The Problem Child (Emerson Pass Historicals 4)

“We don’t want him to surprise him, especially with Addie still recovering.”

It was obvious neither of us was convinced this was a good tactic. By the time we’d arrived inside and taken off our coats, we’d changed our minds. Papa and Mama had enough troubles without us adding to their burden.

As it turned out, we didn’t have to make the decision. We’d just hung our coats when Papa summoned us into the study. A fire roared in the fireplace, warming the small room. Tea was set out on the table between two armchairs. My stomach rumbled at the sight of Lizzie’s biscuits and raspberry jam.

Mama and Papa were both there, sitting side by side in the armchairs in front of the fire. We were not often asked to come into the study. It was reserved for serious talks, like the one we’d had about my attending college, and their alone time.

“Hello, girls,” Papa said. “Come in. Here, take my chair. Have some tea.”

“Nothing for me, thank you.” Fiona brushed her fingers over her throat, telling me that her stomach was too upset to eat.

“No tea, just a biscuit,” I said. “But later, after we talk.”

Mama lifted her cheek for us each to kiss. “Look at you both, so rosy.” She looked so much better than she had over the last few weeks. Now that we could feel more than a little hope about Addie, Mama’s sparkle had returned.

“You’re looking pretty too, Mama,” I said.

“Addie’s much improved,” Mama said. “She’s upstairs with Delphia. Out of bed and playing checkers. She ate ham and cheese for tea.”

“Enthusiastically ate,” Papa said.

Fiona and I settled together in Papa’s large chair. “Why are we in here?” Fiona slipped her forearm between the two us. I did the same, and we held hands under the folds of our dresses. “Instead of the sitting room?”

“We wanted to make sure we could talk to you in private.” Papa went over to shut the door.

“So the little girls don’t hear us,” Mama said. “To be frank, we’re worried about Flynn.”

Fiona squeezed my hand harder. “What about?”

“We’ve heard rumors,” Papa said. “About an establishment he’s running outside of town. Do either of you know anything about this?”

“Not really,” Fiona said in a trembling voice. “Other than…” She stopped, looking over at me. “You tell them, Cym.”

“We saw Li just now at the mountain. He said he played a party for Flynn the other night.”

“He refused to tell us where or who,” Fiona burst out, seeming to have put aside her reticence for the moment. “But he’s coming to talk to you, Papa.”

I continued. “We had the feeling it was something proper young ladies shouldn’t know about.” Like so many other topics, I thought.

“But Li was there? At this place?” Mama asked.

“We assume so,” I said. “Or somewhere.”

“We want you both to stay out of the underground club,” Papa said. “No more playing, Fiona. And no more dancing, Cym.”

Our parents seemed to brace themselves for an argument, but we kept quiet. I didn’t know about Fiona, but I understood exactly why they wanted us out of there. They suspected nefarious doings, perhaps by our own brother, and they didn’t want one of us to stumble into a dangerous situation.

We both nodded our consent.

Despite my run-in with a couple of drunks last year, I’d thought of the underground club as fairly innocent. The local liquor, wherever Flynn got it, was tame enough when watered down that most patrons kept their senses. I’d heard around town that moonshine in other places was strong enough to knock out a large man. Phillip had insisted they add water to everything before they even mixed it into the drinks.

“We know you’ll miss playing there,” Mama said. “I’m sorry, Fiona.”

“It’s all right,” Fiona said softly. “I wish you could forbid Li too.”

“He’s a grown man,” Papa said. “But I’ll suggest it to him when he comes to talk to me.”

“We appreciate your cooperation,” Mama said. “It seems Flynn has been worrying us all.”

“The underground club was one thing,” Papa said. “I figured the people should have a saloon and a place to hear music if they wanted. No harm there. The sheriff being one of the frequent visitors, I haven’t been concerned about Flynn getting in trouble with the law. This is the West, after all. But this other thing—” He abruptly stopped talking. Most likely because of the pointed look Mama had given him. She didn’t want us to know too much.

“Flynn’s acting strangely. Surely you’ve seen it too?” My voice caught in the back of my throat.

“We’ve been preoccupied with Addie, but yes, we’ve noticed,” Papa said.

“We’re afraid he’s in trouble,” Fiona said. “With bad men.”

I told them about the dangerous-looking fellows Flynn was with at the club the other night.

“They gave us a shivery feeling,” Fiona said. “Flynn was acting jumpy, too.”

“When does Li plan to come see me?” Papa asked.

“He didn’t say.” I rubbed my knuckles together, fidgeting.

“Thank you both,” Mama said. “You may go now. But take a biscuit. You’re both probably half starved from being out on the mountain.”

The strain in her voice hurt me. As did my father’s slumped shoulders as we filed out of the study. A flurry of angry thoughts tumbled through my mind. How could Flynn worry us all so much? How could he have gotten Li involved? Why couldn’t he have been happy with everything he already had? What was this unrelenting ambition to make more and more money?

Fiona and I went upstairs to my room. As we sprawled out together on the window seat, the sun lowered and spread golden arms through the spaces between the trees. The fallen snow was a myriad of different colors ranging from white to yellow, delineated like puzzle pieces.

“I love the light this time of year,” I said.

“Me too. Though it seems the last few weeks I’ve been too nervous to notice it much.”

“Our family seems to be having problems one after another.”

“They say bad things come in threes.” Fiona set her biscuit on the plate and pushed it away.

“I hope you’re wrong. Anyway, Addie’s better. This is just the first bad thing.”

“Addie’s sickness counts as the first one,” Fiona said.