by Zina Abbott
“I don’t have two or three months. I don’t see why I can’t meet and consider the miners you already have under contract.”
“No, that will never do. Especially after meeting with you, I can see you would not make a happy match with any of these miners. I would try to match you up with someone from a…let us say…more well-to-do and polished segment of society. We have many successful businessmen in Denver and a few other large cities I work with…”
“No. I do not want to explore a match with someone more well-to-do in the higher levels of business or politics. If they should discover who my father is, I have no guarantee they won’t sell me out and send me back to what I left behind in exchange for financial or political gain.”
Lizett stared at her for several seconds before she answered softly. “I see. I’m sorry you find yourself in your current circumstances, but if you want my help finding an appropriate match for you, it must be on my terms. You know how to reach me. If you do, and use yet another assumed name, be sure to include a separate note identifying these two names I will recognize.” Lizett cleared her throat and stretched as tall as possible as she raised her voice, both in volume and sternness. “In the meantime, Miss Brownlee, while you are in Jubilee Springs, I expect you to stay away from the miners who are my prospective grooms.”
Only her training kept Delphinia from slamming her door after Lizett Millard breezed out of her room. Alone once again, she stood in the middle of her room and stared at the wallpaper on the far wall. She would not be going to the dinner to meet the miners. Her prospects for entering into a marriage with one of them had gone from possible to nil.
What am I going to do now?
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CHAPTER 17
~o0o~
Bennett Nighy stood in his workshop in work clothes, but couldn’t bring himself to actually start working. He told himself he needed to stay clean for when Miss Brown arrived and they would return to his office and finish sorting his financial papers. The truth of the matter was his thoughts were so scattered—so totally absorbed with visions of Miss Sarah Brown and recollections of their time spent together the last two days, he found it impossible to focus on his work.
He almost sighed with relief when he heard the bell over his front door tinkle. It was probably Miss Brown. He doubted it was any of the townspeople. They would be caught up in getting ready for the big harvest dance to be held that evening. Any miners who would acquire a new wife this weekend would have enough furnishings to get them started. They may ask for the mercantile to open up for them to purchase food and some necessities, but when it came to furniture purchases, husbands and wives would settle into their homes a few days before they visited him regarding which additional pieces of furniture they wished to add to what came with the house. Based on the purchases made after the marriages in July, he had on hand several kitchen cupboards complete with flour bins and deep work areas. They were built of smooth pine and finished to match the tables and chairs he had sold to the Bainbridge brothers for the miners’ houses.
As much as Miss Brown and whatever it was that she was hiding tended to set his teeth on edge, he realized he would be disappointed if she wasn’t the person who just walked through the door. Why, he couldn’t fathom. Surely he wasn’t looking forward to being with her.
Bennett closed his workshop door behind him and stepped into the showroom area. Atop the pair of black women’s boots with two inch heels peeking out beneath the navy blue wool pleated skirt topped by a tailored pinstripe jacket of gray, with the jacket skirt cut away on each side from the center waist button, he recognize the tall, slender form striding towards him. Her head and shoulders were hidden behind the legs and the underside of a wooden bench, the type often used for a lady’s dressing table. About five feet from him, she bent and slammed the bench down on the floor.
It was only then Bennett noticed the seat of the bench was upholstered. Not only that, the fabric had lost several of the tacks holding it to the wood frame on two sides and shreds of cotton padding now peeked out beneath the loose fabric. Standing before him at her full height, he noticed Delphinia once again wore the gray hat with the navy grosgrain ribbon band and two upright feathers that made her look like her head was ready to take flight.
“I told Mrs. Howard you would be more than happy to repair this for her without charge and have it returned today. It will allow you to see what is involved in constructing an upholstered bench so you can determine the materials you will need and can accurately estimate a proper price for the one you are going to make for Mrs. Shumaker.”
Bennett folded his arms, tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “I’m not sure I can have it repaired by today, Miss Brown. It appears quite a few of the brass tacks are missing. Since I don’t do upholstered furniture, and don’t keep brass tacks on hand, I would need to order some so I….” Bennett stopped mid-sentence as the woman before him reached into her rather large reticule and pulled out a small wooden box. She leaned over and slammed it down on top of the bench. The clatter of small pieces of metal inside the box told him what it contained without him needing to read the label.
“I picked the tacks up at the mercantile while shopping for a few other items to help one of the brides become properly outfitted in preparation for her meeting her prospective husband tonight. However, as your upholstery work increases, Mr. Nighy, you will probably find you may obtain brass tacks at a better price from a wholesaler in Denver. It shouldn’t take all day for us to get your papers organized. I’m sure you will find sufficient time to complete your study of upholstery work, determine what materials are needed, and repair the bench.”
“I’m sure I can.” Bennett kept his voice soft. He sighed with resignation as he picked up the bench and box of tacks to carry them to his work area. He was coming to the conclusion there was no use fighting her. For some reason, she seemed more dedicated than he was in assuring the sale made the day before be handled successfully to its conclusion.
Besides, he still needed to find out what she was hiding. Antagonizing her would not be the best way to persuade her to tell him.
Bennett resumed his seat on the stool in his office. He noticed the woman had not looked up when he entered. Her gloves now off, she had resumed sorting invoices.
“Mr. Nighy, with all your building, have you considered constructing file drawers with compartments to keep your papers organized so they are easier to keep track of?”
“I have considered it, Miss Brown. Only I keep worrying with them stuffed in a bunch of slots, I’ll forget what each compartment is for. Then things will really get mixed up.”
Delphinia glanced up at him. “That is what labels are for, Mr. Nighy.”
Bennett shrugged. “I figured it’s just easier to keep everything in one big pile. That way, it may take some time, but I know it’s there and I can find it.”
Silence.
Several minutes passed.
“Is that how you organize your wood in your workshop, Mr. Nighy? One big pile, but you know what you want is in there somewhere?”
“No, I keep my wood separated by type and fineness of the grain.”
“Just as I thought.” Delphinia halted her sorting and looked Bennett in the face, studying his features. Next she looked off to the side and bit her lip in contemplation. After several seconds she looked at the papers in her hand and resumed sorting them.
Bennett studied her.
There was something besides sorting papers going on in her pretty head.
Whatever it was, it was probably something he would not like.
“You’re not reorganizing my wood shop, Miss Brown.”
“I would not dream of it, Mr. Nighy. However, there is something else we need to discuss.”
“And what would that be?” Bennett watched the woman’s hands still once more. Did he actually see a slight tremble in her fingers?
“When we finish organizing your book
keeping will be soon enough, Mr. Nighy. You will need to obtain some large sheets of paper and some flour paste so we can construct temporary folders and label them with what each contains. Then you should be able to find the information you need to work on your estimate.” Delphinia looked up, her eyes hard with determination. “And I will expect once you finish with a paper you have removed from a file container, you replace it where you found it.”
Bennett stared at Delphinia, wondering who the woman thought she was. This was his business. These were his papers. As tempting as it was to have everything organized so he could find what he needed without hours of sorting and hair-pulling, if he wished to toss his papers all over his office, it was his right to do so. “Are we about finished here, Miss Brown?”
“Almost, Mr. Nighy.” Delphinia secured piles under Bennett’s three paper weights once more and then pointed to them as she issued an order that would have put his drill instructors at West Point to shame. “Do not touch any of this until I finish with the folders, Mr. Nighy. I’ll go get the supplies to make the folders shortly. We have that other matter I spoke of to resolve first.”
Bennett scooted his stool back so he could lean against the wall. He folded his arms as he studied the woman before him who now stood ramrod straight with her hands clutched tightly together as if her life depended on it. “Do we now?”
She stared at a spot over his left shoulder as her breathing grew more ragged and labored. For the first time since he had seen her, the woman before him appeared unsure of herself. Whatever she wished to discuss with him, she found it difficult.
Or distasteful.
Bennett canted his head and lifted an eyebrow. Whatever she had in mind to discuss with him, he was pretty sure he was not going to like it.
Delphinia took a deep breath to quell her quivering and began. “Mr. Nighy, I have a business proposition for you. A proposal, so to speak, that will be beneficial to us both.”
If you are looking for a job, Miss Brown, I am not in need of an employee at this time. As admirable as has been the job you have done on organizing my papers, I do not need anyone to do so on a regular basis.”
“Please hear me out, Mr. Nighy. I am not seeking a job, but a business arrangement, where I can serve as a consultant, so to speak. Whether you realize it or not, you do need help, not only with your bookkeeping, but with managing your showroom. You have seen what I can do when it comes to helping customers find the pieces they need and want, even when they are not initially aware of their needs and wants. I can help you with that, Mr. Nighy, as well as with your wholesalers. I can help your business grow in a manner that will allow you to focus on what you do really well without the distraction of taking care of the matters of business you tend to ignore when you can.”
“And how do you intend for that to work, Miss Brown?”
“Unfortunately, you sell your furniture to the general public.”
“I find nothing unfortunate about that.”
“I have not finished, Mr. Nighy. With society tending to be as narrow-minded as it is, many of your customers would not find it acceptable for us to enter into a business arrangement of this sort, not with you being a single man and me being a single woman. That is why I suggest we accomplish it by means of a marriage of convenience.”
Stunned, Bennett dropped his jaw in disbelief mere seconds before he jumped to his feet, his fists clenched at his sides. “You are out of your mind, Miss Brown. I don’t have need of a business arrangement. My business is arranged to my liking just as it is. And I certainly am not interested in being married.”
“Why, that’s splendid, Mr. Nighy.”
Bennett stared at her in disbelief.
Splendid?
The woman was making no sense.
Delphinia continued. “I don’t wish to enter into a traditional marriage either. The beauty of what I am proposing to you is there will be no expectations of a personal, intimate nature on either of our parts. It will be for the purpose of furthering your business. And it will all be acceptable to the residents of Jubilee Springs because they will know me as your wife, rather than a business—well, not partner, exactly although I do expect to receive sufficient funds for my basic support. I will be a business consultant, we shall say.”
Bennett narrowed his eyes in suspicion. “And what do you expect of me in exchange for these services you intend to provide, Miss Brown, aside from sufficient funds for your support?”
Delphinia briefly closed her eyes. She opened them once again to pin them on Bennett’s. “I need the protection of your name, Mr. Nighy, at least for a year or so. Within the next few weeks, I may need your protection of my person so that I am not abducted against my will. That should not be difficult for you. You do carry a gun on you at all times, do you not?”
Bennett reached behind him. He patted the hard lump tucked into his waistband. “That I do.” He walked around the desk until he stood only three feet from Delphinia and looked up into her face.
Those infernal boots of hers with their two inch heels!
“What I need to know is who you need me to protect you from, and why.”
This time as she stared into Bennett’s face, far too close to her for her to easily maintain her composure, Delphinia found it impossible to hold back the quiver of her lips. She licked them and continued. “Until I have from you a commitment to our agreement, I’ll not make the particulars known. Should you refuse my offer, I dare not risk the possibility the information may become obtainable by anyone seeking it.”
“Are you running from the law, Miss Brown?”
Delphinia once again felt starch flow into her spine. “Of course not. Nothing like that.”
“You’re not with child, are you?”
Delphinia fired him a look of indignation. “No! definitely not.” With a shiver she looked off to the side as she realized if Andrew had succeeded in forcing his way with her, and she had been unable to stop him, it could have happened. She struggled to regain her composure and once again looked Bennett in the eye. She stepped forward and reached out to him, then quickly withdrew her hand. “I assure you, Mr. Nighy, what I am proposing does have its benefits for me, but in the long run it will be mostly beneficial for you. And it does not need to last forever. You see, I will have an independent means of support when I turn twenty-five. Nothing big enough to be of interest to a fortune-seeker, so don’t think that alone is sufficient reason to consider my business proposal.”
“It sounds like a proposition to me. I make my own money and don’t need yours, Miss Brown.”
“Focus, Mr. Nighy, and please abstain from attempting to turn my offer into something ugly and distasteful, for it is not. All it would require for now is a simple exchanging of vows before a probate judge.”
“Jubilee Springs doesn’t have a probate or any other kind of judge. Our mayor takes care of things like that if there is a need. People marry either in the Community Church or, if they catch the priest when he is up the first Sundays of the month, the Catholic Church. The closest judge is in Pueblo, and I have no intention of taking the time away from my shop to travel there.”
Delphinia hesitated, thrown off balance by this new information. “Oh. That is unfortunate. I would prefer a civil wedding. Under the circumstances, if we had a church wedding, it would almost seem sacrilegious when we file for an annulment.”
Bennett choked out the word. “Annulment?” First she wants to finagle him into a marriage he doesn’t want? Afterwards, she intends to end it? What was the woman up to?
“Of course. Since neither of us has the desire to enter into a traditional marriage, and I only have need of a marriage arrangement for a short time, it would be the best option. I am aware that I possess a somewhat difficult personality. For your benefit, we would want to allow for a termination of our agreement within a few years so you may be free of me and we can each go our own ways. As I was saying, that small trust I will receive solely in my name would provide me enough I can find
somewhere to live quietly and independently. You and your furniture store would remain, only you would find it will be much larger and in far better condition financially and all other respects than it is at present. It truly is a beneficial situation for you, Mr. Nighy.”
“How old are you, Miss Brown?”
“Twenty-two, but I don’t think my age has any relevance to…”
“What makes you think any judge looking at an annulment application after almost three years of marriage will believe the marriage was never consummated within that time?”
Delphinia flushed pink, but pushed on. “Simple, Mr. Nighy. Before we go to court I will visit a doctor. Not the one you have in town. I understand there are several competent women doctors in Colorado these days. I am certain I could obtain from one of them a certification that my maidenhead is still intact. Armed with that documentation, there would be no just cause for any judge to deny a request for annulment.”
Bennett felt his head begin to spin. He did not want to think about the too-lovely Sarah Brown and unconsummated sacrilegious church marriages and certifications of intact maidenheads. He folded his arms, more to hold himself together than any other reason.
“You are quite the saleslady, Miss Brown, but I’m not buying it. Not yet. I need more information. Let us say, I need to consider in greater detail the terms of this business arrangement you propose. Such as, are you planning on maintaining our living quarters?”
“Who does it now, Mr. Nighy? I see no reason that person could not continue.”
“That person would be me. I maintain both the upstairs as well as downstairs.”
“If the upstairs is cleaned no better that what I saw of your showroom on my first visit, that will never do.”
“Perhaps as one of the conditions, you should clean the living quarters.” Bennett raised his eyebrow, waiting for her response.
Delphinia wrinkled her forehead in consternation. She answered slowly. “A maid cleaning it would be better. I suppose until we found one I could do so, subject to the agreement you will do a better job of keeping the downstairs clean. I certainly won’t do it. I won’t have people gawking through the windows at me while performing that kind of work.”