“Good afternoon, Alexzander. How is Betsy? I haven’t been around to see her in a few days.”
“As well as can be expected. Betsy doesn’t like the idea of bed rest, but it’s important right now.”
“I understand. Michael is always after me to rest, too. I’ll visit Betsy tomorrow and help her while away some of that bed rest. I saw you leave Howard House. Is everything all right?” Ella Grace asked feeling a bit of trepidation.
“Katie had an unwanted suitor arrive this morning. She can fill in the details. I should get back to my office.”
“That wouldn’t have been a man by the name of Eli Warren would it?”
“Yes, why do you know him?” Ella Grace now had the marshal’s full attention.
“No, but he just checked into the Inn and had several disparaging remarks to share about the women in Silverpines.”
The marshal nodded. “Be careful around him and speak to Katie.” He tipped his hat and hurried down the street to see what he could learn about Eli Warren.
Ella Grace continued to Howard House and opened the door. “Hello, anyone here?”
“It’s Ella Grace,” Ivy shouted. “Come in, and we have to tell you about the man with the scary eyes.”
“I think I met him at the Inn a little while ago,” Ella Grace told her younger sister.
“Eli Warren?” Katie asked.
Ella Grace nodded. “He made me shudder, and he wasn’t pleasant at all.”
“Come into the kitchen, and I’ll tell you what happened. I could use a cup of tea while the babies sleep,” Katie said and went on to explain what happened with her unwanted suitor.
“Alexzander told us to be watchful and not to trust the man. Eli wanted to have me arrested for breaking a promise he thinks I made. Alexzander has the letter I sent Eli apologizing for taking up his time and said that Eli had no reason to think he could come here and force me to marry him. He’s going to keep the letter in the safe in his office as proof if Eli annoys me again.”
“Do you think he will?”
Katie shrugged and said, “I hope not. Once Benjamin finds out he may have a word with Eli, but I’m afraid Eli is the type of man who would seek revenge if he didn’t shoot or stab Benjamin in a fight.”
“I hope you’re wrong and this Eli person stays away from you. He made me uncomfortable when he checked into the Inn.”
Katie patted Ella Grace’s hand. “I’ll be all right. Miss Ethel threatened to shoot Eli and you know she’s serious when it comes to protecting all of us.”
Chapter Seventeen
Katie shivered as she stepped out the front door pulling her coat a bit tighter. The signs of autumn were all around her and the dense morning fog surrounded her. The sun struggled to break through but only added a shimmering glow to the fog.
Katie murmured to herself, “Of all mornings to have promised to help out at the Inn, it had to be this one. It’s a good thing I can walk to the Inn in the dark. The fog seems to thicken with each step I take.”
Carefully making her way down the brick walkway to the fence, she stopped to open the gate before stepping through. A shiver skittered down her spine, and it was more than the chilly morning air. She mentally scolded herself for feeling nervous about the fog. How many times had she reassured the younger girls of Howard House that storms and fog were all part of God’s creations?
Katie heard a horse trotting up behind her. She wondered who would be out in the fog hurrying along on a horse. Didn’t they care if the horse stumbled? Her thoughts were interrupted when the horse raced up next to her, and she felt herself lifted off the ground by a strong arm.
Katie screamed.
Ivy and Rosie always the ones to watch from the front porch or windows saw the dark-clad figure lift Katie off the street and gallop away. Ivy began to cry, and Rosie ran screaming into the kitchen. “The man from the dark has Katie. We have to get her back.”
Maude did her best to calm Rosie while Miss Ethel and Miss Edie talked to Ivy. “What is Rosie screaming about, dear?”
Wiping at her tears, Ivy stammered. “The boys at the picnic after church told us that if we were bad, the dark man would find us and take us away. They laughed and thought it was funny that they made Rosie cry.”
“But he isn’t real, dear,” Miss Edie assured. “Why are you crying now?”
“He is real. Rosie and I saw him. He rode on a dark horse and picked Katie up off the ground and rode off with her. Katie is gone. The dark man took her.” She began to sob again.
Miss Ethel and Miss Edie glanced at each other. After sending Ivy to the kitchen for a cookie and some of Maude’s comfort, they spoke to each other.
“Do you believe them?” Miss Edie said biting her lip.
“I am not sure, but there is one sure way to let anyone know that if they hurt one of our girls they will have to deal with us,” Miss Ethel responded and stormed over to the small closet where she kept her rifle. She pulled the key from around her neck, unlocked the door, grabbed the rifle, and rushed past Edie and out onto the porch. She aimed the rifle at
