by Danni Roan
“Don’t worry Uncle,” Hester replied. “I have a plan in place. Those children are bored.” She grinned brightly, “Spoiled, but bored. They need something to keep them busy. I can’t imagine being idle for so long.”
“I hope you’re right.” Hyke’s dark eyes reflected doubt, but he said no more.
“Stop worrying,” Hester tugged her uncle’s cuffs straight then took his arm. “It will all work out. You’ll see.”
By the end of the week, Hester and the children had established a routine. Each morning they worked on lessons that had piled high over the past few weeks, but in the afternoon, they would go outside and play, enjoying the warming weather of spring.
At first it was a simple stroll in the garden at the back of the house, but soon they were exploring the larger parks in the city as well. Both children looked forward to the outings, but what they were truly working for was a trip to the zoo and the botanical gardens. Both Beverly and Jonas had setbacks, which cost them a point here and there, but for the most part they were doing their best to win the prize they had their hearts set upon.
Hester’s chart, clearly marked out with stars to indicate a job well done, or crosses for jobs unfinished, kept track of the days and a week after she had joined the household. The children could gain points for an accomplishment, or lose one for a thoughtless act, impertinence, or tantrum. It seemed like no time at all until they were preparing to make the trip. Beverly had reached her goal first, but when Jonas broke down in tears, she said she would rather go to the zoo than the gardens. She was prepared to wait for that trip if necessary.
“You both need to stay close to me,” Hester chided as they donned coats and hats. “I don’t want anyone getting lost.” She turned bright eyes on Jonas meeting his gaze. “Is Hebbie in his jar?” she asked placing hands on hips.
“Yes,” the boy said a smile on his face.
Hester studied the innocent face and shook her head. “Upstairs, now.” Her right hand pointed up the stairs as the boy dropped his head pulling his pet snake from his pocket and frowning as Hester followed him to his room, watching closely that the little snake was safe in its jar before they traipsed back down to the entry hall.
Today was a big day for the children and for Hester as well. She was going to see a side to the city that she had never explored before. Keeping track of the children would make for a challenging day, but she believed she was up for it.
“Going out?” Cecil Payton stepped into the hall as Hester and Jonas returned.
“We’re going to the zoo, Uncle,” Beverly shook her head at him. “We won our trip and now it’s time.”
“You should come too!” Jonas added enthusiastically. “We could see the monkeys.” The boy broke into loud hooting noises, hopping around the hall like a chimpanzee.
“He won’t come,” Bev shot back at her younger brother. “That’s what nannies and governesses are for. It’s their responsibility to show us things. Other grownups are far too busy with more important things.”
Cecil looked between Hester and his niece, surprised by her words. As a child of a small business owner he had often had excursions with his family.
“Didn’t your parents ever take you to the country, or to the festivities in town?” he asked.
“We went to the park sometimes with mother, but Nanny always went too. Father was working.”
Again Cecil cut his eyes toward Hester. “I don’t have anything pressing,” he half lied. He knew he was supposed to meet with Cousin Abel after lunch. “I’ll come with you.” Quickly grabbing his hat, he placed it on his head and offered Hester his arm with a grin. He felt like a school boy playing truant and it felt good.
The brisk walk to the zoo was invigorating and soon, the small group was dashing from place to place trying to see everything.
“I never knew so many creatures were here,” Hester commented pointing out two perfectly white peacocks. “They are amazing.”
“I have a book back in my room with all of the animals in it. They continue to discover new species all the time.” Beverly interjected. “Some people have even dug up old bones from dinosaurs and other funny creatures.”
“I didn’t know you were interested in animals,” Cecil said realizing how little attention he had paid to his wards.
“I love animals,” Beverly agreed. “I wanted a kitten, but they made mother sneeze, so I wasn’t allowed.”
The rest of the day was spent moving from enclosure to cage, viewing animals that were wonders, but made Cecil sad. He felt just like the majestic tiger pacing in a large cage, restless, and unsatisfied. Still he was glad he had come out today. He knew his cousin was more than capable of managing without him, so what harm could a day off bring?
“When I was out west I saw all sorts of interesting critters.” Cecil grinned. “You’d love to see the buffalo, or the antelope, or maybe even the pesky prairie dog. There are animals all over out there on the plains.”
Hester watched Mr. Payton, seeing the longing in his eyes. She could tell that if he had his way, he would be on the first train west and back into the wild. As her employer and the children viewed the animals, chatting excitedly about each display, her mind turned over another thought. What if Cecil Payton took the children far away to a new place? Somewhere open and free, where they could learn to work for themselves without the constraints of a stodgy society that hemmed them in.
“Perhaps one day your uncle could take you out west to stay for awhile,” Hester said as they stopped for lunch. “I’m sure he would like to see it again.”
“You have no idea,” Cecil agreed as their meals were delivered. “I’m far more comfortable chasing cows on a good horse than I am in a boardroom trying to figure out who’s on my side and who is not. Abel, now that man has a head for business, but I’m hopeless.”
Hester smiled kindly at the man. “Why did your brother not leave the business to him then?”
“I’m Carver’s only living sibling,” Cecil admitted. “I got everything.”
“And I suppose in time Jonas will inherit as well.”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
“I don’t want to work in an office,” the boy grumbled. “I want to chase cows, and ride horses and fight off scary Indians.”
Hester laughed knowing that those days were long gone. Perhaps we’ll be able to convince your uncle to take a little holiday and you can go explore the west. There are so many wonders to be seen. I’ve even read of whole valleys that bubble and steam like cooking pots on a fire.”
“Can we?” Jonas enthused. “It would be an adventure.”
***
Cecil spent the rest of the afternoon thinking about Hester’s idea of heading west. He had loved his time living and working in the wide-open spaces, heart stopping mountains, and out of the way wonders. As a young man he had signed on to herd cattle, learning as he worked. Later, he broke saddle stock and captured mustangs. He even spent a stint cutting timber in the mountains. Over all, the time out west had grown him from a boy into a man.
Would it be possible to take the children and go west? Where would they stay? What would happen to the business? So many thoughts and questions trundled through his head that he hardly touched his dinner that evening.
“Cecil is something wrong,” Abel, who had stayed throughout the day to show him the updated deals and ledgers asked? “You seem preoccupied.”
“I’m sorry,” Cecil lifted his fork not sure what he was supposed to be eating. “I went with the children to the zoo,” he shot a quick glance at Beverly and Jonas who were busy discussing the day with Hester. “We got to talking about a trip out west.”
“West?” There was no censure in Abel’s voice. “Isn’t that where you were when Carver’s solicitors found you?”
“Yes, I was actually in Wyoming at the time working for a man named Brody. It was a lovely area. It was a funny little town with a strange name. Mr. Brody told me that Once Upon A Time a man headed to Oregon stopped
in the area at the foot of the Rocky Mountains to bide a while. Seems the man and his family were weary of travel and they just stopped. Before long more folks had joined him, clumping up together to make a town.”
“That sounds like a fairytale,” Beverly interjected. “Real stories don’t start with Once Upon A Time.”
“I’m just telling you what the boss told me.” Cecil raised his hands on a shrug. “I wasn’t there more than a week though before I got called home.”
“Do children have pets out west?” Beverly asked. “They could live outside and not make anyone sneeze.”
“I could have a pony and ride everywhere,” Jonas enthused.
Hester smiled at the children, but had to put a damper on their excitement. “I’m afraid your home is here children. Your uncle has already said he has a great deal of responsibility here in the city, including you. Now finish your dessert and off to bed with you. I’ll be up to tuck you in shortly.”
Jonas tossed down his napkin, springing from his chair. “I’m going up and saying my prayers right now,” the boy all but bellowed. “I’m going to pray that someday I can go west and be a cowboy.”
A moment later both children could be heard racing up the stairs, leaving the adults to finish their coffee in peace.
“I’m sorry if the conversation has caused you difficulty,” Hester said looking up at Mr. Payton. She didn’t need the man upset with her for giving the children dreams. This job was too important for her to do anything to annoy her handsome employer.
“Not at all,” Cecil mused lifting his coffee cup then replacing it, untouched to the saucer. “It would be nice to be out there again,” a dreamy quality filled his voice and Hester’s heart ached for him. He was as much a prisoner here in this beautiful home as the animals they had seen in the zoo today were. “It’s just a dream though. What would I do about the business, and how would the children cope?”
Abel Payton cleared his throat looking over the rim of his delicate cup. “Why can’t you?”
“What?” Cecil turned to his cousin his face confused. “I can’t go away and leave everything here.”
Abel placed his cup on the table, his dark eyes meeting those of his cousin. “Not to put too fine a point on it Cousin,” the dark-haired you man began, “but you are not a business man.”
Cecil laughed a hearty guffaw that filled the room. “That, my dear boy is the understatement of the year.”
Abel grinned relaxing at his cousin’s good humor. “Cecil, you came home because you had to. You have done the best you knew how to get your brother’s affairs in order, but you were never made for this life. Why not take the children and go west? You love it out there. You could make a new life for them, a fresh start. I’m sure Miss Johnson would agree.”
Both men turned to Hester who stared back at them in disbelief. “Me?” she squeaked, seeking her uncle who stood quietly by the door, a silver coffee pot in hand. “I’m sure I don’t know anything about it.”
“But you seem to understand the children,” Cecil insisted.
“Yes, you’ve survived an entire two weeks with them, and that is nothing short of a miracle,” Abel agreed.
“So what do you think? Would the children benefit from going west? Would they, could they be happy in a different place?”
Hester sipped her tea as both men turned to stare at her expectantly. She could feel Hyke’s dark eyes on her from the other side of the room and played for time. Placing the cup on the table with care she met Mr. Payton’s hazel-green gaze. “I think the children need more than games and prizes to occupy their time. They are intelligent, interested and completely unprepared for the harsh realities of life. It would do them a great deal of good to step out of this life of privilege and do some real living.”
Hester clutched her hands in her lap shocked at her boldness, but she didn’t back down. She had stated what she believed and would let it stand.
Cecil studied the young woman seated half way down the table and smiled. She was right. They would all benefit from a change of pace. How could he be expected to be a good guardian and provider if he was miserable? Wouldn’t that disquiet and discontent eventually spill over on to others?
“What about the business?” Cecil asked his excitement evaporating like a desert spring in summer. “I can’t just walk away.”
Abel cleared his throat again. “If you’ll forgive me cousin, you are not a very good business man, at least not in this area. I would be happy to take on the responsibilities of running the company for you if you make me full acting manager. Don’t worry, I’ve been training for this for years, and it is in my best interest to see the company grow. You could travel west with the children, seeing to their needs while I see to the needs of commerce.”
“But where would we go?” Cecil stood pacing across the room behind his chair. “I have no home, no holdings out west. I was no more than a saddle bum.” He looked up blushing slightly at his language, but catching Hester’s grin, let it go.
“Your brother had property out west. I don’t know much about it, but I could find out. I believe he took over a farm of some kind in Wyoming. You could return there.”
Cecil stood restlessly. “Really!” Cecil turned gripping the back of his chair as he peered at his cousin. “Where? What kind of place? Is it big, small?”
Abel laughed softly. “I believe it is in Wyoming,” he said. “There’s a town out there call Biders Clump and your brother gained the land in some business deal.”
A slow smile spread across Cecil’s face and for the first time in months he felt like he could breathe. “I’ll see you here first thing tomorrow to go over everything. We’ll make a plan.” He turned to Hester. “We’ll find the perfect home for Jonas and Bev.”
Chapter 9
“Hester, you cannot travel west with that man,” Hyke scowled at his niece. “It isn’t appropriate, and you have no idea what his motives are.”
“Uncle Hyke,” Hester scolded. “I think that if Mr. Payton were a disreputable man, we would know it by now. We have been here for nearly three weeks, and he has done nothing to indicate that he is a reprobate.”
“Hester, it is still inappropriate for a single woman to travel with a single man.”
“What am I to do then?” Hester paced the room slowly. “I can’t abandon the children and can you imagine what an adventure it would be seeing the western states?” She turned back to her uncle her eyes shining. “Wouldn’t you go if you had the chance?”
Hezekiah Johnson smoothed his beard carefully over his chin imagining what it would be like to leave everything he ever knew and go where the wind blows. “You can’t go.”
Hester felt the tears pooling in her eyes. Even with the occasional tantrum, prank, and bout of defiance, she had grown to care for the children deeply, recognizing a lostness in them that was too familiar by far. Despite the wealth and opulence they had experienced, they were needy. The needed love, understanding, purpose, and discipline.
“I can’t leave the children,” Hester sniffed. “I’m sorry if you don’t approve. You know I love you and am so grateful for everything you have done for me. Where would I be now if I didn’t have your love and support? I would be nothing. I don’t’ know how I can bare to leave you, my heart is pulled in two directions at once.”
Hyke crossed his arms over his chest, feeling the shoulders of his black coat pull tight, as his brown eyes flashed. “Then it’s settled,” he declared, his jaw set. “I’m going with you.”
Hester gasped shocked by the hard look on her uncle’s face. Reaching for him, she tried to order her thoughts, but before she could respond, he had turned on his heel and disappeared through the door.
***
“Mr. Payton I need a word,” Hyke demanded as he walked into the dining room where his employer was finishing breakfast.
“Yes,” Cecil turned to the old man who had become his not so efficient butler. “What about?”
“I’m going with you,�
� Hyke stated. “I’m going to Wyoming. Hester cannot travel alone with a single man. I won’t have it.”
The soft chuckle from Cecil Payton made Hyke stiffen. His niece’s reputation was no laughing matter.
“I had assumed you would,” Cecil finally stopped laughing long enough to speak. “I was under the impression that the two of you were a package deal.”
“Oh,” Hyke felt his face flush and was thankful for his beard covering his narrow face. “And what will my duties be?”
“I haven’t a clue,” Cecil replied, still grinning. “I think we’ll have to figure it all out once we get there. Mrs. August has agreed to go with us as well, but Cook and the others have chosen to remain here with Abel, who will move into this house.”
Hyke felt his shoulders relax as his mind began to grapple with his decision. He had never married, never had a family other than the tiny tot that had become his charge upon her parent’s death. He had worked hard his whole life without complaint, and now he was being given a chance to see his own country.
