by Sarah Thorn
“How long ago did you say your parents passed?”
“They were killed a few weeks ago. But…my family moved from Washington D.C. about three months ago after my father lost all of his money.”
“Why did you relocate to Virginia?” Tyler asked.
“My father knew a man there. He gave us a place to live. When my parents died, I was not able to stay there. It was a very small, very old shack anyway. I didn’t really want to stay there.”
“So you didn’t have time to make friends with anyone?”
Elizabeth shook her head. “No, we were only there a short time and the man who let us rent the shack had told everyone in town about my father before we arrived.”
“What did he tell them?”
Elizabeth sighed. She didn’t want to rehash her past anymore. She had come here for a fresh start. But she supposed she was going to have to learn her place eventually, so she answered him. “My father was an advisor to President Lincoln when he was young.”
“Oh, he was a politician, was he?”
“Yes. And he was very successful at what he did and was valued by the administration. But when Lincoln was killed, my father’s morals seemed to die with him.”
Tyler didn’t know what to say to that. She was admitting her father was a corrupt politician. He could tell she bore a great shame because of it. He felt sorry for her. Before he could say anything, she continued.
“So for most of my life, though I did not know it, my father was dealing in corruption in the government.”
“I am sorry you had to discover that about your father,” Tyler said in a genuine voice. She caught the sincerity, and it made her pause. She looked at his profile, and he turned his eyes to her. “You aren’t your father, Beth.”
She stared at him. No one had called her Beth in her entire life. She liked it when he said it.
He saw the look on her face relaxing a little but could tell she was fighting inside. He didn’t know whether she was angry or just extremely sad. He gave her a comforting look. “It’s going to be okay, Beth. You’ll see. I don’t have a lot of riches, and I’m no politician, that’s for sure. I just work my farm and try to survive and make some money on the side for my…wife and future children.”
Elizabeth bit her lips together. She hadn’t even thought about having children. She had always had someone taking care of her. She couldn’t imagine having to take care of someone else, especially a helpless baby.
She nodded at him and turned her eyes to look straight in front of her. He reached over and took her hand. At first, she stiffened and stared at his hand on top of hers. After her initial shock had passed, she turned her hand over and grasped his with it. She looked up at him, and he smiled.
“It’s going to be okay. You’ll see.”
The good feeling she had for the last five minutes of the ride evaporated when they turned onto the long dirt road that led to the farm. She could feel herself becoming tenser as they got closer to the farmhouse.
It was large, two stories with an attic and it stretched back, with a wrap-around deck. It was only a little smaller than the house she had grown up in, but it was in much worse shape. There were shingles falling off the roof, exposed beams, broken steps leading up to the porch and the column on one side of the porch that was holding up the deck looked like it might be about to give way.
There were two young men working with tools on that column. They were covered in plaster already. She wondered if they had any idea what they were doing.
“That’s Jake and Teddy,” Tyler said. “Jake is the one with the bright yellow short hair. Teddy is the dark-tanned one with the light brown hair.”
Both the young men had taken their shirts off. Their chests and arms bulged with muscles that she could only see reflected off the flickering gas lamps they had set up all around them.
“Why are they working so late into the evening?” She asked.
“Well, I’m sure you can see that column is about to give way.” He looked at her with a pleasant expression on his face. “I don’t want the roof to come crashing down on my lovely woman, do I?”
She blushed and hoped it was too dark for him to see it. “No, I suppose not.”
He hopped down from the buggy and scooted around it to open the small door for her. She was amused and gave him a smile when he held up one hand to her. He felt a rush of relief and held her hand gently as she got down.
Jake and Teddy had stopped working and were wiping their hands on cloths as Elizabeth and Tyler walked up the steps. One at a time, they introduced themselves to Elizabeth and nodded at Tyler.
“It’s nice to meet you,” Elizabeth said formally.
“How’s it coming along, fellows?” Tyler asked, stepping away from her to examine the work they had done.
“We’re just about to apply the first layer, Ty,” Jake answered, walking with him to the column. Teddy followed quickly, giving Elizabeth a friendly look and a nod. “We set up the lamps so that we could see when it gets dark out here. I think we can finish up before nine. That okay with you?”
“Yes,” Tyler said. “That sounds fine. I appreciate it, boys. It’s looking good so far.”
“We haven’t done much yet,” Teddy said. “But we’ll have it done tonight and by tomorrow morning, you shouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.”
“Not for a while anyway.” Jake laughed.
“All right, thanks. I’ll see you in the morning then.”
He came back to Elizabeth and gently touched her elbow to direct her toward the front door. “I have a sister that is about your size. Or she was when I saw her last. I’m fairly certain she will be able to provide some dresses for you until you feel up to going into town to buy some of your own. I will buy them for you. I…I will be a good husband for you.” He was embarrassed and sure he wasn’t saying the right things. He didn’t want to appear foolish to her, but he knew he could easily love her if she wanted him to.
She went into the house first and liked what she saw as soon as she went inside. The furniture in the living room was almost new. There were bright colored paintings hung in every room but the kitchen. Tyler had laid down an assortment of rugs with varying designs, and a tremendously large mirror was placed directly across from a grand fireplace with marble outlay.
“I’m working on the inside of the house right now, too.” There was a hint of pride in his voice, and it made Elizabeth smile.
“This is beautiful already, Tyler. You have good taste.”
She felt his hand squeeze her elbow, and it sent a jolt of excitement through her. She pulled in her breath and looked up at him to see if he noticed. He was looking at her. She smiled. “How soon can you have your sister bring me a dress?”
“They live close by,” Tyler said. “But she keeps some of her clothes here for when she comes to help out. She knows she’s going to get dirty, so she likes to have something here to change into.”
“That is wonderful!” Elizabeth was excited to get out of her fancy gown. “Where are her clothes?”
“I’ll show you.” He began to run up the steps, and she followed quickly behind him, lifting her long skirt so that she could keep up.
Chapter Three
The first week of her new life was the hardest she thought she had ever spent. She had arrived on a Saturday, spent Sunday with Tyler at the small church in town and had met her sister-in-law, Barbara, Barbara’s husband, Jerry and their infant son, Kyle. Tyler had taken her shopping at the general store and purchased her several dresses and underclothing, as well as two pairs of pants. The thought of wearing pants scared Elizabeth. They represented hard work that she was not used to.
And a style she definitely was not used to.
The Monday that followed the Sunday’s rest began what she considered her week of torture. Her muscles hurt so much that first night and all through the next day, she wanted to just cry all the time. Tyler had gotten her up at the break of day and made her breakfast. She knew
that he would be expecting her to do that from now on and was only being nice. Then he’d taken her out to the garden, where Elizabeth thought she would be tending to the produce he had planted. But instead, he had her help him repair the garden gate.
She’d discovered she wasn’t nearly as strong as she thought she was, she had zero coordination, moved much slower than he did and was generally annoyed by the whole “work” thing. Splinters went into her fingers, she broke out in a sweat from the effort (the first time ever for her) and ruined the new clothes he had bought for her right away, slipping in a muddy spot near the gate.
She complained throughout the day and threw herself into bed that Monday night in complete misery.
Tyler hadn’t said one negative word to her. She had noticed that by the time Barbara came by on Wednesday with the baby to see how the two of them were getting along. She bounced 6-month-old Kyle in her arms as she talked to Elizabeth, who was taking a break at mid-day to eat and drink some cold water.
“You look exhausted already, Elizabeth. I know it’s hard work. Before I had Kyle to care for, I was out here helping him all the time. I assume you aren’t used to working on a farm?”
Elizabeth shook her head, setting a cloth soaked in water on her head. “No. I came from a wealthy family. We…didn’t work like this.”
“Oh you had someone else doing that for you, did you?” Barbara asked. When Elizabeth looked at her through narrowed eyes, she raised her eyebrows. “I mean no offense, Elizabeth. I just know that wealthy people often have gardeners and housekeepers and such.”
Elizabeth closed her eyes and laid her head back to rest her neck. “Yes. We had a gardener and a housekeeper. We had a buggy driver and a groundskeeper. We lived in a large house.”
Barbara nodded. “It is a shame you weren’t able to keep that lifestyle.”
“I was very used to it.”
“I know that Tyler is anxious for you to be comfortable here. I think he likes you very much.”
“He is very nice.”
Barbara smiled at her. “Do you like him?”
Elizabeth paused before answering, thinking about Tyler. She did like him. He was very strong and handsome. He was never cross with her and always tried to help her with everything they had to do. He had made dinner for her both Monday and Tuesday. She had made his breakfast Tuesday and that morning. They ate sandwiches for lunch, preparing each their own.
“He compliments you?” Barbara asked. Elizabeth looked at her.
“What do you mean?”
“Does he tell you that you’re pretty?”
Elizabeth blushed. “He has said that, yes.”
“And what do you say?”
“I say thank you.”
“Do you compliment him back?”
Elizabeth’s blush deepened. She shook her head slightly.
“Oh, Elizabeth. You are going to stay and marry him, aren’t you? I know he wants you to. You should compliment him. There must be things you like about him.”
“There is. I do.”
“Then tell him. You are planning to stay?”
Elizabeth sighed. She had nowhere to go. She wasn’t prepared for the kind of work Tyler expected her to do. “I have to stay. I don’t have anywhere to go.” She said bluntly. When Barbara didn’t respond, she looked up at her. The woman had lost her smile and looked sad.
“You are only staying because you have nowhere to go?”
“That’s not the only reason.” Elizabeth was quick to say, ashamed that she had been rude. “I do like Tyler. I will tell him…compliment him. I will.”
Barbara sighed and smiled at her. “That’s wonderful, Elizabeth. You are a beautiful and nice person. I’m glad you came to be with Tyler. He was very lonely.”
Elizabeth knew the feeling. She felt alone most of the time, at least, she had until just this week.
“He’s a good man, isn’t he?” She said in a soft voice, watching as he approached on his horse.
Barbara smiled, pleased with the look she saw on Elizabeth’s face when she looked at Tyler. “Yes, honey, he certainly is.”
The next week, Elizabeth woke to the sound of knocking and movement outside her door. She wondered what time it was. The moon was still shining in the sky, casting some light into her room through the window. She was immediately awake and sitting up in her bed, fumbling on the nightstand for matches to light the candle so she could see. Once it was lit, she slid out of bed and moved quickly to the door. She could hear Tyler’s voice. He was upset, but his voice was low and anxious. She pulled open the door and stepped out into the hallway.
Tyler and Jake were moving about in the den. The door was ajar, and she pushed it open to see what they were doing. Tyler looked up at her as he pulled on one of his boots.
“I’m sorry to wake you up, Elizabeth. Something’s happened to Barbara and Jerry. I have to go see what’s going on.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
He didn’t respond right away. He did want her to go with him, just because he wanted her company. But he didn’t want to put undue pressure on her, either. He thought quickly and said, “I would love to have you there for support, Beth, but if you don’t…”
“Give me a minute to get dressed.” She interrupted him and turned to move quickly back to her room. She pulled on a pair of the pants he had bought her. She wore a thin fabric shirt under a large, warm shirt so that when it heated up outside, she would be able to take the top one off. She was surprised by how much she enjoyed wearing a completely different style of clothing. Last year, she would never have even considered putting on a pair of men’s pants (though hers were made for women) and such a casual shirt.
She was back out of the room in a short five minutes. Tyler was waiting for her in the hallway and held out his hand to her.
“Jake went to saddle the horses.”
“Do you know what’s happened? Any details?”
Tyler’s face was pinched with emotion, his jaw set. “Jake said it looked like they were ambushed on their way back from dinner.”
Elizabeth was covered in chills. “Ambushed? By bandits? Robbers? Are they all right?”
Tyler shook his head and pulled her gently as they went out the door. “No. I don’t think they are all right.”
Elizabeth swallowed instant tears. She could see Barbara’s face in her mind and hear her voice from just the day before.
“What about the baby?”
Tyler shook his head again. “I don’t know, Beth. We can only pray for the best.”
Elizabeth did just that as she rode quickly behind Tyler and Jake. It was a clear night; she was thankful for that. She had dozens of questions rolling through her mind. How had this happened? When had it happened? Why had it happened?
They reached the scene surprisingly quickly. It had happened just a few miles from the Creek farm. There were a dozen men there, trampling all over the grounds. Elizabeth wondered what they were doing. They reached the crowd, and both slid from the saddles, taking off at a run as soon as their feet hit the ground. Several of the men saw Tyler coming and intercepted him halfway. They were holding their hands up as if to prevent him from being able to see what was behind them.
“Tyler! Tyler, hold on! Hold on!” They called his name, and he slid to a stop in front of the nearest one.
“What’s happening, Ben?” He said in a frantic tone.
“It is Barbara and Jerry, Tyler. They are over there. It’s not pretty, so brace yourself. They’ve been murdered, Ty. Both of them.”
“Where’s Kyle?”
“We can’t find him.”
Elizabeth felt a jolt of panic and her hands flew to her mouth. She ran to Tyler and grabbed his arm as if to draw strength from him. “Oh, Ty!” She buried her face in his arm, squeezing him. He lifted his other hand and hugged her with it, without taking his eyes from the man in front of him.
“Show me what happened here, Ben.”
Tyler broke away from Elizabeth g
ently and followed Ben and the other men to where most of the mess was. There were broken pieces from the carriage all around, and two bodies could be seen lying on the ground near the turned-over vehicle.
Elizabeth stood behind and watching him crouch next to the body of his sister and brother in law, lowering his head to his hands. He made the sign of the cross over his chest and closed his eyes. She went to him and knelt next to him, doing the same. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pushed her face into his neck.
“I’m so sorry, Ty.” She murmured, tears forming in her eyes. Barbara and Jerry had suffered a lot of trauma before their deaths, and she couldn’t bear to let herself look at them. Her heart panicked for the baby.
As if he heard her thoughts, Tyler patted her hand and said in a low voice, “We have to find Kyle. Surely the bandits wouldn’t take a baby. He must be around here somewhere.”
“There’s nothing to suggest he’s around here, Ty.” Said one of the men in the crowd. “We’ve been searching, and we haven’t seen him.”
Tyler was quiet for a moment. He stood up and pulled Elizabeth up with him. He looked at her. “I think we should search some more. What do you think, Beth?”
She was surprised that he was asking her. She opened her eyes wide and after a moment, replied, “There can be no harm in at least looking more.”
He nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face. “Yes. She’s right. Let’s keep looking.”
“It’s dark out here, Tyler. We don’t have enough lamps to do this right.”
“We have to use what we’ve got. I’ve got extra lamps out at the farm. Jake, Teddy, you two fellows ride back to the farm and get them from the barn, would you?” The two men nodded and left without hesitating. “We’ll stay here and use what we’ve got to look. Beth, come with me.”
Tyler and Elizabeth shared a lantern and moved further down the road and off into the woods slightly, walking slowly and crouching to see closer to the ground. They moved bushes out of the way and gazed into possibly dangerous holes in the ground.