Deception at Sable Hill (24 page)
She bit her lip. “What should I tell Ma?” She winced. “Maeve? Or what about Connor?”
It was on the tip of his tongue to suggest she avoid telling Connor about Owen at any cost. But that wouldn’t be fair to any of them. For better or worse, having everything out in the open was the right decision. “All that matters is if you’re happy, Katie. That’s all any of us care about.”
“Ma won’t care about that.”
“I’ll talk to Ma. And I’ll ask Maeve to step in too.”
“She won’t—”
“She will. Because she, like me, knows what it feels like to move away from here.”
Glancing sideways at him, she blurted, “Connor says you and Maeve try too hard to forget where you came from. That you think others are going to forget who we are, but no one ever will.”
Though he would have thought he’d be used to such sentiments by now, the statement still hurt. It also bit into his insides that Connor would share his opinions so freely with their little sister. He would have thought Connor wanted to protect Katie’s sweet hope and optimism as much as he did.
“I love our brother,” he said slowly, weighing each word carefully. “I respect him because he’s our eldest and he’s always been fair and a hard worker.”
She exhaled, whether it was from relief to hear him speak so carefully about Connor or something else, he didn’t know. But even though he didn’t want to hurt her glowing belief in their brother, he couldn’t withhold his opinion. “Katie, Conner is a good man. But I don’t agree with his views. He never wanted anything different, Katie. I do. I always did.”
“He says being a cop doesn’t make you better.”
“I don’t want to be better than him. However, I did want a life different from the one I had here. God gave me a good mind and the ability to deduce things. He gave me the skills to walk the streets of our city and apprehend criminals. To bring down folks whose only purpose in life is to hurt others. In return, I am compensated for it. And, in some small circles, it’s given me a measure of respect.”
“Respect,” she echoed softly.
“There’s nothing wrong with that, Katie. Nothing wrong with believing in yourself, nothing wrong with believing you are as good, as worthy as the richest lady living on Prairie Avenue or shopping at Field & Leiter.” Looking at her, he willed her to believe him, realizing that he believed it too. “There’s not a thing wrong with that. Not a thing.”
“I want more too.”
“Good. We’re at the turn of the century. The fair is filled with all kinds of things that remind us everything is changing. The world is changing, and though there are still many injustices and many hardships, everything ain’t all that way. That’s something to believe in.”
“Connor doesn’t want to see that. Billy doesn’t either.”
Sean carefully schooled his expression. He didn’t want Katie to see how much his brothers’ disappointment in him affected him. “Maybe they do. Maybe they don’t. I can’t control what they think.”
“But we can try to convince them, Sean.”
He almost smiled at her earnest expression. Almost. “We can’t, pet. And I don’t blame their views, either. I’m almost eight years younger than Connor, six years younger than Billy.”
“So?”
“So they remember seeing our dad being treated worse than a dog. They remember better than me how almost every stitch of pride in his body was taken away when he was forced to work on the canals, with everyone dying around him.”
“But they should be proud of you. You’ve made something of yourself, Sean.”
“But they are still surviving, doing what our father did. There’s no shame in that.”
“But still . . .”
He shrugged. “Katie, I haven’t spent much time with Connor
and Billy in years. You know that. All I can do is follow my path, and that’s what I want to do. For better or worse, it’s my path.”
Lifting her chin a bit, she said, “Please tell Mr. Howard I’d be delighted to join you both for tea.”
He yearned to grin foolishly but was afraid she’d take it the wrong way. He wasn’t necessarily glad his partner had his eye on her. He wasn’t so much of a fool to think one afternoon of tea really meant anything.
But he was so very happy that she was making her own decision. “Shall we try to set this up, for say, in three days’ time? This Sunday afternoon?”
“Yes, Sean. I would like that very much.”
He couldn’t hide his satisfaction. “Then smile. It’s something to look forward to, yes?”
As her dimples appeared, she tilted her chin coquettishly. “Let’s hope Mr. Howard feels the same way.”
E
loisa, it seems as if you are turning up everywhere now,” Philippa Watson cooed over her half-opened fan as their group of friends made their way down the tree-lined pathway toward the Japanese Gardens at the fair.
“I suppose I am,” Eloisa replied, deftly matching Philippa’s icy sarcasm with every syllable. Unfortunately, she’d had plenty of practice partaking in their verbal battles.
After looking at the three other women surrounding them, Philippa smirked. “Is your mother as desperate for you to make a match as we’ve heard?”
“I’m sure I have no idea.” Privately, Eloisa knew no words could ever come close to describing her mother’s frenzied attempts at matchmaking. She scanned the social sections of the newspaper with the fervency of the most devout and could easily spend hours complaining to Eloisa every time another woman of their acquaintance announced her engagement.
Glancing around at the other girls—most of whom used to look at Eloisa with something approaching awe but now glanced at her with a vague disdain—Philippa cleared her throat. “It is a shame, I think, that your star doesn’t shine quite as brightly as it used to.” She frowned, her lips curving into a delicate pout. “It is a shame, too, about Douglass Sloane.”
Eloisa inhaled. What did Philippa suspect? “Douglass drowned.”
“Yes, but everyone knew his eye was on you.” She chuckled low. “As was Mr. Armstrong’s—until he got a wild hair and became engaged to that maid.”
“I’ve met Mr. Armstrong’s fiancée. Rosalind is a lovely girl.”
“Yes, I imagine she is . . . if one needed some coal delivered.”
“Be careful, Philippa.”
“It’s no matter. Perhaps Mr. Howard will take pity on you after all. He might be a detective now, but he is still as handsome as ever.”
Eloisa said nothing. She was trying her best to push the awful reminder of Douglass’s attack from her mind.
While Philippa prattled some more, she tried to think of excuses she could implement next time she was asked to attend a party with this group of girls. She’d never liked Philippa, and time had only cemented those feelings.
“I do believe Detective Howard is planning to attend the party tonight. I hope so.” She hoped that she would see him sometime over the next few hours.
“Don’t mind Philippa,” Avery said from her side. “Her mother is pressing her to accept suit by a gentleman from Milwaukee.”
“Milwaukee?” she repeated, intrigued by the idea of Philippa being far, far away. And doomed to live somewhere that was reputed to have even worse winters than Chicago.
“His money is in breweries,” Avery whispered.
“In alcohol?” Eloisa wasn’t as shocked by the idea of marrying into spirits as much as the rumors that seemed to fill the air about the new, very strong temperance movement. Her practical side would worry about marrying a man whose business seemed doomed.
“To make matters worse, he is a burly man,” Avery added. “And not cowed by Philippa’s looks or demeanor in the slightest.”
“Then heaven help her.”
“My sentiments exactly,” Avery agreed just as they approached a large tent that had been set up and festooned with twinkling lights. “Oh!” she exclaimed as the lilting strains of a string quartet drifted toward them. “This is lovely, don’t you think?”
“Very lovely.” For the first time that night, Eloisa felt her lips tilt upward as she followed her friend to the receiving line. Avery had never met an occasion or party that didn’t entrance and intrigue her. Her fiancé was a lucky man, indeed.
Eager for a calming breath, she stood to the side of the receiving line, hoping to get her bearings. But then a strange prickling crept up her spine, creating chill bumps on her arms.
And making her feel like she was being watched. Again.
After being announced and greeting the hosts, most of whom seemed to have something to do with manufacturing, Eloisa glanced around the room. She was amazed to see not only Owen but Sean Ryan approaching her.
Automatically, she braced herself, wondering what else on earth could have happened with the Slasher, when she realized Sean wasn’t dressed in his usual ill-fitting suit or tuxedo.
Instead, his suit was of much higher quality and fit him like a glove. He was also freshly shaved and his hair trimmed. Though she suspected he would always look slightly rough around the edges, at this moment, he looked dashing, strong, and confident.
Owen caught her reaction first and grinned when they reached her side. “I see you notice my afternoon’s project. And I take it you approve?”
Sean grimaced. “Please. Don’t hesitate to make me feel more foolish than I already do, Howard.” Turning to her, he reached for her hand, seemed to worry that it wasn’t proper form, and dropped his gloved grasp just as quickly. And even though the light was dim, she was almost positive she spied a faint sheen of blush on his cheeks.
“Lieutenant Ryan, good evening,” she said, and meeting his gaze, she raised her hand. Leaving him no choice but to grasp it and slowly bow.
After he released her fingers, his hazel eyes met her own. “You look beautiful, Eloisa.”
“Thank you.”
Owen nodded in her direction. “Very fetching,” he said, before whispering under his breath, “A bit too enthusiastic, Ryan, to utter in public.”
Eloisa braced herself, ready to hear Sean’s retort. But instead, he nodded and seemed to pocket that bit of advice to memory. “What are you gentlemen doing here? Are things really so dangerous? I already saw a lot of police officers standing guard around the area.”
“We were asked to come and observe,” Sean said. “But that isn’t the only reason.”
“Ryan wanted to see you. And I told him that perhaps it was time to begin to attain a bit of polish.”
“Your suit is very nice.”
“It cost a pretty penny.” Looking at Owen, Sean fairly bristled. “At least it would have been if I had been given the option of paying for its entirety.”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand.”
“Good,” Sean bit out.
Howard smiled. “I told you it was a token of my thanks. Let’s leave it at that.” Clasping his hands behind his back, Owen winked. “I’ve been attempting to give Sean some pointers about social niceties. Perhaps you might consider taking over the job for a few moments?”
“Of course.”
Sean raised his head. “Something wrong?” he asked his partner.
“No. It’s just that I noticed the captain is in the crowd. I’m going to make sure nothing is amiss.”
“The captain is here?” Sean glanced around. “Perhaps I should go with you.”
“No. Stay here with Eloisa, will you?” Owen asked. “No reason for both of us to go.”
As Owen walked off, Sean appeared a bit bewildered. Seeking to make him smile, Eloisa glanced his way. “Was Owen serious about your lesson? I’d be happy to help, but I don’t want to run the risk of offending you.”
“You would never do that. And yes, I’m afraid he was serious.”
“Then perhaps you’d like to escort me around the room?”
“Doesn’t that mean visit your acquaintances?”
“Yes. With my arm on yours.”
“But—”
“Not to worry.”
“I apologize. I think I’m a little on edge.”
“Because?”
“Because while nothing would make me happier than to get to know you better, I know I risk embarrassing you.”
She was shocked. “Never.”
He continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “The truth is, though I can never measure up to your reputation . . . well, I am hoping to not bring it down too far.”
She placed her hand on his sleeve. “I don’t think that will be a worry, Lieutenant.” Scanning the area, she smiled brightly. “Let’s go give this a try, shall we?”
He’d never thought he would be the type of man to be struck dumb by a hesitant smile, a crowd of people, or the opportunity to be in the middle of an awkward situation. He came to this conclusion as a result of thirty years of life experiences. Once he realized if he didn’t attempt to drastically change his situation he would be resigned to living a life much like his father’s—every penny earned from muscles in his back merely to survive—he’d made plans.
Plans that, for a poor Irish boy from some of the worst parts of Chicago, were pretty outlandish. But he persevered.
He’d gone to school long after his brothers had quit. And after his brief period of wondering if he should ever attempt to reform himself, he directed his goal toward becoming a member of the police force.
Once there, he was just as determined to rise through the ranks. He’d worked long hours, faced off drunks, dealt with thugs, and been up close and personal with too many people he’d like to forget.
