Caught by Surprise

by Jen Turano

  Agent McParland’s smile widened. “We can’t blame Miss Flowerdew for wanting to extract a small amount of retribution. From what I can tell, she’s earned it.”

  “That’s not the type of help I was looking for, Agent McParland,” Gilbert muttered before he caught Temperance’s eye. “But because these types of situations are no place for a lady, I’ll go with Agent McParland and confront your cousins. I’ll even take notes so you won’t feel left out.”

  Temperance’s nose shot straight into the air. “I think not. I’ve been allowing others to direct my life for far too long, and it’s past time I took matters back into my own hands. You’re more than welcome to tag along with me and take notes if it’ll make you feel useful, but I won’t be left behind.”

  “Don’t you need to teach a class or something?” Gilbert asked, wincing when he detected just a trace of desperation in his tone.

  “I would be more than happy to take over your afternoon classes,” Mr. Barclay said, stepping back into the room and nodding Temperance’s way. “It’s a little known fact, but I’m somewhat musical, so I do believe I can fill in for you in a pinch, while imparting some knowledge about the piano to your students in the process.”

  Temperance smiled. “You never told me you play the piano.”

  “I’m a gentleman of many talents,” Mr. Barclay said, inclining his head before he frowned. “But my talents aside, I’m afraid I’m in full agreement with Mr. Cavendish in regard to lending you a pistol.”

  He held up a hand when Temperance opened her mouth, clearly intending to argue. “I’ve seen you attempt to shoot a pistol before, Miss Temperance, and you have no talent when it comes to hitting a target.”

  “You allowed Temperance to shoot a pistol?” Gilbert asked.

  Mr. Barclay nodded before he glanced to Harrison, who was sitting beside Gertrude, both of them seemingly content to simply watch the events unfolding in front of them. “Mr. Sinclair has been working with me to perfect my abilities with a pistol since I do accompany Miss Temperance and her students throughout the city for their sketching and painting lessons. Because she occasionally choses somewhat questionable parts of the city to allow her students to experience art as it’s supposed to be experienced, I felt I needed to improve my skills in order to protect everyone more effectively.”

  “Have you ever thought about suggesting a safer place to sketch?” Gilbert asked.

  “This from a man I know was considering handing over his pistol to a lady for the briefest of seconds” was all Mr. Barclay said to that, earning a small smile from Gilbert in return.

  “She is difficult to deny,” he admitted, glancing at Temperance, who immediately held out her hand again. “But not that difficult,” he added, his smile widening when she dropped her hand and began looking irritable.

  “While I completely agree that Temperance should not be given a weapon, I do believe she cannot be denied a confrontation with her reprehensible relatives.”

  Turning his attention to the door, Gilbert found Miss Henrietta marching into the room, smiling pleasantly at everyone before she stopped directly in front of him.

  “I’m certain you’re soon to be upset with me, dear,” she began, “but I’ve been lurking right outside the door, eavesdropping if that was in question, and I’m convinced Temperance must be allowed to travel with you, Agent McParland, and Harrison. She needs to hear the truth, whatever that truth may be, directly out of Wayne Flowerdew’s mouth, not secondhand.”

  Before Gilbert could get even the most basic of arguments past his lips, Miss Henrietta moved to stand in front of Eugene and Mercy, holding up a jacket she’d been holding.

  “You,” she said with a nod to Eugene, “will travel with them, posing as a driver, which will then allow you to identify Wayne Flowerdew as the man who hired you to abduct Temperance in the first place. While you”—she looked to Mercy—“will retire to the second floor, where you’ll make use of a bathing chamber to rid yourself of those dreadful whiskers.”

  Mercy immediately looked mutinous. “I need these whiskers to disguise myself because I’m a wanted woman.”

  “You’re not,” Miss Henrietta countered. “You’re being dramatic, and even if you were a wanted woman, since you’re going to begin learning how to operate a typewriter here at Miss Snook’s school, you’ll have no need to disguise yourself from this point forward.”

  “I ain’t attending school.”

  Miss Henrietta didn’t so much as bat an eye. “You will attend school, and you’ll be gracious about it because it’ll give you a future, something that you won’t see if you continue taking on questionable work to feed you and your brother.”

  “What’s Eugene going to do without me?”

  “He’s not going to be without you because he’s going to come work for me as my personal driver.” Miss Henrietta released a sigh. “It’s been pointed out far too often of late that I frighten folks half to death when I take the reins and have even caused poor Mr. Barclay to descend into prayer when he rides with me.” Miss Henrietta smiled at Eugene. “You’d be doing me a great service if you’d accept my offer, as well as a great service to the people of New York who’ve apparently been in fear for their lives when they see me tooling down the street.”

  “That’s mighty kind of you, ma’am,” Eugene said with an inclination of his head, even as Mercy began muttering under her breath, something that sounded like a protest, but not a very committed one.

  “And since that’s settled,” Miss Henrietta said, “I believe it’s time for Temperance to get on her way to have a little chat with her Flowerdew cousins.”

  “Aren’t you afraid she’s putting herself in danger?” Gilbert asked.

  Miss Henrietta waved that straight aside. “Wayne Flowerdew, from what I can tell, is a coward. As a coward, he won’t hurt Temperance if there’s an audience, so do make sure to stick by her side throughout your visit.”

  With that, Miss Henrietta entwined her arm with Temperance’s, and as Temperance shot him a smile of clear victory, the two ladies strolled out of the room.

  “I’m not certain I understand how we lost this battle,” Agent McParland said, moving toward the door with Eugene, who was already shrugging into the jacket Miss Henrietta had given him.

  “Having grown up surrounded by women, I understand exactly how we lost,” Harrison said, placing a kiss on Gertrude’s forehead before he turned to Gilbert. “But before Gertrude gets it into her head that she needs to join us as well, another battle I’m certain to lose, what say we go and confront us some Flowerdews?”

  Knowing Temperance would find a way to get to her cousins even if he refused to accommodate her, Gilbert headed for the door, praying Miss Henrietta was right that Wayne was merely a coward and not some criminal mastermind posing as a gentleman.

  Chapter

  Thirteen

  “Didn’t you find it somewhat curious that Gertrude wasn’t the least put out over not being invited to join us?” Temperance asked, peering out the window of the closed carriage Miss Henrietta had decided was a much safer option over the open buggy Temperance normally preferred using around town.

  “Gertrude’s a sensible sort,” Gilbert said, drumming his fingers against the crushed velvet seat. “She realized it would only add an unneeded level of confusion if she accompanied us, an idea you, my less-than-sensible friend, seem all too willing to ignore.”

  Temperance pulled her attention from the scene whizzing by outside the window, the whizzing a direct result of Eugene’s questionable driving abilities. “Miss Henrietta believes this venture will allow me to find closure with my cousins, something I apparently need.” She stopped talking when the carriage rocked back and forth as it careened over numerous bumps in the road. “I’m beginning to get the distinct impression we should have asked Mercy to take on the role of driver. Eugene, I’m sad to say, seems to be even less proficient at the reins than Miss Henrietta.”

  Gilbert grabbed hold of the stra
p above his head, looking a little green. “I’m not going to argue with that, but only because I’m about to toss up my accounts, so I am now going to descend into silence until we reach Park Avenue.”

  Pressing her lips together to hold back a laugh, Temperance reached over and gave Gilbert’s knee a pat, remembering all the many times they’d traveled together in their youth when Gilbert would turn green after being enclosed in a carriage for a great length of time, or if the ride was anything other than smooth.

  Settling back against the seat, she smiled at her memories, realizing that even though they’d been apart for years, as friends often were when they turned from children into adults, she was just as comfortable with him now as she’d been back then. It was as if they’d not been apart, although . . . she did feel somewhat different with him at times, fluttery or something to that effect, as if butterflies had taken up residence in her body and—

  “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  The next second, she was sitting all alone, Gilbert having yelled at Eugene to stop, but he didn’t bother to wait for the carriage to do more than slow down before he flung himself through the door and disappeared from sight.

  Scrambling after him as the carriage came to a rough halt, Temperance stuck her head out and found Gilbert lying in the middle of the street, Agent McParland and Harrison already blocking him from harm with their horses.

  Jumping to the ground, Temperance lifted the hem of her skirt and charged in Gilbert’s direction, not appreciating it in the least when he sat up and sent her a scowl.

  “You shouldn’t be out here” were the first words out of his mouth, words that sent her temper rising.

  “You shouldn’t be out here either, and you certainly shouldn’t have flung yourself from a wildly careening carriage.”

  He gave a wave of a now muddy hand. “You’ve seen me bolt from moving carriages many times over the years, which you always seemed to appreciate since it spared you from . . . well, no one likes to be stuck in a carriage while someone is retching up their last meal.”

  She folded her arms over her chest. “Well, quite, but you were much younger then, and evidently more agile, since you always used to be able to land on your feet, unlike now when you could have been killed under the wheels of passing carriages.”

  To her surprise, Gilbert grinned and placed his hand over his chest. “Words to warm a man’s heart.”

  Temperance frowned. “Honestly, Gilbert, it’s not like you in the least to talk of such things. Did you suffer an injury to your head when you hit the street?”

  His grin stayed firmly in place. “Not at all. I’m simply pleased to discover, even though you’ve vehemently refused my offer of marriage numerous times now, that you still hold me in great affection because you obviously don’t want to see me dead. That right there is yet another reason you should stop being so stubborn and simply agree to marry me.”

  She threw up her hands. “I’ll always hold you in affection, but how is it possible I’ve neglected to remember how you’re never content to lose an argument? Clearly, you’re more annoying than ever, which means I’m getting back in the carriage, and no, I’m not marrying you.”

  “Harsh words to speak to a poor gentleman who was only inches away from death.”

  “A situation that could have been avoided if you’d had the common sense to remain in the carriage and simply asked Eugene to slow down, or if you’d only stuck your head out the window to get a refreshing breath of air.” She moved a step closer to him and thrust out a hand.

  “And you’re worried enough about me to offer a hand up, yet another reason to give me hope you’ll change your mind in the end.”

  Temperance pulled back her hand, turned on her heel, and stomped back toward the carriage.

  “Smooth,” she heard Harrison say behind her, his words having the corners of her mouth lift.

  “She adores me,” Gilbert returned.

  Forcing herself to keep walking and not turn around, Temperance accepted Eugene’s offer of assistance to get into the carriage, taking a moment to get her skirts settled around her. To her surprise, Eugene joined her a moment later, sending her a sheepish smile that displayed a few missing teeth.

  “Mr. Cavendish is taking over the reins, and since I can’t fit up on the driver’s seat with him, he told me to join you in here. He also gave me the task of protecting you if something goes awry, which I’m thinking means bad.”

  “I’m sure nothing will go awry, Eugene, although I am curious as to how you’ll go about protecting me since I know full well you’ve been deprived of your knife.”

  Eugene leaned over and pulled up a pant leg, exposing a very hairy leg in the process, as well as a wicked-looking knife strapped to his calf. “I always have a spare on this leg, and”—he pulled up his other pant leg—“another one here, and”—he yanked down the pant leg, unbuttoned the buttons on the jacket Miss Henrietta had given him, then pulled up his shirt, exposing far more skin than Temperance had been expecting, along with yet another knife that seemed to be kept in place by a thin rope tied numerous times around Eugene’s hairy stomach.

  She resisted a shudder. “Yes, I see, although, that sight is something I’ll never get out of my mind again,” she said somewhat weakly, as Eugene gave his stomach a pat, pulled his shirt down, then rebuttoned his jacket.

  “A person can’t have enough knives, Miss Flowerdew, and I never feel safe without one, or three, on my person.”

  “And you really know how to use those in a fight?”

  Eugene nodded. “Learned out of necessity, I did, but I’d be pleased as punch to give you a few lessons on account of the fact that you do seem to find yourself in danger often.”

  “If you’ll recall, you were the reason I was in danger the first time, but . . .” She considered him. “Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to learn how to defend myself.”

  “You pick the time, miss, and I’ll bring the knives.” He gave his stomach another pat as the carriage rolled into motion, Gilbert obviously far more competent at the reins than Eugene had been since he didn’t drive the carriage through a single hole as they trundled down the road.

  “Is it safe to say Mr. Cavendish is one of them safe sorts, prefers keeping horses at a plod?” Eugene asked, gesturing to the window where nothing was whizzing by.

  “Gilbert is a complicated gentleman, Eugene, one who shows caution in some areas, such as his driving, but then at other times, abandons that caution and surprises a person, such as when he decides to throw himself from moving carriages to prevent tossing up his accounts.”

  “He seems keen to marry you.”

  “That’s simply because he’s never been a gentleman to accept being thwarted, and he sees getting me to accept his marriage proposal as a challenge.” She traced a finger along the window edge. “Gilbert’s never been one to give in graciously.”

  “He also seems keen to keep you safe.”

  “Gilbert spent our childhood racing to my rescue. He’s simply fallen back into that role, but I don’t need him to rescue me this time. I enjoy the life I’m creating for myself, and I don’t want to—” Temperance stopped talking, realizing she was saying far more than she’d intended, and to a man who’d only recently shut her in a coffin. Shaking herself, she summoned up a smile. “But enough about that. Let’s talk about you. Are you going to accept Miss Henrietta’s offer of becoming her personal driver?”

  “You reckon Miss Henrietta really wants to hire me on as her driver and teach Mercy how to use one of them typewriters?”

  “She wouldn’t have made the offer if she wasn’t comfortable hiring you. And given your interesting approach to driving a carriage, I have the most curious feeling you and Miss Henrietta are going to get along splendidly.”

  Eugene smiled, but sobered a second later. “I sure am sorry there’s someone else out there who wants to harm you, Miss Flowerdew. It ain’t right, not when you’ve turned out to be such a nice lady and all.”
>
  “I’m sure we’ll get it sorted out in the end.”

  “Me and Mercy have been saying prayers for you, seeing as how we wronged you in the first place. We decided we needed to return back to the way we was before we started going down that road best left untraveled. We’re hoping our prayers will bring something good into your life, as well as hoping God might someday be forgivin’ us for taking on work we knew wasn’t right.”

  Temperance smiled. “That’s very kind of you, Eugene. I appreciate the prayers, and do know that I understand why you took on the job of snatching me. Desperate times make us different people, but now those times are behind you, and I’m quite certain God has taken note of that and has already forgiven you.” She tilted her head. “And now that I think about it, I do believe I’ve been somewhat neglectful with my own prayers over the years, forgetting how important it is to give thanks, but also to spend the time remembering to pray for the needs of others. I’m afraid I may have allowed the problems of my life to overshadow the problems of those around me, so thank you for reminding me how simple it is to say a prayer when there’s a need, and not only prayers to improve my lot in life.”

  Eugene smiled. “Life has a way of making us forgetful, Miss Flowerdew, but it also has a way of making us remember in the end. Me and Mercy weren’t expectin’ kindness from you, but you treated us properly even when we’d done snatched you, and that got us to thinkin’ we needed to start livin’ on the straight and narrow again.”

  Temperance returned his smile before she looked out the window, her nerves beginning to jingle when she noticed they were already on Park Avenue and moving ever closer to their destination. Drawing in a deep breath, she willed her nerves to settle, closed her eyes, and sent up a prayer, realizing as she did so that it had been a long time since she’d turned over a problem to God. While she certainly wasn’t struck by an immediate solution regarding how she should navigate the disaster involving her relatives, her nerves did seem to settle and her thoughts cleared, a circumstance that would certainly come in handy once she confronted Wayne. Lifting her head as the carriage slowed to a stop, she squared her shoulders.