Rebecca Hagan Lee (40 page)

Although fairly roomy, the cabin was smaller than the area the girls were accustomed to in the nursery. Elizabeth looked around the main room with its Franklin stove with a reservoir, comfortable furniture, and at the two doors leading off it.

“There are two bedrooms,” Will volunteered. “And a tub and a basin in the bathroom. I’m afraid the accommodations are a little rough. There’s no running water, but there is a pump on the back porch and a privy a short distance away.”

“I’m sure we’ll be fine,” Elizabeth said. She glanced down at the timepiece pinned to her bodice. “It’s time for the Treasures’ afternoon romp in the park,” she said to
James. “Shall I keep to their regular schedule or would you rather I skip their exercise this afternoon while Delia and I get them settled into the cabin?”

James shook his head. “Unpack the things you need right now.” He reached into the large leather bag Elizabeth had stuffed with diapers, talcum powder, fresh clothing, several cans of evaporated milk, and two of Diamond’s feeding bottles and removed a bottle and a can of milk. James carried the can of milk over to a wooden table, pulled out his pocketknife, punched two holes in the lid, then removed the rubber nipple from Diamond’s bottle and filled the bottle with evaporated milk. “Here.” He jammed the nipple back on the bottle and stuck it in the leather bag, then slipped the bag onto Elizabeth’s shoulder. “In case Diamond gets hungry while you’re gone,” he offered by way of explanation.

“Where are we going?” Elizabeth asked.

“To take the Treasures for their afternoon romp. There’s an open meadow bordering the forest down the path a quarter or a mile or so from here,” James said as he walked into the nearest bedroom and returned with a folded quilt. He looked over at Will for confirmation, and Will nodded in agreement. “The girls will be safe playing there. As long as you and Delia keep them away from the mine entrances and out of the forest, they shouldn’t be in anyone’s way.”

“Where will you be?” Elizabeth asked.

“I’ll be in the main office near the entrance to the mine. The building across from the railroad platform,” James told her. “I’ll send someone over here to move the trunks into the bedrooms and set up the cots for the Treasures. Put Delia and Ruby and Garnet in one bedroom and you and Emerald and Diamond in the other.”

“Where will you sleep?” Elizabeth asked, softly.

“In the office with Will,” he answered gently.

Elizabeth frowned.

“It will be only be for a couple of days or so,” James said in a voice so low only Elizabeth could hear it

“But it will seem like an eternity,” she whispered back.

“Yes,” he said. “It will.” Then in a louder voice he added, “Load the girls into their buggies, and I’ll walk you down to the meadow.”

THE MEADOW, AN
acre or so of cleared land at the edge of the forest, was just beginning to bloom with early spring phlox and trillium and new grasses. Elizabeth pushed Diamond’s carriage while James wheeled Garnet and Emerald’s buggy to a spot where a lone aspen stood at the edge of the forest shading a portion of the meadow and parked it. Elizabeth pushed Diamond’s carriage beside her sisters’. James lifted Garnet and Emerald out of the buggy, then removed the quilt he’d brought along and spread it on top of the grass for Elizabeth, Emerald, and the baby to sit on. James took Emerald’s and Garnet’s dolls out of the buggy and a handful of wooden building blocks they’d been playing with during the journey and placed them in the center of the quilt. He set Emerald down among them to amuse herself. Delia let go of Ruby’s hand, then followed her into the field of wildflowers as Ruby ran chasing after a butterfly. Garnet followed close behind.

James and Elizabeth stood watching as the girls careened through the meadow, running after the bright splashes of color that flitted from flower to flower, squealing at the top of their lungs.

“The Treasures should be able to run and jump to their hearts’ content here,” James said, pointing to the area close by. “Just don’t let them wander too near the woods.” He pointed toward a group of boulders a dozen or so yards deep inside the meadow. “Use that as your boundary. They’re safe in the meadow, but some of the ventilation shafts from the abandoned mines extend into that stand of trees just beyond the clearing. And don’t stay past four o’clock.” He pulled out his pocket watch and looked at it. It was half past two. The Treasures normally played in the park for two hours from two until four every afternoon, but
James didn’t want to take any chances. He gazed up at the sky, gauging the amount of afternoon sunlight left. “It gets dark early in the mountains.”

Elizabeth nodded.

“If you have any trouble, yell. I won’t be far away.”

“We’ll be fine,” Elizabeth assured him. “And we’ll meet you back at the cabin by four.”

“I may not be able to get away by four,” he told her, “but I’ll be there in time to help bathe the girls and get them to bed. All right?” James wanted to kiss Elizabeth good-bye. He’d been wanting to kiss her all day, but Delia was there with the Treasures and James reached out and surreptitiously clasped Elizabeth’s hand in his. “I want to steal a kiss or two from you tonight after Delia and the Treasures go to bed. Don’t fall asleep on me before I get there,” he teased in a low husky voice.

“I won’t,” Elizabeth promised. “Now, go before you’re late for your meeting.”

“Have fun,” he said. “And take care of the girls for me.

“Trust me,” Elizabeth said.

James looked down at her, a serious expression on his face. “If I didn’t trust you,” he said, “I wouldn’t leave you alone with my Treasures.” He glanced over to see if Delia or the girls were paying attention before he gently traced his finger over the half moon of India ink on Elizabeth’s right cheek.

“I know you better than that, James Cameron Craig,” she teased him. “Desperate times require desperate measures. You’d rather watch the Treasures yourself. And the only reason you’re leaving them with me now is because I’m the only governess you’ve got.”

“You’re the only governess I want,” he replied in the deep tone of voice that sent her pulses racing.

“Go,” Elizabeth urged him. “The sooner you get started with the negotiations, the sooner you can get finished.”

James smiled down at her. “And you’re wrong, my sweet,” he whispered as he brushed Elizabeth’s ear with
his lips, then bent to tickle Diamond on the chin, “I do trust you with my children. I trust you with their lives.” He straightened and waved good-bye to the children, then started down the path, back toward the camp and the room full of disgruntled employees he knew were waiting for him.

Diamond awoke and began to fret. Elizabeth lifted her from her carriage, then settled down on the quilt to change Diamond’s diaper and to feed her. Emerald crawled over to watch, shoving her building blocks in front of her as she made her way closer to Elizabeth. Emerald built three block towers on the fabric of Elizabeth’s skirt while Elizabeth leaned back against the base of the aspen tree and fed the baby. Emerald amused herself by lifting the hem of the skirt and sending her blocks crashing onto the quilt.

Elizabeth hummed to Diamond as she fed her and watched with delight as Emerald built more towers on her skirt and sent them tumbling. She looked up from her pleasant task and followed the antics of Delia and Ruby and Garnet as they played ring-around-the-rosy in the meadow. Elizabeth found the meadow a peaceful, bucolic setting worthy of a Gainesborough painting. “Don’t go too close to the woods,” she called out to Delia as a reminder. “And don’t let the girls out of your sight.” Delia nodded in reply, before tumbling down to join Ruby and Garnet in the grass.

Elizabeth laughed at the calico skirts and white pinafores billowing like mushrooms on the ground. Delia was good with the children. She was diligent and hardworking and most of all she liked the Treasures and enjoyed frolicking with them. Although most fourteen-year-old girls would consider themselves far too old to be playing endless games of ring-around-the-rosy and tag with toddlers, Delia never seemed to mind.

Diamond finished her bottle and Elizabeth lifted the baby to her shoulder and patted her back until she burped, then rocked Diamond to sleep in her arms. Emerald continued to play quietly with her blocks as Ruby loudly and stridently
demanded that Delia be “it,” before starting a noisy game of hide-and-seek in the meadow.

Elizabeth settled Diamond into a cozy spot on the blanket beside her and contented herself in a game of stacking wooden building blocks with Emerald. She listened to the squeals and the giggles of the girls playing hide-and-seek in the meadow, looking up from her construction project with Emerald every so often to keep an eye on the older girls. At the moment Garnet was “it” and the other girls were hiding from her. As Elizabeth watched, Garnet found and tagged Delia, then continued merrily on her way in her search for Ruby. Elizabeth waved at Delia and Garnet, then turned her attention back to helping Emerald build and destroy another wooden tower of blocks.

Moments later Garnet’s search for her sister took on a serious tone. “Rwuby!” Garnet called to her sister.

Delia joined in. “Miss Ruby! You can come out now! I’m it!”

Elizabeth shot to her feet and scanned the meadow. Delia and Garnet were clearly visible, but Ruby was nowhere to be found. “Delia? Have you found her?”

“Not yet, miss.” Delia shook her head. “She’s not in any of her other hiding places. I’ve looked.”

“Stay right there!” Elizabeth ordered. “Don’t move!” She bent and lifted the sleeping Diamond into her arms, then carefully tucked the baby into the carriage before she plucked Emerald from the center of the quilt and settled her on her hip. “I’m coming!” With that, Elizabeth grabbed hold of the handle on the baby carriage and pulled it behind her, struggling through the high grass, as she carried Emerald across the field to where Delia and Garnet stood waiting.

“I can’t find her anywhere, Miss Elizabeth!” Delia’s voice took on a note of panic, and tears were already streaking down her face. “I didn’t mean to lose her.”

“Do you think she wandered into the woods?” Elizabeth asked.

“Oh, no, Miss,” Delia answered. “I told them to stay
away from there. And I know Miss Ruby understood me. I don’t think she went anywhere near the woods. We stayed out in the open.” Delia stopped to catch her breath and began to cry harder. “We were just playing hide-and-seek like we always do.”

“It’s all right, Delia.” Elizabeth offered comfort. “Don’t worry. We’ll find her.” She handed Emerald over to Delia. “Stay here with the others. I’ll look for Ruby.”

Elizabeth searched the meadow, but it seemed as if Ruby had vanished. She retraced her steps across the field, carefully trying to cover each inch of ground that Delia and Ruby and Garnet had played on. “Ruby! This is Elizabeth. Come out now. It’s time to go home.” She called over and over again. “Please come out, Ruby!”

But Ruby didn’t answer, and as Elizabeth listened in vain for sound, a reply of some kind, she began to worry. She glanced down at the watch pinned to the bodice of her dress. It was nearly four o’clock and the sun had already begun its descent toward the trees. She searched the meadow again—the entire meadow—but she found no sign of Ruby. Elizabeth began to shake. If Ruby wasn’t in the meadow, she had to be in the forest, and the afternoon shadows were beginning to darken the forest. She couldn’t wait any longer, she had to get help. She had to find James.

Elizabeth stood debating. She wanted to send Delia and the girls back to the camp for help, but she couldn’t ask Delia to face James with the news that Ruby was missing. Delia felt bad enough about it as it was. Besides, she was the governess. She was the one to blame for Ruby’s disappearance. She was the one to break the news to James. But unless she put Emerald and Garnet into their buggy and carried Diamond in her arms, Elizabeth couldn’t manage the girls alone and she needed Delia to stay behind in case Ruby reappeared. And she needed to hurry and carrying a baby and pulling a buggy with two toddlers would slow her down.

Elizabeth turned to Delia and handed her the baby, then reached for Garnet and lifted her into the buggy beside her
younger sister. “Stay here with Diamond in case Ruby comes out of hiding. I’ll take Garnet and Emerald back to camp with me to get help.”

“Miss Elizabeth, it’s all my fault! I’m so sorry.…” Delia cried.

“Shh, shh.” Elizabeth hugged her tightly. “It’s nobody’s fault. She’ll be all right. You’ll see. But it’s beginning to get dark. We need help. Stay here. I’ll be back with help as soon as I can. And keep calling her.”

Elizabeth wheeled the buggy around, pushing it over the tall grass of the meadow as fast as she dared with Garnet and Emerald inside. But when she reached the hard-packed dirt of the path, Elizabeth gathered her skirts in her hand began to run, Emerald and Garnet laughing merrily as she pushed them down the path at a dizzying speed.

She didn’t bother to park the carriage outside the door of the main office building once she reached the camp. She simply opened the door and wrestled the cumbersome wicker carriage inside.

“Miss.” Someone rushed to stop her as Elizabeth pushed the carriage further into the room. “You can’t interrupt right now. Mr. Craig is in a meeting.”