Fate's Intervention (50 page)

“
So
you
’
ve said,
”
Matthew sighed,
“
but who you are isn
’
t going to change anything, so take your wife and go home, or I
’
ll be forced to show you who
you
’
re
messing with.
”

Mark growled and turned on his heel, stalking angrily from the room. Matthew heard him yell for Elizabeth,
and
then the front door slammed a moment later.

Matthew settled back in his chair and sighed deeply. Closing his eyes, he forced his mind
to focus on something pleasant
–
Marcelle.

He
’
d go tomorrow to buy her an engagement gift. Maybe his mother would like to accompany him and help him choose something appropriate. He
’
d ask her in the morning.

Lifting the rifle from his lap, he
released the hammer
,
and
the
n
stood and stretched his long limbs, yawning deeply. He hadn
’
t had a decent night
’
s sleep since his brother
’
s intrusion into his life.
He returned the rifle to the closet, then doused the candle and made his way to his room. He needed sleep badly, but wondered whether dreams of Marcelle
’
s warm body wrapped in his arms would hinder that sleep,
and
then realized he didn
’
t care. He
’
d lose a few hours sleep lost in
those pleasant thoughts.

“
It
’
s good to get to spend some time with you again,
”
Lilith said. She and Matthew spent the next morning walking the streets of
New York
,
window-shopping
and
not
window-shopping
, if the overloaded buggy trailing in their wake was any indication. Matthew glanced over his shoulder and smiled. He hoped it didn
’
t get any more loaded down, or the horses may not have the strength to haul it back to Daragh Manor.
As
it was,
he and Mother walk
ed
the better part of the day
because
she
filled the carriage
to the hilt
with purchases
.
Not that he minded. It was a beautiful day.

“
However are you going to get all those things back to
Wisconsin
with you, is what I
’
m wondering?
”
Lilith laughed, pointing at the carriage, as if reading his mind.

“
Not all of that junk belongs to me, mother dearest,
”
Matthew chided gently.

“
Yes, I know,
”
Lilith smiled,
“
but a majority of it will be traveling to
Wisconsin
with me, so we still need to figure out a way to get it all there.
”

“
Well, since I
’
m going to have to rent a private boxcar anyway to haul your luggage . . .
Hey! Why did you smack me?
”

“
For being a wise mouth, that
’
s why
–
a private boxcar, my eye!
”
Lilith snapped playfully.
“
I do not have that much luggage and you know it.
”

Matthew laughed and continued walking.
“
Whatever are you buying, anyway? I thought we were supposed to be on a shopping expedition for an engagement gift for Marcelle.
”

Lilith blushed and pulled her son closer to her side,
“
I have a marvelous idea for that, by the way, but I couldn
’
t very well go to
Wisconsin
empty-handed, now could I? There were gifts to buy, and material for the gowns to see to, and decoration material and, oh, so much to do.
”

“
A
re
you sure you are not getting ahead of yourself, Mother?
”
Matthew said, as gently as possible.
“
I mean, I asked you to
help
with the wedding, not take over preparations on your own. Besides, Marcelle still has to say yes.
”

“
She
’
ll
say yes,
”
Lilith grinned
,
“
a
nd
I promise not to go barreling in there with all my ideas and purchases without paving the way first. You know, Son, I
’
d always hoped that one day you or your brother would settle down, so that I could plan a wedding with your future wives.
”

“
To
o bad Mark went about his the wrong way, or you
’
d have been able to help
Elizabeth
. . . ,
”

“
Elizabeth wouldn
’
t have wanted my help,
”
Lilith said.
“
That
child has no heart
–
or haven
’
t you noticed.
”

“
I noticed,
”
Matthew sighed,
“
but let
’
s not discuss Mark and Elizabeth today, shall we?
”

“
You
’
re right, of course,
”
Lilith sighed.
“
We need a reprieve from all that ugliness, don
’
t
we?
”

“
Exactly. Now,
”
Matthew said, patting his mother
’
s hand,
“
why don
’
t you guide me to this shop where I can find the perfect engagement gift for Marcelle?
”

“
But darling,
”
Lilith teased,
“
I haven
’
t finished
my
shopping yet.
”

“
Mother, there
is
only so many hours of sunlight in a day, and you are quickly dwindling them all . . .
H
ey!
Watch the ears!
”

“
I told you to watch your tongue, now didn
’
t I?
”

“
Mother, I
’
m not two years of age any longer, so boxing my ears in public is a little on the embarrassing side.
”

“
The
n watch your tongue and I
’
ll spare your ears,
”
Lilith chided, a spark of laughter in her eyes.
“
Now, do come on. We haven
’
t all day to buy your woman an engagement gift, you know.
”

Matthew rolled his eyes. It had been so long since he
’
d seen his mother this relaxed and happy. It had been too long since he
’
d been able to enjoy his mother
’
s company as well, even if his ears
objected
to
the regular clobbering
.

“
I wouldn
’
t tolerate having my ears boxed like that
.
”
Pablo, a man with slicked-back black hair said to his companion as they followed Matthew and his mother down the street.

“
Yeah, well, my mother used to do that a lot to me,
”
his companion, Deke, a red-haired, freckled-faced, teenaged-looking man replied.

“
Yeah, and look at the way you turned out,
”
Pablo laughed.
“
Guess all that boxing didn
’
t
do you a bit of good.
”

“
It
’
s because of all that boxing, that I am the way I am,
”
Deke responded without humor.

“
Do tell.
”

“
My mom didn
’
t box my ears playfully,
”
Deke said softly, his eyes narrowing on Lilith
’
s back.
“
S
he smacked me so hard that I finally lost my hearing in one ear. Got so tired of it, that when I grew up, I cornered her one day and started boxing her ears in return. Guess I should have stopped though when blood started seeping out, but I couldn
’
t see past my own rage. Wasn
’
t until my dad came home and dragged me
off
her, that I realized that I
’
d killed her. Ran away after that and never looked back.
”

“
G
eez,
”
Pablo said, eyeing the man beside him with a new wariness. When he first hired on to take care of this business, he hadn
’
t thought much about the
other
man hired with him. Of course, he hadn
’
t realized how crazy-mean he was deep down, either. Until now.
“
So
, how we going to handle this?
”
He asked, wanting to change the subject.

“
The
boss says we take the man, but leave the woman alone.
”

“
Can
’
t seem to do neither one with as many people as there is.
”

“
Yeah, well, we ain
’
t trying to take
‘
em now,
”
Deke said softly,
“
we just gotta keep an eye on
‘
em until they leave town. Then we
’
ll ambush
‘
em on the way home.
”

“
Boss man said we ain
’
t supposed to kill the guy. Least not
‘
til he has the chance to talk to him
, r
ight?
”

“
That
’
s
about sums it up.
”

“
Have you seen how big that hombre is?
”
Pablo asked. He
’
d never done this kind of thing before, and if it
weren’t
for the fact that he needed money and owed his cousin a favor, he wouldn
’
t be wrapped up in this mess at all.

“
Yeah, so what?
”
Deke said.

“
Yeah, well, you take a good look at my size?
”

“
Can
’
t look at you and him at the same time? What
’
s your point?
”
Deke said, casting a quick sidelong glance in Pablo
’
s direction. He was short and skinny, that much was evident. What was the boss man doing hiring on someone that didn
’
t look
as if
he could handle himself in a fight?

“
My point is, that hombre can knock me out with one punch,
”
Pablo said, getting more nervous the later the hour got.

“
I
’
ll take the man, and you hold on to the woman,
”
Deke offered.
“
T
hink you can handle a woman?
”

Pablo had seen how she
’
d boxed the big hombre
’
s ears and had doubts about even that, but he wasn
’
t about to admit it.
At
least he wouldn
’
t be tangling with the big man.