Heart of Gold (A Gold Rush Romance) (14 page)

During his brief ride, he watched carefully for Alice but saw little else. It felt like it had only been a few seconds when he found himself in front of the Leach residence, a home he had come to adore for the raucous family as well as the one inhabitant he came to see, but this time he hoped that the family was not there, as unlikely as that might be.

He wanted to speak with Alice privately, to find a way to make this woman he desired so much understand that he loved her and wanted to marry her. That was not a conversation to have with a house full of children tumbling about their ears.

He tossed Hamlet’s reins over a post and bounded up the porch steps. It was torture to knock and wait for it to open, his adrenaline coursing through him, making his hands itch for movement and speed. He did pause, though, when he noticed that the house was almost silent. As much as he had hoped it would be quiet, the oddity of it struck him and left him with a feeling of foreboding.

A young woman he never met before opened the door, but her features were so similar to those of Mrs. Leach he guessed it was the recently-returned daughter, back from wherever she had been. He was too impatient to ask. “I need to speak to Alice, please. It’s important.”

The girl looked worried and uncertain. “Wait here just a moment, sir.”

She closed the door, leaving Thomas standing outside, waiting. He rubbed his hands over his face and neck, his heart hammered in his chest. What was taking so long?

When the door opened once again, but with Mrs. Leach there instead of Alice, his worry only grew. She was pale, and her surprise at the sight of him had no sparkle of delight he had come to expect from the pleasant woman. It was even more upsetting when she stepped outside and closed the door rather than inviting him in.

He could wait no longer for an explanation. “What’s wrong? Is Alice hurt?” he asked in a rush.

Mrs. Leach’s shrug didn’t dissipate his fears, and he was about to enter the house with or without her permission when she answered, “In body, she is fine, Mr. Lancaster.”

The formality struck him, though her words at least helped to calm him somewhat. What was going on?

The woman continued, “She has been dismissed by the school board. They found out about a marriage in her past.”

Shock coursed through him. How had they found out? Mrs. Leach continued, her voice softening. “Don’t let that stop you from liking her, dear. It was long in her past, and though she hasn’t spoken to me of it, I’m sure she had good reason to keep it hidden. She’s not at all what they are making her out to be.”

Thomas made no attempt to explain that he had known about the marriage. There was only one thing he wanted at the moment, and it simply could not wait. “I need to see her,” he said, moving toward the door.

Mrs. Leach shifted slightly, fully blocking his entrance. “I am sorry, dear, but I have promised not to let anyone in to see her.”

He waved the statement away. “I’m sure she does not want to see the townspeople or school board, but she wants to see me.”

Mrs. Leach’s pitying look was enough to make the realization wash over him. Alice had not asked Mrs. Leach to bar just anyone from the house: she had asked her to keep him away specifically. His chest felt too tight as he turned away.

He would not storm the house and demand to be seen—not yet, anyway. He shuffled back to Hamlet, wondering what to do next. There was no way he could go back to his house and just sit and wait. Alice was stubborn enough to separate from him completely if she thought it was for the best, no matter how much it hurt them both. No, he needed to do something. But what?

There was one person he knew was the center of all this, and that was the person he had to call upon next.

He found Mr. Wilson’s house with little difficulty. The whole town was talking about his declaration about the schoolteacher and the scandal of a married woman, a woman who had known carnal relations, educating the children, and it was easy to cut in with a quick question without arousing notice.

He said nothing of his recent carnal relations with the same woman, but it was on the forefront of his mind as those married women spoke as if they were pure while Alice was tainted somehow. She was the most pure, perfect person he could imagine. He was seething by the time he knocked on the large white door that guarded the man who had brought all this down around Alice’s ears.

Mr. Wilson’s home was one of the older, more stately homes in town; Thomas saw instantly that he must be a man of wealth and influence. That might be a barrier for Thomas and his goals, but if he could just use those facts against the man, there might be a way to turn the tides and force him to reinstate Alice.

The door was answered by a quiet, pretty serving maid who responded to his request to see Mr. Wilson in the most quick, efficient, impersonal way he had ever seen. He was let into the large sitting room, which appeared to have been decorated to elicit awe rather than give comfort. Lowering himself into a straight-backed chair covered in red velvet, he waited for Mr. Wilson, a man he found himself disliking more and more, as impossible as that had seemed even a few minutes before.

While he waited, he listened to the silence of the house. It seemed barren of life, inhabited only by ghosts—certainly no normal person could live in such a desolate place.

That was why he was so surprised when a young woman sauntered in with knitting needles and yarn in one hand. She curtsied to him in a most elegant manner, but her face bespoke her annoyance. “I have been sent to sit with you while my father is otherwise detained, sir.”

As angry as he was, the appearance of this girl caused him to pause. He bowed politely before asking what was on his mind. “Are you Mr. Wilson’s daughter?”

That was the only possibility, of course, yet it seemed impossible to him that a man as devious as Mr. Wilson should have a daughter, even one as dour as the woman before him. Despite his skepticism, she nodded. “I’m Clara. I am very sorry to be a bother, but he told me it might be a long while before he would be able to come down, so I am here in his stead until he finishes his meeting. “

What could he say to that? She dropped into one of the many uncomfortable chairs in the room, choosing one that was distant enough for propriety’s sake without seeming rude and began to knit. She seemed to have no intention of starting a conversation, which was fine by him, as it allowed him to sit and simmer without forcing pleasant chit-chat.

How could this man destroy a poor woman’s reputation, after all she had done for the school and the children, just for his own revenge? He wanted to break apart the house looking for him, and then force Wilson to do something to fix the situation, though he had no idea what that could be.

“You should control your temper when speaking to my father. He can use it against you in ways you can hardly imagine,” the girl piped up, startling him from his reverie.

He looked over to see that she had put down the knitting and was watching him, a knowing smile on her lips. He wondered if she disliked Wilson as much as he did. “He needs to be held responsible for his actions,” he managed through gritted teeth.

Clara nodded. “I hope he will be, someday, but he has been especially smug lately, so unless you have some special information that will be his undoing, I doubt today will be that day.”

He blew out his breath, frustrated. Would Alice’s story of his behavior toward her be enough?

“What did he do to you?” she asked, leaning forward in what he could only consider to be commiserating curiosity.

Thomas shook his head. “I’ve never met him. But he hurt someone I—I care about.”

She tilted her head to the side as she studied him. “Love?”

When he made no reply, she nodded in sympathy. “My father has never been one to stand aside for love.”

He wondered what he had done with her love that made her eyes look so sad, but before he could begin to ask, she stood and gathered her things. “I will go find him and tell him to meet with you as soon as possible. I hope you get the response you desire.”

With that, she was gone and he was left to stew about the pain Wilson had inflicted on at least two women. He wondered how long the man’s path of destruction actually was.

After what seemed an interminable time, a portly man he could only assume was Mr. Wilson strode in, greeting his strange guest with all the false cordiality of a mayor running for office. Thomas shook his hand reluctantly, letting go as soon as he could and resuming his seat.

Wilson took a seat across from him. “What can I do for you this fine day, Mr. Lancaster?”

Thomas wasted no time mincing words. “You can give Alice Crenshaw her job back.”

Mr. Wilson’s face turned down in a regretful frown, but Thomas could see the delight in his eyes. The man loved this, enjoying the power he held over her and getting his revenge against the woman who had bruised his ego. “Unfortunately, sir, there is nothing I can do. She was a fine teacher, but we must have moral women teaching our children.”

Thomas snorted derisively. Moral, indeed. He wanted a woman he could control. The thought sent Thomas to seething once more. “Look, Wilson, I know all about what happened between you and Alice. Let her teach again, or I will tell everyone what you did.”

Wilson’s expression became cold, cunning, and a little frightening even to Thomas. His voice came out as a hiss, all cordiality and affectation gone. “The little bitch told you, huh? Are you two sleeping together? You need not answer, because it matters very little, after all. It’s true if I say it is. So you just try to hurt my reputation in this town and I will destroy you both, you understand? The marriage in her past will be nothing compared to the uproar if I tell people you two were caught performing unspeakable acts, right on the schoolroom floor. You hear me?”

Thomas was dumbfounded. He had expected a louse, a blight on society, but not this ruthless, dangerous being. How had the man hidden his true self in this tiny town for so long? Why had no angry mob run him out of Shasta years before?

Wilson continued, his voice returning to normal, but his words still cold as ice. “I waited long enough for that girl. She should be grateful I wasn’t on her within the first month she was here, but she was so distant and proper I wasn’t even sure I wanted her. Then this sparkle came into her eyes, and she became more than just the teacher. She became a woman, and it sent my blood boiling. Strangely enough, that seems to have coincided with your appearance in town, so I suppose I have you to thank for that.”

Thomas could not hear anymore; he stood up and walked out, hands shaking from an intense urge to throttle the man. He had lost, and they both knew it.

The evening was beautiful and golden when he stepped out of the grand house, but he took no notice. His eyes were focused on the ground as his emotions fought for control. He knew he needed to remain calm and figure a way out of this mess for Alice, but he saw none, and the blind rage that was still threatening to take over was no help. He had never wanted to hurt a person so badly. His heart went out to the poor girl who had to live in his house and call that serpent her relation. Perhaps when he had found a solution for Alice, he could attempt to help her, as well.

He swung himself onto Hamlet and charged home. If Alice refused to see him, and he had no idea how to fix the problem immediately, he could at least sit down and begin working on some plans that might be a help. He was sure that if he put his mind to it, he would discover a way to disentangle this mess. There were so many things to do.

First, he had to sell his farm in Missouri. Even if she was run out of town, Alice had made it clear she refused to live back east, so it looked like he would be staying in California. To tell the truth, he had come to like it more than he would have expected, and now that he had made the decision to sell, it pained him much less than he thought it would.

Next, he needed to find a way to stop that horrible man from ruining Alice’s life. That would certainly take quite a bit of time and thought, but he was sure there was a way, if only he could find it.

Once those two tasks were complete, he could work on the final and most important part of his plan, and that was to marry Alice. He loved her, and he was going to win her or die trying.

The fact that she was still married to her first husband complicated matters, but that was a problem he would not allow to stop him. There was always a way around any obstacle, if only he was willing to look for it, and he was willing when it came to Alice.

He kept Hamlet going at a fast trot through town so as to avoid conversation. He was exhausted, and wanted nothing more than to get home without a bother. Luckily, everyone was so interested in gossiping that they spared little thought for him as he rode past. Unfortunately, he could guess what their topic of conversation was, and that did not help matters.

Once he was finally home, he walked Hamlet into the quiet, cool barn and made him comfortable, then trudged to the house and dropped himself into a chair, weary from the events of the day. He needed to figure out what he could do to stop that bastard Wilson from ruining Alice’s reputation and employment prospects, and he needed to work fast. But thinking of it just made him yearn to be with Alice, to hold and comfort her.

“Uncle Thomas?” a voice piped up from the door, cutting into his thoughts.