Chapter Twenty-Five
Nate saw Rachel’s eyes roll up in her head and slump sideways, grabbing her before she fell to the floor. Daisy gasped.
“I need to lay her down.” Nate lifted his wife into his arms. “I’ll be right back.”
“I… I’m sorry,” Daisy whispered. “I… I didn’t…”
Nate didn’t say anything as he carried Rachel into the drawing room, laying her on the settee. She barely stirred, but her face was so pale it was worrying. He drew a blanket over her and crouched beside her, stroking her hair from her face. It was scary to see her like this.
And it frightened him.
Rachel was incredibly lucky with her life.
“I’m sorry.” Daisy was in the doorway. “I shouldn’t have said all of that. It just came… just came out.”
“I know.” Nate stood up, reluctant to leave his wife’s side. “She’s always thought that her parents abandoned her. She didn’t know anything about them. All she had was that recipe book.”
“I didn’t come here to cause trouble,” Daisy whispered, staring at the fire.
“I know.”
“I just… I needed to get out of there. I couldn’t stay.”
“I understand that,” Nate said gently.
Daisy shifted in her chair. “I can leave, if that will make things less uncomfortable for the two of you.”
Nate frowned.
“What do you think you’re going to do instead? Everyone’s out at the dance, and you’re in no state to go wandering around the town.” He hesitated. “And Isaac Vane has been seen around here as well. If he recognizes you…”
Daisy’s face paled, and Nate thought she was going to collapse as well.
“What? He’s been in Mercy Creek as well?”
Nate nodded.
Rachel shifted under the blanket, and her eyes started to flutter open. Immediately, Nate was leaning over, stroking her cold cheek.
“Rachel? Can you hear me?”
“I… I can.” Rachel licked her lips and her gaze focused on him. “I’m… how long have I…?”
“Not long. Do you remember what happened?”
She nodded, looking dazed. Then she began to push herself upright. Nate rested a hand on her shoulder.
“I don’t think you should do that…”
“Oh, stop it. I’m not an invalid.” Rachel shifted until she was sitting up, still pale but more alert. She looked over at Daisy, who was watching them miserably. “It’s not your fault, Daisy.”
“I feel like it is.”
“Nobody’s ever told me anything about my mother. Even her friend at the orphanage wouldn’t tell me. Miriam must’ve thought that Mother died in the snow,” Rachel finished. “She never heard anything from her after that. I suppose they kept her under lock and key so she couldn’t escape again.”
“From what Olive told me, they did just that.” Daisy looked from Rachel to Nate and back again. “And now you’re telling me that Isaac comes here to Mercy Creek? What if he comes here to find me?”
Nate licked his lips, his eyes stern.
“There’s a chance that he already knows where you are. This is the closest town to the Silver Lantern Saloon from what you’ve said.” Rachel looked at Nate. “He would certainly come looking here.”
Nate stood and went over to the window. The snow was beginning to fall again, covering up the tracks of what might’ve been there previously.
He wondered if Vane was out there now, watching the house and waiting for Daisy to leave.
Or was he planning to lay siege to the house?
Nate couldn’t see that happening; even if he would be outnumbered, he was the town’s marshal.
Attacking his house would be asking for more trouble than it was worth.
“I need to know more,” Rachel said quietly.
Nate hurried to her.
“Rachel, you’ve had enough of a shock today. I think…”
“I need to know more about it all.” Her voice was firmer now. “I don’t want to be ignored, Nate. I have to know what’s going on. Especially if my mother was a part of this.”
“Rachel…”
He fell silent when she shot him a look. She wasn’t about to be deterred, he could see that. And Nate knew there was no point in arguing about it. He held up his hands and stepped away.
“All right. But you shouldn’t push yourself with this.”
Rachel turned to Daisy, who was now watching the flames dance around in the hearth.
“Tell me what you know,” she said calmly. “Tell me anything you can think of.”
“I don’t know…”
“Please.” There was a slight desperate tone in her voice that made Daisy break off. “I want to know.”
Daisy looked unsure, but she nodded. Nate moved into the kitchen as she began to talk, detailing what she knew and what happened at the Silver Lantern.
He could hear them clearly through the door as he used the recipe book to make some soup.
It seemed simple enough, and everyone was going to need something to warm them up.
His sister often said that soup was a good way of making people feel better, especially if it was made well.
He chose a leek and potato soup recipe and began to boil things on the stove.
It wasn’t long before the soup was ready, and Nate managed to pour it into three bowls, cutting three large hunks of bread from the loaf Rachel had made earlier, lathering them with butter. Hopefully, this would be enough to calm things down for now.
Putting everything on a tray, he carried them carefully into the sitting room.
Rachel and Daisy were now sitting on the same settee, their hands clutched together, both quietly sobbing.
Nate could feel tears pricking at his own eyes, and he shook himself.
Someone needed to keep calm. That was easier said than done, not when he wanted to kill the men for what they’d done.
No woman should have to go through that.
“I’ve got some food here,” he said, clearing his throat as the women looked at him. “It’s not the same as Rachel’s cooking, but it’ll do for now.”
He placed the tray on the coffee table and handed them a bowl each, along with a spoon. Daisy looked as if she didn’t want to eat but decided to do it out of politeness. She tasted a little on the edge of the spoon, only to stop and blink in surprise. Then she licked the spoon.
“That’s really nice,” she said.
Rachel also tasted a little, giving a nod of approval.
“It is very good. Maybe you should do some more cooking, Nate. You’re getting good at this.”
“Maybe not baking,” Nate mumbled, feeling his face getting warm and not because of the steam from his bowl. “I’ll leave that to Rachel.”
This slight light moment was what they needed. Something to distract them from the knowing that they were dealing with some dangerous people.
People who would definitely come looking for Daisy. And who needed to be stopped before they caused any further deaths. Nate was certain that Mary Bell’s wasn’t the only one.
And it wasn’t going to be the last.