Mail Order Bride: Emma's Escape: (Clean Historical Western Romance) (Brides of River Valley Book 1) by Autumn Vanderbilt
Authors: Autumn Vanderbilt
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Chapter One
“Lenny, it’s so beautiful. You really do spoil me.” Emma Cooper thought she was the luckiest woman in the world. Lenny Gibson, her fiance, was so generous and now he had presented her with a beautiful necklace.
“It looks beautiful because it’s on you, my love.” Lenny smelled Emma’s hair as he fastened the clasp of the necklace. He felt he was the luckiest man alive. She was so pretty and petite with such refined features and manners.
“Now I have some work to do Emma. I’ll call for you about 7 pm. I’ve got tickets for a show so make sure you wear that purple dress I bought for you. It will be perfect for tonight.” He saw the disappointment on Emma’s face as he looked at her in the mirror. Kissing her on the cheek, he then turned Emma to face him.
“Emma, what do you think buys the pretty things I get for you? Cheer up. You’ll see me later, I promise, it won’t be like last night.”
In a flash, Lenny was gone. Despite being engaged to him; Emma didn’t know exactly what Lenny did for a living. But whatever it was it paid very well. He had such good taste in the jewelry and dresses he bought for her and dressed very well himself. She would have liked to wear the gold dress tonight but if Lenny said to wear the purple one, then so be it. After all he was the one looking at her.
Hearing a knock on the door, she called out for whoever it was to enter. Leah Russell, a dark haired beauty, had the room next door to Emma’s. They had moved into the boarding house at the same time and were firm friends. Emma was a seamstress and Leah was a nurse.
“So what trinket did Lenny bring you this time? Another apology gift for not turning up last night.” Leah didn’t like Lenny. She didn’t know why but there was something about him that made her very uneasy.
“Don’t talk like that about him. Lenny is a very busy man and I know he doesn’t like missing our dates but what can he do?” Emma knew that Leah was suspicious of Lenny but Emma only knew his generous nature.
“He still hasn’t told you what he does, has he? I don’t know how you can marry a man and not know where his money comes from. He could be up to something. Perhaps he’s a thief.” Leah was eying up the jewelry in front of Emma, all gifts from Lenny.
“Lenny is a good man. You can tell by his manners. He’s not rough at all. You know, Emma, I think I’ll surprise him and go to his place!” Emma was so in love with Lenny that she never considered that he might not like that idea. He told her what to do more often than Emma realized but Leah had noticed his control. It upset Emma when Leah was too forthright and Leah felt she needed to keep her own counsel. Someday Emma was going to need a friend.
“Help me get ready Leah.” Leah couldn’t refuse Emma, she was so innocent as she accepted people and situations at face value. Leah was a little envious of this aspect of Emma. But Leah knew from experience, life wasn’t always easy and not everyone was as they appeared.
“There you go. You’re as pretty as a picture, Emma. Are you sure you want to surprise Lenny, shouldn’t you just wait here for him to call by?”
“Don’t look so concerned Leah, I know what I’m doing. In any case, Lenny gave me money so I’ll get a cab to his place. I’ll be perfectly safe.”
Leah watched Emma bounce out of her room, so happy and full of love. But something in Leah’s gut was telling her something was very wrong. Emma’s little face that smiled back at Leah as she adjusted her cape and disappeared out of the house.
Emma asked the hansom cab driver to drop her off around the corner from Lenny’s house. As she walked around the corner, she was stopped in her tracks by three men, two were fighting and one was directing proceedings. She didn’t think this was a rough street so she just stepped back into the shadows to watch them. One man was beating up the other and would stop for the man supervising them
“Lenny, it’s so beautiful. You really do spoil me.” Emma Cooper thought she was the luckiest woman in the world. Lenny Gibson, her fiance, was so generous and now he had presented her with a beautiful necklace.
“It looks beautiful because it’s on you, my love.” Lenny smelled Emma’s hair as he fastened the clasp of the necklace. He felt he was the luckiest man alive. She was so pretty and petite with such refined features and manners.
“Now I have some work to do Emma. I’ll call for you about 7 pm. I’ve got tickets for a show so make sure you wear that purple dress I bought for you. It will be perfect for tonight.” He saw the disappointment on Emma’s face as he looked at her in the mirror. Kissing her on the cheek, he then turned Emma to face him.
“Emma, what do you think buys the pretty things I get for you? Cheer up. You’ll see me later, I promise, it won’t be like last night.”
In a flash, Lenny was gone. Despite being engaged to him; Emma didn’t know exactly what Lenny did for a living. But whatever it was it paid very well. He had such good taste in the jewelry and dresses he bought for her and dressed very well himself. She would have liked to wear the gold dress tonight but if Lenny said to wear the purple one, then so be it. After all he was the one looking at her.
Hearing a knock on the door, she called out for whoever it was to enter. Leah Russell, a dark haired beauty, had the room next door to Emma’s. They had moved into the boarding house at the same time and were firm friends. Emma was a seamstress and Leah was a nurse.
“So what trinket did Lenny bring you this time? Another apology gift for not turning up last night.” Leah didn’t like Lenny. She didn’t know why but there was something about him that made her very uneasy.
“Don’t talk like that about him. Lenny is a very busy man and I know he doesn’t like missing our dates but what can he do?” Emma knew that Leah was suspicious of Lenny but Emma only knew his generous nature.
“He still hasn’t told you what he does, has he? I don’t know how you can marry a man and not know where his money comes from. He could be up to something. Perhaps he’s a thief.” Leah was eying up the jewelry in front of Emma, all gifts from Lenny.
“Lenny is a good man. You can tell by his manners. He’s not rough at all. You know, Emma, I think I’ll surprise him and go to his place!” Emma was so in love with Lenny that she never considered that he might not like that idea. He told her what to do more often than Emma realized but Leah had noticed his control. It upset Emma when Leah was too forthright and Leah felt she needed to keep her own counsel. Someday Emma was going to need a friend.
“Help me get ready Leah.” Leah couldn’t refuse Emma, she was so innocent as she accepted people and situations at face value. Leah was a little envious of this aspect of Emma. But Leah knew from experience, life wasn’t always easy and not everyone was as they appeared.
“There you go. You’re as pretty as a picture, Emma. Are you sure you want to surprise Lenny, shouldn’t you just wait here for him to call by?”
“Don’t look so concerned Leah, I know what I’m doing. In any case, Lenny gave me money so I’ll get a cab to his place. I’ll be perfectly safe.”
Leah watched Emma bounce out of her room, so happy and full of love. But something in Leah’s gut was telling her something was very wrong. Emma’s little face that smiled back at Leah as she adjusted her cape and disappeared out of the house.
Emma asked the hansom cab driver to drop her off around the corner from Lenny’s house. As she walked around the corner, she was stopped in her tracks by three men, two were fighting and one was directing proceedings. She didn’t think this was a rough street so she just stepped back into the shadows to watch them. One man was beating up the other and would stop for the man supervising them
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