Chapter 5
Leanne had never prayed so much in her life, except for when their town was being invaded by the Yankee enemies. Now it was being taken over by a different enemy, and she was about to marry him in one month.
She had lost weight from lack of appetite and felt nauseous constantly. Yet, every evening, she pasted on a smile and was very convincing, doting, even more than Franklin demanded she be.
Lately, he had taken to kissing her goodnight at the end of the evening. She had to stay convincing for Catherine’s sake, and every time she was forced to be loving to that man, she would remember Catherine dressed like a harlot, sobbing. That brought her through the rough times.
Today, Franklin had made her an appointment with the dressmaker to have some fancy dresses made for their honeymoon. The thought of a honeymoon terrified her, but she had faith God would save her from it or see her through it.
The one good thing about going to the dressmaker was seeing Natalie. Franklin had ordered her some dresses that she wouldn’t need help with, taking Natalie’s nightly visits from her.
Today, she would have hours with her friend, and hopefully the shop would be busy enough to occupy the owner, Miss Dubois.
That prayer was soon answered. While Natalie pinned and tucked fabric into a fashionable dress, she whispered about the lawyer helping them.
Leanne’s knees almost buckled when she heard that someone was arranging for all four of them to escape. Tears of joy ran down her cheeks, and she quickly wiped them away.
Natalie helped Leanne redress as she took the folds of pinned fabric and carefully put them to the side. She handed Leanne a folded wad of paper, which she hid in her camisole, just as Miss Dubois walked in.
“I need you to decide on these.” She handed Leanne ten swatches of fabric. “Tell Mr. Staley these are much too expensive for me to order them all. I will order the ones you decide on. But I need a decision before I close today.”
“Yes, ma’am. I will see what I can do.”
She stepped out into the beautiful spring day, wishing she could enjoy it. Her world had turned upside down and she wondered if anything would ever be right again. Then she remembered what Natalie said about all four of them escaping. That thought made her heart soar.
She had never sought out Franklin, especially during the day at the saloon, but Miss Dubois needed an answer before she would see him tonight. Walking to the back entrance that was close to his office, she opened the outer door to find a goon standing guard at the office door.
“I need to see Mr. Staley, please.”
“Nope, he can’t be disturbed.”
“Excuse me?” She narrowed her eyes. “Do you realize who I am?”
“Yep. But you still ain’t going in.”
“How dare you? I demand to see him right this minute.” By now, her voice was loud enough to be heard in the front of the saloon.
The goon grabbed her arm and started to shove her out the door, when Franklin jerked open his office door.
“What’s going on here?” He was shocked to see Leanne, and he immediately slapped the goon’s hand from her arm. “Don’t you ever touch her again!”
He took her arm gently and guided her into his office. “I’m shocked to see you here, my dear. Please come in.”
There were four men she didn’t recognize sitting near his desk. The desk, and everything on it, was haphazardly covered by a man’s jacket.
Franklin seemed a bit upset, but used a calm soothing voice. The look in his eyes was nothing near calm or soothing. He almost looked threatening.
“Franklin, I do apologize for coming here. Miss Dubois said she had to have an answer from you before she closes today.”
He turned to the gentlemen and grinned. “I’ll just be a moment here.”
She took a quick look at the men before he turned back to her. “Franklin, I’m so sorry to bother you. I know you’re busy. But she…”
“Not to worry. What kind of answer does she need? She knows she can bill me for everything.”
Leanne handed him the swatches and spoke quietly. “Mrs. Dubois needs you to pick what you want. She said it’s too expensive for her to order anything except what you choose. The order has to be placed by this evening to have them ready by, well, you know.”
He took the swatches and sighed. “Okay, just leave them with me. I’m very busy at the moment. I will get my choices to her this afternoon.” He kissed her cheek.
He went back to his desk as she walked toward the door. As she opened the door, she turned back and caught a glimpse of one of the men uncovering stacks of gold bars on the desk. She averted her eyes and hurried out as if seeing nothing.
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Leanne felt sure she had seen something and somebody that she shouldn’t have. She was shaking all over when she got back to her room. What had she stumbled on, and why did she sense that it was enough to get her killed?
Being so caught up in thoughts of danger, she forgot for several minutes about the paper Natalie had given her.
She retrieved the wad of paper and settled in her chair to read. It was several pages that started with a letter from the lawyer. He explained that things were set in motion that she could not be aware of, and for her not to be fearful, she would be protected.
The letter went on about the man’s application she held, and about a proxy marriage that would benefit both of them. She glanced at the application and then continued reading the letter. The last few lines read:
For your own safety and the safety of your friends, please burn this letter and application when you finish reading. A man will contact you late tonight. He can be trusted.
“Lord, what have I gotten myself into? Please help me.”
At six o’clock, she looked refreshed and radiant as she met Franklin in the lobby. He offered his arm and led her to their table. Everything seemed as normal as usual.
“You look lovely tonight, darling.” He whispered against her hair as he helped her with her chair. “One month from today, and I can hardly wait.”
She smiled as he seated himself and motioned for their supper. “Franklin, I apologize for disturbing you today. I would never do that, but Miss Dubois had me flustered.”
He sipped his water. “No need to apologize. I have taken care of Miss Dubois and the man who dared to grab your arm. No one is to treat you with disrespect. You have earned that much from me. You’ve done everything I’ve asked of you for a month and done it with a good spirit. You almost make me believe it.
“I was worried for a moment that an opportunity for an investment may have been messed up, but not to worry, everything is fine.
“My men have been instructed to make you comfortable any time you come to see me, if you have to wait for me to finish up business. That should have happened today, and it would have saved a lot of grief.”
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“Darling,” he took her hand and kissed it. “You can come to see me anytime you wish. If I’m busy, I’ll be with you as soon as possible.”
She nodded and smiled, hoping she would never have to step foot in that place again.
********************
Afraid to dress for bed because someone was supposed to contact her tonight, she sat down in the chair and waited. An hour passed before she heard a light tap on her door and a note pushed under it.
It told her to open her door at midnight. Glancing at the clock, she saw that was two hours from now. She didn’t dare try to sleep for fear of not waking at midnight, but she was too anxious to even think about sleeping. Something big was going on and she was right in the middle.
She started thinking about the application she had burned. Jeremiah Durham. The man willing to save her and her friends. A recovering invalid, who still ran the chance of never walking again after breaking his back when his horse threw him. He needed to be married before May twenty-fourth in order to save his ranch. He seemed very honest on his application, making sure she knew the risks of marrying him.
He stated that he hoped they would learn to love each other, but that he understood that it would take time. Apologies followed the application about not doing this in person and in such a hurry.
Now, it was up to her. Could she risk spending the rest of her life with an invalid? A stranger? What option did she have? Franklin Staley was the bottom of the barrel, teetering on the border of being an outlaw, and the pure meaning of despicable.
Jeremiah Durham was willing not only to rescue her, but also her three friends. What kind of a man would do such? An honorable man…the total opposite of Franklin Staley.
But how would she escape? She was watched every time she stepped outside the hotel.
She looked at the clock again. Five more minutes to wonder what was going on.
Looking in the mirror, she patted her hair and smoothed her dress, paced a bit, then opened the door. She looked out in the hall quickly, seeing no one, then left the door ajar and took a seat.
In the next moment, a non-descript man in his forties stepped in silently and closed the door.
“Miss, for your own safety, I can’t give you names or specifics. I can only say that I have the room right next door, and you will be safe.”
She offered him a glass of water and motioned for him to sit.
“Miss, it would be very helpful if you could tell us anything about Mr. Staley and his associates. Perhaps any business dealings?”
She explained what she knew about him threatening people in private but being the ultimate gentleman in public, giving several examples.
The man took notes as she spoke. “Any business dealings? Names of associates?”
“No. Nothing. But today, I had to go to his office, which I’ve never done before, unless forced. He was meeting with four men I’d never seen. It looked as though they had covered something I shouldn’t see on his desk, with a jacket. As I was leaving, I turned back for a moment and saw what looked to be bars of gold. I may be mistaken. It all happened so quickly.”
“Yes, that’s very helpful. We know who the men are. Did two of them look like gunmen and two like businessmen?”
“Yes, exactly.”
“We knew what was supposed to happen, we just didn’t know when or where. You have been very helpful.”
“Do you want me to try to find out more?”
“Miss, I can’t ask you to do that. We don’t want you to be at risk. All I ask is to tell us if you do hear or see anything unusual.”
“What about me and my friends? I thought you were coming here to help us.”
“We are going to help you, all of you, but you won’t know when or how. It will be something drastic that takes you by surprise. It will clear you from Staley being suspicious. We are good at our jobs.
“We still have to decide how to proceed on one issue. We need to know, will you marry Jeremiah Durham by proxy?”