time.”
Happiness was beyond her reach, but a smile wasn’t. Fake or not, it seemed to relax Pearl. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
Pearl unwrapped the cape from her arms and held it out.
Evie admired the way the satin caught the light in an iridescent shimmer, but she didn’t reach for it. “It’s still hot enough to cook an egg.”
“You don’t want to get your dress filthy before you arrive.”
Arrive where? Brad hadn’t mentioned where they were spending their wedding night. And up until now, she hadn’t cared enough to ask, but it suddenly seemed a huge lack. “I don’t necessarily want to arrive perspiring either.”
Pearl’s lips twitched. “I don’t suppose you do.”
That smile grated on Evie’s nerves. “What?”
Pearl draped the cape over her arm. “We need to talk about what’s going to happen tonight. I would have addressed it last night, but you were tired.”
Good grief, she was not going to stand outside her reception and discuss relations between a man and a woman with her mother. “I know what goes on between a man and a woman.”
That was a lie, but her mother was no better at telling when she was lying now than she had been when she was a child. Pearl only saw Evie the way she wanted her to be.
The lightest of blushes touched Pearl’s cheekbones. “You do?”
Evie could feel heat rising in her own cheeks. “Most of my friends are married.”
“I don’t want you to be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.” Another lie that went undetected. “And you just finished telling me that the Reverend is a good man. I would think the best a woman can hope for is to end up in her marriage bed with a good man.”
“Experienced doesn’t hurt.”
Evie blinked. The resentment bubbled over the lid she’d put on it. “I’m not sure how to take that, Ma. Which is more important, a man who knows what he’s doing between the sheets or a man of principle?”
“Evie, that’s crude.”
“I was thinking it was to the point.”
Pearl took a deep breath. Evie braced herself. She hadn’t inherited her sass and impatience from thin air. To her surprise, Pearl reached out. Her fingers slipped over Evie’s and squeezed they way they always had in the past when Evie was afraid but determined to proceed anyway.
“Just tell your husband about your fears, and I’m sure he’ll take care of them.”
Evie glanced over to where Brad chatted with Doc and Dorothy. He was smiling, but there was a tension in his shoulders, slight, but there. He looked up and caught her studying him. She was used to summing up people’s moods pretty quickly. It helped her get what she wanted, stay out of trouble. She couldn’t read her husband. She couldn’t imagine telling him anything, least of all her fears. “I think the Reverend wants to leave.”
It was ludicrous to be calling her husband by that title, but she couldn’t bring herself to use anything less formal. She wasn’t ready to admit this was forever. Pearl caught her hands before she could turn away.
“You let him be good to you. Follow his lead.”
“What if I don’t like where he’s taking me?”
The press of Pearl’s lips was a warning. “Telling a man no in bed is a delicate thing.”
It was the most intimate discussion they’d ever had and it had to be now, when there was so much turmoil between them. “Then I guess I’d better focus on saying yes . After all, that’s my job now, isn’t it? Saying yes to my husband?”
Darn, she sounded bitter when she really wasn’t. She was just afraid to hope.
Pearl blew out a breath. “You might try giving convention a chance. The rules can’t be all wrong. They work for millions of people.”
But they might just be wrong for her. No one understood that though. Sometimes, not even herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be like everyone else. She just . . . wasn’t. “I’ll be fine, Ma. I’ll learn to adjust.”
Or die trying.
“Just try to fit in,
Happiness was beyond her reach, but a smile wasn’t. Fake or not, it seemed to relax Pearl. “Thank you for everything you’ve done.”
Pearl unwrapped the cape from her arms and held it out.
Evie admired the way the satin caught the light in an iridescent shimmer, but she didn’t reach for it. “It’s still hot enough to cook an egg.”
“You don’t want to get your dress filthy before you arrive.”
Arrive where? Brad hadn’t mentioned where they were spending their wedding night. And up until now, she hadn’t cared enough to ask, but it suddenly seemed a huge lack. “I don’t necessarily want to arrive perspiring either.”
Pearl’s lips twitched. “I don’t suppose you do.”
That smile grated on Evie’s nerves. “What?”
Pearl draped the cape over her arm. “We need to talk about what’s going to happen tonight. I would have addressed it last night, but you were tired.”
Good grief, she was not going to stand outside her reception and discuss relations between a man and a woman with her mother. “I know what goes on between a man and a woman.”
That was a lie, but her mother was no better at telling when she was lying now than she had been when she was a child. Pearl only saw Evie the way she wanted her to be.
The lightest of blushes touched Pearl’s cheekbones. “You do?”
Evie could feel heat rising in her own cheeks. “Most of my friends are married.”
“I don’t want you to be afraid.”
“I’m not afraid.” Another lie that went undetected. “And you just finished telling me that the Reverend is a good man. I would think the best a woman can hope for is to end up in her marriage bed with a good man.”
“Experienced doesn’t hurt.”
Evie blinked. The resentment bubbled over the lid she’d put on it. “I’m not sure how to take that, Ma. Which is more important, a man who knows what he’s doing between the sheets or a man of principle?”
“Evie, that’s crude.”
“I was thinking it was to the point.”
Pearl took a deep breath. Evie braced herself. She hadn’t inherited her sass and impatience from thin air. To her surprise, Pearl reached out. Her fingers slipped over Evie’s and squeezed they way they always had in the past when Evie was afraid but determined to proceed anyway.
“Just tell your husband about your fears, and I’m sure he’ll take care of them.”
Evie glanced over to where Brad chatted with Doc and Dorothy. He was smiling, but there was a tension in his shoulders, slight, but there. He looked up and caught her studying him. She was used to summing up people’s moods pretty quickly. It helped her get what she wanted, stay out of trouble. She couldn’t read her husband. She couldn’t imagine telling him anything, least of all her fears. “I think the Reverend wants to leave.”
It was ludicrous to be calling her husband by that title, but she couldn’t bring herself to use anything less formal. She wasn’t ready to admit this was forever. Pearl caught her hands before she could turn away.
“You let him be good to you. Follow his lead.”
“What if I don’t like where he’s taking me?”
The press of Pearl’s lips was a warning. “Telling a man no in bed is a delicate thing.”
It was the most intimate discussion they’d ever had and it had to be now, when there was so much turmoil between them. “Then I guess I’d better focus on saying yes . After all, that’s my job now, isn’t it? Saying yes to my husband?”
Darn, she sounded bitter when she really wasn’t. She was just afraid to hope.
Pearl blew out a breath. “You might try giving convention a chance. The rules can’t be all wrong. They work for millions of people.”
But they might just be wrong for her. No one understood that though. Sometimes, not even herself. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to be like everyone else. She just . . . wasn’t. “I’ll be fine, Ma. I’ll learn to adjust.”
Or die trying.
“Just try to fit in,
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