Chapter Five
Jarrod spent another hour closeted with the three generations of the Wheelers to prepare legal strategies. Nick headed out to send the telegram to Ed Tanner; Tab would ride back with his new cousins.
"We even bought train tickets out of Fort Worth for Chicago; left our fine mounts at the ranch. I think it bought us enough time to get back to California. Nick told me to get the Pinkertons involved as you would do. So far so good. The money from selling off all the cattle has been deposited in our San Francisco account after it was sent to St. Louis to my mama's cousins. They transferred it back here. Now the land, Jarrod, I don't want to upset Sonny anymore but it's lost. There ain't no way no one will buy it up with the Magness land all around it. We got all we need here."
"Carl, you are right. Do you think you missed your calling as a Pinkerton?
They laughed but he did mention to Jarrod again, "I wish I woulda thought about that arrow."
Maggie prepared quite a luncheon and all three of the Wheeler men relaxed and took turns telling Barkley stories with Nick or Jarrod as the butt of their jokes. Liesel thoroughly enjoyed the camaraderie of these western families.
Sonny told of his early days in Texas as a settler when the Commanches and Kiowa ruled the prairie. He told Tab that he had a real arrow that was pulled from his shoulder and he left it at his ranch in Texas.
"We had to leave in a hurry. I wish I'd thunk to bring it. Last part of the wild days settlin' the area before Fort Richardson was built."
Carl interjected, "Grandpa, we will get all your belongings back here I promise."
"It's alright Carl-you got the wedding pictures of your grandmama and yours. You wrapped it all up in my mama's quilt. I aint gripin' one bit. You got what's important. I got that quilt on my bed in there and your grandmama on the nightstand watchin's all of us. Don't need anything else but my family. I shoulda' listened and moved sooner but I got the Wheeler stubbornness."
Cap hmph'd, "Amen."
Liesel looked confused and Carl explained, "My late wife's family decided that they knew better than us two. We left out in the middle of the night in a bit of a hurry and Jarrod is here now so it should all get settled. We won't be going back to Texas and Sonny is selling his land so we can all stay here."
They thanked the men for the lunch and Jarrod told them, "Stay close to home and keep up the guards. I wouldn't have any of you in town until we settle this. Let's keep it quiet as you have already done."
"Your daddy Tom knew when to poke the bear and when to get in the cave. Glad to see you do too, Jarrod."
Liesel said, "We hope to see you soon. Remember olive oil works for lots of things besides cradle cap."
"Thank you, Mrs. Barkley."
All three children settled back in the wagon and fell asleep on the way home from the Wheelers after the big lunch and all of the play.
Jarrod was unusually quiet on the way home. Liesel wasn't sure if she should talk or not. She hadn't seen Jarrod in his attorney mode yet so she entwined her arm in his and lay her head on his shoulder.
"Have I told you, Mrs. Barkley, how lucky I am to have found you."
"I will let you tell me again. te amo in aeternum" and she kissed him on the cheek.
He jerked his head toward her. "Latin, et tu?"
"Yes, Mr. Barkley. I read all my terms and letters for my tutor. Of course, I could not attend the Sorbonne but I did all of the readings and writings. My tutor was quite liberal and allowed me to progress as far as I could."
"I am impressed. I learn something new about you every day—wait, that's how you read the ecclesiastical codes about marriage. You are a lady of many surprises."
He slowed the buggy down and began kissing her quite passionately. He held the reins loosely with one hand. They hit a bump and Rose woke up crying from hitting her head.
He sighed deeply as Liesel brought her to the front to rock back to sleep.
"Welcome to family life, Jarrod."
He ran his fingers through the toddler's curls. "I wouldn't change it for the world."
—&—
Audra decided for the first time to go for a ride. They would go check the gravesite for the burial in two days. He would be buried near Tom and Beth and both of the babies Victoria lost. She had moved their graves close to their father after he passed. Tom was buried where he died.
"Her babies would be safe by him until Judgment Day." she had written Jane years before.
Her mother, Jane, Isabella and she had Ciego saddle the horses. They rode slowly at first and Audra took out on a gallop.
Jane and Isabella looked at each other with concern but Victoria said, "Let her go. It's good for her, I can't tell you how many times I did that after Tom died."
"Well, I am going to see if it works." and Jane took off herself.
Victoria and Isabella rode more modestly and enjoyed the day.
"Mrs. Barkley, thank you for allowing me to come to your home. When Liesel told me her plan, I asked if I could come. I hated life in Paris and just waiting for Papa to marry me off to God knows where. Liesel said she can send me to school in California if I like. I just wanted to feel free. Papa says I have the restless spirit of my mother. She died when I was born. I have only known the love of Mama Marie and my sisters.—I turned 18 in May."
Victoria smiled, "Audra at 18 had the same restless feeling" then she hesitated, "It was that year she married Scott."
"I am sorry, Mrs. Barkley. I didn't mean to bring up your grief too. I love Audra like a sister already and she counts me as a friend but I never know the right thing to say to her."
"Neither do any of us. It just matters that we all keep talking,"
They rode upon the gravesite. McColl had it dug as soon as Audra told him where. She picked the spot under a tree diagonal from Tom and the babies. Beth was on the opposite side.
Audra was sitting on the side of the grave holding a handful of dirt. Jane was sitting behind her allowing her to recline on her.
"I just don't think I can do this Aunt Jane."
"You have to. We all do until the Lord calls you home. There is a very big reason you have to and her name is Scotty. Scott trusted you to raise his child. The Lord will give you strength. Do it for both of them."
They noticed Victoria and Isabella riding up.
"Mother, I know what you said I had to do—-just put one foot in front of the other and it will get easier—- but I don't want to go on without him. I will, of course, but I can't make myself right now."
Victoria went up and kissed her cheek, "I know I truly do"
Isabella spoke up, "Liesel says you store them in your heart."
All the heads turned knowing Liesel had been unhappily married.
"Oh no, Charles. She says that was different because of all the regret and pain.—- but her first love. Yves was shipped off to Algiers when he dared ask Papa for her hand. He died of a fever there. Alone and it killed Liesel. She lost her love and then had to deal with being the one who caused him to be there in the first place."
Victoria said, "I had no idea. Bless her heart."
"Jarrod knows. She told me she told him all about it. She was 17. She told me she kept him safe in her heart. She would talk to him and tell him how her day went, about her children and her feelings towards Papa for him and then Charles. She told him all about Jarrod. She found a verse in Isaiah that she wrote in her Bible. It helped her heal"
Audra asked, "What was it?"
"The righteous perishes, And no man takes it to heart; Merciful men are taken away, While no one considers That the righteous is taken away from evil."
Audra looked thoughtful as well as the others, "So Scott may have been taken to be spared from something bad?"
"Liesel thinks so."
"Scott told me that day we duck hunted, he had made his peace with God."
Victoria thought to herself, "Well I never thought I would hear Scott Breckenridge had a road to Damascus moment but forgive me Lord for my judgmental heart."
—&—
Jarrod and Liesel drove up to the house; Rosa took the sleeping Rose. Lia and Valeria scooped up Tab and Jack to take them upstairs to clean up. Isabella and Katarina were upstairs.
Victoria met them in the foyer, "Esther sent the mail from town. She had to leave as her sister's time is upon her and the babies are due. There is quite a bit of it from the past two months."
Jarrod frowned but took the large mailbag.
Liesel put her hand on his. "I can help you."
"I will take you up on your offer."
Victoria's help was accepted too as there were probably 100 pieces of paper to be organized.
He took today's notes out of his jacket and laid them on the desk: res judicata, lex loci, In loco parentis. Deed in courthouse, Carlsson Harper Wheeler III, Jacksboro, TX, Emily Anne Magness Wheeler, DOB, DOD, Marriage certificate Jack county, Fort Worth land office.
Esther had separated all the papers into pouches: Pressing legal practice, ranch, Barkley holdings, San Francisco and personal and Breckenridge holdings.
Jarrod took the pressing legal documents and became immersed in an appeal of one of his cases. He grabbed a long tablet and began making notes.
"Jarrod, do you want me to take the ones marked personal?"
"Of course, my love. I have no secrets."
Victoria started going through bills and bank drafts. She put them in chronological order for Jarrod or Nick to pay. She started on the Barkley holdings. She organized the mining business for Heath to read tonight and the agriculture offers for Nick.
Liesel made a stack of social invitations to decline or send regrets, requests for donations to charities, theatre and opera box seats, notations about repairs to his townhouse roof after a storm, the bills from the New York and London bank receipts, and Jarrod's tailor in San Francisco.
There were large bills from a hotel suite and a large total tabulated by the concierge. It was not itemized. Probably a client.
A thick envelope marked personal was in the middle of the stack with very floral handwriting. She smelled the scent of the envelope and her stomach tightened. She put it on the bottom trying to ignore the temptation.
There were at least seven or eight envelopes she saved towards the end. They were similar to the thicker one. Flowery female handwriting, embossed stationery or lilac or lavender or rose-scented— a woman's name on the return address. Distinctively feminine
She finished the rest and took up the first scented envelope, "Jarrod, do you want me to open it?"
He distractedly said "Yes. I told you there is nothing you can not see in my mail"
The letter was from a widow thanking Jarrod for handling her late husband's estate. She read it and was relieved.
The third letter was also from a woman thanking Jarrod for his donation to her husband's memorial stone and to their child's university bill.
A fourth scented letter was from a young lady that Jarrod sponsored for the bar.
Another was from his ward, Laura, back east.
Liesel talked to herself, "Stop you ninny. A man with something to hide is not going to allow you to go through his mail. Take a deep breath and stop bringing ghosts to your marriage."
She opened the final large thick envelope. Jarrod T Barkley Esquire Personal.
Victoria looked up from her stack. "All that is left is the Breckenridge papers. I can't even fathom those. Are you close, Liesel?"
"Yes Mother Barkley, this is the last one." and she tore off the end of the envelope. Out fell a nude photograph -of Ghislaine and a very personal letter.
"Oh" was all Liesel could say.
Victoria picked up the dropped picture. "Oh, Liesel"
Jarrod looked up at the tone of his mother's voice and Liesel, leaving the room quickly.
Victoria handed him the letter and the photograph, "Oh Jarrod".