Claire's Escape (Mail-Order Brides Of Prairie Meadow 4)

by Maggie McCloud

  Chapter 3

  When Claire awoke, she had no idea where she was or what had happened. A man was sitting in a chair beside the bed, his chin resting on his chest, clearly asleep. She took a moment to look around and then tried to sit up. Pain gripped her and she cried out, falling back onto the pillow. The man was out of the chair and by her side in a moment.

  “Suzanne, thank God you’re awake. I’ve been so worried! I’m going to get Doc.”

  Before she could say anything, he had rushed out of the room. She could hear him calling, “Doc, Doc, she’s awake. Come quick!”

  He’d called her Suzanne. She wondered why. Everything was fuzzy, but she could recall the stagecoach getting caught up in the rushing water and smacking against a tree. After that, everything was a blank.

  “Hello, I’m Dr. Roberts. I’m sure you have questions, but first let me check you over. You took a nasty bump on the head and I suspect you broke a few ribs too. You’re going to be stiff and sore for awhile, that’s for sure.”

  He hesitated before adding, “You have a nasty bruise on your neck that looks like it might have been there for awhile. Do you remember anything about that?”

  Claire automatically reached for her neck. She thought for a moment before shaking her head.

  “I have no recollection of getting that bruise. But please, can you tell me where I am and how I got here?”

  “I’ll let Thomas answer those questions. In the meantime, though, try not to move around too much,” he said with a smile.

  Claire groaned, “Oh there’s not much danger of that. Everything hurts, especially my head.”

  “That’s to be expected. You were out cold when they found you.”

  For the next few minutes, Doc concentrated on his patient. When he was finished, he patted her arm and said, “All right now, I’m going to insist that you rest for awhile before Thomas comes back in to see you. He’s been worried sick since they brought you in.”

  “Doctor, can I ask you about the others who were with the stagecoach?”

  Dr. Roberts frowned and said, “The driver didn’t make it. They found him washed up on shore. But there was no one else in the coach with you.”

  “Oh no,” Claire whispered. Horrified, she looked at Dr. Roberts and said, “But there was another girl in the coach with me.”

  “I’m sorry but they didn’t find anyone else. I’ll let the sheriff know though. I’m sure he’ll want to go and take a look. Now, I want you to rest. Try not to think about anything.”

  Once Dr. Roberts left the room, Claire closed her eyes. If there was no one else in the stagecoach with her, that meant Suzanne had not made it. She tried to remember what had happened, but it was all a blank. Worse still was the fact that she couldn’t remember much about her own life before the accident. She knew her first name and that she was traveling to Prairie Meadow, but try as she might, she couldn’t remember why. Exhausted, Claire fell into a dreamless sleep.

  When she woke up, that man was beside the bed again.

  “How do you feel, Suzanne?” he asked gently.

  She looked at him and asked, “Who are you?”

  “Why, I’m Thomas, Thomas Buchanan,” he replied with surprise. “Don’t you remember, Suzanne? You were coming to Prairie Meadow to marry me.”

  “But, I’m not Suzanne. My name is Claire. I travelled with Suzanne on the stagecoach, and I remember she talked a lot about you.”

  Thomas was dumbfounded. There hadn’t been anyone else in the coach with her when they’d found her. And there was absolutely nothing to indicate that another person had even been inside with her.

  After what she’d told Doc Roberts yesterday, the sheriff had gone looking quite a distance from where the wreckage had been discovered. But there was no sign of another person anywhere.

  Thomas was convinced she was imagining things. That knock on her head had obviously done more damage than they realized.

  Day after day, Thomas spent hours at Claire’s bedside. She insisted that he call her Claire, even though he knew her name was Suzanne. She couldn’t even remember her last name. Her frustration at the blank slate that was her memory grew and at times, she lashed out at Thomas. But, despite all that, he refused to leave her side.

  Gradually, Claire got stronger. She was still very sore and she slept for hours at a time. Trying to remember things tired her more than her injuries did. But try as she might, she just could not remember anything about her former life. She didn’t even know where she had boarded the stagecoach or why she had been coming to Prairie Meadow. She had gotten a look at the bruising around her neck. It looked like handprints. She shivered wondering what could have happened to her to put that bruise there, but no matter how hard she tried, nothing came to her.

  Thomas had finally given in to Claire’s insistence that she was not Suzanne and agreed to call her Claire. Privately though, he still believed that she was Suzanne. But if it made her feel better to be called Claire, it was not such a big thing to do. Once he did so, Claire started to relax, as if she no longer had to fight for her identity.

  Dr. Roberts told him that it wouldn’t be long before Claire would be well enough to leave. He thought that Thomas might want to make arrangements for that day, since Claire didn’t seem to know anyone else in town.

  Even though he and Claire had spent a great deal of time together, Thomas was pretty sure that Claire needed more time before she would be ready to marry him. Sure enough, when he broached the subject with her, Claire turned beet red.

  “Doc tells me that you’ll be well enough to leave here in a few days. I know we haven’t talked about it since you arrived,” he said, carefully avoiding her eyes, “But we could get married right away. Or I could arrange for you to stay in the boarding house for awhile until you’re more comfortable with the idea.”

  Claire could feel her face burning. “But, Thomas, I’m not Suzanne. I don’t know who I am exactly, but I know I’m not the woman you proposed to.”

  She sighed, “I know you think I just don’t remember, but I do. Look Thomas, I appreciate what you’re trying to do, but I don’t want you to feel obliged to marry me.”

  Thomas reached over and took Claire’s hands in his.

  “Whether you’re Claire or Suzanne makes no difference to me. It’s you I plan to marry, whenever you’re ready.” He paused and then continued more slowly. “But if you don’t want to be my wife, well, that’s something else entirely.”

  “Oh no, that’s not it at all, Thomas. I think I just need some more time to sort everything out in my head.”

  Thomas let go of her hands. “Well then, there’s no need to rush into anything. I’ll talk to Mrs. Gregson down at the boarding house about you moving in there for a time.”

  “Thank you Thomas. I’d appreciate that,” Claire said with a smile.

  Chapter 4

  With Claire almost ready to move to the boarding house, Thomas asked Mrs. Gregson to come over to the general store to pick out a few things for her, since everything she’d brought on the stage had been lost in the flood. Afterwards, Mrs. Gregson went over to Dr. Roberts’ house to bring Claire some of these new clothes. She found her sitting up in bed. After introducing herself, Mrs. Gregson sat down.

  “It will be so nice to have a new face at the boarding house,” said Mrs. Gregson. “I’ve put you on the main floor so you won’t have to navigate the steps.”

  “Thank you Mrs. Gregson. Thomas has told me so much about you. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. And thanks for bringing over these clothes. I wasn’t eager to get back into the ones I was wearing before.”

  “Oh, you can thank Thomas for that. It was his idea. All I did was pick out a few things. Oh and you’ll find some other new clothes in your room. And he said to tell you that if you needed anything else, you’re to come into the store and pick it out.”

  “Thomas has been so good to me,” said Claire, as a tear slid down her cheek.

  “He’s a good man,” s
aid Mrs. Gregson, smiling. “He seems to care for you a great deal.”

  “I’m not sure what I’ve done to deserve that. But I am grateful.”

  “Well, I shall leave you to rest now,” said Mrs. Gregson. “I understand that if everything goes well, you will be moving in with us tomorrow. I shall see you then.”

  After Mrs. Gregson left, Claire slid down under the covers and closed her eyes. She thought about Thomas and everything he’d done for her. Maybe it didn’t matter if she couldn’t remember who she had been before. As she drifted off to sleep, she felt ready to move forward with her new life.

  Claire slept well that night and woke up feeling almost normal. She couldn’t wait to get up and dressed. Dr. Roberts’ housekeeper, Molly tapped at the door and brought in a basin of warm water. Then she laid out some clothes for Claire on the back of the chair.

  “Let me know if you need help getting dressed, Claire,” Molly said.

  “Thanks Molly. I appreciate it but I think I can manage,” Claire smiled as she gingerly pushed back the covers and carefully sat up on the edge of the bed.

  By the time Claire had washed and dressed, she was exhausted. When Molly tapped lightly on her door again, she gratefully accepted her help to make her way out to the kitchen for breakfast.

  Dr. Roberts was already seated, sipping on coffee and reading the paper. He smiled broadly when Claire entered the room.

  “Good morning, Claire. Are you ready for your big day?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Claire smiled. “I can’t thank you enough for everything Dr. Roberts.”

  “You’re very welcome, Claire. I’m just glad I was able to help.”

  They ate in a companionable silence for a short time and then Dr. Roberts said, “Thomas should be here shortly to move you over to the boarding house. Before he does, I wanted to ask you if you are beginning to get your memory back?”

  Claire was startled. “No, why do you ask?”

  “Only that you seem to have nightmares from time to time when you nap during the day. Molly has heard you call out and gone to check on you a few times. She says she has found you thrashing around in your bed and calling out as if you were in great distress.”

  Seeing the stricken look on Claire’s face, he patted her hand. “It may not be such a bad thing. I think it may mean that you will eventually get some memory of your former life back.”

  Before anymore could be said, Thomas knocked on the door and came in. Claire was relieved. Dr. Roberts’ words had sent an icy shiver up her spine. She had a feeling there were things in her past that were better left forgotten.

  “Ready?” he asked with a smile.

  Moving from Dr. Roberts’ house to the boarding house took more out of Claire than she expected. Thomas had her bag in one hand and was holding onto Claire’s arm with the other, to make sure she didn’t stumble. He had offered to bring a wagon for the short ride but Claire had insisted on walking. She was already regretting that decision.

  By the time Claire was finally settled into her room at Mrs. Gregson’s boarding house, she was pale with fatigue. Thomas gently kissed her forehead and promised to come back later. Claire lay down on top of the covers and was asleep before Thomas reached the front door.

  Even though Claire wasn’t aware of it, Thomas knew about her nightmares and he’d seen the bruising on her neck. Dr. Roberts had shared his thoughts about them with him, and Thomas would be lying if he didn’t admit to being concerned.

  ‘What are you running away from? And are you Suzanne or are you really Claire?’ Thomas wondered as he walked back towards the mercantile. He had grown to care a great deal about her as he sat by her bedside, hoping and praying that she would recover.

  Unfortunately nothing except a wad of money had been found on her person when she had been taken unconscious from the stage. Anything that had been inside, or on top of the stage, had been swept away in the flood, so there was no clue as to her identity.

  Thomas knew she was frustrated at not being able to remember. But he was frustrated too. She didn’t seem to remember anything from his letters to her. Maybe she really wasn’t Suzanne after all.

  He hadn’t wanted to go behind her back, but decided he had to find out once and for all. Because he’d corresponded with Suzanne for some time before arranging for her to come to Prairie Meadow, he still had her address in Morris. When it was obvious that she wasn’t going to get her memory back any time soon, he made the decision to write to Suzanne’s parents and tell them about the accident. They were due to arrive very soon according to a telegram that had come the day before.

  Now that he’d set the wheels in motion, he wondered if he’d done the right thing. Well, it was too late to change anything now. Besides, Suzanne’s parents deserved to know whether or not their daughter had survived the accident. But before they arrived, Thomas knew he had to tell ‘Claire’ what he had done and he was running out of time to do it.

  That evening, Thomas came back to the boarding house to check on Claire. Now that Claire was out of the doctor’s house, visiting would have to be done in the drawing room. Thomas paced nervously while he waited for Claire.

  He turned as he heard the door open and smiled as Claire came into the room.

  “You look like you’re feeling much better than you were this morning,” Thomas said.

  Claire blushed slightly. “Yes, I am. I slept for several hours this afternoon. I guess it’s going to take a while to get back to normal.”

  “Can we sit down for a few minutes, Claire, if you’re feeling up to a visit? I promise not to stay too long,” Thomas asked.

  “Yes of course, Thomas.” Claire sat and looked down at the hands in her lap. “I can’t thank you enough for everything you’ve done for me, especially since I’m not Suzanne.”

  “But you can’t know that for certain,” burst out Thomas.

  “Oh, Thomas, I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you that I have some doubts about who I am, but I don’t. It’s really the only thing I am certain about.” Claire hesitated. “Like I told you before, I don’t want you to feel any obligation towards me just because of the accident.”

  More softly she added, “You don’t have to marry me, you know.”

  “That’s not it at all,” said Thomas. “I told you I don’t care whether you’re Suzanne or Claire and I meant it.”

  “But…? It sounds like there’s a ‘but’ you mean to add to what you’re saying,” Claire said. “What aren’t you telling me, Thomas?”

  Thomas got up and paced back and forth before sitting down again. He kept his gaze fixed on his boots.

  “Not long ago, after it was certain that you were going to recover, I wrote to your, I mean Suzanne’s parents and told them about the accident.”

  Claire gasped and her eyes widened.

  Thomas held up a hand. “Now, before you say anything, let me explain.”

  He glanced up and continued. “They deserve to know whether their daughter is alive or not. I have to admit that with your memory being so foggy, I thought maybe you were just confused and you really were Suzanne. So I asked them to come on out here.”

  Thomas took a deep breath. “They are due to arrive in a day or two.”

  The color drained out of Claire’s face and her knuckles were white as she clasped her hands together tightly. She gazed off into the distance as if she were reliving what had happened. Thomas watched Claire closely; ready to reach out if she fainted.

  Finally, Claire broke the spell. Looking over at Thomas she said softly, “How am I going to face them, tell them that I don’t know what happened to their daughter?”

  “I know it will be hard, but I’ll be right there with you when you do.”

  A look of shock rippled over Claire’s face.

  “What is it, Claire? What’s wrong?”

  She looked at Thomas with tears in her eyes. “I just realized that my parents won’t know what’s happened to me either. Oh what am I saying? I don’t ev
en know if I have parents. Oh, Thomas, I just have to remember.”

  She looked so stricken, it was all Thomas could do to keep from gathering her in his arms to comfort her. He settled for handing her his hanky instead.

  He stayed only a few more minutes. Clearly, their exchange had taken a lot out of Claire. As he walked back to the mercantile, he sighed. He had grown to care a great deal about Claire. All he wanted was to comfort her and help her recover. But all he seemed to do was bring her more grief what with questioning her about being Suzanne and now inviting Suzanne’s parents to come here.

  Maybe she’d be better off without him. Maybe saying she was sure she wasn’t Suzanne was her way of telling him that she wasn’t interested. He wanted to do whatever he could to help her recover her memory, but maybe it was time to take a step back and give her time to herself. And that’s exactly what he planned to do right after they got through the visit with Suzanne’s parents.

  Claire lay awake thinking about Thomas. He was such a kind, considerate man. She had a feeling she didn’t deserve someone like him and was truly grateful for everything he’d done for her. He had convinced her that he really cared for her and wasn’t only spending time with her out of a sense of obligation. Well, once she got through the visit with Suzanne’s parents, she planned to give Thomas the attention he deserved and really get to know him.

  Chapter 5

  Claire spent the first day at the boarding house taking it easy. Restless, she walked around the sitting room and even ventured out back for a few minutes, but she found herself tiring easily. Despite her exhaustion, she hadn’t slept well the night before, dreading the visit from Suzanne’s parents. She sat in a chair by the window in her room and dozed off several times only to be startled awake as memories of the accident began to surface. In a way, Claire was glad it was happening. But in another way, she dreaded what she might remember.