Emily's Vow (37 page)

"Benjamin will join us shortly." He sliced through the roast duck on his plate. "He is anxious to become reacquainted with Miss Amy."

"How intriguing."

"Isn't it?" Frank chewed with a knowing smile.

"I dare say Amy will not be pleased with such an event." Emily sipped her wine and watched her cousin engage in an animated conversation with the older man beside her.

"I suppose we shall find out, since he has just arrived."

Benjamin moved lithely through the arched opening. Frank stood, drawing his attention, and motioned for Benjamin to join them. Frank remained standing until his friend reached the empty seat.

Amy looked at Emily, dismay haunting her eyes. Amy did not want to reconnect with Benjamin, although Emily only had her suspicions as to why. Now Amy had no escape. Emily gently shrugged at her cousin and best friend, apologetically indicating her predicament. Amy closed her eyes briefly in resignation, then shrugged as well, though her posture remained rigid.

"Have a seat, my friend." Frank motioned to the empty chair. "You're just in time."

Frank looked at Emily, intently searching her face. A premonition warmed her. Something momentous, surely. Frank tapped his knife lightly against his flute of wine, holding it aloft as he gazed about the room. The conversation stopped, and everyone watched him expectantly.

When he turned to Emily, her heart skittered at the love shining in his eyes. "I wanted you all as witnesses when I ask this lovely, intelligent woman if she will consent to become my wife. Emily, darling, I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?"

Marry
him? Could she?

What of her fears? Her vow? Her shop? Actually, she'd have more success convincing Frank to assist her with setting up her own business than her father. After all, her father's emphasis was on her safety, while Frank's was on her happiness. And her shop would definitely make her happy.

She glanced around the sea of faces, where hopeful expectations reflected back at her.

Amy smiled and nodded, wiping at her eyes. Her father waited, one hand braced on the table, the other holding his flute filled with wine hovering above the linen tablecloth. Samantha grinned and inclined her head in encouragement.

Emily looked at Frank, her love for him engulfing her heart. She had her answer.

"Yes."

"You've made me so very happy, my dear." He took both her hands and helped her stand beside him. "I love you so. I'll always be at your side to protect you."

He kissed her, a long, lingering touching of their mouths. A joining of their love and lives.

"Now you have to marry him," Benjamin said, laughing. "Three cheers to the newly engaged couple."

"Huzza! Huzza! Huzza!" echoed around the room as everyone joined in the celebration.

Darting a look at Benjamin, Amy rose from her chair and pushed it backward with a scrape. Muttering "excuse me," she fled the room.

Emily watched her friend hurry through the door and noted with a smile when Benjamin also rose and excused himself. Perhaps another romance stood poised to blossom in the near future. Frank cleared his throat, and she returned her gaze to him.

Frank searched Emily's eyes and smiled. "Would you agree to a traditional wedding on Twelfth Night? Will that give you enough time to prepare?"

"Perfect. Mayhap this war will be over and we'll have even more to celebrate."

"We can hope." He kissed her again, watching her response. "I love you, Em."

"I love you." She kissed him, then smiled into his eyes. "Together we'll form our own perfect union."

The End

Want more from Betty Bolté?

Page forward for an excerpt from

AMY'S CHOICE

A More Perfect Union

Book Two

Excerpt from

Amy's Choice

A More Perfect Union

Book Two

by

Betty Bolté

Award-winning Author

Amy glanced at Benjamin and then glided to her chair across from his. He slowly sat back down and sipped from his cup of coffee.

"Benjamin, what brings you out here so early this morning?" Walter slathered yellow butter on yet another slice of bread.

Amy kept her eyes on her plate, but her movements slowed, indicating she listened intently.

"Colonel Scarsdale made an important announcement last week, one that increases the chance of violent retaliation and looting by the British troops as they prepare to evacuate the city." Benjamin kept his eyes on Walter but watched Amy's actions at the side of his vision.

"Is the war finally over then?" Walter laid down his knife, eyes intent on Benjamin.

"It appears to be, all but the acts of signing the peace treaty and evacuating His Majesty's troops."

"When might that happen?" Emily fisted her napkin and gazed at him with hopeful eyes.

"As soon as conditions allow them to leave the harbor. But between now and then they will scavenge for any items of value they can lay their hands upon." He willed Amy to look at him, and finally she rewarded him by lifting her eyes to meet his.

"But how does that impact us out here?" Amy regarded him, one hand poised above her plate, a bite of ham waiting. "Surely the Britons will not harm us so far from town. They'll be busy preparing to evacuate."

"Clearly you do not fathom the reality of the matter." When Amy merely stared at him, realization dawned as to the extent of the situation before him. "I have come to take the girls back to town where I can keep them safe."

A startled silence followed his pronouncement.

"We are safe here." Samantha strode into the room and made straight for the sideboard. "Yes, more so than we'd be in town at any rate." Emily looked from one person to another. "So many soldiers still roam the streets, after all."

"Besides, we cannot move Evelyn." Amy held knife and fork poised to slice through the ham. "I won't leave her here alone. She needs help until the baby arrives, and for a span after."

"She has me." Walter laid his hands flat on the table at either side of his plate. "I can take care of her."

Amy darted a glance at Walter, then returned her gaze to Benjamin. "That's my fear."

Her mouth formed a stubborn pout as her eyes reflected her concern. What had occurred here to provoke such a statement? Amy glanced at Walter with unease plain in her expression, her distrust of the man evident. Despite himself, Benjamin tensed at the idea of Amy living under the same roof as Walter.

"I know how to defend myself, so I'll stay." Samantha placed her napkin in her lap. "More to the point, Evelyn will deliver any day now, and she'll need me."

"You'll need help with running this place." Emily laid her napkin on the table, her eyes steady on Samantha. "I'm accomplished at that, so I will stay to assist."

"In the event, Miss Amy stays with me." He spoke with less conviction than earlier as his resolve wilted under the arguments put forth by the women surrounding him. "I can't stay away from town long, not only because Captain Sullivan expects me to ensure the museum collection is not touched, but also because Amy's father requested I bring my fiancée back posthaste."

A feminine gasp drew his eyes to Amy's startled expression. Damnation. Too late, he realized his error as, in rhythm with three blinks, her stubborn expression shifted to surprise, then anger.

"Pardon me?" Her eyebrows arched over wide eyes. "You are engaged? To whom, pray tell?"

His carefully prepared speech blown apart by his own foolish words. Again, words had tripped him up and left him floundering. "I spoke with your parents a few days ago, and they agreed..."

"Stop." Amy, face red, held up a hand as though warding off a blow. "Pray, don't tell me my parents actually negotiated with
you
for
my
hand?"