A Truth Revealed (The Heart of Cheyenne #3)

Chapter 21

21

The weekend had been stormy with threats of more thunder and rain on that Easter morning. Laura wasn’t overly concerned. She had endured all manner of storms while living in Tennessee and wasn’t all that alarmed to learn that Cheyenne was given to terrible thunderstorms from time to time and even the occasional tornado. She had never been one to worry overly much about such things and didn’t intend to start now.

“Looks like another rain is moving in,” Etta said, coming in to help Laura with her hair. “I’m glad you won’t be attending a morning service.”

“I’m glad for that as well.”

“We don’t usually have storms in the morning like this. I guess the world’s just as upset with things as we are,” Etta said in a hushed voice.

“I suppose so. You know”—Laura glanced around and lowered her voice—“Father told me that he’ll be leaving right after breakfast and be gone until quite late tonight. That will give us all day to search his office and bedroom. I know it’s dangerous, and Will would never want me to involve myself, but I can’t help but think if we could find some proof of Father’s activities it would help to settle the matter. And with the rest of the staff off for Easter, we won’t have to worry about someone catching us in the act.”

“That is a good idea. I see nothing wrong with searching for proof of what your father has been up to, but I thought you were going to have lunch with the Vogels?”

“We can probably still work it all out. It shouldn’t take us all that long to go through things if we get right to it as soon as he leaves. He only keeps personal items in his bedroom and office, so we only need to look through those rooms.”

“All right. Should we start up here or downstairs?”

“Up here. We’ll take care of his bedroom first, then move downstairs to the office.”

Etta braided Laura’s long cinnamon-colored hair and pinned it up in a fashionable bun. She said nothing more, and Laura knew Etta was more than a little bit apprehensive about going through Father’s things.

“It’s going to be just fine, Etta. You’ll see.”

Laura went down to breakfast and tried to make polite conversation with her father. She had become quite guarded where he was concerned but fought to keep things as normal between them as possible. She still found it hard to believe he was such a corrupt and evil man, yet the signs were all there. She’d simply been ignoring them.

“It would be wonderful if you’d go with me to Easter services later. We’re having them at four thirty instead of the regular time at seven. Couldn’t you make an exception just this once?” She gave what she hoped was a look of expectation. Frankly, she didn’t want him to be anywhere near her friends, but she did want him to repent and be saved.

“As I’ve said before, religion is all right for some, but not for me. You have your way of dealing with the disappointments of the world, and I have mine.”

“I just thought it would be nice for us to be together.”

“There will be plenty of other events where we’ll be together. I’ve already heard of quite a few summer parties that are being given. But enough of that. We need to discuss something entirely different.”

“And what is that, Father?”

He cut into the ham steak on his plate. “I have been lax on getting you settled with a husband, but I believe I have hit upon a solution.”

“What about those summer parties we’d attend together?”

He chuckled. “I didn’t mean that I would necessarily escort you, but we could attend together. If you have a husband, then you can be on his arm instead of mine.”

Laura salted the quiche on her plate. “I don’t need a husband at the moment.”

“Hear me out. The young man I have in mind is none other than Wilson Porter.”

“Will? You want me to marry Will?” She almost giggled. How strange that he should take this direction.

“He’s a fine, upstanding young man, and he’s recently come into an inheritance that can see you both settled with a very comfortable future.”

Money. That was why Will had suddenly become acceptable. It would seem the plans Will hoped to lay were coming into play.

“What if he’s not interested in such a settling?” Laura picked up a piece of toast. “He might have no desires for a wife. He did plan to go preach on a reservation.”

“Not anymore. He’s coming to work for me. Starting tomorrow.”

“I must say all of this comes as a surprise.” She tried to sound blasé about the entire matter.

“Get used to the idea. I believe you and Mr. Porter make the perfect match. You spent all that time caring for him and getting to know each other. I seem to recall you got along quite well. I think we should hold the wedding right away.”

“Like this summer?” Laura asked, truly surprised by her father’s desire to act quickly.

“No. Like next month.”

“Next month?” Laura dropped the toast. “People will think we have to get married. That something untoward happened while Will and I were spending all that time together. I couldn’t put that on him. He’s to be a pastor and must live above reproach.”

“Nonsense. Everyone knows you were heavily supervised while caring for Mr. Porter. I’ve spoken to him, and he’s not opposed to marrying next month. This way when he leaves for his trip to escort the governor, he’ll be doing so as a wedded man. That will make his social standing seem all the more important.”

“You’ve talked to him about marrying me?” Laura considered all that Will had told her on Friday. He’d said nothing about asking her father for her hand. She supposed it was all just part of the pretense to catch him in the act of trying to kill the governor. Perhaps it had been a last-minute consideration, something Will felt would further gain her father’s trust. That would make sense, but why was her father pushing so hard to make it happen right away?

Laura feared the only reason her father wanted them married in April was that Will’s fortune would come to her should he die along with the governor on their trip to Cheyenne. She hated being so suspicious of her father, but it made sense.

The grandfather clock in the hall chimed the hour, and her father threw down his napkin and jumped up from his chair. He’d barely eaten any of his breakfast. “The time has gotten away from me, and I must go. I’ll be back late tonight. Don’t wait up. It will be after ten. If you have something you need to discuss with me, we can do it first thing tomorrow.”

“Have a good Easter, Father,” Laura called after him. “I’ll be praying for you.” He said nothing in reply.

She waited a good five minutes after hearing the front door close before getting to her feet and ringing for Etta. The housekeeper showed up in record time and quickly cleared away the dishes.

As the two women made their way upstairs, Laura commended her. “Breakfast was delicious, by the way, and your service impeccable. I had no idea you knew how to make quiche.”

“I don’t let my mother do all the cooking,” Etta replied, laughing. “My boys are particularly fond of what they call egg pie. I learned to make it from an elderly French woman who lived in our building when I was first married. She taught me several wonderful recipes, but Mrs. Murphy is not of a mind to allow my inclusion in her kitchen unless it’s for the purpose of giving her a holiday.”

“Even so, I’m sure she’ll criticize some poorly cleaned countertop, or a dish put in the wrong place.” Laura shook her head. “But I do love that woman. She’s quite gifted at cooking.”

“That she is.”

Laura led the way to her father’s bedroom and tried the door. It was locked. Etta quickly produced the key and opened it.

The large suite with a fireplace at one end of the room and a four-poster canopy bed at the other was quite masculine. The fireplace, like the head- and foot-board of the bed, was thickly carved dark mahogany. The walls were papered in a navy-and-gold pattern, and a thick Turkish rug had been situated in front of the fire beneath two upholstered throne chairs and a liquor cart. The other pieces of furniture included a massive wardrobe, dressing table, desk, chair, and nightstands. All were heavy, dark pieces that again suggested male ownership. Everything appeared quite imposing ... almost threatening. Laura chided herself for being silly. A room couldn’t be threatening. She was just nervous because of why they had come and the things she had learned about her father.

“I’ll look in his desk,” Laura said. “You go through the armoire.”

“What am I looking for?”

“Anything that suggests a connection with robbing stages or travelers on the road. Maybe a ledger or a diary? Perhaps a collection of jewelry—you know, odds and ends that might have been taken off people. I have no idea, really. You’ve been here this past year, so if you see anything that seems strange or out of order, or if it’s something that you don’t recognize, tell me.”

Etta nodded and got right to work. Laura opened the top right-hand drawer of her father’s desk and began to search. There was nothing out of the ordinary. She found expensive letterhead and a blotter, along with a few invoices and correspondences. Laura looked through the letters thinking perhaps one might reveal her father’s secret life, but so far, the topics she found were political in nature, except one from a hospital in Alabama.

She scanned the lines long enough to get the general point. Her father had apparently promised an endowment but withdrew it at the last minute due to some scandal with members of the hospital board. The man who had written the missive begged her father not to deny those in need of the facilities and help that could be had at their hospital. He pleaded with him to reinstate the endowment, as thousands of people were counting on the improvements.

Yet another mark against her father’s character.

She searched on through the next few drawers, and nothing seemed out of place. Laura had just closed the last drawer when there was a loud crash from downstairs, quickly followed by a stream of expletives.

“Father is home!” Laura said, looking to Etta.

Etta waved her to the door. “Go to your room. I’ll take care of things here.”

Laura didn’t question the housekeeper and made a mad rush for her bedroom, knowing she’d have to cross the top of the stairs. If her father was coming up, he’d easily spot her.

Thankfully, she heard him head off down the hall, evidently going to his office. Laura hurried to her room and stood just inside her open door. She had already decided she would step out as her father came upstairs. If he came up.

He did.

“Why, Father, what are you doing home? I thought you’d be gone until this evening.” Laura came down the hall toward him from her room.

“I forgot something, and now I’m going to be late,” he all but growled. He stomped off to his room with Laura following close on his heel.

“Can I help you find it?”

He stopped with a frown at his open bedroom door. “What’s going on here?”

Laura could see that Etta had knelt down in front of the fireplace. “Looks like Etta is cleaning.”

“You don’t ever clean on Sundays. I had a hard time getting you to even work Sundays,” he said, moving toward the housekeeper. “What are you doing?”

“It was quite chilly last night, sir. I presumed, correctly, that you had kept a fire going. I had to clear the ash because tonight might be just as bad, and you would have a mess on your hands if you went to lay a fire. However, it is true that I hate to work on the Sabbath.”

“Bah!” he huffed and went to his desk. He threw open one of the drawers and then another. Finally, he took up one of the small ledgers Laura had seen. It was a book full of numbers, and she had wondered what the figures represented.

“Is that what you came for, Father?” Laura asked, trying to sound cheery.

“Yes.” He headed back for the door and paused. Looking back at the two women, he frowned. “Lock the door when you’re done, Mrs. Duffy.”

“Yes, sir. I will.” Etta stood and then picked up the ash bucket. “I’ll just go dump this and bring back some wood.”

Laura’s father gave a curt nod and headed back downstairs. The front door slammed shut, and Laura hurried to the window. Father climbed into the landau, and Mr. Grayson drove him away. It wasn’t until the carriage was out of sight that Laura and Etta both fell back against the nearest wall. The bucket was still in Etta’s hands.

“That was too close. If he’d come upstairs first instead of going to his office, I would have been hard-pressed to explain why I was in his room.”

“I know,” Etta replied. She seemed out of breath and pale.

“Are you all right?” Laura asked, coming to where the housekeeper stood.

“Yes, but he frightened me so. If you hadn’t been here, I’m sure I would have fallen to pieces.”

Laura gave her a one-armed hug, then hurried to the door. “Let’s go. I’m no good at this game, and I won’t see you in jeopardy again.”

The heavy storm clouds passed just in time for the Easter service. As the sun came out, the afternoon took on a glorious glow, cheering Laura considerably. She was anxious to speak to Will but waited until after the service. The pastor had already been speaking for some time, and she found it impossible to pay attention. When he spoke of concluding, she straightened and forced herself to listen.

“This is the day we celebrate the risen Lord,” the pastor told the congregants. “We celebrate the defeat of sin and death.”

Granny Taylor, by whom Laura was sitting, gave a resounding “amen,” as did others. Laura couldn’t help but smile. Despite the terrible things going on in her life, she had complete confidence in God. Her earthly father might be guilty of all manner of sin, but her heavenly Father was steadfast and faithful. He was unchanging. She hadn’t misjudged His character.

“You’ve heard the teaching over and over from the pulpit. A world full of sin was in desperate need of a Savior. A Savior who could bring man into an acceptable accord with God Almighty. A Savior who would become the ultimate sacrifice for all sin. Once for all.

“How precious is the sound of that. Once for all. Each and every soul has only to come to Jesus for salvation from their sins. I urge you today to repent of your sins. Repent and be saved. Come up from the grave of sin. Be raised from death and be victorious with Christ.”

They joined together in singing a hymn, then closed in prayer. Laura felt so happy to be a part of this wonderful congregation of believers. She was here with friends that she knew she could trust. Friends who loved God as much as she did and would stand beside her no matter what was learned about her father’s activities.

Still, it hurt to know that she would never have the father that she longed for. She had endured all of her years away because she was confident they would one day be together and all would be right once again. Now that would never happen. If her father had done all of those terrible things, he would go to prison at the very least, and she might never see him again. The aching deepened. Only God could see her through this second loss of the man she had loved so dearly.

“Well, that was certainly a wonderful service,” Granny said, turning to Laura. “Sometimes I get so overwhelmed when I remind myself that as good as this is, heaven will be even better.”

“That’s a very hopeful way to think of it.” Laura fought to corral her emotions.

“It’s so glorious that we cannot even begin to imagine it.”

Laura drew a deep breath and finally looked up to meet Granny’s gaze. “I don’t know. I can imagine a lot.”

Granny patted her arm. “Child, just remember, these are light and momentary troubles.” She raised a brow as her expression grew most serious. “Troubles that God has already seen and provided for. Rest in Him and find your joy again.”

“Oh, Granny, thank you. You always know the right things to say.” Laura gave her a hug. “I just know it will be so wonderful to have the world set to rights ... to have no more sickness or heartbreak, wrongdoing, or evil. There will just be peace and goodness all around because God will be all around.”

“Granny, would you please come talk to my wife and remind her that she’s supposed to be taking these last few days easy?” Edward Vogel asked as he joined them. “I can’t get her to stop working. I even hired a woman to come clean up and cook.”

“My, I wish I could have had that kind of help when I gave birth. When I had my first baby, we were fifty miles from the nearest town. I was completely reliant on a friend who lived about three miles to the south to help me deliver the baby. I’d helped deliver hers, and it was only fair.” Granny laughed. “I waited until Jed finished breakfast, then told him he’d best ride and get her because I’d been having pains for most of the night.”

Laura was fascinated and horrified all at once. “Oh goodness, Granny. That must have been hard to cook breakfast and wait while being in such misery.”

“It’s just the way it had to be. When you’re a rancher’s wife, things are done in a different way.”

“So what happened?” Edward asked, looking at Jed. “Did you get back in time?”

“Barely,” the old man replied. “Granny was in the bed bearing down when we got back. She’d already set up everything that needed to be there. Had her hot water and blankets, baby clothes, and diapers. She probably could have taken care of everything by herself, but I was mighty glad she had someone there besides me.” He chuckled. “I think she was too.”

“I was,” Granny admitted, “but I knew the good Lord was watching over me.”

Edward shook his head. “I need you folks to pray for me. You know what I’m up against, given the past.”

Granny took hold of him. “We do know, and we’ve been offering up powerful prayers for you every time we pray for Marybeth and this child. Trust in the Lord, Edward.”

“I trusted Him last time,” Edward replied, “and the worst happened.”

Laura felt terrible for him. She had heard Marybeth speak of his fears and had often prayed for them both.

“The worst would be to face it without Him,” Granny said. “Son, you need to remember that no matter what, God will never leave you. He didn’t abandon you then, and He won’t abandon you now. Marybeth belongs to Him too, just as your first wife did. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow or the next day. I’ve seen good people collapse and be gone when their heart gave out. My own pa went that way. We just don’t know how much time we have on earth, but we know the character of the God we serve.”

“And even when we don’t understand why He allows the things He does,” Jed said, “we can trust in Him. We don’t have to understand. We just need to put our hope in Him and hold on to the love He’s given us.”

Edward nodded. “I know you’re right. I’m doing all I can.”

“Maybe it’s time to let Him do all He can,” Jed said, grinning. “I’ve never known my best to be better than His.”

Laura felt Will’s presence before he even spoke. She turned and saw him joining their little group.

“May I talk to you for a moment?” he whispered in her ear.

Laura nodded and excused herself, giving Granny a kiss on the cheek before following Will outside. “What is it?”

“I wanted to tell you how things went with your father on Saturday.”

“You don’t need to. He told me that you’re going to start working for him tomorrow.” Her smile faded. “Will, I am afraid. Etta and I were searching his bedroom this morning—trying to find anything that might give you evidence against him. We didn’t find anything, but he came back unexpectedly, and we were both sure that he’d catch us at it. Thankfully, he didn’t.”

“Don’t put yourself in danger. We have this under control.” He touched her cheek. “Please just stay out of it. I don’t want to lose another person. I don’t think I could bear it.”

Laura knew he was right. Will and the others were more than capable of doing whatever needed to be done.

“I’ll stay out of it,” she whispered, knowing that if Will asked her to sprout wings and fly to the moon, she’d give it her best try. She had fallen in love with this man.