“There are three others courting her as well, so it’s not a sure solution, though I am hopeful. But these things can’t be hurried.”
“You love her?” Violet asked Evan.
“No, not yet, but at least she’s pretty, so I’m willing to make the sacrifice, even if you aren’t. And she likes me,” he added with a rakish grin.
She rolled her eyes at him. Of course the young woman would like him. He and Daniel were both so handsome. But they were never supposed to have to sacrifice when choosing a wife. Then again, they were never supposed to end up poor either. She was going to give her father a blistering tongue-lashing for thoughtlessly squandering his inheritance and putting them in this dilemma.
She turned to Daniel who, by default, had become her traveling partner, but he winced and admitted, “I hate to say it, but I’m also committed. I would have gone to look for Father myself if I weren’t. Although I’m sure he’s fine. You know how charismatic he is. He makes friends and charms people into helping him wherever he goes.”
“Committed how?” she asked, daunted by the thought of traveling to Montana without at least one of her brothers.
“It’s a debt to a friend,” Daniel said, then blushed. “We gambled. I really thought I could win, but I didn’t, and I didn’t have the money to pay him. If he weren’t a friend, he probably would have had me tossed in jail. He was willing to wait for payment, but then his sister came to town and he offered to cancel the debt if I would agree to escort her during her visit. It was worth it to him to get out of the task himself. And I was delighted that I wouldn’t have to admit that I couldn’t afford to pay him back. It was only supposed to be for a few weeks, but she decided to extend her stay.”
“How much do you owe him?” Violet asked.
Evan glanced up from chopping carrots. “Don’t be annoyed with him, Vi. Had he gotten lucky, he could have turned that first bet into our next loan payment. Besides, Father told us to go on as if nothing had changed. It hasn’t been easy, keeping our reduced circumstances from our friends.”
She repeated more sternly, “How much?”
Daniel sighed. “Only fifty dollars, but that’s a damn lot now that our pockets are empty.”
She hated to see her brothers pinching pennies like this, but was relieved by the amount. “I can pay that off, so you can come with me to Montana.” When he started to grin, she added, “Don’t look so pleased. You may end up having to help work Father’s mine.”
He groaned. Evan laughed as he put the slab of beef in the oven to roast with the carrots. But Violet continued giving orders. “Evan, while you stay here to continue your courtship and deal with Mr. Perry, you might want to discreetly find out if anyone you know is interested in buying this house, just in case we have to lose it. Selling it will allow you to pay off the bank loan as well as any other debts you have and still end up with a profit.”
“You know you actually sound British now?” Daniel suddenly said.
She raised a brow. “What did you expect? I’ve lived in London for as many years as I lived here, so of course I picked up an accent and a few expressions you aren’t familiar with.”
“You sound exactly like Aunt Elizabeth did when she came for you, furious that Father had let you turn into a tomboy,” Evan added.
She laughed. “No, I wasn’t a tomboy. And if I were to stay here for a few months, I might start sounding American again.”
“You won’t stay? Even if we drag Father home and all is as it should be again?”
Daniel looked so hopeful she almost told him what he wanted to hear. But if all could be as it should be, her life wouldn’t change and she could go back to London and enjoy the Season, so she gently said, “No, but I will start visiting every few years now that my schooling is done. I won’t ask Father and Evan to make that trip again, but you could, you know. In either case, I won’t let another five years pass without us seeing each other, I promise you that.”
“But why go back?” Daniel protested.
“Right before I sailed, I met the man I’m going to marry, Elliott Palmer, an English lord. And I intend to be back in England sooner rather than later so I don’t lose him to some other debutante. So let’s focus on our plan. Evan, you convince Mr. Perry to hold off on foreclosing on the house. The letter I write tonight should help with that. And Daniel and I will return from Montana with good news—or bring Father with us.”
“Send word to me immediately,” Evan said. “I want to know that he’s well.”
He was worried, Violet realized, and Daniel probably was, too; they just didn’t want her to know it and start worrying as well. She said staunchly, “Someone would have notified you if anything bad happened to Father, particularly since he owns property in Montana, if a mining claim can be called that. So it’s a good thing that you’ve heard nothing. He’s probably too busy mining so he can get us out of this pickle, and too far from a town to post a letter. Now, is there a bed left in this house for me to sleep in tonight?”
Chapter Four
VIOLET WAS A LITTLE excited when she and Daniel left for the train station the next morning. She’d had him buy her a valise yesterday when he’d gone to pay off his friendly wager, because it would be a nuisance to take one of her trunks on this journey when she didn’t expect to be in Montana more than a few days. And he’d come back with good news. His friend had refused to take the money, assuring him that putting up with his sister for as long as Daniel had sufficed as payment in full.
She was more worried about the other creditors her brothers had mentioned, but both assured her their credit was still good because none of those merchants were aware of their financial straits. Still, she left Evan with a little money, wishing it could be more, but she needed to make sure there would be enough left for the whole family to live on if their father hadn’t been successful out west. But she was hopeful and so looking forward to seeing her father again.
They just managed to buy tickets for a train that was about to depart. She boarded ahead of her brother and found them a seat, setting down her valise. She thought he was right behind her until she glanced out and saw him on the platform being led away by a policeman! He was shouting, trying to tell her something, but she couldn’t hear him clearly through the closed windows. She rushed to the boarding stairs and would have stepped off onto the platform, but the train started to move.
She heard Daniel yelling, “It’s my tailor. He thinks I’m skipping town without paying him. I’ll straighten this out and follow you tomorrow. Don’t waste your ticket to stay and wait for me!”
She couldn’t get off the train now even if she wanted to. She did want to and considered jumping off, but was afraid she’d break one of her limbs, and then she wouldn’t be going anywhere. But she really didn’t want to travel alone even for just one day. At least she would have had a maid with her if Jane hadn’t been so afraid of going on this trip—good God, now she was just as afraid as Jane. Daniel might follow her tomorrow, if he could get a refund for his ticket to buy another, but he would still be a day behind her for the entire trip, unless she went no farther than the first layover. But time was of the essence, time during which a loan payment was rapidly coming due again.