“Are there apples?”
Carter grinned. “You haven’t eaten, yet, have you? Yes, there are apples in a bin in the shed. Let’s go.”
A few minutes later, Fred was happily munching on an apple as his friend and host fussed with some bridles.
“You seem remarkably happy here in the wilds.”
“It suits me,” Carter commented before looking at his guest quizzically. “Have you suspected I’ve been miserable all these years since I left the University to try my luck out here?”
“Not miserable, no, but I thought perhaps you were writing overly optimistic messages in an attempt to avoid admitting you had made a mistake in moving away and leaving me behind.”
Carter laughed and Fred joined him. “Did you feel abandoned? You’ve always been welcome to join me, or start a spread of your own. Although, with the train being so regular now, it might be harder to set yourself up in as affordable a way as I did over the years.”
Fred suppressed a shudder. “No, I am well and truly ensconced in the city. And now that I’ve gained my windfall, I’m even less inclined to leave than I ever was. Although buying a spread wouldn’t be a difficult proposition, even though the fresh air smells lovely, I’ll take the salty air of Boston, thank you. But I did miss you when you left school.”
The two friends shared a glance of understanding.
“I’ve enjoyed receiving your letters. Thank you for being such an excellent correspondent. I hadn’t expected it, I’ll admit.”
“What do you mean? Did you question my literacy?”
Carter guffawed. “Hardly. I went to school with you for years, remember? No, I just figured you would forget about your crazy friend who had gone west.”
Fred shrugged. “I didn’t have so very many friends. I couldn’t afford to lose you, even if you left me. And I enjoyed your tales whenever you managed to actually write.”
“In the early years, I was bone tired every night and up again a few hours later.”
“You’ve done really well for yourself, though, so it seems it was worth it.”
Carter nodded. “Especially now with the baby on the way.” He paused for a moment, glancing out into the distance before fixing his friend with his serious gaze. “I know I’ve written my thanks for sending me Ella, but I want to thank you again. She is the brightest aspect of my life. I cannot thank you enough.”
Fred felt uncomfortable under the weight of his friend’s gratitude. “Well, since you know her story, you know you were doing her a favor as much as yourself, but I’m glad it turned out so well for both of you.” He paused, cleared his throat and continued. “Speaking of that, might I ask how long it took for you to feel that it had turned out?”
Carter chuckled. “Are you trying to see the light at the end of this darkness?”
“Something like that. I don’t regret marrying the girl. She seems to be a sensible chit, if you can look past the crazy choice of walking through the night to escape meeting me.” Fred smiled slightly, looking out the open barn door. “But all the times I arranged proxy marriages for different friends or acquaintances, I didn’t look past the immediate reasons the couple was marrying. It was terribly short sighted of me. Now, I’ve already reaped the reward of entering the marriage, but I’m left with the reality of life with a stranger. A very permanent and present stranger.”
“Well, the good news is, she won’t be a stranger for long,” Carter began. “And from what I’ve heard, you have a track record of successful unions, so you’re likely to be successful in your own.”
“I doubt your reasoning. In all the previous cases, I knew something of both parties and fully trusted at least one of them.”
Carter’s brows rose. “Do you not trust yourself?”
“Well, of course I do, but I know nothing of Miss Cosburn.”
Carter laughed once more. “Well, for starters, she’s Mrs. Fredericksburg now, but since she’s your wife, I dare say you have leave to use her first name.”
Fred could feel heat in his face and knew he was blushing like a girl. “Of course. But you see, I know so little about her that I’m not even comfortable being on a first name basis with her.”
Carter nodded. “I can tell you, when I picked up Ella at the train station, I questioned your judgment. She was just too pretty. I wondered how I could possibly keep her happy here on my spread. And I had less than no desire to return to Boston. But very quickly she set about making herself at home here, and I just fell for her.”
“Well, I have every intention of returning to Boston. I won’t have the luxury of wilderness to confine my wife to my sphere.”
“You will have a week-long train ride in which to become better acquainted, for one thing, and you’re welcome to stay here as long as you’d like, if you think it might help.”
Fred nodded, but Carter continued. “As well, you mentioned you knew something of both parties when you’ve arranged marriages in the past and felt confident in their success because of that.” Fred nodded again. “Do you trust my judgment? I know we haven’t spent any time together in person in years, but we’ve remained friends. And despite her dreadful sister, I think Jane is a good girl that will make you an excellent wife. She has a few odd ideas and doesn’t seem capable of sitting still, but Ella really enjoys her company.”
“Thank you, McLain, that does give me some comfort. Do you know anything about her background?”
“Not really. Her brother-in-law, Jacob, had been a hand on my spread before he bought his own property and then went back east for a wife. As you know, we haven’t had the best of times with Phoebe, but Jane seems to be cut from a different cloth than her sister. I think there has been tragedy in her past. I don’t think she has parents, nor many siblings. From what I can tell, she’s been responsible for herself for far longer than she should have. But it doesn’t seem to have altered her brain like it has her sister. Now Phoebe is a case, and you’d be best keeping the two sisters far apart. Not that I think Jane would wish to spend prolonged time with her sister, but there might be a familial sense of obligation.”
Fred nodded, a little frustrated that while this was useful information, it didn’t actually tell him much about his wife’s character. He did trust Carter McLain, though, and if he thought she was a good, reliable woman, Fred would take it on faith and do his best to treat his wife well. But he might wait a while before he trusted her with all the facts about his situation.
“As fascinating as it is watching you fidget with your leathers, I suppose I ought to gird myself and go in search of my wife. She wasn’t in much shape to discuss our future yesterday. Hopefully she has rested and is willing to talk today. At least she didn’t run off again in the night, which was something I feared as I was retiring last night.”
Carter didn’t bother answering, just grinned and waved his friend away.
Fred’s feet were heavy as he headed toward the main house. Hopefully the women had talked themselves out by now and were in a frame of mind to accept his presence. Staring at the front door, he wondered if he should knock or walk in. He chose to knock.
Ella’s face was wary as she opened the door but then broke into a grin when she saw him. “Come in, come in. No one ever knocks, so I was nervous to open the door,” she explained with a chuckle. “Have you had anything to eat? You must be starving. It’s nearly noon. Can you wait until the midday meal or would you like us to fry you an egg in the meantime? Or there’s some bread you could have as well.”
“I wouldn’t want to put you to any trouble,” Fred began but then his stomach grumbled, and he laughed as he felt heat splash his cheeks. “I had a couple apples, but apparently, that was insufficient.”
“Not to worry. How about I fry you an egg? You can have it on a slice of bread. That will tie you over until we all eat but won’t take more than two or three minutes, so it’s no trouble at all.”
“Thank you, Ella.”
“It’s the least I can do for you, truly. I owe yo
u much.” Her simple answer humbled him, and he couldn’t form a reply.
Clearing his throat, Fred asked, “Has Miss Cosburn recovered from her exertions?”
Ella laughed. “Your wife, you mean? Yes, she too slept later than usual, but she has been working like a slave for a couple hours.” At Fred’s raised eyebrows Ella leaned closer and whispered, “I think it’s nervous energy that makes her unable to sit still. She’s lovely, but I wonder how she’ll manage on the train.”
The words were not reassuring to Fred. He appreciated a hard-working person but didn’t expect his wife to make herself a slave. And if she couldn’t sit still, the long ride back to Boston was likely to be torture for them both.
Ella must have realized somewhat the direction of his thoughts as she continued, “The good news is, she seems much more settled in her mind about being married to you. She feels that she put us all in an awkward position yesterday and feels dreadful about that, which is why she feels the need to scrub my floors. But she’ll probably be open to talking with you, if you can catch her between chores. I might add, do not feel you are taking her away from necessary tasks, she did most of them the day before yesterday.”
Fred smiled at his hostess as she placed a plate before him. While she had chattered, she had fried him the perfect egg. Fred couldn’t imagine his sister ever doing such a thing and wondered what she would think if she saw her best friend doing it. This brought a grin to his face.
“I do believe Sybil needs to come for a visit. Now that train travel seems to be dependable, she just might be able to convince Horace to bring her.”
Ella’s face clouded. “That might make the visit a little less enjoyable,” she commented.
Fred smiled and nodded. “Maybe he would allow her to come alone, but she might be nervous coming all this way by herself.”
Ella laughed. “I did it, and it wasn’t so dreadful. But I’ll see if I can convince her.”
As she was speaking, Fred’s attention was caught toward the stairs, and he didn’t hear if she said anything else. His wife was the prettiest woman he had ever seen. She wasn’t dressed fashionably, and it didn’t look like she was even trying to be attractive. She had herself covered nearly from head to toe in an ugly fabric that he hoped was to protect her clothing and hair underneath. Her cheeks were flushed, probably from the work she had been doing. Or maybe she was too hot under all that cloth. Whichever the case might be, she was stunning. A few tendrils were escaping the cover she had placed over her hair and they were curling in the heat of her exertion. Her eyes glowed bright blue against the color of her flushed cheeks.
It took every ounce of Fred’s will power to keep him in his seat. He wanted to go to her. Part of him even wanted to pull her into his arms and comfort her for the anxiety he knew she still felt. But he feared even approaching her would cause her to withdraw into her nervous shell. He waited with bated breath, hoping she would come to him.
His patience was soon rewarded. He watched her gaze bouncing around the room as though she were trying to decide what to do with herself. Finally, she started unwinding herself from the fabric covering and walked toward where he was seated at the table.
“Good morning,” she said with a shy smile and a low voice. “Did you sleep well?”
“I slept remarkably well. Much later than usual.”
She smiled. “The air is different here, isn’t it? I found I slept deeper when I first arrived. Then, too, is the fact that it’s not comfortable to sleep on the train.”
“True. I had thought to return right away, but I’m not looking forward to the return trip. Staying here for a few days certainly holds appeal.”
Fred said this last bit, hoping for a reaction from her, hoping she would let him in on her thoughts on the matter.
After she glanced toward the kitchen, she seemed to realize that Ella had everything under control. She pulled a chair out from the table and gingerly sat on the edge of it.
“Did you have a room or just a seat on the train?”
Fred was disappointed that she wasn’t responding to his statement, but was relieved that she seemed open to a discussion.
“I had a bunk, but didn’t have a room to myself. Thankfully, the other gentleman in the room kept to himself and was quiet. We shared a room the entire way. He is going to try his luck on the coast.”
“It’s hard to believe you can travel all the way across the country now without taking a wagon and oxen.”
Fred stifled a shudder. “I can’t even imagine the challenges that would have entailed. My friend from the train said he would actually have to ride horseback some distance because there are no connecting train lines getting to his intended destination.”
“He sounds the adventurous sort. I believe Carter travelled here before the trains came through, didn’t he?”
“That’s true. But he was a foolish teenager at the time.”
The tinkle of laughter that came from her quickened his pulse and warmed his heart. He was delighted to know she had a sense of humor. And seemed to appreciate his.
“So, I take it you don’t intend to pursue your new friend west?”
“Not unless I was forced to do so.”
“Such as by chasing after a recalcitrant wife?” Her question was accompanied by a dimpling grin, so Fred didn’t think she was threatening him with further desertion.
“I hope that is never put to the test,” he answered in a prim tone, which brought another peel of laughter from the young woman. He turned the subject. “You were from Boston before moving to Trader’s Point to be with your sister, weren’t you?”
He hadn’t expected that question to cause her discomfort, so he was surprised when she appeared to brace herself before answering with a soft, "Yes."
“Are you reluctant to return to the city?” he probed.
She shook her head. “Not particularly. There are some lovely things about living in the city.”
“What do you miss most?” Fred was hoping she would look forward to accompanying him.
“The salty air, I think.”
Fred laughed. “I was just talking about that with Carter this morning. The air here smells sweet, which is nice, but I miss the salt already.”
Jane nodded. “And the fish and other things that are only available with the salt.”
“A seafood lover, are you? Not everyone likes certain delicacies of the sea.”
Jane shrugged and didn’t reply. Fred remembered that Carter had suspected the Cosburn sisters were from straightened circumstances. Some seafood was priced very cheap, which was why some of his acquaintances looked down upon it. He tried for a change of topic.
“Do you think we might have any acquaintances in common?” Fred was again chagrined by her uncomfortable response.
Jane’s giggle sounded nervous as she shook her head. “Not likely, sir. Not that they would recall, in any case.”
It was a rather odd response. “What do you mean by that?”
He watched in amazement as his wife took a deep breath and braced herself. Her face took on an almost apologetic expression, as though she were about to confess a great sin.
“I had to find employment.”
Fred wasn’t sure what she meant by that or how it related to his question, but from the expression on her face, he knew it was important that he try to understand what she wasn’t saying.
“So, you were too busy to socialize? Is that what you’re saying?”
He was relieved to note that while it might not have been the correct thing to ask, it also wasn’t horribly wrong. She didn’t appear to be any more uptight than she had, and perhaps he was merely being optimistic, but she might have even relaxed incrementally.
“That I very much was, yes,” she replied with a small laugh. “But there is a possibility I might have been employed by some of your friends or acquaintances.”
Fred waited for a beat, wondering if she would share any more information. When she didn’t, he thought back t
o all that they had said. He had asked her if they might know any of the same people. Now, she was saying she might have worked for people he knew. And she was back to looking like she would rather the floor opened up and swallowed her. He felt at a loss and glanced toward Ella, who was trying to appear as though she weren’t listening to their conversation. As such, she wasn’t about to help him out.
Fred hoped he wasn’t about to make a monumental mistake with his next words. “I have to say, Jane, with your looks, I strongly doubt any of my friends would have hired you and forgotten about you.”
She stared at him for a moment, and her mouth actually fell open as though he had shocked her with his words. Her eyelashes fluttered for a moment, and then she burst into a fit of giggles.
“Are you jesting with me, sir?” she asked in between gasps for air as she struggled to gain control over her mirth.
“No, I’m not, and I will admit to you that I find your laughter confusing. It wasn’t meant to be amusing.”
This did nothing but send her deeper into the giggles. Finally, Fred joined her, although he had no idea what they were laughing about. Finally, after some moments, Jane propped herself fully upright in her chair, wiping the tears from her face with the edge of her sleeve, and beamed at him. She literally beamed. It was as though there were a glow around her, and Fred had to suck in his breath to control his physical reaction to her. How could this delicate creature be his wife? And how was he going to make her want to stay that way?
“Thank you so much, sir, I haven’t laughed that hard in eons. It was just what I needed.” She paused for a moment, bracing her shoulders. It appeared to Fred as though the laughter had leant her courage and she was about to divulge at least one of her secrets. He held his breath and thought a prayer for wisdom to say the right thing in response to whatever she might be about to reveal.
“You see, sir, I went into service when I was quite young. I have been a maid in many homes over the past several years. And in my experience, most of the well-to-do, if they are used to having servants, don’t really notice them. So, while it is quite possible that I have cleaned your friends’ homes, they most likely won’t have noticed.”
A Bride for Alastair Page 4