“We can hardly leave Victoria behind,” Judith said, still appearing confused by what her cousin had said earlier.
“Oh, she can come with me to see Cousin George married, and then we’ll return to the house. You all go and enjoy yourselves,” Kenzie insisted. She looked at Victoria, who was watching her with a look of displeasure.
“I don’t know,” Caleb said. “There’s a lot of work I should be doing.”
“It’ll keep, brother dear.” A knock sounded on the front door, and Camri jumped to her feet. “That will be Patrick.”
After breakfast, the plans were finalized, and the foursome took off for their day of fun. Victoria moped around the house as if she’d been asked to attend her own funeral. Kenzie thought about confronting her regarding her performance at breakfast but thought better of it. It might be wise to let Victoria think she had the upper hand.
“Do I really have to go to your cousin’s wedding?” Victoria asked as Kenzie came downstairs with her hat and gloves.
“What else would you do?” Kenzie paused in the hall to put on her hat. She could see Victoria’s scowling face in the mirror.
“Stay here.” Victoria crossed her arms, and Kenzie turned to face her. “In fact,” the girl continued, “that’s exactly what I intend to do. You can hardly force me to go.” She marched into the front room and plopped down in one of the stuffed chairs.
Kenzie wasn’t sure what to do. If she didn’t get a move on, she would be late, and that in turn would delay the wedding. She looked at Victoria and shook her head. “Have it your way. I hardly care one whit what you do, but if anything is amiss when I return, you can be certain Caleb and Judith will hear about your behavior.”
Victoria looked at her as if she’d lost her mind. “I’m not causing any trouble at all. I just don’t feel like attending a wedding. I just lost my family. Have you no mercy? No compassion?”
Kenzie pulled on her gloves. “Just make sure you give me no reason to tell them.”
She left the house and was only a few steps down the street when she heard Micah call her name. She turned to find him driving up behind her.
She smiled. “I see you got your automobile back.”
He stopped and leaned across the seat to open the passenger door. “Let me drive you.”
“You don’t even know where I’m going.”
“I do too. You’re going to your cousin’s wedding.”
Kenzie moved to the car and looked at Micah. “I said nothing about that.”
“You didn’t have to. I’m going as Mrs. Andrews’s guest.” He shrugged. “She wanted me to stand as her witness. We’ve been friends for a very long time.”
Kenzie rolled her eyes. “Are you sure this isn’t just a ploy on your behalf to get me up before a judge?”
He laughed. “The thought had crossed my mind.”
Kenzie slid gracefully onto the seat. Before she could completely close the door, Micah leaned across her and did it for her. As he straightened back up, he quickly touched his lips to hers.
“I’d like to spend more time on that effort,” he said in her ear, “but we’ll be late.”
The kiss left her unable to think or speak. She hadn’t expected to even see Micah today, and yet here he was, and she couldn’t deny she was pleased. His kiss, even abbreviated, sent a tingle through her like an electric current.
“Aren’t you going to at least chastise me?” he asked, still not putting the car into motion.
Kenzie shook her head and met his gaze. “No. The thought never crossed my mind.”
His eyes widened and his brow shot up. “Well, I’ll be. The lady is finally coming around to my way of thinking.” He rubbed his gloved hands together and put the car in gear. “We may have to talk to that judge after all.”
Victoria peered from the front window to see which direction Kenzie had gone. She saw a car stop and recognized Dr. Fisher as the driver. Maybe Kenzie wasn’t going to a wedding at all. Perhaps she was running off for a day of fun with the good doctor. Either way, with Kenzie in the company of Micah Fisher, Arthur Morgan would be very unhappy. Perhaps he’d like to know about it.
When the car moved off down the street, Victoria put her own plans into motion. She knew where she could find Arthur Morgan, and with any luck at all, she could get there and back before Kenzie returned. She was desperate for his help, and now she had some information he might like to know.
Just in case Kenzie came back early, Victoria decided she would pull one of the same tricks she had at home when she’d wanted to go out unnoticed. Hurrying upstairs, she arranged her bed in such a fashion that the pillows gave the appearance of a body beneath the covers. Next, she changed out of the gown she’d been wearing and draped it across the foot of the bed. She positioned her shoes next to the bed, then retrieved another pair from one of her many clothes trunks.
Once she’d redressed in her black mourning clothes, Victoria went downstairs to the kitchen level. Camri had mentioned an exterior door, and Victoria wanted to make certain it was unlocked. Now when she returned, she could sneak in that way, and no one would be any wiser about her absence.
