The Seduction Of Ellen

Slipping her nightgown over her head, Ellen sank down onto the edge of the bed. It was well past midnight, but she wasn’t sleepy. Her anxiety was rising steadily as departure time neared. The last thing on earth she wanted to do was to go out West on this outlandish, expensive lark.

It was more than just the senseless waste of money that bothered her.

She had a nagging premonition that once the journey westward was under way, nothing in her life would ever be quite the same again. She felt as though she would be caught up in some clandestine web of danger from which she could never escape. She had the frightening feeling that she might never return to the safety of this Park Avenue town house.

And, that even if she did, she would not be the same person she was when she left.

Ellen shook her head and silently scolded herself. She was being unforgivably silly. Nothing was going to happen to her. Nothing more than a long, boring trip across the country and a senseless trek to some ordinary water hole where Alexandra would learn, too late, that there was no such thing as a fountain of youth.

Then, at last, back home to her sheltered, well-ordered existence.

Ellen sighed, took the pins from her hair and let it spill down around her shoulders. Without aid of a mirror, she swiftly plaited it into a thick braid. She yawned, blew out the lamp and got into bed.

There was nothing to worry about, she assured herself. She had cleverly managed to avoid Mister Corey since the morning he had met her at Grand Central Station. Four pleasant days without seeing him.

And in that time the memory of his burning kiss had faded until she could hardly remember what it had felt like.

Out of sight, out of mind was actually true. And she would keep him out of sight on the long train trip to Grand Junction, Colorado. All she had to do was to constantly stay inside the close confines of the Lucky Landseer.

It wouldn’t be easy, but she could do it.

She would do it.

She had to do it.

Ellen’s resolve strengthened as Mister Corey’s arrogant words came back to her, “I don’t think, Ellen, that you’ve had nearly enough of me.”

Nine

At the last minute, Alexandra had decided to not take any servants along on the train trip. It was customary, when she traveled in the Lucky Landseer to have at least the chef and her personal maid, Esther, accompany her. She decided against it for this journey and, as usual, her decision was a selfish one.

She worried that if her servants were on board, the group with which she was traveling might assume that they, too, could avail themselves of their services. The outsiders might mistakenly take it for granted that her chef would cook for them and that her maid would tend their needs.

That would be the day!

Now as she excitedly rushed around on the morning of departure, Alexandra congratulated herself on electing to leave the servants at home. She was aware that their absence would not make the trip any easier. But she could do it. She would take her meals in the dining car, just like any common passenger. And, after all, she had Ellen.

“It’s them!” Alexandra cried out as a knock came at the mansion’s massive front door. Her uniformed butler, the solemn, long-suffering Dunwoody, immediately appeared. Alexandra put up a hand and stopped him. “No, Ellen will answer the door. You should be seeing to the luggage.” Turning to Ellen, she said, “Don’t just stand there, let them in! What in God’s name are you waiting for?”

Ellen couldn’t tell her aunt that she was waiting for the pounding of her heart to slow its beat. Ellen was sure that when she opened the door, Mister Corey would be standing there, tall, dark and intimidating.

Ellen squared her slender shoulders, lifted the skirts of her cotton summer dress and proceeded across the black-and-white marble tiles of the spacious foyer.

She opened the door and immediately smiled.

She was greeted by Ricky O’Mara who said cheerfully, “Good morning to you, Ellen. Are you and your aunt ready to leave?”

“We most certainly are,” came Alexandra’s distinctive voice from behind Ellen. “Now get in here and get this luggage loaded! Where’s Mister Corey? You’ll need his help to—”

“No, Miss Landseer,” said Ricky, coming inside. “I can take care of the luggage.” Alexandra made a face, went to the door and looked out. Ricky quickly explained, “Mister Corey and the others will meet us at Grand Central Station.”

“Oh,” said Alexandra, mollified. “Good. Yes, that’s fine.”

Ellen wanted to echo her aunt. She felt she had been temporally reprieved and was grateful. With any luck, she would not have to see Mister Corey this morning. She and Alexandra would board the Lucky Landseer with Ricky and a porter’s help. And if she played her cards right on the journey, if she ate her meals at either an early or late hour, she likely wouldn’t encounter Mister Corey more than a time or two on the entire train trip.

It was, she figured, more than two thousand miles to Grand Junction. With all the stops the train would make along the route, it would take several long days before they reached their destination. Several peaceful days in which she would not have to contend with the troublesome Mister Corey.

Feeling herself relax, Ellen finally began to smile. When Ricky and Dunwoody had loaded the many valises and cases and heavy trunks into the waiting carriage, Ellen went back up the steps of the town house to say goodbye to the servants.

She hugged Ida, the housekeeper, a big, rawboned woman with a ruddy face, salt-and-pepper hair and a kind heart. She shook hands with Dillon, the portly chef. Next came Alexandra’s personal maid, Esther, a small, agile, middle-aged woman with gray-streaked red hair and a saucy manner.

Esther wrapped her short arms around Ellen and whispered in her ear, “Don’t be waiting on bossy old Alex hand and foot while you’re gone. She’s the one wanting to go off on this asinine adventure, so just tell her to make her own bed and comb her own hair.”

“I will,” Ellen promised, smiling. “You take care of things here while we’re gone.”

“That’s what I’m here for, honey,” said Esther. She and the others followed aunt and niece to the front door. Alexandra turned, gave Esther a halfhearted pat on the shoulder and commanded, “You’ll see to it that Ida and the cleaning girls keep this place immaculate, just as if I were here.”

“No,” teased Esther. “Once you’re safely out the door we’re throwing a big party. All the servants up and down Park Avenue are invited. You get back here, you’ll find empty champagne bottles and cigar butts all over the place.”

Alexandra didn’t bother responding. Just frowned, waved a dismissive hand and went down the front steps. Ricky lifted Ellen up into the carriage and turned to Alexandra.

“May I assist you, Miss Landseer?” he asked politely.

“You’d jolly well better, young man!” she snapped.

The wide smile never left Ricky’s handsome face. Stepping forward, he placed his powerful hands at Alexandra’s thick waist and effortlessly lifted her onto the seat. Solicitously arranging her skirts around her feet, he grinned at her and said, “Why, you’re as light as a feather.”

“Don’t waste your time trying to butter me up, O’Mara. It won’t work. You know your place. See that you stay in it.”

“Sorry, Miss Landseer,” Ricky apologized and Ellen wanted to choke her inconsiderate aunt.

But Ricky was neither hurt nor insulted. He had realized early on that Alexandra Landseer was a shallow, rich, self-centered woman and that dealing with her would often be unpleasant. He didn’t mind. Her rudeness didn’t bother him. In fact, he almost felt sorry for her. She was undoubtedly a miserable person.

His sunny smile still firmly in place, Ricky swung up onto the seat beside the aging heiress, and asked, “Now, are we ready to leave?”

“I’ve been ready from the moment I read Mister Corey’s advertisement in the London Times. Let’s be on our way!”

“At your service, madam,” said Ricky, reaching for the reins.

“No! Wait!” Alexandra abruptly grabbed his arm. “Stop. Wait a minute. I’m not ready after all! Good heavens, I was about to get off without my chalice.”

“Your chalice?” said Ricky, dark eyebrows lifting in question.

“Yes!” Alexandra said irritably, almost shouting. “My goblet. My golden goblet!” She looked sharply at him and said, “I must take it with me! I have it all planned. It is from the golden goblet that I will take my first drink of the Magic Waters!”

Alexandra turned to order Ellen back inside, but Ellen had already scrambled down out of the carriage and was rushing up the steps of the town house. In seconds she returned and in her right hand was a deep-blue velvet bag with a drawstring pulled tight at the top. Inside was Alexandra Landseer’s golden goblet. Ellen held it up for her aunt to see.

“Now we can leave,” said Alexandra.