by Jo Noelle
“I’ve heard that the suits are supposed to arrive soon. Does anyone know where she plans to have the wedding?” Eliza asked.
“She made arrangements to use the Tivoli Ballroom. After the wedding, there will be a dance for the community,” Millie added. “At least, that’s what I’ve heard from her.”
“Did she buy the suits at the mercantile or dry goods stores?” Rhona asked as she looked at Toria and then Mrs. Crowther. She hoped one of them would say yes—that Mrs. D’Arcy wasn’t a fraud—but both women shook their heads. Rhona shook her head as her suspicion grew. “It seems like there would be a number of letters going back and forth between the couples. Have you noticed anything like that, Beatrice?”
“I haven’t seen her even come near the telegraph or the mail office,” she answered.
“The wedding is supposed to be in three days. Has she ordered any food or cake?” Rhona asked.
Sadness settled over the expressions of the ladies. Enough women shook their heads that she knew Mrs. D’Arcy hadn’t contacted restaurants, bakers, or merchants.
“Oh, dear. It sounds like she’s going to swindle a lot of men out of their hard-earned cash,” Seffi said.
“Those men will feel awful—brideless, broke, and embarrassed.” Celeste shook her head. “How can we stop this?”
“First, we have to figure out how to get the money back before she can leave town with it. I’m guessing that would be soon since she’s collected from all the men,” Rhona said.
“We’ll have to find a way to make it worth her while to stay until we want her to leave,” Millie said.
“I’d say that we have to catch her ourselves instead of having the lawmen investigate. That would take time, and she’d be gone. Also, they’re softies when it comes to women. I’ve never even heard of one being arrested for anything short of murder,” Eliza added. She pointed to another slice of lemon pie, which Ariadne passed to her. “I’m eating for two now.” She patted one hand on her very rounded dress.
Rachel nodded and said, “Eliza’s right. They won’t like putting a woman in jail even if they do something soon enough.”
“She’s going to skip town. She met with the last man today and got his money,” Eileen said.
“Let’s tell her that there’s wealthy man coming into town who wants a bride. He’ll triple her fees if she’ll meet with him tomorrow,” Isla offered.
“I can do that part,” Beatrice said. “It’s even going to look like a real telegram. I’ll deliver it in a few minutes.”
“I’d like to get her on tomorrow morning’s train and put an end to this,” Rhona said.
“Ooh, I know. Let’s bring a woman to her and tell her that she’s the first of the brides to arrive. She’s just a couple of days early,” Isla said with a smile. “Then we’ll know by Mrs. D’Arcy’s reaction if she’s an authentic matchmaker or not.”
Eileen turned to her. “You scare me. You’re too good at this sneaky plotting, Isla.”
Isla stuck her pinkie out and took a sip of her tea. “Thank you.”
“She’ll either accuse her of being a fraud,” Patience added, “or she’ll know she’s been caught and hightail it on the next train.”
“Where we’ll be waiting. We can take the money, and she can leave town,” Clara said. “Couldn’t we be in trouble for stealing from her?”
“Not if KC and Dutch are in on this with us,” Rachel said. “I’ll talk to our lawmen in the morning when the train arrives. I don’t want them thinking about it all night and changing our plans.”
“How do we find a woman that she’s never met before?” Vivian asked and bit into her scone.
Rhona saw her mama standing near the door, pointing to herself emphatically. “Leave that part to me,” Rhona said. “I’ll get her to Hearth and Home tomorrow morning, and I’ll tell Mrs. D’Arcy that I found her at the train station waiting for her.”
The women worked out the details before they left. Rhona wished Mrs. D’Arcy was truthful, but she doubted it. Either they’d have a big wedding on Friday, or there’d be a lot of disappointment to go around.
Rhona walked back to the print shop and finished out the day. Although she and Mark were engaged, nothing had drastically changed. She placed the paper under the frames. He inked the letters. They both typeset new articles and cleaned up slugs that had been used. But it seemed to her that Mark’s fingers touched hers much more often than before and definitely lingered longer. He walked closer beside her, and his hand touched the small of her back or her hip or her shoulder, causing pleasure to sparkle through her. All afternoon, she was in giddy anticipation of the next brush. She loved it.
Rhona walked to the railroad station early on Wednesday morning. She had heard the whistle down the track, which had sent her and the other women into motion. She peeked out the window and saw them taking their places. Creede was a very different place than it appeared. There were many good people here, and it was making a difference.
She had no idea how her mam was going to get a woman to play along with their little scheme, but Mama had assured her that she would.
The train pulled into the station, throwing snow out of its way, its wheels screeching on the metal track as Rhona approached. When it came to a stop, she could see her mother bundling up two women in the first passenger car. Rhona waited patiently on the platform until the three approached her.
“Susie, Linda, this is my daughter. Rhona, these are the actresses I told you I would bring to town.” Mama M winked at her daughter. “They hope to have auditions at the Creede theater in a few days. I told them we would give them a place to stay, a good word, and a little practice to help them out.”
Rhona shook their hands. “I’m pleased to meet you. And thank you.” This was absolutely amazing. The women couldn’t be better equipped for the ruse. “Let me tell you about the part I’m asking you to play.” She explained the scheme to the women, who immediately agreed to help. “You understand that I can’t promise you a position at the theater, but there’s good work in town if you don’t get those jobs.”
“I’m glad to help,” Susie said, and Linda agreed. “Let’s get started.”
“I only know the name of one of the potential brides. Linda, you can be Cerena since she had dark hair like you.”
Rhona’s mother hugged her and whispered in her ear, “They were another of my assignments. I planned to bring them here, anyway. I’m so glad I could help them leave their situations and just in time for you to need them. Divine intervention—it must be. I am love this work a bushel and a peck, my dear.”
Rhona led the women to Hearth and Home. She was happy to know that what she was doing would help two more women. Her heart was even fuller because of her mama’s happiness as an angel. At some point during their walk to the restaurant, Mama M had disappeared. Luckily, when they entered, Mrs. D’Arcy was sitting at a table finishing her breakfast. Beside her seat, she had her familiar carpet bag, where she kept the photo album of potential brides and had stuffed the men’s money each day.
Rhona approached the table. “Mrs. D’Arcy, I’m so happy to see you down here this morning. I just came from the train station, and look who I found.” She smiled, pointing toward the two actresses.
“Thank you for sending Rhona to meet us. I wasn’t sure how I’d find you,” Linda said.
Beside her the blonde woman extended her hand. “I’m so grateful for your help, Mrs. D’Arcy. I never thought I would have an opportunity to marry. But here I am, ready to meet my husband.”
Rhona wished her friends from Tuesday Tea could be there to see the look on Mrs. D’Arcy’s face. The matchmaker’s eyes flicked between all three women. She was obviously wanting to clear up the mistake but couldn’t reveal her own deception. Her hand immediately went to her carpetbag.
“Come, Mrs. D’Arcy. Let’s get them settled upstairs in the room next to yours,” Rhona said.
“Of course, of course.” Dionysia picked up her bag.
&nb
sp; Rhona followed her up the stairs. She wasn’t going to take her eyes off the woman. “When do you think the other brides will arrive?”
“How many of us will there be?” Susie asked. “I’m glad there will be other newlyweds in town.”
Mrs. D’Arcy stuttered a bit on her answer. “I suppose there will be twelve. No, no, there will be twenty-four brides coming.”
“It’s such a good thing you’re doing for all of us,” Linda said as they reached the top of the stairs.
Mrs. D’Arcy stopped beside the door to her room. “I think I’ll lay down for a little nap. You ladies have been traveling. Why don’t you have a little rest yourselves? We’ll meet together for lunch and to arrange for you to meet your husbands.”
The actresses entered their room as Mrs. D’Arcy entered her own. Immediately, Dionysia opened her door and looked out.
“I’ll wake you for lunch, so you don’t miss it.” Rhona waved goodbye and went down the stairs. She heard the door shut behind her. She would know within ten minutes if they were wrong about this.
Five minutes later, Mrs. D’Arcy crept down the servant staircase Isla had been watching, which the spy reported it to Rhona.
Rhona followed as Mrs. D’Arcy crossed Main Street, walking very quickly to the station, then slipped onto the train while Dionysia bought a ticket. The other ladies were in place in each of the passenger cars. Rachel and Dutch sat in the front car. Eliza and KC were sitting together in the back car, and the other women were seated throughout. With the lawmen in place, Rhona was assured the conductor also knew to wait a little longer to let it all play out. When the whistle blew, signaling final boarding, Mrs. D’Arcy boarded the train and sat near the front of the second car.
At once, the ladies converged on her, blocking every way of escape. The lawmen stepped off to ensure no one else entered or left. The plan was that they’d let the conductor know when he could pull out.
“Hello, Dionysia,” Rhona said. “I didn’t expect you up from your nap so soon. Well, actually, I did. We don’t believe you are who you say you are or that you’re going to make good on your promise to bring brides to town for the men you’ve taken money from.”
Mrs. D’Arcy hugged her carpetbag to her, but several women pulled it away. “That’s private property. Don’t touch that. Help! I’m being robbed,” she called out.
Rachel pointed out the window. “There’s Marshal KC and Deputy Dutch. Do you want me to have them come in here and investigate our charges against you?” she asked.
Mrs. D’Arcy locked her lips in a tight line and narrowed her eyes.
“I didn’t think so. Rhona, what’s in the bag?” Rachel asked.
Celeste held it toward Rhona, who opened the top and pulled out the photo books. Then she took out a stack of photos. “There are several pictures of each woman. Most likely to replace them each time she lies to a man. She has a stack of letters, too, all written by the men in our town and addressed to various women. Never sent. Here’s another stack of letters written in a woman’s hand telling all about herself. Every letter is the same, but each is signed with a different name. They have a blank where a man’s name can be written. And finally, a purse of money. How much was she charging each man, Isla?” Rhona asked.
“Why would you ask me?” Isla feigned shock.
“Because you know all the gossip. I supposed that maybe you’d listened in?”
Isla blew out her breath. “Yes, I did. And aren’t you glad now? Anyway, she said she needed eighty-five dollars, which would be used to pay for a new suit of clothes for the man, three dresses for the lady, a rail pass, their portion of the wedding and reception, and her services.”
Julianne made a low whistle. “That’s the same price as that little buggy I bought when I came here last year.”
“Open the bag. Let’s see if she has the money. There should be over two thousand dollars in there,” Millie said deliberately while looking into the matron’s face, “to keep the marshal away.”
The women looked on as Beth counted aloud. “There’s three hundred dollars missing.”
“I’ll get my husband.” Eliza leaned out of the doorway. “KC we’re going to need you in here after all.”
“I have the rest of it here.” Dionysia reached into her cleavage and withdrew a small purse. “I used some to buy food, but this is the rest of what I had left.” She threw it at Rhona in a huff.
Beth confirmed the cash was there just as Marshall KC reentered the passenger car.
Eliza held his hand. “She came up with the rest of the money. Sorry to call you over.”
“No problem.” He wove between the crowded women. “Did you intend to bring brides in for the men you took money from?”
“I really won’t say.”
“These ladies were doing you a favor by keeping you from committing fraud. You can leave town now without the money—you won’t have committed a crime, so you won’t get charged with extortion, or you can go to jail. What’s your choice Mrs. D’Arcy?”
She scowled at Rhona, who was standing in front of her. “That carpetbag is much too heavy for me to carry. I believe I’ll leave it here with you, Marshal.”
“Wise choice,” he said. “Let’s get off the train, ladies, and let it leave the station. And Mrs. D’Arcy, never come back. I’ll let the lawmen round about know to watch out for you as well.” He tipped his hat to the other passengers in the car. “Thanks for your patience.”
Mrs. D’Arcy stuck her nose in the air and looked out the window.
“I’ll need to get this money back to the right men. Do you have a list of names?” KC asked.
“I lost it,” Dionysia said.
“Isla?” Rhona said.
“Yeah. I know who they all are,” she answered as they filed off the train.
Toria Jackson met the ladies in the street as they were returning from the train. “Did you catch her? Was she really a fraud?”
“Oh, yes. She had no intention of helping any of those men marry,” Rachel said.
“I’m sorry. I wish she’d been honest. I was quite looking forward to the grand wedding Mrs. D’Arcy promised. The men will be so discouraged.” Toria had a compassionate look on her face and went her own way as did the other women.
“Me, too. Doesn’t that just disappoint you, Eileen, to cancel the big wedding?” Isla asked as they walked together.
“It does,” she answered. “I was looking forward to having new friends and a reason to celebrate.”
“Maybe the men will order real brides,” Rhona said. “I hope so.”
“Ooh. That gives me an idea,” Isla said under her breath.
“What idea?” Rhona asked.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that out loud.” Isla smiled at Eileen and Rhona. “I’ve got things to do. See you two tonight,” she said as she ran ahead of them to the hotel.
Chapter 13
Mark
Two days later, Rhona entered the print shop out of breath. “I’m sorry I’m late this morning. My sisters made me change clothes, twice, after the breakfast service. It seemed silly to wear my best dress under my printing apron all day, but nothing less would do for them.” She walked to the front of the store, and Mark followed behind. “You forgot to turn the sign to open.” Rhona reached out to do it, but Mark’s hand encased hers and turned her to him.
“Rhona, you’re absolutely beautiful.” He raised his hand to the tiny ringlets framing her face, feeling their soft bounce as he pinched them between his fingers, his knuckles grazing her cheek. She took a quick breath, and he added, “I’m the luckiest man in Colorado. Thank you for agreeing to marry me.” He kissed her wrist again. He was looking forward to doing that for the rest of their lives. He handed her a folded paper. “Could you check this over for me?” He could barely contain his excitement.
He loved the glimmer in her eyes. “Another secret message?”
Mark nodded to the side and guided her to the counter, giving her a pencil.
/> “I’ll have you know that I saved the last message.” She began reading the page, circling the misspelled words. After the second word, she looked up at him. Tears began to gather in her eyes, but he could tell by her broad smile that they were the kind that told of good things. He wanted to take her in his arms.
“I can’t look at you again, or I won’t be able to finish this.”
Mark shoved his hands into his pockets. “I agree. If you look at me like that again, I won’t be responsible for what happens next.”
With a giggle, she went back to her task. At the end, she read it aloud, and Mark whispered along with her, “Will you marry me today?”
“Yes,” Rhona said as she launched herself into his arms. Her lips pressed against his, and he held her tightly against himself. She fit him perfectly. He knew he’d never get used to the idea that this beautiful woman had chose him.
“Let’s get going. I don’t want to waste a moment.” She grabbed her coat and buttoned it up on the way to the back door.
“I was hoping you’d say that.” Mark extended his arm to her. “I have a carriage waiting out front.”
Otto had sent over his best carriage, a shiny black Hansom Cab. When Archie died, Otto had reclaimed the conveyance since Archie hadn’t finished paying for it yet. Mark felt as if he was assisting royalty into the seat.
“Does my family know?” Rhona asked.
“Yes. Your sisters made all the arrangements.”
“That explains their insistence on my wearing this dress.” The driver didn’t take the turn off to Pastor Theodore’s. “We’re not getting married in the church?”
“No.” He knew he had a huge smile on his face, but he couldn’t make it go away. This was the very best surprise he could imagine.
“I’m so curious. My sisters were out very late last night—probably arranging this.” Rhona waited patiently beside him, but Mark didn’t give away any of the details. He wanted to keep the secret a little longer if he could.
As they approached the end of Main Street, Mark could tell when Rhona noticed her friends and family lining the walk that lead up to the doors of the Tivoli Ballroom. The huge domed roof of the building glowed white in the sunlight as they parked on the road.
