Stavewood (Stavewood Saga Book 1) (20 page)

Chapter Thirty-One

    
 T
he
sheriff mounted the steps of the Weintraub house shortly after daybreak. He hadn’t been by the residence in years and found it run down and sorely in need of a coat of paint. Finn was often about the place doing some fix-up job or another for Dianna, always her rather simple-minded brother forever at her command, but the house looked as though no one had made any sort of repair in several months. The family had never reported him missing, but his employer hadn’t seen him in weeks. In a world where men went off to hunt, sometimes for weeks, a missing person could be lost for long stretches before the sheriff’s office ever heard from the family. Ben hoped that’s all Finn was up to.

      He knocked on the door loudly and, after several minutes, Octavia appeared in her robe. Obviously none too happy to see the man, she tried to explain that she was not up to visiting at this particular moment.

      “I need to speak to you, Octavia, and it cannot wait.”

      She led him into the parlor. The house was disheveled and dark.

      “If this is about Mother you shouldn’t have bothered. She stopped home last night and said her and Uncle Finn were riding out to look at some horses and wouldn’t be back for several days.”

      “Your uncle was with her?”

      “That’s what she said.” Octavia flopped down onto the settee and appeared annoyed.

      “Do you know where they were headed?”

      “No, I have no idea.” Octavia rubbed her eyes, it was clear she wanted to return to her bed.

      “Octavia, what do you know about that girl staying out at Timothy’s place? Does Dianna know her?”

      “Rebecca?” Octavia was suddenly awake.

      “Yes.” The sheriff found it curious that Octavia would be so interested in the girl.

      “I was just out there talking to her. Strange girl, she acts as if she thinks she’s the queen or something. I don’t think it’s proper that she’s staying at Stavewood. It’s not right that she’s up there alone with Timothy.”

      “Had you or possibly your mother ever met her before?” The sheriff knew that Dianna had been pushing Octavia to marry Elgerson for years, but Octavia’s jealously of Rebecca was harmless, he thought. The sheriff was sure she could not possibly imagine herself married to the man.

      “No, I never have. I’m certain Mother never did either. She didn’t make it to the party you know. Why would Mother have anything whatsoever to do with Rebecca?”

      “That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Rebecca is staying out at Tim’s because she met with some trouble with the train and someone took her off into the woods. There’s talk that your mother might know something about that.”

      Octavia rose suddenly and paced around the room.

      “Trouble with the train? Where exactly?”

      “Out at Hawk Bend a few weeks back.” Sheriff Carson could see Octavia was behaving oddly and continued. “Why? Does that bring anything to mind?”

      “Of course not. Don’t be silly! I’m just on edge with the robberies and all. Maybe Rebecca was trying to rob the train and she got hurt or something. Mother certainly would have nothing to do with that. Perhaps Rebecca is a train robber!”

      Ben Carson knew from experience, that when anyone he suspected started making suggestions as Octavia was now, something was wrong.

     He finished questioning the woman, certain that something wasn’t quite right, but unsure if she was involved or simply on the fringes of whatever Dianna and Finn were up to.

      He informed Octavia that he would need to speak to both Finn and her mother and decided to inquire at some of the surrounding homes to ask if any of the neighboring families had seen anything lately. He left the Weintraub house certain he needed to find Dianna and Finn as quickly as possible.

Chapter Thirty-Two

    
R
ebecca
heard activity in the kitchen downstairs and thought it best that she return to her room to dress, having nothing to wear in Timothy’s massive bedroom. She studied the room carefully, open and inviting in its magnificent warmth. Unsure of how she might explain her situation, she decided it best to do so fully clothed. If she remained they might never talk and she knew she must tell everything to Timothy. Even with his assurances that her circumstances didn’t matter, the man at least had the right to know the whole story.

      She slid his solid thigh from across her hip, wrapped herself in a sheet from the foot of the bed, tiptoed to the door, and peered out into the hall. Slipping out quickly, she reached her room, stepped silently inside, and closed the door behind her. Rebecca sighed. Timothy’s staff was unlikely to see her at this hour and be aware of her indiscretion, but she feared that Mark and his overnight guest might discover her and she wished to avoid embarrassing explanations.

      Rebecca sang in her morning bath, and dressed gaily. She giggled to herself, lost in the perfect memory of the previous night. She pushed her concerns away about divulging her true reasons for having found her way to Stavewood and decided that most certainly Octavia was no longer a part of the picture.

Timothy sat up suddenly in the bed and his head pounded mercilessly. He rubbed his forehead and struggled in confusion. Ben Carson had been there, that much he clearly recalled, and he knew he had drunk far too heavily and that he and Rebecca had fought.

      He thought he remembered her running off to her room, but could not recall what had happened that had led up to that. Then he remembered seeing her in his bed, warm and compliant beneath him. Or was she? If she had actually been here and not part of his drunken imagination, where was she now? He searched the bed despite his raging headache and found nothing of hers. He did however find that the sheet was damp and cursed loudly.

      It had been a dream. In his cups and frustration over the girl it had all been a dream. After being alone all this time, desire had freed itself from him physically, but not from his mind and he threw the pillow across the room, sending it tumbling into the corner.

      “This is ridiculous!” he said loudly. That fool girl had been too much on his mind. If he could not drink away her torture of him, his obsession with her would become uncontrollable. He threw aside the wet sheet and sat painfully on the edge of the bed.

      “Timothy Elgerson, you are a fool,” he said, aloud, to himself. “If that woman thinks she can leave me to spend my nights dreaming of having her while she denies me at every turn, she is very wrong. She will bewitch me no longer!” He headed for his bath with determination.

      At the breakfast table Rebecca was dressed and enjoying her breakfast, her cheeks glowing with pleasure. Elgerson stalked into the room and stared at her angrily.

      “Timothy?” she asked, totally bewildered by his mood.

      “Haven’t you worn that dress once before?” he asked in a raspy voice.

      “Yes,” she replied, feeling a bit offended by his tone.

      “If you need more things to wear I’ll get them for you. Since you have decided to refuse me touching you, then at least perhaps you can accept that I dress you to please the eye!” He slammed the door behind him as he left the room.

      Rebecca was stunned. Was he still drunk? Why ever would he make such a remark to her after their night together? Suddenly she gasped and her fork fell to the table.

      He didn’t remember. He had assured her that it didn’t matter who she was and made love to her in a drunken state, too inebriated to even recall it.

      “You stupid fool!” she called after him.

      He heard her voice behind him and turned to have it out with the frustrating female once and for all. He’d show her who the fool was!

      “Mister Elgerson!” One of the farm hands called to him, standing out in front of the open stable. “You ought to take a look at this!”

      Timothy stood firmly in the doorway to the yard and decided that the impossible Rebecca could goad him no longer. She would not provoke him in any way. He stomped out to the stables.

      Rebecca threw her napkin on the table and ran up to her room. “You are impossible, Timothy Elgerson, and I was a fool to imagine you might actually care about me.” Rebecca paced the room cursing in her anger. “How dare you take me to your bed in your drunken state and use me like that and not even recall it! I might as well have been a prostitute. Then at least I would have cash and not just these dresses to please your eye!”

      She threw open the window to shout out into the yard and saw Timothy standing with a group of men and closed the window quickly in frustration.

      “Timothy Elgerson, you are a beast,” she hissed through clenched teeth. She wished she had a broader vocabulary with which to curse the man.

      She stormed down the hall with determination and found the butler arranging clothing in Timothy’s room.

      “I would like to post a letter as soon as possible, could you please tell me how I might go about doing that?” she asked the man irately.

      “I can take care of that for you, Miss,” The girl always seemed so sweet, but it was apparent she was very perturbed.

      “Fine,” she stated. “I will prepare a letter immediately. Where might I find the paper to do so?”

      In minutes he supplied her with writing materials. Rebecca closed the door to her room and wrote a letter to Emmy requesting that she wire her money at her earliest convenience. An explanation would be given once she had arrived at home. She knew Emma would gladly send her fare and she could leave the impossible Timothy Elgerson behind.

      She sealed the envelope and set it upon the writing desk before her.

      Overwhelmed with emotion, she began to sob pitilessly. Her anger spilled forth, making her feel frazzled and the night’s previous experiences continually came into her mind.

      “I did exactly what I promised myself I would not do,” she said to herself. “I let myself go to him and what have I got for it? He will go ahead and marry Octavia, although honestly, I can’t imagine why. I will go home and have to explain everything to Emmy. I will still have nothing, except debts to her and, of course, you, Timothy Elgerson. I hate you!” She threw herself on the bed, knowing that although she said it out loud, her heart said something else to her. Yet, she could not stay and the thought of the trip home alone terrified her even more, knowing what possibilities it might hold.

      Mark passed Rebecca’s room trying to see why the men had gathered outside and tapped quietly.

      “Rebecca, is everything okay?”

      “I’m fine, Mark. Thank you,” she replied, upset that the boy had heard her.

      He opened the door slightly and was overcome with concern.

      “Rebecca, why are you crying? Please, don’t cry. It’ll be okay.” Mark was so fond of the woman he would do anything to make her happy.

      “I’m just sad.” She dried her eyes and pulled a shawl about her shoulders.

      “Whatever’s wrong, we’ll fix it. Pa and me. We can fix anything!”

      “No, Mark, it’s not that simple. As soon as I can make arrangements I will be going home, back to England. I’m sorry.”

      The boy was devastated. Since Rebecca had arrived, the house was happy again, possibly happier than he ever remembered. His father had shaved, not just for the party, but every day since and he ate regular meals with them. Pa looked happy for the first time. The staff was content with the family home and he believed that if she should go he’d be back out at the cabin, with Stavewood closed up again, and his father rarely around.

      “No!” The boy shouted. “You can’t leave! I need you to stay!”

      Rebecca took the boy by the shoulders and faced him squarely, sighing deeply.

      “Mark, I cannot stay. I have to go home. This is your home, but not mine. I don’t belong here and I will have to leave. Please try to understand.”

      “But you do belong here! Since you came here everyone is happy now. Please, Rebecca, please stay!” He pleaded with her and began to cry, hugging her fiercely and clinging to her pitifully.

      “Mark, please.” She tried to soothe the boy and stroked his face.

      “You’re going to leave me just like Mom did, and you’ll go away and never come back, just like she did. I heard you and Pa this morning! I know he’s mad at you like he was with her. That’s why you want to go away. He’s making you want to leave like he did with her!” He sobbed violently.

      She made the boy look at her and continued.

      “Mark, that is not true. Your father did not make her leave. They may have been angry with one another, but what happened to her was an accident. You can’t blame your father for that. He loves you and I know your mother did as well!”

      The boy pulled away from her and ran down the stairs. Rebecca followed him quickly, wanting desperately to make him understand.

      When Mark reached the yard Timothy intercepted him and caught him mid-step, he didn’t want the boy anywhere near the stables. It was nothing he wanted the boy to see.

      Rebecca ran up behind him and looked at Timothy, who was obviously upset.

      “Take him inside, Rebecca,” Timothy commanded, and Rebecca knew something was terribly wrong.

      ‘Pa, she’s going to leave!” the boy blurted out. “Please Pa, don’t make her leave!”

      “Mark.” The man squatted down to face the boy eye to eye. “We’ll talk about it later.”

      Timothy Elgerson looked up at Rebecca seriously. With the commotion in the barn his mood had changed and he felt his remarks in the morning light had been an overreaction to something the woman knew nothing about. Rebecca stood facing him obviously emotional and concerned, but he had no time to address the problem now.

      Rebecca took the hysterical child to his room and sat reading to him until he had dozed off.

      Once the boy was sleeping soundly, she slipped quietly from his room and swiftly went out to the barn. A group of men were loading the chestnut onto the back of a wagon. The lifeless animal’s throat had been cut and exposed.

      Rebecca covered her face in horror and Timothy heard her gasp.  He directed the men to cover the animal, put his arm across her shoulders and led her into the yard.

      “What happened?” she looked up at him in shock.

      “Not sure. Someone went after the horses last night,” he replied, looking at Rebecca frankly.

      “Where’s the other horse?” Rebecca knew that the stable closest to the house held only the chestnut and the huge Arabian.

      “I don’t know. Both stalls were open and the chestnut was left in the stall. I’m hoping he ran off. He’s not easy for anyone, including myself, to handle. It’s possible he just broke free. A couple of men are off getting the sheriff. I expect him anyway with news of Octavia and her mother.

      “Rebecca, I need you to stay as close to the house as possible, and I don’t want you anywhere outside unless one of the men is with you. I’m sorry for my mood this morning. I had a bad night and I guess I wasn’t myself.”

      Rebecca looked at him searchingly. He clearly had no memory of them together and she suddenly felt less infuriated and something more tragic. As she watched his worried face and the concern in his eyes and listened to his genuine apology with no memory of their night together, her face grew serious. Rebecca admitted to herself, clearly for the first time, that she was in love with the man and she felt her heart breaking.

      “I’m sorry. I don’t want to trap you here. Mark said you wanted to leave and you are free to do that when this has all blown over if you like.” He stopped mid-sentence and looked into her eyes. Timothy struggled to continue. “But, right now I think it’s best you wait. Whoever went after those horses may have meant it for a message and I’m afraid they may be after you.”

      What was it he saw in her eyes? Disappointment, because she felt trapped? No, it was something else. He found himself wanting her again and struggled to clear his head. His stomach lurched and his head pounded and, if he wasn’t mistaken, the woman looked at him as though she felt something for him. “No. That’s impossible,” the man thought. She turned him down at every advance. When this was all straightened out he’d let her go and, in time, the torment would cease.

      “I understand, Tim,” she replied without hesitation. “You have enough to think about without worrying about me.” She gathered her skirt and walked back to the house slowly.

      He watched her delicate steps as she crossed the lawn, wondering why she wouldn’t let him care for her. Why did she keep him away? More pieces of his dream floated back to him, as they had forced their way in all morning, despite the horse, and he wanted more than anything that the dream had been reality, but it was not.