Hugh moved out some time during the night, so quietly no one heard him leave. “Why didn’t he tell us?” Elizabeth lamented the next morning. “He didn’t even leave a note.”
Ada had no idea. “I don’t think he even said goodbye to his children.”
“You don’t need to worry,” Laurie said. “I’m fairly certain he decided to move back to the Egyptian.”
“Seems odd he left in the middle of the night,” Ada commented.
“But why wouldn’t he at least say goodbye?” Elizabeth asked in a plaintive voice.
Laurie braced herself. The moment she dreaded had arrived, and no escaping it. She could conceal the truth no longer. “You’d better sit down. I have something to tell you.”
By the time she finished revealing the grim facts about her brother, Ada had run to her room, and her mother was staring in shocked disbelief. “You’re saying Hugh’s a liar and a thief?”
“That’s what I’m saying.” At least the truth was out. Ada would be all right after she recovered from the initial shock, but this was a terrible blow for Mother. “There’s no way I can make this go away. From what I gather, Hugh was stealing from the Monarch over a long period of time. He wasn’t simply pilfering now and then. He stole thousands. Maybe we should have questioned his extravagance, but I trusted him so completely I never thought to ask.”
Plainly, Elizabeth had yet to believe her and glared at her defiantly. “I’ve always had Hugh on a pedestal. He could do no wrong.”
“We all had him on a pedestal. We were blind to his faults because we loved him.”
“He’s my firstborn child, my one and only son. I’ll always love him no matter what you say, and frankly, I don’t know if I believe you or not.”
“I understand. Nothing’s going to change that.” Laurie gave a silent prayer of thanks that she’d been wise enough not to mention Hugh’s despicable lies about Father’s supposed gambling habit, let alone his carrying on with Mrs. Wagner. Mother was suffering enough already without knowing the whole story. For herself, Laurie wished her brother well but had lost every last shred of love and respect she’d ever had for him, and that would never change.
Elizabeth dabbed at her eyes with her handkerchief. “Why are we even here? What reason do we have for staying in this awful place?”
Laurie patiently explained what Mother already knew, that the new vein they’d discovered had yet to pay off, but it could happen any day now. When it did, they could go home, not defeated and broke, but as the richer-than-ever Sinclairs. Heads held high, they would resume the same life of luxury they’d left behind, maybe better than before. “It could happen any day now. We mustn’t give up.”
Laurie’s words of encouragement didn’t seem to have any effect. Elizabeth sat listening with her shoulders slumped, looking as if her world had ended, and from her point of view, perhaps it had. “Nothing good will happen,” she said morosely. “We’re doomed, and I know it.”
Laurie hated seeing her mother like this. There was a time when she’d resented Elizabeth’s overbearing attitude, and the way she tried to run her daughters’ lives. How ironic that now she’d give anything to see her mother back to her normal self again, issuing orders, bossy, and demanding. Anything would be better than seeing her as she was now, sad and grieving, her spirit crushed and defeated.
* * * *
During the next two weeks, except for Darcy’s still-distant attitude, Laurie enjoyed working at the mine. The more she learned, the more she didn’t want to leave. Early on, she realized doing the time sheets wasn’t enough. Now she wanted to know all there was to know about mining. Aware of her desire to learn, Tom went out of his way to teach her.
“If you’re gonna run a mine, you got to know how to grade gold. It’s the number of grams per ton of ore,” he told her. “The value of a gold mine is determined by the grade of the ore and how difficult it is to extract and distribute.” She listened carefully and took in every word. As she became better acquainted with the miners, she lost her fixed ideas about how uncouth some of them were and gradually came to realize how much these hardworking men sacrificed, toiling ten hours a day in the dark, and all to put food on the table for their families. She admired them all and enjoyed their down-to-earth humor when she checked their time sheets at the end of the day.
Hugh hadn’t shown his face, thank God, either at home or the Monarch. She could only hope Darcy had scared him away for good.
Brandon must have received her letter by now. His letter in reply should arrive any day. At first, she’d eagerly awaited the arrival of the daily mail, but not so much anymore. She’d been so busy she’d given little thought concerning whether he’d wait for her or not. Of course, he would, and she wouldn’t waste her time worrying about it.
One day she noticed a worried frown on Tom’s face. When she asked what was wrong, he first told her nothing was wrong. When she persisted and asked again, he replied, “Did you notice our daily output of ore has dropped? I don’t want to worry you, but that new vein of gold we got so excited about is petering out. You never know, though,” he hastened to reassure her. “It might pick up again or we could strike a new vein tomorrow that’ll be twice as rich.”
Although Tom told her not to worry, of course she did. By now, she was avoiding talking to Darcy alone, but that evening before she left, she got him aside. “Tom says the new gold vein is petering out. Is that true?”
He gave her a reluctant nod. “We’re down to about fifty tons of ore a day, and that’s not good.”
“And you didn’t think to tell me?”
“I didn’t want to worry you.”
“Don’t treat me like some empty-headed female. You may own fifty-one percent of this mine, but the Sinclairs own forty-nine percent, which, if you ask me, is a significant enough figure that I should be informed of all that’s going on.”
He solemnly nodded in agreement. “You’re right. I let a lot of old prejudices mess with my thinking, and I apologize. As a member of the Sinclair family, you’re entitled to be told everything.” He proceeded to tell her pretty much what Tom already said. Unless they discovered another rich vein soon, the Monarch Mine was in deep trouble. He ended with, “Again, I apologize. In future, I’ll forget you’re a woman and keep you informed, be it good news or bad.”
His thorough explanation and sincere apology swiftly dissolved her hostility. “Thank you. I appreciate your honesty.” With a trace of laughter in her voice, she added, “Of course, you needn’t entirely forget I’m a woman. I shouldn’t like that.”
She expected he’d make some flippant remark in reply, but the look that came over his face was anything but humorous. His eyes drilled into hers so intently she caught her breath. “More than you’ll ever know, I could never forget you’re a woman, Laurie. Can’t you understand?”
Before she could even think to form a reply, he walked out of the office, leaving her watching after him, her heart racing. So, he did care about her. And here she’d been thinking he’d been acting cool because he didn’t want to be around her anymore. It all came clear. She’d been blind not to reach beyond her own hurt feelings enough to see that he, being the honorable man he was, would not interfere with her plans to marry the man she loved, the man she’d been dying to get back to. She needed to remind herself that soon she’d be leaving Lucky Creek. Before she knew it, she’d be back in Philadelphia planning her wonderful wedding to Brandon. The best of Philadelphia society would attend. She’d wear the most beautiful wedding dress ever…
What’s the matter with me? Why am I not excited?
What happened to the elation she’d felt every time she thought about marrying Brandon? She tried to picture him, but her mind stayed blank. Surely all the wonderful memories would soon come flooding back. Surely, she’d soon be yearning to be in his arms. She just had to think about it for a while, and put her lustful, totally inappropriate thoughts of Darcy out of her head forever.
* * * *
That night after she’d arrived home and done her chores in the stable, she found her mother alone in the parlor, knitting at a furious pace, a sure sign she was upset.
“What’s wrong, Mother?”
Elizabeth tossed her head with indignation. “Ada is entertaining that Cornishman in the kitchen nearly every night now. I didn’t mind when you claimed you were trying to help a poor, illiterate miner, but this is ridiculous. I’m beginning to think she likes him, despite his background. Will you please do something, Laurie? Ada’s bent on having him here and won’t listen to me.”
She might have known Mother wouldn’t stay silent and depressed for long. Now she was demanding answers, and who could blame her? She’d been assured Kenvern would be coming over twice a week, at most, for reading lessons, which Laurie and Ada, in the spirit of generosity and concern for those in need, would be happy to provide. Their contribution to charity, so to speak. But things hadn’t quite worked out that way. Kenvern Trenowden could be found in their kitchen nearly every night now. So could Ada, but not Laurie, as she was well aware she wasn’t missed at all. Ada had proven to be an apt teacher, and Kenvern an amazing pupil. Already he’d easily read his way through all the McGuffey Reader and had started reading a collection of short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Kenvern’s reading skills had increased tremendously. His Cornish dialect was fast disappearing, replaced by the proper English he’d longed to speak. Not that the kitchen had become a solemn area of learning. Every night, the sound of Kenvern’s booming laughter filled the house, punctuated by Ada’s giggles. Obviously, they were having a delightful time together, which Mother couldn’t fail to notice. “It appears they fancy each other,” Laurie replied, aware she was stating the obvious. “He’s a fast learner and quite bright.”
“That’s not the point.” Elizabeth threw her knitting down. “He’s nothing but an uneducated Cornishman, far below our class.”
Laurie concealed her exasperation. She would try to explain, although her words would doubtless fall on deaf ears. Darcy had discussed this very subject once. She remembered what he’d said, and it was worth repeating. “This isn’t Philadelphia, Mother. This is the West, where no one’s concerned about what class someone’s in. Kenvern is a fine man, a little rough around the edges, maybe, but who cares? No one’s judging him by his fine manners, or lack thereof, and you shouldn’t either.” She’d surprised herself. Never had she spoken to her mother more firmly.
Elizabeth sat back in surprise. “Have you no concern for your sister? Don’t tell me you want her married to some Lucky Creek oaf who’s just now learning to read and write. She needs to return to Philadelphia where she can find a man of quality, a man with connections who comes from a fine family.”
Her mother didn’t understand, and probably never would, but she’d give it one more try. “Haven’t you noticed how Ada goes around the house singing these days? She’s happier than I’ve ever seen her. I don’t know what’s going to happen, but would you at least agree to leave her alone for now?”
“What choice do I have?” Elizabeth asked in a martyred tone. “All I can say is, this family is ruined if we don’t get back to Philadelphia soon. And might I ask why you aren’t more anxious to return? Aren’t you dying to get back to Brandon?”
“Of course, I am,” Laurie quickly replied. She’d given the answer she was supposed to give, but did she mean it? These days she so enjoyed working at the Monarch. She loved what she did, and she loved working with Darcy, even though he kept her at arm’s length. She’d adjusted, and she was fine with that, or so she kept telling herself. And meanwhile, she hardly thought of Brandon anymore. Whenever she tried to picture him, his exact image got blurry, like he was disappearing into a heavy fog.
Later that night, Laurie knocked on her sister’s door. “Ada? I’ve come to talk.”
“Please do come in.” Perched cross-legged on her bed, dressed in her voluminous white nightgown, Ada looked as perky as Laurie had ever seen her. Laurie joined her on the bed. “Sounds like you and Kenvern had a lot of fun tonight.”
“Isn’t he wonderful?” Ada blissfully responded. “I love his laugh. I love everything about him.”
“I do believe you’re in love with him.”
Ada’s face lit with happiness. “And he loves me. He’s told me so.”
Laurie wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. How wonderful Ada had finally found a man who loved her. How sad he had to be a man their mother could never accept. “I’m happy for you, Ada, truly I am. Kenvern has many fine qualities, but—”
“Have you ever seen a man so handsome?” Ada burst out. “He’s so kind and caring and gets those adorable dimples in his cheeks whenever he smiles.”
Plainly Ada was so smitten she’d never listen to anything resembling common sense. Yet Laurie couldn’t ignore the one problem that loomed large on her sister’s otherwise bright horizon. “Mother’s not happy about Kenvern.”
Ada’s smile faded. “I know. You would think he was some sort of criminal, the way she looks at him. So far, she hasn’t said anything, but it’s obvious how she feels, and I don’t expect she’ll stay silent much longer.”
“She thinks you should wait until we get back to Philadelphia where you can find someone more suitable.”
“But I don’t want to go back to Philadelphia. I want to stay right here and marry Kenvern Trenowden. Good grief, I’m twenty-three years old, and know what I’m doing. He’s going to ask me soon, and when he does, I’ll say yes, no matter what Mother thinks.”
Startled, Laurie sat back and asked, “Where has my meek, shy little sister gone? I’ve never known you to act this way.”
Ada burst into laughter. “I’ve never been this way. Part of it is, I’m so in love with Kenvern I’d do anything to be with him. Another part, I think, is that living in Lucky Creek is different from living back east. There’s more freedom here. People do what they want and aren’t tied to rigid rules. Remember in Philadelphia how we had to have tea at exactly four o’clock every afternoon?”
“And we wouldn’t dream of going visiting without our calling cards.”
They both laughed, thinking how silly that would look in Lucky Creek.
Laurie continued, “I think I’ve talked Mother into giving the whole situation more time.”
“Thanks for that, although it’s not likely I’ll change my mind. And by the way”—Ada got a playful grin on her face—“lately you haven’t seemed all that anxious to leave yourself. What’s going on? Have you fallen out of love with Brandon? Or could there possibly be someone else?”
From the shrewd way Ada was looking at her, Laurie knew she’d guessed the truth. “I’m in a bit of a dilemma.”
“It’s Darcy McKenna, isn’t it? The man you don’t like?”
Laurie took a playful swipe at her sister. “You’ve guessed, haven’t you? The more I’m with him, the less I find myself thinking about Brandon.”
“It was getting pretty obvious. You talk about Darcy a lot lately, all of it good. What changed your mind?”
“I like that he makes decisions fast and doesn’t dawdle around. He’s firm but fair with his employees and keeps his temper, no matter what.”
“That’s all?”
She’d always been completely honest with her sister and would be now. “Of course, that’s not all. I never used to find him attractive, but now the more I look at him the handsomer he seems.”
“Have you kissed?”
“Yes.”
“More?”
“Yes.”
Soon, to Ada’s titillated delight, she was recounting the night she spent with Darcy at the Gold Spike Hotel. She had to explain at length about how they could have possibly done such a thing on the very night before Valeria was hanged. “I hardly understand it myself. Maybe part of it had to do with how wrought up we both were because of the near lynching. I just know we couldn’t keep our hands off each other, and that’s how it started.”
“You were so swept away on the wings of love you couldn’t help yourselves,” Ada volunteered.
“Perhaps.” Laurie laughed to herself, picturing Darcy’s reaction if told he’d been swept away on the wings of love. Still, Ada could be right.
“So what are you going to do?” Ada asked in her practical voice.
“I honestly don’t know. I’ve committed myself to Brandon. I haven’t heard from him yet, but I’m sure he expects me to return soon as I can. Since that night, Darcy has been friendly enough but standoffish, like he wants nothing more to do with me, other than as someone who works at the mine. After all, I’m not the only woman in his life. He’s cozy with Mrs. Wagner, the woman who owns the Gold Strike. Perhaps there are others, I just don’t know.”
“There’s no one like you, Laurie. You’re bright and you’re beautiful. Have you forgotten all those suitors in Philadelphia who wanted to marry you? Darcy’s just being honorable. He thinks you’re dying to go back to Brandon. Unless you let him know otherwise, he’ll stay away.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“I think you better had before you head back east to marry a man you no longer love.”
No longer loved? Could it be true? “I have a confession to make. Whenever I try to picture Brandon, all I can see are his bug collections. I can’t see his face anymore.”
“Shame on you,” Ada exclaimed, and the two collapsed, laughing, onto the bed.