She gasped. “The marvelous Mr. Langley, future mayor of Baltimore, was a member of the Mollies? He seemed so… unlike the type one would expect. I met him at the last ball. Everyone gathered around him, treated him like royalty. I would never have imagined.”
He nodded. “And once I began sending information about him back to the office in Pittsburgh, someone in the group I infiltrated became aware of it. They didn’t know my true identity, but they did know the messages were being sent via telegraph wire. They believed you either had something to do with the transmission of information, or at least that you had learned too much. One of their men was on his way to your house the night you left.”
She could hardly breathe. It felt as though their heart was about to burst from her chest. Black dots swam before her eyes. She started to sway in her chair.
Mason leaned forward, grasping her hand and squeezing. “Stay with me,” he urged, his grip tight enough to wrench her back into full consciousness.
Somehow this got through to her. She was able to remain upright and clearheaded.
“I saw him,” she whispered. “I saw him the night we were leaving. I thought it was you. I could not see his face, but he was a tall man, broad in the shoulders as you are. His face was hidden in the shadows, as it was rather late in the evening when we departed. When I saw you here, in town…”
“You saw me before I saw you?”
She nodded. “The day before we met in the saloon. I went to the saloon with the intention of finding you, and finding out why you had come. I was so certain that you were that man, and that you were here to hurt me.”
It was only then that she realized he still held her hand. His thumb ran over her knuckles, a gesture of intimacy which she welcomed.
“I regret having led you to believe any such thing. Harming you is the furthest thing from my intentions. I came to protect you from anyone who might have discovered your whereabouts. I couldn’t let you go without knowing for certain you were safe here.”
How her heart swelled at the sound of his words, and at the warmth behind them. To think she had shot this man, when all he wished to do was ensure safety.
“And when I think about what they did to that man,” she murmured. A shudder ran through her. That could easily have been her, dead in her bed. These men whom Mason had infiltrated were clearly bloodthirsty and capable of committing any atrocity.
“You know about that?”
“Certainly, we aren’t completely removed from the goings-on across the country,” she informed him, defensively perhaps. “We aren’t entirely backwards out here. Carson City is, after all, the capital of the state.”
He chuckled. “I had not intended to give offense, I was only surprised, since the newspaper in Baltimore was instructed to squash the story not long after it was printed. I suppose word spread.”
“And just who would have instructed them to do so?”
“Who do you think?” He pointed to himself. “It was I who fed them the story, after ensuring Mr. Byrne’s safety.”
Her jaw dropped. “You mean to say he’s still alive?”
He had a finger to his lips. “That is for your ears only,” he informed her. “Your sisters are not to hear a word of it, nor anyone else. We spirited the man out of Baltimore when it was clear that Liam and his associates intended to end his life. Once he was far away, and outside their grasp, I planted a story in the newspaper stating that he had been found dead in his bed. Murdered. My hope was that the group assumed another rival had done the deed. At any rate, they’re no longer interested in him. They took the bait and are satisfied, though you are still a concern to them.”
“Even though the public believes him murdered?”
“Yes, for if their interest in him is revealed, it will be they who are tried for the murder. If not tried, they’ll at least come under scrutiny. This is hardly their first brush with illegal activity. They rely on violence and intimidation to get their way. Calling themselves champions of the working man, just as the Molly Maguires do. And they are willing to stop at nothing to punish those who break rank.”
For those who might be able to expose them.
She swallowed. “They really believe I’m such a threat?”
Mason shrugged. “If anything, the timing of your departure from Baltimore only strengthened their certainty that you were to blame for Byrne’s exposure.”
“I was right about him, then. He was there to silence me, that tall man. I was minutes away from him… doing what he’d intended to do.”
“I am afraid you were.” His eyes bored into hers. “But you need fear nothing now. I am here, I survived. In spite of your efforts to the contrary.” He even winked, telling her he bore her no ill will.
He was so handsome. Even when she was afraid of him, there had been no denying how handsome he was. How his eyes twinkled, how they pulled her in and left her wanting more.
How they were nearly enough to make her forget the seriousness of her situation.
“What will we do now?” she asked after reminding herself to breathe.
“I believe we might have to make that up as we go along,” he said. “But I have a few ideas.”
12
Mason looked around the room, at the nearly identical eyes staring at him. They all looked so much alike, and yet the more time he spent with them, the easier it was to see how very different they were.
Molly, the oldest, folded her arms in a resolute stance. She lifted her chin, lowering her brow. “I absolutely refuse.”
He hardly knew her and yet would expect nothing less.
“Molly, don’t turn him down so quickly.” Rachel cast a despairing look his way. “What he has in mind is a good idea. Perhaps the best we can hope for in the situation.”
“I find that doubtful.” Molly’s expression softened, but only a bit. “Do not misunderstand me, Mr. Murphy. I have a great deal of respect for what you’ve done. You came all this way, on your own time and with limited resources, all for the sake of looking after my sister. We owe you all a great debt of gratitude for that. But to lie as you suggest we do… I cannot say I feel entirely good about that.”
“I only suggest you plant this story as a means to an end. No one will get hurt. No one even need be the wiser. I’m a stranger in town, with no one to mourn me or to even think twice if I were to bleed to death. A retraction could be printed the following day, or as soon as Liam leaves.”
Phoebe chewed her lip but lifted her shoulders in a shrug of resignation. “I see the sense in this,” she said. “If this Liam, if that’s who he is, is somewhere in the city and hears that Mason died of his wounds and Rachel was sent to prison, that will be the end of it. He will have no reason to stay. And we can all go on with our lives.”
Cate, the youngest and clearly the most dramatic of all the sisters, clasped her hands over her breast. “This is all too exciting,” she breathed, eyes wide.
Holly snorted. “You would see it that way,” she muttered with a shake of her head.
There was a great deal of affection in Holly’s voice, but Mason also detected just a bit of exasperation. He could imagine why. He’d known the girl for less than an hour and found himself rather exasperated with her.
“And what happens if this group finds out about the lie?” Molly asked, looking about. “What would happen if they were to learn that we had set this entire thing up? How much angrier, how much more determined to exact revenge would they be in that situation?”
Once again, all eyes in the room turned toward him.
Even Rachel’s. “You know them best,” she reasoned.
He cleared his throat. Rarely had a situation like this revealed itself to him. To be in the presence of five attractive young women, all of them hanging on his every word. While he was confined to a bed, all but useless to them in his current state.
Rachel had a good point. What would Liam do? Was it folly or foolish pride leading Mason to believe the man would give up so easily?
“If it is Liam who came to your house that night, and I have no reason to believe it was anyone else, based upon the description which Rachel provided, and if he or one of his associates have indeed come to Carson City, they would not wish to stay. They will not linger here longer than need be.”
“And just what makes you think that?” Molly asked.
“Because these men rely on their group ties. They cannot exist in isolation. They rely on each other, for their strength and their security. If separated, there will be no one for them to trust or count on. I highly doubt they would be able to make contacts here, so far from home. There are no such groups out here that I’m aware of, and I have the means and the abilities it takes to sniff such activity out. There is nothing for them to do. Not even a way for them to earn a living. I am confident that as soon as they believe there is no threat they’ll leave.”
“And just how would we know if they leave? If we don’t know exactly who it is they sent here, how will we know who to look for?”
“I’ve discussed this with Rance,” he explained. “He intends to watch the train station in shifts. He’ll use his two deputies, along with a handful of men he trusts he intends to deputize for this specific purpose. They will keep watch, waiting for someone fitting Liam’s description to board the train and leave the city. It’s the best we can hope for. I intend to send regular telegrams to my uncle, and he knows that I await any word from him. Few of my associates remained in Baltimore and are monitoring the group from there. I expect a telegram from him at any time, confirming whether it was Liam or another one of the men who came out here.”
He wondered if it was his imagination, or if Rachel looked proud when he’d finished. It was more likely the former, though he couldn’t help but wish it were the latter.
“See?” She asked, looking at each of her sisters in turn. “I told you he had everything thought out, right down to the final detail.”
So they’d been talking about him. Interesting.
Molly looked grim in spite of this. She was very intelligent, and he respected intelligence in a woman. Yet there was a fine line between intelligence and bullheadedness.
Molly’s lips were set in a thin line. “I might easily lose my position with the newspaper over this. It isn’t Mr. Grant’s responsibility to find a resolution to our problem. This is a great deal to ask of him.”
“Is your position at the newspaper more important to you than my safety?”
It pained Mason to hear the genuine hurt in Rachel’s voice.
Evidently, it pained Molly as well. She threw her arms around her sister, squeezing tightly. “Of course not! Forgive me, I hadn’t thought about it that way. It is so difficult to wrap my mind around this. There are so many things to consider. Naturally, you are the most important. I would do anything for you.”
She looked to him over Rachel’s shoulder. “I’ll go to the office now, and deliver your story to Mr. Grant. If he approves, and I see no reason why he shouldn’t, it should appear in tomorrow morning’s edition.”
“Thank you.” He handed her what he had written, relieved and grateful. “I would take it to him myself if I could. I would rather not involve any of you in this.”
“I suppose we all feel it’s the least we can do.” Holly looked to Rachel, smirking slightly. “After all, it was our sister who put you in this position.”
Rachel swatted at her, but Holly was too quick. She ducked out of the way, giggling.
“I suppose this means Rachel won’t be able to leave the house for a while,” Cate mused. “If she is supposedly in prison elsewhere.”
Mason nodded. “Correct. I hate to keep any of you away from home, but Rachel must remain hidden until this blows over. Just as I must, though there is very little chance that I would have anywhere to go.”
Holly gasped. “This means the doctor will have to be part of our deception, as well.”
He closed his eyes. Of course. The doctor. “I admit, you have me beat. I forgot about him. Though I suppose when he comes to check on me later today we can explain things to him, but only in the most vague way possible. He cannot know too much. Only that it is imperative he not reveal my survival to anyone.”
“You know half the town will want to know exactly what happened,” Holly fretted.
“He needn’t tell anyone anything,” Phoebe reasoned. “I don’t know him very well, I’ll grant you, but he hardly seems the type to while away the hours in gossip.”
“And if all goes as planned, there will be little reason for him to lie for long. The moment we have confirmation of Liam boarding the train, there will no longer be any need for such deception.”
“And what of us?” Cate took Rachel’s hand. “I can’t imagine leaving now, with so many things unresolved. I will walk the floors until my feet blister, all for fear of what might be taking place here in town.”
“You needn’t bother,” Phoebe said, patting her sister’s shoulder. “I have no intention of throwing you out of my house. You are more than welcome to stay, though I realize it is a bit of a tight squeeze.”
“It won’t be this way for long,” Rachel assured her. “This might all be over as early as tomorrow evening. Then, we can go on with our lives just as we did before. There will be nothing to fear.”
She smiled brightly, and this was enough to satisfy her sisters. It was not, however, enough to satisfy him. He sensed trepidation in her words, in her manner.
She did not believe herself.
It was with this in mind that he signaled her to stay behind while her sisters left the room. She lingered, arms folded, hands cupping her elbows. She was nervous, perhaps even frightened.
“What worries you so?” He murmured, watching her closely.
She lifted her shoulders. “How much time do you have in which I might make a list?” She chuckled without humor.
“You aren’t half as confident as you pretend to be for the sake of your sisters.”
“Please don’t misunderstand me.” She took a seat in the chair at his bedside. “It isn’t that I don’t have faith in you. What you’ve told me so far, what you have described, all leads me to believe that you’re not only skilled but quite resourceful when you need to be.”
It was hardly a declaration of love, but it would have to do. “What is it, then? What has you so troubled?”
She chuckled again, lowering her gaze to the sheets which Phoebe had draped over him for the sake of modesty. “Have you ever discovered that a man was pulling to cross the country for the sole purpose of silencing you? Have you ever learned that the sheer act of having done your job might have led to your death if not for the interference of a perfect stranger?”
He shook his head. “No, I cannot say that I have, however, you seem to forget one rather important part of the story.”
“Oh? And just what is that?”
“The fact that another man also crossed the country with the sole purpose of protecting you. A man who knows Liam and his associates. I know how they think, I know how they act. I know what to look for, and I know what they will look for. I spent months with them, learning everything there was to know. Trust me.” He stared at her with great intensity, waiting until she looked up and met his gaze.
Oh, how he could’ve drowned in her eyes. In Baltimore, she had attracted his attention. She had attracted much more than that, in fact, so much so that he was willing to take a great chance on her behalf.
Now? Now, with all half-truths and deceptions cleared away, he found himself caring for her more deeply than ever. There was not a doubt in his mind that he would move heaven and earth if only for her sake. How brave she was, how willing to sacrifice herself for the sake of her sisters. That sort of loyalty was rare, almost as rare as her beauty.
She let out a soft sigh. “I trust you.”
He smiled.
Now, all that was left was to live up to that trust.
13
“This is all so romantic.”
&nbs
p; Rachel looked up at Phoebe with no small amount of alarm. “You can’t possibly be serious,” she whispered.
Phoebe looked at her from where she stood before the stove. Now that the house was fuller than it had ever been, there was more reason to spend time acquainting herself with her new kitchen. It seemed there was no end of cooking, washing up, not to mention special pains taken for their special guest.
“You don’t find it romantic? The fact that Mason took it upon himself to come and find you? He didn’t need to do that. He must have found you worthy of such effort.”
“He was only doing his job. He took pity on me, having gotten to know me a bit at the telegraph office, and he felt guilty for leaving me exposed to dangerous information. Nothing more than that.”
Phoebe poured boiling water into the teapot, where it would steep with the leaves she had already added. As she did, she shook her head. “I would have to disagree with you on that.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
Phoebe had always been a romantic, falling in love at the drop of a hat. She would be the one to see the romance in this situation.
For it was not she whose life was in imminent danger.
Rachel scowled at the thought. It was easy for any of her sisters to see the situation this way. She knew Cate did, though even she was smart enough to keep her opinions to herself.
None of them had lived with nightmares for months. None of them knew what it meant to stare at the man hiding in the shadows, who might have been mere minutes from attack, were it not for a waiting driver and a train schedule.
None of them were aware of the blood-chilling realization that their would-be attackers knew what they looked like.
And that she knew they knew of his existence.
From where she sat, the situation had very little romance to speak of.
An Undercover Detective's Bride Page 9
