Destined for You

by Tracie Peterson

  “Thank you again, gentlemen.” Luke walked Archie and Sanders to the door. “I’ll be in touch, Mr. Sanders.”

  “I’ll speak to my wife and let you know what she says.”

  Luke laughed. “Maybe I should be offering her something as well.”

  Sanders chuckled. “She has her eye on a new icebox.”

  “Well, tell her it’s hers if she’ll let you go back to work,” Luke promised, laughing.

  The men left, and Luke sobered and turned to face Sedgwick. “I think we should talk.”

  He walked to his office and sat at his desk. For a moment he wondered if Theodore would join him, but finally the secretary appeared. He was still quite pale.

  “Please have a seat.”

  Sedgwick did as instructed. He gripped his knees and kept his head slightly bowed.

  “Do you know why I’ve asked you to come for this talk?”

  “I believe I do.” Theodore still refused to look up. Instead he began twisting at his pant legs and rocking ever so slightly back and forth.

  “Do I understand correctly that you are the one responsible for changing the numbers on the engineer’s plans for the route from Forest Lake to Fond du Lac?”

  Sedgwick’s breathing quickened. “It did no harm.”

  Luke nodded, though his secretary still would not look him in the eye. “Perhaps not, but that wasn’t your original plan. Was it? You wanted to do harm.”

  When Sedgwick raised his face, Luke was shocked at his contorted expression. “You killed my dearest friend, and you talk to me of harm?”

  Luke’s eyes narrowed. “I killed your dearest friend? Who was this person? Was it someone in the war?”

  Theodore jumped up, knocking the chair over backward. “You never even cared about what you did.” He paced back and forth. “He hadn’t hurt anyone, and yet you saw to it that he was imprisoned.”

  “Who are you talking about?”

  “Rafael Clarington.”

  Luke shook his head as he scrambled to remember the name. Who was this man?

  “You don’t even remember him! That’s how much it meant to you. He was nothing—no one. You didn’t care that he wasn’t able to endure the hardship of prison. He was an old man, and you killed him as surely as if you had put a gun to his head.” Sedgwick’s voice raised to a screeching cry. “And I will make you pay. I will. You and your father. I will see you both pay.”

  He pulled a gun from his pocket.

  Luke had never expected such action from this seemingly mild-mannered man. He held up his hands. “Please, Theodore. Tell me more. I want to understand.”

  “He wants to understand. He doesn’t know who you are, Rafael. He doesn’t remember.” Sedgwick continued to pace and wave the revolver around. “How can he not remember?” He stopped and turned to glare at Luke. “The bank. Your father’s bank in Philadelphia. Rafael and I had found the perfect way to take money from you, and for the longest time no one knew. But you figured it out when no one else could even see it. You, a mere boy.”

  The memories came rushing back. Luke had been working at his father’s bank before going to college. He had busied himself by doing an audit of the books and found a discrepancy. It had been so innocuous that no one else had noticed it. Luke had pointed it out, and after detailing his search, they realized that thousands upon thousands of dollars were involved.

  “Rafael Clarington.” Luke remembered the old man. He’d worked for his father’s bank for years in the audit department. The perfect place to hide his plan. But Luke hadn’t realized Theodore had worked at the bank as well, much less been involved. Clarington had always sworn he acted alone.

  “Yes.” Sedgwick raised the gun. “You put him in jail.”

  “I’m sorry. He broke the law.”

  “He was a good man,” Sedgwick retorted. “He was good to me. No one was ever good to me but him.”

  “Theodore, put down that gun,” a new voice boomed.

  Luke’s gaze darted to the door.

  Pastor Sedgwick stood in the entryway, looking aghast. He moved into the office. “You heard me. Put down that gun.”

  Theodore shook his head. “You don’t understand. You never understood. You never cared.”

  “Of course I cared.” Pastor Sedgwick kept moving steadily toward the desk. “If I hadn’t cared so much, I would never have let you get away with the money you stole when you were younger.” He looked at Luke. “One of the local merchants hired Theodore just out of school. He was to be a clerk and keep the books. Unfortunately, he took some of the money for himself.”

  “The man was rich,” Theodore said, seeming happy to change topics. “He had more than he needed.”

  “Which was probably the only reason he was willing not to press charges so long as you paid him back.”

  Theodore laughed. “So long as you paid him back.”

  “Yes, that’s true. I paid him from my meager savings and salary.” Theodore’s father lowered his head. “I thought I was helping, but instead you learned nothing.”

  “I learned to be more careful,” Theodore replied in a snide tone. “So careful, in fact, that no one knew I was helping Rafael.” His expression grew sad, and he looked down at the gun. “Rafael was good to me. He knew my pain. He knew, and he helped me. He was a much better father to me than you!” The anger was back. He glared at his father. “You should die with Carson. You both are the reason for my suffering.”

  By now Pastor Sedgwick had backed against the desk, positioning himself between Luke and Theodore. “I won’t let you hurt Luke. He’s been good to you.”

  “I tried to get rid of him, but it didn’t work. Nothing works. He seems to have all the luck. All of it. He’s stolen it. He’s robbed me.”

  Pastor Sedgwick shook his head. “That’s not true and you know it. Now put down the gun.”

  Theodore began to laugh. He shook the gun at his father. “I will kill you too. You deserve to die. You always had your rules. You were never happy with me. God is not happy with me.” He pulled back the hammer. “I hate you both.”

  “Theo, your father isn’t to blame for any of this,” Luke said, no longer able to remain silent. “He’s your father. If you kill him, it will hurt your mother.”

  “Mother?” Theodore shook his head and lowered the gun a bit. “Mother is good. Mother wasn’t cruel.”

  “Then you don’t want to hurt her.”

  The words seemed to make him hesitate. Theodore shook his head over and over and began to pace again.

  “Why don’t you go ask your mother what you should do?” Luke suggested. “She’s always loved you. She’ll give you good counsel.”

  “That’s right, Theo,” Pastor Sedgwick declared. “She will give you wise counsel.”

  Theodore moved toward the door, then stopped. “No. I know what to do. I know. Rafael told me. I know.”

  He turned from the door and stood transfixed. Pastor Sedgwick moved toward him, doing his best to keep between Luke and Theo.

  Without warning, the door to the outer office opened. Archie called out, “Luke, I’m back.”

  Pastor Sedgwick flew across the few short feet and tackled his son. The revolver went flying, causing a shot to fire. Luke hurried to help the pastor as Theodore began screaming. Archie was soon there to lend a hand as well.

  “Is everyone all right?” Luke took Theodore in hand while the pastor got to his feet.

  “I’m fine,” Pastor Sedgwick said. He looked to where Archie was nodding. “Would you go get the police?”

  “Are you certain you’re both all right?” Gloriana asked after Luke and the pastor had related their story.

  “We’re just fine. Fine enough to finally have a wedding,” Pastor Sedgwick answered, putting his arm around his wife. The sorrow in their eyes was clear, however.

  “We could get someone else to perform the ceremony. I don’t want this to put an extra burden on you.”

  “Nonsense,” Mrs. Sedgwick said, lifting her chin
a bit. “Theodore has long been a thorn in our side. We will go on loving him, but we cannot take on his sins or bear his consequences for him. Believe me when I say that we have spent a good many years mourning for our child. It’s not changed a thing. We will let him face his consequences and press forward with our own lives.”

  “Yes.” Pastor Sedgwick nodded. “Just as we should have done when the trouble first started. I suppose we were slow to learn.”

  “You wanted to have hope.” Gloriana glanced up at Luke. “Everyone needs hope.”

  “Well, we plan to do what we can to get him the help he needs,” Pastor Sedgwick assured them, “but for now, we have a wedding to perform.”

  Gloriana smiled and looked to Luke for confirmation. He nodded. “Let’s not put it off a moment longer.”

  JT started clapping, which caused Sally to do likewise. Jack danced around him, knowing that something big was about to happen. He gave several yips of approval.

  “Grandfather!” JT yelled, scurrying down the hall with Jack at his heels. “Grandfather, we’re getting married.”

  “We’d probably best conduct the ceremony in the sickroom. Since my father is here, he might as well be a part of this quaint affair.” Luke smiled and put his arm around Gloriana and the baby.

  “We’ll need to put Sally in her room. I can’t risk her getting sick now.” Gloriana smiled and shifted Sally to her left hip. “Although I would love for her to be a part of the wedding.”

  Mrs. Sedgwick reached for the baby. “Why don’t I hold her just outside the room? That way I can bear witness, and Sally can be a part of everything without getting too close.”

  Gloriana handed the baby over. “I think that’s the perfect solution.”

  “Maybe we can have another ceremony once everyone is healthy and everyone can be there,” Luke said. “You could invite the entire town.”

  “No. This ceremony is more than enough. I’ve never needed a big wedding.” Gloriana looked up into Luke’s eyes. “I just needed the right man.”

  Epilogue

  August 1, 1870

  “There’s a lot of people here, given that it’s nearly eleven thirty at night.” Gloriana suppressed a yawn.

  Earlier that evening, at eleven minutes past eight, the final stake had been driven into the track and the Lake Superior and Mississippi Railroad was finished. Luke, his father, and JT had attended the event, but Gloriana, knowing she’d be up late for the celebration, had decided to stay home with Sally.

  Now, standing in the night with a great many other people, Gloriana admired her husband. He’d worked hard to see this route completed despite the problems they’d had with weather, the town across the bay, and, of course, Theodore Sedgwick’s interference.

  “Are you excited, Glory?” JT asked, dancing circles around her and the baby.

  The first train to travel the completed line had left St. Paul at seven that morning and was due in momentarily, and the atmosphere was festive.

  “Everyone’s excited about the train.” Gloriana laughed, and Sally did likewise, seeming quite content to be out in the middle of the night. “This is definitely a grand celebration. It seems like they could have timed it for daytime, though.”

  “People were too excited to wait,” Luke replied.

  “I agree with your beautiful wife,” Martin Carson declared. “I would have waited for the next day.”

  “I didn’t get a say in that part. Besides, this is history in the making.” Luke shook his head, marveling at the moment. “And we’re a part of it.”

  A blast from the train sounded, and those who’d gathered to celebrate cheered in response. The engineer sent another blast and then a third.

  The evening was pleasant, but the breeze and dampness of the air made it chilly. Gloriana wrapped the blanket a little tighter around Sally, who wasn’t sure what to think of the distant train whistle.

  “This is the best thing we’ve gotten to do all summer,” JT said, grabbing his grandfather’s hand. “Aren’t you excited, even if it is late?”

  “I am. Especially now that I can actually see what’s happening.”

  Gloriana was so glad and grateful to God that Luke’s father could be here to witness the event. He was blind for over three months, and then little by little his vision returned. The doctor had feared he might remain blind forever and counted it a miracle. One thing that the blindness had necessitated, however, was that Martin Carson needed round-the-clock care, so he had remained in Duluth with Gloriana and Luke. Luke had worried at first that it would be a bad idea, but it turned out just fine. They moved to the new house up on the hill, and his father slowly adjusted. Gloriana had come up with an idea for helping her father-in-law move around the house by using a knotted rope strung from room to room. She had designed a series of knots in each line of rope so that he could find his way around and know by the number of knots which room he was in. After all, he was not one to lie about. He had picked up the system in quick order and before long was moving about the house with the rest of the family.

  “I wish Jack could be here,” JT said, still dancing circles around the family. “He would love trains.”

  “He would probably get run over or hurt. The trains are very dangerous,” Luke warned. “Many a man has challenged them only to die.”

  Gloriana hoped her brother would heed the warning and not let his curiosity lead him into danger. “Luke knows what he’s talking about, JT. Please heed his words.”

  “There it is!” someone in the crowd yelled.

  As the train came into town, a railroad worker stood on either side of the engine, waving a lantern. The crowd began cheering so loudly that it startled Sally, and she tightened her grip on Gloriana.

  Locomotive engine number eight pulled into the LS&M Railroad depot and came to a halt, lining up its baggage and two passenger cars with the platform. The engineer gave three short blasts in welcome. Sally didn’t care for the noise and tucked her face against Gloriana’s neck.

  “It’s all right, Sally,” JT said, reaching up to pat her back. “It’s just a train. You’ll have to get used to it, ’cause there’s going to be a whole lot more. Luke is going to build more and more railroads.”

  Gloriana laughed. “Well, not all by himself. He’s going to be too busy taking care of our family. After all, we’re going to have another member come February.”

  Luke looked at her and smiled. “I’m so delighted about the baby, I can hardly wait all those months.”

  Martin Carson nodded. “Time does seem to drag when you’re waiting for something good to happen.”

  “Well, you’ll be busy finishing your move here.” Gloriana patted Sally’s back to calm her. “I’m glad you decided to relocate, Father Carson. It’s such a blessing for the children to have their grandfather nearby.”

  “And I’m glad to have my father here.”

  Gloriana knew Luke couldn’t have said those words four months ago, but his father had changed after enduring the measles and blindness. Her father-in-law had told her how their kindness to him had been humbling. The fact that they took tender care of him throughout his sickness had shown him the ugliness in his heart, and one day when he was still blind and uncertain about the future, Luke had led him in prayer to confess Jesus as his Lord. Gloriana couldn’t have been happier. Well, not unless her own family could be with them again.

  Someday she would see them again in heaven, of this she was certain.

  Passengers began to disembark the train. Gloriana knew there were several important railroad dignitaries on board and it would be her husband’s job to greet them. Luke and his father made their way to the first group of men while she and the children held back.

  Gloriana heard his introduction. “I’m Lucas Carson, Mr. Cooke’s associate. I’m here to welcome you to Duluth.”

  One man extended his hand. “So you’re the brilliant man who changed my original route. William Wallace Hungerford, chief engineer and superintendent.”

&nbs
p; They shook hands, and Luke smiled. “Good to have you here. This is my father, Martin Carson.”

  “I’m pleased to meet you both, but especially you,” Hungerford said, turning back to Luke. “You saved this railroad millions, and we aren’t likely to forget that.”

  “Yes, well, we can discuss that at a later time. For now, welcome to Duluth. Is President Banning with you?”

  “No, he’ll arrive tomorrow. In the meantime, let me introduce you around.”

  Gloriana watched as Luke met each of the important dignitaries and exchanged pleasantries before the men were surrounded by the mayor and Duluth’s key officials. Luke waved her over, and she and JT joined the group.

  “I’d like to introduce my wife and her little brother. Gloriana, this is Mr. Hungerford, the chief engineer and superintendent of the line.”

  “Mrs. Carson, it is a pleasure,” he said, giving her a bow. “And what a beautiful little girl. She looks a lot like her mother.”

  Gloriana didn’t correct him. Others had commented on Sally looking like her, even though they knew the two weren’t related.

  Sally burrowed her face into the neck of Gloriana’s jacket. “I’m afraid she’s shy.”

  “I was also shy when I was a boy.” Hungerford smiled and shook hands with JT. “It’s nice to meet you as well. Perhaps you’ll one day work for our railroad.”

  JT shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe.” They all laughed at this.

  Luke finished introducing the men and then stepped aside. Gloriana could see that Mr. Munger had already commanded Hungerford’s attention.

  “Isn’t that something?” Pastor Johnson declared as he joined them. Johnson had taken over the church when Pastor Sedgwick and his wife decided to move east with Theodore. There was a great hospital in Boston that might help their son, and they wanted to see that he had what he needed. Everyone missed them, but Pastor Johnson and his wife had ably led the congregation through the transition.

  “It certainly is,” Luke agreed. “This is going to change everything.”

  Gloriana had heard Luke mention this before. He had filled her head with stories of towns that tripled in size within a year of getting a railroad. She wondered if that would be the case for Duluth. Already there were a great many more people living here. She’d had no trouble renting the larger house to a family and the cottage to a father and son who fished. The money was making a nice nest egg for JT, should he desire to go to college.