Chapter 20 #2
“I’m afraid all talk of unmentionables is going to have to wait,” Seth said.
“If I’m not mistaken, the authorities have arrived on the scene.
I highly doubt they’re going to want to wait to question us because of an unmentionable conversation.
However, once they’re done with us, we can then repair to the train, where talk of corsets and the like can continue, but only after Flick and I are safely entrenched in our Pullman car and we’re on our way home. ”
Norma Jean immediately lifted her chin. “I’m not going home as I have unfinished business to attend to.”
“Would that business center around the treasure map you memorized, the one that might lead to a treasure, or better yet, Ottilie Merriweather?” Seth asked.
“You know about the map?”
“Velma might have folded under pressure,” Seth said, sending Annaliese, who’d stepped up beside Flick and Miranda, a nod. “Turns out your temporary co-headmistress can be somewhat intimidating when she’s annoyed. Poor Velma didn’t stand a chance against her.”
“I wasn’t expecting intimidation from Miss Merriweather, although I did have some reservations about Miss Livingston,” Norma Jean admitted.
“Miss Livingston was the reason I changed our plans after you told me those personal safety devices were mine. I figured having skunks invade the school would keep Miss Livingston busy, whereas simply having two of the Zambarello sisters feign fits of the vapors, which was our original plan, might have left Miss Livingston suspicious.”
“You’ll be needing to apologize to Miss Livingston, as well as all the students, once we return to Chicago,” Louisa said firmly.
“And I’ll do exactly that, but since we’re already in Florida, I don’t think it’s unreasonable to continue with my quest, not when there’s a fair chance, as in a twelve percent chance, that we might find Miss Ottilie Merriweather along with a treasure.
” Norma Jean lifted her chin another notch.
“We certainly can’t ignore that chance, or discount the effort I’ve already exerted with pursuing the treasure map. ”
Louisa frowned. “And while finding a woman who’s been presumed dead would be extraordinary, I’d like to know exactly why you’re so determined to be the person responsible for finding her, or a treasure for that matter.”
“Because it would be nice if, for a change, someone found me to be a remarkable McCormick instead of Seth.” Norma Jean shrugged. “I mean, how much more remarkable could I get if I were to be one of the first young ladies to find buried treasure or locate a lady who’s been missing for ages?”
Seth edged closer to his sister. “You’re already a remarkable young lady.”
“Don’t patronize me, Seth,” Norma Jean countered with a roll of her eyes. “I know I’m not remarkable enough to overshadow all your accomplishments yet.”
He edged even closer to her, encouraged when she didn’t take a step away from him.
“The only reason you have yet to overshadow me is because you’re only thirteen.
” He smiled. “I’m sure you’re aware that you were one of those surprise babies, Mother and Father believing they were done with having children after Betsy and Hester came along six and seven years after me, although know that everyone was delighted with the surprise.
But, to return to the point I was about to make, there’s over a fifteen-year age difference between us, so it’s not exactly surprising that I’ve been able to accomplish more than you have. ”
“You invented a clockwork fly scarer that wound up using a clock mechanism to shoo flies out of a room when you were seven. My greatest achievement at that age was playing with my dolls.”
“But only because you, being a girl, were given dolls, whereas I was given my own workbench and tools when I was four.” Seth smiled.
“If you ask me, it’s an accomplishment that you, on your own, took the initiative to begin writing plays when most girls your age are becoming more interested in fashion and, need I add, boys. ”
“I’m interested in boys and fashion.”
“I’m not sure I needed to know that about the boys, but to return to your plays, they’re sophisticated and not what one expects from a teenage girl, and, in all honesty, they’re worthy of acclaim as well as publication.”
“No one’s going to publish a play written by a girl.”
“We’ll never know that for certain until we look into the matter.” Seth smiled. “However, know that I can guarantee that before you reach my age, your achievements will overshadow anything I’ve accomplished.”
“But couldn’t you let me do some of that overshadowing now?” Norma Jean asked. “I already have the name of a captain who’ll sail me wherever I want to go, and he’s just down in Pensacola, which isn’t even a day’s train ride from here.”
Before Seth could answer, a group of policemen began swarming around the side of the saloon. The next five minutes were spent explaining what happened, ending when Norma Jean and Miranda, in the company of Flick and Louisa, headed off to provide written statements regarding the train event.
As they disappeared from sight, Seth offered Annaliese his arm, and together they began making their way toward the front of the saloon, Seth slowing when he caught Annaliese watching him with an unreadable expression on her face.
“Is something the matter?” he asked.
She tilted her head, which left Pippin wiggling as she’d once again curled herself around Annaliese’s throat, her ferret-attacking abilities having not been required.
“It’s not that anything’s the matter, but I feel compelled to tell you that I was privy to the conversation you were having with Norma Jean before your mother and I made ourselves known, and one I’m not certain you would have wanted me to overhear. ”
His face suddenly felt a tad warm. “What did you hear?”
Annaliese’s cheeks became rather flushed as well.
“Well, first, know that we weren’t deliberately eavesdropping.
It was more a case of us giving you time to talk to your sister, but then you said something about finding me fascinating and might be considering courting me, but I didn’t hear anything else because your mother started whispering how encouraging that was and how it was a delightful turn of events. ”
“Should I assume she’s intending to take her meddling up a notch?”
“A notch might be an understatement considering she’s decided that you and I are going about the whole romance business in a haphazard fashion.
Now, after overhearing you mention courtship, she seems to believe she needs to step in and give us romantic guidance.
” Annaliese shook her head. “Frankly, I’m beginning to believe that your mother is far worse than mine when it comes to matters of romance, because while my mother was relentless with pushing gentlemen in my direction during the beginning of my dismal debut year, her enthusiasm for matchmaking dimmed significantly after no gentlemen gave any indication they’d be interested in courting me. ”
“That must have been a disappointing time for you.”
“On the contrary,” Annaliese countered. “Avoiding all the courting nonsense that goes on within the New York Four Hundred once a lady and gentleman decide to court allowed me to pursue my study of insects, as well as become involved with the Save the Bird movement.”
“There’s a movement?”
“Indeed, and it’s filled with rallies and meetings and lectures on different species of birds and how to care for any birds we might be able to save.
I was even involved with passing out pamphlets to promote our cause until all the printing companies in New York refused to print any more pamphlets for us after a group of plume hunters and milliners threatened them. ”
“I had no idea.”
“It’s not a very large movement yet, and I was hoping to become more involved, but then Father died, we turned poor, and we moved here.”
“And your time has been consumed with the academy.”
“Exactly.”
“But as you’re considering stepping back from instructing, you’ll have time to become engage with that movement again,” Seth pointed out.
She smiled. “I know, but to return to your mother, I feel that I should probably tell you that she took it upon herself earlier to give me some pointers when it comes to kissing.”
It took a great deal of effort to keep his mouth from dropping open. “Do I want to know why my mother decided to give you pointers on kissing?”
“Probably not, but I’m going to tell you anyway because it might be for the best if we act as a team since mothers with matchmaking on their minds can be persistent.
” She leaned closer to him. “Louisa believes that a first kiss between a couple is meant to happen in the most romantic of settings because one only experiences that first kiss once.”
“And she gave you that pointer because . . . ?”
“She thought we’d shared a moment earlier today, and a moment that might have had both of us thinking about kissing.”
He cocked his head to the side as the moment she was obviously referring to sprang to mind. “Were you thinking about kissing before?”
“Were you?”
“I’ve been thinking about kissing you since I became enthralled with the symmetry of your face months ago,” he heard pop out of his mouth before he could stop the words.
She blinked. “I was not expecting you to say that.”
He blinked right back at her. “Because you’ve never thought about kissing me before?”
“Of course I’ve thought about it, and more than once, the last time being when you told me that you named the donkey.”
“Oh.”
“Yes, oh.”
Satisfaction began flowing through his veins. “It seems to me then that we’ve both been doing a bit of thinking about kissing.”
“It does seem as if that is the case.”
A charged silence settled over them as they simply stared at each other, until Seth moved closer to her right as she moved closer to him, and . . .
The sound of Harriet chattering in a frantic sort of way wafted to them, interrupting the moment they’d almost shared, that moment turning downright unsalvageable when Harriet scampered into view, clutching something undoubtedly stolen in her hand, which exactly explained why two men bolted into view as well, a pistol gripped in one of the man’s hands.