Chapter 7
“What happened?” Clary asked, wide-eyed.
She had returned from her last journey to the farms to find that in her absence, things had gone truly awry. Her sister had been evicted from the boarding house. She couldn’t believe it and stood staring stupidly at Mrs. Odenkirk.
The old lady looked wretched, as though what she’d had to do to maintain order in her house had been difficult for her.
“But you needn’t worry,” Mrs. Odenkirk said hurriedly. “Thomas was here. He took Evelyn with him, and I assume he has found her somewhere to stay.”
“I have,” came his voice from behind Clary.
Turning, she saw him, and her heart leaped in her chest. He still had a few streaks of dirt on his face and neck from his work at the smelter, but Clary couldn’t be more relieved to see him. She would be saying a heartfelt thank-you to the Lord that evening in her prayers, that was for sure.
“Oh, Thomas!” Clary said, rushing to him. “Just tell me if Evelyn is safe.”
“She’s more than safe. I think I’ve found someone to help her adjust to Unity,” Thomas said as she took his hands in hers.
“Really? You found someone who can change her personality?” Clary asked. She realized how that sounded and quickly added, “I didn’t know that was possible.”
Thomas didn’t seem to be bothered by her tone. “Well, Mildred said she’d dealt with someone similar to Evelyn, and she’s confident she can make a difference. Anyway, short of having her stay with me at my house, this was the best option. Anders and Mildred are wonderful people.”
“They’re saints for taking her in,” Mrs. Odenkirk called from the reception desk, where she was busy pretending to work in a ledger.
Clary glared at the old lady, but it was halfhearted. She had been afraid that Evelyn had done something so terrible that she was about to be thrown out of town. Out of the boarding house was relatively minor. “Well, thank you both. Maybe now she’ll come to her senses.”
“Maybe,” Thomas agreed. He smiled, but Clary could see that there was something troubling him. His eyes were filled with concern. “I might have been wrong telling you to let her go on her own.”
“No … I think that was the right thing to do,” Clary said after a moment’s thought. “We needed this to happen. Sometimes you have to lance a wound to get it to heal.”
“Yes, that makes sense,” Thomas agreed soberly.
“Can I go and see Evelyn?” Clary asked, trying not to show how desperate she was to see her sister.
“I don’t know. I think Mildred wants some time with her alone,” Thomas said. “She didn’t say that, but it was the feeling I got.”
“Oh,” Clary said, feeling disappointed. She missed Evelyn fiercely. They had gone from spending all of their time together to not seeing each other at all. It was almost more than Clary to stand.
“Thomas, are you okay?” she asked.
“Yes, why?” he asked, trying to brush off her concern.
“You look troubled,” Clary said.
Suddenly he had wrapped his arms around her and was holding Clary in an embrace.
Once she got over her surprise, Clary sank into his broad chest, breathing him in deeply.
He smelled vaguely like woodsmoke with hints of something metallic—a fragrance she attributed to his work at the mine with fire and metal.
It was different, but far from unpleasant.
She could come to love this, she decided swiftly. Yes.
“This is from Mildred,” Thomas explained. “She asked me to give you a hug. I think she means for it to be comforting.”
“Mission accomplished,” she murmured.
He let her go, and she was sorry the hug had been so brief.
“I’m going to wash up,” Clary said. “I’ll meet you in the dining room?”
Thomas nodded.
She went upstairs to her room and washed her face and hands.
She also fixed her hair, which had come partly undone.
So far all of her trips to and from the farms had gone without a hitch, and Clary was beginning to wonder.
Not that she minded, but she couldn’t help wondering why that was.
To listen to Thomas and the others, it was only a matter of time before she would be attacked, and Clary had been ready to fight from the start.
What was the reason that the bandits hadn’t shown hide or hair yet? Why were they pretending to be so coy? Or had they not noticed her coaches racing across the countryside? That was unlikely.
She was overthinking things. She simply wasn’t worth their effort. That was all there was to it.
Clean and feeling better, she went downstairs to dinner. At the table, she asked about the bandits.
“Does this happen often? I would have thought they would be attacking us every time we stuck our noses out of the gate,” she said.
“No, the bandits are like the weather in early spring, fickle and unpredictable,” a portly man named Edward Grant said. He was a builder with rough hands and a red face but a friendly smile.
“What he means is that they choose their times to attack with some care,” Sarah explained.
“Right,” Clary said.
From there, the conversation turned to other matters.
There was a summer dance coming up, which people were very interested in and talked about for ages.
Clary liked to dance, but all she could think about was how she would offer rides that night to and from the farms. The farm folks would be keen to join in the festivities too, and they would need to be transported.
“How are things at the new smelter, Thomas?” Mrs. Odenkirk asked.
Thomas was staring at his plate. He didn’t answer.
Clary noticed that he hadn’t eaten much. She nudged him with her elbow.
Startled, he looked up. “What?”
“I asked how things are at the smelter,” she said.
“They’re fine,” Thomas said. “Going well, actually. There’s a lot of work being accomplished.”
It was the most halfhearted answer that Clary had ever heard him give. There was definitely something wrong. Clary began to worry it was something she had done.
“Oh good,” Mrs. Odenkirk said.
The conversation shifted again, but the meal was almost over. Clary was quite glad of it. She had several questions for Thomas, but they could wait until after.
When they were done eating, she suggested they take an evening stroll. To her surprise, he declined.
“I really have to get to San Antonio with some urgency tomorrow morning,” Thomas said, looking worried.
“Why?”
“Because I got word that there’s something wrong with my brother and his family,” Thomas muttered. “I want to send Luke a message and check if they’re all right.”
“What’s wrong with your family?” she asked. “Is that what’s been worrying you all evening?”
He nodded. “I just need to check.”
Clary took his hand in hers. “We can sort this out, Thomas. You don’t have to worry on your own. We’re a couple, aren’t we? That means we help each other with family issues. Anyway, I owe you one for Evelyn.”
“No, you don’t,” he said.
“I sure do,” she insisted, smiling at him. “So, how did you find out about your brother?”
“I got a note, but I don’t want to talk about it, okay? Not until I know if it’s real,” he said.
That sounded cagey, and Clary didn’t like it. But Thomas clearly just needed her support, and she was determined to give it to him.
“Okay then, at least let me drive you to San Antonio tomorrow,” she said. “That way I’ll know you’re all right.”
He smiled and nodded. “I was hoping you would give me a ride.”
Clary threw her arms around him and hugged him. “I’m here for you, Thomas. Always.”
As he wrapped his arms around her in return, she felt him exhale heavily before he tucked his chin into her hair and sighed wearily. She hugged him back hard, willing her strength into his tired body. Yes, they were meant to be together, no matter what.
The next morning Clary got up early as usual and went through to the farms outside the wall first thing, as dawn was turning the world golden. There were some clouds in the sky, and that added to the brilliance of the sunrise. It made it even more worthwhile to get up so early.
Luckily the farmers were up early too, and those who had jobs in Unity were more than willing to get there quickly.
She made the return journey without a hitch.
Once again, she wondered if the bandits had tucked tail and run off.
It certainly seemed that way. Why else would they leave her and her coaches alone to roam the countryside as they pleased? It just made no sense.
When Clary got back, she changed horses at the farm for fresh ones, made sure she had enough ammunition stowed under her driver’s seat, and then had some breakfast. She and her stagecoach were ready to go by the time Thomas arrived at Anita and Kevin’s restaurant, where Clary was waiting for him. He had several others in tow.
“We heard that Thomas was commandeering your coach,” a man said, guiding his spectacles back up the bridge of his nose with his index finger.
“We need to go to San Antonio as well,” the woman standing beside him agreed. She also wore spectacles, although hers had delicate frames. “We hope that won’t be a problem.”
Thomas introduced them as Dorothy and Warren.
“No, no problem at all. The more, the merrier. Thomas, can you ride shotgun with me?” Clary asked. “I’d rather have another gun up here in case of trouble.” Also, then he was with her, and they could talk. She found she craved his company now.
He nodded with a smile, which sent happy shivers through her body. “Of course,” he said. “We’re just waiting for Robert and Lucy. They also have some business in San Antonio. You’ll find that when you put the word out you’re heading there, then everyone has business.”
“That’s fine,” Clary said, grinning. “So long as you’re sitting up here with me, I’m fine to take folks anywhere they want to go.”
Thomas seemed pleased but uncomfortable and looked around as though trying to find something to say.
“Sorry to keep you waiting,” a man said. He was tall and had dark hair and a sheriff’s badge pinned to his shirt.