The Debutante's Escape: Western Historical Romance (The Debutantes of Durango Book 1)

by Peggy McKenzie

  Mary uttered another hiccup and a snuffle, then she wiped her nose and eyes with her apron. Regina remained quiet to give her time to gather her courage. Finally, Mary looked up at her, eyes swimming in tears. “I fear my beau is not the man I thought him to be. He and I…we…I thought he loved me. I let him…you know, do things that only married people should do. And now…” Mary's words drifted off as if she couldn't bear to say more.

  “Well, that isn't a reason to be so upset. Perhaps he will propose to you soon and everything will be right as rain,” Regina offered.

  Mary shook her head. “You don't understand. He told me he couldn’t afford to get married.”

  Regina nodded. “I see. And you think he has changed his mind altogether?”

  “I'm sure of it,” Mary sniffed.

  “How can you be so certain, Mary? Perhaps he just needs a little more time to—”

  Mary jumped up off the vanity bench and frantically paced in front of Regina. “But that's just it, Regina. I don't have more time. I'm…I’m going to…I’m going to have a baby. So we must get married now.”

  “Ah. I see.” Now Regina understood the situation. The poor woman had given the man not just her heart, but her body as well, and he had betrayed her trust.

  “What does your father say? Have you told him?” Regina stood and held Mary in place by her shoulders.

  “I don't have a father. Or a brother. Or anyone who cares about me. There is no one to champion me. No one at all.”

  Regina knew that wasn’t true. “That isn't so, Mary. I know of someone who will champion you. Someone who is decent and caring and will not allow anyone to mistreat you.”

  Mary studied her face, her brows wrinkled in confusion. “Who? I don't know anyone who would go out of their way to help me.”

  “Well, I do. Follow me.” Regina grabbed her silk shawl and her reticule. She pulled Mary by the hand down the hall to the front door.

  “But ma’am…Regina, please. Wait—” Mary protested.

  “Don't you worry yourself one bit, Mary. It isn't good for the baby and it isn't necessary.” Regina pulled a somewhat reluctant, and very confused, Mary down the stairs to the first floor. She stopped the first employee she could find. “Excuse me. Can you tell me where I can find Mr. Kingston?” she asked.

  Mary pulled her hand out of Regina's. “Oh no, Regina. You can't tell Mr. Kingston about this. He'll fire me for sure.”

  “Nonsense, Mary. Mr. Kingston will not fire you. Now come along with me.”

  “But Regina, you don't understand…”

  The employee looked between Regina and Mary, then shrugged his shoulders as if he wanted no part of it.

  “He was in the gaming room last I saw him, ma'am,” he answered then hurried off.

  “Regina, please. I'll manage somehow. Please don't tell Mr. Kingston—”

  “Don't tell Mr. Kingston what?”

  Regina whirled to see John standing behind her and Mary.

  “Oh, John. I'm so glad to have found you. It seems we have a problem, or rather Mary has a problem, and we need your help.”

  “Of course. You have my undivided attention.” He looked back and forth between her and Mary as if trying to gauge the seriousness of the problem at hand.

  “Can we use your office to speak in private?” Regina asked. She knew Mary would not appreciate her problem openly discussed where any of the guests or staff might eavesdrop on their conversation.

  John frowned. “Of course. Lead the way.”

  “That would be perfect.” Relief flooded Regina's body and she felt herself relax. It wasn't that she doubted John would help, but now she was certain everything would work out for Mary.

  John followed her and Mary down the hall to his office. He unlocked it with a key he pulled from his pocket and ushered them inside.

  “Please take a seat and tell me what has you both so upset.”

  Regina took one of the chairs in front of John's massive desk and pulled Mary down in the chair next to her.

  “No. It isn’t me. It’s Mary. You see, John, Mary—” Regina started to speak.

  “Please, Regina. Please don’t say anything more,” Mary pleaded.

  John looked at them both, but remained quiet.

  “John, Mary has had some news that is quite upsetting and since she doesn't have a father or a brother to champion her, I told her you would.”

  John's frown creased his brow. “I would what?”

  “Champion her, of course.” Regina smiled encouragingly at Mary who seemed to shrink before her eyes.

  “Champion her?” John cut his eyes to Mary. “Mary, what has happened that you feel you need a champion? Has someone been disrespectful to you in some way?”

  “No, sir. Regina is mistaken.”

  “Nonsense. Enough of that, Mary. John is here to help you. Tell him what has happened.”

  But when Mary refused to answer, Regina answered for her. “John, Mary had a special beau who has jilted her.”

  John sat still looking between the two women. When he didn't answer, she supposed she would have to spell out the situation more clearly.

  “Mary is with child, and when she informed the man she believed to be in love with her, he ran for the hills. I explained to her that there is no need to worry because, although she has no family to speak up for her, you would be happy to do so.”

  Relieved to have the situation out in the open, she sat back and breathed a sigh of relief, certain that Mary could now relax as well.

  She watched John turn to Mary. “Is this true, Mary? Are you with child?”

  “Yes, Mr. Kingston,” Mary snuffled against her apron and refused to look at either of them.

  “I see. And was this ‘union’ against your will?”

  “No, Mr. Kingston. Me and Charley have been sweet on each other for quite some time now. Our relationship is a mutual agreement.”

  “Charley? My bartender?”

  “Yes, Mr. Kingston,” Mary sniffed again.

  John nodded and walked to a big safe in the corner. Regina watched him work the combination and open the iron door that must have been a foot thick. She was shocked to see stacks and stacks of cash lined up in neat rows on the shelves. She had never seen so much money in one place—not even the bank where her father kept his money.

  She watched John pull out a stack of bills at least an inch thick, count them, and then close the safe door turning the handle and spinning the combination to lock it back into place. After testing the handle to make certain it was secure, he turned and came around to the front of the desk, resting one hip on it for support.

  “Mary, I want you to take this money. You will need it in the coming months to make a place for you and your child.”

  Mary burst into a new round of heartfelt sobs. Regina didn't understand what was happening.

  Regina patted Mary’s shoulder, trying to calm her. “Don't cry, Mary. This money will help you take care of your child. In the meantime, John will hunt down the man who did this to you and hold him account—”

  “I will not.” John's words were quiet and matter-of-fact.

  “What do you mean, you will not? Of course you will. You will find this ne'er do well and hold him accountable for what he has done to our poor Mary.”

  “Regina. Mary knew the consequences of her actions. She knows the rules and she broke them.”

  “You can't be serious, John. She was taken advantage of. This Charley person…he made promises to her. He was someone she trusted and he betrayed that trust.”

  She saw John wince, but he didn't give in. “I'm sorry, Regina. I know you want to help Mary, but the best I can do is to give her the means to take care of herself until she can find another job.”

  “Another job? What are you saying? You’re going to let Mary go, just when she needs her job and her place here more than ever? Why would you do such a thing? How could you do such a thing?” Regina was dumbfounded at the turn of events. She had never imagined that
John would react this way. No wonder Mary had begged her not to tell her secret.

  John didn't answer her. Instead, he turned to Mary, “You knew the rules, Mary. I'll give you a good reference, but I have no choice but to let you go.”

  John had known that Mary and his bartender were close, he just hadn't realized how close, until now. Mary's news was an unfortunate turn of events, but it wasn't his doing, and Regina needed to understand that running a business required him to make tough decisions.

  Mary took the money. “Thank you, Mr. Kingston. You are most generous. I…I tried to explain to your wife how things were here at the hotel, but…”

  John wasn’t unsympathetic to Mary’s situation, but if he made an exception, he’d have to throw all the rules right out the window and that wasn’t an option.

  Mary curtsied and left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. John kept quiet for a moment to give Regina a chance to come to grips with the situation before he spoke.

  “Regina—” he began.

  “How could you do this, John? How could you turn that poor girl out onto the streets without a second thought? What about the man who did this to her? Where is his punishment?”

  “He will be dealt with, but you keep saying he did this to Mary, when the fact is, he did this with her. She was a willing partner if I understand the situation correctly,” he explained.

  “He told her he loved her, but all he wanted was—” Regina stopped short, her face pinked.

  “I know what he wanted, Regina. And maybe he does love her, and things will work out between them, but that's their business. Not ours.”

  “He used her, John. Can't you see that? He professed his love to her, but he lied. And now, her trust in the man she gave her heart to is shattered. She will never be the same. Not ever.”

  John hated to hear those words coming from Regina's lips. It was almost as if she were predicting the future. Their future.

  “Regina, we don't know the whole story. And, in my defense, I make it very clear to all of my employees when I hire them that what they do on their own time is their business—as long as it does not interfere with their work while they are on my time.”

  Regina didn't answer him. Instead, she sat staring at her lap where her fingers twisted a lace-trimmed handkerchief.

  “I’m not their keeper, Regina. What people do on their own time is their business, but when two of my employees create an entanglement that disrupts their ability to perform their jobs on my time, then I must intervene.

  “While I do have women who have had children out of marriage, they did it before they arrived on my payroll and they were involved with someone who was not in my employment. Now can you see the purpose of these rules?”

  Her eyes rose to meet his. “Yes, I see, but I don’t like it.”

  John watched as his wife came to terms with what he was saying. He knew her compassionate heart was in the right place, but she was naïve when it came to just about everything else. Her parents had sheltered her until the right man came along that could benefit her father's purse and his aspirations.

  He knew she didn’t understand that life outside of her gilded prison was hard and, at times, cruel and unyielding. How could he make someone like her ,who had never had a voice in any decision-making, understand that with every choice comes consequences.

  A thought suddenly struck. What if he could offer her a new kind of life entirely. The kind of life that would give her a more permanent place in his life. Something that would make her a part of not only his life, but his whole world. The idea took root and before he knew it, he was making the offer.

  “Regina, I know this is all very upsetting to you and I am truly sorry about Mary and her situation. But I can assure you, these rules were not made arbitrarily. There is a past reason for every present rule in my business.”

  John walked to where his wife sat and pulled her from her chair. “I know you have always been made to feel like you have no voice, but I am here to tell you that you do.”

  He could tell by the confusion on Regina’s face, she had no idea what he was leading up to. “Regina, I will address Mary and Charley’s situation with fairness to both. You know that, right?”

  Regina nodded, her eyes held no censure of his actions.

  “Good. Now, I have a proposition for you. One that I think you are going to like, but more importantly, it could be just the answer to Mary’s situation.”

  “I’ll do it. Whatever it is, I’ll do it.” Regina’s enthusiasm at helping Mary touched him.

  “That’s very good to hear.” He took a deep breath and pushed ahead. “I would consider it an honor if you would join me in launching a new idea I’ve been toying with for quite some time. I’d like to start a new business and I’d like you to be my partner. What do you say?”

  Regina's eyes rounded in shock. “A new business? John, I know nothing about business—less than nothing. Why would you want me as a partner? And how will this help Mary?”

  He smiled down at her and pulled her into his arms. “I’ve had this idea for a business—I don’t know if you can even call it a business because I don’t know if it could be profitable or not. I would like to get your thoughts on the idea.”

  “You want my thoughts?” The woman beside him looked stunned.

  He could see being asked for her opinion was a totally new concept to Regina and it pleased him to see the interest in her eyes.

  “Yes, I want to talk to you about the possibility of creating a place to make it easier for working families. A place that would allow people like Mary, who have no family or close friends, to have a child and still be able to work outside the home and make a living.”

  “What kind of place?” He could tell Regina was hanging on his every word.

  “A house, of sorts. We can call it anything you like, but it would be a place for young children too young to go to school to be cared for while their mothers or fathers worked away from home.”

  He had been thinking about this for quite some time because he had seen the needs of his employees and others less fortunate trying to work to feed their families, but young children made working away from home impossible. Now, he would have a woman's perspective on his idea.

  “A paid care house for young children? How would that work?” Regina frowned in confusion, but he could see the interest sparkle in her eyes.

  “I first heard about such a thing in a book I read by Samuel Wilderspin called On the Importance of Educating the Infant Poor, published in 1819. It’s quite a forward-thinking concept, don’t you agree?”

  “I suppose so, but isn’t that an odd subject for a man to be reading?” Regina said, although she thought it was just like John to take an interest in others.

  “True, but it struck a chord in me because of how I grew up. And I can see there is a desperate need for this sort of thing among my own hotel staff. I thought the idea had merit.”

  “It sounds very intriguing. Please, tell me more about these care houses.”

  “There were forms of these care houses since the late seventeen hundreds, and there was an infant school opened in Scotland and England in the early eighteen hundreds. These houses offered care for young children so their widowed or abandoned mothers, or single fathers, could work to support them knowing they were well-cared for in their absence.

  “I know there are many members of my staff who could benefit from this kind of care for their children. And look how it would help women in Mary’s position. It would provide them peace of mind knowing their children were well-fed and cared for while they worked to earn enough money to buy food, clothing, and shelter for them.”

  Regina frowned at him. “Are you saying you have other women in Mary’s position?”

  “No, I’m saying I have members of my staff who have fallen on hard times and would benefit from something like this. And think of Mary and how this would help her to care for her baby when the money I gave her runs out and she has to return to wo
rk.”

  John realized his enthusiasm for his idea was apparent in his every word. Embarrassed, he looked at Regina to see her eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

  “Oh, John. I think it’s the most wonderful idea anyone has ever had.”

  “I was one of those children who had no mother to care for them, Regina. She left me and my father when I was but a tiny babe. And my father, well, most days he could barely get out of his bed from a drunken stupor. When he did manage, he left me alone for days.

  “At least while he was alive, I knew he’d come home eventually. When he died, I was only six years old. It isn’t easy for a kid that age to survive on his own. I wouldn’t wish that kind of life on anyone.” John’s childhood memories poked at his emotions.

  He felt Regina’s hand on his arm and he looked down and into her deep brown eyes.

  “John, I had no idea things were so rough on you growing up. And I'm even more sorry my father added to your pain.” She squeezed his arm and her face filled with pride and admiration. “I think this idea of yours is brilliant, and I am both honored and touched that you would ask me to help you. When do we start?”

  “How about right now?” John suggested. “What we need to do first is find a place where the children can stay throughout the day and sleep at night, as some of my female staff work both during the day and overnight. A hotel is a twenty-four hour, seven days a week business. It takes having staff available around the clock in order to see to the needs of my guests.”

  “And it would need to be located away from busy streets so the children can play safely and sleep without fear. We would also need a place with a kitchen so meals could be provided for them,” Regina added.

  “Yes, that's an excellent idea,” John smiled at Regina's excitement.

  “Oh John, this is such a wonderful idea. Perhaps I can enlist the help of some of The Ladies Club of Durango members and their mothers. I'm certain some of my friends would love to help and they are always looking for a good cause to support. If my friends and I put our heads together, I’m certain we can come up with a plan that will be profitable for you and an affordable solution for the community’s needs.”