Deborah Camp (34 page)

“I should be gettin’ on.” Airy stood and stretched. Joints popped and she yawned noisily, but cut it off in mid-groan. “Hey, you got more company coming, little missus.”

Elise shaded her eyes with one hand. A buggy with a fringed top, pulled by a shiny black draft horse, rolled down the lane to the cabin. Standing, she ran a hand over her hair in a reflexive gesture.

“Wonder who that is,” she murmured.

“Fancy outfit. Looks like a hired cab from the livery in town. Yep, that’s the blacksmith’s son driving it.” Airy moved none too quickly to her donkey. “He’s got one passenger. A man in a store-bought suit and city hat.”

“I don’t recognize him,” Elise confessed, descending the porch steps.

The buggy stopped a little way from the porch. Dust rose up and drifted toward her fresh laundry on the clotheslines. The driver, a young man not much older than Adam, tipped his wide-brimmed hat.

“Howdy. You the half-breed’s woman?”

Elise tipped up her chin in blazing affront. “I am Mrs. Lonewolf, young man,” she said archly, and the driver inched back as if her voice were a whip aimed at him. “State your business, please.”

From the corner of her eye she saw Airy grin and then climb aboard her sweet-tempered donkey.

“Yes’m.” The driver glanced back at his passenger, then jerked a thumb in the man’s direction. “I drove him out here to talk at you.”

Elise peered under the fringed canopy. “Do I know you, sir?”

“No, Mrs. Lonewolf.” The man sat forward into the sunlight, which sparkled in the lenses of his
glasses. “I am Giles Lancaster. I’m a solicitor.”

Elise regarded him warily. He spoke with an English accent and seemed completely out of place there. “I suppose Judge Mott sent you,” she said, setting her jaw stubbornly. “He’s a few days too early.”

“No, I haven’t been retained by any such person.” He smiled benignly. “I’ve come from Baltimore.”

“Baltimore!” Elise said, and heard Airy echo her.

“Yes. I represent Shelton and Katherine Wellby. Your grandparents, I believe?”

“Bless my britches,” Airy whispered, turning her donkey around and giving him a kick to get him going.

Elise folded her arms and stared coldly at the man. “I have no grandparents, sir. They died the day I buried my father apart from my mother. Please be on your way. You aren’t welcome here.”

G
iles Lancaster patted the driver’s shoulder. “You may park this vehicle in the shade while I conduct my business. I shan’t be long.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I told you that I have nothing to say to you,” Elise said, blocking the steps leading to the porch. “You might as well be on your way.”

“I have something to say to you,” Mr. Lancaster rejoined evenly, unruffled by her stern countenance. He alighted from the buggy with a leather satchel in hand. “I shouldn’t be taking much of your time. I’ve brought a message from your grandparents.”

“I told you, I no longer have any grandparents.”

“Yes, madam, so you said. Very well, I have a message from the Wellbys.” He pulled a silk handkerchief from his jacket pocket and mopped his brow and neck. His suit was shiny brown and he wore a wide green tie. “Would you be so kind as to fetch me a drink of water, madam? I’m quite parched.”

Elise regarded him for a few moments, noting his friendly blue eyes and harmless smile. She
shrugged. “You can come in, have your dipper of water, then be on your way.”

“Yes, madam, and I’ll deliver the message, too. That’s what I’m being paid for.”

“And handsomely, I’m sure.” Elise pivoted, mounted the steps and marched into the cabin. She stalked to the water bucket and drew out a dipper of water, which she offered to the stranger. “Here you go.” She knew he would prefer having his water in a cup or a glass, but she refused to treat him as a cherished guest.

While he sipped the water, she tapped her foot impatiently. Why had her grandparents sent him? Did they require her signature on some papers that would legally release them from any connection with her or her siblings? Well, she wouldn’t sign!

He had removed his roll-brimmed hat upon entering the house, revealing that he was quite bald except for a fringe of brown hair running above his ears and at the back of his head. His mustache was thin, with a few white hairs appearing among the brown.

Giving the dipper back to her, he touched his handkerchief to the corners of his mouth. “Quite refreshing. Thank you very much.” He adjusted his tie. “Mrs. Lonewolf—that is correct, isn’t it? You’ve married?”

“That is correct.” Elise folded her arms again and glared at him. “You may leave now, sir.”

“Allow me to deliver my message, madam, won’t you? What harm will come to you to hear me out?”

She supposed she shouldn’t be taking out her hatred on this messenger. He was only doing her grandparents’ dirty work. “All right. What is it?” she said in a rush. “Say it and then leave.”

“Your grandparents would like to see you.”

“Would they, now?” She laughed harshly. “They expect me to go back to Baltimore with you to sign some papers that will do me absolutely no good whatso—”

“Madam, they are here, not in Baltimore.”

“H-here?” She looked past him as her blood ran cold. “Where?”

“In Crossroads, at the hotel. They would like to speak to you and your brother and sister. Today, if possible. Tomorrow at the latest. They have return tickets to Baltimore on the afternoon train.”

“Good. The sooner they’re gone, the better.”

“You’ll meet with them?”

“I have no desire to do so.”

“Elise?” Penny hovered in the doorway. “Do we have company?”

“No, this man is leaving.”

“Are you Penny?” Mr. Lancaster spun around to greet her. “Is Adam here as well?”

“He’s out with Papa Blade, I think. But he’ll be in soon. He’s got to change out of his school clothes.”

Papa Blade
. The solicitor raised his brows at this, as did Elise. Of course, she should have been prepared, she told herself. She had heard Penny tell Blade that she was going to start calling him by that name, but it still sent a jolt through her. Penny must be calling him that to his face now, she thought. What would happen if he lost the land and couldn’t make a living for them anymore? How would the children cope if they had to say farewell to yet another father figure?

“Penny, please go on about your chores,” Elise said.

“Okay.” Penny ducked outside and bounced off
the porch, a ball of energy with pigtails.

“She seems to have adapted quite well,” the solicitor commented.

“And how would you know?” Elise challenged. “I don’t remember seeing you before. My sister and brother have suffered greatly, thanks to the Wellbys. If they are adjusting, it’s at a great cost, believe me. We have all fought hard to remain together.”

“Yes, yes, of course.” He arranged his handkerchief in the breast pocket of his suit coat. “I do believe that you should meet with the Wellbys, Mrs. Lonewolf. It will add a final chapter to this sordid story.”

“The story’s already over for me.”

“Is it?” He gave her a skeptical look. “Isn’t there anything you’d like to say to them? They have something to say to you. They have something to ask of you.”

“What?”

“That is for them to say, not me.” He smiled. “Please, may I tell them that you will come around? This evening, perhaps? Or in the morning?”

She caught a glimpse of a mule ridden by two. Blade and Adam had seen the buggy, she surmised, and had come to investigate. Feet landed on the porch and then Blade and Adam crowded through the doorway.

“Hello!” Mr. Lancaster greeted them with a broad smile and an extended hand. “Giles Lancaster. You must be Mr. Lonewolf.” He shook Blade’s hand, then offered to shake Adam’s. “Adam, I take it?”

“Yes, sir.” Adam wiped his hand on his pant leg before shaking Mr. Lancaster’s. “Are you from England?”

“Yes, originally. But I make my home in Baltimore now.”

“Baltimore?” Adam yanked his hand from Lancaster’s and his gaze flew to Elise. “What’s going on?”

“The Wellbys sent him. They want to talk to us,” Elise explained. “They’re staying in a hotel … in Crossroads.”

“They’re here!” Adam’s eyes rounded with shock. “Why? What are they up to now?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care, as I have repeatedly told Mr. Lancaster here.”

“Mr. Lancaster, won’t you sit down?” Blade offered, pulling out one of the kitchen chairs.

“Blade!” Elise glared at him. “Mr. Lancaster is leaving!”

“Thank you, Mr. Lonewolf.” The solicitor sat while the offer was still good. “I must be on my way, but I was trying to obtain from your wife an idea of when she might be paying a visit to the Wellbys. They have tickets on tomorrow afternoon’s train bound for the East Coast, so if she could see them this evening or in the morning …”

“I don’t want to see them at all. They’re wasting their time.”

“Why not see them?” Blade asked. “Maybe they’ve got good news for you. Maybe they want you to go back to Baltimore.”

Elise stared at him. Was that what he wanted? Would he let her go, just like that? “I … I don’t care what they want,” she managed to say finally. “I am no longer interested in their wishes or desires.”

“Me either,” Adam chimed in. “And we don’t need their permission to return to Baltimore anyway.”

“That’s right,” Elise agreed. “They don’t own Baltimore!”

“And they don’t claim to,” Mr. Lancaster noted with a shrewd smile. “But they would like to speak to you. Just a few minutes of your time, Mrs. Lonewolf. Is that too much to ask? As I said, it will be good for all parties to close this unfortunate business, face-to-face.”

“I think he’s right,” Blade said. “One last visit to clear the air.”

“I’m not going,” Adam stated.

“Elise?” Blade nudged. “They came all the way here. You’ll always wonder why, if you don’t go see them.”

Flapping her hands, Elise capitulated. “Oh, very well, but only me. I won’t subject Adam or Penny to any more of their cruelty.”

“That’s fine, that’s fine.” Mr. Lancaster stood and tucked his leather satchel under his arm. “When may I tell them to expect you?”

“In the morning. I’ll stop by after I drop off Penny and Adam at school. Around nine, I guess.”

“Splendid. So nice to meet all of you.” He put his hat back on and bowed. “Good day now.”

Nobody made any attempt to see him out, so he left with another quick smile. Elise sat at the table, feeling as if she’d caved in.

“You would always wonder,” Blade said. “You know you would.”

“Yes, I suppose …” She looked from Adam to Blade. “But whatever could they want?”

“They probably want you to sign papers to officially disown us,” Adam said.

“That’s what I think,” Elise concurred.

“Sign them,” Adam urged her. “I don’t want anything from those two.”

“Don’t you worry. I’ll be glad to disown them as well.”

Blade shook his head sadly. “You shouldn’t be so quick to turn your back on opportunities.”

“You expect me to be nice to them?”

“I expect you to think of your brother and sister as you have always done.” He rested a hand on Adam’s shoulder. “Why don’t you change into some work clothes now, Adam, and give your sister and me a private minute or two?”

“Sure. Okay.” Adam exchanged smiles with Elise before going into the room he shared with Penny and closing the door softly behind him.

Blade sat at the table and looked at her from beneath lowered brows.

“Are you all right? You were upset when I came in.”

“I’m fine. I just wish they hadn’t come here.”

“They might have had a change of heart.”

“Too late.”

“Now, Elise …” He squared his shoulders and sat straighter. “It might be best. If they are willing to take you all back to Baltimore with them, it might be a good omen.”

“How can you—?” She stared at him, her heart breaking. “You want us to go?”

“What I want isn’t important. What
is
important is that I will probably lose this land in a few days and I won’t be able to make a living for a family without it. You must think of what is best for you and Adam and Penny. That’s what I’m thinking about. You could stay in Baltimore until I find some kind of work that will support—”

“No.” She shook her head stubbornly. “You can’t give up on this land, Blade. I won’t let you.”

“It’s not in your hands.”

“How can you talk like this? I know you can’t bear to think of your land being farmed by Judge Mott!”

“You are the romantic, not me. I learned long ago to face what is real and deal with it. If your kin have come to make amends, you shouldn’t allow your pride to cloud your good sense. When I lose this land, I’ll have to start from scratch. I won’t be able to provide for all of you.”

“Then we will all find work. Maybe not Penny, she’s too young, but Adam and I will find employment somewhere.”

Blade removed his hat and mussed his hair with a rough hand. “Where? What will you do for money?”

“I can cook now. Adam can farm.”

He shook his head, smiling faintly. “You refuse to hear me, so I might as well save my breath.” Standing, he put his hat back on and headed for the door. “Adam, let’s go to work!”

Adam emerged from his bedroom before Blade’s last word had been spoken. He’d changed into overalls, a blue work shirt and a pair of moccasins Blade had given him.

“You’re going to talk to them in the morning?” Adam asked Elise.

“Yes.”

“I wish I could see them right now at the Crossroads Hotel.” He grinned mischievously. “No servants, no inside privy. Can you imagine Grandmama trotting outside to the little house with the half moon on the door? Can you see her waiting in line to do her business?”

Elise laughed. “In her satin and pearls and lace?” She laughed harder when Adam did a pantomime of a prissy woman strolling across the room.

“Pardon me,” he intoned in a high-pitched, nasal-induced voice. “But would you be so kind as to stand aside? I have most
urgent
business to attend to, don’t you see? That’s right.” He flicked his fingers at imaginary people. “I am Katherine Hoffman Wellby, and I shall not wait in line for anything!”