1863 Saratoga Summer Page 31

  Essie came into the room, her bright yellow hair swinging freely. Her toothsome grin lit up the room. “Doesn’t the missus look lovely? Dazzling?”

  “She goes well past lovely and dazzling. Try heart-stopping,” Connor said, not removing his gaze from Sinead. He let it wander and linger to its contentment.

  “Well, I’m going outside to play in the sand with my small charge,” Essie informed them. When no one responded to her or looked in her direction, she fled through the front door, chuckling loudly.

  Connor heard her chiding Robbie for the amount of sand his body contained. His mind quickly blocked out her voice as he crossed the room to his wife. His arms slid around her waist and he drew her tightly against the full length of his arousal, delighted at the womanly feel of her. He teased her lips with his tongue and wondered how long he could keep his desire for this feisty woman in check.

  A flare of heat grew in her eyes, but she touched his chest with the heel of her hand, pushing her upper body away slightly. “Connor?” She worried her lower lip with the edges of her white teeth.

  The very gesture set Connor aflame. A line of fire shot across his back and down his legs. His arms folded around her tighter than before. Afraid he might overstep what she was ready for, he kissed her brow in a loving gesture. His hands gently rubbed her back and then smoothed the hair, hanging nearly to her waist.

  The unexpected feel of its full length and its silky quality captivated him. She usually wore it tied in a bun wound around her head or at the nape of her neck. He crushed a wad of hair in his hand, kissed it then her mouth softly.

  “We’d best be going, lass, or I’ll not be able to keep myself from devouring you in some unseemly fashion.” He turned to the door and took her hand.

  Her smile gladdened him, made him feel light-hearted. She followed the smile with a rich, zesty laugh and moved in front of him to go out the door he was holding open. They walked across the porch in the direction of the carriage and Bowes’ grays, which waited patiently in the long circular driveway.

  On the porch, Sinead called, “Rob. Come say good night to Mama.”

  The lad ran from the side of the house and stopped before running into her. In a hushed voice, he whispered, “Mama, you look beautiful.” He looked down at himself. “I’m all dirty.”

  “But the compliment you paid to your mama deserves something.” She bent down, kissed the top of his head and patted his back. “You behave yourself, Rob, and take good care of Essie…” She smiled at them both, linked her arm with Connor’s and gazed up at him with adoration in her eyes.

  “You look pretty, Mama,” Robbie called, in an admiring small, soft voice. “Like a flower in the garden.”

  Sinead chuckled, looked down then said very seriously, “Thank you, darlin’. Mama feels very pretty tonight.” She tossed her head and again looked at Connor.

  He ruffled the top of Robbie’s head. “Behave, son.” He put his hand over the hand on his arm. They strode to the carriage, where Harry, dressed in his best livery clothes, looked very smug and proud. He sat perfectly upright in the driver’s seat.

  ~*~

  Bleakly, Adelaide Dewitt stared out the window of the far too expensive room Ludwig engaged for their short stay in Saratoga. Money was tight since their house in New York City burned to the ground. It was just as well, she thought. Saratoga was not the same since the Civil War started. When the elite from the South stopped coming, the ambiance of the village was ruined for her. She sighed and brought her hand up to pat her hair in place.

  Fortunately for the Dewitts, they hastily fled the city home before it was destroyed. Most of their valuables, except for paintings and furniture, were secure in Albany. Their house in Albany, close to Adelaide’s family and used only in the heat of summer, was intact and, due to the extensive renovations they made on it every year, beautiful.

  She turned from the window, deep in thought. Perhaps, if they used more of the money Robert Cavanaugh left to their grandson, another New York home would be rebuilt on the same piece of land as the old one. Besides, Adelaide wanted a newer home with more luxuries in it, but she didn’t mind staying in the Albany one. She walked with aimless abandon to the unmade bed and fussed with the covers, placing them in a neater fashion.

  Restless with energy, she moved about the expensive hotel room, worried about finances, but Ludwig decided they should treat themselves. The visit to Saratoga for the first running of the legalized Thoroughbred Racing Card was a perfect excuse.

  Ludwig promised not to bet heavily on the races. Not for a minute did she believe he could keep the promise. He was addicted. Gambling on all sorts of sporting events, a habit taught to him by Robert Cavanaugh himself, was the root of Luddie’s present financial problems.

  She chuckled, distressed. In another nervous gesture, she ran her hands over her hair, making sure her bun was in place. She picked up the remains of the newspaper, lying on the floor, straightened it out, refolded it and let it fall from her hand to the nearby table.

  Sad but true, she thought, Luddie’s problems became hers when they married thirty years ago. She was a mere sixteen at the time and often wondered, if her life would be different if she didn’t conceive the first time the forbidden fruit of lust was tasted. Well, one never knew, did they?

  She lost her appetite for Luddie when his affairs with gambling and the demon rum drowned his interest in other pleasures and diminished his performance ability. She shrugged.

  If her fate were different, their daughter wouldn’t have been born, a terrible thing for Adelaide to contemplate. She loved her daughter dearly. If it weren’t for the dynastic loins Robert Cavanaugh forced upon Lucinda’s delicate, suffering womb, the girl would still be with her mother.

  Anger in her every footstep, Adelaide circled the room at a faster pace. She stamped the heels of her shoes on the floor, with little care about people in the rooms below. I hate Cavanaugh! Secretly, she enjoyed the effects of Robert’s crippling accident, and she managed to ignore the son he’d fostered.

  A lowering of her eyelids and a soft groan brought her back to her senses. Lonely tears skimmed her eyelashes. It does no good to relive the past.

  “Luddie, hurry, dear,” she called, just to hear the sound of her voice. “We don’t want to be late, now, do we?”

  She and Luddie had arrived in the village two days ago. They spent the time greeting people they knew from previous seasons.

  Old Mrs. Elizabeth Smythe, a white-haired lady from New York City, hurried to impart the first bit of gossip. “How grand to see you, dear. And you, Ludwig. I spied your Jane strolling about with your grandson just yesterday.”

  Adelaide managed to hide her surprise, keeping her face bland with a bright smile. “Jane?” She chuckled. “Are you sure? Or have your old eyes played a trick on you?”

  “On the arm of a very handsome gentleman, I must add,” Elizabeth said, smiling slyly.

  Luddie pinched her elbow. They stared at each other, a bit aghast, to think Jane was here, in Saratoga Springs, with young Robert and her new husband.

  “Er, that’s Jane’s new husband, as a matter of fact,” Ludwig responded.

  “Why yes,” added Adelaide. “We’re planning on meeting with them before the racing meet. Perhaps, we’ll see you before then as well.” With a brusque not, Adelaide marched down the stairs of the hotel to the street level.

  After concerted inquiries and conversations with several other guests, they learned of the farm on the lake. Returning to the porch, they watched the parade of well-dressed women and men. They remained quiet until Elizabeth approached them for a second time.

  Elizabeth, who loved to spread stories, confided to Adelaide. “The place out by the lake belongs to Jane’s father. Bowes Brennan, of all people.” She wrinkled her nose.

  “Is that the truth? I didn’t know,” Adelaide lied. She was having a hard time disguising her feeling of disgust.

  “Of course, it is, my dear. Would I lie to you?” Th
e smile she gave Adelaide was broad and deceitful.

  With equal fierceness, Adelaide smiled grimly. “Tell me what else you’ve heard.”

  Mrs. Smythe rubbed her hands together. “It seems, one Connor O’Malley handles the operation of the farm. They board horses for some of the wealthier thoroughbred owners, I’m told.” She tilted her chin in Adelaide’s direction, pleased to impart news she hoped would upset her friend.

  Adelaide pulled on Luddie’s sleeve. “What fascinating news.” They glanced at one another, nodded to Mrs. Smythe and slowly walked across the porch to the main doors. “We’ll see you later, my dear,” Adelaide called over her shoulder.

  With Adelaide’s hand on her husband’s arm, the two scooted down the huge porch of the hotel and glanced back at their gossipy friend. She was conversing with another. They sheepishly sat in two empty rocking chairs, their heads close together. There they discussed several plans, each of which came to their minds with the ease of their long years together and several practiced deceptions.

  Once the strategy was agreed upon, Adelaide remarked. “How might living on a horse farm appeal to our Jane who hates and fears the animals?” Adelaide was not particularly fond of them herself, but she clearly understood Jane’s fear and knew whence it came. “I doubt the marriage to her Mister O’Malley will go all that well.”

  ~*~

  Back in their room, waiting for Luddie to come out of the bathroom, Adelaide realized she was glad Robbie was alive and well. Several times, other friends mentioned they saw him in the village with Bowes and the man he now called his da. No matter what the child called anyone, he would come back to New York with Luddie and her, she determined. They couldn’t afford to lose the child’s inheritance to some lowly Irish washerwoman. Not at this late stage in their lives.

  “Luddie, hurry,” Adelaide called to her husband. He was dallying with his evening shave, no doubt rereading the racing card for the tenth time. “They’ll be here any minute.”

  “I’ll be right along, dear. We need to consider and think about what going on in this town in order to converse with those people, with any sense of propriety,” he shouted through the closed door. “Tonight, the game must be played for our success.”

  “Well, hurry.”

  “I’ll be right there, my love. If you like, start down without me. If you should encounter them in the lobby, do not discuss anything important with them until I arrive.”

  “I’ll wait,” she answered begrudgingly. She slid down onto the window seat, her knees crossed in displeasure, her foot tapping air. Her nerves were frayed. She couldn’t even bear to look out the window again, so she watched the bathroom door, waiting for her husband to appear.

  Ludwig waddled out of the small room, his waistcoat stretched tight across the belly, which lead the way. His full mustache and long sideburns were still damp but freshly combed and waxed.

  He tweaked the mustache with a certain male satisfaction. “Well, my dear, I must say you look very relaxed. And quite lovely I might add.”

  “Thank you, Luddie. Every compliment is pleasant, indeed. But I’m really quite anxious about this evening. We know nothing about this man our Jane married other than he stands to inherit property in Ireland. Fat lot it will do us over here in America.”

  “Addie darling, please, have some faith in this husband of yours” He flicked his wrist over the sleeve of his jacket to chase off a piece of suspected lint. “I’ve checked out this young fellow. He’s a horseman of some note in Ireland, plus the eldest son of a titled father. With the gossip in this town, I’m sure he’ll be equally famous here.”

  “But will he stay here? In America? If the rumors are true, after what happened to his brother and him, in the City, I doubt he’ll return to live there.”

  “I’m sure our little Jane will be able to persuade him to stay. She’s quite a tasty piece of goods or haven’t you noticed, Adelaide?” Ludwig leered.

  “Don’t be disgusting, Ludwig. This teasing will leave me to fancy something went on between the two of you.” A rush of heat rose to her face.

  Her husband bellowed with good humor. “I would be most flattered if you thought so, my dear. But you do understand it takes someone like you, with your beauty, your intelligence, to make a mockery of this man and turn him into a pile of quivering jelly.”

  It was Adelaide’s turn to laugh, although her lips turned downward as the sound burst from her body. “Come,” she said, keeping a smile plastered on her face. “Let give those two devils their due…”

  With her hand linked to his forearm, the two left the room and strolled toward the stairs, prepared to make a grand entrance into the gigantic center lobby of the hotel. As they promenaded, they continually nodded, in a condescending manner, to people they passed, as if they were far grander personages than those they greeted.

  Faced with the final wide staircase, Adelaide drew her petite frame up to appear more imposing. “Luddie, walk me to the banister. I’ll hold on with one hand and keep the other on your arm. I think we’ll make such a refined picture, don’t you?” She smiled up at him.

  Ludwig tipped his head to his wife of many years and took her elbow. He brought her to the handrail with a sliding motion, offered her his arm and gently, with much deference, led her down the stairs.

  From the steps, Adelaide saw Connor and Jane, waiting in the lobby. They were speaking to several men she knew on sight, many of them important financiers. She wondered how they became connected with such illustrious people.

  Suddenly, she squeezed Luddie’s arm and let air hiss between her teeth. A most unimaginable sight greeted her eyes. Bowes Brennan stood with them. A very attractive woman, even more petite than Adelaide, clung to his arm. He was talking and making grand gestures to the gambling house owner, John Morrissey. The shock over Brennan’s even being allowed in the grand hall of the hotel brought Adelaide up short.

  Her voice, pitched high, carried clearly across the wide expanse of the lobby area. “There they are.” She rushed gracefully down the remaining steps, sweeping her gown in back of her, as if anxious to see the young couple. “My darling Jane,” she gushed as she hastened to enclose Jane in an embrace.

  Connor turned, nodded and reminded politely, “Sinead is her name.”

  “Ah yes, Sinead. Dearest girl, I am so happy to see you.” With a great show of affection, Adelaide kissed both her cheeks. Sinead drew back, her eyes narrowed. Adelaide took the opportunity to toss a barb at her. “And you look so well. The outdoor climate seems to put some color into your pale cheeks.”

  While his wife greeted Jane, Ludwig extended his hand to Connor. “My boy, how grand it is to finally meet you face to face.” He nodded to Bowes. “And Mister Brennan. How nice to see you again.”

  Ludwig turned to the woman he considered young Robert’s governess. “And Ja—Sinead, you’re looking quite fit.”

  Sinead looked at Connor and her da then shrugged and gestured. “Have you all met Mister Morrissey? He’s been so kind to us since our arrival.”

  Irish Jack Morrissey tipped his tall hat to them. “’Tis nice to be meeting ye. The O’Malley told me ye own a grand house in the City.”

  “We did,” Adelaide said sharply, glaring up at a man she deemed most common. “Irish rioters burned it to the ground. We’ve nothing left but the land it stood on.”

  Morrissey smiled down at the woman who challenged him. “Och, ‘tis a sad thing then. But to me countrymen, the land is everything good and glorious. Ye were lucky to have it. I’m sure ‘tis waiting for ye still.”

  He looked around to include everyone. “Well, I’ll be bidding ye good day. Have a pleasant dinner. Connor, lad, I’ll be speaking with ye during the parade of the fancy horses. Should be an interesting event.”

  Adelaide, her eyes narrowed with dislike, her lips turned up in a sneer, watched the man tip his hat to her again and leave. Her eyes followed his bulky figure, greeting people on all sides, until he went out the large doors onto the por
ch.

  She turned to Connor and Jane. “Let’s repair to the dining room. My husband and I reserved a special table at the front.” She quickly preceded them then whirled around, her gown twisting around her leg. “I am sorry to be so rude, Mister Brennan. You haven’t introduced us to your lady friend.”

  “Aye, Missus Dewitt. That be the case, but I’ll do so this moment. Pegeen lass, come forward here, for a minute of yer time. I’d like ye to be giving the Missus here a big smiling nod, being as how she’s Robbie’s grandmother.”

  Pegeen moved to his side with great caution. She popped a quick curtsey to the Dewitts. “Sir. Ma’am.”

  “Will you be joining us at dinner?” Adelaide inquired, impolitely.

  “Och, nae, Missus Dewitt. Bowes and me, we’ve already supped. We’ll be on the street, waiting for the show of horses.”

  Adelaide turned slightly. “Well then Ja—Sinead, Connor. Come. We’ve ordered a delightful dinner. I certainly hope you’re both hungry.” As she moved off, she turned back to Bowes and Pegeen. “Perhaps we’ll meet again somewhere.”

  Pegeen bobbed again and said sweetly, arching a single eyebrow. “Och, I’m hoping we will.” She watched them troop single-file into the huge room off to one side of the lobby hallway. “Like hell I do. Perhaps when the place down there freezes over.”

  Pegeen felt the heat of her face. “Bowes, me love, that rotten woman chilled me to the bone. I couldn’t have eaten in her presence for all the tea in…och , you know the place.”

  Laughter blasted from Bowes small frame. He embraced Pegeen and swung her around.

  “Och, ye’re making this old woman dizzy,” she whispered in his ear.

  “Aye, and ye’ve been making me dizzy since the first I ever laid me eyes on ye, years ago.” Bowes set her on her feet. “I think I’m half in love with ye.”

  “Half would never do me, Bowes. I’m an all or nothin’ kind of woman.”

  Bowes put his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Well then lassie, would ye be wantin’ to marry with an old man like me?”