by Daria Wright
“Well,” Annie said with a sigh. “We had visitors yesterday. Mr. McShaw and the Sheriff paid us a visit. They didn’t say what they wanted but told me to tell you they would come back in three days and that they had important business to discuss.” Annie fastened the door shut to the horse’s stable and turned around to look at her father.
Her father’s face beat red, and he began backing his horse toward the barn door. Annie looked at him, confused, and watched silently as he mounted his horse and took off down the road, the red dust kicking up behind him. Annie, stunned by what had just happened, strolled towards the house, watching her father disappear around the corner. Her mother was standing on the porch with two rolls in her hand, a look of confusion on her face. Annie walked over and kissed her on the cheek and took one of the rolls from her hand.
“He said he had something important to take care of,” Annie said as she shrugged and shoved the roll in her mouth so her mother wouldn’t ask her any more questions. There was a reason he took her out to the barn to ask about what was going on; he didn’t like to worry Annie’s mother, and this would be something that worried her.
Annie’s mom rolled her eyes at her full mouth and walked back inside, holding the door to show that she expected Annie to follow. They silently went to work packing the baked goods into bags that she would take to the town hall meeting. Annie always went with her mother to the meeting, and she knew with her father in the city already she wasn’t likely to get out of it this time.
After everything was packed, Annie went upstairs and pulled one of the dresses she had to wear in public out of her small closet. Her mother came in behind her to brush her hair and help her get dressed. She gently washed the dust off of her face as her mother got the tangles out of her hair and then put on her undergarments like she had been taught. Heaven forbid she show a calf in town; the women would all have strokes in the street.
Annie lifted her hands into the air as her mother pulled the dress over her head, buttoned the front and began pulling the strings in the back. There was no breath left in Annie’s lungs when her mother was finished, and she waddled over to the mirror. Though Annie hated these tight, stuffy dresses, this was one of the least terrifying ones in her closet, and her mother liked how the color of it matched her eyes. The dress was a light blue and it buttoned up the front with a hint of lace peeking out all the way up her neck. The hips were full, and it swayed slightly as she walked. Annie smiled sweetly in the mirror as if she were practicing and sighed, turning to her mother.
“You look lovely,” her mother said. “Your hair, well, you know how I feel about your hair.” Her mother slapped her hands against her hips and made her way down to get ready herself.
It didn’t take her mother long to get ready and before Annie could do much protesting they were side saddled on their horses, making their slow trot into town. As they entered the city center, two gentlemen from the town hall came forward and helped Annie and her mother from their horses. Annie smiled kindly at the two men, but her eyes were drawn to where her father emerged from the Mayor’s office followed by Mr. McShaw and that same kid she didn’t recognize. Her father looked weary, and he caught sight of her quickly. His eyes looked sad as he gazed over at her and McShaw stepped around him and sauntered over to Annie.
“Well, hello, Annie,” McShaw said with a stench of whisky and sweat emanating from him. “You look beautiful. May I escort you to the town hall?”
Annie pulled her hand back from him and looked at him angrily. She knew he was the reason that her father looked so upset and that built a fire in her belly she didn’t know how to handle. She gathered her anger as not to make a scene in town and looked up at McShaw with a forced smile.
“I appreciate the offer,” she said through gritted teeth. “But only members of the town are permitted, and my father always escorts me anyways. It wouldn’t be proper for another gentleman to accompany me in seeing as I am not betrothed to anyone.”
“Well, alright, then,” he said with an air of disappointment. “I guess I can wait a few days.”
Annie looked at him with confusion, but her father had walked up and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her towards the town hall. Annie looked up at his face with the intent to ask what McShaw meant by that statement, but she stopped when she saw the look on her father’s face. He was hiding something and she could tell the town meeting was not the place to divulge this information. Sensing all of these things, Annie remained quiet and did as her mother asked with no fight throughout the evening. The ride back to the farm was chilly and not just because of the coolness in the air from the night before.
When they arrived home, Annie sat down at the dining room table with her father as they ate some of the leftover pastries that weren’t given away at the town meeting. Her mother had taken a moment in privacy with her father and had come out looking as if she had tried to hide tears. Annie’s father took a deep breath and grabbed Annie’s hand across the table.
“I know you know something is going on,” he muttered. “I won’t sugarcoat it or hide it from you any longer. Mr. McShaw purchased our land from the Mayor. He wants the land for his use and wants us out. However, he has offered an alternative; your hand in marriage will procure us the rights to our territory.” Her father looked down with an air of disgust and guilt.
Annie pulled her hand back from her father and looked over at her mother who had tears pouring from her eyes and was shaking her head in disbelief. Several emotions lent aid to Annie’s response, but the most dominant of those was anger. Annie’s anger reached to McShaw, to the Sheriff, to the Mayor, and even down to the swayback horse she remembered.
“I,” Annie said with a tremble in her voice, “I don’t know what to say, father. I would never have you and mother put out like that. There has to be something we can do, someone we can call. Don’t we have a lawyer or something in this town?”
Annie’s father looked up with a grimace on his face. He stood up and walked around to sit next to her at the table. He put his large hand on her shoulder and kissed her cheek gently. His eyes looked tired and weary, and Annie could tell he was just as upset as she was about this situation.
“I have tried everything,” Annie’s father said with disappointment. “It seems that the town rulers are all part of this, and there is nowhere for us to go except to make our way to another town and start over. We have done this before Annie, and we can do it again; I would never let you and your mother go hungry.”
Annie sat for a moment, studying her father’s face and looking for an answer to this horrible situation. She had her stubborn thoughts and wants, but she couldn’t be that selfish as to let them affect everyone around her. This was her grandfather’s land, and she wasn’t going to watch as some fat businessman came in and turned it into another one of his possessions.
“It is very clear,” Annie said, clearing her throat and standing. “What must be done, must be done. I will go to town first thing in the morning and accept Mr. McShaw’s offer. You will keep your land, and I will play wife to this disgusting man until his heart is too clogged from fat to go on. Then I will move back here, and that will be that.”
Annie’s mother burst into tears and laid her head in her arms on the table. Annie refused a reply from her father and took a deep breath, gathering her coat and boots in her hands so that she could take an evening horseback ride and clear her mind. She kissed her father’s cheek as she walked out of the door and down to the stables.
Annie’s hands were shaking the entire way to the back stall where her brilliant, black stallion, Shadow, was waiting for her. She mounted her horse and took off towards the country behind her house, driving as fast as she could while tears streamed from her eyes and her wild hair flew all around her. She may have just sealed her fate when it came to love, but no man would ever take her wild spirit.
Chapter Three: A Signature and a Dress
Annie had ridden her horse all night, not stopping until the sun had rea
ched the edge of the horizon. When she rode back toward the farm, she could see several horses outside of the farmhouse, one being that dirty swayback mare that McShaw rode regularly. Annie’s heart sank, and she started to feel nauseous at the thought of a wedding night with that man. She took a deep breath and pushed the thoughts to the back of her mind; besides, she had to honor her mother and father, and if marrying McShaw would keep the farm, then she would do it.
Annie brought her horse to the stable-boy that worked a few days a week for the family, and brushed the dust off of the front of her dress. She didn’t feel the need to get all dolled up; at least McShaw would know what he was getting himself into. Annie rounded the corner and found McShaw’s helper standing on the front porch, hands in his pockets, kicking the dust off the wood.
“Well,” Annie said with dismay. “Seems you are everywhere these days.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said nervously, sticking his hand forward. “My name is Brighton; I am from Peachtree, two towns over. Mr. McShaw pays me to follow him around and do odd tasks, I guess.”
Annie ignored Brighton’s dirty, outstretched hand but noticed how blue his eyes were in the morning light. His innocent smile sent a shiver down her spine, and she took a deep breath in trying to gather herself. Annie shoved past Brighton, noticing a smile run across his face, and opened the front door hastily, almost running directly into the back of the Sheriff.
“Ahh, there you are, dear,” the Sheriff chirped. “Come, your father tells us you have agreed to the arrangement of marriage, and we just need your signature.”
“Wait,” Annie said, feeling overwhelmed. “I have some things I would like to request first. My family gets to keep their farm as agreed, I get to continue to work on my family’s farm whenever I please, and I would be awarded a library in our marital home, whatever books I want to read.”
Mr. McShaw chuckled and stuck his hands in his pockets looking down at the floor. Annie glanced at her father who was stifling a grin and looking down at the paperwork on the table. McShaw took a few steps forward and stood close enough that his musky smell intruded into Annie’s nose, and his rough hand grasped hers. Annie held still, knowing that pulling away would just create animosity, but she held firm, and her stature was that of a warrior.
“You are quite the woman,” McShaw said with a grin on his face. “Shall I add your library in the contract or can we agree that you have my word?”
Annie wanted to run, to bolt out of the door and keep running as fast as she could, but the look of sadness on her mother’s face kept her feet firmly planted. Annie squinted slightly at her future husband, still holding her breath and trying not to pass out from his repugnant odor. She slowly pulled her hand back and stuck it in the pockets of her dress.
“I guess,” Annie muttered. “Your word will have to do. No need taking up even more time drawing up new papers.”
“Well, then,” McShaw said, joyously. “Then it is settled! We will have a beautiful day of marriage, food, drinks, and music the day after tomorrow at my home over the hill.”
Annie made her way to her father’s side where he showed her where to sign. Annie took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and scribbled her name on the line. As soon as her name appeared in ink, the Sheriff took the pen from her and stuck it in the breast pocket of his vest. He rolled up the paper, slung it under his arm, tipped his hat at Annie, and walked towards the door.
“Annie,” McShaw said with harshness in his voice, “my tailor will be visiting to fit you for your gown. No need to worry your mother over such things. As is customary, I will leave you to the planning with my staff and will see you promptly at four the day after tomorrow. You have made a wise decision, and I am sure you will be pleased.”
This no longer felt like a marriage agreement, but more a business arrangement and Annie sighed at the thought of meeting that man at the altar in just two days. The door slammed behind him, and Annie fell into the chair by the window, her face buried in her hands. She only stayed that way momentarily so as not to upset her mother, and then stood up and readied herself for a bath. There would be a lot of planning to do and sitting around moping and crying wouldn’t do her any good.
Annie’s mother sat next to her in the iron tub she had filled with hot water from the fire. The sponge felt good on Annie’s skin, and the warm water calmed her nerves a bit. She took her mother’s hand as it swept through Annie’s hair and looked her in the eyes.
“Mother,” Annie cooed. “Everything will be okay. I will have all the books I would want, I get to be here every day with you and father, and you get to keep the farm. I am okay with it. I need you to pull yourself together and be strong for me.”
Annie’s mother wiped water from Annie’s cheek and set the sponge down in the tub. She stood up with a giant robe and motioned for Annie to step out onto the velvet rug that Annie’s father had given her mother for her birthday last year. Annie wrapped herself in the robe and wrung her hair out into the tub.
“It seems we have raised a wise, young lady,” Annie’s mother spoke calmly. “You will make an excellent wife and mother, Annie. I am sorry you didn’t get to pick your husband but don’t ever forget that love can blossom in the strangest places.”
Annie scoffed at the thought of ever feeling love for that large pig of a man she would be meeting at the altar in just two days. How could she ever possibly love a disgusting person like McShaw? Annie sighed and put her undercoat on while her mother fetched the tailor who had arrived a few minutes before and was waiting downstairs with Annie’s father.
A tall, thin, older woman walked in with a conservative neck-high dress, hair pinned on top of her head, and a look of pity on her face. Annie could tell this woman felt sorry for her, and that made Annie feel a little better about spending the next few hours with her. She helped Annie up onto the wooden block that was placed in front of three large mirrors and walked around her, studying every curve.
“You are quite a beautiful young lady,” the seamstress said with a smile. “I have just the thing for you!”
The seamstress left the room and walked out to the carriage that had brought her here from a town over. Annie watched through the window as she pulled one singular dress from the mounds hanging inside the carriage, smiled, and walked back towards the farm house. Annie sighed, thinking about how uncomfortable she would be and how she was not looking forward to tomorrow at all. She had to pick all the details for the wedding and had meeting after meeting first thing in the morning.
“Here we are,” the seamstress said, pulling a flowing white dress from a black cloth covering. “You will look beautiful in this.”
Annie stepped into the gown and turned to hold onto the bed post as the seamstress tightened every strap in the back. With every pull and tug, a little bit of Annie’s bravery began to fade until she felt as if she was holding on by a thread. She stepped back up on the wooden box and the seamstress buttoned every button up the front until the dress covered her up to her chin with white satin and lace. As the designer walked around her, pinning and notating for alterations, Annie stared at herself in the long mirror, tears flowing down her cheeks.
The designer, noticing Annie’s reaction, worked quickly and got her out of the dress and back into her comfortable one. Annie sat and brushed her hair as the seamstress and her mother whispered in the hallway. The tailor nodded and winked at Annie’s mom but Annie was too focused on making herself presentable for the florist who was waiting for her downstairs. She didn’t want to approach every vendor with tears and sorrow; in fact, she needed to see the best in this to survive.
The florist was kind, and Annie picked white orchids, a flower she had always detested, to cover the reception. She was being methodical and felt that, even if no one else noticed, she was making a statement of anger towards this union. Annie’s mother looked confused at Annie’s choice, but realizing what she was doing brought a smirk to her face. The florist was excited to be working for the wedding. Apparently,
it was the talk of the town, and everyone would be there, yet another factor to make Annie even more uncomfortable with the upcoming events.
After the florist left, it was dinner time and Annie sat quietly at the table as her mother served them. Not much was said during the meal, and Annie was happy for that; she had done all the talking she could do for one day. She finished her dinner, did the dishes, and went upstairs to try to get some sleep; she felt exhausted in her heart, but her nerves kept her restless. Tomorrow would bring more choices for the upcoming nuptials and Annie would have her final gown fitting. She just wanted it all to go away; it was like a nightmare.
After several hours of tossing and turning, Annie fell asleep without any dreams to accompany her slumber. This was probably good since every time she closed her eyes, she could see McShaw’s face in her mind. Her sleep was restful, and she opened her eyes to the rooster’s crow the next morning. Her eyes were puffy from the crying the day before but she sat up on the bed and stretched, a renewed sense of temperament and a readiness to face what life had laid out for her surging through her heart.
The day seemed to race by, and Annie had never had so many people vying for her time and attention; it was exhausting. She finished the last of the choices for the next day’s events, and before she knew it, she was sitting down at the dinner table with her parents getting ready to eat her last dinner as a single woman. Annie pushed the thought from her mind and ate the duck her mother had carefully prepared, knowing it was Annie’s favorite.
“I will make sure to give you all my recipes,” Annie’s mother said kindly. “Though I know Mr. McShaw has his staff of people that do the cleaning and cooking. Maybe I will make it when you come to visit.”
Annie’s mother’s hands began to shake, and she steadied herself next to Annie’s father. Annie watched as her parents found comfort in just being close to each other and her heart sank a bit, knowing she would never attain that in her marriage. She ate slowly so as to give her mother the time with her that she knew she wanted, and then did the dishes. As she stood looking out the front door towards the road, Annie’s father laid a hand on her shoulder.