She was prettier than he’d thought on first impression. Of course her cosmetics enhanced her natural looks, covering some freckles no doubt, and giving her eyes that smoky, adoring air. And her dress—it was as fine as any he’d ever seen in London. She’d certainly surprised him there. She was better gowned tonight than any other woman in the room—but of course, not that many women came to Scottsburg, and the farmers’ wives usually dined at their own kitchen tables.
True, Charlotte had worn the same dress last night, but she’d explained that she’d come with only a small bag. The trunk she’d shipped seemed to have been delayed, and she contemplated shopping in the town’s limited stores if it wasn’t delivered soon. He might even stick around tomorrow and offer to escort her if the cousin didn’t show up.
“Tell me more about your cousin,” Dan said. “You mentioned that he’s meeting you. What brings him here?”
“Oh, he’s interested in mining. His work has something to do with geology. I’m not sure I understand it all.” She chuckled and gazed at him from beneath her long, dark lashes. “What about you, Mr. Stone? You told me you have a claim nearby. How far away is it?”
“It’s actually about two hours’ ride downhill.”
Charlotte laughed softly. “And uphill?”
“It can take me three or four hours. Have to baby the horse, you know, especially if he’s loaded down.”
“I imagine you’re quite a horseman. How do our steeds compare to what’s available in England?”
“It’s been years since I was in England last, so I don’t really know. There are some fine stables, of course.”
“Now, did you live in the city or the countryside?”
“I usually stayed in the country. My father had a house in town—London, that is.” David shrugged. He didn’t like to talk about his family. People sometimes found that pretentious. “It belongs to my brother now. But I used to spend a lot of time there.”
“London.” Her eyes grew dreamy. “How I’d love to visit that city.”
“Oh? I found it dull and full of smoke.”
“Ah, men!” She smiled and took a bite of her pie.
To David’s astonishment, the chocolate meringue had all but disappeared. Apparently Charlotte wasn’t as stuffed as she’d claimed. His own piece was only half gone.
“Would you like more pie?” he asked.
“Oh well, uh…” She glanced at his plate. “No, I don’t think so. Perhaps some coffee, or…”
He raised his eyebrows. Or what? Did she expect him to order wine? He wasn’t sure they’d have it.
“I like a cup of tea after my meal,” he said.
“So do I.” She smiled and wriggled as though settling in for a long, cozy chat.
“You must tell me about your visit to San Francisco,” he said.
She launched into a detailed and amusing description of the city, and David began to relax. She had obviously been there in person. Had he doubted her sincerity? He supposed it was just the old wariness from England—being skeptical of fellows who hung about wanting to be your best chum. That was one reason he’d never told anyone in America that he was the third son of an earl. Folks were never genuine with you once they knew that, and worse yet, people who wanted favors crept out of the woodwork.
But Charlotte seemed a nice enough woman. A bit forward perhaps, but who wasn’t in these frontier towns? A widow with looks like hers wouldn’t remain single long, and who could blame her for setting her sights on a likely prospect, a mature man with a bit of property—in short, himself? David was a bit taken aback by his own thoughts. Did she really only want to spend a pleasant evening with him, or did she aspire to something more permanent? And did he mind?
Years had passed since he’d let down his guard with a woman. But what was the harm? He’d lately pondered this very thing—finding a nice woman and settling down. Was Charlotte that woman?
He wondered vaguely if there was a place that offered dancing and immediately ruled it out. The hotel offered no entertainment. There just weren’t enough decent women here to support a club or an assembly hall. Probably the only dancing in Scottsburg took place in the saloons. So what entertainment could a gentleman offer a charming lady?
The waiter brought their tea and slid a slip of paper onto Charlotte’s saucer.
“Begging your pardon, ma’am, but I was asked to give you that.”
David scowled at him. “What is that, Philip? I told you this all goes on my bill.”
“It’s nothing like that, sir. Someone inquired at the desk for Mrs. Evans.”
“Oh.” David turned and craned his neck to see if anyone was searching the room for Charlotte, but he couldn’t see anyone in the doorway to the lobby. When he turned back to the table, Charlotte was perusing the note, holding it below the edge of the table. “Is it your cousin?” he asked.
“I—well, I’m not sure. Would you excuse me just a moment? I’ll go and speak to the desk clerk about this.”
“Allow me to escort you.” David pushed his chair back.
“Oh no, thank you. I think I’d best tend to this myself.”
She rose, and David stood. Unhappily, he stayed where he was as she walked toward the lobby. Every man in the dining room swiveled his head to watch her go.
“Can I get you anything, Mr. Stone?” the waiter asked.
“No. Thank you.” He sat down with a thud and sipped his tea.
CHAPTER 12
What are you doing here?” Millie dragged Sam around a corner into the hallway that led to the kitchen and the rear entrance.
“You said to catch up to you. Well, here you are, and here I am.”
“Where have you been?”
“On the trail.”
Millie sighed. Sam was duller than a butter knife. “Do you have any money?”
He laughed. “No. Where would I get money?”
“I expected you to be creative. I personally spent an entire day cooking to earn enough money to replace my horse. I almost got caught at it by Miss Stone and her toady, Adams. I’d like to know why you didn’t slow them down.”
“I tried, Millie. But they’re smart. And besides, I got hurt. I fell off my horse.”
“Oh, you poor thing.” She gave him a cursory inspection. “You look all right now.”
“Can I stay here tonight?” Sam asked. “I’m tired of sleeping in barns and haystacks.”
“Are you crazy? This place costs a dollar a night.”
“Aren’t you staying here?”
Millie put her hands on her hips. “I told you. I stopped and earned some money.”
“I could sleep on the floor at the foot of your bed.” Sam’s hangdog face made her want to scream.
“Oh, and how would that look?”
He shrugged and looked down at the floor.
Millie looked over his shoulder toward the lobby. The desk clerk was looking their way and frowning.
“Tell me quick—where are Miss Stone and Adams?”
“I lost ’em.”
“What?”
“I told you, I got hurt, and it was raining, and I couldn’t find out where they’re staying here. Last night, I tied their tack in knots to slow them down, but I didn’t want to follow them too closely and get seen. When I got to town I thought they might be here, but their horses aren’t in the stable. I checked two other places, too.”
Millie did some quick thinking. Apparently Sam didn’t know David Stone was here or that she was having dinner with his erstwhile boss. She reached into her pocket and took out four bits. “Here. This is all I can give you. It only leaves me a few cents. Get yourself a room someplace if you can for that, and something to eat. And then you’d better find out where they are!”
“I saw Adams once.”
Millie raised her eyebrows and leaned toward his face. “I thought you lost them,” she whispered in a tone she hoped conveyed danger.
“So I did, but after I’d looked and looked all over town, I gave up an
d went into a saloon. Spent my last half dime for a beer.”
“And?”
“In comes Adams, bold as brass.”
Millie folded her arms and drummed her fingers on the sleeve of her fancy gown. “I’m waiting.”
“He walks up to the bar and asks the barkeep if he knows David Stone.”
“What did the bartender say?”
Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. I scooted out the door while Adams wasn’t looking. You told me I couldn’t let him see me.”
Millie sighed. “I don’t suppose you followed him when he left the tavern?”
Sam hung his head. “He came out real quick, so I hid around the corner. Mill, he caught sight of my horse and went over to it and looked it all over and petted it.”
“Oh, that’s just great.”
“Really?” Sam asked hopefully.
“No, not really! You are such an idiot.”
“Well, I figured I’d best make myself scarce, so I hoofed it the whole length of the street and back. And when I got back to where Old Blue was standing, Adams was gone.” Sam smiled as though she should pat him on the head now.
“So you lost him again.”
“Well, yeah.”
“Sam, listen to me. You are going to find Adams. And where you find him, you’ll find Miss Stone. You are going to find out their plans. If they’re going to try to meet up with Mr. Stone, you’re going to stop them.”
“What about you?” Sam asked.
“I’ll be waiting here, on the off chance that Mr. Stone comes into town.”
“What if Adams and Miss Stone go up to his mining claim?”
“Then you follow them. You’ve got to keep them from getting to Stone before he comes down here.”
“Whyn’t you just go with me? We could find him together.”
“No,” Millie said. If she could just keep Sam busy and Anne Stone out of the way for a few days, she might be able to reel in the rich uncle. “I think one of us should stay here. We don’t want to miss him. You concentrate on slowing down Miss Stone and Adams. If that means you have to recruit some friends to help you, then do it.”
“Friends? What friends?”
Millie clenched her fists. “Look, are you really this stupid? Find someone to help you.”
“But…I’ve got no money to pay anyone, and I can’t let Adams or David’s niece see me.”
“You’d better not let them see you. Now, excuse me. I have to get back to my dinner.”
She flounced to the lobby in a swirl of skirts. Behind her, she heard Sam’s plaintive, “Nice dress.”
David was checking his pocket watch when she returned to the table. He jumped up when he saw her.
“I’m so sorry,” Millie said. “I’ve kept you waiting much longer than I anticipated.” She slid into her seat.
“Think nothing of it,” David said. “I hope everything’s all right.”
She gave him a tight smile. “That was a friend of my cousin’s. S–Stephen asked him to find me and tell me he should make it into Scottsburg tomorrow or the next day. I’m ashamed to say his ‘friend’ was a bit inebriated. He must have stopped at a saloon before he came here. It took some time to get the message out of him.”
“I’m sorry.”
The waiter appeared with a teapot in his hand. “Would you like more, madam? Sir?”
David looked inquiringly at Millie.
“Well…?” She returned his gaze.
“Philip informs me that there is a charming view of the moon on the river from the steamboat dock,” David said with a glance toward the waiter. “I believe there’ll just be a sliver of moon tonight, but we may not have a rainless evening again for some time. Perhaps you’d like to see it.”
“I should like nothing so much as to see a cloudless sky, Mr. Stone.” This was going better than she’d anticipated. Millie waited for David to come around and hold her chair as she rose.
“You might want a wrap,” he said.
“Of course. It will only take me a minute.” She glanced about apprehensively as they entered the lobby, but there was no sign of Sam.
“I’ll wait for you right here,” David said.
Millie hastened up the stairs. Part three, despite one snag, complete. Now for part four.
David was waiting, as promised, when she returned a moment later with her beautiful dress covered by her old woolen coat. She’d arranged the silk shawl over that, in an attempt to make it look less dowdy, and had freshened her lip rouge.
He offered his arm, and Millie mustered every ounce of charm she could find.
The brief walk to the dock gave their conversation time only to graze the top of Eugene society, for which Millie was grateful. Apparently David knew the Skinners and all the other pioneers intimately, and her own ignorance would soon be manifest if she couldn’t distract him from the topic.
A thin, dark-haired man leaned against one of the dock’s pilings, smoking a cigarette, but aside from him, the pier was deserted.
“Lovely night,” David said as they strolled along the dock. A much-scarred river steamer was tied up alongside, but the decks were empty.
“And not too cold,” Millie said. She wondered if she could have gotten away with just the shawl—and a warm arm, of course, if she shivered.
“There’s the moon.” David stopped and gazed upward. Only the thinnest fingernail showed, but the stars glittered bright.
Millie gave the sight a proper moment of appreciation and looked back toward shore. “This is quite a pretty little town by starlight.”
“Yes.”
He was looking at her. She could tell, but she deliberately kept her gaze on the riverbank. The smoker tossed his cigarette in the water and ambled toward the center of town.
“You know, Charlotte, I was planning to return to Eugene tomorrow, but now I’m not so sure.”
“Oh?” She looked up at him and blinked—only once, lest she overdo it and he think she was a flirt. “Is business keeping you?”
“Not really, but I’d like to be sure you’re safe until your cousin arrives. And meet him if I can.”
“Oh.” She smiled. “That sounds like such a treat. I’m so glad we met, David.”
He patted her hand and looked up at the moon again.
Was he shy? She hoped he wasn’t the type who would take weeks to feel bold enough to steal a kiss. The whole fictional cousin business could get awkward if this dragged on too long. She couldn’t get Sam to pose as her cousin, because David knew him. And last night he’d retired immediately after dinner, pleading fatigue. But really, she was quite pleased with the direction things were headed. She eased a little closer to him and dared to squeeze his arm the tiniest bit. David responded by pressing her hand against his arm ever so slightly.
Hadn’t she heard somewhere that English men were cold fish? This one might take some work.
The town was just stirring when Anne and Dan made their way to the ferry and crossed the Umpqua. For once the sun shone, halfhearted and cool. Dan prayed it would last.
He entrusted the horses to the ferryman and stood with Anne by the rail. As the south shore approached, she looked back at the town.
“The sheer size of this land continues to astound me,” she said.
“Yes, there’s room for everyone,” he said, but immediately he thought of the Indians lashing out against the encroaching whites not so far to the south.
“It’s no wonder so many have come here from Europe,” Anne said. “The prospect of owning land…for so many that’s an impossibility in England.”
Her troubled face led Dan to wonder if she felt guilty for being born into the noble class. In a similar fashion, he felt twinges of remorse when he considered how many Indians had been displaced for homesteads. Hector brushed that aside, insisting that things were the way they were, and the Adams boys could do nothing about it, so they might as well take advantage of the situation. But Anne was like him. They could not bear their cultural burdens lightly.
“Do you think Uncle David is safe?” she asked as the ferry drew close to its mooring.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t he be?”
“Well…there’s Peterson.”
“The postmaster said your uncle came to fetch his mail about a week ago.”
“That recently?” She turned toward him eagerly, her lips parted.
“Yes. I should have told you last night, but it slipped my mind. He said David’s been in two or three times in the last month, and then went back to his claim.” Perhaps they should have waited in Scottsburg for him to return. If he’d tried harder, could he have persuaded Anne to wait at Mrs. Zinberg’s house and let him make daily inquiries for her uncle? Dan strongly doubted that.
Star balked a little when it was time to step off the ferry. He wasn’t usually afraid of bridges or rough spots in the road, but today he seemed a little skittish. Bailey, on the other hand, was as dependable as his master and stepped off as calmly as Rob would have.
Dan checked all the straps and buckles on Anne’s saddle before giving her a hand up. She wore her velvet habit again, with the new cape snubbed behind the saddle’s cantle with her blankets. He’d insisted they bring their bedrolls and camping gear in case they spent a night on Stone’s claim with him, but they’d left some of their clothing at Mrs. Zinberg’s, lightening their loads.
“How far is it?” Anne asked.
Dan pointed up the valley. “About eight or ten miles overall. We’re to take this road for two miles, then turn off to the right and go up into the hills. The postmaster said it wouldn’t be too rough, but I found another fellow who goes up there a lot—has a claim not too far from David’s—and he said the last two or three miles make a rugged climb. He said to take our time so the horses aren’t worn out when we hit the steepest part.”
THE Prairie DREAMS Trilogy Page 46
