“Fine,” the little man said, grinning. “Satan, is it?” He was laughing.
Maddie cut him a generous wedge of pie, put it on a plate, and handed it to him. “Would you care to sit down?”
“No, thank you, ma’am. I’m gonna watch this show from over here.”
Maddie watched him walk away, then looked back up at the man on the horse. The animal was so near that its switching tail was about to knock the dishes off the table. “How can I help you, Captain?” She moved a teacup out of the tail’s way.
He reached inside his short blue jacket and withdrew a folded piece of paper and handed it to her. “I have orders from General Yovington to escort you about the gold camps.”
Maddie smiled as she opened the paper. How thoughtful of the general to provide even more protection for her. “You’ve been promoted,” she said, looking at the name on the paper. “Congratulations, Captain Surrey.”
“Lieutenant Surrey died last week and I have been ordered to fulfill his duties. General Yovington is unaware of Lieutenant Surrey’s death and has not yet been informed of my taking Surrey’s place here.”
For a moment Maddie was speechless. She was sure the general had chosen a man who would know why she was in the gold fields. She was sure the general would have given private orders to the man, but now what was she to do? How in the world was she to do what she had to do if she had a couple of soldiers snooping about her? Somehow, she had to get rid of this man.
“How kind of you,” she said, folding the letter. “How very kind of General Yovington, but I don’t need an escort.”
“Nor does the army need to spare officers to accompany a traveling singer,” the man said, looking down at her.
Maddie blinked at him. Surely, he hadn’t meant that as rudely as it sounded. “Please, Captain, won’t you join me for a cup of tea? It’s growing cold. And, besides, your horse is destroying my coach.” She nodded to where the animal was beginning to chomp on the red-painted wood of the wagon.
The man, using his knees, backed the horse up, then a few feet away he dismounted, leaving the reins dangling. Well trained, Maddie thought, and watched the man come toward her. He seemed almost as tall off the horse as on and she had to strain to look up at him. “Please do sit down, Captain.”
He did not sit but kicked a stool from under the table and put his foot on it, then, leaning on his knee, he took a long, thin cigar from the inside of his jacket and lit it.
Maddie looked at him, and she was not amused by his presumption and insolence.
“I think, ma’am, that you have no idea what lies ahead of you.”
“Gold miners? Mountains?”
“Hardship!” he said, looking down at her.
“Yes, I’m sure it will be difficult, but—”
“But nothing. You are…” He looked down at the table with its porcelain dishes. “You obviously know nothing of hardship. What could you know after having lived the cosseted life of an opera singer?”
He didn’t know her, of course, or he would have been aware of the way her green eyes turned greener. “May I take it that you are a connoisseur of opera, Captain? You’ve spent a great deal of time near opera stages? Do you sing? Tenor perhaps?”
“What I do or do not know about opera makes no difference. The army has ordered me to escort you, and it is my belief that if you knew anything of the dangers that lie ahead, you would give up this foolhardy scheme of wanting to enter the mine fields.” He stepped off the stool and turned his back to her. “Now, I’m sure,” he said in a fatherly tone, “that your purposes are of the highest order: You want to bring a little culture to the miners.” He looked back at her and almost smiled. “I commend you for your noble attitude, but these are not the type of men who will appreciate good music.”
“Oh?” she said softly. “And what kind of music would they like?”
“Crass, vulgar tunes,” he said quickly. “But that’s neither here nor there. The point is that the gold fields are no place for a lady.”
At that Maddie felt as well as saw him look her up and down—and there was nothing flattering about his look. It was as though he’d said, If you are a lady. “Bad places, are they?” Her voice was very soft yet carried. Years of training had given her absolute control over her voice.
“Worse than you can imagine. There are things that go on there that—Well, I don’t want to burden you with the horrors. There is no law except a vigilance committee. Hangings are rampant, and hanging is the cleanest way a man can die. Thieves.” He put his hands on the table and leaned forward. “There are men there who take advantage of women.”
“Oh, my. My goodness,” she said, blinking up at him, her eyes wide. “And you think I shouldn’t go into the camps?”
“Definitely not.” He leaned away from the table and again nearly smiled. “I was hoping you’d see reason.”
“Oh, yes, I can see reason when it is there to see. Tell me, Captain, ah…”
“Montgomery.”
“Yes, Captain Montgomery, if you are released from your duty of escorting me, what do you plan to do?”