Marblestone Mansion 01 - Scandalous Duchess

muttered.

    The 600 cottonwood trees, planted several years ago in Acacia Park, had survived well even during the years when rain was not so plentiful. The grass looked like a lush green carpet and there were plenty of benches where the older ladies and gentlemen could rest when they got tired. Donnel and Blanka were pleased to see those and made themselves comfortable right away.
    A pavilion offered a place for the musicians, who were already playing lively music by the time the MacGreagors arrived. A large, round section of smooth cement in front of the pavilion would be used for dancing later in the evening. Dartboards, horseshoe throws and shuffleboard were favorite daytime activities.
    Tables were filled with glittering jewelry, decorated hair combs, silk scarves and treats of every imaginable kind – all for sale. Jugglers juggled three and four items at once, while costumed men on stilts made their way through the crowd and back again. Children chased each other, older boys tried to get a baseball game going and the men did what they always do – talk about business. Before long, Hannish found himself deep in a discussion with Mr. Maps and Mr. Goodwin.
    “ Land is cheap on the other side of the mountains,” said Mr. Maps. “I heard of a man who bought 80 acres of prime meadow on the western slope for only $250.00.”
    “ You don’t say,” said Mr. Goodwin. “Well, prices are going up here, I assure you. Teachers want a raise and they already make $26.00 a month.”
    Mr. Maps scoffed, “The miners are threatening to strike again. They’re asking for $.39 and hour, up from $.34. I don’t know what the world is coming to.”
    “ I suppose we should listen to what the mayor has to say,” Hannish said, nodding toward the crowd. All three men turned to face the pavilion, where the Mayor was yelling so those in the back could hear his speech. Hannish barely listened, looking instead to see that all his ladies were safe. He nodded to Donnel and Blanka, saw Alistair with Sarah and noticed three men talking to Millie, none of whom were Prescot. Another look around found Prescot stuck between Pearl and Loretta, but Prescot wasn’t about to take his eyes off Millie. It made Hannish smile.
    McKenna was with Abigail, the cooks were working the bake sale and the rest of the footmen were spread out among the crowd. Yet, nowhere could he see Sassy and Cathleen. There had to be an orange hat with feathers on top somewhere; all he had to do was find it. At last he spotted them. They were admiring the jewelry, Sassy had her hat off and two men were talking to them. As if she knew he was looking at her, Sassy looked back and kept her eyes on his for several seconds. For a moment, he thought she might be asking for help, but she looked away and smiled at the man with her.
    The next time he looked for Sassy, she was staring at someone in the crowd. He followed her gaze and discovered it was Charlotte, who stood on the lawn not all that far away. When he looked at Sassy again, it was clear she was not happy. She said something to one of the men, took Cathleen’s hand and walked away. It was then he decided not to be so far away from her, just in case Charlotte started trouble. Slowly, he made his way around the crowd and positioned himself between Sassy and Charlotte.
    The Mayor ended the speech no one would remember later and after a round of applause, it was time for the bidding on the box lunches. The first three boxes went quickly at a price of $.25 each. The next one had two bidders, but one bowed out when the price reached $.67.
    The auctioneer cleared his throat and announced, “The next box belongs to a lovely lady by the name of Millie. Gentlemen, what am I…”
    “ One dollar,” the sheriff shouted.
    “ One twenty-five,” Prescot yelled.
    “ Two,” said the sheriff.
    “ Two dollars?” the surprised crowd muttered.
    Prescot narrowed his eyes. “Two fifty!”
    “ Half a weeks pay?” the Sheriff asked.
    “ For some of us,” Prescot answered. He tipped his hat to the sheriff and was ready to claim his prize, when another offer was made.
    “ Three dollars.” Everyone turned to stare at Mr. Wells.
    Hannish dug several bills out of his pocket, peeled off a two dollar bill, walked to Prescot and handed it to him. Then he glared at Amos Wells.
    “ Five dollars,” Prescot shouted, holding the bills in the air.
    Amos Wells shook his head and walked away, but by then, Hannish had lost sight of Sassy