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Chapter 19
Elise sat on the porch of the great house and gently rocked in the rocking chair that was placed there just for her. Her eyes were locked on the doctor’s buggy as it made its way down the long drive toward town. She was given a clean bill of health and was now able to travel.
The news that her parents had paid the ransom and not tossed her to the wolves invigorated her spirits and aided in her speedy recovery from the ordeals she endured over the last few months. She was anxious to leave the wild west and return to the more civilized east. If she never saw a cowboy or a cow again, it would be too soon. She longed for pretty dresses, beautiful hairdos, glittery jewelry, and elite balls filled with pomp and circumstance.
The closer she got to full recovery, the less she saw of Nate and Oliver. In the beginning, Nate was practically glued to her side with Oliver not far away. After speaking with the doctor for a considerable lengt
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Paper Widow Chapter 20
Joseph’s upbringing on the farm, combined with few opportunities to rub elbows with the Philadelphia elite gave him a different perspective of the ranch than Nate and Oliver, who were raised in the middle of social society and had no comprehension about the advantages of bonding with the land and had difficulty comprehending it. He was in such awe of the ranch’s grandeur and smoothness of operation that he could not stop complementing it. He spent a great deal of time mingling with the ranch hands while asking questions about the ranch’s general operation and learning all he could about how a ranch differed from a farm.He was surprised to discover that, at one time, cotton was grown on the ranch. Old man Kincaid got rid of it when he took Angus McCormick on as overseer. Angus had no idea how to grow cotton, nor did he have the desire for it. So, for the last fifteen years, the cotton fields lay fallow. Although Jose
Paper Widow Chapter 21
Nate, Oliver, and Joseph stepped off the train with a spring in their step. After a long and frustrating assignment out west, they were finally back in their homeland of Philadelphia. Joseph planned on heading to his farm just as soon as they checked in with the Philadelphia Pinkerton office, while Nate and Oliver had plans for long baths, good meals, and a visit to the gentleman’s club. They did their best to coerce Joseph to join them, but he was adamant about getting his family together and discussing their future plans. The more he considered Nate’s offer to oversee the ranch out west, the more attached to the idea he became. He wanted to waste no time getting started.Nate and Oliver quickly settled into their homes, kissed their families hello, made themselves feel and look human again, and then headed off to the Philadelphia club for a night of good food and cards. They were seated in the dining room at a table near
Paper Widow Chapter 22
“What are the odds of running into Elise Joselyn of the Boston Brahman in Philadelphia?” Oliver chuckled after he and Nate rode their horses far enough away from the Joselyn residence to insure their voices would not carry back for anyone outside to hear. “You did hear her introduced as Joselyn, correct? From what I gather, even Alexander isn’t aware of her little paper marriage. Tsk, tsk, such skeletons.”“I feel like I’m cursed,” Nate growled.“Seriously,” Oliver continued. “We’ve lived here all our lives and never encountered the Joselyns. Then, out of the blue, we befriend a dude from New York who just happens to be their nephew. He invites us to their home for dinner where we’re hosted by the Paper Widow, but we seem to be the only ones who know her as that. I mean, seriously, what are the odds?”“I wish you wouldn’t call
Paper Widow Chapter 23
“I didn’t know you were part of the Joselyn’s social circle,” Lilith said as she looked up at Nate sitting tall on his hunter.“Considering you are still new to it yourself, I would imagine it will take a while before you meet them all,” Nate said with grudging politeness.“Is this your horse or is it borrowed?” she asked coyly.“Still judging people by their cover, I see,” Nate said scornfully. “Or in this case, their horse. Let me assure you, this nag belongs to me.”“Nag?” Lilith said as she stroked his horse’s neck admiringly. “Really Nathan.”“You know I hate that name,” Nate grumbled.“Yes,” she said sweetly as she seductively sipped on her champagne.“Almost as much as I hate you,” he mumbled between clenched teeth.At the sound of her gasp, Nate realized he did the uninten
Paper Widow Chapter 24
He swore off Elise Joselyn. She was cold to him whenever he was around her while exceedingly flirtatious with others, so why wouldn’t he swear off her? He was on the market for a solid, dependable wife of good standing. Elise fell short of these things. Of course, only he and his buddies were aware of this fact. The rest of the eligible men of Philadelphia society were scrambling over each other just to be the recipient of a smile from the beautiful Boston heiress.He did not disapprove of her because of what happened out west, although it could have been avoided had she been a bit more sensible and stayed home. He attributed her actions to that of a spoiled socialite who lacked not only common sense, but worldly exposure. What stuck in his craw was the way she flirted with the men who crowded around her at every opportunity. Her behavior reminded him of Lilith when she was just coming out - and even still. He was so proud when Lilith chose him out of all th
Paper Widow Chapter 25
“Mr. Samuel Jacobs sent his card this morning,” Mary Joselyn said with smug satisfaction when Elise joined her and Sidney for breakfast. “It appears he wishes to be included in your afternoon entourage, my dear.”“Well, well,” Sidney said with equal smugness. “Now you are making some headway. The Jacobs are a mighty influential family on in the northeast.”“Truly?” Elise said with feigned surprise. “He made no indication of such.”“The sign of a true gentleman,” Mary offered as she slathered butter on her toast.“They have a good deal of family in the south, I believe,” Sidney said thoughtfully. “A bit of a mess, actually. From what I hear, the family was torn apart by the war, but they rallied together once it ended. That’s what families do in a crisis. They rally together and support each other.”“Perhaps we sh
Paper Widow Chapter 26
It was decided that the benefit ball for the Philadelphia chapter of the Sisters of Charity would be a masquerade ball. Sidney Joselyn was delighted. He found the semblance of anonymity the costumes provided a welcome relief from the constant pressure of having all eyes on his family’s every move. Worry over the antics of his niece being discovered before he found a suitable match for her caused him particular angst. His younger brother, Edgar, was ready to give up and allow the girl to live out her days as a wild and free spinster, but he would have none of that attached to the Joselyn name. He assured his brother that he could find the girl a suitable match so that the Joselyn’s could hold their heads high or his name was not Sidney Joselyn.Sidney and his wife Mary had no children of their own. They enjoyed all their nieces and nephews, but took a particular liking to his brother, Edgar’s, middle child, Elise, and
Paper Widow Chapter 27
As they lay, satiated, in each other’s arms, the sound of party goers approaching registered enough to rouse them. They quickly made aright their appearances and scurried out of the maze. Although still quite heavily under the influence of the whiskey, Nate was coherent enough to realize the scandal they would cause should he be seen coming out of the maze with Elise on his arm; especially when she was still in considerable disarray.The only thing they had in their favor was the fact that they were in disguise. He mentioned this to Elise, who quickly put her mask over her face before leaving the maze and Nate behind her.Because Nate’s coordination made him a little slower to replace his mask when he finally decided to don it after procrastinating so that he could watch Elise disappear into the night without obstruction, he was recognized by a very angry Elizabeth Pratt. Fortunately, Elizabeth was not informed of the costume Elise chose t
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