Chapter 1 Spring 1886
One
Being followed by a mysterious brougham carriage, one that sported heavy black drapes that concealed the identity of the people within, usually wouldn’t be a matter of grave concern for Miss Seraphina Livingston, not when she was more than adept with evasive maneuvers while riding a horse, or rather, riding a normal horse.
Unfortunately, the horse she was currently attempting to steer down a busy Chicago street—and sidesaddle, no less, since she was a proper decorum instructor and ladies were expected to ride sidesaddle when out in public—wasn’t what anyone would consider normal.
The reason behind why Dazzle, a beautiful white mare whose coat sparkled in the sunlight, was less than normal was this—until two weeks ago, the little darling had been the main attraction in a traveling circus.
That right there exactly explained why Dazzle wasn’t all that familiar with simply trotting down a road, preferring instead to prance, sidestep, or more concerningly, rear up on her hind legs every fifty feet or so, where she’d then paw her hooves into the air for at least thirty seconds, something that had almost unseated Seraphina the first time Dazzle had gone airborne.
Frankly, riding a horse on which she was hard-pressed to maintain her seat wasn’t exactly ideal when trying to evade what might turn out to be a sinister situation, considering there was a chance that the people in the brougham might have been hired by a lady Seraphina referred to as Stepmother Dearest.
Everyone else referred to Stepmother Dearest as Mrs. Daniel Livingston or Almira, but Seraphina preferred not to address her as such, not when the lady hadn’t been subtle about wanting Seraphina either married off to a man Almira could control, which would allow her access to the vast fortune Seraphina had inherited from her late father, or . . . dead.
Having already thwarted Stepmother Dearest’s desire to marry her off to a repulsive man by the name of Elmer Humphrey, Seraphina was relatively sure the whole being dead business was what Almira was scheming to do with her next, which made her current situation with a former circus horse somewhat concerning.
She leaned directly next to Dazzle’s ear.
“While it’s evident that you relish attention, which is obviously why you keep breaking into all sorts of fancy footwork, this is no time to continue with what I can only describe as a preening session on your part.
Danger is currently nipping at our heels.
That means we need to get to the academy lickety-split, and also means you need to set aside your preening. ”
A toss of Dazzle’s pretty mane was her only response to that before she stopped her prancing, but not because she’d decided to cooperate.
Instead, she evidently decided that sidestepping her way across the busy street would garner her more appreciative glances than the prancing she’d just been doing.
Tightening her grip on the reins while ignoring the angry admonishments that were now being cast her way by numerous carriage and delivery drivers who were being forced to hustle out of Dazzle’s sidestepping way, Seraphina gave the reins a tug.
Regrettably, tugging turned out to be a grave miscalculation on her part because, instead of stopping with the sidestepping, Dazzle released a shrill whinny as she reared into the air, then dropped her forelegs to the ground before she kicked up her hind legs and set about what seemed to be a deliberate attempt to bounce Seraphina from the saddle.
Reflexes honed over the many years she’d spent in a Swiss boarding school, where she’d procured an unusual education that included fencing, sharpshooting, and how best to ride a horse to escape danger, as well as a fascinating form of self-defense called Shinden Fudo-ryū, which her instructor had called jujitsu, was the only reason Seraphina managed to maintain her seat—until Dazzle launched into an impressive bit of side-galloping.
The mare then galloped onto the sidewalk, which sent pedestrians scurrying out of the way as Seraphina lost the fight to retain her seat and went flying over Dazzle’s head.
A less-than-graceful somersault, something she’d learned from a visiting acrobat at her boarding school, allowed her to avoid ending up face down on the cobblestones, although her acrobatic instructor wouldn’t have been the least bit impressed when Seraphina began staggering around, trying to find her balance.
After finally getting both of her feet planted firmly on the sidewalk, she straightened and settled narrowed eyes on a horse that was now snickering at her.
“You’re fortunate Annaliese adores you because if I had my way,” Seraphina began, “I’d send you straight back to that circus where you can preen and be appreciated by audiences to your heart’s content because you’re a menace.”
Another snicker was Dazzle’s only response to that, quite as if she knew that the former Annaliese Merriweather, now Mrs. Seth McCormick, would never return her to the traveling circus Dazzle had recently been liberated from, no matter if she was a menace or not.
Shaking out the folds of a skirt that was tangled around her legs due to the unexpected somersaulting, Seraphina stilled when she realized that she’d forgotten about the brougham following her.
Turning ever so nonchalantly, she couldn’t quite refuse a groan when her gaze settled on the brougham in question, one that had stopped mere feet away from her, lending credence to the fact that it had, indeed, been following her.
Her hand was in her pocket a blink of an eye later, her fingers tightening around the cold steel of the small derringer she never left the house without.
Before she could pluck it out of her pocket, though, the driver of the brougham jumped down from the coachman’s seat, then opened the carriage door with a bit of a flourish, which preceded the appearance of a highly polished black boot.
That boot was then followed by trousers that could only be described as being on the flashy side, given the red-and-green plaid of the fabric, before a man who gave new meaning to the word rotund heaved himself through the door.
A thud reverberated around the man when his feet met the pavement, and after giving a tug on the ill-fitted jacket that had hiked up around his notable middle, the man ran a hand through thinning brown hair, then set his sights on her, beaming an overly bright smile a second later.
“I must say that was a wonderful display of acrobatic talent, my dear” were the first words out of the man’s mouth. “May I assume you’re involved with some type of vaudeville or circus act and picked up the move there, Miss . . . ?”
Having no intention of blithely handing over her name to a man who might only be inquiring about her identity to ascertain if he was speaking to the lady Stepmother Dearest had hired him to murder, Seraphina glanced around, her gaze homing in on a sign that read Franklin’s Greengrocer.
She returned her attention to the man. “It’s Mrs. Franklin, and no, I’m not involved with a vaudeville or circus act, Mr. . . . ?”
The man presented her with a bow. “Mr. Rhett Harvey at your service, Mrs. Franklin, and that man just stepping out of the carriage now is Mr. Otto Harvey, my brother.”
Seraphina turn her gaze on Otto Harvey, a man who was more rotund than Rhett and who was wearing an even flashier ensemble comprised of a vivid yellow waistcoat, orange cravat tied in an intricate knot, and bright blue-and-green patterned trousers that reminded her of a peacock.
“This here is Mrs. Franklin, Otto,” Rhett said as his brother waddled up to join them. “I was just complimenting her on her astonishing acrobatic skills.”
Otto pulled a pair of spectacles from his pocket, slid them on, then took to perusing Seraphina before his forehead furrowed.
“Too bad she’s not younger, or more of, ah .
. .” His voice trailed to almost nothing but not before she heard him mutter the word looker under his breath, quite as if he simply hadn’t been able to help himself.
The sheer rudeness of that statement left Seraphina grinning ever so slightly since, clearly, her ability to disguise her appearance in order to avoid recognition from any New Yorker visiting Chicago was more than effective.
That notion was further cemented when Otto began staring intently at a wart she’d applied directly next to her mouth, one that left the man shuddering ever so slightly.
She swallowed the laugh she longed to release and cleared her throat instead. “I know I’ll probably regret asking this, but why in the world do you think it’s too bad that I’m not younger, or better yet, as you so delicately muttered, much of a looker?”
Before Otto could get a response out of his mouth, Rhett shot his brother a glower before he settled another smile on Seraphina.
“Don’t mind my brother, Mrs. Franklin. You’re quite the stunner, something I’m sure Mr. Franklin appreciates, and I’m also sure that Otto was simply being clumsy with his words. ”
“And here I thought he was quite loquacious.”
Rhett winced before he squared his large shoulders, causing the seams of his jacket to strain.
“Not sure what loquacious means, but know that Otto is often careless with a turn of phrase, which is why our dear mother is concerned he’ll remain a bachelor forever, even if he has recently attracted the attention of Miss Thelma Newgood.
Nevertheless, what I’m sure he meant to say was that it’s unfortunate you’re married because your marvelous acrobatic skills would be greatly appreciated in our soon-to-be-formed circus.
However, I doubt your Mr. Franklin would want you, an obviously charming women, to abandon him for a life on the road. ”
The apprehension she’d been holding close ever since she’d noticed she was being followed began to dissipate. “You’re involved with a circus?”