Page 15 of A Wager with the Matchmaker (A Shanahan Match #3)

15

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 tall Greek 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 and beyond. 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 fewer encounters 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.”

“I’m not stealing the virtue of any maid,” Kiernan ground out the words. He’d behaved perfectly last night with Alannah when they met in the field after dark.

Liam was watching his face, probably trying to gauge the truth.

Kiernan met his gaze levelly. “I don’t sleep with the maids. I never have, and I never will.”

“Hey, you’ll find no judgment here.” Liam waved a hand at himself. “Whatever is going on, I don’t care. But I thought you should know what people are saying.”

Kiernan clamped his jaw and peered toward the river unseeingly. What should he do now? Was there any way to make the rumors go away?

He didn’t want Shaw to hear and then investigate and realize the maid was Alannah.

Of course, his parents would likely learn about both rumors at their mass. As a result, they would be eager to know more about his supposed match. More than that, they would be dismayed to hear about his indiscretion.

Da would confront him. Not only would Da be disappointed, but he would probably launch into a story about how he’d never once looked at another woman after meeting Mam. He’d boast about how he had the perfect marriage and perfect wife and tell Kiernan he needed to strive to do better. He’d turn it into a competition like he did everything else.

And Mam? She would realize right away that Alannah was the suspect maid. Mam would use the rumor as an excuse to send her away. Of course, Kiernan wouldn’t let Mam do that. But it was all the more reason to move Alannah someplace new. ... Today if possible.

He just hoped Bellamy would have some ideas on how to solve the problems and make everything alright again.

Kiernan stepped into the dimly lit interior of Oscar’s Pub, and the waft of beer and tobacco smoke greeted him. The place wasn’t open yet, but the door had been unlocked. Al though the tables were empty, a lone figure sat on a stool at the bar counter, slurping from what appeared to be a bowl of soup.

Kiernan didn’t need to see the ginger-colored hair with a cowlick to know it was Georgie McGuire. The older man was almost always at Oscar’s Pub, sitting at the same place in the center of the bar that ran along the far wall. Kiernan wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that the fellow slept on a pallet on the floor in the pub at night.

At the sound of the door closing, Georgie shifted around on his stool, the spoon paused halfway between the bowl and his mouth. His purplish nose stood out amidst his pale face, and he flashed a near-toothless grin. “Bellamy said we’d see you today.”

That meant Bellamy had heard the rumors too, which didn’t surprise Kiernan. The young matchmaker probably heard and knew of every rumor ever spoken in St. Louis, especially among the Irish community.

“Where’s Bellamy?” Kiernan wound his way through the maze of tables and chairs, most littered with mugs from the previous night. As always, the paintings on the wall drew Kiernan’s attention, landscapes of Ireland that never failed to remind him of Da and Mam’s homeland and the fact that they’d had to work hard to make a new life for themselves in America, and if they could do it, so could he.

Georgie finished with his spoonful of soup and nodded toward the kitchen at the back of the pub. “Bellamy!” he called. “You were right. Kiernan Shanahan is here for a visit.”

A slight clattering of dishes was the only answer.

Kiernan stopped at the bar even though he was tempted to stalk around to the other side and go directly to Bellamy. That would probably make him appear desperate and therefore guilty. Instead, he gripped the bar counter and took a deep breath. He needed to be patient, just as he’d been since leaving the Cathedral.

He’d ridden to the Shanahan home on Third Street, hoping to speak with Finola and Riley and to discover what they’d heard about the rumors. But the couple had been gone, apparently having left the city a few days ago for Riley’s family farm in the country.

Kiernan hadn’t been surprised. Even though the two had been faithfully helping the immigrants all throughout the spring, Finola had recently discovered she was with child. Kiernan had known it would only be a matter of time before Riley took his wife and unborn child away from the reaches of cholera.

Nevertheless, Kiernan had spoken with Winston, their faithful family butler, and had eaten a meal at Winston’s insistence even though he was eager to return to Oakland and make sure no one was bothering Alannah. The longer he was away from her, the more he worried about her facing the ramifications of the rumors.

That meant he wanted his meeting with Bellamy to be brief.

“So you’re in a bit of a bother, are you now, lad?” Georgie set his spoon down, then picked up the bowl and drank the remainder of the soup.

Kiernan didn’t want to be rude, but he had no intention of discussing his business with anyone but Bellamy.

Georgie set the bowl down and wiped his sleeve against his mouth. “Well, now that you’ve put yourself to sea, Bellamy’s no dozer, and he’ll have you back on land in a wee minute.”

“That he will.” Kiernan tapped his fingers against the counter, trying to curb his impatience.

“Bellamy, he’ll find you a lass who thinks the sun and moon rise and fall with you, so he will.”

Kiernan didn’t need a lass like that. He’d be happy enough to have a woman who was decent and good, two things Shelia clearly lacked.

“As long as the lass is not named Shelia Douglas, I’ll be happy.”

Georgie drummed his fingers against the bar counter in time with Kiernan’s. “Always did think Shelia Douglas was like a prize hound waiting to get her snout scratched.”

Kiernan snorted.

Georgie grinned, his lips pulling over his gums.

“What are you going on about, Georgie?” Bellamy stepped out of the kitchen, a towel tossed across his shoulder and a twinkle in his eyes.

Georgie busied himself dragging his spoon through the last drops of soup in his bowl. “Never said nothin’, so I didn’t.”

“Is that a fact?”

“Oh aye.”

Bellamy shook his head, fighting back a smile as he approached Kiernan. “What can I be doing for you today, Kiernan?”

“You’re already well aware of what I’m needing today, Bellamy.”

“Naturally.”

“Oh aye, naturally,” Georgie echoed.

Bellamy leaned a hip against the counter and crossed his arms, a smirk tugging up his lips. “Are you ready to admit you lost our wager?”

“I lost.” The confession came out easily.

Bellamy lifted a brow. “Will you finally let me do my job my way?”

“Aye.” At least mostly.

Bellamy didn’t move except to narrow his eyes.

Did the matchmaker sense his hesitancy? “I need a match, so I’ll do whatever you ask.” Kiernan tried to make his voice as sincere as possible. Because he was sincere, wasn’t he?

Bellamy held his gaze a moment longer before he tossed the towel from his shoulder to the counter. “Good. Then you’ll meet me out at Dover’s Pond in exactly an hour.”

The little park wasn’t far from Oakland. Kiernan had fished there as a boy and sometimes had gone swimming in it. The pond likely wouldn’t be too busy on a Sunday afternoon and would allow them the privacy they needed for a discussion.

Kiernan nodded at Bellamy. “An hour will give me time to go home first.”

“Ach, no. You’ll not speak to anyone until we meet. Not family. Not friends. And not even acquaintances.” Bellamy leveled him a stern look. “You’ll go to the pond and stay there until I arrive.”

“But I need to talk to my parents—”

“Remind me again. Who won the wager?”

Kiernan pushed down a swell of frustration. He needed Bellamy’s help and had to do what the fellow was asking, even if he didn’t like it.

Was it too late to throw away caution and responsibilities and all rationality and go to Alannah and propose to her? His heart thumped hard at the prospect. What would she say? How would she react? It was an impulsive idea, and she would oppose it. After all, since she’d been reluctant to meet with him, she’d probably be even more so to spend the rest of her life with him.

After a beat of silence, Georgie cocked his head with his cowlick toward Bellamy. “The matchmaker won.”

“That I did.” Bellamy pivoted and began to walk back to the kitchen.

Which meant Kiernan had to follow through on his part of the wager, had to give Bellamy’s choice some consideration.

But that didn’t mean he actually had to marry Bellamy’s match, not if he didn’t like her, did it? Would Kiernan ever like anyone else besides Alannah? At the moment, he couldn’t imagine it.

“I’ve errands to be running before the meeting,” Bellamy called. “See that you’re there at the pond on time, and not a minute late.” He disappeared into the kitchen. Then a few seconds later, the back door opened and closed, leaving silence behind.

Kiernan turned on his heels and started toward the exit. He needed a miracle today. Hopefully the matchmaker could give him one. If not, Kiernan didn’t know what he would do.