With one hand still on the doorknob, Joshua turned back. “As soon as it can be arranged and the women can get packed. We’d like to fit in the journey before winter arrives.”
When the door shut behind his partner, Charles dropped back into the chair. He hadn’t ever considered taking a long trip before, but it did sound exciting. The short train rides he’d been on wouldn’t compare to one of this magnitude. And he’d be with two women. He’d enjoy being around his childhood friend, but just thinking about spending such a long time in the company of a woman as alluring as Georgia Long awakened a multitude of ideas.
Charles welcomed the opportunity to explore a possible relationship with her. What better way than with a chaperone like Maggie along? And he felt sure she would understand when he gave her aunt more attention. He paced across the office to expend the excitement that continued to build in him. He couldn’t wait for Joshua to come back to the office, so he started toward the stairs to the back room of the store below.
Joshua glanced up when he entered the room. He stood beside a large wooden crate with a crowbar. He smiled. “Have you made your decision already?” Surprise tinged his tone.
“I’d be delighted to accompany the women on their journey.” Charles hoped he didn’t sound as excited as he felt.
With a squeak of iron against wood, the edge of the lid lifted, and Joshua finished pulling it off before turning toward him and clapping him on the shoulder. “You’ve relieved my mind. Why don’t you come to dinner this evening? We can discuss all the details with the women.”
“I’d like that.”
Charles headed out the door and up the stairs to his own office, thoughts of the journey raising his anticipation. He couldn’t get Georgia out of his mind. The dance with her replayed in his thoughts. Every nuance. Each graceful movement. Their conversation. He looked forward to more time with this fascinating and sophisticated woman.
And maybe he could spend a little more time with Maggie. She seemed comfortable around him—relaxed. He wanted to see her and try to find out what was wrong. Perhaps he could help her in some way as he used to when they were younger. He hoped so.
•••
Eighteen. I’m an adult now. Maggie knew this was supposed to be true, but she didn’t feel one iota different from what she felt yesterday . . . and the day before that.
She wasn’t ready to face Mother again after the fiasco when the guests were all gone last night. At least she had a good reason to stay in her own bedchamber. My sanctuary. Although she awoke early, she pretended to be sleeping so she wouldn’t be disturbed.
When Ingrid came to her door at 10:00 a.m., Maggie asked her to bring up a light breakfast for both of them. Then the maid could help her decide where each gift should be placed, and Maggie could start writing the thank-you notes. This would keep her busy for the day.
A light tap sounded on the door, and Maggie opened it to Aunt Georgia. “Flo and I are going shopping.” Florence’s sister sounded chipper this morning. Maggie was thankful she hadn’t observed the event after the end of the party. “Do you want to come with us?”
Maggie welcomed the news that she could spend most of the day without seeing Florence. She told her aunt her own plans for the day, and Georgia swept out of the room after dropping a kiss on Maggie’s cheek. By the time her blonde maid arrived with their food, the presents were spread across Maggie’s bed. With minimal interruptions, the two young women accomplished a lot during the day.
When the older women arrived back at the house, Aunt Georgia came to Maggie’s room and settled on the edge of her now-empty bed. “Flo and I had lunch at the Brunswick Hotel. I wish you could have been with us.”
Maggie laid down the Waterman fountain pen her father had given for her birthday. Writing with it took much less time than writing with a pen dipped into an inkwell, so she was almost finished with her task. “I would have enjoyed it, I’m sure, but Ingrid helped me get so much accomplished today. Because everyone was generous with gifts at my party, I wanted to thank them promptly. Maybe I’ll come next time.”
“I hope so.” Georgia got up. “Oh, by the way, Flo wanted me to tell you that we’re going to have a guest for dinner this evening.”
Maggie heaved a sigh. She wasn’t ready to entertain anyone yet. “Do you know who it is?”
“Of course I do.” Georgia opened the door and started to leave before peeking back around the edge. “But it’ll just have to be a surprise to you.” She quickly exited and pulled the door shut behind her.
Just what kind of secret was Georgia keeping from Maggie? Her aunt was thirteen years older than her and thirteen years younger than Florence, but sometimes she seemed closer to Maggie’s age. Perhaps one of the young men at the party had caught Georgia’s eye. Maybe that was who was coming.
Maggie often laughed at her aunt’s antics, and today was no exception. Her mood brightened as she glanced through her wardrobe, trying to decide what to wear to dinner. If she knew who was coming, it might make a difference in what she chose. But whatever she wore, it wouldn’t be the green dress she’d loved so much yesterday morning. Now it hung as a dismal reminder of the huge mistake she’d made. And she didn’t know if she would ever don it again.
Pushing her bleak thoughts aside, Maggie dressed quickly, choosing a navy dress with a froth of ecru lace on the bodice. Minutes later, as she descended the stairs, someone knocked. Maybe it was the mystery dinner guest.
Maggie opened the front door and stared into Charles Stanton’s deep brown eyes. The intensity with which he returned her gaze made her heart flutter. She placed one hand on her throat, trying to calm down.
“Come in, Charles.” She pulled the door wider and stepped back. “I knew we were expecting a guest tonight, but I had no idea it was you.”
He stopped beside her. “You look lovely, Maggie.” He glanced over her shoulder. “And where is your aunt Georgia?”
“She’ll be down soon.” She surveyed him, analyzing the cut of his jacket, the tilt of his perfectly groomed head. Charles had changed since he went to university. He had a flair about him that she wasn’t sure she liked. He wasn’t as down-to-earth as she remembered, nor was he the obliging older boy who had looked out for her.
Daddy came down the stairs to greet Charles. He shook his hand and clapped him on the shoulder at the same time. “Good to see you, partner. Let’s go into my study.”
Maggie watched the two men walk away, relieved her father would distract Charles. She wasn’t sure how to talk to this newly self-assured young man. She went into the parlor and picked up the Harper’s Bazar magazine Florence had left on the table. As she turned the pages, she glanced at the few pictures, but not a word of the text stuck in her mind.
“So this is where you’re hiding.” Georgia came in and took a seat on the couch beside her. “Is that the latest edition?”
Maggie glanced at the cover. “Yes. Do you want to look at it?” She held out the periodical.
“Only if you’re finished with it.”
“I was just killing time until dinner is served.” Maggie thrust the magazine into her aunt’s hands.
“Let’s see what other women are wearing right now.” Georgia eagerly turned the pages, then stopped. “Look at this spiderweb lace with the flowers.”
Maggie bent over the drawing and studied it. Some of its features could work in a design that had been dancing through her thoughts for several days. “I’m going to get my sketchbook. I’ll be right back.”
When she returned, Georgia looked up. “So what are you going to sketch now?”
Maggie used charcoal first. With a few quick strokes, she had the general shape of the dress. Georgia looked over her shoulder. For some reason, Maggie didn’t mind her aunt watching her draw, but she would have been a bundle of nerves if Florence were that close to her while she worked on a dress design.
A memory from long ago flashed through her head. Holding a lead pencil, a much-younger Maggie drew a picture on a tablet. Mother hove
red over her, praising every mark she made. Why doesn’t she encourage me like that today? Maggie wasn’t sure she was ready to hear the answer to that question.
Maybe she really didn’t want to know at all.
“I thought I’d find you here.”
Maggie glanced up from her nearly finished drawing. Her mother stood in the archway between the parlor and the foyer. Something had changed since last night. Florence smiled at both of them. Maybe she was no longer angry with Maggie.
“Go ahead to the dining room. I’ll get the men.” Florence headed down the hallway.
Maggie closed her sketch pad and picked up her drawing tools. “I’ll run these up to my room.”
“And I’ll go on into the dining room. Mrs. Jorgensen might need a little help.”
Maggie doubted that. With her granddaughter Ingrid’s help, their housekeeper probably already had everything under control.
When Maggie arrived at the table, the two men stood behind their chairs. Florence was already seated at the opposite end from Daddy, and Georgia sat near her. The only empty seat was next to Daddy and across from Charles. Maggie would enjoy facing him during the meal. Maybe she could find traces of her old friend while she watched him. She headed toward that chair.
Charles beat her to it. “Let me help you.”
She dropped carefully into the chair while he smoothly pushed it just the right distance from the table. He returned to his side of the table, and both men sat down. She thanked him quietly.
Ingrid and her grandmother came in with soup bowls filled with food that filled the room with a delicious aroma. Following Florence’s lead, everyone covered their laps with the white linen napkins.
Daddy waited until everyone was situated. “Let’s return thanks for this wonderful food.” His heartfelt prayer was soon over, and everyone could begin eating.
Conversation flowed smoothly through four wonderful courses—soup, a broiled fish dish, beef Wellington with green peas and mashed potatoes, and a honey applesauce cake. Maggie was hungrier than she had been in a long time, so she enjoyed every morsel.
When Daddy finished, he placed his fork quietly on his crystal dessert plate. “I asked Charles to join us for dinner because we have come up with another brilliant plan.”
Maggie glanced at the man across from her, and his lips tilted into a crooked smile. So he’s kept a secret from me too.
Daddy took hold of her hand that rested on the table beside her plate. “Maggie, your mother and I decided last night that it’s time for you to visit your grandmother. And since it’s been awhile since Georgia has been home, she’s going to accompany you.”
“Really?” Maggie felt like jumping up and hugging her father. She knew the trip was his idea. How had he ever convinced Florence it was a good thing?
“Yes, really.” Daddy tilted his head down to gaze at her.
“And you’re going, Aunt Georgia? That’s wonderful.” She wanted to laugh out loud and shout it from the rooftops. Finally she would get to do the thing she’d wanted to do for ever so long.
Georgia smiled at her. “I’ve been wanting to visit Mother, so when Joshua and Flo asked me, I jumped at the chance. It’s not really a good thing for a woman to travel alone that far, by train or any other means.”
“It’s hard to believe that I’m going to Arkansas.” Maggie stared out the window at the sky just as a bird soared by. Soon she would be as free as that bird.
Daddy gave her hand a squeeze, drawing her attention back to him. “And I’ve arranged for Charles to go with the two of you as an escort. I’d hate to send women who are precious to me on such a long trip without a man to look out for them. Not everyone in this country is honest. And there are scoundrels who would take advantage of unescorted women. You will be traveling through some parts of the country that aren’t as civilized as it is here in Seattle.”
Maggie shot a glance at Charles then pulled her hand away and clasped both of hers in her lap. “I don’t know what to say. Just how soon will this journey take place?”
Florence cleared her throat. “I told your father we’d be able to get both of you ready in a week, so he’s going to purchase tickets for that Monday. That is, if it’s all right with you.”
For a moment, Maggie couldn’t even think straight. She’d be going to Arkansas in about a week. She let that fact soak in. Then she jumped up and gave her father a hug followed by a hug for her mother. The quick embrace lingered when Florence clasped her close and didn’t let go. She couldn’t remember the last time her mother had hugged her like that. She decided to enjoy it while she could. Sometime soon, she would have to ask her parents about the adoption paper she found. But that could wait until after she returned from Arkansas.
And Charles would be going with them. She glanced at him. Maybe they could get to know each other on a deeper level on the trip, since they were both more grown up than they were when they spent so much time together during their school years.
But Charles was watching Georgia, a small smile curving his lips. Maggie felt her heart sink just a little. The handsome Charles evidently had eyes only for her aunt.
Chapter 8
A week later Maggie stood on the platform of the Columbia and Puget Sound railroad depot with her parents and Aunt Georgia. A brisk gust blew her skirt against her legs and almost lifted her hat from her head. She grasped it with one hand and held it down.
Her father had purchased their tickets ahead of time, so when they got to the station, all he had to do was make sure their luggage was loaded. In addition to their carpetbags, which they would keep with them, Maggie and Georgia each had a trunk. These held not only their clothing and essentials but also gifts for Maggie’s grandmother.
Her family had arrived at the depot early, and Maggie wondered if Charles was going to miss the train. Finally, his driver brought him in his open landau. He climbed from the buggy, and his driver handed him a carpetbag and a leather portmanteau.
Maggie gazed across the tracks toward Puget Sound. The weather was just right for traveling. No rain today. Just warm autumn sunshine and a welcome wind blowing across the Sound keeping the air from feeling oppressive. She wondered how long the warm weather would linger. She hoped they would return before winter had an icy grip on Seattle and on the mountains they’d have to cross in the train.
“Are you excited our day of departure is finally here?” Charles stood much closer behind her than she had been aware.
If she turned too quickly, she might bump right into him. She took a deep breath, stepped away, then pivoted. “Yes. Are you?”
One of his sculptured eyebrows lifted. “Certainly, I’m glad to be going.” His gaze slid to her aunt, and he broke away to greet her.
Maggie watched them talk, saw her aunt laugh in response to some comment he made, saw him smile. Does that man know how devastating his smile is? She certainly hoped he didn’t. He could be a danger to every unattached woman in sight. She pulled her gaze from Charles and stared across the water.
In the distance, a mournful whistle broke the silence around them. Soon the clackety-clacks of the huge engine pulling the railcars joined with the wail. The train came into sight around a bend as it exited the forest surrounding Seattle, and Maggie’s sense of expectancy grew. Within literal minutes they’d be heading south. The railroad would take them into Oregon before they headed east. And if she remembered correctly, it would take them all the way across the state of Missouri, where they’d change trains and head southwest into Arkansas.
She had heard stories, though not from her parents, about the months it took to come from Independence, Missouri, to Oregon. Those travelers probably marveled that people could now make that journey in less than two weeks. Modern travel was a wonder.
Maggie had never been on the platform when a train came in. As the iron monster approached, the wooden structure vibrated, and she widened her stance to help maintain her balance. Up close, the engine was enormous. Almost scary. What if it jumped the
tracks? She stepped back as she watched it pull into the station, accompanied by metal screeching against metal and hissing puffs of steam.
As soon as the train came to a complete stop, the conductor hopped down from the steps on the middle passenger car. “You folks takin’ this train?” He removed his uniform hat and tucked it under his arm.
Father stepped forward. “My daughter, my sister-in-law, and my business partner are.” He indicated each one when he mentioned them. “I’d appreciate it if you’d take good care of them.”
“Sure thing.” The conductor slapped his hat back on his head. “This here’s one of them Pullman cars. They’ll be comfortable in it.”
Father nodded, then he and Charles accompanied the conductor to the end of the train where freight cars were hooked up right in front of the caboose. The three men loaded the two trunks and portmanteau onto one of the baggage cars.
Mother clasped Maggie into a tight embrace. “I’ll miss you, Margaret. I’ve seen you every single day since you were born. You be careful while you’re gone.”
Tears trickled down Maggie’s cheeks. How could her mother have seen her since the day she was born? Did she and her father get her the actual day of her birth? So many questions without answers, but Maggie wasn’t going to ask them until she got back from Arkansas. Maybe by then she’d have the courage to tell them what she had found in the white box nestled in the very bottom of her trunk. Maybe then she could ask all the questions rattling around in her brain.
Still clinging to her, Mother pressed a soft kiss to one of Maggie’s cheeks. How long had it been since she’d felt this connected to her mother?
“Good-bye, Mother.”
Daddy and Charles returned. Daddy wrapped his arms around Maggie and cradled her against his chest. Tears pooled in her eyes, making everything she could see melt together. Then they made their way down her cheeks.
“I love you, Maggie girl.” His voice hitched on the endearing name he’d called her most of her life. “I’ll miss you. Even when I didn’t come home from work until after you were asleep, I came into your room and kissed you goodnight. I can’t do that while you’re gone.” The last words came out as a husky whisper.
Maggie's Journey (McKenna's Daughters) Page 8