She lifted her chin. “I will if you’ll go back to calling me Maggie.”
“And you must go back to calling me Charles. I’ll think you’re displeased with me if you call me Mr. Stanton.”
When she laughed, he joined her. However, the laughter didn’t reach the depths of her eyes.
He sobered. If she could change the subject, so could he. “What’s the one thing you want most out of life?”
She took the time to mull over the question before answering. “I want to be a wife and mother someday. Doesn’t every young girl? But I want my life to be more than that. I have a gift for dress designing.”
“Did you design that one? It’s very becoming.”
The blush moved down her throat. “Thank you. No, my grandmother is a well-known dress designer in Little Rock, Arkansas. She owns a design company, and she made this one.”
“She knew just what to do to enhance your beauty.”
“Mr. . . . Charles, you’re embarrassing me with your flattery. Actually, I’ve never met my grandmother. She made this dress for my mother when she was younger.”
Interesting. Charles had to clamp his lips tight to keep from telling her that it looked better on her than it ever would have on her mother.
“I want to go to Arkansas and meet my grandmother. I’m trying to convince my father to let me go, but my mother is against it. She doesn’t want me to become what she calls a working woman.” One of her feet beat a staccato against the Persian carpet.
He cringed at the change in her tone when she mentioned Mrs. Caine. So there really was something going on between them. He hadn’t just imagined it.
“Don’t you think a person should utilize the gifts God gave them?”
At her pointed question, he glanced up at her. “I don’t think He gives us talents without a definite reason.”
His heart warmed as he read the emotions flitting across her face—surprise, hope, then satisfaction.
“Margaret Lenora Caine!”
The sharp words shattered the comfortable conversation. He whipped around to see Mrs. Caine standing in the open doorway.
“What are you doing hiding in here? Shouldn’t you be mingling with your guests?” She glared at her daughter.
Maggie visibly wilted, and the hope in her eyes flickered out. “I’m sorry, Mother.” She started to rise.
He jumped to his feet and stepped between Maggie and her mother. “Blame me, Mrs. Caine. I watched your daughter dance so long that it made me tired. I thought she would enjoy a respite for a few minutes.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Charles.” Maggie pushed past him and walked around her mother, heading for the center of the crowd.
Her mother grimly stared at her back.
Charles didn’t know what was going on, but he decided in that instant to be available for Maggie whenever she needed him. He wouldn’t make a very good knight in shining armor, but he could be her friend. And it might allow him to get to know her lovely Aunt Georgia, a woman who greatly intrigued him.
Chapter 6
The rest of the party stretched on for an eternity. Maggie continued to mingle until they cut the birthday cake. While everyone was enjoying the special dessert, maids entered with their arms filled with parcels. Soon the table in front of the sofa held a multicolored jumble of wrapped presents. Maggie hadn’t expected so many. Everyone must have brought something.
Unwrapping all the packages took quite a while, because after she saw what each one contained, she made eye contact with the person who brought it and expressed her thanks verbally. What an array of gifts—colognes, decorative combs, scarves, gloves, trinkets, jewelry, and a box of chocolate, along with books, a sketch pad, charcoal, and paints.
Soon people began to leave, each stopping by where she sat on the couch and wishing her a happy birthday. When only Charles was left in the room, her eyes were drawn to him. She wanted to get to know him better, but what would he think if he knew she wasn’t really the daughter of a wealthy family? For years she’d hidden a secret desire to fall in love with this handsome man. But what did he think of her, other than as an old school friend?
“Maggie, I’ve really enjoyed your birthday party.” He lifted her hand and brushed his soft lips against the back of her fingers. “I believe my coach has arrived to take me home.”
Maggie stood. “I’m so glad you came. I enjoyed every minute we spent together.”
She watched him exit the room and claim his coat from the maid beside the front door. The place where his lips had touched her hand tingled.
Finally, the door shut behind him, and Maggie started packing her presents into boxes for transport to her bedchamber. Even though she didn’t look up, she sensed the exact moment Florence came into the room. The air vibrated with her presence. She knew she would have to face the music sometime, and now was as good a time as any. She turned around. Thankfully, Daddy was with Florence.
“Margaret, that’s not the dress I told Mrs. Murdock to make for you. Where did you get it?” Florence crossed her arms and stiffened her spine. Her chin rose a couple of inches.
“I didn’t see any reason to spend the money on another dress when I really liked this one.” She tried to keep the tremble out of her voice, but the evening had tired her out.
“I believe that dress really belongs to me, right?” No softening in Florence’s tone or stance.
So that was what bothered her the most. Maggie nodded. “I guess so. I found it in the attic, and I didn’t think you’d really mind.”
“So without even asking, you took it and did what? Did you hem it to fit you?” Florence stared at the bottom of the skirt.
“No.” Maggie clasped her hands at her waist. “I had Mrs. Murdock do that.”
Florence paced across the floor, returning to stand squarely in front of Maggie. “Whatever made you sneak into the attic?” The words carried a bite with them.
“Florence!” Concern laced Daddy’s words. “Maggie can go to the attic if she wants to. This is her home too.”
Florence’s glare silenced him. “But she didn’t have the right to take something that doesn’t belong to her and have it altered.” Icicles could have hung from the words.
“A long time ago, Aunt Georgia had told me you brought some of the dresses your mother designed for you when you came west. I just wanted to see something she’d designed.” Maggie’s voice faded to a whisper by the end of the sentence.
Florence tapped her foot, whether in impatience or anger, Maggie couldn’t tell.
“When I saw this one, I knew it would look really good on me. I’d never seen it, so you haven’t worn it for a very long time. I wanted it to be a surprise.” That time her voice broke on the last syllable.
Daddy stepped between them. “Florence, I don’t think Maggie meant any harm. Maybe we could forgive her. You would never wear that dress again, would you?”
Florence gave her head a tiny shake. “But that’s beside the point.”
“Maggie, are you sorry you upset your mother?” Daddy’s eyes pleaded with her to agree.
“I guess I didn’t realize how much it would upset her.” Maggie turned toward the woman who had raised her. “Can you forgive me? I had Mrs. Murdock hem it without cutting any of the fabric off. It can be restored to the former length.”
“You can keep it.” Florence took hold of Daddy’s arm with both hands. “Joshua is right. I’ll never wear it again. Green really isn’t a good color on me.”
After her parents left the room, Maggie collapsed on the couch. She’d wanted to startle and surprise Florence, but she hadn’t realized that all of this would cause so much of a commotion. She’d probably destroyed any chance she might have had to ever visit Arkansas.
•••
Joshua Caine stood in front of the armoire in the bedroom he shared with his wife. As he unbuttoned his shirt, his thoughts drifted to those early years when he and Florence wanted the same things out of life. Their shared dreams, hopes,
and plans. Even when things didn’t go the way they wanted them to, they’d clung to each other and forged ahead. When had that changed?
Somehow along the way to the present, their ideas took very divergent paths. He’d wanted to make a good living for Flory and their future family. Then when children didn’t come, God had provided a daughter in a most unconventional way. Joshua had been sure that receiving Maggie as a special gift from Angus McKenna would fulfill all his wife’s desires for a child. It did his. And Florence had been happy those first few years. He remembered all the wonderful times when the three of them had enjoyed every moment they could spend together.
But as time wore on, Florence changed. Withdrew from his embraces more often than she welcomed them. He missed her loving hugs that warmed the day for him. The occasional peck on the cheek was a poor substitute for the passionate kisses they’d once shared. Just remembering them sent a gentle wind across the banked embers of passion still surviving deep inside him.
Maybe he had been too busy making the money to give her the kind of life she wanted. Or was that his dream rather than hers? Had his emphasis on providing her material things robbed them of their close relationship?
Whatever changed her from the loving, laughing wife and mother, he decided to do everything he needed to get that woman back before it was too late. Perhaps if they returned to their deep emotions for each other, Florence would be better able to accept Maggie the way she was instead of always trying to change her.
Their daughter did have a unique personality. So what if she was vastly different from them? He wasn’t exactly sure what mold Florence was trying to force her into, but it wasn’t working for any of them. Tomorrow he would try his best to initiate a change for the better.
The door behind him squeaked open. Joshua turned and stared into his wife’s beautiful face. His heartbeat quickened. Her blue eyes could warm like the summer sun or turn dark and stormy with the least provocation. And something had provoked her all right.
“I don’t know whatever possessed Margaret to defy me the way she did tonight.” Florence pressed her fingers across her forehead, moving them back and forth as if trying to rub out the memory of what happened. Such graceful hands. He’d always loved watching them, but not lately when they were clenched into a fist more often than not.
He hurried toward her, deciding he’d not put off until tomorrow what he could begin restoring tonight. “Are you all right? Do you have a headache?” Slipping his arms around her, he cradled her against his chest.
At first she stiffened, but then she relaxed against him. “Yes, my head does hurt.” Pain wove itself into the tone of her voice.
He wanted to take every bit of the pain upon himself and release her from its clutches. “Do you want me to get you some tea? Or a warm glass of milk to help you sleep?”
He inhaled the fragrance of citrus and flowers that always resided in her hair. Memories of nights in a covered wagon out in the middle of nowhere with him burying his face in their unbound waves assailed him, almost buckling his knees. Did she remember those times too? He had to restore those memories to her. But he needed to be strong for her right now. He kept a tight rein on his overwhelming desires.
Florence pulled back out of his embrace and dropped onto the stool at her dressing table. “I think I’ll be all right if I get ready to retire.”
He hunkered beside her and took her hands in his. “We need to talk. There’s something I want to do, and I’d like your agreement before I set it in motion.”
She shook her head as if to loosen something and then squinted at him. “What are you talking about?”
“I think it’s time for us to let Maggie go visit your mother.”
She tried to tug her hands from his, but he didn’t release them, wanting to make her understand what he was talking about. “It would be good for her and good for us.”
“I don’t think I could stand for her to be gone that long.” She stared at the striped wallpaper across the room, her grip tightening. “I’ve always been afraid to have her too far from me. Never wanting her out of my sight for more than a few minutes.”
He stood and lifted her with him. “She’s an adult now, Flory. Nothing will happen to her.”
“You can’t know that.” Panic filled her tone. “Look at what happened to Lenora McKenna.” She hadn’t spoken that name in years.
Joshua let go of one of her hands and used his fingertips to tilt her face toward him. He studied her beautiful blue eyes, only now seeing the fear hiding deep in them. “That was an entirely different situation. Travel is much safer now, and she’s not married and expecting a child. She’ll be safe, Flory.”
All the starch went out of her, and she grasped the front of his open shirt with one hand. Once more he pulled her close.
“While she’s gone, maybe she can discover whatever she wants to know about Agatha . . . and herself. In the meantime, you and I can reconnect in a deeper way. I want us to spend more time alone together, like we used to early in our marriage.”
With a sigh, she collapsed against his chest again, clutching his shirt with both hands. Her tears soaked all the way through to his heart.
“I’d like that.”
He hardly heard the whispered words, they were so soft. Pulling her even closer, he held her gently until she relaxed and slipped her arms around him. He leaned down to drop a kiss on the top of her head. Lord, please let it come to pass.
Chapter 7
Arriving at the top of the stairs on the Caine side of the offices on the morning after the party, Charles knocked on the door.
“Come in, come in.” Joshua’s booming voice carried easily through the barrier. More and more over the last few days, Charles realized the advantages of his partnership with Joshua Caine. The man was brilliant, and his ideas dovetailed with the things Charles wanted to accomplish. His partner’s drafting ability transferred to paper just what Charles had envisioned. In addition, Joshua knew skilled craftsmen who could accomplish the remodeling project with the quality they both desired.
Charles opened the door and found his partner’s smiling eyes trained on the opening. “Have a seat, young man.” Joshua rose and followed him to two leather chairs near the windows.
“I enjoyed the party last night, sir. I’m a bit surprised to find you here so early after all the festivities.”
Joshua laughed. “My wife and daughter did all the work. I only had to show up—and pay for it.” He paused, then leaned forward. “Have you had a chance to look over the blueprints and construction quotes I had prepared?”
“Yes, sir. From what I’ve seen, it looks as if we’re ready to start construction.” Trying to appear nonchalant, Charles crossed his legs and settled back.
Joshua thumped the chair arm, excitement gleaming in his eyes. “I think we should open up the two offices first before we start the work downstairs. That way, we won’t have to go outside when we need to talk to each another.”
Charles nodded. The man didn’t miss a single detail. “You’re right.”
Joshua whooshed out a breath. “Now I want to talk to you about something else. Something on a more personal note.” Joshua paused and stared out toward Puget Sound. “I’ll just come right out and tell you. My daughter wants to go to Arkansas to visit her grandmother.”
That was no surprise to Charles, but what did it have to do with him?
“Her aunt Georgia has agreed to accompany her.”
Disappointment settled on Charles. He’d been hoping he could find a way to get to know Georgia better. If she left in the near future, his pursuit could flounder.
Joshua rose and stood by the window, staring at nothing in particular. Then he turned his attention toward Charles and clasped his hands behind his back before rocking up on his toes and back down again. This must be important. Charles had seen him do this whenever he was thinking through a problem.
“I don’t feel right sending two women halfway across the continent without a prote
ctor, especially young, attractive women. Too many bad things could happen to them.”
Does this mean we can’t start construction until he gets back? The disappointment intensified. Once he’d seen the blueprints, he was eager to launch the project.
“I have a very special request for you.” Joshua dropped back into the chair. “My wife is reluctant to undertake such a journey, and of course, I would rather not leave either her or the business behind. So, Charles, I wondered if you would agree to accompany them. My daughter is the most important person in my life besides my wife, and I wouldn’t entrust her care to just anyone. I know you are dependable.”
The way he stared at Charles seemed to call for an answer. “Thank you. But what about the construction project? A journey like that would take quite awhile.”
“Yes, it will. Even with the speed of train travel, you’d have to be gone over four weeks, maybe five.” Joshua’s gaze pierced Charles. “When I was a young man, before I married and settled down, I went from Arkansas to the East Coast. I visited many of the places I’d only read about. What an adventure! Every young man needs the opportunity to travel and broaden his horizons. I’m offering you that, at my expense, of course.”
The idea opened all kinds of possibilities in Charles’s mind. “And the remodeling?”
“We both agreed we’ve hired the best men for the job, but it doesn’t take two of us here to oversee the project. Besides, there will be a lot of mess until they’re finished, so you might be glad to escape the chaos. If I have to contact you for any reason, there’s always the telegraph.”
“That’s a lot to think about.” Charles stood and thrust both hands into his front pockets.
“I’m going downstairs to unpack a shipment of men’s suits due to arrive this morning. Give you privacy for your pondering.” Joshua headed toward the door and pulled it open.
Charles cocked his head to the right. “Just how soon would this journey take place?”
Maggie's Journey (McKenna's Daughters) Page 7