Ella

by Sadie Conall

  Ella thought of her vegetable garden out back which she had tendered since she was a child. “You’re right, I know it,” she said, wiping her face. “But everything’s changed so fast since Marrok arrived here, I’m struggling to cope. And I’m terrified. What if I run out of money all alone out there?”

  “Hush girl. You know full well you’ll be with me and my family. We’ll do this journey together every step of the way, so don’t fret none about what lies ahead or for things that ain’t yet happened. Thoughts like that will take away your courage. So wipe away those tears and pick up your cases. We’ve got a wagon to finish packing.”

  Chesterfield, Missouri

  April 1846

  1

  It was almost full dark when they arrived in Chesterfield. Marrok sat on the buckboard of the wagon beside Jasper, and as he reined the horses in outside a boarding house that Ella recommended, he was glad to be here.

  He pushed his wide brimmed hat off his face to wipe the sweat from his brow, feeling hot and tired and wishing he were in St Louis already. Although he’d known once he’d agreed to ride to Jebediah’s with Ella, that was never going to happen. And by the time they finished packing up the wagon, it had been well past mid-day. Not nearly enough time to make that thirty mile trip back to St Louis.

  He had allowed his own horse to be harnessed with Bear to pull the wagon, but those few miles into Chesterfield had taken longer than planned, even though he had pushed the horses harder than he should have, especially the old plough horse.

  Martha and Ella had said very little on the journey north. They had walked some of the way but now sat in the back of the wagon, clearly exhausted, although the huge job of packing up had been an emotional one. And it was Jasper who cried when they rode away from the ranch, even as Ella glanced up at those three graves on the hill behind the house.

  Marrok dismounted to help the women down from the wagon and as he placed his hands on her waist and swung her down, Ella felt the strength of him. He lifted her as though she weighed nothing much at all and as he set her down on the boardwalk, she smelled the musky male scent of him although it wasn’t offensive. And she noticed the stubble on his jaw against that otherwise flawless complexion.

  Yet there seemed nothing tactile about this man. He was all highly strung energy as though something feral lurked just below the surface. It seemed to pulse off him like a living thing. Some might have called him handsome. Indeed, Martha had said that very thing. Although Ella wouldn’t have called Marrok handsome, for his face held a rawness to it, a hardness, that warned people to stand clear of him. She wasn’t sure if that thrilled her or terrified her. So no, she wouldn’t have called him handsome. She would have called him striking, charismatic, even desirable.

  He stepped away from her and she took her hands off his arms, aware of the hard band of muscle beneath the buckskin sleeve. She was also aware of the heat of him. It seemed to radiate off him like the fire in the hearth back at the ranch.

  They booked four single rooms and although small, the rooms were clean. The elderly couple who owned the boarding house suggested a livery just a block away.

  “You want good stables and an honest man? Take your horses and wagon around the block to Allan Endon. He’ll look after them just fine. Won’t find a better man. But get them horses and that wagon round there smart before he locks up and goes home.”

  They left Martha behind to rest in her room but before Marrok and Jasper left for the livery, Marrok suggested Ella watch the main street in case Milton rode by on his way back to the ranch.

  “It’s getting late and I’d hate to miss him while we’re at the livery,” Marrok said. “And I don’t fancy going back to the ranch tonight, or in the morning, when we don’t need to.”

  So Ella stepped back into the boarding house and waited by the front window, looking out onto the main street which led to the road back to the ranch.

  But she didn’t see Milton. And within the hour Marrok and Jasper re-appeared with Milton’s suitcases. She stepped outside to meet them.

  “Are you ready for this?” Marrok asked.

  Ella nodded, but he could tell by her face that she wasn’t. What she was ready for, was for this to be over.

  *

  They found Billy first. Tethered to a post outside one of Chesterfield’s saloons, the horse’s head hung low in misery. When Ella went to pet him, Billy reared back.

  “Oh, he’s treated you bad,” Jasper said softly, reaching out to gently take the horse’s bridle. Billy snorted, then whickered as he recognized Jasper, moving his head to nudge him.

  Marrok ran his hands over the horse’s hind quarters, seeing the whip marks.

  “Milton’s left him out here in the heat all day, without water. And any man who treats a horse like this doesn’t deserve to own one,” he said angrily before turning to Jasper.

  “You remember how to get back to the livery?”

  Jasper nodded. “Yessir, I reckon I do.”

  “Then we’ll see you back at the boarding house, with Martha.”

  Jasper nodded and walked off with her father’s horse, heading for the livery where Endon was waiting for them. Once Jasper had helped feed and water Billy and settle him down, he’d make his way back to the boarding house and wait with Martha.

  Ella and Marrok stepped up to the saloon and peered through a window. Milton was sitting at a table on the far side of the room, playing cards with three other men.

  “That’s him. The man with thin grey hair sitting with his back to us.”

  Marrok heard her grunt with rage, but he understood the situation well enough to know that Milton would be gambling with Quentin’s money. Money they had needed for the ranch and to feed them and the animals. Ella moved to push open the swing doors, but Marrok quickly pulled her back.

  “Ella, just stop for a moment,” he said, an urgency to his voice. “If you go in there angry, this could all go wrong.”

  “Whatever do you mean?”

  “Just calm down. You don’t want to get on the wrong side of him and get him all fired up and then have him declare the sale of your ranch illegal, done without his approval. If that happens and the whole thing has to be renegotiated with Crawley, then you’re on your own, for I can’t stay around and wait for that to settle,” he paused and let her arm go. “So let me go in there. Besides, a saloon isn’t any place for a woman and the men in there won’t appreciate you storming in. I’ll ask Milton to come and talk to you out here.”

  Ella glanced around the streets which were mostly empty now, with people at home for supper or getting children ready for bed. She could talk to Milton in private out here, without being overheard.

  “And just another suggestion,” Marrok added after she agreed, his voice low and deep, soothing her frazzled nerves. “Offer him $80 for Billy, just to sweeten the deal. But no more. We all saw the state of Billy’s mouth and the whip marks on him. The horse isn’t worth more than $80. But that $80 brings Milton’s share of your ranch up to $3 an acre, which he negotiated with Jebediah. That should make him happy.”

  Ella looked at Marrok, not able to tell him about the secret deal between Jebediah and Milton for her hand in marriage. She couldn’t tell him. She wouldn’t. Because it made her feel as if she had no more value than Bear or Billy. For even had the ranch sold for $3 an acre, that still wouldn’t have given Milton the deal he negotiated with Jebediah. It sickened Ella to think on it.

  But she agreed that Marrok should go into the saloon alone. She watched over the top of the swing doors and saw the look of distaste on her uncle’s face when Marrok approached him and asked him to step outside. When Milton turned and saw Ella’s face at the top of the swing doors, he became belligerent.

  You’re mad because I’ve finally caught you out, she thought.

  The barkeeper asked him to keep his voice down, but Milton refused to leave the table, saying he had a winning hand. When Ella saw Marrok’s hand go to her uncle’s collar, knowing he would
n’t think twice about hauling him outside, she decided she’d had enough of men telling her what to do. So she picked up Milton’s bags, grunting with the weight of them, then pushed her way through the swing doors and entered the saloon.

  She saw Marrok’s hand drop away when he saw her, but she was glad it hadn’t been him who resorted to violence. Let it be her, for this was her battle.

  Every man in the room turned to look at her.

  “Now Miss Ella,” the barkeeper called out. “You should know better than coming in here. What would your daddy say if he saw you?”

  “It’s because of my daddy that I’m here,” she replied, her voice hard. “Besides, this won’t take long. My uncle and I have some business to attend to. Once he agrees to come outside with me, I’ll leave.”

  Marrok watched her cross the room, the weight of Milton’s bags causing her to stumble a little. He wished she had stayed outside, but he had to admire her courage. He was beginning to learn there was nothing soft about this girl. He almost smiled at the look on Milton’s face when Ella dumped the bags beside him, although his shock suggested that Jebediah’s lawyer hadn’t yet bothered to seek Milton out to get his signature on the sale agreement.

  Marrok thought Milton very thin. Yet he was dressed immaculately, a contradiction of his real worth, for although he looked like he had money, he had none.

  Marrok also recognized in him something he’d seen in other men who believed the world owed them. It was never about what they could achieve themselves, it was always about what they could get from others. And once he left Ella behind, this man would find someone else to leech off. To bled them dry in every way, because this was the way men like this lived.

  He uttered a foul oath as he looked down at his bags. “What the hell is all this about?”

  “We can talk here in front of everyone and have them know your business, or we can talk outside in private.”

  Milton sneered at her, in her plain homespun clothes. And Ella did feel plain under his gaze, next to the working girls in their brightly colored dresses of silk and ribbons.

  “I’ll finish here first,” he spat at her. “What you’ve got to tell me can wait till then.”

  She leaned towards him, her voice a whisper, yet full of rage. “You’ll come with us now, or as God is my witness I’ll ride out of here with it all.”

  He looked up at her then, a look of panic on his face but before he could speak the barman approached them. He nodded towards the door at the back of the room.

  “Go use the private room Miss Ella. There’s no-one in there,” he turned to Milton. “Leave your hand where it is and go talk to your niece. These boys can take a break as well. I’ll watch the cards and see no-one touches them.”

  Ella glanced over at Marrok. “I want you there as well,” she said, then strode towards the door.

  “What the hell is going on?” Milton yelled, pushing his chair away from the table.

  He put his cards face down then spat at the men at the table who were also standing. “I’ll be back. This won’t take long.”

  But before he followed Ella and Marrok into the private room, he scooped up the money he’d placed on the table and picked up both his bags.

  2

  The room was used for those who could afford to pay for privacy, men with enough money to entertain women without the threat of gossip, or high-end card players passing through town. It had been in this room that Milton had incurred his debt with the professional card player from New Orleans. A man who was currently playing cards in another saloon, who wouldn’t leave town until Milton paid him in full.

  Milton shut the door behind him yet glared at Marrok as he took in his buckskin clothing.

  “And who the hell are you? You put her up to this? By God! You just wait until we get back to the ranch Ella! You’ll damn well pay for embarrassing me like this.”

  Marrok ignored him and pulled out a chair for Ella. She sat down and reached for her purse, placing it on the table, yet Marrok noticed her hands were trembling. As if aware of it she quickly tucked them in her lap, so Milton couldn’t see them under the table.

  “All your belongings are in those two bags,” Ella said, nodding towards the suitcases. “And you should thank me for going to the trouble of packing them, for it’s going to save you a long walk back to the ranch tonight. Although I doubt you’ll want to go there, not now it belongs to Jebediah Crawley.”

  “What the hell have you done?” Milton snarled, still standing.

  Ella took a breath, willing her voice to be strong, remembering Marrok’s words when they rode to see Jebediah. If you appear weak, you’ll leave here with nothing.

  She couldn’t appear weak before Milton now, or all would be lost. She turned to introduce Marrok. “He’s here to escort us east to New York, to live with Martha’s son and his family.”

  Milton suddenly looked pale and for a moment Ella thought he was going to be sick. “You can’t leave, damn you. You’re marrying Jebediah Crawley in a matter of weeks.”

  “No uncle, I’m not. In fact, I settled the sale of the ranch on Jebediah earlier this afternoon. As of now, he’s the proud owner of everything my parents worked so hard for.” She paused as Milton almost choked. “I’ve taken what was mine from the ranch but if you want anything that’s left, I suggest you get there before Jebediah’s men arrive in the morning,” she paused again as Milton’s hands became tight fists.

  “You’ve cheated me!” he spat viciously. “You’ve gone behind my back!”

  “As you went behind mine and negotiated a marriage between me and Jebediah knowing full well the sort of man he is, just like everyone else in town,” she paused again, willing herself to remain calm. She didn’t dare glance at Marrok, but she felt his strength as he stood silently, positioned between her and Milton.

  “So I negotiated a better deal, a deal which frees me from any obligation. The sale was effective this morning and I have the paperwork to prove it, along with this.” She reached to open her purse, revealing the cash.

  “This is exactly half of my father’s estate, as per his wishes. And where you negotiated an unrealistic $3 an acre with Jebediah, I negotiated $2.60 for the land and buildings. And as no-one else has come forward, I do think we should be grateful to Jebediah that he accepted my offer at all.”

  “Damn you,” Milton spluttered. “Damn your arrogant young hide.”

  Ella looked at him with dislike. “If you count the money you’ll see I’ve given you an extra $80 for Billy. Which amounts to the original deal you struck with Jebediah for $3 an acre.”

  Milton reached for the money and counted it. Then he turned pale, his fingers trembling as he went through the money again. “There’s not enough here. There’s not enough!”

  “No, there’s not enough,” Ella said, standing up, pushing her chair back from the table. And she wished with all her heart that she didn’t have to say it, not in front of Marrok, but she couldn’t not say it, such was her rage. “Jebediah told me everything. Once I was safely married to him, he was going to give you a large sum of cash in exchange for your efforts in getting me to the altar. And he told me about your debt to a card player. That sum of money in your hand will barely cover it.” She shook her head and looked at him with disgust. “I feel ashamed that the same blood runs in your veins as it runs in mine.”

  “Go to hell,” Milton yelled. “Damn you! I’ll leave here a pauper because of your meddling!”

  He stuffed the cash in his pocket then stepped away from her, glanced at Marrok then reached for his bags. But he didn’t return to the saloon. Instead, he opened the door into the darkened alley and slipped out into the night.

  “He’s leaving!” Ella said in astonishment, even as she leaned forward, holding onto her chair for support. “He can’t leave! He needs to sign that sale agreement.”

  Marrok could see her trembling. “I wouldn’t worry about him, Ella. He’ll try and sneak out of town tonight but that professional card play
er will find him. He’ll want his money. And Jebediah’s men will track him down to get his signature on that document. Jebediah has the means to find him, one way or the other.”

  Ella looked at him, then nodded. “Is it over, do you think? Or will he come back and cause heartache for me all over again.”

  “It’s over, Ella. Let him go. You’ve got a whole new life waiting for you in California. Let’s go meet up with Jasper and Martha and have some supper.”

  Ella nodded then stepped towards him, placing a hand on his arm. “How do I ever thank you Marrok? I owe you everything.”

  He shook his head. “I only made suggestions, you did everything else, so take credit for it, Ella. Be proud of what you’ve done today. I certainly am.”

  Ella linked her arm through his, for she didn’t think she’d make it back through the saloon without his support. Marrok told the waiting card players that Milton had left. They shrugged, then carried on another game without him.

  3

  Marrok lay abed that night in the narrow cot unable to sleep, not only because the bed was too small for him and the straw mattress not thick enough to stop the hard boards beneath pushing into him, but because he couldn’t get rid of the image of Ella.

  Of her storming into the kitchen back at the ranch in that extraordinary wedding gown, looking so vulnerable with tears smeared across her face, yet looking heartbreakingly beautiful at the same time.

  Or when she faced Jebediah looking confident and strong even though Marrok knew she’d been shaking in her boots.

  Or when she stormed into the saloon to confront her uncle.

  The girl had courage that was for damn sure and it would help her over the coming week when she’d have to make some of the toughest decisions of her life. Buying oxen and employing men were tough choices for a man, let alone a woman, but now he was this far in, Marrok wouldn’t abandon her, unless they ran out of time.