by Faye Sonja
Rose looked in two minds about whether to go with her sister or not.
“It’s fine, Rose. Go play and I’ll find my way around.” Anna wanted to put her at ease.
Rose broke into a huge smile and ran off after Lily. Anna took a quick walk around the small home. Looked like the girls shared a room and Fred had a small one of his own. The biggest bedroom was perfectly set and the double bed dressed in beautiful floral materials; photos stood on the dresser.
Anna walked over to them and saw a most striking woman she could tell was the mother of the children. Some family pictures and some of just the children. She picked up the one with William. It looked similar to the one Miss Kitty had shown her of him on his own.
His hair was lighter like Anna’s and wavy, but his late wife and the children all had shining, dead-straight black hair. Anna couldn’t look more opposite to this woman and she felt a pang of sadness for what this family had lost. It was no wonder the children hadn’t warmed to her.
Perhaps William would send her back to Miss Kitty again.
Then she’d go and live with her sister Ada and her husband, Bobby. Ada couldn’t come here to be at her wedding to William because she had to nurse Bobby back to some strength. But Anna wanted to do this on her own and prove she could make her own way in the world after spending almost every waking moment under the protection of her older sister.
* * *
William wasn’t looking for love, he’d made that clear, and the settlement of Hope was about to become a lot bigger with the new gold finds in the area. All the parents needed a school with a teacher and he needed his home and the children taken care of because he’d be out here a lot more hours for the army, keeping the peace until the settlement became a town and had its own sheriff.
William wasn’t sure what he’d do then. He’d likely find a new settlement to establish as a town and move his family on to more frontier life. Since Laura had passed on, he didn’t want to think about how they would’ve settled here and he’d have left the army and followed their dreams.
But his life had no place for dreams now. He was good at setting up the infrastructure for new towns and he felt needed when he was out here protecting the claims and settling disputes. Once Hope was settled he figured it’d be about a year and they’d find another teacher, then he and Anna and the children moved on.
It’d been a real struggle since the children’s Ma went. William loved his children but the only way he knew how to cope was to hold emotions inside and run the house like an army camp to ensure everything got done and the children kept busy. Without their mother to watch over them while he was away it’d be easy for them to fall into trouble.
He protected and cared for them the only way he knew how, like the army officer he was. So far it was working but he wasn’t fool enough to think he could raise two girls to womanhood without female assistance. It’d be nice to come home to a meal cooked and the children fed, bathed, and in bed.
He’d seen a faded picture of Anna Bartholomew and he knew of her blemished face. Miss Kitty had told him to pay no mind and to treat her well or her wealthy sister, Ada, would come to fetch Anna if she needed to.
Of course he wouldn’t treat her badly because of a mark on her face. He wasn’t in the market for love and neither was Anna, so she’d said in her letters. He’d see she was cared for and had all she needed, and that she had the best of what was available to start the school.
He was told she could cook but his kitchen was very basic with only a small wood stove, so meals might be a challenge at first. But he’d eaten his own cooking for long enough, so anything would be better that what he presented most nights. No one had starved but he knew the kids would love a well-cooked, tasty meal and a dessert would be like manna from Heaven.
He said a silent prayer and headed back for the two hour ride to Hope and an hour riding the boundary of what would be the city. He wanted to drop through and meet Anna, but he wasn’t sure that was a good idea. He had a list of things that needed to be done and it likely wouldn’t pay to interrupt her.
He hoped the children were doing their chores and showing Anna how he liked things to run. He wouldn’t abide softness in place of discipline, and his children all had their jobs; even young Rose, who was the image of her mother. They all were really, and also a daily reminder to him of what he’d lost.
He’d gotten Anna because children needed a mother figure and he’d no sisters nor any close female relatives who’d be willing to come all the way to frontier Idaho, or frontier anywhere. Life was tough out here, really tough, and establishing settlements into towns or, alternatively, closing them down and moving people on was not an easy job.
He let his horse have its head and dictate the pace. It was only out here, on horseback, that he could feel free from the confines that his chosen life imposed on him. Though he loved what he did, and he believed his army style of organization in all aspects of life was best for the children, he missed the carefree side of himself he could show sometimes with his wife.
She’d softened his hard edges a little when she was here, but now he feared those edges were sharper than ever now Laura was gone. He had no intentions of letting any part of him soften ever again.
William was getting through life and raising his children the best way he knew how and he never took kindly to those who suggested he was too harsh on the children.
Discipline and structure were the best ways to ensure the children never met with trouble. Education would be the next thing. A solid, well-structured, disciplined education would ensure their futures being productive and well-paid.
He didn’t believe women were any less capable of men in doing anything, including being good business women and making a good sum of money.
His daughters would have every skill they needed to prosper in the future, and to cope with any situation they chose, whether that be a wealthy company owner or a frontier wife with children. He thought the latter was the toughest job of all.
He wouldn’t go easy on them because they were girls; it was more important for them to be able to face the world with courage because he might not get home any night of the week. This army protection work had death waiting around every corner.
Now he was riding back to meet Anna, and they’d be married the day after tomorrow. A Sunday wedding in the newest building, the chapel on the hill. Sunday was the one day he rested. He followed the teaching of the bible and rested on the seventh day. It gave him time to do things around his small acreage and fix up the home.
He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to the help, but Anna would have to fall in line with the family routine. He wouldn’t be relaxing the rules and he would be letting her know that there’d never be a chance of love. Once the children were grown up and gone, then Anna could choose to leave and teach elsewhere and he wouldn’t stop her.
How Anna ran her school was up to her, but at home it was easier to stick to the routine the children were used to. Sunday they’d marry and Monday everyone was pitching in to build the school house. Then it would be a trip to the nearest city to buy supplies; he needed Anna with him for that.
The whole settlement had pitched in money to buy it all as all their children would benefit. Anna would set up a school fees system and find some other ways to raise money and keep the school running and able to be improved each year. He hoped she’d take some instruction from him with her curriculum and discipline for the children while at school.
* * *
2
Home Sweet Home
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“Children? Are you here to
meet me?… “You’re not our Ma.”
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Anna wiped her brow with the back of her hand and plunged it back into the dish of soapy water to finish up the dirty plates. So far she’d gotten the fire going and boiled water. A fresh chicken had
been left for her in the meat safe and she had it roasting in a large cast iron oven with a heavy lid and cooking on the small stovetop.
The vegetables were next to go in: potatoes, carrots, onions, and she’d then use the juices to make gravy once everything was out and being kept warm. This was a lot different to the stoves at home but she was an accomplished cook and had no trouble getting the meal sorted. It just took a little creativity.
There was no dessert asked for on the list but there was a large bowl of apples and she’d found the staple ingredients. Perhaps William thought she wouldn’t have time, as the list was quite extensive. All the general cleaning things, which hadn’t taken her so long.
The girls had completed half their chores and, while Fred was continuing to chop and stack the firewood, the girls had been playing with their jump ropes for a while. The laughter from them was lovely to hear and it’d spurred Anna on to make their evening meal as nice as possible.
She’d brought in fresh flowers that were growing wild in the field behind the house and placed them on the table. She’d dusted and wiped down all surfaces and swept the floor. Now she had time to peel and chop the apples to get a cobbler in the oven and she’d found eggs and milk to make some custard sauce.
She hummed as she worked and despite the newness of it all, Anna was happy to be here and making dinner for her new family. She’d let the children know they’d be half an hour late for their dinner and to go tidy themselves up soon. Then she was going to get them to read some books she’d brought with her to see where she’d start with their education.
She never expected Rose would know how to read but Fred certainly would and Lily should have a good grasp of basic words and sentences by now. Once the cobbler was in the small oven and the custard made, Anna went to stop Fred from working.
“Fred, perhaps we could talk a while.”
“Pa’ll want this all done.” The boy just kept splitting wood.
“But you’ve done your daily chores; I’m sure a few minutes speaking with me won’t hurt.”
“Pa has a temper. Don’t pay to rile him up none.”
Anna watched him for a while before she spoke again. “How long since you’ve played with boys your own age?”
His strikes on the logs paused a second, and then he kept going. “No time for play. I keep busy.”
“But you’re only nine. I think you should have friends. Now I’m here perhaps there’ll be more time for you to be with a friend.”
He stopped chopping then and turned to her. She was sure a twinkle came to his eyes but was gone just as fast. He looked down and picked up the axe again. “Pa won’t let me. No good getting my hopes up. Besides, I’m ten.” He went back to chopping again.
“I see. Perhaps I’ll speak with your father.”
“Don’t get into trouble on my account, Miss.” He stacked some wood into the cart and then pulled it over to the lean-to that housed the firewood.
Anna wasn’t sure what to make of William and how he ran his home or how his children seemed too scared to even play a little. Last thing she wanted was to get them into trouble and she said a silent prayer again that this man that was to be her husband on Sunday was not a tyrant. She was sure he was just being strict because he had no choice, doing everything on his own.
It was sure to get better now she was here to take some of the workload. She wandered around the garden and picked some ears of corn, and there were also peas and greens ready, so she picked some and headed for the kitchen again.
It’d take but a few moments of boiling water to cook the vegetables and Anna looked forward to eating them very much. They’d grown quite few of their own vegetables when her mother was alive. Well, her adopted mother, as she now knew. She and Ada were lucky to have been chosen by such a lovely woman.
They’d both felt God had answered their prayers when Emma came to stay with them as a baby. She was a sister through and through to them and Anna hoped Emma would be fine for another month at Miss Kitty’s alone. Ada had settled in happily to care for her convalescing husband and all the drama of the trouble back at home with the man who’d been killed had passed.
Ada said she had a good life and that Bobby was very well off. Anna supposed she couldn’t have come to a more opposite situation, but she loved a challenge. Her whole life had been a challenge with her blemish, but she’d always had Ada, and then Emma, to help her through. But this time she really wanted to show herself and them that she could manage her life.
She hated how people said she might’ve been such a lovely young lady if she wasn’t so cursed by her birth mark. The assumption she’d done something to deserve this or that she was lesser somehow because of it, offended her greatly.
She’d make this the best school in Idaho, and people would be wanting their children to attend. It wouldn’t be easy, but Anna had a good head for figures and a sharp mind around obstacles, and she wanted so very much to run her school, her way. That was her one stipulation to staying and being married here.
She washed off the vegetables and podded the peas then placed them all in a single saucepan with water to cook. Time to go and let the girls know they could come wash up for dinner and set the table, and also finish off any other chores they needed to do.
She took off her apron and walked out the front door where they were playing in the front yard. “Lily and Rose…come wash up and get your chores done, dinner is almost ready.”
Lily eyed her with a hint of defiance. “In a minute.”
“If you don’t come now, you may not have time to get your jobs done before bedtime.”
“That’s your fault because you let us play before we finished. Pa never does that.”
Rose looked at her sister and then stopped using the jump rope. “I’m ready. I’m going in now. Come on, Lily.”
“I’ll be there soon.” Lily sounded angry. Rose ran inside with her rope trailing behind. Lily kept jumping.
“Lily, I want us to be friends. I’m trying to help.”
“Don’t need your help. You’re not Ma.”
“I can’t help that. I know you must be hurting.”
Lily just took off at a run and disappeared inside the house, and Anna sighed. This was going to be tough, but she hoped once the school was going and she could see where Lily’s talents lay, then she could get to her through her education and prove to her she could trust her.
But for now, she’d try not to rock the boat and she’d go finish getting supper ready for the children. She wondered if she should eat with the children or with William. Perhaps tonight she’d leave it to eat with him, and if that wasn’t something he wanted then she’d eat with the children in future when he wasn’t home for the evening meal.
When Anna went inside, little Rose came back up to her. “Can you help me reach the water? Lily said no.”
“Of course. You show me what you usually do. Forgive Lily, I think I might have said something to upset her.”
“She say you ain’t Ma, but I said I don’t care cos Ma ain’t never coming back. She can’t.”
Anna knelt down and looked Rose in the eyes. “Your Ma is with God now, and she’s watching over you. She’ll always be with you.”
Rose nodded as if she understood the most complicated problems in the world at the age of four. “I know. I miss her. I hope Pa is happy soon. He don’t smile much.”
“Come on. Let’s get you clean and then we’ll have supper.”
“I prayed last night that you’d be a good cook and make a dessert.”
“I think your prayers have come true.” Anna laughed as Rose clapped her hands and grinned up at her.
Once she’d washed Rose and helped her change into a clean apron, they went back to the kitchen. Everything was ready and Anna made a small amount of gravy from the meat and vegetable juices. The apple cobbler now sat cooling on the bench and the smell of the food had all stomachs rumbling and by the look on Fred’s face, he hadn’t eaten since forever.
�
��Hungry, Fred?”
“I’m starving, Miss.”
“Good. I’ve made a lot of food and we can’t let it go to waste.”
“Pa hates waste.” Lily glared across at her again.
“So do I,” Anna answered. “Leftovers from tonight will be made into pies tomorrow.”
“Pies. Yum!” both Fred and Rose chorused together and Lily just shrugged, but a glint of interest went through her eyes.
Anna caught that fast. “Do you like to cook, Lily?”
Lily shrugged again.
“Her and Ma cooked all the time.”
“Shush, Rose,” Lily scolded her younger sister.
“Well, you did.” Rose stuck her tongue out at her sister.
“Girls, remember your manners in company,” Fred reprimanded them both, and the girls stopped right away.
“I’d love you to show me some of the dishes your Ma made, and I can show you some of mine, Lily.” Anna hoped they could make a connection through baking. “I worked in a bakery for as long as I can remember and I never got sick of learning new things.”
“I can make scones.” Lily still never smiled, but that was fine.
Anna’s heart soared with hope. “I’ve never been good at those. Mine always come out flat. There must be a secret.”
Lily nodded and almost smiled.
“I can’t wait for you to show me, Lily.” Anna was ready to dish up. “Fred, do you know how to carve a chicken?”
“I’ve watched Pa a thousand times.”
“If you’d like to try, I’d be grateful while I dish out the vegetables onto the plates.” Later Anna would put the food in large dishes to be passed around the table, but that would be best when William was home and they all ate together. Tonight she’d dish the food onto the plates. That way she could gauge how much each child was likely to eat and cater accordingly.
Fred jumped up and meticulously began to divide the chicken into even sized, neat portions, and quite fast. An eye for detail, and a fast learner, Anna thought; that’ll be good to know. Once he was done, Anna put all the food on the plates and poured the gravy over. It looked wonderful and her stomach growled.