The warmth in his eyes carried through to her soul. She loved the depths of the cinnamon and golden browns in them. “I’ve already found something I love.”
He gave a little moan before kissing her. He’d asked, she’d said yes, and they’d been intimate. With this knowledge, Ellen didn’t want to wait another moment. She broke away first. “Adelard, I don’t think I can marry you soon enough.”
“One kiss is all you need to desire me so?” He nuzzled her ear, whispering, “Just imagine when your brothers have their own bedroom.”
She did and broke out in a cold sweat. “Let’s go.” Ellen stood. “I want to get to town and find a preacher today.”
Del paused for a moment, listening to his mother call for them. “Allons, ma petite.” He took her hand. “Everyone is waiting.”
When downstairs, she saw the knowing smiles on his parents’ faces and blushed. The boys already sat on the wide seat. Both of them sat hard over and over to make the springs bounce. Mimi patted Skeeter on the knee. “Halt, s'il vous plait,” she said and put a hand over her mouth as if motion sick before snickering.
The boy laughed and Buster joined in. Ellen sat between them before looking into the wagon bed behind them. “How about you boys play in the back while we’re going?” Both didn’t waste time before climbing over and settling in. Del sat between her and Mimi, holding Ellen’s hand. She squeezed him a little, and he returned the affection.
She noticed right away how much smoother the road was now than at any time over the hills from Mount Hood until now. The springs absorbed a lot of the bumps and she looked back to check on the boys. They played a hand clapping game and seemed content, so she faced forward. At times, Del and his parents talked about the farm and its operations. He always gave her a synopsis of their conversation so she didn’t feel excluded.
The town they rolled into was more like a city. Ellen stared at all the people, straining to see if she recognized anyone from the travelers they’d passed in months past. She’d seen crowds like this around the various forts. Just not so many buildings. They soon stopped in front of a dry goods store, and Mr. Du Boise said something to Del and Mimi. Ellen vowed to learn French as soon as possible. The language sounded beautiful and she wanted to feel included.
Skeeter and Buster clung to her with her younger brother asking, “Sis, what’s going to happen now?”
Del answered for her. “We men are going to the store for supplies. The ladies are going to the dress and fabric store for Ellen.”
“What do the boys do?”
“They go with the men.” When he translated for his father, Jean-Baptiste laughed and nodded.
“Is he going to say allons again?” asked Skeeter?
“Yes, because he’s saying let’s go and that means all of us.”
The men helped the boys and ladies down from the wagon. Alone with Mrs. Du Boise, Ellen suddenly didn’t know what to say or do. The older woman’s smile reassured her and when Mimi made a follow me motion, Ellen did. They stopped at a store and she stared at the dress in the window. It was the most beautiful garment she’d ever seen. Mimi reached over and lifted Ellen’s chin to close her mouth. The younger woman looked at her and saw Del’s mother grinning. Ellen blushed at being caught staring. Mimi didn’t let her spend too much time embarrassed before opening the door for her.
The bell rang and a lady at the counter looked up. “Bonjour, Madame Du Boise! Comment allez vous?”
“Je suis tres bonne, et vous?”
“Comme ce comme ca.” The shopkeeper motioned toward Ellen. “Elle ne parlez?”
“Non. Anglais.”
“I see.” The lady greeted Ellen. “Good morning, and how are you?”
“I’m fine, thank you, and you?”
“I’m wonderful, thank you for asking. Now then, what can I do for you both?”
Mimi rattled off a list, it sounded like to Ellen’s ears. The woman spoke as fast to the dressmaker as she had her son and husband. Ellen’s head swam from all the strange sounds. The other woman looked at her every so often with kind eyes. At last, the shopkeeper turned to her. “Miss, the madam wants you to look at fabrics, preferably in the blue shades. She wants you to pick at least three of whatever you like in the cottons.”
She smiled her thanks at Mrs. Du Boise. Ellen went to the wall of fabric bolts, wondering how to choose from the spectrum of blues. She’d glance back every so often to see the two other women talking about the dress in the window, or so it seemed. Shaking her head, she turned back to the fabrics in front of her. Most likely, Mrs. Du Boise wanted the garment for herself. It was certainly lovely enough, and the light yellow fabric would contrast nicely with the woman’s black hair and deep brown eyes. Ellen had no idea what the dress was made of, just that it was beautiful and shiny in the light.
Soon, she had a grayish blue, a deep sea blue pattern, and a dark gray paisley. Now the colors seemed dark and drab, but anything else seemed too flashy. Ellen took the three bolts to the counter and set them down. By now, the women had the dress off the form and were examining the seams. Ellen cleared her throat, getting their attention. “I found three.”
Mrs. Du Boise exclaimed first. “Merci!” She examined each before looking at the owner. “Meh, trois?”
“Are these all you want?”
“Goodness, yes. These are more than enough.” Ellen tapped the dark gray. “I could put this one back.”
The lady translated for Mimi who laughed and shook her head. Then the owner turned to Ellen. “She wants you to get what you love.” She set the bolts down on the counter. “Now then. She also wants you fitted for this.” The woman held up the beautiful dress from the window.
Ellen shook her head and took a step back. “Oh, no, I couldn’t possibly. No.”
After a quick translation to her, Mimi held the dress up to Ellen. “Go.”
She looked at the shopkeeper who shook her head. “You’d better. Mrs. Du Boise is my best customer and she knows best. Just go in there and change.”
She hurried to the door and stepped inside. Maybe a quick fitting and they’d see the dress wouldn’t suit her. She fastened as many buttons as she could reach before stepping out. They’d see how loose the garment fit and know it wasn’t for her. Ellen picked up the longish skirt and stepped into the larger room.
Del, his father, and her brothers stood there with the two ladies. She caught the younger Du Boise man’s eye first. His shock, love, and then pride filled her with joy. She might find a way to afford this dress for special occasions after all if it meant he looked at her like that every time.
“Combien de temps pouvez-vous avoir cette altérée pour elle?”
As soon as Mrs. Du Boise spoke, it broke the spell and everyone rushed to Ellen, talking at once. She picked out English words of pretty, new clothes, and a lot of French she didn’t understand, including a flurry of conversation between Del and the shopkeeper. The conversation made Mimi gasp and look at Jean-Baptiste, who shrugged. Ellen looked from one to the other. “What is it?” she asked before remembering they’d not understand.
Answering for his parents, Del said, “I want the dress altered to fit you for this afternoon.” He took both of her hands in his. “I’m tired of waiting for you and want to be married by sundown.”
“Um, today?” She felt sweat gather on her upper lip and fretted about staining the dress.
“I’d hoped so.” He frowned. “Are you not sure?”
“I am.” Ellen wanted to be honest without being hurtful. “You’ll be getting more than just me. When we married before, the boys weren’t part of the bargain.”
He scooped up Buster. “Is that all? Your brothers need us and we need them.”
She glanced around at everyone in the room. The hopeful expressions on everyone’s faces amused her. Ellen shook her head. “All right. This afternoon or evening it is. I assume you know a preacher? Don’t even tell me how much this dress will cost, just that you can afford it.” He translate
d her words to his parents and his mother frowned. Ellen went on. “I’ll find as many chances to wear it as I can, I promise.”
“Let me put in the pins and I’ll have it sewn by mid afternoon.” The owner pulled Ellen aside and began measuring and marking. “Jessie!” she hollered to the back room. “Come here and measure out fabric for Mrs. Du Boise!” A little mousey gal came out of a door beside the dressing room. When seeing her, the shopkeeper went on. “Here, be sure to ask how much of each.” She smiled at Mimi. “Et pour le garcons?”
“Oui!” His mother looked at Del, giving him instructions. He led the boys away to find their favorite colors.
“Now then, come along and I’ll take this off of you.”
Ellen followed her to the dressing room where she gave the woman the marked dress and put on her old one. She smoothed her flyaway hairs back into place and stepped out. Stacks of fabric were on the counter, the three she’d chosen and four from the boys. She knew their favorite colors and looked at the adults. When Mimi saw her, she began a “Tsk tsk,” sound and Ellen blushed. No one had to tell her how ragged her dress was.
“Come back in two hours and the dress will be ready.” The owner repeated herself in French and the others nodded. Ellen smiled at how Skeeter mouthed the French words. She just knew both boys would soon be bilingual.
The sun shone down hot on her in the cool air. Even though a dusty breeze refreshed, she worried about getting the new dress dirty even before it was done. She bit her lip, not sure she deserved something so fine. Ellen vowed to work hard at the Du Boise home to earn every bit of what the family had done for her and her brothers.
“No, no worries, ma coeur.” He took her hand, kissing it. “I want today to be our wedding day, not a fretting day.”
“Today doesn’t give us time to organize anything. Just our families are here. What about Sam, Marie, and the other men?”
“You’re right. We should have friends help us celebrate.” He let go of her. “Let’s go visit the Granvilles.” Del spoke to his parents and their expressions brightened.
Ellen let him help her up into the wagon. The boys were secured in the wagon bed, sitting on a couple of feed sacks. Their ability to decide something without argument or anger surprised her somewhat. She smiled at Del when he kissed her cheek and chuckled when hearing Mimi’s reproving tone.
“Oh, Nick, look who’s here! Your friend Adelard and his parents.” Mrs. Granville stepped out. “And look who they brought! That lovely young woman Sam wrote us about and her two scamps of brothers.” She bent down and lightly tweaked Skeeter’s cheek. “Aren’t you just the cutest little boy? Your brother gets all his charm from you, I’ll bet.” She straightened, examining Ellen. “Hello, young lady.” Mrs. Granville motioned Del forward. “This is your new wife?”
“Future. We’re getting married later this afternoon.”
“Why! You’re not married yet? Thank heavens!” She hurried into the house. “Nicholas! Elizabeth! Get Louisa! She has a new little friend to meet.”
“Um, Mrs. Granville?” Ellen began before a man and woman followed the older woman back outside. “I’m not sure….”
“What? Yes you are! Look at you! So lovely! I can get you a nice wedding dress, and it’ll be no trouble to decorate the house for your wedding!”
She realized the couple must be Sam’s brother and sister in law. He’d not mentioned a baby, yet the woman had a child in her arms. Ellen clasped her hands together to stop wringing them. “We’d planned on a quick ceremony in town.”
“No! You just can’t! Nick and Beth cheated me out of a wedding, and then Sam and Marie did the same thing. You simply can’t let me down now, children.”
Ellen opened her mouth to argue when a ruckus grabbed everyone’s attention. Wagons rolled toward them, the Granville one in front and what she assumed was the Allens behind them. As they drew closer, she realized it was indeed the Allens. Skeeter and Buster both hid behind her until seeing who rode up.
Sam dismounted, leading Scamp while walking with Marie. He waved, “Aren’t you all a sight for sore eyes?”
“Darling!” Mrs. Granville ran to Sam and hugged him. Letting go, she looked at Marie briefly before hugging her. “And this must be the cruel woman who took you from me.” She stepped back, still holding the woman’s arms. “Isn’t she lovely? No smart remarks, Sam, because she is.” She twirled Marie around before settling her to face her. “My goodness. No wonder he couldn’t wait. I forgive you both.”
Nick laughed. “You’re blessed. It took her a week to accept me and Beth.”
When Ellen looked from one Granville to another, and yet another, they all seemed happier than their words implied. Maybe their mother was all bluster instead of truly angry. Ellen had heard so much about Sam’s family that she enjoyed seeing all of them in person. Nicholas was just as strong looking as she’d been told, but more attractive than Sam had implied. She chalked that up to sibling rivalry because both men were similar in appearance. Their mother stood almost as tall as her sons, and Ellen wondered about their father’s height. An older man walked around the home’s corner. She knew exactly who he was without an introduction. Both younger men had their father’s eyes, even if in a variant of his brilliant blue.
“Can I guess who everyone is?” asked Mr. Granville.
Mrs. Granville clapped her hands. “Oh, yes, dearest! You’ll have to tell us.”
“This is almost too easy.” He grinned, looking a lot like Sam. “This lovely woman standing so close to my baby boy must be his Marie. Adelard seems rather possessive of the young lady he’s standing by, so I’m guessing she’s his wife, Ellen?” He peeked around her. “These two rascals must be the Winslow boys.”
“Oh, and you were doing so well too! Dearest, Adelard hasn’t made an honest woman of her yet. You only got that one fact wrong.”
“He’ll soon be correct, madam,” chimed in Del. “I’m marrying her this afternoon.”
Mrs. Granville wagged a finger at both of them. “I insist you two go to town and get married and we’ll all be right behind you. Our help can have everything ready by the time we return for a proper reception.” Mrs. Granville turned to Marie. “Darling, Beth can take you to your room and help you while I can take care of Louisa. Nick? Would you help Sam, please?”
“Certainly.”
“Good. We will be at our church and waiting. Take your time at the dressmaker’s. Getting this group to do anything timely is like herding tadpoles.” Mrs. Granville repeated everything for Del’s parents, surprising Ellen. No wonder Sam was so good at French. He couldn’t help it. Ellen turned to see the Du Boises loaded up in their wagon and waiting for her. She hurried over, letting Del help her up and beside him. Ellen decided she liked all the climbing into and out of the wagon. Each time gave her a chance to hold hands with Del. Sitting close enough to touch kept her from thinking about anything else but him. The drive to town was as pleasant as the drive from there had been. Early afternoon shadows kept them out of the sun, and she enjoyed just relaxing as much as the bumpy road would allow.
“There you are, Miss. Come with me.”
Ellen did as she was told and followed the woman to the back room. Her new dress covered a dress form. The fabric gleamed in the sunlight, and she was almost afraid to touch it.
“Go on, take and try it on.”
She lifted off the garment and hurried to the dressing room. Soon, she stepped out into the main area. If Ellen lived to be a hundred, she’d never tire of the way Del looked at her with such love.
He shook his head. “You are a master at your craft, Mrs. Johnson.”
“Thank you for the praise, Mr. Du Boise. I’ll still bill you the full amount.”
Del laughed. “I’m counting on it.” When Ellen turned back to the dressing room, he added, “Dearest, don’t change here. Grab your old dress and let’s go to the church.”
They all piled in the wagon yet again, Ellen sitting up front and feeling like a princess. Mrs.
Du Boise spread her dress skirt over hers, trying to shield her from the dust. Del squeezed her hand and she smiled up at him.
“Sis?”
She looked down to see Buster’s little face. “Yes?”
“I need to potty.”
“Now?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll stop in a moment,” said Del. He caught his father’s attention and said a few things in French.
Ellen assumed he told the other man about her brother because Mr. Du Boise grinned and nodded. He pulled up in front of the church. Mrs. Du Boise got out first and hurried into the building. Ellen glanced up into Del’s eyes one last time. “What else besides stopping here will we need to do?”
He laughed. “We don’t even need this. We’ve been married this entire time.” Del held out his hand to help her down first and then helped his mother to the ground. His father let out Skeeter first before taking Buster to potty out back.
She shook her head at both her brother relieving himself in near public and her future husband’s frivolity. “I hope he doesn’t learn to do that just anywhere.”
Del shrugged. “I did and turned out bon.”
“I—” The Granvilles’ arrival in a very nice wagon interrupted her. Everyone talked at once as they climbed out, the noise giving Ellen a slight headache. The ladies’ dresses amazed her with their color. They reminded her of flowers turned upside down. Each woman carried a basket of ribbons and flowers fresh cut. Ellen recognized some of them from the front of the Granville farm.
And the men? All of them, even the elder Mr. Granville, were handsome in their Sunday clothes. She glanced at the Du Boise father and son, biased in how she found them better looking than the other family.
Still chattering like songbirds, Marie, Beth, and Mrs. Granville hugged her on their way to the front door. Ellen couldn’t get a word in edgewise and when she started to follow, Mrs. Granville put a hand on her shoulder. “Not yet, missy. We have serious work to do.” The older woman gave her another hug before disappearing into the church.
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