The Visit Margaret P.
(With thanks to my betas, Terri Derr and Suzanne Lyte) (Words: 4,244)
Chapter Five
Friday evening was spent discussing the events of the day in Green River, and on Saturday Scott drove Katie and Teresa into Spanish Wells. Teresa had some shopping to do, and Katie wanted to see the artesian wells. "Maria told me they were first discovered by the Spaniards and that's how the town got its name."
"When I was a little girl I remember visiting the ruins of an old bathhouse. I think it was somewhere over there." Teresa pointed Katie south east as Scott conveyed them in the carryall past the first straggling dwellings of the town. "Spanish Wells is the newest of the three towns bordering Lancer. My father told me there were no houses here at all before the gold rush, but by the time I started school Spanish Wells was bigger than Morro Coyo."
"The town gets its water supply from the wells." Scott called over his shoulder as he drove them along the main street. "There's not a lot to see above ground anymore, but I think you'll like the underground pool we're going to."
Once through the settlement, he drove them another quarter mile before turning down a side road to the base of a steep bluff. He tethered the horse to a tree, and helped Katie from the carriage.
"Oh, I'm sorry." She fell heavily against him. "My skirt's caught."
"Hold still." Teresa leaned forward and tried to unsnag the cloth from a spring on the underside of the seat. Katie stood on tiptoes, holding down her skirt as much as possible with her left hand to lessen the exposure of petticoat. Her head and right hand rested on Scott's shoulder for balance. With her hair soft against his neck, he was praying silently that Teresa would take her time. "There. All done."
Katie let go. But maybe not as quickly as she could have done; she appeared a little flushed. "Thank you, Scott—and you too, Teresa."
Suppressing a smile, Scott helped Teresa down and handed her the paraffin lamp he had stashed under the driver's seat. He offered each girl an arm. "Ladies."
Together they went on foot along a rough track. Where the path narrowed and began to climb, Teresa broke free. She clambered between the rocks littering the ground, up to a semi-circular cleft in the cliff overhung by scraggy bushes and moss. Pausing first to check Scott and Katie were close behind, she disappeared inside.
Scott released Katie's arm and held her hand as he guided her through the entrance. "Be careful, the floor is uneven, and with the rain last night the stone could be slippery."
Teresa was closing the glass on the lantern as they entered. The upper chamber was well lit by sunlight from the mouth of the cave so she carried it low at first as she led the way. Katie continued to grip Scott's hand.
"Teresa, wait." Scott took the lantern from her at the top of the staircase. It was not much more than a dozen steps worn into the rock through centuries of use, but the tunnel was dark and steep.
Leaving the girls together he went about halfway down and stood to one side of the passage where the incline was most difficult. He held the lantern high to light their way. "Use the wall and come down slowly."
As they descended, he offered a steadying hand.
"Thank you." Katie's eyes glowed in the lamp light.
Water dripped on him from above. "Watch your heads."
Even stooping, his hair brushed the rock as he followed the girls down and into the chamber below.
"Oh my." Katie walked along a narrow outcrop of rock as Teresa wandered around the outer edge of the pool to the other side of the grotto. Gossamer rays of sunlight slipped through a jagged fissure in the ceiling, sparkling on the water and in Katie's hair like fairy dust. From where Scott stood on the bottom step, she looked like some heavenly creature framed by shimmering blues.
He had always felt there was something mysterious and timeless about the pool. The water was so clear; you could see small bubbles from the spring that fed it slipping through crevices in the rock near the bottom, even though the surface always remained tranquil. As he approached, Katie's awe was obvious. She stared into the depths, and then lifting her gaze, she revolved slowly, taking in the subterranean world around her. She reached out and he took her hand. "This cavern is ethereal."
No one moved or spoke. All Scott could hear was his heartbeat, and all he could see was Katie, looking skywards: she was so beautiful. He felt himself leaning towards her and—
"Oh." Katie broke away, and Scott remembered to inhale as hands fell to their sides. "Teresa you startled me."
"I wanted to see how long it would take a pebble to reach the bottom. It must be deeper than it looks." Scott had forgotten Teresa was even there. He wished she wasn't there.
The small splash had rippled the air as well as the surface of the water. It shattered the spell he'd been under, and he felt robbed and resentful. "It's time for us to go."
Putting out his arms, he ushered Katie towards the steps. The lantern was in a small recess in the cavern wall. Retrieving it, he started up the stairs before Teresa reached them—better than saying something he'd regret. At the midway point, he held up the lantern and ordered himself to stop being an unreasonable idiot. "All right, I'm in position. You can come up now."
All three blinked as they emerged into the sunshine again. It seemed somehow warmer and brighter than before, and they took a few moments to get used to their surroundings.
"Listen. Is that a skylark?" Katie turned, trying to spot the little brown and white bird as it flitted among the trees. Then she hugged Scott's arm, and dispelled what was left of his annoyance. The skylark serenaded them along the path to the carriage, and Teresa made up for her crimes by leading the way.
A smile kept breaking ranks as Scott drove the carryall back towards town. Katie and Teresa were chatting behind him about calico and linens—nothing of any importance. What mattered was the promise of Katie's touch on his hand and how she'd snuggled closer to him as they'd neared the carriage. When they got back to the ranch, he was sure that somehow they'd find time to be alone.
"Will you be all right if I leave you for a while?" Scott delivered Katie and Teresa to the drapery shop on Main Street. "Cipriano asked me to pick up nails and salt licks. I shouldn't be long."
Half an hour later, the girls were passing the time of day with the Widow Hargis outside her general store. He pulled the carriage to a halt and dismounted to load their purchases into the back. He had just put a collection of magazines on the back seat when he heard…
Thwack!
Spinning around, he was in time to see Morgan from Gallagher's Mine crash backwards through the swing doors of the saloon on the opposite side of the street. The man fell spread-eagled in the dirt, and before he could recover his wits, a chair turned to kindling beside him.
Bellowing like a bull, 'Goliath' Dean from the Lehmann ranch appeared on the boardwalk, swinging madly. Feet dangling, another miner—the Dutchman Scott had shared a drink with before Christmas—clung to the giant man's neck while two striplings Scott had never seen before danced about them like prize fighters.
"Hey!" The sheriff dashed out of his office further along the street. He fired a shot in the air, but no one took any notice so he waded in to break up the fracas.
Too full of whisky or confidence to know who he was fighting, Morgan staggered to his feet and tried to tackle Gabe Hutton from behind. Scott ran to help. He hauled him off the lawman's back, and received a right hook for his trouble. Shaking his vision back into focus, Scott planted his fist in the miner's stomach.
Morgan doubled over and staggered back. But then he lumbered forward again and took a swing at Scott's head. "Bastard."
Scott ducked. "Missed me."
And Morgan swung again.
Scott dodged the meaty fist a second time. Best not tempt fate. He came back with an uppercut and a right cross, bringing Morgan to his knees, just as the sheriff fired another warning shot into the air. This time Goliath slumped back against a wagon wheel. The Dutchman was out cold, one youth was spitting blood into the dust and the other was—where? A pile of hay knocked off the back of the wagon moved. Punch-drunk and looking more like a scarecrow than a wrangler or a miner, the boy sat up in the middle of the heap.
"Thanks." With a grin, Gabe clapped Scott on the shoulder and then shoved Morgan forward onto his feet. "Move it." The walking wounded carried their unconscious friend to the jailhouse at the point of Gabe's gun. "An hour to sober up and then you can get on back where you came from."
Snatching his hat up from the ground, Scott headed back to where the ladies stood watching. But he stopped in his tracks.
"Oh, you were wonderful, Scott." Teresa scurried forward, pulling a handkerchief out of nowhere. He allowed her to dab at his bleeding lip, but his eyes were locked to Katie's.
"Shouldn't be allowed." The Widow swept the dust off the boardwalk around Katie's feet as though the planks had done her some personal injury. "Drinking hard liquor at this time of day: it's an abomination. You did very well, Scott Lancer, but that saloon should be shut down." She shook a bony fist at the proprietor as he cleared broken pieces of furniture from the street.
"Katie, are you all right?" A lump in Scott's throat threatened to rid him of speech.
"Me? Yes, of course. Why wouldn't I be?" Katie blinked back to life and began to move towards the carriage. "I do think it is time we were heading back though. I've some packing to do."
"Wait. Let me—"
"Lancer." Gabe yelled down the street. He was standing outside his office, waving Scott to come to him. Blast! Scott raised his hand, but hesitated. No, he'd help Katie up into the carryall first.
Damn it, she was already in.
"You'd better go, Scott." Teresa stepped up past him onto the boardwalk and went to join Katie.
By the time he got back from signing the papers Gabe thrust in front of him, the girls were flicking through Peterson's Magazine and nattering about fashion. They barely looked up as he climbed onto the driver's seat, and they were eager to get inside when they arrived back at the ranch.
"Katie, can I talk to you?"
"Of course, Scott, but after supper; I'm hot and dusty. I need to freshen up."
But after supper, Teresa got out the playing cards, and Katie was dealing hands even before the coffee was served.
"Mine, I believe." Murdoch stretched forward and swept the pile from the occasional table. "You should have played that queen last time, Scott."
Sitting on a footstool, Katie gathered in the cards and shuffled them. "Let's have another round. I like this game."
"Really? I thought you weren't keen." Beth looked up from the article she was reading. She hadn't wanted to play cards. Instead she'd poured the coffee and then settled down to read the latest Woman's Journal that the girls had brought back from Spanish Wells.
Katie met her mother's eye for a second and then started to deal. "That's only when Jamie plays; I'm sure he cheats." She laughed at the concerned look on Teresa's face. "Well, probably not, but my brother is such a bad winner."
"Deal me out. I think I'll go up and see Johnny and Emily, and then have an early night." Scott rose from his chair. He may as well. Those damned cowboys and miners had ruined a near perfect day. Katie was not going to talk to him alone tonight. He knew it.
Even the next day, when he attempted to speak with her privately, she found some way of escaping.
"It's a glorious day, Katie. Perhaps this afternoon after church we could go for a drive. Wherever you want to go; I'm at your disposal." He swept a bow, pleased to have caught her before the others came down the stairs for breakfast.
"I'm sorry Scott, but I promised to read to Johnny this afternoon."
"I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"But I would. It's hard enough for him without us making him feel like he's second best. If he could come with us, it would be different."
"Well, maybe you can do both. We don't need to go far, but it is your last day."
"Thank you. Truly though, it will take most of the afternoon to finish the story I've been reading him. We'll spend time together in the evening."
Yes, together with everyone else.
Scott ended up helping Emily bring some of her research files from her place back to the ranch. He looked in on Katie and Johnny afterwards, but he felt like a fifth wheel.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt."
"You're not. Stay and listen to the rest of the story if you like." Katie reached for the open novel on the side table, ignoring the book on her lap. "We've got four chapters to go."
Scott glanced at Johnny, but he seemed unusually interested in the embroidery along the edge of his sheet. Katie hadn't been reading when Scott had opened the door. She and Johnny had been talking, and now they'd stopped because he was in the room. "No, I won't if you don't mind. I've read the story already, and Beth and Murdoch are going for a walk. I think I'll go with them. I just popped in to say hello."
By evening he felt thoroughly dejected, and he was finding it very hard not to show it.
The Eliots were scheduled to catch the Monday morning stage. For the first time the women agreed to let Murdoch and Scott help Johnny downstairs. Doc Owens had removed the stitches on Friday morning, instructing his impatient patient to take short walks about the room until he called again in a week's time. "Nothing strenuous, Johnny. Do you hear me? You need exercise now, but build up gradually."
Scott and Murdoch got Johnny partially dressed first—shirt, trousers and socks only, no belt or boots.
"It would be easier if you just wore my robe, brother."
"I'm not spending an evening with ladies in the great room in my nightshirt."
It wasn't worth the argument. They got him up and moving, and he made slow but steady progress along the hall with Scott and Murdoch hovering on either side; then came the stairs.
"Easy now."
"I'm all right, Murdoch." But he very obviously wasn't. Johnny's knuckles were as white as his face as he gripped the handrail only three steps down, eyes tight shut.
"Let us carry you, Johnny. Chair lift." Scott put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Just to the bottom of the stairs."
After a moment, Johnny straightened. And after a moment longer, he opened his eyes. "Just to the bottom of the stairs."
Scott got in position and reached an arm around Johnny's back. Murdoch did the same. Grabbing wrists, they created a seat, and Johnny sat back, putting his arms around their shoulders.
"On the count of three. One, two, three." Scott braced himself to take Johnny's weight and was shocked at how light his brother was. From the grim look on Murdoch's face, he was thinking the same thing.
As promised, they let Johnny down again at the bottom of the stairs. With support, he walked into the great room where the women waited.
"Lie down here on the sofa." Beth added another cushion to the pile at the far end and Scott helped Johnny lower himself into position. Emily lifted his feet up and then she settled into a chair between him and Katie. Murdoch sat down by the fireplace opposite Beth's armchair, and Scott resigned himself to sitting in the blue winged-back between Teresa and Johnny's feet on the sofa. He was about as far away from Katie as it was possible to be.
"That tickles."
"You must be getting better then." Beth was putting the final touches to Johnny's comfort by tucking a blanket around him before returning to her seat.
Scott smiled. What would it have been like growing up with a mother like Beth? A very different childhood to the ones he or Johnny had experienced, that was for sure. He was glad Beth had been his mother's friend; it spoke volumes about both of them.
"Thank you." Scott accepted a glass of wine from Teresa, and gazed over the rim at Emily and Johnny as they shared a few private words at the other end of the sofa. The colour was starting to return to Johnny's face; his journey downstairs had been doable—it meant a lot to everyone. Emily seemed rested too. Both ready to face the world again. At least something positive had come out of this visit.
"Do you remember these?" Murdoch handed Beth a green cardboard folder. She opened it carefully and lifted back the tissue paper to reveal sketches she had done years before of Scott playing with her children at Frog Pond. Scott had only seen the drawings recently himself; since returning from the wedding in San Francisco.
"Oh my goodness, yes. Look Katie, that's you with your petticoats stuck into your bloomers and legs covered with mud." Beth chuckled and held the sketch out to her daughter.
"Thank you, Mama. That image does my dignity so much good." Kate took the drawing and inspected it. She was laughing, but her cheeks turned a little pink. Scott threw her a look of sympathy. He was rewarded with a self-conscious smile and moments later, a glance through long lashes. Hope sparked.
Johnny reached across Emily and attempted to take the picture from Katie, but she tapped his hand away. "You don't need to see it, Johnny Lancer."
"Johnny has his own bloomers story." Murdoch leaned back in his chair, grinning. "Let him see. If he teases you too much, I'll tell you a tale that will make him blush."
"I like the sound of that. Here you are, Johnny. Do your worst."
Johnny accepted the sketch. He held it up against the back of the sofa so everyone could see and scrunched up his eyes as if appraising the drawing with great thought. Then he gave it back.
"Well?" Katie's eyes gleamed, and everyone waited with amused anticipation.
Johnny folded his hands in his lap and looked over at Murdoch. Then he gave a wry smile. "Charming."
Everyone laughed.
"The story is that bad, is it, brother? Tell us anyway, Murdoch."
"I wouldn't dream of it, especially now I know the threat works so well. I'll save it to use another time." Murdoch leaned forward. "My favourite is the one with Scott and Bobby holding up their catch. Yes, that's it." Beth held up the drawing and then passed it and the remaining sketch around.
"I like this one." Emily pointed to the picture of the two boys lying on their tummies studying a tadpole in a large jar. Lips puckered, Scott was trying to imitate the tadpole.
Teresa left her chair and knelt down next to Emily so she could see better. "Oh, Scott, you look adorable."
"Yes well, on that note, I think it's time we talked about something else." Getting up, Scott began to collect the drawings together, putting them back in their folder. He wasn't really embarrassed—much. He winked at Katie as he recovered the final sketch. The tips of her fingers brushed his and her eyes sparkled. The warmth from them settled somewhere deep inside him for the rest of the evening.
"When do you return to Boston, Beth?" Murdoch got up to pour more wine for everyone. Teresa helped pass the glasses around.
"I only have five more days left. Six weeks has gone very quickly, but it has worked in well. With Katie staying on in San Francisco to perform her maid of honour duties for Olivia, I was a little worried about the return journey. Despite what you think of my courage, Murdoch, I'm relieved to be travelling back with Alfred and Charlotte."
"The Burkes are visiting family in Boston?"
"Yes, Scott. Old Mr Burke has been failing for some time. I think the plan now is to stay with him until he passes, and then Alfred and his brothers will settle the estate together."
Murdoch handed Scott his wine and sat down again. "Scott goes to San Francisco on business in two weeks' time. He'll miss you, but I'm sure he plans to call in on Katie."
"Certainly. It will be the highlight of my visit." Scott smiled in Katie's direction, but she was engrossed in a separate conversation with Emily and Johnny.
"I'm glad Katie can visit us again in May." Teresa put her wine down on the side table and picked up her embroidery. "I've so enjoyed having you both here this past week, but your stay has been far too short. Four weeks will give Katie and me more time to do things together."
"And I will see you again in September when we all congregate in San Francisco for the next McIntyre wedding. I shall depend on you, Teresa, to help Katie keep a tight rein on her younger sisters. With so many handsome young men around, Julia will think she's died and gone to heaven." Beth looked towards the sofa. "Emily, you may have to be the one to keep Victoria in check. She's an animal enthusiast like you, but please don't encourage her to wear trousers. Her father would have a fit. As a rule, he's a forward thinking man, but in some respects he can be surprisingly old-fashioned in his attitudes."
"I'll tell Robert you said that." Murdoch chuckled.
"You certainly will not; at least not if you ever want me to write to you again." Beth narrowed her eyes at Murdoch, but Scott saw the twinkle as she turned her attention to her knitting. That was unusual; most of the time the needles clicked away without her taking any notice of it at all. "Bother, I've missed a stitch." Removing the needle, she began to undo the last half inch.
"I thought I was being made redundant anyway." Murdoch sighed dramatically and sipped his wine.
"I'll write to you, Murdoch." Katie joined the conversation. "And Teresa, you must let me know how those begonias do here. I'm sure the market in San Francisco will have more variety than the local towns. I could bring some with me in May if they do well."
"If you behave yourself, I'll still write to you at Christmas, Murdoch." Beth held up her knitting and examined it with a practised eye. Seemingly satisfied, she began hooking the wool back onto the needle. "I welcome letters from any one of the family, but I know I'll get more details about the wedding if Emily writes to me."
There was more to it than just interest in the wedding. Scott knew that. He didn't try to analyse the hows and whys of the relationship Beth had with Emily and Johnny; she had taken two hurt souls into her heart and they had returned the compliment. He couldn't wonder too greatly, because he shared the feeling.
The following morning he was genuinely sorry to see her leave. He kissed his mother's best friend on the cheek and hugged her farewell.
"Thank you for making our stay so enjoyable, Scott. Catherine would be very proud of her son. I hope you know that."
Scott nodded. Feeling ridiculously pleased by the sentiment, he helped Beth up into the coach.
Murdoch and Katie were still saying their goodbyes. They embraced and Katie turned to face Scott. "Remember: you're taking me to Woodward's Gardens."
The spark from the evening before flickered into flame. Scott blinked, and then grinned broadly. "How could I forget? I'll collect you at eleven o'clock on the twentieth."
He hesitated. She smiled. He lifted Katie's hand to his lips, and for an eternity of seconds, he was invited into those unfathomable brown eyes.
"All aboard." The coachman slapped Scott on the shoulder before pulling himself up onto the driver's box.
Murdoch stepped back onto the boardwalk, and Scott helped Katie into the carriage. He closed the door and was about to step back too when she poked her head out of the window.
"I'm going to miss you, Scott Lancer."
Her words echoed in his head as the stagecoach clattered out of Morro Coyo. Scott stood alone in the street, oblivious to the dust, his heart pounding.
At the last possible moment, Miss Catherine Eliot of Mt Vernon Street, Beacon Hill in Boston had kissed him—full on the lips.
Notes:
1. This story is the second in the Eliot Series. The first was Past Imperfect, 2014. The Eliot Series has its roots in From Highlands to Homecoming, 2014, a back story of Murdoch Lancer's life. Most of the significant non-canon characters in the Eliot Series were created originally for From Highlands to Homecoming. The story of Johnny and the bloomers can be read in Chapter 30: Ups and Downs. Maria and Cipriano Ramirez's daughter, Catarina, started at teacher's college in September, 1866 as mentioned in Chapter 48: 1865. Ben Telford first appears in From Highlands to Homecoming in Chapter 2: All at Sea, but reappears in several other chapters and in Past Imperfect.
2. This story links to Names, 2014, of the Widow Morris Series by Doc. Some of the dialogue and ideas related to Johnny and Emily in this story were provided by Terri Derr (aka Doc).
3. This story has small links to various episodes in the Lancer television series, but in particular Legacy, Series 2, Episode 10 and The Lorelei, Series 2, Episode 16.
4. The Women's Journal was founded in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts by Lucy Stone, the prominent orator, abolitionist and suffragist. Lucy Stone was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree, her alma mater being Oberlin College in Ohio.
5. A carryall is a light four-wheeled carriage used in the U.S.A. in the nineteenth century. It seats four or more passengers and is drawn by a single horse.
6. Peterson's Magazine (1842-1898) was a popular women's magazine in America.
7. Woodward's Gardens was a combination amusement park, museum, art gallery, zoo, and aquarium operating from 1866 to 1891in the mission district of San Francisco.