The Sugar Queen

by Tess Thompson

  We’d hoped to come west when we’d saved enough money. Your generosity makes it possible for us to come now, and for that we are grateful. Without Quinn, there has been a hole in our lives.

  We have tickets to arrive in Denver on December 23 and will be expecting you and your sweet Josephine at the train station. We cannot wait to meet you all. I’ve been daydreaming of how much fun it will be to be a grandmother.

  Love,

  Your soon to be mother-in-law, Mrs. Cooper

  A week later, Josephine and I took the train into Denver. Our aim was to pick out a ring for Quinn and to bring back her mother and sister.

  We disembarked at Union Station around noon. Josephine exclaimed over the welcome arch and reached for my hand as we walked across the street amid motor cars and people on bicycles. The noise and bustle of the city jarred my nerves, but Josephine was enthralled. Cables ran all over downtown, and she studied them as we waited for the streetcar, asking questions about how they worked and when they were built, none of which I had precise answers for.

  She pressed her nose against the window as we traveled down Sixteenth Street, exclaiming over the buildings and the women’s dresses and hats. We passed by the Metropole Hotel where I planned to take us all for a meal after the Coopers arrived. A sign in front of the hotel read: “Metropole. Absolutely Fireproof.”

  “Why would they say that?” Josephine asked.

  “Just reassuring us,” I said. Josephine was too young to remember the fires that devastated cities, including Chicago and Seattle. Or the one that burned our own Emerson Pass. “Do you see the brick?” I asked after telling her about the fires of the past. “That’s an example of man learning from his mistakes.”

  The jeweler’s name was Mr. Finney, and he had a sharp, thin face with a large nose, which made him look a bit like a mouse. He showed us a variety of rings in both ornate and simple settings. In the end, we agreed on a slim band with a diamond solitaire. “It’s delicate yet shines, like Quinn,” Josephine said.

  We had another two hours before the train from Denver came. I took Josephine to the City Park and sat on an iron bench to watch the skaters on the frozen lake. “It’s so big compared to ours,” Josephine said.

  “Would you like to move to the city when you grow up?” I asked.

  “I don’t think I would like it here. There’s a lot of noise. I’d rather stay home and make a library.”

  “A library?”

  “I read about it in the paper. Mr. Carnegie will give money to start one as long as the town agrees to fund it afterward.”

  “Really?”

  “I could be the librarian, and then I’d get to be with books all day long.”

  I wrapped my arm around my little bookworm and held her close. “As long as you’re happy, I’m happy.”

  “Same, Papa.” She rested her cheek against my shoulder. “Do you think you and Miss Quinn will have babies?”

  “I don’t know. These things aren’t always up to us. Would you want us to?”

  “Do you think she would still love us if she had a baby of her own?”

  “The human heart has capacity for a great many loves. Especially Miss Quinn.”

  “What would Fiona think if she were no longer the baby?” Josephine asked, laughing.

  “For that reason alone, we should have more.”

  We sat watching the skaters go by, quiet and comfortable together until it was time to meet Mrs. Cooper and Annabelle.

  I knew them the moment they stepped off the train. Annabelle was tall and more robust than Quinn, with red hair and green eyes. Mrs. Cooper was small and slight, like Quinn, with white hair tucked under her hat.

  “There they are, Papa,” Josephine said.

  I held up a hand in greeting as we walked toward them. “Mrs. Cooper?” I asked.

  “Yes, yes, it’s us.” Mrs. Cooper’s eyes were a lighter shade of brown. Faint lines etched her skin. “You’re as handsome as she said you were.” She turned to Josephine. “She told me so much about you in her letters, Miss Josephine. What a big, brave girl you are to take care of your sisters and brothers.”

  Josephine blushed. “Thank you, Mrs. Cooper.”

  Mrs. Cooper pulled Josephine in for a hug. “You have to call me Granny.”

  “Granny,” Josephine said as they parted. “We’ve never had one of those.”

  “And this is Annabelle,” Mrs. Cooper said.

  The girls exchanged shy smiles. “Miss Quinn talks about you all the time,” Josephine said. “She thinks you and I will be fast friends.”

  “I think so too,” Annabelle said. She turned to me. “Lord Barnes, we’re so very grateful to be here.”

  “We’re family now,” I said. “You must call me Alexander.”

  We had several hours before the train to Emerson Pass. After we collected their suitcases, I took them all out to a meal.

  We dined on steaks, potatoes fried into crisp wedges, and crunchy salad with creamy dressing and bits of bacon. Josephine sat up straight and was polite and grown-up. I imagined her as a young woman. How soon that time would come that I’d have to agree to a man’s request for marriage.

  Both the Cooper women seemed to enjoy the meal immensely, exclaiming about everything. Mrs. Cooper fretted over the prices. I reassured her by saying it was a special day. “It’s not every day you meet your bride’s family.”

  “You’ve been able to keep our arrival a surprise?” Mrs. Cooper asked.

  “Only Papa and I know,” Josephine said. “Well, and Jasper and Lizzie. They know everything about our family. It’s been so hard to keep the secret, hasn’t it, Papa?”

  “Very much so,” I said. “However, I’m a romantic and want to have you both at the house to help us celebrate tonight. I’ve been imagining it for weeks now.” I pulled the ring box from my inside jacket pocket. “Would you like to see the ring?”

  Annabelle squealed when I opened the top of the box. “My sister will love it.”

  “I’m taking her on a sleigh ride away from the house. When we return, we’ll have a party to celebrate, and you’ll be her surprise.”

  “What if she says no?” Annabelle asked, deadpan, before bursting into peals of laughter. “I’m just teasing. We know for a fact she’s saying yes.”

  “I certainly hope so,” I said. “Or it’s going to be an awkward party.”

  That evening, I took Quinn out for a sleigh ride. The stars were bright overhead, and a sliver of a moon smiled down on us. Oliver and Twist nuzzled as they clomped through the snow. When we reached a spot in the middle of the meadow where the stars were particularly bright, I stopped them and adjusted in the seat to face Quinn. She had her head tilted back, looking up at the sky.

  When we returned from Denver, we’d hidden Mrs. Cooper and Annabelle in Harley’s cottage.

  “I think about my mother and sister on nights like these,” she said. “And wish they could see the stars from right here.”

  She turned toward me. In the shadowy light, I could only just make out the outline of her face. I knew every inch, though. Every freckle and the exact color of her eyes and the way her nose wrinkled when she laughed.

  I took the ring from my pocket. “I fetched you a trinket in Denver.”

  “A trinket? Do you mean a ring?”

  I didn’t answer as I lifted her hand from under the blanket and tugged at her glove, which stubbornly refused to come off her slender fingers.

  “Here, let me,” she said, giggling. “There’s a trick to it.” She gracefully slid the glove from her hand and waggled her fingers at me. “Would you like to put the ring on, or shall I?”

  “I have to ask first.”

  “You’re taking a very long time,” she said.

  “Perhaps I’ll just put it back in my pocket?”

  “No, no. I’ll be quiet now.” She pressed her fingers against my mouth. “See, it’s ready for you.”

  I laughed and kissed each one of her fingers. “Will you wear this rin
g and be my wife?”

  God bless the sliver of the moon, for it took that moment to shine a little brighter and made the diamond sparkle. “Yes, I’ll wear your ring and be your wife.”

  I slipped the ring on her finger and kissed her. Somewhere in the night, a wolf howled as if giving his approval. “Marry me on Christmas Eve?”

  “Christmas Eve?”

  “Yes, Pastor Lind will do the ceremony. We’ll invite the whole town.”

  She laughed. “What about my mother and sister? If I marry without them here, they’ll never forgive me.”

  “All right, then. As soon as we can get them out here, we’ll marry. Can you promise me that?”

  “Oh, Alexander, I love you so.”

  “Let’s go back to the house. Jasper’s opening champagne.”

  We drove back to the house, laughing and kissing as the bells chimed merrily, and the horses shook their manes as if celebrating with us.

  In the foyer, I helped Quinn out of her coat. The sounds of chatter and laughter came from the library.

  “It sounds like they’ve started without us,” she said.

  “We’re back,” I called out. The room hushed.

  Quinn’s brow furrowed. “Why’d they get so quiet?”

  “Come with me,” I said. “You’ll see.” I tucked her arm against me and opened the door to the library. Her mother and sister stood together by the window.

  She went rigid with shock at the sight of them. “Mother? Annabelle?”

  Mrs. Cooper came forward with her arms out. “Come here, my girl, and hug me.”

  Quinn, crying, ran to her mother. Her sister joined them, and they all hugged and laughed and cried at the same time. When they parted, Quinn looked over at me. “How did you do this?”

  “They took the train,” I said. “Surprise.”

  She turned to the children, who were huddled together on the couch, watching the entire affair with big eyes. “Children, were you in on this?”

  “Just Josephine,” Cymbeline said, sounding put out. “Until a few minutes ago.”

  Quinn went to the couch and knelt down next to them. “Do you know happy I am that now all the people I love will be under one roof?”

  “Do you love us as much as Papa?” Cymbeline asked.

  “I love you as much,” she said.

  “I love you too,” Cymbeline said.

  “And you won’t ever leave us?” Fiona asked.

  “I’ll never leave you,” Quinn said.

  I looked over at Josephine. “I told you it was meant to be,” she said. “We knew it from the start.”

  “You knew it and told us,” Flynn said. “I’m glad you were right.”

  “We have a grandmother and an aunt now,” Fiona said as if this were new information. “They’re going to live here with us.”

  “And a mother,” Theo said softly.

  “Yeah, a mother.” Flynn grinned. “The best, toughest mother in the whole world.”

  Jasper popped a bottle of champagne and poured a glass for the adults and cider for the children.

  We gathered in a circle and lifted our glasses. “To the happy couple,” Jasper said. We all toasted, and there were more congratulations and happy tears from the female members of my family.

  “Tomorrow there will be a wedding,” I said. “A Christmas Eve wedding.”

  Quinn laughed as she looked up at me. “I promised the minute Mother and Annabelle were here, we’d do it, so I guess we’re getting married tomorrow.”

  Harley cleared his throat, then tapped his glass. “I have an announcement as well. Merry and I went to see Pastor Lind this morning, and we’ve married.”

  Both Lizzie and Quinn pounced on a blushing Merry. She held up her hand to show off a gold wedding band. “It was Harley’s mother’s,” Merry said. “And Poppy’s graciously let me have it, even though it was meant for her.”

  Poppy grinned. “I’m never getting married anyway.”

  “And why not?” Harley asked.

  “Boys are disgusting,” Poppy said. “And anyway, I’m going to be a veterinarian and won’t have time for a husband.”

  “I think that sounds like a splendid idea,” Quinn said. “But if you’re like me, you might find a man despite your other plans.”

  “Papa, turn on music, please,” Josephine said. “So we can dance.”

  I turned on the phonograph, and the children pranced around the room. Jasper stood by the fire looking miserable. Lizzie sat on the couch drinking her champagne and looking equally despondent. For such a smart man, Jasper was making a terrible mistake.

  I took Harley aside and poured him a whiskey. “Congratulations. When will she move into the cottage with you?”

  “We wanted to check with you first,” Harley said. “Is it all right?”

  I slapped his shoulder. “A man should be with his wife.”

  Abruptly the music stopped. Jasper, near the phonograph, lifted his glass. “I have something to say.”

  Everyone paused what they were doing and turned toward him.

  “I’ve been a fool,” Jasper said. “Lizzie, I don’t want you to marry Clive Higgins. And you might like him because he’s a butcher and you’re a cook and all that, but you belong with me. We belong to each other.”

  She stared at him.

  “I want you to be my wife. I have money of my own, thanks to the lord’s generosity. I can take care of you.”

  Lizzie’s mouth had dropped open a smidge, but she continued to stare at him as if he were a ghost.

  Jasper crossed over to her and dropped to one knee. From his pocket, he pulled out a round diamond with tiny emeralds surrounding it. His grandmother’s ring. She’d left it to him when he was only a kid. I’d forgotten.

  “Please, Lizzie, will you marry me?” he asked.

  “I…I thought you didn’t love me.”

  “I lied. I was afraid.”

  “Of what?” she asked.

  “Of not being enough for you. I’m boring and old-fashioned, and you’re the opposite.”

  “I’ve loved you since we were children. It’s not like you’ve changed.” Lizzie smiled as she reached out to caress the side of his face. “I don’t find you boring.”

  “Is that a yes?”

  “It’s a yes,” she said.

  The children all cheered. Poppy and Josephine held on to each other by the hands and galloped around the room.

  I put the music back on, and we poured more champagne and danced and laughed and talked deep into the night.

  Chapter 35

  Quinn

  * * *

  The morning of Christmas Eve I woke next to my sister in the bed in my room. We’d agreed that she would take the room when I came home later as Lady Barnes. The night before, we’d been too tired to unpack her trunk, so now I was sitting on the bed watching her move around the room in her dressing gown. She’d had a bath and washed her hair. Her damp, loose hair dried as she hung clothes in the wardrobe.

  Watching her, I decided she seemed older than when I left home just a few months ago. Living alone with Mother had given her a self-assurance she hadn’t had before. It hurt a little to see how life had robbed her of any childish tendencies, but I supposed it was for the best. The world was a hard place and courage our only map.

  She showed me the new dress she’d made for herself in a light green organza. “A day dress or a sister-of-the-bride dress,” she said. “Are you mad I spent the money on fabric?” she asked.

  “Never,” I said. “It was time for a new dress.”

  “It’s just you sent so much money and then Lord Barnes wrote and sent more, so I didn’t think you’d begrudge me or Mother a few new clothes.”

  “I’m glad you had enough to make something nice for yourself,” I said.

  Annabelle bounced on her feet. “I’ve brought something for you, too. When you wrote a month or so ago that Alexander had stated his intention to marry you, I started to worry about a wedding dress. I made this fo
r you.” She pulled from the trunk a high-waisted white organza gown with a tiered skirt and tight sleeves that stopped at the elbows.

  I leapt from the bed and grabbed the dress. “Annabelle, how did you ever do this?”

  “It’s nothing. I used a pattern. Although I tweaked it a bit to suit your small frame. Making this wedding dress was the most fun I’ve ever had.”

  “I adore it.” I placed the dress on the bed and stared at it with great reverence. I couldn’t believe such a pretty dress was mine. “And I adore you.”

  “There’s one more thing.” She lifted a lace veil from the trunk. “I made this from a piece of lace Mother had kept for years and years, hoping one of us could use it for a veil. Do you like it?”

  I fingered the delicate lace my sister had cut and sewn onto a small cap. “Making this from an old piece of lace. You’re such the clever one.”

  “Aren’t I though?”

  We hugged, laughing and crying at the same time. A knock on the door followed by Merry’s voice interrupted us from our sisterly reunion.

  “Quinn, I’ve come to help you get dressed.” She gasped when she saw the dress. “Where did it come from?”

  “My sister made it,” I said.

  Merry couldn’t keep the envy out of her voice. “It’s the prettiest dress I’ve ever seen.”

  We spent the next hour getting dressed. Merry powdered me and blushed my cheeks while Annabelle twisted my hair and fixed the veil with pins. Finally, I slipped into my gown.

  My sister fussed with the material, smoothing it with her fingers. Merry simply watched, shaking her head. “You’re like a princess,” she said.

  Another knock on the door, and my mother entered wearing a light gray organza gown I’d never before seen. My sister’s seamstress fingers had been busy. “Oh my goodness, will you look at you. The dress is even prettier on.” She wheezed and thumped her chest.

  “Mother, are you all right?” I asked.

  “Yes, yes. I’m fine. It’s the first I’ve felt it since we left that dirty city. All this fresh air’s going to cure me.” She pointed at Annabelle, who had fixed her hair but not yet put on her dress. “They’re ready for us downstairs. We must go.”