Mrs. Selby, put the files she held on top of the file cabinet. “And what would that be?”
“I want to bring along my servant, Bertha. She is my nanny, my cook, my housekeeper and my friend. If she can’t come, then I won’t be accepting Mr. Malone’s offer.”
“No need to worry.” Mrs. Selby smiled. “Mr. Malone sent a substantial sum of money for his bride. Passage was to be purchased first, and the remainder was to be used to buy new clothes for his bride and her family. More than enough money is available for everything, including passage for Bertha.”
With that worry handled, Nellie smiled broadly and sat in the chair in front of the desk. “Wonderful. I’m even more excited to meet Mr. Malone.”
“Good. Let’s get this paperwork started.” She dipped a pen in an inkwell and wrote notes. “I’ll purchase your tickets. Four on the Southern Star for San Francisco. You can pick up your tickets next week. At that time I’ll give you the remainder of the money so you can outfit your family appropriately. The weather in San Francisco, I’m told is cold in the winter and warm in the summer. The temperatures sounds like they’re somewhat milder than New York. They don’t get snow like we do.”
“I don’t believe we’ll need much, with the exception of myself. I’ve been wearing mourning since my husband died, and I have nothing fashionable in anything except black.”
“Then you’ll have quite a good time purchasing clothes.”
“Just a few. There’s not enough time for much from the dressmakers. Perhaps they will have something ready-made.” She leaned forward. “That would be the perfect solution.”
“Here, take the address of my dress maker. She will help you out and she’s very fast. She has several Irish girls working in her shop, and I’ve sent clients her way before. She knows the deadlines you are under.”
“Thank you, Mrs. Selby. For everything.”
Nellie left the office, a new lightness in her step. Things would work out. Her children would not be thrown out into the street because she could no longer pay the rent. Her in-laws had graciously allowed her to stay in the guest house where she’d lived since she and Robert got married. Being indebted to them always rankled. And they never let her forget that if it not for the children, they would not have been so accommodating.
Well, they didn’t need to accommodate her any longer. She would take care of herself and her children. She was starting a new life. An exciting life.
If only she wasn’t scared to death.
CHAPTER 2
They set sail on April 1st 1867 and now it was June 2nd 1867. They’d been on a ship for two full months and all of them were glad to be back on dry land. They would take a while to get their land legs, as the sailors like to say. The sway of the ship was now ingrained so that when they walked they sort of swayed as though still on the ship. She was assured the wobbliness would go away in a few days.
It didn’t seem to bother the children much at all. Her ten-year-old son and three-year-old daughter, ran around the dock like a couple of hooligans. Nellie almost wanted to just let them run, but they needed to stop and so she put her foot down.
“Henry! Violet! Stop that and come here. Now.” Her voice was loud, almost a shout, in order to be heard over the din of the port workers loading and unloading the ships as they docked.
The children, came immediately.
“We’re sorry, Mama,” Henry said with a non-repentant smile. “It’s just so nice to be off the boat”
“I understand, but we have to get our cab for the hotel. Go and find Cora and Annie, please Henry.” She held out her hand until her daughter approached. “Violet, you stay with me.”
“Yes, ma’am,” said Henry, before he ran off toward the rear of the ship and the stairs to the cabins below deck.
Cora Jones and Annie Markum were also mail order brides from Matchmaker & Co. The three women befriended each other almost as soon as they met. Nellie took the two younger women under her wing, and during the long voyage, they formed a fast friendship.
Cora was a seamstress and helped teach Nellie how to alter her children’s clothing. Nellie might have to wait for two months for her new life to begin, but that didn’t mean the children stopped growing. She’d tried to bring several sizes of clothing but Henry was growing out of everything. One of the first things she’d have to do once she and Mr. Malone married, was to get Henry all new clothes.
Before their departure, she’d managed to purchase four new ensembles from Mrs. Selby’s dressmaker in the short time available. She got a lovely dress in pink satin with a bib of bright white lace, a dark blue velvet dress, and a black evening gown, done in the latest fashion. The fourth outfit she’d saved for today. It was an emerald-green skirt and matching jacket with black lapels. She wore it with a lacy white blouse with a tall, stand-up collar. She loved all the beautiful gowns, but this suit matched her eyes and she thought it was also business-like for her first meeting with Mr. Blake Malone.
The ladies all had accommodations at the Golden State Hotel, guaranteed, if necessary, for two months. Mrs. Selby said that would give them enough time to know if they still wanted to marry their chosen grooms. She was adamant that no woman feel she had no choice on the topic of marrying the man.
Nellie had to take a separate cab from the other two ladies. There were four of them, and with all of their luggage, the cab was completely full. Cora and Annie were able to take a conveyance together and their cab followed Nellie’s to the hotel.
The Golden State Hotel was something—grand and gaudy at the same time. Whoever had decorated it was very fond of the color red. The lobby carpet, drapes and furniture where all varying shades of red. She supposed the color was supposed to be luxurious, but to her it was atrocious. Thank goodness she would only have to put up with the accommodations for a short while.
Nellie stepped up to the registration desk and got the four of them checked in. Before she left the desk, she was handed a letter by the clerk.
“This was left for you, Mrs. Wallace.”
“Thank you.” Curiosity got the best of her and she glanced at the letter’s return address. It was from Mr. Malone and could wait until she got her family settled. She took the letter and stuffed it into her reticule. The accessory was now stuffed with her mints, all the money she had left in the world, and the remaining money from the amount Mr. Malone had sent. She intended to return his money to him prior to their marriage.
She was gathering her brood together to follow the bellboy to the room when she noticed a commotion around Cora. Two men were there—both quite handsome, both were being very vocal.
“Cora, are you all right?” asked Nellie, ready to aid her friend if needed.
“Yes, thank you,” she responded, though her voice sounded like she was crying.
Nellie was curious but decorum demanded that she respect her friend’s wishes. Besides, she would find out what was happening later.
“Come on then, family. We are in a suite of rooms. Let’s go see what it looks like.”
Their assigned rooms were huge, and a living area sat in the middle of two bedrooms. Bertha and the children would take the larger of the two rooms and Nellie would take the smaller.
Both bedrooms were richly furnished, and thank heavens, not in red. Each of them were done in varying shades of blue, from dark indigo in the drapes to the color of a pale sky in the bedspread. The linens themselves were stark white, and the beds were already turned down. Two double beds stood in the larger of the two bedrooms and one in the room Nellie would occupy.
“Bertha, will you get the children settled? I have some correspondence to take care of.” She sat on her bed, took the letter out of her bag and slid a finger under the seal.
May 15, 1867
My dear Mrs. Wallace:
I have sent this letter over with instructions that I be notified as soon as you arrive to collect it. I will come to your room the evening of your arrival, assuming the ship arrives as expected with the afternoo
n tide. I see no reason to put off our getting to know each other. Toward this endeavor, I propose that I take you and your family out for dinner the night of your landing in San Francisco.
Of course, you may decide that after being so long aboard ship, you only wish to rest and recuperate your first night in San Francisco. I can understand that. We can discuss it upon meeting.
Respectfully yours,
Blake Malone
Well, what do I want to do? She walked to the living room. There was an oval table made out of dark wood. Six straight-backed wooden chairs with cushioned seats sat around it. The layout was as though the owner had had the room designed for families.
They could eat there. A room service menu from the restaurant on the first floor was on the bureau. That would be easier on the children than getting dressed and eating out. Mr. Malone could join them.
A knock on the door brought her out of her reverie and back to the present. She turned to the children. “You two be good now, while I answer the door.” She walked to the door and opened it. “Yes, may I help you?”
Before her stood one of the most handsome men she’d ever seen. He held his bowler hat in his hand and his black hair was combed straight back emphasizing his gray eyes. His suit was the color of rich, black coffee, his cravat tied perfectly. Nellie pressed her lips together so her mouth wouldn’t hang open.
“Mrs. Wallace?”
The deep timber of his voice washed over her, and she shivered. “Yes.”
“I’m Blake Malone.” He extended his hand toward her. “I’m pleased to make your acquaintance.”
She extended her hand to his and was engulfed by the warmth of his tanned hand. “I’m delighted to meet you Mr. Malone. Would you care to come in? My children and maid, Bertha, can serve as our chaperones. Though, I doubt we would need them now, would we?”
“I don’t know, Mrs. Wallace,” he said thoughtfully, before releasing her hand. “Perhaps it is best they are here.”
Nellie smiled. “Yes, well, do come in anyway. We are in the middle of unpacking, and I’m ordering dinner from the room service menu on the bureau.”
His brows creased into a frown. “No, please allow me to take you out for dinner. There are so many more restaurants and the offerings much better than those of the little place downstairs.”
They walked into the room, where chaos reigned between the children jumping on the bed and Bertha, admonishing them to stop. “Well, I don’t know. I really don’t want to dress to go out…”
“No need to dress differently.” He looked her up and down with an admiring gaze. “What you’re wearing is splendid.”
Nellie felt the warmth rise on her neck and knew she blushed. “Well…” she looked around at her children and Bertha.
“Oh,” He waved a hand encompassing all of them. “All of you, Mrs. Wallace. We should all get to know each other and what better way than over a meal, heh?”
He was thoroughly charming.
“Well, I guess getting out to see part of the city would be nice. Do you have a carriage?”
A smile spread his lips and he nodded. “Waiting just outside.”
“First let me introduce you.” She gestured for the children to come forward. “These are my children, Henry and Violet and this is my friend and maid, Bertha.”
“Pleased to meet you all. Henry,” Blake held out his hand for Henry to shake. “I must commend you lad, you’ve taken good care of your mother.”
“Yes, sir,” said Henry, standing a little straighter. “I’ve done my best.”
Nellie smiled. Her little boy was growing up in more ways than one.
Blake squatted down to Violet’s eye level. “Hello, Violet,” he said, holding out his hand. “I’m Blake.”
“Mr. Malone,” said Nellie. “For now.”
Violet, never the shy flower, took her thumb out of her mouth and touched Blake’s face. “You pretty.”
Blake turned red, then chuckled. “You think so do you, pumpkin? Well, I think you’re pretty, too. What do you think about that?”
“That’s okay, Mr. Marone.”
He hadn’t even flinched when her baby touched him with her wet, spit covered hand. Nellie smiled at this little piece of knowledge about the kind of man he was. “Malone, dear,” corrected Nellie. “She’s still having problems with her L’s.”
“It’s all right,” he said, standing. “She’ll grow into it. Hopefully, she’ll grow to call me something else.”
He smiled.
Nellie saw straight, white teeth and the sexiest pair of dimples. Oh, my. Her breath caught in her throat. This man was affecting her. Had it really been so long since she’d been around a man that the nearness of one could practically send her into a swoon?
“And Bertha,” he said, taking the older woman’s hand and kissing the top. “A great pleasure to meet one of Nellie’s friends.”
Bertha giggled like a school girl.
“Yes, well, let me get my shawl,” said Nellie. Then she looked over at her family. “Get your coats, everyone. There is a chill outside.”
After everyone had put on their coats, they followed Blake out of the room. Nellie, in the rear, closed and locked the door to the suite and put the key in her reticule.
Blake donned his hat and waited near the door.
“Thank you for the lovely rooms. They are perfect for us.”
“I wanted you to be comfortable. I’m glad they are up to snuff. I’ll be honest with you Mrs. Wallace.” He leaned a bit closer. “I would have moved you into the house immediately, if not for Mrs. Selby insisting that you stay here.”
“It wouldn’t be proper for us to move in until after we are married. We still have much to discuss.” She pulled tight on her reticule strings and watched the children up ahead, bouncing down the hallway. “Are you certain you’re ready to take on a complete family?”
He walked next to her, but did not touch her instead keeping his hands in his pockets.
“Yes, I am. Although I suppose that we do have many things we need to talk about,” he conceded.
“I’d prefer not to discuss arrangements tonight. Perhaps you and I could meet tomorrow to discuss particulars.”
“Of course. I’ll be honest with you now, just as I intend to always be. I want this marriage to take place as soon as possible.”
Nellie continued to walk down the hallway. The walls were papered and the carpet a good wool, with a red background and black-and-gold pattern. Gaudy, she would have called it.
“I want this marriage to take place as well, but I must get some things out in the open.” She glanced from the corner of her eye, still disbelieving his handsome features. “I have my children to look out for and their needs must come first.”
“Of course, completely understandable,” he said affably.
She was beginning to wonder if he would say yes to everything she demanded. Although with the exception of specific schooling for Henry and new clothes for all of them, she didn’t really have too many demands. After all, she’d been a married woman and knew what to expect from marriage. The marriage bed was no stranger for her. Though the act had been painful and unpleasant, she and Robert had been more active in bed than she would have liked. She was almost glad he’d died, and she didn’t have to endure the pain he put her through. The beatings he gave her before and during sex, were memories she wished she could forget.
Before she could stop herself, she gave a shudder. She supposed consummation would be painful with Blake as well. That’s just what sex was. It was something to be borne so she could have more children and she did want that. Other than sex, she knew she had to provide him with a clean, well-run home and be a suitable hostess. Before she consented to the marriage, she needed to find out what else he required.
“Now, what kind of food do you like? We have all kinds here,” continued Blake.
“We’re not really very particular,” said Nellie. “Anything different would be welcome because the food aboard sh
ip was very basic and routine. The children are not fancy eaters, none of us are really.”
“Do you like fish and sea food? We have some of the freshest in the country I dare say.”
“I do love fresh fish. It was sometimes not as fresh as it could be in New York. The quality depended on when my in-laws’ cook got to the market. If it was in the morning it was fine, but if the fish had been lying around all day, it was often fishy.” She shuddered. “Do you know what I mean?”
They continued to talk while walking down halls and across the lobby of the hotel.
“Yes, I do. I remember when I was back in Connecticut before I came out here.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You’re from Connecticut? Where?”
“Hartford.”
She smiled. A memory of visiting her great aunt came to mind. “Oh, it’s lovely there.”
“Yes, but I was the third son, and we were not rich to begin with. I needed to make my own way and I have.”
“I suppose that is one of the things we should discuss. I know you are the owner of a saloon and gaming hall. But you have aspirations to do something else. That’s why you sent for me, correct?”
“Yes, but let’s discuss that tomorrow. Perhaps over lunch at my home. I’d like for you to see it.”
Anticipation and excitement warred with her need to seem in control. “I look forward to that.”
“I’ll send my carriage for you at noon. Ah, here it is. Shall we?”
A gleaming black conveyance sat at the curb. It was drawn by two magnificent gray horses that were well-matched, right down to the black stockings on their feet. Blake helped first the children, then Bertha, then Nellie into the carriage. Bertha and the children sat on one side and Nellie sat next to him on the opposite seat. With her full skirts, there wasn’t any chance they could sit too close together, but that didn’t stop her heart from pounding in her chest when he held her hand to help her in. She must get control of herself.
Blake took them to a restaurant right off the water on the edge of the cove. From the table where they sat, they could look out over the water. She saw there was a small island in the middle of the bay.
Nellie (The Brides of San Francisco Book 1) Page 2