All throughout mass, Kiernan had noticed the curious glances he was attracting along with the whispers. Now as he stepped out the doors of the Cathedral of St. Louis, he was still drawing attention.
The Sunday morning was cloudy and the air humid with the promise of rain. The air was also filled with the usual mingling scents of coal dust and smoke, livestock feces and refuse from the slaughterhouses, and the ever-present stench of hot fat from the tallow factories.
A hand clamped his shoulder, and Kiernan turned to find Liam in his fine pinstriped gray suit and top hat grinning at him. His dark hair was smoothed back away from his face. His mother and two young sisters, all attired in their finest gowns and hats, were inside the Cathedral, speaking with another family and casting looks his way.
“You’re the talk of town this morning.” Liam’s hand moved lower and slapped Kiernan good-naturedly on his back.
“It appears I am.” Kiernan leaned against one of the tallGreek revival-style pillars that lined the Cathedral’s front portico. The oldest cathedral and largest in St. Louis, the building was an important monument downtown, with its greenish blue steeple and golden ball and cross at the top. Thankfully, the firefighters had worked hard last month to save the Cathedral by demolishing the buildings around it to prevent the spread of the flames.
Blackened ruins still remained along the streets to the west of the Cathedral. Some of the destruction had been carted away to make room for rebuilding—the rebuilding that would hopefully require bricks and turn his brickyard into St. Louis’s wealthiest business. If not the wealthiest, then hopefully his venture would prove more profitable than his da’s ironworks.
“I’m surprised to see you in the city for mass.” Liam released him and checked his pocket watch. “I thought you were going with your family to St. Bridgett’s.”
The small parish was close to Oakland and where his family attended mass while residing in the country. Everyone else—including his da—had gone there this morning without him. “I have business to attend to.”
Liam’s brows shot up. “On Sunday?”
Around them, several other families mingling among the tall columns halted their conversations as though hoping to hear his business.
His spine stiffened, and he was tempted to glare back and tell them to keep to their own affairs. But he focused on Liam instead. “It’s of a personal nature.”
Liam’s grin reappeared. “Oh, I imagine it is.”
Just as he’d suspected, the news of his supposed engagement had spread to the farthest reaches of St. Louis andbeyond. He wouldn’t be surprised if everyone west of the Mississippi all the way to California now knew that he was officially matched by the matchmaker.
Except that he wasn’t engaged or officially matched. Not even close.
Liam leaned in. “Shelia told me about the match last night while I was visiting her.”
“So you decided to shout it from the rooftops this morning?” Kiernan couldn’t keep the sarcasm from his tone.
“I may have mentioned it at the pub on my way home. That’s all.”
That’s apparently all it had taken.
“Shelia also told the company.” Liam’s smile wasn’t dimming. His friend was probably just excited about the so-called match and expected Kiernan to be happy too.
But Shelia on the other hand? If she’d sensed any hint of deception from their exchange last evening, it was possible she’d hoped to put him on the spot. More likely, she’d been annoyed by his refusal to tell her anything and decided to exert pressure on him to reveal the name of his match.
No doubt each of her visitors had gossiped about him. Maybe word had already passed among the list of women he’d met with. They would realize they hadn’t been chosen, and there would be hard feelings all around for his calloused approach to handling everything.
The muscles in his chest tightened. He’d expected the gossip this morning when he’d ridden into the city but hadn’t realized he’d be the center of attention.
At least he could be grateful the city wasn’t as busy as it normally was. Fewer people had attended mass, and fewer people were out on the streets. Hopefully, that meant fewerencounters with busybodies today as he tried to figure out what to do about his situation.
Whatever the case, he intended to meet with Bellamy and discuss his options. That’s why he’d come to town.
Liam’s smile disappeared. “You should also know, Shelia mentioned that you’re having a dalliance with one of your new maids.”
“Blast it all.” Kiernan pushed away from the column and spun toward his friend, anger surging through him.
Liam took a rapid step back and held up his hands as though to protect himself from Kiernan’s wrath. “I’m not condemning you.”
“It’s a complete lie.” Kiernan had the sudden need to ride out to the Douglases’ and ask Shelia what she’d been thinking to spread such a rumor. If she cared about him the way she’d indicated, then why had she done it? It wasn’t like her to be petty or mean-spirited.
Besides, she had Liam which ought to have been enough. But for whatever reason, she wasn’t satisfied with that.
Liam glanced through the Cathedral’s open doors into the nave at his mother and sisters, then he leaned in and lowered his voice. “I admit to having stolen the virtue of a willing maid from time to time.”
