Chapter Eleven
After such a long journey, she was glad that Mr. Montgomery didn’t mind if she rested.
Two weeks on the road, between the coach and the train journeys, had tired her out.
By now, she had finished the bath she had drawn and was ready to collapse into bed.
She took care to dress appropriately, despite desperately wanting to lay her head on the pillow.
Once she was dressed, she got under the blankets.
The blanket was rather soft, and the pillow felt as though it had just been fluffed.
She wondered if Mr. Montgomery had had Mrs. Jackson take special care of her room, but if that was the case, she wondered why. She wasn’t anyone particularly special.
Not here, at least. Not even at home. Why he would have taken such care was beyond her.
When she eventually woke up, she found that the sun was setting. She hadn’t meant to sleep all afternoon, but it was to be expected. She suspected she might have missed dinner with Mr. Montgomery. The thought of disappointing him so soon after her arrival made her stomach sink.
Would he allow her a second chance? She understood that it had taken him time to get the money together, but they had planned dinner tonight. Maybe it should have been planned for tomorrow night instead. Whatever the case, she hoped that Mr. Montgomery would understand.
She fixed her appearance at the mirror and then headed for the lobby of the inn. If she hadn’t missed him, he was probably there. As she walked, she wondered whether Mr. Montgomery would have understood if she had been a little late today.
When she arrived at the lobby, she found Mr. Montgomery chatting with another man. He was smiling, laughing, as if he didn’t have a care in the world. She smiled. Though there was part of her that wondered who this man was, she knew that she would be introduced in good time.
“Oh, wow. You did not do her justice, Wesley,” the man said. “I believe there comes your new friend.”
“Indeed. Did you sleep well, Susannah?” Mr. Montgomery asked.
“I did. I apologize if you’ve been waiting too long. I didn’t think that I would sleep so long,” she said. “Travel can tire you out far faster than anything else in this world. And I’ve never traveled any such distance in my life.”
“It is quite all right,” Mr. Montgomery said. “Mr. Jackson, this is Susannah Peterson. Susannah, this is Mr. Clark Jackson. His wife runs this inn, and he’s one of the sheriffs in town. I work closely with him.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Mr. Jackson. Your wife runs a respectable business, from what I’ve seen so far,” Susannah said.
“She’d always talked about having her inn,” Mr. Jackson said.
“I’m glad that it’s been bustling as it has.
I was worried that it wouldn’t take off as it has.
She would have hated to see that she was too isolated in this town for it to do well.
Well, in any case, I should be going.” He tipped his hat to the both of them before walking away.
Susannah turned to Wesley.
“I hope you weren’t waiting long.”
“I honestly hadn’t thought you’d make five-thirty.
It’s six-thirty on the dot, and I’ve been chatting with Clark for most of the hour you slept in,” he said.
“I couldn’t stop you from making the plans, but I can make you feel less horrible for being late.
I never cared what time we ate, if it helps. ”
He then reached his arm out to her. She took it gingerly, wondering why he was going through all of this for her if he thought there was no need for the formalities.
“Come. Let’s get you fed. We’ll walk. I am sure you are thankful to be out of a carriage.”
“We’ll be walking to dinner?”
“Yes,” Mr. Montgomery confirmed. “Is that all right with you?”
Susannah nodded. She wasn’t sure what she had expected when she came down for dinner, but walking into town hadn’t been it. She was glad for it, though. It meant that Mr. Montgomery was all right with plans changing.
However, she knew that if she didn’t have some kind of conversation, she would end up falling asleep on the walk. And that just wouldn’t do.
“So, Mr. Montgomery-”
“Wesley, please,” he said. “I know I’ve said it already once, but I want you to feel comfortable using my first name. We’ve been writing to each other for too long to be able to continue using only our surnames.”
“Of course, Wesley,” she said shyly. “What got you into law, if you don’t mind my asking?”
“Well, I got started in New York City, if you must know,” he started.
“I grew up there. Beautiful city, but it’s a lot.
I never quite felt as though I belonged there.
When I graduated with my law degree, I knew that it was going to be difficult for me to get a job because many people in positions above me would not want to hire me. ”
“Why?”
Susannah couldn’t help but ask. She had found herself intrigued by the story.
“I had been open about the fact that none of the women there enticed me,” he said.
“And one of the things that was almost needed to get a job upon graduating was to be married and to have a family in need of support.” He shook his head.
“Here, it’s not a requirement. It is, however, for the higher jobs, which I would eventually like to run for. ”