The Prairie Princess

by Lisa Prysock

  “I can understand why. It’s wonderful out here. So tranquil and unaffected by the world. Kind of like a heaven on earth.” She looked up at his face as he stared at the portrait of his parents. “Now I understand why you placed the advertisement for a governess in a Virginia newspaper. There aren’t many people in this area, and it makes sense with your background. Speaking of theology, what time is church on Sunday?”

  “Well, I suppose now is a fine time for everyone to return to church. We stopped attending when we were in mourning for my mother, but she wouldn’t have wanted that, to be honest.” He appeared to look even more intently at his mother’s face.

  “Attending church services will help your daughter, Mr. Stanton. We were born to worship our Creator, and without this, what is the point of our existence?” She waited for his reply about the time for Sunday worship service. Something in his expression told her he’d been mourning for a long time, possibly about the loss of most of his family, and maybe friends he’d left behind in Virginia.

  “We’ll leave here at about a quarter after nine to make it to church on time,” he answered. “It’s time to begin anew again. The whole ranch will enjoy it, and I believe we’re ready for a return to the routine of our faith which carried us this far.”

  She smiled, knowing she’d accomplished something the Lord would want, and she hadn’t been there more than ten minutes. It was nice to hear him mention he had some faith left inside him somewhere in spite of the obvious hardships he’d endured.

  “I’ll show you the kitchen,” he said, continuing on through a small square arch to the left of the fireplace. The kitchen fireplace shared the same chimney as the one on the other side of the large cabin, giving the main house a practical and pleasing symmetry. High ceilings showed off the fireplaces to their best advantage.

  The kitchen contained a work table for rolling out pies and mixing up recipes, pots and pans hanging above, plenty of shelving and cupboards, a cook stove, and a shiny red hand pump for indoor water. The stew simmered in a pot on the stove, but there was no sign of Fern.

  “Fern is likely tending some chore elsewhere,” he explained. “Maybe the kitchen garden.” They looked out the windows, and sure enough, he spotted the cook working in the garden. She noticed a few other buildings toward the back of the property near the garden, but he led her away to the hall before she could ask about them.

  Joshua led her upstairs where four bedrooms and a water closet with an indoor copper tub for bathing delighted her.

  “This is so modern, Mr. Stanton. I’m so pleased to find such conveniences.” She followed him down the hall, looking in each of the four bedrooms as he opened doors.

  “Thank you. I read about how to install the updated features in a journal on our train trip from Virginia. It wasn’t too hard to do once I ordered the right items.” He looked pleased by her reactions as he spoke.

  Each of the bedrooms contained a small fireplace, a double bed with a quilt for a coverlet, linen curtains in the windows, and simple wooden furniture. Only small woven rugs by each bed warmed the floors, but the wood floors were sparkling clean.

  “Fern is an excellent housekeeper,” she remarked.

  Nodding, he smiled. “Yes, she certainly is. I do wish Ambrosia would learn to give her more of a helping hand. I feel I’ve failed a bit in this regard, but I’m determined to remedy the situation now that you’re here.”

  What if she let this man down? He was placing a good deal of hope upon her abilities. Dear Lord, I’m going to need your help.

  “You might want this room.” He opened the last bedroom door facing the rear northwest corner of the property. “It’s directly across from Ambrosia’s room. Or, you could have the guest cabin. It has two beds and offers more privacy. I’ll be happy to show it to you.”

  “All right, let’s see the guest cabin. Then I’ll decide.” She followed him downstairs and through a set of French doors at the end of the main hall leading to a small terrace. Following him outside, she saw another small log cabin ahead. At the edge of the terrace, they traversed a stone path to it. Then he opened the door and stood back for her to enter, but she lingered outside, taking in the simplistic beauty of everything she saw. It looked like most of the cabins she’d read about in her studies about the west.

  “This was the original cabin my parents built when they staked their claim on Silver Aspen. My father, Benjamin Stanton, carried the dream of this ranch in his heart for many years. My parents had saved to go west and start a new life here. I guess they were in their late thirties or early forties when they moved west. We’ve used it as a guest house ever since they built the new main house.” He waited patiently for her as she studied the way the logs fit together on the corners and observed all she could about it.

  The small cabin consisted of one large room with two windows on each side of the front door. The window boxes beneath contained red geraniums, purple petunias, sweet potato vines, and tufts of white phlox. Not wanting to take up much more of his time, she stepped inside, blinking in the dim light. He followed, spreading the white linen curtains apart, and opening the wooden window shutters on the front windows. Then she saw two more windows on each side of the cabin, and once they were open, the light streaming in revealed a decent sized stone fireplace across from the front door.

  “This is a most pleasant space,” she commented. “It’s more like what I expected to find on my way here. The stage and the train must’ve passed a hundred cabins like this along my journey.”

  “We’ve left it the way Ma always kept it.” He crossed the cabin to lean on the mantle, appearing to study her with those blue eyes again.

  She looked around the room, slowly walking, taking in every detail. Two double beds with quilts occupied each side of the fireplace. A small wooden table, wooden hutch, a butter churn, wash tub, and a cook stove occupied the corner to the right of the door. Thankfully, a hand pump for running water had been installed in the cabin with a basin and a small wooden counter for food preparation.

  The left corner contained a wardrobe, a full length oval mirror, and a small chest of drawers. A writing desk and chair beneath one window looked inviting, and two rocking chairs were placed in the center of the room, a tiny tea table between them. Three oil lamps and some pewter candle holders looked sufficient, and she could see it was stocked with a few dishes and other items.

  Mia stopped walking and turned to face him. “I believe this is exactly what I need to teach Ambrosia. I think if she were to move into this cabin temporarily with me, our progress might be faster. Of course we’d take most of our meals in the main house, perhaps after I see some improvement, all of our meals. Living in the cabin may also minimize any gossip hounds.”

  “Gossip hounds?” Then he laughed. “Oh yes, every town has a few of those.” Mr. Stanton’s brow furrowed as he considered her idea. Then he nodded. “Tonight you’d need to dine with the family in the main cabin, so you can meet everyone. Then, as you wish.”

  “Very good then. Have you thought of how you might gain more cooperation from your daughter? Is she even expecting to meet me?” she asked.

  He stood up a little straighter. “I mentioned it to her months ago, but we haven’t brought it up since then.”

  “Ah, this will certainly be interesting. She might even be angry at first.” She sighed, wishing Mr. Stanton had been more informative with his daughter about her arrival. Now it would come as somewhat of a shock. It wasn’t the way she’d hoped to begin with her pupil.

  He stepped toward one of the rocking chairs and absently rocked it, appearing to inspect it for sturdiness. “I think it would be a good idea to say no fishing, climbing trees, or other excursions without the teacher until you decide she deserves and earns a day for such activity.”

  “On that matter, we entirely agree. She has had a good childhood. Hopefully she is ready to mature and take on more responsibility in her future. I think the merit system works well with most children and young student
s.” She nodded with approval. “Of course, we’ll need to use the indoor water closet for bathing and such.”

  “Of course,” he said. “Sounds like we are in agreement. I’d like to have a meeting every few days about your progress, in the evenings, after meals.”

  “Perfect. I’m sure some evenings we’ll want to spend in the sitting room or library in the main house.” She turned to inspect the contents of the hutch and opening one of the doors, found tea, sugar, coffee, a coffee grinder, and a number of other items.

  “I’ll bring your trunks around, Lady Mia.” With this remark, he turned to go but she stopped him.

  “Has your daughter had any kind of chores before, Mr. Stanton?” she asked.

  “Call me Joshua,” he insisted.

  “Joshua,” she repeated.

  “Yes, she is responsible for feeding the chickens, doing her homework, clearing the table after meals, keeping her room orderly, and doing anything extra asked of her.” He paused, waiting for her reaction.

  She nodded. “This seems reasonable, but we will be adding a few items to her responsibilities now that she is older, especially while we live here in the cabin.”

  He nodded and then disappeared from the cabin to retrieve her trunks, while she was left to decide which bed she’d prefer. The journey had taken a toll and she was anxious for a late afternoon lie down before dinner. When Mr. Stanton returned with her trunks, she’d best ask him about when she’d finally get to meet Ambrosia. There’d be no easy adjustment for anyone if he didn’t help his daughter through the transition.

  Chapter 6

  “I HAVE COME TO BELIEVE that a great teacher is a great artist and that there are as few as there are any other great artists. Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit.”—John Steinbeck, Author, The Grapes of Wrath.

  WHEN JOSHUA RETURNED with the first trunk, he found Lady Mia Arabella Morley asleep on the bed to the right of the fireplace. My, but she was a beauty! Whoever heard of a governess being so beautiful? She had inquisitive, warm, big brown eyes, voluptuous lips, and an almost perfectly heart-shaped face. Her skin was slightly olive colored, and her brown hair fell in soft curls around her shoulders. She was tiny, but a powerhouse of knowledge, and unafraid to stand up for herself. He could listen to her British accent for hours. He tore himself away quickly, stepping lightly so his boots wouldn’t disturb her. He’d best bring the other trunk and then find his daughter. If he hurried, he might even have time for some rest before dinner. He’d already been up since before dawn tending a cow in the pangs of labor.

  Mac followed alongside him on the stone path to retrieve the other trunk, his tail wagging the whole way. He couldn’t help but think the Lord had possibly been looking out for him for a change of pace. Finding an educated true lady from England to teach his daughter was not to be taken for granted. She’d previously written, explaining she’d been trained by a governess of her own and then sent to one of London’s finest finishing schools. He certainly couldn’t find anything like it here in the wilds of Wyoming Territory. He hoped he could help Ambrosia appreciate this opportunity for her education. This was a once in a lifetime sort of situation.

  MIA ROSE IN TIME TO quickly bathe in the main house, return to her cabin, and dress for dinner, surprised to find she’d fallen asleep while Joshua had delivered her trunks. The bed had been so comfortable, and the cabin so peaceful, she must’ve slept for hours. She changed into a sage green gown suitable for dinner and put on her pearl drop earrings after styling her hair, doing her best to dry it with the fresh linens she’d found in the water closet shelving. She dabbed some fragrance on her wrists and behind her ears. Then she stood back to survey her appearance in the oval mirror in the corner. Satisfied, she decided it was time to make her appearance at the main house and meet everyone. There was no time to unpack at present, but perhaps after the evening meal.

  Once she entered the dining room, Joshua rose and introduced her to everyone, except once again, his daughter had evaded them. The wranglers at the table stood, too.

  She met Fern first, just as the pleasantly plump cook brought two peach pies from the oven and placed them on the buffet.

  “It’s so nice to meet you,” Mia smiled warmly. “Everything smells delicious.”

  Fern beamed a gracious, warm smile in return. “Welcome to Silver Aspen. Just let me know if you need anything, Lady Mia.”

  “And this is her husband, Henry.” Joshua introduced her to a man with brown hair, slightly graying on the edges framing his face. He nodded and smiled pleasantly. “Fern and Henry are from Wisconsin. Their grandson is Frankie. He’s likely fishing with Ambrosia, but I’m sure they’ll be here any moment.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” She smiled and nodded at the wrangler he’d introduced as Henry.

  Then Joshua introduced her to Edward from Minnesota and Patrick from Kentucky. Next, she met Thomas, from Georgia. “Our wranglers sleep in the bunkhouse loft, above one of the barns, except for Henry and Fern. They have a cabin not too far from yours, closer to the creek and the ice house.”

  “Please, sit here,” Joshua said when the introductions were finished, indicating the empty chair to his right. She nodded and took her place at the table, offering another smile to everyone present, a little concerned that his daughter was evidently still missing. Would she ever meet her charge?

  Bowls of steaming stew were already on the table and someone passed her a platter of buttermilk biscuits. Butter, raspberry preserves, and orange marmalade were passed around next. Fern brought a pitcher of sweet tea with ice chips and poured a glass for everyone. Then Joshua bowed his head and led them in a short prayer, thanking the Lord for everything spread before them and all of their many blessings.

  A little while after everyone began eating, Ambrosia and Frankie finally arrived. Ambrosia was a mess of sparkling blue eyes like her father and blond, stringy hair. Her pinafore had a pocket needing repair, and Mia made a mental note to help her sew it after dinner. They had sunburned complexions, messy hair, and smudges on their faces, hands, and clothing—not to mention a distinctive odor from playing out of doors in the creek all day. Oblivious, they scrambled into their seats as everyone said hello.

  Friendly banter between the children and the wranglers began, until Fern ducked into the dining room with an unhappy tone in her voice. “You’re both late again, and you know how we feel about that. Now off with you both to the kitchen and wash your hands.”

  They obeyed, staring at Mia with curiosity. Mia couldn’t help but notice Joshua gave his daughter a look of disapproval as she followed Fern to the kitchen. The children returned and began eating at once, hungry from a day of adventure in the great outdoors.

  “You didn’t pray,” Joshua reminded them. They stopped eating, bowing their heads for a silent prayer of thanks, and then resumed eating.

  A little talking began at the table again amongst the wranglers until Joshua tapped his spoon lightly on the edge of his glass, signaling he had an important announcement. He cleared his throat and sat up taller in his seat. “We’re returning to church in Belle on Sunday, and I’d like to encourage each of you to meet out front at about nine o’clock. We’ll leave at quarter after.”

  Everyone nodded, appearing to take the news in stride, but Mia noticed Ambrosia’s eyes grew wide.

  Fern slid into a seat beside Henry, across from Mia and Ambrosia. “It’s about time. Someone please pass me the biscuits and preserves.”

  Henry reached for both and handed them to his wife. “I think it will be nice to return. Fern and I have taken Frankie and Ambrosia a few times over the past couple of years, and we’ve really enjoyed it. We’re blessed to have a real good pastor in Belle.”

  Joshua nodded and then cleared his throat again. “Secondly, Frankie, Ambrosia, I’d like you both to meet Ambrosia’s new governess, Lady Mia Morley. You will address her as Lady Mia, or ma’am.”

  Ambrosia mumbled a reply foll
owing an embarrassing groan.

  “Ambrosia!” Joshua gave her a stern look of disapproval.

  “I’m sorry,” Ambrosia mumbled, looking down. Staring into her stew, she revised her previous response. “Pleased to meet you, ma’am.”

  Joshua continued to stare at his daughter sternly, shaking his head. “I don’t know what’s gotten into our youth these days. Sometimes they are downright disrespectful.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Ambrosia.” Mia ignored the ill-manners. She turned and gave her pupil a warm smile, determined to remain poised and gracious. Finishing school had given her an advantage over Ambrosia, so she wouldn’t hold anything against Miss Stanton. In time, her student would also enjoy the peace Mia felt the Lord gave her from simply being kind in every possible situation. “I heard you and Frankie went fishing today. Did you catch anything?”

  Ambrosia brightened a little at this question and nodded, flipping some of her long, golden, unkempt hair over one shoulder. Mia nearly jumped when some of her hair brushed over Mia’s chair and arm. “Yes, ma’am, we caught about eight fish. Pa calls them sunfish.”

  “Oh, that’s wonderful!” Mia tasted some of the stew. She definitely had her work cut out for her. “I remember fishing when I was a young girl.”

  “Did you ever catch anything?” Ambrosia asked.

  Mia nodded. “Indeed, I did. You see, where I’m from in Somerset, England near Bristol, fishing and agriculture are two of our three main industries. My father said I was a natural at fishing.”

  Ambrosia’s blue eyes looked at her with a little more respect than when she’d first entered the room, but a smidgen of disbelief appeared on her face. “What’d you use for bait?”

  “Worms,” Mia replied. “And sometimes, secret bait my father taught me about.”