His lips assuaged the ache within her, quelling her fears, feeding her his strength.
His lips fed her soul hope for the future.
She groaned lowly when he let her go, breaking the moment of heated passion between them.
He looked at her, with desire. "We won't speak of this night again, unless we marry. And then…we will speak of it often. Goodnight my love."
"Goodnight…"
Chapter Eighteen
The next morning, Cale said nothing about the night before. She ached to be held by him, knowing he would feed her strength.
They knocked on the door to Mr. Howard's house once more. The servant answered again. He led them to the parlor once more and they waited.
Minutes later when Mr. Howard walked through and introduced himself, Amelia's heart sank to the ground. It wasn't Bertram. This man was much older, but quite handsome. It shocked Amelia that even though she couldn't conjure Bertram's face, she knew instinctively that this wasn't the right man.
"I’m so sorry. We thought this was Bertram Howard's home." Amelia explained.
"And I'm quite sorry it's not. Who is this Bertram you seek?"
"My betrothed." Amelia answered.
It sounded silly as she said it.
"Then it is my great loss that I am not Bertram. Who sent you here?"
"The clerk at the town hall said you were B. Howard from the convention." Amelia explained.
"Oh, I see. Yes, well, I'm Buford Howard I'm afraid. I'm terribly sorry, but I don't know a thing about your Bertram." The man said staring at her with a smile. "Is he a lawyer here in San Antonio?"
"Yes, I think so. I'm sorry too. Last I heard, yes. We've been apart for four years so I really can't say for sure."
"I see." The man studied them both for a moment. "Well, I wish I could help, but I've never heard of him. There were no Bertram's at the convention I'm afraid. I'd notice that name, I'm sure."
"You've been very kind. Thank you for your time."
"Certainly. And I truly hope you find him."
"Yes, thank you." Amelia and Cale backed out of the parlor and escaped out the door as quietly as they could.
They looked at each other in confusion.
"Good Lord, that was strange, wasn't it?" Amelia grabbed her chest.
"Yeah, you wouldn't think we could make that big a mistake, would you?"
"No…"
"Amelia, are you sure he's in law?"
She thought about it for a long while as they walked toward the carriage. "Well, no, not exactly. You see he was studying law as we came out here. He was going to enlist in a college."
"In four years, he'd have a degree; he'd barely be out of school. Probably not even time enough to set up a practice. Perhaps if we checked with the Universities."
"That would take a lot of time." She stared at Cale.
"Yeah, you are right. Got any better ideas?"
"Not yet, no, but I'll need some time to come up with something. I felt so sure this was the right one."
"How about we try to find your cousins. Surely they would know about him."
"That's true. You are right, they might be easier to find than Bertram, but I'm sure they would know where he is, too."
"Is there anywhere we can look for them?"
"Yes, one of the reasons we chose Texas was that we had an aunt and uncle that lived out here. We could look them up. Surely they would know something."
"Now that sounds like a good idea. What was their names?"
"Alby and Martha Struthers." Amelia smiled. "Funny how I can conjure that name so easily. A lot of things are coming back to me now. Isn't that odd?"
"I don't think it odd at all. You are closer to the place you were at when captured, it is natural for things to start looking a lot clearer. Let's see what we can find." Cale suggested.
Where would they find the address, as San Antonio was rather a large city?
"Were they born here?" Cale asked.
"He was…"
"Good, that's a start."
"I know he was born here and he went back east to get her and bring her out here. They married here too."
"Then we can trace them down, I'm sure of it. There is bound to be records of something if one of them was born here. And they married here."
"One would think."
But finding a birth record would lead them nowhere. If she could find the marriage license, maybe they could be located.
They went to the court house and asked for help. The first day led to nothing more than a list of names, none of them Struthers.
"Wait a minute. We have to know about how old they were, what religion, anything like that we can pinpoint." Cale suggested.
It took a week to get a lead. In the meantime, Cale had been a tad distant, and Amelia couldn't help but wonder if perhaps he had spoken too rashly about his feelings.
She had to concentrate on finding her Uncle. The good news was, Alby was not a common name and when they hit on it, Amelia was sure they had found the right couple.
The last known address was on Willow Street.
With high hopes they headed for the address.
When they came to the house, Amelia was ecstatic. "That's the house. I remember, it had green paint and a squeaky door. Isn't it strange how things like that come back to you?"
"I guess something inside you triggers memories. Now we're getting somewhere."
Amelia knocked on the door.
It took several minutes for someone to answer.
"Well I'll be darned." The old man stared at them both for a few seconds before reacting. "Martha, come here, you gotta see who is at the door. Where in the world have you been? I don't believe it. They said you was dead!" Alby was saying as he let Amelia and Cale inside.
"I'm not dead, Uncle Alby. I'm looking for my cousins, Judy and Mark. Do you know where I might find them?"
She hadn't meant to be so blunt. She hadn't bothered with even a polite greeting but the need to find her cousins were constantly on her mind now.
Martha had heard them and when she saw Amelia, she turned pale and caught her chest. Amelia was sorry she had shocked them so, they were aging now and it could affect their health. Aunt Martha looked quite faint and before any of them knew it, she had hit the floor.
"Oh dear, she's had another one of her fainting spells. It happens a lot. Let me get her smelling salts."
When he came back, he ran it under her nose and Martha opened her eyes. She scrambled clumsily to get off the floor. With a hand from Alby, she managed to reach a nearby chair. "Dear God in heaven, child, you aren't dead?"
"No Aunt Martha, I'm not dead. I'm terribly sorry if I frightened you. But it has taken some time to locate you and I am looking for my cousins and Bertram." She explained as she held the woman's hand. She barely remembered them, but they seemed quite taken to her.
Her aunt paled again. "Oh my…."
The look on her Aunt's face warned her immediately. "What's wrong?"
"Well…nothing…I mean…oh, this is terrible. just terrible." Martha held her chest for a long time. Amelia wondered if she had a bad heart the way she clutched her chest so much.
"What is?" Amelia looked worried now.
"Judy…oh dear…wait…I'll get her address." Her aunt hurried into the other room and in a few minutes, she came back with a piece of paper. "This is where she lives. But…I should warn you child…"
"No mother…don't take on so. It ain't our place to tell her nothing. Best she sees for herself…You go right on over there Amelia and give them what for."
"Sees what?" Amelia cried. "Give them…what for?"
"Well, you see, they thought you died."
"I figured as much." Amelia nodded. "I've been gone four years. It's only natural they came to that conclusion with no word of me."
"But you didn't. Did ya?" Martha shook her head. "Oh child. I'm happy you are alive…really I am. But you got a shock comin'."
Amelia held her hand and looked
down at it. The woman cared for her and it created a strange warm feeling that Amelia hadn't expected. "You don't want to tell me?"
Alby shook his head. "I think this is something they should tell you. I told them they were making a mistake, but they wouldn’t listen."
"I wish one of you would tell me." Amelia cried.
"You'll find out soon enough child. It's such a shame too."
Cale took Amelia by the arm. "Let's go find out for ourselves."
"I guess we'll have to. Good seeing you Aunt Martha, Uncle Alby." Her uncle walked them to the door. He used a cane and Amelia felt an urge to help him, but she also remembered strangely enough that her Uncle was very independent and would not want any help. It sent an odd feeling through Amelia. There were so many things she began to remember.
"Oh child. I wish…." he began. "But no, it's best this way. When one tells tales, it can get out of hand and be colored by opinion. It's best you find out for yourself. Amelia, it is good to see you again, child. And remember, we still love you…"
Amelia shook her head. "It's alright, no matter what the problem." Amelia explained. "I've been expecting some changes."
"No I don't think it's gonna be alright." Aunt Martha shook her head again as she joined her husband's side. She cried real tears and dabbed her eyes with a hankie."It ain't right, it never was."
Amelia waited until they were outside again. "What could be so awful that they couldn't tell us?"
"I don't know. You know them better than me. Do things upset them like that all the time?" Cale asked her.
"No…no it doesn't. At least not as far as I remember. They were always so stable. Perhaps my being alive upset them more. You know Cale; I didn't mean to hurt anyone by coming back here."
"Well, it doesn't look as though anyone is going to explain it to us, so we better go find out what is going on." Cale told her.
She nodded. "I'm really not expecting too much from all of this, Cale. It's simply been too long."
Cale didn't comment.
It took a while to get to the address they were given, but the house they rode up to was not a house, but another mansion.
"This is the place?" Amelia cried. Her eyes took in the lovely lawns, the immaculate Victorian house and the grandeur of it all. "I hadn't expected this, now that I know he's not a lawyer."
"That's what it says." Cale pointed to the address once more. "This is the right address."
"I wish they would have come out and told us what was going on." Amelia cried. "I could prepare myself for whatever I'm going to find here."
"I guess they figured they had no right to tell you." Cale explained.
"Well, let's find out. I'm getting a little tired of all the running around. And my imagination is running away with itself."
"Me too."
The knock at the door brought Judy to the door and when she saw Amelia, she put her hand over her mouth and shook her head. "It can't be! You're dead!" Her voice was loud and her eyes full of some unknown emotion.
"Judy, I assure you, I'm not dead. Can we please come in?" Amelia tried to smile, but the look on her cousins' face startled her.
Judy covered her mouth again and backed away. She kept shaking her head. "Yes, of course, come in."
When Bertram came to the door though he let out a groan and shook his head too.
Amelia knew in that instant they weren't glad to see her. She knew that there was no real emotions there either. No one hugged her and smiled. No one told her how glad they were that she was alive.
"My God, Amelia! You're alive!" He shouted.
"Yes, I am…" Amelia stared at him. Instant recognition had Amelia backing up too.
He had dark brown hair and gray eyes, she marveled. Small things he'd said long ago came back to her, but nothing lasting.
He hadn't rushed to hold her. He didn't rush to kiss her. He didn't show much emotion at all, only shock. He just stood there stunned as they came through the house and sat in the parlor waiting for everyone to calm down.
The tension in the room was like a bolt of lightning, sizzling between glances.
"Well, I see my reappearance has shocked you both. I'm sorry. But…I wanted to see you all. So…Want to tell me why you are so shocked?" Amelia glanced from one to the other.
Bertram adjusted his tie. He wore expensive clothes and he looked quite handsome. Amelia's heart was not fluttering as she stared at him.
Bertram bent toward her. "I put up fliers everywhere I went, to find you. I even headed out once with Mark to try and track you down. But we had no luck at all. It had rained and there were no tracks. It was all so futile. Only a few months ago, I put up a flier for your return…" Bertram explained.
"Would that be the one in Summers General Store?" Cale asked.
"Yes, that's the one. Are you the one that found her?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes. I went to trade with the Huaco's and she was there. They traded her to me as they could not take her to the reservation." Cale explained.
"The Huaco's. I thought the Comanche got you."
"They did. They traded her to the Huaco's for food. They were starving." Cale kept explaining while Amelia stared first at Judy, then at Bertram.
"Who lives here?" Amelia finally found her voice.
"He does…"
"She does…"
"We do." They finally choired.
Amelia looked about the place, admiring the beautiful imported vases and fine carpets. Amelia heard their words and began to add it all up in her mind. Judy and Bertram were together, probably as man and wife. But the one question on her mind was…how did they acquire such a huge home?
"And Mark too?" She asked, wondering where her male cousin might be at the moment.
"No…Amelia…we need to talk but would you care for a cup of tea dear?" Judy began. Obviously Judy was trying to find a way to balance her reactions. She also stared at Cale as though he were very out of place.
"No, I think we should talk first." Bertram said standing and taking Amelia's hand.
Judy frowned. "Bertram?"
"We'll just take a walk outside…" He explained.
At first there was nothing but silence as Amelia let him pull her down the street. She looked about at the fancy houses and the beautiful carriages. And she kept glancing at him. His expression seemed to change every minute.
"When I left, my folks were supporting you both. How is it that you have earned so much in the past four years? What did you do, rob a bank?" Amelia accused him lightly.
"No of course not." Bertram said. His eyes went over her quite thoroughly. "You've lost so much weight. But still just as beautiful."
"I suppose I have lost weight…I learned to work Bertram. I was a slave for three years."
Bertram seemed preoccupied with his own thoughts and barely nodded. "I sell properties for a handsome fee now. I make a lot of money. San Antonio is a booming town."
"I guess it is? How did you get started doing that?"
"I won't bore you with the details. Suffice it to say, I have many friends here and have been doing very well…but enough about me. I never thought I'd see you again, Amelia."
"Yes, I can see that." Amelia looked away. She wasn't hurt, but something inside her felt lost to the moment.
"I hunted for you but it was fruitless. I knew nothing of hunting. Then I found a couple of men, fur traders that I hired to find you. I worked at a mill to earn money for it. They came up empty too. It was then I thought maybe you had died. It must have been awful for you, darling…"
"Some of it was…yes." Amelia admitted. "But Bertram, I think it inappropriate to call me darling, don't you. You and Judy…."
"God, I can't believe you survived. Who was that man with you?"
"Cale, Cale Matthews. He's the one that found me and brought me here." Amelia explained.
"We are indebted to him. You are finally home."
"I thought you were going to study law." Amelia asked as they walked, ignoring his
welcome.
"I was…yes. But I got caught up in this property thing and well…I'm making very good money."
"That's wonderful…but surely you had to have money to get started in it…You don't make this kind of money from nothing, Bertram, why don't you tell me about it."
Bertram stopped, he hung his head and he seemed to be searching for the right words. "Amelia, we thought you dead."
"Yes, so you said."
"The money…it went to Judy and Mark of course. Well…Judy…after…after we had you declared legally dead."
"Not Mark?" Amelia frowned, not understanding what he was trying to say.
"He wouldn't take it."
Amelia pushed his arm away from her. "Wouldn't take it?"
"He said it was blood money, he wanted no part of it. You see Amelia, after so long a time, we had to declare you dead."
Amelia's mouth flew open but she didn't say a word, she just stared. All this time she thought Mark a weakling, a nobody, and it was Mark that saw the truth.
"But Judy did take the money, I'm sure?" Amelia asked, her head turning in question.
"Yes…"
"So…what else has changed?" Amelia asked, her eyes going over the man she was to marry and feeling some empty void.
"Let's go back inside. Judy can explain it." Bertram said taking her elbow once more.
"Bertram, I'm asking you. You were my fiancé. But you've married Judy, haven't you?"
"Yes Amelia, I married her. I thought you dead. You must understand…"
"Oh I do. I really do…" Amelia said very sadly. "I had expected as much, really."
"I never stopped thinking about you." Bertram came close almost as though he wanted to kiss her, but Amelia backed away.
"I'm sure you didn't." Amelia shook her head. "Was it guilt that made you think of me so much?"
"Amelia…we thought…"
"I know what you thought." She turned and walked back inside the house.
Amelia saw Cale looking quite uncomfortable and perhaps just a tad mad.
Judy sat elegantly fingering the fine silk of her blue and green dress and ran her hand over her coiffured hair as Cale stared at her in amusement. "You must be very tired, why don't I see you to a room upstairs. Is this your husband?"
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