Coulson's Wife (The Coulson Series) by Anna J. McIntyre Read Free Book Online Page A

when he was a young boy, and after that,
he wanted little to do with them.”
    “So Mr. Hunter is also
from Kentucky?”
    “Yes. He lived with his
grandparents, neighbors of the Coulsons. From what I recall, his mother died of
a fever when he was just a babe, and his father was in a carriage accident when
returning from his wife’s funeral. He was the only child. His grandparents
quite doted on him. His grandfather passed away a few years after the house
fire, and his grandmother died a couple years later.”
    “That’s all so sad. So
my husband and Mr. Hunter were childhood friends?”
    “Oh yes. Mr. Hunter is
a little older than Mr. Randall, and when they were young boys, Mr. Randall had
a healthy case of hero worship for Mr. William. He used to follow that boy like
an eager puppy. Of course, don’t repeat that to your husband!”
    Mary Ellen giggled. “I
promise. But for some reason, I would have assumed it would be the other way
around. My husband doesn’t seem like one who would succumb to hero worship.”
    “Mr. Randall had a
healthy growth spurt in his teen years, but as a boy, he was a small child. Mr.
William was always a big boy, plus he was the older of the two. Early on, he
fell into the habit of looking after Mr. Randall, like a protective big
brother.
    “Not meaning to speak
ill of the dead, but the elder Mr. Coulson, well he was rather rough on his
son. Was of the mind that sparing the rod spoiled the child. I’m afraid young Randall
often found himself on the receiving end of an angry riding crop.”
    “His father beat him?”
While Mary Ellen’s father saw nothing wrong with giving one of his children a
firm backhanding, he never used a whip or belt on them.
    “I’m afraid so. But
please, don’t discuss this with Mr. Randall. I just thought it might help you,
to better understand him if you knew something of his past. He’s not the most
talkative of men when it comes to personal matters. But he is a good man.”
    “No, he isn’t
talkative, at least, not with me. I promise, I won’t repeat what you’ve said.”
    “Anyway, one day Mr.
Randall failed to properly close one of the gates, in a rush was he to meet Mr.
William. The day before he’d received a harsh whipping and his back was still
raw. When his father caught up to him that day, he intended to give the boy a
second whipping. Mr. William was there and lied to Mr. Coulson, told him he
left the gate open, not Mr. Randall.
    “Mr. Coulson was
furious, said he couldn’t whip Mr. William but Mr. Randall would be punished
for associating with such careless friends. Mr. William begged him to punish
him instead, and promised he wouldn’t tell his grandparents.”
    “Heavens, my husband’s
father didn’t do it, did he?”
    “Oh yes. My younger
brother worked in the stable and witnessed the whole thing. Mr. Coulson was so
enraged, he beat Mr. William even harder than he did his son. Mr. William took
it and didn’t cry out, but my brother said he saw tears. From both boys. I
think Mr. Randall had a lot of guilt over letting his friend take the beating.
Especially since it was so brutal.”
    “Did William ever tell
his grandparents?”
    “Not that I know of.”
    “What was my
mother-in-law like? Did she try to protect her son?”
    “She was a quiet woman.
I really don’t remember much about her. She had her hands full with the twins — Mr. Randall’s younger brother
and sister were twins. They were the ones killed in the house fire.”
    “Mr. Hunter is here for
Mrs. Coulson,” Lily interrupted the conversation. She stood at the entrance to
the dining room.
     

Chapter Seven
     
    “I t’s a lovely
morning,” Mary Ellen noted as she looked out the car window and watched the
landscape roll by.  Steering the motorcar down the drive, William glanced over
at his passenger and smiled. She looked lovely this morning, wearing a crisp
new lavender dress, her hair pulled back in a matching bow.
    “I was wondering, Mary
Ellen, would