The light cast from the oil lamp was dim, and she turned the wick up. So, her mother had been here for at least eighteen years. Clarissa had been born in this horrible place. How had her mother made enough money to put her through school? Maybe that was most of the debt. Oh Mama, you could have had your dream of a dress shop if not for me. I’m so sorry you had to live this way.
She put on her heavy night gown and pushed a wooden chair up against the door. She didn’t have one person she could trust. The story of her life, of course, but this situation was dire. Her mother had given up so much. Clarissa opened the nightstand drawer and dug through it, blinking in surprise when she lifted the frilly undergarments and found a Bible. She sighed in relief. She glanced through the Psalms and paused at Psalm five, feeling like it spoke to her. She read it repeatedly before she said it out loud again and again.
Give ear to my words, O LORD;
consider my meditation.
Hearken unto the voice of my cry,
my King, and my God:
for unto thee will I pray.
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD;
in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee,
and will look up.
For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness:
neither shall evil dwell with thee.
The foolish shall not stand in thy sight:
thou hatest all workers of iniquity.
Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing:
the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy:
and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple.
Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies;
make thy way straight before my face.
For there is no faithfulness in their mouth;
their inward part is very wickedness;
their throat is an open sepulchre;
they flatter with their tongue.
Destroy thou them, O God;
let them fall by their own counsels;
cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions;
for they have rebelled against thee.
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice:
let them ever shout for joy, because thou defendest them:
let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee.
For thou, LORD, wilt bless the righteous;
with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield.
Before she fell asleep, she prayed for the Kavanagh family. They had been kind and generous. Was Donnell sleeping already?
Chapter Seven
Finally, Donnell got a message back from the sheriff of Bent. Hank Thatcher was indeed a businessman but a shady one.
He paced from one end of the barn to the other. How shady? What kind of shady? The information was vague.
“What’s wrong?” Sullivan asked, looking up from the bridle he was mending.
“Clarissa. I just couldn’t let it go. I had to scrutinize the situation, and I’m not happy with what I’ve found. The man who came to get her is some shady businessman. I don’t even know what that means.”
“There must be something wrong with where she’s working.” Sullivan crossed his arms in front of him. “What are you waiting for? That girl needs your help. Or were you waiting for a personal invitation from her? Saddle up, I’ll have Dolly fix you some food, and I’ll grab some supplies.”
Donnell smiled. “You certainly have gotten bossy, Sullivan, but in this case you’re right.”
By the time Donnell got Rascal saddled and his bedroll attached, he met up with Sullivan. “Thanks. I wanted to go, but I couldn’t decide.”
“Sheila changed my character. You can’t control everything, but if you can act do it.”
“How is she by the way? Prison must have been an ominous place.”
“She’s a different person too; for the better. We both grew a lot and she’s finally at the point where she can relax and take things one day at a time.” Sullivan finished helping tie the supplies to the saddle. “Good luck.”
Donnell got on Rascal and rode off. All of his older brothers had gotten married and they were better men for it. He rode until dark and made camp. He wasn’t going to bother with a fire but as soon as he heard the wolves howl, he thought better of it, gathered some fallen wood and lit one.
The next morning, he washed in the stream and made himself coffee. Dolly had sent enough biscuits for a week. As he chewed on one, he considered Clarissa. He should have checked into her background deeper. What was it about her that had caught him off guard? She was brave, able to take care of herself, no wilting violet, that was for sure.
He finished breakfast then saddled and mounted Rascal and headed off. Bent wasn’t too far, maybe another three hours. Clarissa didn’t need to know he was in town, in case he was wrong and she was doing well for herself. He just wanted to investigate the situation. He had too many questions and that never sat well with him.
Finally, he rode along Bent’s main street. The town was bigger than he’d imagined. The place was crawling with cowboys. They must have just bought or sold cattle and were taking a bit of a holiday. Now to find the sheriff. He walked along the boardwalk and into the sheriff’s office.
“Sheriff Wheat?”
The man sitting behind the desk shook his head. “I’m Deputy Polk. The Sheriff is down at Thatcher’s Saloon. They’re auctioning off a girl. I had to stay behind.” He sounded upset about it.
Donnell frowned. “Auctioning off a girl for what?”
Deputy Polk just leered, his ominous chuckle sending chills along Donnell’s spine.
He swore under his breath and left without a word. Thatcher’s was at the end of the town. It was a big saloon and his stomach dropped. How could he have allowed Clarissa to be taken to a saloon? Work contracts happened all the time; he’d had no reason to think the work was in a saloon. But he hadn’t bothered to find out where she was going, either.
He walked in and the place was utter chaos. People were buying tickets, so they’d be eligible to bid. He scanned all the tables, but he didn’t see her. He’d ask the bartender what was going on and hopefully he could ask about Clarissa without drawing unwanted attention.
“Whiskey,” he ordered.
“Would you like to buy one for our virgin?” The bartender nodded toward the end of the bar. There she sat on the bar looking frightened and exhausted.
“Do I get to talk to her?”
“Sure enough. This young crowd aren’t much for talking. I mainly need to make sure no one touches her.”
Donnell squared his shoulders before he went to the end of the bar. She didn’t turn her head.
“This here fella bought you a drink,” the bartender said with a warning in his voice.
She instantly smiled and thanked him. Her eyes widened and he could see they were full of despair. “Hello Donnell. How are things?”
“I could ask you the same question.”
“Mister if you want to keep talking you need to buy more drinks for the two of you,” the bartender told him with a scowl.
“Fair enough. We’ll have another and if I’m still talking pour another.” He laid cash on the bar.
“How much have you had to drink?” Donnell asked her.
“Mine is mostly water. Why are you here?”
“I’m nosey. I like to know everything that’s going on, and after I thought about it, the whole contract thing didn’t make sense.” He tilted his head and gave her a smile. “And I was worried about you.”
“I appreciate your concern.” She swallowed hard. He got the notion she was terrified but trying hard not to show it. “There isn’t anything you can do. My mother signed a contract between Thatcher and me. From what I gather, he promises girls they can earn their way out of here, but he charges more for room and board than they could possibly pay.” A cheer wen
t up across the room, and she shivered. “The auction money doesn’t count.”
“Why not?”
“Thatcher said so.”
“I want to see the contract,” he growled.
“So do I, but he hasn’t shown it to me yet. And there is no way to leave. It never occurred to me to change my name and go as far as I could. I had no reason to think anyone would hunt me down. I didn’t even know Mr. Thatcher.” A lone tear slipped down her face. She quickly wiped it away and glanced about as though fearful of being caught crying. After a moment, her shoulders relaxed.
“When is this auction?”
“Tomorrow around nine. Do you like my dress? My mother made it.” Her voice sounded flat.
“I’m not going to answer that.” He offered a gentle smile. “You may swat me if I tell you the truth. I just hate you have to wear it in front of all these men. I’ll wrap my coat around you.”
She put her hand up to stop him. “That would just make Thatcher angry, and he’s already angry with me. He’s saving his anger for after the auction. He doesn’t want any marks on me until after. I’ve earned myself a beating, it seems.” She didn’t look at him but her skin had turned red.
“You’ll be safe until tomorrow?”
“Yes,” she mumbled.
“I’ll be back before that.”
He turned and walked to the line for purchasing a ticket to be allowed to join the auction. He finally stood in front of Thatcher. “Looks like a big turnout. If I’d known you ran auctions, I’d have come sooner.”
“No, this is the first. She’s special and pure.”
“She’s no beauty.”
Thatcher laughed. “Turn the lights off.” All the men in line behind Donnell laughed too.
Donnell bought his ticket and went to see a lawyer he knew.
They greeted each other with a hug and a slap on the back. Donnell had always liked Leo Best. They had served together, and the dark-haired, dark-eyed man was always logical and mostly right.
“Nice office. You must be doing well.” Donnell glanced around before he sat in a chair in front of Leo’s desk.
“Things are going well. What about you?”
Donnell studied the man sitting across from him. “I’ve got a problem. It involves a woman.”
“It always does.” Leo chuckled.
“Clarissa Plunkett is being auctioned off at the saloon.”
“The sheriff will have to take care of it.”
Donnell ran his fingers through his hair. “The sheriff bought a ticket to be allowed to bid tomorrow night.”
Leo sat back in his chair. “How do you know this woman?”
“She came to Huntertown as a mail-order bride, but her groom didn’t want her. I saw her go into the hotel and didn’t give her another thought. Dolly found out she rented a room at the saloon and sent me to bring her to the ranch.”
Leo drummed his fingers on the desk. “What kind of woman is she?”
“She is shy and sometimes seems afraid. She’s been helpful around the ranch, insisting she wouldn’t take charity. She can be standoffish, but that might be because she’s shy. She grew up in a boarding school in Pennsylvania. Her mother never visited and Clarissa never was allowed home during school breaks, so I gather she didn’t really know her mother. She told me her mother was a dressmaker and they were supposed to run the store together but after graduation she came here to find her and found out her mother had died and there was no dress shop.” He paused and drew a deep breath. “Then I got a telegram from a Mr. Hank Thatcher, who said she had run away before she finished her contract. Stupid of me, but I thought she was a nanny or something and just didn’t want to finish her indenture.”
“Have you seen the contract?” Leo asked.
Donnell shook his head. “Clarissa told me her mother signed it on her behalf. It’s a contract to work for Thatcher.”
“Did her mother get paid to sign?”
“No.”
Leo frowned and rubbed his chin. “Did you say Plunkett?”
Donnell nodded.
“There used to be an Irene Plunkett living in town,” mused Leo. “She was stabbed to death. She had been looking at a couple of empty buildings. She was opening a store is what I heard. I wonder what happened?”
“I’m going to see what I can find out today, and I want to see that contract. Do you think it’s binding?”
“If the daughter was under her mother’s care at the time, then unfortunately, yes. But we have to be sure it’s her mother’s signature. If worse comes to worst, you can try to buy out the contract.”
“That gives me hope. I’ll let you know if I find out anything about the contract.” Donnell got up.
Leo stood as well and saw Donnell to the door. They shook hands. “It was really good to see you,” Leo said.
Donnell smiled. “We’ll have to catch up. Did you ever marry your Mary Ann?”
“Three years married and one son. Life has been good.”
Donnell walked out onto the boardwalk. Unless what Thatcher was doing was illegal, he wouldn’t be able to stop it. Would the man consider a buyout? Donnell didn’t want to tip his hand too early. He had more money than he’d ever need, so that wasn’t a problem though it rankled he might have to give the money to Thatcher.
He walked to the general store. When he saw a group of men playing checkers near the front, he smiled. They probably gossiped more than any woman. He took a seat by a heavily bearded man with kind eyes who asked if he wanted to buy a cup of coffee. Donnell agreed and sat watching the checkers game going on.
“Here tell that Hank is auctioning off a girl,” the bearded man said.
A thin man just nodded but an older gentleman took his pipe from his pocket and lit it.
“He claims she has to work to finish out her ma’s contract,” said another older man. “I don’t see how that can be legal. Hank has gotten away with so much around here he now thinks anything goes.”
“It’s not legal, at least not in Texas. But sometimes debts have to be paid when a person dies. It’s just a way of slavery, and it ain’t right,” the bearded man said.
“That and Hank being her pa and all.”
Donnell set down his coffee cup and hurried out the door. He walked briskly to the telegraph office and sent a message telling the operator he’d wait for a reply. It took about an hour but he got his reply. It was good to have friends.
Chapter Eight
Worry had worn Clarissa out. Tonight was the night, and she hadn’t seen Donnell. There was probably nothing he could do. Why did she feel worse about losing Donnell than being sold? She hardly knew Donnell. He was handsome, generous, kind. She’d never seen his heart to know how big it was. There had been too much pressure with her being his responsibility. He probably resented her, and who wouldn’t? Being thrown together didn’t mean a thing.
At school, she’d roomed with the same girl for years, and the girl had hardly talked to her. All the loneliness she’d endured came back and filled her anew. She supposed she had been lucky the other girls hadn’t known what her mother had done for a living.
She had spent considerable time over the past few days studying Hank. The more she stared at him, the more she became convinced he was her father. He had an inkling too. One of the girls had been talking about it. That didn’t matter, though, because he was still going to sell his daughter. Perhaps if she was braver, she’d have run by now.
Jewel walked into the room carrying a white dress. “Hank wants you to wear this along with these silk stockings. I hope Hank treats you better than most, bein’ he’s your pa and all. The only advice I can give you is to relax and think of something else. Building dreams that will never come true is all we have as an escape. Whatever you do don’t embarrass Hank. He likes to think we’re well trained willing to do his bidding. He’ll come for you in half an hour.”
Clarissa was trapped. The white dress was made of many layers of sheer material topped with a sheer layer
with a bit of lace on it. Still, her arms would be bare. She rolled the stockings on and secured them. After she put on the dress it shamed her that much of her legs were not covered by the dress.
Lord, I don’t even know where to start. I’m going to need Your help to be brave. Sometimes fate is just fate. Please protect me from harm. You have always been the one I could talk to. No matter what You have my unwavering love and faith.
She was ready when the door opened, and Hank Thatcher stood in the opening wearing a new shirt and vest. The irony wasn’t lost on her. The father walks his daughter down the aisle and gives her to a man. Except this wouldn’t bring her a husband. Quite the opposite, it would make her too sullied to ever marry.
“Come along.”
She walked out of the room and took his proffered arm. “Did you and Mama name me? How many other children do you have?”
He gave her a warning glance. “No, I had nothing to do with you, and as far as I’m concerned I have no children. It’ll only make it harder if you fight me on this. There is no way to escape. Remember that.” He walked faster hauling her along.
Finally, he dragged her up by his side and they descended the stairs. Her heart pounded and her eyes smarted. The place was packed, and it was only the afternoon. There were all manner of men, from the obviously poor to the stuffy rich. The cowboys all staring at her didn’t have a chance.
This time Hank put a chair on the bar. He climbed up and the bartender lifted her to him. He made her sit on the chair. “Don’t do anything to ruin this for me.” He jumped down and smiled. “Gentlemen here she is, the purest woman in the whole state of Texas. Bidding starts at nine tonight. No touching her.”
From her high perch she could see the whole crowd. She looked and looked but there was no sign of Donnell. She’d demanded of Hank to see the contract herself, earning the promise of a worse beating after the auction. And now it was too late to do anything but go along with his vile plans for her. She’d had a glimmer of hope when the sheriff walked in… until he shook Hank’s hand. Were the town leaders present as well? Those upstanding citizens who were probably all married.
Donnell: Cowboy Scrutiny: The Kavanagh Brothers Book 5 Page 5