by Kit Morgan
“She wants to get our marriage annulled,” she said to herself. “Unbelievable!”
The question was, what was her mother-in-law’s motive? She and Jess were already married – and if Jess had his way, there’d be no chance to get an annulment after tonight! Bernice seemed nice enough, and she had clearly accepted Jess and Sarah’s marriage. But maybe her mother wasn’t so willing, and pressuring Mrs. Templeton into it. But why would Jess’s mother go along with such an outlandish plan? There had to be something more than Bernice in the deal. But what?
Sarah looked at the next item on the list: dust the parlor. Oh, why not?, she decided. She always did think better when she was doing menial tasks. She stuck the list in her pocket and went to look for a rag. She wasn't going to scrub the floor or bake bread this late, no matter how many fits Mrs. Templeton threw. It would take too much time, and too much energy … energy she’d need for later …
Eleven
The next morning, Sarah came down to help prepare breakfast. She’d started doing it a few days ago and found she liked being in the kitchen. She wasn’t a great cook, but she managed. Besides, it seemed one of the few things that made her mother-in-law happy.
“There’s more bacon out in the smokehouse,” Mrs. Templeton informed her as she watched Sarah put a pan on the stove.
“Yes, I already fetched it.”
The woman stared at the bacon set to one side of the work table. “Oh,” she said weakly and sat. “I didn’t even see it there.”
“Probably because I was in the way. Would you like one egg or two?”
Mrs. Templeton stared at her, then looked at the floor. “You really do like caring for him, don’t you?”
Sarah turned. It wasn’t her words that caught her attention, but the sincerity in her voice. “Yes, ma’am, I do. He is my husband, after all.”
Mrs. Templeton nodded as she sat at the kitchen table. Sarah poured her a cup of coffee and set it in front of her, but she could only stare at it.
“Is something wrong?” Sarah asked with concern.
She looked up at her. “After breakfast, I’ll … give you your chore list.”
Sarah turned back to the stove and put some of the bacon into a pan. “All right.”
“Why aren’t you bothered by any of the work around here?”
Sarah turned to her again. “I figured it came with the territory when I married your son. I didn’t expect to marry a farmer and there not be any work. There’s plenty of work that needs to be done on a farm. You ought to know, you’ve been doing it for years.”
Mrs. Templeton sighed wearily. “Yes. More years than I can count.”
Sarah studied her, something was definitely wrong. The woman now stared at her coffee cup in silence. Usually she was barking orders before Sarah even got out of bed. “Are you sure there’s nothing wrong?”
“Why don’t you take a cup of coffee upstairs to Pa?” she suggested.
Sarah’s eyes widened. The woman had never referred to Mr. Templeton as Pa when addressing her. “I can do that. Is he feeling better this morning?”
“Yes, but moving slow. Some coffee should perk him up.”
“If you mind the bacon, I’ll take it up now.”
She looked at Sarah as she stood and nodded, but said nothing. Sarah poured another cup and left to deliver it to her father-in-law.
Upstairs she knocked on the Templetons’ bedroom door and waited. Mr. Templeton opened it, saw the coffee cup in her hand and smiled. “Coffee? For me? Don’t mind if I do.”
“Someone is certainly more chipper today than yesterday,” she commented.
“I finally got through the night without coughing. I don’t know how Jess survived it as long as he did.”
“He’s young and resilient – I suppose that has a lot to do with it to. My aunt had something similar, but didn’t survive it.”
He took the cup from her. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Thank you. A doctor told me if she’d been younger, she might have had a better chance.”
“Some folks can weather things better than others. That boy of mine is strong as an ox, which is why … er … you’re a blushing bride this morning,” he said with a wink and, coffee in hand, quickly closed the door.
“Oh!” she gasped, immediately knowing what he referred to. She glanced at her husband’s room across the hall. They must have been overheard! Maybe Jess should have taken her to the barn as he’d suggested the day before! And she would definitely make sure the house they built had thicker walls …
She blushed a furious red, put her hands to her hot cheeks and hurried back downstairs. In the kitchen, Mrs. Templeton was turning the bacon. Good heavens, maybe that was why she was acting so strangely this morning. She and Jess had consummated their marriage the night before, and now the woman knew there was no way for them to get an annulment.
She smoothed her skirt and came around the table to the stove. “I can take over if you like.”
“Fine – I’ll go start getting the laundry ready. There’s quite a bit of it for us to do.”
Sarah stopped fussing with the bacon at the word us. She fully expected Mrs. Templeton to make her do all of it. “I beg your pardon?”
“The laundry? It’s going to take up most of the day and that’s with two of us working at it.”
Sarah could only stare. “Uh, that’s okay. Together we’ll get it done.” It was making sense now – thanks to last night, Mrs. Templeton was having to give up her mission to get Sarah out of the house, and out of the marriage to her son …
“I’d best go let Pa know breakfast is almost ready. Unless you already did, then I’ll just see to the laundry.”
“No, I …” Did she dare say it? “… I only took Pa his coffee.”
Her mother-in-law nodded. “I’ll take care of it, then.” She headed for the stairs.
“But what about your breakfast? You need to eat something.”
She stared at the pan of bacon. “No …” A tear escaped, then another.
“Mrs. Templeton, what’s wrong?”
She turned to Sarah, wringing her apron in her hands. “I’ve been horrible, just horrible!”
Sarah stood, dumbfounded.
“I’ve treated you abominably ever since you arrived, and I have no excuse for it other than …”
“Other than?” Sarah prompted. What was she talking about?
“Other than something I never should’ve gotten involved with to begin with! And when my husband finds out, he’s going to be furious! I don’t know what to do!”
Sarah could only stare at her. “Mrs. Templeton, what are you talking about?”
She again glanced at the hall, this time tilting her head as if to listen. Convinced neither of the men were in earshot – she too must know how thin the walls were – she again looked at Sarah. “It has to do with Eunice Caulder and … and our farm.”
Sarah heard the bacon sizzling behind her, then suddenly realized it was burning. “Oh my goodness! Hang on!” She got it out of the pan and onto a plate – just in the nick of time, it looked like – then put it in the warming oven. Did she dare start the eggs? She took one look at her mother-in-law’s face and set the pan aside. The eggs could wait. “What about the farm?”
“Oh, it’s that Eunice Caulder! She convinced me Bernice would make a good wife for Jess …”
Sarah sighed. That, she’d already figured out. But what did the farm have to do with it? Then another thought came to her. “Did Jess know about this when I arrived?”
“No, which is why I was so upset that he married you. Eunice and I had it all set for Jess to marry Bernice.
“Mrs. Templeton, did Bernice know about this?”
She gave her a sheepish look. “No …”
Sarah grimaced. “You mean the two of you decided to match Bernice and Jess and didn’t tell either one of them?”
“Eunice was convinced they’d both see reason once they heard the offer.”
Sara
h’s eyes widened as her jaw became set. “What offer?”
“Eunice offered to buy the farm and Jess and Bernice could work it. Mr. Templeton and I … well, we aren’t getting any younger, and after talking a lot with the Rudshaws, toyed with the idea of going south to California with them. Maybe open up a livery stable the men could all work. We have a little money saved, and …”
“Stop, stop!” Sarah said, waving both hands in front of her. “Just wait a minute. What has that got to do with Bernice and Jess running the farm? Why would Eunice Caulder want to buy it, then have Jess and Bernice …” She snapped her mouth shut, her brow furrowed. “What does Bernice know about farm work?”
Mrs. Templeton laughed bitterly. “Nothing. Less than nothing.”
“And you agreed to this idea? Something’s not right here. If you don’t mind my saying so, ma’am, Eunice Caulder doesn’t exactly look like the farm type either.”
“Yes, that was strange to me too, but I just figured she wanted the younguns to have a way to make a living and was being generous.”
“How well do you do with it now?”
She glanced to a jar atop a shelf. Sarah knew they kept the mercantile money in it. “We get by …”
“You’re not rich by any means. And you work hard to get what you’ve got.”
Mrs. Templeton nodded. “I don’t want to think badly of Eunice, but …”
“But it sounds to me like she’s gotten you so riled up over your son’s prospective marriage to Bernice that you’ve missed something. Besides, would Mr. Templeton even consider it?”
“That’s what I kept telling her, that he wouldn’t, but she was adamant! She even went so far as to ask to see the deed, to make sure it was in order and that all parcels were clearly marked.”
Sarah’s eyebrows went straight up into her hairline. “What?!” she asked suspiciously.
“You heard me. And all it’s brought me is grief.” She put her face in her hands and began to cry.
Sarah went to her and pulled her into her arms. “Mrs. Templeton …”
“Oh don’t, just don’t,” she said through her tears. “You might as well start calling me Ma. I know you’re not going anywhere. I realized it last night.”
Sarah blushed again.
“And all those things I said about Jess being a tyrant … none of it’s true.”
“I know,” Sarah said, her voice a whisper. “But I still don’t understand why you went through all that trouble just because Mrs. Caulder wanted Jess for Bernice.
“Neither do I, not now at any rate. Other than I’m just a silly old fool.”
Sarah shook her head as she held Mrs. Templeton’s hands in her own. “You were trying to do what you thought was best for your son. But something about Mrs. Caulder’s offer isn’t right. Why marry your daughter off to a farmer, when she’s not cut out for it? Sounds to me she was treating it like a business transaction. Rather callous considering her daughter was part of the deal, don’t you think?”
Mrs. Templeton sobered. “Yes, you’re right. And she didn’t stop when she found out Jess was married. In fact, she’s the one pressuring me to get rid of you so Bernice could still marry him …” She stared at the stove. “It is strange …”
Sarah gave her mother-in-law’s hands a healthy squeeze. “Looks like we’ve got another mystery on our hands.”
“Indeed we do, child. Can you ever forgive me? I’m so very sorry for the way I’ve treated you.”
Sarah smiled, tears in her own eyes now. “Of course I forgive you. Just let me get to know you as you really are, that’s all I ask. And I’ll do the same.”
She nodded. “You won’t mention any of this to Jess or Mr. Templeton, will you?”
“I think at some point you’ll have to, especially if it involves your farm. But I won’t jump the gun. I’m just glad we were able to talk and that you told me. I didn’t want anything bad between us. I … I want to be part of this family.”
Mrs. Templeton let fresh tears fall as she pulled Sarah into her arms. “I’ll try to be the mother-in-law you deserve.”
“Thank you,” Sarah said as she sniffed back tears. “But we’ve still got that mystery.”
Mrs. Templeton sniffled. “The mad matchmaker?”
“No, I mean the other mystery. Why is Eunice Caulder so adamant about getting her hands on this farm and getting you off of it?”
Mrs. Templeton’s mouth dropped open. “Lord have mercy, but I’ve never thought of it that way. To tell you the truth, I have no idea.”
* * *
As promised, the next day Sarah and Jess went to see Mr. Myers. He was a small man with a white beard and mustache, and his bright blue eyes seemed to twinkle when he talked. He reminded Sarah of an underweight Santa Claus. “I'm sorry, you two,” he said. “But I don't recall any letters coming through here addressed to The Ridgley Mail-Order Bridal Service in New Orleans, except the two sent out by Betsy and Mrs. Tindle. And those were months ago.”
“That's too bad,” Jess said with a frown. “I thought sure we’d be able to find out something here.”
“Maybe the matchmaker sent the letters from someplace else?” Sarah suggested.
“Could be,” said Mr. Myers. “But if they did that, they'd have to have gone all the way to Salem or Oregon City to do it.”
“We thank you for your time,” Sarah told him with a smile.
“Yes, at least now we know where the letters didn’t get sent from. Do us a favor, though and keep an eye out, will you?”
“I'll do that, but if that crazy matchmaker hasn’t sent anything from here, I don't see it happening in the future. Whoever they are is covering their tracks pretty well.”
“So it seems,” Jess agreed. He took Sarah by the hand. “Come on, let's go talk to Morgan Tindle. Maybe he's seen something.”
“If he has, wouldn’t he have told Garrett and their friend Julian? Aren't they working together to solve this?”
Jess laughed. “You're right, I forgot about that. You would think between several teams of people, not to mention the rest of the town, someone would be able to solve this.”
“I still don't think folks want to solve it. They’re having too much fun with it.”
“Well, maybe. Now let’s go.”
But Morgan wasn't much help either. “Even if someone does figure out who it is, they aren’t going to tell the mayor,” he told them with a smile. “He looked like he was ready to lock the person up and throw away the key! Beside, this is the most fun this town's had in years!”
“Maybe Pastor Luke should put the reward money in the bank and let it start drawing interest,” Jess laughed.
“Yes, who knows how much money will build up over the years?” Sarah added.
“My poor mother has been beside herself upstairs,” Morgan said, trying to still his chuckles. “She wants to go to Garrett’s house and help Mrs. Vander and Betsy figure it out. She's been making lists of suspects for days.”
Jess and Sarah laughed harder.
“Oh, it gets better,” Morgan said. “My father says that even Sheriff Walker’s enjoying himself. He's having a better time trying to solve this than any real crimes he's had in years!”
“That's because he hasn't had any real crimes in years!” Jess said. He laughed so hard he began to cough.
Sarah patted him on him the back and took a moment to think about their banter with Morgan. She smiled at the realization that she’d not only married a wonderful man with two wonderful parents (despite a rough start with his mother), but had also came to one of the most interesting little towns she could imagine. Thank you, Lord, she thought to herself. Thank you, Mrs. Ridgley. And thank you, mystery matchmaker. You've made me a very happy woman.
Twelve
Bernice Caulder sipped her tea slowly. Her mother paced several more times, then spun on her again. “Young lady, you're going to get married and that's final!”
Bernice rolled her eyes. Really, her mother could be difficult som
etimes, but this was ridiculous! “I never said I didn't want to get married – I said I couldn't marry anyone from around here. At least not now, anyway.”
“Why? Because you think there isn't anyone?”
“I know there isn't anyone.” Thanks to you chasing the Rudshaws out of town – thanks a whole heap, Mother!
“Well then, you'll just have to be patient. Some young gentleman is bound to turn up.”
Bernice set her teacup down and shook her head. “Mother, what has gotten into you? You've been acting strangely for weeks. I know you want to see me married one day, and I don’t plan on disappointing you. But with the Rudshaws leaving –” She restrained herself from going too far down that track. “– there aren't any eligible men left.”
Her mother straightened and patted her hair in an attempt to calm herself. Bernice knew the action well. “Don't worry. I'm sure it's only a matter of time. Who knows, maybe something will happen and you'll be married before you know it.”
“How? By moving to Oregon City and finding a husband there? It worked for Eva Brock …” Hmmm, thought Bernice to herself. It had worked for Eva, hadn't it? Maybe she ought to go speak to Betsy …
“Eva Brock took matters into her own hands! And look what it got her!”
“A handsome husband?”
“A common Irishman – an undertaker, no less!”
“What's wrong with that? Julian Smythe is an undertaker, and you didn't mind the idea of me marrying him a couple of months ago.”
“That was then, this is now. Really, Bernice, I don't understand why you didn't try harder to catch one of the young gentlemen in town when they were available.”
Bernice looked away and shrugged. She didn't like where this conversation was going. If there was one thing she hated, it was when her mother reminded her of her shortcomings and how they’d kept her from matrimony. And her mother never missed an opportunity to remind her.
“Miss Brubauk was right when she said you’d have to make changes in order to land a man. Just look at you. Have you done anything she suggested? No. I think she would be appalled if she knew. In fact I should go upstairs and write a letter to her this minute.”