Whatever Tomorrow Brings (The Californians 1) (4 page)

"All right, Mother." Kate's voice was a mixture of sadness and confusion. Theresa felt like something precious and innocent had just been destroyed. The thought persisted even as Theresa watched Kaitlin go below decks to care for the others. But then she remembered the rough life around the docks of San Francisco and mentally compared them to the relative calm of the ship. Please Lord, she prayed silently, please help Patrick to be on his feet before we land.

'Are things well, Mrs. Donovan?"

Theresa turned to find the Captain addressing her. He was a tall, well-built man and might be considered handsome by some, with his wind-roughened cheeks and full head of steel-gray hair. His eyes were kind and Theresa responded to the kindness she saw there.

"The girls and I are faring better than my husband and son I'm afraid, but we'll be fine. Thank you for asking."

The Captain tipped his hat, smiled at Marcail, and moved on toward another family at the railing. Tempted to call him back and complain about the conduct of his men, Theresa was sure, on second thought, she'd be wasting her breath.

"How much longer, Mother, before we see Aunt Maureen?"

"I'm not exactly sure, dear. Much depends on the winds."

As it turned out, the winds were steady to the east and a week later the docks of Theresa's previous musings were before her eyes.

Father leaned heavily on the balustrade beside her. As they neared land, he began to adjust to the rolling of the ship and believed himself to be on the way to recovery though he had dropped over 20 pounds. Not so, Sean. He was very shaky, staying on his feet by willpower alone, or so it seemed.

The docks swarmed and buzzed with activity as the ship berthed. Passengers aboard the Pacific Flyer felt the excitement over the imminent disembarking and even Sean perked up a bit.

As the Donovans made their way down the gang plank, Sean leaned heavily on Kate. Marcail's hand was clenched in the material at the back of her sister's cloak in a hold that was not to be broken. They moved slowly and close together as Father scanned the docks for someone familiar. He was not disappointed when, before he could spot her, his sister Maureen called and rushed toward them.

"Patrick, oh Patrick," was all she could say for at least five minutes as she embraced her younger brother. Likewise, Sean held his sister close in his arms for long minutes. At 46, she was five years Patrick's senior. Her hair was a beautiful shade of gray, and her clothing was well-made and fit her plump figure perfectly. When her brother released her, Maureen wiped at her streaming face and moved to hug Theresa.

"Oh, Theresa. I've missed you so. How was the voyage? Oh this can't be Katie! Oh, my! And Sean, so tall for fourteen!" Her words tumbled over each other as she embraced everyone again and again until she realized she had missed one child.

"Marcail? Where is Marcail?" Maureen caught Kaitlin's smile over the question and smiled back in understanding.

"Marcail, come out now," Mother spoke gently. 'Aunt Maureen is waiting to meet you."

The little girl obeyed with obvious reluctance, and Maureen watched as a miniature Theresa stepped from behind Kaitlin.

"Oh my," Maureen breathed, "she's a picture of Theresa." The tears that had ceased began again, and it was some minutes before Maureen could contain herself and tell everyone that her carriage was waiting to take them home.

Six

The sights of the docks were too much for the exhausted Donovan family to take in, so everyone's eyes were trained upon Maureen Kent's back as she broke a path through the fray.

They stepped around massive coils of rope and barrels stacked high. The air was cold and the sky threatened rain. Overhead, flocks of sea gulls made their presence known with the flap of wings and high-pitched cries.

They hadn't walked far and before anyone expected it, Maureen stopped beside a large coach, pulled by two perfectly matched bays. Fascinated, the children stared at the horses and rig, then at the coachman who alighted from his high seat to assist them with their bags. They believed in those few moments that their aunt was quite wealthy. It would be some time before they understood that Maureen's home, carriage and belongings, although ample, were not San Francisco's finest.

"Is everyone settled?" Maureen smiled in genuine delight at her family as the coach lurched into motion.

"We're fine," her brother assured her and smiled. Maureen smiled back and turned to speak with Theresa.

"Were you terribly seasick, Dear?"

"No, the girls and I -weren't sick at all."

Theresa was mentally prepared for the startled look that came over her sister-in-law's face. She reached out and took Maureen's hand. "We'll talk tonight, when the children are in bed."

Maureen had to be satisfied with that, but she was shaken. Kaitlin, who had just looked over at her mother and aunt, glanced curiously between them. Theresa, having known that Maureen would see the physical changes in her, was able to smile at her daughter. Maureen was so shaken over what Theresa might tell her later, she could do no more than stare at her oldest niece and then her brother.

"See down this street? Mother and I had an apartment there when we were first married," Father said.

"Can we go see it?"

"Not today, Marcail. Let's get to Aunt Maureen's and settle in. We're going to be here for a while. I promise you, we'll see everything. Oh, Maureen, I forgot to ask you if Mitch is in town." It took Maureen a moment to answer the question about her husband, but she was glad for the diversion.

"No, he's been gone about three months. He did say that this would be a short trip and maybe he'd be back to meet you before you have to return."

"Father, did you know we would be going three months ago?" Kaitlin asked in surprise.

"Yep. Kept a good secret, didn't I?" He winked at his daughter. "Maureen, where is Percy? Still in Europe?"

"Yes. I doubt you'll see him, unless of course, he runs out of money." These words were said with a -tired sigh.

"Is this where you live, Aunt Maureen?" Sean asked in awe as the carriage pulled up before a large, two-story home. Maureen did not miss the looks of wonder the house was receiving.

"This is the place. You children may not be aware that my first husband, your Uncle Stan, was in real estate. He left me very comfortable." This was said so matterof-fact, that Katie blinked. She didn't know her Aunt Maureen beyond letters over the years and had no idea what a survivor she was.

Her full legal name was Maureen Olivia Donovan Lawton Kent. She was a land owner in her own right and very much in love with her second husband, Mitchell. Mitch's job with a shipping line never had him in port for more than a few months at a time.

The two of them had no children together, but Maureen did have a son from her first marriage, Percy Lawton. He was much like his hard-working father when it came to spending money, but fell short in his lack of ambition for making the money he so wanted to squander.

Percy was Maureen's one weakness. Oh, she was aware of his spendthrift ways and his devil-may-care attitude toward life, but the truth was, she loved him to distraction. She honestly believed he would outgrow his immature ways and settle down some day with a lovely woman who would give her a handful of grandchildren to spoil. That Percy was 28 years old and showed no sign of ever changing his ways was where Maureen was utterly blind.

Life was always quieter when Percy was away, and, whenever both Mitch and Percy were home at the same time, well, it became nearly unbearable. Maureen was, at that moment, saying a prayer of thanks for the very fact that both her men were gone and she could devote all her time to her brother and his family.

"Sean, dear, you're looking so pale," she spoke to her nephew as he stepped carefully from the carriage. "We'll get you right into bed."

Sean wanted to argue. There was so much he wanted to see and explore. He'd never seen a house like this and here was an entire street lined with them. But they would all have to wait until he felt better. He prayed it would be soon.

Marcail had reached for her mother's hand after alighting from the carriage and held on tight. She wasn't sure she liked California. It was so big and noisy. The houses were huge and she hadn't seen very many children. Their trip was just starting and she already missed Loni so much she wanted to cry. Staring up at the house as they climbed the front steps, she wondered if it was going to eat them alive.

Kaitlin smiled warmly at the young groom who had come forward to hold the horses. He was nice looking with blond hair and blue eyes and his smile was respectful and sweet. Kate turned to pick up a small traveling case and before she could take a step he took it from her hand. She thanked him and felt herself blushing, an unusual occurrence. Kate smiled as she walked into the house behind her mother and sister. So far, she liked San Francisco very much.

The front entry to Maureen's home was enough to stop a person in his tracks and that's exactly what it did to Kaitlin. Across from the front door, a large archway covered the stairs going up. Kaitlin watched her mother and sister disappear up those stairs but couldn't bring herself to follow them.

The banister, stairs, and the walls of the foyer were a light, stained oak. A grandfather clock stood against one wall. The rug beneath her shoes was multicolored and plush. Kate finished her inspection with the high ceiling and its beautiful brass chandelier. She stared until her father bumped her with the bags he was carrying in.

"It's a little bigger than you're used to, isn't it, Kate?"

"Oh, Father, it's well, it's... big!"

Patrick laughed at his daughter, enjoying her look of wonder over the beautiful home. Maureen bustled back down the stairs in the next moment.

"I wanted to help Sean, but he seemed embarrassed by my being in his bedroom with him. Maybe you should go up, Patrick."

"Thanks for your help, Mo." He bent and kissed her cheek.

She positively glowed at the use of her family nickname. "Percy's room. You know the one."

Katie was still frozen in place near the front door when she turned to find her aunt watching her.

"Your home is lovely," Kaitlin spoke the words almost shyly.

Maureen smiled and her eyes misted. "I'm glad you like it." She stopped when her throat clogged with tears. Kaitlin looked at her in gentle inquiry. "I'm just so glad you're here, I-" the words were stopped again as a tear slid down the older woman's cheek.

Kate went to her aunt and put her arms around her. They were alike in height and she loved the feel of her aunt's sturdy arms tight around her.

"Would you look at me? Standing here getting us both wet with you probably hungry and dead on your feet. I'll show you your room and see about dinner."

Dinner was quiet with just Maureen, Patrick, Theresa and Kaitlin. Sean was having a tray in his room and Marcail had fallen into an exhausted slumber that would not be disturbed.

Patrick spent most of the meal answering his sister's questions. Maureen wanted full details on their trip over and it was quite late before she remembered how fatigued they must be.

Maureen would have understood if her brother and sister-in-law had headed right to bed, but, after they kissed their daughter goodnight, they moved with Maureen into the parlor.

A fire blazed in the hearth and Theresa warmed her hands before taking a nearby chair. Patrick watched his wife. When Maureen could stand the silence no longer, she spoke.

"You haven't come for a visit, have you? I mean, it's not a vacation trip for you and the kids is it?"

Theresa shifted in her chair to face her sister-in-law. She was thin and pale and appeared much older than her 39 years.

"The children don't know of this, Maureen, but we've come back to San Francisco because there's something wrong with me and we don't know what it is."

seven