Chapter Twelve
Natalie felt silly paying such close attention to Kenneth, but
since Mark seemed so worried about him, the least she could do was
give his warning some consideration. As he had pointed out, he had
been right about Velma and Tony. He just might be right about this,
too.
During dinner, she kept glancing Kenneth’s
way, hoping she wasn’t being obvious. It helped that she had to
look over at Mark to make sure she was using the right utensil,
holding it right, and eating properly. After having tea with the
other women, she realized there was a certain order to eating and
drinking in a public place. The last thing she wanted to do was
give Fran a reason to correct her again.
Fran, as it turned out, was sitting next to
Katherine and Janet, which happened to be further down the table.
Fran probably wouldn’t call out the things Natalie was doing wrong
during the meal, but she might come up to her later. Natalie didn’t
want to be alone with her. Ever. She didn’t like the way Fran had
smiled at her during the tea. It reminded Natalie of a cat playing
with a mouse, and, unfortunately, Natalie was the mouse.
At the moment, Fran was laughing at something
Katherine was saying. Not far from Fran were Annabelle and Kenneth.
Annabelle seemed to be having a good time. She was nodding at
something Fran was saying, and at one point, she glanced over at
Kenneth and blushed.
Natalie frowned. Kenneth was leaning toward
Annabelle, and while Annabelle didn’t mind, the way he was leaning
toward her struck Natalie as odd, especially considering the fact
that they hadn’t known each other that long. Could it be that
Kenneth was trying too hard? And if he was trying too hard…why was
he doing that?
After the meal, everyone went to a large
ballroom. Natalie knew that sooner or later, she’d have to dance
the kind of dances wealthy people enjoyed, but she was hoping she
could use watching Kenneth as an excuse to get out of it. So after
telling Mark she was going to keep an eye on him, she stayed to the
edge of the room. She hadn’t thought Mark would protest since he
was concerned about Kenneth, and she’d been right. He’d been more
than happy to let her fade into the background. The background,
after all, was the best place to hide.
Fortunately, she knew how to be
inconspicuous. She’d learned to do that when she’d had to sneak up
on a chicken so her family could eat it or to figure out where a
mouse was hiding whenever one found its way into the house.
She passed by a couple of men who were
talking and exchanged quick pleasantries with them before she
finally got to the part of the room that allowed her a good vantage
point so she could see Kenneth and Annabelle without someone else
getting in the way. It was surprising he hadn’t left her side all
evening. The other men hadn’t stuck by the women they had escorted
for the evening. They were mingling with other people.
Natalie’s gaze went to Mark, who was on the
other side of the room. At the moment, he was talking to Mr. and
Mrs. Gordon. One would never know he was fretting over Annabelle
just by looking at him. He seemed as if he didn’t have a care in
the world.
She turned her attention back to Kenneth. He
led Annabelle to the dance floor. Mark had mentioned the waltz, and
if Natalie guessed right that was the kind of dance they were
doing. At least watching them would give her a good idea of what to
do if it came time for her to dance.
Natalie alternated between watching their
feet to see how they danced and watching their faces, particularly
Kenneth’s. He was attentive to everything Annabelle was saying.
Even if she couldn’t make out what they were talking about, she
could tell he was interested, or at least pretending to be
interested, in the story Annabelle was telling him. He was smiling
and nodding, and, from time to time, he offered a word or two in
reply.
“I hope you don’t mind if I offer you a
little bitty piece of advice,” someone said from next to her.
Jerking, Natalie took her attention off of
Kenneth and Annabelle and turned to Fran. “Oh hi, Fran.” She
cleared her throat. “What is it?”
“Well,” Fran began as if she dreaded having
to come out and say what was on her mind, “I couldn’t help but
notice you didn’t like the fish that was served tonight. Is it that
you don’t like fish, or did you not find the chef’s job
adequate?”
Her cheeks warmed. Fran had been watching her
during the meal? Forcing the uneasy feeling aside, she said, “I
don’t care for fish. I wasn’t trying to insult the chef. He did an
excellent job.”
“That’s a relief because I couldn’t be sure.
Katherine wants to make sure all of her guests are satisfied.”
“I am. I have no complaints.”
“I’m glad to hear that.” Fran smiled, but
Natalie suspected it wasn’t sincere. “I know you’re new to this
type of society. Annabelle said you grew up on a farm in
Kentucky.”
Unsure of what she was getting at, Natalie
reluctantly nodded. “Yes, that’s true.”
“Just between us, in the future when you eat
something you don’t like, try not to grimace.”
“I was grimacing?”
Fran winced. “I’m afraid so. It was obvious
you didn’t like the fish.”
Feeling self-conscious, Natalie scanned the
room. How many other people knew?
“Don’t worry,” Fran hurried to assure her as
she placed a hand on her arm. “No one was paying attention to you.
I’m probably the only person who noticed.”
If that was supposed to make her feel better,
Fran failed miserably.
“So,” Fran said as she put her arm back to
her side, “how long did you know Mark before you married him?”
“A couple of months.”
“Only a couple of months?”
“Well, I didn’t want to wear out my welcome
at his uncle and aunt’s. They were nice enough to let me stay in
their home since I had no other place to go.”
Fran’s eyes grew wide. “Oh! You’re one of the
misled mail-order brides I heard about.”
“I don’t know if I would say ‘misled’. The
others and I didn’t realize the man we were coming to marry planned
to auction us off.”
“It sounds like you were misled to me.
‘Misled’ means deceived.”
When she put it like that, Natalie supposed
she was right. Still, there was something about the word ‘misled’
that made her think she was too stupid to know any better than to
come out to marry Mr. Dodson.
“Which uncle and aunt did you stay with?”
Fran asked.
“Owen and Jenny.”
“They’re quaint. I’ve been out there to visit
them a couple of times.”
“You have?”
“Sure. Mark and I’ve known each other for
years. We even courted for a little while.”
“You did?” Natalie didn’t like hearing this.
She remembered Mark saying something about courting a couple of
women. She didn’t realize one of them was friends with his
sister.
“It’s all in the past,” Fran
said. “You have nothing to worry about. He married you.” She eyed
her up and down in a way that made Natalie feel as if she was
trying to figure out exactly why
Mark had married her. She smiled again. “I hope
everything is going well between you two.”
Natalie swallowed. Why did her throat
suddenly feel dry? “We’re doing fine.”
“That’s wonderful. You two came from such
different worlds. I mean, I know he came from humble beginnings,
but he didn’t stay there. You know how much wealth he has. I’m sure
it’s quite an adjustment to get used to your new life. Not everyone
is suited for it. I knew a young lady who married Wilson McGee. She
wasn’t used to this life. Unfortunately, she ended up running back
to her parents. It was a scandal for years. However, I’m sure that
won’t happen to you and Mark.”
“No, it won’t. When I married Mark, I
promised to be with him for the rest of my life.”
“I’m sure Judy meant that on her wedding day,
too. She’s the one who married Wilson.”
“Well, I’m not Judy.”
“No one’s saying you are. Just because you
and Judy were raised on a farm and came into Omaha as mail-order
brides, that doesn’t mean you will react to things the same way.”
She snapped her fingers and gasped. “I almost forgot. I have to do
something. Remember what I said about the fish.” She patted Natalie
on the arm as if she were a child then breezed past her so she
could slip into the crowded room.
Natalie took a deep breath then released it,
telling herself not to let anything Fran said bother her. That,
however, was easier said than done. Though she tried to focus on
Kenneth, she kept thinking over everything Fran had said to her.
She might not be as sophisticated as the other wealthy ladies in
this room were, but she knew when someone was only pretending to
like her. Fran wasn’t her friend.
She picked up the hem of her gown and went
over to Mark. He was still talking with Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, and
from what she picked out from their conversation, it sounded like
they were discussing the plans for building Mr. Gordon’s
business.
“Once you approve the proof for the building,
it’s really just a matter of two or three months before it’s
completed,” Mark told them.
“That quick?” Mr. Gordon asked.
“Johnson and his men are some of the finest
builders in Omaha,” Mark replied. “They’re good and efficient.” He
stopped talking and turned to Natalie. “Mr. Gordon, I don’t think
you’ve met my wife yet. This is Natalie.”
Mr. Gordon took her hand and kissed it. “It’s
a pleasure to meet you.”
As Natalie thanked him, Margie told Mark.
“Your wife is such a sweet young lady. I can’t think of anyone else
who’d invite a stranger to a social engagement with her
friends.”
Friends? Natalie wouldn’t call people like
Fran and Katherine friends. But she bit back the reply. Margie had
enjoyed the afternoon, and that was what mattered.
Mark smiled at Natalie then told Margie, “Now
you know why I had to marry her.” He patted the small of Natalie’s
back.
“You two make a fine match,” Mr. Gordon said.
“My wife and I will let you two dance.” To Mark, he added, “We’ll
go into more detail about the project later.”