“I don’t see that at all.”
“You should consider yourself lucky that the Lord would take the time to help you to see what your stubbornness will not, and you should consider your new health to be your second chance at a life.”
She did not reply, and he leaned forward. “A second chance at a new life not only by getting back your health, but also by your coming here from New York. You needed this new life, I think.”
She waved him away. “I don’t know why Grass Valley has decided that I am fleeing something in New York, but I’m not going to repeat myself again.”
“I am talking about happiness, and joy in a union with a suitable man, Ellie. You did not get much joy stuck in New York, that city of vice.”
“I don’t know anything about that.”
“It comes to us all, Ellie, and we have a choice to make between turning our back on unhappiness and willfulness, and facing instead a life which has new possibilities.” He patted her arm. “Would you ever have been really happy in New York?”
Tears sprang to her eyes, and she wiped them away quickly. “I’m tired now,” she said, “I don’t want to discuss having a life in New York.”
Daniel put his hand on Dr Lewis’ sleeve, and the priest stood up. “I have to go back to my flock now, but I will come back and talk to you again, Ellie, if you will allow it.”
He nodded to Daniel, and then walked to the door. Daniel came over to where Ellie was saying and put his hand into hers, squeezing it and saying nothing. Then he let go, and walked away. She could hear him in the hall, and then following Dr Lewis down the stairs and out into the street.
They stood outside her window for a while, and Ellie wondered if Daniel knew that they were below her. She could hear that his voice was raised, and that Dr Lewis was saying very little. Each time he spoke, Daniel would respond with his louder voice, tinged with anger. Ellie could hear them talking for a little bit, but their voices faded as they walked away, and she was left alone with her thoughts. She lay back on the bed, and felt tears falling from her eyes. How long had they been there, she wondered? Had she been crying when Daniel left the room, and why had he not said anything, just looked at her and then left?
Chapter 15
After the door closed, Ellie lay back on the bed. Had he really given up on her? The idea was more of a shock than she expected, in fact it made her feel uncomfortable. He had been everything to her for the past week, her provider and carer, and also her companion when she was suffering. She had thought that he liked her, at least. Now it seemed that he secretly resented her all along, and had put away any ideas of making her his wife.
Had she really been so offensive to him that he could no longer face her? Of course she had. Right from the very start, she had dismissed him out of hand, not even considering his feelings or ideas. She had been reluctant to marry him, but apparently still expected him to wait on her. No wonder he had finally rejected her, as she had rejected him. Martha had been right, she was still a foolish child and needed to grow up in order to make sure that she did something with her life. Instead, she had come here and caused havoc with a good and honest man. Now he had finally had enough, and was lost to her when she was starting to warm towards him. That was a serious sadness that she felt, something which destroyed her confidence. She would have to change his mind.
Daniel came back to the room later that afternoon, and Ellie was sitting by the bed, fully dressed. She had washed and combed her hair, and then dressed it, so that small curls fell around her face while the rest was swept up above her neck. It was time for her to get up, and she was rather sorry that she had not done it before. The cold weather had inspired her to go into the garden, and gather some of the fallen leaves, twining the colors through her own hair, and then lightly pinning them up.
She had been reading, waiting for him to come back to her, and put the book on the bed when he returned, looking up at him. Standing in the doorway, his hat gripped in his hand as it always was when he came in, he looked so kind and friendly that she could have burst into tears. He seemed to look so much more handsome than she had thought him at first, and that pink look had faded from his face. He had been embarrassed, she now knew, and felt annoyed at her past self for making fools of them both.
He has hesitating, and she watched him closely. For a second, he seemed to be confused, as though something about her appearance puzzling him. Then, he realized suddenly, and it brought a light to his face that had not been there before. For the first time since he had met her, she had taken off her black dress, and was wearing a light blue skirt and blouse. She knew that she looked much better in that dress, as it hid some of the paleness which was her natural coloring, and also concealed the weight loss which had occurred due to the illness. She looked better than she had done for years she thought, and so she allowed him to stand in the doorway for a while, looking at her, and then said, “Well?”
“You have changed.”
It was a statement, rather than a question, and Ellie stood up, her eyes bright. She was still unsteady on her feet, and it showed, but she thought that she looked so much better than when he had seen her on that first day. If she had been steady on her feet then, she had not been steady in her mind. Now she felt personally stronger, and her body would soon catch up. She could see that he approved of her change, and suddenly she felt very glad, happy that he accepted her and welcomed her improvement. Her feelings of gratitude had gradually changed, over the week, into real affection, and she was glad to see it reciprocated in his face.
As she stood up, the leaves from the garden below fell from her hair. She had wrapped up each leaf in a curl of hair, and now her bright red tresses floated down to her waist, unleashing the fall of leaves onto the floor. He looked startled, so she blushed and looked down at his shoes.
“What do you think?” she said, and dared to look up from beneath her lashes, trying to gauge how he felt about it all.
“I don’t know.” He was stammering, not the confident man she had first met, and she quickly lifted her head to look at him properly. She could see her appearance in the mirror next to the bed, and knew that it was making a strong impression on him. She also knew that her words were having an impact on him, that they were something that he had wanted, even though they were not precise or clear. When she had been clear, she had been proud and dismissive of him, and now she was wavering, he seemed to respond so much better. Why had she not behaved like this at their first meeting?
It was too late now to change and try to alter her past behavior, but she could at least make a difference to the way that she responded to him in the future, so encourage him to come out of his shell more. Her thoughts came to a quick halt as she realized that she had been talking about a future. Maybe there would really be a future with this man, one which did not involve her being forbidden when he decided, or with her being so willful that she could not even take a little bit of criticism.
He held out his hand, and she took it, smiling at him in a way that she had not done previously. She knew that if she put her mind to it, she could melt his heart. For the first time, she wanted to do so. If she could touch his emotions, and make him see that she was really ready to engage with him, then perhaps they would have a chance.
He helped her to walk down the steps, though he must have known that she had gone down already to pick up the fallen leaves. She accepted his help, although she knew that in the past she would have rejected him and even offended him with her actions. She realized how foolish it was to spurn him when he was only trying to do what was best. What a child, she said to herself again, what a foolish, closed-hearted child she had been. She would never be like that again, she thought. She would have to bury her stubbornness, and make a new life for herself with the changes that Grass Valley had made on her.
They stepped out of the hotel together, and Ellie took the chance to breathe in the cooling air. It would not be Fall for much longer, and the frost of winter was already in the air.
It would be a hard winter, she thought, and was glad that she had decided to stay.
He took her hand again, and they walked through the streets together, with people passing and turning their heads at the couple. They might be astonished, as she was, but they would also be glad that their favorite son had finally won his wife.
Chapter 16
Ellie was feeling tired when they returned to the hotel. It had been a long first walk, and she was now ready to go to sleep. However, when she came into her room, she found Dr Lewis standing there, turning over the pages of her Bible. For a moment, she was angry, and then very pleased to see the priest.
“Dr Lewis.” She said, and he let go of the book immediately, and stepped back. Then he saw that Daniel was there, and seemed pleased enough to forget everything else. He bowed to them both, and Daniel came to stand beside her.
She looked at him, and then at the priest, and then took Daniel’s hand in her own.
“I think that we should be married, Daniel.” She said. He seemed surprised, and tried to take his hand away, but she held on to it. “I would like to be your wife, and I think that Dr Lewis could marry is, now, if he is willing.”
The priest seemed astonished, and started to shake his head, but she put out her own hand to stop him. “A room is as good as a chapel if the priest is there to make the marriage binding, and I can’t see any reason not to celebrate here.”
“But, my family…” Daniel started to protest, but she squeezed his hand.
“Your family will have to take our marriage as we choose to have it, Daniel. We can’t hope to include them in everything we do, you know. I know you have the rings in your pocket, so shall we just get it done and then we don’t have to have another big wedding day?”
He laughed. “Alright. But don’t say I didn’t warn you when this gets out to my aunt.”
Dr Lewis coughed, and then folded his fingers together. “We have a husband, and a bride, and of course myself, but there is something else that we need.” He patted the book. “Two things we need. Firstly, we need a wedding document, I don’t carry those around in my pocket you know. Secondly, we need witnesses. I can make a temporary document until we get back to the church, but a witness I can’t construct.”
“Ok,” Daniel said. “But I think we should have the wedding document anyway.”
“Send the hotel boy out to get it. He’s a good lad, he’ll know where to find one.”
“I’ll get the witnesses myself.” Daniel said. “I have a good idea who to contact.”
He went outside for a short while, and Ellie heard voices in the hall. She could do nothing but smile sweetly at Dr Lewis, and tap her shoe discretely on the floor.
After a little while, Daniel returned with Mr. Davidson and Mrs. Von Buer. Ellie greeted them warmly, and the hotel owner readily started chatting to her guest. Mr. Davidson stood by Daniel, silently.
They heard the hotel door slam shut, and then footsteps coming up the stairs towards them. This will be the boy with the certificate, Ellie thought, and smiled at her groom. He shuffled his feet, and looked towards the door.
It was not the boy, but Mrs. Stamp who ran into the room, and then stood looking in surprise at Daniel and Ellie, and also at the witnesses behind them.
“Am I too late?”
“Too late for what, Mrs. Stamp?” Daniel said, but Ellie could tell that he was amused.
“Why, the wedding. You can’t tell me that you didn’t send Thomas out for the certificates and not expect him to tell me.”
“Just you?”
She shrugged and said “Well, a few of the ladies were with me and we didn’t want to keep it from your uncle.”
“So everyone knows?”
She shrugged again. “Maybe.”
Daniel rolled his eyes, and the hall door was opened again. Mr. Green came in, with his wife, and then other relatives followed.
“Don’t think that we were going to let you get married without us.” Mr. Green said. “Although, I must say this is slightly unusual.”
“My room wasn’t intended as a chapel.” Ellie said.
“You have already had the chance for a church wedding,” Mrs. Green said, “and I was there to see you run down the street as though fleeing a tiger.”
“Aunt Louisa!” Daniel said, and the whole wedding party now turned to him. “Please, let us forget what has happened in the past. I’m getting married, now, to the woman that I want to be my wife.”
Louisa Green sighed, and came to stand beside the witnesses from the hotel. “Well, at least you will finally be settled.”
Mr. Green stepped forward, and whispered to Ellie, “I’m very happy you’ve seen sense, Ellie. I always thought that you would be a good wife for Daniel when he finally made you love him.”
The boy arrived at last with the wedding certificates, and Dr Lewis took them from him, giving Thomas a filthy look. He then beckoned Ellie and Daniel forward, opening the family Bible and placing Daniel’s rings on the page.
The group of witnesses fell silent, and Dr Lewis read out the vows, making them repeat each line twice so that he was sure they knew what they were doing. Ellie would have refused in the past, but now she laughed, and even smiled at the witnesses as Daniel put the ring on her finger.
They walked down the steps of the hotel together, and out into the street. Daniel put his arm around her shoulders as she stepped onto the wooden boards of the road, and she shivered in the cold and pulled him closer. Laughing, they turned into Main Street, and began walking along that road. The people from the town had rushed out of their houses to see the happy couple walking down the street, and they waved and shouted at them both.
Ellie walked with Daniel to the edge of town, and then they both turned, facing the mountain. She could not see the peak, covered in thick white could, but she could see the lower slopes. There was the Empire mine, there was Daniel’s log mill. There was the slow and winding path which lead away from Grass Valley. She wouldn’t be taking that path now. She would be staying in the town, visiting Mrs. Stamp and discussing the other families in the town, or walking up Main Street towards the general store.
She took Daniel’s hand, and he gently took her face in his, bending forward to kiss her on the lips. As he did so, it began to snow, the soft white flakes falling on their skin as they laughed and hurried away.
THE END
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
The Reluctant Bride (Grass Valley Mail Order Brides Book 3) Page 6