Bonds of Matrimony (11 page)

           
“Because
this, Colton Webb, this is the beginning.”

***

           
By
the time he turned, she had already walked out of his cabin and closed the door
behind her.
 
This is the
beginning?
 
Of what?

           
It
occurred to him that she was probably plotting with her brother.
 
She had probably known all along who he
was.
 
She had followed him around
like a puppy dog, lapping up all the new tricks he could show her.
 
And like an idiot, he had felt a
responsibility to toughen up the young man before he got to Texas.
 
She must have been laughing at him all
along.
 

           
Webb
grinned in mid-thought, remembering her naïve declaration from the evening
before.
 
I prefer intelligent brunettes.
 
She must have been furious to hear the men discussing women
like that.

           
He
couldn’t keep from laughing aloud.
 
She was a feisty one.
 
And
if she was truly Fairfax’s sister, then she had been raised as a lady, daughter
of the Earl of Colchester.
 
With
that realization, his laughter stopped abruptly, and he frowned at the door of his
cabin.
 
Her behavior moments ago
had been too bold for a daughter of nobility.
 
She had kissed him, for crying out loud!
 

           
Before
he spent too much time dwelling on the inconsistencies of Lady Chase Fairfax, he
decided to put her out of his mind.
 
It had been a simple kiss.
 
It was hardly passionate.
 
And she wasn’t all that beautiful with those glossy chestnut curls and
big doe eyes.
 
Her threats were
empty and meaningless; and there was no reason for him to worry.
 
Instead, Webb resolved to put her out
of his mind, luscious pouty pink mouth and all.

CHAPTER 6

           
The
following day was their final day aboard the Mauretania.
 
After breakfast, Reese and Chase
eagerly made way for their rooms for their transformation.
 
Lady Colchester had promised to help the
girls get cleaned up and dressed in their feminine attire.
 
James had warned them that they would
be required to pass a rigorous inspection and physical once they got to
America, and they would be certain to face an interrogation if they were caught
trying to pass as gentlemen during that process.

           
As
Chase pulled the laces tight on Reese’s corset, she laughed, loosening the
laces and making her sister start over.

           
“You
aren’t helping,” Chase scolded, only half serious.

           
“I
just never thought I’d be happy to be putting one of these on again.
 
At last!
 
To feel pretty again!” she exclaimed.

           
Chase
laughed with her and tied the laces together.
 
She reached for the only set of women’s clothing she had
brought with her.
 
They lay on the
bed, looking inviting even to her.
 
Having made her decision to get revenge on Colton Webb, she was eager to
dress herself up prettily before they disembarked.
 

           
Reese
slipped her slender pink skirt up over her narrow hips and buttoned every last
tiny button of her pink and white striped shirtwaist.
 
She took her time pinning up her fine blond curls, making
the most of the short length she had to work with.
 
Chase watched her with admiration and scrubbed at her face.

           
“Did
you have a good stroll with Mr. Webb last night?” she asked.

           
Chase
had returned to find their cabin empty last night and had pretended to be
asleep when Reese returned.
 
She
wasn’t prepared to scare her sister by telling her that Webb knew of their
farse.
 
Now that they were all
preparing to leave the ship, she didn’t think Reese would worry quite so much.

           
“Not
especially,” Chase answered honestly.
 
“He knows Marcus quite well and was perfectly aware that he has two
sisters and no brothers.
 
So
needless to say, he confronted me about pretending to be a man.
 
He was furious with me.”

           
“He
knows?
 
Is he going to cause
problems?”
 
Before she could
answer, Reese answered her own question.
 
“Of course he wouldn’t.
 
He’s too much a gentleman.
 
He won’t tell anyone.”

           
Chase
snorted at her sister’s naïve perceptions.
 
“He was furious.
 
He nearly tossed me overboard.
 
Then he accused me of plotting with Marcus to attack his
ranch
business
somehow.
 
Gentleman…indeed.”

           
In
the reflection of the mirror, she saw Reese raise her eyes from the small
buttons of her shirtwaist.
 
She
studied the back of her sister’s head with concern.
 
“What did you do?”

           
Chase
shrugged and leaned closer to study the dark lashes that framed her eyes.
 
“I denied his accusations.
 
I explained our reasons for our
deception.
 
Then I kissed him,
threatened him, and left.”

           
She
shook her head and widened her eyes at her sister.
 
“You did what?”

           
Chase
sighed heavily and turned from the mirror to grab her own clothing off of our
bed.
 
“I suppose it was fairly bold
of me.
 
But when I saw the shock
and stupor on his face, it was worth it.”

           
“Why
on Earth would you kiss him?
 
I
thought you hated him.
 
And you did
all of this
after
he nearly tossed
you overboard?”

           
“You
don’t understand, Reese.
 
He’s so
arrogant and full of himself.
 
I’ve
devised a plan.
 
I’m going to best
him…and he’s going to hate it even more because I’m a woman.
 
A lady, no less.
 
He sees me as nothing more than an
ignorant chit with no interests or thoughts or feelings!
 
And to be bested by this same ignorant
chit is going to wreak havoc on his ego!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands
together in eager anticipation.

           
Reese
didn’t respond.
 
She only wanted
her sister dress in her pale yellow skirt and white shirtwaist with the same
pale yellow trim.
 
Reese tried to
persuade her to pin up her hair, but she preferred to tie it back with a pale
yellow ribbon.
 

           
“I
forgot how beautiful you are,” Reese replied sweetly as they headed for the
door.

           
Chase
was so touched by her simple compliment that she didn’t quite know how to
respond.
 
So she merely grabbed her
hand and followed her out the door.
 
Their grandmother greeted them outside of their room.

           
“Ladies,
I’ve just learned that the inspector will be meeting us in my room within the
hour.
 
We expect to reach New York
around 6:30 this evening.
 
I can’t
wait to see your brother again.
 
You both look lovely, by the way,” she sputtered excitedly.

           
“Perhaps
we could take a quick walk around the deck before we return to your room,
Grandmother.
 
I’m feeling the need
for some fresh air this morning,” Chase suggested.
 
In truth, she was hoping to run into Colton Webb.

           
The
three women encountered a number of people they’d met on the passage.
 
Lady Colchester introduced the girls to
Mr. and Mrs. Hatterly who shared a room next to hers.
 
Fortunately, they didn’t run into anyone who knew them as
Evelyn Cochrane’s two grandsons.
 
Periodically,
Chase gazed around the ship’s deck, in hopes of seeing the Texan.
 
She was disappointed when there seemed
to be no sign of him.
 
They were
making their way back to their grandmother’s room when a deep drawl greeted them
from behind.

           
“Good
afternoon, Ladies Fairfax.”
 
His
voice was soft and low, perhaps an effort to keep other passengers from
overhearing him.

           
Lady
Colchester started and turned rapidly, preparing to deny the accusation.
 
Her face fell in defeat when she saw
Webb standing before her.

           
He
smiled warmly and took her hands in his.
 
“I assure you, Lady Colchester, your secret is safe with me.
 
I figured it out last night, and Lady
Chase confirmed my suspicions.
 
When Marcus first came to America, he worked for me and talked
frequently about his younger sisters,” he explained.

           
“We
appreciate your silence in this matter,” their grandmother replied gratefully.

           
He
turned, perhaps to greet the girls this morning, and his eyes fell on
Reese.
 
They widened perceptibly,
and then he turned to Chase.
 
He
appeared flabbergasted by Reese’s appearance.
 
Chase grinned at the lapse in his normally suave
demeanor.
 
“Webb, this is my
sister, Reese.
 
Some might say that
she’s a stunning fair blond who is capable of stopping a man in his boots in a
street outside of a saloon full of half-naked women,” she added quietly enough
that only he would hear.

           
He
held out his hand stupidly and greeted her with a nod.
 
When he turned back to Chase, he didn’t
even seem to notice her change in appearance.
 
“Afternoon, Cochrane.
 
Seen the inspector yet?” he asked.

           
She
huffed slightly at his lack of acknowledgment.
 
Before leaving their room, she had checked and re-checked her
appearance.
 
She didn’t expect him
to lose consciousness or become overwhelmed with her beauty.
 
She didn’t even expect him to fall
speechless, as he had when he saw Reese.
 
But a simple appreciative look would have been nice.
 
“The name isn’t Cochrane, Webb.
 
It’s Chase or Fairfax,” she answered
angrily.

           
He
only dismissed her correction with a nod.
 
“Inspector?” he asked again.

           
“We’re
on our way to meet him now.”

           
“You
ladies should know that as first class passengers, especially aboard the
Mauretania, you receive very special treatment.
 
In addition to the accommodations and food, you get to go
through the inspection on board, before we get to America.”

           
“Doesn’t
every passenger go through the inspection?” Reese asked sweetly.

           
He
turned his attention to her, offering his arm to her and her grandmother.
 
Chase narrowed her eyes at his back,
hating him now more than ever.
 

           
“Every
passenger goes through the inspection, but only the first class is inspected on
board.
 
The other passengers are
all forced to endure a hideous five-hour inspection when they get to America.
 
Some of them are kept overnight in
these dormitories.
 
I’ve heard that
it is an unbearable procedure.”

           
“I
had no idea,” Reese breathed.
 
She
had him captivated, and she didn’t even know it.

           
They
had almost reached Lady Colchester’s room when he brought up another point. “Do
you ladies expect Marcus to meet you here in New York?
 
Because the inspectors will not let you
leave unattended.
 
New York isn’t
safe for women to travel alone.”

           
“Marcus
is coming for us,” Chase assured him.