The Gold Miner's Wife: A Young Woman's Story of Romance, Passion and Murder (23 page)

Her chin rose and her eyes sparked with anger, but her struggles against his unyielding arms were futile.  She stiffened.  His kiss was hard, insistent, possessive, determined but she passively endured it, like a cold marble statue.  He cupped her breasts and his breath caught.  “Oh God, Susannah.  You
will
learn to enjoy this.  You belong to me now,” he said as he kissed the nape of her neck.  But she did not so much as acknowledge him and instead turned her face away.  His hands traveled down her back and to the globes of her bottom.  He pulled her to him and she felt the unmistakable evidence of his burning desire, his erection thick and hard and impaling her through her gown.  By agreeing to his terms she had sealed her fate.  Susannah was completely in his power now.  She was repulsed, sickened and equally disgusted with herself to have been so easily duped by one whom she used to call a trusted friend.

“You are so beautiful,” he sighed.

“My grandmother…she will be missing me if I am absent for too long,” Susannah suggested carefully.  “She might become alarmed in light of recent events.”

Edward straightened and reluctantly let her go.  “You are spoiling the mood,” he complained. 

“We are not married, sir,” she reminded him.

“As to that,” he said, “let me review with you the story we are to tell your grandmother tomorrow.  I will expect you to play your part with conviction,” he warned.

*****

The men sat comfortably in the captain’s quarters at a round table and eyed one another with suspicion, trying to discern the secrets concealed in bland facial expressions.  The shadowy room was dimly illuminated with only two oil lamps; not enough light to betray telltale signs of deception.  Mr. Cookson wore his red vest, perhaps for good luck, and chewed nervously on a cheroot as he examined his cards for the tenth time.  Jack and the skipper, Captain
Gruelund, were still in for this hand, but did not seem overly confident.

The
bosun threw in his cards.  “I fold,” he said gruffly.  “Got nothing.” 

The second mate, Finn, looking rather smug, called the bet.  Cookson carefully laid down his cards, three queens and two sevens: a full house, and enough to the win the hand.  Finn groaned.  “Shit!” was all he said in disgust as he laid down his cards.

              “I knew I had you this time Finn!” Cookson said to the man who had won several previous hands.

             
“Well played.  You have evened the score,” Finn admitted, picking up the cards.  “Another hand, gentlemen?”

             
“The evening’s been a bit too expensive for me,” Gruelund complained.

             
“I think I’m done for the night,” said Jack, pushing his chair back.

             
“Maybe tomorrow,” said Cookson as he collected his winnings.

             
They were somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean; the wintry seas had been rough but the skipper said they were making good progress and would arrive in London in a few more days.  Their regular poker games helped to pass the time and relieve the tedium.  Jack willingly joined in – he wanted to keep his mind off Susannah and Mansfield and the many scenarios his active imagination endlessly contemplated.  Cooped up on this ship with too much nervous energy caused him to dwell on his grim thoughts.  He wanted to break Mansfield’s neck for killing his friend.  Comprehending what a dangerous and shrewd blackguard Mansfield was, combined with no news of Susannah, had him on edge.  The resolution he so desperately sought was still days away.  Had she heeded his warning?  What was the direction of her thoughts pertaining to him?  Jack well remembered how ardently she had responded to his kiss the last night they were together.  She filled his thoughts during the day and came to him in his dreams at night.  He would never rest easy until he knew she was out of danger.  For now, at least, he had to admit Mansfield was holding all the cards.

              When they entered the drawing room together that morning, Susannah with her hand placed on Edward’s sleeve, Lady Alice knew something had changed.  Edward had called at Larkspur at 10:30 and the few moments he had spent alone in the library with Susannah had piqued her interest.  What was this about, wondered Lady Alice?  It had been four days since Catori had disappeared – might there finally be some news?  She looked closely at her granddaughter.  Susannah looked tired and drawn, with dark circles under her eyes.  This was no doubt the result of unrelieved worry and lack of sleep.  Still, she wondered if something else troubled her. 

             
For her part, Susannah walked confidently forward, but she had never been so nervous.  Today she would begin her acting career.  First and foremost she had to be convincing, as the welfare of her friend hung in the balance.  She was about to deceive her sweet, innocent, loving grandmother in the worst possible way, with a complete fabrication regarding her changed feelings toward Edward and with manufactured details designed to explain away Catori’s disappearance.  Susannah had to tell so many lies that she wondered if she could keep them all straight.  But of course, Edward was there to coach her and he was an expert.  Behind the closed doors of the library, Edward had delivered Catori’s note to Susannah, as promised.  It was then summarily burnt in the fireplace, leaving no trace.  Catori
was
alive.  At least she had that.

             
“Grandmamma,” Susannah said brightly with a half-smile as they moved closer.  “Edward and I need to talk with you.”

             
“Of course, dear,” she said.  “And Edward, I am glad you have come.  Won’t you please take a seat,” she motioned to them.  “I hope you are bringing me good news of Catori.”  They sat before Lady Alice on the settee and Edward possessively took Susannah’s hand in his. 

             
“Lady Alice,” he began, “we hope
all
the news we have for you today will be pleasing to your ears.  Susannah has made me the happiest of men.  She has agreed to marry me and we want you to be the first one to share in our joy!” he declared with a broad smile.

             
So unexpected was this news that her eyes went wide.  Lady Alice looked at them both with a mixture of disbelief and pleasure.  Wasn’t it only recently that Susannah had stubbornly told her, without mincing words, she would
never
consider Edward’s suit and felt only
admiration
for him?

             
“Oh Edward!  Susannah!  I cannot disguise my surprise at your announcement.  It is rather sudden and has quite taken my breath away, but I am so very delighted to hear it!” she declared, extending her hands toward them. 

             
Susannah moved from her seat and hugged her grandmother.  She could not meet her eyes.  “I am glad you are pleased, Grandmamma, and that we have your blessing,” she lied.

             
“Edward, I know you will be good and kind and generous to my Susannah, as you have always been to me,” she said sweetly.  “I hope you will have many years of happiness together,” she added sincerely.

             
“Thank you, Lady Alice,” Edward replied.

             
Her grandmother’s words, spoken so honestly, pierced her to the soul.  Lady Alice was blithely ignorant of Edward Mansfield’s evil, despicable character, and Susannah herself, now had played an active role in concealing his wicked charade.

             
“The other wonderful news is that Catori has been found!” Edward revealed.

             
“Heavenly day!” exclaimed Lady Alice.  “Now I know that God has been listening to my prayers.  Please,” she insisted, “you must tell me all.”

             
“Evidently Catori
did
wander off the Larkspur estate that day.  She slipped and fell and was knocked unconscious.  One of my tenants found her and brought her to his cottage,” he said without missing a beat.

             
“My word!” said Lady Alice in surprise.

             
“After a couple of days she regained consciousness and was able to identify herself.  Naturally my tenant came to me for help.  I have since sent the doctor to see her.  Unfortunately Catori’s leg is broken and she cannot be moved at the moment.  The tenant and his family are kindly looking after her,” he further embellished. 

             
“How extraordinary!  It was a very close thing,” observed Lady Alice.  “Catori is lucky to be alive.”

             
“Indeed.  With your permission I shall take Susannah to see her this very afternoon,” he suggested, adding another lie.

             
“Of course!  Of course!  It would do them both a world of good.  How can we ever thank you, Edward!” she gushed.  “Catori found and my Susannah to be married!  It is too much happy news in one morning for an old lady.  Tell me,” she said, as her mind raced ahead, “have you discussed setting a date for your nuptials?”

             
“Actually, Grandmamma,” Susannah said carefully, “in light of the fact that I have already had a very elaborate church wedding, Edward and I thought it would be best to arrange something more simple and without much fanfare.”

             
“Yes,” Edward agreed.  “We would like to get things settled as soon as may be and have decided to obtain a special license.  As my darling Susannah is not keen on another big social event with a slew of guests, we see no reason to wait.”

             
“Special license?  A simple wedding?  No wait?”  Lady Alice repeated as her face clouded and she tried to absorb the implications.  There could be only one possible reason why a young couple would marry without delay and it disappointed her to think this compromising circumstance could be true of Susannah.

             
“Yes, Grandmamma,” said Susannah.  “A simple ceremony with you and Charlotte and a few other witnesses is really all that is required.”

             
“What do you say, my darling?” Edward said to her with dramatic flair.  “Shall we be married three days hence in Stoke-on-Trent?  I shall lose my mind if we wait much longer,” he said as he swept her into his arms for a kiss.  She started to resist.  “Don’t fight me,” he warned Susannah, whispering in her ear.

             
But Lady Alice was too preoccupied to notice when Susannah froze in his unwanted embrace.  “A three day engagement!  What will people say?” she worried.

             
“Lady Alice, we are mature adults.  What
can
they say?” Edward said with a satisfied smirk.

*****

              Her oil lamp turned down low, Susannah stared up at the ceiling.  It was late and she was in her bed but sleep eluded her again.  Where was her friend, she wondered?  Where was he holding her prisoner?  And more importantly,
how
was she?  The lamp flickered, casting unnatural shadows in the gloom.  She was caught up in thoughts of friends far away – Mrs. Sheppard, Eleanor Gibson, the Denver Ladies Aide Society, Gerta Schultz, her little band of art students whom she hadn’t seen in months.  Would she ever be together with these wonderful friends again?  She recalled the many times she had visited the pretty little alpine meadow near the mine, most recently with Jack.  Would she ever see it again?  Or the snow-capped peaks that were a familiar sight from her dining room window? 

And what of Jack?  His telegram to
Catori indicated his departure on January 1
st
.  By her calculation their arrival was imminent.  She hoped and prayed it would be soon or else she would be forced to marry Edward as the only way she knew to save her friend.  If that happened, the remnants of whatever flame may have existed with Jack would soon be snuffed out like an ember gone cold.

             
Susannah had not seen Catori today as Edward had assured Lady Alice.  It was all part of the lie.  Instead, he brought her to his estate where together they repeated all their many fabrications to Charlotte.  Susannah wondered how she would be able to lie to God when she took her wedding vows.  Afterward, how could she ever bring herself to fulfill her wifely duties and allow Edward to share her bed?  The thought of his touch made her skin crawl.  At the same time, she wondered how she could
not
allow him in her bed without risking real harm to someone she loved.  She would never be free of this outlandish nightmare.

             
The soft knock she heard at her door added to her disquiet.  She knew that knock.  It was Grandmamma wanting to talk.  Susannah was tired and hated the deception, hated the lie.  She was in a sorry state.  How convincing could she hope to be?

             
The door opened and Lady Alice stepped inside.  She wore slippers and a night rail, with a shawl draped about her shoulders.  “My dear, are you still awake?” she asked softly.

             
“Come and get comfortable on the warm bed Grandmamma, before you get a chill,” said Susannah, as she drew the covers aside.  Soon she had her grandmother snug and settled securely next to her as they had done so many times since she was a little girl.

             
“This was certainly a day never to be forgotten,” her grandmother observed.  “Is that why you are having trouble sleeping?”

             
“I suppose,” Susannah sighed.  “I do have much to think about.”

             
“What a relief to know your friend is safe,” said Lady Alice.  “Your betrothal announcement…well, it was unexpected given what you recently told me about your feelings concerning Edward.”

             
“Yes, I guess it was,” she admitted.  “After you talked with me that day, and gave me your opinion, I reevaluated things,” she lied.

             
“I am glad,” said Lady Alice.  “All the same you need not hurry to the altar.  Marriage is quite a commitment.  Are you sure of your feelings?”

             
“I have found it difficult to be a widow in a man’s world.  For me it is doubly so, since acquiring a half-interest in a gold mine.  This was a responsibility I was never prepared to shoulder.”

             
“Do you love him?” her grandmother finally asked.

             
There it was.  What could she say that might put her grandmother off the scent of her heinous duplicity?

             
“As you know, I admire Edward.  We have known one another for many years.  Given time, I think this foundation could lead to something more,” she said cryptically.

             
Her grandmother seemed satisfied.  “My only wish is for you to be happy, my dear,” she said.

*****

              Throughout her ordeal in the dark, cold chamber that imprisoned her, Catori attempted to remain focused and calm despite her powerlessness.  A wretched captive in total darkness, she concentrated on listening for any sound that might liberate her and by now was acutely aware of the distant church bells that so reliably registered the hours of each passing day.  It had been three days since she was ordered to scribble the brief note to Susannah.  It had been two days since Brophy had brought food.  By her calculation, it was probably Tuesday and she had been in this hell hole for a week. 

             
The meager rations made her situation all the more execrable.  Despite her unrelenting hunger and thirst, she was disciplined and conservative in consuming bites of food and sips of water.  Ultimately however, the last drop of water was gone and dehydration became a real fear.  It was time to take corrective measures.  She awkwardly patted the earthen floor with her fingertips – feeling, searching, sifting, assessing, until eventually she felt a small round stone, about the size of a bean or small acorn.  It would do.  As the Navajo people had taught her, she placed this single pebble into her mouth.  Her body would treat the pebble as if it were a morsel of food, activating saliva and keeping her mouth moistened, at least for now. 

Her situation was deplorable and she was growing weaker. 
Catori could not afford to be passive any longer.  Fear makes the wolf seem bigger, she reminded herself.  The next time Brophy visited her cell, she would have to act.  She lifted her skirt and slipped the knife from its sheath.  Then, with her hands bound together, she practiced holding the knife and plunging it as forcefully as she could into the earthen floor without dropping it.  Satisfied with her proficiency, she kept the knife in her hands, ready and concealed under the blanket.

Sometime later,
Catori heard the tolling of three bells and it was soon thereafter that her prison door slid open once more.  It was her tormentor, her jailer, her intimidator, Brophy.  She immediately noted that the day was overcast; perhaps a storm was brewing.  Of course it was still bright to one whose eyes had to adjust from total darkness, but the light was not as blinding as it had been on previous days.  She sat up, alert, watching, like a wary forest doe, waiting for him to say something or to make a move toward her.