Song of the Spirits (In the Land of the Long White Cloud saga)

by Lark, Sarah

  Elaine’s dress was finally ready. She looked magnificent. Mrs. O’Brien had made an Alice band for her hair out of the same azure-blue velvet fabric as the dress. Elaine planned to wear her hair down, keeping it out of her face with the simple headband.

  “You look like a fairy, Miss Keefer,” Mrs. O’Brien said adoringly. “You have such wonderfully soft hair. It floats about you as though a breeze were constantly wafting over you. Back home in Ireland, we chose a Queen of Spring every year, and I always pictured a girl like you.” Mrs. O’Brien was as proud of Elaine in her beautiful dress as if she were her own daughter.

  “I don’t know. Fairies and elves are so helpless,” Elaine muttered, immediately recalling her first encounter with William. “I think I’d rather be a witch. But this dress is wonderful, Mrs. O’Brien. Soon every woman in town will have you making something for her. Mr. Mortimer will be in a huff.”

  Mrs. O’Brien snorted. “Mr. Mortimer doesn’t have five children to feed. He has a nice house in town and makes ends meet. I don’t feel too bad about it.”

  When the day of the celebration finally arrived, Roly picked up Elaine at the Lucky Horse in Timothy’s two-wheeled chaise—and to her surprise, Timothy had accompanied him on Fellow. He was already wearing his evening suit, but he looked vexed.

  “I know I should have restrained myself, particularly on this occasion, but I just got into a fight with my father,” he said to Elaine. “He’s been drinking since he woke up this morning, and I didn’t know why. I finally told him he was going to make a rather bad impression on our guests if he was drunk. Well, then he admitted to me—today of all days—that he’s looking for investors for the mine! Partners, you understand. With that, he’s shutting me out once and for all. And if my own father thinks I’m a failure, there’s certainly no stranger who will hire me.” Timothy looked miserable and hurt.

  “In any case, I’m resolved now. As soon as we’ve finalized your divorce, Lainie, we’ll disappear. I’m fed up with all of it!”

  Fellow pranced beneath his impatient rider as though he would have liked to embark on the journey right then on his own hooves. If this continued, Timothy would be completely exhausted before the celebration even got under way. Even on the calmest of days, riding required a good deal of effort on his part.

  Elaine soothed Fellow and gently removed Timothy’s clenched hand from the reins. “First come down from that horse. Your mother will have a fit if your good suit smells like the stables. Roly can take Fellow back, and you can drive me in the chaise—it will be wonderfully romantic. It’s a full moon too. We can make stops along the way and practice kissing as official fiancés.”

  Timothy smiled weakly, and Elaine pressed a soft kiss into his hand.

  “First things first, we need to make it through this evening,” she said. “Everything else will sort itself out.” She took her seat in the chaise, draping the wide skirt of her dress picturesquely over the bench. Timothy rode over to his mounting block in the stables and accomplished the feat of sliding from his horse, getting his splints from the saddle, attaching them, and returning to Elaine all on his own.

  “You heard her, Roly,” Timothy said to his slightly indignant servant. “The lady would like you to ride Fellow back home while I drive her. Lainie, do you really want to bring Callie, or should Roly take her to the stables?”

  The little dog hopped about around the carriage excitedly, clearly enthusiastic about the trip. Timothy petted her as she leaped up on him.

  “She doesn’t bother me,” he said, “but you know my mother.”

  “She’ll have to learn to live with the dog. Callie is the touchstone for true love, you know. If she barks at the decisive moment, I won’t marry you,” Elaine said, laughing nervously. “What is it, Roly?” She turned to the unhappy-looking boy standing next to the carriage.

  “I don’t know how to ride,” Roly said, his eyes pitiful. “I’ll have to walk the whole way.”

  His peevish countenance even cheered Timothy up a little. “Roly, if you can’t ride, you’re already dead,” he informed him, using a slight variation on Elaine’s favorite saying. “I, on the other hand, would be overjoyed if I could walk the two miles. So take the horse home. I don’t care who or what does the carrying or the leading.”

  Roly did not dare climb in the saddle and instead walked the two miles through the light rain. By the end of his walk, he was feeling cross. His new suit was wet, and he had missed Mary Flaherty. He had wanted to meet her at the kitchen door and entice her with a few treats from the buffet—in hopes of putting her in a receptive enough mood to exchange a few kisses with him. Then, one of the Webers’ grooms he knew in passing called out to him. The young man waved a bottle of whiskey.

  “Come on, Roly, let’s celebrate a bit too. That Mr. Lambert of yours isn’t going to need a nurse tonight!”

  In general, Roly was not so irresponsible, but that evening, he left Fellow saddled in front of the house. With the intention of returning to fetch him later, of course. But then he forgot. The gray gelding waited patiently. Someone would come for him eventually. Until that time came, he snoozed in the misting rain. No one paid any attention to him until he received some company—much later.

  After the sixtieth or seventieth guest had been led past the young couple and greeted with a few words, Timothy almost began to long for his wheelchair. Whose bright idea had it been to have them stand in the salon for hours greeting each and every guest with a handshake? His mother called it a “reception line.” Until that evening, Elaine had thought such things only happened in royal courts. Though for her it was merely boring, for Timothy it was very tiring. He cast envious looks at Callie, who was curled up behind them on the carpet and sleeping soundly.

  “How many has it been all together?” Elaine asked, pushing somewhat closer to him. She hoped that he might be able to support himself on her, but in reality she was too petite for that.

  “Almost one hundred and fifty. Pure nonsense,” Timothy muttered, forcing himself to smile for the Weber family. When Florence floated in on Caleb’s arm, Caleb lavished words of gratitude on Elaine. He described vividly the heavy stone that had been lifted from his heart when he had heard that she would be standing in for him at Kura’s concert.

  “Never remove the stone from a geologist’s heart,” Timothy joked wearily when the couple finally moved on. “He’ll analyze every detail of what it consists of, why you were able to remove it, and how many component parts it contained.”

  Fortunately, the next guests to arrive were Matt and Charlene—the latter wearing a ravishing green dress, another of Mrs. O’Brien’s creations—followed by Kura and William. Thankfully, all were feeling more hungry than talkative.

  “Where is the buffet?” Kura asked. The time she had spent on the road had taught her never to turn down a free meal. William plied her with champagne, and Elaine and Timothy turned to the next guests. As luck would have it, not all the guests arrived right on time. When the receiving room stood empty for a few minutes, Timothy decided to put an end to his suffering. He sat down with relief in one of the armchairs in the salon.

  “I need to rest up a bit before the dance,” he murmured, scratching Callie, while Elaine went to get some champagne.

  Elaine pushed her way through the crowd to the buffet, which was set up in the study, chatting briefly with Charlene and Kura and thanking several guests for the compliments they paid her. Though everything seemed to be in order, she nevertheless felt a vague sense of unease. Perhaps, she thought, it was too much like a fairy tale. She knew all too well that she would be forced to snap back to reality the next morning in front of the constable. Elaine smiled at the sheriff and the justice of the peace, who happily returned her greeting. For now.

  Glasses of champagne in hand, Elaine began to make her way back to Timothy—and that was when she spotted the tall gray-haired man who was entering the salon with Marvin Lambert. The sight of him turned her to stone. Every instinct told her to ru
n. But no, that was absurd; she must be mistaken. It simply could not be. She shouldn’t recklessly take flight. No, she had better get a closer look first and assure herself that there was no way it could be John Sideblossom.

  Elaine forced herself to move forward.

  Just then, the band began to play in the salon. People began to push their way into the room, blocking Elaine’s view of the new guest. Her heartbeat slowed as she let herself be carried by the crowd. It was undoubtedly nonsense. She eventually made it back to Timothy, who was struggling to his feet.

  “So, beautiful, will you dance with me?”

  Elaine wanted to reply, but she felt a cold breeze at the back of her neck. She turned around nervously, and Timothy’s inviting smile froze when he saw the look of panic on her face. Elaine looked like she wanted to flee—but she seemed incapable of budging an inch. Within seconds, all the color had drained from her face.

  “Lainie, what is it?”

  “He’s… he’s…”

  “Ah, there they are,” Marvin Lambert’s booming voice rang out. “Allow me to introduce you to a surprise guest. A very old friend of mine. How long has it been, John? This is John Sideblossom!”

  Elaine stuck out her hand mechanically. Maybe this was all just a bad dream. Maybe she was hallucinating.

  “My soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Lainie, and my son, Tim.”

  Elaine felt as though the room were spinning around her. Perhaps fainting wouldn’t be such a bad idea. But then John Sideblossom took her hand, and the riotous fear that came over Elaine sharpened her senses.

  “Lovely, lovely Elaine,” he said. His voice sounded hoarse. “I knew I’d find you. Someday, and under such pleasant circumstances. Mr. Lambert.” He smiled his predatory smile as he turned to Timothy. “What an enchanting conquest. What a shame that there are still defenders in place. You should not raise your flag over the castle until you’ve razed it.”

  Though Elaine did not understand his words, she grasped the threat they contained. And then she could no longer stand it. She wanted to murmur an apology, but she only managed a gasp. She bolted in a panic, almost running into the study, from which there was no way to get outside. Elaine couldn’t think; she wasn’t looking where she was going—and she crashed into Kura, who was just entering the salon with two glasses of champagne. The drinks sprayed onto her cousin’s dress. Kura was about to curse, but she held her tongue when she saw the horror in Elaine’s face.

  “Lainie, what’s wrong with you? Did you have a fight with Tim?” Kura looked at her quizzically. No, that couldn’t be it. Not even when Elaine had caught Kura with William on the street in Queenstown had she looked so pale and drawn, her eyes so big. The eyes of an animal in a trap.

  “John Sideblossom. He… he…” Elaine took off, out of the salon and through the receiving room. She needed air. Gasping, she reached the brightly illuminated entrance, fled from the light, and saw Fellow, tethered along with two other horses that were pulling a wagon. Callie barked. Elaine had not noticed that the dog had followed her. She bent down mechanically to stroke her… and heard footsteps behind her. She tensed up. John Sideblossom, she thought. But then she saw Callie’s tail wagging and recognized the sound of thudding crutches and Timothy’s typical dragging step.

  “Lainie, there you are.” Timothy leaned on the beam to which the animals were tethered and took her in his arms. “My God, you’re shaking like a leaf. Now calm down.”

  “I can’t calm down.” Elaine suddenly felt cold, as the sweat dried on her body. “That’s John Sideblossom… He’s… he’s going to…”

  Timothy was scared too, but he had a capacity for quickly evaluating and mastering critical situations. In a mine, that could mean the difference between life and death. He stroked Elaine’s hair and spoke soothingly to her.

  “Lainie, he’s not going to do anything tonight. At the very worst, he’ll ruin this party. But if he had wanted a scandal, he would have gone about it differently. He probably won’t make his move until tomorrow, or he’ll take it up with my father presently.”

  “He’ll take it up with the constable, and then they’ll lock me up,” Elaine whispered. And then she suddenly realized that being arrested didn’t scare her. She was not afraid of a night in a cell. On the contrary. She would feel safer there.

  “Look, Lainie, the constable is among our guests. We greeted him earlier. The same goes for the justice of the peace. If you’d like, I’ll call them over. We can retire to my apartments without making a scene, and you can give your testimony there.”

  “Now?” Elaine asked. “Right now?” She vacillated between hope and fear.

  “That way we’d cut Sideblossom off at the chase. Your divorce request could go out first thing tomorrow. Nothing more could happen to you after that. Calm down, Callie!”

  Timothy turned impatiently toward the dog, who was suddenly barking wildly. Elaine pulled back from Timothy when she heard Callie’s yelping. Her face once again assumed an expression of despair as she stared over Timothy’s shoulder.

  “What if my son does not want a divorce, Mr. Lambert?”

  John Sideblossom stepped out of the shadows. He must have left the house by one of the side exits. He wore a long dark coat over his evening attire. It looked as though he were ready to leave. Timothy sighed with relief. Callie yapped.

  “What if he’s hoping for a family reunion instead? That has been his greatest wish, Lainie, since that unfortunate accident.”

  Elaine could not utter a word. She backed up in horror as John Sideblossom approached.

  “But Elaine wishes for a divorce, Mr. Sideblossom,” Timothy said calmly. “Please be reasonable. Lainie very much regrets what she did, but your son unquestionably gave her every reason to do it. Please, leave us alone now.”

  “No one asked you,” John roared before turning his raspy voice on Elaine again.

  “You owe him, Lainie. From now on, you’re going to be an obedient wife to him. Thomas was always a little… hmm… weak. So I’ll keep an eye on you too.” He reached for Elaine, but then dodged backward as Callie sprang in between them, barking hysterically.

  Timothy leaped in front of Elaine. “Not so fast, Mr. Sideblossom,” he said, his voice firm. “It’s time for you to take your leave.”

  John grinned. “Or what? Are you trying to stop me from taking back our property?”

  He struck without warning. His fist hit Timothy’s chin with force, knocking him to the side. Timothy, in no way prepared for the blow, fell to the ground heavily. When his injured hip hit the ground, he could not suppress a cry of pain. John kicked at Callie, who was still barking.

  “Tim!” Elaine forgot all her fear. She knelt down next to him—an opportunity John took advantage of at once. More than that, he seemed to have figured it into his calculations. With lightning quickness, he yanked Elaine’s hands and bound them behind her back. Then he clamped a strip of cloth between her teeth so that she could not even scream.

  Timothy turned on the ground, attempting desperately to get hold of something, but he could only watch helplessly as John hauled Elaine to her feet, picked her up, and threw her into the wagon.

  “Just forget about her,” he said, sneering, as he untied his horses.

  Timothy tried to roll into his way and stop the horses, though John would surely not have had any scruples about running them over him. He gave Timothy a kick to the ribs.

  “You don’t really mean to fight me?” he said, laughing, and seemed to consider whether he should go after him again. However, he simply left Timothy lying there. He would not beat up a cripple. At least not any more than necessary.

  John had come in a light delivery wagon that had a small cargo bed and a raised driver’s box in front. Elaine lay in the back without moving. John supposed he had hurt her when he threw her on the wagon. Well, he could worry about that later. The main thing was that she was still. He calmly turned his team. Why attract attention? If only that damned dog would stop its yapping. He fe
lt for his gun, but realized that if he shot the beast, the people inside the house would hear. It was better to leave the mutt behind. He brought his horses to a gallop.

  Kura was looking for Elaine and Timothy, but found only William, who was chatting at the bar with someone. She took him aside.

  “Lainie is completely beside herself! She thinks she saw Sideblossom. And I can’t find Tim anywhere either.”

  “Well, Tim can hardly run away,” William said. He was no longer entirely sober.

  “William, this is serious! Elaine was wild with fear. Heaven knows where she is.”

  “If I had to guess, behind Madame Clarisse’s piano. Elaine always runs off when something scares her; you know that. And how is Sideblossom supposed to have come here? He’s paralyzed and as good as blind.”

  Kura shook him. “Not the younger one! The old one! Now come on, William. We need to find them. If it was a false alarm, all the better. But I’m telling you. Elaine saw somebody. And if it wasn’t John Sideblossom, then the way she looked, it must have been the devil himself!”

  William pulled himself together. He still thought it unlikely that John Sideblossom could have made an appearance. On the other hand, the fellow was an old Coaster just like Marvin Lambert, and one could not entirely rule out an acquaintanceship.

  But running around heedlessly like Kura, who had already darted off, was senseless. William reflected briefly. What he had said about Elaine was true. She did not face her problems; she ran. If she really had seen John Sideblossom, she would already be on long gone. But where to? To Madame Clarisse’s? Or farther away? William made for the front door. And then he heard Callie barking. It wasn’t very loud. In fact, it sounded like the barking was growing more distant. William broke into a run.