Kent Ashton's Backstory (Prequel to Catching Kent)

by Ruth Ann Nordin

  “Rebecca.”

  Bolting to his feet, he retrieved the letters and returned them to his room before he left the house.

  ***

  It took all of Kent’s self-control not to pound on the Johnsons’ front door. He thought the walk to Rebecca’s would calm him, but he only grew angrier with each step. The front door opened and he forced his tone to remain polite as he said, “I’d like to talk to Miss Johnson.”

  “Miss Johnson just went to the carriage house.”

  Thanking the butler, Kent hurried around the house, determined he’d find Rebecca before she left. She owed him an explanation. His grip tightened around the bottle in his coat pocket. He wasn’t going to leave until she told him why she did it.

  He flung the door to the carriage house open and made it two steps in when he saw her jerk from the young man she’d been kissing.

  “What’s going on here?” he demanded, not sure what surprised him more: the fact that she had drugged him to get him into bed with her or seeing her in another man’s arms.

  She quickly pulled away from the stable hand, her face a wild shade of red. “Kent, I…” She glanced at the young man and cleared her throat. Turning back to Kent, she continued, “I’m sorry.”

  The stable hand hurried to stand between her and Kent. “Why are you apologizing, Rebecca? You don’t want to marry him. You want to marry me.”

  “Samuel, let me handle this,” she said, her eyes pleading with him to do as she wished.

  He crossed his arms, his jaw clenched.

  She turned to Kent and clasped her hands in front of her. “Kent, what Samuel said is true, but,” she glanced at Samuel, “my father will never allow it. Samuel, I’m sorry, but I can’t.” She released her hands and sighed. “My father is insistent I marry someone with money.”

  Samuel shook his head. “Who cares what he thinks? You think money will make you happy?”

  “It’s not as easy as that,” she replied.

  “It is that easy, but you refuse to acknowledge it.”

  “No, it isn’t,” she insisted. “Please, Samuel. You’re only making things worse.”

  He threw his hands up in the air. “Fine. I’m out of here.”

  Kent waited until he stormed out of the carriage house before turning back to her. “What’s going on?” he asked in a tone that was more bewildered than angry.

  She approached him, her expression pleading with him to understand. “Kent, I have all the respect in the world for you. You’re a good man, an honest man, a decent man. I promise that I won’t see Samuel anymore.”

  “But you want to see him.”

  Wincing, she shook her head. “I can’t. I won’t.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because I’m going to marry you. I can’t betray my vows to you.”

  “Why are you marrying me? Because of this?” He brought the bottle out of his pocket and showed it to her, only mildly satisfied when her face paled. “Don’t pretend you didn’t bring this to my house and put it in my drink because it couldn’t have been anyone else.”

  After a moment, she swallowed then lowered her gaze. “Yes, I did it. Your father told me no one would be in the house except for you.”

  “Why? You didn’t even want to be with me this whole time, but you went through the trouble of slipping this in my drink so it’d look like we were together…that way. Or did we really…?” He couldn’t even bring himself to say it aloud, even after all this time.

  “We didn’t. It only looked like we’d be intimate, but we never were.”

  “Why?”

  “Um…” She took a deep breath and cleared her throat. “Your father caught me in a compromising position with Samuel and threatened to tell my father if I didn’t make it look like you and I had been in bed together.”

  “But… Wait. Let’s start from the beginning. I thought you were interested in me.”

  “It was all an act. Kent, that first night your family came to my house for dinner, my father wanted us to marry. Your family has old money and my father got along with yours. He figured an alliance with your family would benefit him financially.”

  At that, he laughed. Financially beneficial? If her father only knew how poor they were at the time, he never would have wanted such a thing. But now his father was very well off, thanks to the investments, and in the years to come, he’d be rich again. His father’s ploy had worked. No one would be the wiser.

  “I don’t know what’s so funny,” Rebecca said.

  “Nothing.” He stopped laughing and motioned for her to continue.

  Though she looked hesitant, she nodded. “Alright. Well, my father insisted that I do everything I could to be charming. When I realized you wanted to be with Ann Statesman, this was easier to do. I knew you’d never marry me, and when you married her, my father couldn’t fault me for not trying. But then, your father saw me with Samuel…” She wiped a tear from her eye and took a shaky breath. “I am so sorry, Kent. I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I was so scared. Your father said I either do it or he’d hire someone to remove Samuel.”

  His eyebrows furrowed. “Remove Samuel? What does that mean?”

  “I think you know what it means.”

  “No, my father wouldn’t kill anyone.”

  “I didn’t say he was going to kill him. He was going to hire someone to kill him.”

  “I can’t believe that.”

  She adjusted the collar on her coat and shrugged. “Then don’t. But that doesn’t change why I did what I did. I wanted to protect Samuel. I’d rather spend my life without him than risk his life.”

  “And does Samuel know?”

  Tears filled her eyes. “Yes. He thinks we can just run off and make a life for ourselves, but he has no money and I won’t have any if I don’t marry someone my father wants me to marry. My father will never allow a marriage with him. The whole thing is hopeless, and I never should have let it get as far as it did with him. The first time he expressed his feelings, I should have insisted my father hire someone else to take his place.”

  “But you couldn’t.”

  “I was weak.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with pursuing love, even if it comes at the most unexpected time.” Letting out a heavy sigh, he slipped the bottle back into his pocket. “I can’t fault you for what you did.”

  He knew his father could be manipulative, knew his father would do many things to get what he wanted, but he still couldn’t believe his father would make good on a threat to have someone killed for not doing what he wanted. Rebecca had been too scared to consider his father was bluffing.

  He considered their options. He didn’t want to marry her any more than she wanted to marry him. What had led them to this point was no longer relevant. What they needed to do was figure out a way to move forward.

  “Rebecca,” he began, “what if I could get enough money saved up to help you and Samuel leave Virginia and start a new life somewhere else?”

  She blinked back her tears. “You’d do that?”

  “I will but no one can know about it, and I can’t do it right now. We have to wait until about March or April.” That was when his investments gained enough profit to make it possible. “We have to bide our time until then and pretend we’re still engaged.”

  “Kent, after all I did to deceive you, I don’t deserve it.”

  “I know how my father is. He manipulates things until he gets what he wants. We can work through the details later.”

  To his surprise, she hugged him. “Thank you.”

  Feeling more at peace than he had in a long time, he smiled and patted her back. “Everything will be alright.” And once he found Ann and told her the good news, it would be.

  ***

  “She’s with my brother,” Agnes Brothers protested, glancing up and down the street to make sure no one overheard their conversation.

  “She didn’t want to be with him,” Kent replied.

  “But what about Rebecca?
You’re engaged to her.”

  “No, not anymore.”

  “Well, no one around here has been told otherwise.”

  He debated how much to tell her. Of all the people who would know where Ann and Todd went, it would be Agnes, her closest friend. “Don’t tell anyone, but we have secretly ended the engagement. We will tell everyone when the time is right, but this isn’t the time. Understand? It’s very important you don’t mention it to anyone.”

  Though she looked worried, she nodded.

  “Good,” he replied with relief. “Ann said you were the kind of person who could be trusted to keep her word, so I believe you’ll let Rebecca and I tell everyone when the time is right.”

  “Even so, that doesn’t change the fact that Ann is with Todd. You can’t come between them.”

  “Is she married to him?”

  “I don’t know. I think so. The preacher wouldn’t say if they went to his house or not on their way out, but my brother is an honorable man. He would have married her if he planned to live with her.”

  “Or he could have gone out West and told people he married her,” he pointed out, not putting it past Todd to do something like that, and why would Ann disgrace herself by telling people otherwise? Making another attempt with Agnes, he added, “Surely, Ann told you how much I meant to her?”

  After a long moment, she swallowed. “Yes, but that was back in April, before you broke her heart. She’s had all this time to be with Todd.”

  “It’s only been six months.”

  “And six months is enough time for her to fall in love with Todd.”

  “No, it’s not. She told me she would never love him, no matter what. And I love her. Circumstances have compelled me to end our courtship, but it wasn’t something I wanted. I promise you my feelings for your friend are sincere, and I’ll spend the rest of my life making things up to her.”

  She shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you. Todd’s my brother. Ann might be my friend, but my first duty is to him and I believe he’s better for her than you’d ever be.” She glanced around them again and tucked her hands into the pockets of her coat. “Now, please go find a lady more suited for you.”

  He watched as she walked away, both disappointed and frustrated. How could he expect her to tell him? Todd was her brother. She’d do whatever she could to make sure Ann stayed with him, even if Ann didn’t want to. But he also knew Agnes was the person who could lead him to Ann. He’d bide his time and watch her. Sooner or later, she’d lead him to Ann. And he had no trouble waiting. He’d wait an entire lifetime if it meant he could be with Ann in the end.

  Chapter Ten

  Three weeks later, Kent followed Agnes to the train station. He suspected she was going to see Ann, and if he could find out where she was going, he’d know where Ann was. With the amount of people gathered around to wish their loved ones safe travel, it was easy enough to blend in with the crowd so she didn’t notice him.

  “Excuse me,” he called out to a ten-year-old boy who was standing by the newsstand, eyeing the candy while his parents talked to another couple a few feet away.

  The boy turned to him. “Am I in your way, sir?”

  “No,” Kent said, offering him a smile, “but I can’t help but notice you’d like some candy.”

  “Oh, yes, but I’m not going to steal any.”

  “I know you aren’t. You look like an honest lad.”

  He nodded and turned his attention back to the candy.

  “You see that young lady standing in line at the ticket counter who’s wearing a green dress?” He motioned to Agnes who was in the line.

  “Uh huh.”

  He lowered his voice so no one would overhear them. “If you tell me where she’s going, I’ll give you a nickel. You don’t even have to talk to her. Just listen to her tell the man behind the counter where she’s going.”

  The boy glanced between her and the candy. “All I have to do is listen to her?”

  Kent nodded.

  The boy headed off for the line and Kent dug out a nickel from his pocket. Kent watched as the boy got close to Agnes and stayed near her until she left with a ticket. He straightened as the boy ran over to him, swiftly dodging several people along the way.

  When the boy reached him, he gave him a wide, satisfied smile. “Jamestown, North Dakota.”

  He handed him the nickel. “Thank you.”

  The excited boy ran to the newsstand and Kent turned away from him then watched as Agnes headed for the train. Soon enough, he’d be going to Jamestown.

  ***

  “Oh, let him go,” Kent’s mother said during dinner that evening. “Mr. Jeffries is a wise investor. He might teach Kent a thing or two.”

  Kent wasn’t necessarily fond of the idea that his mother had to speak up on his behalf, but considering how reluctant his father was to let him go to New York, he figured she was his best chance. And all he needed was a couple weeks. A couple weeks would be sufficient time to travel to Jamestown, tell Ann he would rescue her from Todd in April after his investments matured, and come back. He wished he had the money to start a new life with her now, but he’d have to bide his time. They’d have the rest of their lives together. Half a year was a small price to pay.

  He glanced at his father as he cut into his steak. “Mr. Dawson is letting me take the time off so I can go.”

  His father sipped his wine then set the glass on the table. “I don’t know why you refuse to work for Mr. Johnson. You’d have a much better job as his future son-in-law.”

  “I want to prove I can earn money on my own merit,” he replied.

  “You could go farther on Mr. Johnson’s.”

  He hid his grimace. One thing he’d be sure to do when he married Ann was to move far away from Virginia. Maybe they could go to California. That was as far west as he could go and make it near to impossible for his father to track him down. Rebecca and Samuel were making plans to go to Canada where he had a distant relative who could use help with his horses.

  “There’s no denying Mr. Jeffries’ advice would be of great benefit to you,” his father finally said, bringing Kent’s attention back to him. “How long will you be gone?”

  “Only a couple weeks. Three at the most,” Kent replied.

  After a long moment, he nodded. “Very well. You may go.”

  Relieved, Kent continued eating while his parents discussed an upcoming ball they wanted to attend.

  ***

  Kent’s heartbeat picked up as he stepped off the train in Jamestown. The surroundings were much different from what he expected. It wasn’t anything like the hustle and bustle he was used to in Virginia. There were open fields surrounding a small, dusty town, which had no more than a few stores and businesses surrounded by homes. He shook his head. This was no place for Ann.

  She wanted to be in New York where they were supposed to go to balls and the theatre. She loved everything he’d described to her. This place out in the middle of nowhere was nothing at all like she wanted. If he could take her out of here today, he would, but he couldn’t just yet. What he could do was offer her hope, to let her know that he was going to rescue her from this life. He only had to wait five months before the investments yielded enough money so he could give her the life she deserved.

  He scanned the few people who were lingering about along the main street, talking and laughing. Perhaps one of them would know where he could find Ann. He decided to ask one of the women, figuring they’d be more likely to have befriended Ann. He took a deep breath and approached three women who stood outside the small post office.

  When one of them looked in his direction, he offered a greeting then said, “A friend of mine recently came to this town with a man who took over a farm, and I was wondering if you know her. She goes by the name Ann Statesman. She has brown hair, is slender, comes from Virginia?”

  The woman’s eyebrows furrowed. “I don’t know anyone by the name Statesman, but Ann Brothers fits your description.”<
br />
  “Brothers?” His polite smile faltered. Did she really marry Todd or was that the story he bound her to? Perhaps she went along with it to avoid harming her reputation?

  “Yes. His sister Agnes came for a visit.” The woman glanced at her friends who nodded.

  “Yes, that’s the Ann I’m referring to,” he replied.

  The woman’s friend motioned to the grocer. “I saw her go in there.”

  “Is she still there?” he asked, his gaze going to the store across the street.

  “She spends a lot of time there, so I assume so.”

  “She helps the owners out,” the other woman added.

  Kent winced as he thought of Ann degrading herself to helping people who owned a grocer. Never would she have had to do something so beneath her in Virginia. Just what kind of life did Todd give her? How could he be so selfish that he would deny her the comforts she’d grown up with?

  Kent swallowed the lump in his throat. It was his fault Ann was in this predicament. If he’d only refrained from getting drunk, his father never would have manipulated things so that he believed he’d compromised Rebecca’s virtue. Then he wouldn’t have ended his courtship with Ann, and Ann wouldn’t have run off with Todd. Kent had no one but himself to blame for how things turned out. But he was here to set things right, to let Ann know he was going to take her away from here.

  Turning back to the women, he smiled. “Thank you.”

  Straightening his frock coat, he headed for the store, not entirely sure what he’d say once he saw Ann. The last time he saw her, he ended their courtship, and that was seven months ago. Would Ann even be happy to see him? What a silly question. Of course, she’d be. She promised that she would always love him, had even assured him that she’d never love anyone but him. Surely, time wouldn’t change that.