Max relaxed a little. “It’s quite alright. I like order. Sequences. It brings me comfort.”
“Oh. Is there something wrong with you?”
Max stiffened. “I don’t think there is anything wrong with me. I’ve been this way most of my adult life.”Since the accident, he wanted to say, but didn’t. He couldn’t bear the thought of this young woman looking at him with distain.
“I am sorry.” Cassie giggled. “I guess I spend most of my time apologizing to you.”
“It does seem to be a habit of yours.” He took a sip of his tea. “Why did you leave New York?”
Cassie sighed. She didn’t want to tell the whole truth, but she could at least tell her portion truth. “I ran away from someone that wanted to marry me.”
“You were engaged?”
“No. My father’s employer insisted on marrying me to pay a debt.”
“That’s terrible. What kind of father would sell you to pay a debt?”
“Oh no. It’s not like that. I don’t know the particulars, but Father and Charles, my brother, insisted we leave town before he came for me.”
“Who was he?”
Cassie shivered. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Can we talk about something else?”
Max tilted his head at her. “Alright then, I won’t press you for anything else. Tell me more about your Mrs. Pennyworth.”
“I don’t know what to say. She is rather odd, appearing and disappearing at the most peculiar times.” Cassie finished her tart and licked crumbs from her fingers. “May I have another tart? It was so good.”
Max pushed the box over to her. Cassie looked inside at the various pastries. She chose a small tart with what looked like a jam filling.
“Have you never had pastries before?”
Cassie shook her head. “Not like this. Most of our money went for rent and basic provisions. There was very little left over for anything else.”
“Where did you live in New York?”
“We lived in a tenement on the east side with twelve other families. It was small, very noisy and rather smelly. It was nothing like your house here.” Cassie broke off a piece of the tart crust. “You have a beautiful home.”
“Thank you. I rather like it. I worked hard for everything I have.”
“Have you been in Creede long?”
“About two years. I was a fabric buyer in New York. One day I decided I didn’t like the conditions of my employment, so I packed up and left without looking back.”
“So, you and Mr. Gladstone found Creede?”
“Actually, the train I was on was robbed and I had just enough for a ticket here and a room for a week. That gave me enough time to wire home and have more money sent. I just didn’t know that the town was about to dry up.”
“Dry up?”
“This was a mining town. It burned down in ’91, right after I arrived. Many of the buildings north of town were destroyed. There were many unscrupulous men that arrived in town. The man who sold me the shop took the money and ran.
About a week later I found out why. Miners don’t wear fancy frocks, and unless they are working, they would much rather spend their hard-earned dollars at the saloon instead of a clothing store.”
“Where were you headed?”
“Anywhere west.”
Cassie was silent for a moment. “How did you know where to find me last night?”
