Authors: Judith Miller
Rose unpacked and advised Mrs. Woodfield of her selections for tonight as well as for tomorrow. “I think I need only shake out my dresses, and any creases will fall out. Besides, Sally isn’t along to press your clothes or mine.”
Mrs. Woodfield chuckled as she assessed Rose’s choices. “You’re right, but I still know how to press a gown, my dear. I didn’t always have a maid to take care of my needs. You go along and meet the others.” She traced her fingers across her forehead. “And please cease your worrying, Rose. The only thing it does is cause wrinkles.”
Rylan was waiting in the lobby when Rose arrived; moments later the twins and Ewan arrived. Any other time, her sisters’ excitement would have been contagious, but today she longed for a few moments of peace and quiet.
She tugged on Rylan’s arm. “Couldn’t we stay here?”
“Why? So you can reexamine the details in the frieze and decide our design is a failure?” He grinned. “Did you think I wouldn’t notice you staring at it earlier?”
“I promise I won’t look at the frieze or analyze our design, but I’m worried about this meeting with the committee.”
“And that’s exactly why we need to keep busy outside the hotel. Worrying isn’t going to help.”
She sighed. “You’re the second person who’s said that to me within the past half hour.”
“Then I’m thinking that means you should heed the advice.” He gave her a broad smile as he escorted her out the ornately carved front doors of the hotel.
Along the way, the twins peppered Ewan with questions about the city. When they arrived at the site of the funicular railway, their mouths dropped open.
Ainslee grasped Ewan’s arm, and her eyes opened wide as she peered at the steep track that would carry them up the hillside. “We’re going to ride on that? I’ve never seen such a thing. What if it breaks loose and we fall?”
“It won’t fall, Ainslee. Did you see all the people getting off? It has to be safe.” Adaira gestured toward the barren hillside. “What happened to all the trees, Ewan?” She leaned closer. “It’s quite ugly.”
They stepped inside the small station, and Ewan nodded. “This area is known for coal mining, and they’ve stripped away all of the trees and brush. That’s why the area up there is known as Coal Hill.” He pointed to the top of the incline.
Adaira stepped inside the small wooden car that would carry them up the six-hundred-foot hillside. “How many people will fit in here?”
“The sign where I paid for our tickets says it holds twenty-three passengers.”
Ainslee shivered. “I hope it’s just us. If there aren’t too many passengers, it will be less likely to break down.”
Adaira ignored her sister’s remark. “Coal Hill isn’t much of a name for a village. You’d think they would have chosen something better than that.”
“They’ve renamed it Mt. Washington, but folks still call it Coal Hill. Many of the people who live up at the top of the hill work for the coal mines.” The car slowly began its ascent, and Ewan pointed toward a broken-down switchback stairway that zigzagged up the hillside. “That’s how the men who lived in Coal Hill but worked in Pittsburgh used to get down the hillside. Before that, they had to slip and slide down steep, narrow paths, even in the rain and snow.”
They peered out the small windows as the cable tugged their car up the mountainside. “Look! There’s a car coming toward us.” Ainslee clutched Ewan’s arm. “It’s going to run into us! I can’t look.” She hid her face in the sleeve of Ewan’s jacket.
Ewan placed his hand on her cheek and lifted her head. “There’s nothing to fear. That car is on the track coming down. Both cars must run at the same time so that they counterbalance each other, but they can’t possibly strike each other.” He pointed out the opposite window. “See that other track? That’s for the other car. We’ll pass close to it, but there won’t be a collision.”
Ainslee lifted her head but remained close to Ewan. Undaunted by the operation, Adaira moved to the other side of the car. “I want to yell ‘hello!’ to the people in the other car. Do you think they’ll hear me?”
Ainslee glowered at her sister. “I think they’ll believe you’re daft.” She looked at her brother. “How fast do you think we’re going?”
Ewan shrugged. “I’m not sure, but it’s probably moving as fast as a horse at a good trot. Hard to tell for sure, but we’re not going very fast.”
“Well, I’ll be glad when we get to the top.” Ainslee scooted a bit closer.
“Don’t forget that we have to come back down, Ainslee. That will be even more fun. Just think about the car going down the hill and if the cable would snap.” Adaira swung her arm in a giant sweep. “Whoosh, and we’d be gone.”
Rose shook her head. “That’s enough, Adaira. You don’t need to frighten her any further.” She grasped Ainslee’s hand. “We’re all fine, and this is supposed to be an enjoyable time. When we get to the top, we’ll look down, and you’ll be able to see all of Pittsburgh and Allegheny City, as well as the point where the Ohio, Monongahela, and Allegheny Rivers converge. It’s quite a lovely sight when it’s clear.”
Rylan nodded. “Aye, but I think we’ve as much chance of finding a clear day in Pittsburgh as we do of seeing a leprechaun dancing about with a pot of gold.”
Rose nudged him and grinned. “No need to dash any hope she has for a wee bit of enjoyment.”
When they reached the top, they all proceeded into the station and then to a small overlook, where they could view the city. Ainslee smiled and pointed toward the city. “Look! We did get a clear day. The view is beautiful.” She held fast to Ewan’s arm as her gaze traveled back toward the tracks and the small car now beginning its descent. “I wish we could walk down that stairway you pointed out on the way up.”
Ewan shook his head. “That stairway would be more dangerous than the ride back down.”
A short time later, they boarded the car and slowly made their descent down the hillside. They hailed a hansom cab and were only a short distance from the hotel when Rose glanced out the window. Her breath caught, and she grasped Rylan’s arm. “Was that Joshua Harkness?”
He leaned toward the cab window to gain a better view, but they’d already passed by. Rylan shook his head. “I didn’t see his face, but I doubt it was Joshua. Why would he be in Pittsburgh?”
Ewan leaned back against the cab’s leather upholstery. “Because his father’s offices are here and his family’s home is now in Pittsburgh. I’m sure he’s in Pittsburgh quite often.”
Rose considered the comment. Perhaps Ewan was right, but she secretly wondered if Joshua had arrived to attend the exhibition that would be held prior to the announcement of the contest winners. He was, after all, the owner of a pottery, and his appearance at the event wouldn’t be unexpected by other pottery owners. His father might even have suggested Joshua attend. She hadn’t seen him since she called a halt to their courtship. His presence during the competition could prove to be rather distracting and uncomfortable.
D
inner had been a waste of time and money, at least as far as Rose was concerned. She’d been somewhat surprised that no one else had been plagued by the same indigestion that had affected her since they’d returned from their outing. With their mysterious meeting so close at hand, she’d expected Rylan to be somewhat afflicted, but he’d eaten dinner as though he didn’t have a care in the world. After dinner she returned to her room. The others remained in the lobby while Mrs. Woodfield inquired about tickets for a play or a musical she could attend with the twins.
Rose’s palms were perspiring when Rylan arrived at the door to escort her downstairs. “You may have to be the one to answer their questions. I’m certain my voice will tremble.”
He grinned and offered her his arm. “I don’t think there’s any reason to be concerned. They may have asked to meet with all of the contestants this evening. Something unexpected may have caused them to change the rules.”
She inhaled a deep breath. “You’re probably right.” When they arrived in the lobby, she tugged on his arm. “We should stop at the front desk and ask where the meeting room is located.”
“I did that after dinner. It’s here on the first floor.” He nodded toward a hallway that veered off to the left. “We go down the hallway, and the room is the second one from the end on the right side.”
Rylan’s confidence and the fact that he’d taken time to locate the meeting room in advance helped to ease Rose’s jitters. She held tight to his arm as they continued on their way. They’d gone only a short distance when she squinted and stared at a figure sitting in a chair near the end of the hall. She squeezed Rylan’s arm and nodded toward the gentleman. “There must be other contestants scheduled to meet with the judges this evening.”
“You see? We’re not the only ones, so there’s no reason to worry.”
As they drew closer, she came to an abrupt halt. “That’s Joshua sitting outside the doorway. What’s he doing here?” Her words hissed in the dimly lit high-ceilinged hallway.
“I have no idea. Suppose we go and ask him.” Concern lurked behind Rylan’s grin and renewed her apprehension.
Joshua looked up as they approached. “You have a meeting with the judges?”
Rose nodded. “What brings you to Pittsburgh? Are you visiting your family or waiting to go to dinner with one of the judges?”
He snorted. “I don’t know the judges. That wouldn’t be proper, now would it?”
Her stomach did a flip-flop as his words seeped into her consciousness. “Wouldn’t be proper because . . . ?” She let her question hang like laundry swaying in an afternoon breeze.
“Because just like you, I’m a contestant. For me to be acquainted with one of the judges would be highly improper.”
Joshua’s response and his sly smile both angered and alarmed Rose. Not once had he indicated he planned to enter this contest. Her thoughts raced back to his visit when they’d revealed their drawings to him. Back then, he’d avowed he wasn’t going to participate in the competition. Had he been lying, or was this retaliation because she’d rebuffed him as a suitor?
Rose frowned at him. “You told us you weren’t going to enter the competition. When did you change your mind?”
He shrugged and nodded toward the empty chair. “Do sit down, Rose. It may be a while before the judges call us in.”
“Us?” She glared at Joshua. “You think they are going to speak to all three of us at one time? Why would they? Do you know why we’ve been summoned?” Rose dropped into the chair, uncertain her legs would continue to hold her. Joshua’s presence and arrogant attitude created a suffocating sensation that left her breathless. “Are all of the contestants meeting with the judges this evening?”
“I’m not privy to that information. Maybe some of us didn’t properly fill out our entry forms and they’ve summoned us to clarify our applications.”
Not for a minute did Rose believe his explanation. She’d been exceedingly careful while filling out their paper work. Surely they would have been notified prior to receiving the final rules if their applications had been improperly submitted. She peered down the hallway, hoping to catch sight of other arriving contestants, but there was no one in view.
She startled when the door opened and a white-haired gentleman with a bushy mustache peered at them and then squinted at a paper he held in his hand. “We would first like to visit with Rose McKay and Rylan Campbell.”
Legs trembling, Rose walked into the room, Rylan following close on her heels. The man who’d come to the door took his place behind a table with four other men, all dressed in dark suits.
The man sitting in the center of the group motioned to two chairs on the other side of the table. The area had likely been used as a gathering place for gentlemen to meet after dinner, for the smell of stale cigar smoke remained heavy in the room. “Please take a seat.
“I am Mr. Caldwell, the chairman of this group of distinguished judges.” His smile appeared more obligatory than genuine, but Rose was certain her own smile probably looked much the same. He settled his gaze on Rose. “I assume you are Miss McKay.” When Rose nodded, he looked at Rylan. “And you are Mr. Campbell.”
Rylan nodded. “Aye, that I am. May I ask the reason for this meeting, sir? We carefully reviewed the rules, and there was no mention of any private meetings the night before the winners are announced.”
“That’s true, but it seems there’s some irregularity in your submission, or I should say in the submission of McKay Pottery.”
“Irregularity? What sort of irregularity are you speaking of?” Rylan’s brows drew together. “We were careful to follow all of the rules.” He glanced at Rose for affirmation.
“Indeed, we were.” She nodded at him.
“Let me get to the heart of the matter. Your submission and the submission made on behalf of Harkness Pottery are very similar. So similar, in fact, that we believe something improper has occurred.” He sighed. “While we are quite impressed with your design, we won’t award a prize to a dishonest entry. We thought it would be best if we questioned all parties involved. We hope to determine who actually originated the design.”
Rose scooted forward in her chair. “If you would be willing to place both designs before me, I believe I can elaborate upon my drawings and how our idea developed. In addition, I am willing to submit to any other evaluation you would like to conduct. Like you, I want the truth to be revealed.” Mr. Caldwell unfurled the two submissions, and she gasped when she viewed the fake entry. Rose tapped her finger atop the drawings she and Rylan had submitted. “I assure you, these are the urn and plate designs of McKay Pottery, and the others are an imitation of what we’ve submitted.”
“And how do you think such an imitation could have been created, Miss McKay?” He glanced back and forth between the drawings. “You must admit they are very similar, and for two potteries to submit entries that are so similar seems an impossibility.” The other committee members all shook their heads in agreement.
Rose’s thoughts whirred. She had no idea how it could have happened. Thankfully, Rylan answered for her. “Unless the design was copied. I can assure you these are the originals, and they were drawn by Miss McKay.” Rylan nodded toward the fake drawings. “We’ve never before seen those, but I would guess they were submitted by Joshua Harkness on behalf of Harkness Pottery.”