Chapter 11

 

A pleasing morning dawned over Virginia City.   The sky was streaked with pale lines of pink and orange, until they faded into the sky blue of everyone’s expectations.

 

Storekeepers came out to sweep the floors clean and set out their ware. Amanda Ridley decided to change the display in the windows of the Ladies Emporium.  Restaurants and cafes throughout the town opened up to provide breakfasts for those hungry enough to wander through their doors.  It was just another Saturday morning.

 

Mr Riley and Mrs Riley had an argument, they called it a debate, as to whether or not Davy should go to the caves because he had been grounded the previous few days and letting him go could have been seen as a weakness in their discipline.  Davy did the wise thing and kept quiet throughout whilst holding his breath.  Thankfully he didn’t have to hold it too long and was told he could go provided he got up to no shenanigans.

 

Mrs Carstairs was anxious to get to work  because she was in charge of the window display for Amanda, but she had a few words with Jimmy about being careful and not to pay too much attention to Sofia Cartwright who was, she said, just a little girl after all was said and done.  Jimmy knew that anyway but it was the ‘;after was said and done’ that perplexed him.

 

Tommy Conway was told in no uncertain terms that he could not go because he had trumpet practice that morning.  He gave in as he always did, he was very young but had learned the wisdom of not contradicting his mother on anything.   The last member of the gang, Philip, decided not to bother to go as he hadn’t been with the original gang and the thought of those caves didn’t appeal.  He suffered from claustrophobia even if he didn’t know the word for the condition the thought of going into the caverns gave him palpitations.

 

A young man trudged up the path to Roy Coffee’s house and gave the door a resounding knock.  The case and valise were balanced carefully on the doorstep as Roy swung the door open, and with a smile, a nod of the head, welcomed Grant Tombs to his home.

 

“Everything settled then, lad?” he said as he reached out to pick up the suitcase.

 

“Yes, sir.  The house has been sold and the lawyers are now haggling over what is loosely referred to as my father’s estate.”  Grant replied, picking up his valise he followed Roy into the house and sitting room.

 

“Make  yourself at home, Grant.” Roy said as he put down the case, “I want y ou to feel that this is  your home now, you know that, don’t  you?”

 

Grant nodded,  and removed his hat and jacket, which he placed on the back of a chair. Roy pointed to a chair close to the fire and indicated that he sat down while he too the one opposite him.  They both leaned back and stretched out their legs and relaxed.  Grant closed his eyes and realised that for the first time in a long time he felt at peace within himself.  He looked over at the old man and sat upright,

 

“I am grateful for this, sir.  I don’t want to put you out at all, but…”

 

“You aren’t, it’s – it’s a pleasure.” Roy har-umphed and shook his head, his moustache bristled, “Now then, tell me what’s been going on …”

 

Grant nodded and began to tell Roy about his father’s trial, the execution and then the lawyers haggling over the ‘estate’ in order to work out who and what owned anything at all because Jethro Tombs had had a finger in so many pies that the work was going to take the lawyers months to sort out.

 

“My mother had set up a trust for me,” Grant said quietly, clasping his hands now between his legs, “The lawyers felt that as she was uninvolved, so far as they could see, I could take it as a gift from her to me.”  he looked plaintively over at Roy “Do you think she knew what my father was doing?”

 

“She may have suspected something, Grant.  Women usually know if something is not right, but at the same time they have a great ability to lie to themselves.  To ignore the obvious in order to keep things stable, comfortable.   It’s hard for them to be disloyal as well, if t hey truly love the man they have married.”  he sighed “I’ve seen it countless times, the excuses they make for their men even after they’ve been battered half to death.”

 

“I think she knew something, and in a way, she’s guilty by her silence isn’t she?”

 

“Complicit, is the word, son.” Roy nodded, “By saying nothing to prevent a crime being committed one condones the crime…”

 

Grant sighed, and nodded “I understand what you mean, but its all over now.” he leaned back again and stared into the fire, “I shall need to get work.”

 

“There’s always something here for a young man to do…” Roy said quietly and with a smile tapped Grant on the knee “Nate Carney needs a deputy.   You’ve already proven yourself to be a good man to have around when in a tight spot.”

 

“Do you think so?” Grant flushed red and blinked behind his glasses, “I guess I could start by enquiring there.

 

“You do that…but later on.  You need to rest up first and, Grant, stop calling me sir, my name is Roy.”

………..

 

Elizabeth Godfrey adjusted her bonnet and straightened the lapel of her jacket  before looking again at her reflection in the mirror.  Satisfied that she looked every one’s idea of a librarian she quickly left the room, locked the door and sauntered down the stairs.

 

Today Miss Tyndale was going to teach her how to conduct herself in the library.  Her induction day was what Miss Tyndale called it.  She would learn about the filing, the coding, the tidying and the correct procedure with customers.  Elizabeth smiled to herself, she was happy to be working on a Saturday, it meant there were less empty hours stretching ahead of her.

 

She crossed  the road and then had to step aside as a young woman walked forwards pushing an infant in a perumbulator, an expensive model at that, and as they came face to face she smiled and glanced at the sleeping baby “What a lovely baby, is it a girl or boy?”

 

“A boy.” Alyssia Corby replied with a smile and that note of pride in her voice “He’s already a month old, time passes so quickly.”

 

“Indeed yes, at this rate he will soon be at school.” and Elizabeth laughed softly, her eyes twinkled behind the glasses she wore.

 

“Oh yes, no doubt,” Alyssia replied with a laugh of her own, “I’m Alyssia Corby, my husband is one of the towns’ doctors.   You’re new here, aren’t you?”

 

“I am, I have just started work at the library as Miss Tyndale’s assistant.” Elizabeth replied “Elizabeth Godfrey.”

 

Alyssia nodded and smiled “Pleased to make your acquaintance, Miss Godfrey.”

 

Elizabeth watched as the other woman strode away, and for a moment it seemed that her purpose for being there at that moment was quite forgotten.  However, she gave herself a little mental shake, and turned towards the library.   She had to agree with herself, that meeting the Doctors wife had been most fortuitous.

……………….

 

Daniel deQuille opened the letter that had been addressed to him and sent from the Smithsonian Institute.  There were several pages and as he smoothed them out in order to read them the clerk entered and left a cup of coffee on the desk before sidling back out again.

 

“Dear Mr deQuille,

 

As you covered the excavation of the conquistadors recently under the auspices of our Professor Maurice Stevens, we felt that you would be pleased to have an update of our findings which you could publish in your news tabloid for your townspeople.

 

A number of these men have been identified and returned to their homes and have been subsequently given proper Christian burial.  Their descendents were, as you can well imagine, extremely grateful and equally amazed at finding them after so long.  Missing links in  the chain have been restored, blanks in the pages of their family history have been filled.

 

We were able to find these details with the assistance of the Consulate in Spain, and the authorities in Catalan.  Some legends surrounding them have now been confirmed in part, other parts ‘debunked’ if one can use such a term.

 

Professor Maurice Stevens has sent, on our behalf, one of his associates, to research into the background of the attack, to see if there are any references in local history that could explain the cause other than that of territorial rights etc.    This associate, Miss Margaret Dayton, was once part of your community so we are hopeful that you could give her every assistance in her research.

 

Yours sincerely etc etc”

 

DeQuille re-read the letter to ensure he had got the facts right, then scanned through the other pages which gave the names of the individuals that had been identified with a potted history for them. He sighed and slipped it back into its envelope, then leaned back in his chair, picked up the cup of coffee and tried to think about who exactly Margaret Dayton was ..the name certainly ‘rang a bell.’

……………

 

The three horses waited patiently for their riders to leave the house and mount into the saddles.  Sport was only too pleased to have been saddled up, and stood between Max and Buster relishing the early morning sun,  he tossed his  head with pleasure when he saw his master walking across the yard with a little girl hanging onto one hand and the boy  literally skipping along beside them.

 

Sofia was not so happy and glanced a woe begotten face towards the house where Olivia was standing with Nathaniel in her arms.  She looked up at Adam and sighed before hanging her head “Do I have to go?”

 

“If I hear you say that once more, Sofia, I shall give you a hiding. “Adam snapped, and shook his head, “You made a promise,  you can’t break promises just when it suits you…”

 

“But, daddy,  there’s ..”

 

“That’s enough.  I don’t want to hear another word.”  Adam hauled in a deep breath and looked over at his wife with a ‘woe begotten ‘ look of his own on his face.  He had ‘shot himself in the foot’ so to speak by insisting on people – Sofia – keeping promises, the importance of a person’s word being their bond – and now when he was longing for Olivia to say “Sofia can come with me etc …” he knew she wouldn’t because of all that he had said at the breakfast table.

 

Now he had to tolerate Sofia with her pouts and her moans and her complaints.  He leaned down and looked into her face “Peggy will be here soon, give her a smile and make her feel welcome, won’t you?”

 

“Yes, but  -” she began but he put a finger to her lips and raised his eyebrows  in that way that meant it was better to keep quiet.

 

The sound of a horse interrupted anything else that could be said and the three of them turned their heads to watch as Peggy entered the yard in the saddle. She had selected Sam again,  a good strong horse,  and had dressed very charmingly in her best  New York bespoke riding habit.  Sofia thought she looked beautiful and for a while was silent, her misgivings laid to rest.

 

Olivia watched as the young woman greeted her fellow adventurers, and as Adam swung Sofia into the saddle .  Reuben mounted Max easily, he was a good horseman for his age and Max was a steady beast, handsome to look at too..  For a moment Olivia enjoyed admiring the appearance of her son and the horse, before looking again at her husband who was mounting up into the saddle now,  and then at Sofia. Poor Buster,  he didn’t look very happy.  Perhaps horses did chatter among themselves and Sport had told the little pony they were in for a long trek…

 

The four of them called out their goodbyes and  Nathaniel’s wails at being left behind followed them out of the yard.

 

Chapter 12

 

They had had to stop several times on the way to the site of the ‘dig’ due to Sofia. Although Buster was a gentle beast, mainly because he was so lazy, and Sofia was, for her age, a very capable little rider, the journey was still quite a long one to be undertaken by her. Adam regretted constantly throughout the trip that he had not left her behind, or at least, considered taking the buggy to accommodate them all. There was also the constant complaining by Reuben that The Gang would be there before them, and it wasn’t fair that they had to stop so often. Peggy was a good help at times such as that, perhaps having had brothers to live with had been an advantage after all, but she certainly knew how to handle Reuben and shut him up. As it was the die was cast, and they finally reached the dig just minutes before Davy and Jimmy arrived, followed, to Adam’s surprise, by deQuille in his buggy.

 

“Peggy, this is Davy..and this is Jimmy..” Reuben announced proudly, almost, but not quite, puffing out his chest with delight at the sight of his two comrades.

 

The two boys nodded, looked awkward and shuffled about with downcast eyes. Peggy smiled “So, which one of you was it who fell down the hole and discovered the conquistadors?”

 

Davy glanced up and frowned, then looked sullen for a moment or two “Aw, that was Tommy, he fell down the hole and broke his leg. It was me and Reuben found the dead men. We went exploring, didn’t we, Reuben?”

 

Reuben nodded and was about to speak when deQuille strolled up and removed his hat, then shook Margaret’s hand “Miss Dayton? I’m Daniel deQuille, I write for the Enterprise.”

 

“This is very ‘enterprising’ of you, Daniel,” Adam said rather cynically, “And so early in the morning too.”

 

Daniel laughed between gritted teeth, and produced the letter he had received from the Smithsonian, this he showed to Margaret while casting a baleful glare at Adam.

 

“I didn’t realise the Smithsonian had been apprised of my involvement,” Peggy said as she returned the letter, and then smiled at the journalist “Well, I suppose we had best get started.”

 

She walked quickly to her horse and removed a folder from the saddlebags. This she flicked through slowly while they stood around waiting. The boys were hopping from one foot to the other wanting to be off, to get exploring, to show Peggy all that they had found and to hear her praise them lavishly for their courage and forbearance. She finally returned and they huddled closer around her once she had found the page she wanted and showed it to the boys.

 

Maurice had drawn an excellent sketch of the boys standing in the centre of the Tomb of the Conquistadors as he had themed it. Even Tommy had been included although he had not seen it nor been there due to his broken leg. After sufficient exclamations of delight at seeing themselves thus immortalised on paper, Peggy asked them to ‘lead the way.’

 

Sofia grabbed for her father’s hand, and as her fingers tightened around his, Adam felt rather sorry for his little girl. She had not said a word of complaint on the journey although her face had spoken volumes to her discomfort at times. Now she strode forwards, trying to keep up with everyone else, the boys scampering ahead and calling to Peggy “Up here, this is where we found it, here…”

 

Peggy every so often did pause though, in order to look at the trenches where the men had diligently worked along with Maurice to extract from the earth the fallen treasures of a bygone time. Here the boys would gather around her and gabble on about who found what, and how exciting it had been but impatience showed in their voices, after all their discovery had really been the best of them all.

 

She compared each site with some drawings and notes that Maurice had made so that before too long the boys were getting restless, Sofia was bored, Adam was bored, Daniel deQuille wondered why on earth he had bothered to come at all.

 

They trudged on at last, pass the dug out soil, over the rocks and boulders until they came to the cleft in the rock which Davy proudly pointed to “That’s where Tommy fell down, and we went down afterwards.”

 

“He said he was alright until I landed on him,” Reuben said “But I don’t believe him, I reckon he broke his leg long before that…”

 

“It must have hurt him though,” Peggy said in a way that was part reprimand and part reminder that they should not make light of another’s suffering.

 

Davy ran ahead through the boulders and they followed him, threading their way over the scree and the rocks. Adam every so often lifted Sofia up and swung her high and over the rocks so that she was spared having to scrabble too much. Finally they reached the wider crack in the cliffside, here where the Conquistadors had barricaded the way from their enemies only to die of their wounds, thirst and hunger. Here it was they had lain for some many generations, and as Peggy surveyed she couldn’t help but wonder at the misery they had endured. She turned to look out from the tomb, at the barren landscape of mountain and rocks, sky and cloud…and wondered if it had always looked like that, or had there been a verdant valley at the time, with trees through which they would have ridden, being sheltered from the heat of the sun, or perhaps, the blast of winter blizzards..

 

“This would all have been territory belonging to the Indians who lived here. Imagine that, they could not for a second imagine what was about to happen to change it all.” she said in a low voice, as though only too aware of the fact she was standing in what had been the Spanish soldiers tomb but the first threat of something terrible to befall the local people.

 

Adam felt a slight shiver down his spine, remembering a long time back in his youth when a Paiute friend had said much the same thing, but from his perspective, and had become an enemy from that moment onwards as though the realisation of the fact had hardened his heart.

 

There were not new finds to discover, Maurice had checked and re-checked the location before he had left, but Peggy was enthralled and stood in the centre of the ‘tomb’ where most of the bodies had been ‘stacked’ and stared out of the wide cleft …”Imagine what it must have been like for them. It must have been terrifying.”

 

“They were hardened soldiers, Miss Dayton. No doubt took it as a matter of course.” Daniel muttered and wondered how he was going to spin a story out of this trip.

 

“Yes, but there must surely be times when faced with the certainty of their own death, and knowing so little of the type of enemy they were facing…at times like that they must … feel something.” Peggy glanced now at Adam “You must have been in similar situations, Adam, surely you understand what I mean?”

 

Adam was surprised by the question, he had in fact been thinking back to the time his brothers, Mary Ann, and himself were trapped in just such a cavern, with nothing but rock behind them and screaming hostiles attacking them. He could even remember the discussion he had with Joe when realising they were running out of ammunition, and that it would be up to Joe to do ‘what he thought best‘ with regard to Mary Ann.

 

“I can’t speak for them, Peggy. Every man’s different.” he murmured, “But having come so far inland, perhaps having heard of the treatment these people would have given their captives, perhaps some would have been fearful, some others would have faced it calmly. If I recall correctly the leader of these men was calm enough to write something down in his journal..and put in a chest for posterity.”

 

Peggy nodded “Yes, he did. “

 

DeQuille stepped forward “I recall reading it. He came over as a very brave man.”

 

“He was,” Peggy smiled and looked at the boys who seemed to have lost their exuberance “Aren’t you going to show me the rest of this place, the tunnel and where you all landed …”

 

With a whoop they were off, running along the tunnels that once had terrified them, with Peggy behind them laughing as they pulled on her hands if they thought she were dawdling. Sofia decided she was going to stay with her Pa and clung to his leg. Adam felt guilt once again, it hadn’t been fair to have brought her along and he looked down at her and smiled, “How about we go into town and get some ice cream?”

 

“What? Now?” and her eyes opened wide in delight at the thought.

 

“And we could go and see Bridie?”

 

“Now, Pa?” she didn’t add please, thinking that perhaps that would sound too needy and desperate.

 

In a way Sofia was a little disappointed in herself. She had thought she would prove to the boys that she was every bit as good as they were, after all, she climbed trees as well as Reuben, and she could fish and she could swim as good as any of them. But here, in this desolate place after such a long ride, she hadn’t felt any enjoyment in it at all, just bored, just tired and wanting to be home.

 

DeQuille decided that he would follow Peggy and the boys and Adam picked Sofia up and carried her along, telling her that as soon as everyone was finished he would take her to the ice cream parlour and then visit Bridie. If she was disappointed she didn’t mention it, but put her arms around his neck and tried to be as light as possible so that she didn’t weigh too heavily.

 

It had been Davy, ever resourceful, who had put a match to the twists of wood used for lighting. In their smoky glow the men, Peggy and the children entered the hollow into which Tommy had fallen all those months ago, they listened to the sounds of the water gushing down the walls and Reuben said “It didn’t sound like so much water then.”

 

“That’s because it was dry season, the waters from the mountains were drying up, but we have the snow melt of winter now.” Adam said and glanced around him, “Beneath us is a subterranean lake, it’ll be quite full because the water coming down the walls are keeping it so. I should imagine this hollow was created by years and years of erosion by the water that flowed through the mountains.”

 

Peggy nodded, and walked around, touching the rocks and smiling at the boys “I do think you were very brave being in here, and only the light from the sun coming through. You must have been really scared.”

 

“No,” Reuben said with a shrug, and Davy shook his head and said he hadn’t been afraid not once, well, only that time when they realised they weren’t ‘quite alone’. Jimmy wisely said nothing, he knew better, he knew that they had all been scared stiff. He knew because Tommy had later admitted to having wet himself he had been that scared.

 

Peggy listened to the boys talking sometimes all three together so that they were getting words muddled, or in the way of each other, interrupting and getting annoyed, wanting her attention only on them. Sofia whispered to Adam and the whisper was caught by Peggy who turned to look at them…

 

It caused her to stop thinking of the present moment as the sight of the man with the little girl in his arms caught at her memory and whisked her to the time when he would have held her and laughed and smiled at her. She could remember feeling so safe, so happy. Why had she felt so happy? She looked as Sofia planted a kiss on her father’s cheek, on the way his cheeks dimpled as a result and his hand caressed his daughters hair.

 

Why had she been so happy? Because her father was dead and had left a vast emptiness inside her, a muddled miserable emptiness. Then Adam Cartwright had come along, helped her face that emptiness and had obligingly filled it. And then he had gone too…..

 

“Peggy? Peggy?” Reuben was tugging at her hand and demanding attention, so that she looked down at him with a blank look on her face and had to ask him to repeat himself.

 

She wanted to get out of there now, she felt hemmed in by the sights and sounds all around her. She saw Daniel deQuille talking to Jimmy and scribbling some notes in a tablet, and Davy swinging his flaming twigs quite dangerously around and around. It was time to go.

 

Sofia said as they were making their way out of the tunnel “Daddy says we can have ice-cream in town.”

 

Reuben whooped with delight, he had found the expedition rather disappointing in comparison to when they had been before, but then there was nothing new to discover, and only so much that one could tell Peggy who had suddenly seemed to have lost interest.

 

Daniel deQuille walked beside the young woman, asking questions and discovering who she was and when she had last been in Virginia City and yes, Frank Dayton had been her father. He had surprised her by saying he and Frank had been close friends, and he had been quite dismayed at her father’s death. It was the first time, so far as she could recall, that anyone had shown any interest at all…

 

She let Daniel talk, answered his questions and when they stepped out into the open felt relieved when she could watch him get into his buggy and head into town. She turned to Adam “He was a friend of my father…”

 

Adam nodded, “Yes, they were -” he paused and sighed and left it there, but he had nearly said “they were drinking partners, always staggering out drunk from one saloon or another.”

………………….

 

Ann Canaday had made her friends laugh when she produced a pair of spectacles and announced that she must be officially old, as her sight was fading and she needed them to help her with her sewing. She perched them on her nose and regarded them with a comical look on her face “Goodness me, Hester, I can see every freckle on your face.”

 

“You mean to say didn’t before?” Hester laughed, she had a good laugh, a kind of hearty snort which made others want to laugh along with her.

 

“No, you just looked like a multi coloured blob with blue eyes.” Ann replied.

 

They were at Ann’s home that day, a pleasant day, with the sun shining through the windows. Still quite cold so that after a while of running about outside the children had wanted to come in to play, where it was warm. They now occupied themselves in one part of the big room where many years before a woman whom Ben had loved had been terrorised by a mad man called Gideon who had stolen by crafty stealth from his employer, the crippled bitter shell of a man who had once been Ben’s best friend. On the grounds of the property was the mill that Adam had designed but which was no longer in use, although Ann always said that one day it would be.

 

The vineyard that Joyce had tended had long since died from neglect, hardy things though they were, but in the Nevada soil they hadn’t flourished without the care Joyce had lavished upon them. They had been ploughed over and trampled upon by the cattle that Andrew Pearson had brought to his homestead, and now no one really remembered the time when Ben had shared snatched moments with a woman picking grapes there.

 

Olivia threaded her needle and smiled at the merriment between the women. It was always calm, always pleasant to be together. She counted herself as well blessed in having these three women living so close and thereby providing needed association for she knew only too well what life was like when totally alone as she had been when a child on the Double D.

 

Ann had no one to make coffee and provide refreshments as the Cartwright women had, and this was something that Olivia appreciated once again, the fact that not many women had such freedoms as they, for life could be very hard for the frontiers woman without the help of a dear Hop Sing, or Lee Sing or Cheng Ho Lee.

 

Mary Ann was quiet and thoughtful, she smiled and nodded along with them all but it was obvious that something was on her mind. They sewed, chatted and laughed for some time before Ann called for a break in order to make them something to drink and eat. The children would be catered for with lemonade, cookies and the smaller ones were put down for a little nap.

 

It was while they were drinking their coffee that Mary Ann ventured to say that she had been ‘thinking’.

 

“I thought you had something on your mind,” Olivia said, “You seemed so quiet today.”

 

“Yes, I was thinking about what had been discussed at table last night…with Peggy.”

 

“Oh that sounds interesting, what were you talking about?” Ann asked, smoothing out her skirts and pushing her spectacles further up her nose.

 

“The Emancipation of Women.” Mary Ann announced very crisply as though determined to get the subject out in the open and discussed.

 

“The Emancipation of Women.” Ann repeated, then frowned “I see.”

 

“Do you?” Hester said naively, and frowned “I don’t, I don’t understand what all the fuss is about at all.

 

“Hester!” Mary Ann cried, her voice almost a cry of anguish and dismay “What do you mean? Of course you know what it is all about….we talked about it last night.”

 

“I know it was sort of discussed last night,” Hester said picking up a cookie and nibbling at the edges while her brow puckered still more “But I couldn’t understand why Peggy was getting so angry by it all.”

 

“But, doesn’t it matter to you at all?” Mary Ann cried, and the cup in its saucer rattled slightly in her agitation.

 

“Matter?” Hester shrugged “Should it?”

 

“Of course it should.” Mary Ann further exclaimed, and every word sounding as though it were really needing to be underlined for emphasis. “don’t any of you think it unfair that women can’t vote? That we can have no say in our futures? That we’re dictated to by men and men’s laws?”

 

She was met with three women stunned into silence. Ann cleared her throat and glanced at her ’allies’ who were both staring at Mary Ann as though the young woman were slowly losing her mind.

 

Olivia put down her cup and saucer “I did feel it very unfair that all my rights as an individual owning property and assets would become the possession of my husband upon marriage. I remember mentioning it to Adam that it was a man’s world, and women seemed to come out of it all very sadly.”

 

“And what did he say?” Ann enquired, always intrigued by anything that went on in the lives of those nearest and dearest to her.

 

“He agreed. He said laws needed to be changed and they would be, in time.”

 

Mary Ann shrugged “Easy enough to say while he took over your property and assets.”

 

Olivia looked at the younger woman thoughtfully and then shook her head “He didn’t, he refused to have them, insisted that my property was mine and I could dispose of it as I saw fit. He had quite an argument with Mr Frobisher about it.”

 

“I thought he would,” Hester smiled, “I didn’t have that problem, having no property anyway. My first husband died with nothing…” she glanced at her cousin, Ann, who nodded in sympathy knowing only too well how harshly the ’poor widow’ had been treated by her family.

 

Mary Ann straightened her back, “You’re very fortunate, Olivia. Adam – and the Cartwright men – have a very modern look on things it seems to me…but it isn’t the case with most couples. Having the vote would change things…”

 

“How?” Ann wanted to know as she poured another cup of coffee and turned to tell David that no, he couldn’t have another biscuit.

 

“Because with our influence new laws would be made, laws that would protect women, protect their rights, give them more independence.”

 

“Is that what you want then..independence?” Ann now asked and her usually smiling face became rather cold and stubborn.

 

“Every woman has the right to choose for themselves…” Mary Ann countered and Hester muttered that she thought they already did, didn’t they?

 

“Oh Hester, no they don’t, some women are forced into marriages as though it were a business merger, and some women get married to men who – who are nothing short of – well – look at Andrew Pearson for a start.”

 

“You can if you wish, dear, but Barbara made the choice to marry him. She could have married Adam instead…” Hester said immediately and then looked over at Olivia and whispered “Sorry.”

 

“The fact is, we don’t know half of what happens in the lives of other women…” Mary Ann said, “We’re so well off here, so well cared for and pampered ..”

 

“Speak for yourself,” Ann muttered, “I would hardly say I lived a pampered life.”

 

Mary Ann drew in a sharp breath, she glared at Ann and Hester felt the colour creeping up over her collar, while Olivia began to feel uncomfortable at the way the conversation was turning. Mary Ann straightened her back “I’m thinking of arranging a meeting in town. “

 

“What for?” Olivia asked, feeling stupid for doing so but wanting to make sure she had her facts right.

 

“To talk to the women of this town about the vote, about our rights, about what we have an entitlement to …I want women to know that we have the right to have a say in how the world is run. Can you imagine women allowing that war between states to have ever taken place? Can you?”

 

Ann rolled her eyes and removed her glasses, she gave Mary Ann a very cold glare, “What makes you think that having a woman in charge would have made any difference? Men wept over the carnage every bit as much as women did, and …”

 

“They may have wept in the privacy of their homes but they didn’t stop the fighting, did they?” Mary Ann exclaimed bitterly.

 

“I think.” Ann said very quietly “that we should stop this conversation. In all the time we have had our sewing mornings we have never disagreed nor argued about anything. Let’s not start now. “

 

“I’m not starting an argument, Ann, I’m just stating facts…”

 

“Facts as you see them, Mary Ann, but not everyone agrees with you….and disagreement leads to arguments so please….lets change the subject, shall we?”

 

Mary Ann’s shoulders slumped and she frowned as she picked up her sewing “I am still going to have that meeting. I shall ask Peggy to help me…”

 

“Have you discussed this with Joe yet?” Olivia asked gently as she plied her needle and kept her eyes down.

 

“No, not yet.” and Mary Ann frowned at the thought, she wasn’t militant enough to say she wasn’t going to bother asking him, and she loved him too much not to mention it to him, but she didn’t like the idea of having to mention it to him either. “But I shall.”

 

“Well, good luck to you for that..” Ann muttered ungraciously and stood up in order to collect up the cups and saucers, plates and anything else that needed gathering up.

 

Mary Ann watched her bear everything away and felt guilty, she knew that back home Lee Sing would do all that leaving her free to continue with her sewing. Perhaps an emancipated woman should not be waited on like that…perhaps she should forego the delights of having Lee Sing at her beck and call.

 

The rest of the morning dragged … none of them had ever known a morning like it before.

 

Chapter 13

 

Peggy had no desire for ice-cream nor for visiting an elderly couple even though the gentleman concerned had been the doctor who delivered her into the world. Perhaps that was another reason for her desire not to visit the Martins, memories of a time about which she really knew nothing and preferred to have it remain that way.

 

But Adam reminded her that he had made a promise to Sofia, and he preferred to keep his promises which comment caused her to flash her dark eyes at him before she nodded and said she would meet him at the library although, of course, she was quite capable of finding her way home alone.

 

Such a response and attitude was not quite what Adam was expecting from her. He stood for a moment regarding her seriously while he told himself that ’his Peggy’ had, over the intervening years, disappeared. This new Peggy was self reliant and wanted to be considered independent. Perhaps, he reasoned to himself, the new Peggy had been lying dormant in ’his Peggy’ even back then when she had shouted her defiance at him and at her mother. He sighed and bowed his head, sucked in his cheeks before exhaling, then nodded “I’ll meet you at the library.”

 

Peggy suggested a time and then mounted up on Sam, while Adam swung Sofia into the saddle and waited for Reuben to mount Max, the boy trotted his horse up to his father “Can I go with Davy? We’re going to meet up with Tommy- if you let me that is – “

 

Adam grinned, shrugged slightly and when Davy ran up and asked if Reuben could stay ’over’ his heart sunk a little and he frowned, looked at them both severely and told them to behave, no frogs! The two boys grinned at that and Davy clambered up behind Reuben into the saddle while Jimmy Carstairs ran alongside, calling out his goodbyes and with no sign of any rancour at having been the one who had to walk.

 

Adam smiled and mounted into the saddle and as he passed Jimmy slowed the horse, leaned down and caught the boy around the waist, so that in no time at all the boy was comfortably mounted up in front of the man. The only one not too pleased at this arrangement was Sofia, sadly any overtures to Jimmy by any member of her family was a betrayal to her. After all – Jimmy Carstairs – of all people, riding on Sport with HER Pa! She blushed to the roots of her hair in mortification.

 

The visit to the ice cream parlour was a success and Adam left the three boys to run off together. Max was taken from nodding over the rail and from there delivered to Ridleys Livery for an overnight stay.

 

Bridie was thrilled to see them. It had been some time since such an impromptu visit had taken place and when Adam explained the reason for it, she smiled and nodded while leading them into the parlour.

 

“I heard about Miss Dayton. She caused a bit of a stir with some of the ladies in town the other day. Of course it led to some gossip…about yourself and her mother.” she glanced slyly out of the corner of her eyes at him and noticed that slight thrust of the chin as though the man was prepared to do battle for his honour’s sake. She laughed, then became more serious “But Paul told me of the time when Frank Dayton sent for him to deliver her, it was a difficult labour and there had been concerns that the baby would not survive. That was back when the Daytons ranch was just beginning to flourish.”

 

Adam nodded, those had been hard times, he remembered them as days when he and his brothers were fighting daily battles to keep the Ponderosa from the hands of timber kings, mining organisations and small time ranchers like Frank Dayton. Sofia had ran ahead into the kitchen where Tilly was busy and he could hear her chattering to the Cornish woman, before he looked at Bridie,

 

“I never really knew the Daytons, Frank was always a difficult man but he had a good head on him for business. It was the drink that ruined everything for them.” he sat down, crossed one leg over the other and smiled “How is Paul?”

 

Realising that her guest was attempting to change the subject Bridie replied complacently enough, and before she could probe for any further details about Peggy, Laura or anyone else Sofia was running in ahead of Tilly who was bearing an overladen tray of refreshments.

………………

 

Peggy was surprised to find a woman of her own age standing at the counter in the library, and for a moment she wondered what had happened to the grim looking woman she had met before. This other person looked completely at home in the library setting, however, with her blonde hair caught severely into a bun at the back of her head, and the glasses perched on the tip of her nose. She held a few books in her hand and was noting down their titles and authors into a ledger on the counter. It took her some seconds to realise she had a customer and when she looked up she gave Peggy a very sweet smile,

 

“Is there anything I can assist you with?” she asked in a voice that was soft and what Peggy would call ’accommodating’.

 

“Have you any modern books on emancipation for women?” Peggy replied and realised that her voice did not sound accommodating at all. It was brisk and efficient, and for some reason she felt somewhat embarrassed by it.

 

“Yes, certainly.” Elizabeth Godfrey continued to smile at the other young woman and turned to lead the way to the area where some books were set upon a shelf among the romances. “Not many – just yet.”

 

Peggy nodded, and stepped forward to view them, then sighed, she had already read them all. She reached out and picked one, after all, it never did any harm to see what points she may have missed in her first reading. She knew for a certainty she wouldn’t find any books on the subject at the Ponderosa.

 

She looked at Elizabeth to see what reaction her choice would have made, she anticipated that had it been the older woman there would have been some tutting and shaking of the head and mutters of reproach, but Elizabeth didn’t react at all. She just turned her back and returned to the counter.

 

Peggy handed the book over to be stamped, and to have it returned which it was with a smile, and a twinkle in the blue eyes “Antoinette Blackwell* was the first ordained mainstream Protestant minister, did you know?”

 

Peggy blinked, no she hadn’t known that, although she had rather liked some of the quotes attributed to Miss Blackwell, especially “Nature is just enough; but men and women must comprehend and accept her suggestions.“ “The sexes in each species of being… are always true equivalents – equals but not identical.”

 

She looked down at the book in her hand now and frowned at the title. What would Ben think at seeing it gracing the low table in the big room “The Sexes Throughout Nature.”* it was enough to make her blush at the thought and that made her uncomfortable because it indicated that she was not ‘militant’ enough for her own ‘sisterhood’.

 

“Did you ever read Mark Twain’s speech about the Emancipation Movement?” she said quietly as she turned the book over and over in her hand.

 

“No, I have not.” Elizabeth smiled “But you might enjoy reading Marie Howland’s * books although her writing is more involved with changing society into a more utopian world.”

 

“Do you have it here?”

 

“Not at present, but when it comes back in I can set it aside for you.” Elizabeth’s smile widened and Peggy frowned slightly, thanked her and left her standing at the counter, the smile still on her face.

 

Adam wasn’t waiting for her as she had anticipated but she did see Reuben and the other two little boys running along the sidewalk laughing and ‘whooping’ as little boys are prone to do when free to do what freedom from adult supervision permitted.

 

She strolled slowly along stopping every so often to look into shop windows and it was while she was thoughtfully considering the purchase of some new boots that she could see Adam’s reflection approaching her. He was on the opposite side of the road, and she watched as his image grew larger in the glass the closer he came.

 

“I’m sorry to be late,” he muttered with a wry grin,

 

“Where’s Sofia?” she asked glancing up and down the street for a glimpse of the little girl.

 

“Oh, she’s staying over with Bridie and Paul, they’ll bring her home tomorrow. I think she found the ride to town a little longer than anticipated. The Martins will bring her home in the buggy.”

 

“I remember Dr Martin…” Peggy conceded to say, after turning to walk alongside him to where they had left the horses, “He came to attend on mother quite a few times.”

 

“I believe he did.” he nodded thoughtfully, from what Paul had said he had been quite a regular visitor to the Dayton ranch, and he remembered now the number of time Laura had ‘suffered’ severe headaches, although his guess back then was that most of them were excuses so that she could avoid doing something. He sighed, and looked at her, “Did you find what you were looking for?”

 

She glanced down at the book in her hand and shrugged “I’ve read it before, but they don’t have much in the library about emancipation of women.”

 

“I’m sure it won’t be long before the shelves will be sagging under the weight of the books that will be written on the subject “ Adam murmured with enough cynicism in his voice for Peggy to bristle, and her lips went tight and she straightened her shoulders.

 

“Well, good.” she said abruptly, “And I hope it will be very soon too.”

 

Realised she was offended and not really taking the matter as seriously as he should Adam grinned, “The question is, will they be read?”

 

She looked at him with ill concealed rancour, and then shook her head “Of course they will. Every woman in this country will be reading them, even here in Virginia City.”

 

Adam grimaced, raised his eyebrows and decided to say nothing more. They reached the horses and mounted into the saddles, Buster was on a leading rein, and trotted obediently behind Sport, tossing his head and frisking his tail, free from carrying any burden upon his back.

 

They rode for some while in silence, there were birds singing and the breeze was soft as it drifted past them. He looked at her “Remember riding along here when you were little, Peggy?”

 

“Yes., You let me win the race…” she smiled at the memory.

 

“Ah yes, but then I was trying to get you to be my friend.”

 

She laughed at the memory and glanced at him, “You helped me face my fears….you made me realise I couldn’t hide from them all my life.”

 

He said nothing to that, but looked resolutely ahead, the reins loose in his hands and Sport, knowing his master so well, loping along at a comfortable pace. Peggy sighed and glanced at him “I never thought you would leave the sea.”

 

“To be honest, neither did I?” he smiled slowly, not a smile that reached his eyes which remained dark and fathomless.

 

“Why did you go to sea, Adam?”

 

“My grand father would say because it was calling my name….” he looked at her, then gave that slight roll of the shoulders that did for a shrug and reminded her that he was a big man, broad in the shoulder, very masculine. “But I wanted to get away …a lot had happened in my life and I guess, in a way, I needed to -”

 

“Run away from it all?” she said sharply and he looked at her with his dark brows drawn together

 

“No, I faced up to it all, everything …”

 

“Did that everything include what happened with my mother?”

 

He cleared his throat, pursed his lips and was silent for a while. She swallowed a gulp, “I’m sorry, that was rather impertinent of me. I had no right to ask.”

 

“No, that’s alright, after all, you were part of it all. It must have been confusing for you, a lot happened in your young life back then… “ his voice trailed off, perhaps he had never thought of it before, how the adults decisions could have affected the little girl. He sighed “I’m sorry, Peggy. “

 

His voice was deep and sincere, the hurt for her obvious and she felt the colour mount her cheeks. She bowed her head and “What for?”

 

“Well, for the way things turned out for you. I mean -” his brow creased as he tried to think of how a little girl would have felt in her position then “You went to school thinking along the idea that your mother and I would marry -”

 

“You would be my Pa.” she smiled, briefly lost in the favourite memory she possessed.

 

“Yes.” he nodded.

 

“Then, when I came home – not to the Ponderosa but back to the Dayton ranch, Will was there, with my mother.” her voice hardened, she almost flinched.

 

Adam nodded, he could imagine it now, and he shot a quick glance over at her, to see her tense face, the tight lips, the pain of recollection. He turned his face back to the road. “But you did like Will, didn’t you?”

 

“Yes, but not as my father.” she sniffed, alarmed at the tears that filled her nose, her eyes. She looked away at the trees until she her eyes cleared, were under control, then she was able to face the road again and jog along beside him.

 

Adam didn’t know what to say now, he thought of Sofia and Reuben and wondered how they had felt, then remembered Reuben’s hostility even though the transition from fatherless boy to adopted son had been relatively pain free. He bowed his head slightly and lowered his hat, beside him Peggy remained silent.

 

“So, anyway, did what happened with my mother – did that cause you to go to sea?”

 

Her voice wasn’t overly loud but apart from the sound of the horses hooves upon the hard packed ground there had been no other sound for some minutes. He cleared his throat again “No, it wasn’t. It was a choice I made because I had reached a stage in my life when I wanted a new direction, new challenges.”

 

“You wanted to be independent?” she surmised and when he nodded, chuckled even, she allowed herself to relax. “But now you’re back, married, with children…independence gone,.”

 

He nodded, and again looked at her before turning away “I may have stayed at sea, renewed my contract if it hadn’t been for Olivia. I love the Ponderosa, and there were times when I longed to be back … but I didn’t feel there was a need for me here, things were changing as well, still are I guess.”

 

“Nature doesn’t like a vacuum…society doesn’t either,” Peggy said quietly, “It has to move on or it stagnates.”

 

She wasn’t expecting an answer and was therefore not surprised at not receiving one. She wanted to tell him how it had felt when she had returned home that day, seen Will and Laura together, her crying for him, Adam; her longing to be with him, to have him as her daddy. She had stopped trusting from that day on, just went through her life doing what she was told and feeling impotent to change a thing…after all, her weeping and crying and begging hadn’t changed matters back then. Her Daddy, Frank, had never come back to her life, and Adam – had walked away from her, and now here he was, married with children of his own, and probably never having thought of her since the day he had last seen her.

 

“Adam?”

 

“Yes, Peggy?” he turned to her, smiled and waited for her to speak.

 

“Did you miss me? I mean, when Mother went with Will – I never really saw you after that – you never came by -”

 

“It wouldn’t have been kindly to have done that, Peggy. Your mother and Will had to make their own lives…”

 

“Yes, but what about me? Where did I fit into it all?”

 

He sighed and hunched his shoulders as though preparing to take on the full responsibility of her anguish. “You were – are – Laura’s daughter, I had to respect what she wanted, and she didn’t want me in your life. It wouldn’t have been fair to Will, she wanted you to have a close relationship with him, as your father.”

 

“I do care for Will, he’s a good man, and he has been a good father to me…” she paused, and sighed “but I missed you.”

 

“I missed you too, Peggy.” he turned in the saddle then and stretched out his hand to her which she seized hold of with eagerness borne of love, and then he released her fingers as though the neediness of them sent off alarm bells in his head.

 

It took a while before they spoke again, it was Peggy who opened the conversation by saying she had forgotten to bring the book with her, the one she had borrowed,

 

“I’ll return it tomorrow.” she said, and when he didn’t answer, appearing deep in thought, she asked him what he had thought about Mark Twain’s speech.

 

“I didn’t like it.” he replied simply

 

“You didn’t?” she answered as though amazed “But don’t you think it unfair that women don’t have the vote, that they’re considered as second class people, that they have no rights on how their lives are dictated to by the laws made by men.”

 

“I didn’t say what my opinion was about emancipation, Peggy, just on Twain’s speech. I didn’t like it. I didn’t like the disrespect he showed some, nor the way he wrote about them. I felt that he was -” he frowned “I felt he was getting on board what he knows will be a very important matter in the lives of people very soon. His rhetoric was that of a rabble rouser, and he will stir up support from the more militant women – and some men – as a result, and I didn’t like the aggression and tone of his speech.”

 

She thought for a moment “But what about you? What do you think about it…? Do you think women should get the vote?”

 

“I do. But then I also think Indians should have that right too, and the Chinese and the Black Americans. I think It’s wrong that Indians can’t go into a saloon and drink alongside me, and I think it’s wrong that a whole nation of people should be considered unimportant and unworthy despite their working themselves to death and contributing to the wealth and strength of this nation. Lincoln made a promise when he said all men were created equal…which, let me remind you is a statement made repeatedly in scripture ….but it seems society doesn’t accept that viewpoint. It will always be divided, Peggy. Whether on female emancipation or rights for the Indian, Chinese and Black…and even when you have got the vote…which I believe will happen one day…opinion will still be divided. “

 

“But -” Peggy paused, blinked and frowned, then decided it was wiser to be silent. She needed time to consider exactly what he had said, to mull it over as the saying goes. After a while she ventured to say that he had more or less said what Mark Twain had written in his speech at which he laughed and shook his head

 

“Perhaps, but I said it nicely.”

 

She laughed then, odd how easy it was to laugh with him, even on serious matters…and then there they were, turning into the yard of the Ponderosa. There was Hannah and Hope playing with the hoop, round and round they ran, and Hester was standing on the porch watching them, holding a basket of dry washing which rested upon her hip, a slight smile playing about her lips.

 

 

Chapter 14

 

Nathaniel was playing by the water trough.  Some while back he had found some wooden toy boats that Adam had carved for Reuben,  complete with little masts and sails, and these he was ‘sailing’ on the water, creating little waves with the splashes of his hands, fingers splayed out like the starfish that can be found on the beaches.

 

He looked up over his shoulder when he heard the sound of a horse entering the yard and beamed with delight at seeing his father riding in on Sport with Buster loping along behind.  “Daddeee”

 

Adam dismounted quickly so that he could catch the little fellow and swing him skywards and then drop him onto Buster’s saddle.

 

“Bin good, daddy” Nathaniel said hugging hold of Adam’s neck for a second before clutching a grab at Buster’s mane while Adam took the leading rein and walked the horse round and round the yard. Sport ambled off to the trough to guzzle some water while nudging the boats out of the way with his nose.

 

Olivia came from the back of the house with a clutch of spring flowers in her hands, she smiled at the sight of them, Nathaniel in the saddle with his face beaming with delight, a smile as wide as there possibly could be while Buster trotted through his repertoire of walking, loping, and Adam controlling the reins while laughing encouragement at his son.   Then she realised that there were two children missing and promptly approached, telling herself there was no need for anxiety, Adam wouldn’t be looking so happy or relaxed if there were any cause for concern.

 

“I riding, Mommy” the little boy said, and then put out his arms to Adam “No more …come down.”

 

Adam swung his son down but held onto him while he took Buster to the corral fence to leave him with Sport.   Olivia was by his side before he had finished and he smiled to put his free arm around her waist, “It seems Davy asked his folks if Reuben could stay over, and -” he looked at her like a little boy hoping his excuse would wriggle him out of trouble “as I don’t think Reuben enjoyed his excursion to the caves as much as he had hoped – I said he could.”

 

She smiled and kissed his cheek, “Well, that accounts for one, what about the other? Where did you deposit Sofia?”

 

He pulled a contrite face and gave a slight shrug “I left her with Bridie.  To be honest I should have realised that the ride would be too much for a little girl.  It’s some distance and she was tired by the time we got there.  She wasn’t very impressed by the caverns, and I think there was too much talking and not enough action for her. “

 

“She was bored?”  Olivia laughed, served the little minx right sometimes the grass is not greener on the other side after all.

 

“Yes,” he laughed then, and dropped a kiss on her cheek, “She certainly was that alright.”

 

They walked into the house, his arm around her waist while the child clung round his neck.  She leaned into him, her body warm and fitting so well into the shape of him, her  hands occupied with the flowers.   “And Peggy?  Was she alright?”

 

“Peggy?  Yes, she was happy enough.” he set Nathaniel down and watched the child scamper away back out side, back to the boats.

 

“I get the impression that she’s changed a lot…”

 

“Of course,  she’s no longer a little girl.  Nor the changeling child she was when she came here before…”

 

Olivia nodded, it was a general remark, it didn’t give her any idea of his feelings for the young woman now, this new Margaret Dayton.  She disengaged herself from his embrace and walked towards the kitchen where she could find a vase to put the flowers.  Sure enough he followed her, went to the sink and got some water to drink.

 

They hadn’t discussed Peggy or her conversation from the evening at the Ponderosa.  It seemed to Olivia that there should have been some conversation about it, about Peggy and her visit, the reasons she was here, but Adam had said nothing.  For his part Adam hadn’t really wanted to discuss Peggy and her emancipated views or her effect on the rest of the family.  He had been rather dismayed at her aggression,  while at the same time more than pleased that she was not like Laura.  He had recognised Frank’s more pugnacious personality coming through, but hadn’t that always been there, after all she had been the little girl who had screamed out her hatred to her mother, her longing for her father…she hadn’t exactly hidden away her feelings but met them head on.   All except being able to accept her father’s death.   She had hidden that away, from herself more than anyone.

 

He set down his glass and turned to watch as Olivia busied herself with the flowers.  They were bright and colourful, a splash of blues and whites and yellows.  He wondered now what Peggy thought about Olivia, his choice of wife.   While he thought that his wife was actually wondering what they had been talking about, Adam and Peggy, on that long ride home from the caverns.

 

“Peggy was wanting some books…” she said quietly, “she thought you may have some, from the time you were researching about the territory.”

 

She hadn’t turned to look at him, and Adam sighed and leaned against the sink and folded his arms across his chest, and she felt the colour mounting above the collar of her dress as she became aware of his watching.   She turned her head and smiled, and his responding smile and the twinkle in his eyes prompted her to leave the flowers and walk over to him, put her arms around him and when his arms wrapped around her she sighed,  leaned into him and raised her face to his…it was strange how she needed this reassurance,  his arms and lips now,  just to make sure that he really was heart bound to her, that no one could take him from her.

 

“What’s wrong?” he whispered as he broke away from their kiss, “What’s worrying you?”

 

She could see the concern in his eyes, the dark pupils dilated and making his eyes seem black,  the brows furrowed as though anxious …and she wanted to say “Peggy. She concerns me.”  but she couldn’t, it seemed – she shook her head …it seemed so pathetic.  “Nothing.”

 

“There is though.” he caught at her hand as she turned to leave him, and forced her to stay by interlocking his fingers behind her back, “You’ll have to stay here until you tell me.”

 

She laughed then, not a forced laugh and she was glad about that, he would have noticed, but it was a completely natural laugh that made him smile, “You are a brute, Adam Cartwright. I don’t know why I love you so much.”

 

“Because I love you, even more.”

 

She wrinkled her nose teasingly and shook her head “No you don’t, you can’t…”

 

“I do.”  he looked at her again, reassuring and gentle, as were his lips when they met hers and kissed her so gently.

 

She wondered then … had he kissed Laura like this?  Had he assured Laura that he loved her more than anything in the world?  Did he love Peggy then as much as he said he loved Sofia…?     She saw the look of puzzlement on his face and felt ashamed of her own thoughts,  and was n’t surprised when the fingers unlocked and released her.

 

“Seriously, Olivia, you will tell me if there is anything wrong, won’t you?”

 

“Of course I will.”  she replied and gave a slight shrug as she passed the table, picked up the vase of flowers and carried them from the room.

 

Adam watched her walk away and bowed his head in concentration.  It was unlike her to  be like this, to act so – edgily – and he sighed and wished he could understand the way a woman thought, felt…he shook himself out of his contemplation and strolled into the other room where Olivia flashed a smile at him, and he asked her  what it was she was saying about Peggy?  About some books?

 

“She wanted to know if you had any books about the Indians who had lived here before, who would have been  here at the time the Spanish Conquistadors had ridden in…. “

 

He nodded “Of course, she would remember about that,  it was when I was a school teacher for a mere few weeks…”

 

A touchy subject, and she wished she had n’t reminded him of it,  another reason for his brow to furrow and that dark cloud drop over his face, after all his research had caused calamity for more than one. The last of a tribe had been murdered,  a prominent man had been found wanting!

 

“She didn’t find any in your study but took  that small booklet that Mark Twain had sent you about Women’s Emancipation.”

 

He nodded “I thought she would find it interesting….”

 

“I didn’t like it when I read it…” she murmured.

 

“I remember you saying so, but then I didn’t like it either.”  he smiled and was leaning against the bureau,  “I told Peggy today,  I didn’t like the aggressive way Twain uses words to exploit a cause.”

 

“Do you think that is what he does?  Did Peggy agree with you?”

 

“I know Sam Clemens,  the man behind Mark Twain…. “ he smiled slowly and was about to speak when there was a noise from the doorway

 

Ezra stood there with a very wet wriggling little boy under one arm…”I jest fished him outa the trough.”

 

Now that he was safe indoors  and mother was close by Nathaniel found his voice…he began to bawl .

……………………

 

Peggy wasn’t too sure what to think as she had watched Adam ride out of the yard as though he had delivered a parcel and mission accomplished was now free to ride away.  He had waved a hand as he had turned at the stable  and disappeared from sight.  The little girls had run over to her for attention and Hester had remained there watching,  then had asked her how the afternoon had gone.  Had Reuben and his gang showed her everything she needed to see?

 

“I think I disappointed them rather, “ Peggy replied after dismounting from the horse and smiling at the girls as they hopped from one foot to the other, impatient for her to join them.

 

“Hannah.  Hope.  Enough now…let Peggy  alone …” Hester shook her head, tried to look fierce but the smile on her face denied the fact, she invited Peggy into the house with “You must be tired, come and have something to drink,  and tell me how your day has gone.”

 

Peggy pulled off her hat which she dropped onto the bureau by the door.  She paused to look at the picture “I don’t recall seeing this before?”

 

“Your friend, Laurence,  painted it for Ben, it’s a place on the Ponderosa of special significance to him, to Ben I mean not Laurence.”  she smiled and Peggy realised she was getting to quite like Hester, she was uncomplicated.

 

She stood and admired the picture a little longer before following Hester into the kitchen, Hop Sing was there and nodded,  insisted he would make the coffee and put away the washing…Hester relinquished both tasks with a smile and as she walked out of the room into the sitting room said in a low voice to Peggy “There’s no point on insisting that I do it,  he knows, and I know by now, that he does everything much better than !.”

 

It was said in just loud enough a whisper for Hop Sing to hear, and Peggy saw from the twinkle in his eyes that the old man had heard, and appreciated the compliment, which, given in any other way, would have embarrassed him.

 

“I think Reuben and his gang were wanting me to find some more bodies,” she said as she slumped most unladylike into a chair, “But they don’t realise the interesting bit about archaeology is what comes after the bodies are found…the real research, excavating if you like…but that’s pretty boring stuff for them, they much prefer the excitement and even horror at finding bodies.”

 

Hester thought for a moment and then smiled “I know what you mean …. one can create stories on what is found, and then upon looking into the background discover a much more uninteresting story.”

 

Peggy nodded and was about to agree with there was a knock on the door,  Hannah ran inside followed by Hope who declared to them that there was a man outside…Hester stood up and Hannah said in her squeaky voice “No,  Mommy, he didn’t want to speak to you, he wanted Peggy.”

 

The two women looked at one another in surprise “But no one knows I’m here..” Peggy said in a baffled tone of voice as she got out of the chair and made her way to the door.

 

Abel Greigson stood there, hat in hand and a smile on his face.   He was smiling not at her but at his surroundings,  the solid looking buildings, the corrals, the horses, and with a look of appreciation that was without envy.   Peggy cleared her throat as though to remind him she was now present,

 

“Oh Mr Greigson…”

 

Now he turned to look at her, as though he hadn’t expected her to be there after all.  He nodded, his smile broadened, took on a different shape,  his eyes lingered a little longer than necessary upon her face “Miss Dayton.”

 

She waited for him to speak,  he waited for an invitation to step inside but as it was not her home she had no intention of doing any such thing.   She stepped towards him, her chin jutted out and her eyes wary,

 

“Well, Mr Greigson, what can I do for you?”

 

He smiled then, nodded “There’s a dance on at the Town Hall next weekend….wondered if I could take you, be your escort.”

 

She hadn’t heard about any dance,  no doubt Hester could tell her more about that,  and she didn’t know this Greigson so why go with him, and as for an escort….she cleared her throat

 

“Thank you for asking,  but I know nothing about a dance next weekend, and -” she frowned, “I really don’t know you .

 

“Next weekend would be a good time for you to get to know me better then, wouldn’t it?” he smiled, his eyes twinkled.  He was a really good looking man,  and a very masculine looking one at that,  but Peggy  just shook her head and cleared her throat a little more,

 

“I don’t even know if I’ll be going. I’m here to work, not to socialise.”

 

“A shame.   You know what they say,  all work and no play….” he winked at her, and then turned away.

 

For some reason she remained standing there watching  him as he walked to the horse, mounted up and when he turned to look back at her she was annoyed that he would have seen her there so with a toss of her head, turned her back and went inside the house,  slamming the door shut behind her

 

Chapter 15

 

Hester was standing close behind her, holding Erik in the crook of her arm and looking thoughtful, but she smiled when Peggy turned to face her “Was that Abel Greigson?”

 

“It was.” Peggy replied, hoping that there was no indication of that creeping blush that sometimes crept over her neck, “He asked me to go to the dance on Saturday.”

 

“With him?” Hester’s eyes widened.

 

“Yes, with him!” Peggy looked at Hester as though she were half witted, hadn’t she just said the man had asked her to the dance, she shook her head hoping to brush her belligerance aside “When I mentioned Greigson the other evening, I didn’t sense any great enthusiasm for them as your neighbours. Have they caused trouble at all?”

 

“Trouble? Oh …no, not really. They’re just very private people.”

 

Hester strolled back to her chair and sat down, Erik on her lap, nuzzling into her and looking heavy eyed with sleepiness. She stroked his back and watched as Peggy gathered up her hat and the briefcase she had carried with her, and wondered why the woman had to look so determinedly angry all the time, even now her pretty face was wearing a scowl.

 

“I had forgotten about the dance -” Hester said brightly as Peggy turned to the stairs, “On Saturday. I had forgotten about it, otherwise I would have mentioned it to you.”

 

“It doesn’t matter, I wouldn’t have been going anyway., especially with him.”

 

“Why not ? He seems pleasant enough.” Hester glanced down at Erik and noticing he was now asleep settled him down onto the chair with a shawl over him, she straightened her back and turned to the other woman “And it is the first time he has ever been here. In all the years he has lived at the Running D ranch he has never stepped a toe over our boundary line.”

 

“Why not? I mean…why hasn’t he been here, they’re your nearest neighbours arnt’ they?”

 

“Yes, apart from Joe and Adam of course.” Hester’s eyes twinkled then, and then she sighed a little and waited for Hop Sing to leave the refreshments on the low table.

 

Peggy had forgotten about the coffee and as the aroma drifted over the room she sighed and turned back to the chair she had abandoned when Greigson had arrived. She sat down and put the case and hat on the floor, while she accepted the coffee cup Hester handed to her, “Why are they so unfriendly? Any particular reason?”

 

“Oh, it isn’t just with us, Mr Greigson – father – is just a bitter surly old man.” she frowned and Peggy could see from the expression on Hester’s face that she was wondering if that was too harsh a description, she sipped her coffee and waited for Hester to continue “Some years back Mrs Greigson became very ill. It was a lingering illness and we all offered help in various ways but were always rebuffed. Then she became seriously ill and Mr Greigson went to town for a doctor – Abel was not home then, not sure where he was to be sure – . Unfortunately Mr Greigson was unable to get the doctor he wanted. He wouldn’t have Jimmy -”

 

“Jimmy?”

 

“James Chan. “

 

“Why not?”

 

“Because Jimmy is Chinese, and Mr Greigson refused to have him help his wife, he insisted on Paul coming out. Well, of course that was unreasonable at the very least, even if he had legitimate reasons to refuse Jimmy there were other doctors he could have searched out but -” Hester shook her head and some copper red curls bounced loose of their pins as a result, “he waited so long for Paul to return from his calls that by the time they returned to the ranch, Mrs Greigson was dead. “

 

“That’s sad. Poor woman, to have died alone…” Peggy put down her cup, “And he’s taken it out on the town ever since?”

 

“Well, perhaps he’s really punishing himself. Hoss says that they both keep the ranch immaculate and their cattle are good sound stock. Abel is courteous to a point, but only to a point. As I said this was the first time I’ve known him step foot on the Ponderosa.”

 

Peggy shrugged and then stood up, “I’ll just go and tidy up if you’ll excuse me.”

 

“I’ll bring up a jug of warm water for you,” Hester said and stood up also, then watched as Peggy picked up her belongings and went upstairs.

 

By the time Hester brought in the jug of water Peggy had changed her clothes into something more attractive than a riding outfit. She was pulling a comb through her hair, and staring into the mirror with a frown still on her face as she thought over the days events. There were several matters during the course of the time that had not gone according to plan and she mulled over them and over in her head, making the whole of them worse than they actually were.

 

Hester knocked and took the jug of water into the room, a clean fluffy towel draped over her arm. She smiled at Peggy “You look prettier than ever, Peggy.”

 

The younger woman grunted a comment and gave a slight shrug of the shoulders, then thanked Hester who had turned to leave the room having placed the jug and town on the marble topped console. There was only one framed photograph in the room, the one that Peggy had obviously considered worthy of being set down by her bedside. A smiling face, handsome, dark haired… Hester looked at it thoughtfully,

 

“Your father, Peggy?”

 

Peggy nodded “Yes, my father.”

 

She sighed, looked wistful, and turned her attention to her ablutions, forcing Hester to leave the room and quietly close the door behind her.

………………..

 

Elizabeth Godfrey was tidying the shelf where Mysteries of the Continent of Africa and various other books of similar themes resided, when she was aware of voices. Peeking through the gap between books on the shelf she noticed an older woman with a little girl talking to Miss Tyndale. The child was rather obscured from her view and so Elizabeth didn’t see her very clearly at all, so retreated back to her work.

 

She was about to return one book to the shelf when she heard a soft voice close to her asking for a book that Miss Tyndale said would be located just where she, Miss Godfrey, was working. Could she possibly locate it for her?

 

Elizabeth turned towards the speaker and Bridie smiled her gentle smile, her eyes twinkling and quietly repeated her request. Elizabeth heard the words through a haze, for her ears were buzzing, while her head was ringing, and her eyes were watching the little girl as she touched the back of one book after another with her finger tips.

Bridie turned, saw what Sofia was doing and touched her gently on the shoulder to stop her from repeating the action. She smiled at the same time at the trainee librarian “It’s alright, she’s very good, she’ll not harm any of the books.”

 

“No, of course not, I’m sure she won’t.” Elizabeth heard herself saying while she forced her eyes away from the child and tried to find the book Mrs Martin was seeking.

 

“I like books” Sofia piped up and came to stand beside Bridie, her hands behind her back now as though even she knew that would be the safest place for them to stop her fingers exploring.

 

Elizabeth said nothing but found the book, thankfully within easy reach and handed it to Bridie with a nod. Bridie thanked her and left, taking Sofia with her, and thinking that Miss Tyndale had made a good choice for an assistant, some one as prickly as herself.

 

From her position behind the shelves Elizabeth dared to peek around to watch the woman and the child. Her heart beat so fast it was still making her ears ring as she watched Bridie take hold of Sofia’s hand and walk away with her.

 

She had recognised the child, of course, and she had known beforehand that there would be a time when they would meet, but this was so soon, too soon. She had had no time to prepare herself, to think of what to say or do. Seeing Sofia now had come out of the blue and effectively stunned her. She went to a corner where book shelves converged together and for a moment struggled to control her emotions.

 

Sofia …how strange that the sight of that child had had more of an effect upon her than seeing her very own child months ago. Her own little girl handed over to her sister and brother-in-law to rear as their own, and with no knowledge that her Aunt Katherine was her very own mother. Secure in the love of her adoptive parents, the little girl had no need of a fussy over possessive Aunt, who argued with ‘mother’ about what the child should wear and eat, or when she should sleep, or read, or play. Her pleasant days of childhood had begun to resemble a bear garden, with the two sisters baiting each other, snapping and snarling with her, one little girl, the prize coveted by both.

 

She hadn’t been able to bear it any longer. Emily was beginning to show signs that she hated and resented her sister being there, the child made it clear she hated her Aunt/Mother and finally her brother-in-law had advised her that in the interests of all, she should leave. What he had really meant was that he had had enough and wanted her out of their lives…and that had included the life of her own daughter.

 

 

And here was Sofia, a little girl who had loved ‘Aunt Katherine’, even if only for a few weeks one fateful winter time. She straightened her shoulders and took a deep breath, well, mother was no longer here to cause problems, and hadn’t she come to Virginia City for the very purpose of finding Sofia again? This time, everything would be just perfect, Rosemary Royale was gone….Katherine Royale was now Elizabeth Godfrey, probably one of the wealthiest librarians in the west.

 

“Miss Godfrey?”

 

She turned and looked at Miss Tyndale who was peering at her through her pince-nez “Yes, Miss Tyndale?”

 

“Haven’t you finished here yet? You must be faster, girl, you never know when you may have a whole roomful of customers …now then…hurry, hurry.” and to add insult to injury she clapped her hands and nodded as though like a little sheep dog she was in charge of gathering up her flock of one recalcitant sheep.

 

Elizabeth sighed and forced a smile “Sorry, Miss Tyndale, I’ll get the idea of how this is done soon, I promise.”

 

Mollified Miss Tyndale smiled and muttered something about breaking off for tea now, books gathered so much dust and the dust gathers in the throat….then she bustled off leaving Elizabeth to dab her eyes and wonder how the dust had affected them so badly.

………………..

 

Sofia skipped alongside Bridie, the sun shone down upon her milky blonde hair that Olivia had carefully braided that morning. She was happy, being with Bridie was a very special treat for she loved the Irish woman very much. The little walk to the library was in order for Bridie to collect a book which she could read to her little visitor that evening before bed, and Sofia knew that Tilly was baking some griddle cakes especially for supper.

 

“Flannel, am I really going to stay all night with you and Uncle Paul in your house, and sleep in the big bed?”

 

“You are, my pet.” Bridie smiled down at the child, whose beaming blue eyes gazed up at her with that generous outpouring of love children could so happily deposit on the altar to those who gain their affections.

 

!And then tomorrow we go home to mommy and daddy?”

 

“That’s right, dearie.”

 

“”Will that be after breakfast or before breakfast?”

 

“Oh long after breakfast, my girl.” Bridie smiled down at her, and then with a sigh bustled along the sidewalk pausing to talk to Mrs Garston who wanted to know what Sofia was doing and ‘did you see that awful woman riding into town again? And she rode out with Adam Cartwright – alone?’ and then later on Mrs Smeaton stopped Bridie and asked what Sofia was doing here in town, was Olivia here too, hadn’t Adam been in town earlier?

 

Sofia became bored and stood very patiently beside Bridie and wondered why people were talking about her mommy and daddy and who was the awful woman? She ran a few steps ahead and then turned to see if Bridie were coming, but she wasn’t instead she was looking rather angry and her head was bobbing up and down very fast as she talked, so Sofia ran a few steps back. Then Bridie grabbed her hand and strode off very fast, so fast that Sofia had to skip and hop some of the way while Bridie mumbled beneath her breath like she did whenever she took out a cake from the oven that had sunk in the middle.

 

She reached out to take the old woman by the hand and squeezed the fingers gently, “Don’t worry, Flannel,” she said with a sweet smile, “It’ll be alright, I’m here now.”

 

“Ochone, pet, so you are.” Bridie replied and her voice wobbled a little bit, just a little bit.

 

Sofia thought it was because Bridie was so happy that she was going to be there, and overnight too, in the big bed!

 

Chapter 16

 

Chapter 16

 

Sofia had never stayed overnight with Bridie before, and the excitement made her a little giddy and high spirited. She helped Bridie make a cake, and sat beside Tilly to watch her carefully as she measured out all the ingredients, even being allowed to crack the eggs into a bowl…took Tilly a little while to fish out the egg shell that went in with them but eventually all was well and the cake went into the oven to cook.

 

She sat beside Paul during supper and told the old doctor all about the trip to the caverns, “I didn’t like it. It was dark and smelly, and wet. But Peggy liked it, she was talking to the boys about it all the time.”

 

“Peggy Dayton.” Paul nodded, “I remember her when she was a little girl. I had to go to the Dayton ranch when she had measles.”

 

“Are they nice?” Sofia asked and looked earnestly into the old man’s face and liked the way he smiled down at her, and said that no, measles were not nice, it could even be dangerous to have them which is why her mother sought his help.

 

They chattered about nothing of any importance as they ate their meal, and Bridie basked in the pleasure of having the little girl there, while Paul seemed to chuckle his way through each course in a way he seldom did usually.

 

Sofia helped clear the table with Tilly afterwards and perched on a stool, with her sleeves rolled up, insisted on helping with the washing up. Bridie watched with a tender glance and then joined her husband by the fire,

 

“She’s a lovely child,” she said quietly as she picked up her knitting.

 

“Yes, high spirited too. She’ll be quite a catch for some young man one day.” Paul replied and reached for his pipe for, like Ben, he enjoyed a pipe in the evening.

 

“I hope this Peggy Dayton doesn’t cause any problems, Paul.” she frowned and counted her stitches on the needle before glancing up at her husband who was looking at her with a query furrowing his brow “That Mrs Garston is already making insinuations, her poisonous tongue could cause so much trouble for our couple and I would hate that to happen.”

 

“Mrs Garston is poison. She’s ruining young Lucy’s life, scaring away any potential suitor that comes along. I have spoken to Mr Garston about his wife -” he paused and sighed, leaned back and surveyed his wife anew “what do you mean about it causing trouble for Adam and Olivia?”

 

“She hinted that Adam and Peggy Dayton rode off together ..alone…”

 

“Well, they did, didn’t they?” Paul muttered and struck a match to light the tobacco

 

“Yes, I know they did, dear, but it wasn’t a planned clandestine rendez vous as she was insinuating. I know Peggy is a young woman, but ..”

 

“Peggy would have been Adam’s step daughter had his marriage to Laura gone through. It’s only natural they would be together at times, but then, of course, Mrs Garston wouldn’t know that…”

 

“No, she wouldn’t, and I didn’t either, not fully.” Bridie firmed her lips together and sighed, “The fact is, Paul, Peggy isn’t a little girl any more, she’s a young woman, and – and it isn’t a good combination is it? A young girl who may harbour fond feelings for a man who could have been her father…”

 

“Now you’re making insinuations, my dear.” Paul frowned over at her, and shook his head “Adam would no more dream of endangering his life with Olivia than he would in flying to the moon.”

 

“I know, I know that, dear, but it’s the way they would think, those spiteful tongued women in town should be ashamed of themselves.”

 

“You’re getting heated up about nothing, sweet heart, let it be now.” he smiled and turned to the door to look over at Sofia who was almost tripping over her feet to bring in a plate with some cake on it, which she handed over to Paul.

 

“Well, this looks rather splendid, Sofia, did you make it yourself?” his eyes twinkled and his rugged craggy face took on the big smile that Bridie loved so much.

 

“I helped,” Sofia said modestly.

 

“Well, it’s my favourite.” Paul replied and gave his wife a wink of the eye, “Thank you, Sofia.”

 

They let ha young woman, and – and it isn’t a good combination is it? A young girl who may harbour fond feelings for a man who could have been her father…”

 

“Now you’re making insinuations, my dear.” Paul frowned over at her, and shook his head “Adam would no more dream of endangering his life with Olivia than he would in flying to the moon.”

 

“I know, I know that, dear, but it’s the way they would think, those spiteful tongued women in town should be ashamed of themselves.”

 

“You’re getting heated up about nothing, sweet heart, let it be now.” he smiled and turned to the door to look over at Sofia who was almost tripping over her feet to bring in a plate with some cake on it, which she handed over to Paul.

 

“Well, this looks rather splendid, Sofia, did you make it yourself?” his eyes twinkled and his rugged craggy face took on the big smile that Bridie loved so much.

 

“I helped,” Sofia said modestly.

 

“Well, it’s my favourite.” Paul replied and gave his wife a wink of the eye, “Thank you, Sofia.”

 

They let her stay up for another half an hour before declaring it was time for bed, and as Sofia was feeling more than a little tired she was very happy to be running up the stairs and jumping into the big bed.

 

“Just think, Bridie, this is the very first time I’ve slept in your big bed.” she pulled her dungaree’s off and then her shirt, and stood there in her under things and little socks while Bridie found a nightdress that would be suitable for her to wear.

 

Thanks to the hospice and Refuge there were always boxes of spare clothing at Bridie’s. Kind donations handed in from those who no longer needed them, to be handed to those who had a need. They were carefully laundered and packed away for distribution, so when Sofia slipped the pale pink garment over her head all she could smell was lavender and camomile

 

“Now settle down, my pretty, and I’ll read you the first chapter of the story.” Bridie said and settled herself into the wicker work chair beside the bed.

 

It was lovely to slip down between the sheets in the big bed with the mattress that was like a cloud and into which she could sink. She sighed with delight and wriggled her body into a little hollow and then half closed her eyes, “Shall I say my prayer first because if I don’t I might go to sleep and not say it at all.”

 

So the prayer was said with lots of ‘Please look after’s …’ and apologies for being scared in the caverns, and could God please arrange for the boys to let her into the gang even if she was a girl and scared of the caverns.

 

“Finished now, sweetheart?” Bridie said after a while and Sofia smiled and nodded, her blonde head rustling upon the pillows.

 

“Right, so this is the book I just got from the library from that nice lady who just started working there. It’s very popular so I hope you like it….” Bridie said in her soft Irish brogue, and she smoothed away some hair from Sofia’s brow and kissed it gently, “Now, close your eyes and I’ll begin… “Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, `and what is the use of a book,’ thought Alice `without pictures or conversation?’

So she was considering in her own mind (as well as she could, for the hot day made her feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by her.

 

Sofia felt her heart beating so fast against her ribs that it was making her feel ill. She couldn’t speak, her tongue seemed to have stuck to the roof of her mouth and she felt as though she was sweating so much that she had to push aside the blankets. Bridie stopped reading and looked at her anxiously,

 

“Are you alright, my pet?”

 

Sofia shook her head and stared at Bridie with big eyes, how could she tell her that she hated that book, hated that story, hated Alice. How would Bridie understand? She began to cry, big tears leaked out of her eyes and rolled down her cheeks and Bridie leaned down and swooped her up in a big bear hug “It’s alright, my pet, it’s alright.” and then she put a hand to Sofia’s brow and frowned, “You feel very hot. Do you have a sore tummy?”

 

Sofia shook her head, and held tightly to Bridie and after a while she stopped crying and was soothed down by Bridie’s gentle voice and settled back into the bed. She blinked and wiped her eyes, swallowed and found her tongue seemed normal, her breathing was back to how it should be and she put out a little hand and placed it on Bridie’s arm,

 

“I think I’ll go to sleep now.” she whispered

 

“Do you want me to read any more?”

 

Sofia shook her head “No, thank you, I’ll just go to sleep …”

 

Bridie nodded, dropped another kiss on the child’s brow and lowered the flame in the lamp. Sofia watched her go, the little book in her hand, and with a sigh of relief she sunk against the pillows, drew the blanket up closer around her, and closed her eyes.

 

She thought of the last time she had had that book read to her with Ella her friend in the wheelchair close beside her. That was the time when two women insisted that she, Sofia, was a child called Alice, and as Ella’s sister had continued to read the story Sofia had felt more and more panic as she thought of herself as having fallen down a huge hole, disappearing from her parents, from Reuben, never to be seen again. Her mind wandered to scenes in the big house, the room in the loft with the big window, the dolls house, and the toys…and she remembered the two women, Rosemary and the younger woman, Katherine.

 

Somehow sleep came and snatched her away from any further memories. Her eyes closed and her breathing came soft and even. When Bridie peeked into the room much later, the little girl was sound asleep and Bridie put her little outburst down to having eaten too much and the excitement of being away from home for the first time. She had totally forgotten the weeks when Sofia had been away from home before ….

…………….

 

When Olivia came downstairs into the main room after settling Nathaniel down for the night, she found her husband seated on the settee, his back arched and his elbows on his knees looking intently at a picture he held in his hands.

 

It was a quiet pleasant evening after what had been a bright spring day, warm and sultry but still requiring a small fire at night. The lamps still had to be lit in the big room, and by their glow and the fire’s flame her husband struck her as a romantic handsome figure. She stood for a while to observe him, the arch of his back, the shape of his head and the way his hair fell over his brow.

 

She sighed with contentment at the feeling now tingling through her, a wave of warmth that made her heart beat faster. How she loved him, and how grateful she was for his love for her, and with that thought in mind she approached him and sat by his side. She leaned against his back with her head upon his shoulder and murmured “What are you looking at?”

 

He didn’t answer right away, but passed the picture over to her, and then returned to look into the flames while she stared down at the picture of her first husband.

 

“Why are you looking at a picture of Robert?” she asked quietly, her heart now troubled, her mind, instincts, warning her to speak with care for although he had himself said Roberts picture should be among the rest of the family pictures, he had not singled it out for special attention before.

 

He had said that Robert’s picture belonged there because he was the father of two of their children, but since the time Sofia decided to keep the picture under the pillow and kept on talking about her real daddy, Adam had not seemed inclined to refer to Robert or the picture since. Not that one could blame him, or wonder at it, how many would indeed?

 

“I was just wondering…” he said quietly turning back to look at her, “Do you still love him? Think about him?”

 

She inhaled sharply and looked again at Robert, the man she had love so wholeheartedly, had dreamt above, and woven visions of the future with him by her side … she bowed her head “No, probably not as much as I should really. Although having said that, I don’t know how much one should think about someone one has loved in the past. He was such a dear, kind man,, Adam. You would have liked him, he would have been a good friend for you.”

 

“But -”

 

“But I love him as I love so many from my past and it seems to me that the heart is large enough to hold them in a corner of it … perhaps had I not met you, and love you so much now, then I would dwell more often on my life with Robert, on him, and all I lost when he died. But the fact is that I did meet you, and I love you, more than words can say…”

 

She put down the picture upon the table and slipped her fingers into his hand “Why are you asking me about Robert, now?”

 

Adam gave a rather impatient shrug as though he felt awkward having asked her such a personal question, one that he felt now was intrusive upon her private feelings. He waited for her to speak but when she didn’t he realised she was waiting for an answer,

 

“It was something that Peggy said today…it made me think about you, and Sofia and Reuben. How you must feel inside, even now, and for the children, whether they will one day wake up feeling resentful of not having Robert in their lives, of feeling somehow cheated. I got the feeling that Peggy is angry, inside herself, and I don’t want our children to feel that way, not ever.”

 

“Why should they? Sofia never knew him, and I think that silliness last year has got it out of her system now, and Reuben…he was only 3 when his father died, and you came and …”

 

“Does he talk to you about his father?”

 

“Sometimes. Not very much now, but occasionally. At first when we were going to get married he asked a lot of questions….whether his daddy would mind, or be angry? Things like … would my daddy be proud of me for being a good boy, or angry if I said such and such. Oh things that come into the mind of a child. Maybe if he had been older and Roberts’ death closer to our marriage it would have left a deeper mark, but as it is he is happy, and proud to have you as his father now.”

 

He took hold of her hand now and folded both of his around it, as though it were precious. “When Frank Dayton died, he was drunk, he broke his neck when his horse refused to jump a fence and he was stupid enough to try and force it to try again…Hoss and I thought for sure he would never make it, and he didn’t. “

 

“That was when you got involved with Laura?” she couldn’t bring herself to say that was when he fell in love with the woman, perhaps ungenerous of her after all, he held no grudges against her love for Robert.

 

“Yes. I tried to get her to tell Peggy about Frank …but she wouldn’t. Peggy…she was so angry, such an angry hurt little girl. She would go and sit on the swing and count…tell herself that when she reached one hundred her daddy would come home and take her away from Laura.”

 

“She didn’t love Laura? Her mother?”

 

“Not as Sofia or Reuben and Nathaniel love you…not like that…Frank adored Peggy, when he was at home he spent all his time with her. He was planning on leaving Laura, but taking Peggy with him…I think Peggy would have been happy going with him too. Eventually she got to accept Frank was not coming back and Laura loved her, and she even seemed happy at the thought of Laura and I marrying.”

 

“Until Will came along?”

 

“Yes, and don’t get me wrong, Livvy, she did care about Will, but not as much as she loved Frank, nor as much as she got to care about me.” he shook his head as though the matter caused him no pleasure, he sighed, “She said today that no one had thought about her, considered how she would feel when one day she was happily thinking of Laura and I being her mother and father going to school in the morning thinking of the wedding and when she got home in the evening, it wasn’t Laura and Me, instead, it was Laura and Will.”

 

They were quiet for a moment, a log in the fire sent up small flames and settled more firmly against another creating red glowing sparks. Adam frowned again, “I hadn’t thought of how a little girl would react to that…not a little girl like Peggy who only a year earlier had lost her father, and had waited so long for him to come home.”

 

“But she was alright, wasn’t she? I mean, she accepted Will and seemed happy enough, didn’t she?”

 

“I didn’t see her for some weeks after Laura and Will drove off, I had still some way to go with my back healing, and it was actually their wedding day before I saw her again. She was quiet, and more than happy to see me, in fact, she clung to me like a limpet.” he smiled ruefully, “and then I had to let her go again. They left…”

 

He released her hand and stood up, took the picture of Robert from her and walked to the bureau to replace it among the other pictures, “She had so much anger in her when Frank died, I don’t believe she ever stopped being angry and from the way she spoke this afternoon, I would say, she is still … very angry …and she doesn’t really know how to handle it.”

 

“Her choice of career does seem strange for a young woman…” Olivia said as she leaned back against the cushions “So much fascination with the dead.”

 

“Well, at least they don’t get up and walk away from her, do they?” he said, straightening his shoulders as though to tease out a million kinks gained throughout the day “she can create their history and give them back some vicarious life …something she can’t do with her own father.”

 

Olivia didn’t think it wise to now probe him as to his opinion on Peggy’s more emancipated views, instead she walked to his side and slipped her hand into his, turned her body into the curves of his own and bowed her head so that her brow would meet his own … she felt sorry for the little angry lost girl that had been Peggy, but Peggy was a woman now, and she felt irrationally irritated at the claims being made on her husband, as though in some way Peggy was using memories and guilt to draw Adam to her, and though she told herself it was stupid, stupid, to even think like that, even so … she did.

 

Chapter 17

 

Sofia felt she was drowning in the big bed but didn’t want to open her eyes to look around the room and get more comfortable. She struggled to sleep, but whenever her eyes closed some reminder of the time in Bodie slipped into her head and would jerk her awake again.

 

She did finally succumb to sleep however, so that when Bridie peeked into the room before going to her bed she was happy to see the child with eyes closed and softly breathing. She tidied the blankets, kissed Sofia on the brow and quietly left the room.

 

The clock ticked away the minutes and in the Riley’s household Mrs Riley was knocking on the bedroom door and telling Davy and Reuben that if they didn’t quieten down and get some sleep, she would never permit Reuben to sleep over again.

Needless to say the boys scrambled for their beds and pulled the sheets over their heads, giggling and whispering for minutes more so that Mr Riley came and knocked on the door on his way to bed and told them to ‘Quieten down some.’

 

Grant Tombs slept in the comfortable bed that had once belonged to Rachel, Roy’s sister. It was a pleasant room and Roy had had the sense to remove all the items that gave it a feminine touch. These he had packed up and posted off to his sister and replaced with sensible things like books, a globe of the world for no other reason than he liked the look of it and when it was pushed to go round and show off the different countries it hummed…he thought Grant would like that. There were other things too that he thought would appeal to a young man, so the room had a masculine stamp on it even before Grant stepped inside and added his own personal items.

 

Now he lay with his arms folded behind his head and stared up at the ceiling, not that he could see much as it was dark, and he had removed his spectacles. He had a lot to think about… whether a clerical job with Mr Woods, the lawyer who had conducted the case against his father on Joe Cartwright’s behalf, or as a deputy for the sheriff here. He liked the idea of wearing a badge and strutting around town letting everyone see who was ‘in charge’ but he didn’t like the thought of being shot at, or being called out to ride posse at any time or many other things that Roy added to the list that Nate had considerately left off.

 

On the other hand he was more attuned to office work and he liked Hiram Woods. He had studied law, perhaps not to the extent of becoming a lawyer or anything so grand, but he could hold his own as a clerk, or secretary which was what Mr Woods was requiring. It would all depend on whether Mr Woods trusted him or would turn him down because he was the son of a criminal…even a dead one carried a reputation, and Grant was worried that his life would be constantly tainted by all his father had done.

 

He could, of course, change his name…and as he mentally considered a number of names he particularly liked the sound of, his eyes closed and he finally fell asleep.

 

In her room Elizabeth Godfrey sat before the dressing table and stared at her reflection in the mirror. She had just finished brushing her hair which was soft like silk, and shone a gentle golden blonde in the light of the lamp. Without the glasses she wore the blue of her eyes looked more vibrant. She leaned into the mirror as though she needed to see more clearly the woman she had become, she ran her fingers beneath her eyes to smooth away the evidence of the lines appearing there, and then her fingers travelled down to her jaw line, still taut and firm, and her neck and throat, still young looking. But she was looking for something else too….evidence that there was no resemblance to her mother, Rosemarie Royale, in any of her features.

 

To look like her mother would be a nightmare, the fear of being anything like her gave Elizabeth whom we once knew as Katherine, nightmares. Yet she had already taken some steps that only someone as devious as Rosemarie Royale would have thought of, and when she told herself this, even though in a whisper, Elizabeth Godfrey leaned her face into her hands and wept.

 

She knew the wisest thing to do was to leave Virginia City, to put the past behind her, the longing and desire she had – forget it. But then, she told herself, she had only just arrived, just give her time, a little time…

…………..

 

Sofia looked down at the house and thought it looked so familiar that there would be no harm at all in walking up the little yellow path and knock on the pink door. On either side of the door was a bay window, and she could see pretty curtains hanging there, and wallpaper on the walls of the rooms. Everything in the house was just as she expected it to be…. She pushed the door open and called out “Hello….”

 

A man and a woman stood by a table and looked at her. They did not move. Their arms were very stiff and jutted out from their bodies at an odd angle. Their clothes didn’t quite fit, and their hair looked as though it had been painted onto their heads.

 

She walked up to them and observed them thoughtfully, of course she knew them, but couldn’t understand what they were doing in her dream. That surprised her, that she knew she was dreaming… “What are you doing here?” she asked them

 

Then she realised why she knew she was dreaming because she was the same size as them, in fact, she was smaller. The man’s head turned towards her, it was very stiff as though it was very hard for him to move “You are a very bad girl.”

 

His lips didn’t move. Sofia realised his mouth nose and eyes were all painted on a piece of wood. He was wood. She turned to the lady who shook her head, more easily than the man had moved his, someone had painted eye lashes on her face, long lashes that went up to the hair line. She looked down at Sofia “You are a very bad girl.”

 

Sofia stood there and looked down at the floor, she could see that she was very small and she knew if she stayed there any longer she would be wood, just like them, and someone would paint her face too. She turned to move and heard someone say “Alice, you stay right where you are, do you hear me?”

 

“I’m not Alice, I’m Sofia…” she whimpered and turned to leave, to get away from the house and away from the wooden people. “I’m Sofia…” she shouted, “Sofa.”

 

Hands gripped the top of her arms and held her tightly, she screamed, fought against them and then, when she opened her eyes, there was Tilly, looking anxiously at her, and trying to reassure her, telling her it was alright, she was alright, she was safe…and with a sob she fell against Tilly’s chest (not that there was much there, Tilly was all bone), and allowed the woman to comfort her.

 

Bridie came and asked if anything was the matter, shadows were cast upon the walls from the lamp she held in one hand, shadows that Sofia didn’t know, unfamiliar and odd shapes. Bridie came and took the child in her arms, thanked Tlly who muttered something about a bad dream and left the room. Sofia succumbed against Bridie’s ample bosom, as soft as a pillow, and with Bridie humming a familiar tune and rubbing her back she soon drifted back into sleep.

 

Bridie sat beside Sofia’s bedside for another hour, holding her hand and humming old Irish songs until she was totally sure the child slept soundly enough not to be disturbed when she left. Drawing the conclusion that Sofia had either got over excited or had eaten too much cake.

 

Sofia slept well, with no further disturbance, waking to a new day and for a while just staying in bed to enjoy making plans. She looked at the view out of the window from her bed, thinking how different it was from home where she could see the tree laden hills and cliffs, clouds perched upon the pinnacles of trees, the blue and silver thread of the river. Perhaps the pleasure of being away from home brought with it the realisation of all the things one took for granted and were missed.

 

She missed Clarabelle snuggled in with her, and reminded herself that staying with Bridie had been a surprise, something Daddy had thought of because he knew she was tired. She stretched thin arms above her head and then rolled out of bed. She could smell food cooking, bacon smells floating from the kitchen. Daddy liked his crisp but she preferred hers before it got that far so hurried down to warm Tilly not to burn hers.

 

Now she was at the kitchen door she felt shy and stood there with her hands clasped in front of her, “Hello, Tilly.”

 

The Cornish woman turned and smiled at her, then wiped her hands upon her apron. “Do you have scrambled egg and bacon for breakfast at home.”

 

Sofia frowned “Daddy does … sometimes …” she replied coyly, wriggling slightly back and forth.

 

“But do you? That’s what I’m asking?”

 

Sofia looked at the food cooking and thought of the oatmeal, or eggs, that were her breakfasts. So she knew she had to be honest and shook her head “Daddy lets me share his bacon sometimes.”

 

Tilly smiled, and gestured to the table “sit down now…” She turned back to the stove and as Sofia sat down on the designated chair so Paul and Bridie entered the room.

 

It was a cosy pleasant little group, Bridie always awoke with a clear plan of the day’s

events clear in her head and launched into a discussion of who was doing what, where, without preamble. Paul was used to it, Tillie tolerated it good humouredly. Sofia felt very grown up. It was quite different from home …

…….

 

Ben had located the reference books that Adam had used when doing the research for that ill fated history lesson so long ago. When Peggy came down for breakfast he gave her a beaming smile and told her that he had had a rummage around and the books she required were awaiting her attention on the large round table at the other side of the room. She cast a glance towards it, smiled

 

“Thank you, Mr Cartwright.” she looked fondly at him and then greeted Hester and the girls “Where’s Hoss?”

 

“He, Adam and Joe have work, a tree ..” Hester replied, she turned her attention back to Erik who was struggling to grab for the bread “Did you sleep well.”

 

“1 always sleep well here, ” Peggy replied and flashed a smile at Ben as he took his chair at the table. “I can remember that mother always had a problem getting me out of bed in the mornings.”

 

“And a problem getting you back into it in the evenings, ” Ben chuckled and passed her the platter of bread.

 

Such memories..Hester gave them a whimsical smile, these memories were part of their history, years before she became part of it.

 

“Well,” Peggy took some bread and reached for the ham “it looks like I’m going to be busy today. But, that’s what I’m here for,” she smiled at Hester “I’ll try not to get under your feet Hester.”

 

Hester returned the smile, and wondered why she felt so irritated at the thought of having Peggy in the house all day.

……..

 

The rasp of the saw as it bit into the wood echoed the sound of the axe which Hoss was wielding to such great effect on the tree that they had dragged from the river a few days earlier. The tree had fallen before it had burst into leaf, but the sap had been rising within the old heart of it so that some branches were supple and proving that there was life , would have been life, there still.

 

Joe wiped his brow and spat into the ground, moistening his mouth even as he reached for his canteen of water. Adam stopped sawing having lost his partner at the other end, and like his brother reached for his canteen, filled his mouth with water which he swilled about for a second or so before spitting it into the ground. He eyed his brother thoughtfully,

 

“You’ve been very quiet this morning, Joe. Anything bothering you?” he took another swallow, enjoying the cool liquid as it trickled down his throat “Everything all right at home?”

 

Joe shrugged and bowed his head, thought for a moment and then looked over at Hoss who was still chopping vigorously into the tree, lopping off branches and leaving them to fall where they would for his brothers to drag aside for their attention.

 

“Hard to explain really,” he said quietly and walked closer to his brother as though by doing so Adam would realise the matter was for his ears only. “You know those ideas of Peggy’s ..”

 

“Well, not just Peggy’s…” Adam muttered thinking of all the women in the world who would or could be affected by the emancipation ideal.

 

“I know.” Joe sighed again and looked at Adam, directly into his eyes, “Has Olivia said anything at all about this – getting the vote – that Peggy mentioned the other night?”

 

Adam shook his head, suddenly feeling a sense of relief that Olivia had not mentioned it at all. He frowned and looked at his youngest brothers anxious face “I presume that Mary Ann has?”

 

Joe nodded “She told me that she had mentioned it to Hester and Olivia, and suggested that they held a meeting in town…”

 

“Whoa there.” Adam held up his hand and checked his memory, then scratched his ear and shook his head “Olivia didn’t mention anything about that either.”

 

“I guess she doesn’t think it so very important then.” Joe said dolefully and looked so downcast that Adam put to put his hand on his shoulder and squeeze it gently to convey manly support.

 

“Well, I think we had a few other issues to discuss. “ he said and pursed his lips in his familiar fashion before asking Joe what exactly Mary Ann was intending to do with this meeting.

 

“She wants to bring the subject of rights to vote to the attention of the town. She said she was going to go into town tomorrow and discuss it with deQuille, getting posters and advertising arranged.”

 

“What did you say?”

 

“I told her not to bother, we have enough women in town who don’t need to have the right to vote , they already have a voice of their own. Well, that didn’t go down well, she thought I was making fun of the whole matter. ’Typical man’ she said.”

 

“She has always felt strongly about the subject, even when we first knew her -” Adam said quietly and broke off when Hoss shouted “Hey, what are you two layabouts doing…nothing from what I can see.”

 

Hoss tossed down the axe and strolled over to join them, he picked up his canteen on the way and after glugging enough to satisfy himself he gave his brothers the benefit of his blue eyed gaze “So? What’s so interesting that it stops you from working?”

 

“You’re sounding just like Pa, Hoss…” Joe muttered with a grimace.

 

“Why not? Seeing as how I’m still working and you’re standing around talking and …”

 

“Working is what you do best, Hoss,” Adam said and slapped him on the shoulder with a grin on his face.

 

“Ain’t no reason why I have to do the brunt of it,” Hoss growled and looked at Joe and then Adam “So, what’s going on? You thinking up some scheme on how to get out of more work?”

 

Adam scratched his head and Joe bit his bottom lip, Hoss glowered

 

“Look, Hoss, has Hester said anything to you about what Peggy talked about the other night? You know, votes for women and all that stuff?” Joe asked, looking at his big brother with an anxious look in his eyes

 

Hoss thought for a moment, wiped away a bead of sweat that was trickling pass his eye, and then gazed up at the sky “We did have a discussion about ’Adam and Eve’, you know, the garden of Eden and all that.”

 

His brothers looked at one another, Adam rolled his eyes and stared at the ground while Joe heaved yet another sigh and shook his head “Is that all?”

 

“What else was there to say?” Hoss shrugged, and observed his brothers with narrowed eyes “Anything wrong in that?”

 

“She didn’t say anything about a meeting in town, to encourage women to vote?” Joe prompted

 

“Women don’t vote, do they?” Hoss asked and raised his eyebrows as his brothers stared at him as though he had crawled out of a hole in the ground, like some gigantic gopher. “Well, they don’t, do they?”

 

“Not yet.” Adam said and approached his end of the saw with a get-down-to-business straightening of the shoulders.

 

Joe patted Hoss on the shoulder, shook his head and walked to the other end of the saw,. Hoss watched as the two of them got back into the motion of sawing through the thick boughs, he shook his head and walked anxiously over to where he had left the axe. Then he stopped “You know, if women get the vote – it won’t be long after that they’ll be doing this work for us.”

 

Adam raised his eyebrows “I already know some women who do.”

 

“Yep, so do I.” Joe eased the saw back and forth, the weight of his brother at the other end making it an easier task “And I know women who ride herd, and can brand a cow better than some of our ranch hands.”

 

Hoss nodded, “Yeah, well, what’s all the fuss about getting a vote for then?”

 

As Joe was struggling to come to the right answer he said nothing. Adam had thoughts of his own and decided now was not the time to share them. He was also wondering why Olivia hadn’t mentioned it at all and whether he would be wise to do so, or leave the matter alone.

………………….

 

Peggy was more than grateful when Hester decided to go and visit her sister in law, Mary Ann, so that the children could go and play with their little cousins. Hester was a discerning woman and could see that Peggy was barely able to conceal her impatience with the demands of the little girls on her time, proving a distraction as well as an irritant. Gathering the girls like a mother hen would her chicks Hester scooped Erik up out of his chair and bustled them out, grateful to see the look of delighted relief that stole over Peggy’s face as a result.

 

Hester had found it a difficult morning as she wasn’t used to having to tip toe around anyone else in the house or to keep the girls quiet, and distract them from constantly going up to Peggy and demanding her attention. She had taken the young woman coffee, leaving everything there on the table for her to have a constant supply should she so wish, and Peggy had glanced up, briefly thanked her and continued with her work.

 

Books and parchments piled up on one side, reams of paper filled with notes in front of her, ink splatters over her fingers and paper….Hester wondered that the woman could make any sense of anything at all. To her questions, politely offered of course, there were just ’Uh’huh?’ mutters in answer. Hester was not used to this, she had never experienced the Ponderosa during the time Adam underwent time of study, research or deep reading.

 

Ben had lasted a bare half an hour of the situation, he had tried to relieve Hester of the children for a while, taking them outside and while he groomed his horse giving them little tasks to carry out. Both girls had no fear of being with the big horses, and gently combed their legs with the curry comb and talked to them until Ben had finished his task and then didn’t really know what else to do. He had decided to ride over and see Olivia, while the little girls ran about the yard with a hoop and stick, a game they enjoyed until Hannah had tripped over her own feet and started bawling.

 

Hop Sing bustled out to bring Peggy a fresh pot of coffee and place it on the low table near her elbow, receiving a thank you but little else.

 

“You just like Mr Adam when he do study,” Hop Sing said, clasping the previous and now empty coffee pot to his chest, “he not speak, just grunt.”

 

“Huh..mmm” Peggy looked at Hop Sing and gave him the benefit of one of her smiles, which was always illuminating on her solemn face “Thank you, Hop Sing.”

 

She reached out for another book and turned the pages, finding the marks that indicated that Adam or some other student had been there before her. So far she had discovered that the names of the Native Americans from that locality included the Koso, Paute , Panamint, Shoshoni, Walapi, Washoe and Ute. Now she wanted to discover which of the tribes had been responsible for the attack on the Spanish soldiers, or if perhaps, the Spanish soldiers had attacked first, a peaceful village of nomads and had been forced to face retribution later as they made further inroads into the territory.

 

Later Hop Sing came with some food which he insisted she ate, more coffee, or lemonade for choice. He watched over her as she nibbled and sighed when he returned to the kitchen with the plate not even half empty.

……………….

 

Elizabeth Godfrey had been very careful to remove her jewellery once she had settled into her rooms. She had locked up the box containing her rings, and bracelets and other gems, and then found a place of concealment for the box under the floorboard beneath her bed. Her new personna would never have possessed such a rich treasure trove of beautiful things. Now as she pulled on her gloves and adjusted her bonnet, she decided to venture forth and explore more intimately her new town.

 

Some women recognised her from the library and nodded at her as they strolled arm in arm with their husbands, or were pulled along by their exuberant off spring. Some men also recognised her and raised their hats, nodded and walked on. It occurred to her that it didn’t take much for a single woman to become anonymous in a town such as Virginia City.

 

The saloons were still open, and as she passed the Bucket of Blood the doors swung open with such force that had she been a footstep closer it would have knocked her off her feet. Two men locked into a bear hug rolled out and fell at her feet, then tumbled into the road, fists and feet flailing and the sound of their blows sounding meaty and unpleasant as they continued to beat the life out of each other.

 

She skirted around them and continued onwards, noticed Nate Carney the sheriff hurrying to sort the matter out. A woman in a bright yellow and black outfit, short skirt swaying and a feather in her hair came and lounged against the post, laughing as one of the men was pulled free from the other….

 

Elizabeth hurried on and crossed the road in order to avoid any further confrontation with the saloons clientele. She saw the entrance to The Internationale and stepped inside. A woman who had entered just moments before her smiled, and then upon recognising her approached “You’re the new library assistant, arn’t you?”

 

Elizabeth nodded, checked to make sure her bonnet was still straight and smiled as she recognised the doctor’s wife…what did she say her name was..oh Alyssia Colby. She was pleased to have remembered and thus be able to acknowledge the greeting with more than a blank smile.

 

Alyssia turned to the entrance to the small restaurant “Come on inside, Miss – Godfrey, wasn’t it? Join me for some coffee and perhaps, a cake?”

 

It struck Elizabeth that just perhaps, this young woman was feeling as lonely as herself, that despite having been in the town for some time she had yet to make friends. Safer to acquaint oneself with strangers who did not know her…and Elizabeth wondered why that was. They entered the restaurant and a table was immediately found her them, others at tables they passed greeted Alyssia pleasantly enough but there was not the warmth of friendship there, and again Elizabeth was puzzled by that and observed her new friend with more interest than before.

 

A couple sat at one table, two little children balanced on their knees and here Alyssia did pause to talk to them. Elizabeth hurried on to the table the waiter was indicating was free for them, so that when Alyssia turned to introduce her to the couple Elizabeth was already being seated with her back to them.

 

Chapter 17

 

She had recognised Luke Dent straight away; there was no mistaking him with his shock of blond hair, and anyway, they had met only – what? A year previously? She heaved in a breath, and slowly released it. She had not expected to see him here, not so soon after her arrival. As she forced herself to remain calm she was spared any further thought by Alyssia taking her seat, a smile on her face as she sat down.

 

“Luke and Marcy Dent. My husband and I delivered their twins last year. Such a lovely couple. I was surprised to see them here as they live so far out but they had come in to see James, he’s on duty today you see, and they wanted him to check over the children.”

 

“Twins you said?” Elizabeth managed to say, although her throat was so tight she could barely speak.

 

“A boy and girl. Philip and Anna.”

 

Elizabeth nodded, she didn’t want to speak about the Dents, so turned the conversation to Alyssia’s own child, the little boy only a month old and now she didn’t need to worry about speaking at all, as Alyssia began her monologue on the blessings of motherhood.

…………

 

At about the time when Elizabeth was beginning to believe that Alyssia was one of the worlds most boring women on the subject of motherhood, a slight disturbance was taking place at the Dents table causing a pause in the two ladies conversation. Both turned to see what was happening only to discover the arrival of the Martins with Sofia. It had been Sofia who had caused the disruption by giving a squeal of delight at seeing her Uncle Luke and Aunt Marcy, and the babes. Then there were the greetings and the chatter around the table, which caused further disruption by the waiters hurrying around to find more chairs and Paul insisting, loudly, that there was no need as he already had a table reserved for them.

 

Elizabeth watched from the safety of her position at the table, while Alyssia smiled and began to chatter, her voice slowly penetrating the cloud of memories and heartache that was a fog in her companion’s mind.

 

Paul finally succeeded in waving the waiters away and led his wife and the little girl to a table further along, where Sofia sat and waved over to Luke and Marcy, blowing kisses that were meant for the babies who were waving both hands at her in return. They were beautiful children, it was clear to anyone that they were twins, not identical obviously as they were different sexes, but their similarity was amazing. Elizabeth cast a covert glance at them and was enraptured. It was with difficulty that she could keep her eyes off them.

 

“Twins are quite a rarity,” Alyssia said when noticing her companions distraction, “if it hadn’t been for James and I, well…” and the story of their arrival at the Double D and the labours took another ten minutes after which time she got to her feet, “I had better go now, my own baby will be wanting some attention from his Mama.”

 

“Of course, thank you for sharing this time with me, Mrs Corby…”

 

“Not at all, and you must call me Alyssia.” she gave Elizabeth a warm smile, one that lightened up her countenance so that one got a glimpse of the real Alyssia behind the mask. A far prettier one than she presented to the world, and again, Elizabeth wondered what the doctors wife was hiding, and why? . “It can’t be much fun living in a few poky little rooms, so do feel free to visit me any time. I would love you to come and spend an hour or so with us. Baby would so enjoy seeing another face, it can’t be much fun for the dear mite to just be looking at us all the time.” she picked up her purse and smiled again, a signal for them both to depart..

 

Together they passed the table where the Dents were finishing their meal and to Elizabeth’s horror, Alyssia stopped to chat with them and then turned to her, “And this is my new friend, Miss Godfrey. She hasn’t been here long and works in the library.”

 

Luke stood up politely and shook Elizabeth by the hand, his smile was genuine enough but she could see the quizzical look in his eyes as he surveyed her. Marcy gave her the usual ‘glad to meet you’ kind of smile one gave to a complete stranger and turned her attention back to Anna who was wriggling to get down from her lap.

 

“Miss Godfrey?” Luke said thoughtfully, “Did you know you have a doppelganger?”

 

Elizabeth felt a tremble of fear and apprehension shiver down her spine, and she forced a smile, a widening of the eyes behind her glasses “Really?” she replied with as cold a voice as she could, then she gave a false brittle laugh “But then, hasn’t everyone?”

 

Luke nodded, looked confused and then shrugged “So they say….”

 

She and Alyssia left them to the remainder of their meal, and once outside and on the sidewalk she breathed the fresh air and wondered if at some time during the day Luke Dent would be knocking on her door, demanding an explanation. Once again she told herself she should never have come to this town, but even as she thought it another voice assured her that yes, it had been the right thing to do, she knew it had been the right thing.

 

Sofia had asked Bridie who the lady was and had listened to Bridie’s explanation that the woman was the new library assistant. She listened and turned back to look again but the austere woman in the black suit, the glasses and the stern pulled back hair was already leaving the restaurant.

 

She turned her attention to the meal, and thought of Katherine Royale who had such long curling golden hair, hair she remembered that was caught in ringlets or loose in fat curls, and how she who wore beautiful clothes of bright colours with jewels at her neck and wrists, her fingers always laden with their expensive rings. The library assistant had just looked a little bit like her, that was all, she was plain, and nothing like the woman who had insisted that Sofia was a little girl called Alice.

…………………

 

Mac had come from the logging camp with two of the men to put chains around the old tree trunk and harness the chains to the horse so that it could be hauled away to the timber yard. Adam, Hoss and Joe continued with their own work, getting the chopped up boughs and such, into the wagon . Hoss paused to wave Mac and the men away while Adam and Joe approached the small camp fire upon which a coffee pot spat steam. He was handed a mug of the hot brew and then settled down just where the river bank was carved into a soft crescent.

 

“I bin thinking,” Hoss said as he sipped the coffee, “this here business about the women getting the vote?”

 

“Uh;huh?” Adam nodded and frowned, he brought his cup to his lips and blew softly across its surface

 

“What you bin thinking, Hoss?” Joe smiled and stretched out his legs, nursing his cup against his chest

 

“Just what difference will it make if they do vote.” Hoss lowered himself down on the grassy slopes and hunched his back as he leaned towards them.

 

Joe and Adam looked at one another, both nodded and both sighed at the same time. “It will make a big difference.” Adam said slowly and swallowed some coffee.

 

“Yeah, a big difference.” Joe sighed and stared down into his cup, “Just talking about it has already made a big difference …”

 

Adam threw him a sympathetic look and pondered over the implication of what had been said while Hoss nursed his cup and shook his head, “Won’t make no difference far as I can see.”

 

“That’s because you just see it as Hester going into town, making a little mark on a piece of paper and then coming back home and getting on with things as though nothing has happened.” Adam said in as soothing a tone of voice as possible.

 

Hoss nodded, so far as he could see, that was just about all the difference it would make to him.

 

“It isn’t that simple,” Joe said, “If you had to listen to Mary Ann going on about it, once women got the vote there would be no stopping them.”

 

“No stopping them from what?” Hoss frowned, “Doing things they do anyway? “

 

“Look at it like this, Hoss….” Adam frowned and leaned forward, he dangled his now empty cup between his hands, he paused, there were many angles to this particular situation but he wanted one that his brother would understand sufficiently well without making a song and dance about it. “Let’s say there are several candidates up for election and the men in town like the looks of a particular representative, they like what he promises them, and he’s tough, he seems to know some particular benefit’s for the people, and he’s not afraid to say things as they are… the men in town like him because he goes to the local saloon and drinks with them, sometimes he even buys a round.”

 

He grinned and looked at Joe who nodded, winked at him and looked over at Hoss who was giving it all very serious consideration.

 

“Sounds familiar, I remember old Jackson used to do that…” Joe grinned.

 

Hoss rubbed his jaw, and shrugged, Adam continued…“But the women don’t like him, they think he’s too brusque and his politics don’t cater for their needs. They reckon he’s a bully and his drinking arouses their suspicions so they turn their attention to the other candidates until they find one that suits them better.”

 

“Yeah…so they vote for him, huh?” Hoss frowned, “So what happens to the other chap, the one who drinks with the men?”

 

“Well, previously he knew he could count on at least 80% of the vote…right?” Adam looked at Hoss who nodded, “but now that the women have put in their vote for the other candidate, and maybe pressured their men folk to do the same, he’s lost not only the casting vote but the seat as well. The women have voted and pushed forward another candidate into a prominent and challenging position…” he sighed

 

“Oh…complicates things.” Hoss frowned and tossed the dregs of his coffee into the grass.

 

“Apart from which,” Joe said with a heart felt sigh “they become political….they talk about things women shouldn’t …”

 

“How so?” Adam asked getting to his feet, “I like a woman to have opinions of her own and not be afraid to share them, even if they do differ from my own”

 

Hoss guffawed and nudged him in the chest “Hey, Adam, why don’t you step forward as a candidate next election huh? I reckon you’d get 100% of the votes from the womenfolk in town…”

 

Adam shook his head and gave his attention to the camp fire, he looked up at the sky and grinned “Looks like rain.”

………………

.

Olivia was standing at the door with Nathaniel in her arms, big boy that he was now, he still liked the opportunity to have cuddles from his Momma. Reuben came into the yard first, and waved his hat at her, a wide grin on his freckled face as he led Max towards the stables. He slid from the saddle and slipped the reins over the rail, before running over to her and hugging her tight. Fondly she stroked back his hair with her hand and asked if he had enjoyed his weekend, then there came the sound of Pauls’ old buggy and there it was, coming into sight with Bridie and Sofia on either side of him.

 

Sofia clambered down as fast as she could and ran to her mother with outstretched arms which she flung around Olivia’s skirts “Mommee, Mommie….”

 

“Did you have a good time? Did you enjoy yourself?”

 

“Oh yes, it was really good.” Sofia said and stood on tip toe to give Nathaniel a kiss which he refused to accept, turning his head away in disdain. It seemed to him unfair that she could be away for so long and then expect to get a kiss as soon as she turned up again.

 

Bridie and Paul were walking across towards Olivia now, smiles on their faces, eyes bright. It seemed that they had enjoyed the weekend as much as Sofia had, and Reuben was as irritated as Nathaniel as no one seemed so interested in what he and Davy and the boys had been doing.

 

Greetings and hugs and laughter as the old friends met together, and Bridie told Olivia how they had met Luke and Marcy, and how big the babies were now, and Paul said the meal had been good but he had had indigestion ever since.

 

Reuben asked Olivia for the whereabouts of his father to which his mother looked at the sky and frowned slightly “Hopefully on his way home before the heavens open up.”

 

“I’ll put Max away …” Reuben said and was more than pleased when Paul said he would come with him, it was good to have another man to talk to, even one as old as Dr Martin.

…………………

 

Although the rains had come and a few puddles glistened from the light of the moon, the Martins were able to return to town with a soft breeze blowing and the rain long gone. They were waved away at the door by Adam and Olivia, he with his arm around his wife’s waist, and she with hers around his….upstairs Nathaniel was sound asleep, Sofia was cuddled down with Clarabelle, and Reuben was flat on his back snoring already.

 

“I thought you were going to be late back,” she said with a smile up at him,

 

“Sorry about that, Hoss and Joe wanted to talk…you know how it is with them they like to yammer away at times.” he smiled down at her, leaned down to kiss her on the nose “Actually, there was something I wanted to mention to you…”

 

She pulled away from him and made her way to the settee where she relaxed into a corner, and when he joined her she nestled into him, her head on his shoulder and her hand searching for his. Their fingers met and entwined, for a moment they said nothing, the moment was too good, too relaxed and comfortable

 

“What did you want to mention to me?” she said very quietly.

 

“It’s to do with Peggy.” he said and sighed, and he knew, he could feel her body as she sighed as well.

 

“What about her?”

 

“Not just her, it involves…”

 

A scream, a cry …. They both sat upright and looked at one another, Sofia … he put a hand on her arm “I’ll go.”

 

He took the stairs two at a time with Olivia close behind him, and when he pushed the door open to Sofia’ s room the little girl was sobbing, holding Clarabelle tightly in front of her, covering her face as though the ugly old thing were a shield protecting her from monsters….”No, no, no,” she sobbed “No, stay away, stay away.”

 

She struggled when Adam put his hands on her arms, but when his voice softly saying her name penetrated her consciousness she managed to break free from the dream and looked up at him, fluttered her eye lashes into awareness.

 

“It’s alright, Princess, you’re safe, you’re home with mommy and daddy.”

 

“I didn’t want to be there, I’m not Alice…” she sobbed as she leaned into his arms.

 

“No, of course you’re not Alice, you’re Sofia…isn’t that right?”

 

She nodded, sleepy again now but clinging tightly to the sleeves of his shirt, behind him Olivia felt a tingling over her scalp, as though her hair was standing on end. When Sofia’s grip on him lessened he moved away and looked over at Olivia for her to take over the comforting, which she did, slipping into the space he had vacated.

 

He left the room with her holding Sofia in her arms, gently stroking her back, and whispering words of comfort to her. Sofia was calmer, but her body still shook with sobs.

 

When he came back he held the music box in his hands, the treasured possession from so long ago. He set it upon the night stand and opened the lid, and as the music trickled into the room Sofia listened and slowly calmed, looked at him, and then back to the box. She had always been told not to touch it, it was special, Daddy’s special box. Now she listened to the music and settled back into the pillows,

 

“Is it your music box, Daddy?”

 

“It is, pumpkin.”

 

“Where did you get it? “

 

“It belonged to your grandmother, Sofia. A long time ago…” he smiled, stroked back a coil of milky blonde hair, “Get to sleep now, sweet heart.”

 

She reached out a hand, dimpled fingers touched his, she blinked sleepy eyes,

 

“Daddy? I’m not Alice….” just a whisper of a drowsy voice

 

“No, darling, you’re not … you’re Sofia.”

 

He turned the key at the back of the box so that the music would play for a while longer, perhaps long enough for her to go back into a calm peaceful sleep.

 

Olivia was standing on the landing waiting for him when he came out of Sofia’s room, she took his hand “Thank you for that, it was thoughtful of you to bring in the music box.”

 

“Pa used to bring it to me if I had nightmares…” he replied and then glanced back at the closed door, “I wonder what caused that?”

 

“Bridie told me that she had one last night too, “ they were walking down stairs now, he in the lead, listening to her as they made their way back to the settee and the warmth of the fire, “Bridie said Sofia got upset when they were reading Alice’s Adventures in wonderland.”

 

Adam said nothing for a moment but took his seat and waited for her to settle back into his arms, “She told me she hated the book, I remember her telling me that when I was going to buy it for her a while ago.”

 

“She hasn’t forgotten about what happened, has she?” Olivia whispered, a tremble in her voice.

 

“No, but then perhaps we were being rather naïve in thinking that she had…children bounce back from a lot of things, but other things take on an enormous reality in their minds, don’t they?”

 

She nodded and for a moment just stared into the fire, the flames were dying down now, it wasn’t a very big fire to start with, just enough to keep back the chill of evening.

 

“What did you want to talk to me about?” she said still looking into the fire and trying to imagine what her little girl was thinking, feeling, and getting a tightness in her chest while doing so.

 

“Oh nothing really…”

 

“Nothing?” she frowned, and turned to observe him, then smiled “What is it?”

 

“I just wondered what your thoughts were on this votes for women campaign that Mary Ann seems to be involved in… and just how you feel about such issues and the meeting she is thinking of holding in town” he shrugged, “That was all.”

 

“Oh silly,” she laughed then, and leaned in to kiss him, “Fancy thinking of things like that …at a time like this….”

 

“Well, I did say it was nothing and….”

 

She put a finger to his lips “Shush…”

 

Chapter 18

 

Peggy was collecting some books and her journal together when there came the sound of a buggy rolling up in the yard. Hester was about to turn to reach the door but Hannah, now quite a tall little girl, had got  there first and opened it,

 

“It’s  Aunty Mary-Ann, Daniel and Constance.” she announced before reaching up to give her Aunt a big hug as the young woman stepped into the room.

 

“Hester -”  Mary Ann said as she deposited her daughter onto the rug beside Erik, then noticing Peggy she smiled and nodded “Good morning, Peggy, you look very smart today.”

 

“I have to go into town.” Peggy said with a returning smile, “I have an interview with Mr deQuille, so thought I should look presentable.”

 

Mary Ann flushed rather pink and looked nervously over at Hester who was still braiding Hope’s hair, and had listened to the interchange of conversation with a little interest.   “Hester,” Mary Ann turned to her sister-in-law “Could you, would you, look after the children for me?  I really need to get into town this morning, it’s really important.”

 

Hester allowed a slight frown to  crease her brow and wondered why it was her sister in law always chose her to care for the children.   But she was good natured and she knew well enough that her children were blessed by having her cousins so nearby to play with, some families were not so fortunate.  “Of course you can, Mary Ann.  Have  you any where particular to go ?  I mean, obviously you have, but …”

 

Mary Ann laughed “Well, to be honest, I was going to go and see Mr deQuille.  I want his help in organising the meeting, he was such a great help when we needed to get the hospice going, wasn’t he?” she turned to Peggy almost immediately as though to prevent Hester from saying another word “Peggy, I could take  you into town, if you don’t mind joining me.”

 

Peggy flushed with pleasure, after all it was a long ride into town,  and when alone seemed ever longer.  “Thank you, Mary Ann, that would be delightful.”  she paused to look down at the books and the journal, “I wanted to run over some facts and figures with Mr deQuille about the excavation,  and our visit on Saturday.  He didn’t really seem very impressed and I rather thought that he would forget about printing the latest information about the Conquistadors, which he promised he would write up because the Smithsonian asked him to…” she drew in her breath “so I want to make sure he has all the facts right.”

 

Well, that will suit me just fine too,” Mary Ann said with a wide smile, after all, things could not have turned out better than to have Peggy with her to discuss her views on the emancipation of women and the Vote.  Hester would have been disinterested and Olivia would have tried to show interest…but Peggy, well, she was the fount of all wisdom on the subject.

 

She kissed Daniel, and Constance, hugged Hannah, Hope and Erik and then hugged Hester and whispered “Thank you so much, Hester.”

 

The two of them bustled out of the room,  out into the sunlight that beamed down from a perfectly blue sky.   Within minutes they were tucked into the buggy and with a brisk flick of the reins Mary Ann had the horse ambling out of the yard.  Hester watched them go,  misgivings welling up within her mind.

 

For a while they rode out together in a companionable silence, and then Peggy had the temerity to ask Mary Ann what her meeting with deQuille was really all about,  was she really going to  give a lecture about emancipation and the vote?

 

“Well, yes.  I think it’s very important.” Mary Ann replied, and gave her companion a sidelong glance “I thought you found it interesting too.”

 

“Interesting?” Peggy laughed,  a good humoured laugh that most of the family had not yet heard from her, “It’s more than interesting, my dear Mary Ann.   It’s life changing.  It’s – it’s changing the course of history.   We are living at a time when things have to be done, and the current state of affairs cannot continue as they are now.   Women have a fundamental right to express their opinions and be taken seriously,  to be accepted as equal to men and take part in some of the major decisions that affect the economy and world affairs of this nation.”

 

Mary Ann blinked and turned her attention to the reins, checking the horses, before speaking “Goodness me, Peggy,  you really are involved in the subject aren’t you?”

 

Peggy nodded “I’ve met quite a few women who are in the forefront of the movement.  I know it’s been rumbling on for years now, but there isn’t a better time than now to  give it a really big push forward.”

 

Mary Ann nodded, “I’ve thought the same for a very long time now,  poor  Joe, can’t understand why I go on about it so much but -”

 

“As much as I love him, one has to just face the facts, he’s a man, and he enjoys life as it is and doesn’t want to ‘rock the boat’”  Peggy nodded “I’ve seen it happen before, Mary Ann,  men are scared witless that they’re going to lose their ‘power’ over us,  and let’s face it, that is exactly what it is…it’s all about power and control.”

 

Mary An frowned, nodded and kept silent, she hadn’t really thought about it in that context before, and wasn’t sure how it applied in her own life.   She frowned, and sighed, she obviously wasn’t emancipated enough.

 

They fell into a companionable silence and then Mary Ann asked her about her career, as a archaeologist and how she had met Maurice Stevens,  and this calmed Peggy down, for she loved her ‘digs’ and the history behind all the artefacts she found.

She told Mary Ann about meeting Maurice and then how everything seemed to go full circle with his connections with the Cartwrights.

 

“We thought he was charming,” Mary Ann smiled remembering with fondness the young man with the earnest fervour of a discoverer at the very core of his being, “He would make a good husband for someone.” and she glanced slyly over at Peggy.

 

“Yes, I daresay.” Peggy nodded.

 

“But not you?”  Mary Ann smiled and didn’t mention the fact that she had noticed the faint blush that mantled Peggy’s cheeks.

 

“He did propose to me once.” Peggy admitted with a dreamy look on her face, and she smiled at the memory “But I didn’t accept.”

 

“You didn’t, but why ever not?”

 

“Well, we had been in Egypt together for a few months and just discovered the tomb of a very prominent priestess from the time of Ak-ha’tutmen.  I think he just caught up with the excitement of it all and didn’t take him seriously.  As he didn’t mention it again I thought how right I was and what a narrow escape I ‘d had…and he also, after all, I would make a terrible wife for anyone.”

 

“Oh surely not.” Mary Ann frowned and shook her head, “Oh Peggy, he is such a lovely man.  He would have gone out of his way to make you happy, I’m sure…”

 

“Well, I don’t know…” Peggy frowned, a little horseshoe of discontent appeared between her eyes, “He was horrified when he met me at first, couldn’t believe that a woman  could do the job, kept on about  ‘I don’t want to wake up in the middle of the night hearing you screaming because you found a scorpion in your slippers’  or   ‘women have no idea of how to conduct themselves on an excavation of this importance.’  he soon changed his mind though …”

 

They both sighed simultaneously,  so Peggy thought now was a good time to find out how Mary Ann had managed to snare Joe Cartwright whose reputation as a Casanova was well known through out the territory.

 

“Well, considering how few women there are out here, and 75% of them are too old for Joe to b e interested in, I think his reputation is very much inflated.”  Mary Ann laughed, although Peggy did notice a little touch of brittleness so obviously the idea was not one of her favourites, but she proceeded to tell Peggy all about how she and her brother, Frank, had met the three  brothers,  and separated not long afterwards. “I never forgot him though, and  years later when I saw an advertisement for school teacher in Virginia City I applied and got the position.  Then I met him…I can’t tell you how happy I was, Peggy, to realise that not only did I still love him as much as ever, but that he also returned my feelings.”

Peggy nodded and stared right ahead,  she decided to say nothing on the matter, but kept her opinion to herself.

 

They chattered on a little for a while and it seemed hardly anytime at all before they were driving down the C Street and heading towards the offices of The Territorial Enterprise.

 

Amanda Ridley was standing at the doorway of the Ladies Emporium as Peggy and Mary Ann clambered down from the buggy.   When Mary Ann turned her head while winding the reins over the hitching post she caught Amanda’s eyes and raised a hand to wave.   She thought that Miss Ridley could very well be a fine candidate to discuss the matter of the Vote with at a future time.  With a smile of self satisfaction on her lips she entered the building of the newspaper offices, followed by Peggy.

 

Daniel deQuille was more than pleased to see Mary Ann Cartwright, even if she had made no appointment.  He had always admired her as being one of the feistier women on the Ponderosa, remembering the fight she had put up over the founding of the Hospice, refuge etc which Bridie had now taken over so well.  He pulled out a chair for both ladies and then returned to his side of the desk from where he nodded and smiled at them both  “Well now,, ladies, shall we talk business?”

 

“I like that you get to the point so directly, Mr deQuille.” Peggy replied and p ulled out her folder.  “I just wanted to ensure that you had your facts right before you publish about the excavation.”

 

Daniel nodded “Well, it wasn’t really an excavation on Saturday, was it, Miss Dayton? “

 

“No, perhaps  you are right about that detail, but I needed to see where the men had died, and to get the general picture. I have only Maurice’s sketches to go by, and the boys’ provided some good information as well.   The  information I wanted you to publish is contained here….the history of the men themselves.”

 

“All of them?” Daniel frowned and took hold of the journal rather gingerly, as though it would burst into life if he grabbed it.

 

“No, we were not able to identify them all.  But those that mattered we could…and also I have been working on the findings of the arrows and the Indian that Maurice sketched …”

 

“Ah yes, one of the victims of the Spanish…well,  the only one we found anyway.” Daniel grimaced and glanced at Mary Ann.  “I  hope this conversation won’t be boring you in any way, Mrs Cartwright?”

 

“Not at all,” Mary Ann replied and smiled at the look of disappointment on his face, he obviously did and had hoped that were she equally as bored the discussion could be brought to an end.

 

He and Peggy talked on for another half an  hour until Peggy was satisfied that she had what she needed upon which Daniel turned to Mary Ann “And now, Mrs Cartwright, what can I do for you?”

 

“I wondered if you could help me again, Mr deQuille…you were so wonderful when it came to organising the refuge,  so I immediately knew I could turn to you now to help me with organising a meeting next Friday week.”

 

“You mean…an event of some kind?  In the Town Hall?”  he raised his eyebrows,  and smiled, obviously funds were sinking low with regard to the hospice and time to turn attention to their plight by a benefit of some kind.

 

“well, not really.  I just want to hire out the hall and invite the citizens of Virginia City to attend.  Some posters of course, if t hey could be put up around town that would be wonderful.  Oh, and some printed invitations as well….there are the outlying homesteaders that I can call on and leave them with…”

 

He nodded and smiled at Peggy,  and then turned back to Mary Ann “And what is the meeting about, Mrs Cartwright?   Have you thought of the theme?”

 

“Oh yes, the theme is about Emancipation for women…” she smiled sweetly, giving him the benefit of her big grey eyes and cupid bow lips,

 

He paused, his pen an inch from the paper “Emancipation for Women?”

 

“Yes, and why we should have the vote.  I want you to write something like…”Women of Virginia City, this is YOUR time to look to your future, to the future of your daughters, and to the future of your country.”  something like that….I want men and women to attend of course,  as I want them to feel free to speak up, ask questions and put forward t heir opinions.”

 

Daniel frowned and muttered “I should think they will at that…if they come…”

 

Peggy leaned forward “Of course they’ll come, Mr deQuille.  Now then,  if  you could get that organised for us. “ she rose to her feet in one swift movement and smiled, as though she never expected him to say a word against the project, “We’ll collect tomorrow.”

 

Daniel looked down at the notepaper upon which he had written nothing, he cleared his throat “What does your husband think of this, Mrs Cartwright?”

 

“Joe’s fine about it,  he thinks intelligent women should be only too anxious to see this happen.”

 

“And Ben?  What’s his opinion?”

 

“I wouldn’t know, Mr deQuille, and as it isn’t my father-in-law who will  be paying for your time and effort, it really isn’t any of his business.” Mary Ann snapped and stood  up, “As Peggy says, we’ll collect tomorrow.  Thank you.”

 

Daniel sunk back down on his chair listening to the echo of their footsteps as they left the building, he looked down at his notepaper and began to write … throughout  writing he kept shaking his head, wondering is either of them realised the strength of the fire they were about to ignite  throughout the homes and hearts of Virginia City’s most prestigious citizens.

 

Chapter 19

 

As soon as the two young women left the newspaper offices they began to laugh.  Peggy out of sheer exuberance and Mary Ann from contained hysteria.  She had never thought it possible that she would say half the things that she had said and now looked at Peggy as though  she had set her kite soaring skywards and could no longer haul it back in

 

“You were splendid, Mary Ann.” Peggy gasped between giggles and grabbed at her friends hand “Let’s go and get a drink to celebrate.”

 

“Oh .I couldn’t.” Mary Ann said breathlessly, and blinked her big grey eyes in bewilderment, “Joe would never forgive me if I went into one of those saloons and ordered a drink…”

 

That sent Peggy into fresh paroxyms of mirth, “No, no, heavens forbid, let’s go to the Internationale, we can have a strong coffee to calm us down before we get home.”

 

Home.  Mary Ann stopped laughing and her face fell into more sombre lines.  She wondered how Joe would react…but then she had been wondering that ever since she had first thought of this project, now it was underway it just seemed more – somehow – inevitable.  He hadn’t really been championing the cause,  and could well feel that his wife had taken leave of her senses.   She followed Peggy at a slower pace, and by the time she took her seat and heard the younger woman ask for coffee,  and cake,  she was feeling less hilarity and more anxiety.

 

“What’s the matter, Mary Ann?  You look as though you lost a dollar and found a dime?” Peggy admonished and then smiled, nodded “Are  you worried about what Joe will say?”

 

“Yes, I am rather…he wasn’t ..isn’t…really that interested in this emancipation business, he thinks it’s just wishful thinking on the part of some deluded women, including me.” she frowned, and shook her head “We don’t quarrel over much, but this is the closest we’ve come since…” she closed her lips firmly, best not to mention  ‘since’ as it still hurt if she were to be truthful.

 

“Oh Joe will get over it once he realises that you are really wanting to succeed in this, he’s like all the Cartwrights, very open minded.”

 

“Do you think so?” Mary Ann frowned and looked at Peggy with interest.  She wondered how Peggy could be so certain about the Cartwrights when she, who lived with them, was part of them, was not.

 

The coffee and cake arrived and it was while they sipping the coffee and nibbling the cake that a young man approached the table, clearing his throat along the way as he did so.

 

“Mrs Cartwright?”

 

Mary Ann glanced up, frowned and then recognised the young man who stood, rather hesitantly, at the table, “Grant?  Oh Grant, how lovely to see you again.”

 

“Forgive me for intruding.” Grant smiled at her and then turned to Peggy “but you dropped your glove.”

 

He held out the soft kid glove to her and she smiled “Oh I always seem to be losing something,” she laughed and her cheeks dimpled rather fetchingly “Thank you, Mr…”

 

“Tombs, Grant Tombs.” the young man said quickly, wondering if his fathers name would be known to her, and how she would react if it was, but Peggy continued to smile at him pleasantly and Mary Ann suggested that he joined them.

 

“Thank you, Mrs Cartwright, but I have to go. “ Grant replied and looked at Mary Ann with a smile on his own face, “I’ve moved in with Roy now,  I hope to make it my permanent home.”

 

“That’s wonderful news, Grant.  I am pleased.”  Mary Ann paused and then blushed a little, “I am sorry, I should have introduced you….Peggy Dayton, this is Grant Tombs, a friend of the family.”

 

The young man nodded in Peggy’s direction while she continued to smile at him, a little distracted “I hope to see you around town ..Miss Dayton.”

 

“Yes, likewise, Mr Tombs.”

 

She watched him walk away, slipping his hat over his fair head as he reached the door, and looking away quickly when he turned his head to glance back towards them before he disappeared out into the street.

 

“He seems rather a pleasant young man.” she said without much sincerity or interest, and continued to pick at her cake.

 

“He is,  and in his own way, he’s a very brave y oung man.” Mary Ann replied, but said no more knowing that it was not her place to say anything else,  it was up to Grant to say what needed to be should the occasion arise.

 

“Mary Ann, I have had a wonderful idea…” Peggy said, lowering her voice and leaning closer to her friend, “Tomorrow when we come in to collect the posters  and invitations…”

 

“Yes?  What is it?”  Mary Ann smiled, excitement welling up inside her,  Peggy’s enthusiasm was like a fire, all consuming.

 

“Well, we could stand on the corner of C street and hand out the invitations to passers by…that way we’ll really ensure a good audience.”

 

“Not necessarily,” Mary Ann said cautiously, and no doubt rather awed by the very thought of standing publicly handing out the invitations, “After all, giving them invitations doesn’t mean they will come to the meeting.  An invite is just that, an invite…”

 

“True enough, but it will be good, Mary Ann.   Some women did it in London recently, and it got a lot of publicity.”

 

“I’m not sure I’m ready for too much publicity.” Mary Ann said quietly, wondering now if she had stirred up a hornets nest

 

“Mary Ann, this isn’t about you .. It’s about our cause, for women everywhere.” Peggy reached out to place a hand upon Mary Ann’s arm, “Faint heart never won…anything.” she smiled and her eyes twinkled mischievously.

 

Elizabeth Godfrey was seated at a nearby table, drinking a solitary cup of tea, and overheard the excited whispers between the two women.  She had recognised Grant from  when she had been in Boulders Creek for the trial, and had been about to board the stage back to Waycross when Grant had confronted his father.   She had thought then what a courageous thing that had been for a young man to do, considering how powerful a man Jethro Tombs was, and how ruthless.   She had even, at one time, thought what an unholy alliance it would have been had Tombs and her mother struck up an partnership.  She shook her head now just at the thought, it was quite terrifying.

 

Peggy recognised her as she passed the table and paused to introduce Mary Ann, the three women exchanged pleasantries…what a nice day, pleasant weather, a perfect spring let’s hope for a good summer….and then parted.

 

Mary Ann worried about the venture into town the next day,  as soon as she stepped foot inside the house she wondered if she had bitten off more than she could chew.  Peggy was so exuberant, so full of this cause, that she had swept the other woman along with her enthusiasm.  A little like some flotsam on the surface of flood waters.

 

What would Joe think?  Would he forbid her to go?  If he did, what should she do, just accept it and stay home.  That, she decided was the best thing to do,  stay home and leave it to Peggy.  Her heart beat faster every time she thought abut mentioning it to Joe, her sense of honour and duty too strong for her to pretend or prevaricate.

 

She played with the children, with a slightly distracted air, and helped prepare the meal with the same distraction so that Lee Sing was worried about her and asked her if she was sickening for something.  Should he get Hop Sing to come and help her?

 

When Joe came home, and she heard the door close behind him, the familiar sound of his footsteps approaching the door to the main room where she sat with the children, her heart beat so fast she felt faint.   As it was she got to her feet, with Constance in her arms and greeted him with her usual smile, and kissed him tenderly as she always did.

 

He was smiling, his hazel eyes twinkled green sparks, and he kissed her cheeks, then her nose and then laughing as he kissed her mouth.  “Did you enjoy your day in town, sweetheart?” then before she could answer he had taken Constance from her and was holding her up to the ceiling and laughing while Daniel ran up to him and grabbed his leg, demanding attention.

 

“I’ll tell you all about it later, Joe.” she said and watched with love swelling her heart as she watched him with his children.   She didn’t want any of this to change, the warmth of feeling, the trust and joy between them.

 

He held her hand as they walked into the dining room and then excused himself as he needed to wash up before eating.   They looked into each other’s eyes and for an instant she wondered if her eyes would betray her , would he sense that she had taken a step into the unknown, and without him, without his real approval or understanding?

 

As she waited for him and settled the children down for the food to arrive, she thought over other times when she had acted impulsively.   She and Frank together had left home, ventured into the unknown…with the result that he had been killed and she had been confronted with horrors she could never have imagined while safely tucked away back East.   Then she had abandoned her teaching post on a whim to come to Virginia City to find him, not knowing whether he was still single, just hoping and trusting in …what?  Kismet?   And now this…but he had always known of her feelings regarding emancipation for women, they had discussed it before,  she had read him passages from the books she read and he had never once been angry or derided her for her opinions.

 

Taking courage over this last thought she smiled at him when he returned to the table, kissed Constance on the top of her downy head, tweaked Daniel’s cheek, surveyed the food on the table and gone “Hmmm, something looks and smells lovely.”

 

They shared out the food,  she cut up Constance’s into little bite sized portions, and helped Daniel with his…Joe chattered on about the day, about what he had been doing, about Hoss complaining about his bunions and insisting there would be snow soon…Impossible of course.

 

“Joe, what will …?”

 

He leaned across to get more meat onto his plate and then turned to her, “Sweetheart, I am sorry but I have to go to Papoose Peak tomorrow with Hoss.  Pa heard that there was some trouble up there, seems like some rustling that he wants us to check out.  I’ll be gone a few days…”

 

“You mean you won’t be here tomorrow?”

 

“No, not until Friday I reckon, depends how much truth there is in what Pa was told.  Could be nothing …”  he squeezed her fingers “I am sorry.”

 

She nodded thoughtfully, and then smiled at him.  “That’s alright, Joe.   I was going to go into town tomorrow, with Peggy.”

 

“Oh, to the hospice?”  he grinned, and turned his head to pay attention to some gabbling from his daughter.

 

The chance, so Mary Ann, thought, was gone.   For some reason she felt relieved,  she could avoid telling him, and if things went well, he might never even get to know about it.   Well, not until the meeting….he turned to her “How did you get on today, honey?”

 

“Oh,  very well thank you, Joe.”  she paused, instinct was to tell him, tell him now…fear was to keep her mouth firmly shut.  She licked her lips “I went into town with Peggy today…”

 

“I thought you said you were going in tomorrow…” he quirked an eyebrow, looking for all the world like his brother, Adam.

 

“Yes, I am…as well…” she floundered, and sighed, “I went in to see Mr deQuille. Peggy had to see him about the excavation, he’s writing an article abut the men who were found there.”

 

“Ah, Reuben’s conquistadors?”  he grinned.

 

“Yes, that’s right.”    she wondered if she could leave it at that, and told herself that if he said nothing more then she would not either.  She picked up a glass and sipped some wine.

 

“And what did  you have to see him about?”

 

She looked down at the food n her plate, then glanced at him “I asked him to put an advertisement in the newsheet about the meeting…”

 

“The Meeting?” his brow clouded, the spark went out of his eyes.

 

“Yes,  you know, I told you before, about the Meeting …to discuss about the vote for women.”  she paused and added lamely “You said I could…..”

 

He nodded “I know I did, but I have been thinking about it and …well…perhaps  it’s not such a good idea, Mary Ann.  Not yet awhile.”

 

“Why not yet?   There are debates about the subject going on in so many towns now, Joe.  Even Mark Twain made a speech about it and ….”

 

“Has deQuille agreed to print the ad?”

 

“Yes, and – some posters  -”  she faltered and looked at him with troubled eyes, “It will only be a short meeting, Joe.  You did agree with me that it was unfair that women couldn’t vote?”

 

She knew she was wheedling, trying to get him on her side, to persuade him to see her point of view whether he liked it or not.  Was this how women fought and won their battles over their men folk?  Would Hester or Olivia do likewise?   She could imagine Peggy just telling her husband she was having the meeting and he could just have to put  up with it, but she couldn’t do that, not to Joe.

 

She reached out for his hand, just for reassurance and squeezed his fingers.  His frown lessened,  he smiled and shook his head “You are a funny one,  sweetheart.   If women get the vote it will be like Pandora’s box,  goodness knows what will come flying out, and what pandemonium it will cause.”

 

“But even so, Joe….”

 

He nodded and leaned in to kiss her, nodded again “If it makes  you happy…..”

 

She sunk back in her chair feeling not so much happy, but exhausted.

 

Chapter 20

 

Sofia was not among the group of children who all found it hilariously funny when Jimmy Carstairs went to kick the ball and the sole of his boot flew off and went further than the ball!   Initially it had been funny, and she had involuntarily laughed but then the look of shock, dismay and sheer misery on Jimmy’s face caused her to step back and walk away rather than watch the consequences of such an action.

 

Children could be cruel, even in her young years Sofia was more than aware of that, and somehow it distressed her to think that Jimmy would be teased and made fun of by the children.  Davy retrieved the sole of the  boot and he and Reuben contrived to shuffle Jimmy out of the way of the jeering, laughing boys and girls who thought it wonderful fun to expose the vulnerabilities of a child.  Even children who often came to school in the warmer weather with no shoes at all joined in the cat calling and the cackling laughter.

 

“Can’t you run home and get another pair to wear?” Davy suggested watching as Jimmy struggled to find a way to fit the sole to the upper part of the boot.

 

“I – I don’t have another pair.”

 

Tommy Conway pulled a face, one of sympathy but also showing his inability to understand the poverty of others.  Jimmy was always so clean and tidy, and Tommy always thought ’poor people’ were dirty and smelled because they could not afford soap.

 

“Mr Evans has some glue ..perhaps we can glue them together.” Reuben suggested, and looked at the offending sole  in the way of being presented with an unsolvable puzzle.

 

“Do you think so?” Jimmy looked at Reuben hopefully, he wiggled his toes making the socks he wore look even more threadbare than they were.

 

“We could try.” Davy said, and glanced over his shoulder, “C’mon.  Let’s see if we can get inside before class starts again.”

 

One of the teachers came along at that time, shouting to the children to disperse and get on with whatever they should be doing instead of causing ‘a ruckus’ as he described it.  He didn’t notice the boys lingering in a huddle by the steps, nor did they notice them take the opportunity to hurry into the building, taking the stairs two at a time and slipping carefully into the class room.

 

The glue was extremely sticky and Jimmy hoped to goodness that it would do the job efficiently and well. He removed his boot and the boys closed ranks to watch the glue being applied by Reuben and then attached to the upper … Reuben pressed the edges close together and it looked like a job well done until Jimmy put the boot back on and the sole fell off again.

 

“It needs to dry.” Tommy suggested wishing he were down stairs and eating his lunch.

 

“Yeah, it needs to stand upside down so it can dry because your foot is going to just push it off every time.” Davy nodded and scratched his head as he pondered over the conundrum.

 

“Are you sure these are the only boots  you have?” Phil now asked, again, and Jimmy nodded.

 

The boys surveyed the boot and then looked at Jimmy.   “You need more boots.”  Phil said philosophically.

 

“My Ma can’t afford new boots.  I have to curl my toes up as it is because these are too small.” Jimmy replied and blushed in having to admit to their poverty.

 

Reuben looked at Jimmy’s feet and frowned “I’ve an idea…”

 

Reuben was always full of good ideas, so they believed anyway, and now looked at him with trust and confidence in their eyes.  He began to unlace his boots and  grinned at Jimmy, “You can borrow these while the glue dries …”

 

Jimmy didn’t think that a great idea. He had already abandoned the glue project, deciding it wouldn’t work no matter what he tried to do.  He put one of the boots on that Reuben handed him,  and grinned “You’ve got bigger feet than me…” he could wiggle his toes inside it, and it felt comfortable.  His foot spread out and it seemed to him he could almost imagine his toes sighing with relief.

 

“What if you both wear just one boot…” Tommy said as Reuben passed over his other one,  “It won’t look so much as though Jimmy … well …you know?”

 

They all knew what he meant and Jimmy felt a prickle of shame tingle through him.

He knew there were children in the school worse off than himself, he knew also that his mother had a well paying job,  but he also knew that the rent had been increased,  food was expensive and everything cost.   His Ma was doing her very best but the money didn’t stretch to new boots, not just yet.

 

The door opened and a voice said “What are  you boys doing in here?”

 

They turned, the boot Jimmy was holding in his hand dropped onto the floor and all five of them squirmed and blushed.

 

“You should be outside. “ Mr Evans said and approached them slowly, his hands behind his back.   “Carstairs, what have you got there?”

 

“A – a boot sir.”

 

Evans surveyed the boot and looked down at Jimmy’s feet, and then at Reubens.  He frowned “Why aren’t you wearing any boots, Cartwright?”

 

“I – I was sharing with Jimmy.”   Reuben stuttered.

 

“His sole fell off, sir, it came away from the boot, we thought we could stick it together with glue. “ Tommy blustered, blinking furiously as he spoke up.

 

Evans narrowed his eyes and frowned, “Can’t you go home and get another pair?” he realised as soon as he said the words that he had added further humiliation onto the boy’s shoulders.  Jimmy sagged, his head bowed onto his chest, he dropped Reuben’s boot onto the floor with a thud.

 

Evans looked at Reuben “Put your boots back on, Cartwright.  The four of you,  get back outside.   Jimmy, you stay here…” he picked up the sticky glued together boot and frowned, “We’ll put this object in the cupboard, it’s possible that it may be alright by the end of class.  Have  you your lunch?”

 

“Yes, sir.” Jimmy nodded,  he didn’t like to admit that he often shared Tommy’s and Davy’s and Reuben’s because Mrs Carstairs, sometimes, didn’t have time to prepare anything for him.   And worse, sometimes there was nothing  in the house that she could prepare….he sighed, and hoped that his face didn’t betray him.

 

Jimmy knew a lot of secrets that no one else knew.   Of course everyone knew that he was very fond of Sofia, that was no secret.    No one knew that his father had been a drunkard, a bully, and that he had died because he was so drunk that he hadn’t had the sense to get out of the way of a bullet when there had been a bit of gun play in a saloon.  Had he been sober he probably wouldn’t even have been there in the first place.

 

And no one knew that he had once had a sister.  She had been older than him so he could remember her very well.   She had not looked like him at all, being dainty and fair.  Mrs Carstairs, who was not an unattractive woman, said her daughter looked like her own sister who had been beautiful.  Jimmy didn’t know about his aunt, but he could remember that his sister was very pretty.   He had kept her a secret because his mother never spoke about her,  so Jimmy thought it was best to say nothing, like it was best not to mention about his father.

 

Mrs Carstairs thought that Jimmy’s attraction to Sofia was because she reminded Jimmy of his sister.  Perhaps she was right,  but no one would know, because no one knew about  Emily Carstairs, she was a secret.

 

Now he looked at the  boot in his hand and realised that the secret of their poverty was revealed to the world.   Everyone would know, and his mother would be ashamed. His hard working caring mother would have to suffer all over again.

 

He didn’t put the boot in the cupboard but carried it under his arm, limping resolutely with his other boot still tied securely.   They trailed out of the room  to the yard and found a quiet more secluded area in which to eat their food.  They shared out their lunches with Jimmy, who ended up having more than he would have done had he actually brought his own lunch to school.  They were munching away when Reuben glanced up at the clock and then looked at them,

 

“Well,  I have an idea…but I may be late back to school so you’ll have to cover for me.”

 

“Do you want me to come too?”  Davy asked hopefully,  he wasn’t too bothered about being late back at school,  missing class was better than a bar of candy in his opinion.

 

Reuben shook his head “No, but, Jimmy, give me your boot, and the sole..that’s it…that’s fine”  and without another word hurried away and out of the  playground. Sofia saw her brother and ran after him, but her legs were too short to catch up.  She watched him running into the town,  and then turned to the other boys “Where’s he going?”

 

They shrugged, Davy put his hands in his pockets and whistled, and sauntered off to the school gates to wait for Reuben to return.

 

Reuben ran as fast as he could to Mr Tobin, the cobblers.  The old man was a kindly old fellow and Reuben was sure that he would take pity on a poor boy  who  would be without his only boots.  There was a queue but Tobin noticed him and with a sharp snap to his voice demanded to know what he was doing, and why wasn’t he at school

 

“I – we – there was an accident and the sole came off and …” Reuben held up the offending boot and sole, other customers stepped back as though the wretched thing contained the plague but Tobin nodded,  “Put it down there, I’ll see to it later.”

 

“But Jimmy needs it now…” Reuben stammered,

 

Tobin shook his head, picked up the items that Reuben had placed on the counter and frowned “These won’t be worth the money it’ll cost to repair them…sides which I’d need the other boot so they would match up.” he turned them this way and that way and shook his head again, “They need throwing away they do….”

 

He pushed them disdainfully back over to Reuben and turned to pay attention to the woman he had been serving when Reuben had interrupted them. Poor Jimmy…Reuben knew that during recess the other children would notice he was one boot short, and they would laugh at the boy again.   He glanced around him and tried to think of some solution.

 

Of course, it was Tuesday which meant it was Olivia and Ann’s day at the refuge/hospice.  Nathaniel along with David and Samuel Canaday would be left in the creche with the children of various homesteaders, and townspeople, playing with toys or listening to stories being read to them. After their lunch they were settled down for a little nap.

 

Olivia was more than surprised when she saw Reuben running into the building, his face rather red from his exertions.  “What are you doing here?  Are  you ill?  Is Sofia alright?”

 

“Yes, but Ma…” he paused to catch his breath, “I need some boots.”

 

“What do you mean?  What’s wrong with your boots?”

 

Reuben frowned,  told her the sorry story about Jimmy’s boots, the humiliation, and how he only had one pair which were too small anyway.  Olivia was rummaging through a box packed with old boots, shoes, moccasins even, worn out slippers,  fancy glittery high heeled shoes…she produced several pairs of boots, some worse than the pair Jimmy already possessed.

 

“What size?” she asked thoughtfully as  she held a pair in her hands

 

“My size, Ma.”

 

Another pair were pulled out from the box…they were worn, but not too badly,  far better and far stronger than the ones Jimmy owned.  Reuben nodded, “They look fine,  Ma.”

 

“Are you sure?”  Olivia looked doubtful.

 

“Shall I try them on, to make sure?”

 

They could hear the school bell tolling,  Olivia looked anxious “You’re going to be late back.”

 

But the boots fitted well,  and Reuben knew that they would be just great for Jimmy.  He whisked them off and replaced his own, tied up the laces and after he had kissed her cheek he ran off,  back to school.

 

He saw Aunt Mary Ann coming out of the newspaper offices with papers in her hand and waved to her,  the boots swinging back and forth by their laces in one hand as he ran.   Mary Ann was too absorbed in her thoughts to even notice him.

 

A school teacher grabbed him by the collar “What are you doing out of class, boy?”

 

“I – I’m sorry, sir…” Reuben blustered and hid the boots behind his back, “Sorry.”

 

“Hurry to  your class and don’t be late again.”  the teacher scowled “Cartwright, isn’t it?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

He knew that meant a black mark against his name.  But it couldn’t be helped.  He ran up the stairs and paused…what was he to do now?   Class had started, and if he went in with another pair of boots …  he already had an instinct about how people felt  about what they considered charity,  he didn’t want to lose a friend by publicly embarrassing him.  He swallowed and put his hand on the door.

 

“Cartwright?”

 

He turned and Edward Evans surveyed him thoughtfully “Why are you in the corridor and not in the classroom?”

 

Edwards eyes moved from Reubens face to the boots in the boys hands, then to the boots on the boys feet….he nodded,   and reached out a hand “Give them to me…I’ll deal with this now. “

 

He pushed the door open and looked over at Miss Hayward who was conducting the class “Miss Hayward, my apologies…this boy was on an errand for me and got delayed.”

 

Miss Hayward nodded and sighed, it was bad enough that the class was so restless this afternoon, but she let Reuben take his seat and said nothing.   When Mr Evans remained at the door she raised her eyebrows “Yes, Mr Evans?  Anything else?”

 

“I’d like to borrow a boy….”

 

“Another errand?”  Miss Hayward sighed

 

“Just a very brief one….ah,  Cartairs, come here a moment please.”

 

Jimmy felt his heart sink, he slipped out from behind his desk and hurried out of the room,  one foot with its tatty sock and the other one with his old boot on.  No one noticed because they knew they had to pay attention to Miss Hayward, they could tell from her face that she was not happy with them.

 

Mr Evans closed the door and looked at Jimmy…”Well now, Jimmy…how good are you at keeping secrets?”

 

Jimmy said nothing …he could have said he was an expert, but decided to keep quiet.

……………….

 

Amanda Ridley watched as Mary Ann walked down the street and stopped every so often to put up posters.  Just here and there,  and done very quickly as though she didn’t really want to be seen doing it.

 

Once Mary Ann was out of sight Amanda hurried across the road to read what was on the poster stuck to the post supporting her buldings’ porch.   She smiled and nodded approval as she read it,  not that she cared one iota about the vote, she had done very well without it and would continue to do well.   She was her own woman,  independent, rich, and enterprising.   She had a lot of common sense too, knowing that getting the vote was one thing,  there would be a lot more battles to overcome should women ever get it.   She also knew that campaigns such as this one would cost money,  it would need some ‘financial clout’.   In the theatre they referred to sponsors, or backers, as “Angels” and it seemed to her that Mary Ann Cartwright was going to need a pretty determined one to back her.

 

Mrs Carstairs watched Amanda return inside the building, and wondered if this would  be a good time to ask for an increase in her salary.   She  didn’t ask though as Amanda stood in the middle of the store surveying all that she had….across the road was the Mercantile that she owned, that had been run by so many old familiar names, part of the town’s history now.   She reminded herself of the livery stables, she owned that too…and had owned it for years.

 

She fingered some fine underwear that was waiting to be put into the oyster coloured box with the scarlet ribbon…some years ago she had nothing,  on the brink of losing what little she possessed and had she not gone to Adam Cartwright for help, cap in hand, she may well have lost her father;s legacy, hidden away in an old envelope and ignored for years.

 

She turned to Mrs Carstairs “You know, Mrs Carstairs, I have been very fortunate.”

 

“Yes, ma’am,”    (and more fortunate than some of us sitting here working our fingers to the bone for you,)

 

Amanda looked at the busy little woman, who was now proceeding to fold the items she had been fingering into its box.   What did she know about this woman apart from the fact she comes in every day, works hard, goes home to care for her son, in a few rooms owned by  old Zeb Sansom which meant that the rent would be far more than the rooms were worth… she looked at Mrs Carstairs so hard that the poor woman was afraid to look up and meet Amanda’s eyes.

 

“You rent your place from old Zeb don’t you?  I bet he charges you for it, especially since the rates have been increased…”

 

“Yes, Miss Ridley.” Mrs Carstairs nodded and wondered if this was the right time, strike while the irons’ hot,  isn’t that what they say?  She glanced  up and opened her mouth but nothing came out.

 

Amanda turned her back on Mrs Carstairs,  “I have a pleasant apartment upstairs that’s been empty for a while.   I wont charge as much rent as Old Zeb does….would you be interested?”

 

Mrs Carstairs thought she was hearing things, she stammered a bit, a few words which may or may not have been thank you she just wasn’t sure…. Amanda nodded, and walked to the door,  from there she could see Mary Ann putting up another poster and she wondered what the other Mrs Cartwrights’ would think about the fact that one of their group was getting involved in what was going to become such a major issue.   Without looking back at Mrs Carstairs she said quietly “I think I’ll give all you ladies a raise in salary as well…it’s long overdue.”

 

She nodded to herself, yes..it was long overdue, she had been ungrateful,  it was due the skills of her employees that her fortune continued to flourish, and she had been overlong in showing her appreciation.