Amon (2 page)

One

Clear Creek, Oregon, August 1861

“They hate us.”

Newton sat on the bed next to Nettie and put his arm around her shoulders. “They do not hate us. You’re being silly.”

“They’ve not spoken to us since our arrival.”

“Which was only a few days ago.” He turned her to face him. “You must give them a chance. Just like we’ve had to give everyone else.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “And everyone else hates us too.”

Newton sighed and shook his head in resignation. “If you persist in this nonsense, dear sister, I shall … shall …”

“What, turn me over your knee?” she asked, bemused. “I’m afraid I’m too old for that.”

“Send you to bed without dinner, then?” he teased.

“Or send me back to England where I will have to face marriage to some doddering old fool.”

“That’s why we’re here, remember?” He put his arm around her again. “The Duke trusts his brothers, so why shouldn’t we? They’re just giving us time to settle in, that’s all. We’ve had a long journey, and both of us have been asleep for the better part of two days. Let’s face it, we wouldn’t have been very good company.”

She had to smile at that. The journey “around the horn” to Oregon had been exhausting. But at least it was better than traveling cross-country. “I suppose you’re right,” she finally conceded.

“Why don’t we go downstairs and see if that Mrs. Upton can supply us with a pot of tea? I think a cup would do us both good, don’t you?”

“I suppose. A few of her cookies would do me good as well.”

“A few of Mrs. Upton’s
anything
would do us well. That woman’s cooking is fantastic.” He stood and pulled Nettie up with him. “To the kitchen then, shall we?”

She smiled, took the arm he offered her and together they left her room.

He’d come to check on her
again.
It was a growing occurrence of late, and Nettie knew he was worried about her. But the absence of the Cooke family since their arrival had given her pause, and she wondered if they were plotting against them, trying to figure out how they could get rid of she and her brother. Just as the old Baron had tried to do …

“Good morning,” came a voice from the bottom of the stairs.

Nettie took note of the young woman smiling up at them from the first step. It was Mrs. Jones – Eloise
Sayer
Jones, to be exact, one of Nettie and Newton’s distant cousins. Sayer was the name Nettie had known her by in London – had heard of her, anyway. She’d never actually met the woman until yesterday. “Good morning,” Nettie said to be polite.

“Mrs. Upton put out some morning tea for all of us,” Eloise said. “Isn’t that nice of her?”

“Quite,” Newton agreed as they descended the remaining stairs. “I was just telling my sister that a spot of tea would be welcome about now.”

“Well, then, isn’t it lucky Mrs. Upton loves to serve morning and afternoon tea?” Eloise said with a bright smile. “Of course, Mrs. Upton simply likes to serve. She’s not particular about what.”

Newton chuckled at the remark. Nettie didn’t. Maybe after she’d had some tea and cookies she’d feel better about their situation. They were, after all, in this predicament because of her. She might as well make the best of it – and, she supposed, the sooner the better. “I’ve known very few women who take pleasure in serving others,” she stated matter-of-factly.

“Oh? Are you referring to servants or people in general?” Eloise asked.

“Either, but particularly servants.”

“Mrs. Upton’s not a servant,” Eloise pointed out. “She’s an employee of Mr. Van Cleet who owns the hotel, as are my husband and myself. But I must say, I do find satisfaction in the work.”

“In changing other people’s bedsheets and washing them? In picking up after they’ve left?” Nettie asked, her voice flat. Newton put a hand on hers and squeezed, whether in warning or reassurance she neither knew nor cared. What she did know was that she’d better get a hold of herself before she got into trouble.

“I enjoy helping others and that’s what I consider this work to be,” Eloise told her. “Even if it does involve changing beds and washing the sheets.”

“Do you get many guests at this hotel?” Newton asked. “I daresay I’ve not seen one since we’ve been here.”

“Not many, not yet anyway. But we will, you’ll see.” Eloise looked at Nettie. “And at that point we’re going to need more help, if you’re interested in a job.”

Nettie swallowed hard and looked away. “I suppose that depends on if I’m married or not. I’ll need a job if I can’t find someone to do the deed.”

Newton chuckled. “‘Do the deed’? You don’t have to make it sound so dire. You’re a charming, beautiful woman, dear sister.” He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Why can’t you see it?”

She closed her eyes and turned away. When she opened them again she straightened her shoulders and looked at Eloise. “Tea?” She detached herself from Newton and cut across the front lobby to the double doors of the hotel’s dining room.

“She’s angry,” Eloise observed.

“No – frightened,” Newton corrected as he took off after his sister.

Eloise sighed and followed. By the time she entered the dining room, Nettie was already seated at a table near a tea cart.

“I’ve made molasses cookies today!” Mrs. Upton announced with a wide smile. “I hope ya enjoy them! When ya have time, honey, I’ll show ya how I make them.”

Nettie smiled at her but said nothing.

Newton waited until Eloise took a seat, then sat himself. “I’m sure they’ll be as wonderful as everything else we’ve tasted of yours, Mrs. Upton. Your culinary skills are truly magnificent.”

Mrs. Upton blushed furiously and began to pour the tea. “Talk like that’ll get you married around here, honey!”

Nettie’s eyes widened at the statement. She looked at Mrs. Upton, then at her brother. “Are there other women here in town?”

“Single women, ya mean?” Mrs. Upton asked. “Well, I’m it except for maybe Eloise’s cousin Imogene.”

“Ah yes, Imogene,” Newton said quietly. “A force to be reckoned with, that one. Our grandfather the Baron said she’s always been like that.”

“She’s a pistol, to be sure!” agreed Mrs. Upton. “But I like her. She’s got grit – a woman needs that around here.”

“Grit?” Nettie asked as she glanced around the table.

“She means that Cousin Imogene is a strong woman,” Eloise explained. “Anyone who bags a tiger would be.”

“You mean the stories are true?” Newton asked. “I’d heard rumors around the manor.”

“And in the stables?” Nettie whispered under her breath.

Newton cleared his throat. “Yes, there too.”

Eloise gave them a quizzical look and was about to ask what they meant when Mrs. Upton set a plate of cookies on the table and put one of them into her hands. “Try it, honey – I put a little something extra in this batch. Tell me if ya like it.”

Eloise smiled and took a small bite. She chewed thoughtfully a moment, then smiled again. “These are delicious! What did you add?”

“I’ll never tell!” Mrs. Upton crowed. “I can’t afford the information to leak out, lest that Irene Dunnigan gets her hands on it!”

Newton looked at his sister, who was staring at him in confusion. “The Duke mentioned a Mrs. Dunnigan …”

Mrs. Upton rolled her eyes. “That’s the one – and she’s a real piece of work. Though underneath the rough exterior, she’s not so bad. You just have to know how to handle her.”

Eloise giggled. “Mrs. Upton and Mrs. Dunnigan are both incredible cooks – and rivals. Don’t put them in the same kitchen together.”

“It’s true, let me tell ya,” Mrs. Upton agreed. “But you don’t have to worry none about that if you’re living at the hotel for a while. You’ll eat all your meals here, I’ll make sure of it.”

“That’s very kind of you,” Newton told her. “We appreciate your eagerness to see to our needs.”

She waved a hand at him. “Don’t think nothing of it, honey! Besides, I’m not happy unless I’ve got some folks to cook for. Nothing better than cooking for a handsome man!”

Nettie tried not to smirk as she watched her brother’s ears turn pink. He wore his hair long and had it tied back today, so she had an exceptional view of his embarrassment. She couldn’t help but lean toward him when Mrs. Upton turned to the tea cart. “She’s single and in want of a husband …” she said under her breath.

“Quiet, you,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.

“Ah, don’t worry, honey. I may tease you about getting married, but you’re too scrawny for me. I like the big men!”

Newton’s mouth dropped open and he unconsciously glanced at himself. He was six feet tall, and didn’t consider himself “scrawny” by any means. He wondered what sort of giant Mrs. Upton was referring to.

“Mrs. Upton is holding out for someone like Mr. Berg,” Eloise explained. “He was the old blacksmith. I hear he was a giant.”

“You got that right, honey!” Mrs. Upton sighed. “That fellow was a big hunk of beef. Now you enjoy your tea – I’m off to the kitchen to see what I can whip up for lunch.” Within moments she was gone.

Nettie took a slow sip of her tea. The hot liquid felt good going down, and she wondered how long she could make the cup last before pouring another.

“I hear Sadie and Belle are coming to town this afternoon,” Eloise announced. “The ladies’ sewing circle is meeting. Perhaps you’d like to join us?”

Nettie looked up at her. “Sewing circle? What’s that?”

Eloise set down her cup. “It’s when women get together at the mercantile and sew, what else?”

“In a circle,” Newton chuckled.

Nettie sent her brother a glare, then looked at Eloise. “However does that work?”

“It’s how we made our wedding dresses, not to mention a quilt. Everyone works together.”

“I see,” Nettie said with a slow nod. “And how many women will be there?”

“All of those in town. If everyone shows up, there’s at least sixteen. You’d bring it up to seventeen.”

“That many?” Newton remarked. “I suppose the mercantile gets quite snug. But I’m sure Nettie would be glad to come.”

“Do not think to answer for me,” she snapped. “Perhaps I do not want to join them.”

“You’re going to have to meet them sooner or later – why not all at once?”

Nettie set her teacup down and pushed back her chair to stand.

Newton reached out and put his hand over one of hers. “Don’t.”

She stopped. “Don’t what?”

“Run. You’ve done that far too often. I’ll go with you if I must.”

Nettie’s eyes flicked to Eloise, who watched them with curiosity. “I’m not ready to meet so many.” She turned her attention to her brother. “Can’t I simply … rest in my room today?”

“You’ve done nothing
but
rest for three days. It’s time we ventured out.”

“Newton, please …”

“It will be good for both of us. And I’ll be right by your side,” he said, his voice low.

Eloise cleared her throat. “We meet once a week – you … don’t have to come if you’re not ready. I understand what it’s like to be new in a strange place. I was terribly nervous when we first arrived and had to meet everyone.”

“That’s the problem, Mrs. Jones. My sister doesn’t quite know how she feels, and I can sympathize with her in that regard, but we can’t stay locked in our rooms.”

“I understand. The circle meets at one o’clock today. I’ll wait for you in the lobby of the hotel if you’d like to come.”

Nettie looked away, then slowly nodded. “I’m sure by then I will have decided.”

Newton squeezed her hand. “Don’t make me decide for both of us. It’s high time we both rejoined the world.”

* * *

“Do you think he’ll say yes?” Colin Cooke asked as he mounted his horse.

His brother Harrison followed suit and swung himself up in the saddle. He gave his mare Juliet a light kick to get her moving and rode up beside his brother. “Of course he will. Why wouldn’t he? Nettie Whitman is the only eligible female around for hundreds of miles.”

“Nettie
Holmes
,” Colin corrected. “And we’d best not forget it. She is our dear cousin Thackary's child, and I do hope she doesn’t follow in her father’s footsteps.”

“Quite right,” Harrison agreed. “But she and her brother have been far removed from their father all these years. From what I understand, they’ve never
seen
him.”

“So they say.”

“I’m sure Duncan would have checked to make sure everything is on the square. You know his attention to detail.”

“I imagine he still has it, now that he’s a duke,” Colin said with a chuckle. “I also hope you’re right. I’d hate to think that our newfound relatives are in cahoots with their father in any way.”

“Though it would explain why they’re here,” Harrison mused with a furrowed brow.

“But Duncan says otherwise,” Colin replied. “It was his idea to send her here. His letter says that Newton Holmes approached him about finding a suitable husband for his sister. But Newton didn’t expect him to suggest America.”