by Sondra Grey
On that score, she had been absolutely right. Lydia had been a blessing in disguise. If one could ignore some of her irksome habits like humming, gossiping, giggling and daydreaming, she was a perfect lady’s companion. She helped Elizabeth dress and groom, made her bed and did all the odd jobs around without ever been having to be told.
Now as she half sprawled across her seat, Elizabeth sat ramrod straight, one long leg crossed over the other, her simple long gown covering her from neck to ankles, the elbow of one hand resting on the window sill for support as she drew quietly on her cherry wood rosaries with the other.
A loud clangorous sound of the metal plates brushing against each other told her that they were about to stop. This was their final destination. A heavy weight settled in Elizabeth’s belly turning into a sharp drawn out ache that worsened with the cooing of the whistle.
At last the train came to a stop, and the two women sat at alert looking at each other with apprehension. Elizabeth was happy that Lydia had finally shown some emotion befitting the situation.
“Get the trunks together I will see what’s happening outside.” She said rising to head out then shook her head in derision as Lydia hurried to pull on her boots.
Elizabeth leaned out of the bogey, holding the bars on both sides of the doorway and got her first view of the wild west. Though it did not seem so wild. It only seemed different. The men and women were all dressed more casually, and there was, in general, a higher level of noise. The landscape appeared to have less color, but more gaiety. She breathed in the air of Jacksonville Wyoming and filled her lungs with it. It smelled of horses and horse shit and recent rain shower on parched earth.
Then she saw him, and he took her breath away. The first thing that she noticed was that he was tall. He was taller than any other man she had ever come across. He was standing there, a little distance away, leaning against a wide pole, his hands folded over his midriff, one long leg crossed over the other. He was dressed in a pair of jeans, a crisp white shirt with short sleeves and solid work boots. Men and women passed between them, but Elizabeth’s eyes stayed glued to him.
He was looking at her with a raptor gaze, a disapproving frown etched into his handsome features, and she wondered for how long he had been watching her. When he saw her watching he casually straightened and even at that distance, Elizabeth was aware of his stilt. He strode quickly towards her, touched the tip of his Stetson then said.
“Miss Price?” For some reason, Elizabeth’s mouth had gone dry, and her tongue suddenly felt heavy, and she temporarily lost all her faculty of language. Her only solace was that she did not simper which she had come close to doing. Instead, she nodded.
“Nicholas Rhymer ma’am he said and offered her his hand. She put her lacy white mittened hand into his covered with fingerless leather gloves. Then he did something that nearly made her faint. He put his other hand on her waist and helped her down from the steep step of the bogie door.
“Was your journey difficult?” he asked, and Elizabeth smiled
“Not at all. Long yes but not difficult. The railroads were actually quite an adventure. Besides, your arrangements were excellent.” Once again, he slightly lifted his hat and rested it back onto his head. It seemed to be his most preferred way of acknowledgment.
Lydia appeared at that moment behind her and declared.
“I have got all the trunks together Dr. Lizzie.” Elizabeth Cringed. She had cautioned the young girl against calling her doctor several times during their month-long journey. But Lydia had been unsuccessful in shedding her habit. It was not her fault either. Everyone back in Cleveland had always called her that.
After all, Elizabeth had attended medical college, passed her exams top of her class, and served alongside her father for as long as she could remember. However, she had not been awarded a degree. Even though she had been better than her male counterparts. If she did not have a formal degree, she did not deem herself fitting to be called by that title. And that was the reason why she had not told Nicholas anything about her formal education.
She had merely wanted to put behind her that part of her life, along with the other bad things that had happened to her and make a fresh start. She wanted to become a rancher’s wife. However, it was too late for that now.
Nicholas was looking at her, his eyes narrowed.
“You are a doctor Miss Price?”
“No.,” she said giving no further explanation. Her eyes strayed involuntarily to the big trunk in which concealed under folds of her dresses was her father’s doctor’s bag. So much for vowing to shed her old life. But Elizabeth had been unable to leave that behind, not so much for its professional value but more for what it represented personally.
Elizabeth remembered having read with her father a story by a man named Edgar Alan Poe, The Tell-Tale Heart, in which the culprit is so overburdened by his guilt that he points out himself where he has buried his victim. But Elizabeth knew she was stronger than Mr. Poe’s madman. She was not going to tell Nicholas where the bag was.
“This girl just called you doctor.”
“As I explained to you Mr. Rhymer, I worked alongside my father as his assistant. So, people back in Cleveland have the habit of calling me that. I assure you I do not possess a medical degree. And this, by the way, is my lady’s companion Lydia” Elizabeth said not going too deep into Lydia’s history, as Lydia bobbed a curtsy.
“Nice to meet you, sir. Dr. Lizzie is telling the absolute truth, sir. She even told me not to call her that in front of you. But I am a fool, and I keep forgetting.” She said sheepishly.
“Well Lydia, to start with, you will do good to heed your mistress’s instruction. Since you are my wife’s lady’s companion, and I appreciate that she had the good sense to bring you along, you will now be in my employ. You will continue to serve my wife in whatever way she sees fit. In return, you will be paid an annual salary and given a set of clothing twice a year. Since you will stay with your mistress, you will be given three meals a day. However, there is something I will make clear to you right now as I do to all my employees. I hate deceit and lies. If you are caught gossiping, chatting unnecessarily or doing any other thing with one of my men, I will send you back to where you came from.” He said pointing to the train.
His speech had silenced Lydia, and she bobbed another curtsy. And though Elizabeth was happy that someone had finally succeeded in shutting Lydia’s mouth she was a little displeased with Nicholas’s high-handedness in dealing with her servant.
Chapter Six
O n Nicholas’s instruction, Lydia rode on the driver’s bench of the carriage with Xavier, whom Nicholas had introduced as one of his caporals. When she had looked at him confused, he had explained it meant a foreman but he also did cattle round ups. Elizabeth had nodded in spite of the fact that she was now more at a loss than before.
Nicholas and Elizabeth got into the back of the closed buggy, and they began to move. It was a spacious carriage with rich leather upholstery. They sat in opposite seats facing each other. Elizabeth wondered how a farmer could afford such luxuries. Then it suddenly occurred to her that it might not be his regular ride but something he saved for special occasions. That he must consider her arrival as special while she was partly deceiving him made her feel rotten inside.
She quietly stole a look at her soon to be husband while he turned behind him to give Xavier some instructions. He was a handsome man. Chiseled features, high cheekbones, broad forehead and a thatch of raven black hair with wayward curls falling across the temple. He resembled some of the marble carvings of Greek gods Elizabeth had seen at the museum in Cleveland. It had been actually a range of sculptures that were kept in a restricted area, inaccessible to the general public, due to the sensual nature of the art.
However, they had made a trip to the museum as a part of their anatomy class. Elizabeth had marveled at the physical perfection the artist had attained. She wondered now if the rest of this man was as perfect as those statues. The
thought shocked her, and a sly smile escaped her lips
“You daydream a lot.” He said with disapproval, and Elizabeth realized he had been watching her. Of course, he had been watching her. She was his new bride, and he would be keeping a close eye on her for some time. She needed to be careful. Besides he had caught her doing something she herself, found intolerable in another person. How could she tell this man that he was the one having that effect on her somehow?
“Taking you home with me before we are married would be highly improper. So, I have arranged for us to get married right away. I understand you are tired and must want to rest. I assure you that the ceremony will be short and very private.”
“I learned in a book I was reading that the people in the west are very particular about matters of honor. It stems from their being secluded on acres of wild land. They feel a strong need to keep up the semblance of civilization.”
“You have been reading a book on the West?” he asked as if she had told him that she had killed someone.
Elizabeth cringed.
“It was a gift from a friend. He gave it to me when he got to know I was coming here.”
“He…?” Nicholas asked with a raised eyebrow, and suddenly Elizabeth realized how inappropriate it must seem to him that she had a male friend back in Cleveland. It looked as if she was getting herself deeper and deeper into trouble. The inside of the carriage suddenly seemed very warm, and Nicholas’ proximity was playing havoc with her nerves.
“Martin is my late father’s assistant. He is also my best friend’s betrothed. He calls me his little sister.” She hastened to explain.
“And so, with the help of this book, Martin gave you, you think you have us all figure out eh?” Nicholas asked, and now Elizabeth seethed inside. He was deliberately making her feel uncomfortable instead of making her feel at ease. The fact that in the closed confines of the carriage the scent of his cologne wafted up to her and his knees kept banging against hers on the bumpy roads was not helping at all.
“The book is actually a compilation of real life experiences of a priest who roamed the west for a long time.” She said confident this time that she had made him speechless.
“You will find my dear, that the views of an outsider are very different from those of the people who actually stay here.”
Since the time, she had arrived she had been archiving all that he seemed to dislike for further avoidance.
Till now the list contained, talking too much, lies and deceit, education of women, and reading. Oh dear, her husband seemed to be disliking practically everything she liked or enjoyed or was in some way related to.
Coming out of her reverie she looked up to see that he was watching her, his eyebrows raised as if waiting for an answer and she suddenly remembered his question.
“The book was just a distraction. I did not take it very seriously.” She said making light of the issue.
“You will not have much time for distractions here Elizabeth. You will have duties just like everyone else. Yours will include cooking meals for my men and me, keeping the house clean, doing the chores and laundry. Doing some easy farm jobs like picking the eggs, milking the cow we keep for home use and maintaining the kitchen garden.”
Elizabeth waited for him to go on and say the rest, doing your wifely duties, warming my bed, satisfying my needs and having my children. She had read enough mail order bride advertisements to know what these men usually wanted and how direct they could be asking for it. But all that never came. Instead, Nicholas said
“One more thing Elizabeth. As your husband, your first loyalty is towards me. Please do not indulge in conspiring with the servants. This is not the east. Life here is harsh, and one wrong move can take your life.
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“I am referring to earlier when Lydia revealed that you have been asking her to keep information from me.” His voice had become sharp now, and a heavy lump seemed to be settling in Elizabeth’s throat.
“You cannot contrive secrets with the servants against your own husband. It reflects poorly on your character and the relationship between us. If you make cracks in the trust we share, others will surely try to widen them. So, we must, each trust the other implicitly.
Elizabeth nodded duly chastised. She was trying hard not to let the tears fall in front of him and give him another opportunity to lecture her, this time on the strength of mind and control of emotions.
Chapter Seven
A s they arrived at the church, Elizabeth once again noticed the crisp freshness of the air as opposed to the stale suffocation of the city where she had lived most of her life. As Nicholas helped her descend from the carriage, she could not help look around in awe. There was so much land, with so less in terms of manmade structures between her and the far away horizon.
Nicholas asked Xavier and his wife Martha who had come out to greet them to take care of Lydia until the ceremony was over and they accepted joyfully.
“You like what you see?” Nicholas asked, and she smiled at him. It was the bright smile of a child who has been given a treat. It was a smile of genuine awe and amazement that tugged at Nicholas’ heart strings.
“This place is so beautiful.” She exclaimed
“Wait till you see our ranch.” He said, and she did not miss that he had used the term our and not my. It started a flutter inside her heart. They were going to be family soon and together for the rest of their lives. As Nicholas led her to where the church stood on a small incline, Elizabeth did a survey of the place around, and Nicholas took the opportunity of studying his young bride.
He had noticed her the minute she had peeked out of the bogie door with that childlike eagerness which was so characteristic of her. He had watched her and let her eyes find him before he had walked towards her. The woman had made a quick and profound impression on him as she had stood there framed by the door of the train compartment.
The first thing that he had noticed was that she was an attractive woman. She had delicate features, slender arms covered entirely in the long white cotton sleeves of her gown, a lean body and an air of quiet strength. As she had peered outside, long bony fingers clad in lacy gloves that matched her dress had curled around the handle bar of the bogie door, and Nicholas had felt their clutch around his heart.
She had looked around, and even at that distance he had been able to see the array of emotions that had passed across her beautiful face, first shock, then fear, then confusion and a frantic search. And as her eyes had settled on him he could tell she had known him to be the one from the rest of the crowd. A look of relief and attainment had settled upon her. He had felt a primitive urge to possess her at that moment, a surge of pride for his woman for having known him, a sentiment he knew well, he had no right to feel.
He had acknowledged at that moment that she had taken a big leap by coming so far just on the basis of a few letters. He had to prove himself to be the honorable man she no doubt expected him to be. He had stridden in her direction quickly, not wanting to make her wait anymore. There was not much he would be giving her in terms of affection. Jessica had taken it all from him leaving him dry and scorched. But he would generously give her the rest, his name, his respectability, his protection and the honest life he had promised.
Then again in the carriage, he had not been unaware, as he had led her to believe, of her discomfort at being enclosed with him in that small space. She had looked terrified when he had asked her maid to ride with Xavier. But he had to put certain things straight at once, and for that, he needed to speak with her alone. He had tried to keep his instructions as less severe as possible, but she had seemed distressed at being admonished, and Nicholas had hated himself for doing it. But it was his experience that certain issues were best nipped in the bud.
Now as he walked alongside her, a faint scent of lavender and roses wafted towards him, and he brutally crushed a desire to inhale deeply. She was dressed respectably; even her hair was tied in a neat
bun and covered with a white lacy bonnet. Not a part of her body was visible except her face and her neck. Around her ears and on her forehead, tendrils of brown silk had escaped her bonnet and were gently caressed by the late morning wind.
As they reached the church steps, a man and a woman approached them with bright smiles pasted on their faces, their eyes aglow with mirth. They were both very tall and finely built with handsome features. The woman was a few months pregnant.
“Elizabeth, meet my best friend and my top wrangler Vincent Parker and his sister, Caroline Parker. They are like family to me. Caroline’s husband Joe owns the mercantile shop in town, and a gorgeous wife besides.” Caroline ribbed him hard with her elbow.
“He doesn’t own me, you boor.”
“Of course, he does. All men own their women folk,” Nicholas said, and it was evident he was teasing her, but Elizabeth wondered whether it said more about the kind of man that he was.
“Well, if you still want to marry this man Elizabeth and I won’t hold it against you if you don’t, let’s get inside. The guests are all here, and Nic’s mother is waiting.” Vincent put in as they started up the church steps
“Nicholas has told us all about your excellent father, and we are sorry you lost him. But if you allow me the honor, I will be giving you away before I take my position as best man.” Vincent said walking beside Elizabeth, and she was suddenly overcome with the memories of her father.
“Don’t worry, he gave me away too, and I have had a good life for the last three years. So, I can vouch for him, he is not unlucky or anything.” Caroline put in. Elizabeth was grateful for the brother and sister’s attempt at making things light for her.
As they walked up the steps of the church, they were met by Molly. She was standing on the topmost step, clad in jeans and a work shirt, a sleeveless denim jacket hanging from her shoulders, her feet spread apart and her fists on her hips. A frown of disapproval was etched on her face, and it reminded Elizabeth of how Nic had looked when she had seen him the first time. There, she was already calling him Nic in her head, she needed to be very careful.