Reclaimed Love: Banished Saga, Book Two (45 page)

“That was pleasant,” Colin said.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Gabriel asked. “Bringing him here?”

“I didn’t. I was on my way to Ronan’s and saw him walking this way. Must have come in on the train today or yesterday and asked about you. Anyway, I raced after him and tried to get him to stop.”

“I would think you would be able to fight better than receive a facer from a pansy like him,” Gabriel said, taunting Colin.

“My hands were full of baskets, and he caught me off guard. If I’d been prepared, believe me, he would never have bothered you,” Colin said in a regretful voice.

“Well, at least he’s gone,” Gabriel said with a sigh.

“But he’s not,” Colin said, and I stiffened in Gabriel’s arms. “When we were fighting, I told him to leave, that he wasn’t wanted here. But he can’t. He doesn’t have the money to return to Boston. He’s stuck here.”

“Christ,” Gabriel muttered. “I barely stopped myself from killing him today. If I have to see him on a daily basis…”

“That is something to worry about another day.” I whispered into Gabriel’s ear, “Last I heard, we were honeymooners.”

Gabriel chuckled and rubbed my back. “Colin, if that is all?” Gabriel said with a shake of his head toward the door.

“Actually I have some food, if you’d like it?” At Gabriel’s swift nod, Colin ran downstairs and came up with a basket. “Amelia thought you might not have thought to get food in and that you probably wouldn’t want to go out. She sent over some cold chicken, rolls, potato salad,” Colin said as he rooted around in the basket. “I also have one for Ronan.”

“Thanks, Colin,” Gabriel said. “Now go.”

Colin laughed. “’Bye! See you in a few days!”

I heard him clamber down the stairs.

“Clarissa, will you wait for me in bed? I just need to make sure it’s locked up downstairs,” Gabriel said as he eased me off his lap. “I don’t want any more interruptions.”

“No, I’ll wait for you in the kitchen. I’m hungry,” I said as I stood.

Gabriel rose, gripping my shoulders and kissing me for long minutes.

“Can we compromise?” At my quizzical stare he said, “Can you please not put on any clothes? Just remain wrapped in the sheets?”

I beamed at him and nodded my agreement.

CHAPTER 48

I WANDERED AROUND the small kitchen area, finding chipped plates and dulled silverware. After I wiped off the table, I found a dilapidated, wrinkled tablecloth and covered the table before setting it. I continued to trip over the long sheets, and tried to envision the pictures I had seen of togas. However, from what I remembered, they did not look too comfortable, nor in any way romantic, so I decided to continue with my shuffling, slow gait around the kitchen wrapped haphazardly in sheets as I prepared our cold feast.

As I brewed a pot of tea, I heard hammering from the workshop. I could not imagine that Gabriel had a sudden inspiration for one of his projects, but he had been gone for much longer than I had expected to lock a door. I sat, relaxing into the rocking chair with a cup of tea as I waited for him. As I glanced around the sparsely decorated loftlike living area, I understood for the first time why women liked to go shopping. I envisioned all sorts of improvements for the small space. First and foremost, I wanted a screen to shield our bed from the rest of the living area and unexpected guests.

“Idiots,” Gabriel muttered as he climbed the stairs. “The world is full of idiots.” I watched him over my teacup, hoping he would calm soon so we could eat. “They broke the damn door when they barged in.”

I gasped in response.

“It was hanging on one hinge. Anyone could have walked in, robbed me blind.”

“Gabriel, why didn’t Colin tell you?”

“I imagine he didn’t want me to take out my anger on him,” he said with a rueful laugh. “He knew I was close to killing someone with Cameron here.” He sighed. “Though it would have been easier to repair had I had another set of hands.”

“You should have called me,” I said. “I am your wife. We are to share everything. The good and the bad.”

Gabriel grinned, cupping my cheek and bending for a swift kiss. “You’re right. Next time I’ll ask you for help, love.” He cleared his throat as he looked at the small feast on the table. “Amelia sent all that?”

“Doesn’t it look wonderful? Although I think we should try to save some for supper tonight.”

“I feel like I could eat it all right now,” Gabriel said as he looked at the pile of fried chicken, heaping bowl of potato salad, sliced beets and at least half a dozen rolls. “Are you ready to eat?”

“Almost,” I whispered. I stood, balanced on my toes and kissed him. His arms wrapped around me, and I had to remember to hold onto the sheets rather than him. After a few minutes I leaned away. “Now I’m ready.”

He kissed my forehead and helped me to one of the three chairs at the table.

“Three chairs?” I asked and then could have bit my tongue. Of course. There had always been three of them: Gabriel, Richard and Jeremy.

“It’s habit, I guess,” he mumbled.

“I miss them too, darling. We’ll see them again someday.”

“It feels like that day will never come soon enough. Hard to believe that two of us are married now.”

“Two of you?” I asked. “Did Richard and Florence marry?”

“Yes, in mid-May. I thought you knew.”

“No, not at all. I was traveling in mid-May. I was in Chicago with Sophronia and Aunt Betsy, before heading to Minneapolis.” I attempted to eat a piece of fried chicken with a knife and fork but it nearly flew off my plate.

Gabriel winked at me and picked up a piece with his hands. “Finally they are together. That should be what they write in the paper for both couples. ‘Finally, they are together.’” Gabriel said as he gripped my hand. “Although Richard and I were damn fools to take so long to marry either of you.”

“I thought you didn’t like Florence.”

“I didn’t, not when I heard she and Richard were first together again. But I had a lot of time to think in Butte, and, as I thought more and more about her story, I began to understand why she had acted like she did. Because no matter how bad my life was, I was never alone. And there was always some comfort in that.”

I blinked away tears as I gripped his fingers.

“And I remembered how much I liked her years ago, before the deception.”

“Jeremy likes her too,” I said as I gave into what I considered Western manners and licked my fingers. “He said he could think of no better woman to consider as a wife for Richard.”

“That sounds like Jer. He always was the best one of us all.”

“I wouldn’t agree with you, although I am thankful to be able to call him brother. He protected me from Cameron, threw him out of my uncle’s home once.”

“I’ll have to be sure to thank him,” Gabriel said with a smile. “How is he, darling? I worry about him now that he’s returned from the war.”

“From what he told me, he suffered quite a bit. And was expected to do any number of acts that we would consider unthinkable. It appeared to me that he was having a hard time coping with all he had seen and done.”

“That is what I feared,” Gabriel murmured.

I nodded and squeezed his hand. “What did you think of Mr. A.J.?”

Gabriel nearly choked on a bite of potato salad. “He’s an ornery old goat, but, underneath that prickly exterior, he’s a good man.”

“He’s not ornery.”

“That’s ’cause he likes you. And he’s not so sure he likes me. Thinks I’m a ‘damn foolerin’ idiot’ to even think of ‘wasterin’ my time courting a girl so fine as his missy.’”

I blushed as Gabriel mimicked Mr. Pickens.

“I enjoyed him even though I often had trouble understanding what he was trying to say.”

“Well, that’s Mr. A.J. I have fun trying to decipher the meanings of his mangled words.”

“Must be because you were a teacher,” Gabriel said, and suddenly he had become very serious. “Clarissa,” he murmured as he wiped his fingers and face with a napkin. “I know you had a full life in Boston. You were a suffragette, a teacher, a woman of standing in society.” He sighed, breaking eye contact.

“What has you concerned, Gabriel?”

“I worry that, now we have married, life will seem very small to you. That you will come to resent this life that I can provide for you. For us.”

I stared at him dumbly, mouth agape.

“I make a decent living. You’ll never have to worry about hunger or having a roof over your head. But look around you. This is hardly the elegant home you are accustomed to living in. You won’t have the fine clothes or the—”

I reached out and placed my hand over his mouth. “Gabriel, stop. Stop right now.” My voice was harsher than I had intended, but I couldn’t bear to listen to him speak this way. “How can you possibly doubt what I want? I am sitting, wrapped in a sheet, in
our
kitchen, learning to eat fried chicken with my fingers, the day after our wedding.” I turned my hand to caress his cheek and run my thumb over his eyebrow.

“I meant what I said to Cameron. I never wanted that life out there. I want this life with you.” I stared into his eyes for a few moments. “I admit I will miss teaching, but I have found contentment while working at the Book Depository. I imagine there are suffragettes here as well as in Boston. I should think they’d welcome another to their cause.”

I paused a moment. “You have not limited my life in any way, Gabriel. You are allowing me to live it as I have only dreamed I could live. With love and understanding and encouragement for me to be me. Not how you wished I were, but how I truly am. And that is a miracle for me.” I blinked away a few tears.

“Thank you,” he murmured as he kissed my palm. “Thank you for being that brave, amazing woman I knew you were and coming to me. When I left Boston, I truly thought I would return to you.”

“I’m only sorry it took me so long to make the journey.”

“No regrets, Clarissa,” Gabriel murmured. “We are together. And no matter what happens in the future, we will face it.”

“Yes,” I murmured as I leaned in for a kiss. “Together.”

Author’s Notes

Thank you for reading
Reclaimed Love
. Never fear, dear reader, the third book in the series,
Redeemed Love
, will soon be forthcoming with the next installment of the Banished Saga. I hope you will continue to join me on their journey.

Would you like to know when my next book is available? You can sign up for my new release e-mail list, where you’ll be the first to know of updates, cover reveals, and special giveaways at
http://www.ramonaflightner.com

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Please, share
Reclaimed Love
with a friend! Look for
Redeemed Love
, Book Three in the Banished Saga, in Winter 2014/15.

Book Extras

Cast of Characters

BOSTON

Clarissa Sullivan
: teaches school in the West End of Boston, a suffragette, lives in the South End,

Colin Sullivan:
 Clarissa’s brother, a blacksmith

Sean Sullivan
: Clarissa’s father, a blacksmith, from Ireland

Mrs. Rebecca Sullivan nee Smythe
: Clarissa’s stepmother, has social aspirations

Agnes Sullivan nee Thompson:
 Clarissa’s mother, deceased

Savannah Montgomery nee Russell:
 Clarissa’s cousin and confidante, recently married to Jonas Montgomery, lives in the Back Bay

Lucas Russell
: Clarissa’s cousin, works at his father’s linen store, “Russells,” is a talented piano player

Martin Russell
: father to Lucas and Savannah, uncle to Clarissa, owns and runs the linen store, “Russells,” store and home in the South End, near the Sullivan home

Matilda Russell nee Thompson:
 Savannah’s mother and Clarissa’s aunt, sister to Agnes and Betsy

Betsy Parker nee Thompson:
 childless, lives in Quincy, married to a wealthy man, free-thinking, cryptic comments, Matilda and Agnes’ sister, Clarissa and Savannah’s aunt.

Richard McLeod
: Gabriel’s middle brother, a blacksmith, friend to Colin

Jeremy McLeod:
 the youngest McLeod brother, in the Army, fighting in the Philippines

Aidan McLeod
: uncle to the three McLeod boys

Ian McLeod
: father to the three McLeod boys

Geraldine McLeod nee Sanders
: wife to Ian and mother to the McLeod boys

Patricia Masterson nee Sanders
: sister to Geraldine, aunt to the McLeod boys, helped raise them.

Henry Masterson
: cousin to the McLeod boys

Nicholas Masterson
: cousin to the McLeod boys

Florence Butler
: orphan teacher who works with Clarissa in the West End

Sophronia Chickering
: feisty suffragette who befriends Clarissa, lives on Beacon Hill, distantly related by marriage to the piano Chickerings

Jonas Montgomery
: wealthy New Yorker, Savannah’s husband

Cameron Wright
: a suitor for Clarissa’s hand

Mrs. Wright
: Cameron’s mother

Maid Mary
: Clarissa’s maid who is loyal to her

Maid Bridget
: the other maid in the Sullivan household, more loyal to Mrs. Sullivan (Smythe)

Maid Polly
: Uncle Martin’s maid

IN THE WEST

Gabriel McLeod
: the eldest McLeod brother, a cabinetmaker, starting a new life, devoted to Clarissa

Matthew Donovan
: befriends Gabriel in Chicago and convinces him to travel to Butte; friends with Ronan