Circle Eight: Vaughn (16 page)

“You look well rested.”

“I am. Thank you for your hospitability. I feel like a new woman.” Elizabeth was truly grateful.

“Oh, don’t thank me. Your husband is paying for it.”

Elizabeth wondered where he got the money or who he would steal it from. The thought came unbidden and she expected it might always happen, given his checkered past. Would she ever trust him completely?

“How about some breakfast?”

Elizabeth thanked her hostess and sat down to wait for Vaughn to return. She had some questions for him and if they were to have a chance, he had to be truthful with her. Their lives might depend on it.

Vaughn knocked on the door of the grandly appointed home and waited. A servant in a suit that likely cost more than Vaughn’s answered the door.

“May I help you, sir?”

Vaughn handed the man his calling card. “I’m here to see Mr. Troxler.”

The servant stared down his long thin nose at the card. “Is he expecting you?”

“No, but he will see me.” Vaughn waited but the servant didn’t move. “I’ll wait in the library.”

He pushed past the sputtering man and walked into the house, turning left to enter the library. The house was as sumptuous as a palace with the best money could buy. Some of it was ill-gotten gains, while the rest was bought with dirty money. Boyd was the worst kind of thief—a snake who would smile right before he squeezed the life out of someone.

Vaughn stood at the window and watched the traffic pass by. This time of the morning was busier than any other time. Wagons continually lumbered down the street while well-dressed servants walked to their jobs or to the mercantile. Children skipped along with their nannies and the sun sparkled around them. It was an ideal place to live.

Too bad the neighbors didn’t know the devil lived among them.

Within minutes, footsteps echoed outside the room, a staccato rhythm that spoke of impatience. The door banged open and the servant burst in. His gaze connected with Vaughn’s and he frowned.

“Mr. Troxler will be here presently.” He stood by the door, his shoulders as straight as the door he kept open.

The next set of footsteps were less hurried. Vaughn waited, as did the servant, for the man to appear. When Boyd turned into the room, Vaughn’s gut clenched. Troxler had been his mentor, a man who taught him how to charm anyone into anything. He was in his mid-forties, with strands of silver at his temples lending him a sophisticated air. His clothing, as always, was impeccably pressed, high quality and in the latest fashion.

The one advantage Vaughn had over his mentor was physical presence. While Boyd wore padded shoulders and a vest to provide him a more manly posture, Vaughn had worked hard for the muscles he wore. He also boxed regularly, getting his frustrations out with his fists. If need be, Vaughn could beat Boyd to the ground. However, he was smart enough to use his wits against Troxler. Time to teach the snake what it felt like to be bitten.

“Vaughn, I didn’t expect to see you so soon.” Boyd gestured to the chairs in front of the fireplace. “Sit and we will talk.”

Vaughn did as he was bade although the other man’s high handedness bothered him. He wasn’t a fourteen-year-old boy any longer. Used to smiling through his emotions, Vaughn pasted on a bland expression and sat.

“You may go.” Boyd dismissed the servant who left the room without a sound, closing the door behind him. “Now, tell me what happened to your face.”

Vaughn grimaced. “Footpads set upon me as I was leaving an establishment on the south side of town. I’m afraid they stole my wallet and funds and took a few turns at my face.”

“Even with your boxing?” Boyd hummed under his breath. “I would think you could defend yourself by now.”

“Not when there are three of them and two were armed with pistols.” Vaughn shrugged. “I got a few punches in but they did get the best of me.”

“Did you find them after?” Boyd believed in revenge, no matter how cold it was when served.

Vaughn grinned. “I did, and they will think twice before they steal again.”

“Excellent.” Boyd pulled a cigarette case from his jacket pocket and took his time lighting one. Vaughn bided his time, aware patience would pay off in the end. “Now, tell me why you are here.”

“I got married.”

It wasn’t often that someone surprised Boyd Troxler. Vaughn was inwardly pleased to see he had accomplished that feat with his pronouncement.

Boyd’s expression faded back to his carefully bored one. “Interesting. How did this come about?” He puffed on the cigarette.

“I met her on the docks down in Galveston months ago. I’ve been romancing her, helping her fall in love with me. I asked her to marry me and she accepted.” It was the story they rehearsed over and over.

“There is more to this, I think.” Boyd narrowed his gaze. “You don’t do anything without an end game in play.”

Vaughn chuckled without feeling a bit of it. “You are correct. Ellie is the only daughter of shipping magnate, Sylvester Ogden.”

“Ogden?” Another flash of surprise on Boyd’s face. “How did you manage that?”

“I did what I had to. Ellie fell in love and I was there to catch her.” Vaughn waited for Boyd to think through the situation. Patience was damn hard.

“And what is the end game? Why is it you’re here?” Boyd puffed again.

“I want you to meet her, perhaps have a meal together. Then I want you to wish me well because I’m done working for you.” It was hard to say, but damn, it felt good once it was out.

“Pardon me?”

“You heard me. I want to stay with her. Ellie is the right one for me. I’m not getting any younger and with her money, I don’t have to worry about making any.” Vaughn relaxed against the back of the chair, tight and tense, but with his relaxed expression firmly in place.

Boyd puffed on his cigarette for a minute, tapping the ashes onto the ornate ashtray on the round table between them. “I never expected this.”

“Neither did I.” That was the most truthful thing he’d said since he walked in the door.

“Do you love her?” The word love was spat more than said since Boyd had no respect for anything aside from money.

“I do.” Vaughn spoke softly.

“You’re a fool.”

“Probably.”

Boyd stubbed out his cigarette. “I won’t accept you not working for me any longer. I have a project I’m working on and I won’t achieve it without your assistance.”

Vaughn was prepared for this too. “I don’t think so.”

Boyd’s expression hardened. “You don’t have a choice.”

“Yes, I do.” Vaughn got to his feet. “I have enough money to do what I want. While I appreciate everything you’ve done for me, I am finished.”

“One more job and then I can let you go.” Boyd’s jaw tightened. “I’m too close to my end goal to lose now.”

“What do you need?”

“I need one more property, near to the deed you retrieved recently. Then I have the land to finish my project.”

“Do you have a buyer for the project?” Vaughn didn’t know what his end game was, but he had to ask.

Boyd’s grin was predatory. “I do. And with this purchase I will be set for life.”

Vaughn had to find out what Boyd wanted. It was the weapon to beat him with.

“No, I don’t think so. You see, I’m already set for life.” He walked toward the door waiting for the order. He didn’t have to wait long.

“You will meet me at eight tonight at Madison’s with your wife. I need to meet the woman who has turned you against me.”

“I’m not against you, Boyd. I’m simply done working with you.” Vaughn turned the knob on the door.

“You will meet me.”

Vaughn paused. “Just this once. Then we’re done.”

“Eight o’clock then. Don’t be late.”

Vaughn left, eager to return to Winnie’s and make sure Elizabeth was ready. The show was about to begin.

Elizabeth frowned at the stays Winifred had wrapped around her. Women’s fripperies were not something she was used to, or cared for. The whale bone was some kind of torture device. Her hostess hadn’t even finished lacing it and already Elizabeth could hardly catch her breath.

“Does it have to be so tight?”

“I’ve not tightened the laces yet.” Winifred was amused. “Have you ever dressed in such clothing before?”

“Never. I live and work on a ranch. I have no need of stays.” She closed her eyes as the other woman tightened the laces. “Not too much please.”

“I’ll only make them snug enough to stay put. I remember the first time I wore these. I thought my ribs would break.”

“Yes, that’s it exactly. I hope I don’t faint.” Elizabeth didn’t think she would be able to take a deep breath for at least a week.

“You won’t faint. That’s why we’re dressing you four hours before you need to be at the restaurant. You need time to get used to the dress.” Winifred was well informed about Elizabeth’s plans.

“Are you coming with us?”

“No, of course not. I am simply a boarding house owner, a friend of your husband.” The way she said it indicated there was a great deal more to her than that. She was mysterious and worldly, two things Elizabeth was not.

She wasn’t Olivia or Hannah, but Winifred was the closest thing to a sister Elizabeth had at the moment. Her feelings for Vaughn were confusing and she needed to confide in someone. The other took the beautiful ruby dress from its perch on the bed. She raised her arms and Winifred slid it over Elizabeth’s head. The fabric felt delicious on her skin, soft and luxurious.

Winifred buttoned it and walked around to review her work. Her gaze swept up and down Elizabeth. “Lovely. You are a natural beauty with that height, that thick brown hair and those eyes.” She cupped Elizabeth’s chin. “Like the color of the ocean after a storm.”

Elizabeth told herself not to blush. She wasn’t used to compliments, much less multiple ones in a short period of time. “I’m plain. Quite ordinary.”

“Pshaw. No woman is ordinary.” She tugged at Elizabeth’s braid. “All we have to do is bring out her best qualities. Do you mind if I style your hair?”

“No, that is very kind of you.” Elizabeth was out of her element and she knew it. The dinner with this man Boyd made her so nervous she thought she might vomit.

“Sit, please.” Winifred led her to a chair in front of the vanity table and mirror. Elizabeth gazed at her reflection, a woman wearing a tremendous dress, a stranger with a lost expression.

“Tell me about Vaughn.” She blurted the words before she lost her nerve.

Winifred laughed. “I can’t tell you anything you don’t already know. He’s a charming man who swindles people. He came here as a young man and learned his trade from a master, Boyd Troxler. I was in Boyd’s employ at the time, although it was not by choice. Vaughn helped me disappear, get a new name and build a new life. I owe him much.”

Elizabeth suspected that a good man lay beneath the charlatan’s exterior. If she believed Winifred, she was right about the hidden goodness.

“Why does he do it?”

Winifred unraveled Elizabeth’s braid. “It’s all he knows. When Boyd found him, Vaughn was starving, riddled with filth and scurvy, but Troxler saw the potential in the handsome young man. Even then Vaughn could fight like a champ. Barefisted knuckle fights were his first job.”

Elizabeth made a face. “I think that’s horrible to do to a young boy.”

Winifred shrugged. “Better than some of the things we had to do to survive. It’s the choice between two devils sometimes. Neither is palatable but they are better than dying.”

“I imagine that’s true. We had some lean times when I was young. My parents scraped together enough to keep us alive.” It had been some time since she thought of those days before the Circle Eight.

“That’s what you have to do. That’s what Vaughn did, and me. Boyd, well, he’s another story. That man was born a snake and only grew more lethal.” Winifred frowned at her reflection. “I don’t necessarily agree with Vaughn’s plan but I know it’s the only way to get what you’re after.”

“He’s told you a great deal.” Elizabeth told herself she was not jealous. Not at all.

“Only because I know him so well. I’d do the same thing.” She combed through Elizabeth’s hair with a lovely pearl-handled brush. “He’s never done anything that wasn’t in his best interest or wouldn’t gain him the most wealth. You have changed him.”

Elizabeth found it difficult to believe. She had done nothing extraordinary. “In such a short time? We have only known each other less than two weeks.”

“I can see it in your eyes. You love him even if you won’t admit it to yourself or him. He told me about how you saved his life. You taught him what it meant to be a good person, no matter the consequences.”

Elizabeth closed her eyes. “I only did what my mother taught me.”

“Then she was a wise woman. You found the man hidden beneath the charming exterior. The man I knew was there. I had hoped to meet him one day.” Winifred smiled. “You didn’t deny it.”

“Deny what?” Elizabeth didn’t want to meet the other woman’s eyes.

“You love him.” Winifred poked a few hairpins from the vanity into Elizabeth’s hair. “I have never been happier for another person before.”

Elizabeth knew this was her chance to talk to another woman, an older woman who could give her the advice she needed. “I don’t want to love him.”

“We can’t choose who we love. It’s decided for us.” Winifred sighed.

“You loved Boyd.” Elizabeth watched the other woman’s face carefully. She wasn’t disappointed when she saw a flicker of pain.

“I did and he used that love in an abominable fashion.” Winifred tucked a few stray curls in and then put her hands on Elizabeth’s shoulders. “Now you are ready for your evening.”

Elizabeth looked at herself, or rather the woman in the mirror who vaguely resembled the young lady who had opened the door on a naked stranger so many days ago. She had transformed into a lovely woman, one who had a heart-shaped face, a bosom, and a sparkle in her eyes.

“I can’t believe that’s me.”

Winifred laughed. “It’s you. You were hiding beneath that awful brown dress and your frown. Now, let us practice sitting in that dress. We don’t want a mishap at the restaurant do we?”

“No, definitely not.” Elizabeth didn’t think she would like Winifred, but she did. “Thank you.”

Winifred waved her hand. “No thanks required. Vaughn is paying me, remember?”

In her voice, Elizabeth heard an ancient pain. The other woman had been through much and come through stronger and smarter, but not unscathed. She had been wounded terribly, probably more than once. Although she was someone to be admired for all she’d done, Winifred was also someone who needed to be loved.

“I hope you accept my thanks anyway. It is heartfelt.”

Winifred cocked her head. “I think you mean that.”

“I do. You deserve more than just my paltry gratitude.” Elizabeth took her hands. “You deserve to live, and not like this.”

Panic flashed across Winifred’s face and she pulled away. “I live the way I choose. I don’t need anyone meddling in my business.”

“You’re meddling in mine.”

“No, I’m meddling in Vaughn’s. He’s like a brother to me so it’s acceptable.”

“Hmph. That sounds suspicious to me.” Elizabeth fought against the frown that threatened.

“I won’t hear another word about me or my life.” Winifred stepped beside her and took Elizabeth’s elbow. “Now let’s get to practicing.”

Although she wanted to talk to the older woman more, Elizabeth allowed herself to be led around the room, spending the next several hours sitting, rising, standing and breathing in the formal dress she wore. Her practical boots at least gave her a measure of comfort.

After enduring the lessons, she was able to stand, sit and walk with some measure of confidence. Winifred was patient and ignored Elizabeth’s cursing. It was a rare thing to have someone accept her for who she was.

“How are you feeling?” Winifred led her down the stairs for tea.

“Tired and sore but I’ll survive.” Elizabeth sat down at the table.

Jeb and Will tumbled into the room. They both stopped in their tracks, staring at her, mouths open.

“Elizabeth?” Jeb’s voice was hushed.

“No. That ain’t her.” Will sounded like his brother.

“It is her and you boys will remain respectful to Mrs. Montgomery.” Winifred shooed them out of the kitchen. “Wash up outside before you enter this kitchen.” At her fierce glare, they disappeared back out the room, peeking back at Elizabeth once more.

“Am I that different?”

Winifred poked the embers in her cookstove. “Oh yes, assuredly so. You are a picture of beauty. The red brings out the beauty in your skin, accentuating your face and eyes. You’re stunning, Ellie.”

Elizabeth’s cheeks heated. “Now you’re shining me on.”

“No, she isn’t.” Vaughn’s voice startled her but she couldn’t jump to her feet considering she wore whalebone.

Winifred raised her brows and gestured with her hand, then snuck out of the kitchen.

Elizabeth dug deep for all the lessons of the last few hours and smiled at her pretend husband. “Good evening, Vaughn. I am ready for this evening’s meal.”

Vaughn stared, his gaze intense and penetrating. “I’m at a loss for words, Ellie. You are exquisite.”

“I might not be that much but I do feel pretty.” It was true, as much as it was uncomfortable saying it. It wasn’t often Elizabeth felt pretty or admitted it.

“You should.” He held out his hand and helped her to her feet. He spun her in a circle with a smile. “You are pretty.”

Elizabeth fought against it, but a smile crept to her lips and she let it happen. It felt wonderful. She was happy, which was unexpected given the situation, but she was just the same.

Vaughn took her hand and slid a ring onto her finger. She stopped and stared. An exquisite green gem shone in the lamplight, bigger than her pinky finger.

“Vaughn. I don’t understand. Where did this come from?” Her voice was hushed. “You didn’t steal it, did you?”

Pain flashed across his face before his expression became neutral again. “I borrowed it.”

“I can’t imagine someone would let you borrow this. It’s worth more than my family’s entire ranch.” She turned her hand and the green stone winked at her.

“It’s an emerald and she knows exactly what we’re using it for. She holds no tender feelings for this ring.” Vaughn let her hands loose. “Now, if you’re ready, we should be going.”

The playful atmosphere from moments ago was broken because Elizabeth accused him of stealing, of being dishonest. She hadn’t meant to hurt his feelings but her words did. When would she accept what he told her was true?

“Vaughn, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” She reached for his arm but he moved away.

“It’s of no consequence. I am a charlatan, a swindler. Why would you think me honest enough to borrow something with permission?” His words were light but she heard the darkness beneath them.

Elizabeth marched up to him, unwilling to let him ignore the situation. She had too much experience with her brothers and sisters. Hurt feelings festered and turned into resentment. That could not happen between them, not if there was even a small chance for a future together.

“You will not hide from me.”

He cocked one dark brow. “I’m standing in front of you.”

“That’s not what I mean and you know it. What I said was thoughtless and I am truly sorry for it.” She held his gaze, refusing to back down until he heard her.

“I accept your apology.” Stiff, formal words.

“No, you don’t.” She held up her hand, her heart pounding like a drum. Now was when she took a chance. If he didn’t believe her, then there was no hope for them. “I want this to become a real ring between us. Please don’t push me away.”

Surprise stripped away the mask he wore. “What did you say?”

“You heard me, Vaughn Montgomery. I don’t know how or why, but pretending to be your wife isn’t enough.”

His mouth opened and closed, but he didn’t say a word. Instead, he took her face in his hands and kissed her hard, which stung against her sore lips, but she didn’t mind. He pressed his forehead against hers, his breath puffing out against her mouth. She breathed in, pulling his essence into her body, her heart, her soul.

“I never…that is… I didn’t expect… Hell, Ellie. I’m a babbling fool.” He kissed her forehead. “Let’s get through this night and then tomorrow, we’ll do this right.”

Hope blossomed inside her. Hope that he loved her, that he would be the man she needed, that they could marry and find a life together. She never dared to think of such things but there it was, living and breathing inside her. Her entire world had changed in two weeks. Completely, irrevocably, forever.

“This is cozy.” Tobias growled. “I brung you two here to do nothing more than get my family’s property back.”

Vaughn pulled back and looked at her, he frowned and touched the corner of her lip. “I hurt you.”