Reginald only stared at her for a few moments, and Ivy had nearly figured the issue to be of no interest whatsoever when he stepped closer.
“I hardly believe we can discuss this properly here. Meet me in fifteen minutes down by the falls.”
Ivy smiled. “I’ll be there.”
She continued smiling the entire time it took for her to reach the falls. She thought it a perfect plan to enlist Reginald’s help. He would keep Rachel occupied while she went to work on Braeden Parker. It all seemed too simple.
She crossed the lawns and the road and made her way down a narrow path that led to the powerhouse. The waterwheel churned vigorously from the constant surging of the falls. She had no idea how this all related itself to providing the community with electricity, but she had to agree that it had made life in Morita more endurable.
Pausing at the first park bench, Ivy took a seat and glanced back at the resort. Beautifully clothed people made their way inside to hear the music. Ivy envied the women who wore lavish jewelry and incredible creations of taffeta and watered silk. And as if these outfits were not opulent enough, Ivy knew the ball gowns and opera dresses that would be worn in the evening would be feasts for the eyes.
Staring down at her own black skirt and white apron, Ivy knew she couldn’t endure the humiliation of continuing along these lines.
She had been born to wealth and affluence. How dare her aunt hide her away in Morita when she should be doing the grand tour of Europe and dining with royalty?
She thought of the resort again and of the festivities planned to entertain the wealthy. These were the peers she desired, but dressed as one of Fred Harvey’s serving girls, Ivy knew she would never be accepted into their circles. She thought about retiring her position and returning to her aunt’s house. Perhaps she would have better luck of it if she merely showed up at the festivities gowned in creations from Worth. Surely she could find a wealthy husband among the visitors to Casa Grande.
She shook her head, however, remembering her angry words with Rachel. No. She would have Braeden Parker for her husband. He might not be the wealthiest man who would grace the steps of Casa Grande, but he would be the one to give her the most satisfaction. Now, if she could just find a way to interrupt his duties during the Casa Grande celebration.
The entire event was planned in detail, and for the next three days the atmosphere would be that of a three-ringed circus. There were to be balls, opera singers, magicians, lecturers, and all manner of banquets and teas. She would be overworked and every moment of her time consumed, except for this evening. This evening, with a celebratory dance to be followed by a solo performance by a famed Denver soprano, Rachel had announced she would only need ten girls to remain on the floor. A huge buffet would be arranged for the dance, and other than keeping the table stocked with all sorts of delicious delicacies, the Harvey Girls would not be needed. Rachel chose her more experienced girls for the duty, and Ivy had been very angry about the circumstance—until now. Now she was more inclined to see the opportunity it afforded her.
She watched Casa Grande’s chef make his way across the lawn as she had done only moments before. He was a tall, thin man—not at all bad looking, but he was English and Ivy found Englishmen to be so 170 void of emotion and feeling that she had no interest in pursuing him to see whether he might make a suitable spouse. Besides, he seemed rather content to remain at Casa Grande.
He had shed his white chef’s coat and hat and pulled on a brown coat that matched his trousers. Reginald Worthington could have just as easily been one of the dignitaries, Ivy thought. He was refined and well-mannered, but oh, so boring. Not to mention that he’d settled for a position that practically put him on the same level as her aunt’s cooking woman.
“Yes, well, I suppose you know why I’ve come,” Reginald said as though he thought himself to be rather witty.
Ivy nodded. “Do sit down. I need to know exactly what your thoughts are when it comes to Miss Taylor.”
“I can hardly explain all of my thoughts,” he told her plainly. He sat down rather stiffly and continued. “But if you are trying to inquire as to the length I will go to pursue Miss Taylor, then I’m not opposed to a little, as you say, underhandedness.”
Ivy smiled. “Good. Because some people can’t see what’s good for them. Take Rachel, for instance. She’s been very hurt by Mr. Parker, and while this was in the past, I’ve no reason to believe it couldn’t happen again.” She looked at Reginald and waited a moment before continuing. She didn’t want to spill out the information without being certain he wouldn’t betray her.
“Pray continue, Miss Brooks. You have me quite intrigued.”
Ivy adjusted her skirts and folded her hands. “Mr. Parker has shown an interest in me, and I have a great affection for him. However, Miss Taylor is still under the belief that he cares for her. And while I believe Braeden wouldn’t desire to see her hurt, he clearly has placed his heart elsewhere.”
Reg gave a bit of a chuckle at this. “Miss Brooks, if we are to help one another, then I believe we should first and foremost be honest. Mr. Parker is clearly smitten with Miss Taylor, as is she with him. If you would like to plot a way to divide them, then I am most assuredly your man. If you desire to sit here and spin fairy tales, then I am much too busy.”
Ivy laughed out loud. “And here I thought I would have to pick and choose my phrasing with the utmost of care. Very well, Mr. Worthington, I propose to place a wedge of circumstance and doubt between Rachel and Braeden. I want this to be something so powerful that not only will Rachel walk away from Braeden, but he will be forced to remain with me. I have something in mind, but I will need your help in order to make it work.”
“By all means, please proceed.” Reg’s interest was evident.
“From my own understanding of what I’ve overheard, Braeden and Rachel were once engaged. There was some manner of betrayal, however, on the part of Braeden. I heard them talking one evening down by the hot springs. Apparently trust is very important to Rachel, and she feels that trusting Braeden will require a good deal of effort on her part. I believe that should she find that trust violated again, she would not hesitate to turn her back on him once and for all.”
“Why do you feel so confident of this?”
“Because she was clearly upset by my actions that night. I pretended to be there at Braeden’s request and she became pale as a ghost.
She stormed off, forgetting her book and towel, which I spied about the same time I heard her reapproaching. I feigned a fall and ended up in Braeden’s arms and the look on her face told me everything. He tried to explain, but she wouldn’t hear it. If I can manage an even more damaging scene, I believe it will finally dissolve any affection she has for the man.”
“And you have such a scene in mind?” Reginald questioned.
“I would hardly ask you here if I didn’t,” Ivy replied. But in truth, she hadn’t really considered the matter in much detail. “I have tonight off and while the festivities are going on, I believe I could arrange for such a circumstance.”
“But Parker will, no doubt, be tied up with activities at Casa Grande. It would take the notification of someone other than yourself to drag him away from his post. Rachel, too, will be obligated to the evening.”
“Yes, but Rachel will be free after nine o’clock—I heard her say so. Maybe Braeden will also be free after that. Either way, I believe I can work out the details. However, what I will need from you is this.
You must make certain that Rachel is occupied this evening. I can’t very well make my plan work if she’s in Braeden’s company or if she follows him around all night.”
“What do you really have in mind for me to do?”
“Well,” Ivy said, suddenly getting a brilliant thought. “I will send Braeden a note from my aunt Esmeralda. The note will demand he come to the mansion at ten till nine. That way, even if he hoped to spend time with Rachel, she’ll be obligated to stay at Casa Grande until nine.”<
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“But won’t your aunt be obviously occupied with the festivities? Surely Mr. Parker will see her there.”
“Yes, she does plan to come to the dance, but I know for a fact she will not remain for the singing. My aunt has an aversion to remaining away from the house after nine in the evening. She believes it improper to take in too much night air and, being an old woman, she needs her rest. She plans to return when the dance concludes, and that’s where you come in. I want you to be with Rachel when that dance concludes. Tell her you need to go over inventory. Tell her you saw someone in her office. Tell her anything, but just keep her occupied and with you.”
“I’m quite certain I don’t understand how this will resolve anything.” Ivy smiled as the plan took form in her mind. “I’ll arrange to meet with my aunt at nine o’clock on the pretense that I will walk her back to the mansion. She’ll come looking for me and when she doesn’t find me, I’ll have Faith inform Rachel that I left for the mansion some time ago. My aunt will be livid, and if I know her the way I think I do, she’ll head home immediately. That’s where you come in. You offer to walk her home, insisting that Rachel go along to chaperone or give you companionship or whatever. Just make sure she goes with you. The rest will be up to me.”
“So you want for me to ensure that Rachel shows up at the Needlemeier mansion at a few minutes after nine.”
Purely amused by her own conniving, Ivy nodded. “Exactly.”
“But how can I invite myself or Rachel in once we’ve walked your aunt home?”
“I’ll have one of the servants helping me. Eliza will do anything for extra money. She can keep watch, and when she sees you approach the house, she can let me know. Then I’ll start screaming, and you will play the gallant gentleman and insist that my aunt accept your help in the matter. Hopefully this will cause all three of you to come upon Braeden and me in the front parlor. I promise the scene will be most compromising.”
“And this doesn’t alarm you?” Reg questioned seriously. “It will not only be Mr. Parker’s reputation that you place on the line.”
“I know,” Ivy said, undaunted. “And because my reputation is also at stake, Mr. Parker will have to do the honorable thing.”
“And if he refuses?”
“He won’t,” Ivy stated firmly. “He won’t or else he’ll lose everything. I’ll make such a scene that he’ll be fired from Casa Grande and publicly humiliated. He won’t want to lose his job, and he won’t want to be thrown into jail for molesting a young woman.” She nodded quite confidently and looked out to the picturesque scene of the waterfalls.
“He’ll have to sacrifice his freedom one way or another. Either by marrying me or by going to prison.”
“You seem particularly confident that this can work,” Reginald replied. He stood and jammed his hand into his coat pocket and retrieved a pipe. “I suppose it is my one chance to play the comforter to Rachel. Perhaps her gratitude at my being there in her hour of need will open her heart to something more permanent and intimate.” He nodded as if seeing everything fall into place. “I shall do my part, Miss Brooks.”
Ivy got to her feet. “I knew you would see it this way. I could tell you were positively daffy for Miss Taylor.”
“She is a woman of exquisite beauty and spiritual depth. I enjoy our conversations greatly, and I cannot imagine wanting any other woman for my lifetime companion.”
Ivy couldn’t imagine feeling anything but loathing for the woman.
“Then we shall strike this pact between us, and, Mr. Worthington, I have many resources available to me. Don’t even think of crossing me in this matter. I would not at all be adverse to making your Rachel’s life a very miserable existence.”
“You needn’t threaten me, Miss Brooks,” Reginald said, lighting his pipe and taking short little draws of breath to ensure the tobacco caught. “I know full well about your scheming, and I wouldn’t dream of interfering. A person might well find themselves the victim of … well, let’s just say something deadly.”
Ivy eyed him suspiciously. “What are you saying?”
Reginald shrugged. “I’d like it very much if you would arrange no further attempts on Miss Taylor’s life.”
Ivy grew nervous. “I’m sure I don’t understand.”
“And I’m sure you do,” Reginald said, his eyes narrowing. “I know about the snake in Rachel’s drawer.”
Ivy felt the blood drain from her head. How could he possibly know about that?
“I can see by your expression that this was a turn you did not expect. Well, you see, I overheard you pay the man who put the snake in her office. I followed him to see what he was up to and saw him enter Miss Taylor’s office. I know, too, that when Mr. O’Donnell surprised him he was forced to attack the man and then make a run for it. You hid him in your room and let him escape through your window. I know, because I was just outside, hidden by the shrubs, when he came from your room.”
Ivy knew her mouth had dropped open in stunned amazement. She wanted to say something that would sound completely unconcerned, but nothing came to mind.
“I have no intention of telling anyone about it, unless you have plans to harm Rachel further—other than emotionally, that is.”
Ivy knew she would have to go along with Reginald’s demands. “I only wanted to scare her so that she would leave. I never intended for her to get hurt.”
“Of course not,” Reginald said, eyeing her contemptuously. “Just so we understand each other.”
“I agree completely,” Ivy replied, regaining a bit of her composure. “I want very much for this to work, and I wouldn’t have come to you if I didn’t believe you capable of being an asset to me.”
“Very well, Miss Brooks. We shall strike out this evening to win the hands of those we esteem and, dare I say it, love?”
Ivy watched him walk away and felt a wash of uneasiness settle over her. This evening she would once and for all come between Rachel and Braeden. Whether it worked to her advantage and she was truly able to force his hand in marriage or not, she would at least ensure that Rachel would want nothing more to do with him—and that was a very satisfying thought. What troubled her was Reg’s knowledge of her actions. The last thing she wanted was to be under his thumb. What if he blackmailed her? The thought caused her to shudder. Perhaps she would have to think of some way to control Mr. Worthington while she plotted against the woman he loved.
“Marshal Schmidt, I’m glad you could give me a moment of your time,” Braeden said, ushering the older man into his office.
“Can’t say that I’ve ever seen anything quite like this place. Lived in Kansas and Texas most of my life, and usually the town was small.
That there music is mighty fine,” he commented.
Braeden nodded. “I believe that’s Mozart.”
“He that fellow playing the piano?”
Braeden couldn’t help but smile. “No. Mozart is the composer of the music. I’m not certain of the pianist’s name.”
“Well, it’s right purty just the same. Makes a fellow a little sleepy, though.”
“At least the heat has subsided,” Braeden commented. “I find this cool weather much more to my liking.”
“Weather’s been acting funny here lately. Usually stays pretty warm clear into November. I don’t mean hot like it has been, but real comfortable. The natives are saying there’s signs of an early winter with plenty of rain between now and then.”
Braeden nodded, growing bored with the idle chat. “Look, I’ve called you here for a reason. I need your help.”
“Problems?”
Braeden nodded. “It appears so. We’ve been suffering from theft of materials since our arrival. My inventory is reduced by several items on a daily basis, and all of this took place well before the arrival of guests. Miss Taylor is also having problems, and …” He let his words trail off as he tried to decide whether to continue. Rachel hadn’t wanted the law involved, but then, she didn’t realize that someone had ma
de an attempt on her life.
“And what?” Schmidt asked.
“May I tell you something in the strictest confidence?”
The man’s eyes narrowed. “I’m no blabbermouth, if that’s what you take me for.”
“Not at all,” Braeden replied. “It’s just that this is such a delicate matter, I can scarcely figure out how to handle it by myself. But I wouldn’t want word to get out about it.”
The man seemed to understand and relaxed a bit. “It’ll be just between you and me.”
“Good. That’s exactly how I want it to be for the time being,” Braeden replied. “Last night someone broke into Miss Taylor’s office here at the resort.”
The man scratched his chin, then hooked his fingers in his dusty leather vest. “Yeah, I heard about that. Jeffery O’Donnell’s sportin’stitches in his head.”
“That’s right. The thing is,” Braeden continued, “it wasn’t the first time someone broke into her office. I didn’t know about it until last night, but apparently someone snooped around in her room some time back.”
“You thinkin’the thief came back for something?” the man questioned, seeming to mull the matter over in his mind.
“I can’t be sure what the real reason for the first break-in was. Some papers were taken, but nothing else. However, this break-in was different. This time the person clearly wanted to cause Miss Taylor harm.”
“In what way?”
“They planted a rattlesnake in her desk drawer.”
Marshal Schmidt’s eyes widened at this. “Do tell?”
“It’s true.”
“Then shouldn’t she be in here discussin’this matter as well?”
“She doesn’t know about it,” Braeden replied. “One of the other girls found the snake there and, having had a great deal of experience in dealing with them, simply removed it before Miss Taylor found out about it.”
Hidden in a Whisper Page 18
