Regency Romance: An Intriguing Invitation (Historical Billionaire Military Romance) (19th Century Victorian Romance)

by Sarah Thorn

  “Or a mosquito could have bitten you!” Jane said, continuing to tease her. “How tragic! How awful!”

  They all laughed, and Ann-Margaret joined in. “Oh, it may be silly to you, Janie. But I just don’t like it. I could even trip or walk into a hole and break my ankle.”

  “Well then you would be useless as a horse with a broken leg, wouldn’t you?”

  “All right now.” They heard the sound of their boss, Jack Carrigan, come from the back room. He stepped out and smiled at them all. “You can’t get work done if you are sitting around teasing Ann-Margaret about her fears.”

  The women greeted their boss jovially.

  “Good morning, Jack.” Joyce nodded at him. “I’m not late today, am I?”

  He shook his head, moving into the room to survey the work his employees were doing. He was a large, round man with a pleasant demeanor and a quick hand to help anyone who needed it. Like his employees, the woman who worked for him were treated with a great deal of respect and encouragement. He paid them a decent salary and never tried to withhold any money from them. They did good work, and he liked to reward them for their efforts. “Not at all, Joyce. You just didn’t get here early!”

  He grinned at her and she returned his smile, sitting to begin her work. She enjoyed the job and had been saving her money for some time now to do some traveling. She wanted to get out of the small Virginia town that had become her home after coming over from Ireland to New York. Her mother had detested New York and moved them South as soon as she could.

  The morning went by quickly, as Joyce had hoped it would. She was pulling on a light shawl and heading out the door before she knew it.

  Glade Hill was on the other side of the street and down just a bit from the sewing shop. She stopped on the way and took an apple from a cart, flipping the vendor a coin as she went. He snatched it from the air and grinned at her.

  “Thank you, Joyce!” He called out, holding the coin up in the air. She nodded at him and took a big bite from the apple.

  When she reached Glade Hill, she pulled open a small white iron gate that surrounded the bottom of the hill and went through. A stone path would lead a winding way up the hill, and she set about going up it, looking to the left and right to see where her aunt had decided to sit. She soon spotted her and left the path to walk over the grass to the blanket Grace had spread out for them to sit on.

  “Good day, Joyce!” Grace stood up and approached, her arms spread out for a hug. They met, and Joyce hugged her mother tightly.

  “Hello, Auntie!” She greeted her.

  “How has your day been at the sewing shop?” They took the few steps back to the blanket and sat down. Joyce made herself comfortable and happily took a small bottle of Coca-Cola out of her aunt’s basket.

  “It’s been fine. We’ve gotten a lot of work done. But I’ve been waiting for this picnic, auntie. I’m so glad to be able to see you and talk to you again. I’m glad you’ve come back from visiting.”

  Grace nodded. “I must do what I can for our Irish old-timers, Joyce. Visiting them seems to bring them great joy, so I keep doing it.”

  “Yes, I know, Grace. You have a very strong sense of loyalty.”

  Grace smiled wide. “It is an Irish thing. You possess that quality, too. You just have different things you are loyal to.”

  Joyce happily took a turkey and cheese roll from her aunt. “I do? Such as?”

  “You are very loyal to your job. When was the last day you didn’t go to work?”

  Joyce gave her a look. “If I don’t work, I don’t make any money. How will I save and get ahead then?”

  “You are loyal to yourself as well.” Grace chuckled. “You want what you want, and you’re going to get it, are you not?”

  “That is my plan. I must get out of this little town.”

  “You will miss me?”

  “I will.” She leaned forward and put her hand on her mother’s arm. “You are going to be the person I miss the most, auntie. You know that.”

  “Your brothers and sister have missed you in the last month or two. You should go visit them.”

  Joyce laughed. “Before I leave this place, I will visit them. Until then, they know where I am! And since they have their families now, I would only be intruding if I just went over there. Robert would think I am only there for a meal!”

  The women laughed softly.

  “I do have something I wanted to show you and discuss with you, Joyce. Something you might want to consider as you think about traveling and leaving here.”

  “Oh?”

  “Yes.” Grace reached back into her basket and pulled out the newspaper from a larger town some distance from them. It was one of the towns she had visited where they had relatives. They had relatives all over town and all over the state of Virginia, who had migrated down from New York to escape the blistering cold of winter and the crunch as people from around the world flooded into the main streets there.

  Grace looked through the paper, snapping it open and folding it so that a particular page was displayed. “Look at what this says here.” She pointed to a small ad in the middle of the page.

  Joyce read through it. “Auntie, are you suggesting I travel to the West to become this man’s bride? Why would I want to do that?”

  “There are several good reasons why this would be for you, Joyce. First, I have been praying for a sign, something that will help relieve you from the burden of being in a place you don’t want to be in.”

  “Auntie, I’m perfectly content…”

  “Let me finish, my girl. Second, this man is wealthy. He will take good care of you, and you won’t have to work in a sewing shop for the next ten years, saving money to be able to go somewhere else where you will have to work again. And third, you have a chance to have a family of your own. I know you want that, do you not?”

  “I do. You know I would like to have a family soon. I’m almost 22, and I need to start my life. I know a lot of girls my age who have been married for several years. I don’t want to be a spinster.”

  Grace laughed and shook her head. “A beautiful woman like you does not have to worry about that, Joyce.”

  Joyce snorted. “How can you say that, Grace? I have not had any marriage proposals before. Not in my life!”

  Grace blew a quick breath through her lips as if to dismiss the words Joyce had just said. “The only reason you haven’t been receiving any is because you have three protective older brothers, and there are too many relatives here. You have almost a dozen cousins here, and that’s almost all of the population your age that aren’t already married.”

  Joyce nodded. “That is a good point, Grace.”

  “At least, consider this proposal. You can have so much more, so much freedom being married to an older, rich man.”

  “It doesn’t say he’s older.”

  “Do you expect him to have wealth at your age?”

  Joyce contemplated that thought. “I suppose not. But what if he’s very old?”

  “You won’t know unless you write to him and find out.” Grace tilted her head and gazed at her niece. “Will you consider it? Will I be sending you on a train heading West any time soon?”

  Joyce was quiet, thinking about the possibilities in the West. Things would be so very different. The climate, the population, even the way people talked and dressed. It would be quite a change. A completely different and new life.

  “I will.” She nodded and her aunt grabbed her in a tight hug.

  “I’m so pleased! I will come over after you are home from work and help you write back to him if you like.”

  Joyce smiled. Another chance to see her mother so soon was always welcome. She wasn’t going to be seeing her at all in her future.

  Chapter Two

  The train ride was long and boring for Joyce. She readily remembered the trains she had been on as a youth as they traveled through America going South. She knitted for an hour or so but was frustrated with it quickly. It remin
ded her of the sewing she had done for so long and didn’t want to do much of anymore. She had enough scarfs and shawls. Everything she’d owned fit into three large luggage trunks.

  Either way, she didn’t want to finish knitting. She was feeling nervous and anxious. She had received several letters from Tom Huffman, the wealthy man who was interested in calling for a bride. He sounded intelligent and kind. He explained that his money came from his ancestry, that he was originally from London and had bought a lot of land in Colorado. It was near a Cheyenne Indian reservation.

  He hadn’t said very much about himself. He had said that he was a widower but hadn’t gone into too much detail about that. Joyce wondered why. When he’d written, he’d given her a vague sketch of himself and his life in Colorado.

  It left her wondering what kind of life she was going to have. Was she going to be cleaning a big house and treated like another housekeeper? Would she fall in love immediately and him with her and live happily ever after?

  She shook her head. The future was an incomplete picture. It left her feeling shaky and regretful. Change was needed; she decided firmly. She wasn’t going to give in to negative thoughts. She’d prayed for change, been lead to change and was thanking God for the blessings.

  She took the opportunity to get a sandwich and a Coke from the dining car. Tom had been generous enough to pay for her ticket, which she found out later was typical in a situation like this, and even though she had told him, she’d been saving up and could afford it. He was insistent, in fact, that she keep her money for herself or buy something that she wanted before leaving Virginia.

  She’d decided to keep her money. She wasn’t sure what her future would be and would feel more secure if she had something to fall back on in an emergency.

  By the time the train pulled into the station, she was exhausted with the ride. Sitting in the car on a cushioned bench had left her with aching bones. She was glad to stretch out. When she stepped down from the train on the platform, she walked directly into the building and to the clerk.

  “I have several bags that were not in the car with me.”

  “They will be dropped off here in a short time.” The clerk nodded, taking a stub ticket from her. “If you’d care to wait over there, we will have them brought in.”

  She nodded. “Thank you.”

  She turned and looked around. She didn’t see anyone who looked notable in the room. She had to assume that a man as wealthy as Tom would be constantly surrounded by other people, either his friends or people who wished they were his friends. There didn’t appear to be much wealth in this area of Colorado. There were more men than women; she had noticed that. But otherwise, it looked very similar to the place she’d just left. She moved to a bench and sat down, setting her sewing bag on the floor beside her. She turned to gaze at the huge fireplace set into the wall to her right. She admired the stone carvings that surrounded it and imagined it was quite beautiful when a fire was blazing below it.

  A hand on her arm caught her by surprise, and she turned with an, “oh!” She was staring at a young woman with big brown eyes, long eyelashes and brown curls surrounding her slender face. The woman smiled.

  “I am so sorry to have frightened you!” The woman said. Joyce stood up. “Are you Joyce Driscoll?”

  Joyce nodded. “I am.”

  “Oh good!” She looked relieved. “This is Gary Huffman, and I am Anne Huffman. Tom is Gary’s brother. We are here to pick you up.”

  “Oh!” Joyce smiled. “Hello! It’s good to meet you.” Anne surprised her again by pulling her into a quick but warm hug.

  “We are glad to have you here!” She turned to her husband again, and Gary held out his hand. Joyce shook it but noticed that Gary looked unhappy or anxious. She had already been worried on the train for the last six hours. His demeanor did nothing to change her feelings. She looked back at Anne.

  “Has anything happened?”

  “Oh no.” Anne shook her head, and her curls danced their own jig. “We just do a lot of things for Tom because he is a very busy man. He is very businesslike and concentrates a good deal of his time to his work.”

  “He oversees all of his land?”

  Anne nodded. “There are several…Gary, would you fetch her bags, please?”

  Gary looked as though he should have thought of that himself first and nodded to her. “Yes, of course.”

  “There are several businesses being run on Tom’s land.” Anne continued as Gary walked to the clerk’s desk. “And other threats that he must guard against.”

  “I see. Indians and poachers.”

  Anne nodded. “Not really the Indians. Their reservation is not as close as it may seem. They do not need to come into town for anything, so we don’t see much of them. They are more friendly than hostile toward our little area.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” When Gary came back carrying Joyce’s bags, the three of them set off for the carriage, which awaited them outside. Joyce was impressed the moment she saw the horses and carriage. The vehicle was drawn by two large majestic horses. The carriage was large, white and a driver was propped up top, holding the reins loosely in his hands. He smiled at her. She smiled back.

  “This is very nice,” she said. Anne looked at her.

  “I think we begin to lose appreciation for the beauty of things after you get used to them,” she said in a very low voice as if she didn’t want anyone else to hear. Joyce looked down at her, realizing Anne was several inches shorter than she. “I have been riding in this carriage for over a year, and I don’t think I’ve ever really looked closely at it.”

  Joyce raised her eyebrows, taking in the whole of the large carriage. It was white – a glowing white that made it seem brand new – trimmed with gold edges. The curtains inside were gold with long, thick tassels on the ends. The steps they were to use to get in the carriage were also gold and made of metal. She had to assume they were gold-plated. She couldn’t imagine spending the kind of money it would take to simply have even one step made out of gold.

  At first, their ride was quiet. Joyce was still uncomfortable with the nervous look that Gary couldn’t seem to get rid of. She wondered if he always had that look on his face. Perhaps he was worried about something that was completely unrelated to her arrival.

  “So please tell us a little about yourself.” Anne prompted after a short time. “We have about a half hour drive until we reach the house.”

  “I was born in Ireland, in Meade County,” she replied. “My family immigrated to America when I was ten. We were in New York for a few years and then traveled to Virginia to live.”

  “Did you have trouble leaving your family and coming so far away?”

  Joyce shook her head. “I will miss the family I left behind,” she replied. “But I lost my parents early on in a boating accident, and my aunt and uncle raised me. I have two brothers, a sister, and many cousins.”

  “So you come from a large family?”

  Joyce nodded. “I do, but I have been living on my own for several years. I prefer solitude and quiet to what I was raised with.”

  “I imagine you do!” Anne replied, nodding. “You… won’t have to worry about that here. There’s hardly any people in the house.”

  Gary made a small noise in his mouth and gave Anne a look. Anne’s face tensed, and she gave him a return look. This action confused Joyce. She wrestled with whether or not she wanted to say anything about this strange behavior.

  “You should tell her,” Gary said. Joyce was immediately on alert. She narrowed her eyes.

  “What is it?”

  Anne licked her lips and pulled in a deep breath.

  “There’s something about Tom you should know.”

  Joyce tried to prepare herself for something horrible. She clenched her jaw and tried not to let her fiery temper take over before she even knew what the deal was. “Please tell me,” she said, clenching her hands in her lap, gathering up her skirts in her fingers.

  “He
’s…he’s been very upset since the death of his wife 16 months ago.” Anne’s voice was low again, and Joyce sat forward a little. “He took to building on to his house and has added about a dozen rooms to it since then.”

  Joyce was a little confused but said nothing. She wanted the whole story and reserved judgment till she had it.

  “The house has about 32 rooms now. It was already a mansion before. Tom… hasn’t even put furniture in some of them. He moved all of his things into the new rooms and keeps several of the old ones the way they were when Lizzie died.”

  Joyce felt her temper waning. Tom’s depression had led him to do something strange, but at least, he hadn’t murdered someone. “Well, I’ve heard of people in mourning doing that before. How did she die?”

  Gary’s eyes snapped down to his wife. “Tell her, Anne,” He said.

  Anne pursed her lips for a moment. Finally, she said, “In childbirth.” She let her eyes move up to Joyce’s face as the woman registered what she’d said.

  Joyce frowned. “So he lost his wife and his baby at the same time?” She asked.

  Gary shook his head. “No, Miss. The baby is healthy and alive. Her name is Eliza, named after her mother.”

  Joyce processed the information. “So…there’s a baby?”

  The couple sitting across from her stared at her with open faces. Gary seemed to expect Joyce to jump from the carriage at that moment. Anne’s face looked hopeful and anxious at the same time.

  Joyce was taken aback, unsure how to feel. She had been lied to about something that was very important. Something that may have made a difference in her choice to come here. She felt betrayed and frowned deeply. She wasn’t going to have her own family. She was going to have someone else’s family.

  “That is deeply disappointing,” Joyce said. “I would have liked to have known about that before I agreed to come here. I have no experience with small babies. None whatsoever.”

  “You didn’t take care of your nieces and nephews?” Gary asked.

  Joyce shook her head. “No. I never did.” She was trying to control her disappointment and anger. She wasn’t sure she wanted to start out with a new baby she hadn’t even had. And this man sounded like he was going to be distant and mournful of his dead wife all the time. Where did that leave her? As a nursemaid and housekeeper? She looked out the window without putting words to her emotions. She had money. She could buy a train ticket and go home.