Aundy (Pendleton Petticoats #1)(37)
Author: Shanna Hatfield

Tony kept a friendly smile firmly in place. Fleeced by his brothers numerous times in card games, he finally learned to keep his face impassive and unreadable. Now, he had it down to an art. “I’d hate to put you to any bother. My brothers can take care of it.”

“No bother at all,” Enzo said, tying his horse to the back of the wagon and climbing on the seat. “I’ll make sure to let your father know you all made it safely to the station.”

“Thank you so much for your assistance, boys,” Angelina said, smiling and waving as the two police officers gave one last glance at their little group before pulling out on the street. Anna waved her hand, still keeping her face hidden in the shadows of her hat.

“We’re all going to have to board that train and Caterina is going to have to stay in the trunk until we get to Philadelphia. Luigi has people watching us, so just act natural while I get the luggage loaded,” Tony said, walking the two women to the depot door where they would wait for the train.

Hurrying back to the cart, he pushed it to where the baggage would be loaded and spoke in hushed, curt tones to his sister.

“Rina, don’t panic. Stay in the trunk, and I’ll get you out as soon as I can. I’m sorry,” Tony said, tapping the trunk with his knuckles, trying not to grin when his sister kicked the side.

“You better be sorry, Tony,” Caterina hissed through the holes in the side of the trunk. Even though she couldn’t see it, she wished she could wipe the smirk off her brother’s handsome face.

She loved all her brothers, but Tony was the smartest, strongest, and most fun of them all. Headstrong and stubborn, like her, they often argued and disagreed, but most frequently, they joined forces against their other siblings.

“Truly,” Tony said, watching as the trunks were loaded. He bit his tongue to keep from asking the men loading the trunks to be extra careful with the one carrying Caterina because it was fragile. Priceless. The men would be trying to peep in the holes and that would bring their whole sham crashing down on them.

Instead, he stood watching until all the trunks were stowed then hurried to join his mother and Anna to board the train.

“This isn’t exactly what I planned to do today,” Tony said, sitting on an aisle seat across from his mother and sister-in-law.

Anna performed admirably, pretending to be Caterina. As long as no one looked too closely, the deception would work. Watching one of Luigi’s men board the train, Tony sighed as he reached across the aisle and snatched a newspaper from an empty seat.

Handing it to Anna, he motioned for her to hold it up so it blocked her face from view.

“We’ve got company,” Tony whispered to his mother, looking behind her at a familiar face. Since Luigi’s thugs ate at Laz’s restaurant frequently, along with Luigi’s “business” associates, the Campanelli family easily recognized them.

Those men were one of the reasons they tried to keep Caterina hidden in the kitchen. She could have gotten into just as much trouble in the store, except the ruffians didn’t spend as much time there.

As hardheaded, beautiful, and impulsive as Caterina could be, it was truly a wonder she hadn’t found herself in a sticky situation long before now.

What she needed was a good man with a stubborn streak wider and deeper than the one she possessed to take her in hand. Tony prayed she’d meet that man someday, if they could get her away from New York and Luigi.

Caterina couldn’t breathe. The air was hot and still and she was certain she would suffocate. Knowing there was nothing to do but wait to escape her confines or die, she decided she wasn’t quite finished living yet. She had so much life to experience and now she was setting off on an adventure for a fresh start.

Anna spoke with great fondness of her grandparents and their home just outside London. Grateful for the manners her mother insisted she learn, Caterina hoped she remembered everything so she wouldn’t offend Anna’s family.

Pressing her eye to one of the small holes in the side of the trunk, Caterina could see nothing but shadowed darkness and shapes that looked like more baggage.

Wondering where she was, she felt a moment of panic that she’d have to spend the entire voyage locked in the trunk. Didn’t Tony know she’d perish without food or water? He surely wouldn’t expect her to stay in the trunk for days on end. She would go out of her mind.

Trying to stretch her legs that had long ago gone numb, she found it impossible to move and wanted to weep at being trapped like an animal in a cage. Refusing to give in to her fears, she sighed and rolled her neck as a jarring force began a forward motion, slamming other trunks into hers. The scrape of metal against metal ground in her ears and she sucked in a gasp as she recognized the sound of a train.

That stupid brother of hers loaded her on the train! How was she going to get to the boat? Seized with anxiety, her chest hurt and her breath came in rapid little bursts.

Afraid she might faint for the first time in her life, Caterina forced herself to calm down. Tony wouldn’t abandon her. She must be in a baggage car on a train.

Trying to piece together the bits of conversation she heard Tony have with two of the idiot police officers Luigi often paid to look the other way, she was sure Tony put Anna and Mamma on the train to Philadelphia. She hoped Aunt Teresa was home, because she was about to have unexpected company.

Surprised Enzo and Fabio let Anna go, Caterina was certain Luigi would have made it known he was finally claiming her as his own. She wondered how Tony managed to talk them into letting who they thought was her board the train. They all had to know Luigi planned to force her to marry him as soon as possible.

Lulled by the warmth in the air and the rocking of the train, Caterina let herself doze. Awake most of the night, she alternated between packing and worrying about her future.

Heavy trunks slid into her, jolting her awake as the train lurched to a stop. A few minutes passed then the baggage door slid open, bringing in welcome air and light. Caterina prayed Tony would come get her soon.

Convinced her body would never unfold from its cramped position, she supposed she should be grateful she wasn’t a tall girl. Even at five feet, four inches, she still felt restricted in the enclosed space.

Finally, she felt her trunk lifted and moved from the baggage car. “Heavy on one side, isn’t it,” a man’s voice said as he dropped the trunk on a solid surface, rattling her teeth at the impact.

“Incompetent imbeciles,” Caterina started to say, then slapped a hand over her mouth, knowing life and death depended on her not giving away her hiding spot by losing her temper.

“Say, gents, I’ve got several other trunks that are supposed to get off here, but I’d like them to stay on a bit longer. Happen to know where this train is headed?” Caterina could have wept with relief to hear Tony’s friendly voice. Her Mamma always said he could charm the flowers into bloom if he set his mind to it.

The men answered back and Tony thanked them for their assistance.

He picked up her trunk and she tried not to slide around as he nearly dropped one end.

“Tony?”

“Hush, Rina. Just hang on a few more minutes,” Tony whispered, barely loud enough for her to hear. “I’m doing the best I can.”

Tony carried her trunk a short distance then set it somewhere cool. She wasn’t sure if she was inside the depot or just in the shade. Peeping out the hole gave her a view of Tony’s legs, her mother’s skirt, and little else.

However, she could hear their conversation.

“Is he still watching?” Anna asked, fear making her voice tight.

“Yes. We’re going to have to get Rina out of this trunk then load it in a buggy and go to Aunt Teresa’s,” Tony said, matter-of-factly.

Caterina could hear the tension in his voice along with frustration. He’d warned her many times her temper was going to get her into trouble. Almost as many times as he’d warned her to stay away from Luigi. It wasn’t as if she sought out the horrid man. She couldn’t help it if she made the best ravioli and gnocchi in the city. Even Luigi knew enough to appreciate good food when he tasted it.

“Anna, pretend you’re going to the washroom and run in to buy a ticket for this train. Just one,” Tony said, nudging Anna toward the ticket counter.

“Mamma, do you think you could help make a distraction so we can get Rina on board as a passenger?”

“Of course, Tony. You say the word, and I’ll make it happen,” Angelina said, pulling the gloves on her fingers down firmly and brushing at her skirt.

“Good. Here’s what we’re going to do,” Tony said lowering his voice. Caterina lost the ability to hear the conversation in the dull roar of the people passing by and wondered what her brother and mother were plotting.

The latches on her trunk slowly opened, although the lid remained closed. Moving her legs as quietly as she could to stir some life back in them, she reached up to pin her hat back in place, pulled gloves on her hands and slipped the handle of her leather bag over her fingers. Grabbing her reticule tightly in her hand, she had an idea she was going to have to come out of the trunk ready to move.

She waited, tense and ready to spring into action, when she heard a woman scream, followed by a string of Italian that could only be Mamma. Smiling at the woman’s comments about the sly trickster trying to steal her traveling bag, she heard the thumps of her mother pummeling someone with it.

The lid of her trunk popped open and Tony hauled her out in one quick motion. He quietly closed the lid and fastened a latch before hooking a strong arm around her waist and hustling her to the train. Anna stepped from the shadows nearby and thrust a ticket into her hand.

Afraid to draw any attention their direction, Anna squeezed her hand and disappeared back toward the building while Tony helped her onboard and settled her in a seat. Kissing her cheek, he looked at the other passengers. Deciding no one on the train was going to give his sister any trouble, he bent down and patted her shoulder.

“I wish it didn’t have to be this way, Rina, but we’ll see each other again someday. If you ever need me, just write home and I’ll come to you,” Tony said, holding his sister’s hand and gazing one more time in her lively brown eyes flecked with gold, so like their mother’s eyes. “Be safe and be strong. We all love you.”

“I love you, too,” Caterina said, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. “Be careful at home, Tony. Luigi will not take this lightly.”

“I know, but at least he can’t force you to marry him if he can’t find you.”

“Tell Mamma I love her. I think she missed her calling as an actress,” Caterina said, trying to lighten the moment. Before her brother left, she clutched his hand in hers one more time. “Where am I going, Tony?”

“This train will take you to Chicago. You can decide your future from there,” he said with a grin, then was gone.

Taking a deep breath as she heard the call for the last of the passengers to board, Caterina was careful not to sit close to the window although everything in her wanted to press her nose to the glass and wave goodbye to three people she dearly loved.

From the corner of her eye, she saw Tony carrying the empty trunk and two leather bags through the crowd, followed by Mamma and Anna.

One of Luigi’s men walked several paces behind them, not even trying to stay hidden. From his smashed hat, he must be the man Mamma beat with her bag.

Tony would go to Aunt Teresa’s, get Mamma and Anna settled, then travel back to New York. The two women would return home in a few days, once Luigi had calmed down. By the time he realized Caterina was gone, it would be impossible for him to find her.

Praying for her family’s safekeeping, Caterina embraced the excitement sweeping through her at the adventure waiting ahead.

Instead of sailing to London, she was heading west…