A Marriage of Inconvenience
Chapter 7 – The Prospect of Torture
Bart remembered grabbing the girls arms and marching them back outside. He helped Sam get in the back seat and turned around to find Caroline already sitting in front. "I'll remember that," he thought. It seemed important that he remember his new bride could get in a buggy all by herself.
The ranch was only a short distance from the church and the wedding party arrived in a few minutes. The loading procedure was repeated in reverse, with Bart assisting Caroline out of the carriage before she could climb down alone. He walked her into the house and returned for Samantha. Sam was waiting for him to lift her down onto the ground; Bart stood still by the buggy for a brief moment before looking up at her. "How am I supposed to act now?"
"Like a new husband, Mr. Maverick. At least while we're outside. I think we should have some tea and discuss the situation." For a split second Bart looked like he was going to jump back in the buggy and take off; then something briefly changed in his eyes. And he smiled for the first time in a week. "I need a drink."
Given Bart's reluctance to consume alcohol, Sam chose to see this as an acceptance of the conditions that had brought them to this point. "I think we can arrange that as soon as you help me down."
Caroline already had tea, coffee and whiskey waiting inside. She sat at the table and poured herself half a cup of tea, then filled the remainder of the cup with whiskey. She poured Bart a shot and left Sam to choose her own drink. "I know we didn't talk much yesterday, but I want you to know that I appreciate your willingness to participate in this charade. My father thought that I should be married in order to gain control of his assets. He didn't stop to think that I might need those assets to pay off his debts. And with no potential husband on the horizon I found myself in a very precarious position. When Sam told me what you were willing to do to help I couldn't believe she had a friend with such a big heart." It was obvious that Samantha had not told Caroline the truth about Bart's "willingness to participate."
Sam sat perfectly still and waited to see if Bart would spill the truth or cover for her. He looked at the shot glass full of whiskey in front of him and poured a cup of coffee. "Samantha and I have known each other a long time," he said slowly and carefully. "There isn't much we haven't done to or for each other. I couldn't think of a single reason to turn her down." That was true. He could think of several reasons to say "NO" and had, in fact, done just that. But he couldn't come up with one reason that was better than another. He took a sip of coffee and raised an eyebrow at Sam. "I owe her my life."
" I truly appreciate your kindness. I'll do everything in my power to make this as painless as possible for you." Caroline paused and looked at Bart. "Your room is down the hall from mine. I don't ask that you do anything other than accompany me to town when necessary and pretend to be happy. Samantha explained your profession to me and I see no reason why you can't continue to pursue it as you choose. Although it would probably look better if you participated in it a little less frequently at first. Just so it doesn't raise peoples suspicions. Once our lawyer, Mr. Shafer, has approved the will and turned over the assets, I'll pay off my fathers debts. At that point we can have the marriage annulled. Or get a divorce. Whichever you prefer."
"Any idea on just how long that might take?" Bart asked with a hopeful note in his voice.
"Several weeks, I would imagine" Sam answered before Caroline could say anything. She needed Bart to know that this wouldn't go on forever.
"Actually, Mr. Shafer told me that it could be several months" was Caroline's reply. "I hope that doesn't inconvenience you too much. I promise to make things as pleasant as possible." There was that promise of "painless and pleasant" that Caroline had offered more than once. Bart wondered what she had in mind. No, he quickly thought. This was not Samantha, this was a lady. Whatever she had in mind was sure to be respectable. And most likely sheer torture.