Love Held Captive

by Shelley Shepard Gray

  A shiver ran through her. It seemed she was incapable of stopping her body from reacting to the memories. If she started talking about it now, in the middle of the kitchens? Chances were good she would collapse onto the floor.

  “Thank you, but I don’t think so.”

  Miss Van Fleet frowned at her stiff and formal tone. “Forgive me.”

  Her stomach sank. Somehow she’d managed to make things worse. “It’s kind of you to still be speaking to me, Miss Van Fleet,” she said. “Many women of your class would now be pretending I didn’t exist.”

  “Please, call me Julianne. I certainly am not one to pass judgment.” Staring at the women bustling around the kitchen in front of them, she exhaled. “Sometimes I wonder if men will ever really stop to think about what their sisters and girlfriends and mothers endured when they left to fight.” She shivered.

  “Being left behind to worry and make do on our own was difficult, wasn’t it?” Hearing her words, she flushed. Calling those years difficult was like calling Texas in July simply hot. But if Julianne found an issue with her statement, she didn’t let on. She merely nodded and continued to watch the staff making preparations.

  Minutes later, Meg approached with a tray in her hands. “Here you go, Lizbeth. Cook wants to know who to charge for the payment. The major or the captain?”

  “I’m not sure. Maybe the major?” She looked to Julianne for advice.

  Julianne nodded. “That’s a good start. If the men find fault with that, they can clear it up later on their own.”

  Meg smiled. “Good enough.” Before she turned away, she said, “I guess you are truly keeping company with the major now, aren’t you?”

  “He’s been a good friend.”

  “I just bet he has.” After smirking at her fellow workers, she said, “Don’t mind us none. We’re just a little jealous, is all. The major is a man worth claiming.”

  Lizbeth felt her cheeks heat. Though she knew Meg hadn’t meant to embarrass her, she still had. Hoping to transfer their focus to someone else, she looked around the kitchen. “Meg, have you seen Cassie? I just realized she usually comes down here to take her break right about now.”

  Looking pensive, Meg motioned them toward the door. “Lizbeth, no one’s seen her today.”

  “Why not? Is she sick?”

  Meg shook her head. “She’s gone. All her things too.” After looking over her shoulder, she lowered her voice. “Cook says Cassie probably took off with an admirer or something, but I don’t know. That don’t seem like her.”

  “That isn’t like her at all!” Cassie was always full of good humor, but she wasn’t flighty. Lizbeth knew she wouldn’t have left without giving notice and careful planning. “Has anyone told Aileen? What did she say?”

  “I guess Cook told her, but you know how Mrs. Howard is. If it don’t concern paying guests, she don’t pay too much attention.”

  Biting her bottom lip, Lizbeth nodded. “She can be that way, I suppose.”

  “No, she is that way,” Meg corrected. Softening her voice, she said, “Look, don’t worry about Cassie. I’m sure she’s fine. I know you thought she was a good girl, but she had an eye on the gentlemen. Most likely she found her own Major Kelly and let herself get swept off her feet.”

  Lizbeth would have argued about that some more, but she was aware that Julianne was listening to every word and Meg was beginning to look uncomfortable. “Thanks for the tray and for letting me know about Cassie,” she said at last. “I’ll let you go before Cook gets upset.”

  As if on cue, Cook called out, “Meg, they don’t pay you to stand around and do nothing.”

  Meg grinned. “I’ll see you later. Work calls. Plus, you’ve got a tray to deliver.”

  After smiling at her again, Lizbeth led Julianne out of the warm kitchen. “I’m sorry about that.”

  “Think nothing of it. I’m sorry about your friend.”

  “I am too. Well, I’m surprised. No matter what Meg said, I can’t see Cassie running after a man without careful thought.”

  “Maybe she had a reason you didn’t know about.”

  Looking at Julianne, Lizbeth realized that could be the case. Though she and Cassie had been friends, they’d been close work friends. Lizbeth had certainly never told Cassie about her past. It only stood to reason that Cassie hadn’t felt compelled to share all her secrets. “Maybe she did at that,” she said softly.

  Julianne placed one elegant hand on her arm. “Are you all right? If not, I can carry the tray to Captain Monroe’s room.”

  There was no way she would allow that to happen. “I’m fine. Though I am worried about Cassie, I’m not going to borrow trouble. I’m just going to have to assume she’s moved on to some place better.” She determined to ignore the fear that invaded her thoughts.

  Looking relieved as they walked through the lobby, Julianne nodded. “Perhaps that’s the best thing to do at the moment.”

  Lizbeth was just about to change the subject when Aileen called out her name. Unable to avoid her, they stopped again.

  Her cousin was beaming. Beaming! She looked as though she were half floating with excitement. After quickly introducing her to Julianne and setting the tray down on a nearby table, she said, “Aileen, what has happened? You look so happy.”

  “Major Kelly’s family just arrived.”

  Lizbeth was so surprised, she pushed all her worries about Cassie’s whereabouts from her mind. Even she knew Ethan wasn’t close to his family. She needed to warn him so they wouldn’t catch him off guard. “Where are they?”

  “Visiting him, of course. I escorted them to the captain’s room myself.”

  “You did what?” Oh, he wasn’t going to be happy.

  “I had no choice, Lizbeth. That was Mr. Michael Kelly! He must own half of Texas.”

  “Did you warn the major first?”

  “Of course not.” She sighed and then spoke with even more emphasis. “One more time, Lizbeth, Mr. Michael Kelly is here, with Mrs. Kelly and their other children. Of course I’m going to do whatever they ask. Besides, they’re his parents.”

  Reluctantly, Lizbeth conceded that her cousin had a point. It wasn’t a hotelier’s job to screen guests’ visitors—only to do what was asked quickly and efficiently.

  Amusement lit Julianne’s eyes. “Something tells me neither Major Kelly nor the captain is going to be excited to entertain guests.”

  “We better hurry.”

  Aileen trotted along as Lizbeth picked up the tray, and they headed down the secret hallway that wasn’t much of a secret anymore. “Dallas is so excited. They requested three more suites too.”

  So they were staying. “Aileen, you had better prepare yourself to face the wrath of Major Kelly.”

  “What wrath? He’s the most gentlemanly man who stays here.”

  Lizbeth felt like pointing out that his good manners didn’t necessarily mean he was honorable at every occasion. After all, he was a gambler. He’d also fought in the war and survived a prisoner of war camp. A man didn’t come out on the other side of those things without being tough.

  Julianne paused a couple of feet before Devin’s door. “Thank you for informing us, Mrs. Howard, but we will take it from here.”

  Aileen drew to a stop. “I was going to open the door for you.”

  “We’ll simply knock.”

  “Lizbeth—”

  She knew what Aileen wanted. She wanted Lizbeth to let her peek inside the room so she could report what was going on to her husband. But there was no way that was going to happen. Ignoring Aileen’s look of longing, she walked down to the captain’s door and knocked.

  When it opened, six faces stared back at her. One of which was scowling.

  “At last you have returned,” Ethan said, his voice sounding as sharp as one of Bertha’s butcher knives. “Do come in. You are just in time to meet my family.”

  28

  Time might as well have stood still for his family. As Ethan stared at his brother,
sister, and parents, each one decked out more elaborately than the last, he wondered if any other family in the state of Texas had been so blessed. The Kelly family had managed to survive the war without losing a member, losing their home, or, it seemed, their pride.

  He’d only come to terms with the fact that despite his problems adjusting to civilian life, he had been just as blessed.

  As he watched Lizbeth and Julianne enter the room, Lizbeth carrying a tray of food, he could sense their surprise and wariness. He hated it. Lizbeth’s green eyes were clouded with worry. She was worried about him, about how he was feeling. After what she’d just revealed.

  Before he could begin introductions, his mother stepped forward.

  “I must say the service here couldn’t be better. Set everything up along the back counter. Then you may go.” Her voice lost a tad bit of warmth when Lizbeth and Julianne froze in confusion. “If you are waiting for a tip, you are going to have to do something more than stare back at me like deer lost in the glade.”

  Had his mother not noticed the women weren’t wearing maids’ uniforms? Before Ethan could say a word, Lizbeth nodded and lifted the lid off the tray. Seeing her jump to his mother’s bidding was more than he could take. Furious, he crossed the room and stopped her. “Don’t,” he said. When she flinched at his harsh tone, he gentled his voice and curved his hand around her own. “You are my guest now.”

  “I don’t mind.”

  “But I do.”

  “Ethan, what is the problem?” his mother asked.

  “Everyone, this is Lizbeth Barclay. She is a friend of mine. Also, may I present Miss Julianne Van Fleet of Boerne?” When they gaped at him, he continued the introductions. “Lizbeth, Julianne, please meet my parents, Michael and Genevieve Kelly. And these two are my siblings, Phillip and Margaret.”

  He noticed his brother and sister were studying both him and the women with interest. When Julianne curtsied, Margaret stepped forward and smiled. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Van Fleet, and you too, Miss Barclay.”

  Julianne inclined her head. “Thank you.”

  Lizbeth curtsied but didn’t say a word. It was obvious she was uncomfortable.

  “I’m completely confused. Why are they bringing food in here if they don’t work at the hotel?” his mother asked.

  “I was an employee here until very recently,” Lizbeth said.

  Julianne moved to Devin’s side and was now speaking to him softly. Before Ethan had allowed his family to enter, he’d assisted Devin back into bed. This was after he’d considered refusing to see them at all.

  It was Devin who had insisted they come in. He said he had no modesty after the war and could not care less who saw him in bed—though he still wished Julianne and Lizbeth didn’t have to. Because Ethan couldn’t argue that point, he’d allowed his family to enter and explained how Devin was still recuperating after being shot. Of course, his family had looked somewhat alarmed, but they’d handled the news with grace. The Kelly family prided themselves on being able to adapt to any situation with ease.

  Since then, Devin had been reclining in bed, just as if he usually received guests while lying down. Now, though, it was easy to see he wasn’t pleased with Ethan’s mother’s assumptions about Julianne and Lizbeth. That was good, because Ethan was just as appalled. It was time to get his family out of the room and figure out why they’d suddenly decided to track him down.

  “We need to allow Devin to rest,” he said abruptly.

  After studying Ethan’s expression, his father nodded. “Yes. Of course, son.” His father walked to Devin’s side. “I will hope and pray you continue to heal, Captain. It was an honor to meet you.”

  Ethan could hardly believe his father’s words. This was the first time in Ethan’s memory his father wasn’t acting as if he were the most important person in the room.

  After his mother and siblings said their good-byes, his father opened the door and ushered the three of them out. Then he paused, obviously waiting for him as well. “Ethan?”

  “I’ll be right there. Close the door, please.”

  To his surprise, his father did as he asked. And his mother didn’t even offer a word of protest! What in the world was going on? Feeling as though he were in the middle of a strange dream, Ethan turned to Devin. “Obviously I need to see to my family. After I ascertain why they have decided to pay me a visit, I’ll send those telegrams posthaste.”

  Amusement lit Devin’s eyes. “Thank you. Now, ladies, I think it would be best if you left as well.”

  “I am not leaving,” Julianne said. “I came here to help you, and that is what I intend to do.”

  “I am better now, Julianne.”

  “All the same, I am staying.”

  “I’m going to go back to Mrs. Harrison’s,” Lizbeth said quietly. “I have a lot to do. Enjoy the time with your family, Major Kelly.”

  Knowing his family was lingering in the hall, waiting on him, Ethan nodded. “I’ll call for you later. We have much to talk about.” He was no longer concerned about gossip.

  Lizbeth nodded before slipping out the door.

  Ethan felt a loss—and the loss of everything he’d wanted to say deep in his heart. Lizbeth was embarrassed that Devin and Julianne knew about her past, having no idea Julianne had a past too. She’d acted as though his family should treat her like their servant too. It was all a mess. A complete and utter mess. He wanted to protect her more than ever. Be there for her. Reassure her that nothing she could say or do would distract him from convincing her to marry him.

  But first he had to deal with his family. And, yes, go after Bushnell.

  “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he told Devin.

  “I’d rather you take your time, Major. You have quite a list of people who need your attention.”

  Ethan felt like rolling his eyes. What Devin had said was a complete understatement.

  Walking out into the hall, he studied his family. They were all standing rather leisurely, somehow managing to appear as though they loitered in hotel hallways on a regular basis. Knowing he had perfected that same way of behaving made his temper flare. Here again was another example of how he’d thought he was so different from his family, when in fact he was just like them. “Follow me,” he said at last.

  “Ethan, your men might be used to following your directives without question, but I assure you this family is not,” his father pronounced. This was more like him. “Where are you taking us?”

  “To my room. It’s just on the second floor. We can confer there.”

  But still his father hesitated. “Ethan, I would rather not discuss our business while sitting on the edge of a bed.”

  “I have a sitting room. All of you will be completely comfortable.” And he will have gained a few moments to accept the fact that his family had descended upon him without notice.

  When his father looked as if he was tempted to question him further, Ethan started walking. He knew he was walking too fast for the women, for his mother most especially. But he couldn’t bring himself to care. His mind was feeling too muddled. Why had they shown up? And what was he going to say about Lizbeth?

  Seconds later, Phillip caught up with him. “So, who is that woman with the dark curly hair and green eyes? I am sure she is more than a mere maid.”

  What she was, was complicated. “Lizbeth is no one you need to worry about.”

  “If she matters to you, I will,” Phillip said, surprising him. “Besides, you know Mother is going to have a dozen questions about her. You should prepare yourself.”

  In the face of everything they were going through, such worries struck him as laughable. “She can ask all the questions she wants. I’ll be all right.”

  Phillip slowly smiled. “You are better. The shadows in your eyes have faded.”

  “I have recently realized that myself.”

  “I hope that means we’ll be seeing more of you.”

  As much as Ethan wanted to make that promise, he co
uldn’t quite do that. He needed to know why his family had come to him—and see how they treated Lizbeth. If he couldn’t be assured she would be treated with care, Ethan knew he would keep his distance as much as he could. Hoping to ease the tension between them, he changed the subject. “Phillip, how have you been?”

  “You know. Doing the same. Working hard.” Sounding aggrieved, he continued. “I’ve had to help Father find workers. We have to pay field hands now. Not much, of course, but that is a concern.”

  Ethan didn’t dare touch that. His schooling at West Point had taught him a lot about how others viewed slavery. By the time he’d left the academy, he, too, had disdained the practice and privately promised himself he would do everything he could to help end it. He’d fought in the war to uphold the honor of the South, not to celebrate the inhuman practice of owning another man.

  “How is Margaret?” he asked, eager to change the subject again.

  Phillip shrugged. “About the same.”

  “Couldn’t you share something more? Don’t forget, I have not seen her in six months,” he said as they walked up the stairs. He was aware of his father escorting their mother and sister at a far slower pace. “Is she well?”

  His brother frowned. “She lost George. Remember?”

  He had been in such a bad place when he’d been home, Ethan wasn’t even sure if he’d been aware of how much she’d been grieving. “George McDonald, yes?”

  Phillip nodded. “He was a fine fellow. He died two months before the nuptials were set to take place. Margaret already had her wedding gown and everything.”

  Ethan couldn’t believe he hadn’t known of all that, and since seeing Margaret, he had all but forgotten her loss. Forgotten his family had been touched by death. He didn’t want to admit that. “How did he die again?”

  “George had to report to camp for training. Then, right before he went out into the battlefield, he contracted some kind of stomach ailment. Margaret heard he’d died within two weeks of contracting it.”