A Truth Revealed (The Heart of Cheyenne #3)

Chapter 23

23

Laura was still at the table when her father came home that evening. It was the earliest she’d seen him home in weeks. He had apparently been drinking, since he staggered and swayed with each step.

“Misssssussss Duffy,” he said, falling back against the archway. “Get me ... get me a whisss ... key.” The housekeeper nodded and hurried away.

Father stumbled into one of the dining room chairs and pointed his right index finger at Laura. “You’re the talk of the town, you know.” He waggled his finger and smirked. “I think folks ... folks are surprised that I have a daughter. Even more ... sus ... shurprised that she’s ... so ... so beautiful. I’ve had all sorts of offers for you ... your hand.”

“Goodness, I hope you didn’t take them up on it. I’m not of a mind to marry anytime soon.”

“You’re gettin’ married!” He pounded his fist on the table, making the dishes dance. “I told you.”

“Father, you’re drunk. I think it’s best we discuss this another time.”

For some reason, that seemed to sober him a bit. “You’re already going to marry Wilson Porter.”

Mrs. Duffy appeared with the glass and a decanter of whiskey. She poured the drink and brought it to Laura’s father. “Here you are, sir.”

He grabbed the glass, sloshing amber liquid on the tablecloth. “I’m making all the arrangements.”

Laura waited until Etta left the room. She cleared her throat as her father drank. “And what does Will have to say? He’s not talked to me about a wedding date. Don’t you think a couple should arrange their own wedding?”

“That’s not how it’s done in upper ... society. You know that. Most of your friends were engaged even before ... coming to that ... fancy finishing college of yours.”

“That college offered a much more detailed education than merely finishing young ladies to marry. I believe I could match most of the men in this town in any political conversation or discussion about the sciences or humanities.”

“You don’t usually boast,” he replied and took another drink. He glanced at the food left on Laura’s plate. “What is that?”

“It’s a little of this and that. Mrs. Murphy was baking bread and other things this afternoon, and I told her I’d just eat whatever we had left over from other meals. I figured since you had no plans to join me for supper, we didn’t need to have her making anything new.”

He frowned. “We aren’t poor. We have money! That should have been thrown out.”

“Oh, Father, you needn’t worry about anyone finding out. I won’t say a word.” Laura found his drunken state appalling.

His frown deepened. “I know ... know this is all a joke to you.” He waved the mostly empty glass. “You’ve never suffered from a lack of money like I have ... like your mother did.”

“I wasn’t trying to offend you, Father.” She could hear the anger in his tone.

“I don’t think you appreciate all that I’ve done for you.” He finished his drink and got up to pour himself another. Mrs. Duffy had left the decanter on the sideboard, so Laura’s father staggered over and brought it back to the table. “You don’t know what I’ve had to do in order to see you be so ... so comfortable.”

“I didn’t ask you to do it. I would have much rather stayed poor if it meant we could be together. It wasn’t easy to lose you and Mother.”

He poured the whiskey and swayed. Laura held her breath, wondering if he’d crash to the floor. She felt a huge sense of relief when he finally sank onto the chair.

“I never wanted children,” he said, staring at the glass.

Laura felt as if he’d slapped her. She bit her lip to keep from commenting as he continued.

“Your mother ... wanted children. I just wanted her.” He shook his head. “I knew I’d be no good at being a father. I didn’t want the responsibility.” He met her gaze. “That offends you, doesn’t it? Insults your sense ... sense of well-being ... your love for me.”

“At least you’re being honest.” Laura fought back tears. “I’ll start immediately to find a place of my own. I don’t need to impose myself upon you any longer. I’m quite capable.”

“You aren’t going anywhere.” He slammed the glass down, and it broke. Shards of glass splayed out on the once-beautiful tablecloth.

Father frowned and studied the mess for a moment before looking up and shaking his head. “You’ve benefited from me all these years, and now you’re going to benefit me. I will arrange your ... marriage. Your Mr. Porter knows the new governor. Knows him quite well.” He gave a hollow laugh. “With any luck at all, we can kill two birds with one stone.”

“What are you saying?” Laura wondered if he might share his plans with her since he was clearly freer with his thoughts in his current state. If he would just tell her, she could in turn share the information with Will and Edward.

“What are your plans, Father?”

He got to his feet and looked at her as though she were the one responsible for the mess he’d made. “It doesn’t matter.... You don’t matter.”

She felt the breath catch in the back of her throat and prayed for strength as he left the room.

After that evening with her father, Laura had given a lot of thought as to what she should do. She had a small savings, but nothing all that great. It wasn’t like she could set up housekeeping for herself. Not unless she was able to get a job, but employment for women was very limited. Besides, her father had made it clear that he wouldn’t allow her to leave.

Her heart had been completely shattered by their conversation, and yet her father had not tried to speak to her and sent no note of apology. She wondered if he’d been too drunk to remember what he’d said. He hadn’t been at breakfast since that night, and so they’d shared no meals at all. They did encounter each other once several days later. It had been late, and Laura was getting ready to go upstairs for the night. Father looked her way but said nothing. Offered no apologies. Perhaps he truly didn’t remember anything at all.

At church, she had quickly told Will what transpired. He offered her comfort and sympathy, but before she could ask him about the plans for marrying, they were interrupted, and then she had to leave for home.

Laura supposed it wasn’t all that important. After all, he had told her that he was pretending to want to work for her father and pretending to be on the list of men to escort the governor. It really was all right that he was also pretending to want to marry her. Even still, she worried incessantly that he would get caught trying to find evidence against her father. She no longer trusted her father to be fair or in the least way kind.

Will had asked if she’d join him for supper on Tuesday, and that was what she was now preparing to do. She had gotten up early and planned to tell her father about it, but he hadn’t been around long enough for her to share the news. In fact, when he saw that she was awake, he rose and headed for the door. She supposed it was possible that he was embarrassed by what had happened, perhaps even sorry for what he’d said. Then again, maybe now that the truth had been told, he no longer had to make a pretense of loving her.

“Don’t let the things he said hurt you,” Etta told her as she helped Laura into her gown. “It was the alcohol talking.”

“They say alcohol forces a man to speak the truth.”

Etta shook her head. “Men often lie and boast when they’re well into their cups. He was angry at something else, and that anger made him cruel.”

“Anger from the past has kept him cruel in life. I know that now.” Laura waited as Etta did up the buttons. “Sadly, I can hardly bear the sight of him. I hope things get settled soon.” She looked into the cheval mirror and frowned. “Yet settling them will probably see him hanged. How can I live with that?”

“None of it is your fault, Laura. Besides, Will loves you. I’m sure of that. Just as I’m sure you love him.”

“I do. But I fear it as much as I rejoice over it. There’s so much wrong.”

“But not between you and Will.” Etta turned Laura to face her. It was totally out of character for the older woman but seemed quite motherly. “You are a good woman of God, Laura Evans. Do not let the devil whisper lies in your ears.” They heard the knocker on the front door downstairs. “That will be Will,” Etta said, dropping her arms. “Now, calm your heart, and go have a wonderful evening and tell that young man how much you love him.”

Will greeted her warmly and came to offer his hand as Laura walked down the last few steps.

“You look beautiful.” Admiration filled his expression.

Laura had dressed carefully in one of her finer dinner gowns. The cream-and-emerald dress complemented her auburn hair and pale complexion.

“Thank you for saying so.” She took up her wrap, and Will helped her drape it on her shoulders.

Etta Duffy stood to the side of the door. “Laura, I will most likely be gone when you get back,” she explained. “So just let me say good night to you both.”

Laura nodded. “You should just go now. I don’t want you to be here in case Mr. Snyder shows up sneaking around. Tell Mrs. Murphy I said she could also leave. Father won’t be back anytime soon. I heard him tell Mr. Grayson not to pick him up from the club until nine.”

“Thank you,” Etta said. “I hope you have a wonderful time together.”

Laura glanced at Will, determined to be joyful. “We usually do. It’s something I’ve come to count on.”

Will took hold of her arm once they were outside. “Are you all right?”

“It’s been hard,” she admitted. “I’ve hardly seen Father.”

“A couple of the clerks at the store were commenting on the change in his demeanor. I think the new developments have made him feel threatened.” Will drew her closer to his side.

“Not receiving the appointment for governor was an irritation to him to be sure,” Laura said, remembering things her father had said. “I feel certain that he thinks he can use you to get rid of the man. I don’t know what he has planned, but from what he said when he was drunk, I fear it won’t bode well for either of you. Will, I think he means to get us married so that I will inherit your fortune when he kills you.”

“You’re probably right, but try not to fret. We have a plan in place. We’ve wired Governor Campbell as well as the president himself. They’re working with us to get this resolved.”

“But Father has so many men working for him, and we don’t even know who they are.”

He smiled down at her. “Don’t worry. Edward and I have already considered that. We’re not going to let him get the best of me. Have no fear.”

“Father is cunning, and he doesn’t care who he hurts as long as he gets his way.” Laura’s voice broke, and she fought for control. “It would devastate me if something happened to you.”

He slowed their walk, then stopped altogether. “I don’t want anything to happen to you either. I wish you could stay with the Vogels for your safety, but we can’t raise your father’s suspicions.”

“I don’t think he’ll hurt me, Will. He has plans for how I can repay him. Until that is done, he’ll leave me alone.”

“I pray so. I pray for you constantly. You’ve become the most important person in the world to me.” He drew her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers.

Laura was awash in emotion. “After my first encounter with love and deception in Paris, I never thought I would want to fall in love again. I prayed for years, asking God to guard my heart and keep me from feeling those things again. But now ...”

“Now you’re feeling them again?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“And you’re glad it’s that way?”

Laura was amazed that he so easily read her heart. She gave a nod. “I am. It’s not the same at all. Before, I was a child, and my thoughts were very immature. I don’t think I understood anything about truly loving someone.”

“So did you give any consideration to what I asked before?”

She frowned. “What was that?”

“I wondered how you might feel about living on a reservation. I’ve scarcely had a chance to tell anyone, but Mr. Blevins said if I still wanted to go and preach on a reservation, the job was mine. I’d have other responsibilities as well. Oh, and he did say that it was fine for me to bring a wife. Given your nursing skills and education, you would be a valuable addition for the government, and a precious and vital one for me. I don’t know that I could face each day without you by my side.”

“Is this your way of proposing marriage to me?” Laura asked, her heart racing at the very thought.

He chuckled and kissed her hand again. “I suppose it is. I love you, Laura.”

She pulled away, shaking her head. “But my father may have killed your mother and sister, or at least have been re sponsible for it. How can there be a future for us with that between us?”

“It’s not between us. I’ve considered that question, and the answer is simple. You had nothing to do with it. If your father is guilty of the deed, then he and his men bear the responsibility. I will never blame you for what happened, nor hold it against you.

“I’ve lost a lot this year, and it did cause me to guard my heart as well. Why let myself get hurt again? Why risk loving someone? But you know, life is a risk. Every day presents new challenges and heartache. But it also allows for happiness and good gifts. And no matter which come our way, God is there to help us through. I’d like it very much if you were there too.”

“I do love you, Will Porter. But ... I’m worried about this entire matter. My father is not easily cast aside. He has his plans, and the men to make those plans come together. If he wants you dead, I fear you will be. I can’t bear the thought of you risking your life this way.”

“Life will be full of risks, Laura. We have no way of knowing what will happen tomorrow, but God admonishes us to not be afraid—to seek His kingdom, His righteousness.” He pulled her close and gave her a light kiss. “I’m willing to take whatever risk allows us to be together for the rest of our lives. Are you willing to take it too?”

She had thought she would say yes immediately should Will truly propose, but now she hesitated. “Let me pray about it,” she said, hating the puzzled look on his face. “I want to say yes, you know that. At least I think you do.”

“I do, that’s why you should say yes.” Will put his arms around her again. “I’m afraid we may get talked about. It seems I’m always embracing you in the middle of the street.”

She shook her head. “I don’t care. I’m not worried about my reputation, although I do worry about yours. You’re a preacher. You must live above reproach, and this isn’t exactly the way to do it.”

“Speaking of which, I’m to leave for Fort Bridger on the first of June. I love you, Laura, and I want you to be my wife. I want us to have a future together and to share the Gospel with the Indians. Do you feel that you might be called to this as well?”

Laura knew she would cherish a life sharing God’s Word with the native people. The very idea had appealed to her since she first heard Will speak of it. It didn’t frighten her to imagine living with Indians, at least not like the last few days of living with her father did. She supposed there would be a great deal of adjustment, and daily life would certainly be harder.

“As I said, I will pray about it. I think I know the answer, but I want to make sure.”

Will nodded. “I respect that and agree. I will pray too.”

“So we’ll set it in place. I’ll have Will and Laura marry on the twentieth of April,” Granite said, looking at the calendar. “The committee intends for Will to leave for Omaha on the twenty-fifth. I’ll make sure that he puts all his affairs in legal order before he leaves by calling him to a meeting with my lawyer. I’ll explain that I am setting things up so that he and Laura will inherit all my money should anything happen to me. I’ll have a new will written out that shows all the transfers of ownership upon my death.

“Will can see for himself how much I believe in him, and when I mention casually that he should put his affairs in order as well, leaving everything to Laura, then we will be ready for him to go.”

Granite sat back and picked up his whiskey and fixed his right-hand man with a stern look. “I want you to go with whichever men you choose. We can’t afford any mistakes on this job. You’ll leave for Omaha the week before to scout things out and make the final decision about how to kill them both. Either poison in the governor’s food or a shot in the head. Whichever you choose is fine, just make sure Wilson Porter gets the blame and is killed in the process.”

Gus nodded. “It won’t be hard to manage.”

It was glorious to imagine resolving everything in one fell swoop. Laura would inherit a vast fortune from her dead husband, and the governorship would come to Granite as President Grant’s number two choice. His poor widowed daughter, in time, would then be married off to another rich and powerful man, and who knew what might happen. Perhaps the presidency could come even sooner than Granite had hoped.

“Everything I’ve worked for is about to come together.”

Will stepped inside the city marshal’s office. Edward had sent for him, saying it was of the utmost importance. Thankfully, it was before he was due to report to Granite.

The marshal, sheriff, and Edward Vogel stood just a few feet away, interrogating someone. Edward waved him toward the group, then turned back to the man sitting in front of them. “So you’re willing to testify, to tell everything you know?”

The man pulled at the brim of his hat. “That’s what I signed on for. I haven’t put in all this time to watch a man like Granite Evans go free. Up until this last stagecoach robbery, it had been possible to keep people from being killed. That time one of the new men got spooked. He was one of ours, but he’d been through too much in the war, and something just broke inside him. Once he started firing, that was it. The men who weren’t a part of my group started firing as well, and then everyone was dead.” The man looked up at Will. “I sure did what I could to keep it from happening.”

Will’s eyes widened as he caught sight of the man’s face. “So you knew about Evans and the things he was doing?”

“We did, and the president intends to see him prosecuted. We were sent to get in close—earn his trust and then expose him for the criminal he was. I’m truly sorry I couldn’t save your ma and sister.”

“Thank you. I’m confident you did what you could. I wish we’d known the government already had a fix on Granite Evans,” Will replied. “It would have been nice to know someone in power is on to him.”

“President Grant has known about his double-dealings since the war, but Evans always managed to slip out of the grasp of the law. He even used an alias at times. We could never get anyone close enough to take direct orders from him. Until now. He’s ordered the death of the governor, and I have all the details needed to see Evans put behind bars for the rest of his life.”

Edward gave the man a smile. “Well, he wasn’t counting on someone like you, Gus Snyder.”

Gus gave an uncharacteristic grin. “Nor the Pinkertons.”

Will looked at the others. “So how does this alter the plan we’ve made?”

Getting to his feet, Gus straightened. “I was just about to fill them in on how I think this should move forward.”