by P. Creeden
Ruby swiped the tears that still leaked from her eyes as though she couldn’t stop them and nodded. Her mother’s wisdom was true, Ruby had seen her mother do exactly what she was describing, but still Ruby’s heart pricked painfully in her chest. “Does that mean that I’ll have to marry the man anyway? I don’t want to build things so slowly that I end up married before I even had a chance to change father’s mind.”
Mother shook her head. “I’m not talking about you. All you need to do is be patient. I’ve been building the dam already. Just bite your tongue and bide your time. You’re good at that Ruby. I’ve seen you do it most of your life. Just trust me that I will change your father’s mind long before you have to stand in front of a preacher and say ‘I do.’”
A sniffle and a sigh escaped Ruby as her mother wrapped an arm around her shoulders. If there was anyone in this world she knew she could trust, it was her mother.
John Mark entered the bunkhouse warily for the first time. He’d never cared much for an argument. His grandfather would quote the bible where it said, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.” John Mark took it to heart. It was folly to argue with fools. But the problem in this situation was that Geoffrey was no fool, and neither was John Mark’s desire for his brother to be successful and safe. If only his younger brother could see the wisdom in the argument. He let out a slow breath as he found his brother lying on a cot on the bottom bunk of a set. Geoffrey didn’t acknowledge him when he came in. Instead, the younger Lee brother had his hands behind his head and eyes closed, though the frown on his face made it obvious he was far from sleeping.
Geoffrey’s legs stretched out the full length of the bunk bed. John Mark marveled. When had his little brother grown so tall? The fourteen-year-old that John Mark had last seen was long gone, with little more than a glimmer of him in the man’s features who lay on the bed. Of course, John Mark would have recognized his brother anywhere, but there were parts of the man who lay in front of him that were wholly unfamiliar. He cleared his throat and then pulled over one of the desk chairs so that he could sit next to his brother’s bedside. Geoffrey still didn’t move to acknowledge John Mark.
After sitting, John Mark leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees and folded his hands together. “I wish you had stayed in Virginia, but I am happy to see you.”
At that, Geoffrey’s eyes opened and he met eyes with his older brother. “You could have fooled me.”
“I didn’t mean to make you feel unwelcome. I’m not trying to tell you what you can and can’t do. But I do wish you’d listen to reason on this.”
Geoffrey sat up in the bunk and folded his arms over his chest, his lips drawing thin. “Me? You want me to listen to reason? It seems you’re the one who is ignoring it. I’m here in Denver—spent six days on a train to get here. Used my own money, which I earned working in the mines with Dad.”
John Mark blinked. “You worked in the mines? I thought... Haven’t I sent enough money to keep you out of the mines? You and Dad both?”
“The cost of tuition at school ate up most of what you sent. Then both me and Dad felt that we’d rather work to allow Mom not to. So every break from school I had, I worked in the mines with Dad. He was the one who pushed me to come out here to work with you. I decided that it would be better to do that and send the money back to them so that maybe Dad could stay out of the mines, too. He’s already started coughing a lot in the mornings when he gets up.”
“He... he does?” John Mark felt as though he’d been doused with a bucket of water. Reality was sinking in now. His brother was working in the mines—doing the one thing that John Mark had never wanted him to do. He peered down at his brother’s rough, calloused hands, seeing how they were in worse condition than his own for the first time. “But you’re a lawyer now. You could have gone to work in Richmond or Washington. You didn’t need to come out here to find work outside of the mines, did you?”
“Maybe. But those jobs are highly sought after. Every man who graduates with a degree in law from University of Virginia sets his sights on one of those positions. And when he doesn’t get it, where does he go then? What does he do? Virginia is full of good lawyers who don’t even make a living practicing law anymore. I had a friend in my fraternity who said that he’d be traveling out west—to Wyoming Territory—to find a job out here. Apparently lawyers and lawmen are in high demand. I could be a lawyer out here and work my way to becoming a circuit judge, if I’d like. But I needed someplace to start, and the Pinkerton Agency is well-respected as a place for both lawmen and lawyers to begin. That’s why I’m here.” Geoffrey’s hands clasped together as he finished, his eyes pleading with John Mark.
But there was no need. He was beginning to fully understand the situation now. John Mark had dealt with many lawyers and circuit judges out here in the Colorado Territory. He knew there was a shortage of both and that his brother would be a welcome addition to the professions out here. Why had John Mark been so foolish, so blind, that he didn’t see what was right in front of him? It truly was better that his brother came out west to seek a good career, and maybe between the two of them sending money back to their parents, they could take care of them better than John Mark was doing on his own. He reached out a hand toward his brother who eyed him with a lifted brow.
Offering his little brother a smile, he said, “Welcome to the Agency, brother, I’d be happy to be your training agent.”
Chapter 6
Only a small measure of relief came to Ruby when Mr. Brown finally exited the Lockwood home after dinner. Father glared at her as she went to start up the stairs after dinner. “Ruby, please come meet me in the parlor.”
Could a heart sink past a person’s stomach? Could it reach the very bottoms of her feet? She’d never felt so low, so down as she did in that moment. It felt as though her father was ordering her into a courtroom to pronounce a prison sentence upon her. Her feet felt especially heavy as she dragged them across the carpet to do as her father bade her. Savannah and her husband were sitting in the parlor on the settee, except when Lucas stood as she entered the room. Hazel and her mother stood behind them at the fireplace. Ruby hadn’t expected everyone to be here. Wouldn’t her sentence have been alone? She was certain that her father would have asked to be alone with her when he passed down what he had planned for her.
Once he entered the parlor, he went directly to his chair and had a seat. Then he gestured for Ruby to sit on the settee opposite the one where Savannah sat. Ruby swallowed hard as she took her seat. Lucas sat at the same time. Her father cleared his throat. “It seems to me that you have a dislike for Mr. Brown that you are unwilling to reconcile. I understand that, but I do wish you would give the gentleman a chance. He’s from a good family, he makes a good income, and he’s well-respected in the city. He’s a bit older than I would have chosen for you, but not absurdly so. He also seems to be quite taken with you, Ruby, and that goes a long way, too. I would like it if you would allow him to court you before you reject him further. That is my preference.”
Ruby folded her hands together, but didn’t say a word. Her heart broke in her chest. Had her father really not listened to a thing she’d said when she’d lined out the reasons she was not interested in Mr. Brown. Why hadn’t her father taken her objections seriously? Why had he even invited Mr. Brown over to defend himself? It felt as if her father was entirely on the side of this man rather than her side. He was supposed to be her advocate. Her’s, not his.
Her father let out a slow breath in Ruby’s silence before he leaned forward. He made a gesture with his hands that seemed as if he was giving up. “Your mother and I have spoken at length about this all day. She’s also been making small suggestions the entire week about what she believes is a better plan for you. We’d like to give you the option of joining your sister in Denver.”
Suddenly, Ruby’s heart squeezed in her chest as she lifted her eyes. She blinked several times. “Denver?”
Savannah leaned forward. “Yes. Our cousin, Marianne, is quite the matchmaker. She’d find an appropriate husband for you out west, one who you would like being married to and who wouldn’t have any way to threaten our family’s societal standing. Here in Connecticut, the number of good men with good incomes and families are about equal with the number of women, but out west, opportunities for women are greater due to the fewer number of them. You will have greater say in the choices you make.”
Father’s shoulders drooped and his face looked pained. “Yes, Ruby. The choice will be yours. I will not have to opportunity to vet your husband for you or make sure that he comes from a good family. Your sister assures me that she and Lucas will be your chaperones as you travel and make sure that your cousin chooses a good match for you, and one that you will be happy with. I don’t want you to be unhappy, Ruby.” His voice cracked. “Though I do wish that you would stay here, at home, in Connecticut with me.”
It broke Ruby’s heart to hear her father say those words. Her father had never been one to play favorites with his children. He’d taught them all to be self-sufficient, strong women. Each of them could handle a weapon, could take stock of a room and knew how to behave accordingly. All three of them had attended Vassar, the most prestigious women’s college in the east, perhaps the whole country. He was a prideful man and loved each of them, even if they frustrated him at times. And Ruby loved him. Strongly. She swallowed hard, barely able to get words past her tightened throat. “The last thing I want to do is disappoint you, Father.”
He looked up at her and smiled though his eyes remained troubled. “You are far from a disappointment, Ruby. You are a joy. All of three of you are. I want you to be happy and to do that which makes you most full of the joy you are.”
Tears blurred her vision again, but they didn’t sting. They fell down her cheeks unimpeded. “I love you, Father. Very much, but I do not want to court with Mr. Brown.”
Her father nodded, as though he’d already been resigned to that fact. “Then pack your things. The three of you will be leaving in the morning for Denver, if that is your wish.”
She nodded. “It is.”
He smiled softly again, but the sadness around his eyes remained as he cleared his throat, stood and stepped toward the mantle, where her mother still stood. Mother rested a hand on his shoulder as he took hold of his pipe and tobacco. Savannah met eyes with Ruby and gave her a nod and a wink. Ruby wasn’t sure how she felt about all of this, but she knew that there was a measure of relief that her father had heard her and felt the dam that Mother had built as well. Excitement began to pool in Ruby’s stomach. She was going to Denver. Would a life of adventure await her there, like it did for Savannah?
John Mark looked across the private train car at his younger brother, whose eyes were fixed out the window with an excited glee in them. He couldn’t help but smile at Geoffrey. “So, tell me about how things are back home. Is Mom well? Dad?”
Geoffrey leaned back in his seat and nodded. “As well as can be expected. Because Mom hasn’t had to work in years, she keeps the house better than spotless, and cooks amazing dinners. The money you’ve sent each month helps the both of them live fairly well so that she doesn’t have to work. And like I said before, that was Dad and my priority.”
“And your plan now is to send an equal share to them so that Dad can stop working in the mines, too?”
“More than that,” Geoffrey said as he nodded. “We both worked in the mines, saving money for two purposes. One—to send me out here to work as a Pinkerton Agent, and potentially start a law practice eventually, or maybe even become a circuit judge like my fraternity brother. And two—to help Dad start a mercantile there in Buchanan. Most people have to ride out to Grundy in order to reach the nearest one, but Dad would like to help Buchanan grow into a real town instead of just a post office and bank there in the center of the county. If he builds a mercantile, he hopes other people will step up and put in shops. He’s even thinking about getting the things Mom needs to start sewing dresses for other people. You remember how she used to make us clothes when we were younger, before she had to work so hard... when we were still on the farm?”
With a lump in his throat, John Mark nodded. “I remember.”
“She always wanted a girl. She wanted to buy flowery, pretty things and make dresses. She’s made a few for the neighbor girls nearby to wear to school and such and everyone says she has a bit of talent in the area.”
“If that’s what makes her happy. I don’t want either of them having to work too hard.” John Mark offered his brother a thin-lipped smile. He didn’t want for his little brother to work so hard, either. In his heart, he still wished for his brother to return home and become a lawyer back in Virginia, but he knew he needed to respect his brother’s feelings and choices, no matter how John Mark felt about them.
“Johnny, it’s more than that. People aren’t made to sit around and do nothing. They are made to want to reach goals and build things—lasting things. You’d think by now you would have learned that, too. Even if they were rich, Mom and Dad would want to do something for the town, something with their hands, something that makes them feel useful, necessary, and needed. If you could send them as much money as they needed to live upon and more, they’d still want to build things like a mercantile and dress shop. They’d still invite strangers over for Christmas dinner and make sure the neighbor children had shoes. It’s their nature. It’s the way God made all of us.”
John Mark lifted a brow. “When did my baby brother grow up and get so wise?”
Geoffrey huffed a laugh. “I always was the smart one, you know.”
At that, John Mark jumped across the compartment and snagged his brother’s head in his arm. No matter how much Geoffrey resisted, John Mark still managed to hold him long enough to rub his knuckles into his brother’s scalp before releasing him and jumping back over to his side of the car. He laughed as his brother attempted to set his hair right.
With a glare at him, Geoffrey asked, “When are you going to grow up, Johnny?”
John Mark shrugged. “Having you around is making me feel like a kid again. I’ve got a lot of big brotherly love time to make up for. I missed out on a lot in the last eight years.”
Slowly, Geoffrey’s eyes went wide. “Please tell me that you do not plan on more of these things happening.”
A small smile tugged at John Mark’s lip. “I’ll make no promises.”
A knock sounded at the door and the train’s conductor slid the entry open he peered in. “I trust you both are comfortable?”
Geoffrey nodded, still trying to tame the wild cowlick that had appeared on his head from John Mark’s knuckles. “Yes, we’re fine. Thank you.”
The conductor nodded. “I’m here to see your tickets and let you know that lunch will be served in the dining car in a quarter hour if you’d like to join us there.”
“Thank you,” John Mark said and handed the man his ticket. The mirth that he’d felt a moment before was slowly seeping away as he grew serious. He knew that this moment in the train car was one that he had to treasure. It was one where he could truly be happy and childish with his brother for a time. Once they got to Fort McDermit, they would need to become serious Pinkerton Agents, and act as back up for the marshal stationed there. He was taking a prisoner from McDermit to Fort Alcatraz for long term imprisonment. It was a dangerous task, and one that John Mark took very seriously, no matter how jovial he was behaving at the moment. All that he cared about was his brother’s safety. And even now, he knew that he planned to make that his utmost priority on this mission, even though it should only take them two days travel with the prisoner by train.
He let out a slow breath and watched his brother make short, pleasant conversation with the conductor. When finished, his brother looked over at him and frowned as the conductor left. “What is it? Did I say something wrong?”
John Mark shook his head. “Nothing’s wrong. How about we he
ad over to the diner car for lunch?”
A smile spread across his little brother’s face. “Excellent. I’m famished.” And the two of them stood to start toward their lunch.
Chapter 7
The train ride was full of anticipation for Ruby. She couldn’t wait to see what was around the next corner, the next bend. As they drew closer to Denver, her excitement grew, but so did her dread. What if she wasn’t good enough? Savannah had explained to her what was ahead. She knew that she’d need to marry her training agent, but that the two of them would be able to get an annulment when they got back. It was how it had worked for both Savannah and Lucas. But when they returned, they’d decided to remain married.
Ruby didn’t know how things had went for the two of them, out here in the west, but back home, her father had blown his top when he’d heard that Savannah had already gotten married without so much as a telegram to let him know what had happened. He got over it quickly, but Ruby knew that if she were to remain married to her partner, she’d want him to travel back east with her so that they could have a wedding that her family could attend. That was... if she stayed married. But as of right now, she had no intention to do so.
The last thing she wanted to do was be married and tie herself down into that kind of slavery. Right now she was getting a taste of freedom like she’d never had before. If she’d had wings, they’d be out and she’d be flying for the first time. A fledgling, that was what she was. The thought of it brought a smile to her lips.
She peered toward her sister who sat in the public car on a seat straight across from her. Savannah had always been the adventurous type. When they were young children, she wanted to be the knight to save the damsel in distress. Though Ruby didn’t want to play the role, she always got stuck as that damsel. As of here and now, she decided that she’d never be stuck in that role again. She wanted to be the master of her own fate and quit allowing others to make her decisions for her. Not her father, and not her husband. Letting out a slow breath, she hoped that he’d be nothing like Mr. Brown.