Banking on Temperance (2 page)

“Herbert, run next door and get the doctor!”

“Begging your pardon, sir, but I don’t think these folks can afford a doctor.”

Basil’s gaze hardened as he stared at his teller. “Get. Him.”

Martha Jones held her husband’s hand and ran her free hand over his forehead, brushing back his hair. “He’s had the fever for weeks now. Nothing we do seems to bring it down for long. I’m so sorry he passed out in your fine bank, Mr. Fitzpatrick.”

“Nonsense. It couldn’t be helped. The doctor will fix him up better than new.”

Basil handed the money over to the woman. She stared at the few measly bills. “Reckon this will just be about enough to pay the doctor.”

Not voicing his fear that Samuel Jones was beyond the doctor’s ability to help, Basil replied, “Everything will be all right now, Mrs. Jones. You’re in St. Louis.”

• • •

The doctor arrived a few minutes later, and Basil helped him move Reverend Jones to his medical practice, located adjacent to the bank. Mrs. Jones was standing by the wagon with her family when Basil stepped outside the doctor’s office. He could smell the trail dust from the wagon, and on the bodies of the children.

“Mrs. Jones, the doctor is examining your husband now. Why don’t you introduce me to the rest of your children while you wait?”

“I appreciate your kindness, Mr. Fitzpatrick.” She turned to her brood. “My eldest son is Justice. He will be sixteen soon.” She touched the shoulder of the next oldest boy. “This is Valor, who’s twelve, and that scamp over at the end is my youngest son, Noble, who just turned four.” Noble turned and gave Basil a wide grin. Basil grinned in response.

“My girls are Prudence, who is fourteen, and Faith, at six years. You’ve already met Temperance, my eldest child, who is eighteen. She’s been the driving force of the family since Samuel took ill. She and her da have a special bond.”

Basil nodded his head as he acknowledged each of the children. “Named for the virtues, are you?” He glanced at the children, and then turned back to Martha. “My parents named my brothers and sisters and me after herbs and spices, so I can relate. I’m pleased to meet all of you. I come from a large family, too.” He executed a small bow towards the family, which resulted in giggles from the younger children. They did remind him of his family back in New York, and he wrestled with a pang of homesickness as their tinkling laughter filled the air.

As his gaze moved from one child to the next, he took an extra moment to study Temperance. Her dress hung limply around her, a faded blue homespun, covered by a long apron. Despite her obvious poverty, from the flash of resoluteness and anger he’d witnessed in the bank, he could tell he was dealing with a different breed of woman from what he was used to.

He preferred women who were only interested in having a good time, who could be wooed by the purchase of a drink or by telling them they were attractive. This one wouldn’t melt in the face of a sugar-coated compliment. She was made of much sterner stuff. Despite her tempting lovely eyes and the soft, brown hair that curled around her face, any pursuit of her would have to end in marriage, and the last thing he wanted was to marry and settle down.

Since his experience with Rachel, the French actress who he fell in love with in New York the previous year, he was willing to admit he was ready to settle down with just one woman. But as a mistress, not a wife. He was far too young to tie himself down completely. Perhaps he should take himself to the steamboat tonight to look over the latest crop of women brought in to serve drinks to the card players. Even without the bank’s considerable involvement in the steamboat, Basil would have been a frequent visitor, so he could partake in the nightly card games. However, he allowed his gaze to remain on Temperance longer than was appropriate. Her blush rose as he perused her, which brought another smile to his face.

Martha Jones interrupted Basil’s thoughts as concern for her husband overtook her. “Mr. Fitzpatrick, thank you again for your kind assistance. But we’ve bothered you long enough. I’ll go finish up with the doctor, and we’ll be on our way.”

Basil glanced at her. “We welcome you to winter over in St. Louis, and then head out in the spring on the final leg of your journey. Where will you be staying?”

For a brief moment, Martha seemed confused. She sighed as she shook her head, and then lowered her gaze to the cobblestones. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll drive out of town a bit and set up camp in the wagon.”

Basil wrestled with himself for a moment. This family should be of no concern to him, but he couldn’t help himself. “For the time being, please move your wagon into the alley behind the bank. You’ll at least have a bit of privacy there, and be close to your husband.”

“Thank you, Mr. Fitzpatrick. We’ll do that. We are much obliged to you.”

Temperance’s jaw tightened at her mother’s words. She wanted no more help from him, which made him want to be of further assistance, just to see the flash of anger from her again. As Basil walked back into the bank, his mind was abuzz. How could he help this family? He couldn’t offer money. They were too proud for that, and he wouldn’t embarrass them by suggesting it. But surely there was more he could do. They reminded him of the large family he’d grown up in. Besides, it would liven up the summer.

Basil hurried into the livery across the street the minute the bank’s doors were closed and saddled his horse. He took a moment to relax, breathing in the comfortable combination of hay, horse, and leather. Among other things, Joseph, his brother-in-law who was a mix of Ojibwa and French-Canadian, taught him to enjoy horses during the past two years. Joseph had been Basil’s best friend during his first year in St. Louis and had fallen in love with his sister, Ginger. They got married the previous November.

He sorely missed Joseph’s close friendship and the many evenings they had enjoyed sampling the typical bachelor pursuits to be found on the streets of St. Louis. Now, every evening after the day’s work was done on the horse ranch, Joseph and Ginger spent time together at the site of the house they were building, so Basil rode in that direction, eager to see the progress they’d made on the log structure.

As he came to the hill, he could make out the beginnings of the log house sitting proudly at the top. The walls had been built up to the windows, the openings carved out of the logs. They still had plenty of work to do to finish it, but Basil could already see the symmetry and attention to detail. As he dismounted, Ginger darted out of the house and nearly bowled him over in her excitement.

Laughing, Basil held her arms to make certain she was balanced before he grabbed her in a hug. “You never were one to slow down. But let me look at you. I want to make certain Joseph is treating you well.” His eyes took in her red hair and light freckles across the bridge of her nose. Her green eyes twinkled with excitement.

“I’ve never been so happy, Basil, you know that. Joseph and I are fine, and working hard on the house. Come and see the progress.” She tugged at his sleeve, pulling him inside the framed walls of the log cabin. The whack of an axe sliced through the air, and the leaves of a tree shuddered at the impact. He smiled as he imagined Joseph felling another large tree to use for the house.

Ginger led him through the house, waving her arms to show where walls would go to partition off the interior rectangle. Basil followed her in amusement. He couldn’t keep from smiling at his sister’s enthusiasm. Finally, she slowed in her speech.

“All right, enough about me. You’ve been too quiet. Is everything okay with Mother and Papa? What’s the grin for?”

He grabbed her in a fierce hug. “I’m just pleased that you’re so happy. You know I had concerns about you marrying Joseph.”

“Concerns? Is that how you refer to it? You were a real ass, plain and simple. But that’s all behind us now. I couldn’t imagine myself with anyone else. Come on,” she said as she pulled on his hand. “I have a special room I want to show you.” Together, they walked into an area at the back corner of the house. “This is going to become the nursery, and not a moment too soon. I’m with child! I need to write Mother.”

Basil had loosened his hold on Ginger, but he grabbed her again in another huge hug. “I’m so pleased for you and Joseph. What wonderful news! When are you due?”

“I think right around Christmas. It’ll be a happy time.”

The rhythmic sound of the axe stopped suddenly, and the cracking of wood was followed by a mighty thud as a tree hit the ground. He smelled the wet scent of wood pulp as he and Ginger walked out to greet Joseph. A large oak tree lay on its side with its uppermost branches reaching into the clearing around the log house. Joseph emerged from the woods, his black hair flecked with bark and his dark skin beaded with sweat. He reached out and wrapped a hand around Basil’s shoulder in greeting before leaning down to kiss his wife. She brushed the wood chips from Joseph’s hair.

“Good to see you, Joseph, and congratulations. Ginger just told me about the nursery. I guess there’s no turning back now.”

“You were the only one who wanted us to deny our love for each other. Ginger and I were well aware we were meant to be together from the moment we met.”

Basil rolled his shoulders uncomfortably. “Water under the bridge, Joseph. I’m glad you’re happy. Really, I am. I see you’re making good headway on the house.”

“Yes, we hope to move in before the snow begins to fly, even if it is not completely finished. After all, we will have a baby before winter is done, and the little hunter’s cabin we are in now will be too small.”

Together, they walked the perimeter of the house. Basil noticed the precise way the logs dovetailed together at the corners to form a tight bond. The bark had been shaved from the logs, and chinking still needed to be added between them to ensure a tight house, but he was impressed by the size and scope of the structure. Ginger had insisted on a front porch running the length of the house, and they now sat on the floor of the roughed-in porch. She brought out glasses of apple cider to sip on as they talked.

Basil shared his news from home. “Mother wrote to me the other day, full of details about the most recent family wedding.”

Ginger smiled at the mention of their mother’s matchmaking efforts. “Since she had such dismal luck with matching me up last year, I’m glad her efforts finally panned out for one of her daughters. Heather and David will be a good match for each other.”

She glanced over at Basil. “But I’m sensing that news from home is not the reason you’re here this evening. What’s going on, Bas?”

Basil never could fool Ginger for long. But, to drag out the suspense, and to give himself another few seconds to organize his thoughts, he took another long sip of the tart cider. “You’re right. I do need to talk to you two, and get your ideas. It was an interesting day at the bank.” He quickly filled them in on the morning’s events with the Jones family.

Ginger put her hand on her heart. “How awful for them! Will the father be all right?”

“He’s not out of the woods. I wasn’t privy to the conversation between the doctor and Mrs. Jones, but the man doesn’t look good. He coughed while in the bank, and his handkerchief was bloody. So, my guess is he’s got consumption. He has a really high fever that they can’t seem to break and a cough that racks his body. Regardless of the state of his health, since they missed the wagon trains this year, they need to winter over here.”

Joseph replied, “That may be for the best. It will give the man time to get his strength back, if he can.”

Basil raked his hand over his dark brown hair before looking up. “I can’t shake the feeling that I need to help them in some way or the other. Maybe it’s because he passed out in my bank, or maybe it’s because his large brood reminds me of our family. I want to find them a place to stay until Samuel gets better, if he gets better. And right now, all they have is a decrepit wagon and two skinny mules. Do you have any ideas on how I can help them?”

“Oh dear. The poor family.” Ginger’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s a shame we’re not further along on this house. We could let them stay in the hunter’s cabin. But we probably won’t move from there until November or so.”

Joseph leaned over and wiped away Ginger’s tears with a brush of his thumb. He wrapped an arm around her and appeared to be lost in thought. Then he turned to Basil.

“It is not much, but when my parents first arrived on this land, they only had time to build a rough house from strips of sod before winter set in. The old soddy has not been used in years, since my brothers and I stopped using it as our fort, but it is still standing. We can ride over and take a look at it now.”

Joseph needed only a few minutes to saddle Ginger’s horse. Joseph preferred to ride bareback. Together, the three of them set off down the hill and into the woods. After about ten minutes, they came to a small clearing, and a sod house built into a hillside. The straw roof had caved in on one corner, but the walls were in decent shape.

“Let’s go inside,” Ginger suggested. “I want to see if it’s livable.” She slid from her horse and hurried to the entrance.

The simple room, not larger than ten feet square, with its dirt floor and earthen sides, was full of debris and smelled of neglect. Basil noticed old animal nests in the interior. The floor was pockmarked and muddy in the corner where the roof had collapsed, and at the entrance, where the door had long ago rotted away. A little wood stove was still in one corner but the chimney was in serious need of repair. Mouse droppings littered the corners, and spider webs were on every surface. One window was cut in the front of the structure, which allowed for a dim light to appear in the room. The shutters had fallen off and were lying in a pile underneath the windows, but even though the window, doorway, and roof were wide open, the room was dark and dirty. It smelled strongly of the musty earth.

“This is not much room for a family of eight. I doubt they could all fit in the room at the same time.” Ginger gazed up to the ceiling. “Could a sleeping loft be put in, Joseph?”

“We will need to test the strength of the walls, but possibly. We can certainly at least put on new shutters and a door to hold back the night.”