He introduced Emer to various members of staff. She was kind and polite, asking each person something about themselves. For her youth, she had a way of putting people at ease. There was something about her. Her infectious smile perhaps, or the humor in her eyes.
“Everything on target, Connors?”
“Yes, Mr. Shipley,” the head cashier answered. “Perhaps we could have coffee in your office. I took the liberty of setting three places.”
“That was kind of you, Collins,” Mitchell said as he took a seat.
“It’s Connors, Sir, not Collins.”
Connors’ tone was respectful but distant. Not a bit like the man himself. Lawrence wondered what had gone on between the two men. Connors got on with everyone. It was part of why he was so successful.
“Thank you, Connors. I am sure Mitchell can find a cup of coffee elsewhere. Close the door behind you, Mitchell. There’s a good man.” Lawrence turned to Emer. “Would you like to pour, Miss Matthews? Connors likes his with cream.”
Emer grinned and rose to pour. Connors sat but didn’t say a word until Mitchell banged the door behind him.
“Sorry, Sir, but there is just something not right. I don’t mean any disrespect but he asks so many questions. He’s worse than…” Connors’s cheeks burned bright.
“My mother. Yes, he is. Let’s enjoy our coffee and then while Miss Matthews takes a tour, we can have a quick talk. Will that work?”
Emer took the hint and finished her coffee quickly. She made her excuses and left the two bankers to their discussions.
Wandering around the beautiful building, she could see Mrs. Shipley’s eye for detail. There wasn’t a speck of dust on any of the furnishings. The whole place looked impressive but forbidding. She couldn’t imagine any of the miners bringing their gold into a place like this. But then the Shipleys weren’t interested in people like that. People like me.
Lawrence was frowning when he came out of his meeting with Connors. It seemed to Emer as if he couldn’t get out of the bank fast enough.
“Miss Matthews, we best hurry if you are going to get your train.”
They caught a cab to the train station. “Mr. Connors seems like a nice man,” Emer said but Lawrence didn’t respond. He was distracted. Can’t wait to get rid of me, I guess.
He walked her to the train car, holding the car door open for her with one hand, her bag in the other. He steered her toward a private car. “I thought you might prefer the privacy. I sent a telegram to Clover Springs advising your sister of your arrival.”
“Thank you, Lawrence. Your family has already been so kind.”
“No, we haven’t. Mother hasn’t a kind bone in her body. You, on the other hand, well…”
She waited, not daring to breathe as he stammered. Was he nervous? Or was it something else?
“Oh, heck, Emer, couldn’t you stay in Denver a while longer? We could see if— well, maybe there would be a way…”
“Thank you, Lawrence, but you best get off the train or you will be traveling, too.” Emer tried her best to make a joke. She didn’t want him to see how upset she was. She busied herself taking off her coat. She took her bag and their fingers touched. The electricity between them sparked once more. With an oath, he took her into his arms and kissed her soundly. Then he was gone.
Chapter 23
The smoke from the train blurred her vision as she arrived in Clover Springs. She dusted off the worst of the dust from her traveling costume. She would have worn pants and a shirt but her experiences with the Shipleys dictated she should at least try to conform. She wanted to make a good impression on Sorcha, her big sister.
She stood, then sat down and stood up again. She couldn’t sit still. What if her sister hated her? What if she didn’t want any reminders of their mother? What if she hated Sorcha? Was she like Patty? Of course she isn’t like Ma. She never knew her.
“Clover Springs.” The conductor’s voice announcing they had arrived at the town broke into her frenzied thoughts. It was too late to have doubts now.
Emer stood, rubbing her hands down the folds of her skirt. Looking around to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything, she walked slowly toward the door of the car. Thank God the Shipleys had stayed in Denver. If she had to spend one second longer with Mrs. Shipley, she’d have been in no fit state to meet her sister. Mrs. Raines was right. She was a cold, old witch.
Emer stepped out onto the platform and immediately heard her name. A girl who looked too much like her not to be Sorcha came running toward her, her skirts held up in one hand.
All too soon, she was enveloped in a hug. Her sister’s face was wet with tears. The hug lasted a few seconds before Sorcha pushed her away.
“Let me look at you. I can’t believe you are here. My baby sister.”
Sorcha’s sincere welcome and her kind tone was a balm to Emer after all she had endured at the hands of Mrs. Shipley.
“Hello, Sorcha.”
Sorcha hugged her close once more. Emer tried to be as affectionate in return but it was difficult. Cuddles and affection hadn’t played a huge part in her childhood and her movements were awkward. She saw a hint of hurt in her sister’s eyes. She pulled the older girl closer trying to dispel it.
“I’m sorry. I stink. The trip took longer than I thought. I couldn’t stay in Denver a second longer. I had to get away.”
“From who? Did someone hurt you? Tell me who it was. Nobody is allowed to hurt my family.”
Family. She was part of a real family.
“It’s over now.” Emer averted her gaze. It was all over. She’d never see Lawrence again.
“Ma, are you going to let us meet our aunt?”
Emer looked over Sorcha’s shoulder to find two girls looking back at her. Sorcha pulled out of the embrace but didn’t let go of Emer. “These are my girls. Jenny and Meggie, say hello to your Aunt Emer.”
The girls came forward and joined the hug. Meggie lifted her arms up. When Emer didn’t react, Sorcha bent down and picked up the little girl. “Meggie, Emer is a bit shy. You have to let her get to know you, all right?” Sorcha turned to Emer. “Come and meet my husband Brian.”
Brian was so tall and broad, he made Sorcha look even smaller. The look he gave his wife made Emer’s throat swell. It was easy to see the couple were happily married.
“Nice to meet you at last, Emer. Can I take your bags?” Brian hadn’t hugged her but simply shaken her hand.
“Brian’s sister, Nandita, is away visiting family at the moment. She will be back in a few days.” Sorcha’s eyes danced in her face. “Would you like to go for some lunch or come home and freshen up first?”
Emer was starving but having lunch meant meeting more people.
“I’d love to freshen up first, please.”
“Ma baked cookies. They’re good, too.” Meggie lisped, giving Sorcha a big cuddle.
Chapter 24
The trip to the homestead didn’t seem long as the girls asked Emer lots of questions about the trip. Sorcha needed reassurance Father Molloy wasn’t too badly injured. Emer made them laugh with tales of how Mrs. Raines was killing the old man with kindness, making him rest and behave.
“It wouldn’t surprise me if he turned up here one day, having run away from her.”
Everyone laughed and the pain in Emer’s stomach started to subside. She was touched when Sorcha prepared a bath for her, giving her time alone to bathe and wash her hair. Brian was working in the barn. Sorcha took the girls out to pick some apples. Time alone was exactly what she needed.
She looked around her at her sister’s home. It wasn’t big, especially in comparison to the Shipley mansion. But where the mansion had been cold and uninviting, this was comfortable and homey.
Sunlight shone through the gleaming windows, causing every surface to sparkle, not a speck of dust in sight. The main room smelled of honeysuckle and beeswax. The table had a lace centerpiece with a jar of wild flowers in its center.
In the kitchen, she spotte
d a black range, scrubbed to a shine. Even the wood was stacked neatly in the wood box.
Her sister was a good homemaker. This was a real home. For a second, she envied the children growing up in this house surrounded by the love of a mother and father.
Wonder if she learned homemaking at the orphanage or did our grandmother teach her? It certainly wasn’t an inherited trait. Patty wouldn’t know how to keep a house clean. She dismissed thoughts of Patty. She wasn’t about to let her ma ruin this time with her sister.
Soon she heard giggling and the door opened, admitting the two girls closely followed by her sister.
“Did you get a chance to rest?”
“Thank you for the lovely bath. It was so nice to wash all that grime out of my hair.”
“Your hair is pretty. It looks like Ma’s.” Meggie came toward Emer but she was a little hesitant. Emer saw the uncertainty on the child’s face. She had to be the one to make the first move this time. Her unconscious rejection at the train station hadn’t gone unnoticed.
Emer put out her arms and the child ran into them, giving her a big cuddle. Tears immediately filled her eyes. Embarrassed, she looked away until she got her feelings under control. When Sorcha spoke, her voice sounded wobbly.
“Meggie has a big heart. She has lots of love to go around. Enough for all of us.”
Emer cuddled the child close before setting her back down. Spotting Jenny looking at her, she smiled at the older girl who seemed shy. “I am sure you are a great help to Sorcha. The house is so clean.” Jenny beamed with pride.
Emer sat as instructed. She watched her sister as she worked, talking the whole time she moved around the kitchen. She shook the stove grates before adding more wood to the fire. Soon, an appetizing smell filled the room. Emer’s stomach grumbled in response, causing Meggie to laugh.
They sat and ate together, letting the girls chatter away about their day. Brian didn’t say a lot. Emer caught a couple of questioning glances sent her way but any time she met his eyes, he just smiled. Emer sensed Sorcha had lots of questions but she wanted to wait until they were alone. How would she answer them?
Chapter 25
The time flew past. Soon the girls were in bed. Emer helped Sorcha with the last of the chores, wondering how long Brian would be out in the barn. She wasn’t sure she could deal with two people questioning her.
“Brian had to call over to the Sullivan ranch to check on one of their horses. It gives us time to talk.” Sorcha pulled the rocking chairs closer to the fire. “I thought it might be easier if he wasn’t here. I have so many questions and I guess you do, too.”
“Were you happy?” Emer blurted out the question that had consumed her since she first learned her ma had considered leaving her at the orphanage.
Sorcha looked into the fire. Emer shifted in her seat, the pain on her sister’s face making her uncomfortable. “You don’t have to tell me.”
“No, I do. I was happy with granny. She wasn’t a sweet old lady like you read about in stories. She was loud and shouted a lot but she cared. She really tried to make life better for me. She let everyone believe she was my ma. Tried to protect me. I believed her, until the other kids told me different.”
Emer yearned to touch her sister but seeing Sorcha’s arms drawn across her chest, she didn’t move.
“When Granny died, there was no one so they took me to the nuns. I hated it in that place. Some of the nuns were kind but the Reverend Mother—she was a real witch.”
Emer shivered at the venom in Sorcha’s voice.
“She didn’t tell me about you until I was leaving. In fact, I think she never planned on telling me. She was angry and let it slip. I thought she was being mean. I didn’t believe I had a sister. Granny would have told me.” Sorcha brushed the tears from her face. She held out her hands to Emer. “You have no idea how much I wanted a family of my own. And now you are here.”
“You have a family. The girls are lovely. You mentioned Brian had a sister and Brian seems…”
“Quiet! Yes, he is but I love him and the girls. Nandita is a good friend. You are my sister. I feel like I know you already and we just met.”
Emer looked at the fire. She couldn’t meet her sister’s eyes. It would hurt her if she said she didn’t feel the same, yet she couldn’t lie. But would it be a lie?
Emer glanced at Sorcha and saw the disappointment on her face but it was quickly replaced by curiosity.
“What is Ma like? I mean, is she still alive? She didn’t die, did she?”
“She was alive two years ago.” Emer tried to keep her tone light.
“Do you know where she is? Do you think if I wrote her, she’d come and visit? Maybe if she knew you were here, she’d settle in Clover Springs and we could be a real family.”
Emer laughed but the harsh sound was anything but happy.
“Patty isn’t interested in family. Believe me, Sorcha, you are better off not knowing that woman. She’s poison.” Emer bit her lip as her sister went pale, tears glistening in her eyes. Why had she said that? She didn’t have to tell the truth.
“You can’t mean that. I know she’s not perfect. Nobody who leaves their child and runs is. Maybe she’s wiser now she’s older. She didn’t dump you at the orphanage.”
“No, but she would have left me with her ma if the old woman was up for it.” Emer ignored Sorcha’s intake of breath. “Father Molloy told me Patty tried to persuade her ma to take me but Sadie said she was too old. I don’t know why she didn’t dump me at the orphanage. I wish she had.”
“I wish she’d kept me. I would have done anything for a real ma.” Sorcha put her head in her hands and cried. Emer stood but instead of comforting her sister, she started pacing the floor.
“Like you?”
Sorcha lifted her head. “What does that mean?”
“You’re a real ma. You keep a nice house, you cook and clean. You even bake cookies. Our ma never did any of that. I don’t think she knows how.”
Sorcha stared at her wide eyed but Emer couldn’t stop.
“You got to get rid of this idea that ma was some sort of saint. She wasn’t. Even Father Molloy wouldn’t be able to see any good in her, if he ever has the misfortune to meet her.”
“Emer, stop it. She can’t be that bad. She just can’t.”
“She is! Do yourself a favor and forget all about our ma. In fact, while you are at it, forget about this whole thing. I was wrong to come here.”
Emer moved quickly to the door and would have run but for the fact Brian was standing there. The shock on his face hit home. She turned behind her to find Sorcha sitting on the chair, knees drawn up like a child, sobbing her heart out. She hadn’t even noticed her sister’s distress. She was too consumed with her own pain.
“Sorry, I’ve got to get some air.” Emer brushed past her sister’s husband and headed outside. She had to walk or she would burst.
Chapter 26
Emer walked till she came to the creek Sorcha had pointed out earlier. The sound of the rippling water helped sooth her frazzled mood. Some time passed before she felt Sorcha standing behind her.
“I’m sorry. I had no right to upset you.” Emer apologized.
“No, it’s me who should say I am sorry. Brian warned me that your—I mean, our story wasn’t going to be like one of the fairytales I tell the kids.”
“He’s a sensible man,” Emer said, trying to distract Sorcha. She wasn’t sure she was able to talk about Patty again. The need to tell her sister everything was too strong to fight. She couldn’t, though. It would destroy her and Patty had ruined enough lives.
“Did Father Molloy not tell you anything?” Emer wasn’t sure how much of her story the priest had put in his letter.
“Not really. He said I should have patience. He tried to warn me not to push you to tell me everything at once. I didn’t listen. I’m sorry.” Sorcha’s voice quivered with suppressed tears. Emer wanted to make her feel better but she didn’t really know how.
The smile on Sorcha’s face was worth the small lie. Ma was good at telling stories, all right. It was the truth she had issues with.
“Where does she live?”
“Kansas.” At the look of hope on Sorcha’s face, Emer continued quickly. “Well, that’s where she was two years ago but she likes to move around. Restless spirit, I guess. She says it’s the Irish in her.” Emer forced a yawn.
At once, Sorcha was all apologies.
“Emer, I’m sorry. You are very tired. Come on back to the house and go to be bed. We can talk about Ma tomorrow or the next day. There’s no rush.”
Emer let Sorcha take her arm as they both walked back to the house. Brian looked up from his book. Emer thought she saw a touch of understanding alongside the wariness in his eyes but she didn’t know him well enough to be sure. He didn’t say anything other than, “Goodnight.”
Emer tossed and turned, the quiet of the house making her thoughts seem louder. This was a huge mistake. I need to leave.
There was no point in being careless. It was madness to go wandering the prairie in the darkness. She got up and dressed but waited until the first hint of daybreak. She didn’t want to risk meeting Brian—or worse, her sister.
She left a note on her pillow.
“Dear Sorcha,
Thank you for welcoming me to your home. You have a lovely family. I wanted to see you were happy. Please don’t try to stop me leaving. It is for the best.
Emer
Emer: Clover Springs Mail Order Brides Page 8
