Edith may have been many things, but she did give me a son. Robert. Your husband. He was my heir and now that he’s gone, Henry is my only heir.
I can offer both the children a life that your current situation cannot. They will be welcome in all the best colleges, drawing rooms and boardrooms. All doors will be open to Henry and Violet will make the best marriage possible. Can you say your husband can offer the same advantages?
Please think on my offer.
Sincerely,
Edward
Nellie’s hand shook. “Mr. Balfour, I believe you should leave.”
“Is there a response that you wish me to convey?”
She swallowed to keep the tremor from her voice. “Not at this time. I will have to get back to you. Are you staying locally?”
“I’m at the Hotel Francisco.” He stood and put on his hat. “I’m there for the next five days.”
Nellie stood. “I’ll have a response for you before the time you must leave. I’ll have James show you out.” She walked to the pull cord on the wall by the door. James responded almost instantly. Nellie knew he’d stationed himself outside the door for her protection. “James, please show Mr. Balfour out.”
“Yes, Mrs. Malone. This way, sir.”
“Good day, Mr. Balfour.”
“Madam.” He tipped his hat.
She closed the door after him and leaned back with her palms flat against it. Her heart raced and she wanted to scream. She needed to talk to Blake and she needed him now.
She pushed away from the door and pulled the cord for James. A few minutes later he responded.
“Yes, Mrs. Malone, what can I do for you?”
“Have Otis ready the carriage. I must go see Blake at The Nugget.”
“Are you sure that is wise, Madam? I don’t believe Mr. Malone would approve.”
“Just do it, James. I’ll deal with Mr. Malone when I see him.” She walked past him and on down the hall in purposeful strides.
“Yes, ma’am,” said James from behind her.
Nellie gathered her reticule, placed the letter inside. Then she got her gloves from her bedroom, and walked downstairs to await Otis and the carriage.
Forty-five minutes later, after going up and down several of the hills that were around and through the city, the coach stopped in front of a two-story wooden building, down by the wharf. Thank goodness it was daytime. She definitely wouldn’t want to be here at night.
Otis opened the door and helped Nellie out of the carriage.
“Are you sure you want to go in ma’am? It’s not a proper place for a lady, such as yourself.”
“Yes, Otis. I must talk to Blake now. You wait here with the carriage, please.”
He shook his head and sighed. “Yes, ma’am.”
Nellie walked through the double doors of the building…into another world. There was piano music playing, men of all walks of life…sailors and miners, bankers and grocers…sat at tables, drinking or playing cards or stood at a long bar against the back wall. Girls, of all descriptions, mostly young, but looking older than their years, mingled with the customers.
As Nellie walked through, she felt every eye on her. Suddenly there was a woman, wearing a low cut yellow satin dress by her side. She looked to be about thirty, but on closer inspection, when Nellie looked through her makeup, she realized the girl was probably only about twenty. The petite blond walked beside her as Nellie worked her way to the back of the room.
“What you doin’ in here, hun?” the girl asked. “This ain’t no place for your kind.”
A drunken man in sailor’s garb grabbed Nellie’s arm as she walked by and tried to pull her onto his lap.
“Where you going, girlie? Come on sit here.” He patted his lap and grinned a toothless smile at her.
“Unhand me, sir,” said Nellie, as she shook off the man’s hand.
“Come on, Joey, leave the lady be,” said the woman to the inebriated man.
“Who you lookin’ for, honey? Maybe I can help?” The woman stayed close to Nellie and fended off several other attempts to stop her from reaching her destination of the bar and the bartender at the back of the room.
“I’m here to see my husband. Mr. Blake Malone.”
The woman stopped cold. “Good grief, ma’am,” she said. “Blake’s goin’ have a fit. Come with me.”
The woman took Nellie sternly by the arm and led her to the stairs on the right side of the bar. Together they climbed them.
“What’s your name?” asked Nellie.
“I’m Sally Jo. Come with me Mrs. Malone before one of these men decides to get too handy.”
Nellie realized that the music had stopped. Most eyes in the bar were on her as she climbed the stairs next to Sally Jo.
“Nellie!”
She heard Blake rather than saw him. Following the sound of his yell, she saw him come out of one of the doors off the second floor balcony.
“Blake.” She tried to keep the panic out of her voice.
He closed the distance and met her at the top of the stairs.
“What in blazes do you think you’re doing?” His voice carried even over the music which had started up again.
“I had to see you. I had a visit from an attorney today.”
“And this is something that couldn’t wait until I got home this evening?”
“Well,” she hedged. “Now that I’m here and have had time to think about it, I probably could have waited, but I was upset and needed to talk to you immediately when I started out.”
“Sally Jo, thank you for bringing her to me,” Blake said to the young woman.
“Sure thing, boss.” She let go of Nellie’s arm and sashayed back down the stairs into the commotion of the room below.
“Come with me,” Blake took her by the arm and marched her into his office.
“Blake, you’re hurting me.” She attempted to pull her arm out of his grasp.
He immediately eased his grasp, but didn’t release her until they were in the office and the door was closed.
Nellie looked at Blake. He still hadn’t turned around from closing the door; instead, he braced himself against it, his head hanging.
“You’re angry aren’t you?” She said, stating the obvious and hoping he’d calm down.
Finally, he turned from the door. His mouth was in a thin line and a muscle in his jaw pulsed.
“Angry? That doesn’t come close to what I’m feeling.” He stalked past her to his desk and sat down. “What are you doing here? I thought I made it clear that you shouldn’t come here.”
“Well, you did, but I…I was upset. An attorney employed by my former father-in-law visited me and, well, read it yourself.” She handed him the folded letter from her reticule.
Blake took the letter from her. He read it and as he did, she thought she saw his anger at her subside a little.
She looked around the office. It was plain. No pictures on the walls or rugs on the floor. There two desks each with a big leather chair, one for Nick and one for Blake. A settee with a couple of pillows on it, two file cabinets and a overstuffed leather chair in front of one of the desks completed the furniture. That was it. Bare bones.
His jaw muscle still pulsed from him gritting his teeth, but he was not breathing so hard and Nellie knew he was getting a grip on his temper.
“I can understand how this letter would have upset you.” He ran a hand through his hair. “However, you had plenty of time between the house and here to change your mind and have Otis take you home. So I ask you again, what are you doing here?”
She twisted her little bag in her hands. “I did think about turning back,” she admitted. “But I’ve been so curious about this place, and I did have a sort of legitimate reason for coming to see you. But I didn’t listen to my better judgment.”
His frown lessened and his jaw stopped jumping. “I’m going to escort you out the back way and get you in the carriage. I’m leaving instructions with James and Otis, that you are n
ever to come here again unless someone has died, preferably me. Do you have any idea what I went through seeing you here? I know what those men can do.”
“Sally Jo took care of me.”
“And if she hadn’t you could have been mauled or worse. This is not an environment I want my wife in. Can I make it any plainer?”
“No,” she stared at the floor. “You can’t. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come,” she lifted her head and stared into stony gray eyes, “but you shouldn’t have forbidden me. You should have brought me down yourself so I could see it and not have been in peril.”
The tick in his jaw was back. He rose, walked to the settee and motioned for her to join him.
She walked slowly to him.
“Sit.”
She did. Now is not the time for stubbornness.
He sat beside her and took her hand in his. “There is no good time to bring you here, but there are better times than others and I could have brought you at a slow time and showed you the operation.”
“I—”
He cocked his head and held up his hand. “I’m not finished. There are good reasons why I don’t want you here. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m proud of my business. This saloon has brought me everything I have today, including you. But I want my family to be separate from this business. I want you to remain, for lack of a better word, clean. Do you understand? I want some part of my life to remain untouched by what I do for a living.”
Nellie was ashamed of herself. She knew long before she reached The Nugget, that she shouldn’t come. But she let her curiosity get the better of her. “I’m sorry. I was wrong.”
“Come here.” He put his arm around her shoulder and hugged her close. “I’m going to escort you to the carriage. I know the letter is upsetting and when I get home tonight, we’ll talk about it then.”
They walked down the back stairs and he helped her into the carriage and shut the door.
Nellie knew he was still angry. He didn’t kiss her goodbye.
*****
That night after dinner, Blake escorted Nellie to the library.
“Let’s sit, shall we?” he pointed to the settee in front of the fireplace, where a roaring fire blazed, warding off the evening chill. “Would you care for some brandy or tea perhaps?”
“Thank you, I’m fine.”
He poured himself two fingers of the golden brown liquid into a snifter and swirled it round and round in the glass. “A ritual,” he explained, “so I could get used to the flavor.”
“Not something you generally care for, I take it.”
“Can’t stand the stuff, but the men I want to do business with like it, so I’ve learned to drink it without gagging.”
She nodded.
“Now, to the letter you received from R. Edward Wallace. Your former father-in-law, I believe.”
She nodded again, not ready to speak on it.
“Do you have a desire to return to New York and serve as his hostess?”
“No.” She was up off the settee and standing in front of him. “Never.”
“What about all the advantages he can offer Henry? Those are something you surely must consider.”
“It is difficult.” She paced away from him. “I know Edward can provide Henry with all that he says he can. All the best schools and colleges. Henry would automatically have a place in Edward’s business and probably would never want for anything.” She turned and paced back to him. “But I’ve thought about it all afternoon. I haven’t been able to think of anything else. I’m can’t part with my son, not now. Perhaps when Henry is older and he wants to go visit his grandfather, then he can, but until then, he’s got to remain with me. I won’t give up my son.”
“You never mentioned going back there yourself.” He stopped her, put his drink on the table in front of the settee, and pulled her into his arms.
“I will never go back, regardless of what he offers. My life is here.”
“With me.”
“With you. And Violet will never go back there. Ever. I won’t have her exposed to Edward. What if he was like Robert? What if the men he introduces her to, are like Robert? No, she will never know what I have known and what I suspect, Edith knew. She will never have to go through that pain.”
CHAPTER 8
Maddie realized she’d made a grave mistake. She never should have gotten drunk and gone to Blake’s house. Never should have confronted his wife. The little bitch. Doing so only made Maddie look like a mad-woman. She was anything but mad. She may be vindictive but out of her mind, no. Not today. Blake was tossing her aside like so much garbage and she would not stand for it.
She needed to get rid of the wife. Get rid of Nellie Malone. Only then would Blake turn back to Maddie for comfort and support. Only then would he consider her for a wife. And his wife is what she wanted to be.
Maddie needed to act more like Nellie since that was what Blake seemed to be attracted to now. But how could she be an innocent? She hadn’t been that since she was thirteen years old when her father raped her for the first time. When he got tired of her he sold her like so much grain. Just another thing he owned that he got rid of.
Well, Maddie wasn’t beholden to anyone. She’d killed the man who bought her. A little man who thought he could use Maddie just like her father had. She’d killed him the first chance she got, with a knife he’d given her to fix his dinner. He had her once and only once. Never again would anyone take her against her will.
But Blake. To Blake she’d given herself willingly. She’d fallen in love with him the day he hired her be one of his girls and then to manage them. They weren’t whores, just dancehall girls who got the miners and sailors to drink. And that’s what she made sure they did. Hustle drinks and send the men to the gambling tables. Her girls were the best. They could take tricks on the side if they wanted to, that was their business, but Maddie made sure that those private deals didn’t interfere with Blake’s business.
Yes, she was good at her job and now she would be good at getting rid of Nellie. No one would catch her. No one would know, least of all Blake.
*****
It was a gorgeous morning. Not a cloud in the sky. She’d gotten used to having a jacket with her at all times in San Francisco, but today when she went to market, she wouldn’t need one.
She could have sent Cook to get the fresh fruits and vegetables she so liked, but she enjoyed taking the carriage and going herself. It felt good to get out by herself, away from everyone including her children. As much as she loved them, being with them all day and all night, every day, was wearing. Then, when she wasn’t with the children, she was with Blake, and though she enjoyed that, she needed some time to herself. The weekly market visit gave her that pleasure.
She had the driver drop her off at the corner, and she walked through the rows of fruit and vegetable stands alone, picking the produce and meat she liked and giving instructions for delivery to the house.
After that she would go to the Russian Tea Room and have tea and crumpets. Just her alone.
The Russian Tea Room was one of her favorite places. Done in soft shades of apricot with crisp white linens on the tables, it pleased her senses. The tea was outstanding. They knew how to make a perfect cup of Darjeeling. The biscuits she ordered with it were light and flaky. It was the perfect place for her to be alone with her thoughts.
That was just what she was doing when Maddie Singer unexpectedly sat across the table from her.
“Hello, Nellie. I wanted to apologize for my behavior the other night. I’d had too much to drink and was out of line.”
Nellie got over her shock quickly. “It’s alright, Miss Singer. I understand that you and Blake had a relationship of a sort before I arrived. That relationship is over and the sooner you realize that the better for all of us.”
Maddie, was wearing what was probably her most demure dress, dark, blue silk creation, with a fitted waist, small bustle and a handkerchief in her neckline to cover her décolletage. She
nodded. “I agree. I won’t get over him easily. I confess that I love your husband, but I realize as long as he’s married to you, he’ll be faithful.”
She loves him. Nellie was a little alarmed by her words, but kept a tight rein on her own response.
“I’m very glad that you understand. The business Blake has plans for is all-important right now. I’m afraid everything and everyone, takes a back seat to those plans.”
“I know. I helped him with his strategy.” She patted the coil of hair at the nape of her neck. “Helped him with his correspondence to Mrs. Selby at Matchmaker & Co. Did you really think I just showed up out of the blue? I didn’t. Blake planned for me to come that first night. It was going to be his way to get away from you. By taking me home we could still be together. You wouldn’t really suspect anything.” Her eyes narrowed to slits. “But instead, he sent me home alone in his carriage. I was surprised to say the least.” She sat back and crossed her arms.
Nellie’s heart soared at the news that Blake changed his mind, but was metered by the fact he intended to keep his mistress even after they married. What if he changed his mind again? A knot grabbed her stomach, threatening to upheave.
“But I intend to rectify the situation.” Maddie leaned forward and softly said, “you won’t be the first person I’ve disposed of. Shocked? I can see by your face that you are. I killed the man my father sold me to. Stabbed him again and again with a kitchen knife.”
Nellie was very alarmed at this. Her heart raced, but she needed to try and keep the upper hand. Keeping her voice level, not letting her fear show, she said, “Do you mean to kill me, Miss Singer? Because I won’t go easily and Blake won’t be happy that I’m gone no matter what you think. Blake loves me.” Nellie knew her bold words were untrue, but hoped Maddie didn’t.
“I think I’d better leave now, Miss Singer. I find that I do not desire your company any longer.”
Head held high, Nellie stood and walked out of the Tea Room. She approached the street and stopped to wait for a passing carriage before crossing. The hard shove from behind surprised her, put her off balance, and she fell into the street in front of the coach. The horses reared and Nellie rolled, putting her arms over her head. The hooves came down just missing her.
Nellie (The Brides of San Francisco Book 1) Page 9
