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“It’s an honor to meet you,” Lucrecia said.
Fausto smiled at her, a big sweeping grin, and she could have swooned on the spot. Were it not for Fausto taking her arm and pulling her close against his body, he might have done just that. Her suitcases were taken by another man working at the station, and hauled out to the coach that Fausto had driven to the station.
“I figure that on your first night here, what you would want to do is familiarize yourself before anything else,” he began. “It’s a lot of new territory to take in, and I won’t blame you if you find yourself overwhelmed. It is an easy thing to do when concerning a place like Montana.”
Lucrecia nodded as she listened to Fausto speak. She could have listened to him speak all day long if it were u to her. His voice was like pure melted chocolate, drizzling and dripping in a steady flow that permeated each of her pores and sunk into her body like a drug. It was a voice she imagined an angel to have, light but with heady undertones that spoke of power and confidence.
“You’ll have to meet my family as well,” he said, although he didn’t like the idea at all. If it were up to him, he and Lucrecia would stay isolated from them at all times if his life depended on it. His situation was not so drastic, but to ease his father’s parting he ought to introduce the man to his
“That sounds lovely,” Lucrecia said with a smile.
“And of course, as I said in my letter to you, I will be leaving for a week or two after we are married. I must return to New York, coincidentally the city that you just came from, and meet with several stockholders. There are some that are being demanding, but are not providing enough in return. But away with those thoughts, I’m sure they would only bore you,” Fausto said.
Lucrecia nodded, even if she felt the exact opposite. Fausto opened the coach door for her, and she piled herself and all of her clothing into it with a bit of difficulty. It was hard for her to even think of telling Fausto that she was an educated woman. She would have loved to hear about his stocks and about his company, but she put the thought aside.
As the coach kicked into gear and Fausto began driving through the streets at a leisurely pace, Lucrecia watched again as the world flew by her without giving her a second to appreciate all of its glory.
No matter how she might have liked to talk to Fausto, she knew that she would only bother him. She was there to be his wife, not his conversation partner. He certainly had many gentlemen friends that could attend to that need.
Resigned to her post, Lucrecia folded her hands in her lap and tried not to let her brewing emotions get the better of her. She would be Fausto’s dutiful and beautiful wife even if it cost her freedom and her independence. After all, it was what she had signed up to do.
It was the whole reason that she had left everything behind.
Chapter Five
Within another hour, Lucrecia and Fausto arrived at the hospital. It was the only towering building in the city, and it in fact was farther out than any other building. It was surrounded by rolling plains, and beautiful crops of land that were cultivated to feed the city. Lucrecia smiled as she looked out at it, admiring the way that the stalks of wheat and corn bent in the wind, bowing their heads individually as if to greet her formally to the land.
Fausto hadn’t spoken a word to her for the entire trip. It had been long and tiresome, especially after spending so long on a train and only just getting off of it. Lucrecia, however, refused to make a peep. She acted the way that Morgan would, polite with all of her gentlemanly company. She never said a word to them unless that was what they wanted of her. Lucrecia could do the same.
The hospital grew in size as they approached it, looming over them and the coach. Fausto pulled into an area designated for coaches, and then turned to Lucrecia once he had turned the giant machine off.
“My father is a sickly man,” Fausto said, “and my brother Nolan will be there as well. They may not even speak to you, and I would prefer if you stayed the way that you have been the entire trip. I like that you know when to speak,” he said, his smile returning.
Lucrecia allowed herself to smile back at him. “I know how to mind my manners,” she said. “I promise not to let you down, Fausto,” she agreed.
Fausto grinned once more at that, and gave Lucrecia a quick pat to her cheek. It was hardly more than a little tap, but the contact was welcomed nonetheless. Fausto exited the coach, and opened the door to her side of it once more. Lucrecia stepped out with his help, and together the two of them entered the hospital.
“What is your father ailed by?” Lucrecia asked, remaining one step behind Fausto and to his right.
“A malignant disease that has made him incredibly weak,” Fausto replied. “He is a tired old man, and he has been sick for years now. The doctors are amazed that he has managed to hold on for so long.”
Lucrecia examined Fausto as he spoke, and if she weren’t mistaken, an ugly look passed over his face as he finished his sentence. It made her heart leap into her throat, witnessing such ugliness spread onto his features and then vanish as though it had never been there in the first place. It had been a scowl, the likes of which would scare children awake at night. Just thinking of how horribly his mouth had twisted downward made Lucrecia shiver.
“I’m very sorry to hear that,” she said. “But I’m glad that he has lived long enough for me to meet him.”
“I think he’ll like you,” Fausto said, his tone and voice having long since gone flat.
The room that they approached was on the first floor, and towards the end of a long hallway. Wide windows were plastered everywhere, allowing for fresh air and sunlight throughout the day. If he weren’t in there for an illness, Lucrecia might have envied Fausto’s father.
Fausto tapped against the door with his knuckles, and a young man soon opened the door. Lucrecia took a step back upon realizing that the man was the spitting image of Fausto, only shorter and with cheeks that were more rounded. He had to have been at least five years younger, but he was handsome all the same.
“I can’t believe that you came,” Nolan breathed, looking his brother up and down. Behind Fausto, he could see a young woman. “And you brought company.”
“My new wife,” Fausto explained, stepping aside to bring Lucrecia into view. “I wanted to introduce her to both you and father before I left and she was alone in the house for so long.”
Nolan frowned, but stepped aside and allowed the two access into his father’s room. Fausto brushed past him, surrounded in an air of disdain, while Lucrecia took her time to step forward and smile at him.
“My name is Lucrecia,” she said. Fausto sent her a glare over his shoulder, but she had to introduce herself. It was common courtesy. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
