by Sarah Cass
“That is my ride?” Katherine rushed forward. “He’ll blab to the whole town.”
“Nah. Once you’re over the mountains you’ll be good.”
“That won’t be until nightfall!” Katherine set her satchel down. “How, exactly is he going to keep quiet until then?”
“Because he ain’t gonna know you’re with him.”
“What?”
“You’ll be back here, under the tarp. Ain’t gonna be no fun, but it’ll get you outta town.” Cole leaned on the wagon. “It’s your best bet. If you leave now, ain’t no one gonna know Frank left town until he don’t show up at the saloon.”
“They’ll know I left.” Doubt started to tug at her determination.
“But how? Maybe they’ll think you’re hiding in town. You done it before. I might even let them think you’re hiding in my place. That’ll be fun.”
Katherine laughed at the idea, her nerves easing. She glanced across the street toward her sisters boarding house. Everything remained dark and quiet, perhaps it was a blessing that her sister slept in the back room.
“So climb in. Before Frank finishes his beer.” Cole held the tarp so she could slide into the small opening he’d made for her. “Left ya a basket of food. Don’t worry, I’ll distract. Ain’t no one gonna know until you’re long gone.”
With gentle care, Katherine set her satchel on the edge of the wagon, then hopped up onto the lip. She nodded to Cole. “I owe you.”
“You’ll pay me back one day.” Cole offered a wicked grin that set her heart aflutter. “I ain’t got no doubt.”
Heat rushed to Katherine’s cheeks and she ducked her head. “That would imply I’m coming back here some day.”
“You will.”
“You sure?”
“You bet.” He chuckled. “And you’ll pay me back.”
“How?”
“Don’t ya worry about that none.”
Movement in the saloon drew Katherine away from Cole’s leer. “Oh, he’s coming.”
“Go on, get in.” Cole waved her in, but when she started to crawl, he pushed hard on her rump until she landed on the floor of the wagon with a grunt. He squeezed her inappropriately bare ankle. “Safe travels. See ya in a few years, Kathy.”
Katherine didn’t even have time to wave before he dropped the tarp in place and closed the wagon gate.
“Goodbye,” she whispered.
Awakening
Three Years Later
Katherine leaned on her hand and sighed. Rather than run the numbers she’d been handed, she stared at the door as if it would make something happen.
“Psst.” Melanie nudged Katherine in the side. “There he is again. Like clockwork.”
Katherine straightened in her seat as the gentleman Melanie pointed at removed his hat and scanned the bay of windows. The particular bank Katherine worked in employed all women to handle the everyday transactions, while the men handled the larger business of the bank.
All rumor indicated that Mr. Patrick Warner came to this bank religiously for that reason alone. Rumor also said he’d wooed, corrupted, and then broke the heart of every woman that dared to catch his eye.
Katherine didn’t pull her gaze away when he glanced her direction, as she had for the past two weeks. “Perhaps he’ll visit my window today. I heard tell he’s left Marjorie bereft, so he’ll be looking for a new woman.”
“Katherine Marie, you can’t be serious.” Melanie gasped and set about rearranging the stamps on her desk. “He’s broken the heart of every woman he’s approached.”
“That’s because they were hoping for love and marriage to be taken away from this horrible life as a worker. I have no designs for the life of a wife.” Granted, Katherine had yet to achieve the freedom she’d left Dominion Falls to find three years ago. While Cole’s guidance had taken her to a home and a steady job, for which she was grateful, she’d yet to find the freedom she’d sought. She’d never been left wanting for food or shelter, but she wanted more. Travel, excitement, and maybe even men.
Just a month ago she’d turned eighteen and, as per her agreement with the woman that had taken her in, Katherine had needed to find a job of her own and living arrangements. She’d managed to find room in a woman’s boarding house and the job at the bank. All of which she’d done under the name she’d assumed when she’d first moved to Chicago, Katherine Wells.
Still, she was doing everything she was supposed to, as she was supposed to. With her coming of age, she wanted more, more than a new name and a decent job. Before she turned spinster, she was curious as to what lay beyond propriety, and she hungered for life beyond her job and the city of Chicago. If she had to start anywhere, why not with learning about sex with a man skilled enough to corrupt numerous proper young ladies as Mr. Warner had?
“Katherine.” Melanie set her hand on Katherine’s arm. “He’s a rake.”
“I know full well what he is.” Kat smiled at the man whose eye she planned to catch, as he spoke with one of the men in the lobby. “Perhaps if he knows what I’m after, we can come to an agreement. After all, the only thing I wish is what he’s rumored to be quite skilled at.”
Deep red hues flooded Melanie’s features, and she shook her head. “It isn’t decent.”
“I’ve been decent for too long.” Katherine had kept her head down and done what she should out of fear her parents would locate her and drag her home if she drew too much attention. At eighteen, the fear was subsiding and the burning need for more that had first flamed to light in Dominion Falls now burned bright again.
Before Melanie could protest further, Patrick approached Katherine’s window. His smile broadened with every step closer he took.
Katherine brushed an unruly curl back into place and returned his smile. “Good afternoon, Mr. Warner.”
“Good afternoon. I’m afraid you have me at a disadvantage. You know my name, and I don’t know yours.” He slid his transaction across the desk.
“I’m Katherine.” She didn’t bother with a last name, though it would be the proper thing to do. “And it wasn’t a disadvantage. I believe you enjoy allowing your reputation to precede you, Mr. Warner.”
“I believe you’re right, Kat.”
She smiled at the nickname no one had dared to call her before. Once his transaction was complete, she quirked at brow at his continued presence at her window. “Was there anything else, Mr. Warner?”
“You’re new here.”
“I’ve been employed here for three weeks. Long enough.”
“Long enough for what?”
Katherine shrugged. “To have learned some things.”
“Perhaps we could discuss those things outside of the bank?” He leaned on the counter and flashed a charming smile. “Over supper?”
“No, supper won’t do.” She grinned when he straightened in surprise. “I wouldn’t mind a walk. I have a proposition for you, and it is best discussed discreetly.”
His surprise melted into a wicked grin. “I’m intrigued. For that alone, I’ll take you up on the offer. When shall we have this stroll?”
“Are you free this evening?”
“I can be for one so bold.”
“Then at five, right outside.”
“I look forward to it, Kat.”
“Me too, Mr. Warner.”
* * * *
At the end of the day Melanie gathered her things and left without a word to Katherine. Unsure whether to feel insulted or pity the girl, Katherine shrugged and draped her shawl over her shoulders.
Out of the corner of her eye, her supervisor, and new friend Delphine, waved Katherine over. Even though she knew Patrick could be waiting on her, Katherine obliged. Delphine’s own words rang in Katherine’s ears. It’s best to leave them waiting.
Katherine smiled as she approached Delphine’s desk. “Everything all right?”
“Of course it is. You were perfectly balanced as always. You should try investing, build up that secret little nest egg you�
��ve got.” Delphine rose and grabbed her own shawl. When she spoke again, her tone remained low. “What happened with Mr. Warner? Did you get his attention as you’d hoped?”
“You mean as we’d hoped?” Katherine could attribute her bold decisions to Delphine’s urging. “Yes. And he called me Kat.”
“Kat. I like that.” Delphine laced her arm through Katherine’s and headed toward the door. “It suits you well.”
“Not yet.” Katherine took a deep breath as they left the building. She was both excited and afraid for the step she was taking. For years she’d known she didn’t wish to ever get married. Meeting Delphine weeks ago had firmed the belief.
Delphine herself was married, had been for years. The reason she worked was three-fold. One, because she wanted to work. Two, it gave her another excuse beyond the standard ‘Ladie’s Auxiliary’ to be out of the house when she meant to sneak away to suffrage meetings. Third, her family needed the income since her husband drank and whored away his own money.
Katherine’s bond with Delphine had been instantaneous, for reasons beyond Katherine’s understanding. In the past few weeks, Katherine had gone to her first suffrage meeting, and learned much about the marriage bed she hadn’t known.
Out of all the complaints Delphine had about her husband, she had none about the lover she kept on the side. Her whispered tales of rendezvous had piqued Katherine’s interest enough to consider the prospect ahead of her.
Delphine held Katherine near the back door of the bank. “So you are meeting with Mr. Warner, then?”
“Right now, in fact. He offered supper; I turned him down but suggested a walk.” Katherine nudged another stray curl back from her forehead. “I thought supper was too suggestive of wanting a relationship. I want nothing of the sort. Although, I do believe Melanie might not ever speak to me again since I have aspirations of bedding him.”
“Never you mind that little priss. She’s digging for a husband, and she’s jealous that Warner looked your way. She’s been here well over a year and he’s never cast her a second glance.” Delphine adjusted Katheirne’s shawl. “I’ll move you away from her tomorrow. Closer to my desk is suitable. I spoke to Mr. King today about your skill. He agreed with me that though you’ve only been here a month, you can move up the ranks.”
“Thank you, Delphine.” Katherine squeezed her hands. “Now I should go. While you said it’s good to make them wait, perhaps it’s not good to make him wait too long.”
“True enough. Go on then. I have an appointment of my own to keep.” Delphine winked before she darted down the alley.
Katherine chuckled as she followed her friend toward the street. Even after Delphine disappeared from view, Katherine didn’t pick up her pace. Before she reached the end of the alley, Mr. Warner stepped into view.
He leaned against the wall, one hand on his cane. Elegance and confidence lingered about him like an intoxicating perfume. As it often had when confronted with the more refined suitors she met in Chicago, her mind drifted back to Dominion Falls and a brash, cocky rake of a man that had helped her escape her arranged marriage.
His final assurance that she’d find a way to pay him back one day still crossed her mind at least three times a week. When she smiled at the memory, Mr. Warner rewarded her with a smooth smile of his own.
Katherine bowed her head in greeting. “I apologize for keeping you waiting, Mr. Warner. Mrs. Cooper wanted to go over my numbers before I left.”
“No apologies required. It is only my curiosity that has made me impatient.”
“Curiosity?” She tried to feign innocence, even as he confirmed he’d had the reaction she’d hoped for. “Whatever has made you curious?”
“You. Few women turn down supper at a fine restaurant in town. Certainly none in favor of an unescorted walk.”
“Especially with how your reputation precedes you, correct?” She skirted around him to the sidewalk and didn’t wait for his arm to begin walking. “After all, what woman wouldn’t want to be the one to capture and tame the intractable rake, Patrick Warner? That would certainly be a feather in ones cap if one cared about such things.”
“And you don’t?” He caught up to her in a few quick steps. “Sounds much like a trick a child would play. To act contrary to how one desires to get just what they desire.”
“I assure you, Mr. Warner, if I cared one nit about marriage I would be married, not working in a bank in this city.”
“Again.”
“We could go back and forth, but that would get boring, wouldn’t it?” Besides, nerves were getting the better of her. While she’d considered the idea he might not believe her, she’d rather hoped it wouldn’t happen. Her ability to argue seemed to only rise in short bursts or when she was truly sure of herself.
“True.” His cane clicked on the walkway with every other step they took. Somehow they’d begun to move in sync, his hand came to rest on her elbow.
“Why don’t you hear me out, and you can decide from there if you wish to believe me and take the risk.”
“I’d be willing to listen.”
“Good.” She stopped to hail a nearby cab. When Mr. Warner tried to pay, she brushed him aside and paid the driver after telling him to take them to Lincoln Park. She settled into her seat, and waited for him to follow suit.
Once he did, the cab took off and silence fell between them. Katherine wasn’t sure why he stared her down so intently; whether to determine if she was legitimate, or to make her uneasy, but she chose to ignore him.
Neither of them spoke until they arrived at the park and Patrick hopped out of the carriage. He turned to help her down and offered a cheeky smile along with his hand. “You’ve already won points by not being one to gab my ear off.”
“Or did I lose them by not fawning and flattering you with false platitudes?”
“I failed to think of it that way. Perhaps I should realign my thoughts on the matter. What do you think?”
“I think you should wait until you’ve heard my proposition as you said you would.” If nothing else, the teasing word play set her more at ease. Being clever and witty with the opposite sex is something she’d learned in the past few years. While her first job had been as a teacher, after that each job required interactions with men.
Miss Stapleton had trained all her girls on etiquette and conversation. Katherine knew many of the girls were eventually groomed into high class whores, but no soiled dove ever flew from Miss Stapleton’s nest until she was eighteen. Those that failed, or didn’t wish for even high class work servicing men, were left to learn more practical job skills. Though Miss Stapleton never asked Katherine her wishes, she’d never been approached. Katherine wondered if Cole had anything to do about that.
If so, she owed him more than just her escape. Katherine sighed aloud, shaking her head to clear the thoughts. Once again, a part of her life was in the past, but this one had given her some skills she could use.
“Everything all right?”
“Yes. I’m sorry. I got lost in thought.” This time Katherine took his proffered arm and fell into step beside him. “Now, my proposition.”
“I wait with breathless anticipation.”
“You reputation says many things about you, Mr. Warner. It says you have no desire to marry any time soon.”
“I haven’t yet met a woman to convince me otherwise,” he admitted.
“It also says that you are quite skilled not only at the wooing, but at what occurs in the privacy of bedrooms. Or, as I’ve heard, not always bedrooms.”
“You listen to far more racy talk than most of the women in your position.” He slowed his steps and cocked a brow. “You’re not even blushing, Kat.”
“I grew up in a mining town, Mr. Warner. I’ve heard and seen things I likely shouldn’t have long before I came to Chicago.” Katherine smiled, once again reminding herself of why she knew she could do this. “However, despite all the things I have learned, heard, and seen in my life—knowing and doing are no
t the same.”
“Knowing and doing, what?”
“Copulation, Mr. Warner. I wish to learn.”
Warner’s mouth opened and closed, his dark eyes searching her features. He shook his head and stepped closer. “I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me.”
“I did. I doubt my own ears, but I heard it.”
Katherine moved to a nearby bench and sat, patting the spot beside her. There were several minutes of silence as she waited for him to heed her beckoning and sit. Once he did, she turned her attention to the people wandering through the park. “I also have no desire for marriage. I haven’t ever felt a strong desire to be married to anyone. I don’t imagine that changing anytime soon.”
“I understand that.”
“I’m certain you do.” Katherine folded her hands in her lap. “However, I’m not an innocent young woman that prefers to remain obtuse to the workings of the world. I’ve heard tell that coupling can be either enjoyable or dreadful. I prefer to learn a way to enjoy the pleasures of the flesh, and figure there is no better way to do so than with one who is rumored to be rather skilled.”
“Flattery?”
“Fact. I have other recourses to take, but this was my first choice.” Well, her first choice over uprooting her current life and returning to Dominion Falls. The rumors would certainly fly then. Especially since she would only return to spend some time with Cole before she left again. She could imagine her mother’s face were that to happen.
“What would be in it for me?”
“You get what you want, without a woman crying her eyes out when you tire of her and are ready to move on. In fact, you might woo your next unwitting victim as you lie with me. I have no aspirations for a marriage, or a true courting.”
“I still do not believe my ears.”
“When you do, I do hope you’ll let me know your answer.” She rose before he could protest or question her further. “You do know how to find me.”
“I do.”
“Then fare thee well, Mr. Warner.”
“Kat.” He touched her arm, but didn’t pull her back toward him.
“Yes?”