The Reckless Proposal (Heroes of Hays Series #2)

by Barbara Goss

  “That’s a good idea, but give me time to settle into my new life, first. I don’t think she wants to give up on me yet, but I’m finished,” Ned said. “No offense, but treating servants like slaves is just not something I can ignore.”

  Ned didn’t want to mention that she was a wild temptress as well.

  By then they were back at the house. Radcliffe stopped before opening the door to shake Ned’s hand. “I wish you the very best, Ned.”

  When Ned went to bed that night, he put the back of the chair under the doorknob to keep Jezebel, as he’d nicknamed her, out of his room. Often at night, he’d hear her trying to open his door and then go stomping off. Just a few more days and he’d be on his way home.

  Chapter Ten

  Ellen walked into the study and gasped when she saw Ned playing checkers with Morton.

  “Morton! Don’t you have better things to do than bothering our guests?” Ellen said, hands on her hips.

  “I invited him, Ellen,” Ned said as he moved his red piece to a space on the board.

  “And I seconded the motion,” Robert Radcliffe added from his desk. “Ellen, go about your business and leave them to their game.”

  “But father, he’s a servant, not a house guest!”

  “He’s my friend,” Ned said. “And he plays a mean game of checkers.”

  Ellen gave an exasperated sigh and stormed from the room.

  Ned did an excellent job of living in the same house as Ellen, yet dodging her. Morton was, indeed, his newest friend. He helped Ned by telling him Ellen’s whereabouts so he could avoid her.

  Dinner was the only time he had to be in the same room with her, but now that Robert Radcliffe was aware of his plight, he supported him as best he could.

  Two days before he was to depart from England, Ellen wrote him a letter and slid it under his door. Ned ignored it. He set it on the dresser and never opened it.

  At dinner that night, Sophie, the serving maid, came out of the kitchen carrying a dessert tray and the items on the tray somehow shifted, and the whole tray went flying in the air, landing on the shiny parquet floor. Dessert dishes broke. Pudding splattered all over the floor and wall.

  Ellen screamed at Sophie, “You worthless fool! This is the last time you’ll ruin our dinner with your clumsiness.” Ellen turned to her mother. “Mother, do something about her.”

  “Sophie, from now on you work upstairs. Send Anna down to take your job. You’re the clumsiest maid we’ve ever had. One more mistake and you’ll be looking for a job without a reference.”

  Ned was furious. He felt his face flush so he knew his cheeks must be red. Poor Sophie bent down to clean the mess amid tears of fear and embarrassment.

  Ned pushed back his chair, threw down his napkin, and stood. He then bent down and helped Sophie clean the mess.

  “I’ll pick up the glass, you run and get something to put the glass in, as well as a rag to wipe up the floor.” As she started to get up, trying to hide her tears, Ned took hold of her hand and whispered, “If you want to leave this employment, I’ll write you a reference. Please don’t cry. Accidents happen to the best of us.”

  Sophie nodded, giving Ned a half-smile through her tears.

  Ned felt someone at his elbow. He looked up to see Robert Radcliffe bending to his knees to help pick up the glass. He looked angry.

  When Sophie came back, she had a tin bowl for the glass pieces and a cloth. She knelt and began to wipe up the pudding.

  “I suppose this means we don’t get dessert tonight,” Ellen remarked harshly.

  Robert stood and pointed to Ellen. “Enough, young lady!”

  Emma Radcliffe sat up straighter. “Excuse me, Robert. The girl has every right to complain—our dinner has been ruined.”

  “You want dessert?” he said. “He took the pudding-filled rag from Sophie and threw it on the table. It landed with a splat between Emma and Ellen.

  “Well, I never!” Emma exclaimed. “We’ll talk about this later, Robert. Come, Ellen, we’ll take our tea in the parlor. We’ll have Morton bring it out so it’s safe from being thrown on the floor.”

  Emma walked to the door, looked back at the petrified Sophie and said, “You’re fired!”

  “Ned,” Robert said calmly. “Do you suppose there are any tickets left on that ship of yours to America? I need a vacation.”

  Ned studied the man to see if he was serious—he seemed determined. “I’ll find out. I’d love to have your company.”

  “Sophie,” Robert said, “don’t cry. I’ll give you a glowing reference and find you another job as well. I know of several people who owe me favors who could use a good maid. Nice people.”

  When the last of the mess had been cleared away, Robert said to Sophie, “Pack up your things and I’ll have George drive you to the Inn on Baker Street. Tomorrow, I’ll have him deliver you to your new job, reference in hand.” When he saw Sophie smile, he added, “You haven’t lost anything, you’ve just gained yourself a better position.”

  Ned nodded and then smiled at Robert. When their eyes met, he knew a kindred spirit linked them.

  The shipping office at the wharf still had tickets for The Philadelphia. Robert had given him enough money to buy a first class ticket, as well as to upgrade Ned’s ticket to the same. So far, his prayers had all been answered. He thanked God for letting him see Ellen for what she was, giving him a new friend in Robert Radcliffe, and for letting him discover, through experience, that passion and love were not the same things.

  As he rode home from the wharf, he thought about how he’d almost ended up in the same position as poor Robert, and he cringed. He hoped the separation from Emma would make a difference. Maybe his wife would see how unfair she’d been to him. Once again, he thanked God for his escape. He knew that while he’d be free of Ellen, he should pray for both her and her mother. He’d pray they’d realize their domineering ways, and what it had caused them to lose, namely, a prospective husband and a husband of twenty-five years.

  He now knew that passion wasn’t the same as love, as it would fade and leave nothing in its place. While he wasn’t sure if he loved Maria or not, he certainly respected her. She was someone he yearned to know better, and someone whose company he enjoyed, without the passionate heat. Her blue eyes haunted him—he couldn’t wait to see her again to ask if he could court her.

  Robert and Ned shared the same first class room. Though it had bunk beds, the room was larger and more luxurious than the second-class room Ned had had on his first trip. He was surprised to see that even their seats in the dining hall were more comfortable, and the captain often sat with them at a large table, well away from the other passengers.

  Ned wasn’t sure he liked the discrimination based on a person’s ability to pay. They were all humans and deserved better, but there was nothing he could do about it.

  Robert insisted Ned call him Robert now that they were friends rather than prospective in-laws. Pleased with their friendship, Ned gladly agreed.

  Vera Evans came into the house and set the mail down on the kitchen table. “Maria, there’s a letter for you, and it’s postmarked from England!”

  Maria had been eating her lunch at the table but sprung up when she heard she had a message from England. It had to be from Ned! She snatched the letter from her mother’s hand and ran into her bedroom to read it in solitude.

  As she read, her enthusiasm faded, as did the smile on her face. Tears formed in her eyes and she wadded up the letter and threw it across the room. So, it’s over, she thought, wiping her tears. No reason to cry. He was never hers to begin with. Nothing gained, nothing lost. She knew with all her heart she was lying to herself. She loved Ned and had daydreamed there was hope for them, from the day he left until this moment, especially after her talk with Evaline. Ellen was bossy and demanding like her mother, couldn’t Ned see that? Or had she continued to fool him?

  Although she knew it was best to know this now, rather than learn it later, her heart still ache
d.

  Her mother knocked softly and walked in. “Why, Maria! I thought you’d be jumping all over the room with joy. It was a letter from Ned, right?”

  Maria burst into tears. Her mother went to her and held her. “Did something happen to Ned?”

  “Yes,” she said between sobs. “He got married.”

  After a week of staying mostly in her room, eating her heart out, Maria fixed her hair, dressed, and went into the kitchen.

  Her mother smiled but said nothing.

  “I’m going to ride over and see Evaline,” she said.

  “I see,” Vera said. “Didn’t the letter say to not tell anyone?”

  “It said not to mention the marriage, and I won’t. I care too much for him to break a confidence he entrusted me with. However, I don’t have to pretend to care for him anymore, and I won’t.”

  “So I shouldn’t mention this to Hugh when I see him tonight?” she asked.

  “No. Avoid the subject, but if he asks outright, don’t lie,” Maria said.

  Maria slipped her cape on and went out the door.

  “I’m so glad you stopped by, Maria,” Evaline said as she poured tea into a china cup, and handed it to her. “I have news that I’m just dying to tell someone,” she said.

  Maria thought she must have found out about Ned and Ellen, and she was about to tell her she already knew, but Evaline burst out with her news.

  “We’re increasing!”

  “Really?” Maria hadn’t expected that and it took her by surprise. She didn’t seem happy for Evaline right away because she was still shocked at Evaline’s news not being what she’d thought.

  “Aren’t you happy for me?” Evaline asked.

  Maria smiled warmly and patted her hand. “I’m over the moon! You just took me by surprise is all. I had thought you might have had news from Ned to relate.”

  “Travis got a letter, but it didn’t say much at all. Just that he’d never live in England because it was so different,” Evaline said as she sipped her tea. “I missed it for the longest time, but—I actually like it here now.”

  Wanting to get off the subject of Ned, she asked, “What do you like about Kansas?”

  “Travis, of course. He’d never fit in England, and I doubt I would anymore, either. I like the informal living, the friendly people, our church, our minister, and most importantly, I now have a personal relationship with God. How I ever lived twenty-one years without Him, I’ll never know.”

  She sighed. “I feel like I fit in here and that my life in England was not real. There were a lot of pretenses and thinking we were better than others because we were privileged to be in a higher class. Here, everyone pretty much seems equal and I’ve never met such warm and friendly people before.”

  “Do you think, if things work out between Ellen and Ned, she’ll relocate here, since Ned refuses to live in England?” Maria asked.

  “That’s hard to say,” Evaline said as she set her cup down. “I don’t know Ned well, but I could see he had deep feelings for Ellen. I don’t think he’ll live in England though, so she’d have to move here, yet, it’s hard to believe she’d acclimate to Kansas as well as I have—we’re too different.”

  “If she loves him, she’ll have to like it here, I suppose,” Maria said.

  “I wouldn’t bet on it.”

  Maria was feeling a bit depressed and wanted to talk about something else. While she still felt something for Ned, she wanted him to be happy if he married Ellen. Now she worried that not only had she lost him but that she’d have to witness his unhappiness. The town was too small not to see it.

  Maria tried to work up excitement for Evaline’s news. She clapped her hands together and exclaimed, “So when is the little one due to arrive?”

  “Not until fall.” Evaline frowned. “It’s too long to wait—I’m so excited.”

  Maria took on a dreamy mood. “I’d love to be increasing.” To herself she thought, with Ned’s baby.

  “No time like the present to start,” Evaline said.

  “What?” Maria was taken aback by her remark.

  “I mean, looking for the right man. I’d hate to see you heartbroken if Ned comes home with Ellen.” Evaline patted her hand. “I hope it doesn’t happen, but be prepared for it, won’t you?”

  “I am,” she lied. “You forget I‘m the one who sent him to sort out his feelings.”

  “I know you were,” Evaline said. “Is Wade Sommers still pestering you to go for a buggy ride?”

  Maria nodded.

  “Well, go with him. Start getting out,” Evaline said forcefully.

  She thought about Ned’s letter, which certainly made her promise to wait for him void and obsolete. “Maybe I shall.”

  “And I noticed Ham Williams eyeing you, too. Encourage him. They’re both good men from excellent families,” Evaline said.

  Maria sipped her tea and wondered if her friend was right.

  “What’s Ham’s first name, anyway?” Maria asked. “Strange nickname, isn’t it?”

  “Travis said it stood for Hamilton, and that he hates his name.” Evaline added, “I think Ham is worse, though.”

  Maria stood. If Evaline knew about Ned’s marriage she hadn’t let on, but she doubted he’d told even Travis.

  “I’ve decided to start encouraging Ham and…Wade.” Then she laughed, “I almost said Ham and eggs. From now on, I shall call him Hamilton so I don’t slip and say something like that to him.”

  “He wouldn’t mind; he’s a good fellow.” Evaline embraced Maria. “Pray about it—It really does work.”

  Chapter Eleven

  While Ned’s voyage was comfortable and actually pleasant, he still thought that: there was no place like dry land. After disembarking the ship, Ned and Robert hopped on a train, and after several rest stops and car changes, they made it back to Hays in three weeks’ time.

  They walked to the livery where each rented a horse. Ned rode with Robert to Travis and Evaline’s place, but he didn’t stop since he was anxious to see Hugh, and hopefully, Maria.

  Hugh gave Ned a bear hug when he walked in. “Missed you, Ned. I’m sorry things didn’t work out for you and I promise not to say, ‘I told you so.’”

  “What’s new around here?” Ned said as he set down his valise. “Have you seen Maria?”

  “Yes, I have. I visit Vera often and…Maria’s usually there.”

  There was something about the way Hugh had said that last part.

  “What’s going on, Uncle.”

  “Well, you might as well know she’s being courted by Wade Sommers. She’s gone for a few buggy rides with Ham, but she seems to have settled herself on Wade. He’s there every day, or so it seems.”

  “No!” Ned cried, feeling like someone had punched him in the stomach.

  Hugh picked up Ned’s valise and put it in his room. “I don’t know why you ever left Maria for Ellen. I think she really felt something for you.”

  Ned followed him and sat on the edge of his bed, stunned. Hadn’t she said she’d wait for him? And he thought Ellen was fickle. While it hurt terribly to know she hadn’t meant it when she’d said she’d wait for him, he was furious at the same time.

  “Oh, horsefeathers,” Hugh said. “I take it you’ve decided you wanted Maria after all.”

  “She’s the one who urged me to go to England in the first place. She told me she’d be here, waiting for me,” Ned said. “Of course, she never said she’d be waiting alone.”

  “Aw, sorry, Ned. She’d have been perfect for you.”

  “I’m going to make a vow right now, Uncle Hugh. I swear I’m never going to trust another woman as long as I live.”

  “That’s a long time,” Hugh said with a chuckle. “I have other news. Would you care to hear it?”

  “If it’s about Maria and Wade, no.”

  “It’s not about them, and it’s even sadder news. Edgar Randolph died the day before yesterday.”

  “Oh, no!” Ned exclaimed. “How can t
hat be? He just turned thirty years old.”

  “It was a freak farming accident. He was up in his barn loft and the whole thing collapsed. The old loft landed on him and he never gained consciousness.”

  “Aww, that’s terrible!” The news hit Ned almost as hard as the news about Maria and Wade had. Although Edgar was five years older than him, they’d been close friends. “I guess you have to give thanks for every day you have here on earth.”

  “You got that right,” Hugh said. “They’re going to bury him as soon as his family arrives from Independence.”

  “I still can’t believe it,” Ned said.

  “Anyway, tomorrow, in church, Reverend Moran will give us the details on all the arrangements.”

  “Has his family arrived yet? I need to go there if they have, to give them my condolences,” Ned said.

  “They might be. Do you want to take a ride over and see? I could take that pie Helena made for us,” Hugh offered.

  “Good idea. Just let me clean up a bit.”

  Hugh and Ned noticed a rented buggy in front of the Randolph’s house and knew that at least some of his family had arrived. They tied their horses and went to the door, pie in hand. Ned knocked and a woman who looked to be in her late fifties or early sixties opened the door.

  The men removed their hats. “Ned and I came to personally give our condolences. Edgar was a dear friend to both of us.”

  The woman’s eyes were red and she had dark circles under them, but she welcomed them warmly and invited them in.

  Ned held out the pie. “We wanted to help in some way. Is there anything else we can do?”

  “Come and sit down in the sitting room,” the woman said. Once they were seated, she said, “I’m Esther Randolph, Edgar’s mother. This is his father, Edgar Sr., and this is his sister, Natalie.”

  Esther asked if they wanted tea, but both declined.

  “If there’s anything you need, please feel free to call on us,” Ned said. “We’re the next farm over from Edgar’s. In fact, we sold him the land he built this house on when he started farming.”