bath will get cold.”

“Then I’ll bathe in cold water,” she said against his lips before she pulled away from him. “You’re the dearest man in the world,” she declared.

“Of course.” His eyes teased her. “I’m dear, I’m handsome, I’m kind, and . . . I’m leaving.” He laughed and his dark eyes glowed warmly, the creases in his cheeks making arcs around his smiling lips. “Drop the bar,” he said before he closed the door.

Mercy felt a sudden, delicious rush of joy. This was her wedding night, and she was totally, completely, utterly in love with her husband.

It was purely wonderful to sink into the bath of warm water, but Mercy didn’t linger. There was too much to do before Daniel came back. After her bath she laid the blue dress out on the bed and ran a damp cloth down the skirt to help rid it of wrinkles. While it was drying, she put on her last set of clean underclothes and brushed her hair vigorously. After she was dressed, she made a coiled rope of her hair, wound it, fastened it to the top of her head, and then carefully pulled a few curls loose above her ears and at her temples.

It was slightly more than an hour before Daniel returned to the inn. He had managed to accomplish a lot in that short time. After he had found a livery and arranged for the animals to be cared for, he had sought out a barber. Bathed, shaved, and in clean clothes, he’d had a short conversation with the barber, then headed for a merchant a few blocks down the street.

Now, with his purchase tucked safely in his pocket, he rapped on the door of Room 2.

“It’s me, Mercy.”

Mercy opened the door and stepped back so he could come in. He closed the door behind him, leaned against it, and looked at her. They stood quietly, as if to absorb the presence of each other.

“You had a bath too.” Her voice was weakened by the depth of her emotion.

“Uh-huh. You’re so pretty! I want to kiss you, but I’m afraid I’ll mess your hair.” He tossed his hat on the bed.

Laughter bubbled up. “We’re acting so shy, you’d think we didn’t know each other. Do you think we’ll ever get used to this new feeling? Oh, Daniel, I hope not!” She went to him, and her arms went around his neck. “It’s just so wonderful to be free to put my arms around you,” she whispered, pressing the full length of her body against his.

He took her mouth in a hard, swift kiss. “I have something for my wife.”

She leaned back and looked into his eyes. “For me?”

“You’re the only wife I have, love.” His smile covered his face, making his eyes shine. The fingers of one hand closed over hers while with the other he delved into his pocket. She was still looking into his eyes when he slipped the ring on her finger. They both looked down at his big hand holding hers; the wide gold band had slipped easily over her knuckle and glinted there on her third finger.

“Oh, Daniel! I had forgotten about a wedding ring!”

“I hadn’t. I want the world to know you’re mine.”

“It’s beautiful.”

“I told the merchant to stay open. If it didn’t fit, we’d be back.”

“We don’t have to. It’s perfect!” She held her hand up and twisted the ring around on her finger. “See. I’ll not lose it.”

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Let’s go eat, honey,” he said, and draped her shawl about her shoulders.

The maid was lingering outside the door when they opened it. “I come vor the tub,” she said, not looking at them.

Daniel nodded, and he and Mercy went down the stairs and into the dining room. At the entrance he paused and looked the place over. There was a long communal table where several men sat eating, and two small tables. He led Mercy to the small table covered with a white cloth and seated her.

The slick-haired young man who had been behind the counter when they arrived nodded to one of the serving women. She left the long table and hurried to the kitchen. The clerk wondered about the big, broad-shouldered man named Daniel Phelps. Since leaving Boston to come to this uncivilized place, he had seen few men who moved with such ease and spoke with such quiet authority. Phelps had stopped on his way out that afternoon and demanded, not asked, that they be served crusted meat pie, fresh bread and butter, and peach cobbler. The clerk had opened his mouth to say the evening menu was planned but closed it and went to the kitchen immediately to order the cook to make the cobbler, the rest being already on the evening menu.

Mercy’s shining eyes went from Daniel’s face to the ring on her finger. She looked around the dining room and wondered if everyone knew that this was their wedding night. She caught the dark-haired man looking at her and quickly turned away. He knew, or else he was curious about them.

Mercy’s smile widened when the woman brought the hot, crusty meat pie and the fresh bread and butter.

“Just this morning I was wishing for this.”

“I remember.”

“Peach cobbler too?” she exclaimed when the woman brought the dish, set it on the table, and moved away swiftly. “You asked for it!” she accused happily.

“Yes.” He smiled into her eyes.

They were not as hungry as they thought they would be, but they spent three quarters of an hour at the table.

“I can hardly wait to get home, Daniel. Will we go right out to your farm? I’ll not spend another night away from you,” she warned.

“It’ll depend on what time it is when we get to Quill’s Station. I suppose we’ll stay at the house. If we leave early and make good connections at the ferry, we could be home by dusk. If I think we can’t make it home, we’ll stop in the afternoon at New Harmony.”

“I won’t mind the long day. I’ll be with you.”

People passed and the lovers didn’t even look up. They had eyes only for each other. Light faded and lamps were lit. They finished eating and drank the hot, sweet tea.

“Would you like to walk a bit?” Daniel asked when they’d left the dining room.

“Would you?” She looked shyly up at him.

“No.”

“Neither would I.”

He took her arm and they went up the stairs. Mercy paused in the doorway of their room and waited while Daniel lit the lamp, then moved inside, closed the door, and dropped the bar across it. She stood quietly and watched him go to the window and pull the curtains together, enclosing them in their own little heaven. He turned and opened his arms, and she ran to him.

His embrace enfolded her. Mercy loved the lean hardness of his body and closed her eyes as she lifted her face to meet his. Trembling lips softened and parted as his mouth possessed hers. A warm tide of tingling excitement flooded her when his kisses turned fierce and devouring as tongues met and mouths slanted across each other with hungry impatience.

“Sweet, sweet . . . wife.”

“We can be together . . . all night long.” Mercy pulled back, and her eyes searched his quiet, dark face.

“All night long,” he echoed softly, and smiled. “Do you want me to leave while you get ready?”

“No,” she said quickly. “Don’t leave.” She reached into her hair for her hairpins. His fingers covered hers and sought out the pins. He placed them on the bureau and finger-combed her hair. It hung down to her waist. She brought it over her shoulder, and with her eyes holding his, she loosely braided it in one long plait, deftly twisting a length of loose hair at the end to hold it.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she removed her shoes and stockings, then stood and unbuttoned her dress. She pulled her nightdress from her carpetbag. Daniel stood at the end of the bed, suddenly shy. How could he undress and expose his arousal to her innocent eyes? Her effect on him was devastating to his self-control. He wanted to see her, yet he could tell by the way her eyes flicked toward him and then away that she was shy about taking off her clothes in front of him. He turned to the bureau, stood there for a moment, then lifted the chimney and blew out the lamp.

Mercy was relieved. She was not as uninhibited as she thought she would be. Being with him was too new. She quickly removed the rest of her clothing and slipped the gown over her naked body. The bed felt wonderfully soft when she got into it and moved over to the far side. She closed her eyes tightly, almost dizzy from the blood pounding in her ears. Anticipation sent her heart galloping madly. She heard him moving in the room, then felt the covers lift and the bed tilt as he slid in beside her.

With a low, wordless moan he reached for her, enclosed her in his arms, and brought her against his hard-muscled chest. His mouth found hers and, gently, softly, reverently, he kissed her. Her smooth, womanly arms crept about his neck. The fragrance of her filled his brain, and her lovely, curving form nestled against him. The sweetness of her filled his senses.

Mercy’s hand moved over his back and down to his bare buttocks, rested there hesitantly. He moved his head slightly and took his lips from hers.

“I don’t even own a nightshirt.”

The absurdity of it made her giggle. Her hand stroked his buttocks and moved to the small of his back, over his ribs, his hipbones, learning the feel of him. Every few breaths, she turned her lips to his, caressing his mouth with haunting gentleness.

His hands were rough and callused but amazingly gentle as they stroked the length of her body from her shoulders to her waist, to her thighs and buttocks. He wanted her out of her nightdress, wanted her naked breasts against his chest, wanted the soft down where her legs joined to be pressed against his rigid flesh. It seemed to him that he had waited forever for this moment. His kisses grew deeper. His tongue invaded her mouth and she welcomed it.