by Livia Grant
Mrs. Patton pulled a hankie out of her apron pocket and dabbed at her eyes as she confessed. “I’m so very sorry you got dragged into this mess and God help me, but a small part of me was relieved when the mister told me he’d taken you in my place this time. You must hate me for that. You’re an innocent girl. You shouldn’t have had to lose your purity to such a repulsive human being.”
Emelie could feel her cheeks filling with embarrassment at such frank talk. “I was able to hit him with the lamp before… well… he didn’t get to finish what he’d started.”
“Oh thank the heavens for that, child.”
“But won’t I go to hell for hitting him with the lamp? I never meant to kill him. I only wanted to make him stop so I could get away.”
The matronly woman sighed. “I’m afraid I don’t know much about such things, but I’d like to think God can see the pure and evil in people’s hearts and sort through it when it comes our time to meet our maker.”
Emelie sure hoped so too.
The next hour passed at a snail’s pace. Emelie was left to pace the pantry nervously alone while Mrs. Patton went back to work in the kitchen, serving the last of their customers and trying to make sure nothing looked out of the ordinary when the constable returned a final time before they were able to lock up for the night.
Emelie was dozing, seated on the small stool while leaning onto the burlap bags of potatoes piled on the floor when the pantry door eventually opened to reveal Mr. Patton. He hesitated as if unsure what to say. He settled on, “It’s safe now. You can come out.”
Until that moment, she hadn’t given the older man’s part in her predicament much thought, but as she watched the guilt slide across his face, anger started boiling up. He was just another man who she’d put trust in since leaving home who had let her down, putting her in danger. She was certainly learning her lesson well that honorable men like her father and brothers-in-law were few and far between in this world.
Mrs. Patton sat at the kitchen table. Emelie could tell she’d been crying and it didn’t bode well that the woman would not look her in the eye as her husband asked Emelie to have a seat.
He cleared his throat when she sat, taking his time to speak as if the words were bitter in his mouth. “I owe you an apology. I didn’t know Wheeler would be back in town so soon. He usually is gone for months between visits. He surprised me and I didn’t have time to have you hide. I knew the second he saw you he would want you. You have to know there was nothing I could have done to stop him from taking you.”
His words lit the kindle of anger that had been growing inside her while she waited in the small pantry. Indignation flamed inside her as bright as the flames that had killed the man named Wheeler.
“Nothing you could have done? Truly? I’m a slip of a woman compared to you and yet I was able to fight him off. Did you even try, you coward? Did you even pretend to protect your wife? Your employees? If you had a daughter, would you have tried to protect her?”
Instead of bringing Mr. Patton regret, her words sparked his anger. “You know nothing of him. I’ve watched him gun down a half-dozen men.”
“All the more reason you should have protected the women in your life from him. Do you have any idea what it was like to have him touch my skin? His vile breath and callused hands on me?” She should have stopped there, but she pressed further. “I hope you lay awake at night imagining what it was like for your wife to take him inside her and all because you are a coward.” Emelie’s voice was shrill as she let her anger explode at the man in front of her.
The back of his hand connected to her right cheek with a crack, sending her flying out of her chair to the dusty floor. She landed on her hands and knees with a hard thud. She couldn’t see him from her vantage, but she knew he was about to kick her in the stomach when his wife rushed to stand between them, taking the kick to her shin instead.
Emelie stayed down on the floor, catching her breath as she brushed the tears away from her cheek. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry.
“That is enough, George. You will not hurt this child any more than you already have. If you want to hurt someone, it will have to be me.”
“Margaret, step aside. I will not be disrespected in my own home.”
“Yes, you will because you deserve it. I went along with your cowardly plan to appease the gunslinger with my body out of loyalty as your wife. A loyalty, I might point out, you do not share towards me. But I will not stand by and let you blame this poor child for your mistakes.”
“You act like this is my fault!” he shouted.
“Of course it is your fault! You gambled. You lost. Only I’m the one who paid the price.”
“And you don’t think I’ve paid, watching you leave with him, knowing what he would do to my wife?”
“And yet you let him take me not once, not twice, but three times. Did you go to the constable when you had proof of his murdering ways?”
“It’d do no good,” he countered.
“You know that? Did you even try?”
Emelie had caught her breath, but stayed crouched on the floor, unable to muster the strength to push back to her feet.
Mr. Patton answered his wife with a change in direction. “We need to get her out of here. They will be back tomorrow. I’m sure of it.”
A new fear took hold. Like Albert before him, Mr. Patton would turn her out onto the streets of the dangerous city. Alone with no means. It would never end.
“I agree she should leave.” Shock waves at Mrs. Patton’s words coursed through Emelie. She was sure the motherly woman would protect her. She didn’t let her down. “Go fetch the cash box. We’re going to give her enough money to travel back to her family in Wisconsin.”
“Margaret, do you have any idea how much money that will cost us? We just don’t have it.”
“Yes, George, we have it, only you’d rather horde it to use for gambling. I’ve never complained about how much money you lose to sinful ways, but today I insist. It will be used to help Emelie.” She could hear the emotion in the woman’s voice as she continued on passionately. “I prayed we could have children, but God did not see fit to give me a baby. I may not be a proper mother, but I’d like to think I could watch out for this child as if she were my own. It’s what I’d have wanted if I had had my own daughter. We’ll send her home to her mama.”
Emelie’s hands trembled as she brushed the tears from her bruised cheek. She watched Mr. Patton walk to the cupboard and pull down a cigar box that doubled as their makeshift bank. He took out a weighty pouch of coins.
“Fine, let’s get some sleep and then I can take her to the wharf in the morning and buy her passage on a ship to New Orleans. She can then take a stage north to Wisconsin. We’ll leave before dawn to avoid drawing attention.”
He stomped out of the room leaving the two women alone. Mrs. Patton helped her to her feet, wary not to trip on the long nightgown that dragged on the floor.
She rushed into the woman’s beefy arms, not bothering to hold back her tears of gratitude. “Thank you so much. I don’t know what I’d have done if he threw me out. Even with the few tips I’ve made working here, I only have less than fifteen dollars to my name and one ripped gown.”
“Shhh, lass, I wish we could do more. My husband is correct that we don’t have much, but we have enough to repay you for ridding us of the vermin who has plagued us for a long spell. I’ll see you home safe and sound.”
They pulled out of their hug enough for Emelie to see the sadness in the woman’s face. “If you’d do me the honor of writing me a letter when you make it home to your folks and let me know you made it safe, I’d sure appreciate it.”
“Yes, ma’am. Of course.”
***
Despite being exhausted, Emelie didn’t sleep a wink that night. Every time she closed her eyes, the picture of the burning gunslinger consumed her. It was a figment of her imagination, but she could swear she could smell the acrid bur
ning of his kerosene-doused flesh in her small room.
She was already up and dressed in her repaired, but still damp gown when Mr. Patton knocked lightly on her door at 4:30 am. They didn’t speak as she followed him through the house to the kitchen where Mrs. Patton waited in her nightgown and sleeping cap.
Emelie rushed into her arms and they said a silent farewell through their hug. They both knew they wouldn’t be seeing each other again. A part of Emelie was forlorn, but a much bigger part was anxious to be on her way. The sooner she left, the sooner she’d be home with her family. She’d have plenty of time on board the ship to worry about how she was going to apologize to her parents and pray they wouldn’t disown her.
They took the back alleys the few blocks to the wharf, hoping to avoid running into anyone who might recognize them. The sun was lighting the pre-dawn sky behind them as they arrived at the small dock office early on that Thursday morning. There was already plenty of activity as horse drawn wagons arrived in lines to unload cargo from the large ships on the dock. It was hard to see, but none of the ships docked looked to be passenger vessels.
It took ten minutes for a clerk to make his way to them. She let Mr. Patton do the talking, trying to stay small in the background as she was the only women as far as she could see in the dim morning light.
“I need to purchase a one-way passage for my niece here on the next passenger ship to leave for New Orleans,” Mr. Patton groused.
The man behind the desk barked a short laugh. “Take a number. We have a long waiting list.”
“How often do ships leave for New Orleans?”
“Last year they left twice a week. This year, they leave when we have enough disgruntled miners returning to town after giving up their dream of striking it rich to have a full crew. Every ship that arrives loses most of their crew who quit to head out to the Sierras in search of gold. We have four ships in dock now taking up valuable space and over two-hundred passengers on a waiting list, but no crew.”
The harbor office manager grabbed a clipboard with a piece of paper and threw it across the desk at Mr. Patton. “Sign your name and an address where you can be found. Once we have a ship ready to go, I’ll send a boy around with a day’s warning to prepare for the departure.”
Mr. Patton looked panicked. “But… what am I supposed to do with her until then?”
The office manger glanced between them suspiciously. She was pretty sure he knew they were not related and shame flushed her cheeks when she suspected he thought she was his mistress instead. The sly grin he flashed confirmed it. “Well, I guess you have to put your niece up in a nearby hotel. Not all is lost. You can continue to visit her there until the ship is ready to sail.”
His innuendo went over Mr. Patton’s head. “That won’t do. That won’t do at all.”
“Well, I wish I could help, but it’s the best I can offer.”
Mr. Patton grabbed her arm in a pinch and turned to leave, dragging her out of the office in an angry stomp as if it were her fault. He pulled her down the wharf past a couple heavily-laden wagons of miners loading up with what she assumed were supplies they’d need to work their claim. She ducked behind him when she spotted the two witnesses from the night before.
“What the…” He must have seen them as well because he jerked her along behind him, rushing towards the first building they came to that would provide shelter from prying eyes.
It was a stable. The smell of horse dung and sweet hay brought back memories of the night before in another stable not far from there. Emelie fought down her panic at her returning nightmare.
Mr. Patton was oblivious to her distress, instead focusing on approaching a livery driver in the process of harnessing a pair of bay horses. They were too far away for her to hear their conversation, but the word stage came to her ears. She moved closer, trying to make out the men’s conversation.
“I’m sorry, sir, but I’m full. I’ve already sold tickets for all seats. I’ll be back in four days. I can take your niece east then.”
“Four days is too long away. I’m sure we can come to an agreement for a price.”
The driver was preparing to decline when he glanced over Mr. Patton’s shoulder and caught sight of Emelie. His gaze turned heated and she knew yet again a man was looking at her as a plaything he could violate. Despite the heat of the summer morning, she shivered. She did not want to go anywhere with this man.
She stepped a bit closer to get his attention. “Mr. Patton, I’d like to go back to the pub now.”
He didn’t bother to turn her way. “Silence. I’m making a deal to deliver you home, girly.”
“But, I’d rather wait for the ship,” Emelie argued.
He turned, pinning her with a glare. “I don’t care what you want. This is my decision to make and I want you out of town. Today.” Turning back to the driver he pressed. “What’s it gonna cost me?”
The wiry man with a scraggly beard took his time to answer. “Well… I guess I could let the little miss ride up front with me. I’d even give you a discount since, of course, she’ll be exposed to the elements.”
“Fine. Fine. Even better,” Mr. Patton snapped.
“What? Are you crazy? I’m not going anywhere with him!” Emelie blurted.
He shot her a look that could kill. “Enough. You’ll do as you’re told, or would you prefer I make a stop on the way back to the pub to talk with the constable?” His pupils narrowed with his threat.
She didn’t miss a beat. “Perhaps I can go with you. I’d love to explain your role in recent events. I’m sure he’d love to speak with your wife as well.”
“Why you little…”
The stagecoach driver interrupted, “Now, now. No need for a family feud here. Like I said, I’ll be happy to have your niece join me for only… say… twenty dollars.”
“Deal!”
“Wait! How far east are you going?”
“We’ll be making stops in Culpepper Cove, Sacramento, Coloma and then Lake Tahoe before I turn around and come back again.”
“And just how the hell am I supposed to get to Wisconsin from Lake Tahoe?”
The driver burst out laughing. “Silly girl. There is no getting to Wisconsin across country. At least not this year. You needed to catch the last wagon trains a month ago. This is August. There’s no time to make it through Injun country to the Missouri Territory before winter. You need to hunker down and wait until spring.”
Even as he spoke, Mr. Patton had his little pouch of coins out, fetching twenty dollars and handing it over to the driver. “Take her as far as you can.”
He turned toward her and handed her the rest of the bag. “Here. Take it all. It’s thirty dollars. Use it to live on until you can catch a wagon train in the spring.”
“Are you crazy? What am I supposed to do to support myself until then? This isn’t enough to live on!”
“Not my problem. Good luck.” He turned and left. Just like that. No good-bye. The worthless scoundrel left her with yet another man who was only marginally better than the gunslinger.
She felt the driver’s gaze on her, but she avoided meeting his glare. Her heart pounded in her chest. She pressed down her panic trying to think through her options rationally.
She could go back to the theater and beg Albert to take her back in. She dismissed that option instantly.
She could go back to the pub. She was pretty sure Mrs. Patton would insist they take her back in, but then she’d have to live with the constant friction between them and who knew who the next man would be that Mr. Patton would hand her over to.
She could go to the constable and give her side of the story of what had happened the night before. At least she wouldn’t be a wanted murderer any more. No, instead she’d be a locked up murderer. She might even meet the hangman’s noose. No, that option was definitely out.
She could use her money to find a cheap hotel to hole up in until a ship was leaving for New Orleans, but she knew she’d never have enough money
to buy passage anyway.
Or… her last option was to take the stage east a far as Lake Tahoe. At least she’d be getting away from the terrible city of San Francisco. She’d have to take her chances that she’d find a more hospitable place to live out the winter. Maybe she’d even find a job where she’d make enough money to buy her passage back to Wisconsin in the spring.
It was the only option that made any sense at all. She looked up to see the driver ogling at her with a hungry lust, awaiting her answer.
She took a step back to keep her distance. “How long until we leave?” she inquired.
He grinned a smile that exposed his decaying teeth. “One-hour, miss.”
“Is there a privy near by?”
“Yes, ma’am. Out back.”
She took her leave, wanting to stay as far away from him as she could until it was time to leave. One thing she knew for sure.
She would never trust another man as long as she lived.
Chapter Four
“I’m heading down to the mercantile to see if my shipment of sheet music came in. Do you need me to pick up anything while I’m there, Nettie?”
“Bless you, Charlie. I’ve been waiting for the new fabric to arrive that I’m gonna use to recover the chairs in the dining room. Can you check with Sam to see if it came in on today’s stage?”
“Sure thing,” Charlie answered, his mouth still stuffed with Nettie’s fluffy hotcakes. Despite it approaching eleven in the morning, not many habitants of the Red Petticoat Saloon were moving around yet. Though he always awakened earlier than the gems, he’d awakened even earlier this morning as he’d been so anxious for the new music to come, he couldn’t sleep. Culpepper Cove and the surrounding mines were exploding. Add to that the summer weather, which made it easier for miners to traverse to town more frequently, and that meant long days and late nights of work for everyone at the Red Petticoat Saloon. On the weekends they’d even had a line of patrons waiting outside to get their turn at the food, music, and female companionship inside.
