Bride of the High Country by Kaki Warner

Author:Kaki Warner [Warner, Kaki]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780425247501
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2012-06-04T14:00:00+00:00

* * *

Before they even reached Indianapolis, the next big stopover after Columbus, Lucinda and Maddie had become fast friends, which was odd, insomuch as they were the exact opposite of one another.

Maddie, the optimist. Lucinda, the cynic. The Englishwoman’s unbridled cheerfulness might have grated on Lucinda had she not caught glimpses of a sharp intelligence beneath the bubbly personality. Plus, Maddie seemed innately kind. But what set her apart even more was her ability to see through the armor most people wore—Lucinda included—to the goodness, rather than the ugliness, of the person within. It was apparent in every photograph she showed Lucinda, whether the subject was an old woman sharing her lunch with pigeons in a park or a tattered soldier begging on a street corner or a mist-shrouded cemetery next to a charred plantation home. She saw beauty everywhere. That was her gift, and through her tintypes, she was able to share it with anyone who took the time to look.

But the dear woman needed a keeper. She was forever forgetting her reticule or her gloves, or charming strangers with her ready smile. She had no idea of the dangers awaiting the unaware, so it was left to Lucinda to take on the task of being her watchdog and protector. Besides, she was the one with the gun.

With some reluctance, she had told her traveling companion about Smythe. Nothing missed Maddie’s observant gaze, and she had asked several times who Lucinda was expecting. The dear woman had a right to know that a dangerous deviant might be lurking about.

“You mean you actually poked his . . . lower person . . . with a gun?” Maddie had asked that first night as they sat in the dining car, enjoying a lovely dinner of roast capon, rice, and string beans—when the rocking of the train wasn’t sliding their plates all over the table. “You brave thing!”

“More furious than brave.” Lucinda hadn’t shared all the details—such as why Smythe had attacked her or that Tait had come to her aid. She couldn’t talk about Tait yet. Maybe she never would. And she would never talk about those horrible days in Five Points.

“Nonetheless,” Maddie insisted, “I find you a most remarkable woman. I admire you tremendously.”

Lucinda hid her smile behind a forkful of rice. No one had ever said that to her before. It was nice. Having a friend was nice. She resolved to work hard to be deserving of Maddie’s admiration.

By the time they arrived in St. Louis, over four hundred miles and several days after leaving Columbus, Lucinda was convinced she had made her escape. With grim determination, she put Smythe . . . and Tait . . . behind her, and looked ahead to her grand new life.

They would be changing trains in St. Louis, and she and Maddie had decided to take a break from travel and enjoy at least one night on solid ground. Maddie was anxious to take photographs of the plush gambling riverboats plying their trade on the Mississippi River, and Lucinda had things she needed to attend to, as well.

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