The marshal nodded to Eb. “Bentley. That the fella?”
“Yes, sir.”
The marshal walked over to Peterson. “Who are you?”
“The name is Peterson, sir. I just came by ship, all the way from New Orleans, and before that down the Mississippi.”
“You know Thomas Costigan?”
“Well, I…”
“That’s good enough for me.” Nesmith nodded at Eb. “If you and Whistler say he’s a bad’un, I’ll take him in for questioning.”
“I think that would be wise,” Rob said.
They sent the Adams and Harkness brothers on their respective ways with hearty thanks. Rob treated the ladies to tea and a sandwich at a café while Eb accompanied Nesmith and Peterson to the marshal’s office.
An hour later, Anne and Elise went to tell the marshal their story with only Eb and Rob present. Anne explained her family’s situation in detail, and Elise added what she knew of Peterson’s and Costigan’s activities.
“Well, it’s starting to add up,” the marshal said. “Costigan’s in a bad way. The doctor thinks he might not make it.”
“Oh dear,” Elise said. “It’s that bad?”
“Well, his leg’s infected, and he won’t let the doc take it off. It might kill him. So I told him, whatever he knows, he’d best tell me. And he said this Peterson hired him in St. Louis just to follow the ladies around and see if they learned anything about David Stone’s whereabouts. Costigan gathered that someone in England wanted to find the man and was hoping the ladies would lead him to Stone. When he heard them tell someone they had decided to join the wagon train, he told Peterson, and Peterson told him to hire on with them if he could, or to join the train some other way. Peterson offered him a lot of money to come overland with the ladies and see if they found Stone. What he didn’t tell Costigan, it appears, is that he would set out by ship and try to get here first.”
“I may be a little slow,” Rob said, “but why do they want to find Miss Anne’s uncle so badly?”
“He’s the new earl,” Eb said, “and he’ll be worth millions if he claims the title.”
“So they hoped to extort money from him?”
“The way I see it—” Eb glanced at Anne.
She nodded. “Go ahead, Mr. Bentley. Your theory makes as much sense as anything else I can think of, probably more.”
“Peterson was going to kill David Stone,” Eb said. “That way, if the concerned parties in England could get a valid death certificate proving Stone was deceased, the next in line could claim the estate. Be the new earl.”
Anne sighed. “I’m afraid it’s true. Thomas must have figured it out when he saw the letter addressed to my father—the earl of Stoneford. Marshal, will you prepare a letter to my family’s solicitor, Andrew Conrad? He must learn of this as soon as possible. It will be months before it reaches him, I know, but action must be taken in England.”
“Who is this person who would get your uncle’s money and title?” Nesmith asked.
Anne put her hand to her forehead and drew in a deep breath. “I’ve no proof, but I fear my cousin is behind all of this. He’s in line for the earldom, but he can’t inherit a penny unless Uncle David’s death is proven.”
“I see. Once we sort this all out, I’ll write that letter for you, ma’am.”
“Thank you. I’ll need to go to Eugene as soon as possible to find my uncle and tell him all that has happened.”
“I have a man down there,” the marshal said. “I’ll send him word to look into Mr. Stone’s whereabouts. I wouldn’t want any more trouble out of this business.”
“Miss Anne, you could go as far as Marysville with Eb and me,” Rob said. “Corvallis, they call it now. You’d be more than halfway to Eugene, and we’d be happy to escort you that far.”
“That’s generous of you,” Elise said.
Anne smiled at the two men. “It sounds wonderful.”
They wrote out statements of the events leading up to their encounter with Peterson, and Rob and Eb took them to a boardinghouse.
“This place has a good reputation,” Rob said. “If you want, you can keep your wagon and drive it to Corvallis. Or there’s a stagecoach that takes mail that far.”
“It would probably be more economical to drive ourselves, if you don’t mind our slow pace,” Elise said.
Rob nodded. “Fine with me. I was thinking you might want to send a letter right away. If Mr. Stone is set up in Eugene like Mr. Daley said, then you could go on down there. But if he’s not, I’d hate to see you go all that way for nothing.”
“That might be wise,” Anne said.
Elise smiled up at Rob. “I regret that you’ve delayed getting home to Dulcie on our account.”
“So do I,” Eb said.
“She’ll understand if I take another day or two.” Rob eyed his friend for a moment. “So, you want to sleep in a bed here at the boardinghouse tonight?”
“I might get used to luxury then,” Eb said.
“Fair enough. We’ll camp by the boat landing.” Rob said to Anne, “We’ll help you get a letter on the steamer in the morning before we set out. If you tell your uncle to write to you at the post office in Corvallis, you might not have long to wait after you get there.”
CHAPTER 30
Four days later, Elise and Anne were quite comfortable in their rooms at the City Hotel, a rambling, wood-frame building on the corner of Madison and Second Streets in the bustling town of Corvallis. Rob and Eb had left them two days earlier and returned to their ranches a few miles outside town.
Elise rose early on Monday and donned her best remaining morning dress and matching bonnet. The warm weather prompted her to choose a shawl instead of an overcoat, even though October was nearly upon them.
A light tap on her door announced Anne’s arrival.
“Good morning! Ready for breakfast?”
They went down to the dining room, where Anne attacked the generous breakfast with relish. Elise also savored the food, thankful they could eat eggs and toast with jam and butter, and even more thankful that someone else had prepared it all. Immediately afterward they set out for their daily walk to the post office.
“Are you sure we can afford the hotel?” Elise asked, not for the first time.
“My dear, we’ve settled this,” Anne said. “I have a bit left, though not a large bit. It’s true that we’ll be out of funds soon, no matter what happens. Until we know whether Uncle David is alive and able to help us, we have to live.”
“Yes, but we could live more frugally.”
“How? By camping in the wagon? No, I’m glad we sold it,” Anne said. “The money from that will allow us to continue staying here several more weeks if we must, or to find transportation south to Eugene.”
As they entered the post office, the postmaster looked up from his business of sorting mail.
“Ah, Miss Stone. Happy news, I hope.” He held out an envelope.
“Oh, thank you!” Anne seized it. “God bless you, sir!”
She and Elise hurried outside and found seats on the front porch of a nearby store. Anne examined the front of the envelope. Her name and “General Delivery, Corvallis” were scrawled across it.
Elise could hardly breathe while she waited for Anne to remove the paper inside and unfold it. The young woman read the message silently then looked at her.
“Well?” Elise asked.
“It says, ‘Come on to Eugene. David.’ That’s all.”
“But it’s enough,” Elise said. “We must send word to the marshal.”
“Yes. And to Eb. Elise, listen to me.” Anne took her hand and looked earnestly into her eyes. “I want you to marry Eb now. I’ll go up the river myself and find Uncle David. It’s only two days’ journey, or one if I press on at a good pace.”
“It’s almost fifty miles. You can’t do that in one day, even with a good, fast horse and buggy.”
“I think I could.”
“Well, stop thinking it.
”
“You don’t need to go with me.”
Elise looked away. “David should come here to get you. I find it very odd that he didn’t say more in his letter.” Elise shook her head. “No, I can’t let you go alone.”
Anne glowered at her. “I should be perfectly safe. We’re in civilized territory now.”
“That is a matter of opinion.”
“Well, let us send our messages and see what arrangements I can make for travel.”
They stopped at a store, where Anne purchased several sheets of paper and two envelopes, and continued on to the post office. While she wrote a brief message to the marshal, Elise, at her insistence, penned a note to Eb:
Dear Eb,
We’ve heard from Anne’s uncle and he urges her to go to Eugene. She insists she can travel alone, but I can’t let her. I hope we shall make the journey in less than a week.
Elise reread what she had written and then, with blushing cheeks, added, “Surely within a week or two, my errand will be completed and I shall return to Corvallis.”
“Don’t seal Eb’s letter yet,” Anne said. “I want to write him a note as well.”
“All right.”
“Here, can you address this to the marshal for me?” Anne passed her the message she had written and grabbed another sheet of paper.
A minute later, Anne placed both their notes to Eb in an envelope, sealed it, and took their two letters to the counter.
“How long will the one to Mr. Bentley take?” she asked the postmaster.
He squinted down at the address. “Oh, it’s only five miles or so out there. Somebody will take it today.”
“Wonderful.” Anne turned and took Elise’s arm. “Come, my dear. Let’s go and inquire about boats and buggies and all that sort of thing.”
Eb hitched his horse outside the City Hotel and brushed off his clothes. He was wearing a new shirt, and he was careful not to let Speck slobber on it. The sun was sinking, and he hoped he’d find the ladies inside. If they’d headed out this morning, he would be hard pressed to catch them.
He walked into the lobby and ambled to the desk. “Howdy.”
“Hello,” said the clerk.
“I’m here to see Miss Finster and Miss Stone.”
“I believe they’re at supper.” The clerk nodded to his left, and Eb headed in that direction. He came into a dining room with four long tables. Seated at one of them were Anne, Elise, and six men.
Anne saw him first. She nudged Elise and spoke in her ear. Elise looked up, and her face broke into a beautiful smile. She rose and came to meet him.
“Eb! How wonderful to see you. You didn’t have to come.”
“Didn’t I? Miss Anne seemed to think I should.”
“Really?” Elise looked back at Anne, but her friend was deep in conversation with two of the men seated at the table. “We’re nearly done eating. Can I get you a cup of coffee? There’s an unoccupied table over there—you see?”
She pointed to a smaller table in a corner.
“Sure.”
He went to it, and a moment later Elise came over carrying two ironstone mugs.
“Is Miss Anne coming?” he asked.
“She says she will in a minute. One of the gentlemen is quizzing her about London.”
Eb held Elise’s chair while she slid into it. He sat down. For a moment, he stayed still, looking at her. She sipped her tea and watched him over the rim of her cup.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Eb said.
“Thank you. I’ve missed you terribly.”
“Have you?” Her words emboldened him to reach for her hand.
“Yes. How is everything at the ranch?”
“Not too bad. A bit overgrown. I’ve bought twenty head of stock. Planning to get some more next week. And I’ve…fixed up the house a little.”
She smiled. “Anne’s uncle answered her letter—a bit tersely, but he told her to come.”
“So you said in your note.”
Elise nodded. “So we’re going. We hope to leave tomorrow morning.” She lowered her voice. “If we go upstream a ways, we may be able to get a riverboat as far as Eugene.”
“Oh, I don’t know. It’s pretty shallow above here.”
“Well, if we must, we’ll hire a wagon and horse.”
“Elise, stay here.”
“What? I can’t.”
Eb pulled in a deep breath and let it out again. “Anne says you can.”
“She can’t go by herself. I can’t let her.”
“Rob says you can, too.”
“What?” She eyed him as if he were crazy. “What does Rob have to do with it?”
“He’s coming in the morning. Him and Dulcie.”
Elise brightened. “We’ll get to meet Dulcie at last?”
“That’s right. I showed her and Rob your letter and Anne’s last night. They both want to come. Elise, they’ll take Anne to Eugene.”
“What? You’re not serious.”
“I’m dead serious. They want us to…well, you know. To be together. To get married. Now, while Anne’s still here. And then they’ll take her to Mr. Stone. It will be a nice outing for them, Dulcie says. Rob’s been gone all year, and she’s been stuck at home by herself. I’ll take care of their livestock, and they’ll get to have an adventure together. Dulcie’s wild to do it.”
She seemed to weigh his words carefully. “That’s…wonderful of them to offer, but I feel obligated to finish what I started. When I’ve left Anne with David, I’ll come back here.”
Eb sank back in his chair. He didn’t want her to go, but he didn’t want to argue either. She was right about Anne—the girl was too young and pretty to travel alone in this country. Why had he let Anne get his hopes up with her silly message? I think you should come to town now and marry Elise at once. What did a girl like Anne know about marriage and obligations, anyway? She was only spinning dreams.
But what if they went off and something happened to keep Elise in Eugene? Supposing one of them got injured or became ill? And what about David Stone? Eb had the feeling there was something between him and Elise twenty years ago. She blushed every time his name came up. What if they saw each other again and Elise didn’t want to come back to Corvallis?
“So…you don’t know any more about Stone. Whether he’s got a family or anything?”
“No, we don’t. The message was very short, but I suppose he was in a hurry to get it off quickly.”
Eb thought about that. Maybe Elise was right to be cautious. But he hoped that once she met Dulcie, she’d give in. Everyone loved Dulcie, and she was so sensible and efficient. Elise couldn’t say no to her. And Anne’s suggestion in her letter of a wedding here in Corvallis before she parted from Elise could come true. That’s all he had to do—bide his time. Tomorrow Elise would be his bride.
“Eb! How delightful.” Anne stood beside him, beaming down at them.
Eb stood and greeted her. The supper crowd was thinning out.
“Won’t you join us, Miss Anne?” he asked.
“Yes, thank you.”
Eb pulled out a chair for her.
“I’ve been thinking,” she said, smiling brightly at Elise. “Marshal Nesmith said he has a deputy in Eugene. If I go down there and find this deputy, he can go with me to Uncle David’s property. I shall be perfectly safe.”
“You don’t need to worry about your safety,” Eb said. “Rob and Dulcie will go with you.”
“What?” Anne stared at him.
“They’ll be here in the morning,” Eb said. “They want to ride down to Eugene with you. Rob’s bringing a wagon, and you can ride together. They’ll take you safely to your uncle. Dulcie’s looking forward to it.”
Anne smiled in triumph at Elise. “It’s perfect.”
“It does sound…fortuitous.” Elise shot Eb a glance that seemed almost shy for someone so self-sufficient.
“And you can have the wedding before we set out,” Anne said.
Elis
e raised a hand. “I’m not sure….”
“What?” Anne asked. “If the Whistlers will travel with me, we can have the ceremony right away. Come on, Elise. You can’t disappoint me after all these months of planning.”
“Who’s been planning?” Elise asked.
“I have of course.”
Eb swallowed hard. What if she said no again?
“Elise?” he asked softly.
She turned and looked at him with those blue eyes that melted him. “Will you?”
She hesitated a moment.
“I know the preacher pretty well,” Eb said.
“This is so sudden.”
“A mite, but…”
“But you both know you want to be married,” Anne said.
Eb raised his eyebrows and waited, barely able to breathe.
Elise clasped his hand. “When will Rob and Dulcie get here?”
“In the morning. I could go around tonight and speak to the preacher.”
She pressed her lips together and smiled, blushing to her hairline. “All right, I will.”
Something tight let go in Eb’s chest. If they’d been alone, he’d have kissed her for sure.
“My dear ladies!” The small, auburn-haired woman hopped down from the wagon before Rob could get around to help her. “I’m so thrilled to meet you. I’m Dulcie.”
Elise warmed to her at once and drew her into an embrace. “We’re pleased to meet you, too.”
Anne kissed her cheek. “Your husband did so much for us on the trail. And now you’re both going to help me get to Uncle David.”
“I’m looking forward to it more than you can imagine.”
“Well, hey there!”
At Rob’s warm greeting, Elise looked toward the street. Eb was driving up in another wagon, and another man rode beside him on a chestnut horse.
“Anne,” Elise said. “Anne! It’s—”
Anne turned and stared. “Oh my.” She walked over to the newcomers. “Dan? What are you doing here?”
Eb laughed. “I ran into him when I got into town. He was riding up Madison Street, looking lost.”
Dan Adams dismounted and gazed longingly down at Anne. “I couldn’t stop wondering if you’d found your uncle. Finally Hector got sick of it and told me to ride on down here and see. I figured if you’d left already, I could ask Mr. Whistler, and he’d know.”
THE Prairie DREAMS Trilogy Page 32