by Ember Pierce
* * *
“Oh, howdy. You must be the lady my daughter checked in. Is your room to your liking? My name is Elisabeth. Please let me know of anything you need. I want your stay with us to be as enjoyable as possible.”
* * *
“Thank you, Elisabeth. I’m Mae. I was wondering…”
* * *
“Would you like to have supper with me in the back? I’m sure any young lady as lovely as you are has had as much ogling as you can take on the train out here. You can’t really hold it against the men, though. There are more men than women, here in the west. Most of them know how to treat a lady but they do like to look. Come with me. I usually eat by myself. It will be nice to have some company. My family has already eaten in order to be able to finish the evening work. There’s lots to do around here.” She looped her arm through Mae’s and escorted her into the warm, inviting room.
* * *
“Thank you, Elisabeth. I’d like that.” She looked around the kitchen. There was a giant fireplace and also a cast iron cookstove. Everything was neat and clean. Elisabeth was a fine housekeeper.
* * *
The landlady told her to sit. In no time at all a plate of mashed potatoes, roast beef, and green beans sat on the table in front of her. She wanted to cry. She was so hungry and this meal looked and smelled delicious.
* * *
When she was seated, Elisabeth asked Mae what had brought her to Fable Springs.
* * *
Mae hesitated. Was doing what she came here to do, something that was considered as usual? Or was it something that would be looked down upon. She had no idea. Not about any of it. She decided to be upfront about it. There was no reason for and certainly no use in hiding the facts.
* * *
“No, Elisabeth, actually I’m here as a mail order bride.” She waited for...what? Would the landlady throw her out? Would Elisabeth stand up from the table and leave the kitchen? Mae said nothing more.
* * *
“How nice. We have a few other ladies in town who came here for the very same thing. May I inquire as to who the lucky gentleman is?”
* * *
“Uh, yes...it’s Mr. Henderson.”
* * *
“Scott Henderson? Oh, that’s wonderful. How nice. I haven’t seen Scott in quite a while. I’m sorry I missed seeing him when you arrived.”
* * *
Mae watched the landlady as she spoke about Scott. This woman knew him and Mae’s curiosity to find out more about him was threatening to get the better of her.
* * *
What harm would it do to ask Elisabeth a few questions about him? She decided she had nothing to lose. She wouldn’t mind knowing how Scott got that terrible scar on the side of his face.
* * *
“Have you known Mr. Henderson a long time, Elisabeth?”
* * *
“I have. And I can tell you in all seriousness, he is one of the finest men I’ve ever met. He was changed, quite a bit, after what happened. But, don’t get me wrong. He’s still the consummate gentleman. Though he can seem gruff at times, you mustn’t mind it. He’s a good man.”
* * *
“What happened to Mr. Henderson?” Mae asked. She reckoned Elisabeth knew how Scott had gotten his scar. Was she about to tell Mae the story?
* * *
Elisabeth looked down. When she looked up again, her face was solemn.
* * *
“Scott was the sheriff of this town. Very well-liked and respected. For the last year or so he’s been farming.”
* * *
“Hmm? Why is he a farmer now? ”
* * *
“Feed crop sales is a good business. The ranchers will all buy from Scott. The only other grain salesman is three counties over. Quite a hike to travel fifty or more miles round trip to get your grain. It’s what gave Scott the idea. He’ll do very well come harvest season and he deserves it. As I’ve said, he’s a good man who’s seen some hard times.”
* * *
She dropped her eyes, her face sad.
* * *
“He seems kind,” Mae told Elisabeth. “But I’m just not sure if he’s happy I’m here.”
* * *
“Why do you say that, dear?”
* * *
“Oh, there was plenty of confusion when I showed up at his house. It was pretty odd and I’m a little confused by what happened. Mr. Henderson had clearly not been expecting me. He didn’t seem happy to see me. And he didn’t seem to know what I was talking about.
* * *
“He sent me money to travel here from Virginia. But he didn’t meet me at the train. When I got to his house, he told me to leave. He thinks his friend was the one who wrote to me. I don’t know what to think.”
* * *
“Oh, I see. So, you’re feeling insecure about whether he would want to marry you because it wasn’t him that proposed in the letter? Is that it?”
* * *
“That’s right. I’ve heard stories of women coming out west and getting married the minute they stepped off the train. Mr. Henderson didn’t even meet me at the train. The man at the train station told me the direction to walk in. But I found his house on my own. And then he told me to get out.” Mae’s eyes filled with tears. “He acted so differently than his advertisement or his letter had led me to believe he would. But I suppose that makes sense, if it wasn’t him that wrote the letter. He’s said he’ll marry me but I don’t know if I should.”
* * *
Mae suddenly felt overwhelmed by everything that had happened and her eyes filled with tears.
* * *
“It’s all a mess,” she sniffed.
* * *
“Hmm. Don’t cry, dear. We’ll get to the bottom of this. First of all, do you know who the friend was who sent the original advertisement?”
* * *
“Mr. Henderson mentioned someone named Ephraim.”
* * *
“Oh, my word. I should’ve figured that out. Those two have been thick as thieves since they were boys. I think I know why Ephraim would do such a thing.”
* * *
“Did he play a prank on Mr. Henderson, do you think?”
* * *
“No, dear! Absolutely not. No, it wasn’t a prank. Ephraim Charloux is the mayor of Fable Springs. He doesn’t take the feelings of others lightly. He’s been worried about Scott of late.”
* * *
“Why do you think that is? Because he wants to help Mr. Henderson? Mr. Henderson seems like a good man. But clearly there’s something else going on with him. More than his physical appearance, I mean.”
* * *
“Oh, Scott is a good man, Mae. He’s a very good man. Make no mistake about that. I’ve known him since he was a little boy. He’s a kind and gentle person. He’s changed a bit in recent years, the last year mostly. Before the accident he was the county sheriff for about seven years. But he left the position and has made it clear to everyone in the county that he won’t run again. He’s...well, he’s become a bit of a recluse.”
* * *
“Because of what happened to his face? Will you tell me about it?”
* * *
Elisabeth sighed. “I’m sure he’ll tell you all about it eventually. But I can tell you what I know. It was an accident out at the mine. A terrible accident. It made for a dark time in our town's history. Five miners were killed, and...a woman from town.”
* * *
“A woman? Why was a woman at the mine?”
* * *
“I can’t really say any more Mae,” Elisabeth said. “If you want to know the whole story, you’ll have to ask Scott.”
* * *
Mae nodded, not wanting to pry. Besides, she reckoned that if she was going to live here, in Fable Springs, eventually she’d find out what had happened at the mine. Surely her husband would tell her what happened to him.
* * *
If she decided to go through
with marrying him. At least Elisabeth and reassured her that he was a good man. That had been the impression she’d got but it was nice to have it confirmed.
* * *
They finished supper and Elisabeth had to go to put the desserts out for the men. “Will you have breakfast in your room tomorrow, Mae?”
* * *
“That would be lovely, thank you, Elisabeth. Good night.”
* * *
“Good night, dear.”
* * *
Mae headed up to her room and was halfway up the stairs when Elisabeth called to her. She turned around and the landlady stood at the bottom of the steps.
* * *
“Yes? What is it, Elisabeth?”
* * *
“Mae, despite his injury, Scott’s still quite a handsome one. Try to be patient with him. Will you do that?”
* * *
“I’ll try, Elisabeth.”
* * *
The land lady smiled and walked back to the kitchen. Elisabeth was right. Scott was still a handsome man and he had kind eyes.
* * *
After she’d washed, changed, and braided her hair, she was ready for bed. When finally under the covers, she lay staring up at the dark.
* * *
Everything seemed so odd. She had no idea what the next day would bring and, once again, her mind started to circle around itself like a dog chasing its tail.
* * *
Had it been a mistake to have come to Fable Springs? Clearly, the terrible calamity that Scott and the other residents in the town had endured or succumbed to weighed on him.
* * *
She could feel that it weighed heavier on him than, for instance, Elisabeth. Was it because he’d been sheriff when the tragedy took place? Was it because he’d been injured?
* * *
Mae had more questions than answers. Maybe things would be better if she were just to leave town. Maybe she’d been a fool to think that she could somehow avoid marrying Bill Masters. It wasn’t too late to go back to Virginia. She could still take care of her family.
* * *
But could she really live in the same house as Bill Masters? With him? Or share his bed?” The thought sickened her. Not because Bill was a big oaf. He was actually very handsome.
* * *
In fact if she had to compare the two she would have picked Bill as the more handsome gentleman. Over all. Except that once you got to know Bill, the less handsome he seemed.
* * *
He talked about himself, his business, his grand house...incessantly. And when he spoke to someone about themselves it was inevitably in the context of what that person had to say about Bill, his business, or his grand house.
* * *
Could Mae really marry him? Her life would be easy, she knew. Bill Masters’ father owned the bank in Havenshire. Bill and his brother stood to be very wealthy men some day.
* * *
Mae didn’t care about money like that. She liked to be comfortable. But her idea of comfort was quite different than those of others.
* * *
As long as she had enough food to eat, a clean bed to sleep in, and a means of bathing, that’s all Mae really needed. She was used to not having a lot. It was the way she liked to live.
* * *
She dismissed these thoughts about giving up and going home. Her fears were preying on her because she was so tired. She needed to go to sleep and everything would look better in the morning.
* * *
Surely marrying Scott was the right thing to do after all? She wasn’t certain. But in the end, what choice did she have? No matter what, she couldn’t marry Bill.
* * *
If she could have stomached it, then she wouldn’t be here. No. She would not go home and marry Bill. That was certain. And if that was the case, then she had to marry Scott, even if she wasn’t sure about it. It was the only thing to do.
* * *
Her eyelids were heavy. As she fell off to sleep, Mae wondered about Scott and the information Elisabeth had shared with her. She fell asleep and her dreams were filled with screams and smoke and fire.
9
Two days later, Mae woke up in her bed at the boarding house and smiled. Today was her wedding day. She’d received a note from Mr. Henderson the afternoon before.
* * *
He’d written to inform Mae that they would be married at ten o’clock today. Ephraim and Elisabeth would be witnesses. Pastor Jones would marry them.
* * *
Mae had been relieved to receive the news. She’d feared that Mr. Henderson had changed his mind. What would she do if he reneged on their agreement?
* * *
Finally, she’d gotten used to the idea that she would, indeed, stay in Fable Springs as a married woman. She’d thought about Mr. Henderson’s house and how pretty it was inside and out. She’d been looking forward to working in the kitchen, baking and canning and preserving.
* * *
Before she’d received his note, she’d been beside herself with worry, wondering if Mr. Henderson had changed his mind. That was the thought that wound around Mae’s brain. She’d asked herself if he was unprepared to go ahead with the marriage. She wondered if he wanted her to leave Fable Springs.
* * *
Then there’d been a knock on the door. Mae had answered and the landlady’s daughter had handed her a sealed packet, curtsied, and was gone before Mae could thank her.
* * *
Then she’d gone and sat in the little sitting room of the suite to read the note from Mr. Henderson. It was the moment when she knew she was, indeed, to be married and her relief was immense. She’d spent the day resting and writing to Patricia and her parents.
* * *
She didn’t put the letters in the post, though. She wanted to officially be Mr. Scott Henderson before anyone heard from her. That way she would have no fears about Bill Masters. He would stay in Virginia and would forget about her and marry someone else.
* * *
That had been yesterday. Today, by dinnertime, she would be a married lady and it didn’t seem real. Was she really in Texas about to be joined in wedlock with a kind yet distant man who refused to even learn a little bit more about her before they married?
* * *
The box with her wedding dress lay on the sofa. Elisabeth had gotten the dress from the dressmaker. It was a dress that had already been made, but the wedding had never taken place and so the dress had never been picked up.
* * *
Elisabeth said that the price was so low it was like stealing but the dressmaker was just glad to have it off her hands. Scott had given Elisabeth money and authority to arrange everything that Mae needed.
* * *
The cream-colored silk was overlaid with lace that formed the overskirt and gathered into a large bustle in the back. When Mae stepped into it, Elisabeth and her daughter had gasped. It fit as if it was made for her. No alterations had been necessary. Mae felt like a queen.
* * *
Then, Elizabeth had done her hair by pulling it up to the crown of her head and pinned it so that Mae’s unruly curls were tamed somewhat. When the landlady was through, a tumble of long curls fell to Mae’s mid-back.
* * *
And then Elisabeth did something completely not expected. She handed Mae a little box with a pair of antique earbobs of gold filigree.
* * *
“Elisabeth, how sweet. Now I have something borrowed.”
* * *
“Yes and you may use this handkerchief as something old. It was my grandmother’s and I’d like you to have it.”
* * *
“Thank you, Elisabeth. For lending me the earbobs and for the handkerchief.”
* * *
Mae put the earbobs in and shook her head to show them sparkle. She tucked the hanky away and she was ready.
* * *
“You’re welcome, dear. They suit you. Now, let’s get going. My s
on is driving us to the church.”