“Mrs. Pembrooke? Are you anything to do with the Pembrooke School?” Fae quickly came around the counter to stand beside Caleb, facing the older woman.
“Well, yes I am. I’m Martha Pembrooke. My husband and I founded the school a few years ago when we moved to the area, so our children could have a proper education. Of course, they’re grown now but the school is still running.”
“Oh, I’m so excited to meet you, Mrs. Pembrooke. I was raised in a foundling school in New York where our headmistress, Madam Wigg, believed in an equal education for everyone. Part of my mission in coming west is to share her teachings and to help fund a school to allow every child the chance to attend. I was hoping since your school is the only one in Promise, that perhaps we could work something out that would make it more of a public school and then using the funds sent from Madam Wigg, we could make the school bigger and even better.”
The mercantile became eerily quiet as she waited for Mrs. Pembrooke’s reply. Perhaps she shouldn’t have blurted everything out so quickly, but Fae was just so excited to get moving with the other reason she’d come west. Especially since it was clear her marriage wasn’t turning out as well as she’d hoped. She needed something to work out for her.
“Mrs. Bailey, I realize you’re new to town and perhaps aren’t aware of the situation with my school, so I’ll forgive you this one time. However, there is no way my school will ever become public or accessible to everyone. That’s just not how we run it. Our school is for the top students who are there to learn properly. We won’t allow just anyone in the doors.”
The woman’s words were spoken with a coldness that matched her eyes. Fae had never seen anyone become so hostile within such a short amount of time.
“But, surely you could make room for the other children who can’t pay, perhaps using the funds that would be sent out from Madam Wigg, to give everyone the chance? I mean, it isn’t fair that only children whose parents can afford the tuition fees get the option to attend school. Who knows what future doctors or lawyers are out there, unable to afford a proper education? We have to give them the same opportunities.”
“Young lady, Pembrooke School has been around for over six years now. If a parent wants their child to get an education, they will find the money somehow. At least when the schooling has been paid for, we are assured that the children will put forth their best effort. There simply is no place for children who don’t have the same commitment.”
“You can’t be serious…”
Caleb reached over and put his hand on her arm, pulling her back from the counter. “I apologize for my wife’s enthusiastic intrusion. She’s only been here a few days, so isn’t aware of how things are done around here. Now, what can I help you with?”
Fae let him step in front of her as she stood there in shock over what she’d just heard from the other woman. She couldn’t even be angry with Caleb for brushing her aside like he did, because she was still too furious over the exchange with Mrs. Pembrooke.
Slowly she let her feet move and take her into the back where she stood shaking. How was she supposed to fund the school if the woman wasn’t even going to listen to her? She couldn’t let Madam Wigg down. Not to mention the many children in this area she knew wouldn’t be able to afford the private school tuition.
Luckily, Fae wasn’t the type to back down from a fight. And she could see that’s exactly what she was in for with that woman.
But what Mrs. Pembrooke didn’t know about her was that the angrier someone made her, the more determined she became.
The children of Promise would have a school. All of them.
Even if she had to teach them herself from the back-storage room of the mercantile.
Chapter 10
“Fae, I’m sorry for pushing you out of the way but I wasn’t going to let Martha Pembrooke get her claws into you.”
Caleb walked into the back where Fae was now sitting on the settee, still shaking from anger. As soon as he’d been able to get the other woman out of the store, he knew he had to come back and talk to her.
She looked up at him, taking a deep breath before speaking. “What kind of a woman is she that she won’t even listen to the possibility of setting the school up to include everyone? It’s not like I was asking her to fund it herself. Madam Wigg is sending money to finance the school once it’s going.”
He walked in and sat in a chair across from her. He’d left the door open to the mercantile, so he’d be able to hear if anyone came in. “Well, Martha Pembrooke and her husband, Clarence, aren’t what you’d call overly generous people.
“In fact, it’s because of them the old school closed down, that most of us had attended during the years before it came along. It just couldn’t compete with what the Pembrooke’s were making it look like they could offer at their school. Some of the parents around here ended up going broke paying the tuition for their children, believing the lies that just because it cost money it was somehow better than the little one-room schoolhouse out on the Hammond property.”
Her eyes lit up slightly and she sat straighter. “There’s another school here?”
He shook his head. “There was. Well, I guess the building is still there but it’s pretty much just falling into disrepair because it hasn’t been used in quite a few years. It was set up on the property of one of the founders of Promise. They donated a small piece of land for the school when they settled in the area, so their own children could go. It’s just about a mile outside of town.”
Fae jumped up from the couch excitedly. “We need to get that school back up and running. I don’t care how we do it, but I’m not letting Mrs. Pembrooke get away with denying the other children around here an opportunity for an education.”
Caleb remembered his father’s lawyer mentioning something about Fae also coming here to help establish some kind of school. He admitted he really hadn’t been paying much attention at the time, though. “I’m not sure how we can do that. It will cost money to get that school back into a usable state and you mentioned that the money from Madam Wigg won’t be coming until the school is already set up. Not to mention the fact that it’s on private property. Perhaps the Hammond’s don’t even want to fix it up anymore.”
“We won’t know unless we ask.”
He put his hand up and stood up across from her. “Wait just a second. I never agreed to set up any school. I have enough work trying to learn the ropes of running this store right now. That’s enough for me to deal with at one time. And I thought I was going to have you here now to help me, not running all over the countryside fixing up a run-down building and starting a school.”
She crossed her arms in front of her chest and squinted angrily at him. “Is that all you wanted me to come out here for? To help you run the mercantile? I suppose you thought it would be handy to have someone here all the time, so you could just take off and play cards or whatever other sordid things you like to do at night.”
He cringed slightly at the pang of guilt that hit him. He’d been feeling guilty ever since he’d walked out the door last night, and he knew she was upset but he just couldn’t face being there anymore.
After opening up so much with her yesterday, then sitting around having a nice meal together in their comfortable home, he’d started to panic at how quickly he was finding himself enjoying those feelings. She’d made a delicious supper and sitting across the table from her like that brought back memories of family meals together when his ma had still been alive.
Crossing his arms in front of himself too, he leaned against the door jamb into the kitchen. “No, I didn’t expect a slave, if that’s what you mean. And I’d hardly say that going out one night to play cards is any reason to expect I’ll be off taking part in sordid activities.”
Her cheeks were flushed, and her mouth quickly opened, then snapped back shut as she obviously struggled with what to say next.
“Well, going out to play cards on your wedding night doesn’t exactly leave me with confide
nce that you won’t be doing the same thing any other night.”
She continued to glare at him for a few seconds before lowering her eyes and sitting back down on the settee. But not before he’d seen the hurt in them.
He closed his eyes for a second and sighed before pushing his hand through his thick hair in frustration. He walked over and crouched down in front of her. “Listen, Fae. I’m sorry for leaving you alone last night. I know it wasn’t very gentlemanly of me, but I think it’s best if you find out right from the start that nothing I do will ever be that way. It’s just not who I am. There’s no sense letting you believe I can offer you more.”
When she lifted her gaze slightly to look at him in front of her, his heart skipped. Her green eyes seemed to reach inside his chest and squeeze, demanding him to be the man she deserved. Part of him wished he could be that for her, but he quickly pushed that thought away.
“That might have been something you could have mentioned during the time we corresponded. I came out here in the hopes that we’d have a real marriage and could perhaps someday start a family of our own. I never dreamed I’d be coming out here to live with a man who doesn’t even find me desirable and would rather go off and play cards than be around his new wife.”
Her chin trembled as she spoke, and he wanted to reach out and pull her into his arms. She did deserve so much better than what she was going to get out of this arrangement and he wished he could go back and fix it. But he’d agreed to go along with this ridiculous plan of his father’s, and now she was going to be hurt by it.
He swallowed hard and looked down at her folded hands sitting in her lap. They clenched together tightly but he could see the calluses and broken skin around her nails from years of work. She hadn’t led a pampered life and her strength in coming out here alone proved it.
“Fae, you’re not undesirable at all. In fact, if I were being honest, you’re just about the prettiest woman in all of Promise. But it wouldn’t be fair to you if I let you become too attached to a man like me. You deserve better.”
“Well then, why did you marry me in the first place? I don’t understand why you led me to believe we’d have a true marriage.”
He stood up and paced over to the window. He didn’t even know what to say. Why hadn’t he thought all of this through better? He hadn’t really thought about the wedding night or sleeping arrangements or anything like that until they’d walked out of the church as man and wife. But even he couldn’t be so low as to take advantage of the situation, knowing he didn’t plan on staying married to her. What if he got her with child?
“If you want, after we close the store today, I can take you out to speak to Winnie Hammond. She’s the widow who owns the property the old school sits on. Maybe she can offer you some kind of deal.”
He couldn’t even look back at her, knowing full well the pain he’d see in her eyes at his quick change of subject. He just hoped the fact he’d now agreed to help her speak to someone about the school would ease some of the sting.
“I need to get back to the store before anyone comes in.” He walked out of the room without waiting for her to answer. Everything had become so complicated in such a short time and he didn’t know what to do.
Maybe if he could keep her busy setting up the new school for the next six months, he wouldn’t need to feel so guilty when it was time to end their marriage and go their separate ways.
But already, the thought of that happening left him with a strange feeling in his stomach. As long as he lived, he’d never forget looking into those green eyes and wishing he could offer her more.
Chapter 11
Fae peeked over at Caleb who held the reins to the buckboard as they bounced over the road. She’d said she could just walk out to the Hammond’s and had even made it clear he didn’t need to go. In fact, if she was more brazen, she might have insisted he stay at the store while she went on her own. It would have been nice to have some time away from him, after having to work alongside him all day and pretend everything was fine.
He had his hat pulled low as he stared ahead, his mouth pressed so tightly his muscles moved. Dark stubble covered his jawline, matching his hair that poked from beneath the brim. She sighed softly, wondering how everything had seemed to go wrong so quickly. When she’d arrived in town just a few short days ago, she’d still been so full of hope and excitement for her future.
And the most frustrating part of it all was that for some reason she couldn’t begin to understand, she was finding herself more drawn to him every time she looked at him. Instead of hating him like she knew she had every right to, she found her pulse starting to flutter whenever he was near her.
She was beginning to believe she really had read those silly romance books too many times.
They pulled off the main road toward a house that sat next to a large barn and a pen with a few cows to the side. She couldn’t believe her eyes as they approached and chickens scattered in every direction. Did they just let them run around free out here?
When they came to a stop, a short woman with gray hair stepped out the door onto the front stoop, lifting her hand to wave. She had a well-worn apron over her clothes and she was drying her hands as she came down the steps toward them.
“Hello, Mrs. Hammond. I hope we aren’t intruding but my wife had something she’d like to talk with you about.”
“Oh, nonsense, Mr. Bailey. You know I’m always open for visitors. I’m just finishing up my dishes, but I already have a pot on the stove for some coffee.”
Caleb came around and reached his hand up to help her down. His eyes held hers for a second before he took her hand, his skin burning hers as soon as they touched. Her heart raced as she tried to compose herself and step down without falling. She was used to riding in carriages around New York, so getting out of this buckboard was proving to be a bit more difficult.
When she got her feet planted on the ground, she held her breath as he stood directly in front of her, still holding onto her hand. Her cheeks started to burn, so she pulled her hand free and stepped around him.
“Mrs. Hammond, please call me Caleb. You’ve known me since I was a boy. Besides, it was my father who was Mr. Bailey.” Caleb walked up behind her and put his hand on her waist to lead her toward the other woman.
“Well, I figured now that you were a proper businessman, I should be a bit more formal instead of using your given name. And now that you’re a grown man, you have my permission to call me Winnie.” Fae could see a sparkle in the other woman’s bright blue eyes as she put her hand out to her. “I didn’t even know you were getting married, Caleb. You never mentioned anything to Colt when he was in last week.”
Caleb just shrugged and looked down at her with a smile. “Winnie, this is Fae. She came out here from New York.”
“It’s a true pleasure to meet you, Fae. I’ve never seen a woman with such beautiful hair in my life.”
Fae wanted to grab the woman and hug her. She reminded her of Wiggie and for a brief moment, a wave of homesickness washed over her, threatening to leave her in tears right here in front of this woman.
Instead, she laughed softly to cover the emotions she was feeling. “Thank you, I don’t often get compliments on my hair. Some days I have to just give up and let it do whatever it wants.” She reached up to poke the strands back under her bonnet that she knew were hanging loose.
“Well, I think it’s simply beautiful. Now come inside and let’s have a visit. My grandchildren should be in any moment from doing their chores, but Colt is out in the field, so I’m afraid you won’t get a chance to see him.”
Winnie took her arm and led her up the stairs into the house, letting Caleb follow behind. The house wasn’t big by New York standards, but it had a second floor and a wraparound porch overlooking the fields on the property. When they walked inside, Fae was surprised to see how homey the simple furnishings were. There was a small sitting room where Winnie took Fae to a chair by the window and instructed her to sit down.
She went off to the kitchen, leaving Fae alone with Caleb.
He stood next to the door, looking uncomfortable to even be inside the house. “Are you friends with Winnie’s son, Colt?” She wondered if there might be some bad blood between them or something that was making him act like he was ready to run out the door.
“We were. I haven’t really had much to do with him after we finished school. We kind of went our separate ways—he got married and had kids, while I decided to sew some wild oats before settling down.”
Fae’s cheeks burned as he spoke so openly about his unsavory past. But she decided this wasn’t the place to get into an argument about it. She looked at a small picture on the fireplace mantel that showed two young children. “These must be Winnie’s grandchildren. She mentioned them and Colt. Where is the children’s mother?”
Caleb looked toward the doorway where Winnie had gone off before moving over to sit on the settee across from her. He kept his voice low as he answered. “I guess I should have told you. Colt’s wife ran off about a year ago, leaving him with the kids. I don’t know all the details but just so you know not to ask any questions or mention anything while you’re here.”
Just then Winnie came rushing back into the room with a tray filled with cups, coffee pot, cream, sugar, and even some cookies. She set everything on the small table in the middle of the room. “How would you like your coffee, dear?”
Fae’s heart warmed at hearing the term of affection. She hadn’t realized just how much she missed being around people who cared about her and showed her kindness. Something her husband was sorely lacking at times.
“Just a bit of sugar, please.” Winnie poured them all their coffee, then sat on the settee beside Caleb.
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