Chapter Forty-One

Heath came down the staircase in his medium blue suit, holding his dress hat in his hands. It was Friday evening, and he had timed his departure from the big house carefully. Nick and Priscilla were in the nursery, and Victoria had not yet come down. Heath had already let Silas know that he would not be home for dinner. He had made it down to the hall, and just as he started to congratulate himself the front door opened.

"Hello Heath. Good to see you." Jarrod came through the door, in his grey suit, white shirt, and crimson tie. It was a bolder choice than his older brother usually wore, but then Heath remembered that his brother dressed differently in the city. "You look nice. Do you have plans?" Jarrod's words cut into Heath's thoughts.

Just as he was about to say nonchalantly, plans in town, Victoria came into the hall. She was dressed in a cinnamon brocade gown, ornamented with dark green and cream-colored trim. Heath watched as Victoria greeted Jarrod with a hug.

"I actually arrived from Sacramento earlier this afternoon, but I had several things to take care of at the courthouse." Jarrod replied in reply to Victoria's question about when he had made it to town. Heath's hope that his mother would be too busy with Jarrod to pay attention to him was dashed when Nick and Priscilla came down the stairs.

Priscilla had on a grey-blue watered silk gown, the bodice and skirt inset with red silk and cream-colored lace. The dress was bustled back, the grey-blue fabric trimmed with the lace and red ribbon. There was a bow on the back of the bustle, bows at her sleeves, and a bow in her hair. It was elaborate, but Heath knew that Priscilla liked to get dressed up. He started to wonder how Sharon would look all dressed up, but then stopped that train of thought.

The next several minutes were spent with the family standing in the hall, while Jarrod asked about happenings on the ranch. Silas had come into the hall, and greeted Jarrod happily, taking his valise and hat. Victoria then started to usher everyone into the parlor for pre-dinner drinks. She then noticed Heath, and just like on Sunday she dashed his plans.

"Are you going out Heath?" Victoria inquired and everyone turned to look at interest with Heath.

"You are quite dressed up! What plans do you have? Drinking at Harry's hardly rates your suit." Nick had in fact noticed Heath's clothing as he came downstairs. He gave Priscilla a wink, before he regarded his youngest brother.

"I have plans." Heath kept his voice modulated as he replied. "Jarrod I would like to talk to you about the bill that was presented in the legislature about the mine safety regulations."

"Our brother has plans Nick?" Jarrod rejoined with a merry smile, ignoring Heath's attempt at changing the subject. "I agree the suit is a bit much for drinking at the saloon. He is dressed as if his plans included an evening with a beautiful woman."

"Heath's plans are none of our business. He is a grown man, and his personal life is his own." Victoria glared at Nick and Heath. She was privately hoping that maybe Heath had met someone.

"I was under the impression that our younger brother was done with women." Nick offered in a casual tone. "Brother Jarrod, I do agree though that Heath is dressed for an evening on the town." He rocked back on his heels, chuckling.

"Brother Nick you must not have been in town this week and heard the gossip." Jarrod did a dramatic pause, as he regarded the group in the hall.

Victoria was now starting to feel like she was in a bad English drawing room skit and was all set to shut it down. As glad as she was to see Jarrod, she now wished he had stayed in Sacramento or Stockton. He, Nick, and Heath all loved a good tease, but none of them knew when to rein it in. Normally she let them work it out themselves, but this time she felt she needed to protect Heath.

"Gossip in town? No, I've been on the ranch." Nick replied, and added "Ducky has been sick all week, so Priscilla has not been in town either. Do tell brother?"

"Heath was seen escorting Sharon home from the café this week." Jarrod announced with a pleased look on his face. "Part of the reason why I came down early is because I had documents to file at the courthouse. Judge Richardson was telling me that his two law clerks were upset about that fact. They have both been spending a great deal of time at the café, in pursuit of Sharon."

"The rumor mill in this town is out of control! They can take an isolated occurrence and turn it into a novel." Priscilla tossed her head, giving Heath a kind smile. He returned it, glad that she was helping him out.

"Jarrod, I like the combination of the suit and tie – it is quite dashing." Priscilla changed the subject and looked at her husband. "Did you know that peacocks, which are native to India – the male of species have the beautiful plumage? I think men here could learn from the birds."

"I have seen pictures of those birds, and they look dazzling." Victoria gave Priscilla a grateful glance, before turning to Heath. "I am so glad that you are getting out and going to town. You need to go have some fun." She went over, hugged him and gave him a kiss on his forehead.

"If only, a dollar for every man who says they are done with women." Jarrod declared, laughing after Heath had left the house.

"I spoke to Heath at Mother Flynn's funeral, about how this could be a second chance for him and Sharon. I hope he took my advice." Nick said in a pleased tone, as he led the family into the parlor. He poured drinks and went to propose a toast.

"You spoke to Heath at the funeral, about courting Sharon." Victoria was aghast at what he was saying.

"It was fine Mother; Heath was hanging around the edges looking at Sharon with great interest. It was clear he still had feelings for her." Nick defended himself, looking over at Priscilla.

"You can see that he cares about her; I don't know what happened in the past, but Sharon deserves to be happy." The young woman replied, moving to stand next to Nick.

"Just so you know, Jarrod I gave him the reverse of the speech you gave me at the Christmas party all those years ago, when I wanted to court Priscila." Nick pulled her close and kissed her, before looking at his family. "You told me I could be a lucky man if I didn't muck it up by talking first and thinking later. I just told Heath the same thing but saying don't think first and talk later." He took a sip of his drink after he made the statement.

"We are done talking about Heath, Sharon, and what his plans might be for the evening." Victoria announced in dulcet tones – both Jarrod and Nick at different times referred to her as the Duchess because of her autocratic ways.

"Brother Nick, the Duchess wants a change of topic." He gave his brother a wink, as he sipped his drink. "There is a great deal of gossip from the capital, including that the Vice President of the United States might be visiting California this spring. Then of course the Lt. Governor is busy pursuing a twenty-something daughter of a shipping broker from Seattle."

He had offered the change of topic, knowing that his mother was very protective of Heath. Jarrod hoped that Heath was taking Sharon out to tonight. He thought back to when he was arranging the funeral, about how different her life had been if she had married Heath. Yet again he wished he had acted differently all those years ago. The family finished their drinks and moved into the dining room, discussing Jarrod's news from the capitol.

Earlier, in town….

Sharon looked at herself in the mirror and was pleased with what she saw. Heath's comment do you have an appropriate dress still rang in her ears. When she moved to Stockton, she had known she would need some nicer dresses. The Morgan's had given her a sum of money to cover her moving costs; Sharon had used some of the funds to purchase two nice day dresses, and one slightly fancier dinner dress.

Eloise, at Penny Rose, not only did custom orders, but she also had some ready to wear pieces for sale. The prices were reasonable, and alterations were included with the purchase. The dresses themselves were not as lavish as the custom pieces, but Sharon thought they were appropriate for her situation.

The dinner dress she had on was a color she would never have picked out for herself. It was pale blush pink polished cotton, the skirt and sleeves had grosgrain ribbon trim in the same shade. The bodice was ornamented with cream colored lace. Due to Sharon's red hair, she had never owned anything pink. When Eloise had shown it to her, she had almost passed on the dress.

She was glad that she had not, as she looked at herself in the mirror. The pale pink highlighted her copper hair and made her skin glow. Sharon had put her hair up, in a slightly looser style than what she wore at the café. Her only regret was that she did not have the pearl earrings.

Before she left Ireland, Lady Emily's family had given her a going away present of pearl drop earrings set in gold. They were ever so grand, and she treasured them; on her wedding day Sharon had worn them proudly. One night, Paul came home drunk, and demanded she give him the earrings so he could sell them.

Sharon had refused to tell him where they were; in return he had given her the worst beating to date. Paul had then ransacked the small house, finally finding them in the chest of drawers. He left her lying on the floor, dazed, with a bloody lip and bruises already forming. When Paul finally returned several days later he acted like he had done nothing wrong.

"Mama you look like a princess." Tara had come into the room and was soon hugging her. Sharon looked at her daughter and knew, even as bad as her marriage had been, because it gave her Sean and Tara, she would not change anything.

"Mr. Heath is so kind, and he has so many horses." Tara observed, and Sharon inwardly chuckled at her comment. She could hardly wait to see her daughter's face when Heath presented her with a pony. "Sean is waiting in the parlor, to greet Mr. Heath." The little girl giggled and hugged her mother again. Sharon returned the hug, stroking her golden curls.

Heath approached the town house, noting that while the yard was small it looked well kept. The house itself was tall and narrow, made of wood and brick. It was ochre in color, with trim of dark green and crimson. He recalled, when he and Sarah were first engaged, she had been very taken with the houses.

To his mind it was all too close and confining and he had made his opinion very clear. Now as he recalled the town house Sarah had bought – with his money – it came to him that Sarah had always wanted to be in town.

For a moment he felt a wave of weariness overcome him, as he thought yet again about his marriage with Sarah. Heath was now starting to wonder if they had ever been happy or were they both just going through the motions. As he raised the brass knocker he worried that he was going to be in the same situation with Sharon.

Heath then reminded himself that he had laid out the groundwork and terms for the business partnership. That is how he saw it in his mind, a means for both of them to get what they wanted. He had made it clear to Sharon what he was expecting; with that in mind he raised the pineapple knocker.

"Good evening Mr. Barkley." The door was opened by a tall, self-assured Negro woman. She had café au lait skin and was dressed in a navy serge dress with a starched white apron tied in the back. She had a vibrant calico turban on her head, gold hoop earrings, and a leather belt that several keys hung from.

He remembered Sharon telling him that she had hired a housekeeper, who would be coming with her when they married. Heath was curious, based on Sharon's conversation with Priscilla, at how she had been able to hire someone. Not only hire someone, but he discerned right away that the woman was knowledgeable.

"Thank you." Heath offered as this personage showed him into the front parlor. For some reason he thought of Silas, and what he would think of the woman. "I would like to present you with these flowers because I honor a hard-working woman. May I know your name?" In fact, Heath had brought the flowers for Sharon, to make it clear he knew what a courtship meant. Now though he saw a different path.

"Mr. Barkley it is so kind of you." The woman almost smiled, and he thought of Hannah. He smiled in acknowledgment before she went on "my name is Violet Crossen. I look after Mrs. Flynn's establishment; I will let her know you are here."

"Hello Mr. Heath! I understand you are taking my mum out? I think it is ever so good!" Sean came bounding up in front of him, his eyes shining with happiness. "Violet is ever so amazing! Have you ever had cornbread?" He enthused as he went over and hugged the woman.

"Oh please I just do basic southern cooking!" Violet laughed as she returned the hug. "It has all been so easy, and I feel so blessed."

Heath watched her leave the room and turned to look at Sean. He recalled the last time he had seen him was at Mother Flynn's funeral. It came to him that he had never courted a woman who had older children. He had spent time with both Sean and Tara and knew how incredible they were.

He also realized that even if Simon only lived with him part of the time, he would still be able to provide so much for Sean and Tara. Heath started to wonder if maybe he should have spoken to Sean before the date tonight. Heath then reminded himself that Sharon had told him what to do, and how to do it.

Magda was suddenly in his mind and remembered that long ago thought at how much the two women would have liked each other. As he thought about the women, he felt a sense of peace coming over him. He could see Magda, vibrant as she talked about bratwurst; then he saw her extending the sign of the cross.

"Mr. Heath, are you all right?" He heard Sean's voice and realized he needed to stop dwelling on the past. The vision though had been so vivid, and he could swear he had felt Magda's blessing.

"Sean, I was just wondering if I should have spoken to you before asking your mother out." Heath looked at the young man, tall for his age with Sharon's hair and green eyes. He had already seen him dealing with Nick, so he was sure that Sean saw himself as the man of the household.

"Mum makes her own decisions, but in either case I would be happy. She does nothing but work and take care of us. The show you are going to see sounds like fun." Sean answered sincerely, which made Heath smile. He was glad that Sean was all right with him taking Sharon out. Further he liked how Sean respected his mother's authority.

Before he could say anything, Sharon came into the room, and Heath lost his train of thought. He had never seen her really dressed up; even when they were courting all those years ago it had been simple events. He noticed how well the dress fit, as well as made her skin glow. Her hair was loosely put up and haloed around her face. There were a few loose curls, and suddenly he was back in the north pasture when he had first met her.

Heath was not happy at where his mind was going, and he reined his thoughts in. He was not courting Sharon; she was his business partner and by god he would remember that fact.

"Hello Sharon, you look very nice." Heath offered with a smile, not wanting to go overboard. It was a business deal.

"Thank you. Violet told me that she had met you and was very impressed that you had brought her flowers." Sharon answered, going on "I appreciate you doing that, as she has made such a difference in our lives." Her smile lit up her whole face and he could not help but smile in return. Heath remembered how cheerful she had always been.

"You will have to tell me over dinner all about Violet. Sean was telling me about cornbread." Heath looked over at the young man and said "When I was growing up, I ate a great deal of cornbread. You should ask Violet if she knows how to make spoonbread and corn fritters." Those were two of the favorite things that Hannah would prepare for him; he was willing to bet that Violet could prepare them.

"Sean, you and Tara need to do what Violet says, do you understand?" Sharon's voice broke into his thoughts. Heath now noticed that Tara was in the room, and she came over to give him a hug. His heart melted as he looked at her cherub face and could hardly wait until he could give her a pony – and so many other things a little girl should have.

"Yes Mum. We must be in bed by eight o'clock, but before then" Sean went on to detail out the evening routine. Sharon hugged her children as Violet came back into the room, with a shawl for Sharon.

Heath noticed that it was made of thick cream-colored wool, and the pattern was intricate. Whoever had made this was highly skilled, and he made a note to ask Sharon about the garment. Now though he smiled as he took the shawl from Sharon and draped it around her shoulders. It was thick and should keep her warm, which was good because the night was chilly and damp.

After saying good night, they went outside, and Heath helped her into the two-seater surrey with the fringe canopy. The Barkley brand, and the words Barkley Ranch, Stockton California was detailed in gilt letters. The family had a similar one, but larger that could sit four to six, depending on who was driving. This surrey was pulled by a very stylish dapple-grey gelding; the larger surrey had a matched pair of bays with almost identical white socks and face markings.

"Tis ever so impressed I am" Sharon commented, as Heath picked up the reins. "Flowers for my housekeeper, and this fancy surrey! And pulled by such a beautiful horse. You are lucky Tara didn't see it because she would swoon over the animal." She laughed, and Heath thought it sounded like bells. He liked the sound and was glad that his business partner appreciated good horseflesh.

"I wanted to make sure that we get our venture off to a good start, with the public. I need to be seen as serious about courting you, especially since I understand that you have had many admirers." Heath gave her a sideways smile, before he turned his attention to the road. He thought about Jarrod's comment about the judge's law clerks; he thought about Toby, and several other eligible men who had been interested in Sharon.

For a moment he was wondering if he was doing the right thing, leveraging her circumstances against her, to get what he wanted. Heath then reminded himself that she had not shown any great interest in those other men. However, he was perceptive enough to know that he had to show he was willing to use his family name and money to get Sharon. As much as it saddened him, by now he knew how society worked.