by Kit Morgan
“Is something the matter?” Andel asked.
“I … just have things on my mind.”
Andel cocked his head to one side and grinned. “Did you hear that, Wilfred?” he said over his shoulder. “Mr. Comfort here looks like a man with woman trouble. Don’t you think so?”
“Think so?” Wilfred chuckled. “I know so!”
“Well, then,” Andel said with a happy smile. “That settles it!”
“Settles … what?” Major asked nervously. Were the rumors around town that bad?
Mr. Berg wrapped a long arm around Major’s shoulders and yanked him against his huge frame. “It’s definitely time for us to have our chat. About more than just agriculture.”
Major had a very strong feeling this meeting wasn’t going to bode well.
“Go easy on him, Andel,” Wilfred said. “After all, he’s not from around here.”
“Then I think it’s about time he became one of us, don’t you?”
Wilfred chuckled. “Maybe so, but wait until this evening.” He gave Andel a conspiratorial wink. “Less witnesses.”
“Witnesses?” Major said. Was now a good time to panic?
“I quite agree, Wilfred,” Andel chortled and pulled Major toward the door. “We’ll take care of our other business first, then see to the more important matter.”
“What matter would that be?” Major said, still trying to take in a proper lungful of air. He contemplated digging his heels in and refusing to go, but knew it wouldn’t work – the giant outweigh him by eighty pounds or more.
“You’ll see,” Andel said cheerily as he opened the door and shoved Major through it.
“Hello there.”
Honoria turned to find Mr. Lynch picking at his jacket. He plucked something off and flicked it away. “Good afternoon.”
“Miss Cooke, is it?” he asked, smiling widely.
“Yes. And you’re Mr. Lynch.”
“Quite so. You haven’t happened to have seen Lucretia, have you?”
“Misplaced her?” It slipped out before she had time to stop herself. She cringed and waited for his reaction.
“Yes, as a matter of fact. That or she’s misplaced herself. She has a horrible sense of direction. I won’t sleep at night until she’s married.”
Honoria felt something within her sink at his words. “Married.” The word came out flat as a flapjack.
“Of course. In fact, I need to find her so we can see the preacher about a wedding date.”
Honoria swallowed hard. “I see. Has Maj … Mr. Comfort asked her, then?”
“Everyone knows they’re going to marry, my dear,” he said with a chuckle. “Now I’d better be off. This day is wasting away.” He took a few steps down the boardwalk and turned. “Oh, by the way, this town wouldn’t happen to have a dressmaker I haven’t been able to uncover yet, would it?”
“I’m afraid there’s none to uncover,” she said, her heart in her shoes. “We do have a ladies’ sewing circle.”
“A sewing circle? How quaint. But no matter – I’m sure Lucretia and Major will want to get married right away once I get things settled for them. My daughter has some lovely frocks she brought with her – she won’t mind wearing one of those.”
“A mail-order bride who didn’t bring a wedding dress?” Honoria stated more than asked.
“Not all mail-order brides do,” he said. “But someone like you, on the other hand …” He closed the distance between them. “Having been raised here, you probably have a wedding gown all ready, being of marriageable age and all.”
“No, sir.”
“No?” he said in feigned shock, a hand to his chest for emphasis. What was that about? “Well, I am sorry. It must be devastating to realize that spinsterhood awaits you.”
“Excuse me?”
“Though I can’t understand why a woman like you would make such a choice for herself, unless she knows she can’t marry.”
“Mr. Lynch, what are you talking about?”
“After all,” he said with a chuckle, “look at all the eligible young men currently in town, and you not married to a one of them.”
“I don’t see that that is any of your business, sir …”
“What a pity. You’re not such a bad-looking girl.” His eyes wandered over her again, but the look in them had changed. He swallowed, sucked in a breath and straightened his jacket. “I’d best me on my way, Miss Cooke. Until we meet again?” With a tip of his hat he spun on his heel and walked off.
Honoria stared after him, still trying to make sense of the odd conversation. She felt strangely … deflated. No, insulted. She shook as if to rid herself of any spoor he’d left behind and continued on her way. To where, she didn’t know.
She’d just come from visiting with Grandma Waller while her Uncle Colin took care of some business for the Dunnigans. Their wagon needed tending, and he’d offered to take it to the livery stable to have Chase Adams look at it. But Grandma had chores to take care of and sent her on her way. She now found herself at loose ends – which had led to that strange conversation with Mr. Lynch.
Now that that was over (thank Heaven for small favors!), she needed to find something else of interest. The mercantile was out – they wouldn’t get anything new in until tomorrow at the earliest. She decided to walk down to the hotel and see if the Brodys wanted to have a cup of tea with her. But as she passed the saloon, she thought she heard a familiar Southern drawl. She stopped on the other side of the saloon doors, alert, ears straining to hear the voice again.
Nothing. She closed her eyes as her shoulders slumped. She swore she’d heard Major’s voice, but apparently not. Besides, what would he be doing in the saloon at this time of day? She stood straight, squared her shoulders and continued toward the hotel.
Once there, Honoria went inside to find Aideen, Lorcan and Ada Brody’s little girl, sitting in the middle of the lobby with her doll. She was a beautiful child, with her father’s dark hair and, according to Lorcan, his mother’s violet eyes. She looked up, saw Honoria and squealed in delight. “Do you want to play with me?” she asked, holding up her doll and wiggling it. “This is Mrs. Quirk!”
Honoria gathered her skirt and sat Indian-style next to her. “But you only have the one doll. What do I play with?”
Aideen thought for a second. “I can run upstairs and get you one.”
“If you’d like. Is your mother upstairs?”
Aideen pointed at the dining room doors. “She’s helping Mrs. Upton.”
“Why don’t you run upstairs and get your doll and I’ll go speak with your mother?” Honoria suggested.
Aideen jumped to her feet. “All right. I’ll bring down my puppy – you can play with him.”
“Puppy? Did your parents get you a dog?”
Aideen pouted. “He’s not a real puppy. He’s a toy.” She suddenly smiled. “But I pretend he’s real.”
“Can I play too?”
Honoria froze. She hadn’t even heard Major come through the doors! Then again, maybe he had already been in the hotel.
He walked around to stand in front of them. “Hello.” He put his hands on his knees and bent down to get eye level with the child.
“You want to play?” Aideen asked in disbelief.
“You said you have a puppy. I love puppies,” he said tenderly.
Aideen’s face fell. “It’s not a real puppy, sir.”
He cocked his head. “Don’t sound so disappointed. We can pretend it’s real, right?”
The child’s eyes brightened. “I’ll run and get him right now!” She was off like a shot, racing up the staircase as fast as her little legs could carry her.
Major unexpectedly joined Honoria on the floor, and she laughed at the sight. “What are you doing?” she asked in shock.
“Sitting, if I may. Do you mind?”
Her spirits lifted. “Not at all. So long as you don’t mind being made fun of if someone walks in on us. We wouldn’t look so awkward if Aideen was stil
l here.”
“Then it will be fun to make folks wonder, won’t it? ‘Why ever are those two sitting on the floor?’ they’ll ask themselves.”
“‘They must have gone completely round the bend’,” Honoria said with an amused smile.
“‘Don’t talk to Honoria and Major’,” he quipped. “‘They’re not themselves today. They’ll plop down wherever it suits them.’”
Honoria laughed again, louder this time. There was a freedom in it, and she liked the feeling.
“You’re so unlike other women,” Major said, his voice serious now. “I can honestly say that I’ve never met anyone like you.”
Honoria studied him. He stared at her with an appreciation she hadn’t seen before. She felt herself blush. “Life would be rather boring if women were all the same. At least as far as men are concerned.”
“What about you? How exciting would it be if all men looked alike, talked alike, acted alike? You’d be bored out of your minds.”
“Yes, I daresay we would be.” She watched him watch her. She liked it. That is, until her strange meeting with Mr. Lynch popped into her head. She drew her knees up, arranging her skirt and wrapping her arms around her legs. “What, um, brings you to town?”
“I came to check the board at the mercantile for job postings for the men’s camp. Then I had a meeting with Mr. Berg.”
“Oh yes, he wants to plant cotton in Dalrovia.”
“Not cotton specifically, though the climate may be right for it in a few spots. But he does want to experiment with new crops for his people. I admire him for that.”
“He’s their ruler,” she said. “It’s his job to look after their welfare.”
“And here my brothers and I thought looking after a wife would be a big job. This man has to care for an entire country.”
The word “wife” got her attention. “Are you looking forward to caring for a wife, Mr. Comfort?”
He arched an eyebrow at her tone. “Eventually.”
Jealousy pricked her, flushing out her anger. “Sounds like you haven’t long to wait.”
Stunned, he was about to comment when Aideen came running down the stairs, Miss Lynch on her tail. “Give me back my comb, you wretched little beast!” He and Honoria watched the girl hurry in their direction, her stuffed puppy in one hand, a silver comb in the other. She ran straight for them and collapsed on the floor. “I’m back!”
Miss Lynch was still bearing down on her. “I said, give me back my comb!”
Aideen looked up at her. “This is my mama’s comb,” she insisted.
“It most certainly is not, you little wretch!” Miss Lynch suddenly straightened, her eyes riveted on Major. “I mean … I need to see it,” she said more calmly. “To make sure.” She swallowed hard and clasped her hands in front of her. “Hello, Major.”
He looked at Honoria before glancing up at her. “Yes?”
Miss Lynch’s eyes went wide. “What are you doing sitting in the middle of the floor?”
“Waiting for Aideen,” he stated simply.
“For a child? Whatever for?”
“Because he’s going to play with me!” Aideen said gleefully, waving her puppy in the air.
Honoria noticed the child had dropped the comb and picked it up. “This belongs to your mother, Aideen?”
Before the child could answer, Miss Lynch snatched it out of Honoria’s hand to examine it. “Oh. I seem to have made a mistake.” She glared at Aideen and dropped it on the floor.
Major retrieved it and handed it to Aideen. “Here you go, sweetheart.”
Aideen took it and proceeded to comb the puppy with it. She looked at Major and smiled. “This is Madigan. He’s a good dog. Aren’t you a good dog, Madigan?”
“Major, a gentleman does not sit in the middle of a hotel lobby and play with toys,” Miss Lynch griped.
“If you think that, Miss Lynch, you don’t know much about gentlemen.” He picked up the doll and made its little arm wave at Aideen. The child burst into giggles.
“How undignified,” Miss Lynch muttered. She quickly glanced around. “Where is my father?”
Honoria swallowed hard. It was now or never – she had to know. And maybe it would get rid of the horrid woman. “He went to talk to Preacher Jo.”
“You mean the Reverend King?” Miss Lynch huffed.
“Yes. To set a wedding date, he said.” Well, Honoria thought, I always have been a glutton for punishment.
Miss Lynch’s eyes lit up. “Oh yes, of course! How silly of me!” She hiked up her skirts and headed for the door.
“Wedding?” Major asked in alarm. “What wedding?”
Miss Lynch turned as she reached the threshold. “Why ours, of course. Silly man.” And she was gone.
Major scrambled to his feet, stumbled twice before he got there and ran after her.
“My doll!” Aideen cried.
Honoria sat, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. She still wasn’t sure what was going on, but she had a few hints. He was attracted to her, she was certain of it. He didn’t seem to think much of Miss Lynch. And if he was courting Miss Lynch, he didn’t look like he was in as much of a hurry to marry her as she was. But that still left a lot up in the air – including the most important thing: would he ever just come out and say what his intentions were?!
“Honoria?” Aideen sobbed. “That man took Mrs. Quirk.”
“Oh – yes, he did.” She glanced at the doors. “Don’t worry, I’m sure he’ll bring her back.”
“Will you get her for me?”
“He’ll bring her back.”
“You don’t know that and I’m not allowed to leave the hotel without Mama. Mama will be mad I lost Mrs. Quirk. Please?”
Honoria got up, brushed off her skirts and nodded. “All right. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
Aideen clapped. “Thank you!”
Honoria smiled. She wished she felt as enthusiastic about retrieving the blasted doll as Aideen did. But it meant following Major and Miss Lynch to the church, possibly listening to them set a date, solidifying their nuptials – or, more optimistically, a barn-burner of a screaming match if he refused to. Either way, she could think of a million other things she’d rather be doing – like chasing rattlesnakes, or being gored by a bull, or demanding Major Quincy Comfort declare his intention before she slapped his face clean off his fool head …
Honoria squinted her eyes shut to dispel the violent thought. Then she sighed, smiled at Aideen, and trudged out of the hotel to get Mrs. Quirk back.
Chapter 15
Honoria left the boardwalk for the street, her heart thundering in her chest. This had the potential to be devastating.
Okay, so perhaps “devastating” was too strong. So what would be a better word? she thought as she headed toward the church. Uncomfortable? Disagreeable? Would she lose her breakfast? Not likely, but the sight of Miss Lynch nose to nose with Major in the distance did turn her stomach to a certain degree. Maybe she’d best not interrupt. Then again, if she did, she might find out more information.
“See something interesting?” She jumped as Mr. Berg stepped out of the livery stable and strolled to where she stood. He followed her gaze and folded his arms across his massive chest. “Oh, I see.”
She looked up at him. “See what?”
He gave her a sideways glance. “Come now, Honoria, It’s quite obvious, is it not?”
She returned her gaze to the couple arguing in front of the church. “Looks like they’re having some sort of disagreement. I wonder where Preacher Jo is.”
Mr. Berg shrugged. “I’m sure he’s around somewhere.” He pressed his lips together as his eyes flicked to the livery stable and back. “However, he is a very busy man. He could be anywhere.”
“Except at the church, apparently.”
He chuckled. “Maybe you should see what’s the matter?”
“What? I can’t interrupt. Whatever Major … er, Mr. Comfort and Miss Lynch are discussing is their private bus
iness.”
He eyed her a moment. “Perhaps.”
Then they both returned their attention to the two in front of the church. Miss Lynch was waving her arms around as Major stood, one hand on his hip, Aideen’s doll dangling from his other. She still needed to get it, but she was still nervous about interposing herself.
Mr. Berg sighed. “I am reminded of a time when Maddie had a rival.”
Honoria’s head snapped around. “What?”
“Hmmm,” he said with a nod. “We weren’t married yet. Come to think of it, we were barely courting. A woman and her family came to town. Maddie knew them from a wagon train she and her mother had traveled with.”
“Yes,” she said returning her attention to Major. “Mama told me the story.”
“Everything?”
She glanced at him. “I believe so.”
“Hmmm,” he mused but said nothing more.
Honoria wished he’d move on. It was becoming harder and harder to watch the couple in the distance as the arm-waving (at least on Miss Lynch’s part) had stopped and she had drawn closer to Major. Much closer. She swallowed hard. Good grief, they weren’t going to kiss, were they? She didn’t think she could stomach it if they … “Oh no!” Yes, they did.
“Hmmm,” Mr. Berg said once more before he turned on his heel and headed for the saloon.
Tears stung the back of Honoria’s eyes as she witnessed her dreams being crushed. They’d made up. It was only a matter of time before their wedding would take place. With a heavy heart she turned and walked toward the Triple-C’s wagon, not looking back,. She wanted nothing more to do with Major and everything to do with planning her trip abroad. The sooner she got started, the better.
“Uncle Colin?” Honoria said on the way home.
“Yes, poppet?”
“I want to visit Uncle Duncan. Will you help me convince Papa I can go?”
“I don’t see a problem with that. Just the other day your mother mentioned you visiting them to your aunt.”
“She did?” Honoria was surprised – she’d brought it up to her mother just the one time. She had no idea the conversation had already set things in motion. Maybe this wouldn’t be as hard as she first thought. She clutched her hands and rested them in her lap. “I could travel with the Bergs.”