Polly sighed. “None of us did, either. We all went along with whatever she wanted us to do, knowing that if we displeased her, we’d face her wrath.”
“How does one person get so much power?”
Tears streamed down Emma Jane’s face, not just for all the abuses she suffered at Flora’s hands, but also for the pain streaked across Polly’s face.
“What’s going on here?” Jasper came up behind Polly, his brow furrowed. “Why are you crying?”
Emma Jane swiped at her face with her sleeve before remembering that she had a handkerchief. There hadn’t been money for such finery in her home, but when she’d married Jasper, Mary had given her several with her initials. Where she’d found the time to embroider them, Emma Jane didn’t know, but that small gift meant the world to her.
As Emma Jane used her handkerchief, Polly said glumly, “We had a run-in with Flora.”
“Polly was good enough to stand up for me, but I’m afraid it only incensed her more.”
Jasper’s scowl deepened. “I wish I’d never paid a lick of attention to her. I know her father is my father’s best friend, but the longer I know her, the more I wish I’d never courted her, even if it made my parents happy.”
More of the bitterness she’d seen from Jasper made sense. And, as Emma Jane replayed the times she’d seen Jasper with Flora at local assemblies, she now understood his detachment.
Then Jasper looked down at her, a muscle ticking in his jaw. “I’m sorry she’s still being cruel to you, Emma Jane. I’ve wished a thousand times that I’d paid more attention and done more to make her stop tormenting you.”
Actually, Jasper had done a lot more than most in stopping Flora’s nastiness. Whenever Flora had picked on her in front of Jasper, he had always chastised her. In fact, the more Emma Jane thought about it, the more she realized that any time someone gossiped or said a cross word about someone in front of Jasper, he was always quick to quiet the talk.
As much as Emma Jane had said she didn’t really know him, she was finding that she knew him quite well, after all. The more she realized the finer points of Jasper’s character, the more grateful she was indeed that he’d married her.
“It’s all right,” Emma Jane told him softly. “As I recall, you’ve always stopped any talk that you’ve heard.”
“For all the good it’s done.” Jasper sighed, then gazed at her with what seemed to be real compassion. “Look, I know I seemed harsh yesterday when we talked about how much the talk bothers you. But I’ve had to deal with it my whole life. I do my best to stop people when they’re gossiping about others, but they just keep right on when my back is turned.”
He glanced in the direction of Flora, who’d been joined by a few more of her cronies. “My reputation as a playboy is not undeserved. But a lot of the stories about me are either grossly exaggerated, or simply untrue.”
Then he looked back at Emma Jane. “I apologize for any of that talk as it applies to you. I regret kissing every single one of those girls, and I truly regret the way it makes everyone look sideways at you.”
Emma Jane hadn’t realized that Jasper, too, might have been the victim of malicious gossip. And even though his admission of kissing other girls would lower his value in some people’s eyes, it gave her even more hope for their relationship. Jasper was the kind of man to admit to his mistakes.
Of course, his admission also pointed out one glaring fact about their relationship. Not once had Jasper even tried to kiss her. Sometimes she thought she had a memory of a kiss while they were in the mine, shortly before the rockslide hit. But Emma Jane knew it was mere foolishness. If such a kiss had happened, why hadn’t Jasper mentioned it? And if it was as good of a kiss as had been in her dreams, why hadn’t he repeated it?
No, kissing Jasper had only happened in her imagination.
Clearly, if the man liked to kiss as much as his reputation claimed, and even in his own admission, his failure to kiss his wife meant only one thing.
He had absolutely no interest in Emma Jane.
Chapter Seven
The trouble with Jasper’s sweet apology was that when he excused himself a few moments later, Emma Jane found it hard to refuse. Building a bridge between her and her husband wasn’t going to happen in a single afternoon. Polly, too, had left her, needing to check in with her mother and catch up on her duties at home.
Emma Jane looked around for Nancy. She hadn’t realized that having Jasper talk to her friend would put her in a bad position. Even though Emma Jane wanted Nancy to do the right thing, she knew all too well the difficulty in standing up to bullies. What Nancy needed most of all, what had helped Emma Jane, was having a real friend.
She spied Jasper, huddled in a corner with Will. After catching his eye, she gave him a quick wave, and he nodded at her. A simple acknowledgment, but in some ways, it marked a step in a positive direction for their relationship. How many times had Emma Jane waved at him in the past only to have him not notice her?
Warmth filling her heart, Emma Jane went into the stable area, where she knew Nancy liked to spend time. They’d discovered a mama cat and her kittens a few days ago, and knowing Nancy, she was probably checking on them.
The stable was quiet, deserted. No Nancy, but at least Emma Jane could check on the kittens and read a little in her Bible. She was grateful for the small book Pastor Lassiter had given them as a wedding gift. It was perfect for carrying around, and it gave
