As the buggy pulled up in front of the house, I could see a row of people gathered to meet us. It looked like the family and all the servants were anxious to welcome me home. No one was smiling, except for one woman, I supposed she was my mother. All eyes, including my mother’s, looked anxious, as though they weren’t quite prepared to believe I had actually been found. Maybe I wasn’t their lost daughter after all, I thought? I almost hoped I wasn’t. However, when I saw my mother’s face, I knew I must be her daughter. She was an older version of me.
A footman came up and helped me down from the buggy. Someone took Bandit, who tried to follow me and started barking frantically when the person dragged him away. My mother ran forward and threw her arms around me, which distracted me from Bandit‘s plight. There were tears in her eyes.
“Welcome home, Helen,” she cried.
Then she held me from her, examining my face.
“I can’t believe that Patrick actually found you., We thought you dead, or gone forever.”
I merely smiled. I did not want to offend her with my Missouri twang, as Patrick had put it. I wanted her to believe in the dream that I would just naturally become the daughter I would have been had she been able to raise me.
My father hugged me briefly. He seemed more reserved. Patrick’s wife smiled slightly at me when I was introduced to her. She had honey-brown hair and hazel eyes, stunningly beautiful yet a little reserved. Her two children stood at attention beside her, the girl looked a little frightened, like maybe she thought I was the wicked aunt come to change things, and the boy fidgeted a bit, as he kept glancing at his father, I assume looking for approval. Patrick kissed his wife lightly on the cheek but barely glanced at his children. I was presented to the other members of the family. Uncle Terrance and Aunt Trudy merely shook my hand. Then Gavin stepped forward, kissing me on the cheek, the same as Patrick had kissed his wife.
“I do believe you are a ravishing beauty!” he whispered in my ear as he kissed me, then pressed my gloved hand against his lips before letting me pass on.
“Thank you,” I said meekly.
I knew it wasn’t true. Patrick had already warned me about Gavin’s charm, so I tried to remain indifferent.
Next, all the hired help was presented to me. I knew I would never remember all their names, but I smiled at each one as I made my way down the line. Once introductions were over, the hired help dispersed and went back in the house to resume their duties, while the family surrounded me, and led me into the main hall.
When I entered, I took in my breath. While the outer house looked bleak and unattractive, the inside was unattractive in a totally different way. It was decorated with gold and crystal, velvet wallpaper, elaborate chandeliers, gilded picture frames bordering paintings of past Scottish ancestors. Statues and large painted vases, some filled with flowers, and other house plants, cluttered the entrance hall. Beyond the hall was the great room, filled with silk-covered furniture, glass tables, expensive looking figurines, smaller statues, more paintings on the wall, but mostly of still-life or country scenes…probably of Scotland. There was so much finery, it boggled the senses. Oriental rugs, painted designs on the ceilings done in gold and red, fringed scarves covering tables, and a grand piano, mirrors hanging, reflecting the view of the interior, making it larger and perhaps grander than it already was, overwhelmed me so much I couldn’t possibly take it all in at first glance. Every room, every hall, every place I looked was wall to wall expensive decor. It was an overkill as far as I was concerned. What did these people need with all that stuff, I wondered? When one was wealthy did they just start collecting as much finery as their money could buy and fill their houses with it, I asked myself?
“Grand, isn’t it?” Patrick said as we walked into the great room. “You would never suspect it, looking at the outside of the house.”
He was right. It had been a total surprise, and if he called it Grand, I suppose that was what it was supposed to be. I just felt smothered by all the so-called grand surroundings.
“Sit down and we will have some coffee, and then I will have Megan show you to your room. Megan will be your personal maid,” my mother was telling me. “Your trunks were taken to your room, and Megan is laying your clothes out and putting them away. You will have a chance to bathe and rest before dinner. However, Patrick tells me he was only able to get your wardrobe from inferior shops in Missouri. Therefore, at the soonest opportunity, we must go into the city and purchase you something more befitting your new station in life. We must get you some Ball gowns since your welcome home Ball is to be thrown in a few weeks.”
I didn’t know what to say. The whole get-acquainted visit was filled with my mother or father informing me of their plans for me, saying how I had missed so many Christmas’ that they would have to make it up to me all in one fell swoop!
They did not ask me about the life I had been living up until Patrick found me, or how I had been treated. They were not interested in how I ended up in Wyoming, where Patrick found me. They did not ask me what I wished to do. I assumed they already had my future all planned out.
“At least the tutor woman, who took you, educated you,” my father said. “Patrick tells us you need a little refining, but your education is flawless.
Up to this point, I had barely said two words, and I began to realize if I just kept my mouth shut, they wouldn’t require me to speak. All I wanted to do was go out and check on Fire Cracker and Bandit. I was sure they were feeling as bewildered as I was at the moment.
“May I go see my horse and dog?” I asked.
I tried to say the words properly so I wouldn’t shock anyone. I had not touched the coffee. Papa and Mama seldom drank coffee since they could not afford to buy any luxuries beyond our necessities. I wasn’t sure if I would like it and didn’t want to take the chance of frowning when I tasted it.
My father smiled. He almost seemed relieved that I wished to leave their company.
“I suppose Gavin can take you to the stables,” he said. “We will send your coffee up to your room where you can relax and drink it later.”
“I could take her,” Patrick offered.
His wife gave him a fleeting glance. He had been away for no telling how long, and upon returning merely gave her a light kiss and now, instead of spending time with her, was more interested in being with his sister, whom he had been traveling with for the last several days. When the newness of my return wore off, then he may turn his attention to his wife, I assumed. Had he been my husband, I would have been displeased.
“Let Helen get acquainted with her cousin. She has had your company for some time now,” my new father said, frowning at Patrick, and I saw his wife looking more pleased.
Maybe our father did not disapprove of Gavin after all, I thought. Maybe it was Patrick who disapproved of him and didn’t want me to have anything to do with him. I remember how Mama had said my brother doted on me. I wondered if he was still doting on me, for fear some other mishap may befall me. It was the first indication of Patrick’s displeasure towards someone other than myself, I thought, as I saw the way Patrick looked at our father. It dawned on me that perhaps he did not get along with our father well.
Later, I learned that both our mother and father blamed Patrick for my disappearance. He was supposed to keep an eye on me, and he hadn’t been diligent enough. No wonder he had been so anxious for our parent’s forgiveness by returning me to them. It didn’t look like my father was quick to forgive. He had insisted Gavin take me to the stables on purpose to slight Patrick somehow, I sensed, as though he trusted Gavin with me more than he trusted Patrick to take good care of me.
Gavin happily stood up and offered me his arm. I could tell by his looks he was not related to the family. My father had dark hair and my mother had red hair like mine. They both had the strange green eyes that Patrick and I had inherited from them. Gavin had blond hair and bright blue eyes. His mother was blond with blue eyes as well, but his stepfather was dark like his br
other only he had brown eyes instead of green.
I thought Gavin very good-looking and was sure he would have no problem finding a wealthy wife if that was what he was truly hoping for. He had a way of looking at me like I was the only person he was interested in being with, so I knew he could charm any woman with very little effort. He, unlike my parents, started asking questions, the moment we began walking down the path that led to the stables.
“This is all such a mystery,” he said, as he put his hand over my hand in the crook of his arm. “How did Patrick ever manage to find you?”
I began relating the story to him, and also found myself telling him of my adventures along the Platte River. His eyes were wide and he seemed to hang on every word I spoke.
“You are amazing,” he smiled. “You are not only beautiful, but you are brave. I can’t imagine you traveling with a wild Indian. Any other girl would have swooned at the very mention of an Indian, let alone be brave enough to travel with one.”
“I had little choice,” I murmured.
“Did he ever discover you were a girl?” Gavin asked.
I found myself blushing.
“He found the braid I had cut off and figured it out,” is all I told him.
“Well, that is totally astounding! You are going to become the talk of the town, and when they learn about your brush with a heathen Indian, someone will want to write it up in the paper.”
“I hope not,” I mumbled. “I don’t want to draw attention to myself.”
“Nonsense! It has already been written up that you have been found. Everyone from far and near is anxious to meet you, and my uncle and aunt are anxious to show you off, along with their estate. We don’t entertain that often. There are very few Old money families in the area, and new money families are not approved of by the old money society. However, in this case, they are making an exception. Almost everyone is invited, including news reporters!”
“I don’t understand the difference,” I said. “It seems if you have money, you would fit in with everyone else who had money.”
“You would think,” Gavin laughed. “Old money families are those who had money before coming to America. New money was gained once the families got here. They most likely did not have an ounce of ‘blue blood’ in their veins, so having money does not change that. It is the name, along with the money that counts.”
“Well, where did the old money families get their money in the first place?”
“At one point or another, they were probably related to royalty, or a member of the court or accepted by nobility or were bequeathed land by the King as a reward for their service. They were probably already wealthy for several generations before embarking on a ship to the shores of America. Before that, it doesn’t matter, I guess,” he laughed.
“And what about you?” I asked. “Do you have blue blood?”
Gavin smiled.
“I could have. My mother thinks so. I don’t think she knows, though. She certainly did not have any blue blood in her veins. She stowed away on a ship and met my real father on her voyage to America. They got married on the ship. He told her he was a man of means and didn’t care about her background. Only he died on that ship when some disease broke out on board. She never learned much about him. She met my stepfather after I was born. His wife died in childbirth, and he needed someone to fill that empty place in his heart, he told her. They never had children of their own, though. She had inherited my father’s money, so he must have been a man of means like he said, only he was not established in America, so it was only his money she ended up with. My stepfather, figured she must have come from old money since she had her share of wealth when she got to America. Once he learned the truth, it was a little too late to do anything about it. Of course, all her wealth reverted to my stepfather once they married. I will be lucky to see a penny of it. Bad investments on his part and the rest of the family money is controlled by your father.”
It was no wonder that Patrick did not like Gavin, I thought. He didn’t think Gavin was worthy of being a member of their ‘Old Money’ family and apparently, my uncle was not one to be trusted with the family wealth, and therefore, he must believe Gavin was irresponsible with money as well. If I married him, my share of the wealth would go to Gavin and maybe Patrick thought that was too much of a risk.
The more I learned of these people, the less impressed I became. My stepfather had been a flimflam man, and my real parents were disapproving prigs only concerned with family wealth and acceptable breeding. I didn’t know which was worse?
CHAPTER SEVEN
Fire Cracker seemed contented enough. He had a stall, which opened out into a small corral, good grain to eat and fresh water. It was probably a better life than he ever had when I was with Mama and Papa, never knowing if he would have enough to eat, except when we were on the move and he could eat grass along the trail.
Bandit, on the other hand, was very unhappy. They had put him in a kennel, and he was not used to being in a pen. He had always stayed by my side, whether inside or out. When he saw me coming he went crazy jumping and squealing, until I let him out.
“He must love you dearly,” Gavin said, “but you know he will not be allowed in the house.”
“He will hate being cooped up out here in a small run. He’s never been away from me since the day he started following our wagon,” I lamented.
“We have hunting dogs, but no pets. All animals must serve a purpose, they are either for work or show, but not to pamper and treat like a family member,” Gavin informed me.
I knelt down and let Bandit lick me in the face, and Gavin laughed.
“You are so refreshing,” he said, as he knelt down beside me. Your mother and father will have a fit. They want everything to be unexciting and proper.”
I laughed too.
“I know. I have been traveling with Patrick for several days, and he has informed me of everything that will be expected of me, and I am so afraid I will displease someone.”
“To hell with that! Be yourself! If they don’t like who you are, what are they going to do? Throw you away? They have finally gotten their daughter back and should be happy for that alone. They can’t expect you to conform to their every whim.”
“Patrick would get angry at me. He wants to please our parents so much. He couldn’t believe his good fortune when he found me. I can’t possibly disappoint him.”
“Well, my-my, you are not only refreshing but caring as well. Don’t let the family change you, Helen. Patrick’s wife had been refreshing and sweet when he first brought her home as his bride. Now she is a mere shell of her original self.”
“He does seem rather demanding, but I thought it was because we had such little time for me to learn all he wanted me to do before we arrived.”
“You are not here for him to dictate to like he does his wife. You are merely his sister. He has no real say over you. You shouldn’t let him intimidate you. After all, you managed on your own with a wild Indian. I’m sure you did not allow him to intimidate you.”
“He was rather intimidating in the beginning, yet he also seemed to want to please me,” I said, remembering how Wawee’ne had decided not to scalp the Sioux because he knew it would upset me.
“They will smother your natural impulsiveness, the same way Loretta has been smothered. Promise you won’t let that happen to you.”
“I will be perfectly fine,” I said, yet I realized I was already being changed in many subtle ways. “Patrick has warned me against you,” I told him, deciding to be honest. “He thinks you wish to charm me and then offer me marriage.”
Gavin laughed.
“He thinks that? He has never really liked me. I suppose he would hate me being his brother-in-law by marriage, on top of being a cousin by marriage. I am sure he is merely feeling protective of you. He has always thought me to be a scoundrel.”
“Why would he think that?” I asked.
“Because I refuse to conform. I think he is jealous si
nce he has always had to conform all his life to please his father. You and I may have a lot in common if you are the non-conforming type.”
We were both petting Bandit, and his hand bumped against mine, and then he covered my hand with his.
“We should join forces,” he smiled.
I could see Patrick was right. Gavin was very charming and I felt he was pulling me in already, but he seemed to understand me, which was more than I could say for my doting brother, Patrick.
“I should probably get back to the house,” I mumbled, pulling my hand away.
“I tell you what,” he said as I stood up. “I will take your dog for a walk, and later I will bring him up to your room and smuggle him in. I can take the back stairs.”
“Won’t we both get in trouble?” I asked, wanting Bandit with me but wondering if I should risk it?
“You risked traveling across country by yourself, and now fear you may get in trouble for wanting your dog with you? You are going to have to stand up to them eventually, and if you start right off the bat, they will just excuse it as you being unfamiliar with the rules. They are not going to start yelling at you as soon as you return to them. They are looking forward to your welcome home Ball with reporters writing it up in the society page. They wouldn’t dream of doing anything to upset you and have you in a bad mood when your Ball comes around. Then maybe they will relent and allow your dog to accompany you to your room.”
“I suppose you understand them more than I could,” I murmured. “I don’t even know them.”
Gedi Puniku- Cat Eyes Page 9