Page 57 of Taming Lady Temperance

He really needed to hurry back to relieve Miss Evans and Miss Cowan so they could return to their homes before darkness fell, but there was one place he needed to stop first.

Five minutes later, he stood before a well-maintained house a block off the courthouse square and knocked on the front door. Arthur Clevenger opened it.

“Deputy Paxton? What brings you to my doorstep at this time of night?”

James did his best to ignore the man’s disdainful tone. “Is your wife at home, Mr. Clevenger? I need to have a word with her.”

The man’s eyebrows immediately scrunched down over his eyes. “That daughter of hers has gotten into more trouble, hasn’t she? I swear. That girl seems to be on a mission to destroy my good name.”

Holding on to his patience by the slimmest thread, James met the man’s gaze and held firm. “My business is with your wife, Clevenger.”

“Any business you have with my wife is my business as well,” Clevenger blustered.

“Perhaps.” James gave a conciliatory nod. “But I still need to speak to her.”

Clevenger held the door wide. “Best come in, then.”

After James stepped inside, Clevenger closed the door and led the way down the hall and into a parlor, where his wife sat knitting by the light of a lamp. Ramona Clevenger looked up at James’s entrance, and the clicking of her needles immediately stilled.

“Deputy Paxton?”

Arthur moved in front of James and approached his wife. He stood beside her chair and a placed hand on her shoulder. To support or restrain? Hard to judge, though James’s gut told him that a man as concerned with appearances as Clevenger would care more about controlling his wife than comforting her.

“He said he needs to speak with you, my dear,” Clevenger said.

James gave the man a hard look. “In private.”

Clevenger laughed, the falseness of the sound grating on James’s nerves. “We have no secrets from one another, do we, dear?” He gave her no time to answer. “I assure you, Deputy, anything you have to say to my wife can be said to me as well.”

James focused on Noreen’s mother. He’d not be taking Arthur at his word. “Mrs. Clevenger?”

She hesitated, but then her lips curved in a smile as false as her husband’s laugh and nodded. “Please speak freely, Mr. Paxton. I’m quite anxious to hear what you have come to say.”

He nodded and took a seat on the settee opposite her so that he might meet her gaze directly. “A young girl, a friend of your daughter’s, was found beaten quite severely.”

Mrs. Clevenger’s eyes widened. “Oh no. Is she all right?”

James nodded. “Noreen and Miss Evans tended to her before Dr. Perry arrived and moved her to his clinic.” He held Mrs. Clevenger’s gaze. “The beating came at the hands of a drunken family member.” He saw understanding dawn in Noreen’s mother’s eyes. “I’m afraid Noreen’s grief and anger led her to act rashly. She stormed the saloon, smashed a large number of liquor bottles, and cracked one of the mirrors behind the bar. Milton Taggert wishes to press charges, so she’s been arrested and is being held at the jail. Her friends Martha and Jane are with her now.”

“I must go to her.” Ramona Clevenger started to rise, but her husband’s grip held her in place.

“You will do no such thing,” Arthur declared. “It’s high time that girl learned her lesson. She’s grown far too bold, and now she must face the consequences of her actions. Maybe after spending a few nights behind bars, she’ll finally start curbing her outrageous behavior.”

She twisted in her chair to face her husband. “Please, Arthur. She needs me.”

He didn’t soften. If anything, his expression became stonier. “You heard the deputy. Her friends are with her. She’ll be fine. It’s much more important that we set an upright example for the girl. Show her that criminal behavior will not be tolerated in this family. Only when she has repented and turned from her obstinate ways will we associate with her.”

His wife wilted.

There had been several occasions over the last few years when James had wanted to plant his fist in Arthur Clevenger’s face, but never more so than at this moment.

Keeping his attention focused on Noreen’s mother, James leaned forward in his chair. “I’d be happy to deliver a note on your behalf.”

Her eyes lit, and she immediately set aside her knitting. Thankfully, Arthur removed his hand from her shoulder and didn’t try to stop her from rising. The man was a political creature, after all, and surely realized how unreasonable he would appear should he disallow such a simple kindness.

James pushed to his feet as she gained hers.

A small smile appeared on her face—a genuine one this time. “I’ll be right back.”