Alas, it was all in vain. What if she did not stay here? That filled him with uneasiness, thinking this was just a passing stop for her. If only he saw the rider, or that coach.
Oh, snap out of it, Nate, you are dangerously close to sounding like some girl with an infatuation. Even Josef noticed something was amiss with Nathan and tried to beat the truth out of him. Not that he succeeded in such an endeavor. Nathan was strolling down Main street, driving himself mad, as was usual in the last couple of days.
Of course, I am not infatuated! He told himself sternly.
His curiosity was purely logical. Despite what he told Josef about meeting his future bride, he didn't mean it literally. So, he wanted to find this girl simply to offer his sincere apologies. Nothing more, he was adamant. The other part of him laughed at his attempts to explain his strange behaviors, but Nate ignored that.
"I heard the Fosters are having visitors from New York." Nathan accidentally overheard Mrs. Conners conversing with Madame Mab, and for some unexplained reason he slowed down his pace.
A few other women were gathered in front of Madame Mab's shop. Coincidentally, that was one of Josef's favorite places in Helena. Not because he particularly liked women's clothing or anything else that went with it, but because he could learn the entire town's latest news and whispers simply by spending some time with these ladies.
Madame Mab nodded, deciding to reply to such news. "Oh, yes, I already met the cousin that came to visit them. We rode together from Crownsville. Such a fine young lady, Beatrice Foster is her name. And her old Nan is Elaine. A very intriguing woman indeed, Scottish."
That earned a few gasps, even though Nathan couldn't quite understand why. But everything said about Beatrice piqued his interest. Is that her?
"Good day, Nathan," Madame Mab greeted him and all the other women turned to look at him. Maybe he wasn't as covert as he hoped he was.
"Good day, ladies," he greeted them.
"Just taking a stroll?" Madame Mab asked, looking at him with a small smirk across her face. As if she knew something.
Or maybe that was just his imagination, running wild. Luckily, Nathan knew how to think quickly on his feet. "I actually came here to speak with you, if you don't mind."
Madame Mab's smile grew bigger. "Certainly," she gestured for him to follow her inside.
Nathan felt a bit strange surrounded with all those feminine items; things he did not even know names of or what they were used for, yet he was standing in the middle of a store full. And why? Because somewhere along the way he became an utter nutter. That apparently started to rhyme as well.
"What is the matter, my dear?" Madame Mab inquired.
Taking his hat off, he came a bit closer to not let anyone else in on their little conversation. "I was with Father Isaiah the other day and he told me how Father Matthew has a nasty cough again," Nathan explained.
Father Mathew was a former missionary who eventually came to Helena, fell in love with the town and its surrounding beauties. He could have run his own church someplace else, yet he decided to stay here and help Father Isaiah every so often.
Nathan was prepared to ask his housekeeper, Mrs. Clara, to prepare something, but this worked rather nicely as well.
Madame Mab nodded in understanding. "I will prepare some of my famous cough remedies and take it to him as soon as possible."
"That is mighty kind of you," Nathan replied.
"And you, Nathan Foster, were such a nice boy, yet you turned into a fine man. Fine man, indeed," she returned the favor in kind.
"Oh please, stop, you will make me blush, and ruin my fierce reputation," Nathan joked, trying to mask his uneasiness. He didn't like being praised in any way. He did what he thought was right. Nothing more, or less.
They both laughed.
Then he had another thought. "Say, when will you throw one of your parties, again?" Nathan inquired with a smile. "I have a craving for your delicious meat pies."
Madame Mab chuckled. "That is a great idea, Nathan, we haven't gathered in such manner in ages. And it's not as if I need a reason to throw a party," she winked.
"I am so pleased," Nathan’s words were sincere.
"Plus," Madame Mab continued to think aloud, "it would be a great way of bringing the Fosters to meet everybody."
"The Fosters?" Nathan replied innocently.
"Oh, yes, Tom and Claudia have some relatives visiting from New York."
"Interesting."
"Yes, one of them is Tom's niece. Such a fine young lady, you would like her."
Nathan certainly hoped so. Yet, at the same time, he decided not to get his hopes up.
"Then I will look forward to meeting her," Nathan replied politely. "Just send the word about the precise date and time, and I will certainly come."
"Perfect," Madame Mab replied in delight, as if all of this was her idea in the first place. Not that Nathan minded.
"Oh, and bring that poor boy with you," Madame Mab added as an afterthought.
"Who? Josef?"
"Yes."
"Certainly," Nathan said, barely keeping a straight face at Madame Mab's description of Josef. He would make sure to repeat it to “poor” Josef himself.
With that settled, Nathan excused himself, suddenly feeling a sudden lightness in his step.
Life settled quite nicely for Beatrice in some unusual rhythm. Unusual simply for the fact it was so different from her New York life. Here, at the Thunderbolt Ranch, life was not what she was accustomed to being, to say the least. And truth be told, Elaine settled into it more easily than Beatrice.
Elaine joked that was due to the fact that she had a lifetime experience being raised at a farm and later in life having the privilege of raising and taking care of a wild thing such as Beatrice, but that was not it. At least not completely.
Elaine was simply good at everything, a quality Beatrice always admired and tried to strive for. Yet, at this matter, Beatrice was simply lacking. To begin with, she wasn't even dressed properly for farm life. Unfortunately, since Aunt Claudia was much shorter and smaller, none of her dresses fit Beatrice.
Ιt was strange for her to be in a state of such ignorance. She didn't like it one bit. In her usual circle of friends and family, she had no problem shining, yet here, she was at a constant loss. It was such an awakening and humbled feeling. However, Beatrice set her mind to learn, and that was exactly what she did, all day, every day. Pretty soon she discovered she loved watching her uncle work.
"What are you doing today, Uncle Tom?" She would greet him in such fashion every morning, at the crack of dawn, with that same question.
His answers would vary, of course: fixing a barn roof, bringing the cattle in, taking them out to roam for a while, making a new hen house for Aunt Claudia. Once she got her answer, she would politely ask if she could come along.
At first, he protested, not wanting her to overexert herself. Though he was such a kind soul, it wasn't too difficult for Beatrice to persuade him to see things her way.
"And what is that?" Beatrice was fascinated with everything, even the simplest of tools. She was grateful her Uncle Tom was patient as well, simply because her questions were constant and never-ending.
Of course, not long passed, and Beatrice wanted to do more than just observe men and women working all day. More than anything, Beatrice wanted to be of use. More to the point, laboring on the ranch beat thinking about who killed her parents and who still wanted to kill her …
Within about a fortnight of her arrival, Beatrice felt more at ease, rested, despite sparsely having nightmares, and settled enough to actually start working. Yet, to do that, she needed proper attire.
The few dresses she brought with her were too lavish for this setting, so she wanted to ask her uncle to go with her to town to buy some fabric and make something more appropriate.
She did not want to bother Auntie with such affairs, knowing she needed to rest more considering her peculiar condition.
Beatri
ce made some inquiries about Auntie regarding her health, but all Uncle Tom shared was that physician told them after a thorough examination how her body is too frail, and her nerves cannot handle overexertion or emotional strain, so she was prone to fainting. Alas, her aunt was having one of her episodes, and he needed to stay close to home.
Beatrice felt very sorry for the poor woman since that must be a terrible illness. Yet, at the same time, something felt odd to her about that. She couldn't quite put her finger on it, yet it was nagging at the back of her mind, nevertheless. The fact that a physician never visited the ranch during Beatrice's stay, despite the fact that her aunt fainted quite regularly, troubled her as well.
All in all, Beatrice simply decided to walk to town. "Uncle Tom, may I go to town today?" she asked him after breakfast.
"Of course, sweetie, ask Ben to give you a ride."
"Oh, that's quite all right. I don't want to bother anyone," Beatrice replied instantly. "I'll walk."
He looked at her for a moment. "Are you sure? It's quite a stretch."
"Yes," she replied with utmost conviction. "I would very much like to stretch my legs."
He chuckled at her joke. "Very well," he allowed. "Just let me give you a couple of coins…"
"I have my own," Beatrice interrupted him.
"Nonsense," Uncle Tom was having none of it and wouldn't let her leave until she accepted what he so freely offered. Beatrice decided to buy something for him and Auntie with that money.
The walk was invigorating. By the time she reached Helena, Beatrice was breathing hard and flushed, yet felt refreshed and happy at the same time. The land was truly lovely, and it felt nice to be alone, surrounded by such beauty, and actually believe everything would turn out to be all right.
I miss you Mom, Dad, she sent her prayers to the heavens. And I wish you could be here with me. I think you would like it, too, if you gave it a chance.
Yes, she still had nightmares about the thing that forced her to flee New York, was worried about being discovered here, and not finding her parents' killer. Yet at the same time, she felt somewhat at peace living at her uncle's house. It was easy to think all of those troubles happened to someone else while being in Helena.
It was strange, having such strong opposing thoughts reside inside her. However, it was still true …
Locating Madame Mab's shop took no effort at all. She could even see, in the distance, the exact place where she encountered that strange man, though she banished that thought immediately. He didn't deserve a space inside her head.
Madame Mab was very happy to see her. "Beatrice," she greeted her with a smile. "This is a true fortune," she exclaimed.
"I came to visit, just as I promised," Beatrice replied in the same fashion.
"And I am very happy you did. You saved me some time."
Beatrice looked at her questioningly. "Time, Madame?"
"Yes, I was about to send word to your uncle's ranch."
"Word?" Beatrice parroted again.
"I am hosting a small dinner party at the end of this week on Sunday, and I wanted particularly you, and your family, of course, to attend."
Beatrice was honored. "Truly?" She was excited by the prospect of attending her first Helena party.
"Yes," Madame Mab replied with a smile. "It's a great opportunity for you to meet all the townspeople. I know they are all dying to meet you."
"I am grateful for your invitation and will make sure to attend," Beatrice replied politely. It would be wonderful to meet all the people she heard all about during dinners at the Foster household.
"Marvelous," Madame Mab replied, clearly pleased with her reply. "All right," she continued, clapping with her hands. "Now that is all settled, tell me why you came here today?" she inquired.
Snapping her from her musings, Beatrice replied. "Oh, yes, I do require some fabrics."
"All right, what kind?"
"I realized how my attires are not suited for the ranch, so I would like to make some new ones that would be more appropriate," Beatrice explained.
Madame Mab pondered about that for a moment. "Let me see what I have for you here," she said eventually, gesturing for Beatrice to follow her to a very specific rack.
They spent the next half hour choosing something that was most suitable for Beatrice. She wholly let Madame Mab in charge and afterward, she was very satisfied with the choices she made.
I will finally be able to do more while living at the ranch, Beatrice cheered. More to the point, she couldn't wait to get home to share her news with everybody.
She was quite excited she was going to the party, and who knew, maybe her secret wish would come true, and she would finally meet this local hero everybody was talking about.
Beatrice was not easily smitten, especially not with a man she hadn't even met, yet she still found Nathan Walsh quite intriguing. She was excited by the prospect of discovering if the stories about the hero matched the reality of the man. A very small yet loud part of her wished he did.
Wouldn't that be just a dream?
Chapter Nine
Beatrice was rather excited about attending her first dinner party in Helena. All the preparations and rituals she did beforehand reminded her of her previous life.
With a great deal of help from Elaine, she made sure her hair was done just the right way, and she chose one of her old dresses to wear for the occasion. Not the most lavish one; truth be told she did not bring anything too ostentatious, yet she still wanted to make a great first impression. So she chose something that would stand out, yet at the same time not be over the top. In the end, she was very much pleased with the result.
"Honey, you look beautiful," her uncle commented once she came down.
"Divine," Aunt Claudia added. "I am sure many suitors will come knocking on our door afterward," she only half-joked. However, that was not something that was on Beatrice's mind at all. She did not want a suitor. All her thoughts and prayers were aimed at one goal, one cause. And that was to discover what happened to her parents. Nothing more, nothing less.
Naturally, in the meantime, she would try to enjoy herself, if only a bit, for her parents’ sake.
"Let us go then," Uncle Tom urged.
The three women rode in the carriage, while Uncle Tom was on horseback alongside them, keeping them safe. Getting to Madame Mab's house took no time at all. She lived in Helena, not too far away from her store.
The dinner party was not what Beatrice expected. First of all, it was thrown in the back garden which was huge and filled with flowers. Madame Mab had confessed unto her that gardening was somewhat of a passion for her, and it showed. The garden looked lavish and beautiful, the perfect setting for the gathering of people who wanted to spend some time together and share a meal.
Some of the people brought instruments, which cheered Beatrice to no end. She adored music. Also, everyone participated in preparing the meal. Most brought side dishes, some Beatrice could not even name but was eager to try, and the rest was prepared on the spot.
Everything, all the commotion, fascinated her because it felt as if a great family gathered after a long time and were just so happy to see one another and enjoy some delicious food.
The assembly was very much apart from what she was accustomed to in New York. Everything back there was strict and posh, yet Beatrice discovered she preferred it this way. She felt more at peace, at home at a place where people did not have to watch their every word, every step. Dinner parties in New York could get rather exhausting, yet Beatrice felt invigorated here and in high spirits to meet everyone.
Everyone is so nice, Beatrice thought to herself in surprise. While people in New York pretended, here, it was plain on all the faces they were genuinely pleased she was there. She even spotted Mr. Michelson, the fine gentleman who was so kind as to give Elaine and herself a ride to the Thunderbolt Ranch. Beatrice made sure to greet him and share a few words with him while her aunt and uncle conversed with other guests on the party.
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"Beatrice, my dear," Madame Mab called out to her.
"Yes, Madame?" Beatrice asked in return.
"Would you be a dear and entertain us for a bit? It's always better to work up the appetite," she provided, knowingly.
"Certainly," Beatrice replied instantly, assuming the best position in the garden so everybody could see and hear her. All talk stopped and people gathered around her in curiosity.
Now that I have their attention, what am I to do? She mused, in excitement.
Beatrice decided to recite a monologue from her favorite play. By the reaction of the people, she knew she made the right decision. Most importantly, for the first time in her entire life, Beatrice felt no pressure while performing, and the townspeople still loved her performance. The experience felt liberating. By the time she stopped, a few women silently sobbed, dabbing their eyes. A few men had something in their eyes as well, but that was ignored.
"Bravo!"
"Splendid!"
"Well done," people cheered, so Beatrice gave a little curtsy.
Alas, that was when it happened. Just when she was having the most fun, forgetting about all her woes for only an instant, everything changed.
Madame Mab sent her inside the house to bring a shawl for her aunt, who was starting to get weak again.
"I will go look for it, my dear," Elaine offered yet Beatrice shook her head.
"No need, my dear Nan, stay at the party and enjoy yourself. I will be quick about it," she added with a wink.
"Are you suggesting I wouldn't be? You cheeky girl," Elaine laughed just the way Beatrice intended.
Beatrice rushed inside to do her bidding when she smacked into someone by accident.
A pair of strong hands steadied her, or she would certainly have fallen down. "I beg your pardon," she apologized instantly before she saw who got into her way.
It was that same annoying person from the town that told her lies about a regular dog. The nerve on him!
The scoundrel in question smiled down on her when he saw her. That was the sentiment she could not return as he made her blood boil. Beatrice stepped out of his embrace.
Finding the Broken Cowboy Page 7
