“Charles, it is so good to see you this afternoon.” She stood on tip toes and gave a him a chaste kiss on the cheek. That was it, just pretend nothing is wrong, she told herself.
“Ester, good heavens, what happened to you?” He gripped her chin between his thumb and index finger and gently turned her head, so he could better inspect her bruised cheek.
“It is nothing, Charles. A simple accident. I promise it looks worse than it really is.” A simple accident in the form of accidently enraging her half-brother. Not entirely a lie, just a small omission.
“Are you sure you are fine? I can have your maid ring for the doctor.” He turned about to walk away.
She placed her hand on his arm to stop him. “No, please don’t do that. It really is no big deal.” She didn’t want a doctor examining her. She wanted Charles to move away from the subject before she was forced into telling an outright lie. Mary would surely drag her off to confession, and the fact that she wasn’t Catholic wouldn’t matter one bit to Mary.
“If you are sure you are fine . . .. Come, let’s sit. I had your maid bring some tea, along with jam and biscuits.” He led her to the settee and once seated poured a cup of tea for her. “Here you go, my dear,” he said as he handed her the small china cup and saucer.
“Mary, would you like some tea?” Ester asked.
“No, thank you, Ms. Woods,” Mary replied, never looking up from her needlepoint.
Charles sat his cup and saucer down on the table. “Mother, has decided the dress is outdated. She needs you to meet with her the day after tomorrow.”
“Outdated? Charles I so very much loved that dress.”
“Yes, well Mother decided it needed to be changed to something more modern. You will need to be measured again for the fitting.”
“I am not sure I am free the day after tomorrow. There is so much to do here at the school with the up coming holidays.” There was no way the bruises on her arms would be healed that soon. How could she go through measurements for a new dress with bluish-purple hand prints on both her arms?
“That brings us to the next subject we need to discuss.” He stood and walked a few steps away from her. “Mother says that it would be more practical financially to sell the school.”
“Sell the school?” Ester sat her cup and saucer down on the table next to his. “Charles is that what you think as well?”
“It does make sense Ester if you think about it. Once married, you would be at home raising children and moving about society. I had thought to hire in some teachers to run the school for us, but Mother says that is not a financially sound business decision.”
“We had discussed this prior to our engagement. Are you telling me that now you are going back on your word?” Ester dropped her hands into her lap and began to fidget.
“Ester please don’t distress yourself,” Charles tone became soothing as he returned to sit next to her. He took her hands into his and smiled that charming smile of his at her. “It will be best this way. You will see.”
She was about to tell him that she would under no circumstances sell her school when Mrs. Wong came bursting into the room. Her eyes were wide, and her mouth was opening and closing like a fish. “I told him you were not available, but he wouldn’t listen,” she finally blurted out.
“Who, Mrs. Wong? Who wouldn’t listen?” Ester asked as she jumped to her feet. From the corner of her eye, she saw Mary stand. Beside her, Charles rose and adjusted his suit jacket. Before Mrs. Wong could answer, John O’Brian came bursting into the room.
“Ester, I need to speak with you immediately—” He stopped speaking and stared at her.
“What is the cause of such a commotion? You have no right to burst in here.” Charles placed his arm possessively around her waist.
“Ester, what happened to you?” John demanded.
“Mr. O’Brian, my welfare is none of your concern,” she said with more calm that she felt. Fire burned in his eyes, stirring something inside her. Something foreign…something exciting.
“The hell it ain’t.”
The venom in his voice had her stepping backward. Before she realized what was happening, Mr. O’Brian stormed the rest of the way into the room and planted a fist right into Charles’s face. Charles fell to the side and landed with a thud on the carpet. “No man has the right to lay his hands on a lady.”
“Mr. O’Brian, stop it right this instant!” Ester yelled but it did no good. John kicked Charles in the stomach and as the man curled into the fetal position, Mr. Wong came rushing in and dragged Mr. O’Brian from the room. Ester rushed to Charles and knelt beside him. “Oh, Charles, are you alright?”
Charles pushed her away and struggled to his feet. Rubbing his jaw, he glared down at her. “I warned you the type of man he was. Will you listen to me now? You can’t be so friendly with those types of animals.”
“Charles, he thought you hit me. He was just trying to defend me.” Ester rose and faced him.
“It is not his right to defend you. It is mine. You are my wife in training.” He turned and looked at a very frightened Mary. “I will find you a new companion and chaperone. I do not want any more Irish in this place.”
“Charles, you can’t do that. Mary is my friend.” A million thoughts fired in her brain. She had to get him to stop and think rationally. “Charles, I know you are angry over Mr. O’Brian’s violent display but to punish Mary would simply be wrong.”
“Ester, it is not up for debate. A good Christian woman will take her place.” He moved past Ester and stopped when he reached the door. “You have until the end of the week to find new employment. I will no longer have my fiancée catering to your kind.”
Ester rushed over and put her arms around Mary, who was still standing with her hand over her mouth. “Don’t listen to him, you are not going anywhere. Do you hear me?”
Mary pulled back from Ester’s embrace and took her hand off her mouth. “That was some entertainment.”
“Entertainment? Mary, are you in shock?” How could Mary be anything but in shock from the senseless violence that had just taken place. No sane woman would find the incident entertaining.
“Ester, the handsome Mr. O’Brian just knocked the snobby man senseless. I call that entertainment.” Mary began to laugh. “I just want to know how you can choose that wimpy Charles over such a strong specimen of a man such as Mr. O’Brian?”
“Oh, you are just too much, Mary Magill,” Ester said before walking back to the settee and flopping unladylike down onto it. “Come, there is still more tea and biscuits left.” She patted the empty spot next to her and was grateful Mary didn’t decline this time.
“I reckon I could head back to Chicago,” Mary said between bites of a jam covered biscuit.
“You will do no such thing. I told you to not listen to him,” Ester chided her. “If he wanted to hit someone, maybe he should hit your gentleman suitor. That man could use some sense knocked into him.”
“He is not my gentleman suitor, or my anything anymore. I called it off with him after what he did to Sophia,” Mary informed her.
“Mary, I am so sorry. I didn’t know.” Ester placed her hand on the other woman’s knee and gave her an affectionate pat.
“Don’t be sorry. I do not wish to marry a man who would feel that a young woman was insane just because she wants an education.”
Ester couldn’t fault her there. She was sure that Charles would feel just the same way though. Unlike Mary, Ester found herself not strong enough to call off the wedding. She had wanted to and was, in fact, going to do just that when the whole ugly incident with Sophia transpired. Something about watching that doctor drag her out and cart her off to the asylum scared Ester.
What if Charles declared her unbalanced because she was a businesswoman and called off their engagement. She knew of some women who were sent away to places such as that just for being quarrelsome with their husbands.
How could this be happening? The man she thought would be
her salvation was turning into the very person to bring her to her knees. She closed her eyes and watched as it played out in her mind’s eyes, her future crashing down around her.
***
Pain throbbed through his knuckles. Shaking his hand, he tried to shake the pain away. It didn’t work, but he would take the pain. It was worth it to knock that bastard down a peg. How dare he lay his hands on a woman like Ester? On any woman for that matter?
He had no patience for men who used violence to control people weaker than them. If it hadn’t been for Mr. Wong grabbing him, he would have beat that man to a pulp. He saw Ester and Mary in that moment Mr. Wong grabbed him. He did regret subjecting the women to such unpleasantness. That was all he regretted, though.
When he entered his hotel room, he shrugged out of his jacket. A war raged inside of him as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He could go back to Chicago and call this case done. Or he could stay and keep an eye on the situation. The case was officially closed so there was no obligation to stay. His former client had what he needed and soon, Ester would be sitting in a jail cell or continuing on as a free woman if the sheriff didn’t receive sufficient proof. There really was no reason for him to stay. However, he couldn’t get the image of her bruised cheek out of his mind.
Standing, he shoved his arms back into his jacket and headed out of his hotel room. Outside, the sounds of people going about their lives surrounded him. He knew he should stay away from her, but he had to see her and make sure she was safe after he left. There was no telling what a man like Charles would do to her after having his ego bruised. He noticed a man up ahead of him walking with an odd gait. He moved in a way that made him stand out in a crowd. He leaned too far forward as he walked. John watched for a bit wondering if the man would fall flat on his face. He didn’t see how anyone could walk that way and not fall down. Not long after John noticed him, the man turned into one of the stores and out of sight.
An elderly woman bundled against the cold breeze held a jar in her gnarled hand. The coins clanked against the glass as her hand shook. Whether she shook from age or purposely to attract attention, he was unsure. Grabbing a few bills, he shoved them into the jar. Without a word, she simply nodded before he walked on down the street.
Up ahead, he heard the news’ boy shouting while holding up a neatly folded newspaper. Raising his hand, he hailed the young boy. As he took the paper, he watched the boy drop the coin into the white apron tied around his waist. He held the paper and headed for one of the benches at the edge of the park. Sitting, he scanned the front page in the dimming light.
He read as the featured story was the announcement that Abraham Lincoln had won the election. Tensions were mounting in the country as it seemed the country was divided on what was now considered hot topics. It seemed both sides wanted to force their way on the other side. He sometimes wondered how it would all play out when the topic came up during conversation. For the most part, he had more pressing issues to deal with. For one, he was trying to make his way in a country that had no use for his kind. That issue lead to the next issue—just trying to help his family survive from one day to the next.
Rising, he left the newspaper on the bench and headed for the Woods Academy for Proper Young Ladies. He had calmed down enough to know he needed to apologize to Ester for his very ungentlemanly behavior. Hitting Charles had felt good and he would do it again to defend Ester. However, he had subjected her to such unpleasantness that he owed her an apology, and that was exactly what he was going to do.
Chapter 19
Ester paced the sitting area of her private quarters. How had life taken on such complexity. Everything had been simple when she was growing up. Her mother may not have been a proper lady, but she loved Ester and Ester loved her. Her mother had never spoken of her father much, just told her that she had loved him and that she had fallen for his charm. When she became with child, he abandoned her and refuse to marry her. Her parents were angry and threw her out of the home. Ester knew that everything that had happened could have caused her mother to resent her and blame her for all she lost. Her mother didn’t do that, though. Her mother doted on her as if she was a rare and special gift.
She wanted her mother right now more than anything. She needed to end it with Charles, but fear of what happened to Sophia and then the loss of her inheritance all combined to keep her moving on the path she was on. If she lost the inheritance, she would let her mother down. Her mother, as per Mr. Magill, wanted Ester to have the life of luxury her mother believed she deserved. A lady in polite society. Stopping by the window, she stared out into the fading sunlight. She longed to return to her childhood. The holidays were coming up soon and she should be focused on celebrations. Instead, she warred and wrestled with the reality of her upcoming wedding—all forced upon her by her grandfather’s will. A grandfather who never had taken an active role in her life was now controlling her from the grave.
A loud knock at the door pulled her from her melancholy thoughts. She stayed at the window as Mary went to answer the door. Within a few moments, Mary entered the room followed by Mr. O’Brian. The sight of him brought her nerves on edge and she shook slightly. Butterflies took up flight in her stomach. It was all very improper, and she must put an end to it all right now. “Mr. O’Brian, I think you should leave right now.”
He continued across the room until he stood right in front of her. “Ester, please, I came to apologize.” He took her hands in his. “I just lost control when I saw the bruise on your lovely cheek. No man has a right to harm you or any woman.”
His hands holding hers caused her heart to pound inside her breast. Jerking her hands back, she tried to maintain her composure. Never before had a man made her feel such things, such sinful things. “I told you my welfare was no concern of yours. Now leave.”
“Ester, please—”
“You have no right to be so familiar with me. How many times must I keep telling you such?”
“How can you pretend that we have not at least formed a friendship?”
She took a step back, but it did no good. The heat from his body still reached her. His scent penetrated her nose. Is this what her father made her mother feel? If so, she could see how her mother fell from grace so easily. “Mr. O’Brian, you must stop all this right now.”
Before she knew what was happening, he grabbed her, and his lips crushed against hers. Her body stiffened, and shock muddled her brain. Arms that at first crushed her to him, relaxed and his hand rubbed up and down her back. Heat flooded her body as it betrayed her. Realizing she was kissing him back, she shoved him from her then slapped him across the cheek.
“How dare you take such liberties with me,” she cried as she grabbed her skirt in her fists and ran for the safety of her bedroom. Safely behind the door, she leaned her head back against the cool wood.
Her heart pounded, and her body shook. Charles never kissed her like that. With him, it was always proper and chaste. Nothing in her life had prepared her for a man to kiss her like that. Alone now, she would admit she liked it. Part of her wanted to go back out there and let him kiss her like that again. The mere thought of such bold behavior sent heat creeping up her cheeks. If one peeled back the layers of her very being, would they find at the center a woman coated in sin?
Chapter 20
The next day, John entered the Tremont House restaurant and saw William Warner sitting at a table with another gentleman and an older woman. As he got closer, he realized that his client was sitting with none other than Charles Chesterfield. The wormy bastard at least wore a black eye to match the bruise he left on Ester’s cheek. The sight of it gave him a deep sense of satisfaction. Taking a seat close enough that he could eavesdrop but not be obvious, he picked up the menu and scanned the breakfast selections.
"What would you like?" the waitress asked as she rested her hip against the table. He saw the flirty smile on her face and promise in her eyes, none of which he was interested in exploring further. He didn't
want to speak and be noticed by the party at the other table, so he pointed to the sausage and egg plate. He then pointed to a cup of coffee. The waitress nodded and walked away. His client wanted to find Ms. Woods and have her arrested. But why was he sitting with Charles? How did having breakfast with the woman's fiancé fit into his supposed need for justice?
"I had heard that you were engaged to Ester Woods," William said.
"Yes," Charles responded.
"First, let me tell you how sorry I am for bringing you here under false pretenses. I did not ask you here to discuss a business venture, but instead, to discuss Ester," William said.
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