“He wants Addie,” Delphia said. “He’s in love with her, Mama. And she with him.”

  “Yes, dear, I understand that,” Mama said, sounding weary.

  “Then how can you sit there calm as can be and watch Addie’s heart break?” Delphia asked.

  “Let me tell you something, dearest,” Mama said. “There is no greater hardship than watching your child’s heart break. I’m quite aware of Addie’s feelings, and I want more than anything for her to be happy. However, you mustn’t interfere with something like this. Lives hang in the balance. It’s not for a sixteen-year-old girl to solve.”

  “But no one was doing anything,” Delphia said, her voice high-pitched. “I will not have it. It simply won’t do.”

  “Delphia, it’s sweet of you to want to help,” I said. “But this has to be James’s decision. He is the one who has to wake up and look at himself in the mirror every morning.”

  “Yes, and it’s an impossible choice.” Mama was quiet as she lifted her face to the ceiling. “A boy wants his father’s approval, perhaps more than anything else.”

  “Not love. Not that,” Delphia said. “You’re wrong.”

  “Delphia Barnes,” Mama said.

  “I’m sorry.” Delphia looked down at her hands. “It’s just too hard to sit by and watch as the love of your sister’s life marries someone else. What would you have done for Annabelle?”

  “It is an excellent point,” Mama said, less sharply than before.

  “What will happen now?” I asked, as if either of them had an answer.

  “We must think of solutions to the problems we’ve caused,” Mama said, with a pointed look at Delphia. “I’m afraid for Lena. If her father disowns her over this, then we must offer to take her in and shelter her.”

  “Shelter? At our house?” Delphia’s mouth dropped open before she shut it hard enough that her bottom and top rows of teeth clapped together.

  Mama nodded at Delphia. “Your interference in this has made her our responsibility.”

  “It’s like a fox living in a henhouse,” Delphia said.

  “In this particular case, you’re the fox, darling, not Lena.” Mama’s mouth lifted in a grim smile as she rose up from the chair and looked over at me. “Your father told you of his offer?”

  I nodded, scarcely able to breathe. Was it possible? Dare I hope?

  “As your father promised, we’re willing to take James’s mother and sister into our home,” Mama said. “This will be disruptive to all our lives, but we’re willing to do it if that’s what James decides he wants. However, the hold his father has over James is tight. You must remember that, Addie.”

  “Yes, Mama,” I said.

  “He may not be able to walk away,” Mama said.

  I teared up, thinking of my dear Papa and his love for me. What he would do for his daughters seemed to have no limits. “Mama, it’s so kind of you and Papa.”

  “We’ll do whatever we can to help you,” Mama said. “We remember very well what it’s like to be young and in love.”

  “I love him, Mama. So very much. Regardless of my feelings, though, I want him to have a good life. If he makes any other choice but to help his family, I fear he will not. Guilt and regret will plague him all his days. What kind of foundation would that be for a marriage?” I fluttered my fingers toward the window. “Anyway, it appears he’s made his choice.” I winced, remembering the way he’d held her hand. I’d still have my work, I told myself. My family, too. There would be many happy days ahead, just none of them would be with James.

  “Looks can be deceiving.” Mama came to me and kissed the top of my head. “You must have faith, my darling. God knows what he’s doing. Whatever is right for you and James—it will unfold as it should.”

  “How can you be so sure?” Delphi asked, still sounding sulky. “Thus far he’s made a real mess out of things.”

  “Delphia Barnes, you are never to take the Lord’s name in vain or speak of him that way.” Mama’s gaze remained fixed upon the couple outside the windows, and her tone didn’t match the sharpness of her words. “Not in my house.”

  “I’m sorry, Mama.” Delphia bowed her head and covered her eyes with her hands.

  Mama knelt and gave me another kiss, this time on the cheek. Her cotton skirt cascaded around her as if invisible fairies had placed it just so. My mother, the queen, I thought. To be obeyed and revered.

  “Adelaide, darling, look at me.” Mama raised my chin with her cool fingertips. “I know you’re hurting, but you must never despair. Whatever comes will be the right thing for all of us.”

  I nodded, as if I believed her. I knew differently. James had made his choice, and it was right for everyone but me.

  “Delphia, you will stay here until supper and stay out of trouble,” Mama said.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Delphia said.

  My mother left, closing the door behind her. Delphia turned to me and held out her hands. “I’m sorry. I’m very sorry.”

  “It’s all right.” I nestled against her and let the tears flow. “As long as you’re here, I can bear it.”

  “I will always be here.” She stroked my hair and let me cry.

  19

  JAMES

  In the sitting room, one of the maids dabbed at a cut on Lena’s hand. I looked up to see Quinn standing in the doorway. She walked over to where we were sitting on the couch and told the maid to leave us. “I’ll take care of this, thank you.” She took the damp cloth and peered down at Lena’s cut. “This is just a scratch, really, but it’s best to clean it.”

  “Thank you,” Lena said. “Mrs. Barnes, I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve caused.”

  Quinn set aside the damp cloth. “It’s all right. It seems the Barneses have disrupted your life as well. On behalf of Delphia, I’m sorry. She’ll be apologizing to you separately.”

  “She doesn’t have to. I know why she did it. I’m not worth worrying over.”

  Quinn cupped Lena’s face, her eyes searching. “Young lady, you must learn to love yourself, even when it seems impossible to do so.” She dropped her hands back onto her lap. “These circumstances are not entirely your fault.”

  “They are, though. I’m going to have a baby.”

  Quinn blanched white. For a moment, she seemed at a loss for words. “All the rushing? It’s because of the baby.”

  “James knows now, and we’re calling off the wedding,” Lena said. “He loves Addie, as you probably know. There don’t seem to be many secrets around here. I’ll leave as soon as I can, Mrs. Barnes. You won’t want my kind to stay for long.”

  “Who is the father?” Quinn asked, glancing over at me for the first time.

  “Not James.” Lena told her about the man she loved and how her father had forbidden them to be together. “When I told him about the baby, he came up with the idea of marrying James.”

  “What does your young man have to say about all of this?” Quinn asked.

  “Carl doesn’t know. I couldn’t tell him before I left, because my father fired him and kicked him out.”

  “He worked for you?” Quinn asked.

  “In the garden. He knows how to grow the most beautiful roses,” Lena said, with a slight smile. “He can make anything grow. It’s rather miraculous, actually.”

  “Is there a way to tell him?” Quinn asked. “Shouldn’t you give him a chance to know the truth and then decide what to do?”

  “I don’t know where he is but, yes, I could probably find him. He can’t take care of us anyway, even if Father would allow us to marry. The whole thing’s hopeless.”

  “You love this man? Carl?” Quinn asked.

  “More than anything in the world.” Lena’s eyes grew glassy, and her voice took on a childlike quality. “He’s funny and brave. I’ll never love anyone else. I’m quite sure of it. I wish it were all different. All of it.”

  “We do not ask for love, yet it comes anyway,” Quinn said. “Sometimes in the most inconvenient package. Almost never, actually, is it in a pretty box with a perfectly tied bow. Who we love is not always who we thought we would or what people want or expect of us.”

  “Yes, I didn’t want to love him. It just happened. One day, everything changed. The flowers were brighter.” A single tear ran down the side of Lena’s face. “I’d rather have never seen how red the roses or pink the hydrangeas and lived in peace without this most impossible love.”

  “You poor child,” Quinn said. “Whatever shall we do?”

  I leaned against the back of my chair for support, completely exhausted, knowing that I, too, had fallen in love with an inconvenient person.

  “How can you be so kind to me?” Lena asked Quinn.

  “It’s not that I’m kind. Not really. It’s that I’m happy and blessed, and when one has all that I have, it is easy to be generous to others.”

  “I’d like to be generous,” Lena said. “But all I can feel is shame and desperation. When I tell Father that James and I will not marry, he will be done with me. He has no use for anything or anyone not perfect. I’ll have no place to go. Do you think if I had a mother, I could be saved? Maybe I wouldn’t have done what I did.”

  Quinn pulled Lena into an embrace, stroking her hair. “The motherless never learn how to mother themselves,” she murmured. “Anyway, you’re not alone. You have us now. Stay here as long as you like. We will figure out a solution to all of this.”

  I was weeping myself by then. The compassion of Quinn Barnes was something to see. If I hadn’t witnessed it with my own eyes, I would have doubted it to be true. Perhaps she was more connected to God than the rest of us, I thought, as Lena sobbed into the comfort of Quinn’s arms.

  “Come along with me,” Quinn said to Lena. “Let’s run you a bath and get you a cup of tea. Most things seem bearable after one or both.”

  Quinn glanced back at me before she guided Lena toward the stairs. “Wait for me in the sitting room, please, James? I’ll only be a moment.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” I said.

  Wiping my eyes, I sank back into the cushions of the chair. A sheath hung over the windows, filtering the afternoon sun. I let my eyelids shutter, exhausted by the emotions of the day. I no longer knew what to do or think. As much as I’d have loved to simply walk away, Lena and I were connected now. She was my friend. I wanted her to find happiness. I wanted her to be safe. Would Quinn and Alexander’s generosity extend to an unmarried, pregnant woman? It would cause a scandal, even here in Emerson Pass.

  A commotion coming from the foyer interrupted my temporary respite. Jasper entered the sitting room, his tie slightly askew and a lock of his silver hair escaped from the thick pomade. I’d never seen him flustered and not thought it was possible. He came close to me and spoke softly into my ear.

  “Mr. West, Mr. Masters has arrived back from his business, and he’s brought your father with him.”

  I had no time to comprehend fully what was said because my father and Mr. Masters appeared in the sitting room, followed by Alexander.

  I’d not seen my father in two years. He’d aged considerably. His shoulders seemed to have permanently slumped, and his white hair was so thin I could see his shiny pink scalp underneath. He wore a fine suit but it hung too loosely, as if he had recently lost weight. I was so taken aback by his arrival that I could only stare dumbly at him.

  “Aren’t you going to say hello to me?” Father stuck out his hand, and we shook.

  “What are you doing here?” I managed to ask.

  “Your future father-in-law was kind enough to send for me. He wanted us to meet properly and discuss Miss Masters’s dowry before the wedding. He tells me you’ve decided to marry here in this wild country before returning to New York. Your mother will be sorry to miss the wedding, but perhaps we can have another party in England next year.”

  “No reason not to do it here,” Mr. Masters said as if anyone had asked. “Among your second family. Time is of the essence, son. Your father and I have many business plans, which we’ll discuss over the next few days.” He turned to Alexander. “Your wife won’t mind hosting a little wedding party, will she?”

  Alexander glanced over at me, a look of alarm in his eyes. “We’ll do whatever it is that James wants.” His mouth formed a thin, straight line and a muscle in his cheek pulsed, as if he were holding back what he wanted to say.

  “When did you decide to come to America?” I asked. “How did you get here?”

  “Well, think of my surprise when the letter arrived from Maxwell with the tickets,” Father said. “I took a boat and then a very tedious train. We thought it would be delightful to surprise you.”

  “I’m surprised,” I said. “I’m certainly surprised.”

  “You’re looking well, son.” My father clapped me on the shoulder, to give the impression we were close. I knew him too well to be fooled. I caught a hint of alcohol on his breath. Apparently, they served drinks on the tedious train.

  I murmured a thank you. Panic was rising in me, tightening my stomach. The pain behind my eye had returned. How could I tell them the wedding was off? Writing a letter was one thing. Telling my father the truth face-to-face was another thing entirely.

  “What’s a man need to do to get a drink here in Colorado?” Father asked, flashing what had once been a charming smile. I’d seen him use it to manipulate people all my life. It had more appeal when he was a younger man.

  Jasper, who had been lurking in a corner, leapt into action. “Sir, what may I get you? It’s nearly teatime if you’d care for something to eat as well.”

  “A brandy will do quite nicely,” Father said.

  “For all of us,” Alexander said. “Thank you, Jasper.”

  I waited until Mr. Masters and Father had taken a seat before doing so myself. My mind was reeling as it acclimated to this new set of information. The trip on the ocean liner would have taken at least five days and maybe longer. Mr. Masters must have sent him first class on the best ocean liner if he had arrived so quickly. But why? Was Masters worried I’d change my mind? Had he sensed my reluctance and brought my father over to ensure my obedience?

  Yes, I thought. I understood now. This was a dirty game these men were playing. Mr. Masters had sent for Father and told him the wedding would be here. All to force us into it before Lena or I changed our minds. I had news for them. It was too late.

  Do it. Tell them. You must.

  Alexander sent me a sympathetic gaze. I wanted to take him aside and ask him what to do. How would he handle this obvious manipulation? It wouldn’t work, though, even if I could ask him. He would not be able to advise me, because he wasn’t a coward. He wouldn’t be afraid of his own father as I was of mine. Otherwise, he would never have set out for America. I’d run away from my home and family instead of toward something, as Alexander had done. He’d made a purposeful change in his life. God help me, if I didn’t head for something, for once, it would be the end of me. Or someone. I must head toward Addie.

  I accepted the glass of brandy from Jasper and took too large a swig and coughed.

  “Are you all right, James?” Alexander sat near me on the couch and reached over to pat my back. I had a sudden picture of what he would have been like with his sons when they were small.

  “I’m fine, thank you,” I said. I must gather my thoughts and present them with the truth. But the words didn’t come. They were stuck somewhere in my cowardly throat.

  Quinn arrived then, her heels clicking on the floor before she reached the edge of the carpet. Her gaze seemed to take in the situation with immediate clarity. How she knew the stranger in her sitting room was my father, I couldn’t say. Regardless, it was obvious she understood perfectly what had happened.

  Introductions were made. My father was practically dripping with charisma. Although he’d aged, his mind seemed as quick as it always had. He knew how to get what he wanted from people. In this case, he seemed to intuitively know that Quinn Barnes was no wallflower, no wilting rose. She must be charmed.

  He kissed her hand and twinkled at her, almost flirtatiously. “If I didn’t know better, Mrs. Barnes, I would have taken you for one of your daughters.”

  She granted him a small, tight smile. Father didn’t seem to notice her coolness. Or if he did, it did nothing to deter him from his mission. After Quinn sat next to Alexander in the spot I’d just occupied, Father returned to his seat. I took the chair closest to Quinn, wishing she had a miracle in her dress pocket to save me from my father’s wishes.

  Father told Quinn what he’d already told us about the passage and train ride and added how excited he was to see this part of America and thank you so very much for taking care of his wayward son all these years. “His mother and I shake our heads at his notions. First France and then America? All of it paid for by his American benefactors, no less. Some men have all the luck, isn’t that right?”

  “It’s been our pleasure to have James in our home.” Quinn’s hands were clasped tightly in her lap. “Quite simply, he’s our dear friend. There’s nothing we would not do for him. Furthermore, he’s hardly wayward. His success had been because of hard work and fortitude. He’s never been a man seeking assistance without offering something in return.”

  “What exactly has he offered you in return for your hospitality?” Father’s tone remained robust and lighthearted, but I knew the venom underneath. He loved to put me down, embarrass me in front of others. Especially since he could sense the warmth between the Barnes family and me. My father was a drinker and a gambler, but he was smart when it came to people and sizing up how to manipulate them into giving him what he wanted. For a moment, I almost felt sorry for Mr. Masters. He had no idea what he’d unleashed when he brought my father into his life.

  “We thought James was not good for much,” Father said. “I kept watching to see him prove us wrong, of course. As fathers do.”

  “You must not have looked carefully enough,” Alexander said. “Because it’s quite obvious to most everyone who meets him. Perhaps there’s something in your own makeup that didn’t allow you to see what was right in front of you.”