Nellie (The Brides of San Francisco Book 1) (19 page)

“Not my sweet Violet,” laughed Blake.

“Yes, your sweet Violet, who is not so sweet when she doesn’t get her way. You’re very good with her. She loves you very much, you know.”

“I love her, too.” He glanced at the children with fondness in his gaze. “And Henry, as well, but Violet is special. She took to me right away and stole my heart.”

“She loves you. It’s very important that she has a daddy. She never knew her father. He died without ever seeing her.” Nellie stacked the empty plates to go back to the kitchen. “
You
are her father and you’re a good one. You do know that, don’t you? And you’ll make a wonderful father to our child, too.”

“You don’t show yet,” he said softly. “How soon before you begin to?”

She smoothed her hand over her flat belly. “In a few more weeks probably. I think I got with child the first time we made love or very soon thereafter.”

“You make a beautiful mother. If we were alone, I’d make love you to right now, right here.”

“Oh, Blake!” She laughed and waved him off. “Here in the open, surely not. We could be seen by anyone in the house.”

“That’s what makes it interesting.” He waggled his eyebrows and then winked.

“Oh, you, rascal,” said Nellie in mock admonishment. Actually the idea of maybe being caught was titillating. “Eat your sandwich. It’s almost nap time for the children and I just might let you join me for a nap as well.”

“If I join you, we won’t be napping.”

“Exactly. We can talk if you like.”

“Talking wasn’t exactly what I had in mind.”

“Talking or napping, those are your only options, unless you want to go back to work.”

“Children,” hollered Blake, as he waved them in. “Time for your naps. Let’s go.” He clapped his hands to get them moving.

Nellie laughed. Having Blake home in the middle of the day would prove to be great fun. She gathered up the rest of their picnic and carried it inside. The children followed.

“Henry, read your history book until Violet gets up from her nap.”

“Yes, Mama.”

Nellie looked at Blake, “I’ll drop these off with Cook and then meet you in the bedroom after I settle the children.”

“Let me take that and drop it with Cook,” said Blake, taking the dishes from her.

Henry stopped in front of Blake. “Have you decided on our trip to see the ships?”

“It’s going to be a couple of weeks before we can go. But I promise to take you.”

The boy’s shoulders slumped a little. “Yes, sir.”

Blake shifted the dishes to one hand and put the other on Henry’s shoulder. “I don’t break my promises. We’ll go two weeks from today.”

Henry’s eyes brightened. “Yes, sir, two weeks.” He ran off after his little sister.

Nellie held the door to the kitchen open for Blake. “Thank you, for that,” she said nodding toward Henry’s retreating form.

“I should have taken him before now.”

“It doesn’t matter, you’re taking him, made a promise and that’s what he’ll remember.”

He set the dishes on the counter by the sink.

Nellie leaned into him then rose up and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek.

He looked down at her and smiled. “What was that for?”

“Just because.” She turned and left the kitchen.

Blake followed.

*****

Nellie settled the children, read Violet a story and kissed Henry before going to her own bedroom. As much as she wanted to make love to Blake, he hadn’t changed his mind about Maddie, and Nellie was not going to back down about this. It was too important.

She entered her bedroom and saw Blake was already in bed waiting.

“Glad you could join me, Mrs. Malone.”

“For a nap? Anytime, husband. It’s going to be a few minutes while I get out of these clothes.”

Blake hopped out of bed, stark naked and came to her. “Let me help.” He worked on the buttons of her blouse while she unbuttoned her skirt and let it fall to the floor. The rest of her clothes followed.

Soon, she was as naked as the day she was born and Blake scooped her up in his arms and carried her to bed.

“You wear too many clothes,” he grumbled.

“It just makes it that much more exciting when you finally get me out of them.”

He laid her down in the middle of the bed and started to crawl between her legs.

“We can’t, Blake. We are just napping.”

He kissed one of her breasts.

She pushed him away. “I’m serious. Until you believe me about Maddie, we are not making love. I’m still angry with you.”

He rolled to his back and spread his arms wide. “So, what? We’re just going to sleep?”

“Yes.
Just
sleep.”

*****

Two hours later, Blake walked into his office, whistling.

“Well, you seem to have enjoyed lunch with your family,” said Nick.

“You have no idea,” answered Blake.

Nick cocked an eyebrow. “Maybe you better tell me. What has you so happy you’re whistling?”

“Fine, if you must know. I have decided I like married life. I like having the children and definitely enjoy Nellie. I just had lunch with my family and then while the children napped Nellie and I, well…believe it or not, we napped, too. Just napped. She’s still mad at me, but even just having her in my arms was heaven.”

“Ho ho,” laughed Nick from behind his desk. He put down the book he’d been reading. “So you’ve fallen in love with your wife. That didn’t take long.”

“Don’t be absurd.” Blake sat in his desk chair, across the room from Nick’s desk. “Of course, I haven’t fallen in love.” He waved a hand between them as he shook his head. “Men like you and me, don’t fall in love.”

“Speak for yourself.” Nick held up his hands. “I fully intend to fall in love and to marry that person. I think you did it backward is all…married her first.”

“Maybe you should marry before you say any more.” Blake leaned back in his chair. “Marriage isn’t as easy as it appears. Nellie and I have had to make some compromises.”

“You? Make compromises? I don’t believe it.”

“Well, it’s different with Nellie. I want to please her. I want her to be happy.”

“I see. But you don’t want to fall in love with her. Why?”

“Love is…sticky. It makes you do all sorts of things you wouldn’t do otherwise.”
Like take out loans against the farm to buy your new wife all the trappings of money, when you have none. Seeing your father wither away and die, when that same wife leaves for a younger, richer man.
“It makes you go against your rules, it makes you vulnerable. I don’t want to ever be vulnerable.”

“Okay, that explains everything, except what
you
want.”

“I want Nellie, want her happy and want the children content, because she wants that.”

“But…you don’t love her?”

“No,” he cracked his knuckles. “Of course not.”

Nick slowly shook his head. “I don’t understand, but if you’re satisfied that’s all that matters.”

“Are you coming to the dinner party on Saturday?”

“Yes, I’ll be there.”

“Has Maddie switched back with Trixie?”

“She must have. Trixie’s not talking to me. She says it’s my fault we don’t get to be together anymore. Frankly, I’m relieved. I was ready to end it anyway, so you did me a favor.”

“Well,” Blake leaned back in his chair and put his hands behind his head. “I’d say I owe you one. Keeping Maddie away from me and Nellie is what’s important to me.” He righted himself and leaned his forearms on the desk. “Very important.”

“You know,” Nick twirled the pencil in his hand.”I can only keep track of her during work hours. What she does any other time, I have no idea.”

“I know but I’m with Nellie at night and I have Otis and James with her during the day. She’s safe.”

“Have you heard anything from the investigator yet?”

“No. I meet with him tomorrow. He was wiring his colleague in New Orleans and should have some information. Although, after my episode with Maddie this morning, I’m beginning to wonder if Nellie didn’t have the right of it and was telling the truth. I saw a side of Maddie I’ve never seen before.”

“What do you mean?” asked Nick, leaning forward in his desk chair.

“She was angry, almost out of control and she was calling Nellie a bitch and blaming her for the fact that we don’t sleep together any more. She paced the office, yelling, gesturing with her hands. And her face…my God…she looked positively possessed. She was scary.”

“She was just upset. She’ll be fine tonight when she comes in for work. You’ll see.”

“I hope you’re right. I don’t want to believe that she’s capable of the things Nellie said she was. That I was taken in by her beauty and may have been so wrong about her. It makes me wonder what and who else I’ve been wrong about.”

CHAPTER 13

Nellie gathered all the dresses she’d arrived in San Francisco with, every black day dress she owned, along with the undergarments and hoops that went with them. She did the same for the children’s and for Bertha’s clothing as well. Then she packed it all in crates and had Otis load the carriage and take her to the shanty town.

The place was worse than she expected. Plain wood buildings and tents lined the streets. There must have been a hundred of them. There was also one church that she could identify. It was the largest building and had a cross on the peak of the roof.

Entering the plain building, she was spotted by the reverend.

“Good day, madam. What can I do for you?”

“Good day, reverend. I’ve brought clothing I thought the ladies and children could use. Specifically, your widows and orphans.”

“That is kind of you Mrs….”

“Malone. Nellie Malone.”

He frowned. “Your husband wouldn’t happen to be Blake Malone, would he?”

“Yes, sir, he is.”

The reverend’s eyes narrowed and his voice rose. “Your husband, his business and those like it, are the reason many of these people are in such dire straits.”

“That’s not true, Reverend.”
Blake warned me people would treat me this way because of him and his business. So be it.
“He does not force anyone to frequent his establishment. The men who do so, do it of their own free will.”

“He should not be allowed to be in business.”

Nellie cocked her head and waved her hand between them. “Again we must disagree. There are not enough women to go around, Reverend. My husband provides a service. He is one of many who do so. What would happen to the good women of your flock, faced with the prospect of trying to exist, unmolested, in the midst of thousands of men, hungry for female companionship?”

The reverend, hmpfted and said, “Let us agree to disagree, shall we, Mrs. Malone? I know the women of my flock will be very grateful for your offerings.”

Nellie signaled to Otis to bring in the crates of clothing.

“Where would you like these?” she asked the reverend. “Would back in this corner suffice?”

“Yes, that will be fine.”

After all the crates were unloaded, Nellie turned back to the preacher. “If you’ll let me, I’ll be back with food and medicine in a week. You appear to have a great need, sir.”

“We do and I’ll not turn you away.”

He was gracious now, having spent his anger on Nellie.

Nellie held out her hand. “I shall see you in a week, Reverend.”

He weakly took her hand, almost as if he was afraid some stench would rub off on him. “Thank you, Mrs. Malone.”

“It is my pleasure, Reverend,”

Aided by Otis, she climbed back into the carriage and had him take her home. She wanted to hug her children and tell them how much she loved them, and how very lucky they were to have found Blake.

There but for the grace of God go I.

As soon as the carriage started to move, her tears began to flow. The state of poverty those people lived in appalled her and tore at her heart.

When she arrived back at the house, she went to the kitchen first.

“Cook, I want you to bake extra bread every day this week. I’m taking it to the shanty town. I know that the little we can give will not help a lot but some will be helped.”

“Yes, ma’am. No problem at all. I’ll help in any way I can.”

Later that evening, while getting ready for bed, she told Blake what she’d seen.

“You wouldn’t believe the conditions there. I’m taking food and medicine and blankets next. I have to try to help. Would you help me with my buttons, please?”

“Certainly. You’re a good soul Nellie. Were you careful? Did you keep Otis with you at all times?”

He undid the buttons and slid the dress over shoulders and down her arms. Touching her, leaving need in his wake. Then his hands were gone and she remembered what she was talking about.

“I was very careful and Otis was at my side, always. The reverend didn’t think much of me when he found out I was married to you. He stated the condition of some of the families was your fault. I disagreed with him and told him so.”