Lover's Gold (28 page)

“I believe, Mr. Daniels,” she said stiffly as the dance came to a close, “I’m beginning to tire. Again I ask you to return me to my escort.”

Ren set his jaw. What in the hell was wrong with her? When he’d parted from her in Central City, she’d been sobbing against him, holding him as if she would never let him go. What had happened in the few short weeks since then? When he waltzed her from the floor, Chase Cameron was waiting. This time, the look in Elaina’s eyes as she smiled seductively at Chase said they were more than just good friends.

“I’m sorry for keeping you two lovebirds apart,” he told Chase sarcastically. “I can see that every moment you’re separated is an eternity.” With a mocking bow, he handed Elaina to Chase and backed away.

“Damn him! Damn him to hell!”

“Your subjects are watching, your ladyship,” Chase said

with his usual amused smile, but his message was clear. With all the gossip about her, she had captured the attention of the entire room. She needn’t stir up anything more for the city’s wagging tongues.

Elaina fought to control her temper. She accepted the hand of a young auburn-haired man who looked to be no older than she and let him lead her, with an awkward rhythm all his own, around the dance floor. Next came an older, graying gentleman whom Chase introduced as As-bury Harpending, a man with a powerful presence and a wide, flashing smile. He was a good dancer as well as an interesting conversationalist. They discussed the banking business, and Mr. Harpending recommended a man he believed could help with her financial decisions. He returned her to Chase a little less bedraggled than before.

“Mr. Harpending,” Chase told her as the man danced with a pudgy woman with faded brown hair, “once raised millions of dollars to invest in a diamond field in the Wyoming Territory. ‘Diamonds on the ground for the taking,’ Harpending said. And they were there all right. Unfortunately for Mr. Harpending, they came from the diamond mines in South Africa, not Wyoming. Made a laughingstock of the poor man. He left for London shortly after it became known the field was salted. This is the first time he’s been back in San Francisco in years.”

Elaina smiled, grateful for Chase’s story and the relief from the tension. She was just beginning to enjoy herself when Carolina Williams approached.

“Well, Miss Williams,” Chase said in that lilting southern way of his. “How beautiful you’re lookin’ this evenin’.” Dressed in a blue-green silk chiffon gown that heightened the color of her eyes and dipped daringly low, Carolina accepted the compliment as if it were her due, and Chase made the introductions.

Elaina smiled a little too brightly. “Pleased to meet you, I’m sure.”

“So you’re the famous duchess. I was hoping I’d get to meet you. It seems we have a mutual friend.”

Her sugary voice didn’t fool Elaina for a moment. The woman’s claws were showing, and Elaina knew exactly why. She felt like doing a little scratching herself.

“Oh, really? And who might that be?”

“Why, Ren, of course. Chase, be a darling and excuse us for a moment, won’t you?”

Chase smiled, his hazel eyes laughing.

“Why, certainly.” He bowed. “Ladies.” Backing away, he left the two women alone. Several young men hovered nearby, and Elaina was certain she and Carolina would soon be swooped upon like helpless prey.

“Just what is it you’d like to talk about?” Elaina asked, smiling sweetly.

“I’d just like to inform you that Mr. Daniels is already spoken for.”

“Yes. I’d heard of his engagement. Mr. Daniels is a very lucky man.” Two could play the game just as surely as one. Elaina could see the woman’s flawless skin flush with anger above the low-cut neckline of her gown.

“That’s not what I meant. Everyone knows that’s only a
mariage de convenance
. I was speaking more from the heart. You see Ren and I . . . well, let’s just say we care about each other a great deal. It wouldn’t be wise of you to try to interfere in our friendship.”

“Far be it from me, Miss Williams, to interfere in anything Mr. Daniels does. The idea is quite absurd. Now if you’ll excuse me, I believe Chase has brought me some refreshment.” Elaina brushed past the woman with scarcely a backward glance, wanting to murder Ren Daniels and already regretting her decision to come to San Francisco.

She accepted a glass of punch from Chase, took a deep cooling sip, then turned to face him, her nerves a little steadier. “Chase, I hope it won’t spoil your evening, but I’d really like to go home.”

“I’d rather have you all to myself anyway,” Chase soothed. “I’ll get our cloaks.”

They made their way through the crowd of elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen and out onto the street. The fog had rolled in, blotting out the stars, and the drizzle made the air heavy and cold. Chase signaled for a hansom cab, and Elaina pulled her
paletot
closer around her.

“
Help!”
A high-pitched woman’s scream shattered the quiet night.

“Somebody get a doctor!” a deep male voice chimed in.

“Stay here!” Chase ordered. “I’ll find out what’s going on.” He turned and rushed in the direction of the disturbance. Ignoring his command, Elaina followed close at his heels. They rounded the comer to see what appeared to be a youth, one of the carriage drivers, sprawled on the grass beside the horses, clutching a bloody wound in his side.

“Someone tried to steal my pocketbook,” a heavyset gentleman explained. “The boy chased the man down and got a knife in his belly for his trouble.” He glanced at Elaina, who was kneeling beside the boy. “Begging your pardon, miss.”

Chase knelt to check the boy’s pulse. “Go get a doctor,” he told the well-dressed man. “Maybe there’s one inside Lick House. I’ll stay with him till you get back.” The woman who had screamed was sitting on the ground some distance away, the sight of so much blood apparently having made her ill.

Elaina whipped off her cloak and Chase did the same. He laid his on the wet grass, settled the boy over it, then covered him with her
paletot
, tucking it around him for warmth. Elaina began tearing strips of cloth from the lace petticoat she wore beneath her satin skirt.

“Does anybody know who he is?” she asked.

Several other drivers had gathered around and were listening sympathetically as the boy moaned. Tears gathered beneath the youth’s dark lashes.

“He’s Jimmy Lundstrom, Mr. Daniels’s driver,” a young man said.

“Go get Daniels, son,” Chase instructed, and the boy raced toward the front of the hotel. “And somebody get blankets—and a tarpaulin, if you can find one.”

“He’s losing a lot of blood, Chase. We’ve got to stop the bleeding.” Elaina finished making a thick pad of bandages from her tom petticoats and, lifting her
paletot
and the boy’s bloody shirt, stuffed the cloth against the wound. “Keep pressing against it as hard as you can.”

Chase complied, watching her with an admiring light in his eyes. One of the drivers ran up with a woolen blanket and a small canvas cover. At least they could keep the boy warm and dry.

“Am I going to die, miss?” The youth swallowed hard and wet his dry lips.

She was glad he was still conscious, though he’d have suffered less pain if he’d blacked out. “We’re not going to let you die. Who’d drive Mr. Daniels’s carriage for him? He probably can’t get along without you.” Jimmy Lundstrom clutched her hand. Ignoring the soggy ground and the blood that soaked her beautiful golden gown, she sat down on the grass beside him and cradled his head in her lap, brushing several blond strands from his pale face.

“That’s right, Jimmy,” Ren’s deep voice confirmed. “Everything’s going to be fine. I can tell you from experience that Miss McAllister’s just about the best doctor you could have.”

Jimmy tried to smile, then trembled slightly as he felt another wave of pain. “She’s . . . sure the . . . prettiest,” he whispered between breaths.

Elaina gave him an encouraging smile. When she looked up at Ren, his light eyes shone with gratitude and something that might have been pride. She was basking in the warmth of his look when Carolina Williams walked up behind him and, seeing the blood, clutched Ren’s arm.

“Oh, my God! Please, Ren, take me inside. I think I’m going to faint.”

“Charlie!” Ren called to another of the carriage boys. “Take Miss Williams back inside.”

“But, Ren,” she pleaded, “he’s only your driver. Surely someone else can handle this?”

“Go with Charlie, Carolina.” Ren’s blue eyes had darkened. “Now!”

Elaina watched the exchange and felt smugly satisfied to know the woman was exactly what she appeared to be—a self-centered, heartless bit of baggage. She wondered what Ren could possibly see in the woman, and the thought brought a stab of pain.

Ignoring the haughty swirls of Carolina’s skirts as she walked away, Ren knelt beside the boy. “Don’t worry, Jimmy. You’re gonna be just fine.” He glanced at Elaina. Thick dark strands of her hair had fallen loose from the pins, the heavy drizzle leaving everything wet and soggy. Though her gown was soaked with blood, she seemed not to notice. Her attention rested on the boy as if she might absorb some of his pain. He wished he could hold her, tell her how he admired her, tell her how much he cared. “How is he?” Ren asked her instead.

“I’m not sure. He’s lost a lot of blood.” She glanced at him only briefly. “Isn’t there a doctor inside? Surely there’s someone?”

“I’m afraid not. We aren’t blessed with many physicians, and those we do have often work long hours. I’ve sent someone to fetch Dr. Jameson. He’s the closest. Until then we’ll just have to make do.”

“I’d better check Jimmy’s wound,” she said. “Let’s see if the bleeding has slowed any.”

Chase lifted the canvas and raised his hand away from the bandage. The white petticoat material was now dark red, soaked clear through with blood. Elaina eased herself from beneath the boy’s head, lifted her skirt and began to tear more long strips of cloth. By now the group of observers had increased to quite a number, but Elaina was too engrossed in the boy’s injury to notice. Ren felt the pull of a smile as he watched her display a goodly portion of shapely leg to the men surrounding the boy. He heard a gasp from one of the ladies, and several men cleared their throats. He noticed none of them turned away.

He’d come here tonight to find her. To try to get something settled between them. He wasn’t sure exactly what, but he knew they would meet sooner or later and he wanted the encounter to be as painless as possible for both of them. Watching her now, he realized it would never be painless. Because it would never be possible for him to be near her and not want her. Never be possible not to love her.

Elaina applied the fresh bandage herself. She wanted to feel the wound, she told him, check its proximity to the vital organs in that part of the boy’s body.

The drizzle increased, driving the onlookers back inside. Even the other drivers sought the protective cover of their carriages. Elaina’s gown was no longer golden, but merely a soggy tan. Her wet hair clung to her neck and shoulders.

“Unless the knife went in at an odd angle, I don’t think it hit anything vital. Dear God, where is that doctor?”

“Maybe we should try to get him to the hospital,” Chase suggested.

“I don’t think so, Chase,” Elaina replied. “We’ve got the bleeding pretty well under control. If we move him, it’s sure to start again. Let’s wait till the doctor comes. Then, when he’s properly bandaged, we can get him down the hill in relative safety.”

Ren watched Elaina closely. Covered with blood, wet to the skin, she’d never looked more beautiful. She was all woman, and he had never wanted her more. He watched her with Chase and wondered about their relationship. Now that his temper had cooled, he refused to believe Chase had bedded her. Chase was far too solicitous. Besides, Ren didn’t want to believe Elaina could forget him so quickly.

The doctor finally arrived. He examined Jimmy carefully, bandaged his wound, and loaded him aboard Ren’s carriage. Ren thanked Elaina for all she’d done, though he knew his words weren’t nearly enough. He admired her concern for another human being and wished he could show her just how grateful he was.

He wondered how he’d be able to stay away from her now that she lived in the city, then chided himself for his selfish thoughts. By the time he’d reached his town house, well past midnight, after leaving the boy and the doctor at the hospital, he had convinced himself Elaina would never have the bad taste to involve herself in his world, so he, most certainly, could never involve himself in hers.

By morning, after he’d endured a long, cold night alone, he wasn’t so sure.

Chapter 20

“S
TILL THINK YOUR
rooms above Hoffman’s General Mercantile are equal to these?” Chase Cameron teased.

“I have to admit,
this
Palace Hotel really is a palace.” They stood in the main salon of the elegant suite of rooms Elaina had rented on her arrival—the presidential suite, the finest rooms in San Francisco. Rich coral draperies hung beside the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the bay, and the white and gold Louis XIV furniture was elegant. Delicate crystal vases filled with roses the same shade of coral sat on marble-topped tables.

“You know, Chase, sometimes I feel as if I’m dreaming. As if I’m going to wake up in the middle of a song at the Black Garter Saloon.”

“You’re not dreaming, Elaina. I can assure you of that. And I’m happy for you, at least in some ways.”

Elaina turned, straightening a red-brown curl that rested on her shoulder. Her hair was once again coiffed in thick ringlets at the crown of her head, a few carefully arranged curls gathered at the side of her neck.

“But not in all ways?”

“Part of me enjoyed your dependency. I liked taking care of you, Elaina, even just a little. I’d like to continue.”

“Chase, that’s sweet of you, but—”

“But you’re in love with Ren Daniels.”

“That’s not what I was going to say, and you know it!” He touched her cheek. “Have I told you how pretty you are when you pout like that?”

She glanced up at him, feeling the pull of a smile at the backhanded compliment. “No, that’s one you’ve missed.” He stepped closer, taking her hand. “There are lots of things I’d like to say to you, Elaina, if I thought you were ready to listen. Maybe after tonight you will be.”