by Caroline Lee
Here he could be useful.
Sebastian couldn’t wait to start.
“M’at!”
It was still so much of a surprise to hear Annie speak that Serena stopped short, causing the girl—whose hand she’d been holding—to stumble a bit. Molly had explained that since finding out that Mr. Carderock was an oralist, the family had been encouraging Annie to speak as much as possible. She still had trouble with certain consonants, and lacked confidence, but Serena was so proud of the effort she was making.
However, she was most comfortable in her own language, and pulled her hand free of Serena’s to sign “I left my hat inside.”
Serena nodded, and stepped to one side of the walkway in front of the church, allowing the last of the Sunday stragglers to move towards the street. She smiled and returned greetings from neighbors and acquaintances. It felt wonderful to be back home, and exciting to know that she’d be here for longer than their usual overnight trips. She and her aunts had only missed their weekly Saturday dinners at the Inter-Ocean and Sunday morning church services when the snow had been too deep to make the trip into town. Cam MacLeod had often joined them for their ride back to their ranches on Sunday afternoon.
She’d written to Wendy, telling her all about Cam’s proposal. She described his kiss in detail, knowing her friend would want to know all about the experience, including the way it made her feel. Or rather, the way it didn’t make her feel. She’d also explained why she was hesitant to accept his proposal, but expected that Wendy knew her well enough to know why. There’d been a reply from Wendy waiting in Cheyenne yesterday—her friend knew they’d be in town for the celebration—that had been as enthusiastic as she’d hoped. Wendy was excited about Serena’s first kiss, and waxed poetic about it for two whole pages. She used the phrase “True Love” three times, and seemed to completely miss the part about Serena not wanting to marry Cam. Serena wondered why her friend was so focused on the romance, rather than the practicality.
Serena wished there was a way she could chat with her best friend, but contented herself with writing a long letter full of all the town excitement. And as promised, Molly and Annie and the boys had arrived at her aunts’ home yesterday, and they were all settled in. Often, when Molly stayed with them, they gave Brixley the evening off and let her pamper them with her wonderful cooking. This morning—after the most delicious flapjack breakfast that Serena could recall—they attended service at the First Congregational Church. The Barkers had been visiting her church since Reverend McCullough had passed away, but they weren’t able to make it into town nearly as often as Serena did. And unfortunately, little Noah had an accident half-way through the service, and Molly had taken her sons home for a change of clothes.
After the service, Agnes and Agatha were pulled aside by Mrs. Davis, the head of the Ladies’ Club, and they were soon embroiled in a good-natured discussion about preparations for the upcoming Independence Day celebrations. The ladies from the churches were the lead organizers, and judging from her aunts’ animated gestures, they were excited to be back in the thick of things.
When the crowd cleared, Serena glanced once more towards the knot of ladies—with several bored husbands standing by—and then nodded Annie back towards the church. The two of them slipped back through the large doors that stood beneath the three-story bell tower, and into the nave of the church. As they strolled down the aisle towards their customary pew, Serena noticed Reverend Davis chatting with two gentlemen near the altar. The only reason she paid them any attention was that it was unusual for the Reverend not to be outside greeting his parishioners.
But once she did, she admitted herself intrigued. One of the gentlemen was rotund and familiar to her, but before she could place his name, the last member of the trio drew her attention when he nonchalantly bounced his hat against one leg. He faced the Reverend, so she could only see his profile, but he was dressed in the height of fashion in an actual morning suit, and absentmindedly fiddling with the matching top hat. She couldn’t recall the last time she’d seen a man in anything more formal than a ditto suit, other than in the pages of the fashion magazines her aunts favored.
And then Annie made an excited noise of discovery as she found her hat shoved under the pew, and the trio of gentlemen turned at the sound, and Serena forgot how to breathe.
Dear Lord in Heaven, he was perfect. She had never seen a more beautiful man, and here she stood in her out-of-date flowered gown. She must look like some backwater rube to such a sophisticated gentleman. He had thick brown hair that was swept back off of his forehead, piercing dark eyes, and high, elegant cheekbones. When he smiled at her, a dimple appeared in his left cheek, and she felt her knees go weak.
Oh my.
It wasn’t just that he was handsome; it was that he was so urbane. He was exactly the way she’d always pictured a cultured, refined gentleman, and he was standing here in her church. She sighed, and heard Annie echo it.
“Ah! Miss Selkirk! Miss Murray!” Serena dragged her gaze away from the vision to glance at his companions. She now recognized the third gentleman as Mr. James Donaldson, the Superintendent of Public Instruction, who had always been a little nervous around Annie. She recalled meeting him after church on several occasions, and if Annie was with them, he would often forget that the girl couldn’t hear him, and chat mindlessly with her. Annie never minded, though; it often wasn’t until she tried to return his conversation that Mr. Donaldson remembered that she didn’t speak.
“How opportune this meeting is! I was just saying to Reverend Davis that we should arrange a meeting with you ladies before the Independence Day celebrations.”
Serena wasn’t listening, much less interpreting for Annie. Good Heavens, they were coming this way! They were going to speak to her! What was Mr. Donaldson saying? She realized that she was frantically trying to smooth down the fly-aways around her face, and gripped her hands together tightly before her.
The dream in front of her smiled slightly, and gave a little bow, and her heart sped up. He looked like a prince! A prince in a gothic tale worthy of True Love. Imagine someone like him bowing to her!
Oh God, now he was looking at her expectantly, and she had no idea what Mr. Donaldson had said. But the prince was obviously expecting something from her, so she stuck her hand out and cleared her throat. “How do you do, Mister…?
This time his grin was broad enough to bring that dimple back, and reveal even white teeth. She was about to upbraid herself for being a ninny by noticing a man’s teeth when he started to chuckle. She wasn’t sure why he was laughing, but Good Heavens, his eyes had a definite sparkle to them. She suddenly didn’t care if he were laughing at her, if she could continue to watch those dark eyes shine.
He took her hand and held it for a moment. He didn’t shake it, like the ranchers did when they wanted to settle business, and his palms weren’t calloused and rough either. He was everything a gentleman should be… and then he gave her hand a little squeeze and goodness it was warm today, wasn’t it?
Mr. Donaldson cleared his throat. “As I was saying, my dear, this is Mr. Sebastian Carderock, the new math teacher from Eton. He’s recently arrived to get his bearings in Cheyenne, before the start of the new half. I think you two young ladies will be very impressed with his experience and vision for our Central School here.”
Serena had stopped listening. Truly, her mind had blanked after Mr. Donaldson said her prince’s name. This was Annie’s new teacher? This was the man from England, whom she’d imagined to be old and dusty and lacking in adventure? Why, nothing could be farther from the truth! She felt a blush working its way up out of the high neckline of her dress, and hoped that it was at least adding a little pinkness to her pale cheeks. Heavens, he was handsome, wasn’t he?
Surely there was something she should say, but all she could think was that she was going to have to write another letter to Wendy immediately, to tell her all about Cheyenne’s new schoolteacher.
Sebastian thoug
ht that he could look at Miss Serena Selkirk all day. She was a delight, and she hadn’t said ten words to him yet. He wondered what she’d been thinking about as she stared at him so bemusedly; the longer it went on, the funnier it became. He didn’t want her to think that he was laughing at her distraction, though, so he managed to keep his smiles hidden… until she completely missed Mr. Donaldson’s introduction. Then he couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped.
Her pretty little mouth formed a perfect “oh” of realization, and her flawless skin took on a pink hue of embarrassment. It was obvious that she had been too distracted by something to pay attention to the Superintendent’s words.
Sebastian thought it amusing, until he realized that he was still holding her hand. He couldn’t help staring at her; she really was exquisite. He couldn’t recall seeing anyone who matched her, and he’d spent the last six months being paraded in front of New York society’s young marriageable ladies by his very hopeful mother. But Serena Selkirk outshone them all. A tiny little thing, but definitely not a girl. She was wearing a simple but fashionable dress. The slightest hint of a bustle was balanced out by a slim waist and a small—put pert—bosom. He quickly dragged his gaze back to her face, so that she wouldn’t know he’d been admiring her, and caught his breath again.
She was perfect. Physically perfect. Flawless skin, a pink bow-shaped mouth, and were her eyes violet? He thought he could gaze into them forever and not get bored. Her hair was almost silver, and pulled back in a hairstyle that did nothing to detract from her beauty. The little hairs that had escaped from the pins flew around her face, and he wanted nothing more than to tuck them back up, to feel if they were a silky as they looked. To touch her.
He knew he was staring, but didn’t bother to stop. And then he heard Reverend Davis’ throat-clearing, and wondered how long the man had been trying to get his attention. Sebastian had to smile—at himself this time—and acknowledge that he’d been just as distracted as Miss Selkirk had been.
“I’m sorry Reverend.” He finally dropped her hand, and noticed the way she used those same lithe fingers to pat a few loose hairs back into place, the way he’d wanted to. Instead of lingering further, though, he turned to his two hosts. “Can you repeat that?”
Reverend Davis must have been amused by their mutual preoccupation, judging from his smile. “Well, son, I was just pointing out—again—that Miss Selkirk’s young companion is Miss Annie Murray, whose family you’ve been corresponding with.”
A flurry of movement from Miss Selkirk that drew his interest again, and he watched her gesturing to the girl by her side. Sebastian finally turned his attention to young Annie, whom he knew to be thirteen. The girl was even slighter than Miss Selkirk, with big brown eyes now wide in surprise and brown shoulder-length curls pulled back off her face with a ribbon. Her hands were quick as she asked Miss Selkirk a question in home sign, and Sebastian hid his discomfort at not being able to understand her.
Three years ago at Eton, he’d taught a boy name Harry who was almost entirely deaf. The masters had tried to turn him towards what they called “a more appropriate learning environment”, but Sebastian—who was new to the school himself—had argued that mathematics was an international language, and didn’t require hearing or speech to learn. He’d become obsessed with proving his theory right, and had read everything Mr. Alexander G. Bell and others wrote on the subject. He’d come to agree with Bell that the most likely way to assimilate students like Harry and Annie was to focus on the spoken word, and teach them to understand and speak to others. There were times when he wondered if he only thought that because he hadn’t learned any kind of sign language… but he’d had great success with Mr. Bell’s oralist techniques. When he’d resigned from Eton, ready to come home, young Harry was one of his best pupils, and exhibited an understanding of pure mathematics that would soon outstrip his own.
Annie’s sister had written that the girl could ‘read’ lips, and had retained some speaking abilities, making her a prime candidate for traditional schools via oralist techniques. So he turned to the girl, and gave her a little nod and a warm smile. “Good morning, Miss Murray.” As with Harry, he made sure that he spoke clearly and succinctly, but didn’t over-accentuate his lips’ movements. “I have been looking forward to meeting you.”
He put out his hand, and after a hesitant glance in her companion’s direction, Annie placed her small one in his for a quick shake. She pulled her hand back immediately, and moved both hands in front of her chest to begin signing… but a slight movement from Miss Selkirk—Sebastian thought it might have been a head-shake—caused her to reconsider. Sebastian watched uncertainty flit across her face, before being replaced with determination. She dropped her hands and straightened her back, and lifted her chin to look into his eyes.
“Ello, Mistah Cahda-ah.”
Hello, Mister Carderock. Sebastian had understood her, and allowed his pride and pleasure to show in his smile. Despite her sister’s claims, he hadn’t been sure that young Annie would really be able to learn from him if he didn’t use sign. He’d been impressed to see her struggle and overcome her awkwardness with speaking. That willingness to try, more than her actual ability, would be what would make her a successful student.
“I am looking forward to teaching you in school, Annie. You will do very well, I can tell.”
Those wide brown eyes turned to Miss Selkirk in uncertainty, and Sebastian watched her companion interpret his words into sign. He didn’t push the matter; he had to expect that Annie wouldn’t be able to understand everything right away, and know that she was most comfortable in sign ‘language’. Just the fact that she’d been willing to attempt to speak to him, and to focus on his speech, meant that she would be a good student, of both math and oralism.
“It was very nice to meet both of you ladies.” He’d been facing Annie when he spoke, so that she could see his mouth, but he watched Miss Selkirk. She was signing, but when she noticed his gaze, her hands faltered once, and then she blushed and continued to gesture. Sebastian waited until she was through, and then held out his hand to her again. There was no need for it, other than he wanted to touch her again.
“We were hoping to meet you before the celebrations on the Fourth, Mr. Carderock.” Sebastian knew his gaze was centered on that bow-shaped mouth, and he couldn’t help it. “We would be most honored if you would join us for luncheon at my aunts’ home this afternoon?”
“Sadly, I am previously engaged.” The line sounded trite, but was very true. “Mr. Donaldson and his lovely wife have invited the Davises and me to dine with him. I hope I can join you for luncheon later in the week?”
She smiled then. Good Lord, he’d thought she was lovely before, in her pristine calm? This smile, this first real smile she’d shown, lit up her face from within. Her flawless pale skin seemed to glow, and he vowed to make her smile again.
He wasn’t entirely sure how he said his farewells to the two young ladies, but he watched them sashay down the aisle between the pews. Miss Selkirk looked back once, and he smiled at her.
He heard Reverend Davis chuckle. “Well son, looks like you’ve fallen for our Miss Serena, just like every other unmarried man in Cheyenne.”
Sebastian watched the door swing shut behind the young ladies, and had to grin in response. “Looks like it, Reverend. She certainly is beautiful.”
The two gentlemen—and later their wives over luncheon—were quick to volunteer everything Sebastian might wish to know about Serena Selkirk’s background. But he found himself pondering questions they couldn’t answer. What did she dream about? How did she taste? And when was he going to see her again.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Da, does this beef stew have any actual beef in it?”
“Aye, fer flavorin’. Cows don’t grow on trees. Besides, carrots an’ potatoes are healthier.”
Cam hid his smile and hunched back over his bowl of stew. His father was an alright cook, but he had trouble grasping the idea of
“plenty”. Cam and the Open Skye hands often had to make do with watered-down stews or wilted vegetables the old man wasn’t ready to throw away. His father had grown up so poor that the idea of beef in the stew was a novelty, Cam couldn’t blame him for trying to skimp and stretch. He was glad that he’d waited to bring his father out here ‘til the lean years were past; if he’d been here in the beginning, Ian MacLeod would have had them all drinking boiled cabbage for years.
“We own a cattle ranch, Da. Cows don’t grow on trees, they grow big on all that fine Wyoming grass,” he jerked his head towards the small cabin’s front door, “and that hay you were moaning about having to cut. We have plenty of beef.”
“If ye don’t like my cookin’, you know what ye can do about it!” Ian’s glare was fierce, but Cam just rolled his eyes. His father had been after him to marry for a few years now, but Cam had brushed off his nagging. One of the recurring themes was that they needed a woman around the house, to do the cooking Ian disliked.
“You know I’m working on it. I’ve been calling on Miss Selkirk, and she has to know that it’d be a sound match.”
“It’d be a sound match for you, ye mean. What’s in it fer her? Livin’ in this hovel, cookin’ fer yer hands? Cookin’ fer you with yer picky ‘not enough beef’ attitude?” Ian stabbed his spoon towards his son with every sentence; bushy gray eyebrows drawn over the green eyes he’d passed on to Cam.
Cam would have normally chuckled and brushed off his father’s arguments, but this time he just sighed. Because he was beginning to wonder if maybe the old man was right. Serena Selkirk lived in a beautiful house, with an actual servant, and was… well, she was a lady. All she’d get out of marrying him was someone to help her run the ranch. He’d get a gorgeous new home, an exquisite young wife he loved… and twice as much responsibility, so half as much time to appreciate any of it.