Her Search for Family and Love (Preview)

Chapter One

Jessie stopped and held her back. She was scrubbing the living room floor, and then she would have to polish it when it was dry. Her mother always wanted the place to look beautiful, but Jessie always did the work. She had finished washing the floor and was about to stand up when her little brother raced in and jumped on her back as if she were a rocking horse.

“Giddy up, horsey,” he shouted and jumped up and down excitedly. Jessie sighed and struggled to her feet with the youngster sliding off and onto the floor.

“Spoilsport,” he shouted as their mother came in to see what the fuss was about.

“Jessie won’t play with me,” Mark Morris told his mother.

“Jessie is working,” Alice Morris replied bluntly.

“And you have come in and marked the floor,” Jessie added. “It isn’t polished yet.”

“Out,” Alice Morris told the boy, and he knew better than to oppose his mother. He slouched out of the door.

“I’ll wipe this over again and then do the polish,” Jessie said. Her mother nodded and went back to the kitchen. Jessie stood for a few moments and then wiped over the footprints. She dried the floor with an old towel and went to find the polish.

“I’ll do this polish now, and it will dry before we need to use the dining room,” Jessie called to her mother, who nodded without reply. It was a feature of the woman that she did not engage in pleasant conversation.

Jessie applied polish to the floor and dried it with a soft cloth, then she stood back and admired her handiwork. She returned the brushes and polish to the kitchen and closed the door.

“It smells lovely,” she told her mother and put away the brushes and mops.

“Wash these dishes for me while I make the midday meal,” Alice Morris told her. There was no acknowledgment of the remark that Jessie had made. That was normal in the Morris household, and Jessie had grown up knowing she was always disregarded. She went to wash the dishes and then laid the table as the two women worked in silence in the same room. Jessie thought she was more like a servant than a part of the family. Then she followed that thought with the one that said she was not a part of the family by birth. The kitchen had a large table, and Denny Morris came in for his midday meal and took a seat.

Mark Morris came back in and slipped onto a chair. Hs mother snapped that he should wash his dirty hands, and he did so without answering her back. Jessie smiled to herself. Her mother was a hard task mistress, and in Mark’s case, that was a really good thing. She remembered that the boy was adopted, like herself and their sister. It made her feel a little more affectionate toward the lad, but he was an extremely naughty little boy.

“Marlon and I have some business to discuss,” Denny Morris told his wife. “Shall I ask him to stay for an evening meal?”

“Yes, of course,” Alice replied. Jessie reflected that her mother could assume the attitude of whatever her husband expected. If she had asked to bring a friend to a meal, she would have received a short, sharp refusal. Denny Morris had a successful business, and his wife was well aware that she lived well because of what he did.

“What does this man do?” Jessie asked out of genuine interest. 

“None of your business, Jessie,” her mother put in before her husband could answer.

“It’s okay, Alice. Marlon makes parts that we use in the machinery in the factory. He is proposing a partnership deal that should work for both of us.”

“That is interesting,” Jessie replied. “Has he got a factory of his own?”

“I haven’t seen it yet,” her dad answered.

Jessie went to bring in the dessert for her mother and served everyone. “I’ll leave some of this for Milly when she comes home from school,” she said and sat to eat her own. “The floor in the living room is dry if you would like to sit in there with a drink,” she told her parents. “I will clear the dishes for you.”

Alice Morris just nodded without verbally thanking Jessie. She took a glass of wine from her husband when he offered it, and they went into the living room. Jessie cleared away, and Mark went out to play in the yard. Jessie stood and thought about her mother for a moment. It was obvious that Alice Morris was not really happy. She did what was needed to keep the house working well but never showed any emotional response to any situation. At the same time, she knew that her parents did love her and wanted to protect the family. It was a strange situation, but Jessie was used to it. She thought there was very little she could do about it. Then she took a breath and poured some lemonade to take into the room with her parents.

Her dad was explaining something about his work to her mom, who was listening, or at least she appeared to be listening. Jessie was sure that her mother was not interested in a factory’s workings. When her dad had finished, Jessie cleared her throat.

“Can I ask you both something?”

“Ask away,” her dad answered. She took a deep breath.

“I know that you adopted me when I was abandoned on the orphanage steps at Middleton, and I have had a good childhood and upbringing.” Jessie paused and saw her mother’s face darken, but she plowed on. “I am twenty-one now. Would you mind if I tried to find out who my parents were and why they dumped me? I would just like to know. I’m curious about why it happened, but the two of you are still my parents. What do you think?”

There was a silence for a few seconds. Jessie knew her mother’s answer well, though her dad was more reasonable.

“I don’t think it will get you anywhere,” Denny replied, glancing at his wife. “The orphanage didn’t know who left you there, and nobody came forward.”

“Can I ask them even if I get nowhere?” Jessie persisted.

“Just go and ask. You will be hurt and disappointed, but if you’re determined to do it, I suppose you will find a way.” Her mother said all that with harshness in her tone, and when she finished, she stood up and left the room.

“I think your mother has a point,” Denny told her. “You might well be upset by whatever you find out.”

“But I can try?” she asked.

“Yes, of course you can.”

“Thanks, Dad,” she said and kissed his cheek, feeling excited at the thought of the task she could take on.

“I would appreciate you being pleasant to Marlon tonight. I could make a lot of money from this partnership he is proposing.”

“I will be nice to him,” she answered and went to her room. She sat and went over the things she would have to deal with, and her tummy turned over a little because she knew she would be traveling alone and was unsure what she would find at the other end.

 During the afternoon, her dad was away at the factory, and she did some washing for her mother, who said she needed to lie down. It was peaceful in the kitchen by herself, and she pondered the question about her real parents. She did a little sewing and changed to look clean and tidy at the dinner table.

Her sister, Milly, came home from school, and the family was introduced to Marlon Dennis. Jessie served the meal and sat beside the visitor between bringing in the courses. He was a man in his forties, his hair going gray, and smartly dressed. He had a neatly trimmed short beard and mustache. Her dad opened some wine and Marlon proved himself to be good company. The two younger children went away when they were told, and Jessie was allowed to join the other three adults.

“Is your factory far away from here?” Jessie asked in conversation with the man.

“It’s on the other side of town. Your dad buys machine parts from me, and I think we could sell them to lots of other folk if we worked together.”

“That sounds like a good idea. You men seem happy to be in these factories. I am always a little bit frightened of the noise.” That made both men smile and tell her she didn’t need to visit the factories. Her mother remained stiff and aloof. She was polite to Marlon but no more than that. 

Jessie excused herself. “I’ll go and clear away the dishes,” she said.

“Good to meet you, Jessie,” Marlon said, standing up as she left to show he was a gentleman. Jessie washed the dishes and went back to her room to do some embroidery before the light faded. When the light became too dark, she folded away the work and stepped out of the bedroom door. She heard her dad wish the visitor goodnight. The men were in the hallway, and Marlon had hold of her dad by the arm. There seemed something sinister about it, and Jessie bit her lip and stepped back out of sight. She heard the visitor say something in a hushed voice but could not make out what he said. The front door opened and closed, and she heard her dad go back to the living room. It was unsettling, but she told herself that her dad must know what he was doing. After a while, she put away the sewing and started down the stairs. Then she stopped and froze.

“She may find out things we think she would be better not to know,” Alice Morris told her husband. There was a note with the baby, and the orphanage may well remember that.”

“I don’t think so after all this time,” Denny answered. “They did make inquiries about their baby as the note said, and we denied any knowledge of it.” Jessie put her hand over her mouth and tried not to even breathe.

“Have you still got it?” Alice asked, and Jessie heard her dad’s footsteps go to the bureau in the corner of the room to find the letter. Jessie heard the squeak of the drawer as it was opened and imagined that the two parents were looking at the note.

“Get rid of it,” Alice instructed her husband. 

“I will take it away tomorrow,” he said, and Jessie wondered, not for the first time, why her dad always did as her mother told him. She ran lightly back upstairs and sat on the bed, taking in what she had just heard.

She heard her parents send the two younger children to bed with the help of a young woman paid to see to things like bathing and hair brushing. The young nanny called Annie left for her home. Then it was quiet, and her parents went up the stairs one by one, and their bedroom door closed. The house was silent.

“I have to see this letter,” Jessie whispered to herself. She waited for some time. Without a sound, she went quietly in stockinged feet and moccasins to the desk in the living room. Each door had her holding her breath, but they did not squeak. She pulled open the first drawer and found an old-looking piece of paper. Her hands shook with fear of being caught and the fact that she might be holding a note from the people who had abandoned her.

She turned up the oil lamp enough to read the note.

Please look after our baby. Our house burned down, and we are having to camp out. As soon as we have somewhere to live, we will come back for her. Thank you, Thomas and Rebecca Robson.

Jessie read it several times and remembered the names  signed there. She put it back in the drawer with shaking hands and tiptoed back up the stairs. Lying on the bed, she curled herself up into a tight ball. She now knew  her real parents’ names and why she had been left.

“Where will I start?” she asked herself and made a bit of a plan. “I will talk to Dad and tell him that I will ask at the orphanage and maybe ask the sheriff’s office at Middleton how to look for people. The orphanage is quite a long way away. I will need to take my pony and things that I might need. I have some money and can take myself and Honey, the mare, on the railroad.”

She lay for a long while and eventually fell asleep, knowing  she was further forward now that she knew about the letter. That, in itself, made her feel better.

 

Chapter Two

In Middleton, twenty miles away, Ashton Jacobs closed his small office that the livery people rented to him. It was a small room with cupboards, a desk, and three chairs. It was not glamorous at all, but he was making more money as a private investigator, and the word was getting around that he was thorough and honest. 

He locked the door. “I’m off now, Eddie,” he called to the liveryman. “I have to check up on my dad.”

“Give him my best,” Eddie called back and went on stitching the harness he was mending. Ashton found his horse in the corral and put on a saddle. Ashton was a tall, wiry figure with dark brown hair tied back in a tail with a leather thong. He was much more agile than he looked. He grinned at himself and vaulted onto the horse just because he liked knowing he could do it.

“Come on, Richie, walk on.  Let us buy some supplies.”

He tethered the gelding at the grocery store and bought some steak, eggs, bread, and cake, and apples for his dad.

“These for your dad?” Rob in the store queried. Ashton nodded. “Give him my best.”

“I will do. I am a bit worried about him. Somebody seems to be chasing him for money that he doesn’t owe them. I need to sort it out.”

“There are crooks everywhere. Good luck. I hope you catch him.”

Ashton put the food into his saddlebag and set off to the other end of town. His dad lived in a quiet single story house away from the busy main streets. The small fence was neatly painted and the front garden pretty as ever. His dad enjoyed a little bit of gardening. Ashton remembered the days when his dad had been gambling constantly. He had missed his wife so much, and it had taken some time to pull his dad back to some form of settled life.

“I wonder if there is a gambling debt from those days,” he said to the horse as he tethered

it and took the food from the bags.

“You in there, Dad?” he called as he knocked on the door and pushed it open.

“Come in, son. Come in. I wondered if you would find the time.”

Ashton dropped the food on the kitchen table and came to sit beside the older man.

“How are you?” he asked.

“Not too bad, son. Not too bad. That friend of yours came a couple of times and sat for a chat. He had a beer with me. I like him.”

“The other man who was asking for money, did he come back?”

“Yes, he did, and your friend was here at the time. He sent him packing, and he hasn’t been back.”

“Oh, good. I hope that works.”

“He said, though, that I owed him four hundred dollars, and I never saw the man before in my life.”

“Did he give you a name?”

“Jack Rennison.”

“I’ll try and chase that one up. It’s my job anyway. I have a couple of other jobs as well, but we need to get rid of this man bothering you.” Ashton stood up. “Steak and beans?” he asked.

“Sounds good,” his dad answered.

Ashton was happy in the kitchen at the stove. He lived alone and was used to cooking. As he flipped the steaks, he wondered why this man was coming and asking for money. It sounded like somebody was trying to trick his father. He knew that as a lone operator, he could handle a gun, and a knife, and use his fists to deal with awkward customers if the need arose. In fact, Ashton was quite proud of his self-defense techniques. It often took folk by surprise because he looked like a peaceful, slow-moving man, but someone threatening his dad was another matter altogether.

 He smiled as the steaks were finished and put out two plates with steak, beans and pickle along with fresh bread. Then he carried them into the living room, and the two men sat opposite each other beside the fire, balancing their plates on their knees.

“Did you notice anything about this Rennison that was unusual?”

“Wore a hat that was too big for him.” That made Ashton laugh out loud.

“How big?”

“You know when somebody wears a Stetson, and they are not used to it? He looked like that. He would have been more comfortable in a long frock coat or something. Not a man used to riding out on the plains.”

“Well spotted, Dad. I will also ask Branton what he noticed and see if the sheriff recognizes the description. You never know. Sometimes you just get lucky.”

The men talked about old times and Ashton told his dad about the cases he was working on. 

“I guess I’ll go and find Branton and see what he remembers. Would you like him to keep looking in on you?”

“Yes. It makes a change to have someone different to talk to. The neighbors are good to me, but Branton has bits of news from all over the place.”

“I’ll come back in a few days, but I might have to go out of town.” 

His dad came to the door and watched him ride away on Richie.

Ashton rode about two hundred meters out of town and then turned into the small homestead that belonged to his friend Branton. The man grew all sorts of crops and sold them all locally. Because he was only two hundred meters out of town, folk came to his smallholding and bought vegetables and herbs directly from the grower. He carried produce to the stores, hotels, diners, and saloons. He grew oats and dried them to sell as well. However, Branton was sitting on his rocking chair on the back porch when Ashton found him.

“Just in time for a beer,” Branton exclaimed and went inside to bring one out. His own was already beside his chair.

“Two confirmed old bachelors, we are,” Branton said with a smile as he settled back in the rocker. Ashton took possession of a lounger, and the two men were silent for a few moments. “How was your dad?”

“Good, thanks. He would like you to keep going back because you have a lot of local news.” Branton laughed, and Ashton held out some money. “Don’t refuse this because you are making me happy that someone is there for Dad when I am working.” Branton took the money and put it in his vest pocket.

“What can you remember about this Rennison character? I will have to try and find him.” He paused. “Dad says that he wore a hat that was too big.” That caused more laughter, but when they stopped the merriment, Branton thought back.

“Your dad was right, though. I would not have thought that myself, but when I think about it now, the description fits. The man was wearing city shoes and not cowboy boots. He just did not seem right somehow. Something was false and I could not put my finger on it.”

“What else can you remember?”

“He walked. He didn’t have a horse with him, and I wondered at the time if he was from somewhere local.” Branton described a man with graying dark hair and a gray beard as well.

“So, not a young man?” Ashton asked. Branton shook his head.

“In his forties, I would say, and a city dweller. He would have been more at home in a gambling establishment, but he was not rough-looking or dirty. He seemed to be quite well-groomed, but it all felt like a bit of an act.”

“That’s a good start. I will ask the sheriff if he recognizes the description.”

Ashton drained his glass and stood up. “Thanks for the help. Dad appreciates it as well.”

“He is a likable man, your dad. We don’t want him to be drawn back into gambling again.” He paused. “That man could well have been a gambler.”

Ashton wondered if the sheriff’s office would still be open but decided to leave it until the next day. When the next morning arrived, there was a knock on his door, and a man who he had already done some business with in the past was on the doorstep and agitated.

“Come in,” Ashton invited, and the man took a coffee with a shaking hand. “What has gone wrong?”

“We were held up at gunpoint last night, and the money and jewelry we had in the house was taken. My wife was terrified, and she is upset that a small silver bottle of her mother’s was taken as well. There were two crooks with masks and hats pulled down over their eyes.”

“Have you been to the sheriff?”

“Yes, and they are asking questions, but I knew you were efficient when I asked you to work for my business. I can give you a description of the jewelry and this silver bottle. My wife is deeply distressed at their loss. I told the sheriff I would ask you to try and find them.”

“Was he okay with that?”

“Yes. He said that you had worked with them before.”

“As it happens, I was going to see them anyway, but I’ll try the places where someone would try to sell stolen goods first. Getting there quickly might just be important.”

Samuel Jones, the man who had been held up at gunpoint and robbed, sat back and drained his coffee.

“That makes me feel better. Thanks.” 

“Give me the description of what was stolen.”

Ashton wrote down what he was told had been taken and when he looked it over, it comprised a considerable amount of solid gold. Two watch chains and several necklaces as well as the little silver bottle that had the initials E and H etched onto the side. They had also taken a pretty clock from the mantel shelf and two silver salvers.

“The bottle will be easy to identify if I see it anywhere.”

Samuel stood up and handed the coffee cup back to Ashton.

“I do appreciate that you will get straight onto it.”

“I hope your wife is feeling better,” Ashton told him. “I’ll be in touch and keep you informed of anything I find. If I come across anything that will help the sheriff, I’ll pass that on to him.”

Samuel shook his hand and left to see how his wife was feeling. Ashton stuck his Stetson on his head and left his horse in the corral. He felt he would make more progress chasing jewelry on foot.