The Loyal Heart (24 page)

Incredulous, Robert turned to Viola.

“You agreed to Winter's plans in order to get married?”

“He said he loved me.” She shook her head. “No, he does love me.”

“He doesn't love you,” Devin said. “Love isn't full of conditions or threaded with threats and pain. He was using you. I would be surprised if he even ever intended to marry you at all.”

“You are wrong,” Viola whispered. “You are all wrong.”

“Believe that if you must,” Captain Monroe said, his voice flat. “However, we both know if you believe that, you are lying to yourself.”

“There's more,” Ruth said. “I have also suspected that, rather than truly interested in marriage to Viola, Winter has desired the mansion itself. It's quite valuable, you know. And now that I know what he has done, I can see no better way for him to avenge his brother's supposed betrayal than to take over all Phillip's family has left. But I fear I have been turning a blind eye in my desire to return to my home and be rid of my son's wife.”

Robert looked to his captain. “We have what we came for. I suggest we leave.”

“I agree.”

“Wait!” Ruth called out as she struggled to her feet. “What is going to happen to us now?”

“I have no earthly idea.”

“Are you going to tell the sheriff?”

“Of course,” Robert answered.

“But we are her family.”

“I don't see how it matters,” Devin replied. “You have already made your choices, you have been party to blackmail, and you will be answering for your actions for years to come and for eternity.”

“You don't understand,” Viola cried out. “We deserve . . . we need—”

“You need compassion and forgiveness and trust,” Robert bit out as he slapped his hat back on his lap. “I suggest you begin searching for those things again. In the meantime, if you so much as glance in Miranda's direction, I will make sure you will be brought to Sheriff Kern.”

Ruth had the audacity to roll her eyes. “Kern. He is no one. He has no power at all.”

“That, Mrs. Markham, is about to change,” Captain Monroe said before bowing slightly, leading the way out the door of the drawing room, and heading outside.

Robert followed, glad they had several hours before they were going to have the opportunity to face Kyle Winter. Robert knew without a doubt if the man walked in front of him at that moment . . . well, those would be the last pain-free steps he'd walk in months.

As far as he was concerned, it was past time for the man to get a taste of what it had been like to walk in Miranda Markham's shoes.

T
HE MEN HAD LEFT EARLY THAT MORNING
. H
OURS LATER
, Miranda learned they'd asked her staff for directions to Viola and Ruth's home.

Miranda was mystified why the men hadn't asked her about the women or for directions. After all, she had been to their home several times, though only when Phillip had been home on leave. Had they worried about upsetting her? Were they planning to visit other locales besides that house? Or was it simply a matter of them not wanting Miranda to be present when they spoke to Viola and Ruth?

Especially because she had no idea what they thought the two women could tell them about her troubles, other than their own desire for her to leave this house, Miranda hoped Robert and Captain Monroe hadn't wanted her present when they talked to the ladies. Because, quite frankly, she had no desire to be around the women ever again. They were callous and selfish, and she'd had enough of their difficult dispositions for a lifetime.

Now that she had support and the dark depression that had hovered around her psyche for months had at last lifted, Miranda felt renewed. Instead of sitting and worrying, she was eager to do things again. To make plans for her future. To live. For the first time since she'd moved in, she was thinking about doing some
redecorating. The idea of pulling down some of the old velvet drapes that hung over almost every window and sew some new, lighter curtains was appealing. Actually, the idea of working on any project for the house was as tempting to her as candy had to be to a small child.

With that in mind, Miranda slipped on an easy-fitting calico day dress and concentrated on work. A new guest had arrived just a few hours ago. She was an elderly lady, the mother of a ship's first mate or some such. She wanted to spend some time with her boy while he was in port.

The idea of the woman coming so far to spend a few precious hours with her son made Miranda smile. Perhaps that was the silver lining after spending so many years under war's thumb. No one took family or time spent with them for granted.

At that moment she remembered what she had told Robert after the two women's last visit. That she would let them know she would always look out for them. And she would, because that was what Phillip would have wanted.

After knocking on the guest's door and making sure she had everything she needed, she decided to sort through some of Phillip's favorite books. She had only begun when she heard a knock at the door.

Hoping it was Robert and Captain Monroe—perhaps they left their keys?—she rushed to the door. But instead of spying the two men she was coming to trust implicitly, she came face-to-face with a tall, extremely handsome man with a military bearing.

The moment he gazed at her, he smiled.

His smile was a beautiful thing. Straight, white teeth, framed by high cheekbones and a solid jaw. “You are Miranda.”

She nodded. “I am Miranda Markham. However, I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage. May I help you?”

He removed his hat. “My name is Ethan Kelly. I served with your husband, Phillip. I am actually looking for two gentlemen I believe are staying here. Robert Truax and Captain Monroe. Are they here, by any chance?”

There was something unique in the way he spoke. Maybe it was his cadence? He spoke in starts and stops. Maybe it was the way he was staring intently at her, as if a cannon could go off behind him and he wouldn't pay it any mind.

Suddenly, she knew who he was. Just as he did with Captain Monroe, Phillip had described him well. “You're Major Kelly, aren't you?”

“I was. However, I'm plain old Mr. Kelly now.”

His smile was so warm, she felt as if she were greeting an old friend. “Please, do come in, Major Kelly.” The moment she ushered him inside and closed the door, she held out her hand. “I'm honored to make your acquaintance. I feel like I am greeting another old friend. Phillip spoke so highly of all of you.”

His brown eyes softened. “He was an excellent man. And he certainly thought the world of you.”

“I'm beginning to realize that. Robert and Captain Monroe said much the same thing. He . . . well, he was a very good husband.”

After taking his coat, she offered him a seat in the parlor. She was about to ask if she could call for tea or coffee or a light repast when Belle rushed forward.

“I'm sorry I wasn't here to get the door, ma'am,” she said. “I went out to run some errands for Cook and lost track of time.”

“You have nothing to worry about. I don't mind answering the door from time to time.” Smiling in Major Kelly's direction, she said, “Especially to friends.”

Belle's apologetic stance turned curious as she turned to look at Major Kelly.

He was already on his feet. “Miss,” he said. “Good morning.”

“Good morning. Sir.” She opened her mouth. Closed it, then shook her head. “I'm sorry. I meant, thank you.”

Miranda hid a smile. Her sweet maid looked entranced. Miranda didn't blame her one bit. Major Kelly was truly handsome. So handsome, he looked like he belonged on the stage.

But what Miranda also noted was that he seemed to be looking at Belle in appreciation.

Feeling a bit like a third wheel, Miranda cleared her throat. Instantly, both turned to face her. Belle's cheeks were lightly flushed.

“Major Kelly, this is Belle Harden. She works for me as kind of a maid of all work. Belle, this is Major Ethan Kelly. He served with Phillip.”

Belle's eyes widened. “You're a major?”

“Yes. Well, I was.”

“Goodness.”

Major Kelly laughed. “I promise you, those days are in the past, thank goodness. And, well, I have to say that plenty of people were not terribly intrigued or impressed by my rank. My sergeant, for example, could have easily run our unit without my interference.”

“I am sure I don't know about that,” Belle breathed.

“Belle, I was just about to offer Major Kelly some refreshment. Would you prepare some coffee and a tray for us?”

“Of course. I'll get right on it.” But to Miranda's amusement, her maid didn't move a muscle.

“Thank you. That will be all.”

At last, the maid blinked. “Yes, ma'am.” She turned away with a snap of her skirts and exited the room again. The minute they were alone Miranda couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing.

“I must admit that was a first for her and me, sir. She usually looks far less, well . . . far less spellbound by visitors.”

“I'll take your word for it,” he said with a hearty chuckle of his own. “At the risk of sounding too full of myself, her appreciation did my vanity good.”

“I imagine it did, though at the risk of embarrassing you, sir, I would venture that her reaction is not as outlandish as you are making it out to be.”

“In my current job, I promise you, I rarely get stared at like I'm someone of worth.”

She noticed there was more than a trace of bitterness underlying his words. She wondered why. Was he thinking of the war or everything that had happened since? “You know, the first time Phillip left, when I knew he was going to be marching into battle, I barely slept. I was worried about him. Worried about him getting hurt, being without help, and dying. The stories that came back from the front . . . well, they were very bad.”

“They were accurate. Our battles were difficult. Many, many men didn't survive.”

“What I'm trying to say is that I didn't think I would ever have a longer evening than those nights. Long evenings spent with worry and doubts . . . but I discovered that life after is sometimes harder to handle.”

“Yes. I would agree.” He frowned. “And then one hates to complain because we're alive.”

“Why are you here, sir? Are you on business with the men?”

“Devin Monroe contacted me. He relayed to me what Robert had relayed to him in a recent letter. I dropped everything and got on a train here from San Antonio.”

She shook her head in wonder. “I find it amazing that you would come so far for me.”

“You shouldn't find it surprising at all. We all wanted to be here for you. Thomas Baker would be here as well, if he could.”

“Your loyalty seems to know no bounds.”

“For the men I served with, it does not.”

“I appreciate it more than I can say.” Good manners might have expected her to say his visit wasn't needed, but she was too happy to not be alone to say that.

“Please don't mention it. Like I said, I am glad to be of use. It's good to have a worthy cause to fight for again.”

“What do you do now? If I may ask?”

“I do several things in San Antonio. But by trade, I suppose you could say I'm mainly a gambler, ma'am.”

A gambler! Staring at him, Miranda reflected that he certainly didn't look like any gambler she'd ever met. The gamblers she had crossed paths with in Galveston had come off the boats. Most were rather fidgety, pale, and thin men. This gentleman, on the other hand, looked tan and fit. Realizing she was staring, she said, “I must admit I haven't met many gamblers.”

His lips twitched. “That is a very good thing, madam.” He shrugged. “I am good at it, which some might say is not to my benefit. I, however, like to think it is a useful skill.”

“Indeed.” Smiling softly, she said, “I am not one to judge, sir. I have found that we'll all do what we must to survive.”

“Indeed, Mrs. Markham. I have found that to be continually true.”

It felt good to be back in the saddle. It felt even better to be riding alongside his captain. They'd spent countless hours on horseback together during the war, throughout most of Tennessee, Pennsylvania, and everywhere in between. Ironically, they'd never ridden together in their home state of Texas.

“These horses are in surprisingly good condition,” Robert said as he patted his gelding's flank.

“I inspected several stables when I arrived in Houston two days ago. I wanted to have a good idea where the best horseflesh was in case we needed some mounts.”

“What?” Robert had no idea that he'd been in Houston for any length of time before heading to Galveston.

Monroe shrugged. “It never hurts to be prepared.”

“Obviously not.” As Robert clenched his legs, prompting his mount into a canter, he said, “You never fail to surprise me, sir. I'm glad you're here.”

“I am too. What's happened to Miranda isn't right.”

Thinking of how Viola and Ruth betrayed both Miranda and Phillip, Robert thought that was something of an understatement. “At least we now know who has been behind the letters and the rumors.”

Devin's expression hardened. “What do you know about this Kyle Winter?”

“Enough to know that it will be a pleasure to pay him a visit and escort him to Sheriff Kern. Jess will be glad his suspicions about Winter have been justified. He even followed the man early one morning to see what he was up to. He ended up down by the water, but when he engaged Winter in conversation, his excuse for being there didn't hold up. Now I wonder if Ruth is right about Winter's interest in the canal. You were right to suspect its worth had something to do with this.”

“Too bad we can't dispense our own justice and string him up from a tree.”

Thinking of how Winter had talked down to Miranda in front of the other customers of the bank and even in front of him the first time he accompanied Miranda, Robert didn't disagree. “I
agree with you one hundred percent, Captain. This man deserves to be treated the way he treated Miranda. Harshly and without remorse.”

“Where to next? The Iron Rail or the bank?”

“The bank,” Robert said after a moment's reflection. “The next time I see Miranda, I want to be able to tell her that her troubles are over. At least with Kyle Winter.”