The Hungry Heart Fulfilled (The Hunger of the Heart Series Book 3) (6 page)

 

 

“I can’t understand
your attitude, Emer. What
is going on here? You’re
like a stranger, or someone with
something to hide,” Dalton observed as she avoided looking
into his eyes, and
tried to push past him and escape from the suddenly
claustrophobic nursery.

 

 

“I don’t know what
you mean. No,
please, stay away from me, stop
trying to get around my reason and common sense,” Emer
insisted, desperate for
him not to touch her again, she was so uncertain of her own
response if he
dared.

 

 

Dalton swung the
door shut before
she could reach it, and moved his mouth tantalisingly close to
her own.

 

 

“I want you to look
me straight in
the eye, and tell me you don’t love me,” he challenged.

 

 

Emer blushed and
looked down at the
ground.

 

 

Dalton cupped her
chin with his
strong fingers, and pleaded, “Look at me. Tell me truth.”

 

 

She clutched the
child even more
tightly to her. “Don’t
do this,
please. One day
you’ll understand
this is the best for everyone, and then you’ll thank me,” Emer
maintained.

 

 

But Dalton’s lips
moved even
closer. All she
had to do was tilt
her head, and then….

 

 

Then she would have
truly been
lost.

 

 

Emer held the babe
tight and ducked
out from under his arm, catching him unawares, flung out the
door, almost
dropping the baby bottle in her headlong flight, and made
straight for the
safety of her classroom, where she prayed fervently that she
wouldn’t see him
again.

 

 

Dalton pounded the
door jamb with
his fist as he watched her flee, and resolved that this would
not be the last
of it.

 

 

She needed time.
They both did. And
she was right, this was not the
time or place. He had actually been trying to seduce her in a
nursery, for
pity's sake.

 

 

He took a deep
breath and forced
himself not to follow her into the classroom. Instead he went
to the front door
to gather his hat and outerwear.

 

 

He had much to do
himself if he was
going to set up in private practice and take the post at the
fever hospital.

 

 

Emer was correct
about another thing
as well. She certainly couldn't come to him right this
instant, not when he had
made no provision for a wife and family.

 

 

He had taken some
tentative steps
towards this goal due to his impending nuptials. The
intentions were good, it
was just the bride who was not the right one.

 

 

He stepped out onto
the porch, and
waved to his carriage driver. He would go to town now and see
what he could
arrange for his beloved Emer and her immediate family.

 

 

Then he would tell
Madeleine that it
was over between them, and wait for Emer to admit once and for
all that they
were meant for each other.

 

 

He only prayed it
was soon. They had
wasted enough time apart due to his own pride and foolishness,
but he had found
her again at last, and this time he was determined that
nothing would ever
separate them again, not even death.

 

 

 

CHAPTER SIX

 

 

After Dalton had
left, Emer finally
felt as though she could breathe again. Dash it all, what was
it about the man
that set her so completely on fire and made her want to throw
all caution to
the wind?

 

 

If he had kissed
her, she knew she
would have been lost in that instant.

 

 

She almost felt as
though he had,
for her whole body was trembling with barely suppressed
desire, and she could
feel her inner thighs moisten with her own torrid passion, her
secret feminine
core clenching with the most aching need.

 

 

She took a deep
breath to steady
herself. That way lay madness.
She
was a responsible teacher, who had to do the best for the
charges in her care
now. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted by Dalton, no
matter how rosy
he kept trying to paint a supposed future for them.

 

 

After all he had
done, even if she
were prepared to forgive and trust him, the pile of corpses of
her family and
friends stood between them, an effective barrier to them ever
being together
again which she would do well to remember the next time Dalton
tried to entice
her romantically.

 

 

Fortunately,
finishing feeding the
baby, and then teaching the children, who were very eager
participants in the day's lesson, made
the time fly by
once she put Dalton's visit out of her mind.

 

 

Then it was time
for supper, and
evening Bible reading, and soon after, Myrtle arrived to help
her get ready for
their evening engagement on behalf of the orphanage.

 

 

Emer's heated
cheeks gave her a
glowing appearance which her friend noted, but did not comment
upon lest the
auburn-haired beauty grow self-conscious and refuse to
accompany her. She could
see her nerves were tightly strung, and half-expected her to
balk at the
invitation.

 

 

So Myrtle kept
their conversation
confined to all the good the Hearsts could do for the children
in Emer's care,
and congratulated herself when she finally got the younger
woman into the
carriage and safely across the river heading towards the
Hearsts' splendid
townhouse.

 

 

Emer felt composed
enough to face
even Dalton after Myrtle's enthusiastic conversation about the
many potential
prospects the children might have if all went well that
evening.

 

 

She had no way of
knowing that the
mysterious invitation to the Hearsts’ soiree that evening had
been at Madeleine
Lyndon’s instigation.

 

 

Madeleine’s sharp
brown eyes had
taken in Dalton’s odd behaviour at the cathedral on Sunday
morning, and the
ebony-haired beauty's soul had simmered with jealousy at the
thought of him
having been involved with the delicately lovely red-headed
Irishwoman whom
every one said had to be none other than the mysterious Mrs.
Dillon, who had
fascinated most of the male hearts in town with her gorgeous
looks and even
more remarkable compassion and intelligent conversation.

 

 

Madeleine had
therefore persuaded
the Hearsts to invite Mrs. Dillon under the pretext of
supporting her
charitable efforts so that she could see for herself how Emer
and Dalton
behaved together. Then she could determine whether she could
somehow stave off
the threat that the gorgeous widow seemed to present to her
future happiness.

 

 

Madeleine was
nothing if not
tenacious in her quest to marry Dalton on Thursday, even if it
meant she had to
use every trick in her extensive repertoire to do so.

 

 

Madeleine dressed
with extreme care
in a tight blue gown which accentuated her curves, and was
daringly low in the
shoulders and bosom. She
put on an
exquisite sapphire necklace with matching ear bobs and
bracelets, and gathered
up her elegant blue and black lace reticule and lace fan.

 

 

She congratulated
herself that she
was thin and graceful, not a waddling duck like Emer in her
present condition.

 

 

When Dalton came to
fetch her that
evening, she was especially affectionate and fulsome in her
praise for anything
to do with the fever hospital, which she remarked to herself
wearily he did
nothing but talk about incessantly.

 

 

Dalton had been
surprise at
Madeleine's warm attitude and conversation, so much so that he
had not seen any
sort of opening to break off their engagement.

 

 

He decided not to
distress her and
put them in danger of causing comment by not turning up at the
Hearsts, or
worse still, her going when she was upset.

 

 

So he swallowed his
carefully
reheased speech, and fetched her sapphire silk evening cloak
instead.

 

 

The couple were
chatting in a corner
quietly when Emer and Myrtle arrived. Madeleine cleverly waited
until Emer was fully in the
room before
giggling flirtatiously, and then stretched up to kiss Dalton
passionately.

 

 

Emer’s eyes
widened, and she felt
her throat constrict.

 

 

Dalton’s head
eventually raised when
Madeleine had stopped pulling him down with all her strength
by the lapels of
his jacket, but by then the damage had already been done.

 

 

He glanced around in embarrassment to see
who had witnessed
Madeleine’s immodest display, and looked straight into the
huge aqua eyes of
Emer as she stood frozen to the spot.

 

 

Dalton hastily
stepped away from
Madeleine as though he had been burnt, and tried to go over to
Emer.

 

 

But Myrtle, who had
seen the whole
thing, as well as Madeleine’s triumphant grin as she sized up
Emer, took her
friend firmly by the arm and practically dragged her towards
Mr. and Mrs.
Hearst to introduce her formally.

 

 

Despite the strain
of the past
twenty-four hours, and Emer’s general tiredness from her
pregnancy, she looked
radiant that night, clad in a black lace gown with a high ruff
at the neck
which set off her unusual hair to perfection.

 

 

It was piled
loftily on her head,
and secured with two large bows on either side. She wore no
jewellery, but her beauty
was such that she
didn’t need expensive trinkets to catch anyone’s attention.

 

 

Madeleine Lyndon
fumed as her small
moment of victory against Emer was erased by the sight of all
the men in the
room making a beeline towards Emer to be introduced now that
she was no longer
shyly staying in the corner.

 

 

Just who
was
this wealthy
women, whom everyone
said was a recent arrival from Ireland. And more importantly,
how did Dalton
know her?

 

 

Madeleine had never
had a social
rival before, but she decided that if she couldn’t match this
woman for beauty,
she would put her down with her wit and brilliance.

 

 

A less egocentric
woman would have
quit after the first battle, but Madeleine was blindly
convinced that she would
win the war on her own ground.

 

 

She sought to
interject her own
opinions and attitudes into several of Emer’s conversations,
but was set down
every time.

 

 

Though Emer
appeared to be perfect
pleasant, her sharp sense of humour, and ability to converse
knowledgeably on a
variety of subjects in several different languages enabled her
to continually
put Madeleine firmly in her place.

 

 

Emer only required
two seconds’
acquaintance with Dalton’s betrothed to agree with Myrtle’s
assessment of her
character wholeheartedly, that she was selfish, vain, spoiled,
and loved no one
but herself, let alone Dalton.

 

 

Yet as the Bishop
had reminded Emer,
it wouldn’t do to alienate someone who could be instrumental
to her charity.

 

 

Still, Emer
couldn’t resist
remarking somewhat acidly, “I’m surprised then, Miss Lyndon,
at your taking
such any interest in the fever hospital, if it’s true that you
really believe
that God helps those who help themselves. Surely once you and Dr.
Randall are married, he will
expect you to
support his efforts there, especially since he intends on
giving his medical
services for free,” Emer said with a slow smile as she saw
Madeleine’s face
visibly fall.

 

 

Madeleine’s eyes
flashed dangerously
at her adversary, as she was conscious of all eyes witnessing
her disconcerted
expression. “I’m
sure you've made
a mistake. Dalton
does work at the
fever hospital, but...”

 

 

“No mistake, I
assure you. The
Bishop of Quebec’s deputy signed
the papers for Dr. Randall's terms of appointment just
yesterday.”

 

 

“But Dalton, what
about the shipping
company?” Madeleine snapped.

 

 

Emer apologised
profusely in front
of the enthralled audience.

 

 

“I'm so sorry, I though you knew. You are to be his
wife, after all. I
wouldn’t dream of causing any
dissension between you. If I were in your place, I should be
proud of
everything Dr. Randall did to help the poor, and would support
him in any way I
could,” Emer said with an obvious sincerity which Dalton
couldn’t fail to
remark upon.

 

 

“Well you’re
not
me, so I’ll thank
you to mind your
own business and not interfere with matters that are none of
your concern!”
Madeleine hissed.

 

 

She snapped her fan
closed, and
stormed off, looking as black and threatening as a stormcloud.

 

 

“Well, it's been
such an
illuminating conversation, Dr. Randall, but if you’ll excuse
me, Miss
Chandler's friends are beckoning me to join them.”

 

 

Emer smiled
graciously, enjoying herself
despite the awkwardness of the situation, and tore her eyes
away from her
beloved, reminding herself that the children were counting on
her and she
couldn't allow herself to have any intimate conversations with
him ever again.