––––––––
Hannish leaned against the wall in the kitchen and smiled. Most of his loyal Scottish servants were there now, plus two orphans and the Americans. What’s more, Sassy was talking a mile a minute again, delighting everyone with her interpretation of life in the mansion. She still had not let go of her sister’s hand. “You shall sleep in a bed all your own, and you can have a bath everyday if you like, in a tub with clean water and no one else in it.”
“No,” Cathleen gasped. Her hair was a lighter auburn than Sassy’s with more red showing through, but her eyes were the same color of blue.
At last, Hannish took pity on a wide-eyed Cathleen and interrupted, “Alistair, did you manage to get my wife on the ship?”
“Aye, Sir.” He raised an eyebrow and looked at Sarah. “She could not find her brush, and demanded I get off the train to buy her a new one in Kansas City. You’d not know what happened to it, would you?”
“We need it for firewood this winter,” Sarah proudly announced. “I intend to burn it myself.” She grinned at him and watched Alistair’s frown turn to a smile. It was good to have him back, very good indeed.
“We saw her,” said Egan.
“Saw who?” Hannish asked.
“The duchess. Her ship was sailing just as we were coming to port.”
“They came a day early,” Alistair explained. “‘Twas a good thing I checked before we left the dock.”
“Did Olivia see you, Egan?” Hannish asked.
Egan nodded. “It began to snow and Cathleen wanted to be out in it, so we stood along the railing. The duchess saw me through a window in her ship and she looked none too happy about it.”
“I don’t suppose she did.” Hannish thought for a moment. “It matters not, she’ll be a little forewarned, perhaps, but she’ll not guess what is to come.”
“Forewarned of what?” McKenna asked.
His smile was wide when he answered, “I have abdicated.”
Alistair’s mouth dropped. “You are no longer a duke?”
“Indeed not, I passed it to my brother.”
“Then the duchess is not...” Alistair began to grin.
“Not any longer.”
Alistair deeply bowed. “You have my greatest admiration, Sir.”
Cathleen had no idea what they were talking about and leaned a little closer to Sassy. “The constable come and took Old Mrs. Forthright away for stealin’. And after that, people brought food and they vowed not to let us be hungry ever again. I seen clean clothin’ comin’ too, though I left afore I could get any.”
“What’s this?” Hannish asked.
Sassy’s eyes glistened. “You did it, Mr. Hannish, you saved the children in the orphanage.”
“’Twas my brother who managed it, Sassy.”
“What about James?” Sassy asked, turning back to Cathleen. “Did I hurt him when I stood on his shoulders?”
“Nay, a man come and took him to work in the cotton mills.”
“Came,” Keith corrected.
“Who came?” Cathleen asked. Everyone laughed, which perplexed her even more.
Sassy frowned at Keith. “Never mind him, sister. He is a plague to us all.”
“How old are you, Cathleen?” Millie asked.
“Fourteen.”
Halen wrinkled her brow. “Are you twins? You do not look that much alike and Sassy is fourteen.”
Cathleen turned to stare at her sister. “If Leesil says we are.”
“I dinna say I am fourteen, they guessed and I dinna correct them,” Sassy explained.
“How old are you, then?” Jessie asked.
“I dinna care to say,” Sassy answered.
Sarah wondered too. “We are family, you can tell us, Sassy.”
Afraid to lie, Sassy took a deep breath and looked Hannish in the eye. “I am twenty-one.”
Keith gasped, “Twenty-one?”
She instantly turned her glare on him again. “Dinna be getting any fanciful ideas, Keith, nor you either, Dugan. I dinna need a husband, leastwise not yet. I’ve a lot of growin’ up yet to do.”
Keith was so completely embarrassed, he huffed and left the room, but Dugan was not in the least put off and only smiled at her. McKenna, on the other hand, saw something in her brother’s eyes she did not expect to see. He was not at all surprised by Sassy’s confession, and she wondered just how long he had known. Not only that, he couldn’t seem to take his eyes off of Sassy. “I imagine we should call you Leesil from now on. You are too old to be called Sassy.”
“I agree,” said Hannish.
“I dinna mind. I rather like you callin’ me Sassy, it suits me very well.”
“I like it too,” said Cathleen. “She always be sassin’ me around.”
Sassy abruptly let go of her sister’s hand. “You dinna miss me, then?”
“Not at all, you taked up way too much room in the bed.” It was a moment before Cathleen smiled and everyone knew she was teasing. “Might I have that bath now?”
“Of course she can and I will help,” said McKenna. “Cathleen will also need to be measured for her new frock,” She got up and led the two of them out of the kitchen.
“New clothes too?” Hannish heard Cathleen ask as they walked down the hall.
“And a new ribbon for your hair,” Sassy said.
“Is he a put-her?” Cathleen asked.
“Nay,” Sassy answered.
Once he could no longer hear them, Hannish turned to the others and asked, “A put-her?”
Alistair answered, “They prayed God would give Mrs. Forthright the boot...put-her out, you see.”
“I do see. I am happy not to be a put-her in that case.” Hannish noticed a tear in Sarah’s eye and became concerned. “What is it, Sarah?”
“Sassy bought that ribbon for her own hair. Now she gives it to her sister. I have never seen such love.”
“Nor have I.” Hannish considered it for a moment. “Prescot, the next time you go to town, bring back new ribbons and I shall give one to each of our ladies.”
“With pleasure,” said Prescot.
“How did Cathleen do on the voyage,” Hannish asked Egan.
“She was terrified and not at all convinced I was taking her to her sister. I don’t think she believed it until just now. A kind lady washed her up and gave her the maid’s dress to wear. She was a pitiful sight, dirty and far too thin. Mr. Cameron took us straight to the ship, and gave me extra to see she had plenty to eat. Cathleen was so happy to have the maid’s dress, she could not keep from feeling the soft cloth all the way here. Mr. MacGreagor, I never knew ‘twas so awful for the orphans.”
“Nor did I,” Hannish admitted.
“None of us did,” said Alistair.
“Do not fret,” said Halen, “me and Jessie will fatten her right up.” She nodded and so did Jessie, her new best friend.
Hannish wrinkled his brow. “What happened to the other servants? I expected more to come.”
“They run off as soon as the duchess was gone. I would have too, except I wanted the pay she promised to give when she came back.”
Hannish again found the lack of servant’s pay sickening. “You shall have your pay and then some. Tomorrow, will you come to the study and help me remember their names so I can have my brother see they are all paid?”
“Aye, Sir.”
“I am greatly humiliated by what my wife has done. Have you any idea why she kept the servant’s pay?”
“Nay, Sir, none at all,” Egan answered.
“Alistair, did she gamble?” Hannish asked.
“A time or two.”
“That must be it then,” said Hannish. “She gambled and lost... and a lot more than she could have imagined she would.”
That night, before she went to bed, Sarah quietly opened the door to Sassy’s room. One bed was empty and at first she panicked, until she opened it a little wider and noticed two heads in Sassy’s bed. Sassy had her arms around her little sister and still had a smile on her face. At the foot of the bed, the puppy watched Sarah with one eye open.
Just as quietly, Sarah closed the door.
*
The next day at Marblestone Mansion was anything but uneventful. Cathleen got lost. She leaned against a wall in the back staircase, it suddenly opened and she found herself trapped inside the hidden room. While a frantic Sassy wrung her hands in the parlor, everyone searched outside, and then inside every room, every closet and every cupboard, although no one believed she was intentionally hiding in a cupboard.
An hour later, there was no place else to look, and when he put an ear to the secret door, he could hear the puppy barking inside. The existence of the secret room would not be a secret any longer, he supposed. He expected Cathleen to be terrified, but she was more angry than frightened when he opened the door.
“Cathleen,” he asked before he showed her how to get out, “have you ever given your pledge?”
“Aye, I gave it to James once.”
“Did you break that pledge?”
“Nay, Sir.”
“Then if I ask you to pledge not to tell anyone how to find this room, will you do it?”
“Not even Leesil?”
“Not even Leesil. ‘Twill be our secret alone, and I shall be ever so grateful if you keep it. I like to hide here occasionally.”
That, Cathleen understood perfectly. “I give you my pledge, Mr. Hannish. I often wished for a place to hide in the orphanage. But...where shall I say I was?”
“Say the truth, just don’t tell them where it is.” He smiled when she nodded and then showed her how to get out.
*
The dog with no name followed Cathleen everywhere and occasionally Hannish called him a traitor. Thus the name was firmly set and even the dog seemed to approve. ‘Traitor’ was neither American nor Scottish and it suited everyone very well. Still, when it came time to eat the table scraps, the dog was eager to respond to any name.
*
It was a full two weeks after Alistair, Egan, Dugan and Cathleen arrived, giving them a chance to rest after their journey, before Hannish took everyone on their first big outing. The cooks prepared picnic baskets, the men piled hay in the back of a wagon and they all went on a hayride.
Everyone was excited to be leaving the house and getting outside in the fresh air that smelled like pine trees, and sunshine that felt like a soft blanket of warmth. It was still a little chilly when they passed through the shaded areas, so blankets were handed out to see that the women were warm enough, especially the older women. To reward the hard work of all the women, Hannish gave each a long, new ribbon for their hair. Sassy and Cathleen were especially excited to have them and he was happy to make them happy. He even had a spare for Traitor, should anyone manage to get the dog to sit still long enough to tie it around his neck.
Hannish and Prescot sat on the high seat facing front, while the rest sat in the soft hay in the back, chatting and explaining what everything was to Cathleen and Sassy. It seemed they would never run out of questions, but no one minded; most of the Scots didn’t know the answers either.
They were nearing Colorado Springs when they finally ran out of questions and Cathleen asked, “What do we do now, Mr. Hannish?”
“Well, we could sing songs,” he suggested.
“Mr. Hannish, I know just the song,” said Shepard.
“American or Scottish?” Jessie wanted to know.
“American,” Shepard answered. “It is called, Wait for the Wagon.” Not one of them expected it when he began to sing in a rich, deep vibrato voice.
Wait for the wagon,
Wait for the wagon
Wait for the Wagon
And we'll all take a ride.
Where the river runs like silver
And the birds they sing so sweet
I have a cabin, Phyllis,
And something good to eat;
Everyone sing,” Shepard shouted! “Wait for the wagon,” Before long, they were all singing the chorus and by the time they reached the middle of town and turned north, they had attracted the attention of nearly everyone.
Pearl and Loretta rushed out of the general store to see what the singing was about. “Mr. MacGreagor does not look so very unhappy today, does he?” asked Pearl, watching the wagon come toward them.
“Not at all,” Loretta answered.
Standing on the corner, Claymore Whitfield shouted, “Hannish, where are you going?”
Hannish turned to look back and smile, “To picnic at Palmer Lake, Claymore.”
“Mind if we come along?”
“Not at all.” He watched Claymore hurry off to find Abigail, noticed Pearl and Loretta standing outside the general store and tipped his hat to them as he passed.
On the other side of the street, Shepard nodded to Mr. Palmer, the owner of the railroad, and was reminded of another song. “I've been working on the railroad. All the livelong day...” he began to sing. The Americans knew this song too, so Shepard taught the Scots the chorus, and soon everyone was singing, “Dinah, won't you blow, Dinah, won't you blow, Dinah, won’t you blow your horn.”
As soon as the music stopped, McKenna began to giggle. “Brother, have you looked back lately?”
“What?” He turned to see and to his amazement, there were five carriages and two wagons following them. He shrugged, “Our private picnic will not be so private, I imagine.”
The climb to the top of one hill was a bit steep for the four-horse team, so most of the riders got out and walked, letting the elder women stay aboard. Cathleen tried to pick all the wild flowers she could along the side of the road, and Sassy kept running back to hurry her along, while Hannish, Alistair and Traitor brought up the rear. At the top, they stopped to admire the view for a moment. Then the men helped the women get back in the wagon and off they went.
There were more songs to sing—My Darling Clementine and Sweet Betsy from Pike. Shepard repeated each so they could learn them and then introduced a new song about a place called The Red River Valley.
This time, when Shepard repeated the song, only three men sang with him and they soon developed such perfect harmony, the others just listened in awe. Shepard, Prescot, Brookton and Egan sounded as though they had sung together all their lives, and McKenna was convinced these could match the talents of any quartet anywhere. When the song ended, everyone applauded and so did the people in the wagons and the carriages following them.
At last, they passed the vast fields where grain stocks rippled in the gentle breeze, continued through the small town of Palmer Lake and arrived at the edge of the clear blue, pristine water. Once everyone was out of the wagon, Halen and Jessie found a patch of grass and began to spread the blankets while the men carried the picnic baskets. Traitor ran to get a drink of water, and then went off to smell and see everything else.
Wearing their matching blue/gray servant frocks, Cathleen and Sassy walked to the edge of the lake and stared at the spectacular view of the glittering water, the foothills, Pikes Peak and the snowcapped Rocky Mountains. Neither of them spoke until Cathleen finally asked, “Did you ever know the world was this big, Leesil?”
“I never did.” She watched an eagle glide through the air and land in a tree. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Hannish coming toward them and turned his way.
“Can we drink this water?” Cathleen asked. “The purser said we best not drink ocean water for it would make us daft.”
“He said the same to me,” Sassy said.
“Aye, you can drink it,” said Hannish. “When it is warmer, I shall bring you back so you can have a swim. Just now, ‘tis too cold.”
“Do you promise?” Sassy asked.
“I do.” He quickly glanced back at the arriving carriages. “I suspect you are about to meet our neighbors. You’ll not be frightened, will you, Cathleen?”
“Leesil does not let anyone hurt me.”
“I am glad to hear that, but if you should feel the least bit afraid, you come find me.” He waited for her nod and then went off to greet the new arrivals.
Cathleen made certain he was too far away to hear, before she asked, “What do you make of him?”
“Mr. Hannish? He is the kindest man in all the world.”
“He seems to be, but...”
“But what?”
“On the ride, he looked back at you again and again.”
“Did he? If he did, ‘tis because he...he is sorry for what his wife did. She hurt me a little.”
“Did she hurt you as bad as Old Mrs...?”
“How could anyone hurt a lovely lady such as yourself?” said a man suddenly standing behind them.
Cathleen caught her breath and took a step back, but his sudden appearance made Sassy mad. “Dare you sneak up on people?”
“I do apologize, I thought you saw me. I am Amos Wells, at your service.” He tipped his straw boater hat, revealing his curly blond hair. He had a nice smile and wore loose fitting tan trousers with a dark blue, double button jacket.
“What sort of service?” Cathleen asked.
Perplexed, Amos answered, “I...well, any service you desire, I suppose. Who might you be?”
“I am Leesil and this is my sister, Cathleen.”
“Leesil what?”
Still annoyed, Sassy sternly answered, “We have no last name, Mr. Wells.”
Finished greeting Loretta and Pearl, Hannish glanced at Sassy and there was no mistaking the chagrin on her face. Just as he was about to go to her, he spotted McKenna approaching them.
“McKenna MacGreagor,” she announced, extending her hand to the stranger. “And you are Mr...?”
“Wells, Amos Wells. I heard you were in town, Miss MacGreagor. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“And I you. We happened to pass a very large house on our way through town,” she said, turning to look back. Just as she hoped, he turned too and when he did, she motioned behind her for the sisters to slip away. “To whom does it belong?”
“No one just now,” Amos answered. “Unfortunately, the man building it ran out of funds and has since disappeared.”
“Truly? Has no one bought the place?” she asked. McKenna saw Abigail coming her way and glanced back to make certain the sisters were gone. “Do forgive me; I must greet my dear friend.”
He nodded, watched her walk away and turned around only to discover he was alone. He looked down the edge of the lake, and saw the sisters holding hands, stepping from rock to rock along the shore, with the dog right behind them. He was about to follow when Hannish showed up. “Mr. MacGreagor, you are just the man I hoped to see. Amos Wells.”
Hannish shook the man’s hand. “Why so?”
“I am a carpenter and I hear you need furniture. Perhaps I might interest you in some of mine.”
“You have heard correctly. What sort of furniture do you make?”
“I have a shop just west of town and you are welcome to come see for yourself.” Amos looked once more at the sisters. “Mr. MacGreagor, why is it that Leesil and Cathleen have no last name?”
Hannish had not given Sassy’s lack of a surname much thought until that moment. “They were raised in an English orphanage, Mr. Wells.”
“I see.”
Hannish glanced at the picnic area, noticed that Donnel had sat down on one of the blankets and was struggling to get back up. “You will excuse me.” He quickly went to Donnel and easily lifted her up.
“‘Tis my bad knee,” Donnel explained.
“We should have brought a chair.” He waited for her to get her balance, and then wrapped her hand around his arm. “I have neglected you and Blanka. Will you walk with me?”
Her smile was filled with years of love when she nodded. “You have too much on your mind to bother with us.”
“That is no excuse. Are the two of you happy here?” He leisurely walked her part way around the edge of the lake.
“Why wouldn’t we be? You feed us well, our duties are light and we can nap whenever we want. I’d say we are the happiest we have ever been.”
“I am glad to hear it.” Hannish noticed her slight limp and found a large rock for her to sit on. “Will this do for a chair?”
“Nicely.” She gladly let him help her sit down. “My Michael died last year, but then, I wrote you about that.”
He put a foot up on a nearby rock. “You cannae know how much your letters meant to me. Some took a good measure of time finding me, but they were as welcome as the sunrise. Was the voyage very miserable for the two of you?”
“Blanka had the sea sickness, but Cameron and your sister got us a stateroom and we were very comfortable. She is a good woman, your sister.”
“The best there is; our father would be very proud of her. How I would love to show him my accomplishments, and mother too, of course.”
“Well, I am proud of you, if that counts,” Donnel said.
“Indeed it does.”
“Blanka and I very much wanted to come to America. We have no other family and wanted to see you again before we die.”
He frowned. “I’ll not hear talk of dying.”
“We all must die and if we are here, we can know you will watch over our graves.” She reached for his hand. “You are not happy now and it pains me to see it, but you will be soon.”
He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. “Have you been reading tea leaves?”
Donnel giggled. “I do not need tea leaves to see what is before my very eyes. Your...”
“Mr. Hannish,” Sassy said behind him. “I have brought Donnel a plate, only you are in the way.”
The tone of her voice surprised him and he quickly moved aside. “Do forgive me, Sassy.”
She ignored him, carefully handed Donnel the plate and then a fork and a napkin, while Cathleen found a place to set a cup of apple cider. “Mr. Hannish, Cathleen and I have no last name. What are we to do about that?” Sassy demanded.
She was upset and he had never seen that side of her before. “I imagine you can choose whatever name you like.”
“Sassy,” said Donnel, “you can have our name. My sister and I would be honored to give it to you. We are the last of our family, you see.”
Sassy thought about that. “Sassy Donnel Blanka?”
Hannish smiled. “Perhaps you and Cathleen might fetch Blanka, and eat your lunch here. By the way, their maiden name is Covington.”
*
It seemed everyone wanted his attention, although Hannish managed to eat some of Jessie’s fried chicken and Halen’s spicy potato salad before he was distracted again. Pearl and Loretta were being a bit too flirty, and he was far more interested in talking to Claymore about the new trouble in the mines. He often glanced at the two sets of sisters. Blanka and Donnel seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the younger set and it warmed his heart. He was not the only one who watched them, but he failed to notice Mr. Wells keeping an eye on them as well.
Hannish did notice two men, whom he did not know, that were very interested in Millie. He was not surprised. Her flaming red hair, green eyes and slender figure attracted the attention of most men. She was married to a man she adored, and she never quite got over it after her husband hung himself. She blamed herself, which of course was nonsense. Perhaps this new country would help her forget. Hannish hoped so—he hoped so very much.
He found himself watching everyone, as though they were his children. Of course he had help; Alistair was just as studious and protective, especially of the women. It was then Hannish spotted Prescot and went to him. Prescot, he realized was keeping an eye on Millie too. It was the first time he noticed that. “You should rescue her, I doubt she has eaten.”
“Gladly,” Prescot said.
Just then, Pearl and Loretta came back. “Who might those two gentlemen be?” he asked, nodding toward the men talking to Millie.
“Oh,” said Pearl. “You have not heard. We have a new sheriff and that is his deputy.”
“I see, forgive me ladies, but I wish to make their acquaintance.” Prescot was having trouble stealing Millie away and Hannish was glad to help by distracting the Sheriff. Once accomplished, Millie’s smile, which she meant only for Prescot, was not lost on Hannish. Perhaps her happiness lived right under his roof—he could not think of a finer man for her.
“How long have you known?” McKenna asked. Lunch was over, the servants were beginning to load up the baskets, the visitors had drifted away and still, the two sets of sisters were deep in conversation.
“Known what?” Hannish asked.
“How old Sassy is?”
He slipped his arm around his sister. “Since the night she told me about Cathleen. She knows she is immature and was afraid the others would laugh at her. I wonder if she knows how quickly she is growing up.”
“I doubt she does. In some ways, Cathleen is the more mature of the two, and it is hard to tell who mothered whom, all those years in the orphanage. Sassy does exactly what Cathleen tells her to do and Cathleen is not shy about telling her either.”
“Yet, it makes perfect sense. Everyone at the orphanage thought Cathleen was the eldest.”
“I see,” McKenna said. “Then it does make sense. What do you suppose the four of them have been talking about all this time?”
“They are trying to choose a last name. Sassy’s certificate of birth says parents unknown.”
“She will need her birth certificate when she decides to marry. They both will.”
“You are right, I had not thought of that.”
*
Now that he was back in society somewhat, Hannish mounted his horse and went to town to see Amos Wells. The carpenter had recently moved from Denver and was temporarily housing his shop in a barn. He seemed to be a hardworking, honorable man and the furniture he had to show was of good quality. Hannish bought several pieces, with a promise to place more orders later.
“My sister is holding a garden party soon. Would you like to come, Mr. Wells? You can have a look around the place and get an idea of what we need.”
“Will Leesil be there?”
Hannish was not certain he liked that question, but he answered it anyway, “Aye.”
“I am surprised she is not yet married.”
“You fancy her?”
“Indeed I do. She is...well, I cannot seem to get her off my mind.”
“I see.” He did not know what else to say, so he simply tipped his hat and went back to his horse.
“I’ll bring the furniture around tomorrow, Mr. MacGreagor.”
Hannish mounted, nodded and rode away.
*
Hannish was not yet home when the telephone call came through. It rang so often now, most had grown accustomed to it and paid little attention. That is, until a call came for Miss Leesil. Sassy was so stunned when Alistair announced it in the kitchen, she could hardly move.
“You dinna suppose Old Mrs. Forthright found us, do you?” Cathleen whispered.
Sassy slowly got up, accepted the earpiece Alistair handed to her and put her mouth near the transmitter. “Hello?”
“It is Amos Wells from the hayride, Miss Leesil. Do you remember me?”
“Aye.”
“I was wondering...I mean there is to be a ball next week and I hoped I might take you.”
Sassy turned around and looked at McKenna. “You wish to take me to a ball?”
“I do,” Amos said.
“I dinna know how to dance. I thank you, Mr. Wells, but I cannae go. Good bye.” She heard him begin to say something more, but urgently hung up anyway. For the first time in days, she was speechless. She looked at Cathleen, at McKenna, at Alistair and then decided she best sit back down.
“I could teach you to dance, Sassy, it would not take but a few tries,” said Alistair.
“Do you wish to go, Sassy?” McKenna asked. “I could loan you a gown.” Still she did not answer and all anyone could do was watch Sassy get up and walk out of the kitchen.
“She is frightened,” Cathleen muttered. “She pretends nothing frightens her, but she is always quiet when it does.”
“‘Tis not yet time for her to be out in the world,” McKenna decided, “but it will be, and perhaps sooner than we thought.”
“She could marry me,” said Dugan. “I would protect her from the world.”
“Or me,” Brookton said.
McKenna grinned, “You too?”
Said Brookton, “Miss McKenna, we hardly see any others our age.”
“That is true,” McKenna admitted. “Perhaps we should send the two of you to town more often. Then, if you see a lass you prefer, we could...”
“Have another hayride?” Cathleen asked.
“Indeed we could, and this time we would tell everyone in advance.”
An hour later, Sassy was back to her old self, dismissing any discussion of Mr. Wells or his stupid ball. She was quite content with the world just the way it was, and had no plans to change it. Dugan, Keith and Brookton were all relieved, especially Keith.
After everyone had gone back to work, Cathleen giggled and whispered to Egan, “James would be surprised to hear this. He called Leesil a put-her all the time, and swore she would never catch a husband.” She covered her mouth and giggled again. “James fancied her sometimes and other times me.”
“How old is James,” Egan asked.
“He be thirteen now and him with a fine job in the mills of Scotland, makin’ his own pay and everything. But he’d never guess where we are. He’d never guess it in his wildest dreams.”
*
The next afternoon, Amos Wells drove his wagon up the lane and stopped in front of Marblestone Mansion. He wound the reins around the wagon post, climbed down and was heading for the door, when the footmen came out to help unload the new furniture. Eager to have a look inside, Amos grabbed an end table and followed the footmen inside. He was impressed with the place, but he was looking for something more – Sassy.
“Mr. Wells,” said Alistair. “Mr. MacGreagor wishes to see you in the study.”
“Very well.” He followed the butler into the study and shook hands with Hannish. “This is quite some place, Mr. MacGreagor.”
“I thank you. You would not happen to have a mounted grizzly head you are willing to sell? My sister teases me about putting one on the wall in here.”
“A bear head, no, I do not believe I do. I am not much of a hunter, you see, although there are bears in these woods.”
“So I found out last year when we began to build.” He reached into his drawer and pulled out a check. “I believe this is what we agreed upon.”
“Is Leesil around?”
Hannish’s smile faded. “Somewhere, I suppose. Is the check made out properly?”
Amos quickly glanced over it. “Oh, yes it is. Might I speak to Leesil for a moment?”
Hannish was about to ask what about, when he realized it was really none of his business. “Wait in the foyer and I shall try to find her.”
Amos went to the foyer where he waited and waited, turning his straw hat round and round in his hands the whole time. He watched his furniture being taken to other rooms in the house and waited some more.
At last, Hannish came back. Leesil is in her room resting.”
“Is she ill?” Amos Wells asked.
“Not that I have heard. Perhaps you might speak to her another time.”
Amos was not pleased, but he put his hat on, nodded and went out the door. Not a second later, Sassy walked into the parlor with a feather duster in her hand. She lifted the lamp off an end table next to one of the chairs, ran her duster across the tabletop and set the lamp back down.
Hannish smiled and went back to his study.
A small package had come in the mail the day before and it still sat open on his table. Inside was the carefully wrapped figurine of a woman in a blue ball gown, the one he found marked in his catalogue. When questioned, McKenna claimed she had not asked for it, and the only other person with the courage to go into his study uninvited was Sassy. He wrapped it back up and put it back in the box.
At length, he took the figurine out of the box, unwrapped it, went to the library and set it on an empty shelf where Sassy was bound to discover it. Satisfied, he decided to check on the men who took care of the horses and went out one of the back doors.
Seth and Waylan were good with the horses and the grounds, each was newly married and they rarely came to the mansion except to collect their pay. Normally, it was Hannish who went to see if they needed anything, and this time he realized a telephone for them would be a nice benefit. The two couples were pleased and afterward, he climbed the corral fence and sat on the top slat just to watch the horses for a while.
Had he looked, he would have seen Sassy watching him through an upstairs window.