Homespun Bride

48 Homespun BrideHenrietta fell uncharacteristically silent, and Noellewondered if her aunt was compiling a list of questionson the man’s character and wealth. Which would becompletely expected, but Thad was bound to be a disappointmentto her aunt’s high standards for an acceptablebeau for one of her daughters.From the corner of the parlor, Matilda gasped. “Doyou mean he once courted you?”“No, there was no courtship.” No official one. Whyit shamed her now, she couldn’t begin to explain. It hadall seemed terribly romantic to a sixteen-year-old girlwith stars in her eyes and fairy tales in her head, tosecretly meet her beloved.Oh, it had been terribly innocent; Thad had been respectfuland a complete gentleman, had never dared tokiss her even after he’d proposed to her. But now,looking back with disillusionment that had forever shatteredthose fairy tales and dimmed the stars, she couldsee a different motive. Not a romantic one, but a lessthan noble one. He’d courted her behind her parents’backs, purposefully fooling them, and for what?In the end, he’d chosen to run instead of marry. Inthe end, if there had been any truth to his courtship, thenhis affection for her had paled next to the strength ofhis fear. At least, that was the way she’d rationalizedit. That’s why his words were haunting her. My caringwas never in question.Perhaps his caring had been only that. Caring andnot the strong, true love she’d felt for him. Either way,it hardly mattered now. She knew his true measurebeneath the handsome charm and solid-appearingvalues. Thad McKaslin was not a man of his word. Hewas a coward. A man who ran instead of stayed.