by Zina Abbott
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Millwright’s Daughter
Kerr’s Ferry Mill
#2
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Zina Abbott
Copyright © 2018 Robyn Echols writing as Zina Abbott
All rights reserved.
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CONTENTS
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DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
DISCLAIMER
Book Chapters
Thank you for reading Millwright’s Daughter
Nissa, Chapter 1
Lockets & Lace Books
Sweethearts of Jubilee Springs Books
Grandma’s Wedding Quilts Books
Zina Abbott Books
About Zina Abbott
1
Dedication
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This book is dedicated to my children in memory of the times we went rafting down the Stanislaus River between Knight’s Ferry and Oakdale, California.
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Acknowledgements
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I wish to offer my appreciation for the historical lessons prepared by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers. Although this story has nothing to do with Utah or its early settlers, the March, 2018 history lesson titled “Pioneer Mills and Millwrights – Heber C. Kimball Mill” by Ellen Taylor Jeppson served as my inspiration for this story.
A special thank you goes to Caroline Clemmons for her offer to ask me to join her 2018 anthology, Under a Mulberry Moon. Although Millwright’s Daughter is now published as a stand-alone single, this novella was first part of that anthology.
Disclaimer
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All the characters described in this story are fictional. They are not based on any real persons, past or present. Any resemblance to real persons, living or deceased, is coincidental and unintended.
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Dayton, Ohio – March, 1882
Chapter 1
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C aroline Arnold prepared carefully for this meeting. She would have preferred her health to be restored enough so she could walk into the parlor and stand on her two feet when she greeted the man who shortly would stop by to visit her. However, sometimes, one must accept what one must and be grateful for what remained within one’s physical capacity.
Although she still suffered from the effects of her stroke, she had recovered enough she could sit in her wheeled bath chair without pillows to support her. Her face had recovered from the droop on one side she had lived with the first several weeks. After months of struggle, she could once again enunciate her words well enough to be understood. Although her ability to move her left hand remained limited, as long as she rested it just so on her lap, the offending appendage did not advertise its current weakness. Since she was right-handed, she could sign a contract and a bank draft.
Caroline had chosen her clothes for the occasion carefully. Instead of a frilly pastel-colored bed jacket, she opted for the deep blue satin with cream piping. Instead of wearing a nightcap, she had insisted on having her hair groomed into a knot secured with combs on top of her head. By the attitude of her caregiver hired to stay with her during her incapacity, Caroline had guessed the woman found her choice of outfit too severe. However, today’s meeting was not an occasion that called for “old lady lavender” replete with lace, ribbons and frills. She needed to convince her visitor she knew her own mind and was capable of conducting business.
All Caroline had managed the last few months was to rage in her mind at the audacity of Joseph Wells, the wretch, to leave his beloved California for the first time in nineteen years to travel to his hometown in Ohio in an effort to claim her granddaughter, Eliza. What he really wanted was control, and no doubt, the use of the money her daughter and son-in-law had bequeathed to Eliza. It all belonged to Eliza now both her parents were gone.
Even without the stroke she would have been no physical match for the man who, although in his forties, stood inches taller than her and outweighed her by many pounds. As ill as she had been when he stopped by to see her, it was obvious the physical nature of his work had kept his muscles bulging like those of a younger man.
However, the man wronged both her and Eliza. There were other ways than physical confrontation of fighting back, and she was finally well enough to begin that process.
After a knock on the door sounded, the nurse bid Caroline’s housekeeper to enter the room.
“Mrs. Arnold, Mr. Christopher Halsey is here. Shall I send him up?”
“Yes. Yes, I’m ready for him. Bring him to me.”
Caroline squirmed in her chair as she waited for the young man to be led to her room.
She studied him as he entered. She noted his light brown suit with the small checked pattern in its weave. He had tucked the ends of an almost black necktie tied four-in-hand style inside a vest the same brown to match the darker brown in the weave of his suit. His hair appeared recently trimmed and bore the faint crease where his hat had rested prior to her housekeeper taking it from him. She noted with approval his tanned skin, the well-developed muscles on his medium frame, and the sun-bleached strands in his otherwise light brown hair—all of which spoke of recent physical outdoor work. If the man needed to seek work with her granddaughter’s uncle, he looked physically capable of such a job.
Caroline sucked in a breath and sat taller in her chair as her eyes met his. She realized with a start that just as she appraised him, his gaze coming from his hazel eyes also studied her. The corner of his lips turned up with the slightest of hint of a smile as they made eye contact.
The man stepped forward with a grace possessed only by the young and fit. He held out his hand. “Christopher Halsey, Mrs. Arnold, although most know me as Kit. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”
Caroline reached out her hand, which he grasped firmly. He bowed over it rather than shake it.
Caroline turned her head to address her nurse. “Mrs. Appleton, please bring a chair next to mine for Mr. Halsey to sit in. Then you are free to leave and take your break downstairs.”
After the caregiver positioned the chair and Kit Halsey sat down, Caroline launched into the reason for the interview. “I’m pleased you agreed to meet with me, Mr. Halsey. My attorney assures me with your education and set of skills, you are just the person I need to take on the delicate task I face. Although you will communicate with him and conduct the details of the assignment under his direction, I wished to meet you first before I agreed with his choice. I hope to personally impress upon you the urgency to me of what I wish to hire you to accomplish.”
Kit nodded in acknowledgement. “I appreciate the confidence your attorney, Mr. Bower, has expressed regarding my abilities. I felt I should meet with you as a matter of courtesy. However, depending upon the nature and length of the assignment, I’m not sure if I am in a position to accept it. I have ended my association with the railroad, but I’m in the process of taking the next step in my career.”
Caroline waived her hand dismissively. “Yes, yes, I’m aware you are in the process of resuming your college education and entering law school in Bloomington, Indiana. However, it is the work you did as a railroad detective that interests me. Exactly how did you come by such work, and what was the nature of your assignments, Mr. Halsey?”
Kit’s eyes twinkled and he again smiled. “It appears your attorney has vetted me rather thoroughly, Mrs. Arnold. I suspect I will be telling you much of what you already know. However, I will share my story. Not being the first-born in my family, I was not in line to inherit my
father’s ice house business, which suited me fine. My father did what he could to provide some funds for college so I could train in another field. I still worked, often for my father to earn what I needed. When I decided to go away to Bloomington to study law, I looked for additional work with the B&O—the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad—loading freight.
My education proved to be a benefit, and I soon found myself overseeing packing slips and invoices to be sure what was loaded and off-loaded matched the records. After finding a few discrepancies, I was offered a job as a detective for the railroad. Even though it meant a lot of travel, it suited me fine for a time because the job paid better. I’ve now saved enough I felt it time to move forward on my real goal, which is the study of law. I was just a week shy of finishing my last assignment with the railroad when your attorney’s representative contacted me and persuaded me to meet with you.”
“That’s about the same story I got from him. Let me ask you this, Mr. Halsey. The new term for incoming law students at Indiana Law School starts this fall. If you finished your employment with the railroad, what did you plan to do in the meantime?”
Once again Kit offered her his smile as if she had caught him out. “My plan was to return home and pick up work with my family’s business. My father’s health is failing, so my brother has most of the responsibility now. He intends to hire another employee, but he said I can have the job until I leave for law school. He offered to me to stay at the house for free in exchange for me providing free legal advice once I get my degree.”
Caroline sniffed her disapproval. “Bucking ice and delivering blocks of it around town can’t pay that well, Mr. Halsey. I suggest you tell your brother to go ahead and hire another man without delay. Mr. Bower assured me your skills were well appreciated by many highly-placed in B&O management.”
“It wasn’t all a Sunday picnic, Mrs. Arnold. There were many I worked for and with who did not think well of me or my work. I investigated as many who worked for the B&O as I did those outside the railroad.”
Caroline attempted to gesture with her weak arm, but let it fall back in her lap. “Phffft! Graft is everywhere, Mr. Halsey. I’m sure you acquired enemies among those who resented your successes which did not cast them in the best light. The fact you survived their attempts to discredit you and still impressed your superiors speaks well of you. I think you’ll do. I want you to work for me. If you agree, you’ll make more money in the next six months than you will working for your brother.”
Kit canted his head and studied her further. “I’m not sure what you expect of me, Mrs. Arnold. I assume it involves something similar to the detective work I did with the railroad. That your attorney did not get into. What do you wish from me that you would be willing to pay me more than what I can earn working for my brother?”
“My granddaughter is priceless, Mr. Halsey. I have not heard from her recently, and I believe she is being held against her will. I am willing to pay a great deal to have a capable agent check on her situation and see her safely brought home.”
Kit sat back in his chair and folded his arms. “Tell me more, Mrs. Arnold. Do you have any idea where she is and who is holding her?”
A gleam of satisfaction sparked in Caroline’s eyes. She could tell in spite of his reluctance, she had caught Kit Halsey’s attention. “Oh, I know who took her. It was that wretch of an uncle of hers, Joseph Wells. Evidently, my granddaughter, Eliza, made the mistake of sending the family a letter to tell them of her mother’s death, although my daughter was nothing to Joseph and his wife other than the forgotten widow of his late brother. However, I suppose Eliza felt it only right her cousins know their aunt had passed. I suffered an attack of apoplexy not long after I buried my daughter—the stress, you know—so I did not discover she prepared a letter to go in the mail, or I would have stopped it. The next thing I knew, Joseph Wells returned to Ohio. Taking advantage of my temporary weakness, he packed her up and whisked her away to California. At that point I was completely bed-ridden and not recovered enough to talk properly to voice my objections.”
Kit rested his forearms on his thighs and leaned forward. “Her uncle took her? I assume she was under legal age. If your granddaughter was a minor, who did the courts name as her guardian?”
“I’m her guardian, Mr. Halsey. Due to certain circumstances that took place at the time old Isaiah Wells, Joseph’s and Benjamin’s father, died, neither my daughter nor her husband would have named Joseph Wells as Eliza’s guardian. Her father named me as Eliza’s guardian and administrator of her estate should both he and my daughter pass before she reached majority.”
Caroline leaned toward Kit Halsey, an expression of determination on her face. “Make no mistake about this, Mr. Halsey. My body failed me, but my mind has remained clear and sharp throughout this ordeal. I am fully capable of managing my granddaughter’s legal and financial affairs and seeing to her welfare. When Joseph returned to Ohio after my daughter’s funeral, he no doubt looked at me and saw a used up old woman with one foot in the grave. He took advantage of my temporary weakness to bundle my granddaughter on the train to California before I even knew she was gone. He has made efforts to be named her guardian in my stead. Now I am recovered enough, it is time for me to take steps to bring her home and end this man’s perfidy.”
“How old is your granddaughter? You said her name is Eliza Wells?”
“Yes. And Eliza is…” Caroline paused to calculate in her head. “Eliza is eighteen now. Her birthday was in February, just last month.”
“Does Eliza wish to come home to Ohio, Mrs. Arnold? You said she wrote to cousins. Perhaps the reason she is staying with her uncle is because she prefers it in California.”
Caroline glared at Kit and spoke sharply. “It would not matter if she wishes to stay. I am her guardian for three more years until she turns twenty-one years of age. It is my decision where she lives. Even if she did not wish to live with me, I would never agree to her living with him.” She trembled involuntarily and softened her voice. “I do not know Eliza’s preferences. I only know before I was stricken, her goal was to enter Western Reserve Normal School up in Milan. Such had been her desire for two years, so I cannot see her changing her mind after only a few months with her uncle.”
Kit’s eyelid twitched with doubt. Young women the age of Mrs. Arnold’s granddaughter quite often changed their minds and set aside prior plans once they fell in love. He chose the tactful route for his response. “I rather image you’re right.”
“In spite of letters from my attorney during the early days of my recovery and from me personally writing several letters to her once I was able, I have not heard from her. The only communication we have received is through my attorney from Joseph Wells who is suing to gain custody of her. I continue to write to my granddaughter, but I word things with the suspicion that Joseph is reading the letters before giving them to Eliza.”
From the way Kit sat back in his chair and studied at her, Caroline realized he began to understand the urgency of the situation. “I need to know if my granddaughter is safe and if she is being treated well, Mr. Halsey. She was taken by a man who never bothered to return to the place of his nativity to visit his brother and family until after both Eliza’s parents were dead. Her only contact with the family was through letters, and that was mostly between her and the aunt or her cousins. I need her brought home. I plan to make it worth your while.”
Kit offered her a grin. “So you stated.”
Caroline glared at Kit. “Do not doubt me. It was Arnold money, not Wells money that put my son-in-law through law school. Arnold money can put you through law school also if you will accept this job and use the next six months to see to my granddaughter’s welfare. I need you to rescue her for me.”
“Your son-in-law was an attorney?”
“Yes. He was also a millwright, as is Joseph Wells. They learned the trade and inherited the mill here in Ohio from their father. In spite of the manner in which Joseph took advantage of Be
njamin’s absence while he served as an officer during the War of Rebellion, Benjamin rebuilt the mill and supervised it. Unfortunately, his injuries from the war prevented him from physically working it. There are far more attorneys in the region than there are millwrights, Mr. Halsey. In spite of him being a lawyer, he was known to most as the millwright. Until her father’s death, Eliza was known as the millwright’s daughter.” Caroline sucked in her breath and looked away for several seconds as she fought down a surge of emotion.
Her composure regained, Caroline reached for a frame on the table next to her. She handed it to Kit. “This is my most recent portrait of Eliza.”
Kit studied the image before him. She appeared to have blonde hair and light eyes. An upswept hair style adorned her classically beautiful face. “Very pretty young woman.”
“She favors my daughter except for the eyes. She has the Wells eyes.” Caroline reached for the photograph and returned it to her table. She once again turned to face Kit. “Will you accept this assignment, Mr. Halsey? You will be performing a great service to me and my granddaughter. I assure you, I will make it financially to your benefit.”
Kit considered what he was being asked to do and slowly nodded his head. “Yes, Mrs. Arnold. Assuming Mr. Bower and I can come to terms agreeable to us both, I will take on this task of helping you with your granddaughter.”
Caroline heaved a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Mr. Halsey. You may contact Mr. Bower to learn the particulars of what we know, and what we suspect. You must be discreet, but I expect you to keep me apprised of your progress until she’s home.”
