Marblestone Mansion, Book 8

by Marti Talbott

“Surely, you are not surprised.”

  “I am…a little. Mother said they would be along directly.”

  “Aye, but the men have to work, and they might have noticed it looked like rain.”

  “Do you suppose our mothers intentionally prayed for rain?”

  “If they prayed together, I doubt even God could turn them down.”

  Gloria rolled her eyes. “We’ve been hornswoggled…by our own mothers?”

  Ben laughed. “They might magically appear later.”

  “I doubt it. Meanwhile, we are together without a proper chaperone. How very creative of them.”

  Ben pretended to be horrified. “Oh no! Am I in grave danger, do you think?”

  “Fret not; I shall keep to my own side.” She looked back again, but there were no automobiles or carriages coming up the road. “Perhaps they will surprise us and come when the rain stops.”

  “I am afraid they have firmly made up their minds – we are a perfect match.”

  “Which is why it becomes increasingly difficult to tell my parents about Mr. Harrington. Are you hungry?”

  “I am always hungry.” Ben reached for the picnic basket on the floor by his feet, set it on his lap, and then lifted one side of the lid. “Just as I suspected, ‘tis lunch for only two.”

  “I should have packed it myself.” Gloria reached in the basket, brought out a roast beef sandwich wrapped in a cloth napkin and handed it to him. “It seems to me, one trick deserves another.”

  “You count only one trick? I count at least three. They bribed me to pick you up at the train…”

  “Bribed you?” She pulled a second sandwich out of the basket and began to unwrap it.

  “Did I not mention that? It seemed quite harmless at the time, but they did mention a particular horse I’ve a mind to buy.”

  “A horse? My, but bribing you is expensive, Mr. O’Connell.”

  “Indeed it is.” He watched her take a bite and waited for her to finish before he asked, “What sort of trick did you have in mind?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, something harmless, but easy to play on them.”

  “It is worth thinking about.”

  She watched the rain, took another bite of her sandwich and took her time eating it. “Tell me about this love of yours. Is she pretty?”

  “To me, she is the most beautiful lass I have ever laid eyes on. She is kind, thoughtful, and deserves better than…than I can give her.”

  “Is it not enough just to give yourself to her?”

  “I hope it is, for I have little more to give…save my yo-yo.”

  Suspicious, Gloria looked at him. “You shall give your wife a yo-yo?”

  “Not a yo-yo…my yo-yo. ‘Tis a very particular yo-yo, you see, for it reminds me of my most passionate love. Her name was Margaret, and there was no lass in the world more marvelous. She held my tender heart in her hands, and I would have given my soul to have her.”

  “You did not marry her?”

  He sighed. “She would not have me, which was just as well. Mother would not let me marry anyway. I was but ten.”

  Gloria giggled. “You poor darling.”

  “‘Tis my mother you should pity. I made her quite miserable for two days complete, but then I met Carol. She was even more divine and my heart was hers. Carol had a yo-yo, a bright red one.” Ben closed his eyes. “I can see it still.”

  “You did not marry her either?”

  “I dinna want to. Mother gave me a yo-yo of my very own, and I discovered Carol was not as divine as I thought.”

  Gloria laughed and took another bite of her sandwich. “Do you still have it?”

  “Indeed I do, and someday I shall give my yo-yo to the one I truly love.”

  “When you do, she shall be the most fortunate woman in the world.”

  He did not dare look at her for fear he might give himself away. “Thank you.” Finished with his sandwich, he wiped his mouth, put the napkin back in the basket and reached for another sandwich. “What about your Mr. Harrington? What do you love about him?”

  Gloria thought about that for a moment. “Well, he is funny sometimes, and very protective when we are out. I do not spend as much time with him as I wish to, for he is very busy.”

  “Doing what?”

  “He is part owner in a shirt factory.”

  “Truly, which one? My brother and I worked in one in New York City.”

  Gloria cast her eyes downward. “I find I do not know precisely. Does it matter?” Suddenly, she was no longer hungry, wrapped what was left of her sandwich back up, and put it in the basket.

  “I suppose not. It is a pity he is too busy to spend much time with you. You do love him, do you not?”

  “Of course I do.”

  “Yet, you know so little about him. I…”

  Gloria was a touch defensive when she interrupted, “It is not his fault. He is quite busy.”

  “So you said.” Afraid of upsetting her further, Ben changed the subject. “Have you seen Blair’s colt yet?”

  Relieved, Gloria’s mood brightened. “I have. I walked down the path last evening and found Blair in the corral. Do you know the colt walked right up to her? It was the most charming thing I have yet to see. He nudged her, and she had the brightest smile on her face as she rubbed his neck.”

  “A beauty for a beauty.”

  “I agree. Blair is quite a beauty and Cameron shall have his hands full keeping the young men away.”

  “It takes all of us to protect her, as it is.”

  Gloria snickered, “Protect her? It takes all of you to protect her from what?”

  Ben was sorry he said that, took the last bite of his sandwich, and used the time to think of an answer. “From all the lads, not just the young ones.”

  “I see.”

  “Has Mr. Harrington taken you to see the home you shall live in?”

  “He has. It is quite wonderful and I am certain I shall be happy there.”

  She did not look all that convinced, “But?”

  “Well, it is a bit cluttered and unkempt. He explained that his Butler and housekeeper quit without warning, and he has not yet had time to replace them.”

  “They both quit at the same time?” Ben asked.

  “I suspect they were a married couple.”

  “Oh, I see. Then Mr. Harrington is in desperate need of a wife.”

  Gloria giggled. “Precisely what he said.”

  “And a wife who knows how to handle servants is even more convenient.”

  She wrinkled her brow. “You need not say it like that.”

  “Forgive me. It is just that he appears to be gaining a great deal by marrying you. You are schooled in proper manners, easy on the eyes, familiar with handling servants, and likely to inherit half of your father’s wealth.”

  She abruptly folded her arms. “My inheritance is the least of his concerns. He is quite wealthy in his own right.”

  “I am happy to hear that. Tell me, what does he love about you? Is it the way your eyes sparkle in the sunlight, your cheerful disposition, the color of your hair, your laughter, or…” Gloria looked away and it was clear he had hit a nerve. “Again, I beg your forgiveness; I did not mean to ask such personal questions.”

  She decided to ignore him and looked in the basket again. “Our cook makes the best peach pie in the world. I would come home more often, if for no other reason than to eat a whole one by myself.” She lifted the pie tin out, and searched for forks.

  “You cannae be serious? No forks?”

  Her eyes sparkled as her lips curved into a mischievous grin. “Apparently, I am to throw it at you instead.”

  Ben raised both his eyebrows. He dug in the basket and happily retrieved two spoons. “I am saved.”

  “You are the most fortunate man I know.” She closed the basket lid and set the pie on top of it.

  He used his spoon to cut a small wedge in the pie, and then pointed to the larger portion. “This is mine, and the rest is yours.�
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  She smirked and glared at him. “How very generous of you.” To spite him, she dipped her spoon in the larger portion, scooped up a bite and put it in her mouth. When he did not protest, she took two more bites from his side before she said, “Tell me more about growing up in New York City.”

  “I believe it is your turn.”

  “Well, my brother and I are some years apart, so there was little rivalry between us. He built a playhouse for me, as I recall. He liked building things.”

  “You mother says he has become an architect.”

  “He shall be good at it too. I wish he were not so far away, I could use a brother just now.”

  “You have me, will I do?” Ben asked.

  “Will you build me a playhouse?”

  Ben wrinkled his brow. “I suppose I could, but you must bring your own dolls.”

  “That I can do. I believe mother has kept every doll I have ever loved, which is all of them.”

  He finished eating as much pie as he had room for, and set his spoon in the tin. “If I am your brother, you must call me Ben instead of Mr. O’Connell.”

  “Oh no, what would our mothers think if we suddenly became that familiar?”

  “You are right, of course. They would think us madly in love.”

  “Yes, they would.” Gloria glanced out the window and then took a longer look at the pristine lake and the reflection of the white clouds above. “How long ago, do you suppose, did it stopped raining?”

  He pretended to be taken aback. “I too am shocked. How long, do you suppose, should we wait for the others?”

  Gloria rolled her eyes. “Not more than a week.”

  Ben chuckled. “I believe we should be getting back before they think the worst of us. He helped her put everything back in the basket, set it on the floor, started the engine, and took her home.

  *

  When she arrived, Gloria handed the empty picnic basket to the butler, put her hands on her hips, gave her mother a well-deserved glare, and then hurried up the stairs to her room. She changed her clothes, picked up the telephone, gave the operator instructions, and waited impatiently for her intended to answer.

  On the other end of the telephone, Mr. Harrington stood beside his desk in his shirt factory office, and looked through the glass at the rows of women working diligently at their sewing machines. There was a great deal of money to be made in prefabricated clothing, but only if he could get his employees to work faster and ship his orders in time.

  Begrudgingly, he picked up the telephone, “Gloria, what is it?”

  He sounded annoyed, but she didn’t care. “Nate, what do you love about me?”

  “What kind of question is that?”

  “You have never said, and...”

  “I am certain I have, you have just forgotten. What is wrong?”

  She bit her lower lip. “Nothing, nothing at all. I just wanted to hear the sound of your voice.”

  “You caught me at a very bad time. There is trouble in the factory and I haven’t time to talk. Goodbye, then. Call when you get home.”

  At the sound of the click, Gloria took the earpiece away, looked at it for a long moment, and then slowly hung up. She went to her dressing table and slowly sat down. Had he always been so cold and unfeeling? The man she was pledged to marry did not think her question important enough to answer? He did not say he missed her, nor did he profess to love her. Gloria looked at her image in the mirror and closed her eyes. Was she about to make the mistake of a lifetime?

  All through dinner that evening, she watched what she had seen all her life, and never really noticed. She saw the loving looks her parents shared, the way they touched each other’s hand, and the joy in their eyes, just because they were together. It was as if they were still young and newly in love. Weren’t all marriages like that? The MacGreagors seemed to be happy, but did that kind of happiness take years to accomplish? Gloria was not so sure she wanted to wait that long.

  To love, honor, and obey seemed far more complicated than it had when she agreed to marry Mr. Nate Harrington.

  *

  The fourth day, after the duchess escaped, passed without incident at Marblestone. On the fifth day, tensions were running higher than normal. Everyone who knew about the duchess was on edge. The slamming of a door, or the scream of a child being tormented by Justin and his grasshoppers, got far more attention than usual.

  The next evening, everyone was invited to dinner and cards at the MacGreagors. To accommodate the ever-increasing number of family, guests, and servants, card playing was held in the ballroom, where multiple windows looked out on the backyard and a grand piano sat in the corner.

  Some preferred to play poker, and some liked a new game called Gin Rummy, while Blair and her friends enjoyed dominos. Whatever the game, there was plenty of players and plenty of laughter to be had. With the days growing longer, the younger children were content to chase the dog and each other outside.

  Butlers Prescot and Alistair, together with Ronan, Dugan and Brookton, took turns manning the door and keeping an eye out, just in case the duchess showed up unannounced. A table against the wall offered a variety of refreshments, including pitchers of lemonade and juice.

  To no one’s surprise, Abigail insisted Ben sit opposite Gloria at a table with only two chairs. He pretended to be a little reluctant, but sat anyway, opened two new decks of cards and handed one to Gloria. “Double solitaire?”

  “I am not certain I know how to play.”

  “You know how to play solitaire, do you not?”

  “I do.”

  “Good, the only difference is that we may play on each other’s aces.”

  “Oh, I see. I warn you, I am usually quite good at cards,” said Gloria as she began to shuffle her deck.

  “Not as good as me. Where I come from, cards were our only source of entertainment.”

  “Did you live all your life in New York City?”

  “Aye, the lower east side. Have you heard of it?”

  “My yes, that is where…”

  She seemed hesitant to say it, so he finished her sentence for her. “The factory workers live?”

  “Yes. What kind of work did you do?”

  He shuffled his deck twice before he answered. “My brother and I made collars and cuffs when we were not hauling materials, while my sister-in-law sewed the shirts together.”

  “I have heard…that conditions are perhaps not the best in the factories.”

  “You have heard correctly, but jobs are few and the workers must take what they can get.”

  “Ben, tell me true. How bad is it?”

  He shuffled his deck twice more while he chose his words carefully. The last thing he wanted to do was make it appear he was attacking her Mr. Harrington directly. “It is the children who suffer most. The pay is low and the hours are too long.”

  “How long?”

  “I have worked as many as 67 hours in one week. Some shops require workers to supply their own needles and thread, which makes their wages even lower. Yet, there are so many wanting jobs, a child falling asleep, or a lad late for work by only a minute, is easily replaced. We are far more content living here.”

  Gloria looked a little disturbed for a second, but then her mood improved. “If you are happy, then so am I. How marvelous it was for your mother to discover your sisters, and for Mr. Hannish to bring all of you here.”

  Ben sighed. “We still cannot believe our good fortune. Hannish teaches my brother and me carpentry, and Mother has her daughters back.”

  Gloria began to lay her cards out on the table. A few minutes later, she noticed he was not playing. “What?”

  “I was just wondering. Has your Mr. Harrington called yet?”

  “Should he have?”

  “He dinna call to make certain you arrived safely? Suppose you got lost, or the train wrecked?”

  “I did not expect him to call. I am to have a glory…ous time and call when I have returned.”

 
“Glory…ous?”

  “Yes. I confess I find his wordplay a bit annoying from time to time, but he does not do it often.”

  At last, he started to lay his cards down. “That is odd.”

  “What is?”

  “That he has not called. A lad in love…” He paused and puffed his cheeks. “Forgive me; I should not speak so boldly.”

  “Go on, what should a lad in love do?”

  “Well, if it were me, I would go daft if we were apart. I would call every day and twice on Sunday.”

  She lowered her gaze. “As I said, he is quite busy.”

  Ben changed the subject. “Have you heard? We are to attend an outdoor concert tomorrow night in the park.”

  “Is it not a bit too cold still?”

  “Fret not. It shall be bright and sunny, even at night. Our mothers shall see to it.”

  Gloria laughed. “The way they called down the rain at Palmer Lake?”

  “I cannae guess what power they hold over the weather, but I put nothing past them when it comes to keeping the two of us together.”

  “We must put a stop to them somehow. You must think of an excuse not to go.”

  “Aye, but I have not yet thought of one. Have you any suggestions?”

  She played a two of clubs on his ace. “Perhaps Mr. Hannish needs you to work late building houses.”

  Ben leaned forward, “Have you forgotten? He is in collusion with them.”

  “And my father is as well?”

  “I fear so.” Ben slipped his three on top of her two.

  “Oh, my, we are in more trouble than I thought.”

  “I see no way to avoid the inevitable, do you?”

  “I suppose not.”

  Ben shuffled and began to uncover his cards three at a time. “A concert it is, then.”

  “I’ve got it. Bring your young lady. That should put a stop to all their plotting.”

  He studied her eyes for a moment. “‘Tis a fine idea, I shall see if I can convince her.”

  As soon as she suggested it, and he agreed, Gloria felt a twinge of regret. She watched him play two more cards, and then concentrated on her own. What in the world was wrong with her? Why did she care what Ben did? Gloria shrugged and slipped a two on top of his ace of hearts.