He scanned the area for other people. No one was close enough to discern what Alice was doing. Thank you, Lord.
He scrutinized the bay while listening to her continued struggle for air. Gulls soared over the brilliant water. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
From the corner of his eye, he saw her shake her head. She laced her fingers behind her head and took long, deep breaths. After a few seconds, her breathing returned to normal.
“I kissed him.”
He whipped toward her, glimpsed her skin revealed by the four undone buttons, and spun away again. “Who?”
In his periphery vision, he saw her button her dress. When she was finished, he faced her.
She bit the finger of her glove. “Benjamin.”
Daniel waited for shock to set in.
It didn’t come.
Not anger, either. Not even a speck.
Why am I not angry? My brother kissed my fiancée. I should be angry. Instead, he felt strangely calm. As though he had expected it. But it was unlike either Benjamin or Alice to betray his trust. So why doesn’t it feel like betrayal? Why does it feel…right? As if this is the way it’s supposed to be? A light dawned inside him. “Do you love him?”
She nodded as tears spilled down her cheeks. “But I don’t think he loves me. Not enough, anyway, or he wouldn’t have purchased my ticket and talked Richard into bringing me here.”
Daniel grinned. That is exactly what his honorable big brother would have done. The stronger the temptation, the farther he would have wanted Alice from him.
She frowned at him. “Why are you grinning? Don’t you understand? I betrayed your trust while you held yourself true. Aren’t you angry with me?”
He chuckled. “I should be. But I’m not. Actually, I’m relieved.”
A tentative smile lifted her trembling lips. “I think you just insulted me.”
“Never. But I think we both know this”—he wagged his finger between them—“isn’t meant to be.”
“I would’ve made you a good wife, Daniel. I know I made a horrible mistake, but I never would have…” Her throat bobbed. “I’m not my father.”
“Oh, my dear, I know that.” Daniel withdrew his kerchief and handed it to her. “Remember that time, just before I left, when you helped that nervous young singer… What was her name?”
Alice’s voice steadied as she patted her face. “Miss Humphrey. Mother had her brought up all the way from Washington to perform for our party.”
“And she was so nervous you feared she would lose her accounts, so you took her out to stroll the garden until it was time for her performance.” Daniel clasped his hands together. “You missed half the party just to cheer up an eleven-year-old girl.”
Alice sniffed. “I suppose that was nice of me.”
“It was extremely kind and it is something a selfish man like your father would never do.” He held out his arm. “Now, shall we go tell the chaplain his services are no longer needed?”
She tucked away his kerchief before accepting his offer, and they started their walk back to the hotel. “Oh, Daniel. What are we going to do?”
He smiled down at her. “I do still have that ticket back to Boston.”
“But you aren’t going back now, are you? I assumed now that you were free…” She gasped, coming to a halt. “Oh, but I never asked. How does Miss Brooks feel about you?”
Daniel tipped his head. His leaving made Eliza cry, and she’d been vehement about not allowing him to sacrifice his future for her. Then there was that near kiss. He stood taller. “I believe she cares for me.”
“Does she love you?”
He set his jaw. “I intend to find out.”
“What are you going to do?” She tugged at one of her blonde curls. “You can’t just ask a person if they love you. What if they say no, or”—she pulled her hand from his arm, her chin lowering—“refuse to answer you at all.”
Daniel dipped his chin to catch her eye. “Sounds like you’re speaking from experience.”
Her cheeks pinked as she studied the ground.
He nudged her with his shoulder. “Do you want to tell me what happened?”
She peered up at him through her lashes. “Are you sure you want to know?”
“If it will help you to talk about it.”
She pulled her glove free and twisted it for a minute before speaking. “All right, but remember, Benjamin’s been my escort for social events for years now. And you’re the one who asked him to fill that role. It isn’t like we planned for—”
Daniel held up his hand. “I remember. It was my idea for Benjamin to escort you. In fact, it took me three letters and an ounce of gold to convince him to take you to that first dance.”
Alice staggered back a step. “You paid him!”
Daniel restrained a smile. “Mm-hm. But only for the first few months. After that, you started writing that he had offered to escort you to events before I even knew to ask him.” Daniel clasped his hands behind his back.
“But…he always said you’d asked him. Or did he? Now I can’t remember. Maybe I just assumed…” Alice tapped her chin.
“For my part, since he said that taking you convinced Mother to quit nagging him about finding a wife, I assumed Benjamin was enjoying socializing with the other single ladies at the events you two attended.” He tilted his head. “Why did my mother think you and Richard were visiting a friend? She couldn’t have known you were coming to California, or she’d have said so in her letters.”
“She didn’t know. Benjamin swore us to secrecy when he purchased our tickets. I think he worried she’d stop us from leaving.”
Yes, Mother probably would have done just that. “But why did you come to California? You’ve already admitted you love my brother.”
Alice told him how her father’s behavior had spiraled out of control and that Richard had convinced her to flee.
He’d known her father was a scoundrel, but to strike his own daughter? The man was a cad! “Good for Richard. I’m glad he got you out of there.” Daniel held his hands out and she accepted them. “Why didn’t you write me that things had gotten so bad? I’d have come for you sooner, savings or no.”
She squeezed his hands. “I know you would have, but by that time…” She pulled away and shrugged.
Aha. He crossed his arms. “By then you’d fallen for my brother and didn’t want me to come for you.”
She nodded.
“So what happened? You mentioned a kiss?”
She swung her skirt side to side, like a bell. “It happened at the Summer Ball.”
Daniel couldn’t restrain the smile this time. “So that’s why you stopped writing.” Her last letter had been all about preparing for the ball.
She quit moving and clasped her hands together. “At first, I didn’t know how to tell you I couldn’t marry you because I’d fallen for your brother. Then Benjamin started avoiding me, and I didn’t know what to think. I’d promised to marry you and I was convinced your mother would hate me if I broke your heart. And I was so desperate to escape my father’s house and behavior…I didn’t know what to do.” She stepped forward, lifting her clasped hands. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to hurt you.”
Daniel laid his hand over hers. “You didn’t. Remember?” He cupped her cheek. “Everything’s all right. I love Eliza and you love Benjamin. It’s clear God didn’t intend for you and me to marry. It just took us some time to realize that.” He tweaked her nose. “And now, you are free to return home and tell that brother of mine how foolish he was to let you go.”
She swatted his hand away, frowning at him. “But how? I’ve no money and no chaperone.”
“Use my ticket to Boston.” He took her hand and returned it to his arm. “It’s all paid for. And I’ll speak to Mr. Davidson about a chaperone. Surely he can recommend someone.”
“Thank you.” She didn’t resist when he resumed their walk back to town. “But what if Benjamin doesn’t want me?”
>
“Oh, he wants you. Trust me.” He grinned at her. “And when you see him, tell him I want my ounce of gold back.”
Chapter 38
The chaplain didn’t seem to mind their change of plans. When they announced their ended engagement to the Davidsons, Mr. Davidson grilled Daniel anew on the details of his trip with Eliza before granting his blessing for Daniel’s pursuit of his niece. Mrs. Davidson remained silent and glared out the window. Giving Alice Daniel’s ticket was a simple matter, but the next ship bound for Boston wouldn’t arrive for another week, and finding a suitable escort—something Mr. Davidson promised to arrange—could take even longer. So they all agreed that Alice would travel with the rest of them to the mountains.
If all went according to plan, the Davidsons would return with Alice to San Francisco in one week.
By the time everyone was prepared to leave, the sun hung low in the sky, but Daniel talked them out of delaying their departure. As they rode out of San Diego, he nearly urged his horse into a gallop, but out of respect for his horse and the fact that none of the others knew the way, he kept to a brisk trot.
When it grew dark, Mr. Davidson called for them to make camp. Had Daniel been on his own, he’d have continued. As it was, he heeded Mr. Davidson’s decision to let the women rest and settled in for what promised to be a restless night.
Eliza pressed her boot down as hard as she could but only managed to sink it an inch or two into the snow. Andrew was right. This snowstorm was nothing like what they experienced up north. It had been snowing for three straight days, yet the amount that fluttered from the heavens barely covered the ground.
She leaned back in the little chair she had brought outside before Pa and Ysabel retired for the evening. Pa didn’t like the idea of Eliza sitting alone in the growing dark and had given her his Colt, just in case. His concern hadn’t disturbed her sense of peace, though. God was watching her. She sensed His presence.
Wrapped in a thick pelt, she wasn’t bothered by the cold, and the sight of the flakes drifting through the twilight was breathtaking.
When it grew too dark to see God’s artwork, she stood to go inside. Holding Pa’s pistol in one hand, she grasped the pelt with her other to keep it from slipping as she approached the door of the cabin.
A branch snapped behind her.
The rhythmic crunch of boots plodding through snow disturbed the quiet. Someone was approaching from the west, opposite the Coopers’ cabin.
The back of her neck tingled.
She adjusted her grip on the pistol so that her finger lay over the trigger.
Who would be out on a night like this?
She strained to discern movement among the sparse trees. Clouds blocked the glow of the moon and stars, leaving the hillside in shades of black.
Should she wake Pa? No. She couldn’t wake him without waking Ysabel, and her stepmother had been worn through by mysterious cramps that came and went all day. Maria—who birthed and raised two sons only to watch them die of smallpox before reaching adulthood—assured everyone that Ysabel’s pains were normal and nothing to be concerned about. Pa didn’t seem convinced and hovered at Ysabel’s side, making sure she rested as much as possible. He’d exhausted himself with worry. They both needed their rest.
Lord, please don’t make me have to shoot. That would wake everyone in a hurry.
The crunching of snow grew louder as the intruder approached.
There. A darker shade of black moved among the trees.
She let the pelt fall and cocked the gun.
The click echoed as she took aim.
Daniel froze. Was that a gun cocking? Jim or Andrew must have heard him approaching. He should have listened to Mr. Davidson when he’d argued that approaching the cabins in the dark was foolhardy. But they were so close. He couldn’t bear waiting until morning to see Eliza again.
Now he raised his hands slowly. “Jim? Andrew? It’s Daniel Clarke.”
“Daniel?”
“Eliza?” What was she doing outside in the dark? With a gun?
Snow crunched beneath boots.
“Ah—!” Thud.
“Eliza!” He sprinted in the direction of her voice.
A second later, he found her sprawled in the snow at the edge of her pa’s yard. He knelt beside her. “What happened? Are you hurt?”
She lifted a gloved hand to the back of her head.
“Eliza!” Jim’s voice came from the cabin as Eliza sucked in a loud breath. She must have had the wind knocked out of her.
Gunfire shattered the night. “That’s a warning shot and it’s the only one you’re gonna get. Now speak up! Who’s out there, and where’s my daughter?”
“It’s Daniel Clarke, sir. Eliza’s with me. I think she fell.”
Eliza’s head tilted up, the whites of her eyes barely visible. Were they glazed or clear? Was she happy to see him? It was impossible to tell.
“Do you think you can stand?”
She lifted a hand. He took it and helped her to her feet. She slipped a little and his arm went around her. He pulled her close.
Jim skidded to a stop behind her, his gun lowered.
Thank you, Lord.
Still, it was probably wise to loosen his hold on the man’s daughter.
The second Daniel eased back, she stepped away.
He pressed his empty hands against his thighs, resisting the urge to pull her back.
Jim wrapped a thick pelt around Eliza.
“I’m all right, Pa. Daniel’s right, I fell. Slipped on a patch of ice.”
“Well, why didn’t you answer me when I called?”
“I couldn’t breathe and—”
Boot steps pounded over the rise between the cabins.
“Everything all right, Jim?”
Andrew. Probably toting his rifle.
Daniel couldn’t see Jim, but somehow he sensed the man’s narrowed eyes on him.
Jim turned his head toward the rise. “Think so. Know for sure soon enough.”
A line of yellow light crossed the snow as the cabin door cracked open. “Jim?”
Jim said something in Ysabel’s native language and the door closed again.
Andrew stomped across to them. “Why’d you fire your gun?”
Daniel cringed. “That would be my fault. Mr. Davidson warned me to wait until morning, but I was too impatient to see Eliza.”
“To see me?” Was that hope in her voice?
“Mr. Davidson?” Jim spoke over his daughter. “You’ve seen my brother?”
“Yes, sir.” Daniel pointed the way he’d come. “They’re all camped about four miles back. They set up tents and I made sure they had a warm fire going. I told them I’d go back for them in the morning.”
Jim shifted toward Andrew. “You think Maria’ll mind if we come and set at your place? I don’t like to keep Ysabel up and I got a feeling I’m gonna need to look this young man in the eye.”
“I don’t think she’ll mind. I’ll run ahead and let her know you’re coming.”
Andrew jogged off and Jim followed at a brisk walk.
Eliza started to follow Jim.
Daniel caught her hand where it poked from beneath the pelt. Her step faltered, but she didn’t pull away.
Despite Eliza’s thick gloves, Daniel’s warmth radiated through her fingertips all the way to her toes. Lord, what is he doing here? He should be halfway down the Pacific coast by now. He’d never held her hand like this before. Had he changed his mind? But why? What about Alice?
Eliza yanked her hand away. Don’t forget about Alice.
“Eliza?” His voice was too low for Pa to hear.
She ignored him and hurried ahead.
He couldn’t have broken his engagement with Alice yet. It took far more than a week’s time for a letter to even reach The States, let alone receive a reply. He must have come as a guide for her aunt and uncle. Then why did he take her hand like that?
She followed Pa into the Coopers’ cabin.
Maria set the coffee pot on the fire as Andrew waved them over to the table.
Eliza set her pelt aside and sank into the chair Daniel held out for her.
The moment everyone was seated, Pa eyed Daniel. “So, young man? What’s your excuse for coming at this hour and scaring us all half to death?”
“I’m sorry, sir.” Daniel craned his neck to catch Eliza’s eye.
She ducked her chin. Still, she sensed his gaze on her.
His hand nudged hers under the table. “I’m especially sorry to have scared you, Eliza.”
She clasped her hands together. The warmth of his nearness drew her. Don’t look at him. Every beat of her heart shouted for her to turn and claim him. He isn’t mine to claim. Why was he torturing her like this?
“What is it you’ve come back for, son? And what’s my brother doing here?”
“Mr. Davidson and his wife received Eliza’s letter, but they wanted to see for themselves that she was well and safe.”
Eliza snorted. If Cecilia was here, it wasn’t out of concern for Eliza’s well-being.
“Seems like you could’ve drawn them a map. Henry’s not bad with direction. I think he could’ve found us without you coming along.” Pa tilted his head toward her. “Might’ve been better that way.”
She flushed. Did Pa have to speak so plainly?
“You’re right. I could have drawn a map, but…” Daniel cleared his throat. “Well, the truth is, I came back for a different reason.”
Eliza tensed. Why is he here? Why would a carpenter come to the mountains? Maybe he wants Andrew to harvest wood for him. Daniel’s a carpenter. Carpenters need wood. That makes sense. Somewhat.
“I’ve had a lot of time to think over what you said, sir, and I believe you’re right. Eliza and I should marry.”
She whirled toward him. “What are you saying? What about Alice?”
“Eliza, may I speak with you, please?” Daniel stood and pulled her chair back. Her legs wobbled as she rose.
He lifted a candle from the mantle. “In private, sir?”
Pa nodded and Daniel placed her hand on his arm.
Waltz in the Wilderness Page 29