Uncle James had been Mama’s support throughout the years, and even when she ran away to elope with Papa, he had been the one to make it all possible. Therefore, when he offered to let the girls come live with him and his family, it wasn’t a surprise. He had told his sister that the girls would never get good husbands if they weren’t finished properly. Mama and Papa left it up to Elise as to whether she wanted to join her sister. She didn’t.
“Are you enjoying yourselves?” her cousin Louis asked, interrupting her thoughts.
“It’s everything I expected it would be.” Elise gave him a smile. “And what about you, Louis?”
“I’d rather be anywhere else in the world,” he answered, returning the smile.
“You mean you don’t like dressing up in tight-fitting suits?” Papa asked.
“As much as any fellow ever has at these occasions. Being here just reminds every would-be bride that I’m eligible to marry.” Even though he was three years younger than Elise, at twenty-two, Louis seemed to have a most stable outlook on life.
Elise giggled. She had watched a bevy of frilly young ladies flock around her male cousins all day.
“Go ahead and laugh, but it’s torment for me. At least Caroline and her young man seem happy. A father could hardly ask for more.” Louis looked at Elise. “She did, however, step out of line and marry before her older sister.”
“Oh, I am not finding her position enviable,” Elise replied, hugging her father’s arm. “Besides, being married hasn’t seemed harmful to your brother Randolph. He looks quite content.” She nodded toward the tall, handsome man who stood smiling down into the face of his wife.
“Oh, they’re absolutely gone over each other. It’s most embarrassing, but our mother’s greatest triumph . . . well, at least until now, with Caroline. Mother just loves pairing us all up.” Louis grinned. “If Elise sticks around, Mother is convinced she can get her married off as well. She loves having people to fuss over. I suppose they’re like china dolls to dress up and arrange.”
“Well, I’d just as soon Elise stick around with me awhile longer,” her father declared. “After all, if she were gone, who would cook for the men on the Mary Elise?” He winked at her.
“Also, I’m afraid,” Elise said, trying to keep her tone sweet, “I would make a very poor china doll. Besides, the Mary Elise is my life. I don’t intend to add a man into that equation.”
“You are a strange one, just as Mother said.” Louis bit his lip. “I didn’t mean to say that. It’s not exactly what Mother meant.”
“It’s quite all right. I know I’m not what passes for a normal female in her world.” Elise did her best not to reveal the hurt his words had caused. Why should her aunt call her strange just because she enjoyed a life on the lakes with her parents? Since Mama died the year before, however, Aunt Martha had nagged all the more for Elise to come live with them.
“It looks like that dashing Mr. Casper is coming our way,” her father whispered. “No doubt he wants to dance, Elise.”
“Oh, please send him away. He stepped on my foot three times in our first dance. I have no desire to repeat the performance, and I’m sick of dancing.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Louis declared. “I know Charlie well. I’ll take him to see my new horse. The man loves horses more than anything else on earth. Charlie! Wait until you see my new mare.” He headed off to intercept the man whose face was lighting up as Louis explained his plan.
“What a sweetheart.” Elise would have to find a way to pay him back. “How much longer will this go on?”
Her father shrugged. “I have no idea. I’ve never been a part of higher society. In my experience, the party’s over when the liquor runs out, but since these folks have enough money to keep that flow steady, I’m not sure what will bring things to an end.”
“Perhaps someone will announce it, as they do for dinner.” Elise smiled, imagining a well-dressed butler announcing that the party was over and everyone needed to vacate the property.
“They seem to have announcements for just about everything else. Why not the end of a thing?” her father replied.
“Do you suppose if we just sneak off to our rooms to change, they will leave us to our rat-killing?” Elise asked with a grin. Rat-killing was her mother’s favorite phrase for any odd task that needed to be done. “We could slip upstairs when no one is looking.”
“I honestly don’t expect we’ll be missed. Not even by your sister.” There was an edge of regret in Papa’s voice. “Besides, I need to check on Joe and see what the doc said about his leg.”
Elise knew neither of them expected the news to be good. The Mary Elise’s first mate had injured his leg nearly a month ago, but no one knew about the wound until he started limping. By that time, the leg was putrid, and red streaks were moving up the thigh.
“Let’s just go, then. We can tell Caroline good-bye and pray with her on our way out the door.” Elise pulled Papa in the direction of her sister. She didn’t want to give him a chance to refuse. He didn’t even try.
Elise waited for her sister to finish speaking to some of her guests before tapping her shoulder. “Caroline, we must be on our way.”
“But you can’t! Not until you help me change. Come on. I was already looking for an excuse. Nelson said we had to keep to our schedule.”
Elise looked at her father with a shrug. “I guess Caroline needs my help. I’ll be back as soon as possible, and then we can go.”
Caroline all but dragged Elise up the stairs. “Everything was beautiful, wasn’t it?”
“Yes. Quite lovely.”
“The garden was perfect for the reception. I was so afraid there’d be no roses because of the cold spring, but they were in full bloom, and the gardeners were able to get additional flowers to weave in.” Caroline opened the door to her bedroom suite.
Elise gazed around the large room. There was a sitting area by the fireplace, a dressing area, and of course the beautiful four-poster bed with elegant gossamer curtains draped from its frame. It was hard to imagine calling such a place home.
“Unfasten the buttons in back,” Caroline commanded as she removed her veil.
“What about please?”
“I’m used to servants, and you don’t say please and thank you. It’s their job.”
“But Mama always encouraged us to be polite even to the lowliest servant.”
“Well, you aren’t Mama,” Caroline snapped.
“I’m also not a servant.”
Silence hung heavy for a moment. Caroline gave a little huff. “Would you please undo my buttons?”
Elise began the task of unfastening thirty-six pearl buttons. “Why did you make that comment about Mama?”
“Well, ever since you and Papa arrived, you’ve done nothing but mother me. You’ve even talked to me like Mama. I’m sure you must feel the need to step into her shoes, and while that might be acceptable regarding cooking for Papa and the boys on the ship, it’s not for me. I’m perfectly capable of seeing to myself.”
“Including your back buttons?”
Caroline sighed. “Very well. Etta!” she called, not even seeming to notice whether Elise had continued with the buttons.
The uniformed maid appeared. “Ma’am.” She gave a curtsey.
“Bring my new traveling suit and help me dress.” Caroline glanced over her shoulder as Elise finished with the last of the buttons. “Please.”
Elise smiled and watched the maid hurry away. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
Caroline rolled her eyes. She worked at undoing the buttons on her sleeves. “Etta can help me now. Why don’t you go downstairs and wait with the others? I know they plan to throw rice.”
Elise waited as Caroline finished with the buttons. Stepping close, she surprised Caroline with an embrace. “I just want you to know that I love you. I hope you have a wonderful trip . . . and marriage.”
Caroline hesitated, then finally hugged Elise. “I’m certain I will, so you
can stop fretting.” She stiffened and gave a little push. “Now, let me get back to this.”
“We were close once.” Elise hadn’t meant to whisper the words aloud.
“We were children,” Caroline countered. “And we had no choice. There was no other person to confide in or play with. We only had each other.”
Elise saw her sister in that moment not as a wealthy bride but as a little girl. “I liked it that way. We knew we could count on each other always to be there. Now you have other obligations. I will continue to miss you.”
“Oh, bother. Where is that girl?” Caroline went to the open door that led to her bathing room. “Etta?”
“Coming, ma’am.” Etta returned carrying a forest-green traveling suit. She placed the outfit carefully at the end of the bed, then went immediately to Caroline and helped her rid herself of the ivory gown.
Elise slipped from the room, knowing that neither woman needed her nor cared for her company. Her sister’s attitude only worked to stir her anger. How could she be so heartless? Didn’t Caroline have any feelings of love toward the family? Maybe money and prestige were all she loved now.
An hour later, Elise waited in her uncle’s borrowed carriage outside of Joseph Brett’s apartment. Her father’s first mate lived in a modest part of town. Elise knew that despite Joe’s being a better paid seaman who didn’t drink or gamble, he was still hard-pressed to keep his family fed and clothed, so the tiny duplex came as no surprise.
Joe had a family of five children and a wife who had once been quite pretty. Since the wife had been on her way out the door when they’d pulled up to the curb, Elise had decided to wait outside and let her father and Joe visit privately. The two women had exchanged hellos, but then Joe’s wife had to be on her way to retrieve her children from her sister’s house.
Mrs. Brett had at least shared the news that Joe was doing better. The doctor had given him medication for his wound and strict orders for tending it. She was certain he’d be back on his feet soon.
It was good to hear. Joe had been her father’s first mate for as long as Elise could remember. Papa relied on him heavily. It was hard enough to be without Mama onboard, but losing Joe would be sheer misery. Elise knew her father would be relieved to hear the good news.
While she waited in the carriage, Elise fidgeted with the bodice of her dress. At least it wasn’t quite as fancy as her wedding clothes, but it was just as snug. Probably two sizes smaller than she usually wore, thanks to the tightly tied corset beneath it. She could scarcely draw breath, and given the day’s heat and humidity, she actually worried she might faint dead away. How ridiculous! Why did women put themselves through such torment? A well-fitted corset tied in a reasonable manner was a useful thing, but the practice of securing them as tightly as possible was absurd.
There was some sort of commotion going on down the street, and Elise looked up just in time to see a freight wagon veering out of control. The horses pulling the wagon were driverless and headed straight for her. All she could do was brace herself for impact as her uncle’s driver struggled to get the carriage out of the way.
“Miss. Miss, are you all right?”
Elise slowly opened her eyes and gazed straight up into the worried expression of a very handsome man. He was freshly shaved, and the cologne he’d used had a pleasant aroma.
“What . . . what happened?” She was lying on her back, and her vision seemed rather blurred.
The man smiled. “Your carriage was hit by a freighter. It threw you to the street. You have a few scrapes on your chin. Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“I don’t know.” Elise put her gloved hand to her chin.
“Are you able to sit up?”
She tried with his help, but pain cut through her back. “Oh, I don’t think so.” She was grateful when he lowered her back to the ground. She turned her head to see where she was. She spied Joe’s house through the growing crowd.
“My father . . . he’s in number twelve-twenty-three.” How had she remembered the address? “He’s visiting Joseph Brett.”
“I know Joe,” another man said. “I’ll fetch her father.”
The man who’d tried to help her sit up glanced around. “I think I’d best lift you rather than leave you lying here in the street.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
He put one arm behind her back and another under her legs. He was so very gentle.
“What is your name?” she asked.
He smiled. “Nicodemus Clark, but most call me Nick.”
“Nick. Thank you again.”
He frowned. “You might want to wait to thank me. This will probably hurt.”
“I know.” She drew a deep breath. “Go ahead.” She gritted her teeth, determined not to cry out.
“Elise!” Her father appeared. “Bring her in the house. I’m sure Joe won’t mind,” he instructed Nick. “They said the freight wagon hit you. How do you feel, darlin’?”
“Confused, dizzy, and in pain.” She smiled. “How are you?”
Her father chuckled. “Much the same without the aid of a freight wagon.”
Nick placed her on the empty kitchen table. This time the pain wasn’t quite as bad as before.
“I’m a doctor,” a man said, pushing past several of the bystanders who’d followed them into the house. “If you aren’t related to this young woman or live here, then I want you to leave.” Several people filed outside.
Elise’s father grabbed her hand. The look on his face nearly broke her heart. He looked at the doctor. “Can you tell if her back is broken?”
“My back isn’t broken,” Elise assured him. “It hurts, but look—I can move my legs and arms, and with a little help I can sit up.” She looked to the right and found the same man who had helped her earlier. “Would you lend me a hand?”
“It’s best you don’t stress your body at this time, miss,” the doctor declared. “I’ve already sent a man to bring round the ambulance.”
“That was hardly necessary.” Elise knew her protest fell on deaf ears.
“The carriage was totally demolished, Elise,” her father added. “We’ll need some form of transport for you. The young man who was helping you has no wagon either. We can’t very well expect him to carry you home.”
Elise tried to swallow her embarrassment. She shrugged, and it hurt from the base of her neck down the back of her legs. She didn’t so much as grimace, however. Papa was already worried, and she didn’t want to give him something else to worry about.
The doctor forced a large spoonful of medicine into her mouth. “Take this. It will help with the pain.”
She swallowed the bitter medicine and couldn’t hide her displeasure. “I don’t know what that was, but I believe the pain was less difficult to bear. That tastes terrible.”
Her father laughed. “Good medicine often tastes bad.”
“It will make the ambulance ride more bearable.”
She felt a wave of dizziness. “Well, I’ve never ridden in an ambulance. I suppose there are first times for everything.” She forced a smile and looked at the man who’d helped her. “What did you say your name was?” The medicine was making her sleepy.
“Nick.”
She fought to keep her focus. “Yes. Nicodemus. Such a wonderful name.” She closed her eyes. “Thank you for helping me.”
“I would say it was my pleasure, but I’m not sure that’s exactly the right word.”
She smiled. “Nor would I. But I appreciate no longer lying in the middle of the road.”
“The ambulance is here,” someone called from the open door.
Elise wasn’t at all sure how long she’d been unconscious, but now she felt like falling asleep for a good long time. Two men with a stretcher appeared. They spoke to the doctor, then maneuvered the stretcher beneath her without any apparent concern for her comfort and lifted her from the table. She couldn’t help but moan.
Her father gave them Uncle James’s address, then followed them. She h
ad no chance to bid good-bye to the man who’d rescued her. He’d been so nice.
Tracie Peterson is the award-winning author of over one hundred novels, both historical and contemporary. She is often referred to as the “Queen of Historical Christian Fiction,” and her avid research resonates in her stories, as seen in her bestselling HEIRS OF MONTANA and ALASKAN QUEST series. Tracie considers her writing a ministry for God to share the Gospel and biblical application. She and her family make their home in Montana. Visit her website at www.traciepeterson.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/AuthorTraciePeterson.
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Table of Contents
Cover
Half Title Page
Books by Tracie Peterson
Title Page
Copyright Page
Dedication
Contents
1
2
3
4
5
6
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10
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12
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Forever My Own Page 26