Chapter 2 – A Quiet Evening

It was nearly eight by the time Matt and Kitty settled into their rooms on the third floor at the Copeland Hotel. Each room, one the mirror image of the other, contained a double bed, a bedside table with a drawer on either side, a lamp on each bedside table, a large wardrobe with space to hang clothing and drawers to put away more intimate apparel, a washstand under a mirror, a vanity a woman could sit in front of and a man's clothing valet that would allow his suit to air out yet still hold its shape. There was also a double-sized window next to one of the bedside tables with a settee beneath it. Diagonally across the room there was a round table in the corner with a couple of chairs by it and another lamp. The curtained window supplied outside light during the day at the occupant's discretion.

Matt dropped his lone bag on his bed, along with his hat and gun belt, before returning to the hallway to assist the youth with depositing Kitty's baggage in her room. He followed the lad through the door with an armload of hatboxes and absentmindedly tossed his tweed jacket onto the table in the corner. She'd schooled him enough in expected city behavior that he automatically reached into his pants pocket, where he'd stashed a few coins, so he could offer a generous 50-cent tip. The two men parted in the hallway in front of Matt's room.

The young man quickly turned away as the tall older man shut his door, but he didn't face the stairs. Instead his attention focused in the opposite direction toward the room of the beautiful woman who'd arrived with the imposing man. To his surprise she stood in her doorway and beckoned.

"Young man, I know the gentleman already gave you something for your trouble. Here's some extra if you'll see to it that his coat is pressed and brushed within 15 minutes," she added handing him what she viewed as Matt's courting coat and a silver dollar. "Knock on his door when it's ready."

The bellhop rushed toward the stairs with Matt's coat, his added incentive jangling in his pocket. Before the lad reached them Kitty closed the outer door and unlocked her side of the connecting door. She heard the echo of her action from the other side. They could now freely move from one room to the other. Only then did she remove her hat and the dress she'd been wearing for the past 12 hours. A fly buzzing between the two rooms would be witness to a man and woman washing the dust off at their respective washstands. She hadn't finished taking her hair down to brush it when a bare-chested Matt visibly stood behind her in the mirror.

"Have you unpacked already? You can help put my things away," she added before he could answer.

"I thought we could leave the unpacking for a bit," he said bending down to nibble at her neck.

"Oh Cowboy, it will be so much easier if we get the practical matters out of the way now instead of leaving them for tomorrow. Besides, the quicker we do that, the sooner we get to continue what you've started."

Ten minutes later, thanks to a great deal of self-discipline, Kitty's dresses were hanging in the wardrobe where they could air out and lose any wrinkles they'd acquired and her intimate apparel stowed in drawers. Turning her attention back to her lover, she somehow controlled their soft touches, embraces and kisses so that the couple moved from her room into his. She broke off a particularly strong embrace as they reached his bed to find all that Matt had put away were his gun belt and hat on the top shelf of his wardrobe. She instructed him on how to hang out his discarded shirt so it wouldn't need to be sent to the hotel laundry and helped him stow the rest of what he'd brought on hangers or in drawers.

Matt turned her toward him so he could plant a kiss on her lips that quickly deepened. Both their tongues sought entrance into the other's mouth. He pulled her closer, already attempting to loosen her corset in preparation to removing it, her petticoats and whatever other unmentionables Kitty still wore. She, in turn, ran her fingers seductively over his naked back. It appeared tonight's bed would be the one in his room. However, the mood was broken when Matt's stomach gurgled. It wasn't entirely unexpected considering they'd only eaten sandwiches on the train since breakfast with Doc and Festus in Delmonico's. Food would have to come first.

"Put on a clean shirt and a tie. Somehow I think you'll need more fuel than what might be available from room service. I'll go change into something appropriate for the hotel dining room or a nearby restaurant," she said as someone rapped on his door.

"Now who could that be?" Matt asked, turning to where he'd stowed his gun.

"It's the bellhop," Kitty replied through the open connecting door to her room. "I gave him your coat so it would be fit to wear. You left it in my room."

"Why do I need it if we eat in the hotel dining room?"

"It's expected, Cowboy, along with the tie I mentioned. If we go outside, you'll need to wear your travel coat as well. Its cold in late February."

"Is that a fact?"

"That's a fact. In the city, gentlemen accompanying their ladies dress for dinner. Still, I hope we don't have to leave the building. It'll be that much quicker getting back here," she added with a seductive smile.

Matt resigned himself to putting on one of his white shirts and a tie, in addition to the tweed jacket he'd just retrieved from the bellhop, if he hoped to eat and get his anticipated reward after. At least he'd been able to dispense with the tie during the trip. Otherwise, he would have suffered more discomfort than being unable to stretch his legs unless he walked along the corridors in the moving train. Those thoughts spurred him on. Within ten minutes the pair emerged from their respective doors. It was best for propriety's sake.

If the hotel dining room was already closed Matt and Kitty were prepared to fill their bellies at whatever eatery the hotel clerk recommended. The clerk could stow their winter garments while they ate. They were in luck. Hot suppers were available for hotel residents, both temporary and long-term, for another hour. All they had to do was show their room keys to prove they were registered.

"Marshal Dillon, I have something for you from Governor Glick," the clerk informed them before they had a chance to turn toward the dining room across the lobby. "Had I paid attention when you registered I could have given it to you then," he said, handing Matt an envelope.

Inside it were two items – a rough agenda of the meetings and their locations and a formal invitation to a social event Friday evening. Matt stuffed the envelope back in his jacket pocket without reading the contents before taking Kitty's arm, just as he would when taking her to supper at home. He didn't see a difference, but Kitty felt his demeanor, and thus the way he held her arm, was a bit more relaxed.

As expected in a high-class hotel restaurant, even at a somewhat late hour, the couple was graciously welcomed by the maître d'hôtel, who escorted them to a table. He placed two menus before them - one with prices for the gentleman and the one without them for the lady. She ordered braised lamb while Matt stuck with his usual steak. Kitty surreptitiously showed him the appropriate bottle to order from the wine list. Once the waiter departed Kitty looked questioningly at Matt before speaking.

"Let's have a look at what the clerk gave you. I need to know when you'll be free so I won't be shopping while you fiddle with your pistol."

Matt handed the envelope over. Kitty's eyes gleamed when she saw the invitation to the formal dance and buffet supper. She peered over her wine glass at him to hide the conniving smile that accompanied the twinkle in her eyes. She'd figure a way to make sure he escorted her there. After all, it was two full days away.

"I'm sure we could both find something appropriate to wear if you'll escort me Friday evening," she intoned as she placed the envelope inside her bodice. "You can retrieve your schedule later if you're willing to engage in a bit of unbuttoning."

Kitty said nothing more about the dance or Matt's schedule of meetings while they ate their meal or while they retrieved their outdoor coats. All she did was start up the stairs toward their rooms ahead of Matt, who was distracted by an important looking man calling his name.

"You must be Marshal Dillon," the man stated as Matt nodded to Kitty to continue upstairs without him. The stranger, dressed in a dark winter-weight suit, approached him. "Since we share the same hotel perhaps you'll find you have more in common with me than you have with Attorney General Johnston," he continued when Matt, with his long legs, covered more than half the distance between them to reach the man's side.

The marshal's new acquaintance had a full head of light brown hair and a mustache to match. Though at least six inches shorter than Matt he had a presence about him. Therefore Matt wasn't surprised when this obviously professional man offered his hand to introduce himself as the governor. Kitty's research was thorough. Before they left home she learned the governor and his family lived at the Copeland. It was one of the reasons she chose the hotel.

"I'm pleased we have a chance to chat before we meet formally tomorrow in my office at the State House. I promise I won't keep you long since you must be tired after your journey from Dodge City. Even before my election I followed your career enough to learn you stand out from the crowd, not just in physical stature but in your dedication to bringing a just interpretation of the law to the frontier."

"It's my pleasure to meet you as well Governor Glick. I expect we'll have much to discuss during these meetings you and the Attorney General have planned for me to attend. I'm just not sure what you meant by saying you and I have more in common than Attorney General Johnston and I".

"That will all come out when we have a chance to socialize and talk privately. Much of that will occur at the event Johnston is hosting at the Taft House where he resides. Don't worry. Even if you don't have any luck persuading the redhead I saw you with as you departed the dining room to join you for this affair, it won't be a problem finding a young lady to accompany you Friday evening. We can talk about it when we break for lunch tomorrow, including obtaining the proper attire on short notice."

"Don't get me wrong Governor, but I was thinking I just might skip Johnston's affair," Matt replied as the governor accompanied him up the broad staircase. "We've worked with each other for a number of years. I'm sure he understands I'm not much for that sort of thing."

"Let's just say I'll be very disappointed if you don't show," the governor intoned as he took Matt's hand again in a farewell shake. "I'll see you at nine tomorrow," he added before leaving Matt in front of his room and continuing on toward the corner suite that had become his residence since being inaugurated a bit over a year ago.

Now that he was alone again, Matt unlocked the door to his room. He hadn't planned on the five-minute delay. He hoped Kitty would be waiting for him with her hair down and without anything on but a shear nightgown. All he saw was his bed was turned down. His room was empty, but the connecting door was wide open. He went through it.

AN: The description of Governor Glick corresponds with that of the actor who played the governor in Hostage, not with the real life Kansas governor at the time this story is set (1884 in my personal GS timeline).