The Marriage Bargain. Angel Moore

eyes. Another coughing spell wrenched her breath.

      “You didn’t need to do all that by yourself, Miss Warren. I assured you I’d be here this morning.”

      She lifted a hand and waved it in dismissal of his words. “I couldn’t sleep anyway. My schedule was tight before the fire. Now I’ll need to work at a quicker pace than I’d planned.”

      He entered the workroom behind her. The back door stood open, and he could see the pile of rubble she’d created in the alley beyond. “You stayed up all night?”

      “It’s a matter of no consequence.” She indicated the shelving on the left of the storeroom. “Do you think any of this can be salvaged?”

      Obviously she’d moved beyond the fire and had set her mind on repairs. Most women would be wallowing in a pool of pity, bemoaning their misfortune. Her determination was admirable.

      “First things first,” he said. “I need to discover how the fire started, so we can make certain we don’t have another incident.” He turned to see her blush and lift a hand to her forehead. She rubbed her fingers across her brow in a smoothing motion.

      “We won’t have to worry about it again.” A deep breath caused more coughing. “Please forgive me.” She tucked the handkerchief back in the pocket of her apron.

      “How are you feeling?”

      “I’m fine. Just frustrated with the amount of work I’ve caused us both.”

      “You caused?”

      Could Ellen be right? Had his tenant been the reason for the fire? The last thing he needed was for his niece to discover Lily had put the building in jeopardy. The child already resented her presence in the shop. Edward didn’t have the energy to deal with more trouble in their lives—especially not from a woman he’d just met.

       Chapter Two

      Edward prayed he’d misunderstood Lily. “What do you mean, ‘you caused’?”

      “It seems the fire was my fault.” Lily pointed to the wall near the back door where the most damage appeared to be. “I was working late, trying to make a few extra hats. I had set a lantern on this workbench.”

      She didn’t seem the irresponsible type. “Surely you didn’t leave a lantern burning when you went to bed. You’d have noticed the light.”

      “No.” She jerked her head to stare at him. “Of course not! I took the lantern with me.”

      She pointed to a small stack of charred kindling near the stove. It was considerably smaller than the amount he’d cut and placed there before her arrival. Normal circumstances wouldn’t have caused her to use so much kindling.

      “Right before I went upstairs, I swept up the trimmings from around the workbench. Bits of ribbon and feathers. Things like that. I swept them into a pile near the door, intending to dispose of it this morning. Then I checked the stove. Some embers must have blown out and landed among the trash. It must have smoldered and caught when it got near the kindling. I don’t know how else it could have started. I’m so sorry.” Another cough stopped her from speaking. “I’ll pay for the damages.”

      Edward stirred the kindling with the toe of his boot and studied the scorched wood and the wall in the corner of the room between the stove and the door.

      “It’s possible a gust of wind blew under the door and carried the embers back to the kindling.” He turned to Lily, who was coughing again. “No one was hurt. That’s the most important thing.”

      “Please forgive me. I never meant to start the fire.” She covered her mouth again to cough.

      “You took in a lot of smoke. Have you been to see the doc?”

      “No. I’m fine. There’s too much work to do to stop for a minor cough.”

      He knew how much smoke had been in her rooms. The stairwell had acted like a chimney and drawn the smoke upward. No doubt a draft around the windows had pulled the dangerous fumes under the door at the top of the landing.

      “I’m taking you to see Doc Willis.” He headed for the front of the shop. “Where’s your coat?”

      When she didn’t follow, he turned and waited.

      “You are not taking me—” a cough interrupted her words “—anywhere.”

      He raised his eyebrows. Would she be so stubborn as to refuse medical treatment? “Then I’ll have to ask Doc Willis to come here.” He opened the door and stepped onto the sidewalk. “We need to get this place ready for you to open your business. The sooner you get that cough taken care of, the sooner that will happen.”

      “Wait, please.” She coughed again. “If it will set your mind at ease so we can get to work on the repairs, I’ll go.” She shrugged her arms into the sleeves of her coat and turned up the collar.

      The January wind whipped around him, and he rubbed his arms against the cold. They walked briskly in the direction of the doctor’s office. “I’ll feel better knowing you aren’t making yourself worse by not resting.”

      Lily turned to look at him. “You must be freezing.”

      “I’m fine.” He dropped his hands to his sides.

      “Your coat was ruined when you put out the fire.”

      “It was time for a new coat anyway. I’ll go by the general store after lunch and get one.” She walked beside him across the main intersection in town. He hoped she didn’t notice the curious glances being sent their way. It was obvious to him that the events of the night before were on everyone’s mind this morning.

      “You must allow me to pay for it.” She seemed too focused to notice the people who turned their heads to whisper when they passed. He wasn’t sure that was a good thing. It might be better if she were more aware of what went on around her. If she were, they wouldn’t be the object of town gossip. He knew it wasn’t fair to blame her, but he didn’t like the idea of anyone gossiping about him. Ellen would be harmed if he was cast in a poor light. And it wouldn’t do Lily’s new business any favors to open the shop in the midst of swirling lies smearing her name.

      “I’ll pay for my coat. And the repairs.” He opened the door to the doctor’s office.

      She opened her mouth as she entered the building, most likely to argue the point with him, but quickly succumbed to another coughing spell.

      * * *

      Lily continued to cough while Edward called out, “Doc. I brought you a new patient.”

      Lily sank unceremoniously into a chair near the door. The smell of camphor and dust assaulted her senses. A curtain rustled and parted. The man who’d kept her from running back into her shop during the fire came into the room.

      “Hello, Edward. Finally find yourself a wife?” The short man with spectacles looked from the blacksmith to Lily.

      “A wife?” What was this man thinking?

      “No, Doc. She’s my new tenant. You probably saw her last night. I went by to start the repairs this morning.” He pointed to Lily as she interrupted them with a cough. “This is how I found her. I think the smoke got to her. She’s been hacking away.”

      “I saw her. Actually had to restrain her to keep her from following you into the burning building.” The doctor motioned for her to have a seat on the table in the center of the room.

      “I’m not injured, Dr. Willis.” She moved to the table and sat stiff with her hands in her lap.

      He seemed to ignore her. “Are you light-headed?” He peered into her eyes and checked the pulse at the base of her neck.

      “I am not.” She glared at Edward,