Chapter Sixteen
Natalie sat in Mark’s parents’ parlor, doing her best to sip
tea so that she wouldn’t get too nervous. She didn’t relish the
idea of telling Annabelle about Kenneth. After she dropped Velma
off at the farm, she instructed the coachman to take her to
Annabelle’s residence. She hadn’t warned Annabelle that she was
coming, so she had expected to wait. Annabelle, after all, had
skipped the women’s social engagement in order to have lunch with
Kenneth. Who knew how long she’d be gone?
Natalie picked up a cookie and bit into it.
Maybe she should have sent Annabelle a request to pay her a visit.
Maybe she shouldn’t have rushed over here. It wasn’t like her to be
so impulsive.
It was just the nagging sense of urgency that
prompted her to come right over. Hopefully, it wasn’t wrong for her
to come by unannounced. Back in Kentucky, she wouldn’t have thought
anything of it. People showed up at other people’s homes all the
time. No one thought anything of it. But who knew if this went
against etiquette? There was so much to learn. Even if Fran,
Katherine, Janet, and Rosalyn resented her, there were things
wealthy people did differently. She needed to figure those things
out.
“Mrs. Larson,” someone called out to her.
Natalie glanced over at the doorway.
The butler smiled. “Miss Annabelle’s carriage
has just pulled up. I’ll let her know you’re here to see her.”
“Thank you,” Natalie replied and hurried to
finish the cookie.
She took another sip of tea then put the cup
and saucer on the tray. She quickly thought over everything she’d
just learned about Kenneth as she wiped her fingers on the cloth
napkin. Then she stood up and faced the doorway.
Annabelle came in a minute later, looking
surprised. “Natalie! I didn’t expect you to stop by.”
“Should I have sent a note first?”
“We’re family. You can stop by whenever you
want.” Annabelle came over to the couch and gestured for Natalie to
sit. After Natalie did, she continued, “If I’d known you were here,
I wouldn’t have stayed out so long. I thought you were going to
Margie’s social engagement.”
“I did. It’s been over for two hours.”
Annabelle’s eyes grew wide. “It has?” Her
gaze went to the clock above the fireplace mantle, and she shook
her head. “I can’t believe it’s so late. Kenneth took me out to
lunch, and then we went for a walk. Time certainly passes fast when
you’re enjoying yourself.”
Catching the blush on Annabelle’s cheeks,
Natalie winced. This wasn’t going to be easy. She released her
breath and wiped her palms on the skirt of her dress.
“I have something important to tell you,”
Natalie began, “and it’s not going to be pleasant.”
Annabelle turned her sympathetic gaze to
Natalie. “I’m sorry. I should have been there with you. I overheard
some of the things Fran and Katherine were saying about you. I was
struggling to find a way to tell you. How did today go?”
Natalie frowned. “What were they saying?”
“Well, I didn’t catch all of it, and I was
afraid that if I let them know I was nearby, they would stop
talking. But it sounds like they’re looking for a way to publicly
embarrass you.”
“They’re what?”
“I was planning to go the social engagement,
but Kenneth came by and talked to my father the other day. I’m sure
he asked for my father’s permission to marry me. My father wouldn’t
say what the matter was about, but he was smiling with that little
twinkle in his eye that the Larson men seem to get whenever they’re
hiding a surprise. I thought Kenneth was going to propose today.
That’s why I agreed to have lunch with him. I didn’t think Fran or
Katherine would do anything at a social engagement. It sounded like
they were looking for a time when you weren’t with the group. I
thought it was safe to go to lunch with Kenneth. Was I wrong?”
Natalie struggled with which topic to give
her full attention to. It wasn’t enough that Fran and Katherine had
already made her feel insecure? They wanted to embarrass her when
she was in public? She closed her eyes for a moment. No. She
couldn’t worry about her pride right now. The fact that Kenneth was
lying about his past was more important. Annabelle had to be
warned. She had to know, especially now that a proposal was
imminent.
“Natalie?” Annabelle asked.
Natalie opened her eyes and released her
breath. “Kenneth isn’t who you think he is.”
It took Annabelle a few seconds to respond.
“What?”
“Margie said that he used to own a railroad
in Chicago and that he sold it for a large profit.”
Annabelle nodded. “Yes, I heard that,
too.”
“Well, Velma was with me today at the social
engagement, and she said that her father never heard of anyone with
the last name Gordon who owned a railroad in Chicago.”
Annabelle’s eyebrows furrowed. “What are you
implying?”
“Velma’s family was well-connected with
wealthy and influential people back East. They knew who was who.
She said her father knew men in Chicago who owned railroads. None
of them were Kenneth.”
“You think Margie is lying?”
“I don’t think she’s lying. She seems like a
sincere person.” At least, she didn’t give Natalie an uneasy
feeling like Fran and her friends did. “I think Kenneth told her
and her husband that story when he went to Massachusetts to find
them.”
Annabelle let out a long sigh and turned her
gaze away from Natalie.
“I’m sorry, Annabelle. I didn’t want to have
to come by and tell you the bad news, but if it was me, I’d want to
know.”
“This is unbelievable,” Annabelle
whispered.
“I know, and I feel awful about it.”
“Do you?” Annabelle looked back at her. “I
expected something like this from Mark. He’s been known to
manipulate things to get his way. I didn’t think he could talk you
into joining him.”
Natalie blinked. Had she understood Annabelle
right? Did Annabelle just accuse her of lying?
“I’m well aware that Mark wants me to marry
Ben. No matter how much I tell him I’ll never do it, he won’t
accept it. I should have expected him to stoop to sending his wife
over to trick me.”
“I’m not here to trick you. Mark doesn’t even
know I’m here.”
Annabelle rolled her eyes. “I grew up with
Mark. I know what he’s like. Well, you can go back to Mark and tell
him that I’m never going to marry Ben. I have no reason to doubt
Kenneth. However, I want you to go to Mark and tell him something
for me. I don’t care if Kenneth turns out to be a pauper. So what
if he didn’t own a railroad that Velma’s father knew about? There
are a lot of small railroads being built all the time. I’m not
interested in Kenneth because of money.”
“Money isn’t the issue,” Natalie hurried to
say. “This isn’t even about Ben. If Mark’s concern was that you
marry someone rich, he wouldn’t bother you about marrying Ben.”
“Ben is rich. His family is rich. Ben might
not have the money right now, but he’ll have it in the future.”
“What if Ben never asks for it? What if he
gives up his rights to an inheritance?”
Annabelle shook her head in disbelief.
“I haven’t asked Mark about Ben’s financial
situation, but he might not even want his inheritance,” Natalie
insisted. “There was a reason he gave everything up to become a
preacher.”
“I’m done with this conversation.” She stood
up. “Tell Mark I have every intention of marrying Kenneth, and
there’s nothing he can do to stop me. In the future, I hope you
won’t let him talk you into lying for him.”
Natalie bolted to her feet. “I’m not the one
lying. Kenneth is. He told his aunt and uncle he sold a railroad he
owned and that he has a lot of money. I can take you to Margie.
She’ll tell you this herself. Then I can take you to Velma who’ll
tell you that no one with the last name Gordon owned any railroads
in Chicago.”
“As I said, it’s possible that Velma’s father
didn’t know every single railroad owner in Chicago. And the Gordons
do have a lot of money. I can’t believe you’re trying to manipulate
things. Wasn’t what Mark did on your wedding day to Tony and Velma
bad enough? Do you really want to get involved in one of Mark’s
schemes?”
“This isn’t a scheme!”
“Is everything alright?” the butler called
out as he hurried into the room.
Annabelle turned to him. “Everything’s fine.
My sister-in-law was just leaving.” She glanced at Natalie. “This
discussion is over. Please, stop this lying. I want to have a good
relationship with you.”
“But I’m not lying, and Mark doesn’t even
know I’m here,” Natalie protested as Annabelle headed for the
doorway. “If you don’t like being with someone who lies, you
shouldn’t marry Kenneth.”
Annabelle ignored her and breezed past the
butler as she left the room. The butler glanced between her and
Annabelle then offered her an uncomfortable smile.
With a sigh, Natalie headed for the door.
Coming here hadn’t done her any good. Maybe she should have brought
Velma with her. But would that have done any good, either? It
seemed that Annabelle was determined to be with Kenneth. As Mark
and Ben had told her, Annabelle was the kind of person who needed
proof. Unfortunately, she didn’t think even Velma could prove that
Kenneth was lying about owning a railroad. Some things had to be
taken on faith, and this was one of them.
“Mrs. Larson,” the butler began as he opened
the door for her, “is there anything you would have me do for
you?”
“No,” she replied. “But thanks.” Shoulders
slumped, she left the house.
***
Natalie wasn’t sure where to go after she
left Annabelle’s home, so she wandered through Omaha for a while
until she found herself outside the building where Mark worked. She
stood at the entrance, debating whether or not she should go in and
talk to him.
Even if Kenneth had owned a small railroad in
Chicago that Velma’s father didn’t know about, then he was still
lying if he told his aunt and uncle he had a lot of money. Lying
was a bad sign. It meant he was hiding something.
But then, Mark had lied, too, and Mark wasn’t
a bad person.
Yes, but Mark was doing something he