by Rye Hart
I finally regained my composure and answered him. “Yes, quite the irony isn’t it?” I wasn’t sure if I should tip my hand and let him know that I knew about his conversation with Clara but I decided to play coy and let him make a move.
“Clara told me you’d be stopping by, she’s expecting you,” I said and waved my hand toward her office..”
“Thank you,” he said as he walked to the door, gently knocked, and went in.
It was all I could do to keep from putting my ear to the door to listen to what was being said. Luckily, a prospective client walked in and I busied myself with helping her navigate the questionnaire.
It was nearing lunchtime and Clara and Clayton were still holed up in Clara’s office discussing who knows what. I had promised to meet Rose in town to pick out fabric for curtains for the nursery so I left a note for Clara that I would be back later and turned the sign to ‘closed.’
It was late afternoon when I got back to Clara’s Place and I found
Clara at my desk. I noticed, with some disappointment, that Clayton was nowhere to be found.
“Where is Clayton?” I asked, trying to feign nonchalance.
Clara smiled up at me, a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “He’s back in my room at the hotel resting from his trip,” she said. “Why don’t you join us for dinner tonight?” she asked.
I wasn’t quite sure I could sit through a dinner with Clayton without turning bright red at his every look but I hated to be rude to Clara.
“Yes, that would be very nice,” I said.
“Well, I don’t think we will be seeing much more action here today,” Clara said. “Why don’t we close up and get on home?”
I set about closing the place up for the night, making sure curtains were closed and the door locked. I walked with Clara to the hotel and hailed myself a coach back to Rose’s.
“I’ll see you tonight dear, seven o’clock sharp,” Clara said, patting my arm.
I climbed into the coach and groaned out loud. What had I gotten myself into?
When I arrived at Rose’s house, I nearly tripped up the front steps in my effort to get inside.
“Good Lord, Eden. What on Earth is wrong with you?” she asked, taking one look at my red face.
I sat down heavily at the table and Rose gestured for Martha to bring me a glass of water. I gulped the cold liquid and set the glass down a little harder than I had intended, startling even myself.
“He’s here,” I finally managed to say. “He’s here and I have to have dinner with him tonight.”
“Wait, who’s here?” Rose asked
“Clayton Reeves, Clara’s nephew,” I sputtered.
Rose sat back and smiled. “Ah, the handsome gentleman you spoke of in your journal. The one with the ‘dreamy eyes,'” she said.
I nearly died of embarrassment right then. “I can’t believe you read my journal!” I said loudly.
“Well you left it out in the open,” Rose said defensively.
“Oh Rose, what am I going to do? I think Clara is trying to get us together,” I said, starting to panic.
“And what is so wrong with that?” Rose wanted to know.
“Oh Rose, he’d never want a girl like me. He comes from a wealthy family and surely wants a girl who is refined. I froze when looking at the menu at Clara’s hotel!” I said, mortified. “I can’t go, I just can’t. I’ll make a fool of myself,” I whined.
“Now you stop right there Eden O’Bannon. Any man would be lucky to have you on his arm,” Rose scolded. “So what if you don’t know exactly which fork to use for which course? A man worthy of you will love you for who you are, not for your table manners.”
With that, Rose ushered me upstairs where she helped me wash and set my hair and rouge my cheeks. She lent me a gown in a beautiful deep purple and helped me to fasten the buttons.
Once I was dressed and my hair was fastened away from my face with a pair of pearl barrettes, Rose stood back and looked me over.
“Oh Eden, you are so lovely,” she whispered.
We went downstairs and Jason, who was waiting to escort me to the hotel, let out a low whistle.
“It’s a good think Clara is going to be there to chaperone you two,” he said with a wink.
I walked into the dining room and spotted Clara and Clayton sitting at a table near the window. Clayton’s eyes found me and he stopped in mid-sentence, his mouth hanging open as he stared. Suddenly I felt claustrophobic and had to fight the urge to run from the room. Clara said something to Clayton that broke the spell and he rose at once, coming to escort me to the table.
“Miss Eden, you look absolutely stunning,” he said, taking my hand and leading me across the room.
Clara rose to give me a peck on the cheek as we approached the table. “My dear, you are a sight!” she exclaimed gleefully.
I noticed Clara look between Clayton and I with a knowing smile but ignored it. All could focus on right now was not embarrassing myself in front of these two who had much more experience with fine dining and etiquette.
“So Eden, how are you liking Colorado Springs so far?” Clayton asked once we were all settled in our seats.
“I am loving it here,” I admitted. “The sunsets are spectacular and the people are very friendly.”
“Yes, Aunt Clara has told me some stories of the people you’ve met at her agency. Some of them have very interesting backgrounds.”
“Yes, that is very true,” I replied.
“And what about you?” Clayton asked. “Have you given any thought to filling out one of Aunt Clara’s questionnaires?”
“Good Heavens, no!” I exclaimed, blushing hotly. “I mean, I pass no judgement on those who do but it’s just not for me,” I quickly explained, not wanting to insult my employer and friend.
Clayton nodded thoughtfully. “Well if you were to fill one out, what would it say?” he asked curiously.
I picked up my water glass and took a long drink to quench my parched throat. Good Lord this man and his questions made me nervous. I wondered where he was going with this line of questioning but thought to myself that he was just trying to make small talk and I didn’t want to seem rude. I cleared my throat.
“Well I guess I would say that I am looking for someone to share my life with, to be a true partner. Someone who is educated and likes to read,” I said.
“And what about travel?” Clara asked.
“Well yes, that would be nice as well. My trip to Colorado has piqued my interest in what else there is to see in the world,” I answered.
“What about looks?” she asked.
“What about them?” I replied.
“Well do you like tall men?”
“Yes.”
“Blonde hair or dark?”
“Blonde I suppose.”
“Blue eyes or brown?”
“Blue-“ I stopped speaking and my cheeks flushed a deep red as I looked to Clayton who was staring at me with a dazzling smile. I quickly looked away from him and swung my eyes in Clara’s direction. She looked like the cat that ate the canary, with a smile as bright as the sun. I was mortified to realize that I had just described Clayton Reeves to a tee.
“Um, excuse me, I think I need some air,” I said, rising from the table. I gathered up my skirts and all but ran out of the dining room and out onto the patio. I took large gulps of fresh night air and jumped slightly when I felt Clayton’s hand on my elbow.
“Eden are you alright?” he asked, sounding worried.
I swallowed and nodded, willing my heart to slow to its normal rhythm. Clayton guided me over to a chair and helped me to sit. He perched on the chair next to me and took my hand in his.
“Do you know what my questionnaire would say?” he asked softly.
I shook my head, unable to speak.
“It would say that I am looking for a spirited woman who loves her family so much that she would travel across the country by herself to be with them. A woman who befriends old ladies and helps them start a busin
ess. I would say that I’m looking for a woman who writes about her journey but is too modest to thing anyone else would be interested in her story. I would say that I want you, Eden,” Clayton finished, bringing my hand to his lips.
“Oh Clayton, I don’t know what to say,” I gushed, my cheeks burning bright.
“Say you’ll come back inside and finish dinner before Aunt Clara sends out a search party,” he chuckled.
I nodded my head and allowed Clayton to lead me back into the dining room.
The next several days were spent getting to know Clayton better. Clara declared herself able to handle the agency alone for a few afternoons, allowing Clayton and I to stroll through the streets of the city. We visited a few shops where I picked out some fabric for clothes for Rose’s baby, as well as shops where Clayton bought me sweets and flowers.
What our courtship lacked in length, it made up for in intensity. After just one weeks’ time, Clayton and I knew without a doubt that we wanted to be together forever. Clara, Rose, and Jason were all thrilled for us and Clara and Rose couldn’t wait to start planning the wedding.
There was just one obstacle left to overcome.
Chapter Six
For the next two weeks Clayton was in upstate New York convincing papa and mama that he would make me a good husband. Papa was reluctant to let his baby girl go, and so far away, but mama reminded him of what his stubbornness had done to their relationship with Rose. Papa finally agreed to give Clayton my hand and when I received that word, Rose and I danced for joy. Well, I danced, Rose waddled.
Clayton needed to be in Boston for a few months to take care of the publishing company and I missed him terribly but we wrote to one another regularly. The days were growing shorter and the air took on a distinct chill. Winter was approaching, and with that, Rose’s due date. Things at the agency had slowed while everyone was getting their crops and cattle ready for the approaching cold so I was able to stay close to home with Rose.
November third at four in the morning Bannon Saunders was born. He had his mother’s red hair and a pair of lungs that would wake up the neighborhood. I looked at my beautiful sister with her husband and child and I felt truly happy. I pictured that one day, Rose would be the one at the foot of the bed looking on at me with Clayton and our child. There was so much to be hopeful for now.
With Rose recovered from having Bannon I felt it was time I headed back home. I said my goodbyes to them all and climbed in the coach to start my long journey home. I sat by the window and watched the landscape in reverse. I let my mind wander to Clayton, wondering what he was doing and if he was still as excited about marrying me as he had been nearly six months ago now. I closed my eyes and dozed, only to wake moments later with the feeling that I was being watched. Before I could even open my eyes and look up, I heard a voice that I knew so well.
“Excuse me ma’am is this seat taken?”
I smiled at up at him, “well I was saving it for a handsome gentleman, but I suppose you’ll do just fine,” I said, teasing.
“Do you travel much?” he said, settling down beside me.
“Not really,” I said. “I am just returning from visiting my sister in Colorado.”
“Colorado is a beautiful state. I was there for a bit myself,” he said.
“Oh? And how was your stay?” I asked.
“It was perfect really. I went to visit my aunt and ended up falling hopelessly in love with a beautiful girl. I think I want to marry her,” he said.
It took everything in me not to jump out of my seat. “Oh?” I said coyly. “And do you think she wants to marry you?”
Clayton reached into his pocket and pulled out a yellow diamond ring with rubies on each side. “Well what do you think? Do you think she’ll say yes to this?” he asked.
“Oh Clayton it’s beautiful!” I exclaimed.
“So you’ll marry me then? Please say yes, Eden. You’ll make me the happiest man in the world,” Clayton said.
Tears sprung to my eyes and I threw my arms around his neck. “Yes, Clayton, yes I will marry you,” I said as he slipped the ring onto my finger.
Mama and papa were at the station when we arrived and we were married two months later. Rose, Jason, and Bannon were there for the wedding and even Clara made the trip. Papa was excited, both his girls were married and happy. He made a toast at our reception and said he would like to have a few more grandchildren like Bannon.
Rose spoke first. “Well Eden, you heard the man!”
With that, everyone clinked their glasses and toasted our future.
THE END
Highlander’s Curse
Chapter One
Eva looked at herself in the full length mirror. She liked how her jeans hugged her full hips.
"Eva, can you pretty please play a game with us!" pleaded six-year-old Jamie, her youngest cousin. He always enjoyed play time with his cousin and he rarely took no for an answer.
"Not tonight, I have a big project for work that my boss needs tomorrow," Eva tried to explain. She was already stressed to the max with all the recent demands being placed on her. It wasn't easy trying to get noticed at a big publishing firm when she spent most of her time running menial errands, and Eva was starting to feel like a small fish in a very big sea. Eva didn't like the idea of admitting that maybe her job just wasn't working out, but at the moment, her financial prospects were the biggest incentive for getting her butt out of bed every morning.
"Pleeeeeeease," chimed in Maggie, Jamie's older sister by two years. The little girl furrowed her brow and wrinkled her nose as if she was about to cry.
Jamie took a look at Maggie's devastated expression and quickly followed suit with his own take on the puppy-dog look.
Eva chuckled before throwing her hands up in the air in an expression of surrender. "You guys are good, you know that?" she teased.
"Hurray!" Both Maggie and Jamie jumped up in excitement.
Eva quickly closed the book she had been working on and brushed a thick tendril of black hair behind her ear before turning her full attention back toward her little cousins. "So what game did you have in mind?" she asked them.
"I want to play hide-n-seek," demanded the impulsive Maggie.
"No!" cried Jamie. "Manhunt, I want to play manhunt," he said with a decisiveness that was uncanny for a six-year-old.
Eva couldn't help but laugh at their exchange. She had been more like a big sister to her little cousins ever since her Aunt Marie and Uncle Mark had graciously taken her in when she was struggling to make ends meet. She adored little Jamie and Maggie, but she had already begun to suspect that they were more than a little spoiled.
"How about we play both?" she offered in an attempt to placate the two. "Which one do you want to —" she began.
"Manhunt!" Jamie interrupted enthusiastically. He turned to look at his sister; a disapproving scowl was already forming on Maggie's face. "Please," he added to both his sister and his cousin.
"Oh okay," Maggie gave in. It didn't take much for her to indulge her baby brother.
"Yippy!" cried Jamie. "You are it!" he tagged Eva abruptly with his hand before he turned on his heel and darted down the hall and out of the room.
Maggie gave an impatient sigh and a rather precocious eye-roll, before she too took off after her little brother.
Eva was left alone in the room before she had time to fully process what she had just gotten herself into.
She waited a few moments, allowing the children time to disperse off in the large house before she made her way down the dark hallway. She didn't have a lot of energy after a grueling day at work to run after them, but she didn't think she would have much trouble catching a six and eight-year-old. However, they were a lot more familiar with the old Tudor-style house than she was, as she had only been living there for a few months, which gave the children a decisive advantage in their attempts to evade being tagged "It."
As Eva began moving throughout the rooms in search of her cousins, she couldn't
help but feel a little unsettled by the eerie quietness that descended upon the house; it was almost too quiet. She thought for sure she would hear the sound of the children running down the hallways, or giggling and giving themselves away. Instead, the only sound came from her own beating heart as it echoed loudly in her ears.
"Jamie? Maggie?" she called out, hoping that they might throw her a bone and respond. "Can I get a hint?" she asked. Whenever she was alone, she sometimes had the feeling that she was being watched. Although she knew that her young cousins and aunt and uncle were somewhere on the property, she couldn't shake the feeling of unease. Eva wasn't necessarily a superstitious person, but this house had the ability to creep her out and make her doubt that she was seeing the world with crystal clarity.
Eva's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a loud crash coming from a room upstairs. "Gotcha," she muttered under her breath. The distraction was welcomed, as it momentarily diverted her attention from the strange direction her thoughts had shifted.
She headed toward the stairs and made her way up as quickly as she could. When she reached the top, she found herself facing several different doors. She wasn't sure which one the crashing sound came out of. She moved toward the first, but before she turned the handle, she heard what sounded like a guttural moan emit from behind the door.
Eva paused, unsure if she should proceed. The sound was definitely not something that the children would be capable of making. Likewise her aunt and uncle were in the study on the main floor, which was quite far from where she was.
Eva wracked her mind for the obvious explanation for the noise, but came up empty. Eva knew that she should march downstairs, find her aunt and uncle and have them aid her in the investigation, but she didn't want to make a big fuss over nothing.
Eva shook her head in an attempt to clear her racing thoughts. "Get a hold of yourself," she muttered quietly. She hated that she was a timid person who often balked when faced with difficult prospects. It was why she was stuck in a job that she was too frightened to leave, why she was too scared to leave Brighton and finally make the move to London, and why she was still tragically single at twenty five.