The Potter's Lady

by Judith Miller

  Chapter 13

  Rylan! Glad I am that you’re here.” Ewan held several large envelopes in his hand. “I want to make certain these bids get mailed today. Could you take them to the post office for me? I’d not be asking you to take care of such a simple task, but I know I can trust you to be sure they get there before the afternoon mail goes out on the train.”

  While rising from his chair, Rylan extended his hand and took the parcels. “I’ll go right now. I can mail them and then go have my lunch before I return.” He hesitated a moment and glanced around the office. “I heard Mr. Harkness was here for another visit, but it appears he’s already departed.”

  Ewan nodded. “Aye. He’s in town to visit Rose. The two of them were here for a short time before she returned to the decorators’ shop. Joshua visited with me for a little while and then went to the hotel to get settled.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew several coins. “For the life of me I cannot understand why he continues to arrive so early in the day. Rose has told him she’s not free until evening, but still he arrives before noon.” He handed the coins to Rylan. “This should be more than enough for the postage.”

  “Maybe he thinks she’ll leave work when he gets here.” Rylan shrugged. “I keep wondering how he can be away from his own pottery so often.”

  “I’ve wondered the same thing. I work here at the pottery all day as well as working on bids and other paper work during my evenings at home. I’m thinking he has some understanding of the business that I’ve not yet discovered. Over the past few months, he’s won several of the contracts I had hoped would be ours.” Ewan traced his fingers through his hair. “I can’t quite figure him out.”

  “Neither can I.” Rylan tucked the envelopes under one arm and waved with the other. “I’ll be back after lunch.”

  As he crossed the railroad tracks and walked into town, Rylan’s thoughts didn’t stray far from Ewan’s comments regarding Joshua Harkness. The man’s visits didn’t make much sense. When he could leave Fairmont on the late-afternoon train and arrive before dinnertime, why would he continue to arrive so early in the day? If Rose weren’t busy at the pottery or if he came to call on Sundays, it might make sense. Maybe he had other business that required his attention in Grafton, but Rylan had never heard of the Harkness family having any business interests in town. Yet it was possible.

  “Got some mail that needs to get on the afternoon train, Clyde.” The postmaster adjusted his spectacles and then examined and weighed the envelopes. “Cost ya four cents each for these. They’re over the half-ounce weight.”

  Rylan dug the change from his pocket and pushed it across the marble counter. “You’ll be sure they get on the afternoon train?”

  He chuckled. “You’re as insistent as that fellow from Fairmont. He wanted to make sure his mail got on the afternoon train, too. Asked me three or four times.”

  “Wouldn’t have been Joshua Harkness, would it?”

  Clyde scratched his head and stared at the counter for a moment. “Yep. That’s it. Harkness. Said he owns a pottery in Fairmont and needed to get some bids sent out. You know him?”

  “Not very well, but we’ve met.” Odd that Joshua would wait until he was in Grafton to mail out bids, but maybe that’s why he arrived early each week. Perhaps he needed a bit of peace and quiet to concentrate on his work.

  “I’ll tell you the same thing I told him. Unless I drop dead, the mail will make it to the train on time.” He guffawed and slapped his palm on the counter. “Course I ain’t planning on dying anytime soon, but you never know what the good Lord might have in mind. If you’re staying in town for lunch, there’s a good special at the hotel today. Chicken and gravy on them fluffy biscuits Flora makes. That woman can sure mix a fine biscuit. If she didn’t already have a husband, I’d snatch her up for myself.”

  Rylan grinned and strode toward the door. “Take care of yourself, Clyde. Thanks for the suggestion about lunch. Guess I’ll go to the hotel instead of McGregor’s.”

  Most days Rylan carried his lunch to work, but at least one day a week he treated himself to lunch at McGregor’s, where he could hear if anything new was happening in town. He knew the owner, Mac, and most of the folks who ate there were local. The place had a nice feel to it—warm and friendly, unlike the home where he’d grown up. But today he’d take Clyde’s advice and try the hotel restaurant.

  He took a dirt path, a shortcut that led from the post office to the rear of the hotel. It would save him several minutes, and he could circle around to the front entrance once he got there. As he neared the hotel, he caught sight of Joshua Harkness standing beside the rear entrance leaning close to a woman. His breath caught. Had Rose told Ewan she was going back to work and then left with Joshua?

  He stepped into the sprawling overgrowth of bushes and weeds that lined the path. Certain he couldn’t be seen, he continued to watch. Joshua had turned his head and now stood closely facing the girl, his back toward Rylan. He appeared to be kissing her, but from his vantage point, he could see only the back of Rylan’s head, the girl’s red hair, and the fullness of a striped skirt.

  Not a lot of details, but the auburn hair was enough to confirm the girl with Joshua wasn’t Rose. He blew out a sigh, but his sense of relief was soon replaced by an unremitting curiosity. If it wasn’t Rose with Joshua, who was it? As he struggled to gain a better view, Rylan carefully maneuvered through the thigh-high undergrowth that lined the path.

  If he moved any closer, they would surely hear the snapping branches and rustling of brush and weeds. Now that he’d moved so near, he’d boxed himself in. He couldn’t return to the path without drawing their attention, and he didn’t want to pop out of the brush and reveal he’d been spying. He’d need to do something soon, or there would be no time for lunch, and he’d be late making his return. Ewan would worry.

  A mosquito circled overhead before taking aim and alighting on Rylan’s forehead. Without thinking, he swatted the insect, then shuddered when Joshua jerked and looked over his shoulder. Holding his breath, Rylan watched as Joshua grabbed the girl’s arm, and the two of them hurried inside. Once they were out of sight, Rylan exhaled and dropped to the ground. Afraid Joshua might be watching from inside the rear door, Rylan remained in his hiding place long after the couple disappeared from sight.

  Today, he’d probably have to go hungry. But given what he’d seen and how it could affect Rose, he didn’t have much appetite anyway.

  Joshua yanked Beatrice inside the lower hallway of the hotel and pushed her into a corner near the stairway. “Stay there! Don’t move. Someone was watching us. I’m sure of it.”

  “Look what ya’ve done!” Her high-pitched wail echoed in the empty stairwell. A pale blue ribbon lay limp across her outstretched palm. Joshua glared in her direction. “You ripped the ribbon from me dress when you grabbed me.” While lifting her fingers to her auburn locks, she glanced in the mirror at the foot of the stairway and let out a yelp. “Look at me hair! I’ll never get it back in proper order.”

  Joshua reached for her arm and pulled her close to his face. “Be quiet and get back in the corner where you can’t be seen.”

  “There’s no one out there.” Beatrice huffed and folded her arms across her chest. “You’re acting the fool if you think someone would take precious time to follow the two of us.”

  He grasped the tip of her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “You may not be worth much, but I am. Now do as I say.” He reached into his jacket and removed a key. “Go up to my room, keep your head down, and watch from the window. If I don’t see any movement from down here, I’ll be up in a few minutes.”

  She smirked and snatched the key from his hand. “You think y’er pulling the wool over me eyes, but I know what y’er doing.”

  Joshua wanted to push her up the stairs, but he lowered his voice and did his best to hold his temper in check. “Other than telling you to look out the window, what am I doing, Beatrice?”

  “Y’er getting
me up to your room without an argument.” She batted her lashes.

  “Not once have I had any trouble getting you into my room, so why would you take time to say something so foolish? It’s getting you to do what I’ve told you that causes our arguments.” He stopped himself before he said something that would cause her Irish temper to flare and send her into a screeching tirade. “Please, just do as I’m asking, Beatrice. I’ll give you a little extra to pay for your ribbon. I’ll even give you enough to pay for a new dress if you’ll get upstairs and do as I’ve asked. If you see anyone out there, come to the top of the stairs and let me know.”

  She turned toward the stairs, her auburn hair cascading around her shoulders like a waterfall. How he loved drawing his fingers through her mass of thick red curls. With each step, her hips swayed a little further to the left and then to the right. She knew he was watching, that she could captivate him with her movements, and he wouldn’t be able to look away.

  When she reached the top of the stairway, she turned and looked down at him. “I thought you was supposed to be watching for some stranger in the bushes.” Her lips curved in a suggestive smile. “A wee bit more fun watching me, wasn’t it?”

  Joshua gestured for her to go to his room, and he returned to the doorway. He peered around the doorjamb, determined to locate the culprit who’d been following them. He strained to see something, anything that would indicate someone was hiding, but there wasn’t any sign of movement. Maybe Beatrice was right. Maybe he’d let his imagination get away from him.

  He waited a few more minutes before turning toward the stairway. What awaited him in his room was far more interesting than staring at a dirt path lined with overgrown bushes and weeds.

  Beatrice was dutifully holding aside an edge of the lace curtain and peering out the window. She twisted around when he entered the room and pinned him with an alluring look. “Couldn’t stay away for long now, could ya?” She lifted the sheer curtain and draped it over her head. “I think I could make me a bridal veil out of one of these curtains if you’ve a mind to show me y’er a true gentleman.”

  Joshua crossed the room and chuckled. Using his thumb and forefinger, he lifted the curtain from atop her head. “I barely know you well enough to be thinking about any more than what you have to give me on this fine afternoon.” He pulled her to her feet and wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace. “Did you bring the information I asked for?”

  Beatrice struggled against his hold and pushed him backward onto the bed. A breeze wafted through the open window and sent the curtains floating against the back of her dress. “I’ll have nothing to give ya this afternoon or any afternoon until I see money in me hand. And extra it’ll be for today. I ain’t forgot you promised to pay for me dress and ribbon.”

  If she weren’t so pretty, he would have lost patience with her the first time the two of them had secretly met in Bartlett. She’d proved a poor dance partner, but she made up for it in other ways. Rose didn’t realize what a favor she’d provided when she’d asked him to dance with Beatrice at her party. She was a pretty girl who was looking for a good time and an easy way to make some extra money, and he could provide what she wanted. He enjoyed his time with her. Even more, he appreciated her ability to supply him with the figures Ewan bid on proposed contracts.

  When the McKays moved to Grafton, they’d switched Beatrice’s day off to Wednesdays, a change that had created a slight cessation in Joshua’s visits with the nanny. Once certain that Wednesday would remain her day off each week, he’d set about revising his own schedule. None of his employees dared question his absences during the middle of the week, but when his father had paid a visit on a Wednesday and found him away from the pottery, he’d remained overnight and questioned Joshua when he returned to Fairmont.

  The matter had taken some quick thinking, but Joshua had learned how to dodge the truth at a young age. He hadn’t even blinked while telling his father that he’d begun paying visits to the McKay Pottery each Wednesday in order to discuss business with Ewan and also to court Rose. Knowing his father hoped to see an alliance forged between the two families made the explanation partially true and quite believable, at least to his father.

  The patriarch of the Harkness family believed his son’s marriage to Rose was the best and easiest way to merge the two families and their business holdings. At the moment, Joshua was more than willing to let his father believe he was interested in the same thing. Since then, the questions from his parents had been queries about Ewan, his pottery, and Joshua’s outings with Rose. Realizing his father and Ewan would meet at social gatherings and perhaps some business meetings in the future, Joshua was careful to tell them only the truth about his visits with all of the McKays. During discussions with his parents, he simply omitted the fact that his Wednesday afternoons were spent in the company of the McKays’ redheaded nanny and that the reason he was securing so many new contracts was due to the facts and figures she supplied him during his visits.

  The girl had proved to be a good source of information and provided him with enjoyable entertainment. He wanted—no, he needed—to keep her happy for the time being. Eventually, he would break her heart. When that happened, she might create problems, but he’d take his chances. If she caused him any trouble in the future, he’d find a way to silence her. Otherwise, she might find herself on a ship to some foreign country, where she’d never be heard from again.

  For now, he’d let her think she controlled him. He’d pay her what she asked, and he’d buy her trinkets from time to time to keep her happy. But in the end, she’d discover the truth, and she’d wish she had never stepped onto the dance floor with him at Rose McKay’s party.

  Rylan gulped a large breath of air and made a quick dash across the dirt path and skirted around the livery. Once he crossed the path, he couldn’t be seen from the rear of the hotel. He hoped Joshua and the redheaded girl hadn’t seen him. If he was smart, he’d go back to work, but he wanted to go inside the dining room. If he took a table where they couldn’t see him, he might be able to discover exactly what was going on between them.

  From what he’d seen, it appeared Joshua had more than a passing interest in the girl. But what about Rose? For sure, it appeared betrayal was afoot. How could Joshua deceive someone as beautiful and kind as Rose? Besides, wouldn’t Joshua’s family expect him to marry a young woman of means, someone like Rose? Wasn’t that why he’d been coming here each Wednesday and escorting her to the theatre or joining her family for dinner? So why was he secretly meeting another woman?

  He rushed toward the hotel, his anger rising as he gained a clear understanding of Joshua Harkness and his ungentlemanly behavior. How could he treat this young woman in such a manner? More important, how could he lie to Rose? She believed he was a kind, good-hearted man who didn’t have a mean bone in his body.

  Yanking his hat from atop his head, Rylan entered the hotel and strode to the doorway leading into the restaurant. He stepped to one side and gazed around the room. When a waitress approached him, he gestured toward the room. “I’m looking for a couple, both about my age. She’s wearing a dress with blue stripes and has auburn hair. His hair is light brown and he’s wearing a suit.”

  The waitress shook her head. “I’ve been working since breakfast. Haven’t seen any redheads or good-looking fellas, except for you.” She grinned. “There’s a table free in my section if you want it.”

  He shook his head. “Thanks for your help, but I’ll take a seat at the counter since I don’t have much time.”

  After placing his order for the special, he continued to survey the room. There were no hidden spaces in the dining room, no large ferns or columns a couple could hide behind, but where had they gone? While he downed biscuits topped with chicken and gravy, he tried to figure out how he’d missed them. Had they gone in the back door, walked down the hallway, and departed out the front door? That wasn’t possible. He would have seen them as he walked toward the hotel. He lifted his gaze an
d stared at the ceiling.

  Were they in a room upstairs? Was Joshua courting Rose and secretly meeting another woman, as well? His thoughts raced as he finished the last bite of lunch and wiped his mouth. After downing a final gulp of coffee, he walked to the hotel lobby and peered down the hall. Joshua always stayed at this hotel, so asking if he was registered would yield nothing more than the room number. Unless he planned on marching upstairs and knocking on Joshua’s hotel door, knowing the room number served no purpose.

  A boy who appeared to be no more than twelve appeared in the hallway carrying a tray of dirty dishes covered with a linen cloth. Rylan stepped into the boy’s path and smiled at him. “You deliver food to the rooms here?”

  “When they need me. The rest of the time I’m a cook’s helper.” The boy turned sideway in an attempt to step around Rylan. “I gotta get back to the kitchen. You need something?”

  “I just wondered if you’d seen a redheaded lady upstairs with a fellow who has a room here—Mr. Harkness.”

  When the boy hesitated, Rylan reached in his pocket and removed a coin. “Would this help you remember?”

  The boy snatched the coin out of Rylan’s fingers and dipped his head. “This here tray come from their room. They always eat the noon meal in there. I deliver it and pick up the dirty dishes. They leave ’em outside the door for me, and the fella always gives me a tip. The lady always turns her head when I bring the food into their room, like she doesn’t want me to see her, but I’d have to be blind to miss that red hair. I ain’t s’pose to say nothing.” Balancing the tray on his arm, the boy tucked the coin into his pocket. “But I got to think of my sick mama. What you give me will help pay for her medicine this week.” His brows dipped low with worry. “You won’t say I told you, will ya?”