Chapter 4
Bellamy pushed his horse faster, urgency driving him. From the galloping close behind, he knew Zach Meier and Mr. Meier were still following him.
They were almost to the levee, and Bellamy prayed they weren’t too late, that Senator Whitcomb hadn’t left with his family yet.
While Bellamy had been at Dover’s Pond with Zaira, the senator had sent word to the pub that he was taking his family out of the city to a place safe from the crowds and cholera.
The Whitcombs were leaving midafternoon on a steamer heading north to Iowa, where apparently Mrs. Whitcomb’s sister lived.
The senator had thanked Bellamy for his efforts but had indicated that he wasn’t waiting any longer.
Even though Bellamy still technically had the rest of the day to arrange a match, the senator had given up on him and now probably hoped to delay dealing with Senator Snyder’s proposition by hiding his family away.
Bellamy didn’t blame the fellow. The possibility of finding a match for Deirdre hadn’t looked too promising, not after all her rejections that week.
But after speaking with Zach Meier, Bellamy conceded that Zaira had been right about the pair.
He could see that the sharp-thinking man was exactly what the indecisive Deirdre needed.
Zach was also good and kindhearted, even if he was German and Protestant.
Maybe Zaira was also right about those things not mattering so much when it came to love.
Bellamy hadn’t told Zach or his father why he needed them both to come with him to the levee.
Instead he’d insinuated that it had to do with a shipment of malt that the newly formed Public Health Department was considering confiscating because of the speculation that malt was one of the contributors to cholera.
The Meiers intended to get to the malt first, since they didn’t believe it had anything to do with the cholera.
Bellamy didn’t think it did either. But the consumption of malt was one of many theories floating around about the cause of the deadly disease.
In the desperate quest to bring the epidemic to a halt, people were willing to try just about anything, especially because each day the disease seemed to run more rampantly.
As Bellamy veered his horse onto Front Street, the levee spread out before them bordered by the long row of warehouses in the process of being rebuilt after the recent city fire.
The drays pulled by mules and horses milled about among the stacks of merchandise, bales of hemp, hogsheads of tobacco, and the many other goods brought to St. Louis every day.
The waterfront wasn’t as busy as usual—fewer dockhands, businessmen, and passengers. There were fewer steamboats too. Even so, dozens of them still lined the shore of the Mississippi River, their tall smokestacks coughing out cinders and black coal smoke.
It hadn’t taken much investigating for Bellamy to discover which steamboat the Whitcombs were traveling on.
It usually wasn’t hard to get information.
The people coming and going from the pub provided a wealth of it, or at the very least offered a name or place where he could seek out what he needed.
Now he scanned the smaller packets for the name Prairie Princess. He found it almost right away. Thankfully, the passengers hadn’t yet boarded and were waiting near the gangplank while their luggage was being loaded.
He headed directly toward the steamboat and could hear Zach and Mr. Meier on his trail.
Bellamy spotted the senator in a top hat and fine white suit, his long sideburns and slick mustache giving him a distinguished air.
Beside him his wife stood underneath a parasol, her yellow-and-white lacy gown the latest fashion.
Deirdre was chattering with one of her younger sisters, and they, too, held parasols and wore bright summery gowns.
Deirdre wasn’t necessarily a pretty girl, especially compared to a stunning beauty like Zaira Shanahan.
But she was lovely in her own way. Bellamy needed to get a view of her face when she first glimpsed Zach.
Then he would know for certain if the match was meant to be.
The eyes were almost always windows into a soul, and expressions often spoke louder than words.
As he reined in near the Whitcomb family, he positioned his horse so he could see both Deirdre and Zach.
“Good afternoon, Senator.” Bellamy nodded at the gentleman.
The senator nodded back. “Bellamy McKenna.”
In that moment, Deirdre caught sight of Zach, and her conversation with her sister came to an immediate halt. Her eyes widened and seemed to take in the young man hungrily, as though she hadn’t ever expected to see him again and now couldn’t get enough of him.
That was a grand sign.
Zach and his father were reining in beside Bellamy, but their attention was on a warehouse farther down the levee, the one that usually housed the malt and other brewing supplies.
The senator’s brow furrowed. “You did get my note, didn’t you, Bellamy?”
“Oh aye, that I did.”
Deirdre still hadn’t taken her gaze from Zach.
Bellamy cocked his head toward the Meiers. “I saw you as I was passing by with the Meiers and thought I’d make sure you’re certain you’re ready to be done with the matchmaking.”
Mr. Meier finally fixed his attention on the Whitcomb family. He gave the senator a nod before turning his anxious gaze upon Bellamy. “Should Zach and I ride on ahead?”
“You’ve met the Whitcombs, haven’t you?” Bellamy asked.
At the name Whitcomb, Zach’s head whipped toward the family, and his gaze flitted over everyone until he found Deirdre. Something in his expression changed, came to life, but also filled with a quiet pain.
The reaction was the final confirmation Bellamy needed.
It was clear Zach cared about Deirdre but didn’t think he could ever have her.
Perhaps he’d even heard about the matchmaking for her over the past week but hadn’t come forward as a candidate because he didn’t think he had a chance of winning over her parents or his, not when the Germans and Irish in St. Louis didn’t get along.
Well, it was time to push the fellow to a fight—this one a fight for the woman he loved.
“I’ve heard of the senator but never met him.” Mr. Meier tipped his hat first toward Senator Whitcomb, then his wife. “Nice to meet you, Senator. Ma’am.”
“This is Zachary.” Bellamy waved a hand at Zach. “He runs half a dozen breweries here in St. Louis with his father. We’re here to make sure the supply of malt doesn’t get confiscated.”
“Pleased to meet you both.” The senator spoke the words perfunctorily, doing his duty to remain friendly with constituents even though he obviously was in a hurry to take his family out of the city.
Deirdre was still staring at Zach with stars shining in her eyes.
Zach offered her a smile.
She gave him a tremulous one back.
“Zach and Deirdre.” Bellamy pretended to suddenly remember them. “If I recall correctly, the two of you have met before, haven’t you?”
Deirdre nodded, her smile widening. “Yes, we’ve known each other since last summer.”
Zach hesitated with a sidelong look at the senator before responding. “I have had the pleasure of making Miss Whitcomb’s acquaintance. You have a lovely daughter, Senator.”
“Thank you.” The senator smiled at Deirdre, but upon seeing the way she was peering up at Zach, as if the sun, moon, and stars revolved around him, his smile faded. He glanced sharply back at Zach, who met his gaze head-on without faltering.
Good for him. Bellamy inwardly cheered the fellow on, praying he wouldn’t back down. A little competition would help push Zach into the fight. “I’ve been working with the Whitcombs this week in trying to find a match for Deirdre.”
Zach’s eyes rounded, enough for Bellamy to realize the young man actually hadn’t gotten the news about the matchmaking. Now that he knew, would he step up on his own and make an effort to win her? Or would he need a nudge? Maybe even a shove?
“We’re taking a break from the matchmaking,” the senator said to Zach. Did his voice contain a warning?
“Oh aye.” Bellamy made his voice as casual as possible. “Deirdre had a dozen men who are interested in her.”
“A dozen?” A note of dismay tinged Zach’s tone.
“Deirdre is quite the catch, so she is.”
Zach returned his attention to Deirdre. “I agree. She is very much a catch.”
The young woman’s cheeks flushed, and her eyes filled with obvious pleasure at Zach’s compliment.
“You’re not a half-bad catch yourself.” Bellamy infused his tone with humor, hoping to mask the seriousness of his hint.
Mr. Meier had raised his brow and was now paying close attention to the interaction happening with the Whitcomb family.
“You’ve done well for yourself.” Bellamy spoke quickly before Mr. Meier could interject any negativity. “From what I’ve heard, your breweries are so profitable that you’ve been investing in real estate both inside and outside of St. Louis.”
Zach shifted in his saddle, clearly not quite comfortable talking about his wealth. “That’s right.”
Zach’s father’s expression turned more severe as though warning Zach to walk away from the young woman, that this wasn’t the time or place to start working on a match.
But Bellamy couldn’t let the matter slip away. Not yet. At the very least he had to ensure that the two young people were seriously considering each other before the conversation came to a close.
“Ach, I’m surprised you haven’t been snatched up yet by some lucky lady.” Bellamy grinned broadly. “Maybe you’d like me to be helping you find a match. I’d have a long list of interested families.”
“Maybe . . .” Again Zach looked at Deirdre.
Mr. Meier shook his head. “I appreciate the offer, Bellamy. But we’ll find Zach a good Protestant woman.”
At the word Protestant, everyone seemed to stiffen, including Zach.
They might as well get the differences between the two families out in the open now rather than later.
Bellamy crossed his hands casually, resting them on his thigh.
Then he watched Zach, waiting for the young man to take the lead in the conversation.
Something in Zach’s posture said he didn’t agree with his father. And Bellamy was hoping he’d say so.
Before Zach could speak, Deirdre’s father frowned. “What’s wrong with a Catholic woman? They make excellent wives too.”
Perhaps Senator Whitcomb wasn’t opposed to social and religious differences.
As a politician with constituents of all races, cultures, and denominations, maybe the senator had already learned to set aside personal preferences for the greater good of the community.
If so, the match would be easier if at least one set of parents was open to the merging of two cultures.
Zach met the senator’s gaze levelly. “There’s nothing wrong with Catholic women, Senator. And my father knows that I don’t have a preference toward Protestantism or Catholicism.”
Mr. Meier shook his head. “There are too many differences—”
“If we love God first and foremost, that’s all that really matters.”
Bellamy nodded at Zach. “Well said.”
Zach released a tight breath, perhaps drawing courage from Bellamy’s affirmation. “In fact, I would be willing to convert to Catholicism for the right woman—”
“I won’t allow it.” Mr. Meier’s countenance was growing stormier.
The senator, on the other hand, was studying Zach with keen interest—an interest Bellamy recognized in a potential father of the bride. Mr. Whitcomb clearly appreciated an open mind as well as a man who was willing to compromise. And he was seeing that in Zach.
“With all due respect,” Zach said firmly to his father, “I plan to choose the woman I marry.”
“Your mother will be even more opposed to a match with this family—this woman.” Mr. Meier cocked his head in Deirdre’s direction.
Inwardly, Bellamy gloated. Just what he’d wanted—one of the family members bringing up the match first so the idea appeared to be theirs and not his.
“If Mother opened her mind, she would love Deirdre.”
“Of course, anyone would,” the senator interjected while staring at Mr. Meier. “Deirdre is the most agreeable woman I know, next to my wife, that is.” He smiled fondly at his wife.
Standing beside Deirdre, the middle-aged woman returned his smile before patting Deirdre’s arm tenderly.
Deirdre’s eyes were brimming with undeniable hope.
On the river behind them, the Prairie Princess gave a long whistle, beckoning the passengers to board.
“Time for us to go.” Mr. Whitcomb took his wife’s hand.
Deirdre, her gaze locked on Zach, didn’t immediately turn. Zach was watching her too, and something seemed to pass between them—something Bellamy could only describe as heated sparks.
Something that reminded him of the heated sparks that had flared in a similar fashion between him and Zaira earlier.
Mr. Meier’s frown was still in place, but he said no more.
At this point, Bellamy knew he didn’t need to speak again either. He’d done his job in bringing the couple together and had planted the seeds for a match. Now the union would need to unfold in its own time. It wouldn’t happen today. But it would eventually.
In the interim, he’d look like a failure for not finding the senator’s daughter a husband by the allotted time. But at least in the long term, Deirdre would end up with the right man—the man she loved—and that was truly all that mattered.
With a final nod toward the senator, Bellamy picked up his reins and guided his horse toward the warehouse. Without Zaira’s input, he wouldn’t have been able to facilitate this “accidental” meeting. He was in debt to her and owed her everything she’d asked of him.
But no respectable man would ever carry through with her bargain, not when she’d asked him to meet her alone and kiss and hug her. Of course, she’d changed her tune and asked for only a hug. . . .
For research purposes.
He nearly laughed out loud again as he had earlier. What sane man would be able to resist kissing her once he had her in his arms? Not him, that was for certain. That meant the best way to avoid the entire situation was to stay away from her—far, far away.
Would she be mad that he’d broken his part of the bargain? Naturally so.
But he wouldn’t let a little fear of Zaira’s reaction push him into doing something daft.