Lucky Creek Lady

by Shirley Kennedy

  She found him in the stable feeding the horses. “Before you go, I wanted to thank you again.”

  “Again, you’re welcome.” Darcy was closely examining Prancer’s left front hoof and appeared to have only halfway heard her. “He’s gone lame,” he said.

  “I didn’t notice he was limping.”

  “Sometimes they don’t limp even though something’s wrong. You can tell by the way his head bobs and how he tenses the muscles in his shoulder.”

  “Then should I use him tomorrow?”

  He frowned and shook his head. “Could be it’s just a stone bruising on the sole of his hoof, but we won’t take any chances. Leave the horses home tomorrow. I’ll come by and pick you up, say seven thirty?”

  “That’ll be fine.” She accompanied her commonplace answer with an indifferent wave of her hand, as if she couldn’t care less one way or the other. But the funny part was she found herself glad she could spend more time alone with Darcy McKenna.

  * * * *

  After getting dressed the next morning, Laurie tiptoed into the children’s room, pleased to find Maryanne and Mathew sleeping soundly, rosy cheeked and breathing normally. In the kitchen, she found Ada fixing a pot of coffee. “Valeria’s not here this morning,” she said. “I guess we’ll have to fix our own breakfast.”

  How surprising. Valeria had her faults, but rarely did she not show up for work, and on time. Best to make light of it. “We’ll be lucky if she comes back, considering what we’re paying her.”

  “I suppose.” Ada heaved a discouraged sigh. “The way things are going, maybe we ought to return to Philadelphia now.”

  “You mustn’t be discouraged. They’ve already started digging on the new shaft.”

  Ada opened her mouth to say something. She closed it, then appeared to change her mind. “What was the name of that man who carried me into the office?”

  “Kenvern Trenowden.”

  “Such a weird name, and he talked funny, too.”

  “That’s because he comes from Cornwall. They all talk funny.”

  “Did he get hired?”

  “He did.” Laurie carefully hid her surprise that her bashful, retiring sister had actually shown an interest in a man. So unlike her. “Kenvern’s brothers were hired, too. Mr. McKenna says Cornish miners are the best.”

  “Hmm…” Ada bit her lip in thought. “They’re quite crude. Noisy and crude.”

  “They weren’t hired for their manners.”

  Ada said no more on the subject, but she didn’t have to. Laurie knew her sister well and easily recognized her attraction for the young Cornishman. Too bad he was totally unsuitable. Mother, Aunt Florence—all their friends and family in Philadelphia—would be appalled at such an alliance. And yet…? How wonderful it would be if Ada could actually find someone to love, someone who loved her. What would it hurt to see what might happen if they saw each other again?

  Later, when Laurie was leaving the house, she went out of her way to remark, “Don’t forget, Ada, the office needs some sprucing up, to say the least. Curtains alone would be a big improvement. You’re so good at decorating. I wish you’d come to the mine again and see what you can do.”

  “I just might. When would be a good time to come?”

  Astounding. Ada had actually shown an interest in doing something outside the house. Plain to see why. “Toward the end of the shift would be the best time to come. Then you could see me in action, checking the men’s time sheets and that sort of thing.” And you could also see Kenvern again. “If you don’t mind walking up, you could go home with me.”

  “I just might do that,” Ada replied.

  Laurie was standing out front waiting when Darcy picked her up. “Good morning,” she called brightly, giving him a big smile. The mEmery of their kiss still lingered in her mind, as well as yesterday’s congenial trip back from Hangtown, and she’d especially looked forward to seeing him again.

  He returned a brief smile. “Good morning. You’ll have lots to do today. We’ve opened the shaft, and you’ll have to be ready with the time sheets.”

  So that’s the way it was. The lack of warmth in his greeting made it clear he’d returned to being the man she worked with and nothing more. The whole way up the mountain, he remained solemn-faced while giving her a lecture on what she should know about time sheets and payrolls. She dutifully gave him her sober attention, not for a moment revealing the tumble of confused thoughts in her head. Had he ever taken her in his arms and passionately kissed her? If she didn’t know better, she’d think it was something she’d dreamed.

  But why should she care when Brandon Cooper awaited her? If Darcy wanted everything to be strictly business, then fine with her.

  A bustling scene awaited them when they arrived at the mine. The first shift had already gone down the new shaft. Water gushed down all four sluice boxes while aboveground, a group of men stood by as a steady stream of ore-filled iron carts rolled through the entrance. Grunting and sweating, they shoveled the ore into the boxes, while lower down, other men made sure the ore slid down the hill. In the office, Laurie wasted no time getting to work. With no help from Tom, she set up the general time book plus specialized time books for different sorts of employees. Not to her surprise, late in the afternoon, Ada appeared, measuring tape in hand. She’d walked up the mountain and had arrived rosy cheeked and breathless. She must have taken extra time to fix herself up because she looked especially attractive in her favorite sprigged violet cotton gown. She measured the windows, enthusiastically declaring a light-colored chintz would be best with maybe even some tassels. She’d see to it that they were made and hung. Looking around, she shook her head at the decrepit condition of the office. “There’s lots more I can do, but the curtains come first.”

  Fine with Laurie. She’d never been especially gifted in the art of decoration and welcomed Ada’s unexpected help. At the end of the shift, she asked Ada if she’d like to accompany her to the mine entrance and stand by her side while the workmen filed out. Ordinarily, she wouldn’t have even asked. Her timid sister would never do anything so bold, but because of Kenvern, she wasn’t surprised when Ada said yes. They walked to the entrance to the mine, Ada giving a shudder as they drew close to the intimidating black hole. “How deep does it go?”

  “Right now, they’re down to six hundred feet, but they expect to go a lot lower, maybe clear down to a thousand.”

  “How can they work so far beneath the surface? I’d be scared to death there’d be a cave-in, and I’d be trapped down there in the darkness.”

  Laurie sometimes thought the same, but such fears were best ignored, and she tried not to think about it. “The miners don’t worry about things like that. They earn a good wage, and that’s all they care about.” She doubted that was true, but with Ada it was best not to dwell on matters unpleasant or frightening.

  Notebook in hand, Laurie greeted each miner as he came through the entrance, asked how he’d spent his time, and meticulously recorded it. If nothing else, Darcy would see her records were perfect. The miners reacted to a female timekeeper with varying degrees of hilarity and skepticism.

  “Say now, we got a lady keeping track of us now.”

  “Watch out, boys, next thing you know the ladies will be down at the bottom servin’ tea and such.”

  Such remarks brought a great deal of laughter. By the time Kenvern emerged, his brothers trailing behind him, both sisters were relaxed and laughing. Laurie noticed how Ada’s cheeks flushed pink at the sight of him, and no wonder. At least six feet three, all solid muscle, he couldn’t have looked more handsome. He broke into a wide grin at the sight of Ada. “Mygar!” he exclaimed in his booming voice. “Here’s the little lassie what fainted. I hope you be all right now.”

  Ada blushed a deeper red than Laurie had ever seen. “Why, yes, I…I…” She could go no further. Stood with her mouth agape
, overcome by Kenvern’s mere, extremely masculine, presence. Gulping, she made an obvious effort to pull herself together. “How kind of you to inquire. I must go now.” She turned abruptly and fled toward the office at a pace close to running.

  Kenvern watched after her, frowning with concern. “I hope I didn’t scare her off.”

  Laurie stifled her urge to laugh. Above all, she must be loyal to Ada. “Not at all. My sister had business to attend to.”

  At the end of the day, Darcy brought Laurie and Ada home. His stand-offish attitude hadn’t let up a moment. He’d been polite enough, but Laurie felt uncomfortable riding with him and would do so no longer. Climbing from the carriage, she remarked, “I’m sure Prancer is fine now, so I won’t need a ride tomorrow.”

  “What if he’s not?”

  “Then I’ll find another way. I can always walk. Good night.” She darted away, not giving him a chance to answer. He might still be willing to give her a ride every day, but she’d have none of it and surely didn’t need his charity.

  Inside, she found her mother in the kitchen. Valeria had never shown up. As a result, they would have beef sandwiches for dinner. “And you’re lucky to get them,” Mother complained as she awkwardly sliced the beef roast Valeria had prepared the day before. “I hope she comes back tomorrow. Otherwise, when this roast is gone, I don’t know what we’ll do.”

  After what passed for dinner, Laurie waited until she found Ada alone. “Today at the mine, why did you run off like that? Kenvern was only being nice.”

  Ada hung her head. “I acted like an idiot, didn’t I?”

  Yes, she had. While Laurie searched for something tactful to say, Ada continued, “There’s something about that man that draws me to him. Am I crazy? How could I possibly have an interest in a person who can’t speak proper English? Even his name’s all wrong. Whoever heard of a man called Kenvern?”

  “I’d wager the Cornish people think we’re the ones with the funny names.”

  “That’s not the point. I might find him attractive, but he’s just not suitable. Mother would call him a lowlife. According to her, all men who work in the mines are lowlifes. How can I argue? Can you picture him at some fancy affair in Philadelphia? He’d be nothing but an embarrassment. On the other hand, he’s the first and only man I’ve ever truly thought twice about. Ever thought about kissing”—she started blushing again—“and maybe more.”

  Laurie couldn’t think what to say. Ada had never been so honest. Clearly, Kenvern Trenowden had awakened feelings within her she’d never had before. Her sister was right, though. Charming though he might be in his unrefined way, his lack of education and peculiar manner of speech would make him a laughingstock in Philadelphia.

  A sudden pounding sounded on the door. Someone was shouting. “What on earth?” Laurie fairly leaped from her chair and hastened to open it. Her neighbor, Agatha Harrison, stood wide eyed and breathless on the doorstep.

  “What is it?” Laurie asked.

  “Something terrible has happened.”

  Chapter 11

  Not in the best of moods, Darcy went straight to his hotel room after he dropped the sisters off. So he wasn’t to bother picking Laurie up again? Fine with him. Maybe he’d been too standoffish, but what was he supposed to do? Among Ned Grimes’s many words of wisdom, one particular piece of advice stuck firmly in his head. No man of honor would steal another man’s woman. It just ain’t done.

  The trouble was, sometimes being a man of honor wasn’t the easiest thing to do. Laurie belonged to the bug man back east, and he’d better not forget that. The trouble was, his mind told him one thing, his body another. Each time he thought of that kiss, which was far more often than he cared to admit, a kind of hunger grabbed at his insides. He wanted her in his bed, and in his life, too. He’d remind himself how frivolous she was, how self-centered and artificial, but no, she wasn’t. She had courage. On that god-awful trip to Hangtown she never complained, and her only thought was for her little niece. She was smart, too, had done well in the office, and learned her job quickly. The miners all liked her because they knew she liked them and didn’t consider herself above them in any way.

  All of which would do him no good, of course. She’d be leaving for Philadelphia soon as she could, and that was that.

  He hadn’t been in his room five minutes when Lucille knocked on his door and invited him to dinner downstairs. “You’ve got to eat, and it may as well be with me.” She raised a meaningful eyebrow. “We’re friends now, Darcy. No hassle.”

  They ate in the Bonanza, Gold Spike’s best restaurant. True to her word, she kept the conversation light. Not the slightest reproach as to how he’d been ignoring her. Nothing but easy chitchat until she looked him in the eye and asked, “So how are you doing, Darcy? I mean really.”

  Clearly, she asked because she cared, not out of idle curiosity, and he was happy to oblige. She gave him her full attention as he described his new mining venture at the Monarch. And what else had he done? Before he knew it, he’d launched into a detailed recounting of the harrowing trip to Hangtown, the little girl whose life had been saved in the nick of time. He made a point to mention Laurie as little as possible, but when he finished, Lucille softly inquired, “You care about her, don’t you?”

  He seldom lied and wasn’t going to start now. “There’s a man back in Philadelphia she’s dying to marry, so it doesn’t matter how I feel.”

  “Well, I care how you feel.” Her eyes got all warm and tender. “Any time you want a shoulder to cry on, you know where I am.”

  What a fine woman. He was about to tell her so when a sort of rumble coming from the street caused a sudden silence in the dining room. People stopped eating and sat listening. The sound grew louder. Soon Darcy could distinguish men shouting, shots ringing out. He jumped to his feet and shoved his chair back. “Wait here, Lucille. I’ll see what’s going on.”

  Joined by other hotel guests who’d heard the commotion, he hastened to the street. Chaos awaited. People running in all directions—shots fired—a milling crowd slowly approaching up the street. Not a happy crowd but an enraged crowd. Faces distorted in anger. Men yelling, hollering, shooting their guns in the air. Seeing one of his miners come striding by, almost at a run, he yelled, “What’s going on, Harry?”

  Harry Peske stopped when he saw who was calling. “It’s bad, Mr. McKenna. This crowd’s nearly out of control, and it looks like there’s going to be a lynching. I’m getting out of here, and if you don’t mind my saying so, so should you.”

  Darcy considered level-headed Harry Peske one of his best employees. If Harry said he should leave, then he probably should, but not before he found out what had happened and who was getting lynched. “Where’s the sheriff? Does he know what’s going on here?”

  Harry snorted. “He damn well does. He’s in the middle of the mob trying to get her to the jailhouse before the mob tears her apart.”

  Her? “Did I hear you right? You can’t mean it’s a woman.”

  “It surely is, Mr. McKenna. You know Emery Finch, the card dealer over at the Palace?”

  Everybody knew Emery, a loud, foul-mouthed man who’d made a name for himself with his crude humor and outspoken stance against all foreigners. Many cheered his fiery speeches demanding only true white Americans should be allowed to search for gold. The rest, and that included Mexicans, Chinese, and practically everyone without a white skin, should be sent back where they came from. “I’ve never met Emery, but I know who he is.”

  “He’s dead, Mr. McKenna. Knifed straight through the heart by that wife of his, although I don’t know if they were even legally married. Valeria, they call her. Latina from below the border, Mexico, Bolivia, or some such place.”

  “They want to lynch a woman? Are you sure?”

  “She’s Latina and she killed a white man. What more reason do you want?”

  The crow
d edged closer, growing uglier by the minute. Like a pack of coyotes closing in on their prey, men swarmed around, appearing to direct their seething fury at something, or someone, in the center of the crowd.

  “Get a rope!”

  “String her up!”

  “Hang her!”

  For a brief moment, the crowd parted, revealing a dark-skinned woman with a bowler hat and braids down her back. Hands bound in front of her, she walked with her head held high, mouth clamped, eyes fixed straight ahead, as if she couldn’t hear the violent threats or see the menacing gestures. She had a bruise on her face and what looked like a black eye. Sheriff Selwyn Gibbs, a middle-aged man with a big pot belly, held onto her arm with one hand, his Colt revolver held at a threatening angle in the other. Darcy had never liked the man. Considered him weak, cowardly, and prone to probable corruption. Even so, Gibbs appeared to be doing his job like he was supposed to, holding firm to the woman’s arm, continually yelling, “Get back! Get back! Let’s have some law and order here.” Two of his deputies, guns drawn, walked close behind him.

  A man dressed all in black, including his wide-brimmed hat, appeared out of nowhere, carrying a large coil of rope, holding it up for all to see. The crowd roared its approval when they saw him, many shaking their fists, yelling, “Hang her high.”

  Harry pointed in alarm. “Look at them. They’re like animals. If this keeps up, the sheriff will never get her to the jail. They’re ready to hang that poor woman right here, and there’s nothing we can do.” He edged away. “I’ve got to get out of here, Mr. McKenna.”

  “Get home to your family.” Darcy had to yell over the deafening noise. He watched his employee scurry off. He’d like to leave, too, but how could he walk away? Valeria wasn’t some nameless stranger. She cooked for the Sinclairs. Laurie had fondly described her colorful clothes, her loyalty, what a great cook she was. Ned Grimes’s words came back to him. This is America. No man should be lynched. Every man deserves a fair trial. Nor woman, either, by God.