Taking A Chance on Love (Book 1 Of The Tombstone Brides)

Chapter 2.

New York City 1886.

"I'd expect you to have the money that you owe, Mrs. Blackthorne. The money should be in my hands by the end of the week. Failure to pay will result in unwelcome consequences, and I don't think you want to find out what those consequences will be. Though, if you can't pay me back the debt that your late husband borrowed from me, I could suggest something else..."

Henry said as a leering gaze entered his steel-gray eyes. I shivered with revulsion. I could gather right away what type of idea he was suggesting, the disgusting pig that he was. What woman in their right mind would even attempt to agree to such a suggestion? Especially since it has only been two months since Nathan passed away. I would never, ever, go down on my knees and worship this man in a sexual way! I wouldn't want to set such a deplorable example for my daughter. I wanted to be a strong-willed woman; a respected mother figure and someone who believed in herself. I had to remain strong. So I made sure that my heart would remain firm, that my decisions would never waiver, and that I would never give to this man. I sighed heavily as I walked away from Henry, avoiding his hands so that he wouldn't have the opportunity to grab me. I could not allow him to think that I was easy pickings. There would be no way for me to gather the collateral that I would need to pay him back. It was impossible! Dam my husband for leaving me with the debt he left me to deal with! I thought I knew my husband inside and out. Well, apparently not. Clearly, he was hiding serious things from me. I thought back to how I met him, how our lives were different and before our lives went to shit...,

Nathan and I met during a gala that was being held by his grandparents. I was from a merchant-class family, who didn't always have a lot, but we had enough. It was just me and Father. My mother died giving birth to me. I was his support and constant companion and he was mine. That was before I met Nathan Blackthorne.

Nathan's grandparents were shocked that their intelligent grandson could even fall in love with a woman like me. They objected to our courtship and even threatened my father with the ruination of his businesses if I continued with my relationship with their grandson. It was a good thing that my father was different. He loved me and cherished my thoughts and supported me. He didn't cave in and relented to the pressure that no doubt built heavily on him due to the threats. My father, Jermey Shaw, was different from other men, where others would fail in remaining strong against the hierarchy. He stood firm and continued supporting both Nathan and myself.

On the night we decided to elope, we thought we had gotten away with our secret. But somehow, they both found out and tried to stop our nuptials. But it was too late as we had already consummated our marriage just two hours before they arrived. They were severely disappointed in Nathan and, from that moment on, they disowned him and told him that he would not receive anything from them if they both died. It was their decision to cast him out of the family for just falling in love with someone that was below their station, causing Nathan great distress. Though he tried to hide what he was feeling from me, I could tell that it was hurting him. I was so angry with them that I marched myself right up to them when they were riding in the park, and confronted them. To say that they were shocked to see me was an understatement! It was not Nathan's fault, they had no right to treat him like that, and I made sure that they knew it.

I told them that I was pregnant and that if they wanted to have a relationship with their soon-to-be great-grandchild, then they would have to mend their relationship with Nathan. I could see from Nathan's Grandmother Katherine, that she wanted to have a relationship with her great-grandchild, but had to listen and obey her uptight and strict husband, the unforgiving Judge Lester Blackthorn. The disgusted look that I saw on his face made me recoil for a brief minute. How did Nathan ever live under someone so judgemental? I wondered.

"I don't care if you are pregnant and soon to give birth to a brat! You, Miss Shaw, are a hussy and used your charm to lure my grandson into turning his back on his family and his position in society, so if you come into some hard times in the near future, do not dare try to come to me or my wife for aid."

I gulped, then I turned my gaze to Nathan's Grandmother,

"Do you feel the same way, Katherine?"

I could tell that she was shocked that I knew her first name and that I blurted it out in front of her husband. She turned her gaze to Lester for a second, then she looked back at me and grimaced. She reached out and took hold of my hand and in a silent and secretive gesture she placed a folded note into it, then she sighed heavily and agreed with her husband. It wouldn't take a genius to figure out that she was putting up a fake display in order for her to fool her harsh husband.

Suddenly, Lester pushed me from the carriage with such force that before I fell to the ground, I wrapped my arms around my stomach, hoping that his mean gesture wouldn't do any harm to my baby. I could see the concern on Katherine's face and she was shocked that her husband would even do that to a delicate and fragile woman in her condition. I got up from the ground and watched their carriage disappear from my sight. I was dusting off my skirts when a gentle hand landed on my shoulder.

"Are you okay Miss?"

The police officer said as he assisted me with getting my bearings back. I nodded my head and smiled at him. The officer introduced himself and told me that his name was Mac O'brian. I told him who I was and thanked him for his assistance. He stood beside me and watched Lester Blackthorne's carriage drive off too, then he scratched his head.

"Wasn't that Judge Lester Blackthorne?"

He asked me. I sighed and nodded my head. He then spat on the ground in disgust,

"It was unkind and truly hateful for a man of his standing to inflict such abuse on any woman."

He said as I agreed with him wholeheartedly. I thanked him again and made my way back home to the flat that we were able to purchase on 86th Street near Greenwich Village, thanks to my father's success in his partnership with the West Shore Railroad.

They developed passenger, freight, and operations at Weehawken Terminal. The complex contained five ferry slips, sixteen passenger train tracks, facilities, and extensive facilities. Soon we got into a lot of money, which helped us in securing some financial savings which we thought would come in handy if anything dire ever happened.

Our daughter was born on the tenth of June of '84. We named her Katherine after Nathan's Grandmother but we decided to nickname her Katie for short. Katie Blackthorn looked so much like her father, that at times when I looked at her, she took my breath away. She had black hair and handsome features, but she had my violet eyes. She was a beauty, and I knew that when she was older she would probably cause quite a scandal. Katie became Nathan's precious little angel. However, our happiness soon came to an end when both my father and Nathan contracted Cholera and died just a few short months shy of Katie's second birthday. Her special day had been turned into a painful and sorrowful one.

Soon after his death, I was confronted at my door by a stranger who informed me that I had a debt to pay and, since my husband was now dead, it fell on my shoulders to pay it off.

"What do you mean that I owe you money? Who in the hell are you?"

I so much as screamed at the man. He straightened himself up and regarded me with unchecked desire. I shivered inside. He said that his name was Henry Edwards and that he and Nathan struck a deal before he died. He even put up our home as collateral!

I was shocked. How could Nathan do this without letting me know? He has doomed us to despair and heartache! Dammit. Now I wish that Nathan didn't succumb to that disease. I wish he was still alive so that I could demand an explanation from him.

I used every ounce of money that was in my possession, which also included the safety net that we set up before our daughter was born, as well as the stocks and certificates that belonged to my father's business. But Henry insisted that it still wasn't enough to pay off the debt. Soon I had to sell every valuable that once decorated our home. Afterward, I later learned that Lester found out about his grandson's death and informed me that he had a document that stated that he had the right to take Katie out of my care and raise her. I could not let my little baby become a ward of that man. I was desperate to keep her, so I had to find a way out of this predicament and solve this problem of mine. Though I wanted to remain strong and not ask for help, I knew that I had to set aside my pride and seek assistance. Perhaps my best friend Victoria Haynes would have an idea.