The Fortune
by
Janice Sagraves
ONE
It had been close to two months since his Angel had taken a life to save his. And in that time he had watched her eat herself up about it. She didn’t blame herself – for it had been so necessary – but just the thought of killing someone seemed to nag at her. And even with their best efforts, there seemed to be nothing he and others could do to change that. Out of desperation, he had talked her into going into town the previous week and having a long talk with Reverend Fordyce, a pretty good man at handling problems. This time he hadn’t been so successful, so something else had to be tried. His legs squeezed around the big black, and he sat taller in the saddle as they moved along the road from Bantree. He hadn’t allowed himself to grin in so long that it felt unnatural, but today he didn’t feel guilty about it. The posters that had been tacked to buildings all over town had given him the idea, and he couldn’t wait to get home and tell her. With a click of his teeth and a kick he urged the horse into a brisk trot. This plan of action that he hoped would ease his Angel’s troubled mind excited him as if he were a schoolboy. And, to be factual about it, he looked forward to the outing himself.
*******
A more magical evening no man could ask for. Darkness had not yet settled in, but dusk made it evident that it wouldn’t be long. Cool had already begun to override the August heat, and jackets and wraps felt good. Torches burned all around and seemed to make the colors dance and come to life. The sounds and smells of people and animals mingled with the crisp bite of the late summer air and the sharp scent of the pines. Even the music from the saloons in town added an enchanting quality to it all.
Adam Cartwright walked with his beautiful wife’s arm wrapped around his. He couldn’t miss the light that flicked in those deep violet eyes, and it buoyed his spirits. “I don’t think I need to wonder if you’re enjoying yourself.”
“Oh, I am,” Angelica Cartwright looked around at him, and child-like exuberance transformed her face, “but I can’t imagine what made you think of bringing me to a carnival.”
“We haven’t been away from the ranch together but very little in a couple months. I thought we just needed some time with only the two of us, and when I found those posters last week, I knew where we would go.”
She snickered and glanced around them. “I wouldn’t exactly call this being alone.”
He patted the back of her hand then squeezed her fingers. “I think you know what I mean. Away from work, away from children, away from everything that we had gotten so accustomed to. We needed a change, even if it is only going to be for an hour or so.”
“Well, I think it is a splendid idea. I haven’t been to one of these since I was a little girl. Daddy used to take us every time one came to Bangor.”
“Then it was the perfect idea. Maybe next time one comes back here the children will be old enough to bring.”
“I think that would be wonderful.” Her hold tightened on his arm. “But tonight it can be just you and me.”
“Now tell me where you would like to go first.”
“I don’t know there are so many things to see and do and experience. Maybe we could just wander around and see what catches our fancy.”
“All right, wandering it will be. And you just let me know when you want to stop.”
They continued their casual stroll as people jostled and bustled around them. Barkers called out the virtues of their particular exhibition to lure folks in. They stopped long enough for Adam to get a bag of roasted peanuts then they resumed their meander. After several minutes she tugged him to a stop.
“Oh, Adam, look a fortune teller’s tent.”
His eyes followed her pointing finger to a red-and-white striped tent. A sign over the doorway read, Madame Consuelo, Mystic Reader of the Stars. “Maybe you should go in and get your fortune told.” A peanut crunched in his teeth.
“It might be fun at that, not that I believe in that sort of thing.”
His heavy black eyebrows lowered into a mock scowl. “No, of course not, but it would be something to talk about the next time you attend a tea with the Bantree ladies.”
She giggled as if this would be the most delicious thing in the world. “I feel almost salacious.”
“Well, you don’t have to be perfect all the time.” They stopped before the tent’s doorway. “Now you go on in, and I’ll wait right here, just me and my peanuts.” Another one crunched in his teeth, and he grinned.
After a tiny nudge from him, she pushed aside the tent’s door flap and entered. Inside she found herself in a dark, ethereal realm. Candles burned in spots near the drapery hung walls but not enough to give off much illumination. The spicy smell of incense added an air of mystery that titillated. She crossed deeper into the room, her footfalls muffled by a thick Persian rug. “Hello.”
She had begun to think no one there and started to go back out when a rustle behind her made her turn. A dark, smallish woman – maybe in her later twenties – stood near a curtain at the back wall. In her left hand she held a long, tapered candle in an odd looking holder. Its flame flitted in the air as she came closer to Angelica, and the golden bangles around the hips of her ruffled red skirt glinted in its light.
“I have come have my fortune told by Madame Consuelo.”
“I am Madame Consuelo.” She extended her other hand out. “That will be one dollar.”
Angelica thought that a bit pricey for such an entertainment, but Adam would be disappointed if she just left. She rummaged in her reticule and handed the woman a dollar piece.
Madame Consuelo stuck the coin into a small beaded pouch that hung from the waistband of her skirt then gestured to the chair on the other side of a small table. “Please sit down.”
Once Angelica had taken her seat, the woman sat across from her and placed the candle between them. Its light flickered to show off the woman’s raven black tresses that hung below the scarf she wore tied around her head. And for the first time, Angelica paid close attention to the keen red-brown eyes before her. All at once a feeling of unease made her almost wish she hadn’t come in.
“Remove your gloves and give me your hands. And I must know your name so the reading will be more personal.”
Angelica couldn’t understand why the need to give her name, but then she knew nothing about fortune telling. So she told her then removed her black lace fingerless gloves and held out both hands.
Madame Consuelo took her hands and pulled her fingertips over the palms. “I see that you are a very happy woman. You have a child that is not your own, though you love her as much as you do the ones that are.”
“Yes, but I don’t understand how…”
“Please, I must concentrate.” Again she dragged her fingers across the palms of Angelica’s hands. “You are married to a man that is very highly thought of and is considered a pillar of the community.”
Angelica swallowed hard but said nothing.
“You recently endured a dark time in your life, and you have…” But the young woman’s voice faded, her eyes closed, and her chin drew down. A soft moan ran through her, and she almost appeared to be in pain. Her hands closed around Angelica’s in a grip of steel. “I see a man, a tall man the color of shadows.” Another moan left her, and her head tilted to one side. “A mist is closing around him, engulfing him and taking him from me. Danger will touch this man, and it will be something that no one will have it in their power to stop.”
Angelica felt as if she had been wrapped in ice. Her hands had begun to turn numb from the grip that enclosed them, but that wasn’t what held her.
“As a result of what touches him, all who know and care about him will be touched. And you will be touched most of all.”
“My husband.”
“It is possible, but it could be someone else that is close to you.”
“Do go on.”
“A swirl of strong wind is blowing the mist all around him; it makes it difficult for me to see.” Her hands closed even more on Angelica’s. “I see trees, tall imposing dark trees. It is almost as if they are reaching out for him.”
Angelica tried to convince herself that she didn’t believe any of this. “Maybe a storm.”
“Yes, it is possible. Or it could mean death, I cannot say. Some things are not for us to have foreknowledge of.”
“Then at least tell me what he looks like.”
The woman’s dense eyebrows dipped into a frown. “I am sorry – I can only say that he is tall, of broad shoulders and muscular build. I cannot see his face or even the color of his eyes and hair.”
“You must try.”
“No, I see…” Madame Consuelo’s eyelids tightened. “Wait, I do see something more. It is in a belt he wears around him. I get a sense of threat from it, but not to him.” She began to nod. “Yes, I see it better now. It is a gun. He wears a gun.”
“Many men out here wear guns. He could be…”
With a sudden jerk, Madame Consuelo’s head came up, and her eyes opened as she released Angelica’s hands. “It is too late. He is gone. The mist and the wind have taken him.” She reached out and touched the other woman’s wrist. “I am sorry; sometimes what I see is not pleasant.”
“Please, tell me all that you saw.”
“I already have. It was not very clear, except for the gun and the trees.”
Angelica’s legs had started to tremble, and she wondered if they would be able to carry her out of there. She jerked her hands away as she stood and wobbled in place for several seconds then she whirled and flounced out.
A slim, dark man – dressed in the same colorful peasant attire and in some ways darker than Consuelo – came out from behind the curtain. He stopped behind her chair and grasped her shoulder.
Consuelo placed her hand over his, and the tears that welled in her eyes glittered in the candlelight. “I think the worst part of it, Philippe, is the look in their eyes when I tell them what I truly see.”
“I have told you that you should stop. Only tell them what I learn about them, nothing more.”
“I cannot. When it comes, as I know it will, I cannot keep it from them, it would not be right.”
He stooped beside her chair and held her head against his chest. She didn’t cry, she had learned not to, but it felt good to be in her husband’s arms, and feel him stroke her hair. She tried not to let herself think about losing her Philippe, and wondered if that was what lay in store for this woman.
*******
Adam had no idea what time it was when he woke up, but he guessed it not to be much past midnight. If it were closer to morning the darkness would not be so intense. He turned over to face Angelica’s side of the bed, and his arm reached out but found it empty. The sheet and pillowcase were cool to the touch, which told him that she had left some time ago. He flung the covers back and swung his legs over the side of the mattress and sat up. His eyes narrowed in an attempt to see. She wasn’t in the chair. His feet slid into his slippers, and he pulled his robe from one of the bed’s foot posts and crossed to the other side of the room. He couldn’t see that Elizabeth was still in her bed, but he could hear her soft breathing, deep and even. Wherever Angelica had gone, she had gone alone.
Adam pulled the bedroom door closed behind him then gave his robe belt a tug. As he came around the foot of the staircase, his eyes lit on the far end of the settee. No one had to tell him whose dark silhouette he saw.
His slippers scuffed over the plank floor as he came to stand before the dark form. “Angel.” He saw her head move, and he knew she had just looked at him, though he couldn’t see her eyes. He sat down beside her and groped around until he found one of her hands. “I missed you.”
“I couldn’t sleep.”
“You’ve been doing a lot of that as of late. But this time I think it’s a different problem.”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do. Ever since you saw that fortune teller, getting words out of you has been like pulling teeth. And I know I’m right, because you were having a wonderful time up until then.” He found her chin, and he turned her face to him for he knew she had looked away. “Angelica, don’t put any stock in what she told you. People like that just say what they think you would want to hear.”
“I don’t think so, because she didn’t tell me anything that I wanted to know.”
“You told me that you don’t believe in this sort of thing. Sweetheart, nobody can know what the future holds.”
“Don’t tell me that you have never had a premonition of future events, or known when someone you care about was in trouble. Don’t tell me that you have never known that something would happen before it did. You don’t know how you know what you know; you just know that you do. I have talked at length with Joe and Hoss and your father, and I know better. Even my own mother has had such dreams before, so don’t tell me it is impossible.”
For a long moment Adam just sat there with her hand in his. More than once he had had such things happen where his family was concerned, but he wouldn’t admit that now. He needed to try to talk Angelica out of her mindset.
“All right, for argument’s sake, let’s say that this woman thought she was telling you the truth. Sometimes we experience something like that and we misinterpret it, or just plain read it wrong.” He scooted closer to her and put an arm around her shoulders, and he could feel her body quiver. “Angel, goodness knows that we have enough problems as it is, so don’t go looking for them. If she’s right – and I don’t believe she is – there’s no guarantee that it’ll even happen the way she says it will, if it happens at all. It’s like throwing a rock into a pool of water. It distorts your reflection and nothing looks as it really is.”
She leaned her head against him. “She was rather vague. She couldn’t even tell me who she saw.”
“Well there you have it. This was all for show. It was all an act and she had to make it as mysterious as she could. She gets paid for doing this, and if she doesn’t give people what they expect, word of mouth will spread, and she’ll lose business.”
“I suppose that does make sense.”
“Of course it does.” He kissed her on the side of the head. “Now let’s go back to bed.” He took her hand again and stood and pulled her up. “And we won’t worry about this any more.”
Angelica felt his arms go around her, and she wished she could see his face. She needed the reassurance of those dark hazel eyes.
“I said we won’t worry about it any more.”
After a long silence. “No.”
She followed as he tugged her in the direction of the bedroom. Her heart wanted to believe him, but her mind told her not to be so quick. Her Adam was a very learned, very astute, and very knowledgeable man, and was probably right. But as much as she loved and trusted him, she knew that he could also be wrong. There were, after all, mysteries in the universe that not everyone could comprehend. And then again, maybe Madame Consuelo had been wrong or – as Adam had said – putting on an act. At any rate, she hoped so.
TWO
It had been three days since Angelica’s unnerving experience at the carnival. But nothing had happened, in fact, things seemed to be more settled than they had been in a while. Life went on as usual.
“Here’s the last one, mum,” Maggie O’Shea said in her hearty Irish brogue, as she took a bread pan from the oven. She held it close to her face and sniffed. “Ah, this will be grand with me Mulligan.”
“Indeed it will.” Angelica took if from her and put it on the table with the other four loaves. “And some of it right now while it’s hot enough to melt the butter would make a fine mid-morning treat.”
Elizabeth left her brothers at play in the corner and toddled over to her mother. Angelica picked up the child, whose eyes went straight to the bread. She pinched a tiny piece from the corner of one of the cooler loaves, blew on it then fed it into the little girl’s mouth. The small jaws worked as she put her new teeth to good use.
“That child’s nobody’s fool. She knows what’s good, and she knows how to get it.” Maggie snickered then turned back to her kitchen duties.
Angelica had reached down to pluck off another bite when an explosion outside jarred the inner world of the house. She knew only too well the sound of a shotgun. “Maggie, take Elizabeth and stay here with the boys.”
Once the child had been transferred to the housekeeper’s arms, Angelica dashed out through the dining room. The moment she got out onto the deep front porch, her heart went into her feet. Bedlam reigned as men ran to the barn.
“Boss!” Chris McCutcheon – Adam’s foreman – disappeared into the cool grayness of the barn. After several seconds he came back out beside Adam, a large, shaggy brown dog between them.
“We’re all right, but it was a near miss.” Adam reached down and patted the dog on the side of the neck. “Another inch or two to the left, though, and it woulda got us both. But luckily enough the only causality was the barn door.” His gaze lowered to the gaping maw in the wood.
“Adam!”
Adam’s eyes rose as his voice dropped. “Not a word about this in front of her.”
“But Boss, she hadta hear…”
“I said not a word.”
Juva Bailey positioned himself to block her view of the ventilated door.
Angelica rushed at her husband, her eyes wide and livid with fear. “I heard a shotgun. And don’t try to tell me that isn’t what I heard.”
“We just had ourselves a little accident, but nobody was hurt.”
Angelica looked at the expressionless faces around her and knew they were keeping something from her. “Please, Adam, don’t insult my intelligence. I know what I heard, and I know well what kind of damage they are capable of. And if it is such a mere trifle I would think that you all wouldn’t look so grim.”
“It made a lot of noise, and a couple of shells were spent, but that’s it, end of story.” He took hold of her arm and turned her around. “Now let’s go back into the house.” He sniffed the air. “I smell bread, and it makes realize that I’m hungry.” He started across the yard with her. “I think I’ll have a Hoss-sized hunk with some of Maggie’s mulberry jam.”
“Adam, I don’t…”
“Maybe two and a cup of tea with it.”
After Adam and Angelica had gone inside, Alfonse Sweet parted his way through, a double-barreled shotgun held out in one hand. “It was that dang blasted shotgun with the hair triggers.”
Chris’s face turned tomato red. “If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a blue million times, don’t leave that thing layin’ around loaded. I thought I made myself clear enough that it’s dangerous as a forked lightning bolt.” His teal eyes roved over the men, and he knew when they came to the guilty party. “Wy.”
Eighteen-year-old Wyatt Donnelly thrust his hands into his front britches pockets, and had begun to squirm. “I was going hunting for some sage hens for Gibby to cook for supper. But I stopped to help Linc and Juva unload the wagon. I propped it against one of the back wheels. I guess someone knocked it over.”
“I guess somebody did.” Chris yanked his hat off to leave his caramel-colored hair in disarray. “Wyatt, I want you to take that thing out and sink it in the deepest part of Barlow Creek you can find. It’s just a matter o’ time before somebody gets killed or has a body part blowed off, and this time it coulda been the Boss. Now you do as I say, and Fonse, get that door fixed before Mrs. Cartwright sees it.”
*******
Angelica’s shoes scuffed over the dry, hard packed ground as she made her way toward the barn, purpose in her stride. Her petite hands were balled at her sides, and determination shaped every feature of her delicate face. “Mr. Sweet.”
Fonse just about swallowed his tongue as he jerked to his feet and whirled to face her. “Yes, ma’am.”
“I need for you to drive me into town.”
“I don’t know about that, ma’am. I’ve gotta lot o’ work to do, so I’d havta ask the Boss first.”
“He is not to know anything about it. This is something entirely between you and me, so we will go now before he gets back from the Haymes’. I hope you understand.”
“No, ma’am, can’t say as I do, but you being the Boss’ missus and all I s’pose it’s all right.”
“Of course it is. Now get the buckboard hitched up while I get ready.”
He tipped his hat as he gave his head a duck. “Yes, ma’am. Right away, ma’am.”
She spun and the hem of her skirt raised puffs of dust as she flounced back to the house. “And I know about the hole in the door.”
Fonse pushed his hat back on his head as he watched her go. Dang, but she was the most cussed, uppity female he thought he had ever met, and he couldn’t figure out why the Boss kept trying keep things from her. But she was a good woman, and good for the Boss, and after her actions with a shotgun back in June he didn’t feel like crossing her. He turned back to his repair job of the door. “Well I got it finished anyway.” Then he picked up his toolbox and went grumbling into the barn.
*******
Once they had reached Bantree, Angelica had Fonse drive her out to the plot
of land at the edge of town that Siddon Banning had donated for the carnival
people’s use while they were there. As the tents and wagons came into sight,
she noticed right off that some of the magic had faded away in the light
of day.
“Ma’am, I don’t think this is such a good idea. I’ve heard things about carnival folk.”
“Of course you have, and so have I and everyone else, but that doesn’t make them true. And even if they are, this close to town, I don’t think they will try anything. And you won’t be that far away.”
Fonse’s mouth crimped as he pulled the team to a halt. If he had to come all the way to Bantree he had planned on a cold beer or two, maybe even three. But if he left the Boss’ missus and something happened, he was a dead man, and he knew it. And that didn’t mean it would be by the Boss’ hand. “Yes, ma’am.” He helped her down, and stayed at a discreet distance behind her as she walked into the encampment.
The first person she came to was a lanky, angular man that she recognized as one of the barkers from the other night. If she remembered correct he had been touting the talents of three harem girls as they gyrated in a fairly suggestive dance.
He gave his head a courteous bow. “Good morning, madam.” His wary eyes flicked toward Fonse, and the large pistol on his hip.
“Good morning. I would like to be directed to where I can find Madame Consuelo.”
“I’m afraid Madame Consuelo doesn’t give private readings.”
“I understand that, but that isn’t why I am here. I would just like to talk with her.”
“It is all right, Jacob, I will take care of this.”
Angelica looked around as a dark, striking man with a head full of curly, blue-black hair approached her. He took her hand into his warm grasp and kissed the back of it. “I am Philippe Torres, Madame Consuelo’s husband. I handle her business affairs behind the scenes, as well as perform in the show.”
They began to walk along a row of tents, Fonse right behind them.
Angelica’s face broke into a bright smile. “Of course, you were the one with the beautifully trained horse. Such a graceful, lovely creature. It was easy to see that an excellent and gentle hand had been used in his schooling.”
“Gracias. You sound as if you know much about horses.”
“Not really, only what I have learned from my husband. He too is an excellent hand with horses, and he enjoyed yours very much.”
“He sounds like someone I would like to talk to. In our travels I do not meet many who know fine horses.” They came to a stop at an ornate gypsy wagon painted in bright, gaudy colors. He extended his hand out before him. “This is my wife, Consuelo Santiago y de la Luna de Torres. I will leave you ladies to talk.” Again he took Angelica’s hand and kissed it. “It was very nice to talk to you. Before we leave you and your husband must come back, and maybe we can talk about horses.”
“He would like that very much.”
Philippe bowed his head then left them.
Angelica turned to Fonse. “It’s all right, Mr. Sweet. I’m sure I’m quite safe.”
“That may be so, ma’am, but the Boss’d have my hide if he ever found out I let you outta my sight.” He gestured to one of the tents not so far away. “I’ll be right over there.” Then he tipped his hat to the ladies and walked away.
Angelica stepped closer to the woman. “You may not remember me. Angelica Cartwright, you gave me a reading three nights ago.”
“Oh, yes, I remember you very well. Please sit down.”
Angelica sat on the bench beside her and her eyes went to what the demure woman held on her lap. “What a beautiful baby.”
“Her name is Ora.”
“My husband has taught me a few words in Spanish. I know that that means gold, and it is very fitting because she certainly is a treasure.”
“We think so. Maybe you would like to hold her.”
“I would like that very much.”
Angelica took the onyx-haired child that she guessed to be eight months but no more. The dark, sparkling eyes met with hers, and the tiny mouth turned in a wide grin. It lightened Angelica’s heart, but it didn’t dim her reason for being there.
“Señora Cartwright, I know why you have come, and I wish there was something more that I could tell you. But I told you everything that I saw. My visions are not always so clear; in fact, this one was clearer than most.”
“You said that the man you saw was the color of shadows. I take that that you meant he was dark.”
“I only meant that he was gray and featureless like a shadow. I could make out his shape and height, but nothing else. If he were to stand before me right now I would not know it was him.”
The baby began to play with the cameo brooch pinned at the collar of Angelica’s dress.
“You also said that danger would touch him. Well, today a shotgun went off and the shot went through the door while my husband was inside the barn. He wasn’t hurt, no one was, thank the Lord, but I wondered if maybe that could be what you spoke of.”
“I admit that that could be it, but I have no way of knowing without another reading, and even then I could guarantee nothing.”
“Then maybe, since I am already here, you could…”
“Angelica.”
With a jerk, Angelica looked around. Adam stood before her, and her throat squeezed as her spine stiffened at his black expression. Fonse stood with him, and the man looked as if he were about to walk into a hangman’s noose.
Angelica handed the child back to her mother, and came to her feet. She could tell that he was displeased with her. “I didn’t know you were coming to town.”
“I had some business to attend to.”
“Adam, this is Consuelo. This is my husband, Adam Cartwright.”
Adam tipped his hat to her. “Ma’am, it was very kind of you to entertain my wife, but now we need to go home. Muchas gracias.”
“You are very welcome, Señor Cartwright.”
Then he tipped his hat to her again and started away with Angelica.
“Adam, I thought another reading…”
“We won’t talk about it here.”
Angelica felt his fingers tighten on her wrist. It wasn’t to the point of being painful, but it conveyed his dissatisfaction better than words. She caught those dark eyes as they flicked to her, and she suspected that fireworks awaited her at home.
THREE
Angelica stood on the front porch, her eyes directed out toward the barn. She could just imagine what kind of tongue lashing Mr. Sweet was on the receiving end of, and it caused chill bumps to form along her arms. She rubbed at them. Adam had a temper; she knew this, though he had never really lost it with her, but she had seen and heard of episodes with the men. Joe had once told her that Adam had been better able to conceal and control said temper before Vince Decker had come close to killing him. Stretch, the real Adam, however, felt no need to use such temperance.
She jumped as the small barn door slammed open then shut. As he drew closer to her that black scowl became more evident, and so did her trepidation. “Adam, I didn’t mean to…”
“Inside.” He whisked past her and stomped across the porch.
With a gulp, Angelica gathered her skirt and petticoats into her hand and followed after him.
Adam closed the front door with a modicum more restraint than he had the one on the barn. “Sit down.”
Angelica wasn’t afraid of him, but the thought of those cutting words she had heard him unleash on others did unnerve her some. With the most elegant, reserved deportment she could muster, she sat on the wine-colored settee. Her eyes stayed riveted to him as he came to stand before the large stone fireplace, his back to her. His arms crossed in front of him as he looked down into the dormant hearth. She waited for the other shoe to drop, and it didn’t take long.
“Angelica, I thought we had gotten this nonsense settled the other night.”
“I am not so sure that it is nonsense.” Her fingers tangled together in her lap. “I know about the barn door. You didn’t hide a thing from me.”
She saw the muscles tense in his back from where his shirt was drawn taught over it. Now she expected his tirade against what she had done to start, but he just stood there, and his head seemed to lower a little. She rose from the settee and her skirt brushed across the floor as she went to stand beside him. But the moment she saw his face her heart ached. This wasn’t what she had anticipated. Any sign of anger had vanished to leave his features gentle and left him looking more like one of his sons. He looked at her and those bottomless, poignant eyes almost broke her composure. She reached out and touched her fingertips to his cheek.
“When I found out you were in town, I knew where you’d gone, and it frightened me beyond words.”
“I don’t see why, I was perfectly safe. My reluctant protector was with me. He hadn’t wanted to take me without your knowledge, but you know how persuasive I can be when I set my mind to it.”
“Do I ever.” For several seconds he just stood there, then his voice started again low but steady. “When I was younger,” he snickered, “quite a bit younger, I went to a carnival with my father and brothers. Hoss and Joe had also brought their girls along. One of them was the daughter of one of the wealthiest men in Virginia City. She wasn’t a bad girl, just strong willed with a thirst for adventure and she wandered away.” A heavy breath swelled his chest. “Two of the men with the show abducted her. They planned to get ransom for her from her father. Pa and I had gone on home, and Joe and Hoss were left on their own to get her back.”
“I assume that they did get her back.”
He nodded, and his eyes lowered to the floor. “With the help of some of the carnival people.” His gaze returned to her. “You know that I would give all I have to get you back and have you safe.” He took her hand from the side of his face and pressed it to his lips. “I guess I just over reacted a bit, but I want you to promise me that you won’t go back there. I want you to put this nonsense behind you. I don’t know what she told you, and I don’t want to know. I’ll let that be your secret. I just want your promise that you won’t go back.”
“If it’s that important, I give you me word.” She took his face in her hands. “It isn’t worth hurting or upsetting you. And like you said, it was probably all just for show.” She put her arms around his neck and felt his swallow her.
This had come between them enough. She closed her eyes to shut out the daylight and squeezed herself closer to him. This couldn’t rule their lives – it would be like waiting for an explosion that could never come. For you, my love, she thought, for you.
*******
Angelica fell to her knees at his side. His blood was so red. She placed her hands flat against his chest and it seeped between her fingers. He wasn’t breathing and she felt no heartbeat. She said his name over and over and over, but he didn’t answer. He didn’t move. His eyes didn’t open.
Then she spied the shotgun where it lay in the dirt. Smoke still issued from its vile barrels. It had killed him. It had killed her husband.
She put her hands to her face, and smeared it with his blood. If only she could run. But where would she go that she could escape this? Her head tilted back and it began to rain. Crimson drops filled her mouth and her eyes as she screamed. If only she could die. She screamed again.
“Angelica.”
Someone touched her but she tried to pull away, and she screamed. But then the screaming became not her own.
“Angelica, wake up.”
Someone shook her and she tried to free herself from their hold.
“Angelica, it’s Adam, wake up.”
Her breath caught and her eyelids flew up like window shades. From somewhere around her someone or something wailed with the shrillest unhappiness. She looked into the face that she could just make out in the darkness. Her hand trembled as it went out and touched the face. “Adam.”
“Yes, sweetheart, I’m right here.”
The wailing continued and grew louder. He started to leave her, but her frantic fingers clamped onto his arm. They were pried loose and her hands placed in her lap with the assurance that he would return. He caressed her cheek then got up. She tried to see, but it was too dark. And then a wriggling, furious, bawling bundle was put into her arms. She felt the soft curls against her face as she hugged it close. Her own tears started as masculine arms went around her and the baby. At last it had begun to seep into her brain that it had only been a dream. But such a dream she prayed she never had again.
*******
Angelica stood at the window in Adam’s study, a dusting cloth limp in one hand. Her somber eyes were devoid of any kind of emotion as she stared out its glazed panes. In all her twenty-nine years of life, she knew she had never had such a nightmare. It had been so real and the red so vivid. Her frenzied screams still rung in her ears like lamenting bells, and she wished she could close it out. Then heavy hands rested on her shoulders, and her body stiffened. She hadn’t heard him come in.
“It looks like it’s gonna be another beautiful day.”
She just continued to stare out beyond the glass.
“You frightened me last night.” His arms went around her shoulders, and he pulled himself closer to her. “I’ve heard Indian war cries that didn’t send a chill through me like that did. And all morning you’ve been silent as a tomb. Even the children can’t seem to get through to you.” He released her and – with gentle hands – turned her to face him. The deep eyes he looked into were like dark purple wells of pure misery, and it shook him. “You have dealt with a lot so far this year, and it all seemed to culminate that ugly chapter in June with a peaceful July.” He thought he felt a minute tremble run through her. “Until now. I can easily say that I have never heard another human being make sounds like that. I know you don’t want to talk about it, but I think it would help if you did. I think you need to get it out into the light of day.”
“I can’t, Adam, I simply can’t. Please, just let it alone.”
“I will, if you will, but I know you won’t.” He cupped her face in his hands. “Angelica, it was a dream, a terrible one to be sure, but it was nothing more than a dream, people have them all the time.”
“You didn’t see it. You didn’t live it. Adam, I…” She pulled loose and hid her face against his chest.
He stroked the back of her head. “For what it’s worth I’ll tell you what I think. I think what Madame Consuelo told you coupled with yesterday’s shotgun incident and produced last night.”
She looked up at him, and tears glistened in her thick, black lashes.
He gave her his most comforting smile. “You are a very imaginative and passionate girl, and this isn’t a bad thing, in fact, it’s a part of why I fell in love with you. You were all calm and in control yesterday, but when you went to sleep your unconscious mind came out to play. That nasty dream was the result.”
“I wish I could believe that.”
“You can if you’ll just let yourself.”
“Oh, how I wish it were that simple.”
“It is. All you havta do is let me share it with you. You once asked me not to shut you out, well, now I’m asking the same of you. Let me in.”
Her chin began to quiver, and her teeth clamped onto her lower lip. “I saw…” Her eyes closed for a second and tears streamed down her cheeks. “I saw you get killed.”
His lone eyebrow rose. “By a shotgun, I would venture to guess.”
She nodded. “I heard that hideous explosion. You vanished from my sight, and when the smoke cleared you were on the ground. I ran to you but…” Her doleful eyes came up to meet his. “You were dead, and I knew I was, too.”
“But I’m living proof that it was a dream and nothing more. You took something that frightened you and turned it into something that terrified you. It’s only natural. Some time after I returned home from when my family thought I was dead, Hoss told me that Joe had had terrible nightmares. He saw me killed as he tried to stop it, much like you did.” He wiped her cheeks dry with his thumbs. “And just like with Joe, yours will pass. You’ll come to realize that it’s only your imagination, and when you do, that will be the end of it.”
“I suppose you’re right.” She put her arms around him and rested her head so that she could hear his heart beat.
“Of course I am.”
Now if she could only be as convinced as he was.
FOUR
Two days had passed since her terrible nightmare, and Angelica had forced herself to put some distance between her and it. She had managed to talk Adam – who had stayed close like a protective bumblebee – into leaving the house to get back to his work. The hardest part, though, was to put those horrible images from her. And she had found the best way to do that through staying busy and interacting with others, especially Adam and her babies.
The children played with noisy contentment with their blocks on a blanket their mother had spread on the ground for them. Stacks would crash to gleeful squeals and giggles when slapped by tiny hands. It even made Angelica laugh as she hung out that morning’s laundry.
Angelica hummed as she pinned a diaper to the line. When she realized what she was doing, it made her smile. She hadn’t done this in so long that it surprised her that she hadn’t forgotten how. She bent down to take one of Adam’s shirts from the basket when a commotion from the yard caught her attention.
With a puzzled frown, she started toward the front of the house but kept the children in sight. Juva Bailey and Alfonse Sweet had their hands full with a fractious horse. The sleek light brown animal tugged at the halter lead the men held onto with both hands. As it snorted and danced around, its flaxen blonde mane and tail flirted with the breeze. The men talked to it in soothing tones, although Fonse cut loose with a couple guttural curses.
By this time, the children had lost interest in their play and had gathered around their mother’s legs. Addy held his little sister’s hand as they and their brothers watched in mesmerized thrall.
With a sudden, vicious scream, iron shoes caught in a glint of sunlight as hooves slashed through the air. Juva and Fonse struggled to settle the frantic beast. Once, the animal’s feet came down so close to Juva’s head that it made Angelica gasp, and her fingers clenched on the wet shirt.
Just then Adam and Chris McCutcheon rode in. They dismounted and rushed to help the other two men with the increasing frenzy of the horse. Angelica’s heart beat like the wings of a frightened bird as she watched her husband get close to this dangerous creature. Chris got bumped and knocked down but scrambled right back onto his feet and got hold of the lead again. As she continued to watch and wish she could look away, Adam worked until he got a dark blue bandana over the chestnut’s eyes and tucked into the sides of the halter to hold it in place. With that the animal began to calm as he talked to it and stroked and patted its neck satiny. It was over, and for Angelica, it wasn’t too soon.
*******
In the gray zone between sleep and wakefulness, it sounded almost like the whimpering of a dog. It raised and lowered and became more of a sobbing as his conscious mind began to supersede slumber. His eyes came open and perceived only darkness, but now he realized that what he heard was weeping, and came from the other side of the bed. He turned over and propped himself up on one elbow.
“Angelica.” Adam reached out and put a hand on her shoulder. He could feel the mournful sobs tremble inside her lissome body. Instinct and experience told him that she was still asleep. “Angelica, wake up.” He jostled her and the weeping grew more frenetic. “Angelica, sweetheart, wake up.” Again he jiggled her.
But she didn’t wake, and her crying became more tormented and abysmal by the second. Whatever she was experiencing in that shadowy realm, it had to be the most heart wrenching thing in her world. And he had an idea what it was.
“My poor Angel.”
He lay back down beside her and gathered her to his chest. He felt his own tears wet his face as he held her and let her cry. His arms tightened around her until he thought he would crush her. Then the crying stopped.
“Adam.”
“I’m right here, and I will be for as long as it’s granted to me. Now go back to sleep. Everything is all right.”
He could feel her head snuggle under his chin – her cheeks were dry – and felt the tenseness of her muscles relax. As she lay there content and secure, he knew by her heavy breathing when she had returned to sleep. Every thump of his heart hurt for his precious Angel, and how he wished there was something more he could do for her.
*******
Adam wasn’t in the habit of eavesdropping; his father hadn’t raised him and his brothers that way. But this time he didn’t feel so guilty. After he had overheard Angelica in the kitchen relating the details of last night’s dream to Maggie, it had cemented in his mind what he knew he had to do. He could only hope that it would turn out to be the right solution to this growing problem. It wasn’t what he desired, and it kind of went back on the promise Angelica had made him, but he could think of no other way.
As Dusty clopped along the road that led to Bantree, Adam berated himself out loud. “If you hadn’t taken her to that stinking carnival, and been so insistent that she have her fortune told,” he shook his head as his face drew into a glower, “none of this would be happening. You can place most of the blame for this squarely at your doorstep, my friend. You started this fine mess, so it’s up to you to put a stop to it.” He gave the big black a nudge with his heels, and the animal moved without effort into a lope.
At that pace, it didn’t take them long to get into town. Adam rode right down the middle of the main street until the Banning mansion came into sight. But just as he was about to reach it, he steered Dusty to the left and went straight to where the carnival people were. And since he had been there before, he didn’t need to stop to ask for directions, he just went direct to the colorful gypsy wagon.
He stepped down and tied a rein to the rim of one of the front wheels. He couldn’t be certain if he was about to do the right thing or not, he only knew he had to try something. His boots thumped up the steps and – after a second’s hesitation – he knocked.
The door opened to reveal the petite woman he knew to be Madame Consuelo. She held the curly headed baby from the other day in her arms, and wore a simple, fashionable dress, and the scarf was gone from her head. Every inch a lady and not what Adam had expected. “Señor Cartwright.”
He removed his hat. “I’m sorry for the intrusion, but I need to talk to you.” He picked up on her doubt in an instant. “It concerns my wife, and it’s very important.”
Her dark red-brown eyes darted past him to those outside. “My husband is not here.”
“I understand. If it’d make you more comfortable we could do it out here, but I must talk to you.”
Uncertainty filled her expression, but it waned some as she nodded. “Very well.”
He moved back onto the ground and – ever the gentleman – held out his hand but she declined to take it as she came down the wagon steps. She sat on the bench she had shared with Angelica during her visit, the child in her lap. He pulled up a small stool and sat down before her. He leaned forward on his knees and clasped his hands in front of him.
“I don’t rightly know where to start.”
She smiled, and it eased some of his tension. “My husband always says one should start at the beginning.”
“You already know the beginning. After my wife came to see you that first night, everything changed, and not for the better. She couldn’t sleep when we got home, and now, every time something comes up that involves me, no matter how trivial, she suffers terrible nightmares. Last night she woke me up crying in her sleep. Señora, I don’t know what to do about it. I’ve tried talking to her, but it apparently doesn’t do any good, so this morning I got to thinking that if anybody could help maybe it would be you.”
“I do not know what it is I could possibly do.”
“Just meet with her and give her a different fortune, something that would ease her mind. You see, in her dreams she is seeing me die, which makes me believe that that’s what you told her you saw.”
“I did mention death, but only as a possibility, and certainly nothing definite. And I could not tell her who I saw.”
“It doesn’t matter, what does is that neither of us can continue this way. You could tell her that you had been wrong or you misinterpreted what you saw, anything that would give her some peace of mind.”
Consuelo’s eyes grew sharp as she looked at him. “Señor Cartwright, I am not in the habit of telling lies, contrary to what you may believe about what is called my kind. Whatever I tell anyone who comes for a reading is the truth.” A blush rose into her cheeks. “Granted, and you must promise that what I am about to tell will go no further than between us.”
“You have my word, whatever it is.”
“My husband and fellow artists do collect information for me, but I also have the gift of second sight.” She shifted the baby – who had grown fussy – but her attention never left Adam. “Although many times I have thought of it as a curse. No, I only described to your wife what I knew and saw and nothing more. I am sorry if it causing her distress, but there is nothing more I can do.”
“All I ask is that you see her again and change what you saw.”
“I cannot do that, Señor Cartwright. What I see is not left up to me, and I could not tell an untruth about it. Please do not ask me to.”
“I don’t see how it could hurt anything if it would help her. I only ask that…”
“My wife said no.”
Adam looked around as Philippe Torres came to stand beside his wife.
“And you have no right to come out here on your fine caballo from your fine rancho and give orders to her.”
“I haven’t given any orders to anybody. I only asked your wife for her help.”
Consuelo swept to her feet and handed the even fussier baby to her father. “Señor Cartwright, if I should see your wife as you ask, it could only worsen things. As I said, I cannot and will not lie about what I see, and maybe it will not be what you want. I do not think that you wish to take that chance.”
Adam studied his feet for a second. “You’re right, I don’t, and I had no right to ask you to comprise your principles. You strike me as a lady of high moral character, and for suggesting that you are something less I do apologize. Now if you will both excuse me, I will trouble you no further.”
With a polite duck of his head, Adam put his hat back on and went to get his horse.
Philippe’s eyes became keener as he watched Adam ride off. “De todos los nervios.”
“Nerve had nothing to do with it. He was only trying to protect his wife as you were.” She took the baby from him, and turned his face to her. She used her thumb to try to smooth some of the harshness from his mouth then kissed it. “And we both agreed that while in this country we would only speak English, even to each other.” She looked back as Adam headed back toward town. “I wish him all good luck.”
Then Consuelo went into the wagon, and Philippe followed.
FIVE
Adam stalked back-and-forth in the dark paneled study, his arms locked behind his back. Siddon Banning sat on the corner of his immense desk – his large hands clasped in his lap – as his brown eyes followed his friend.
“Adam, if you don’t light somewhere, I’m going to truss you up and set you down myself.”
Adam stopped before the fireplace and whirled around. “Sid, I’m at my wit’s end. I don’t know what I can do that I haven’t already. I even tried something that I made her promise not to do.” He huffed. “But I do know that if this isn’t stopped I’m afraid of what will happen. First it was the business with the shotgun, and now this.”
“You haven’t told me what that second dream was about.”
“She saw me get kicked in the head by a horse, and held me in her arms while…” Adam stomped to the black leather sofa near the end of the desk and flopped down on it. One long leg crossed over the other. “Both of them have been connected to something that happened through the day with me. I can’t go around like I’m walking on eggshells. I have a ranch to run, and things are just naturally gonna come up.” He ruffled his hair then smoothed it back. “I just don’t know where to turn any more. And since Madame Consuelo isn’t going to do anything…”
“Well, I happen to agree with her reasoning, it could only make things worse. And I don’t know what I can do.” Siddon fingered his coarse black mustache. “I guess this is more my fault than it is yours, after all, if I hadn’t invited them to come…”
“Now don’t you start. One of us trying to hold up under the burden of guilt is enough, besides; nobody said I had to take her. But take her I did and this is the result.” Adam bounded up from the sofa and began to pace again. “Sid, I love that woman more that I ever thought I could anybody, and to see her like this and know that it’s because of me…” He spun on Siddon. “Sid, I could shoot myself.”
“I’ll loan you the gun if it’ll make you sit down.”
Adam mouth pinched at the corners as he thumped back over to the sofa. He cursed as the leather squeaked under his weight.
“Don’t let Carolyn hear you do that under this roof or you’ll wish to be somewhere else.”
Adam’s eyebrows drew down over his dark hazel eyes as he glared at Siddon. “This isn’t the time for levity.”
“I’m not trying to be funny. Foul language is one thing she won’t tolerate in this house, what with the girl’s around. I love her dearly, but when she gets mad she could strip the bark off a tree with that tongue.”
Adam’s frown deepened. “You know, you’re no help.” He jerked to his feet. “It makes me wonder why I even bothered to come.”
Siddon reached out and gave him a little push. “Oh, hush and sit back down.” He took his chin in his fingers and began to stroke his full beard in a studious fashion. “If women were like us, this wouldn’t be so hard to get a handle on. But every time you think you’ve got it right it either just plain doesn’t work or it blows up in your face. I don’t know how they ever came to be called the gentler sex. It’s like handling sweaty dynamite.”
Adam leaned back on the sofa. “Tell me something I don’t already know.”
“Surely to goodness, between the two of us, we can come up with some sort of way to get this straightened out.”
“Simply trust her and be there when you’re needed.”
Adam and Siddon looked around as Carolyn Banning brushed into the study light as a whisper. She carried a silver tray which held a pitcher, a liquor decanter and two glasses.
“I thought you could use some lemonade and brandy while you deliberated.”
Siddon watched her with a skewed expression as she sat the tray on the other side of the desk. “Listening through the keyhole again, I see.”
“It’s about the only way a woman can learn anything from a man.” She filled a glass a quarter full of brandy then the rest of the way with lemonade and handed it to Adam. “And while we ladies may be sweaty dynamite, you gentlemen are pure nitroglycerin.” She handed Siddon a glass and gave him a peck on the cheek. “And I meant what I said. Just be there for her like you were last night, and she will come through it with time when nothing happens. Now if you need any further assistance, I’ll be in the kitchen with Giles helping with luncheon.” She started across the room. “And I’ve found my tongue to be better than an axe.”
They just stared after her as she went out and closed the door.
Siddon groaned and took a good slug of his drink. “She has ears like a cat. I don’t know why I even bother to try keeping things from her. It’s almost like the walls have ears.”
Adam snorted. “They do the feminine kind.”
Siddon laughed and took another jolt. “True but this is one of those times I’m glad of it. You and I have been knocking our heads against the walls trying to come up with a solution to this problem of yours, and she just walks in and gives us one.”
Adam’s brow furrowed. “I don’t know, Sid. To just lay there and listen to her go through such torment just doesn’t feel right. And if there’s any more like that first one, I’ll spend my night clinging to the ceiling.” He took a good swig, and ran the back of his hand over his mouth. “You know I’m not the kind to just stand by while somebody else suffers.”
“Sometimes that’s all we have it in our power to do, that and lessen the suffering as much as we can.”
Adam glared into his glass. “You’re right, of course, but that doesn’t make me like it.” His eyes came up to Siddon. “But I guess I have no other recourse but to try. Still, if it gets any worse…”
“We can hope it won’t.”
Siddon leaned down and clinked his glass against Adam’s, and they both took a good drink.
*******
When Adam got back home, the aromas of dinner greeted him at the door. He could hear Angelica’s soft voice as she read from one of the children’s books. His gaze ran about the room as he hung up his hat and gun belt, but he didn’t see her. He kept his steps as quiet as he could as he moved toward the fireplace. As he came around the end of the settee he stopped. Angelica sat in the floor near the hearth. The boys were gathered around her and Elizabeth had settled down in her mother’s lap. Buddy lay close to his family, and his head rested on his large front paws, but it came up and his tail thumped the floor as Adam came closer.
Adam crouched and began to fondle the dog’s head and scratch the wiry fur. He took a good lick in the face, but tried to evade the insistent tongue as he got a good look at Angelica’s expression. This was the most contented he had seen her in days. The violet eyes flicked up from the page and the hint of a smile accompanied them, and it assuaged some of the concern that had pent up inside him since June.
She continued to read as he ruffled Elizabeth’s red curls then started for the kitchen. Buddy resumed his previous position.
Maggie stood before the big wood burning stove, and the scent of cooking was much stronger here. Adam came in and stopped at the small work table, which doubled as Maggie’s dining table.
He tilted his head back and sniffed. “Something smells good, and unless I miss my guess, it’s Mulligan.”
“That it is.” She continued to stir the pot and kept her back to him. “I was beginnin’ think ya weren’t goin’ to get back in time.”
“I had a few things to take care of in town.” He crossed to the stove where the smell was the strongest. “Everything seems to be going smoothly here. Angelica hasn’t read to the children in a bit.”
“I wouldn’t be lettin’ appearances deceive me.”
A puzzled frown took over his face just as she looked around at him.
“The readin’ was my idea, and I hadta almost hold a gun on her to make her do it. Since ya left she’d become like a chicken on a hot rock. She wouldn’t keep still and kept runnin’ off outside.” She kept to her stirring. “Though she said not a word to me, I think it was from worryin’ about you.”
Adam’s puzzlement turned into pure consternation.
“Mr. Adam, I don’t mean to be presumin’ too much, but I’m at the end o’ me tether, as I know you are, too. Whatever ya’ve tried just doesn’t seem to be workin’.”
“I went to Siddon for some advice on how to help her, but it was Mrs. Banning who came up with an idea. She said to just be there for Angelica and to trust her, but you’re the one who’s around her all day long. I trust in your judgment, so I’d like to hear from you.
“Good, sound advice, but I’m thinkin’ that it’s gonna take more ‘n that. Although what, I can’t rightly say. Maybe this woman that started the whole thing, maybe she…”
“I’ve tried that. That was my main motivation for going into town, but she refused, and she had a valid reason.”
“I can think o’ no good reason to not want to help somebody that you were responsible for messin’ up in the first place.” Maggie turned back to the stove and the wooden spoon churned through the stew with a vengeance. “That’s the problem with these people. They don’t care who they lie to as long as they get paid. And if you’ll pardon me English, sir, be damned with the consequences”
“She believes that she is a true seer and that she told Angelica what she really saw. She’s afraid that if she tries again it could only make matters worse. I can’t say I believe in that sort of thing, but she does and apparently, so does Angelica, and I wasn’t willing to take the gamble. I don’t think you are either.”
Maggie stopped and looked at him again. Some of the fire had gone out of her. “No, sir, I wouldn’t harm me girl for the world. I’ll do anything I can to help, all ya need do is ask.”
“I knew I could rely on you.” Then he gave her a wink and left the kitchen.
Though she had said nothing about it to him, Maggie’s maternal grandmother had been said to be a true seer. Maggie had never known her – she had died early on – but she had heard stories of some of her divinations, and she knew not to scoff. She turned back to the stove but stood stone still. And just because this woman was with a carnival, it didn’t make her wrong, and that made Maggie shiver.
SIX
For three days and nights since Adam’s visit to Madame Consuelo, things had settled down. There were no more bad dreams, and Angelica even perked up some. She gravitated to the children more than in recent weeks, and they seemed to draw the melancholy from their mother like little sponges. In fact, everything was going well until…
No sooner had the crash subsided than Angelica bolted from the kitchen. Her heart thumped into her mouth, and her rapid breath thought to stifle her lungs. She had never heard such a gosh-awful racket, and it scared her to death to think about what had caused it. Her shoes tapped out a swift cadence as she raced across the parlor and dashed for the study. “Adam!” Her fingers tightened their grip on her skirt and petticoats as all sorts of dire thoughts filled her head. “Adam!”
“Everything’s all right,” came from the study. “I just had a minor catastrophe.”
She burst in through the already open door and stopped dead. The bookcase ladder lay back across the top of the desk and several books – some open – were scattered over the floor. Adam’s brass lamp also lay in the floor, its globe shattered and kerosene had begun to pool.
Her jaw dropped. “What on Earth.”
“I was trying to get a book from the top shelf and lost my balance. I made a grab and things kinda, as Hoss would say, got upsot.” He shook his head. “I still don’t know how the ladder came loose from the rail.”
“You could have been killed.”
“Nah, it’s not as bad as it looks. I’ve got good strong hands and quick reflexes” He peered down at the floor. “The lamp faired far worse than I did. I guess I’ll havta by a new one.” He began to gather up his books. “I’ll let you pick it out. You have better taste than I do.”
He picked up the last volume and turned to place them on the desk. But when he caught sight of her face, he went cold inside. Her eyes had turned to the purple that indicated anger or fear, and he knew she wasn’t mad. She had become as white as parchment, and her expression told him more than he wanted to know.
He put the books on the desk and turned to her. “Angel, it really isn’t so bad. The only real casualty is the lamp, and that can be replaced.” He put his arms around her and pulled her to him. “We’ll go into town in the morning and do a little shopping. We’ll even take Elizabeth and the boys and buy them some candy. That’ll make them happy.”
“All right.” Her eyes rose to his face. “If you want to.”
“Not if you don’t.”
“Of course I do. I think it will make a nice family outing. And maybe we can even stop by and see Fiona.”
“And I can go to the Wooden Nickel and talk with Steve over a beer while you two visit.” He took her face in his hands and looked deep into those soul stirring purple eyes. “And we might even take our time on the way back.”
“I would like that, too.” She pushed back the hank that had fallen over his forehead. “And please promise me that you won’t get back onto the ladder, at least for tonight.”
“I won’t.”
She gave him a peck on the mouth then went back out.
Adam leaned back against the desk and just stared out through the doorway after her. He feared he knew what tonight would bring – he had seen it in those endless eyes. If only he could convince himself that he was wrong, though he knew he wasn’t. He slammed his fist against his leg and cursed himself for not being more careful then got up and proceeded to put the ladder back.
*******
Adam pulled the blanket up over a sleeping Elizabeth – who had kicked out – before he put out the lamp and got into bed. He nestled under the covers beside Angelica then took her in his arms. He felt her moist lips against his throat then her head rest against his chest as she held onto him.
“I don’t know about you, but I’m kinda looking forward to tomorrow. This’ll be the first time we’ve all been into town together to go shopping. I can just imagine the children’s eyes when they see all that candy.”
“We mustn’t buy too much. You know how they are, especially Benjy. You would think he had never eaten it before, the little pig.”
Adam snickered. “When it comes to that he can out sneak Addy. He can find more ways to get it.”
For a second the room went silent.
“Adam, I don’t want Fiona and Steve to know anything about the problems I have been having. It would only worry them. I do hope you told Siddon and Carolyn not to spread it around.”
“No need. They know that what I discuss with them isn’t intended for idle gossip. Your secret’s safe with them.”
Again silence permeated every corner and niche of the bedroom.
“Adam, I hope you don’t think that I’m being silly about all this.”
“Of course I don’t. I don’t know why you would even think that. You’re simply my high-strung girl who worries way too much about way too many things.” He placed a kiss on top of her head. “And I wouldn’t have you any other way. You’re a wonderful mother, and no man could ask for more in a wife.”
Now she snickered. “You make me sound perfect, and I’m far from that.”
“You are to me and the children. We love you just as you are, and we don’t want you to change. If you did that then you wouldn’t be my Angel.” He kissed her again, but this time on the forehead.
“Well I suppose that if you can put up with me I can.” She snuggled closer to him.
“Fine, now I think we should follow Elizabeth’s lead and get some sleep. We’re gonna have a hectic day with our brood in tow.”
This time his lips covered hers, and he felt her relax in his arms. Her fingers ran through his hair as he squeezed her closer to him. And in the back of his mind a bud of dread came to life as he wondered what the night held.
*******
With a gasp, Angelica sprang from the bed so fast that there wasn’t time for Adam to wake up. She padded over to the door, opened it with a whisper and went out. She made sure that she closed it behind her then she went around the staircase then outside.
The night was dark and deep, and cold as the bottom of a well. Stars glittered overhead in the black void as tiny specks of light that winked at her. She wrapped her arms about her to stave off some of the chill for she hadn’t brought her dressing gown. Tears started down her face and soon became like icy streams to freeze her cheeks.
It had come again, though in a different form from the other two. It had been so vivid and – after what had happened earlier that evening – came as no surprise to her.
This time she saw him fall. The ladder pitched back with him, and his head struck the edge of the desk with a sickening crunch. Blood had splattered in her face and that was when she awoke with a jolt.
Tender arms came around her from behind and took her into their warm embrace.
“Another one, I presume.”
“It wasn’t the worst of the three, but it was bad enough.”
“I knew this was coming when I saw your face in the study today. This is my fault, I should’ve been more careful.”
She pulled free of him and spun. “None of any of this is your fault, and I won’t have you trying to shoulder the blame for it.” Her hand went to his face. “I suppose that if I didn’t love you so much this wouldn’t be happening, but the merest thought of losing you…”
His finger pressed against her lips silenced her. “We can’t go through our lives in dread of what could happen. If we did that we’d all go into a room and wall ourselves and those we care up from any possible harm and we’d never live. It may be in a different form but it’s still death.”
She pulled his hand away and held it against the side of her neck. “I know you’re right, but I can’t help how I feel.”
“Well, it’s too late to worry about all that.” He stepped back from her, and as he did his eyes caught on something and dropped. His mouth drew into a pucker. “I bet your feet are nice and chilled.”
With a quizzical frown, she looked down, and for the first time realized that she had on no slippers. “I hadn’t even noticed. I guess I had too many other things to think about.”
Without any advance notice he gathered her up into his arms and held her tight to his chest. “That’ll be easy enough to remedy when we get back to bed.”
His head lowered and he kissed her then she rested her head on his shoulder
as he turned and started back inside.
SEVEN
It was close to mid-morning when Adam left the barn. He had gone to harness the team to the buckboard while Angelica, with Maggie’s help, got the children ready. It hadn’t taken as long as usual, since he wanted to get Angelica on the road as soon as possible. He had just stepped into the sunshine when he caught sight of Fonse as he left the work shed. He called to the hand and motioned him over, and he couldn’t miss that Fonse hesitated.
“Yeah, Boss.”
“I’m on my way into town with the family, but before I go there’s something I need to do that should’ve already been done. But things have been kinda up in the air, not that that’s any excuse.” Adam could see the confusion come into his expression. “It’s about what happened the other day when we got back from town. Angelica straightened me out on a few things after our little set-to in the barn.”
“It ain’t nothin’. I mean, it ain’t like I never been tore into before.”
“Maybe but I shouldn’t have gone after your hair before I had all the facts. I guess…” Adam’s voice trailed off.
“I understand, Boss. I suppose if I had a woman like that, I’d be a might touchy about her welfare, too.”
Adam grinned and gave him a slap on the arm. “And if that ever happens again, you have my permission to haul off and flatten me.”
“Oh, I couldn’t do that, Boss.” His eyebrows fell into a skewed frown. “You’d just haul off and hit me back. And I know what it feels like to get kicked by a horse.”
Adam laughed and shook his head. “Thanks, Fonse. Now you go on about what you were doing, and we won’t talk about this any more.”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
Adam watched him walk away then started on across the yard to the house. But when he went inside he walked in on a furor.
Maggie had just come from the bedroom. “They aren’t there, mum. But it wouldn’t hurt to wear another pair.”
Angelica gave a top bureau draw a slam. “I want that pair, and I won’t rest until I find them.”
Adam pushed the door shut. “I’m not sure I even want to know what’s going
on.” He went over to where Angelica rummaged through another drawer. “Maybe
if you told me what you were looking for I could help you find it.”
“I can’t find my black lace fingerless gloves. I’m afraid I know where they
are, but I wanted to look here first.” She slammed the drawer shut and jerked
another open. “I wouldn’t be so upset about losing them, but they are the
ones you gave me for my birthday last year.”
“So tell me where you think you lost them.”
She froze for a second then turned to him. “The other night when I went in to see Madame Consuelo she asked me to take them off. I remember doing that, but I don’t remember bringing them home.”
“I’m not surprised. You were rather upset. Well I tell you what I’ll do. Before we go to the mercantile I’ll drop you and the children off at Fiona’s and pay a visit to Madame Consuelo. If she has them, I’ll get them back, if not, I’ll buy you another pair just like them.” He took her hand and gave it a pat. “But I suggest that we hurray. These people stay in one place only as long as they’re getting good patronage, and you never know for how long that’s gonna be. They live a very transient life, and could already be gone by the time we get there, but I can give it a try.”
He turned and picked up Elizabeth up from the settee where she sat with her brothers and handed her to her mother. Maggie helped him to collect the boys and they left the house.
“Maggie, I wish you would change your mind and come with us. It is so seldom that you get away from the house.”
“Thank you for the invite, mum, but I have a lot o’ things I need to get to. And beside that, this is supposed to be a family outing.”
“Oh, Maggie, you’re family, and you know it.”
Adam helped Angelica and the children into the front seat of the buckboard. “Don’t argue with her.” His eyes flicked to the housekeeper. “I learned a long time ago that an argument with the Irish is a losing proposition, especially an Irish woman.” He got in beside his family and took up the reins. “But if there’s anything you need, I’ll gladly pick it up for you.”
“I do have a short list, and I gave it to Miss Angelica.”
Maggie stepped back as he turned the team and started out past the barn. The boys – safe between their parents – turned around and waved small hands with great vigor accompanied by wide, toothy grins. Maggie waved back with equal enthusiasm, but as soon as they were out of sight, she went back into the house.
At home, the children chattered like little magpies and filled the air with squeals and giggles and robust laughter. Out here, however, was not the case. They were quiet and quite captivated by nature. Bright little eyes darted from trees filled with clacking squirrels and birds in full song. Once the boys caught sight of a cougar – a sure sign that civilization extended only so far – and Daddy had to tell them all about it. Elizabeth, in the meantime, fell asleep in her mother’s arms. It made for a pleasant journey and a welcome diversion, but all too soon, at least for Angelica’s taste, they arrived in Bantree.
Once Adam had left Angelica and the children with her sister – as he had promised to – he drove out beyond the edge of town. As he came into the encampment he saw that they were making ready to leave. His timing wasn’t always the best in the world, but this time he had hit it with little time to spare. He didn’t stop and just kept driving until he came to the colorful gypsy wagon.
Philippe Torres had just come around from the front of his wheeled home as Adam Cartwright stepped down from his buckboard. To say he was glad to see the man would be to misread his expression.
Adam saw as once that he wasn’t welcome. “Buenos días, Señor Torres. It looks like you’re getting ready to leave.”
“We are. We must be in Virginia City before the end of the week.” Philippe stopped beside the team. “Consuelo still cannot help you or wife.”
Adam smiled. “This time I think she can. The other night when she told my wife’s fortune, Angelica thinks that she may have forgotten her gloves.”
“Ah, si, black lace without fingers. Consuelo showed them to me before she put them in a drawer for safe keeping. She asked me to leave them with someone in town before we left to see that Señora Cartwright got them back. It is very fortuitous that you came when you did.” Philippe’s eyes narrowed. “If that is truly why you are here.”
Adam knew this man still didn’t trust him. But right now he didn’t care either way. “It is. I’ve resigned myself to the fact that there’s nothing more she can do, it’s up to me. Now if you’d please get those gloves for me I’ll be on my way and let you finish with your work.”
Philippe’s face softened, but still bore an edge of suspicion. “I think she would be disappointed if I did not let her give them to you personally. She has been distressed that she could not do more for your wife. Please come inside with me.”
Consuelo had just finished nursing Ora when she heard the door open in the outer, larger room.
“Consuelo, Señor Cartwright has come for his wife’s gloves.”
“One moment.” She pulled her blouse up to cover herself then she went to the small chest and opened the top drawer. She took out the gloves then gathered the baby into her other arm and left the tiny bedchamber. “Señor, Cartwright, I am so glad that you have come. I was in fear that these would not be returned.”
“Angelica’s been very upset about losing them.”
“I was careful to keep them safe. I could see where any woman would be saddened about the loss of something as pretty and nice as these.” She held them out to him. “Please tell her that I am glad that I could do this for her.”
“I will.”
Adam reached out to take the gloves, and as he did their hands touched and lingered. A cold breath ran into Consuelo as he pulled away from her. She stood as if she had been nailed to the floor, and her arms tightened around the baby. Her eyes never left Adam’s face, and she seemed lost to those around her.
Adam stuffed the gloves into a britches pocket. “This’ll make Angelica happy.” He shook hands with Philippe then turned a smile to mother and child. “Now I’ll be on my way and won’t keep you from what you need to get done. And there’s no need to see me out.” He thanked them both again then left.
“I think I may have misjudged that one. But I thought…” But as he turned back to her, his words died in his throat. “Consuelo, you are as white as milk.”
She, however, didn’t even seem to be aware of him.
“Consuelo.” He gripped her arm and repeated her name and black voids that were her eyes turned to him. “You look as if you have just seen the spirit of someone long dead.”
A quick intake of air rushed through her teeth. “You must go after him.”
“I do not think that he…”
“Philippe, please.” Her chin began to quiver. “Adam Cartwright is the man in my vision – I felt it when our hands met, and it felt like death. He is the one, and the danger that I spoke of has yet to touch him.” She grasped her husband’s arm. “Warn him, Philippe. You must go after him and warn him, and make him believe.”
Philippe had been along this path too many times before to discount it now. He had even seen the outcome of some of her visions before. He whirled and dashed out and down the steps. His head pivoted in a frantic effort to catch sight of Adam Cartwright, but he didn’t see him anywhere. And driving that buckboard, Philippe knew that he could never catch up on foot. He only owned Papita, and the big dapple had already been harnessed to the wagon. But then maybe Cartwright hadn’t left town yet. Maybe if he…
“I hope you are about ready to go, Philippe. Marcum is very much champing at the bit to get started for Virginia City with a new crowd and fresh denaro to line his pockets with.” The man cackled and light gleamed in his dark, mischievous eyes.
Philippe took a deep breath, and his gaze never left the direction that Cartwright had come in. “Si, Flavio, we are almost ready. By the way, I did not see Señor Cartwright when I came out.”
“If you are meaning the big man all in black, he is already gone. I saw him drive back toward the town.”
“Maybe he said something to you.”
With a chuckle and the wave of a hand Flavio shrugged. “A man like that would have nothing to say to the likes of me. Now you had better hurry and finish. You know how Marcum becomes when all is not ready to go when he thinks it should be.”
“We will be ready.” Philippe thanked him, and the little ebony-haired man walked on. They had to go or he and Consuelo would lose their work, and he would lose his livelihood, and the ability to take care of his family. He stood there for a second longer then he made the sign of the cross, turned and went back inside. He knew his Consuelo would be disconsolate that he had not been able to impart her warning to this man, but there was nothing more that either of them could do. It now rested in far more powerful hands than theirs.
THE END