The Golden Bride

by Kimberley Woodhouse

  Olivia turned her back and walked toward one of the windows. Something didn’t set right with her, and frankly, it hurt that Joseph didn’t bring them the news himself. What did it mean that they wouldn’t see him for a while? Couldn’t he work a few days at the mine and come back every once in a while? Why did he have to stay there? As she turned back around to voice her questions, she noticed Daniel nod and put something in his pocket. Had Dewei given him some other clue?

  “Thank you for coming.” Daniel bowed and then Dewei bowed.

  The man quickly left the dining room.

  Her brother gave her a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes and shrugged. “Well, I guess we’ll see Joseph soon.” He walked away, and Olivia could only stare after him—all her questions left unspoken.

  What wasn’t Daniel telling her?

  The floor underneath her boots creaked and echoed as Olivia paced back and forth in their parlor. For weeks, she hadn’t seen Joseph or heard a word from him. It was already December. It should be a time of celebrating Christ’s birth. A time for church, carols, and baking goodies for Christmas treats. But no. The longer Joseph was gone, the more her worry grew.

  It didn’t help that Daniel had been tight-lipped on the subject. He’d continually tried to convince her that sometimes business had to take the forefront, especially when it was as crucial as this was. Whatever that meant. What did her brother even know about gold mining?

  She rubbed her forehead as she made another pass on the floor. Her biggest problem was that she’d really come to care for Joseph Sawyer. But as each day went by, she began to increasingly doubt his care for her. Then that ugly negativity and anger would rear its head, and she’d think that he was just like all the other gold diggers. He might have put on a good facade for a while, but as soon as his gold called, he answered. She let out a huff. Maybe this was for the best. If the man was only caught up in making money then he wasn’t the man for her. Maybe she should put all thoughts of Joseph Sawyer out of her mind.

  Which should be easy to do. Daniel’s other restaurant was finished. As of tomorrow, she was officially the manager of Livingston’s Restaurant. She’d have plenty of things to keep her busy and keep her mind off a handsome blond man with brown eyes. If only she could convince her heart of that.

  Over time, Joseph had gotten used to the stench of the docks and all the workers who didn’t seem to care about bathing. Ever. Well, at least he’d gotten to the point where he didn’t want to throw up every thirty minutes. He’d built some good relationships with the workers and gained their trust and comradery. But so far, no proof. No evidence. No witnesses.

  “Borden!” his boss called for him. Joey Borden had become his alias. At least Joey helped him recognize when he was being called since he’d been called that as a kid.

  “Aye!” He walked over to the man. He’d been working on his dock accent and had it down to a science. But man, he would be so ready to get back to his real world … and take a bath.

  “You and Lucky over there need to deliver this pile of crates to this address.” The boss handed Joseph a slip of paper.

  “Sure thing, boss.” Joseph—Joey—smacked his State of Maine Pure Spruce Gum like all the other dock workers. Ever since a ship from the Northeast had come with this new invention, all the men had taken it up since they weren’t allowed to chew tobacco and spit while they worked. Joseph didn’t mind too much because at least it helped the smell.

  He and Lucky loaded the crates into a wagon and took off for their delivery. Each time he’d been called out for a job like this, Joseph hoped that he would see or find something—anything—that would help the police, but so far … nothing. When they arrived at the address, they headed for the back door, where most people wanted their deliveries. This wasn’t a building he was familiar with, but his senses went on high alert. Every window had dark drapes just like the others on Pacific Street.

  “Let’s get ‘em unloaded.” Lucky was a hulk of a man and started with the heaviest of the load. “I’ll hand ‘em down to you, Joey.”

  “Gotcha.” He smacked his gum again.

  When the last of the crates were unloaded, he went and knocked on the back door. It flew open. A man at least twice his weight blocked the door and scowled at him around the cigar between his lips.

  “We got a delivery.” Joseph tried to sound nonchalant.

  “Wait there.” The man pulled the door closed, but it didn’t latch and slowly inched open. Inside, a mound of people were huddled, chained together, some half-naked, and fear all over their faces. Joseph looked back at Lucky. The man’s eyes were wide.

  Joseph had to think fast. They had two witnesses. He closed the door and waited for the man to return, hoping the man wouldn’t know they’d seen anything. If they could successfully make the delivery and hightail it to the police office and if he could convince Lucky to testify, there was a chance that those people could be saved tonight.

  The door opened again, the man filling the doorway. “Leave it there. We’ll take care of it.”

  Joseph shrugged. “Hey, if we don’t havta haul it in, that’s less work for us.” He handed the man the page to sign for the delivery. The man scribbled his name and then slammed the door again. This time, Joseph heard a lock click into place.

  He ran back to the wagon. “Lucky.”

  “Yeah.”

  “You saw that.”

  “Yeah.”

  “We gotta do something about it.”

  The big man just sat there.

  “Please, Lucky. We gotta do something, and we gotta do it now.”

  It took a few minutes to convince the big man to help, but Joseph finally did it. They went straight to Captain Fallon, where they gave their testimonies about what they had witnessed, and Fallon dismissed Lucky and thanked him for his service to his city. The dock worker lifted his shoulders a bit and walked out of the station with his head held a bit higher than before. Maybe this experience had done the man some good. Maybe he would come forward again if he ever saw something like this.

  Fallon sat on the corner of his desk and motioned Joseph closer. “We’ll check this out right now. Come by tomorrow with a delivery of something—I don’t care what—just find an excuse to get here, and I’ll let you know what happened.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “And Joey?” The captain used his alias. “If you can, find a way to take a bath.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Olivia walked down the busy street beside Julia, with Daniel not far behind them. One thing she’d noticed since she and Julia had become friends was that the men wouldn’t speak to either of them when they were together. While it made things feel a bit safer, it didn’t help her feel any more comfortable. But she really didn’t care. Julia was a child of God and forgiven. She’d given up her former life and sincerely wanted to do good. Not that many people believed it. At least not yet. But there had been several positive comments about her brothel being gone. Would she ever be known as anything other than a madam?

  If Olivia had anything to do with it, she’d see to it that things changed. They’d had an influx of families arrive recently. There were men wanting to start businesses who came with their wives and children. That had to make a difference. At least Olivia hoped so.

  Daniel stepped up next to them. “The curtains look great in the restaurant by the way.”

  “Thank you.” It had taken her a lot longer than she’d expected to hand-sew curtains for every one of the large windows. Then she’d had to sew ones for the new restaurant as well. “I’m glad that project is done. It’s a good thing Julia helped me or I might never have finished.”

  “Well, they look great. The customers talk about them a lot.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “So … how are you doing with Joseph gone?”

  Exactly the topic she didn’t want to talk about. “I’m fine.”

  “No, you’re not.” Julia leaned around her and spoke to her brother. “She misses him a lot.”
/>
  “I know she does. She’s in love with him.” He nodded.

  “And she used to talk about him all the time.”

  “I know. Joseph this and Joseph that. I kinda miss it.” Daniel looked amused.

  “I’m standing right here in the middle of you two, so there’s no need to talk about me like I’m not here.”

  “I’m sorry for teasing, Livvy.”

  “We’re just concerned about you.” Julia turned toward her and put a hand on her hip as she walked.

  Olivia came to a stop in the street. “Must we discuss this now?”

  Daniel sighed. “Sorry.”

  Julia didn’t say a word.

  They all started walking again. For several moments, the lack of conversation stretched over them until Olivia couldn’t take it anymore.

  “I don’t understand why I haven’t heard from him. I thought he felt the same way about me that I felt about him.”

  Her brother patted her arm. “He does, Livvy. I know he does.”

  “Well, I’m glad you know that, but it’s not so easy for me. I’ve never been in love before.”

  Julia gasped next to her. “But I thought you were a widow?”

  With a sigh, Olivia shook her head. This was not a good time for her to talk about the past, not when she’d worked so hard to let it go. “It’s a long story.”

  “Maybe another time then.” Julia fiddled with the string on her reticule.

  “Livvy, it seems like you’re holding something back from us. I thought we decided that we were all in this together? Don’t you remember at Bible study the other day?”

  “That’s when we were talking about our city and all the changes. It had nothing to do with Joseph and his absence.”

  Julia stopped and put both hands on her hips. The look she gave Olivia was quite severe. “I can’t believe you would stand there and say that after all we’ve been through together the past few weeks. All the things you’ve had to endure because you took in a scorned woman. Me! How dare you belittle our friendship like that.”

  The scolding hit her straight in the heart. It was true. They deserved her honesty. “I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to put it into words because it hurts too much.” She looked at her brother and saw his concern for her etched on his brow. “And I didn’t want you to be hurt either. But if you want to know the truth, I’ve been asking God to remove my feelings for Joseph if it’s His will.”

  “Whatever for? The man loves you.” Daniel’s voice held disbelief and a bit of shock.

  “It’s just been so long. And I’m beginning to think that he’s just like all the other gold miners. He doesn’t care about me at all. Maybe he never did. Just the gold.”

  Joseph carried a crate of soap on his shoulder. The only excuse he could find was that the police captain needed soap and a shipment had just come in. His boss didn’t seem to care or suspect a thing. But as he walked up the hill to the office, his stomach churned. Were they able to rescue all those people? And even if they had, there were probably a lot more hidden in other buildings around town. Or did the police arrest the men working at the building and get them to give up their boss? That would be too easy, but it sure would be nice if it were true. Joseph missed Olivia more than he could say.

  And he missed his bed. And clean clothes. And a clean-shaven face. He’d kept his bald look and grown a mustache and beard while he’d been working at the docks. He doubted anyone would recognize him, because he didn’t even recognize himself in the mirror.

  Prayerfully, Dewei had gotten the message to Daniel and Olivia and then the note to Daniel. He had no idea, though, if his friend would understand the message. If something happened to Joseph, would anyone know? He should have given his friend some kind of clue to a timeline or when to look for him, but he hadn’t.

  One of the sergeants opened the door for him as Joseph approached.

  “I got some soap for the captain.”

  “Right this way.” The man led him to Fallon’s desk.

  “Got your order, sir.” He let the crate thump on the floor. He held out the paper for Fallon to sign.

  The captain came close and signed the page. “The building was completely empty. We’ve got nothing to go on.” He let out a long sigh. “I’m sorry.”

  His stomach plummeted. This was not how it was supposed to go. They’d seen it with their own eyes. How did they empty that building so fast?

  Joseph tried to keep a straight face. “I’ll keep at it, sir.” Discouragement flooded his being as he turned and walked out of the building. At this rate, he might never get to go home. But he had to keep trying. He’d promised Dewei. And he’d seen it for himself—people chained up, starving, and in fear.

  As he walked back to the docks, he jammed his hands into his pockets. His shoulders slumped with the weight of all that had transpired, and he had no way to do anything about it. Spying was an awful business. It took stealth, diligence, and patience. Too much patience. He wasn’t sure how much more he could take.

  A shove from behind pushed him down the hill. He rolled and tried to stop himself, but someone jumped on top of him and threw a bag over his head. Then something heavy hit the left side of his head. Everything went black.

  Beads of sweat ran down Olivia’s back. Being the manager was wonderful some days and horrible the next. Today, cook had needed help in the kitchen when one of his workers fell ill. Olivia had done all she could to keep up and deal with the heat from the stoves and ovens at the same time. How did Daniel manage this?

  Two hours later, the lunch rush was over, and Olivia raced up the stairs to change her clothes. She was basically soaked through. She had to find something cooler to wear if she was going to survive the day.

  Footsteps sounded on the stairs, and she prepared for a knock on their home door. Scurrying around, she threw on a clean dress and went to the door, but it swung open and Daniel stood there—his face ashen.

  “What is it? What’s wrong?” Heart racing, she stepped back to allow him entrance.

  Her brother came forward and gripped her hands. “Dewei is here to see us.”

  “Oh no!” Sobs choked her throat. “Not Joseph … please tell me. He’s all right, isn’t he?”

  He led her to the settee. “Wait here for a minute.” He went to his room and returned with a note. “I don’t know what’s happened. I’m pretty sure that Joseph was spying for the police. Read this. Dewei gave this to me that day he came to see us to tell us about Joseph’s mine.” He handed her the paper.

  Our project has come to fruition. I will be busy with this new job. Please pray that we find all the treasure that we can. The wharf is beautiful this time of year.

  It didn’t make any sense to her. “What does it mean? And why didn’t you tell me about it?”

  “Because Dewei told me it was very private. As to the meaning, I’m not entirely sure, but I was hoping that the project is about the slaves and children we’d heard rumors about. Busy with the new job could allude to the mine, but I don’t think so—I think that was to throw anyone else off if they saw the note. The new job is most likely what he’s doing for Captain Fallon. Remember, the day he left—the day Dewei came to see us—he had a meeting with the captain.” He let his finger slide down the writing. “I’m assuming treasure means people. But again, he was trying not to give anything away to people who might see this. And the only thing I can figure for the last statement is that the something has to do with a job down near the water. So if we don’t hear from him, maybe go look for him down at the docks?”

  “So you’re saying you don’t think he’s at the mine?”

  “No. I’m positive he’s not at the mine.”

  Her heart unclenched. Relief over why he left engulfed her, and then it was replaced by worry and fear. If he wasn’t at the mine and Daniel’s assumptions were correct, that meant that Joseph was in a lot of danger.

  “Are you okay with me bringing Dewei up here?”

  She nodded and wiped a te
ar that streaked down her cheek.

  In a moment, Daniel returned with Joseph’s foreman.

  The man bowed. “Need your help, please.”

  “Of course. Anything we can do.” She offered him a seat.

  The man sat on the edge of the cushion. “I follow Mr. Sawyer often at the docks. He no tell me what he do, but family”—the man pointed to his chest—”Dewei’s family Mr. Sawyer try to save.” The man let his chin drop for a moment then lifted it and looked into her eyes. “Three days ago, Mr. Sawyer disappear.”

  She put her hand over her mouth.

  Daniel put a hand on her knee. “Do you have any idea what happened to him?”

  Dewei looked back and forth between the two of them. “Saw someone hit his head and drag away. Was too far away to follow. When Dewei catch up, they gone.”

  “I don’t know what to do, Livvy. I feel completely helpless.” Daniel paced in the parlor while she tore apart a pillow that had started to fray. Five days had passed since Dewei’s visit. Nothing could ease the ache she felt in her heart. Christmas was two days away, and Joseph was missing.

  Oh, Lord, please keep him alive and well.

  The prayer had become her constant because she didn’t know what else to do. Daniel had visited Captain Fallon, but there was no news. Sadly, the police chief believed that the reason Joseph was taken was because there was someone on the police force who had been bought by whomever was behind the slave ring. He’d told them that he’d suspected it for a while and didn’t think that anyone had overheard his conversation with Joseph, but he couldn’t be certain.

  “Is there anything else we can try?” She knew it was grasping, but she had to ask.

  “I don’t know. I’ve been wracking my brain, and Dewei has searched high and low for answers. The only thing that we can figure is that someone got wind of Joseph spying for the police. I take comfort in the fact that they didn’t kill him right away, so hopefully they don’t know who he is either.”