Chapter Twenty-Six
Rachel stood at the door and watched as Daisy slept. Rachel had offered her bed up to sleep in.
She felt the anguish in her chest as she watched the girl sleep. She was bundled under the blankets, looking very much at home in the bed. It was as if she hadn’t slept in a comfortable bed for a long time.
Rachel wondered how her mother must’ve felt. She’d lost her husband and was pregnant, so she would’ve thought her options were very limited. Isaac Vane must’ve told her about a life that would look enticing. If she didn’t have much choice, it was no wonder she’d been tempted.
Tears were in her eyes again, and she felt like she was going to cry again.
Her chest hurt from the pain of sobbing.
She’d cried for her mother, for what she went through and what Daisy was currently going through.
The pain was awful, and Rachel couldn’t begin to think how the girls who were duped into it felt.
“Rachel.”
She jumped, bumping her shoulder against the doorframe. Nate was standing behind her, watching her curiously. He glanced past her toward Daisy, who hadn’t stirred.
“She’s sleeping well?”
“She seems to be. I think she was more exhausted than she thought.” Rachel rubbed her hands together. “I still think back to when she stumbled out of the dark with no coat on. How she managed to get up here when it’s bad outside…”
“It shows a lot of determination in her to do that. She’s got courage.” Nate put a hand on her arm. “How about we go downstairs and take a moment? I’ve tidied everything away.”
“I didn’t think it was possible for a man to be bothered about cleanliness,” Rachel commented wryly as she followed him down the stairs.
He chuckled.
“It comes from living with Isabelle. Also, it’s a lot nicer to come home to a tidy house. Less for me to do when I get back.”
“Especially when you’re barely home with everyone asking for your help.”
“That as well.” Nate paused at the window as he entered the sitting room. “At least we’re not getting reports of drifters with the snow.”
“I can imagine how hard it is dealing with that lot.” Rachel shuddered, absently rubbing her arms. “I wouldn’t be able to do something like that. Being in charge. Nobody would listen to me.”
“I’m sure you’d find a way.”
“I doubt it. I don’t know how you do it. You’re tougher than I could ever be.”
Nate didn’t say anything more. Instead, she heard his footsteps pad slowly across the floor, coming to join her and sit on the settee beside her.
His leg brushed up against hers, and Rachel tensed.
She wasn’t prepared for the sharp crackle that jumped between them.
Nate didn’t seem to have noticed, though, staring into the fire with his hands clasped together, elbows on his knees.
She sat back, and they remained in silence for a little longer.
Rachel stared into the flames, going over what Daisy had said about her mother.
While it wasn’t firsthand information, she had mentioned things that wouldn’t be considered a coincidence.
Rachel wondered if Olive would be able to talk to her about her mother?
Tears started welling up again. She was too exhausted to cry, but it just wouldn’t stop. She swiped at her eyes, which were sore from the sobbing. How could an incredible evening finish like this?
“Rachel?” Nate looked back at her. “Do you need to talk?”
“I don’t know.” Rachel pressed the heel of her hands into her eyes. “I feel like I need to cry, but I’m getting fed up with it.”
He watched her in silence, and then reached to take her hand as he sat back. Their fingers laced together in Rachel’s lap, and she stared at his hand, larger than hers and practically wrapped around hers. She looked tiny compared to his.
“I keep thinking about Mother.” She swallowed back the hard lump in her throat. “She was trying to get me to safety, to keep me away from harm. And I thought she’d abandoned me. That she didn’t want me.”
“From what Daisy said, she loved you very much. It must’ve been painful to give birth and then give your baby to someone else when you had no choice.” Nate shook his head.
“Miriam knew the truth. She knew what Mother was doing, and she chose to keep it from me. She barely said a word about her over the years when I asked, and she let me build up an opinion of her that was wrong. How could she do that?”
“Given how dangerous Vane and Pike are, I can see why she chose not to say anything. If they were trying to hide you and keep you safe, then they would make sure you knew nothing.”
Rachel shuddered. “And she was making most of those recipes in the Silver Lantern.”
Nate sighed.
“Miriam probably thought it was for the best. She meant well, just not in the right way.”
“I don’t know…”
“She raised you all this time, and she was good to you, wasn’t she?”
Rachel bit her lip.
“She was.”
Rachel felt like the fire wasn’t doing anything to warm her. Slipping off the settee, she sat on the floor and scooted closer to the fire. She hugged her knees to her chest, watching the flames dance about. It seemed so simple, keeping people warm. And yet she was feeling even colder.
There was a rustling of clothes, and then Nate sat beside her. They stared at the fire together for a moment before Nate spoke.
”Everyone involved will answer for what they did. And we’ll get the women trapped out of there.”
“There is more than one saloon with the Silver Lantern name,” Rachel pointed out. “I know it’s going to be a big thing, but with Daisy’s testimony, and what happened with Mae…”
“I don’t think it’s going to be that easy, Rachel.”
She scowled.
“Why not? Two people have told you what happened to them. How are those not going to make an arrest easy?”
“It’s about jurisdiction, and about planning ahead. We can’t go in half-cocked, so to speak.”
“But that’s…” Rachel began, but Nate cut her off.
“We’re going to get justice for what happened, and I’ll not be letting this go. But we need to tread carefully. Men like Vane and Pike are going to have contacts, and important ones, who can get them out of bad situations.”
Rachel huffed at that.
“So they’re going to get away with it?”
“No, they’re not, but do you think they got to where they are with hard work and honesty? If they’ve been doing this for at least twenty-five years, they would’ve built up a lot of contacts who could get them out of trouble. They’re dangerous men, Rachel, and we can’t have room for error.”
Rachel wanted to argue further, but she knew Nate was right. She couldn’t believe they had to wait for more evidence. All she could think about was having them arrested for her mother’s death.
But they had to wait. And she hated it.
“Look,” Nate put an arm around her, urging her to lean against him. “We need to get some rest. Both of us. Then we’ll figure it all out in the morning. We don’t need to decide anything now.”
“I…” Rachel sniffed, swiping at her nose with her sleeve. “I’m scared, Nate. They could come here, and if they realize who I am…”
“I know you’re scared.” He kissed her head. “But I’m here. I’m not going to let anything happen to you. Do you believe me?”
There was no hesitation in her answer.
“I do believe you.”