Henry walked down the steps, but heard a soft voice, “Papa?” He turned around and saw Lilah. Her eyes were squinted with sleep.
“Lilah,” Henry said walking back up the steps to her. He picked her up and held her. Lilah hadn’t allowed Henry to pick her up in so long.
“Are you going away?” Lilah asked snuggling her head into his shoulder.
“Yes. For a little while. I’ll be back soon.”
Lilah tears dripped down onto Henry’s shirt. “You weren’t going to say good bye,” she sniffed. “You were going to leave. Just like Mama. And she never came back.”
Henry squeezed her. “I’m going to come back,” Henry said.
“Promise?” Lilah pleaded.
“I promise. I will come back.” Henry kissed his little girl on top of her head holding onto her tightly. “Be good. Take care of your little sister. I know I don’t need to say that because you are doing an excellent job watching out for her.”
“I will,” Lilah said.
“Try to be nice to Miss Daisy?” Henry ventured.
Lilah picked up her head and looked at her father. “I’ll try.”
Lilah went back inside feeling sad to see her father go, admitting to herself that this was unusual for her. She generally kept her feelings to herself, but her father woke her when he opened their bedroom door. The doom she usually felt when one of her parents was readying themselves to leave overpowered her will to be stoic.
Daisy met Lilah at her door. “You okay?” Daisy asked.
Lilah nodded. “Yes.” She put her hand on the door knob but then hesitated.
“You want me to come in for a little while?” Daisy asked. Lilah nodded slowly. “Okay,” Daisy said following Lilah inside. Daisy tucked Lilah in. Little Tallulah was still sound asleep. “I can sing you a song,” Daisy offered.
“S'il vous plait,” Lilah whispered.
“Dodo, ti titit manman. Dodo, ti titit papa. Si li pa dodo, krab la va manje. Si li pa dodo, krab la va manje,” Daisy sang softly.
“A crab,” Lilah asked with a half-smile.
Daisy patted Lilah’s had gently. “Yes. A crab.” Daisy and Lilah smiled at each other.
“Sing it again?” Lilah asked closing her eyes.
Daisy sang it over and over until Lilah was snoring in her sleep.
Henry rode out touched by Lilah’s tears and was hopeful her feelings of goodwill towards him would continue when he returned. He rode onward on his horse with anxiety rippling his nerves. He was going to attempt the first ever train robbery. He had to pull off the haul unscathed to get back home to his family. Then, he’d never have to rob anything or anyone ever again, he hoped.
Chapter 17
For weeks, Sally’s desires could not be quenched. Her s curiosity and willingness to try new and exciting pleasurable acts made her the most popular girl on Beechtree’s roster. Clients would actually wait in line for Sally passing up girls who were readily available and eager to work. Sally was Beechtree’s hardest working girl, although Sally hardly thought it was much work.
She craved sex. Each unique sexual act drove her to seek out different forms of pleasure. She loved to be slapped, evenly lightly choked, and couldn’t resist a hard pounding to her cunt. No matter how hard a client plunged into her, she wanted it harder. In bed, she was uninhibited and felt sexy. She’d never felt she was an attractive girl before, but naked and alone with a man she felt like she was a supreme goddess.
Her clients’ eyes lit up with passion and raw desire for her. Making their cocks rise and harden emboldened her confidence. Not one client remarked on her pale white skin and brown freckles dotting her nose. Her clients didn’t think these were hindrances to her beauty rather they found her unabashedly gorgeous. Even with all this adoration and an abundance of cocks eager to please her, Sally felt something was missing. This feeling gnawed at her causing her to hanker for more and more sex.
Many of Sally’s best and most frequent customers left her extra tips on top of what they paid Ms. Beechtree. Sally’s clients tended to fall for her believing her extraordinary ardor was reserved for only them. Many others were not foolish to believe in such fantasies but wanted to reward Sally for her remarkable talent in bed.
One client in particular, Mr. Bardwell, showed his prodigious appreciation for Sally with extravagant tips and gifts. He brought her jewelry: brooches, necklaces, rings, and bracelets with large diamonds and gems. He purchased stunning dresses in the latest fashions and the finest materials.
Bardwell was the head of a railroad and navigation company that had recently expanded. He had lots of money and loved to spend it on Sally. Bardwell’s wife was not inclined to allow him to sleep with her anymore. She took up residence in a separate bedroom on the other side of his large manor. His wife had been uninterested in sex from the beginning of their marriage; her distaste grew as they marriage carried on.
Bardwell took to the brothels for comfort. He came upon Sally based on rave word of mouth reviews. He was not disappointed. A man with so much money could pay for any girl, but Bardwell, even the successful businessman he was, would wait for Sally, sometimes for hours, to get what he called, “the best kitty in the house.”
“You’ve got what it takes to succeed in business,” he said to her lying in bed.
“Business?” Sally inquired.
“You’ve got a charm about you, Sally. You know how to please a customer. If you apply yourself, you could become more successful than old Beechtree. Not that I want you to stop working,” Bardwell said squeezing Sally’s bare breast.
Ms. Beechtree summoned Sally into her office later that week. Sally sat in Beechtree’s cluttered office wondering what Beechtree wanted from her.
“You are without a doubt, my top girl,” Ms. Beechtree said. She was interrupted by a knock at the door. “Who is it?” Beechtree snarled.
One of the girls, Trina, opened the door. “Ms. Beechtree, Mr. Ketchum is requesting your presence, ma’am.”
“What the hell for?” Beechtree barked.
Trina put a hand on her hip. “I don’t know. He asked for you. I’m just letting you know.” Trina walked away leaving the door open.
Beechtree stood up squeezing her round body in the tight path from her office to the door. She pointed a finger at Sally. “Stay right here. I’m not done with you.”
Sally sat in her chair, her eyes glancing at the stack of letters on the desk. She peeked out the door checking to see if Beechtree was coming back. She grabbed the stack of letters and quickly flipped through them. She found a letter from Sonora, California. She remembered Daisy, the girl she came to Beechtree’s with, who had moved to Sonora to marry that wealthy rancher. Sally tucked the letter in the pocket of her dress. She replaced the stack of letters on the desk.
Moments later, Beechtree came shuffling back into the office. She cleared her throat and sat down out of breath. “As I was saying.” She paused as her chest heaved. Sally watched in distress as the large woman struggled to get her breathing under control. Finally, Beechtree uttered, “You are my highest grossing girl.” Beechtree pointed her fat finger at Sally again. “But, I know you are getting tips on the side. And I know for a fact that Bardwell is tipping you handsomely.”
Sally said nothing determining if she should admit to this or not. Beechtree continued, “It’s not fair to me after all I’ve done for you.” Beechtree shook her head in disbelief. “And the other girls aren’t happy that you’ve been stealing all the customers.”
“Stealing? I can’t help that the clients all request me,” Sally said coldly.
Beechtree wagged her finger. “Don’t get smart. I run a business here. The right thing for you to do is to be upfront with your tip money so that I can re-allocate the funds appropriately.”
Sally couldn’t believe her ears. She worked for that money. “And if I don’t?”
Beechtree’s eyes narrowed. “Oh you will, my girl. Or I will throw you out on your ear.”
Sally
left Beechtree’s office determined. She counted up how much money she had saved. Nearly $3,000 not including the jewelry from Bardwell. Later that night, she confided in Chelsea and told her she was leaving Beechtree’s.
“Where will you go?” Chelsea said mystified. “What will you do?”
“I’m going further West. I have enough money.” Sally took Chelsea’s hands in hers. “Come with me. Let’s leave here together. You don’t have to stay here under Beechtree.”
Chelsea looked at her friend’s pleading face. She turned away. “I can’t Sally.”
“What’s keeping you here?”
“I’m too afraid to go on my own,” Chelsea said, her voice shaking.
“You won’t be alone. You will be with me,” Sally said emphatically squeezing her hands.
Chelsea looked up, her face in apology. “I mean. I’m too afraid to go without a man.”
After leaving Beechtree’s office, Sally opened the letter from Sonora, California. She read the words over and over: “Tall bronzed cowboy looking for a wife to imbibe in romance. Must love to dream. Must be passionate, fiery, and intrigued by love.” Her insatiable burning lust stemmed from copious amounts of sex without love without even a speck of romance. All she ever experienced was incredible amounts of pounding without any emotion. What Sally was missing in life was romance and love, and she was going to go after it. Perhaps she had a chance to meet this man who valued romance, dreams, and love. She had a plan. Maybe not her initial one when she first came to Beechtree’s, but she had a new and improved plan on her terms. Sally left Ms. Beechtree’s brothel for unmatched girls in the middle of the night when Beechtree was asleep. She hugged Chelsea tightly thanking her for everything she had done for her. Chelsea’s friendship and kindness helped Sally adjust to Beechtree’s and discover passion. She asked one more time to be sure, “You can come with me.”
Chelsea hugged her back. “I can’t.”
Sally gave Chelsea an envelope. “Don’t open it until I leave,” she instructed her.
Later when Sally was gone, Chelsea opened the envelope and found two hundred dollars and a sliver of paper that said, “Sonora.”
Chapter 18
Daisy, Lilah, Tallulah, and Silas carried on at the ranch with Henry gone. With little information to how long he would be away, Daisy did her best to adjust to her responsibilities. The girls softened to her more and more every day. Daisy was naturally interested in reading “Little Women” and made a habit of reading a few pages after lunch and dinner. The girls adored the book and would stick around to hear Daisy read. The enjoyed the book together already reading it in entirety once already. Silas would linger as well on occasion to listen, but afterwards, the girls would scamper off to their schoolhouse in the stables preferring their formal lessons with Silas.
Every night, Daisy sang the crab song, she herself grew up with. Tallulah would hold her hands out forming them into crab pincers laughing and throwing herself in the bed.
“What a silly song!” she cried.
“Do you want me to sing something else?” Daisy asked.
“No! Crab song! Crab song!” Lilah and Tallulah cheered.
With the notes from Betsy’s cooking lessons and her newly found cookbook, Daisy made excellent meals for the family. She felt Mamie channeling through her. Daisy must have offhandedly absorbed culinary acumen from all those days hanging around the kitchen as Mamie cooked or it could have been her determination to not fail at her new tasks.
Daisy’s next task to conquer was washing the laundry by hand. This was another activity she knew very little about. After the botched first breakfast, she decided that there was no use in trying things out herself without any kind of instruction. She jumped on her designated black horse for a quick trip to Betsy’s.
Betsy was pleased to see her and offer her help. “How is everything going?” Betsy asked.
Daisy said confidently, “Great. Thanks again for the cooking lesson.”
“Glad to help. Let me show you how I do laundry.” Betsy showed her washtubs and washboard but explained, “Laundry is actually a household chore that takes several days.” Daisy’s eyes widened. Betsy explained that the first step was soaking clothes and linen overnight with warm water and soap. The next day early in the morning, Daisy would need to gather wood for fire, haul 20 gallons of water to a giant copper pot, and fill several other buckets with water. Betsy then demonstrated the four stages of washing: firsting, seconding, boiling, and rinsing. “Afterwards, the clothes needed to be dried on a clothing line,” Betsy instructed.
Daisy was, once again, stunned. It was another household activity she never even knew about it. The laundering process was more complicated than she had ever dreamed. She had wrapped a piece of apple pie for Betsy and offered it to Betsy as thanks.
“Apple pie?” Betsy said surprised.
“I found a cookbook. I hope you like it.”
Betsy, intrigued, took a bite right away and was pleasantly astounded. “This is delicious.”
Daisy blushed. “You really think so?”
Betsy took another bite. “Yes. It’s marvelous. Are you sure you have never baked before?” Daisy smiled to herself. She’d never been naturally good at anything before. She was a decent pianist and her voice could certainly carry a tune when necessary, but baking came to her easily for whatever reason.
Daisy left the Judge’s house mentally preparing herself for the evening’s laundry activities. She had copious notes again to refer to, but was in disbelief that she never knew how her clothes and linens became so fresh and clean. Her respect for the servants she had grown up with bloomed even more. Women like her mother had immense disdain for housework, but she wondered if it was due to laziness or lack of knowledge on how to perform such tasks.
When Daisy returned, Lilah and Tallulah ran up to her; their faces flushed with excitement.
“Miss Daisy! Something truly wonderful has happened!” Lilah said.
Tallulah jumped up with her hands up in the air. “It’s so very wonderful!”
“What is it girls?” Daisy said.
From behind her back, Lilah pulled out a book, “Little Men.” “Mr. Silas got it for us,” Lilah exclaimed. Daisy looked up to see Silas who just waved and disappeared into the stables.
“That is wonderful news,” Daisy said warmed that the girls wanted to share their new book with her.
“Can we read some now?” Tallulah pleaded.
“Bien sûr! Of course!” Daisy called after Silas. “Silas, do you want to come in to read?”
Silas poked his head out. “No, ma’am. I’ve got some work to do out here.” He winked at Lilah and Tallulah. “I’m sure you girls will read it to me or put on a play for me soon.”
The girls laughed as they followed Daisy into the house. “Muchas gracias, Mr. Silas!” the girls said excitedly by their new book. Silas listened to their laughter disappear, and he walked out back to tend to the cows. Silas hadn’t heard back from the marital matchmaker. He was disappointed, but somehow knew that finding a companion wouldn’t be so easy for him.
If his time with Anjelica taught him anything, it was that love was never easy and simple. Things were forever interfering. Finding someone was hard enough, but being able to keep that person was even harder. He thought about what Anjelica must be doing now. She probably became a nurse like she planned and found herself a wealthy good looking doctor. He reasoned that she was probably married with children. Silas was simply not lucky with love.
He held out a small hope that although a Beechtree girl hadn’t gotten back to him as quickly as Daisy had written back to Henry, possibly there was still a girl there that wanted to, at least, meet him. He didn’t want to get his hopes up.
Silas sat on a milking stool and said to Trixie, the milking cow, “You’re the only girl that can stand me, huh?” Trixie responded with a low disinterested moo. “I guess you have no choice,” Silas remarked squeezing milk from her teats.
He carried
the milk inside and found Daisy and the girls in the kitchen. Lilah sat reading from their new book while Daisy busied herself making another pie. Tallulah rested her head on her hands on the table intently watching Lilah read.
Daisy took the milk from him. “Thank you so much, Silas.”
“That was the end of chapter two!” Lilah said. “Silas, can you tell us more about photosynthesis?”
“Sure. Do you want to learn about condensation?” he replied. The girls scrambled up.
“Yes!” the girls screamed.
“Miss Daisy, can we read more after dinner?” Lilah asked.
“Bien sûr!” Daisy confirmed smiling.
Daisy continued making a lemon pie using the recipe in her cookbook, “The Great Western Cookbook.” She successfully retrieved eggs early that morning all by herself and was whipping the egg whites into a foam. When the pie was done and cooling, she wandered the house picking up linens and clothes to soak later in the evening.
She heard a knock at the door while gathering Lilah and Tallulah’s clothes. When she opened the door, she couldn’t believe her eyes. It was Rhett Calhoun, in the flesh. Rhett embraced Daisy in a rush planting his lips on her mouth. He picked her up and spun her around. He kissed her again deeply. For a moment, Daisy relented forgetting everything that happened allowing Rhett to kiss her. She came to her senses and pushed him away.
“Rhett Calhoun, what are you doing here?”
“I came to see you. You never answered my letter.”
Daisy turned away from him retreating into the house. “You never came for me that morning.” Her eyes burned into him.
Rhett ran to her grabbing her hands and lifting them to his face. “I know. It was wrong of me. I made a terrible mistake. You are the only one for me, Daisy Manigault. I was afraid.”
Daisy wrung her hands from Rhett’s. “Things have changed, Rhett.”
“Have they? Our love surely couldn’t die in such a short time.”
“It’s been months, Rhett, since that day you left me,” Daisy said.
“I wrote you,” Rhett persisted. “I wrote you a letter!”
Daddy Plus One: A Single Dad Secret Baby Billionaire Romance Page 19