Lucky Creek Lady

by Shirley Kennedy

  So, she was back where she started from. Tomorrow she’d have to tell Darcy she’d failed, and would he please take care of the problem. Which, God help her, she should have done in the first place.

  * * * *

  The next day, Laurie went to work as usual. She waited until she found Darcy alone in the office before she brought up the subject. “I spoke to Hugh last night.”

  “And?”

  Judging from his clipped answer, he wasn’t going to make this easy for her. “And you were right. I don’t know if I got through to him or not. He…he…didn’t seem to want to cooperate.” She hated how she was bumbling. “I did my best. Told him he could never set foot in the Monarch Mine again, but I don’t think…” She didn’t like the way Darcy was looking at her, so cool, so perceptive, as if he already knew what she was going to say. “All right, I failed. He didn’t take it well. You were right, and I was wrong.”

  “Looks that way.”

  At least he wasn’t gloating. “I guess you’re the one who should have talked to him in the first place.”

  “Looks that way.”

  “I can’t believe he means it, but there’s something else he plans to do.”

  “And what is that?”

  “He said he’s going to lead an expedition to Lost Lake. You know, the lake that’s supposed to have all that gold?”

  Darcy started laughing. “Are you serious? That story has been around for years.”

  “He says he found someone to finance the expedition, so I’m sure he means it.”

  “Then he’s more of a fool than I thought. Where can I find him?”

  “He’s feeling better. Said he was ready for a beer at the Gold Spike. You might find him there tonight. That would be better than home. As yet, Mother and Ada have no idea what’s going on.”

  “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it.”

  Relief flooded through her. She wished she could tell him how worried she’d been, how very grateful she was, but his distant attitude caused her to respond in kind. “Thank you. I appreciate that.”

  “So, he might be at the Gold Spike tonight?”

  “That’s what he told me, but he didn’t say what time.” She’d said enough but couldn’t help adding, “Along with everything else, Hugh told me you were the one carrying on with that woman who owns the Gold Spike.”

  The strong line of his jaw tightened, ever so slightly. “You mean Mrs. Wagner?”

  “Yes, Mrs. Wagner.” How dumb could she get? Why had she mentioned the woman? She could kick herself. Darcy might think she was jealous, which she certainly was not. “Not that it matters.”

  “It doesn’t matter at all.”

  The chill in his voice came through loud and clear. Nothing more to say. “All right then, I’ll get back to my time sheets.” She turned away, vowing from now on, she’d regard Darcy as her business partner and nothing more. Obviously, that was what he wanted, and she’d be happy to oblige.

  * * * *

  That night, Darcy ate dinner as usual in the hotel dining room. Afterward, he visited the saloon, a part of the hotel he usually avoided. A tinny version of “Arkansas Traveler” blasted from the piano. Even at this early hour, boisterous crowds of men gathered around the gaming tables. Laurie had said her brother might be here. Sure enough, Hugh sat at the long mahogany bar, taking a swig from a bottle of beer. Darcy slid onto the stool beside him. Hugh looked over, saw who it was and slammed down his bottle. “If it isn’t McKenna. Just the man I wanted to see.”

  One sniff told Darcy this wasn’t the man’s first beer. His breath reeked of alcohol. “Let’s step outside,” he said softly. “I want to talk to you.”

  Hugh snorted. “Why would I want to do that?”

  “Because I asked.” He rarely resorted to any use of force. Usually a look was enough, especially for someone like this little weasel. “I’ll ask one more time. Shall we step outside?” He directed a bullet gaze into Hugh’s eyes and held it steady.

  Hugh glared back but his gaze quickly faltered, just as Darcy expected. He shifted his eyes away. “Sure. All right. I’ve got the time,” he mumbled.

  They went outside and around to the side of the hotel where they could be alone. As they went, Darcy watched Hugh closely. If he was too drunk, no use talking to him. He wasn’t staggering, though, and looked sober enough to comprehend good advice. “You already know what I’m going to say. You heard it from your sister.”

  Hugh’s face clouded with anger. “No woman is going to tell me what to do.”

  “You should have listened. Stay away from the Monarch. Thieves aren’t welcome. Out of consideration for your family, no one’s going to have you arrested, but don’t push your luck, and do not ever again”—Darcy’s cold voice grew colder still—“show your face at the mine. Are we clear?”

  Hugh’s lips quivered with outrage. “By all rights, the Monarch is mine now. I inherited it from my father, and you can’t keep me away.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. I own fifty-one percent of the Monarch. That means what I say goes, but I’m not going to argue. Just stay away, and if I hear you’ve threatened Laurie in any way, you’ll hear from me.”

  Hugh smirked and replied, “Sweet on her, aren’t you? But it won’t do you any good. She can hardly wait to get back to the love of her life in Philadelphia.”

  If ever Darcy had an urge to smash his fist in someone’s face, it was now. But of course, he wouldn’t. This pitiful excuse for a man wasn’t worth it. “Are we clear?”

  “You high-and-mighty mine owners think you own the world,” Hugh answered in a contemptuous tone. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do. Mark my words, I’ll soon be richer than all of you.”

  Darcy had to chuckle. “You’re going to find Lost Lake? I can only hope you’re not serious. It’s a myth, Hugh. There’s no lost prospector who found a lake covered with a layer of gold dust, no Indians with solid gold fish hooks, no huge gold nuggets lying on the ground.”

  “Believe what you like, but this time I’ll have the last laugh.”

  Darcy had done his best, but he’d learned long ago some men wouldn’t listen to reason, and Hugh was one of them, especially now when he was half drunk and belligerent. “You heard what I said, Hugh. Get back to your beer.” He turned and walked away.

  Headed for his room, he met Lucille on the staircase. He said hello, and was about to pass by, when she waylaid him with a gentle hand on his arm. “Darcy, what’s the matter?” she asked, all motherly concern.

  “Nothing. Just tired.”

  Sometimes she had a shrewd way of looking at him when she didn’t believe him, like now. “Come to my room, and we’ll have tea,” she said.

  “Well…”

  “Just tea.”

  Soon he was sitting in the room he’d avoided these past few weeks, a room he always thought of with pleasure for more reasons than one. How could he not find comfort in the faint scent of her lavender sachet, the soft ticktock of her ormolu clock on the mantel, the rich gleam of her fine silver tea service, the teacups so fragile he might break one just by looking at it. He took a sip of the tea she’d just made. “I’ve always liked this room. I feel at peace here.”

  “Thank you.” She cocked her head. “Now tell me what’s wrong.”

  Knowing he could trust her completely, he told her about Hugh, how he’d stolen God only knew how much from the Monarch Mine, and now might cause trouble.

  She listened carefully, as she always did. When he finished, she remarked, “That’s terrible. What an awful man, but I’m sure you can handle him.”

  “Not only that.” Darcy added, “He’s planning on finding the Lost Lake. Says he’ll soon be richer than all of us.”

  “That old story? How ridiculous.” She gave him her familiar piercing gaze. “Now what else is wrong?”

  “N
othing.”

  “Oh, yes, there is. It’s that Sinclair girl, isn’t it?”

  “She’s already taken. I told you that.”

  “Oh, really?” Lucille looked faintly amused. “Then what were you two doing in your room that night? Playing tic-tac-toe?”

  “How did you know?”

  “Good heavens, I own the hotel, Darcy. Nothing escapes me. And don’t think you’ve hurt my feelings. Nothing would give me more pleasure than to see you married and settled down. As for your Miss Sinclair—”

  “She’s not my Miss Sinclair. I’m an honorable man, Lucille. I’m not taking another man’s woman, and that’s final.”

  She sighed patiently. “Sometimes honor can be overdone. She’s not married to him, is she?” He shook his head. “Then she’s fair game, far as I’m concerned. You’re not yourself, Darcy. No one would notice but me, but ever since you met her, you’ve had an unsettled look about you, like something struck you, and you’re not sure what. Obviously, you care for her, and I’d wager the young lady cares for you, although she might not want to admit it, maybe not even to herself.”

  He took another sip of tea before he answered. “I’ll think about it.”

  “You do that, and here’s my final word on the subject. The next time you get the chance, and I’m sure you will, forget about honor and seize the opportunity. You may be surprised.”

  Chapter 16

  Hugh moved out some time during the night, so quietly no one heard him leave. “Why didn’t he tell us?” Elizabeth lamented the next morning. “He didn’t even leave a note.”

  Ada had no idea. “I don’t think he even said goodbye to his children.”

  “You don’t need to worry,” Laurie said. “I’m fairly certain he decided to move back to the Egyptian.”

  “Seems odd he left in the middle of the night,” Ada commented.

  “But why wouldn’t he at least say goodbye?” Elizabeth asked in a plaintive voice.

  Laurie braced herself. The moment she dreaded had arrived, and no escaping it. She could conceal the truth no longer. “You’d better sit down. I have something to tell you.”

  By the time she finished revealing the grim facts about her brother, Ada had run to her room, and her mother was staring in shocked disbelief. “You’re saying Hugh’s a liar and a thief?”

  “That’s what I’m saying.” At least the truth was out. Ada would be all right after she recovered from the initial shock, but this was a terrible blow for Mother. “There’s no way I can make this go away. From what I gather, Hugh was stealing from the Monarch over a long period of time. He wasn’t simply pilfering now and then. He stole thousands. Maybe we should have questioned his extravagance, but I trusted him so completely I never thought to ask.”

  Plainly, Elizabeth had yet to believe her and glared at her defiantly. “I’ve always had Hugh on a pedestal. He could do no wrong.”

  “We all had him on a pedestal. We were blind to his faults because we loved him.”

  “He’s my firstborn child, my one and only son. I’ll always love him no matter what you say, and frankly, I don’t know if I believe you or not.”

  “I understand. Nothing’s going to change that.” Laurie gave a silent prayer of thanks that she’d been wise enough not to mention Hugh’s despicable lies about Father’s supposed gambling habit, let alone his carrying on with Mrs. Wagner. Mother was suffering enough already without knowing the whole story. For herself, Laurie wished her brother well but had lost every last shred of love and respect she’d ever had for him, and that would never change.

  Elizabeth dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief. “Why are we even here? What reason do we have for staying in this awful place?”

  Laurie patiently explained what Mother already knew, that the new vein they’d discovered had yet to pay off, but it could happen any day now. When it did, they could go home, not defeated and broke, but as the richer-than-ever Sinclairs. Heads held high, they would resume the same life of luxury they’d left behind, maybe better than before. “It could happen any day now. We mustn’t give up.”

  Laurie’s words of encouragement didn’t seem to have any effect. Elizabeth sat listening with her shoulders slumped, looking as if her world had ended, and from her point of view, perhaps it had. “Nothing good will happen,” she said morosely. “We’re doomed, and I know it.”

  Laurie hated seeing her mother like this. There was a time when she’d resented Elizabeth’s overbearing attitude, and the way she tried to run her daughters’ lives. How ironic that now she’d give anything to see her mother back to her normal self again, issuing orders, bossy, and demanding. Anything would be better than seeing her as she was now, sad and grieving, her spirit crushed and defeated.

  * * * *

  During the next two weeks, except for Darcy’s still-distant attitude, Laurie enjoyed working at the mine. The more she learned, the more she didn’t want to leave. Early on, she realized doing the time sheets wasn’t enough. Now she wanted to know all there was to know about mining. Aware of her desire to learn, Tom went out of his way to teach her.

  “If you’re gonna run a mine, you got to know how to grade gold. It’s the number of grams per ton of ore,” he told her. “The value of a gold mine is determined by the grade of the ore and how difficult it is to extract and distribute.” She listened carefully and took in every word. As she became better acquainted with the miners, she lost her fixed ideas about how uncouth some of them were and gradually came to realize how much these hardworking men sacrificed, toiling ten hours a day in the dark, and all to put food on the table for their families. She admired them all and enjoyed their down-to-earth humor when she checked their time sheets at the end of the day.

  Hugh hadn’t shown his face, thank God, either at home or the Monarch. She could only hope Darcy had scared him away for good.

  Brandon must have received her letter by now. His letter in reply should arrive any day. At first, she’d eagerly awaited the arrival of the daily mail, but not so much anymore. She’d been so busy she’d given little thought concerning whether he’d wait for her or not. Of course, he would, and she wouldn’t waste her time worrying about it.

  One day she noticed a worried frown on Tom’s face. When she asked what was wrong, he first told her nothing was wrong. When she persisted and asked again, he replied, “Did you notice our daily output of ore has dropped? I don’t want to worry you, but that new vein of gold we got so excited about is petering out. You never know, though,” he hastened to reassure her. “It might pick up again or we could strike a new vein tomorrow that’ll be twice as rich.”

  Although Tom told her not to worry, of course she did. By now, she was avoiding talking to Darcy alone, but that evening before she left, she got him aside. “Tom says the new gold vein is petering out. Is that true?”

  He gave her a reluctant nod. “We’re down to about fifty tons of ore a day, and that’s not good.”

  “And you didn’t think to tell me?”

  “I didn’t want to worry you.”

  “Don’t treat me like some empty-headed female. You may own fifty-one percent of this mine, but the Sinclairs own forty-nine percent, which, if you ask me, is a significant enough figure that I should be informed of all that’s going on.”

  He solemnly nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I let a lot of old prejudices mess with my thinking, and I apologize. As a member of the Sinclair family, you’re entitled to be told everything.” He proceeded to tell her pretty much what Tom already said. Unless they discovered another rich vein soon, the Monarch Mine was in deep trouble. He ended with, “Again, I apologize. In future, I’ll forget you’re a woman and keep you informed, be it good news or bad.”

  His thorough explanation and sincere apology swiftly dissolved her hostility. “Thank you. I appreciate your honesty.” With a trace of laughter in her voice, she added, “Of cou
rse, you needn’t entirely forget I’m a woman. I shouldn’t like that.”

  She expected he’d make some flippant remark in reply, but the look that came over his face was anything but humorous. His eyes drilled into hers so intently she caught her breath. “More than you’ll ever know, I could never forget you’re a woman, Laurie. Can’t you understand?”

  Before she could even think to form a reply, he walked out of the office, leaving her watching after him, her heart racing. So, he did care about her. And here she’d been thinking he’d been acting cool because he didn’t want to be around her anymore. It all came clear. She’d been blind not to reach beyond her own hurt feelings enough to see that he, being the honorable man he was, would not interfere with her plans to marry the man she loved, the man she’d been dying to get back to. She needed to remind herself that soon she’d be leaving Lucky Creek. Before she knew it, she’d be back in Philadelphia planning her wonderful wedding to Brandon. The best of Philadelphia society would attend. She’d wear the most beautiful wedding dress ever…

  What’s the matter with me? Why am I not excited?

  What happened to the elation she’d felt every time she thought about marrying Brandon? She tried to picture him, but her mind stayed blank. Surely all the wonderful memories would soon come flooding back. Surely, she’d soon be yearning to be in his arms. She just had to think about it for a while, and put her lustful, totally inappropriate thoughts of Darcy out of her head forever.

  * * * *

  That night after she’d arrived home and done her chores in the stable, she found her mother alone in the parlor, knitting at a furious pace, a sure sign she was upset.

  “What’s wrong, Mother?”

  Elizabeth tossed her head with indignation. “Ada is entertaining that Cornishman in the kitchen nearly every night now. I didn’t mind when you claimed you were trying to help a poor, illiterate miner, but this is ridiculous. I’m beginning to think she likes him, despite his background. Will you please do something, Laurie? Ada’s bent on having him here and won’t listen to me.”