Indiana Goes West (Mail Order Brides of Pioneer Town, Book 1) (2 page)

Deborah waved her hands in the air. “What did
you say, Indiana? Closed? Does the store have tremor damage, too?
Besides, we only have one maid left—Misty!” Her voice rose to a
high pitch.

Indiana shook her head. “No, Mother, there
was no sign saying any such thing.”

Deborah’s expression blackened, and she
stormed out of the room.

At that very moment, the house entrance was
rocked by a tremor. The three girls clutched at each other,
wondering if it would worsen, but to their relief it did not.
Indiana stared at the Italianate marble floors, and watched with
horror as tiny, hairline cracks appeared.

Indiana was used to tremors, but this was the
first time she had seen one cause damage to the foyer. As the
shuddering lessened, Indiana let out a sigh of relief and relaxed
her grip on her sisters. “They’re getting more frequent, I’m sure.
They’re lasting much longer than in past years, too.”

Montana nodded in agreement.

Leah gasped and pointed to the corner of the
room, in which stood a large Iron Fiske fountain adorned by
acanthus leaves in a circular design, along with representations of
birds and arabesques. The water, which usually flowed nicely out of
the mouth of a statue of a crane, had stopped, and for a time
dribbled brown water before bubbling back to its usual state of
crystal clear water. “Did you see that? The water stopped just
then.”

“It
is
quite strange, Leah,” Indiana
said. “Has anyone seen Misty? Oh, there you are.”

Misty, Indiana’s maid and close friend,
appeared from the kitchens where she had been giving instructions
on behalf of Mrs. White.

Indiana signaled to her. “Misty, let’s go to
town.”

Misty nodded agreement, and the two set off.
Indiana’s thoughts soon drifted back to marriage. Was it possible
she could escape marriage to Mr. Hollway? She shook her head. There
was no way she would ever grow to love Mr. Hollway, not in a
million years. What’s more, Indiana had always yearned for a
marriage full of love, love right from the start. She didn’t relish
the idea of having to grow to love someone.
I wish I wasn’t such
a hopeless romantic
, she thought.

“Miss Indiana, did you hear what I said?”
Misty’s tone was insistent.

Misty’s voice snapped Indiana back to
reality. “Sorry? No, what did you say?”

Misty sighed. “I said, have you noticed that
the sea seems far more choppy than usual?”

“Oh no, I actually hadn’t taken any notice.”
Indiana stopped and the two women looked toward the bay. “Now that
you mention it, it does look, well, kind of angry.”

“That’s what I thought.” Misty’s voice held a
note of fear.

Chapter 4

“My dear Charles.” Deborah was gushing as
Misty showed Mr. Charles Walton into the spacious and elaborately
decorated front room of the mansion. “And this must be Mr.
Chase.”

Montana nudged Indiana in the arm and raised
her eyebrows. “Well?” she whispered.

Indiana had a good chance to study Morgan
Chase as he was standing at an angle to her, not looking directly
at her. He was tall, a little older than she had expected, and very
handsome indeed with his fine looking face and broad shoulders. He
looked rugged in an attractive way, and certainly far better than
the horrid Cade Hollway who leered at her at every opportunity.

Mr. Morgan Chase seemed familiar, but Indiana
would have remembered a man as handsome as he. He did, however,
look very much like the man she had seen earlier that day, but she
dismissed that thought as a fanciful notion.

Montana caught Indiana’s eye. Indiana nodded
at Montana, who winked at her.

When Deborah introduced Morgan to her
daughters, Indiana took shallow breaths as stirring tingles coursed
through her body. Her mind went blank and she stammered a greeting.
He must think I’m a complete fool
, she thought.
I’ve made
the worst first impression
.

Indiana was saved further embarrassment as
Misty, who due to the family’s financial circumstances was acting
now as the butler as well, showed the guests through the courtly
rooms into the dining room which overlooked the garden courtyard.
The heady scents of lily, rose, myrtle, myrrh, and laurel wafted
into the dining room, as did the herbal scents of rosemary, basil,
chamomile, and thyme. The sound of water tinkling from the
elaborate fountain adorned with sculptures of flowers and doves
added to the dining experience. However, the pleasant sounds of the
fountain were shattered at intervals by the piercing shrieks of
peacocks, which Indiana’s parents had imported from the Near
East.

Everyone took their seats at the massive
mahogany dining table, while Deborah signaled the cook to serve
dinner. Indiana had lost her appetite and toyed with her apricot
starter while Deborah and Charles Walton, a close friend of her
father’s, discussed politics and cattle.

Indiana cast sidelong glances at Morgan, who
did not notice, as he appeared to be in deep concentration, making
political remarks from time to time. He was most fine-looking, and
the deep tone of his voice was very attractive indeed. Indiana
hoped Morgan would speak more so she could listen to the sound of
his voice.

After her guests had left, Deborah took
Indiana by the arm. “My dear, I know I wanted a match for you with
Mr. Hollway, but I think Mr. Chase would be more suited. With
Charles as a business partner, he’s ideal, as well as being well
politically connected. Charles informs me that Mr. Chase is a very
wealthy land owner.”

In spite of herself, Indiana blurted out, “So
Mr. Chase is not betrothed?”

Deborah’s temper had returned. “Of course
not, you silly girl, or I wouldn’t be making such a suggestion. Now
off you go to bed.”

* * *

Morgan lay in bed thinking over the
afternoon’s events. Morgan could scarcely believe his luck when the
home to which he and his Uncle Charles had been invited to dinner
was that of the family of the beautiful lady.

Did he believe in love at first sight? Morgan
wasn’t sure. He had always scoffed at such things in the past. Yet
when he had first laid eyes on Indiana, his heart had thumped
furiously in his chest and his mouth had run dry. It was not just
that she had proven to be a generous soul, for he had been struck
by her beauty.

Is it possible to fall in love within
hours of meeting someone?
he wondered, as he lay on his bed,
tossing and turning.

Chapter 5

Indiana was sitting in the garden courtyard
with her sisters, Montana and Leah, and her best friend, Diana.

“I think Mother’s given up trying to marry me
to that awful Mr. Hollway,” Indiana announced.

Diana was clearly pleased for her. “Indiana!
That’s great news! Who does she have in mind instead?”

Indiana chuckled. “You know my mother too
well, Diana. She now seems set on Mr. Morgan Chase. Do you know
him? He’s just visiting town, but his business partner is Charles
Walton.”

“He’s awfully good looking,” Montana added.
“I suggested to Indiana that she make eyes at him.”

Indiana said. “You know, Diana, it’s not fair
that we can’t have any say in who we marry.”

Diana wrung her hands. “It’s a man’s world,
Indiana.” Her voice was a little more than a whisper. “I’m so sorry
for your family. If you had a brother, you wouldn’t be in his
predicament.”

“The inheritance laws need to be changed,”
Indiana said. “It’s awful that Mother is answering those mail order
bride advertisements and trying to push me onto the first wealthy
man she sees.”

Diana laughed. “I’m sure that’s an
exaggeration, Indiana, but Mr. Chase sounds like a good prospect.
Anyone would have to be better than Mr. Hollway.”

Indiana
went to speak, but Montana waved her
hand at her. “She’s changed her mind now, Diana, that’s for sure,
after she saw him, that is.”

Diana
raised her eyebrows. “So how
good-looking is he?”

“
Very,” Indiana
said forcefully, and the girls collapsed in helpless peals of
laughter. “But after Mother finds a husband for me, she’ll start on
the rest of you.

“
Leah isn’t
interested in boys,” Montana said. “She’s too young.”

“
Nonsense!”
Diana exclaimed. “My mother was married at a younger age than Leah.
She’d better get interested soon and pick out a suitable man she
likes, before the decision is made for her.”

“
That’s exactly
what I’m always saying.” Montana splashed water from the fountain
at Leah, who squealed and in turn splashed water on all the
girls.

Leah
was indignant. “Stop talking about me
like I’m not here. I love painting and design. What’s wrong with
that? Anyway Indiana, Mother said if you don’t marry a wealthy man
in a hurry, she will answer mail order advertisements for me, and
for Montana too.”

Indiana
’s voice rose in
surprise. “Surely you’re mistaken, Leah.”

“
No, Indiana,
it’s a fact.”

“
Why that’s
scandalous!” Indiana was horrified.

Montana
and Diana murmured
agreement.

Leah
nodded at Indiana, and then changed
the subject. “Who wants to go to the library and read?”

Everyone
thought that good idea, except for Indiana. “I’ve read just about
every book in the library. Would you mind if I left early? Mother
wants me to take a message to the banker for her. I’ll talk to you
soon, Diana.”

“
Do you mean
Wyatt Greenfield, Indiana?” Montana said the word
‘
Wyatt’
forcefully.

“
Yes, the
banker, Mr. Wyatt Greenfield. Why, Montana?”

“
No reason.”
Montana’s tone was just as forceful and her face turned beet
red.

As
Indiana made her way out of the
garden, she figured she had just discovered the identity of
Montana’s mystery crush.

Chapter 6

Indiana paused at the front door of the bank
before going in. She looked up at the building, which practically
took up the whole corner. It was a grand building, almost
intimidatingly so. It had four floors, although the first floor was
the only one the public was permitted to enter. Indiana was no
stranger to money. All that was going to change now that her father
had died. Indiana had grown up around wealth, living in such a
large house, with servants to attend to her every need. She was
used to large, extravagant buildings like the Wells Fargo Nevada
National Bank. However, now she was forced to think about money for
the first time in her life.

Indiana stood outside the doors still, and
turned in a slow circle. In this section of San Francisco, it was
uncommon to see someone of the lower classes, and everyone she saw
passing, whether they were walking, or riding in a car or carriage,
was dressed nicely. The women wore their large skirts, the men,
their tall hats. Most of the men walking carried walking sticks,
all polished nicely. One man walked by with a gray mustache and a
brand new top hat, his hand wrapped around the knob of his walking
stick. Indiana noted that the knob was a rather impressive looking
jewel of some sort. Once, Indiana would have thought nothing of it.
Now, it made her stomach turn slightly.

She gripped the envelope her mother had given
her tightly in her hand and turned once more, back toward the bank.
She steeled herself, and stepped inside, the doorman bowing low as
he pulled the heavy door outward and open for her.

“Ma’am,” he said. Indiana nodded her head,
and slipped past him without a word. The man looked to be in his
forties, and had rounded rosy cheeks. He stood and opened the door
for people who had more money than him all day, and Indiana
couldn’t understand why he did it. She had been thinking about the
servants she had grown up around as well lately, most of them
dismissed by her mother, who for the first time in her life was
feeling the need to pinch her purse tightly.

There had been a butler, cooks, and maids,
and men who kept the grounds cut and cleaned. They were people who
served others, and Indiana did not think she would ever be able to
do that. Yet she did acknowledge that almost any job she could
think of served others in a way. A butcher cut meat for his
customers, and a banker moved money for his. But to pull open doors
for people perfectly capable of doing so themselves, to clean the
dishes of people who could do so just as well, was nevertheless now
a strange concept to her. She thought of Misty, her friend first,
and her maid second. Misty was a part of the family. In fact, Misty
had been the only maid retained by her mother, who had been
unwilling to send the girl away.

Inside, the bank was just as impressive as it
was from the street. Indiana stood in the lobby, a massive thing
with stuffed chairs and couches, and tables made from rich and
stained mahogany wood. There were small offices here for some of
the more important bankers, hemmed in from the lobby by glass and
wood, their owners’ names stenciled impressively on the doors in
thick gold lettering.

At the back of the lobby was the counter. It
had six windows which bankers stood behind, and conversed with
their customers. A line had formed back there, as the morning was
one of the busiest times for the bank. Each window was open, and
the bankers were courteous but fast, clearly eager to get through
the morning rush.

Luckily, Indiana did not need to wait in
line, as she needed to speak with Wyatt Greenfield, who had been
Indiana’s family’s banker for as long as she could remember,
despite the fact he was not much older than she.