Gold Rush Bride

by Shirley Kennedy

  She’d asked a good question. The hordes of gold seekers in Panama City were broke, hungry and desperate to get to the gold fields. When a ship arrived, and eventually one would, there was bound to be trouble. “As long as you have your tickets, you should be fine.”

  Relief flooded her face. “Then I shouldn’t be concerned?”

  “Certainly not.” He wasn’t being entirely truthful, but no sense letting her worry. Besides, she had him to protect her. He’d make sure she was safe no matter what. Strange. Never had he felt so protective of a woman before. Sympathy for her plight was the reason. No, not really. Why fool himself? Several times during their stroll, when they’d passed groups of unruly men, she’d taken his arm and pressed close. Once, he’d even had to put his arm around her shoulders to shield her. Each time they touched, a spike of heat caught him low, in that part of himself not the least consumed with grief, shock and remorse. He was aware of her in every pore of his body—her nearness, the scent of her, the heat of her skin.

  He’d better get her back to the hotel.

  * * * *

  When they went on their stroll, never had Letty been so acutely conscious of a man as she was of Garth Morgan. Something about him had changed. At first, she couldn’t fathom what was different about him. Only gradually did she realize that the touch of conceit she’d found so distasteful had disappeared. Not that he’d turned humble. He could never be humble, but he wasn’t so full of himself, so infuriatingly self-confident. As they walked through the city, her conduct had been downright shameful, the way she’d pretended an interest in old stone churches and picturesque shops when each time they touched, her senses went spinning, and all she could think about was she wanted more of his touch, more of him. Once, when he’d had to put his arm around her shoulders, she wanted to lean against him, bask in the lovely feeling of warmth and protection he gave her. A good thing he didn’t know what she was thinking. He was only being the chivalrous gentleman, protecting her from ruffians on the street. Little did he know how acutely aware she was of his touch.

  Night was falling when they got back to the hotel. They walked through the crowded lobby, up two flights of stairs to her room. “Good-bye for now,” he said at her door. “Would you care to have dinner later? We can eat right here in the hotel.”

  She was pleased he asked. “Of course.” She opened the door and peaked in. Elfreda was still sleeping, so she shut it again. “She’s so exhausted, I don’t want to disturb her.”

  “Then don’t.” He quirked an eyebrow. “You could wait in the lobby, but it’s crowded and noisy. I suggest my room.”

  Go to his room? Considering her current mood, she could guess what would happen if she did. Why hadn’t she answered with an instant no? In Boston, she wouldn’t have dreamed of taking such leave of her common sense, but that was a lifetime ago—back in the days when dignity and decorum ranked high on her acceptable behavior list. Back when she considered the placement of the china and silverware on her dining room table of the utmost importance. Not anymore. Those senseless rules she’d lived by didn’t matter, nor would they ever again. She would do what she pleased, and what pleased her at the moment was the tantalizing thought of being alone with Garth in his hotel room.

  Only…

  What was she doing? Why had she come on this journey? The future of her family rested on her shoulders, yet here she was, about to dally with a man in his hotel room. How disgraceful. If she had any honor at all, she’d curb her foolish emotions and concentrate on the precious papers pinned inside her bodice. “Thank you, but I’d better not. You know what happened last time.” She opened the door again. “I’ll just be careful not to disturb Elfreda.”

  A faint light twinkled in the depths of his blue eyes. “Let’s talk about last time. Did I force myself upon you? Did you run screaming from my room?”

  “That’s not the point.”

  “Then what is the point?”

  Why must he pursue such an uncomfortable subject? She had to stop and think. “The point is you kissed me.”

  “And you didn’t object.”

  She wished she could argue, but now he was staring at her with such a piercing gaze she wouldn’t dare. Her answer called for the truth and nothing but. “All right, I didn’t run screaming from your room, but the fact is, such a relationship between us would never work.”

  He sighed patiently. “And that’s because?”

  “Because…” The words stuck in her throat.

  He smiled at her as if she were a small child. “Because you still think I took your brother’s money.”

  “Well…yes, but more that—”

  “I see.” His expression held a note of mockery. “Then I won’t trouble you further. Good day, Miss Tinsley.” He turned and started away.

  She called after him, “But I didn’t…”

  No use finishing because he kept on walking, his powerful body moving with easy grace. Oh, damn. She lifted her hands up and let them fall. The damage was done. She slipped inside, shut the door, pressed her back against it and closed her eyes. Was she crazy? Her breath caught in a surge of yearning so abrupt and intense her legs went weak. But she must be strong. She would be strong. She had only to think of her family to be reminded of all the reasons why she would not fall into the arms of the charming, irresistible Garth Morgan.

  Still lying on her bed, Elfreda opened one eye and sniffed. “Sometimes you don’t have the sense of a goose.”

  Letty lifted her chin. “When I want your opinion, I shall ask.”

  “He’s a good man.” Elfreda closed her eyes and turned her back.

  Why must Elfreda be so perceptive? And why do I feel so sick at heart when I know I did the right thing?

  Chapter 13

  A week went by, then two, and not a ship in sight. The crowds sleeping on the streets and on the beaches grew ever more impatient and unruly. The lucky ones staying in the hotels grew just as impatient and petrified with boredom, Letty included. Grateful though she was for their comfortable room, she grew to hate the unending monotony of days that dragged by with little to do. She wished she could visit with Betsey, but her Irish friend’s employers had chosen another hotel, and the streets were so unsafe they rarely saw each other.

  Only Garth made the waiting bearable. A day after their painful conversation at her door, she encountered him in the hallway. She wouldn’t have been surprised if he’d walked by without speaking, but to her great relief, he stopped and asked, “Are you up for another walk?”

  So he wasn’t angry, thank goodness. Of course she said yes, and they took to walking daily, her only chance to get away from the boredom of the hotel. Sometimes Mathew came along, sometimes Elfreda, who loved to visit the street vendors and buy mangos, guavas, papayas and other fruits she’d never seen before. Sometimes they stopped by the steamship office, hoping there’d been some word of the Panama. The answer was always no. But whether Letty was alone with Garth or not, the intimacy they’d shared on that first walk was gone. He was the soul of politeness and courtesy. So was she. They were only friends now, which was, of course, what she wanted.

  They were into the third week of their stay when Letty awoke one morning to the sounds of cheers and shouting from the streets. A ship had arrived. Letty hurriedly dressed and went downstairs with Elfreda. “Which ship is it?” she inquired of the desk clerk.

  “It’s the SS Panama, ma’am.”

  At last! She and Elfreda exchanged delighted smiles. She turned back to the clerk. “Do you know when we can board her?”

  “It’s not that easy. They’ve anchored the Panama a mile and a half from shore. You’ll need a boat to get out there.”

  “Why can’t it come closer?”

  The clerk regarded her with amusement. “Haven’t you noticed? Panama City isn’t much of a port. It has no docks, so ships must anchor out to sea. But I doubt the captain of the Panama would dock here even if he could. He’d have a riot on his
hands. There’s a mob of thousands out there, every last one of them wanting to board his ship so they can get to the gold.”

  “But I have tickets.”

  “They’d be worth a fortune if you care to sell them. There are speculators who will buy your tickets right now—give you double, maybe triple, what you paid. Then they turn around and sell them at enormous prices.”

  “But then I’d have to wait for the next ship.”

  The clerk shrugged. “There’s some who are willing to give up their tickets for a good enough price.”

  “Not me.” Letty turned from the counter and spoke to Elfreda. “I’ve got to make sure they’ll honor our tickets. Come on, we’re going to the steamship office right now.”

  “I wouldn’t if I were you, ma’am,” the clerk said. “If you must venture out, at least wait for an escort.”

  Elfreda pursed her lips. “I dunno, Miss Letty. Are you sure we’ll be safe? There’s a bunch of crazy people out there.”

  Safe or not safe, it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t spend one more day in this wretched town if she didn’t have to. Letty headed for the door. “Come on, Elfreda. We’re going.”

  From the moment they left the hotel, Letty realized she may have made a mistake. The streets had always been crowded and noisy, but the arrival of a ship had put the whole city in a state of pandemonium. Up to now, the crowds of gold seekers might at times have been impatient and unruly, but at least they were under control. Not this morning. Chaos ruled the streets with excited men yelling and cursing. Horses, dogs, mules and other animals ran in all directions. The closer Letty and Elfreda got to the steamship office, the more packed the street became and the more they were pushed and jostled. The whole world seemed headed for the same place. A half block from their goal, they found themselves wedged in a mob so thick and jammed together they could hardly move forward. In no time, they couldn’t move at all.

  “I don’t like this,” Elfreda cried.

  “Neither do I.” Letty tried to keep the fear from her voice, but with bodies pressing tight all around her, desperate men sweating, cursing, pushing and snarling, it was all she could do not to panic. She’d never seen men act this way, like animals with any semblance of courtesy and good manners completely abandoned. The crowd pressed tighter still. Someone’s elbow jammed into her ribs. She couldn’t move on her own, only when the crowd moved, as if she were caught in a giant wave.

  “Miss Letty, I’m getting crushed. I can’t breathe.”

  She, too, was having trouble getting enough air. “It’ll be all right, Elfreda. Try to take deep breaths.” Trapped. Dear God, what had she done? She’d heard the horror stories about crowds that panicked and how people got crushed and trampled to death. Now she understood how such a horror could happen. How foolish she’d been not to listen to the clerk’s advice, but too late now. The crowd pressed tighter still. Can’t breathe… Need air…

  “Letty, where are you?”

  The faint voice came from a far distance. She didn’t have enough breath to answer.

  “Letty? Elfreda?”

  Garth’s voice. Closer now.

  With all her might, she drew air into her lungs. “We’re here, Garth! Here!”

  Only moments passed before the bodies that had pressed so close were one by one yanked away. She could breathe. The elbow no longer jammed into her ribs. Garth appeared, fists clenched, breathing hard, as if he’d gone through a major battle to reach them.

  “Oh, Garth, I—”

  “Don’t talk.” As he spoke, the crowd began to close back in. “Do as I tell you. Letty, get behind me and hang on. Elfreda, you get behind Letty. Hold her tight and don’t let go.”

  Letty wrapped her arms around Garth’s waist and hung on while he began shoving his way through the crowd, clearing a path so they could follow. Elfreda’s arms tightened around her. A man of lesser strength could never have managed, but amidst a cacophony of shouted oaths and angry jeers, Garth shoved, punched and elbowed his way through the mob until finally they burst through the edge.

  Open space. She could breathe again. She wasn’t going to get trampled. Letty put her hands on her knees and sucked in gulps of precious air. She looked at Garth. “How can I ever thank you?”

  He couldn’t answer right away. He was catching his breath, tucking his shirt in and straightening his coat that had come half off. His knuckles were scratched and bloody. He reached for a handkerchief to wipe the blood away. “How can you thank me? I’d suggest by not acting as stupid as you did just now. What were you thinking?”

  “The Panama’s here. I had to see about—”

  “The tickets?” he asked in a scathing voice. “You could have been killed in that mob. Elfreda, too.” He paused as if to calm himself. “Your tickets are good. I’ll see to that. We’re going back to the hotel which you should never have left in the first place.”

  He was angry. Letty didn’t dare say another word as she and Elfreda followed him through the still-chaotic streets back to the Americana Hotel. He left them in the lobby, curtly saying, “Stay in your room. Be ready to leave. You’ll hear from me.”

  Letty watched him walk away. “He’s furious. I’m surprised he still wants to help me.”

  Elfreda’s eyes narrowed in disgust. “Miss Letty, sometimes you really do act stupid. Can’t you see the man’s in love with you?”

  “No, I can’t see that at all.”

  “Then you know less about men than I thought you did, and that wasn’t much in the first place.” Elfreda looked toward the stairs. “Let’s get back to the room. From now on, you’d better listen to what Mr. Morgan says.”

  Letty was in no mood to argue. She’d made a terrible mistake which, thanks only to Garth, hadn’t ended in disaster. Elfreda was crazy if she thought Garth was in love with her, though. More likely, he could hardly stand the sight of her. “All right,” she said in a chastened voice, “We’ll go to our room and wait.”

  The soft knock came in the middle of the night. Letty quietly opened the door and found Mathew outside. He stepped in and whispered, “Are you ready?”

  “We’re dressed, packed and I’ve settled my bill.”

  “Then come with me.”

  Carrying their luggage, they followed Mathew from the hotel. A horse and carriage with a native driver awaited them on the street in front. “Shh, quiet,” Mathew whispered as they loaded the luggage and climbed in. “That mob will be after us if they know what we’re up to.”

  The carriage started out, moving slowly through the moonlit night. “Just what are we up to?” Elfreda spoke softly in a worried voice.

  Mathew replied, “Don’t worry. Mr. Morgan arranged this. He knows what he’s doing.”

  Letty expected they would head for the city beach, but the driver headed north. Soon they were out of the city on a narrow, bumpy road. She had no idea how much time passed before the carriage made an abrupt turn west, toward the ocean. They came to a beach that seemed deserted with no houses or lights in sight. The carriage came to a halt close to the sound of waves breaking against the shore. Garth appeared out of the darkness. “Hurry, the ship won’t wait forever.”

  Letty wanted to tell him how glad she was to see him, but before she could, other figures appeared—silent natives who took their luggage and disappeared toward the sound of the waves.

  Mathew helped Elfreda from the carriage. Garth extended his hand to Letty. “Where are we going?” she asked as she stepped down.

  “With a little luck, San Francisco. I warn you, you might get a little wet.”

  They walked to the shoreline. In the moonlight, Letty saw a long, narrow canoe bobbing in the water beyond the breaking waves. Elfreda took one look and started shaking her head. “Is that boat waiting for us, Mr. Morgan?”

  “Indeed it is.”

  “How are we supposed to get out there?”

  “Nothing to worry about, Elfreda.” Garth nodded at the natives. “They’ll
carry you on their backs.”

  “What?” Letty gasped. “I could never—”

  Before she could finish, a sturdy-looking native appeared before her, turned his back and knelt down. “Climb on,” Garth said.

  “I can’t.”

  “You can and you will.” He chuckled. “Or would you rather get soaking wet wading through the surf? Or you’ve got another choice. You can spend the rest of your life in beautiful Panama City.”

  “That’s not funny.” Climb on a strange man’s back? How could she possibly? And yet what choice did she have? “All right, I’ll do it.”

  “It’s only past the waves. Hike up your skirt.”

  No sense arguing. She hiked up her skirt and wrapped her arms around the dark-skinned man’s neck. As he rose, he clasped his arms around her legs. Dear Lord, yet another indignity to be borne. Was she too heavy? He wasn’t a big man, not much taller than she, yet she might have been a feather with the effortless way he carried her. She held tight as he walked into the surf. Looking to her right, she saw her maid beside her, on a wiry native’s back, hanging on for dear life. “Are you all right, Elfreda?”

  “I don’t know about this, Miss Letty.”

  “Neither do I, but just hang on.”

  Quickly they got beyond the breaking waves. The long canoe awaited them, already loaded with their luggage. Strong hands lifted her and Elfreda on board. Garth and Mathew waded through the surf on their own and soon joined them.

  “That had to be the worst part,” she murmured to Elfreda as the natives started to row.

  Mathew overheard. “Don’t count on it, Miss Tinsley. We’re not there yet.”

  As they moved over the moonlit water, Letty’s racing pulse gradually returned to normal as the realization of where she was and what she was doing struck home. Mother, Millicent, William, Mr. Winslow, all her friends—how she wished they could see her at this moment. No one would have thought it possible that Letty Tinsley, the unadventurous soul of propriety and correctness, could be gliding across the Pacific Ocean in a native canoe with a canopy of stars overhead while heading for a strange ship waiting out at sea. What an adventure this was, and she was lucky to be a part of it. Despite all the fears and hardships, she was glad she came. Otherwise, she would never have left the rigid confines of Boston, would never have known how different and fascinating life could be on the far side of the world. Garth sat directly ahead of her, shoulders silhouetted in the moonlight. She would never have gotten to know him, would never have known the sweet torture of yearning for a man she couldn’t have.