Tin-Stars and Troublemakers Box Set (Four Complete Historical Western Romance Novels in One)

by Rice, Patricia

  With a grin, she spread her arms to indicate the opulent surroundings. Trompe l'oeil artwork decorated the walls and ceiling with elaborate plaster moldings, and there was an iron fireplace with a grape design. A Burmese rug accented the parquet flooring, and drapes of deep purple velvet hung at the Venetian glass windows. Objets d'art had been carefully chosen to compliment the furniture, which was all done in pastel brocade, befitting the ladies' parlor.

  "You will be queen of this house, and I"—she touched her fingertips primly to her lips and made a smacking sound—"will be the queen mother."

  Elyse did not share her mother's optimism that the dream would come true and never had. "Michael doesn't want me. It was always Jacie. He might be so brokenhearted he won't want to marry anybody."

  "Oh, fiddle-faddle. That's ridiculous. Do I have to remind you he didn't go running after her to bring her back, anyway? Olivia said it was only when he realized she'd taken the necklace he gave her. He wasn't about to let her keep it. That's why he went—to get that. Not her.

  "And by the way," she added, and reached for another cake, "do you think Zach Newton told any of the other overseers he was going to South Carolina? I'd hate to think of anyone saying something about it to Michael. He might decide to go chasing off down there too."

  "I'm certain he didn't. If I'd been a minute later getting to him that morning, I'd have missed him. He was on his way then, and he kept on going after I talked to him and gave him the letter for Mr. Kernsby. I even turned around before I got to the house and saw that he was already at the main road, so he didn't talk to anybody."

  "Good. We can't let anything interfere once Michael gets back. You must make him ask you to marry him as soon as possible. Remember, that little tart got him in the first place by throwing herself at him, and you're just going to have to do the same thing, if that's what it takes. Coax him right into your bed, if you have to. Get him in a compromising situation so he'll be honor-bound to marry you. I'll get involved and demand he do so, if need be."

  Elyse's mouth dropped open, aghast to hear her mother speak so brazenly. "Surely you don't mean that."

  "Surely I do," Olivia mimicked, screwing up her mouth haughtily. "We can't keep on living here indefinitely, and we've nowhere else to go, and by Christmas I intend for you to be Mrs. Michael Blake, understand?"

  Elyse understood, all right, and she wanted that to happen even more than her mother did, but for different reasons. "All you care about is his money. I love Michael, and I'd rather know he was marrying me because he loves me too."

  "Oh, don't be silly. Love has nothing to do with it. You give him babies and live a genteel life of luxury, and he'll take a mistress, maybe even go to the Negro wenches for his pleasure, and if he does, be glad. You'll tire soon enough of his animal lust."

  Elyse did not think so. Thoughts of having Michael hold her, kiss her, made her warm all over. She would never tire of him coming to her bed for loving. She was sure of it. Her mother was wrong.

  "Is that a delivery wagon coming up the road?" Holding her cup, Verena stood and rushed to the window, eyes narrowing with her annoyance. "It certainly is, and it's coming right up the main road instead of taking the path around back. I tell you, when we're running this house, there will be many changes made. I'm going out there myself and give whoever it is a piece of my mind, and—"

  The expensive Meissen cup fell to the floor and shattered.

  Elyse bolted to her feet and ran to the window to see what had caused her mother's distress and felt the blood drain from her face. "Oh, God," she cried in sweeping horror, "it's Michael! And Jacie is with him!"

  Just then Olivia breezed in to greet them happily. "Ah, I see we have those lovely little cakes again. My, my, Verena, you are so good at handling the servants. They jump to please you. I was never able to..." She paused. "Good heavens, you two look as though you've seen a ghost. What is it?"

  Olivia came to where they stood frozen at the window. Glancing out, she gave a barely audible cry—and promptly fell to the floor in a dead faint.

  Michael murmured a hasty exchange of greetings to a waiting groom, then steered Jacie up the stairs and into the house. Relinquishing her to a wide-eyed housekeeper standing inside the door, he gave orders that she was to be taken to her room, where she would rest the remainder of the day. He also directed that a dinner tray be delivered to her.

  She accepted Michael's light kiss on her lips and went docilely with the servant. They had agreed previously it was best she be sequestered until Olivia got over the shock of her return.

  Michael did not have to wonder where everyone was as he stepped into the foyer, for there was a great commotion coming from the parlor. He walked in to see Verena and Elyse kneeling beside his mother, who was on the floor. He hurried to lift her in his arms and place her on the divan, demanding, though he suspected he already knew, "What's wrong with her?"

  "She saw you with that woman." Verena could hardly speak, she was so mad. "It was more than she could bear, to think you'd dare bring that hussy back to this house."

  Michael held back a scathing reply because a maid had come into the room and he wanted to avoid any more gossip. "Bring ammonia," he said curtly. "And water."

  Verena sniffed. "She needs a doctor. It's probably her heart, poor thing. Michael, how could you?" She stamped her foot.

  Michael summoned all his patience and managed to say evenly, "Cousin Verena, my mother always has an attack of the vapors when she's faced with situations she wants to avoid. She's been like that her whole life, so I'm not going to worry about it, and neither should you. In fact, I would appreciate it if you would stop worrying about anything that goes on in this house, because it's no concern of yours. Have I made myself clear?" He glared at her.

  The color was back in Verena's face full force; it had turned bright red with indignity. "How dare you regard your mother so callously?" she lashed out at him. "That's what cavorting with the lower classes does to a person."

  Elyse knew her mother was going too far. "Mother, please. We've no right to interfere."

  "That's right—you don't." Michael nodded gratefully to Elyse and even managed a smile.

  An awkward silence fell.

  Elyse tugged at her mother's arm, urging her to leave the room, but Verena stood where she was, tight-lipped and furious.

  When the servant came with the ammonia, the instant Michael held it beneath his mother's nose her eyes flashed open. She began to cough, pushing the flask away.

  "Are you all right now?" Michael asked, no trace of concern in his voice.

  "Yes, yes." She looked about the room wildly, then clutched Michael by his coat lapels, attempting to draw him closer. "Tell me it was a bad dream. A nightmare. That I only imagined you brought Jacie back."

  "You didn't imagine anything, Mother. I've brought her back to be my wife."

  Olivia gave a soft whimper, and he warned, "Now don't faint again, Mother. There's a few things you are going to have to understand, like how Jacie did not run away with Zach Newton. She was intending to ride part of the way with Mehlonga as he headed west to join his people. She was upset with me for being so jealous, when there was no reason. Then she got lost on the way back."

  "Oh Lord. That crazy old Indian. I might have known. He hasn't been seen since she left. But that's even worse. Oh, God. She ran away with an Indian." She covered her face with her hands.

  "Hmph," Verena grunted. "I think you're making that up. You just don't want to admit she was with that overseer. How did you find her, anyway?"

  "Verena, you're really starting to annoy me," Michael said tightly. "I'd like you to leave."

  "Oh, don't take it out on her," Olivia moaned. "I don't know what I'd have done without her all these weeks. And sweet Elyse, too. You just don't realize the grief your insane devotion to that girl has caused this family, Michael."

  "That is true." Verena folded her arms across her bosom. “And it's a good thing your father isn't alive to hear you trea
t your kin so disrespectfully, and you can be sure he would never stand for that trollop being in his house."

  "That does it." Michael drew himself up, about to remove her from the room, bodily, if need be.

  Elyse began to cry and tugged at her mother's arm, begging her to leave, and, reluctantly, Verena went with her.

  Once upstairs with the door closed behind them, Verena spent the next half hour ranting and raving, telling Elyse over and over that they had to do something. "We cannot let him marry her. We cannot."

  Elyse cringed, because Verena kept getting louder and louder. "Please calm down. Someone will hear you."

  "I don't care. Let them. I want all the servants to gossip about him planning to marry that little whore. And that's what she is—a whore, running off with that nasty overseer."

  As she walked toward Jacie's room, Sudie paused to hear such a nasty word coming through the door. She was carrying a tray with ham biscuits and a pot of tea, so excited that Miss Jacie was back and anxious to see her, but now the glow was dimmed as she overheard Miss Verena say, "Olivia cannot allow him to let that strumpet stay in this house. All the servants believe she ran away with Zach Newton. What will they think of their master marrying a whore?"

  Sudie could take no more. She might get a whipping, but there was just no way she was going to stand for that woman calling Miss Jacie an ugly name like that.

  She set the tray on a nearby table, then, lower lip trembling with fear at what she was about to do, rapped sharply on the door.

  Verena snatched it open. "Oh, what is it?"

  Sudie took a deep breath and brushed by her to enter the room. "I heard what you said about Miss Jacie, and it ain't so, and you shouldn't talk about her like that."

  Verena advanced toward her, eyes narrowed in menace. "You little snot. I'll take a whip to you for being so insolent."

  "Mother, don't," Elyse protested. "She's just a child, and she has always been fond of Jacie."

  "That's right." Sudie's head bobbed up and down as she inched closer to Miss Elyse, since she seemed to be taking up for her. "And I know she'd never run away with Master Newton, not after I told her how he beat the slaves. It was old Melongha who took her to Texas. I heard 'em talkin' about it.”

  Verena wondered why she even bothered to argue with the child and resolved that she would definitely see that she got a whipping. "It doesn't matter. She went away with a man. That makes her a whore. And this is none of your business. Now get out of here."

  "That don't make her no whore." Sudie clenched her fists at her sides, tears beginning to stream down her face. "Not when he was takin' her to find her real momma."

  The two women looked at each other in wonder, and it was Elyse who rallied to probe, "What are you talking about, Sudie? Miss Jacie's mother died. You know that."

  "No ma'am," Sudie said firmly. "Not her real momma."

  Eyes suddenly glittering with interest, Verena went to the door and closed it, then quietly, ominously, commanded, “I think you'd better explain yourself.”

  Sudie was anxious to make them see Miss Jacie had done nothing wrong, and the words poured forth. "Miss Violet wasn't her real momma. She was her real momma's sister. She just pretended to be Miss Jacie's momma. Miss Jacie's real momma, she was taken by the Indians when Miss Jacie was just a little baby. She and Miss Violet was the only ones left alive, so Miss Violet made Master Judd think Miss Jacie was his young'un and raised her like she was, only the night she died, I reckon she was feelin' guilty over pretendin' all them years, 'cause she told Miss Jacie the truth, and Miss Jacie couldn't stand not knowin' about her real momma, so she took off to find her.

  "And I know this is so," Sudie finished proudly, "'cause I was standin' outside the door and heard every single word. She knowed I knowed she was goin'." Starting to lose some of her nerve beneath the skeptical stares of the two women, Sudie went on. "And she told me not to tell, but Master Blake was so worried I had to tell him so he could fetch her back. You ain't gonna tell her I told, are you?" She looked from one to the other fearfully.

  "Not if you won't tell what you heard us saying about her," Verena said.

  Sudie shook her head. "Oh, no ma'am. I won't, 'cause it would hurt her real bad, and there ain't no need to do that, 'specially now that you know it ain't so and won't say it no more."

  Verena licked her lips in delight to know Jacie's secret. "Of course we won't, dear. But did you also tell Master Blake why Miss Jacie went away? Did you tell him she had gone to find her mother?"

  "No. Just that she'd gone off to Texas with a man. He didn't ask why.”

  “Let's just forget we had this little talk, shall we?” Verena quickly ushered Sudie to the door.

  "And I won't get no whippin'?" Sudie asked.

  "No whipping," Verena assured, wanting to be rid of her.

  With the door again closed, Elyse braced herself for her mother's tirade but was instead surprised to see her smiling quite contentedly. "Now you know what you have to do," Verena said. "Not only for yourself, but for Michael, to save him from himself. He has political ambitions. What if one day Jacie's real mother, a nasty Indian squaw"—she wrinkled her nose in disgust—"were to show up here at Red Oakes? It could ruin him. You can't take a chance on letting that happen. And think of the family name. It's our family, too, you know."

  "I'd like to know what you think I can do about it." Elyse looked at her in wonder. "If cousin Olivia can't make him change his mind, I certainly can't."

  "Olivia won't know about it, you little fool. Do you think he would dare tell her? No. You heard what he said in the parlor, the lie he concocted about Jacie riding off with Mehlonga and getting lost. He's not about to tell the truth, because he knows there is absolutely no way he could expect Olivia to be even remotely civil to Jacie if she found out such a deplorable scandal about her family. He knows how she despises all Indians."

  Elyse went to stare wistfully out the window at the sprawling plantation she would soon be forced to leave—to go where? She had no idea and at the moment did not care. She loved Michael and wanted to be his wife, and if that were not to be, nothing else mattered.

  "This is our chance," Verena gloated.

  "I suppose you want me to be the one to tell Cousin Olivia," Elyse said tonelessly. "Well, I won't. Michael would hate me then. He'd never marry me."

  "Oh, I know that. Olivia finding out wouldn't stop him, anyway."

  "Well, I suggest we just forget about it, hard though it will be. If Michael loves her enough to want her despite everything, then perhaps we should just stay out of it. We can go back to Charleston. Surely some man will want to marry me."

  "With us living in the poorhouse?" Verena hooted. "No man from a decent, wealthy family would court you, and I'll not see you wed anyone who can't afford to take care of me as well. You are going to marry Michael, and that is final."

  Elyse leaned her head against the window frame and closed her eyes. Her mother could rant on all she wanted. Sooner or later, she would realize the futility of it all.

  "I want you to send a message to Zach Newton."

  Elyse's eyes flashed open. "What kind of message?"

  "Tell him you want him to get Jacie away from here. It doesn't matter what he does with her, just so she's never seen in these parts again."

  "I don't believe what I am hearing."

  "You will write him a letter and tell him he can have revenge on Michael for firing him by coming to Red Oakes and abducting Jacie. You will also tell him he will be paid a thousand dollars for his trouble."

  Elyse laughed. "And where would I get a thousand dollars?"

  "I'll tell Olivia I need to borrow it. She'll let me have it, no questions asked. Especially as distraught as she is now."

  Elyse chewed her lower lip nervously. "I don't think I can do it."

  "Do you love Michael?"

  "You know I do," she said miserably.

  "Then you must. There's no other way. Otherwise, Michael is going to marry Jacie
as soon as he can throw a wedding together. He's bewitched by her. He's not thinking straight."

  Elyse was not convinced the plan would work. "What if Zach gets the money, keeps it, and never shows up?"

  "I've already thought of that. You will send five hundred with the letter and tell him where to find the rest of it when the deed is done. But I'm not worried about that," Verena said confidently. "He'll want revenge on Michael more than the money. You know there is no way that Zach has the working conditions in Beaufort that he had here. He probably curses Michael every day for kicking him out."

  "I still don't know," Elyse murmured.

  "It's the answer to all our prayers and problems," Verena went on to emphasize. "Olivia will never know you were responsible for keeping her son from marrying white trash, but she would love you to death if she did. And you'll also be ensuring a good life for me, as well, and you owe me that. Just as you owe it to yourself most of all if you truly love him as you say you do.”

  Elyse was still uncertain about doing something so dastardly and cruel, and all in the name of love.

  Verena said brightly, "I'll get paper and a pen. We have to move fast."

  * * *

  That night no one in the household appeared at the dinner table.

  Jacie remained in her quarters, locked in a grief that would not let her go, and grateful Michael had given her time to be alone.

  Olivia had taken to her bed to try and absorb the earth-shattering events of the day, as well as Michael's insistence on marrying Jacie as soon as arrangements could be made.

  Verena and Elyse retired to their individual boudoirs, having trays of food brought in. Neither wanted to face Michael just yet with all that was on their minds.