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Hazel Baldwin caught up to Sarah early the next morning after breakfast. “How would you like to accompany me downtown today? I have my gown for the wedding to pick up from the seamstress’s shop, place cards to pick up from the printer, and the silversmith shop to visit. Tad and I have commissioned the loveliest set of silverware for you and Derrick.”
Goodness! “Th-thank you. That’s very gracious of you,” Sarah told her, then added, “It sounds like a busy morning.”
“Yes, the kitchen staff is busy preparing the food that can reasonably be prepared and stored ahead of time. We’ve added three assistants to help in there, along with three men to help the gardener with all the floral arrangements. We want this place to look spectacular.”
Mrs. Baldwin didn’t need to worry about that, Sarah thought wryly. Then her mind wandered back to the scene last night when Mark had escorted Felicia upstairs. She was troubled by his actions. Had they . . . spent time alone together that they shouldn’t have spent? Mark would never do that, she told herself fiercely. He’s a gentleman. But had he held Felicia’s hand? Had he kissed her? Why hadn’t he returned?
If Derrick were to learn how disturbed she was by those images, he might think she fancied Mark.
Which was ridiculous.
Or so she kept telling herself. Over and over.
However, some little devilish spirit inside her, which didn’t want him to spend any more time with Felicia than necessary, made her blurt, “I think we should invite the other women to go with us. Make it a special outing just for us females. What do you think?” She flashed a bright smile in hopes that Mrs. Baldwin would like her idea.
Mrs. Baldwin considered it and said, “I think that will be lovely. We could all lunch together at the Hillburn Restaurant afterwards. We’ll need to telephone ahead and make reservations.” Mrs. Baldwin clapped her gloved hands together, beaming. “Oh, it is such a thrill to be able to telephone, even if it is Harold Bloomfield’s company that beat Tad at the task. The telephone will eventually eliminate the need for errand boys altogether.”
Sarah had never used the contraption, so she didn’t have an opinion on it one way or the other. “What about Maddie?” she asked. “Is she too young? And Phoebe? Will she be here in time?”
Derrick’s sister and her husband were set to arrive at the Baldwin mansion from Casper, Wyoming sometime today.
“Phoebe won’t make it in time for that, I’m afraid. As for Maddie, I don’t normally allow her to attend such functions as this. After all, she is a little young, and she and Bruce are usually supervised by their governess, but seeing as how this is a special occasion, it couldn’t hurt this one time.”
It didn’t take long for Sarah to spread the word to her mother, Jessica, Amy, and Maddie regarding the outing. All of them were delighted and said they would be ready in a trice. But when it came time to invite Felicia, she was nowhere to be found upstairs. Sarah eventually found her outside, sitting on a bench under a large oak tree with Mark.
Her chest tightened when, instead of gazing at the sparkling blue water of the pond, they gazed into each other’s eyes and then leaned leaning toward each other. Would Mark kiss her?
“There you are!” she said loudly enough for them to spring apart. Mark’s face turned a deep shade of red. Caught you! She smirked at his discomfiture. “Mrs. Baldwin sent me to extend a special invitation to you this morning, Felicia. All of us females are going into town to take care of some last-minute items for the wedding. And then we’ll have lunch afterward at the Hillburn.”
“Oh, well . . .” Felicia’s voice trailed off. She slid her hand over Mark’s, batting her eyes at him. “I was hoping to spend the day with you . . . love.”
“Yes, I . . . was hoping for that, too . . . sweetheart.”
Sarah’s gaze flitted from Mark back to Felicia. For a couple in love, they sure seemed awkward expressing it. Then again, she sometimes felt shy around Derrick, and especially so when others were watching them.
When Felicia’s hand moved up Mark’s arm and stopped at his bicep, Sarah gritted her teeth. Get your hand off him! She was surprised by the seething rage she felt and forced herself to unclench her teeth.
“You’ll have plenty of time with each other later. Come, Felicia. We want to get to know you better.” And get you away from Mark.
Felicia turned to face Sarah, her eyes troubled. But then she smiled. “That sounds . . . fun. I’ll go fetch my reticule.”
“And I think I’ll find the men and see what they’re doing today. After I interview with Mr. Baldwin, that is.” He leaned over to give Felicia a kiss on the cheek. Sarah’s heart nearly stopped beating.
“I should think he would be too busy this morning for that.” Through Derrick, Sarah had already been apprised of the extent of damage that had been done to the telephone equipment. Derrick had said something about his father wanting to begin proceedings on a suit of action against Harold Bloomfield.
“You never know. Mr. Baldwin might just be in need of a guard. Or two,” Felicia said cryptically before smiling at Mark and walking toward the mansion.
Once Felicia was out of earshot, Sarah hissed, “What are you doing, Mark?”
He gave her an innocent look. “What do you mean?”
Planting one hand on her hip, she glared at him. “I’ll have you know that you practically ruined Felicia’s reputation last night.”
His face turned ashen. “What? Sarah . . .” His mouth hung open and he snapped it shut before trying again. “I would never do anything to ruin a young lady’s reputation. You know that.”
It hurt to say the words, but she felt it needed to be done. “Then where were the two of you last night?”
“Felicia went to bed. I thought she made it clear at supper that she wasn’t feeling well.”
“Yes, and you escorted her upstairs. But you didn’t come back down for the social hour.”
Mark’s eyebrow shot up. “Jealous?”
Sarah’s face flushed. “No, of course not. I . . . was concerned about you . . . as a friend, that’s all.”
Mark carefully schooled his features before replying. “I was more tired than I first thought and decided to go to bed, too.” When she continued to glare at him silently, he added lamely, “In my own room.”
Sarah’s brows pulled tightly together. She wanted to stay mad at him, but he sounded so sincere, how could he possibly be telling anything but the truth? “All right,” she said, softening her tone. “I’m sorry I made that assumption. It’s just that, well . . .”
“Well, what?” he asked when she didn’t continue.
“I’m surprised that you brought Felicia in the first place, to be honest. You never showed an interest in anyone back home.”
“No, I didn’t,” Mark said softly, his dark eyes holding a glint of something Sarah couldn’t define. “Guess it just took leaving Dreviston to learn what I truly wanted.”
His words sent arrows of remorse through her heart, and the worst part of it was, she didn’t even know why. I am marrying Derrick in two days. Why am I feeling like this? What sort of trick was God playing? Seeing Mark leave had been so hard the first time. She wasn’t sure if she could go through that heartache again, even if she’d be the one leaving him behind the second time around.
Why was life so difficult at times? Why couldn’t the path be clear before her?
Lord, I can’t do this. Please . . . She wasn’t even sure what she was praying for. Whatever it was, she needed to be strong and show both Mark and Derrick that she was devoted to Derrick. “Mark, please hear me out. As a friend, I’m asking you not to be alone with Felicia anymore. I feel like she’s hiding something.”
To her surprise, Mark chuckled. “She’s not as open as you are, I’ll grant you that. But I know plenty about who she is, the person she is inside.”
“She was staring at Mrs. Baldwin’s brooch last night,” Sarah felt compelled to say. “You may not have heard this, but Mrs. Baldwin had a diamond necklace stolen not too long ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Mark said easily. “If it makes you feel any better, Felicia isn’t the kind of woman who wears a lot of jewelry. I’ve rarely seen her wearing any.”
That did actually soothe Sarah’s worry a bit. “Good to know.”
Mark’s eyes glazed over, making Sarah turn to see what he was looking at. Derrick’s father was leaving in his carriage. Bringing his gaze back to hers, he snapped, “Well, I must be heading out.”
Sarah wasn’t sure what to think of his abrupt manner. Really, Mark had all day to catch up to Mr. Baldwin. As a guest here, and with so many things to do—the back lawn was set up for croquet and badminton, and of course, there were plenty of horses to ride—why did Mark feel such a compulsion to bother Derrick’s father when the man had more important matters to tend to?
Sarah was still puzzling over it an hour later when the ladies all settled into one of the Baldwins’ carriages. “Take us downtown, please, Timothy.”
“Yes, madam,” said the driver.
The women chatted on the way—except Felicia, who remained quiet and observant once more. Maybe she’s just shy and feeling out of her element. Amy, on the other hand, with her vivacious personality, took over almost the entire conversation. Jessica speared her with long glances and smiles that expressed both exasperation and love for her sister. Amy was like a kid in a candy shop, and only a small portion better behaved than Maddie, who also talked nonstop about the various shops and people they saw on the streets of Denver.
By the time they arrived at the town square, Sarah could tell that Mrs. Baldwin’s patience was running thin. Perhaps because of this, Mrs. Baldwin pitched an idea to the company of females. “Why don’t we split up so that we may accomplish our list faster? I will go into the seamstress’s shop and check on my gown. It should be ready, but the seamstress may need me to try it on one last time. Sarah, Amy, and Maddie, why don’t you go into the printer’s shop and pick up the place cards for me? Charge it to Tad’s account. And then I will meet you all at the restaurant after I also check in on the silversmith. Deidre and Jessica, you’re most welcome to come with me if you’d like, if you think these young ladies can act with decorum by themselves.” She sent a pointed look toward Amy and Maddie.
Abashed, Maddie’s eyelids lowered and she said demurely, “We will, Mother.”
“Very good,” Mrs. Baldwin said briskly, patting her shoulder. “Sarah, please watch over her for me.”
“I will. No need to worry.”
Maddie raised wary eyes to Sarah, and she winked. Maddie smiled.
“Amy, that goes for you, too,” Jessica warned.
Sighing, Amy said, “Yes, Jessica.” As her sister turned away, Amy muttered under her breath, “Can I help it if I’m excited to be in a new place? Even at a glance, I can see that Denver is much different than Dreviston or Alexandria.”
“You’re right,” Sarah murmured. She couldn’t blame Amy for being excited. It was different, and it would take her some time to get used to living here.
Felicia addressed Mrs. Baldwin. “Do you mind if I go into the seamstress’s shop with you, ma’am?”
A look of surprise came over Mrs. Baldwin’s face, but then she smiled, though the smile held a brittle quality. “No, I don’t mind at all.”
Felicia followed the older women into the seamstress’s shop while Timothy drove the younger ladies to Chain Bridge Street. “Whoa!” he called out to the horses. They stopped in front of a storefront by the name of Harker’s Fine Printing. The girls hopped out and went inside. And if Maddie hopped out a little too exuberantly for a girl of her age, Sarah wasn’t going to tell her mother.
“What can I do for you young ladies?” the salesman asked, lowering his glasses a bit as he peered down at them.
Amy, who was almost his height, straightened and said, “We’re here to pick up the Baldwins’ order. Mrs. Baldwin said to charge it to their account.”
“Very good. Just a moment.”
The man went around the corner to a back room and returned a minute later with two packages in hand.
“Here you are, one for Mrs. Baldwin and another for Mr. Baldwin.”
“Wonderful. Thank you.” Amy smiled at him as she took both packages in her hands.
With that errand done, Amy stashed the packages inside the carriage. Then the three decided to head into the ice cream parlor down the street while they waited for the others. “Mama will be upset that we’re spoiling our appetites,” Maddie said before her tongue darted out for a lick.
“What she doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” Amy said after licking her own.
Feeling like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar, Sarah said nothing.
“Mama doesn’t like ice cream cones, anyway,” Maddie went on, oblivious to Sarah’s growing discomfort.
“Why’s that?” Amy asked.
“Because of the way a person has to eat it. She says it’s like a frog sticking out its tongue to catch a fly.”
Amy burst out, laughing. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Mama is a very proper woman.”
“I can tell.” Amy sighed, adding, “And so is Jessica. She drives me crazy sometimes.”
Just then, movement on the opposite side of the street drew Sarah’s attention to the window. Was that Mark coming out of that building? It was. A sign outside read:
Pinkerton National Detective Agency
Denver Division
And was that a human eye on the sign as well? “We never sleep,” Sarah read aloud. I guess so. What was Mark doing at the Pinkerton Agency?
