The Confidential Life of Eugenia Cooper Part 26

"Now, b.u.t.tercup," Daniel said, "we're just pretending."

Her eyes wide, Charlotte shook her head. "I don't understand, Papa. If the preacher says you're married, then aren't you?"

"It's complicated." Daniel looked to Gennie for a.s.sistance.

She turned away, leaving him to answer his daughter's questions alone. It was, after all, because of him that she'd perpetrated this fraud.

And yet, she could've said no.

That thought followed her through the afternoon until, as she stepped into the hotel dining room at the usual dinner hour, she found she'd walked into what appeared to be a celebration. "What's this?" she asked Hiram, who had planted himself near the exit.

Daniel's a.s.sistant leaned toward her. "It appears Leadville's elite have gathered with the purpose of having an intimate supper with the celebrities of the moment."

Gennie frowned. "Stop being sarcastic, Hiram. There are easily a hundred people in this room, and I don't see a single celebrity." She slid him a sideways look as Daniel moved toward her through the crowd. "Though the president himself could be in here, and I'd never find him."

She gestured discreetly toward a table where an inordinate amount of attention was being placed on an older man and a lovely young woman with fair hair and curls. Gennie recognized the woman at once as the friendly person who'd introduced herself as Baby. "Who is that man with Mrs. Doe? He looks familiar. Is he her father?"

Hiram's brows rose. "That's Mr. Tabor. And he should look familiar. He's our lieutenant governor."

"I see." She returned Mrs. Doe's wave. "Are they friends?"

"Yes, well, that's not exactly..." Hiram seemed at a loss, though his expression told the rest of the tale.

"Ah." She met the woman's gaze and exchanged smiles.

"Gennie, dear," Daniel called when he'd nearly reached her. "Come and meet a few of my friends."

"Really, I don't think-"

"Good idea." Daniel grasped her wrist and leaned in close. "Don't think, Miss Cooper, or you'll ruin our ruse."

Firmly extricating herself from his grip, Gennie shook her head. "This will never work."

"It must."

"Look at those two," said a man with too much hair oil as he pressed through the crowd to slap Daniel on the back. "Give your blushing bride a kiss, you lucky man."

"In good time, Fenton." Daniel slid Gennie a sideways glance. "Dear, this is Ike Fenton. Do say h.e.l.lo."

Gennie shook his hand, only to find he wore as much oil on his fingers as on his head. She looked at her now-spotted gloves with dismay.

"Fetching thing," Fenton said. "You got a sister back home who might want to marry up with a rich man, honey?"

Several responses occurred to her, but Daniel excused himself from the loathsome man's company, taking Gennie with him. "A moment of your time, dear," he said, though his expression was far more tender than his grip.

Leading her out the nearest exit took more than a moment, and by the time he'd accomplished the feat, Gennie was glad for the respite. Her conscience was beginning to plague her worse than the store-bought slippers she wore.

"You're doing great, Miss Cooper," he said when he'd slipped with her into an alcove off the lobby. "I appreciate your willingness to-"

"Willingness?" Her temper flared. "Did I really have a choice? Willingness indicates a choice."

"Keep your voice down."

"Keep my voice down?" Her blood boiled. "'Keep your voice down, Miss Cooper. I appreciate your willingness, Miss Cooper. Do tell the parson you agree to be my wife, Miss Cooper.' " Gennie stomped her foot. "No, Mr. Beck, I do not recall any sort of-"

Daniel pulled her against him and kissed her. "That was for your own good as well as mine."

"My own good?" She wiped her mouth with the back of her shaking hand. "Now I've positively heard it all."

"Trouble in paradise?" Ira Stegman paused at the alcove, his wife at his side.

"It appears my bride is reluctant to remain downstairs," Daniel said. "I've explained to her I'll not take her up to the bridal suite until we've done our social duties at the reception." He looked past Ira. "Much obliged for the hasty response to our nuptials, ma'am."

Mrs. Stegman nodded, and the feathers on her bonnet swayed. "Nonsense, Daniel. You're practically family. It was the least the Ladies' Society could do." She reached past her husband to grasp Gennie's arm. "Let's discuss what sort of position you'd like in the society."

"I...well, that is..." Gennie looked to Daniel for help. Thankfully, he did not miss her plea.

"Now, Mrs. Stegman," he said, yanking Gennie back into his arms. "Don't you think her social duties might be put on hold for now?" He nuzzled Gennie's neck. "After all, she is only just married."

The older woman's giggle took Gennie by surprise. "What was I thinking? Of course your wifely duties would take precedence."

"That's exactly what I told her."

Wifely duties? Gennie elbowed Daniel, who quietly coughed. "Perhaps we should go in and thank our guests for this lovely reception, then, dear."

His pained look turned genial as soon as he led her into the crowd. Gennie endured the congratulations of nearly every soul in the room before stopping at a table opposite the exit, where Charlotte sat.

The girl grasped her hand. "I thought you said it was pretend," she whispered.

"I thought so too," Gennie said with a sigh. "I suppose someone should tell them that."

Charlotte shook her head. "I think you're just teasing me."

"b.u.t.tercup, can we continue this conversation later?" Daniel gestured to a table decked out in wedding finery. "Go and sit with Miss Cooper-that is, Gennie-and we will discuss it later."

"I want to know now. Are you married or not?"

A couple nearby turned to look at them, and Daniel shrugged. "She's new to the idea," he said, engaging the husband in conversation and gesturing to Gennie behind his back to take Charlotte to the table.

Gennie groaned and linked arms with the girl. Somehow she managed to move the child to the table and get her seated. "Now, dear," she said when the girl refused to stop staring at her, "your father and I have explained it all to you. It's just a little game..."

The words sounded as false as the other excuses she'd told Charlotte. As false as the ones she'd told herself.

She could have said no.

The meal began, and Daniel came to sit beside her. "I didn't expect this," he said to Gennie as he gathered Charlotte into his lap, "or I'd have warned you."

"So you say." Gennie's gaze surveyed the room. "Interesting how the same people practicing vigilante justice on us mere hours ago are now falling over one another to wish us the best." She returned her attention to Daniel and caught him staring. "What? Have I spilled the soup on myself?" Gennie looked down at the front of her gown, then back up at Daniel. "Stop looking at me like that."

Daniel's brows rose and he dabbed at the corner of his mouth. "Miss Cooper, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"That's Mrs. Beck, dear," she reminded him in a less-than-sweet tone.

Lieutenant Governor Tabor stood and raised his gla.s.s. "A toast to the happy couple."

Daniel rose slowly and deposited Charlotte in the chair beside him. "Thank you, Horace," he said as he lifted his gla.s.s.

Gennie remained seated. Her knocking knees could never have supported her. If only she could find a way to make an exit from the forced festivities. Thankfully, Charlotte gave her a reason.

"Your daughter is exhausted," she said to Daniel when he sat once more. She gestured to the child, who rested her elbows on the table. "I'll see she gets to bed. No need for you to leave the party."

"Are you certain?" Was that regret she saw on his face?

"Very." She rose, and Daniel joined her. "Do make my apologies to your friends."

Gennie swept Charlotte from the room and headed upstairs to the bridal suite, where she made sure the door was locked tight.

"See?" she said as she turned to tackle the job of preparing Charlotte for bed. "If your papa and I were really married, it would be him, not you, in that monstrosity of a bed tonight, so be thankful."

Charlotte giggled, and Gennie admonished her for racing over to climb beneath the ma.s.sive curtains.

"You're filthy, child," she said, "and your bath is drawn, so into it you go."

The girl stood her ground.

"Fine, then," Gennie said. "I'll sleep in the bed, and you can have the pallet on the floor over there."

Charlotte dashed toward the tub.

Some time later, heavy footsteps paused outside in the hall, but only for a moment before continuing on. Gennie punched the lumpy pillow and rolled onto her back on the makeshift pallet before gathering the blanket to her chin.

I could have said no.

That thought followed Gennie all the way to Denver and echoed in her mind as she boarded the streetcar for the downtown area and the telegraph office. Fully expecting a response from Hester Vanowen to have languished there until she returned, she was surprised to find nothing waiting for her. Gennie peered into her near-empty reticule and extracted enough coins to pay for a brief telegram reminding her old friend of the prior request.

With nothing left to do but go back to the Beck home, she climbed aboard the streetcar and rode all the way back to the end of the line, wondering why she'd not heard from Hester. That concern faded when she spied Anna Finch waiting for her on the sidewalk.

"How was Leadville?" she asked as she fell into step with Gennie.

"Interesting" was the best answer Gennie could give.

They walked in silence for a full block before Anna stopped. "You've fallen in love with him. I can tell."

Gennie shook her head. "No, of course not. We did spend a bit of time together, and there were some interesting developments while in Leadville, but love? Hardly. You're the one who loves Daniel Beck, not me."

Anna shook her head. "I'm not convinced."

"Then don't be," Gennie said as she stalked ahead. "My opinion in the matter of Daniel Beck doesn't seem to matter to anyone anyway."

She left Anna at the gate of the Beck house and stormed inside. Elias and Tova sat at the kitchen table.

"Your trunks have been unpacked," Tova said. "What would you like me to do with the pistol?"

"The pistol?" Gennie shook her head. "Considering the events of the last few days, I suggest you keep it as far away from me as you can."

She headed upstairs to see to Charlotte's bedtime routine. When one story was not enough, she went down to the library to fetch another. There, she walked in on Daniel, who sat at the desk, looking at a letter.

"I'm terribly sorry," she said, turning to leave.

He looked up as if he hadn't heard her come in. "No, it's fine. I'm guessing Charlotte asked for another book." When she nodded, he pointed out two of her favorites. "Take them both," he said. "She may want a third."

"She'll not have a third," Gennie said, "but I will give her a choice."

His nod dismissed her, and Gennie escaped upstairs feeling she'd somehow been judged and found lacking. That feeling intensified when she returned the books to the library awhile later and found Daniel still sitting at the desk.

"I'm sorry," she said again. "I'll just leave these outside and put them away in the morning."

"No." He looked up from his work. "Come in and sit, please."

"Perhaps tomorrow," she said. "I'm exhausted."

"No. Now, please." He sighed. "There's no need to put this off."

Daniel gestured to the empty chair, and she grudgingly sat in the one next to it. "All right, but is it impertinent of me to ask that, given the late hour, you be brief?"

"First, I would like to know what your plans are for preparing Charlotte to meet her grandfather."

Her grandfather? He was the royal personage to whom Charlotte would be presented? "Now that she's wearing socially appropriate attire, I thought to introduce her to events where she can use her manners and deportment."

"Charlotte has manners and deportment?"

Gennie nodded. "She began her lessons in Leadville, and they will continue until I leave." She recited one of Mama's favorite lines. "The end of learning is the end of knowledge, Mr. Beck."

"Daniel."

"Oh, of course," she said. "It wouldn't do to call one's husband by anything other than his given name."

"Speaking of Leadville." His gaze collided with hers. "Do you realize that had you not chosen to scream at the most inopportune time, none of this would have happened?"

Gennie blinked hard and shook her head. "Do I understand you correctly? Are you blaming me me?"

"If you recall, the occupants of the third floor were summoned not when Charlotte had her nightmare, but when you screamed at my entrance into the room." He held his hand up to stop her protest. "And let me remind you, I knocked before I entered."

"You knocked, and therefore I should not have screamed when a man wearing what appeared to be some sort of strange traveling cloak barged into a hotel room already under guard due to threats by an awful miner who chased your daughter?"

Daniel seemed to let all of that sink in before slowly nodding.