Triumphant Love
Banished Saga, Book Nine
Ramona Flightner
Grizzly Damsel Publishing
Copyright © 2020 by Ramona Flightner
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems – except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews – without permission in writing from its publisher, Ramona Flightner and Grizzly Damsel Publishing. Copyright protection extends to all excerpts and previews by this author included in this book.
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
All brand names and product names used in this book are trademarks, registered trademarks, or trade names of their respective holders. The author or publisher is not associated with any product or vendor in this book.
Cover design: Jennifer Quinlan
Jefe
Although you will never read this book,
I heard your encouraging voice as I wrote it.
Always, will I miss you.
Always, will I be forever grateful
you were my dad.
Te quiero,
Hijita
Contents
Cast Of Characters
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Epilogue
A Special Thank You From Ramona
Historical Notes
Also by Ramona Flightner
31. Never Miss A Ramona Flightner Moment!
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Cast Of Characters
BOSTON:
Richard McLeod- brother to Gabriel, married to Florence, blacksmith, father to five boys
Florence Butler – married to Richard, used to teach with Clarissa, mother to five boys
Sophronia Chickering- suffragist, mentor to the McLeod women
Aidan McLeod-uncle to the McLeod boys, married to Delia, father to Zylphia, excellent businessman.
Delia McLeod- married to Aidan, mother to Zylphia, still aids the orphanage
Theodore Goff- married to Zylphia, excellent businessman
Zylphia McLeod Goff—married to Teddy, daughter to Delia and Aidan, suffragist and painter
Rowena Clement Hawke- Zylphia’s friend, suffragist activist, married to Perry Hawke
Perry Hawke—singer and friend to Lucas Russell, married to Rowena Clement
Morgan Wheeler- Parthena’s husband, successful Boston businessman.
Parthena Wheeler- married to Morgan, sister to Genevieve Russell, Zylphia’s friend; excellent pianist
Owen Hubbard: successful Boston businessman, interested in Zylphia
Eudora Hubbard- Parthena’s sister and married to Owen
MONTANA:
Missoula:
Gabriel McLeod- cabinetmaker, married to Clarissa, has four living children with her
Clarissa Sullivan McLeod- married to Gabriel, used to work as a teacher, now works as a librarian; a suffragist
Jeremy McLeod- cabinetmaker, works with his brother Gabriel at his shop, widowed; father to Breandan
Breandan McLeod- son of Jeremy and Savannah McLeod (deceased)
Colin Sullivan-Clarissa and Patrick’s brother, blacksmith, married to Araminta
Araminta Sullivan- married to Colin; long time friend to the McLeods, helps care for their children
Ronan O’Bara- a McLeod friend, a cobbler, injured in mine in Butte, uses wheelchair
Hester Loken Bailey- librarian in town, friend to the McLeods, married to Jim Bailey
Bartholomew Bouchard- banker, jilted fiancee to Araminta
Mrs. Bouchard- sister to Mrs. Vaughan, busybody in Missoula
Eleanor Bouchard- Mrs. Bouchard’s eldest daughter, returned from Seattle, former schoolteacher;
Mrs. Vaughan- sister to Mrs. Bouchard, busybody in Missoula, blames Clarissa for her family’s misfortunes
Butte:
Lucas Russell- Savannah’s brother, a famous pianist, travels the world performing.
Genevieve Russell- married to Lucas, Parthena’s sister
Martin Russell- father to Savannah and Lucas
Patrick Sullivan- Clarissa and Colin’s brother, accountant, married to Fiona
Fiona Sullivan- married to Patrick, has one daughter, Rose
Samuel Sanders – Gabriel’s cousin (was Henry Masterson in Boston), nemesis to all McLeods
Mrs. Smythe: collaborates with Samuel Sanders, stepmother to Clarissa/ Colin/ Patrick; mother to Melinda
Darby:
Sebastian Carling- runs the sawmill in Darby, married to Amelia, great friend to the McLeod’s
Amelia Egan Carling- close friend to the McLeod’s – lives in Darby
Nicholas Egan- son to Liam (d) and Amelia Egan, considers Sebastian his father; has been away fighting in WWI
Chapter 1
Missoula, Montana; February, 1920
A strong easterly wind blew this evening in early February, always a harbinger of the worst sort of storms in Missoula. Swirls of snow drifted past before another sharp blast of wind roared out of the Hellgate Canyon as Gabriel McLeod answered the knock at his front door. He stood a few inches over six feet, and his hair had more gray at the temples than before. Faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were a testament to frequent laughter and a life filled with joy, although he had known his share of sorrow in his forty-five years. Through everything, he maintained a youthful vitality, and his azure eyes glowed with curiosity, tinged with concern over who would call during such a fierce storm as he opened the door.
For a second, Gabriel stared blankly at the young man shivering on his doorstep. The next instant, he exclaimed, “Nickie!” and pulled him into his embrace. “Oh, you’re home at last.” He tugged him into the warmth of the home he shared with his wife, Clarissa, and their four children. When the door was shut behind them, he clasped Nicholas’s shoulders. “Are you well?” Gabriel’s blue eyes shone with immense joy to see the man he’d always considered a nephew, now home safe from the Great War.
The young man nodded. “I was ill for a time, but I’ve recovered. It took a while to catch a boat home. And then a train.” He swayed, and Gabriel slipped an arm around Nicholas Egan’s thin waist and led his hesitant visitor into the living room, where a roaring fire heated the space and gave it a welcoming glow.
Gabriel shook his head at his wife in an attempt to prevent her from fussing over Nicholas.
“Nicholas!” she shrieked, as she jumped up from her rocking chair, throwing aside the pair of pants she hemmed.
Gabriel sighed and then smiled in resignation, as he should have known better than to dissuade Clarissa from her mothering instincts.
“Oh, Nickie, we’ve been so worried.” She threw her arms around the young man and held him close.
Gabriel took a step forward to intercede but then paused as he saw Nicholas wrap his arms around Clarissa and hold her tight. Nicholas shuddered, and Clarissa made soothing noises, like she did whenever any of their children needed calming. Whenever Gabriel needed comfort too.
After a few minutes Nicholas stepped away from Clarissa and ducked his head, as though embarrassed by the display of strong emotions. “I … It was too late to head to Darby tonight.”
Gabriel nodded and motioned for him to sit on one of the settees by the fire. He settled in his rocker beside Clarissa, absently holding his hand out for hers. She clasped his, and they sat, rocking companionably, as they watched the young man stare into the flames for several long minutes.
“Are you well, Nickie?” Clarissa asked in a soft tone. Her blue eyes shone with concern, and her chestnut-brown hair was pulled back in a loose topknot on her head. She wore a comfortable blue wool dress with a sweater and thick stockings on this cold winter’s night.
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be? I survived.” Nickie sat with his shoulders slouched forward, and he moved back and forth on the settee, as though he too sat in a rocking chair.
“Would you like tea?” Gabriel asked. His question elicited a smile from Clarissa and a nod from Nicholas. She always teased Gabriel about how he believed tea made everything better. He argued that it rarely made anything worse. He rose, squeezing Nicholas’s shoulder. “We’re so glad you’re home.”
After brewing a pot of tea, Gabriel returned to the living room with a tray filled with the teapot, mugs, a small pitcher of milk, and a sugar bowl. He paused to see Clarissa quietly sewing again, as Nicholas sat in a dazed stupor. When Gabriel set the tray on the table in front of the settee, the china rattled, and Nicholas jumped. His arm jerked forward, careening into a mug. It toppled to the floor and shattered.
He sat in shocked silence a moment and then scrambled to his knees to pick up the porcelain shards. “Forgive me,” he whispered, his throat thickened with tears. “I …” He shook his head and moved frantically.
“Nickie,” Clarissa said in a soft voice. She laid her hands over his and waited until he stilled. “Nickie, take a deep breath.” She waited a moment. “Now another.” When he did that, she glanced to Gabriel, and he held out his hands for the pieces of the mug that Nicholas held.
A soft trembling moved through Nicholas’s muscles, and he sat on the floor as Gabriel moved around him, efficiently using a dustpan and broom to clean up the remaining pieces and shards of the mug. With tacit agreement, Clarissa remained on the floor with Nicholas, her presence a soothing balm to the young man. A log crackled and popped in the fireplace, and Nicholas jerked again.
“Forgive me,” he whispered. “I should have known better and gone to a hotel.”
Gabriel set aside the dustpan and broom and knelt before Nicholas with Clarissa beside him. “No, Nickie. You needed to come here. To us. We love you like you were our own.” Gabriel’s eyes shimmered with tears as he reached forward and grasped Nicholas’s shoulder. “You can lean on us.”
Nicholas stared at him with haunted eyes, his trembling continuing.
Although Gabriel understood it wasn’t from the cold, he agreed with a silent nod for Clarissa to throw a small blanket over Nicholas’s shoulders. Any evidence of civility and kindness would be a reminder he was far from the Front.
“I know you don’t have room for me.”
Gabriel sighed. “For tonight, I hope you’ll be comfortable on the settee. Tomorrow you can move to Colin’s. He and Araminta have a spare bedroom.” He smiled as Nicholas nodded at the mention of Clarissa’s brother, Colin, and his wife, Araminta, who lived a few blocks away with their two-month-old daughter, Lily. Gabriel squeezed Nicholas’s arm. “You know how these storms are. They’ll cover the railroad tracks, and it will take a few days to dig them out. You’ll be with us for a little while.”
“My mother,” Nicholas whispered.
“I’ll send her a telegram,” Gabriel said. He watched as Nicholas sat in dejected silence, his gaze distant and haunted as he stared at nothing. “Come. Have some tea.” Gabriel and Clarissa continued to sit on the floor with Nicholas, as though it were normal to have a late-evening tea party on the floor of their living room.
Clarissa stroked a hand over Nicholas’s arm and then took a sip of tea from her mug. “I know there is much you won’t want to discuss, Nickie. But I hope someday you can describe the wonders of Paris.” She smiled at him, and he looked at her with a more focused gaze and a figment of hope. “I’ve read so much about it and always wondered if it is truly as beautiful as they say.”
Nicholas shook his head. “It isn’t.” When he saw Clarissa deflate at his words, he smiled, and the echo of the impish boy he had been emerged for a moment. “It’s far more gorgeous in an unpretentious way. Like it knows its beauty and doesn’t have to prove it to anyone.”
“Eloquent,” Gabriel teased. He chuckled as Nicholas flushed.
“I spent a few weeks in Paris, waiting for notice for a boat home. It wasn’t a hardship wandering the streets, even though it was winter and rainy.” Nicholas looked around and frowned. “Why are we on the floor?”
Gabriel shrugged and winked at Clarissa. “We felt like an informal tea party, and you humored us.” He saw that Nicholas remembered why but also saw the gratitude in Nicholas’s gaze that Gabriel didn’t expound on it. “Come. These bones are getting too old to spend much time on the floor.” He rose and held out a hand for Clarissa. He watched with envy as Nicholas hopped up, as though it were nothing. “To be twenty-two again.” He sighed.
Nicholas laughed, and the ghosts of the recent past seemed to disappear for a few moments. “You’re not that old, Uncle Gabe.”
“Old enough to know when I should be envious of youth,” Gabriel said with a smile. “I’ll never regret my family or the life I’ve lived, but there are things I miss.” He enfolded Clarissa in his arms and kissed her on the head.
“Foolish man,” she whispered. She turned to look at Nicholas. “He hadn’t met me yet when he was your age.”
Nicholas continued to smile, although he seemed to sober as he whispered, “So there’s always hope, Aunt Clarissa?”
She stepped out of Gabriel’s embrace to cup Nicholas’s cheek. “Always, Nickie. Always.” She looked deeply into his eyes before pushing back a strand of russet-colored hair that hung over his forehead. “Right now your memories are fresh and vivid and torment you. But never forget that I know you. You’re strong and good. Never doubt that.” She waited a moment until he nodded. “You’ll find your way through this.”
“And we’ll help you,” Gabriel murmured.
* * *
After ensuring Nicholas was settled on the settee, Clarissa entered her bedroom. She changed into a flannel nightgown and sat at her vanity, brushing out her hair. Although she was cold and tired, it was a tradition every evening for Gabriel to watch her brush her hair and then ease her into bed. “Or tease me,” she murmured to herself with a smile.
Her eyes lit on Gabriel in the mirror as he entered their room. After all their years together, the mere sight of him still filled her with joy. Although he was handsome and charming, she knew that his kindness, compassion, and dedication to family provoked her fierce emotions.
Her delighted smile met his contented one as he beheld her brushing her hair. She froze when she saw him frown. “What’s the matter?” She set aside her brush and turned to face him.
“You’re cold. You shouldn’t suffer simply because you know I like to watch you brush your hair.” He kissed her forehead and pulled her against him, groaning as she wrapped her arms around him. He buried his face in her hair.
“I love our traditions, Gabe,” she whispered and kissed his neck. “And I love that you’re like a furnace. You envelop me in your warmth.”
“I love you,”
Gabriel murmured in his wife’s ear. He held her close for a long moment.
She stroked a hand down his back and murmured soft words in his ear. “He’ll be all right, Gabe. You’ll help him.” She paused and then released him and raced to their bed where she jumped under the covers. Her face lit with joy as he chuckled and followed her. When they were settled, with her resting her head on his shoulder, she murmured, “Share your worries with me.”
Triumphant Love: Banished Saga, Book Nine Page 1