Intentions
“Lovely evening, isn’t it Miss Cordia?” he asked. He was walking on her left side so that his right arm, his only arm, was near her, and she anticipated that, eventually, he would offer it to her. Despite his disability, Carey seemed to do everything any other man could do, and it was quite easy for her and others to forget that he had returned from war less than whole.
She peered up at the stars for a moment, considering the question. If he were speaking of the works of God that surrounded them, then, yes, it was a lovely evening. If he were referring to the company, her answer would be far different. Finally, she replied simply, “The sky is gorgeous.”
“So it is,” he agreed without so much as glancing up. “As are you, Miss Cordia,” he added, trying a bit of charm.
Ignoring his comment and hoping to remind him a bit of the sorrow that hung over her now as she made a familiar journey with a less familiar individual, she responded by saying, “Sometimes, when I look up at the stars, I pretend that one of them is Jaris, lookin’ down at me from heaven. It’s my way of keepin’ him right here with us.” She was staring intently into the heavens, one eye slightly closed as if squinting would somehow help her to focus more on whichever star she believed to be Jaris.
Carey did not feign sympathy. By nature, he was uninterested in pretending to be empathetic when he was not. Coldly, he stated, “It’s been over a year-and-a-half now, hasn’t it? I’m sure that Jaris has found happiness that you are moving on with your life, and despite missing him, as I do, he knows that you cannot possibly spend the rest of your life dwelling on losing him.”
“Ah, and there it is,” she gasped, slowing her stride for a moment and staring at him as intently as she dared. “I knew the true Carey Adams was still in there and had not been replaced by the chivalrous leader you are pretendin’ to be. Oh, you may think you can fool everybody—my mother, my father, the rest of the town. But don’t you forget, I know you.”
“I haven’t the slightest idea what you’re implying, Miss Cordia,” he replied, placing his hand on her arm rather forcefully. “I’m not living any charade. I am who I have always been. Perhaps you have never noticed the good in me because, for so long, you’ve been hung up on who I was as a boy. Well, that, my dear, was longer ago than I can even fathom, and if you insist on thinkin’ of me as a youngster picking legs off of crawdads and shootin’ at birds with my sling-shot, then, yes, I am always goin’ to seem like a cruel and devious individual to you. But that is not who I am today, my dear. I wish you could see that.”
It was all she could do to keep from laughing in his face. “Carey, I can remember you torturing animals as a teenager, which wasn’t all that long ago. You trapped me down by the river when I was eight and you were fourteen, and you wouldn’t let me go back to the house unless I showed you my knickers! If Jaris hadn’t come along, I don’t know what you would’ve done. Oh, I know who you really are; I know plenty.” The feeling of his hand on her arm was almost too much for her, and it was all she could do to keep from knocking it away.
“I wasn’t going to harm you, Cordia,” he said as calmly as he could muster. “I only did that because I liked you, not because I was trying to scare you or injure you. I was jealous, jealous of how much you seemed to like Jaris and of all the time he spent with you. That’s all. It was completely innocent.”
Cordia’s memory served her well, and she could distinctly remember fearing that he was going to hurt her in some way that she could not, at the time, even understand. She refused to believe his story now; yet, she also knew it made no difference. Whatever his intentions were, and she shuddered to think of what they might be, he was not going to be able to persuade her in his favor regardless of what sort of sweet talking he might resort to.
“Listen, Cordia,” he began, slipping his arm through hers. She fought the urge to keep from jerking her arm away. “I have had my eye on you for years. When Jaris was here, of course, I said nothing. I would never consider trying to come between my own cousin and the woman he loved. Now that he is gone, however, well, I think you should know, I am interested in pursuing you as my wife. And I intend to ask your father for his permission to formally court you.”
With that, Cordia halted, and spinning to face him, responded, “You’re going to need more than just my father’s permission for that, Carey Adams. You’re gonna need mine, too, and I can tell you right now, the answer is no. There’s no way in this world that I would ever consider courtin’ you, certainly never marry you. I am not at all interested. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I am not feeling well, and I will be headed back to my home and to my bed.”
As she turned to go, he abruptly caught her arm and slowly but firmly pulled her back to face him. “Cordia, why do you have to make everything so difficult? Don’t you know how much your parents admire me? The idea of having you still marry within the Adams family is all they want for you. Of course, your father will give his permission. And, of course, you will consent, because you’re a respectful daughter who loves her parents. And let’s not forget, you’re getting of an age now where your options are beginning to dwindle. Do you think that anyone else in this town is going to dare pursue the fiancée of the beloved Jaris Adams? Now, let’s not be hasty, darlin’. I can provide a nice life for you. In return, you will be my beautiful little wife. Perfectly dressed, perfectly spoken, the hostess of all major events in this town, and a loving mother to our numerous children. It may not be what you think you want for yourself right now, but you have my assurance, there’s no one out there lingering who is going to make a more suitable husband for you.”
The words she longed to spit into his face were choked in the back of her throat. How she yearned to let him know how incredibly wrong he truly was. And yet, she could not. She had promised Will she would say nothing, to any one, until he returned. As difficult as it may be to keep that promise, she intended to do so. Biting her tongue, she pulled her arm away from him, and hurried back toward her house. He followed a few steps behind her, saying no more, a knowing smirk on his handsome face. For Carey, it was just a matter of time before Cordia would be his at last.
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