Messenger by Moonlight Read Free Page B

raspberry bushes.”
    “And strawberries,” Annie said.
    “And asparagus and a blackberry bramble. I know.”
    “And—”Annie broke off when she caught sight of a massive brick building looming in the distance. Visions of blackberries faded, as she stared at the cupola reaching toward the sky. Four stories.
Brick.
Iron posts supporting a platform that served not only to protect the main entrance from weather but also to create an observation deck. Annie pointed at the dozen or so well-dressed people gathered there. “They must feel like royalty, gazing down on us.” She peered down the hill. “I bet they can see all the way to the river from up there.”
    Frank harrumphed and muttered something about dandies looking down their noses at the pathetic rig he and Annie were following down the road, but Annie didn’t pay him any mind. She was concentrating on every detail of what was surely one of the finest hotels in the country. Just look at all the chimneys. And the elegant trim just above the top row of windows. And the windows—at least a dozen on a side. Was this the kind of hotel where Ma had met Pa? A girl could surely learn to cook wonderful food working in such a place. Would she dare go through that arched doorway to ask about working there?
    Again, Annie stumbled. This time she was still holding onto Frank’s arm. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a rut in the road that had tripped her up, but a steaming pile of manure. And she’d stepped right in the middle of it. With the boot with the biggest hole in the sole. She crinkled her nose at the idea of removing the manure-soaked newspaper acting as a patch. Hurrying to the side of the street, she did what she could tofree the shoe of manure, scraping the bottom and sides along the edge of the boardwalk.
    “Now the stitching’s coming out across the toe,” Frank said. He swore softly.
    “It’ll be all right. I’ll stitch it with some cord. I think I have some in my trunk.”
    “Let me see the other one,” Frank demanded.
    “They’re fine,” Annie said. “Really.”
    Frank pointed toward the hem of her skirt. “Let me see the other one.”
    Reluctantly, Annie extended her other foot. The toe of her red stocking showed through a hole in the leather. “It’s all right,” she said. “It’s not that hard to keep it tucked under my skirt.” She pulled her foot back and tried to erase the frown on his face by teasing. “I hope you’re happy. We’ve probably scandalized one of the fine ladies up on that observation deck.”
    Frank blurted out a response that included some not very complimentary things about “cads who’d never known an honest day’s work and their primping paramours.” Emmet, who’d come back to check on them when he realized Annie and Frank had stopped following the wagon opened his mouth to say something, but Frank held up a hand and apologized. “I know. I shouldn’t talk like that in front of Annie. I’m sorry. It just bothers me. Hiram Hillsdale’s daddy hands him an easy life and what do we get? A drunken father who can’t even keep hold of a failing farm.” He glowered at Emmet. “And I’m in no mood to hear all about how God hasn’t forgotten us and everything’s going to be just fine.” He nodded Annie’s way. “Our sister doesn’t even have a decent pair of
shoes.
”
    Annie squeezed Frank’s arm. “I do, however, have twosuperb brothers. And from what I know of him, Mr. Hiram Hillsdale doesn’t have a single family member who so much as speaks to him. That means we’re better off. And I really don’t care about the shoes.”
    “Well
I
do, and if it’s the last thing—”
    Annie tugged on his arm. “All right. I understand. Just—stop acting like everything is terrible. Terrible is behind us. Think good thoughts, Frank. Good thoughts.”

Chapter 2

    It wasn’t easy, but Frank managed to keep “good thoughts” all the way to the bottom of the hill. For Annie’s sake if for nothing else. But then