River Queen Rose

by Shirley Kennedy

  “So in other words, they’d both aim high and neither would be harmed?”

  “Yeah, that’s it. I guess it’s common to do that. After Rudy left, I rushed right over to the River Queen and told Mr. Peterson. You should have seen how relieved he looked. By then he’d calmed down a lot, got beyond all that rage and anger and how he’d been insulted. He knew he’d got carried away believing a duel was an ‘affair of honor.’ It had a romantic kind of sound to it. He’d be a hero like those fellows in The Three Musketeers. But by then he’d begun to realize his affair of honor was more like an affair of stupidity, and in the morning, he could be dead or badly injured.”

  “So he agreed?”

  “He didn’t hesitate. I got word to Rudy. The next morning, after we gathered for the duel, I checked with him to make sure Mr. Talbot got the message. When Rudy said he had, I was mighty relieved. We’d found the perfect solution. Mr. Talbot could keep his honor and no one would call him a coward. Emmet would still have his so-called satisfaction, for whatever that was worth, and he wouldn’t be shot dead. He was a tough boss, but a good man, and I didn’t want to see him killed for no good reason. The rest you pretty much know.” Jake slumped back in his chair. “When they took their ten paces and turned, I wasn’t worried. I knew what was going to happen, or thought I did. Like I expected, Emmet took aim and missed. Then Mr. Talbot aimed, fired, and my boss fell to the ground. I couldn’t believe it.”

  At first, Rose’s mind refused to register the significance of Jake’s words. “So what you’re saying is, Mason Talbot deliberately shot my husband?”

  “He was supposed to aim way high, like your husband did. Well, he didn’t. The plain truth is, Mason Talbot murdered your husband in cold blood.”

  His words were hard to accept. Several seconds went by before she trusted herself to speak again. “But why would he do such a terrible thing? I can understand Mason would be angry at being challenged to a duel, but was that reason enough to deliberately murder my husband?”

  Jake sat straight and gave her a long, searching gaze. “You don’t understand, do you?”

  “I guess I don’t.”

  “Then it’s time you knew the truth. The River Queen sits on one of the most prime pieces of land in all Sacramento. Mason’s been after it for years. The building itself is well built, of sound construction. He wanted to remodel and expand it, like you’re doing now. The Egyptian looks good, but it’s flimsily built and probably won’t survive the next flood. It isn’t enough for Mason Talbot. He wants the River Queen so bad he’d sell his own mother to get his hands on it.”

  She struggled to understand. “If that’s the case, then how was my husband able to buy the River Queen when it was up for sale?”

  “Mason’s luck ran out. The day it went up for sale, he was in San Francisco. By the time he got back, it was already sold. He went wild—went to your husband and offered nearly twice the sale price, but Emmet refused to sell.”

  “I wish to God he had.”

  Jake shrugged. “So Mason was hung out to dry, and he’s been mad ever since. He hasn’t given up, though. I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’ve seen how he sweet talks you. Maybe he means it, but maybe—I’ve gotta be honest here—he’s more after your hotel than you.”

  “I see.” She must stay calm and composed. It wouldn’t do to break down in front of an employee, even though he’d totally shocked her. She’d asked for it, though. And easy to see he’d spoken the truth. Deke must have known. Now she understood why he got that cold, hard look in his eye when he talked about Mason. “Thank you, Jake. I appreciate your honesty.” She stood to go.

  “Any time, Mrs. Peterson.” He stood, too. “I don’t know what you plan to do, but one thing you’d better keep in mind.”

  “And what is that?”

  “Mason Talbot is an evil man. He’s got no conscience. If he wants something, he’ll go after it, and he don’t care who gets in his way. If I was you, I’d have nothing more to do with him.” Jake gave a rueful smile. “It’s not my business, but I’m just saying.”

  “I appreciate your honesty.”

  When she left Jake’s office, all she wanted was to get upstairs and back to her room. She didn’t throw herself on the bed this time. Enough of such a time-waster. But for a while, she sat on the side of the bed, willing her insides to stop shaking, struggling to understand the significance of Jake’s shocking words. The worst of it was, she’d asked for it. Now that she knew the truth, that Mason Talbot had deliberately killed her husband, what should she do? She tried to think, but couldn’t concentrate. So much had gone wrong. Her life was a disastrous mess. She needed help. Someone she could talk to. Someone calm and rational who had good sense.

  * * * *

  Dulcee Bidwell picked up her flowered porcelain teapot. “Would you like more tea, Rose? Looks to me like you could use a second cup.”

  “I would.” Sitting in Dulcee’s cozy kitchen, Rose felt more relaxed already. The warmth of the ginger peach tea had done a lot to calm her jangled nerves. Pouring her heart out had helped, too. She couldn’t ask for a better listener than her elderly friend who’d sat nodding with genuine sympathy while Rose recounted the several causes of her misery. “So there you have it, Dulcee. I’ve lost my daughter. The man I love has rejected me, and I just found out my husband was deliberately murdered.”

  Dulcee pursed her lips. “Landsakes, you’ve got more problems than you can shake a stick at.”

  “You could say that, yes.”

  “You need to take them one at a time. Let’s start with Lucy, shall we? Isn’t getting her back most important of all?”

  At the thought of her daughter, a pang of desperation welled within her. “Of course it is. I want my child back. I’ve gone about as far as I can go.”

  “I agree.” Dulcee finished pouring the tea and set the pot down firmly. “From what I’ve heard, what you’ve done with the River Queen is amazing. But the problem is, you live there. That’s fine for you, but you don’t want Lucy living over a saloon, do you? You can’t move back to the farm, so first off, you’ve got to find a decent place to live.”

  Dulcee was making a lot of sense. “I never thought of living by myself.”

  “What woman does? We’re not supposed to be independent. We live under our parents’ control until we marry.” An ironic smile crossed Dulcee’s face. “Then our husband takes over.”

  “I’ve been so dependent I never gave a thought to living by myself. The more I think about it, though, the more I realize I wouldn’t want to go back, even if I could.”

  “Now you’re getting some sense in your head. There’s no reason you can’t find a place of your own.”

  “Of course I can. A little house would be nice, if I could find one to rent or even have built. I could afford it.”

  Dulcee nodded approvingly. “And then you’d need someone to look after Lucy when you’re at the hotel. I hear Sacramento’s finally going to have a school. You could enroll her. She’s old enough.”

  “Of course she is. That would be perfect.”

  “Problem solved.” Dulcee flopped out her hands. “You see? All you need do is keep your head straight and think it through. Here’s what else you should do. When you leave here, you should march right next door and have a talk with Ben and Coralee. Tell them what you plan. Give them a deadline. Not longer than a couple of weeks, I’d say, and then you’re going to take Lucy and that’s that. Meantime, you’re looking for a house and enrolling Lucy in school.”

  “You make it all sound so easy. They might not let me in, though.”

  “You’ve got to try, that’s all I can tell you.” A corner of Dulcee’s mouth pulled into a slight smile. “Now what’s the next problem?”

  Rose had to laugh. Dulcee might be old, but her mind hadn’t lost a bit of its sharpness. “The next problem is Deke Fleming. I’ve f
allen in love with him, but he doesn’t love me anymore, if he ever did in the first place. Now he’s very, very angry.” She heaved a sigh. “Not much you can do about that, I’m afraid.”

  Dulcee cocked her head. “Now, hold on, missy. You told me Deke got mad because he saw you kissing Mason Talbot.”

  “Thought he saw me kissing Mason, but like I said, I wasn’t.”

  “Doesn’t matter. Either way, do you think he would’ve gotten this mad if he didn’t care about you?”

  “I suppose not.”

  “It’s plain to see the man was jealous. That’s why he acted that way. Of course, he loves you.”

  “So what do you think I should do?”

  Dulcee sat back and rolled her eyes. “Goodness gracious, you don’t have to do anything. Don’t let this go to your head, but no wonder the men are after you. You’re pretty and you’re smart. You’re witty and you’ve got a good sense of humor. And besides all that, you’ve got spirit and you stand up for yourself. That’s what men truly admire in a woman, what they find irresistible. We’re supposed to believe that to catch a husband a girl should be all mealy-mouthed and not a brain her head, but that’s not so. Deke sees you for the special woman you are. Mark my words, he won’t stay away for long, and you won’t have to lift a finger.”

  “You think so? I’m not so sure I’m the independent woman you think I am, especially after last night.”

  “Don’t underestimate yourself. No woman without spirit would have chosen to run that hotel. From what I’ve heard, you’re making a big success of it. You took a chance, defied everyone to do it, and by golly you’ve come out on top.”

  Maybe Dulcee was wrong, but even if she was, Rose felt better. “You don’t think I should go find Deke and apologize?”

  “What for? Judging from what you’ve said, you didn’t do anything wrong. If you ask me, it’s all Mason Talbot’s fault. He’s an evil man. Bad enough he killed Emmet, but he did it on purpose? What a terrible thing.”

  “I know, and I’m trying to decide what to do about it.”

  “Oh, my dear!” Dulcee’s eyelids lifted in alarm. “You can’t do anything. It’s not fair, and it’s not right, but you’re looking for trouble if you go after a man like Mason. I know you’d like to, but if you value your safety, you’d best leave it in God’s hands.”

  “I’m listening.” Rose took another sip of tea. “And I do believe you’re right.”

  * * * *

  At the end of her visit with Dulcee Bidwell, Rose climbed in her buggy and drove straight next door to the farmhouse. Walking to the front door, she recalled the last time she was here, that awful night they’d locked her out and thrown her clothes on the ground. What a wreck she’d been, her belief in herself in shreds. Today was different, though. This time she strode to the front door with head held high and knocked with a firm hand.

  Coralee opened the door. To Rose’s great surprise, she smiled. “Come in.” She swung the door wide. “Ben’s gone at the moment. Lucy’s in the kitchen. She’ll be so glad to see you.”

  In the kitchen Lucy was at the table eating her lunch. With a dimpled smile, she hopped off her chair and flung herself into Rose’s arms. “Where have you been? I missed you.”

  Holding her daughter tight, Rose lost the last of her doubts that what she was doing was right. She held Lucy at arms’ length and grinned. “It won’t be long now, sweetheart. Everything’s going to be fine, and we’ll soon be together again.”

  Later, after Lucy had gone down for her nap, Rose had an honest talk with Coralee. “As soon as I can find a place to live, I’ll be coming for Lucy. You can tell Ben she’ll have a nice place to live, a nice school to attend, and she’ll be with her mother, which is how it should be. Surely he’ll have no objections.”

  Coralee nodded decisively. “You know how he is, Rose, hardheaded and stubborn, but he’s beginning to waver. Deep in his heart he knows Lucy should be with her mother. I can’t wait to tell him your plans. By the time you come back, I promise he’ll be gentle as a lamb.”

  * * * *

  Rose drove the buggy back to town with spirits high. No more muddled thinking. Now that she had a plan, she needn’t spend another anguished minute worrying over Lucy. Tomorrow she’d start looking for a place for the two of them, and that would be pure pleasure.

  As for Deke…

  Dulcee had it right. Deke was jealous. Maybe that meant he loved her and would surely come back. If so, she wouldn’t have to lift a finger.

  As for Mason …

  For a brief moment, her mind clouded with worry. Mason Talbot had deliberately murdered her husband. Now that she knew, shouldn’t she go to the sheriff? Surely that would be the just and proper thing to do, but like Dulcee said, she’d be looking for trouble if she went after him. No, she wouldn’t do it. She was a mother with a child to raise, and that came first.

  How wonderful that she’d finally made her decisions and knew exactly what she was going to do! She laughed aloud and burst into a chorus of “Oh! Susanna,” perfectly timed to the clip-clop of the horse’s hooves. The worst of her problems were behind her. Nothing more could go wrong.

  Chapter 17

  When Rose returned to the River Queen, she found Cherry waiting in her office. Rose had stopped by her second-floor room from time to time, always pleased to find the baby doing well and Cherry with a contented look about her, a far cry from that pale, desperate-looking young woman who had threatened to kill herself.

  Cherry got up to greet her. “I hope you don’t mind me waiting in your office, Mrs. Peterson. I had to talk to you.”

  “Of course, I don’t mind.” Rose seated herself at her desk and waved for Cherry to sit down. “Is the baby all right?”

  “Oh, yes! My little James is a joy. When he smiles at me and waves his little fists, my heart melts. I can’t imagine life without him, thanks to you.”

  Rose held up her hand to protest. “Compared to your benefactor, I haven’t done much. He’s the one you should thank, although, as I made clear, he doesn’t want your gratitude.”

  “I wish I knew who he was. The thing is…” Cherry frowned and chewed on her lip, clearly struggling to find the right words. “I know how selfish this sounds, especially after all my benefactor has done for me, but I can’t stay in that little room much longer. I feel trapped. There’s hardly any sunshine. Did you know he sent me a baby carriage? I was ever so grateful, but I can hardly use it, being as every time I take the baby out, I have to bump the carriage all the way down the stairs and then past all those men acting like they never seen a baby before in their lives. And then when I get James and me out the door, there’s men on the street gathering around, all ogling and poking their fingers at the baby. They mean well, but I can’t get away from them. Besides that, the street’s all muddy, and I have to push really hard to make the wheels turn, and that’s why I don’t want to stay.” Cherry stopped to catch her breath. “I’m a terrible, ungrateful person, but that’s how I feel, and I don’t know what to do.”

  “You’re not thinking of going back to what you were doing?”

  “Never!” Cherry spiritedly shook her head. “I cringe when I think about it. I could never go back.”

  Rose took a moment to gather her thoughts. If she’d taken the time to think, she would have realized a hotel was a poor place to raise a baby, even on the second floor. Terrible, in fact. “I hear what you’re saying, and of course, you’re right. This is my fault. I’ve been so busy with other things I didn’t take time to realize you can’t stay in that room forever.”

  “I’m so sorry that I—”

  “Don’t you dare be sorry. I’m glad you came to me. Don’t worry. I know exactly what’s to be done, and I’m going to take care of it right now.”

  After Cherry left, Rose hastened to her room and went straight to the Bible that sat on the table beside her b
ed. She’d always held a great admiration for those virtuous souls who could instantly quote a suitable verse from the Bible for any and all occasions. Despite her many years of attendance at church and Sunday school, she couldn’t come close to such piousness. She would do her best, though. Where to start? She opened the cover and racked her brain. Ah, yes, Mark 11:25 would be good. If that didn’t work, Mathew 6:14-15 would surely do the job, or maybe something even better.

  When she finally closed her Bible, she changed her dress to her favorite, the rose-colored cotton. She checked the mirror to make sure her hair was neat and the little tendrils around her face hadn’t blown all over the place. She planned on seeing Mitch, who wouldn’t have the least interest in how she looked. But what if Deke happened to be at the ice house? What would she say to him? More important, what would he say to her, or would he say anything at all?

  Not that she cared. In fact, she hoped he wouldn’t be there. Did she really? She laughed to herself. Whom was she trying to fool? Of course, she hoped she’d see Deke, but then what would she do? Dulcee had said she wouldn’t have to lift her little finger to get him back, but she wasn’t at all sure that was so.

  When Rose parked her buggy beside Fleming & Carter’s Ice House, she hid her disappointment that only Mitch was in sight, loading ice on a wagon in front. “Good afternoon, Mitch.” Smiling, she climbed from the buggy. “You’re just the person I wanted to see.”

  “Me?” Mitch asked in his usual modest fashion.

  “Yes, you. Can you spare a minute? I want to talk to you.”

  They sat on the dock in front of the ice house. “It’s about Cherry,” Rose began. “She so appreciates all you’ve done for her, even though she doesn’t know who you are. But now…”

  She went on to explain why the difficulties of caring for a baby in a hotel like the River Queen had put Cherry in a dilemma. “She can’t take it much longer, and I don’t blame her. But the thing is, what will she do?”