Page 60 of Stolen Time
Considering that Molly McAllister’s fried chicken was the best I’d ever tasted, I wasn’t about to argue with that proposition. “Then it’s definitely a date,” I said with a smile to match his.
“Perfect. I’ll come by around five-thirty, and then we’ll drive up to the picnic area.” A pause before he added, “Now, though, I should probably get to the store.”
“Yes, you’ll want to be on your best behavior so you can get your mother to make you some more fried chicken,” I joked, but he only nodded, looking earnest.
“You may be right about that.”
He reached out to give my hand a quick squeeze, and then he murmured a hasty goodbye and let himself out.
As much as I would have liked for him to linger, I knew he had somewhere to be. Even though it sounded as if his parents had told him he could take his time this morning, he probably didn’t want it to seem as if he was taking advantage of the situation, especially since they were going to let him leave work a little early so he wouldn’t have to completely cancel on me.
In a way, that was good. It was going to take a minute to absorb how much things had changed over the past couple of days. Seth was no longer in danger of becoming theprima-in-waiting’s consort, and now he’d be working at the store rather than up at the mine.
I had no doubt that I’d be able to come up with all sorts of reasons to visit him.
Ruth didn’t seem too surprised by the news about Charles.
“Oh, yes, the inheritance,” she said as she rolled out some dough for a batch of peach tarts. Even though I’d told her that Seth planned to handle all the meal planning for our picnic this evening, she’d insisted that the tarts would be the perfect thing for oural frescomeal and that Seth would probably be disappointed if I didn’t bring along some kind of special nibble for the two of us.
Since Ruth’s baking skills were top-notch, I decided I wasn’t going to argue with her.
“Their Great-Aunt Adelaide was a little eccentric,” Ruth went on. “Her husband was one of the men who originally discovered copper here, and he sold his stake to Mr. Clarke, who owns everything now. Made millions, from what I’ve heard. ButAdelaide never had children, and so she decided to leave most of her money to Charles, as her oldest great-nephew. However, she didn’t want him to fritter away the money on gambling and other wild pursuits, which was why she put the stipulation in her will that he must be engaged before he inherited any of it.”
I supposed the story made sense. Or rather, I knew it sounded plausible enough that no one looking in from the outside would question it too deeply. However, I had a rather unique perspective on the situation, and therefore knew it was a complete fabrication.
“Charles and Abigail are moving quickly,” Ruth continued. “I hear they’re just about to buy a house up here on Paradise Lane, for of course it wouldn’t do for Charles to move his new bride into his parents’ apartment. I’m sure Great-Aunt Adelaide would be pleased that he’s spending his new inheritance so wisely.”
Yes, in most cases, real estate was always a good investment.
Jerome wasn’t most cases, though. I’d heard that a good number of these stately Victorians had fallen into wrack and ruin as the civilian population left Jerome when the mine went bust, and it wasn’t until much later that people began to move back and restore them.
Not theprima’shouse, of course. That particular home had been continuously occupied from the day it was built.
“That is fast,” I commented. “But I can see why they’d want to start their marriage with a new house.”
Ruth gave me an approving nod, her expression turning almost sly. “And of course this is good for you and Seth. He’ll be much more available now that he’s here in town all day.”
I’d thought pretty much the same thing, but I didn’t know whether it was a good idea to let Ruth know how on the nose she was in that assessment. “Well, I’m sure he’ll still be very busy,” I said. “I suppose we’ll just have to see how things go.”
“Yes,” she replied, still with that twinkle in her gray eyes. “I suppose you will.”
As promised, Seth arrived promptly at five-thirty to pick me up. An enormous wicker hamper had taken up residence in the back seat, letting me know this meal might be a little more elaborate than the lunch we’d shared the week before. Once we were walking down the porch steps, he sent an amused glance at the basket I had looped over one arm.
“Aunt Ruth strikes again, I see,” he remarked, and I just had to chuckle.
“She absolutely would not let me leave the house without an offering for our picnic. Peach tarts,” I added, and his eyes lit up.
“Well, I think we can make room for those.”
It was a bit of a squeeze to get the basket in the back seat next to the hamper, but once that maneuver was accomplished, we both climbed into our seats up front and drove off. It was an absolutely stunning evening, the hilltop town bathed in golden light as the sun made its way slowly down in the west. Probably by the time we reached our destination and spread out what promised to be a sumptuous meal, it would have begun to slide behind the mountain and let the world slip into a purple dusk, but the day was bright enough for now, with no clouds at all as far as the eye could see.
I’d brought along a sweater, just in case, although I certainly didn’t need it now, not with the warm wind blowing past as we drove down Paradise Lane and then onto Main Street, which turned back into the highway once we were past the town limits. And even though it was difficult to talk over the sound of the engine, I couldn’t help asking, “How was the store today?”
“Fine,” Seth replied. He had his eyes fixed on the road ahead of us, so I couldn’t get a good read on his expression. “Busier than I remembered. But I suppose that’s a good thing, isn’t it?”
“I would think so,” I said. More customers meant more revenue, after all. Still, even when you knew things were going well, a high enough level of activity with no breaks could leave you pretty beat up by the end of the day.
However, he seemed in good enough spirits, so I had to assume that what he was mostly dealing with was readjusting to work at the family mercantile after several years of being his own man at the mine, which I could totally understand. I loved my parents and my brother and sister, but I had to wonder if we’d all get along so well if we were forced to work together day in and day out.