Bella's Vineyard Read online

Bella laughed. “No. There was no one. What about you? Have you a sweetheart in Chicago?” A few seconds later, Bella wished she had never asked.

  “Yes, ma’am. I’m engaged to a fine lady called Gloria. As soon as I’m settled out here, and found us somewhere to live, she’s going to join me.”

  “That’s wonderful,” said Bella. Why her heart should sink as it did, she did not understand. It was natural that such a handsome man should have a woman in his life. “Congratulations.”

  “Thank you, ma’am.”

  They drove in silence for a while, and the empty land of the valley changed to vineyards, ranches and homesteads. Bella felt safe with him, and free from the tension that had been such a big part of her relationship with her brother for so many months. “Aren’t you afraid of being here?” asked Bella. “After what’s happened to the other Marshals.”

  “I can take care of myself, ma’am.”

  “I’m sure they thought they could too.”

  “From what I hear, one was a drunk, and the other a cattle rustler. They don’t always pick good men for this job, ma’am. Just whoever’s available. At least at a local level. The US Marshals Service is a little different.”

  “So why were they killed?”

  “It seems they outlived their usefulness.”

  “I don’t understand,” Bella turned slightly to look at him.

  “There’s a man in the area, name of Arthur Griffiths. A big landowner. People round here pretty much do as he says. And if they don’t, or they try to double cross him in any way, they have a habit of turning up dead.”

  “He kills them?”

  “No, he’s too clever for that. Or too scared to get his own hands dirty. He’s got people to do it for him. Your brother should never have brought you here.”

  “Yet you’re bringing Gloria.”

  “No offence, ma’am but Gloria is an American girl, born and bred. She can skin a rabbit before it even knows it’s been caught.” He turned and fixed his vivid eyes on Bella. “You, you’re like a delicate flower that needs sheltering from the storm.”

  “That’s a very romantic observation, Marshal but you obviously haven’t met many English women. Appearances can be deceptive.” Bella hoped that by saying it she could convince herself as well as Vance.

  “Then I look forward to seeing you prove me wrong. But not too wrong, you hear. Let me keep some ideals.”

  As they finally turned into the approach to her late aunt’s vineyard, she wondered why, with the resourceful Gloria to hand, he should care either way.

  A big sign proclaimed that they had reached Bella’s Vineyard. The months rolled away, as Bella saw for the first time the land she and her brother had come to claim. The vineyards themselves were overgrown, but one could still see the signs of cultivation and there appeared to have been some attempt at pruning the row near to the approach road. At the far end of the eastern vineyards was a river, which Bella assumed come down from the white-topped mountains that rose up behind the land.

  At the top of the road, nearly a mile from where the approach began stood a large white house, different to what Bella had expected. From what she had seen on their travels, she had envisaged a wooden shack, with just a couple of rooms. It was clear that this house had started out that way, and the original building could be seen at the centre. Someone had built onto it, adding a veranda and a top floor, with a gabled roof. One of the windows was broken, and the shuttering needed a lick of paint, but it showed every sign of being a solid homestead.

  “It’s very pretty, ma’am,” said Vance, pulling up the buggy.

  “Yes, it is,” said Bella. “I wasn’t expecting…” She smiled, ready to cry with relief. She had imagined having to work hard to make it a home, which in her exhausted state seemed too much trouble. The porch swing waved invitingly in the breeze, luring Bella with its relaxing sway. “My aunt has been dead two years,” she said. “I thought it would be falling down.”

  “Put your hands in the air, and get down off the buggy!”

  Bella and Vance spun around, to see where the voice had come from. It seemed to be coming from somewhere within the vineyard. From a distance, Bella thought it was a man. As their assailant drew nearer, it became clear it was a woman in her fifties. She was dressed in a checked shirt, leather chaps, and wearing a Stetson set back on her head. Her black hair was cut short, like a man’s. Bella had never seen anyone like her.

  “Ma’am,” Vance started to say, only for the woman to shoot at the wheel of the buggy.

  “Get off my land.”

  “Your land?” said Bella. “But … Aunt Bella? I thought you were dead.”

  “Aunt Bella? I’m not Bella. Are you…? Well, stone me.” The woman put the rifle down. “It’s okay, it’s okay, I ain’t gonna shoot you.”

  Despite her assurances, both Bella and Vance stepped down from the buggy slowly. “My name is Bella Tennyson,” said Bella. “My aunt owned this land and left it…” Bella stopped. She had promised Andrew she would not say anything.

  “Yes, yes, I know,” said the woman. “Well, I’ll be darned. I never thought you’d come. I been protecting this place for months from that varmint Griffiths. Where are my manners?” The woman emerged from the vineyard, and held out her hand, but not before rubbing it on her shirt. “My name is Maylene Tucker. My friends call me May. I was your aunt’s …” she paused momentarily, and her bright brave eyes became sad, “housekeeper and friend. And is this your brother? That’s mighty odd. He looks part Indian to me.” She said it with curiosity rather than malice.

  “No.” Bella smiled. “This is Marshal Eagleson. My brother, Andrew will be arriving later today.”

  Vance held out his hand and was rewarded with a vigorous shake of May’s. He clearly found the whole thing amusing. “Mighty glad to meet you, Marshal. I hope you ain’t gonna go and die on us like them others.”

  “I’ll try my best not to, ma’am.”

  “Well, that’s what they all say, but it’s a different story when they’re complaining about the ride up to Boot Hill in the hearse.”

  Bella looked at Vance, and then turned away, her throat bubbling with laughter. Considering that two men had died, it was not really funny, but May had a particular way of putting things. “You say you’ve been keeping an eye on the place. Thank you,” she said to May once she had composed herself.

  “There’s no need to thank me. I did it for your aunt. You’ve her look about you, you know.” May paused again and that same sadness filled her eyes. “Not that I’ve done much good keeping an eye on the place. Some kids came up here yesterday whilst I was out getting supplies and broke the top window. Little varmints. If I’d been here, I’d have given them a butt full of buckshot.” Bella did not doubt it.

  “Do you live in the town?” asked Bella.

  May paused for even longer. “Yeah, I guess I do now.”

  “Of course, you used to live here, with Aunt Bella.”

  “We kinda looked out for each other, you know. Neither of us having a husband and all that.”

  Bella sensed there were some things left unspoken, but she did not want to pry. “The trouble is, I don’t know if I can pay you.”

  “I ain’t got nowhere else to go,” said May. “And Bella would want me to take care of you.”

  “I must admit I’d like some female company after three months on the road with my brother. Apart from the Marshal, we don’t have any friends here.” Bella had immediately warmed to this doughty woman.

  “When you pick friends, you sure pick ‘em well,” said May, looking the Marshal up and down and winking at Bella.

  “I’ll leave you two ladies to get to know each other,” said Vance, after he had helped them carry the luggage into the house.

  “Yes, thank you,” said Bella, turning to hold out her hand. The pressure of his hand on hers gave her an unexpected thrill. He showed none of the hesitant behaviour of the young men she had known in England. Yet his stillness continued to unne
rve her. It was like he was holding something in and that it would become a raging torrent should he ever let it loose.

  “I’ll call on you in a few days, see how you’re getting on,” he said.

  “Please do. When we’re settled, perhaps you could come up for dinner. We owe you at least that.”

  “You don’t owe me anything, ma’am, but I’ll accept your offer anyway.” He tilted his hat, first to her, then to May Tucker.

  Bella felt less apprehensive about being left at the house now that she had May by her side.

  Inside was just as pretty as outside. “You’ve kept it lovely, May,” she said, after May had given her a tour. Downstairs there were three main rooms, a parlour, a dining room, and the kitchen, which also had a dining area, with a big wooden table. Off the kitchen was a small washroom, complete with a tin bath. Upstairs were four bedrooms. May showed Bella into her aunt’s old room.

  “But you sleep in here now?” said Bella, her brow knitting on seeing an old nightdress folded at the foot of the bed and a pair of muddy boots at the side.

  “Well… just while I was keeping an eye on the place. I’ll sleep in the back room from now on.”

  “I can’t put you out,” said Bella.

  “Yes, you can. I gotta move out sometime. I can start by doing it one room at a time. We need to get that window fixed though. I don’t mind the hole. It gets hot enough in summer. But come winter, you’ll know about it. Come on, I’ll show you outside.”

  “The privy is there,” May pointed to a small hut further down the yard. “We’ve got cellars underground. They’re not as well stocked as they were, but there’s a few bottles left down there. I’ll find us a good wine to have with dinner. And here’s the water pump. The water comes right in from the river,” May informed her, showing her the standpipe out in the back yard when they toured the outside. “Me an’ your aunt built the filtration system from a book we found in the city.”

  “That’s amazing,” said Bella.

  “Yep, it’s also why Griffiths wants to get his hands on this place. He controls the water, he controls the town. Simple as that.”

  “How?”

  “The other farmers paid … still pay … to graze their cattle. Oh, your aunt never charged them much. Mostly in kind. You know, some potatoes, some beefsteak, hay for the horses, that kind of thing. If Griffiths got this place, he’d build a dam and make sure everyone paid through the nose for grazing rights.”

  “But the water is free,” said Bella. “From the mountain. How can he control it?”

  “Welcome to the United States of America, honey. The land of opportunity.”

  It was the following day when Bella got her first glimpse of Arthur Griffiths. Her brother had failed to arrive from the town. Word came late in the day that he may travel up in the morning. When the morning came and there was no sign of Andrew, Bella became apprehensive.

  “You say he likes to gamble?” said May over breakfast. Bella had confided much in her over dinner the night before.

  “Yes.”

  “I’m sorry, honey. He ain’t coming home till he’s broke. Lots of men around here the same. Dig out gold all day from the mine, then go and gamble it away.”

  “Then this is the worst place we could have come,” said Bella. She went out onto the porch. The day before, after meeting May, and finally reaching a place she could call home, she had felt happy. If she were honest, Vance Eagleson had a little to do with that. She felt secure with him as a friend. As she looked out over the vineyard, she realised that the problem with running away from home was that you had to take yourself with you. Or in her case, Andrew. His problems would be the same no matter where they were. At least in England, there had been some social restrictions on his gambling. From what she had seen of the saloon the night they arrived, it was as much a part of life in America as driving cattle and owning a six-gun.

  Her heart lightened briefly when she saw some figures riding up the approach on horses. There were three, and the sunlight made them look like silhouettes, but she thought it might be Andrew with Vance Eagleson and maybe someone Andrew had befriended. The lightness became heavier when the figures came into view.

  “Oh no,” Bella said. Thankfully they were still some way off so could not hear her.

  “What is it, honey?” asked May, coming out onto the porch.

  “Those two men coming up the approach. They’re the ones I told you about. From the coach. Bill and Tom. Who’s that with them?”

  “That’s Arthur Griffiths. Now don’t you let him bully you honey. I’ll be here to take care of you. Don’t you worry none about Bill either.”

  Arthur Griffiths was a surprise to Bella. She had imagined him to be a bluff looking man, overweight and with a beard. In short, a slightly cleaner version of Bill and Tom The man between Bill and Tom was about fifty years old, but still handsome, dark haired with streaks of grey running through, giving him a distinguished air.

  The three men finally reached the porch and dismounted. “Ma’am,” said Mr Griffiths, raising his hat with an easy smile. He turned and scowled at Tom and Bill, who raised their own hats, smirking as they greeted her. “My name is Arthur Griffiths. I came to welcome you to the neighbourhood, though I must say, ma’am that I never expected to meet anyone quite so young and beautiful.”

  He put Bella in mind of the salesman who used to call at their door selling household goods. For the sake of good manners, she stepped down from the porch and held out her hand. Griffith’s handshake, though strong enough, reminded her of a paper mache mask she had once made as a child. Cold, dry, and hollow. “Mr Griffiths. I’m Bella Tennyson. I’m afraid my brother is not here at the moment. Perhaps you know…” she turned to May, who was scowling at Bill and Tom.

  “They know me,” said May. “Bill here is my brother.”

  “Oh…” Bella felt the heat rising in her face. She had been less than complimentary when describing him to May.

  “It’s okay, honey,” said May. “We ain’t friends like you and your brother.”

  “Actually, Miss Tennyson,” said Mr Griffiths, “the reason I brought Bill and Tom here today is so they can apologise to you. They told me about what happened on the stagecoach. I wanted you to know I will not tolerate that sort of behaviour in front of a lady.” Griffiths turned to each man and coughed slightly.

  “I’m mighty sorry if I offended you, ma’am,” said Tom.

  Bill and his sister were still locked in a scowling match.

  “Bill! Do you have something to say to Miss Tennyson?”

  “Sure. I’m sorry, ma’am.”

  “I hope they’re going to apologise to the Marshal too,” said Bella.

  His pause lasted less than a moment, but it was enough to tell Bella all she needed to know about Arthur Griffiths. “Of course,” he said, with a smile that failed to reach his eyes. “I’ll see they do that as soon as they next see him.”

  Chapter Three

  “Looks to me like you’re gonna get your chance now,” said May, gesturing towards the approach.

  Bella’s heart lightened at the sight of Vance riding towards them. He had swapped the buggy for a black stallion, casting Mr Griffiths and the two men into insignificance with his proud bearing.

  “Good morning,” he said, when he reached them. He raised his hat to Bella and May, then jumped down from the horse in one lithe movement. It crossed Bella’s mind that he was something of a stallion himself. She just as quickly remembered that he was promised to another.

  “Good morning,” she said, her pretty face breaking into a genuine smile. “Have you met Mr Griffiths?” She knew that he understood the guarded tone of her voice, because his eyes darkened slightly, before he composed himself and held out his hand.

  “Mr Griffiths, I’ve heard a lot about you.”

  Bella felt her cheeks flame when Griffiths ignored the outstretched hand. As the hostess of this awkward gathering she felt somehow responsible.

  “I’ve heard
a lot about you too, Marshal,” said Griffiths. “I gather my men here gave you a hard time yesterday. Bill. Tom. Do you have something to say to the marshal?”

  “Boss, you’re not really gonna make us…” Bill got no further before Griffiths turned to face him head on. His eyes held a stark warning, but also something else. Conspiracy. Bill hesitated. “We’re sorry we caused trouble.” He followed the empty apology by spitting on the ground.

  “We’re sorry,” said Tom, joining his older companion in another spitting contest. Bella felt her stomach turn, but she ignored them.

  “I hope we can get along well together,” Griffiths was saying to Vance. “I’m sure we both have the best interests of the people of Milton in mind.”

  “I’m sure we have,” said Vance. His manner was polite, but cautious.

  “Now if you’ll excuse us…” Griffiths turned to Bella and raised his hat. “I wanted to discuss some business with your brother, Miss Tennyson, but I guess that’s going to have to wait for another day.”

  “Anything you want to ask my brother, you can ask me,” said Bella.

  Griffiths cast her a withering look that said he doubted it, but his voice was all charm. “There are some things ladies should not have to worry their pretty heads about. Maybe I’ll call on your brother in the saloon later. I prefer to do business over a drink and a game of cards.”

  Bella’s face flushed again. Did everyone know about Andrew’s problem?

  “There ain’t many secrets in Milton,” May muttered, as Griffiths, Bill and Tom got on their horses and rode away. She looked from Bella to Vance, smiling enigmatically, before going into the house.

  “I’m glad you came,” Bella said to Vance. “I don’t think I like that man.”

  “No, and he certainly doesn’t like me,” said Vance.

  “I’m sorry he was so rude to you.”

  “I never expected anything else, coming here as a state appointed marshal. I daresay Griffiths would have liked to put his own man in the job.”

  “May has made some coffee,” said Bella. “Would you like some? Have you eaten? There’s plenty of breakfast left. Judging by all the pancakes, I think May’s used to feeding an army.”