Chapter Six
The room that Amelia was shown to was spacious and well-appointed, if a bit dusty.
There was a large raw-timber bed that dominated the space, and a chest full of bedding at the foot of it.
There was also a decent-sized chest of drawers and a wardrobe for hanging things.
The best part was the double window, which sported a padded bench.
“I’m sorry about the state of your room,” Ruby said. She opened the chest with the bedding and withdrew a pillow, giving it a hearty smack. “I’d have aired it out, but that would have obviously roused Pa’s suspicions.”
“Don’t worry yourself,” Amelia reassured her. She went to the windows and slid them both open, admitting fresh air that smelled of warm earth and grass. “I don’t mind a bit of work.”
“Yes,” Ruby said, setting the pillow down on the bed and pulling out a quilt. “That was part of what drew us to your reply. Oh, goodness, the dust on this.”
Amelia turned from the window. It was a strange thing to be sharing a space with someone again, but so far, the children seemed determined to make her welcome.
She tilted her head slightly as she studied Ruby.
She hadn’t had a good chance to take her in with all of the drama outside, but now she took the opportunity to examine her new charge.
The girl was tall, nearly as tall as herself.
She had the most astonishing red hair, neatly plaited.
She conducted herself like a woman rather than a girl, bustling about cleaning and bossing her younger brother around.
She couldn’t have been yet fifteen, but she acted like a woman far older and smoothed into shape by responsibility.
“We’ve got a wash basin somewhere about here for you,” Ruby said. “Though we can always get one from town if needed. Oh, the looking glass has cracked.” She frowned at the mirror set above the chest of drawers.
“Don’t worry,” Amelia said again. “I’m not likely to spend much time gazing into it.”
“No?” Ruby said, her face somewhere between disappointed and curious. “But you look so… fashionable.”
Amelia couldn’t help but laugh gently. “Not so,” she said. “I can assure you that it’s all an illusion. I simply wanted to make a good impression. Suppose that was a bit of a fool’s errand,” she sighed.
Ruby bit her lip and clasped her hands in front of her again. “I really am sorry about the deception.”
Amelia regarded the girl. “I can’t say I’m pleased at being tricked in such a way, but I also can’t fault you entirely. Goodness knows I got up to far worse as a girl.”
At this, Ruby’s eyebrows shot up. “You did?”
“Oh yes,” Amelia said, reaching up to unpin her hat. “So you’re forewarned that I’ll be wise to your tricks.”
Nervousness flitted across Ruby’s face, which made Amelia chuckle. “Don’t fret,” she said. “I promise I’m not an ogre. I’m sure we’ll all learn to get along together just fine. Now, you two scamper off while I unpack and change, and then we’ll see to the kitchen.”
“Oh! Of course,” Ruby said, turning for the door. “Come along, Logan,” she said.
The boy had been nearly forgotten, standing in the corner and watching everything that went on. Meekly, he slunk out of the room, slinking past Ruby like a shy puppy. Before she departed, she turned back abruptly to Amelia and took her by the hands, surprising Amelia.
“I really am very glad that you’re here,” she said quietly but emphatically.
Amelia blinked a couple of times, then gently squeezed Ruby’s fingers back. She couldn’t return the sentiment exactly, but it was nice to hear, nonetheless.
Ruby withdrew then, and Amelia closed the door behind her.
She listened for a moment at the door and heard two pairs of feet tromping down the stairs.
Amelia turned and sat on the edge of her bed, letting out a great sigh.
She glanced around the strange room, feeling out of place and unsure of herself.
She flopped backward onto the striped ticking fabric of the mattress, scrubbing at her face with her hands.
It could be worse, she told herself, which was only moderately comforting. She wasn’t sure that she would ever be able to get on with Mr. Walker, but then, she hadn’t come to this place in hopes of love or even friendship.
With a groan, she sat up and paced about her room again. It was larger than any other room she’d called home, and the idea that she didn’t have to share it with another soul made it seem like a palace all on its own.
Voices floated in through the window, carried on the languid breeze.
Curious, Amelia went over to it and took the chance to appreciate the view, which she hadn’t had time to really consider before.
Her window faced the stockyard, with the horse corral being the closest. Beyond it were the barns, stable, and cabins for the hands.
“It’s not that complicated,” she heard Mr. Walker say. She looked down and saw him relatively close to the house, speaking in low but emphatic tones to another man that she didn’t recognize.
“How do you figure that?” the other man asked.
He wore a buff-colored hat and a crimson shirt with a double-button placket, partially undone.
“Seems to me to be nothing but complicated. You want me to tell everyone you’re married, but you aren’t properly?
And your children lied to get that poor woman here? ”
“Arthur, please,” Mr. Walker said, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Don’t make it sound so unseemly, especially in front of the men and my children.”
“I’m simply saying this could lead to complications,” the other man said, holding his hands up.
“Look, it’s just for now until I figure out what to do,” Mr. Walker replied. “I can always send her packing—it’s not like I have any real obligation to her.”
Amelia must have made some sort of small noise or moved that attracted the other man’s attention, for he looked up at her window.
Mr. Walker followed his gaze and met Amelia’s eye.
To his credit, an expression of guilt flitted across his face for a split second but was quickly replaced with a scowl that Amelia was beginning to think might just be a permanent fixture on his face.
For her part, Amelia wasn’t particularly inclined to be gracious. She’d certainly had more polite welcomes, and she wasn’t about to assuage any guilty feelings he might’ve had. She also wasn’t about to let him think that she would be easily cowed.
She rolled her eyes back at him and turned away from the window. There was only a very, very tiny piece of herself that hoped they hadn’t just set the tone for the rest of her time on the ranch.