Bride in Blue

by Christine Sterling

  “Sit down, Maximillian,” Mrs. Pennyworth said rather forcibly. She didn’t even look up at him. Max felt like a child but dropped back into the chair. “Mr. Gladstone is the least of your problems. I’m talking about your avoidance of the fairer sex.”

  Max shifted in his chair. He didn’t feel comfortable around the ladies. He didn’t feel comfortable around anyone. Which is why he lived alone. With a cat. And the cat would rather be with the feline down the road instead of him.

  “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Don’t play shy with me. I know you better than you think. I know you desire love and a wife and maybe even children.”

  Never children. He wouldn’t want to have children if they lived with the torment he faced on a daily basis. Even though he owned his own business and it did rather well, he still heard the comments when they thought he wasn’t listening.

  Some even said he should be in an asylum. That his scrupulosity must come from sinning. He didn’t drink, gamble or consort with loose women, so he didn’t think that was true. He was this way as long as he remembered.

  “You may change your mind,” Mrs. Pennyworth said, drawing his attention back to the present. “Something is going to happen in the next few days, and I want you to simply keep your mind open to the possibilities?”

  Max stood up and tossed his napkin on the table. “This is ridiculous. You follow me to my shop, discuss the latest fashions, touch my notions, forget that you forgot to put your teeth in place, and you want to give me advice about marriage and children?”

  “It isn’t easy getting older,” she said. “I really do need to remember my teeth.”

  “Arrrrgh,” Max said, through his teeth. “I do not know what is going on today, but I wish it would stop.”

  “I can make that happen.” Mrs. Pennyworth rose and gathered her cape closer around her. “Remember, Maximillian. Just be open to the possibilities.”

  Max walked to the display of cravats. Some were short, some were double-bowed. Others had pointy ends. He had worked in the factories in New York. He knew fashion. He didn’t need to listen to anything Mrs. Pennyworth said. He turned to let her know, but she wasn’t there.

  The box of pastries was tied back up with the string and resting in the middle of the table where he had left it. The cups and plates were missing too. Max walked to the table and picked up his handkerchief. It smelled lightly of roses and smoke.

  He placed his hand against the terracotta jug. It was cool. It shouldn’t have cooled that quickly. He couldn’t share what just happened with anyone. The town already thought he was peculiar.

  Suddenly he heard the bell, signifying that someone was entering the shop. He quickly gathered up the box and jug and placed them in the cupboard. He opened and shut the door three times before keeping it closed. He placed his hand against the wood and counted to five.

  He turned to see Mr. Redfern admiring a display of jackets. Max pulled out his watch and looked at it.

  It was after noon. The morning was gone.

  Chapter 3

  Cassie woke up to the jostling of the train. Her father had fallen asleep on her shoulder, his thin jacket being used as a blanket. They hadn’t much time to gather things before Charles put them on a train.

  Cassie didn’t even know where they were going. Charles had purchased a ticket to Ohio, and from there they were to board another train for the destination of their choosing.

  He insisted on not buying a ticket across the country, but instead breaking it up into smaller journeys. That way it would be more difficult for Weston to find them. The thought of marrying the portly man, made Cassie shudder.

  The extra money for the tickets was sewn inside her coat. As long as she didn’t lose her coat, she would be fine. The only other possessions were a bag that contained a few clothing items and her reticule. They didn’t even have time to make a basket before Charles shuffled them off on the train.

  She had a few dollars in her reticule. It included the money she received for sewing on all those buttons. When she went to the factory, she only received thirty-three cents, instead of the sixty she should have received, because the clothes had dust on them.

  It didn’t matter now. Someone else would take over sewing buttons and panicking over any dust or dirt that fell on the fabric.

  Perhaps she had enough to buy a sandwich from the dining car. She had no clue what the prices were but judging by the quality of the clothes of the people who were walking through the car, it must be very dear indeed.

  Cassie rubbed her fingertip, a habit when she needed to tame her thoughts. She could feel the ridges from pushing the needle with her middle finger. She looked out the window of the car. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. They had been riding all evening.

  “Bryan, Ohio, thirty minutes,” the rail man called as he walked through the car. He stopped at Cassie. “That is your stop, miss.”

  Cassie nodded and tapped her father on the shoulder. “Wake up, Father. We are at the end of the first leg of our journey.”

  Her father mumbled something as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. “How much longer?” he asked.

  “About thirty minutes.”

  Her father stood and headed towards the facilities at the back of the train. Cassie would wait until they arrived in Ohio. The lavatory was very primitive on the train, and even had a cook stove for those who needed to cook their meals.

  The things Cassie didn’t understand. Why would anyone want to cook in the lavatory? She stood and stretched. Several of the other passengers were doing the same. Her father arrived back to their bench and assisted her with removing their bags from the compartment overhead.

  The train pulled into Ohio and passengers began to disembark. “Is this it?” her father asked, looking around. There wasn’t much to see. It was simply a wooden platform, with a small shack off to one side.

  “Excuse me,” Cassie asked the rail man. “Can you tell me where we might get a bite to eat?” He pointed down the road.

  “Town is right over there,” he said, climbing back into the train car.

  Cassie picked up her bag and directed her father towards the town. She saw a small café with a sign in the window, Steak dinner with trimmings, fifteen cents.

  That was a quarter of a day’s wages, provided nothing was deducted. Cassie remembered seeing a mercantile as they were walking and made a note to pick up some crackers and cheese for the next trip. It would certainly save some money.

  “Fifteen cents?” her father laughed incredulously. “I hope that steak is made of gold. How much money do you have, girlie?”

  “Shush, Father,” Cassie gently reprimanded. “Someone might hear you.”

  Her father mumbled something under his breath and went into the café. Cassie quickly followed behind him.

  Her father ordered two steak dinners and shortly the waitress was placing plates piled high with fried rump steak, boiled potatoes, and a side of gravy. She refilled their coffee and returned to the other tables in the dining area.

  Even though Cassie hated coffee, much preferring tea, she drank the bitter brew without complaint.

  She watched her father rotate his plate several times and stop when the steak was closest to him.

  Cassie said a quiet blessing and cut into her steak. The marbled beef melted on her tongue. Meat was very rare at their apartment as the cost was so dear. Potatoes, however, were a staple of her daily diet. Perhaps that could change going forward.

  Her father dug into his dinner, leaving nothing on the plate but a bit of gravy when he was done. As they were finishing up, the waitress returned.

  “Apple pie. It is included with your dinner,” she said dropping the plates in front of them. “Would you care for anything else?” she asked.

  Cassie shook her head. The waitress turned to leave, but her father called her back.

  “We are just traveling through these parts,” he explained. “Can you make any recommendations where to go from her
e?”

  The waitress sighed. “If I had my choice, I’d head to San Francisco or somewhere warm. I heard that town is just growing every day.”

  Her father nodded and thanked the waitress.

  “Are we headed to San Francisco?”

  “No, girlie,” he said, finishing his coffee. “We are headed to Oregon. If anyone comes here, they will send that person onto San Francisco to look for us.” Her father looked around. “Now I just need to find a map so we can determine where to go to next.”

  Cassie felt a pair of eyes on her and she looked around the café. Most of the patrons had already left, except for one person sitting at the back of the café. She smiled at Cassie and gave a little wave. Cassie found herself waving back.

  “Who are you waving to?” her father asked.

  “The woman in the corner,” she said, pointing to where the woman was sitting.

  “There isn’t anyone there,” her father said. “I am wondering if you are cracking under all this stress, girlie?”

  Cassie rubbed her eyes and looked again. “I honestly thought I saw someone there.”

  Her father placed a few coins on the table. “We need to get back to the train.”

  “I’d like to run to the mercantile to get a few things for the trip.”

  Her father looked at his watch. “After we get the tickets. I don’t know how much time we will have left before the next train leaves.”

  Cassie followed her father to the train station. She sat on the bench while he purchased the tickets. When he returned, she asked, “Where are we going?”

  “Denver,” he said, handing her a ticket. “That is the next biggest hub.”

  Cassie looked at the ticket. She had about thirty minutes before the train arrived. “I should have enough time to make a few purchases.”

  “Do you need any coins?” her father asked.

  “No. I’m only picking up a few items, so we have something to eat on the train.” Cassie left her bags with her father and hurried to the mercantile. Everything was still expensive. It was probably because stores had to ship things from the East Coast for purchase.

  She really wished she had thought to pack a basket before they left New York.

  She went to the counter. “I’d like five cents worth of cheese and a nickel’s worth of those crackers.”

  “What type of cheese?” the shopkeeper asked.

  Cassie looked behind him to a display on the counter. There were several types of cheese wedges displayed under glass cloches.

  “The cheddar is magnificent,” a voice behind her replied. Cassie turned.

  “You!” she said, looking at the woman she saw in the café. “You disappeared rather suddenly.”

  “I apologize about that. I needed to leave quickly, so I slipped out the back.” She signaled for Cassie to turn around. “Pick your cheese.”

  “What should I choose?” Cassie wondered.

  “The cheddar and the Munster are delightful. I’m partial to limburger myself, but they don’t sell that out this way,” the woman said.

  “Are you going to stand there talking to yourself, or are you going to pick?” the shop keep asked. “There is a line behind you that needs to meet the train as well.”

  “I apologize. How about half cheddar and half of that Munster?” The shop keep nodded and started to cut her selections. “Can you add three pennies worth of that swiss cheese as well?”

  The shop keep wrapped her purchases in paper tied with a string and placed a wax sack of crackers next to it.

  “Thirteen-cents,” he said, holding out his hand. Cassie nodded and placed the coins in his outstretched palm. She mumbled her thanks and moved past the people towards the door. It was still expensive, but cheaper than eating in restaurants the rest of the way west.

  She spied a barrel full of winter apples, they were five for a penny. How she wish she had thought to purchase those instead. She looked back at the line. She would never make it to the train if she waited to make another purchase.

  The train was sitting at the station and people were milling around on the platform. She didn’t see her father.

  She signaled to the rail man. “Have you seen an older gentleman with a rounded back? He was here with my bags waiting for me.”

  The rail man shook his head. “Check with the one further down the platform. All aboard,” he called to the crowd.

  As Cassie was hurrying to the other end of the train, she spied her father waving at her through one of the windows. “They let me on first,” he called to her.

  Cassie waved back and went to stand in line with the other passengers boarding. Now, she understood why her father gave her a ticket instead of holding onto both of them.

  Cassie joined her father in a traveling car. The train was packed, apart from the bench across from them. Cassie thought it unusual no one had sat down there. She was pleased, however, because with the two benches facing each other, she had a little more leg room than a normal train seat.

  Her father immediately settled down and fell asleep just as the train was pulling from the station. The car door opened, and the rail man came in to check their tickets. Cassie handed him both of theirs before he moved to the next bench.

  The door opened again, and the clacking of the wheels could be heard until the door closed. A rather robust woman entered the car and dropped her basket on the empty bench.

  So much for having extra room, Cassie thought.

  The woman moved her cape around and settled herself onto the bench before giving Cassie a big smile. Cassie gave a little laugh.

  “You again?” she said to the woman.

  “I guess this is meant to be,” the woman told her, moving the basket to the other side. “Where are you heading, Cassandra?”

  Cassie looked at her. She didn’t recall telling the woman her name.

  “You didn’t,” the woman said, reading her thoughts. “I gathered it from the tag on your luggage.” She pointed to the handle of Cassie’s bag. It was hanging over the side, with her name embossed on a leather tag.

  Cassie gave a nervous giggle. She quickly stood and tucked the tag underneath the bag. “Why don’t you tell me your name?” Cassie asked.

  The woman nodded. She pushed her hooded cape back, revealing a weathered face and bright blue eyes. “You may call me Mrs. Pennyworth. I think we will be together on this train for a while.”

  “Have you been following me, Mrs. Pennyworth?” Cassie stared at the woman dressed in black. “I’ve seen you several times today.”

  “Oh, heavens no, child. You only think I have. Perhaps it is just a coincidence that you’ve seen me.”

  Cassie shook her head. The train rolled on as Cassie looked out the window at the trees moving past. They looked like blurs out the window. She turned back to the woman sitting across from her. “Your dress appears very old,” Cassie noted, taking in the silk fabric with dark buttons and black lace trim. Her cloak was dark gray and underneath the hood she wore a black bonnet trimmed with the same type of lace. Cassie could even see dyed lace flowers on the side of the bonnet.

  Mrs. Pennyworth looked down. “It is rather old, I suppose. This is the dress from my Edward’s funeral. I have worn it since the day he passed.”

  “I am sorry for your loss,” Cassie said. “I lost my mother several years ago.”

  “And you have done a wonderful job keeping it together for your family. Is it just you and your father?”

  “No. I have a brother named Charles.”

  “Delightful name. I had a son named Charles. Haven’t seen him in years. I don’t know where he lives now.” Mrs. Pennyworth shook her head. “Listen to me prattle on. Now. You didn’t say where you were headed, child,” Mrs. Pennyworth gently reminded.

  “Denver. We are headed to Denver.”

  “And then on to Oregon?”

  “What makes you think that?” Cassie asked, surprised that Mrs. Pennyworth would know that.

  “I just know. You can’t run
forever, Cassandra. You know that, don’t you?”

  “How did…?” Cassie stopped. She didn’t want to say too much.

  “I’m here to help you.” She looked out the window and then back to Cassie. “I heard that Creede is lovely this time of year.”

  “Creede?” Cassie asked.

  “Yes, Creede, Colorado. Lovely town, growing population.” Mrs. Pennyworth gave herself a little hug. “Fresh air. The mountains in the distance. There is a lovely lake with wildflowers growing all around it. It would definitely suit you, Cassandra.” Mrs. Pennyworth rummaged through her basket. “Apple?” she asked, holding the fruit towards Cassie.

  Cassie’s mouth watered looking at the fresh fruit. Apples were a real treat as she only got them once or twice a year. “No, thank you,” she said hiding her disappointment. She didn’t want to be beholden to anyone.

  “It’s alright, Cassandra. I know you wanted an apple back in the store.” She shook the apple in Cassie’s direction.

  “How did you know that?” Cassie asked, reluctantly taking the apple from the elderly woman’s hand.

  “God provides all things,” she said. “Including me.”

  “I don’t understand.” Cassie laid the apple on her lap. She’d eat it later.

  “I’m your guardian angel. I was sent here to help you.”

  “Help me what?” Cassie had never heard of an angel actually visiting with people before.

  “You’ll need to find work when you get to where you are going. You’ll need a home. Protection. Possibly even love and marriage.”

  Cassie scoffed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get married.”

  “Mr. Weston is not for you, child,” Mrs. Pennyworth said, patting Cassie’s hand. Her skin felt cold where Mrs. Pennyworth touched her. “But there is someone that might be.”

  “I don’t believe you,” Cassie scoffed. She stole a glance back at Mrs. Pennyworth. “Who?”

  Mrs. Pennyworth looked at the back of the train. “Excuse me for a moment. If I don’t return, feel free to eat what is in the basket.”

  Cassie watched her rise and move towards the back of the train car.

  “Who are you talking to, girlie?” her father mumbled.