Courting in Custer

by Kari Trumbo

  Margaret leaned forward and closed her eyes. “Why on earth would he do that? You are a married couple. It defies one of the whole reasons for being married, which is to keep you from lusts of the flesh.”

  Daisy bit her lip. If she told Elias’s mother why, she would expose his hurt that he hadn’t even wanted to share with Daisy. It was only when she was so torn by his rebuff that he’d shared his fears with her.

  “He told me the story of his birth.”

  Margaret sighed, and her head slumped down. “He still holds that against me? I suppose he would. Heaven knows, I tried to convince him of the truth, but he wouldn’t hear it. After he was born, there was a problem with the afterbirth. It bled more than it should, and I almost died from the loss. Somewhere along the way, he got it in his head that it was his fault.”

  “He thinks it’s because he’s so big.”

  She laughed, but her eyes were laced with tears. “My lovely son was no bigger than an average baby. He grew quickly as a toddler, but we knew he would. You haven’t seen his father yet, but they both have to duck through doorways, and then some.”

  “But, what about his grandmother? He said she almost died, too.”

  Margaret bit her lip. “Elias’s grandmother was a wonderful woman, loved him to distraction, but she was a mail-order bride. You see, most men in 1836 didn’t reach six feet tall. There was no one in Independence who would go anywhere near him, when he was ready to wed. So, he sent off for a bride. When she arrived from out of state, she was shocked, but stuck. She agreed to have one child for him to pass along his line and that was it. I don’t know what she would’ve done if she’d have sprouted a girl, but lucky for her, Daryl was born.”

  Daisy’s heart ached for Elias. He’d lived his whole life believing a lie that had shaped who he was, not on the outside, as he thought, but on the inside. That lie had forced him into asking a plain young woman to wait for him, one who wasn’t all that he deserved, because he didn’t think he was worthy of anyone else.

  “He married me out of fear.” As much as she tried, she couldn’t hold back the tears. “If he knew the truth, really knew it, I wouldn’t have been his choice. He is handsome, smart, successful. Any woman would be so blessed to call him hers. But he believed a lie, believed he didn’t deserve any better than me. And now he can never be free.” Daisy handed the tray back to Margaret, almost untouched, and rolled over to hide her tears.

  “You need to tell him, make him understand,” Daisy said.

  “I’ve tried, dear. It’s obvious he doesn’t believe me.”

  “He thinks you sleep apart.”

  Margaret laughed, the sound grating to Daisy’s ears. “We do, but only because Daryl is so big and barrel chested that when he snores, they can hear it in the next county. I have to sleep in another room just to get some rest. It isn’t that I want to, and it isn’t that he wants me to. It also isn’t all the time.”

  “Tell him.”

  Margaret laid a gentle hand on Daisy’s hip and turned her on her back to look Daisy in the eyes.

  “I will speak to him, but this is something you both will need to discuss. You’re a married couple now. It’s up to you to work out the intimate nature of your relationship. That is one place no one else has any business.”

  Daisy nodded but hated the thought of bringing it up, yet again. Margaret’s footfalls clicked down the short hall. Elias didn’t feel what she did. He couldn’t. She was tempted by him with just a glance. Yet bathing her, brushing her hair, and dressing her had done nothing. He hadn’t even touched her last night, choosing to lay on top of the coverlet again with space between them, back to the way they’d been the first night she’d slept in his bed.

  They may never speak of it. When Margaret told him the truth, and allayed his fears, he may have some deep regrets. He might want an annulment. Daisy clutched her knees and wrapped herself in a protective ball. Patches jumped up on the bed and curled in for some attention, and Daisy couldn’t even reach out to her precious friend.

  Down the hall, Elias spat, “I don’t want to hear this!” The door slammed. All went silent, and Daisy’s heart broke.

  Elias slid into Sheriff Spanner’s hard seated wagon and held on as they rushed through the town and over to the jail. The sheriff hadn’t said much, just that Mr. Saunders wanted to see him and that it was urgent. Being the man’s lawyer, he couldn’t ignore it, even though he would rather stay home and make sure his wife rested and his mother did her job. Which is why he’d lost his temper when the officer had shown up.

  The interior of the jail house was dark. It didn’t seem to matter that the lamps were on, the cement seemed to eat every ray it cast. A jail was no place for laughter or light. Saunders sat at the table where he always met Elias, but his usual bluster was gone. He hid his head in his shackled hands. Elias sat across from him and waited to hear what was so important that he’d get a summons.

  “He’s dead. That bastard killed Martin.” Harvey’s voice came from somewhere deep within. Strong, even though his hands muffled the sound.

  “How do you know?” He wasn’t ready to feel anything, not until he was sure this wasn’t another ploy. Saunders was good at twisting the truth.

  “Deputy came in to tell me about an hour ago. They got word that someone was trespassing at the place on French Creek. They went to see if they could catch the man in the act. They did. It was Payton, trying to bury Martin.”

  And he’d have been digging another for Daisy in a few days if he hadn’t found her. “Why don’t you tell me the whole story? I suspect that I’ll be defending you against more than a threat of destruction of property in the near future.”

  “I never agreed to killing.”

  He lifted his head, then let it fall into his palms again. “I found silver flakes out at the Houseman place. It has the easiest access to the creek and I was going to walk upstream to go fishing. There’s never anyone around, so I didn’t figure they’d mind. Something in the riverbed glinted back at me a little. I thought it was just the sun on the water for a minute, but when I scooped it up in my hand and scratched at it with my knife … I knew.”

  Harvey’s shoulders hunched. “That’s where it should’ve stopped. I wish I could say it did, but I was greedy. One night at the saloon, I told Payton I would be rich and didn’t even have to buy the land first. He followed me one day and told me that if I didn’t let him take his share, he’d report my theft. Martin knew, but he didn’t want anything to do with it. He thought it was stealing. Martin’s always been a little simple and it wasn’t like we were looking for the vein … just the broken remains that were in the river…”

  Saunders sighed heavily. “He didn’t deserve to die for defending me. Martin wanted our panning to stop, so he put something in Payton’s auto, bacon fat or something. Smoked to beat all. Payton was furious. He thought it was me, trying to make sure that he couldn’t search for more rocks. So, he reported me and here I sit.”

  Elias waited. There was more to the story, but how much did Saunders really know? He’d been in jail for almost two weeks.

  “He sent me notes, but I think Payton either got hold of one or discovered Martin. He’d been hiding in Payton’s yard. Payton came in here and told me he had Martin and he’d free him when I got out to keep an eye on my wayward cousin. He needed me to find more silver. The bed ran dry. He was regretting having me arrested, and I was happy to stay to keep him angry.”

  “That’s why you told me I needed to get you out, you finally decided you cared when he had your cousin. Why didn’t you work harder for a compromise, knowing your cousin was being held by Payton?” That was the only piece he couldn’t place. Saunders had wanted out, but hadn’t seemed in that much of a hurry, telling him he got good food and quiet. Elias hadn’t rushed, nor really worked toward a good compromise, since Saunders hadn’t been willing.

  Saunders sighed and hunched his shoulders. “You’ve seen Payton. Would you ever think that man, that dandy, scrawny,
man was capable of murder? He brought waders to the river so his pants wouldn’t get wet. He’s a lazy, rich fool. I never thought he’d kill Martin, never even thought he’d hurt him, so I didn’t try to get out fast, since that’s what Payton wanted, and I was sore he’d put me in here in the first place.”

  Payton had presented as a weak foe, though he’d caught a hint of the underlying evil, Elias still hadn’t thought of him as anything more than competition for Daisy. He’d never thought Payton was capable of hurting anyone, until Elias had pulled Daisy out of that shed himself.

  “I see Payton isn’t here. Where are they keeping him?” Elias asked.

  “No one’s saying. They don’t want him near me and I was here first. He’s the first murderer Custer has seen in a long time. Might not be able to get a fair trial here.”

  That was true. Custer and Hill City were both quiet towns, and though Payton’s methods weren’t violent, the people would want to know what happened, and they would form their opinion before it ever went to trial. Finding twelve people who hadn’t heard about the case would be almost impossible within a few days.

  “I’ll give back every rock with silver in it. I’ll work like a dog for the Houseman’s to pay back my debt. But I didn’t kill Martin, didn’t agree to anything like that. You’ve got to believe me.”

  Elias was used to the pleading. That stage always came when a client realized that, without him, they would probably be put away for a long time. He’d become hardened to it. He had to be. He’d work as hard as he could, he’d try. But he never let himself get as emotionally involved in a case as he already was on this one.

  “I’ll have to see what you’ve actually been charged with. You were in jail, so they may not charge you as an accessory. If you’re a praying man, I suggest you start. Poor Alma. I don’t know what she’ll do.”

  Saunders glanced up, his eyes redder than Elias expected. The prisoner had been holding back tears for the cousin who’d been closer than a brother.

  “She won’t have to fuss over him anymore. Maybe she’ll eventually find some peace. Tell her I’m sorry. Will you? I don’t know what else to say.”

  It had been a little over a day since Alma had been found, and he hadn’t gone to see how she was doing in the hospital. He’d been too concerned with his own bride. She’d probably already gotten a visit by an officer like Saunders had and, though she’d done nothing but sew strife in Elias’s marriage, he felt sorry for her.

  “I’ll let her know. Don’t talk to anyone else about this. You don’t actually have to tell the police anything, so don’t.”

  Elias stood and slid his chair under the table, and the scrape along the cement floor echoed through the cells. When he’d only had to worry about himself, life had been easy. Now, he had a full day of work ahead of him and all he wanted to do was curl up with his wife and pretend the last hour hadn’t happened. He’d be a part of the biggest case Custer had seen in years, and it would keep him far busier than he wanted to be.

  Chapter 24

  Margaret had insisted that Daisy remain in bed one more day, and they took the chance while Elias was out to go see the town, leaving her with a quiet house and too much to think about. His mother hadn’t seemed perturbed in the slightest by his anger just prior to leaving, and she was hesitant to bring it up to ask.

  When the evening sent the shadows long across her bed, she decided it was high time to get dressed and join the family for supper. Elias’s father had been there for more than a whole day and she’d yet to meet him, being cooped up in her bedroom. Though Elias had said he wanted her with him before she’d been taken, the specter of a passionless marriage still hung over them.

  At least he’d said he loved her, she could cherish that. She could give him her love and it would have to be enough.

  As she finished her hair, a knock came, and she rushed to get it. Elias had said he’d hired a maid, but she’d yet to meet the woman and it was late in the evening for her to be just coming. Daisy opened the door to find Ruby, looking stylish in a green gored walking skirt and blouse, her red curls tucked into a tidy bun.

  Daisy pulled her into an embrace. It had been years since she’d allowed herself to go home and Ruby had aged, with soft laugh lines framing her eyes.

  “Where is Beau, and Joseph?” Daisy gripped her hands and drew her into the room.

  Ruby smiled softly and glanced behind her. “Beau is on his way around the house. He rented a buggy for us at the livery and he’s putting it away in that old stable behind the house.”

  “Oh, I don’t even think there’s feed in there or anything.” Daisy wasn’t sure what to do about it, though Beau would know how to take care of horses. She hadn’t since she’d left Deadwood.

  “I’m sure he’ll manage.” Ruby rested her hand gently on Daisy’s shoulder. “It’s been far too long. So long that you managed to court and wed before we even knew about it.”

  There was hurt in her sister’s soft voice, but Ruby had always been tough. She wouldn’t cry, and only those who knew her best would ever know she was bothered in the slightest.

  “That’s an easy enough answer. We didn’t court. Elias and I made a promise to each other in school, and we kept it.”

  “Oh, Daisy.” Ruby slumped into the nearest chair. “I wanted so much better for you. That’s not so very different from our father’s arrangement.”

  Ruby may have wanted more, but there was none better for her than Elias. It was Elias’s parents who should have that feeling, not her own.

  “Ruby, he is a wonderful husband. I love him with all my heart.”

  “Do you?” Her eyebrows drifted up, and Daisy bit back a laugh. Beau would do the same thing when he came in and asked her. Telling Ruby first gave her the strength to tell Beau, because she’d feared telling him up until then.

  A second quick knock came on the door and then Beau entered, tapping his boots just outside the threshold. He smiled in his lopsided way and came forward, giving her a quick hug and kiss on the forehead. “Daisy, it was good to hear from you.” He sat next to his wife and glanced up at her.

  Daisy took a seat, so they could relax, and it would keep her from pacing. While it was true, she did love her husband, and he said he loved her, there was a large piece missing. Beau and Ruby, who’d loved each other for almost twenty years, might see it.

  “As I was saying to Ruby… I love Elias. I may have originally married him because I promised to, but if he’d wanted to marry me on that very day so long ago, I would’ve also said yes … after asking you, of course.”

  Beau nodded and took his wife’s hand. “I met Elias many times when I picked you up from school. He seemed good enough back then, and his parents were good people.”

  Elias’s parents had not been in the same circle as Beau and Ruby, and she was unsure how they ever would’ve met. “Did you meet them when you worked for the Deadwood newspaper?” It was the only connection she could make.

  “No, when I saw how he hung around the school most days—whether he was sitting with you or not—watching to make sure I picked you up, I found out who he was and talked to his parents. He’s a solid young man, raised well.”

  Daisy’s heart swelled, and she wanted to jump out of her seat and hug the only father she could truly remember. “So, you approve of him? I was so worried you wouldn’t.”

  “He had the right seeds planted in him. Good Christian parents, solid upbringing, good in school, no trouble. If I’d have been asked, I’d have given my blessing.”

  A lump formed in her throat. “And … are you angry that I didn’t?”

  “I would’ve liked the courtesy, but I had already suspected long ago that graduation wasn’t the last time I would set eyes on Elias Laury.”

  The front door swung open and Daisy sprang to her feet as the man himself walked through, followed by his parents. Introductions were made out of respect and both sets of parents were soon talking.

  Elias slipped his arm around her and l
eaned in close to her ear. “Mom said we needed to have a good talk. I’m taking us out to supper, then booking a few rooms at the hotel for them, so we can have an evening alone.”

  Daisy met his eyes and wanted to talk with him, but her family had just come. “Don’t you think it would be rude to send them away when they just arrived?” she whispered.

  He squeezed her arm and smiled. “I have a suggestion.” Elias waited until all four parents were silent and looking at him. “Daisy has been under the weather and is only just returning to health. Also, my table is quite small, we’ve had difficulty seating just the three of us. Might I interest you in supper at the hotel? I’ve also arranged for private rooms for you for tonight.”

  Margaret smiled. “That’s lovely, dear. You and Daisy have had so little time alone since we’ve been here. It will be good for you.”

  Beau and Ruby glanced at each other, a skeptical frown furrowing each face.

  Elias piped up quickly. “I was going to wait to surprise you all with this. Daisy doesn’t even know…” He took her hand and his simple glance electrified her.

  “After our supper, the minister will be joining us in the gathering room at the back of the hotel for a ceremony. Daisy and I were never married in front of a proper preacher and I don’t feel right about that. Beau, may I have permission to properly marry your daughter?”

  Daisy gasped and gripped his hand tighter. She’d never dreamed she’d get a wedding, not a real one.

  Ruby glowed up at Beau with a radiant smile, and he quirked his eyebrow.

  “Took you long enough.”

  Daisy clutched Elias’s arm as they stood before a minister she’d never met. His name didn’t matter. Elias had gone out of his way to arrange a wedding for her, a real one, in front of a minister and witnesses. Her family was present. She hadn’t felt loved at the first, but the way Elias glanced down at her, his eyes glowed with sincere love, this was the wedding she would remember.