Page 33 of The Copper Heir (The Gilded West #1)

“I’m afraid I’ve only been able to find a handful of gowns, but if your stay is long enough I’m sure we can arrange a modiste to come and attend you.

” Willy smiled a large grin as she opened the armoire to reveal more clothing than Emmy had ever had access to in her life.

And she’d called them “gowns”, not dresses—that must make them special.

As if stuck in that same trance that had led her into the bedroom, she crossed the carpet to let her fingers touch the array of fabrics and textures inside, with the same reverence Ginny had displayed earlier.

The dresses were in every jewel-toned color she could imagine: sapphire, ruby, amber, emerald.

There wasn’t a single dull blue, brown or black in the lot.

An irrational flicker of excitement flared within her as she imagined wearing them, but she hastily beat it down as she reminded herself that she was a prisoner and not a guest at all.

She had no rights to these clothes nor should she want to accept them.

They were bribery, plain and simple. Hunter wanted her to accept the luxuries in exchange for her cooperation, or perhaps he simply wanted to assuage his own guilt.

No matter the reason, accepting would be inappropriate.

The thought made her snatch her hand back and close it into a tight fist to resist the urge to touch them again.

“You must know that I’m here against my will.” She kept her voice soft, but firm.

Willy’s smile faded, but her eyes stayed kind as she nodded. “I’m aware of Mr. Jameson’s other life, Miss Drake. There’s almost nothing you can tell me about him that I don’t know.”

“Then how can you condone what he’s done? He’s taken me and my sisters from our home.”

“It’s not for me to condone his actions.

I know that he wouldn’t harm you and that’s enough for me.

Though he hasn’t yet shared his reasons for doing what he’s done with you, I can assure you that they are noble ones.

Please don’t judge him too harshly. You’ll find him kind and fair if you give him the chance. ”

Kind and fair. The words echoed in her head.

Was he kind? Yes, he had been once he’d stopped trying to scare information from her.

Even then, he hadn’t been as boorish as he could have been.

Was he fair? No, it wasn’t fair that he had taken her and it wasn’t fair that he had loved her body so thoroughly the night before only to take her captive again when morning came. He wasn’t playing fair at all.

Looking at the woman squarely, she demanded, “Whose clothes are these? And whose room is this?” It was unimaginable to her that such a magnificent room and such grand clothing were left unused.

“Mr. Jameson has...guests from time to time. It seemed prudent to keep clothing about.”

Mistresses. The housekeeper hadn’t said it, but the slight hesitation in her voice was enough, unless Mr. Jameson was in the habit of abducting female hostages on a regular basis.

She didn’t think that was true. The thought of the many mistresses he must have had rankled, even though she had no idea why.

He’d made no commitment to her. Indeed, she’d given herself to him freely without asking for one, but only because she’d thought it would be for a night and then she’d never see him again.

She didn’t know how to deal with the awkwardness of still being forced to be in his presence, particularly under these circumstances.

Or the awkwardness of still wanting him, if she had to be completely honest with herself.

Which she didn’t. She didn’t want to remember how good it had felt to press her shoulders back against his chest the few times she’d allowed herself the small luxury on the ride here.

“And this is where his guests stay?”

The woman had the good grace to lower her gaze briefly. Wonderful. She was in the mistress’s chamber. This captivity just kept getting better, but at least it wasn’t his wife’s. Suddenly she just had to know the answer to the question that had been worrying her since the nursery.

“Is he married?”

“He’s never been married. I’m not sure he’ll ever be married.

” Willy shook her head and gave a soft laugh, walking to the windows to open them to the cool morning air.

“His parents are married, but they hardly ever see each other. I believe they’ve given him an unfortunate disposition on the matter. ”

“Oh? His parents don’t live here?”

“Not his mother, she’s from Boston and resides there with her family.

His father lives here, but with all the hubbub about statehood he spends most of his time in Helena or back East. He’s in Washington now.

” The woman spoke as she made a turn of the room, straightening linens and checking the quantity of the numerous pots and bottles on the dressing table, then the housekeeper smiled at her and walked to the door.

“I believe you’ll find everything you need.

Night clothes are in the drawers there,” she said, pointing to the bureau.

“The bathing chamber is through there, just let me know when you’d like a bath and I’ll have water heated.

I’m going downstairs to finish preparing the meal.

Come down with the girls in about an hour to eat. ”

With that, Willy strode out of the room, leaving Emmy to wonder if Hunter’s father would care that his son had taken her hostage, but then quickly decided he wouldn’t.

Hunter was a man who did whatever he wanted and everyone around him had probably become accustomed to it years ago.

With a sigh of defeat, she walked to the open window and the strange chair before it.

It was a soft rose color like the furniture in the sitting room, but the back was only on one end, leaving the sides on the other end completely open.

She’d never seen anything like it, not even at Glory’s.

Sinking down onto the soft velvet, she let her gaze move to the window and with no outbuildings to hold her interest, it roved to the mountains in the distance.

The sun was just beginning to reach its peak in the sky, burnishing the hills in gold, orange and soft shades of pink.

For the first time since her bizarre meeting with the outlaws that night at Jake’s, Emmy was able to take a deep breath and feel her muscles relax as she breathed the air back out.

She wasn’t free and she wasn’t even sure what the next day would bring, but she did feel safe and the immediate safety of her sisters had ceased to be a concern.

Laying her head back, she closed her eyes and breathed in the air of early spring.

After a few minutes the tension began to uncoil in her shoulders and it was like a weight lifted from her chest. The rational voice in her mind began to talk the loudest and she could finally hear it.

She’d slept with Hunter last night because she wanted to know how it would feel.

The muscles between her thighs clenched at the memory of his powerful body moving over hers and she smiled at the tender ache he’d left behind.

She wouldn’t regret their night and she wouldn’t let that other voice in her head make her think it was more than it had been.

They’d both enjoyed it and it was over, never to be repeated again.

She could live with that. It hadn’t changed anything.

With her thoughts clear for the first time since she’d met him, she turned her mind to what she needed to do next.

Perhaps she should be thanking Hunter. He’d saved her the trip back out to the farm.

All she had to do now was get the three of them back to town and on a westbound train.

She couldn’t allow herself to think about what would happen if she couldn’t find a source of income quickly.

She couldn’t allow herself to think of how that fifty thousand dollars from Hunter could help them.

The knot of tension returned to her belly, so she took several deep breaths and closed her eyes until it began to dissipate again.

Taking it would make what happened last night something cold and unpalatable.

Money would tarnish the joy. No, she’d have to accept the loan Glory had offered her and pay it back later.

Now she just had to figure out how to get the three of them away without Hunter following.