“And that can be dangerous,” Colin said. “I’d hate for someone to come into a forge who hadn’t any idea what was going on. And that’s a much less complicated place than a sawmill.”
Sebastian nodded his agreement.
Amelia rolled her eyes. “If you could have heard Mrs. Bouchard today at Allenstein’s when I was buying groceries. Never came up for breath, singing his praises. How lucky they were to have gotten such a fine, upstanding gentleman interested in their daughter.”
“As I told Mrs. Bouchard once, I hope she never has to suffer as much of his regard as I did,” I said, unable to hide the bitterness from my tone.
Gabriel reached over and clasped my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“She’ll never have the sense to understand what you meant,” Amelia said.
“Other than the man from the East, things are going well. We’ve never had so much business.” Sebastian stifled a yawn as he shifted on his chair. “At times it’s hard to keep up with the orders. I often work late in the office, just to keep up with the paperwork.”
“That’s a good problem to have,” Colin said. “It’s always better to be too busy rather than worrying if there’ll be enough to cover your next paycheck.”
“I agree,” Sebastian said as he rose and moved toward a corner of his living room. He added wood to the fire, causing it to roar to life. I saw his violin case in the corner, but he didn’t move to open it.
“How are things for you, Clarissa?” Sebastian asked.
I shrugged. “I’ve dedicated myself to becoming a better cook.” I pinned Ronan with a severe glare as he choked on his coffee. “And I’ve cooked a few meals.”
“I would even venture to call them delicious,” Gabriel teased with a wink. “Although Rissa has a long way to go to match one of your pies, Amelia.”
“Wonderful, Rissa!” Amelia clapped her hands together with joy. “I knew you just needed time to focus. What do you do when you aren’t cooking or cleaning? I haven’t seen as much of you as I thought I would in the month since you stopped working at the depository.” Amelia pulled little Anne onto her lap and snuggled her as she began to fuss before falling asleep.
“As I had walked all over town talking about my wish to be at home, I thought I should remain there.” I shrugged as I thought about my days. “I write a lot of letters. I’m trying to improve my knitting.” I speared Colin with a fierce scowl as he guffawed.
“Do you think those shopkeepers believed your tale of a desire to become more domestic?” Amelia asked.
“I don’t think they did in the beginning. But now that they see how happy Gabriel and I are, I think they’ve begun to.”
Sebastian grunted. “Well, the only talk I hear about the two of you is how you’ve reconciled. Seems the townsfolk think you’re boring now, not worth gossiping about. More interested in the upcoming nuptials and what outlandish outfit Mrs. Bouchard will wear.”
“Her poor daughter,” Colin said. “I’ve never met her, but can you imagine having a mother like that?”
“I bet she’s just like her mother,” Amelia said.
“Well, then I’ll be interested to see her dress too,” I said with a giggle.
“Any word from Uncle Aidan?” Ronan asked Gabriel.
“Yes, I received a letter today informing me that his business is keeping him much busier than usual for this time of year, and he doesn’t know when he’ll return.”
“Thus we don’t have to worry about being forced out of his house just yet,” Colin said.
“In any case, I’m glad you all came to my house. It’s nice to have some company here for a change,” Sebastian said. We nodded our agreement, prepared to listen to music.
When Sebastian reached for his violin, I curled into Gabriel’s side. We all settled into our seats as Sebastian tuned the violin. Rather than the riotous sing-along songs we’d become accustomed to, he played a melodious, moody song. I blinked away tears at the plaintive longing I heard and leaned more into Gabriel, kissing him on the cheek. He tilted his head, resting it on top of mine.
I saw Sebastian stare at Amelia intently when he finished playing, before he switched tempo and played an upbeat song. After a few moments, Colin and Ronan began to sing along. I watched as Amelia swiped at a tear, hugging Anne to her.
“Give them time, Rissa,” Gabriel whispered in my ear before his harmonious baritone joined in.
***
I SAT UPSTAIRS, staring at a blank sheet of paper, Sebastian’s violin music from last night playing through my mind. I hummed the first song he had played but couldn’t remember the exact tune. I gave up trying to remember, raising the lid of the small music box Gabriel had given me for my birthday. It played “Fur Elise,” a song he knew I liked and one that would remind me of Boston and Lucas.
I focused on the music until I heard a shout coming from the workshop. When I heard a second one, I dropped the lid to the music box, abruptly cutting off the lilting music, rose and crept down the stairs. Ronan leaned over at his waist, his shoulders jerking. At first I worried he was crying, until I realized he was laughing. Gabriel was swiping tears from his eyes and shaking his head.
I sat on the stairs, hoping to remain unseen.
“An’ there I was, Sonny,” Mr. Pickens said, “naked as a jaybird, sittin’ in a tree, with an irate moose tryin’ to get at me with his huge antlers. They say bears are mean. An’ they are. But moose are just as ornery. ’Specially in the fall.”
Ronan lifted his head, his shoulders still shaking. “What did you do?”
“What do you think I did? Froze my tail off, sittin’ in that tree for hours till that beast got tired of pacin’. Probably smelled some nice female and took off. I scampered down out of that tree, bleedin’ from the scrapes from the pine bark in my nether regions. Never did get in those warm springs. Decided I’d better hightail it home while I still had a chance.”
I saw him swinging his cane around as he continued to speak. “My clothes were scattered all over the clearin’. Damn animal thought it was fun to paw and play with ’em as I sat as naked as the day I was born on a tree limb that seemed less sturdy the longer I sat on it.”
I heard Gabriel hoot, and I leaned over to see him watching Mr. Pickens with rapt fascination.
“Took me an hour to collect my clothes and still had to make do with only one sock. An’ my Bessie, do you think I got any sympathy from her? No sirree. She laughed as hard as Sonny here. Only wished she’d been there to see me jump near out of my skin and scamper up a tree. Did no end of teasin’ as she tended my scrapes and bruises.” He thumped his cane down, and I heard his whistling exhalation of a laugh.
“Ah, those were the days. Not many folk here, wild lands to be explored. Animals everywhere.” Mr. Pickens’s voice was filled with nostalgia.
“I’d think it’s pretty much the same now,” Gabriel said. I heard him begin to sand wood from the far side of the room.
“Oh, no. Missoula’s gettin’ too big. You mind me, Sonny. Soon we’ll have more people ’n we know what to do with.” He sighed. “But it’s still a glorious place for you young’uns to explore. Don’t you agree, Missy?”
I gasped at having been caught before giggling and peering around the corner to smile at all of them. “Interesting story, Mr. A.J.,” I said.
“Glad you didn’t hear the first part of it,” he said with a chagrined smile to Gabriel and Ronan. Ronan snickered.
“Have you heard the news, Missy?” Mr. Pickens asked. “We’re allowed back to the depository. Seems they can’t do without us.”
I rose and moved toward him. “Really?” I paused, battling any excitement I felt. “Why should I return simply because they want me to?”
“There’s the Missy I know,” Mr. Pickens said with pride. “Give ’em hell, Missy. I told ’em we wouldn’t work for their misterly pay but needed a decent raise.”
“Miserly,” I said as Gabriel shook his head in amusement and mouthed the word as I spo
ke it. “Did they agree?”
“Well, seein’ as they’ve lost track of a good portion of the books that used to be a part of the so-called library”—he thunked down his cane—“it’s why anyone with sense’d call the place a depository, they didn’t have much choice.”
“Oh, that’s wonderful!” I said as I spun with glee, tripping on my long skirts and landing on a heap on the floor. Gabriel hauled me up, dusted me off and helped me to a chair near Mr. Pickens.
“Before you two get excited about returning to your old ways,” Gabriel said with a mock-serious stare, “I want time away with my wife.”
“Oh, finally takin’ my advice, are you, carpenter?” He wriggled his brows up and down as he winked at me. “Finally goin’ to have some canoodlin’ time.”
“I’d thank you to speak respectfully about my wife,” Gabriel said.
“Ain’t nothin’ disrespectful about a man wantin’ to have some time with his wife. Seems the most respectful thing a man could want,” Mr. A.J. said in protest. “Why, my Bessie—”
“Old man, don’t even start,” Ronan said.
I studied Ronan, not having seen him this content since I had met him. “Mr. A.J., tell us about Hamilton.”
“Oh, so your young man is finally taking you to see the Bitter Roots.” He sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment. “I know some will argue there be prettier mountains, but I ain’t seen ’em. Course, with the time of year and the planned activities, you won’t have time to go into the mountains.”
“Why would I want to go into the mountains?” I asked.
“To truly be alone, Missy,” Mr. A.J. said. “To smell clean air. Nothin’ like a pine forest to soothe the nerves and make the world seem right again.” He nodded and had a distant look in his eyes. “Why, my Bessie ’n’ me’d go into the woods as often as we could. And it wasn’t often enough. But late fall ain’t the time.”
“We’ll let you know what we think of those mountains,” Gabriel said with a wink to Mr. Pickens.
CHAPTER 27
I STOOD AT THE KITCHEN SINK in Aidan’s house a few evenings later, washing the dishes after another delicious meal served by Amelia. It had been a small group tonight, with only Gabriel and me joining Amelia’s family. Amelia was busy putting Nicholas to bed, and I could hear her soft voice as she read him a bedtime story. Gabriel sat in the living room, whistling as he read the paper. Just as I recognized the song and began to hum along, he invariably switched to a different tune. I glanced out the kitchen door to see his dimple flash as he continued to whistle, his eyes meeting mine for a moment and flashing with humor at my inability to hum along.
I giggled and turned back to the dishes. After deciding to leave a large pan to soak, I turned toward the kitchen table and glanced out the side window. I saw Colin racing toward the door, and I moved to open it before he could pound on it and wake little Anne and rouse Nicholas. “Col!” I said.
He entered the kitchen, bent forward at the waist, gasping for breath. “Water, Rissa,” he gasped.
I spun, poured him a glass of water from a pitcher on the table and thrust the glass at him. I pulled on his arm and dragged him into the living room area. Gabriel’s joyous whistling had ceased with Colin’s precipitous arrival.
“Colin?” Gabriel asked in his deep baritone.
“There’s been a terrible fire at the mill,” Colin said. “Seb’s hurt.”
“Mr. Carlin?” Amelia asked from the kitchen doorway.
I spun to face her, rushing toward her as she became more ashen. “I’m sure he’ll be fine, Amelia,” I soothed.
“What happened?” Gabriel asked. “Seb’s fastidious in his desire to prevent a fire.”
“No one has any idea. At this point, they’re ensuring there’s no chance the fire can come back to life. The windy weather we’ve had lately hasn’t helped. They’ve brought him to the hospital,” Colin said.
“I’ll take you there,” Gabriel said to Amelia as he noticed her agitation. “Rissa, will you stay here with the children?”
“Of course.”
“I’ll stay here too,” Colin said. “We’ll be fine, Gabe.”
Gabriel and Amelia departed, rushing down the kitchen steps to head toward St. Patrick’s Hospital.
After checking on the children in their room and preparing a plate of cold leftovers for Colin, which I left on the dining room table, I collapsed on one of the sofas in the living room. I hugged a pillow to my chest as I sat.
Colin crouched in front of me before settling onto a foot stool in front of me. “What’s the matter, Rissa?”
“Who else was hurt in the fire, Col? I know Cameron works there now, and it seems unlikely he would be unscathed.”
Colin reached forward and clasped my hand. “Rissa, Seb went into that inferno looking to save Cameron. He was trapped inside.”
“So Cameron’s at the hospital too?”
“No, Seb couldn’t get him out. He died.”
“What?” I stared at Colin with unseeing eyes. I shook my head as though I no longer understood English. “That can’t be.”
“It is, Rissa. Cameron died tonight. It’s one of the reasons I raced here. I didn’t want you to hear it through any of the gossips. I didn’t want Mrs. Bouchard to say something vile to you when you had no idea why she would speak to you that way.”
“Someone will tell Gabriel,” I whispered.
“Most likely,” Colin said. “I should have realized that Amelia would want to go to the hospital to see after Sebastian. Even though they’re not officially courting, they sure do act like it.”
“Give them time, Col,” I murmured, my gaze distant.
“Well, in any case, I would like to have told Gabe before he raced off with Amelia.”
I sighed. “It’s fine, Col.” I blinked back tears and turned into the sofa. Colin leaned forward, wiping at my cheeks.
“Rissa, you’re not crying for Cameron,” he said with absolute surprise in his voice.
“No matter how much I loathed him, no matter how much he hurt me …” I sniffled. “No one deserves to die like that, Col.”
Colin shuddered. “I agree.”
“And I feel so guilty. I had wished him gone so many times.”
“I highly doubt you had wished him dead.”
“You have no idea.” I trembled. “After Boston, I imagined all sorts of vile things. But I never would have wanted them to come to fruition. That’s not who I am, Col.”
“You didn’t cause this accident, Rissa. You didn’t give him a job in a place any fool would have seen he was unsuitable to work in.” He stroked a hand down my head and patted my back. “I called him friend once too.”
“I know, Col,” I whispered, gripping his hand. “What a sad ending to his tale.”
***
I WOKE THE FOLLOWING MORNING in my bed, with only a vague memory of how I had returned home. I turned to snuggle into Gabriel and frowned to find his portion of the bed empty. I ran my hand over his side, noting it still held his warmth.
“Gabriel?” I called out. The privacy screen was up, and I couldn’t see into our living area. I heard something ceramic set down on wood and then his footsteps as he approached. I leaned on one elbow, watching as he poked his head around the screen.
He wore a loose pair of pants and nothing else. “Why bother putting pants on?” I asked with a teasing smile.
“I should head to the hospital soon. See how Seb is.”
At his serious statement, I blanched, and all teasing faded. “Darling, come here.” I held out my hand to him, and he moved to join me on the bed.
He crawled under the covers again, pulling me into his arms. He sighed as I nestled into him. I breathed him in, feeling safe, cherishing this early morning ritual of being held in his arms.
“How is Seb?” I whispered against his throat. I kissed him once where his pulse beat steadily, then laid my head onto the pillow of his shoulder and upper chest.
“He’ll recover.
He’s a severe burn on his hip and lower back. The doctor thinks it will heal, although it’ll take time. He’ll need a lot of nursing care. And he might always have a bit of a limp with his walk.”
“But he’ll live,” I breathed. “Thank God. I don’t think Amelia could survive losing another man she loved.”
“I think she hadn’t admitted to herself how much she cared for him until last night,” Gabriel said. “And there’s still the risk of infection.”
“If he needs nursing, I’m sure Amelia will be there to see he’s well taken care of.” Gabriel’s chuckle resonated in my ear. “Did anyone speak with you about Cameron?”
“Why would they?” Gabriel asked as he nuzzled the top of my head.
“Because he’s the reason Seb went into that burning mill. He was trying to save Cameron.”
Gabriel pushed me away from him, tilting my face up so our eyes met. “Ah, so Colin told you?”
I nodded, my anxiety increasing the longer he refrained from holding me in his arms.
He brushed a finger down my cheek, rubbing it back and forth as he appeared lost in thought before focusing on me again. “Why are you so tense, love? What’s the matter?”
“What if he’s not really dead?” I bit my lip. “And then I think, what if he really did die?”
“Which would you prefer?” Gabriel brushed at the side of my head, stroking his thumb over one of my eyebrows.
“I don’t know.” I met Gabriel’s concerned glance. “And I hate that I don’t know. I should never wish that something as horrible as death should befall him.”
“It’s a normal reaction, after how you suffered at his hands, darling. I’d think it abnormal if you hadn’t at one point envisioned something miserable befalling him. He was a horrible man.”
“I know,” I whispered as I laid my head on his shoulder again. “But all I can imagine is his mother receiving the news. No matter how horrid they all were to me, believing themselves superior to me, I hate envisioning what she’ll suffer when she receives the news.”
Undaunted Love (PART ONE): Banished Saga, Book 3 Page 22