Mail Order Celeste

by Elissa Strati

  Celeste’s Turn

  Celeste suddenly felt the weight of Reverend Richardson’s eyes upon her. This wasn’t kindly Pastor Joe, but a man with the authority of the Lord standing behind him. He wasn’t pronouncing judgement, but it was her turn to answer questions.

  “I think it is now time to hear from your lips what part you have played in all this, and why you are here now if it was your sister who was supposed to have arrived.”

  Taking her time, Celeste inhaled slowly and then began.

  “I was with Miranda when Bridget, her best friend from school, came to tea and explained that her brother Frederick’s classmate was looking for a bride of good breeding and character. Before she suggested Miranda’s name, Bridget wanted to know if Miranda would have any interest in such a match.

  “But let me take one step further back in time and explain our circumstances a bit. Not long after I married, our mother became ill and eventually bedridden. Although I came over when I could, the burden of running the household and caring for Mother became Miranda’s. After Samantha was born I visited even more frequently as Mother’s health was declining rapidly. I know she enjoyed getting to know her granddaughter. She tired easily so we didn’t stay long, but made every effort to be there daily.

  “When Mother died we were, of course, devastated. But Miranda continued to manage the household and look after Father. Meanwhile, most of her friends had married and were starting families and she had been out of society looking after Mother, and now would remain so while in mourning. My husband died shortly thereafter in a carriage accident and I had returned home when Bridget approached Miranda, who agreed to entertain a correspondence.

  “We both treated it as a lark at first, for its very novelty. When the first letter came in she wrote out a response and handed it to me to read. Our school taught us the most beautiful penmanship, but Miranda could never get her letters to cooperate. To this day they go every which way. The content is always entertaining but it can be a real chore to struggle through a missive to which she has put her hand. I offered to copy over her letters, but the content and signature were purely her own.”

  Celeste paused to look at Sylvester and gratefully accepted the glass of water Mrs. Richardson had pressed into her hand. Sighing, she continued.

  “It was clear to me, who was privy to both sides of the letters,” here she glared at Chip, who’d admitted to being unaware of the content of either side, “that an attachment was being formed. Even so, Miranda might not have been interested in such an unconventional arrangement as marriage to a man she hadn’t met, had Father not shown up with a woman he introduced to us as Harriet, our new step-mama. One of that woman’s first acts upon moving in was to fire Miranda’s maid, a woman who had been with our family our entire lives. Miranda ensured that Sally found a new position, of course, but it became evident that it was Harriet’s intention to push us out of the house.

  “So now you know why Miranda accepted the marriage proposal.

  “But while she was awaiting word on when she was to travel west, she went to visit a cousin for a few days, knowing it was unlikely that she’d have another opportunity. And it was while she was away that your letter arrived. I left my daughter alone in our bedroom while I went down the hall to my sister’s, to which I had a key. We both had taken to locking our doors to keep Harriet from wandering in and rifling through our belongings, but each has the other’s key.

  I wasn’t gone more than a minute, but returned to discover Harriet in my room, striking my child on the face—hard enough that the skin whitened before it reddened. She whirled around and nearly knocked me over leaving the room. I was far more concerned about my darling Samantha, who had fled in horror the moment that harridan had released her. After bathing her face and putting Sammie to bed, I went back for the letter, opened it, and found the ticket and voucher. I then wrote my own letter, enclosing yours,” she glanced over at Sylvester, “and made arrangements to leave immediately.”

  Realignment

  Chip had heard an outline of the tale but in a few words and largely stripped of emotional impact. Now, the room was silent.

  Sylvester spoke up.

  “I don’t understand. Why did she never mention you?”

  “You never mentioned your brother either. The topic just never came up,” Celeste replied.

  Sylvester nodded, thinking back over the correspondence.

  Chip spoke up. “Well, now that everything is out in the open, there is no reason I shouldn’t be able to marry you, Mrs. Clark. I do wish you’d tell me your name! And Sylvester can marry your sister when she arrives.”

  Pastor Joe cleared his throat and everyone looked at him expectantly. He gave Celeste a gentle smile.

  “Certainly once she arrives your sister will need to learn the truth. It will be up to her to decide how she wishes to proceed. Do you have an idea what she might do were she to decide not to marry?”

  Celeste raised her forefinger to her chin, tapping once, then twice before dropping her hand.

  “She was studying the law before Mother took ill. She continued to read it while she cared for mother, and when she learned a Miss Mansfield was actually admitted to the Iowa bar she became determined to try for admission to the bar herself. I expect she might approach a local barrister to see whether he might wish to engage a law clerk while she read law and prepared to request admittance to the bar.”

  She was startled to see Sylvester beaming at her.

  “Frederick and I studied together at the University of Pennsylvania in its law program. I practice as an attorney here in Green River.”

  Celeste looked at him thoughtfully and then smiled. The more she thought about the situation the broader her smile until she actually laughed out loud. Sylvester found himself laughing, too, as a great deal of the tension in the room evaporated. But her laughter faded as she caught the look of wonder on Chip’s face. And then he smiled, too, and began laughing.

  Pastor and Mrs. Richardson had also realized the irony of the situation and smiled, but matters were not yet settled.

  “Reverend Richardson, you and I needn’t counsel, as I am not here as a bride. I will be seeking employment for myself, for I am quite destitute at the moment, but as I explained to Mrs. Richardson, I am well educated and have a number of useful skills. Any assistance you might render in directing me to that end I would most gratefully accept.

  “But, in any event, and no discourtesy intended, Reverend, I am Catholic. If I do marry again, I’d prefer to be married by a priest. I cannot speak for Miranda in this matter, but the subject never came up in the correspondence. I’m afraid I rather took it for granted that Mr. Hardwick was a Catholic as well, since the initial introduction came via our good friend Bridget Anne, whose brother Frederick went to school with Mr. Hardwick. After all, they are Catholic as well.” Mrs. Clark spoke firmly, as if everything had been settled.

  Sylvester paled slightly. It had never occurred to him, but of course Frank’s sister’s friends would most likely also be of the same faith. It hadn’t intruded into his friendship so the subject had simply never crossed his mind.

  That meant his Miranda was also Catholic. No! She was not his Miranda! But the notion did feel rather . . . comfortable. If he were honest with himself, he’d frequently forgotten as he corresponded with the charming woman that it was not for himself he was writing!

  Mrs. Clark had admitted penning the letters, claiming her sister’s hand was somewhat less than legible. But had she indeed merely copied them over or inserted herself, even if inadvertently? That thought gave him a pang. Because although Mrs. Clark was perfectly attractive and behaved appropriately for the most part, she didn’t seem to have that . . . that . . . that refinement her sister Miranda had displayed.

  Funny, now that Chip had planted the seed, the thought of wooing Miranda for himself began to take hold.

  CHAPTER 5 – William

  War

  William Samuel Belden had done his patriot
ic duty during the recent War Between the States, joining the Union Army to support his president, flag, and country. Leaving his wife and teenage daughters behind in the care of the house servants, he had formed a company which rode to war.

  He had served well and he and his units had received several citations over the years. But he was approached after the battle at Gettysburg by a gentleman working directly with the president. A shipment of gold had disappeared and it seemed Colonel Belden had special knowledge which would be a benefit in the recovery thereof. While he had been unsuccessful in that mission, he soon found himself working with an elite squad which reported directly to the President.

  When the Secret Service was formed at end of the war, he became an advisor, gradually weaning himself away from the work and returning to his own business. However he maintained ties with many in that proud new department.

  Convinced that his late son-in-law's death had been no accident, he'd gotten back in touch with some of his old friends and learned that Ralph Clark's string of bad luck prior to his orchestrated demise have been aimed at getting Ralph in a position to compromise his father-in-law.

  “We’re hearing rumors of the lost Gettysburg gold having been located. They are saying you had a hand in hiding it,” commented John Grey.

  “I?” William raised his eyebrows, looking into his friend’s amused eyes.

  “I was with you working that case and know the dead ends we met. But we were known to be in the area, especially you, because so many of your men saw you. They resented us for taking you from them, you know!”

  “How do you think I felt, deserting them at such a time? I felt guilty about every casualty, even knowing my presence would have made no difference to the aim of the rifles. But several of my senior officers had worked with me in business, so understood why I’d been summoned away from them.”

  “We wanted to recruit most of them as well, but yours were the exact talents we needed at the time, and so they proved, even if we didn’t recover that bit of gold. We saved a number of other shipments and traced out more than one serious plot thanks to you, William.”

  William turned his head away, embarrassed to be praised by a man who had been so much more instrumental in thwarting those self-same plots.

  “But that doesn’t explain how they entangled Ralph in their net—and to what end? He’d be the last person I’d have gone to for that sort of work. Ralph had a very good reputation for honesty and diligence. And he was reasonably astute. Not the best in the field, but certainly trustworthy and competent. I even had him handling some funds for me and he did an excellent job.

  “I do not understand how things went so wrong so quickly—nor why he and my daughter went from being a popular couple to being practically shunned. But I was unaware any of this was even going on. I was out in California. Ralph was dead before I learned any of this. I returned as quickly as I could, only to discover your hand involved.”

  John had the grace to look chagrined. In fact, the situation had escalated so rapidly there had been no chance to intervene. Ralph had managed to contact him through Henry, the Belden butler, but someone had been tipped off, most likely by Ralph’s own actions, and the Krause Gang had engineered his death to avoid discovery, unaware their actions were already being observed.

  John had been one step too slow to prevent the tragedy.

  Destitute

  William was devastated for Celeste.

  It was very bad that his daughter had lost so much faith in her husband. Rumors had circulated of his misfeasance and possible suicide. And she’d no sooner buried him than a bailiff showed up at her door presenting her with a notice of eviction from the bank. She was led to believe her husband had left her destitute. And a letter from the bank confirmed her accounts had been closed and she had . . . nothing.

  He had wanted desperately to run to her and hold her in his arms, and explain to her exactly what was going on. Unfortunately, that was exactly what he could not do. So now he was playing a very long game, hoping to bring justice for Ralph and for his poor daughter and grandchild.

  Meanwhile, the role assigned to him had him playing the estranged father who had no use for an impulsively married daughter. While he had not, in fact, particularly approved of the union, he had walked his daughter down the aisle and commended her to Ralph's care. From what William had learned, Ralph had not abused that trust although he apparently had not been strong enough nor, perhaps, quite bright enough to withstand the forces against him.

  ~~~

  Henry had shown up on Celeste’s doorstep within minutes of the bailiff’s departure. He had said very little, but had helped her pack bags for herself and her daughter and had assured her he’d see to clearing the house for her.

  “I’ll need to sell whatever has any value. I can only hope there aren’t more debtors who will be looking to me to make them whole,” whispered a shattered Celeste.

  “I’ll see to it, Madam,” he assured her, and hurried her back to her childhood home where her sister Miranda and Mrs. Flowers welcomed her with open arms.

  The Krause Gang

  It was John Grey, not the bank, who had sent the bailiff and closed out all Celeste’s accounts. His intention, in collusion with Henry, had been to get Celeste moved to the safety of her family home.

  Despite being harried by the Krause Gang, Ralph Clark had maintained his work ethic and had been overall quite successful in his dealings. While not wealthy, he had left his widow quite comfortably off. She just didn’t know it.

  When Celeste asked Henry to sell off various items, he had brought them to John to be put in storage, effectively selling her treasure back to her. She had initially set out to handle the transactions herself after enquiring where she might go to pawn goods, but when Henry had found out he’d insisted he be permitted to act on her behalf, for her own safety. He had carefully confided in her his own belief that Ralph had been targeted by someone seeking money, and explained his concern for her own safety until that person was apprehended.

  Patting her reticule for security, feeling the solid shape of the derringer, she’d agreed she’d rather not find out whether she’d be able to act if someone were to attack.

  Meanwhile, John had recruited William to work for him—for the Secret Service—again, until the Gang was behind bars. William had been using his own resources to discover what he could, to add to what the Secret Service had already determined. He’d found the Krause Gang was run by the husband and wife team of Karl and Harriet Krause and had four or five known associates including an inveterate gambler who went by “Lucky,” a scrawny fellow with yellow hair called “Sunny,” plus a few others whom they had yet to identify.

  Harriet Proposes

  It was Harriet who had approached William while he and John Grey were checking into the Krause Gang affairs. She'd been having Bones tail him to see where he was going. Boringly, it seemed he was only going from house to office and back. Even keeping a watch on the house, he hadn't seen anyone who wasn't family going in or out. She decided to pose as a client and showed up at his office.

  William was startled to see her walk in, introduced by his secretary, Mr. Bellevue, as Miss Harriet Krause. He had stood up from behind his desk and bowed at the introduction, and she had curtsied demurely.

  “Our parents left my brother and me a fair sum of money and we wish to invest it with your firm,” she explained.

  “And how large an investment would that be?” he asked seriously.

  “Well at least $200,” she replied, equally seriously.

  He refrain from smiling. While $200 was an enormous sum for most people, his commodity investments sported somewhat larger sums by an order of magnitude, and he had no individual investors but rather firms who were partners in various enterprises. But he had recognized her both from her name and her description, and knew exactly who she was, so didn't want to discourage her at the outset. He was curious to find out what she really wanted.

  “I see,” said
he. “And this is capital readily available for immediate disbursement?”

  He could see her fumbling for an answer, but she managed to explain that the cash was presently tied up but would be available soon.

  “It has been impressed upon me what good investments you have made for others,” she said, “especially in the field of gold.”

  He raised his eyebrows. The firm's recently acquired interest in some of the California gold mines should not have been known outside his office. And then he realized that wasn't the gold she was talking about when she added the words, “War gold.”

  He sat back and smiled genially.

  “I am afraid you are mistaken. That is not an investment our firm would undertake.”

  She tilted her head flirtatiously.

  “Oh, that is not the word on the streets.”

  “Well I'm afraid that word is false. We have no such enterprise.”

  “Perhaps,” she said coyly, “the investment is not with your company but with you, personally.”

  “I make it a habit not to discuss my own interests in my office. And it sounds as if you may have wasted your visit to me since you have such a specific investment need.” He moved his chair back as if to stand up.

  “No,” she said firmly. “We are not done yet. We need to discuss the gold.”

  “Why don't you tell me exactly what you think you know,” he replied. He knew from the partially opened door that Bellevue was carefully taking notes. Like Henry, Bellevue worked with him on John Grey's special matters when needed, and was aware of the current investigation.

  He would have to admit that Miss Belden was far more attractive then he had expected, and apparently somewhat more intelligent, too. Was she, in fact, Karl's sister rather than his wife? He would have John get some men on that to verify.

  Harriet remained sitting across from him looking coolly at William.