Although I appreciate knowing when someone enjoys one of my stories, I delete all guest reviews due to a history of them devolving into negative, insulting comments.

An Interesting Lunch

Although Adam never asked, as he guided Sibella to the hotel, she explained that when she was 17 and fresh from boarding school, she met Thorne Culhane, and within a few weeks' time, they were engaged; he gave her a ruby ring. Her father thought it was a bad match; he didn't trust Thorne and was certain he was only after her inheritance; after all, his self-admitted hobby was gambling and if he and Sibella married, Thorne would have security, that is until he lost it all at gaming tables. The more her father spoke against him, the more determined she was to marry him.

Of course, Thorne did gamble in his spare time, Sibella explained, but he seemed to always win, always had money in his pocket and was very generous with it, buying her flowers and more jewelry and treating her to expensive dinners. And he loved her—or seemed to, she said. But then, suddenly, Thorne left Sacramento and was gone for over 10 months but his absence was profitable. Yet he never said where he had gone or why he had left and never offered an explanation. Her mother warned her that Thorne seemed the kind of man who would leave for months on end and expect to be forgiven when he returned; she herself, had once considered marrying a man just like that. Thank God, her mother added, she had ultimately decided to marry Sibella's father! One's happiness in life often hinged on such a decision.

"Better we broke it off, and I gave him back his ring although it was such a lovely ruby. But did you know, Adam, that originally, back in Rome, men gave engagement rings to show they owned the woman and later, the engagement ring represented the man's intent to marry the woman and his willingness to make a financial sacrifice for her. That's a bit more romantic, but it's still a way of marking a woman as property. Women have always been considered chattel." Sibella thought about the gold wedding band with gypsy set diamonds under her glove; she found she really didn't mind everyone knowing she was Adam's but she couldn't tell him that—he'd never let her forget it, she was sure.

"Well," Adam said, "I plan to put my brand on your sweet ass to mark you as mine."

"It wouldn't surprise me if you did, and get that nasty grin off your face," Sibella said, frowning as they reached the Palace Hotel. She asked, "Well, do you want to know anything else about Thorne and me before you meet him?"

Adam looked down at her. "I didn't even want to know what you told me, but I suppose forewarned is forearmed. I should put a leash on you to keep you from following after him." Sibella huffed as response. Adam motioned for her to enter the Palace Hotel while he held the door. They walked inside and in a low voice, Adam said, "Shall we skip lunch and get a room for the afternoon, order a bottle of champagne? I've got a taste for you suddenly. What do you say?"

Despite herself, Sibella blushed and her pulse stepped up at the thought of sex in broad daylight, of abandoning all her inhibitions and behaving like a wild woman in a hired room. After all, they were married and there had been many Saturday afternoons when she and Adam had luxuriated in slow, languid sex. Sibella was, for just a few seconds, tempted, but even disregarding Thorne and Alan expecting her for lunch, it wouldn't take long for gossip to spread about Adam Cartwright and his whore of a wife taking a hotel room to enjoy a fuck in the middle of the day. The hotel maid would greatly enjoy regaling everyone about the cries and moans emanating from the room and the wild state of the sheets and towels afterwards. Sibella could then forget about her membership in the church's Women's Committee to Help Our Less Fortunate Brethren and the Virginia City Ladies Literary Society. She would not only be expelled but actually shunned although she wouldn't mind so much being kicked out of the Literary Society.

"Adam, really!" Sibella said. Adam only chuckled as they entered the dining room.

Sibella quickly saw Thorne and Alan and hurried to the table, Thorne coming around to take Sibella's outstretched hands in his. He kissed her on the cheek and smelled her cologne and he could have sworn that underneath the scent of jasmine, he smelled her arousal. Perhaps there was a chance for him yet if she became so stirred by seeing him again. Often during their engagement, Thorne had, by kissing her neck, caressing her and sliding his hand up her skirts, felt he could have taken her and recognized Sibella's excitement, assuming it was due to him.

"Sibella," he said, holding her at arm's length to look at her, "you are even more beautiful than ever. What a fool I was to let you break it off." Sibella, wanting to appear modest, denied it was true, but she knew she looked lovely and her ego was fed by Thorne's obvious admiration. She was about to introduce Adam to Thorne when she noticed the smile had dropped from Thorne's face and he was staring over her head. Adam was staring back at him and for one brief moment, Sibella feared he might grab Thorne by his lapels and toss him across the room for some unknown reason, but Adam quickly recovered.

Sibella made the awkward introduction and Adam was polite, the perfect gentleman. And Alan still had that calf-eyed look he always had in Adam's presence. They sat and ordered lunch, but Sibella found as the meal went on, she was developing a nervous stomach and only picked at the roast chicken. She felt compelled to do most of the talking and for once found herself struggling to be clever and charming. Alan, sensing Sibella's desperation, tried to assist by making witty comments while Adam sat quietly observing. Sibella mentioned an incident in Sacramento and Thorne said it would be rude for him and Sibella to discuss old times; after all, her husband and Alan would be bored. Perhaps, before he left town, Thorne said, he and Sibella could meet for lunch.

"That would be nice but perhaps you could come for dinner, both you and Alan. It would be nice." Sibella turned to Adam. "Don't you think so, dear?"

Adam replied, "Oh, yes. Nice…dear." He motioned to the passing waitress for more coffee.

Halfway through the meal, Adam caught Thorne by surprise, asking, "Sibella says you're a gambler. Is that why you're here?" Sibella was surprised; the question was so blunt but then Adam rarely wasted time in getting to his point.

"Actually, the main reason I'm here is I hoped to see Sibella." Thorne looked at Sibella and gently smiled. "I made a mistake many years ago and I have never forgiven myself. But I'm glad to know she's happy." Thorne focused his stare at Adam. "At least she seems to be."

"Then gambling has nothing to do with your arrival," Adam stated rather than asked. Sibella became anxious. A challenge of a type was going on between Thorne and Adam and it wasn't over her.

"It could. I enjoy gambling—poker—and if I can win a pot, why not? I wouldn't call myself a professional gambler but I do well enough to support myself." Sibella noticed Alan looking down at his plate, avoiding eye contact. Something was making Alan uncomfortable. "How about a game before I catch the stage for Kansas City, Mr. Cartwright? We could meet later today for a game. Last night in the Sazerac, I won $145.00 in only an hour; everyone else folded and wouldn't play another hand. So, after I bought a bottle of whiskey and a two-dollar…" Thorne, remembering Sibella was there, stopped. It wouldn't do for him to confess he had spent the night with a common whore and then, Alan; but part of being a gambler was hedging your bets. "Well, I'm still flush and have more than enough to play again tonight. What do you say?" Thorne waited; he wanted nothing more than to trounce this man, Sibella's husband who, in his opinion, looked as if he always came out on top. And even though Thorne couldn't place Adam, he knew he wanted revenge, not just for his marrying Sibella, but for some hazy reason that escaped him.

"I don't know," Adam said with an insincere smile. "I'm not bad at poker, but most of my money, my family's money as well, is tied up in getting the stock through the winter and waiting for cutting season to start again. I'd hate to lose everything my family owns to you, Mr. Culhane"

"Well," Thorne said, glancing at Sibella and back to Adam, "there are different things to bet with. How about Sibella, then. Wives are possessions."

"Now, just wait a minute!" Sibella said, looking between the two men. "I am no one's possession! Adam, how can you just sit there and listen to that, and Thorne…"

Adam reached out and placed his hand over hers. "Sibella, I'm sure it's just a joke…isn't it, Mr. Culhane?" He looked at Thorne. "We can't very well plop Sibella down in the middle of a poker game and the winner gets to pull her on his lap."

"Of course," Thorne said with a slight chuckle. But Adam wasn't so sure Thorne wasn't serious as when the man looked at Sibella, he almost licked his lips in anticipation of tasting her.

Sibella sensed someone at her shoulder and looking up, saw Betty Mae Wood in a garnet dress, her brown hair piled up and topped with an expensive matching hat; Sibella was certain the clump of sausage curls hanging to one side, was false—the color was off. Betty Mae was smiling at Adam who had stood in her presence as did Alan and Thorne. "Betty Mae," Adam said, "how nice to see you. You know Sibella."

"Yes, of course. How are you, Sibella?" Betty Mae gave her a small, frozen smile as she always did when they met either on the street or in church or at the Literary Society meetings. It seemed to Sibella that Betty Mae tolerated her only because she was Adam's wife and a Cartwright, and despite Adam's assertion it was ridiculous, Sibella felt there had at one time been something between the two.

"I'm well, thank you," Sibella replied. There was something about Betty Mae that always put Sibella on alert, made her suspicious of the woman's motives. In Sibella's opinion, Betty Mae was a rather dull, pleasant-looking woman who spoke with an odd mannerism as if she was on stage and playing a part. Betty Mae—never just Betty—was at least ten years older than Sibella and still unmarried, but there was a scandalous story about a past fiancé who had been unfaithful, murdered his pregnant girlfriend and then died himself. The fitting girl at the dressmaker's had told her in hushed tones while Betty Mae was also being fit in the adjoining area, "And then, apparently, Miss Wood drew him out on the balcony of the hotel as he was pleading with her to forgive him or such; she had surmised he had killed his lover, accused him. So once on the balcony. she sidestepped and some people say she may have even given him a push and over he went headfirst, hitting the street below! Dead! But with her father a lawyer, he would have argued self-defense…" Sibella savored the story and later asked Adam about it, especially the part where Joseph had been accused of killing the pregnant woman to be rid of an illegitimate heir to the Cartwright wealth.

"Where did you hear about that?" Adam had asked, looking up from his book.

"Oh, while I was in town at the dressmaker." Adam had only scoffed, credited it as unfounded gossip and said the incident was so long ago it wasn't worth talking about. But when Sibella asked about Betty Mae possibly pushing her fiancé over the hotel railing, Adam closed his book, said Betty Mae was certainly no murderess, that he had been there and seen the whole thing. Besides, it was long ago and not worth talking about. So that was that.

"Have you just arrived or are you leaving?" Adam asked Betty Mae; she seemed to glow in his attention.

"Leaving as I've just finished. I felt like eating out but my father and Donald are overwhelmed with cases so I enjoyed a light lunch by myself. I've been helping out around the office a few hours a day. Typing, filing and such. You know how it is, Adam. One can't just up and leave the office whenever someone invites you to join them, but I suppose a wife asking is different than just a friend." Betty Mae smiled down at Sibella who well understood the subtle intent of the comment. Nevertheless, she couldn't help but admire the flower brooch pinned on Betty Mae's bodice; it was a burst of emeralds, rubies, pearls and blue sapphires. Sibella suddenly wished she was draped in the sapphire set instead of simple pearl drop earrings and a gold circle pin.

Before Adam could say anything else, Thorne, smiling, held out his hand and said, "Please let me introduce myself—Thorne Culhane."

Betty Mae dropped her eyes coquettishly and then, looking up, replied, "Miss Betty Mae Wood. A pleasure, Mr. Culhane."

"The pleasure is all mine, I assure you. And please, Miss Wood, call me Thorne. Had I known you needed a dining companion, Miss Wood, I'd have been most delighted to be the one. But, here…" Thorne pulled an empty chair from the table behind them and offered it to Betty Mae. "Have dessert and coffee with us, would you?"

"Oh, I really shouldn't. But if no one objects…" Betty Mae glanced at the men, avoiding locking eyes with Sibella.

"Please join us," Adam said. Betty Mae accepted, smiling graciously. Thorne still held onto the back of the extra chair while Alan scooted his chair over. Betty Mae, sat and was seemingly charmed, her cheeks a soft pink, a gentle smile on her lips. Sibella noted Thorne's eyes glancing quickly to the brooch, probably assessing its value. Thorne took his seat as did Adam, and without an introduction, Alan, with a hangdog expression, sat back down as well, completely silent.

Thorne asked Bett Mae a few questions which she answered, and Adam intently observed the two of them. Sibella felt ignored and hurt; was Betty Mae an old love of Adam's? He seemed upset, perhaps even jealous at her response to Thorne's attentions. Finally, Adam stood, saying he was sorry to break up such a pleasant lunch, but he had to return to the office and Sibella's driver was probably waiting for her. He rose and put out his arm to Sibella. She was about to offer Thorne and Alan an invitation to dinner before they left Virginia City, but Thorne said to Betty Mae, "I also need to leave—business—but perhaps, Miss Wood, you will accept my invitation for dinner tomorrow night? I may have an appointment this evening if Mr. Cartwright is inclined to a poker game, but I'm leaving the day after unless your beauty compels me to stay longer." Thorne leaned toward her and Betty Mae, smiling, coyishly dropped her eyes.

"Yes, I would be delighted, Thorne, but instead of eating out, you must come to dinner at our house. I'm sure my father would be delighted to meet you." Betty Mae's face glowed and Sibella considered the woman almost looked beautiful.

For once, Sibella felt completely overlooked in the presence of mousy, dull Betty Mae Wood.