Charlie and Mr. Beets went riding again the next morning. They took a different turn on this ride, and Charlie pointed out
various things of interest on this side of the ranch.
Again, he drew Charlie into conversation.
He asked her the things that she enjoyed about living in a city as large as Stockton. At one point Charlie referred to the house
in Stockton as 'Katherine's house'. An astute man, Mr. Beets caught that remark immediately, and thought that he recognized the
significance of it.
To be certain, he said, "Why do you say it that way? It's your home, as well."
"No, it's not," Charlie said immediately, brusquely, and then recovered her manners. "I mean, no sir, it's not really. It's Katherine's home."
"Have you always felt that way?" he asked her.
"Mostly. Yes, sir."
"Has she not made you feel that it's your home?" he asked.
"It just never felt that way. It's not a-" she considered. "A warm place. It's not welcoming. I always feel as though
I'm in her way."
"Has there been no goodness for you there at all, child?" he asked.
Charlie thought he looked as though he was sad.
"I just don't think that Katherine's really the sort to have a kid around all the time," Charlie said. "Some people aren't, you know."
"That's true enough. You don't feel that way about Scott, though, is that right?"
"No. I think Scott doesn't mind having me around."
After that, Mr. Beets steered the conversation to other topics. Lighter ones. Ones that did not deal with the planning of Charlie's
near future.
Once back at the house, after dismounting, and while preparing to unsaddle, Charlie and Mr. Beets looked up to see
Scott walking towards them, from the side of the corral.
"How was the riding?" he asked them.
"Very enjoyable," Mr. Beets answered.
"I'll untack Gurth for you," Scott said to Charlie. "It's time for you to go in and get washed up and change to a dress. It'll be time
to head to town soon."
"Okay," Charlie said. She was trying not to show her reluctance at going, but was fairly certain that she failed at it.
She went inside, and up the stairs to her bedroom, washing her hands and face, and then standing before the tall dresser.
Picking the simplest of her dresses, she put it on, and then pulled on her stockings and shoes, grumbling to herself about how
it was too hot to wear such things. She brushed out her hair, and then took one of her hair ribbons, and went back downstairs.
Charlie went in search of Teresa, but couldn't find her anywhere. Peeking her head into the library, she found not Teresa, but Murdoch.
He was sitting at his large desk, sorting thru papers there.
Charlie paused at the doorway, and Murdoch looked up from his task.
"Sweetheart?" he asked. "Do you need something?"
"I was looking for Teresa," Charlie said.
"I haven't seen her for a bit."
"Oh. I was going to ask her to help me with this," Charlie said, holding up the hair ribbon.
"Well," Murdoch said, pushing his chair back from the desk. "I'm not Teresa, but I can try to help, if you'd like."
Charlie came over to stand in front of him, handing him the ribbon, and turning around.
After a few moments of lifting her hair, and arranging the hair ribbon, Murdoch said, "There you are. I think it will pass
approval."
Charlie turned to face him again. "Thank you."
Murdoch surveyed her for a long few moments. "You look very unhappy, child."
Charlie hastened to assure him. "I'm happy that I get to stay here for the summer!"
"Happy about that, but unhappy for another reason?" he asked then.
Charlie met his eyes, blue as the sky. She shrugged.
"Is that an answer?" Murdoch prompted, raising an eyebrow.
"I wish that I didn't have to go and have lunch with Katherine," Charlie admitted.
"Hmm," Murdoch responded, his eyes intent on her face.
"I know that I shouldn't complain about it," Charlie said, though her tone suggested to Murdoch that she still wanted to
complain.
"I think you can manage a lunch without too much difficulty," Murdoch said, his tone calm, but firm.
"I don't know," Charlie said, her brown eyes just as intent. "I'm worried that I'll say something that I shouldn't say."
"And you don't think you have enough self-control to mind your tongue?" Murdoch asked her.
"It's hard when you're a kid," Charlie said, as if she were sharing something with him that would be new information. "To mind your tongue."
"It's just as hard when you become an adult," Murdoch informed her.
"But when you're all grown up, you can say what you like," Charlie protested.
"That's not true, sweetheart. Not correct at all," Murdoch said. "It may seem as though adults can speak their minds totally, at all times, but
that's not the way that it is. We still have to filter our words. Be mindful of the hurt we could cause by saying something we shouldn't."
"Oh," Charlie said.
Scott appeared at the open doorway, pulling off his leather gloves.
"Time to leave, Charlie," he said.
"Are you taking me?" she asked, turning to look at him.
"I thought I'd see if Murdoch could take you in," Scott said, looking to his father for affirmation. "I told Cip I'd help him with that cow
that's been down."
"I can drive her in," Murdoch agreed.
Scott nodded, as Charlie went to stand next to him.
"Katherine won't like this dress," Charlie said, and Scott surveyed her with a questioning eye.
"Why not?" he asked.
"Because it's so simple. No lace, or frills."
"I think it's a pretty dress," Scott said, reaching out to smooth back her hair with his hand. "You look very nice."
Charlie sighed, and Murdoch and Scott exchanged glances, understanding one another without any words.
"Right, then. Let's be off," Murdoch told the reluctant Charlie.
Scott walked out with them, as Murdoch got into the waiting buggy, and then lifted Charlie up into the seat.
Murdoch wordlessly held out the reins towards Charlie, and the little girl gave him a genuine, dimpled smile,
and began to drive the buggy far too quickly down the lane.
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Once at the hotel, the buggy brought to a halt, and parked, Murdoch got out first, and held out a hand to Charlie, who
took it, and then jumped to the ground.
Murdoch took Charlie's hand, and they went inside the lobby, where Murdoch went to the front counter, and asked
the hotel clerk to let Katherine know that they were here.
"Ah, the lady is already waiting for you, in the restaurant," the clerk said, gesturing towards the area beyond
the hanging curtains.
Murdoch said a thank you to the man, and they walked on into the restaurant, where the lunch crowd had begun
to fill the tables.
Katherine was seated at a corner table, wearing an emerald green dress, and an elaborate matching green hat. Charlie thought to
herself that the hat was a bit too much. Katherine looked over-dressed amongst the people in the restaurant, most of them ranchers and their
wives.
"I was beginning to wonder whether you'd arrive at all," Katherine said to Murdoch, mincing no words.
"I didn't realize that we were late," Murdoch said, giving the large oval clock on the wall a glance.
Katherine took his point, knowing full well that it was still several minutes until the noon hour, which was what had been agreed upon
the evening before.
"No, of course you're not late," she amended, with one of her most charming smiles. "I was just eager to have lunch with
Charlotte, I suppose."
"Well, here she is," Murdoch said, and Katherine spoke to Charlie.
"Hello, Charlotte," she said.
"Hello."
"Well, thank you, Murdoch, for bringing her to me," Katherine said, her intent plain. She wanted to see the back of Murdoch, and
he received her veiled message quite well. Charlie was still holding onto his hand, and he gave her small one a squeeze with his
large one.
"Alright, then. Have a nice lunch, and I'll be back to fetch you. An hour?" he inquired of Katherine.
"An hour is fine."
Charlie watched Murdoch's broad back disappear thru the curtains toward the hotel lobby, and then turned back to
her aunt.
"Sit down, Charlotte," Katherine instructed.
Charlie took a seat in the chair opposite of her aunt.
"You look very nice," Katherine said, and Charlie blinked at her, surprised.
"Thank you."
"That dress is a beautiful color," Katherine continued, and Charlie felt another spurt of surprise. Maybe Katherine was going to
really put an effort into being pleasant.
Then, with her next words, Katherine took the spirit of goodwill and crushed it. "It's very plain, though. I think you would be better suited with
a dress that has some flair to it."
"I like this dress," Charlie said.
The waitress approached their table, and took their orders. When she'd gone, Katherine turned her dark eyes onto
Charlie.
"I think it's past time for us to have a conversation, don't you?" she asked.
Not entirely certain just what Katherine meant, Charlie said haltingly, "I guess."
Katherine went on to say how the decision had been reached for Charlie to stay at Lancer the remainder of the summer.
"After that, of course, we will revisit the topic again. I thought it would be a nice change for you, to be out of the city a bit longer,"
Katherine went on.
Charlie had the intense desire to roll her eyes. She only just managed not to do so. Of course Katherine would want to be seen as
it all being her idea.
"That does not mean, however, that I'm entirely in favor of all the activities you spend your time doing there."
"I'm not doing anything I shouldn't be doing," Charlie protested.
"No, not in the way that you're thinking. I'm referring to all the outdoor things that you do. Have you practiced your piano
at all lately?"
"I play sometimes. After supper, Murdoch sometimes asks me to play for them."
Katherine sat back then, and later, when Charlie looked back on their conversation, she would have said that's when Katherine
became dark, reverting to her usual snarky self.
"You think now that Beets is involved, that things will always go the way that you want them to, don't you, Charlotte?"
Charlie studied Katherine, unsure of just what she was getting at.
"I don't know what you mean," she said.
"Oh. You don't?" Katherine began to peel off her white gloves, one finger at a time.
"No."
"I think, Charlotte, that sometimes you want to behave as though you don't understand, when really you understand
very well," Katherine said.
Truly perplexed, Charlie regarded Katherine out of wide eyes. And was silent.
"Beets seems to feel as though you would benefit from staying with the Lancer family for a while longer," Katherine continued.
Still Charlie kept quiet.
"I wonder, Charlotte, if you've considered something, in your determination to leave my home. Sometimes, when a person
takes on a cause, or a new sort of a project, well, they are very enthusiastic about it at the beginning."
When Charlie only looked at her, waiting, Katherine added, "Do you understand what I mean?"
"No," Charlie said honestly.
"Perhaps Scott was being benevolent, when he befriended you. And once that occurred, you've been somewhat of a novelty to him," Katherine said. "And,
sometimes, unfortunately, in things in life, the novelty wears off."
Charlie sat, her hands folded tightly in her lap. She didn't know what 'benevolent' meant. Nor was she certain what it meant to be
a 'novelty' to someone else.
She would not ask. She would not. She would find out somehow later what those words meant. But, she would not ask Katherine their
meaning. Katherine was smiling so nicely. So it seemed as though they weren't insulting words. Still, Charlie wasn't certain. So, she
said nothing.
The food arrived, and as soon as the waitress set their steaming plates on the table, and departed again, Katherine picked up her
fork, and said, "Trinkets can be entertaining. But eventually they, or the entertainment that they provide, become tiresome." She smiled again, and then began eating her
meal.
Charlie picked up her fork as well, and tried to eat, but found she had little to no appetite.
And though Katherine talked of other things thru the remainder of the meal, things that were of no particular worry or concern to Charlie, she
only half-listened.
When Murdoch came back into the restaurant, Charlie felt such a huge relief that she wanted to jump to her feet and run
to him. Right then and there, in front of the entire room of people.
She didn't.
Murdoch came striding over to their table.
"My goodness, is it that time already?" Katherine asked him, sounding surprised. "The hour went so very swiftly, didn't it, Charlotte?"
It hadn't. Not to Charlie. So she didn't respond. A response wasn't necessary anyway. Katherine went on talking, looking up at Murdoch
with one of her flashing smiles.
Murdoch's gaze flickered over Charlie's plate, the food barely touched.
"Are you still eating?" he asked her.
Charlie shook her head. "No. I'm finished."
"Please. Sit down and join us, Murdoch," Katherine invited expansively, gesturing to a third chair at the small table.
Murdoch, considering, let his eyes land on Charlie, and her face which had such a pinched, strained expression. Charlie looked
up at him, and Murdoch had no difficulty in deciphering the pleading in those huge brown eyes. They practically begged him
to refuse Katherine's offer.
"Thank you, but we need to be getting on back to the ranch," Murdoch said, and the look on Charlie's face
was so obviously grateful that Murdoch felt something in his chest tug a bit.
"Very well," Katherine said, and rose to her feet. She walked with them out into the hotel lobby.
"My stage leaves this afternoon," she shared.
"Safe travels," Murdoch said.
"Yes." She paused by the door to the hotel, leading outside. "I'll say goodbye here," she said. "We'll speak again soon,
Charlotte."
Charlie found that she had no words, but since Katherine was plainly waiting for a response, and even Murdoch was
regarding her, looking puzzled, she managed to say, "Alright. Goodbye."
As Katherine swept away, up the stairs, and Murdoch and Charlie went out onto the street, in the bright sunshine, Murdoch
reached down to give Charlie's hand a squeeze.
"Ready to head home?" he asked her.
Charlie gave a short nod in response, and once they were seated in the buggy, Murdoch offered her
the reins again.
"No, thank you," Charlie refused.
Yet another point to the fact that something was amiss with the little girl.
He said nothing, however, about her refusal to take the reins. He waited, instead, but when they'd gone a couple of miles, and
Charlie hadn't said a word, but only sat, looking as though she was puzzling over something, Murdoch asked, "I've always thought that
the hotel restaurant had good meals. You didn't seem to eat much of yours at lunch."
"No, sir."
"Was there something wrong with the food?" he asked.
"I just wasn't very hungry."
"I see," he said, and then resolved to let her confide in him at her own leisure, if she so wished to. Something was obviously concerning her.
Perhaps it was just the ordeal of being thrust into spending time with Katherine when she hadn't wanted to do so.
They were nearly home when Charlie spoke again.
"Murdoch, what does novelty mean?"
"Novelty?"
At Charlie's nod, Murdoch said, "Well, it generally implies something new, or different."
Recalling Katherine's words, about how she, Charlie, would be a 'novelty' that wore off as far as Scott was concerned, Charlie's
face paled. She went so white that Murdoch asked her if she was feeling ill.
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