“Yes?” Nate dragged the word out.
“My stepmother, Sylvia, made arrangements to go live with her sister in Virginia, and she contacted the Mail Order Bride Agency, and put my name in so I would have a place to go.” The last part she whispered.
“What made your stepmother think you would go along with that plan?”
“She said there wasn’t any room for me at her sister’s house, and given the scandal surrounding my father, no man in our circle of friends would have me.”
Nate lifted her from his lap, and stood. He walked to the sink and leaned against it, his legs crossed at the ankles, his hands in his pockets. “Are you telling me you have no idea how to cook, clean, do laundry, take care of children, or anything else?”
“Yes, that’s right.” She wrung her hands. “I am so sorry my stepmother did this to you.”
He frowned. “What about the letters?”
“Sylvia wrote them. I didn’t know about any of this until the day before I left. She handed me the packet of letters you had sent, the same time she gave me the train tickets.”
Her stomach clenched as she waited for his anger to erupt. He looked at her with no expression for a minute, and then shook his head.
When he said nothing, she added, “I can try to get a job, and pay back the money you spent. I’m not quite sure what kind of a position I could get, but there must be someone in town who could use help, and then after I’ve paid you back, I’ll save for my stagecoach fare back to New York . . .”
Her voice drifted off as she stared at him, wiping the tears from her face. He stood perfectly still, making her wonder if her revelations had caused his mind to snap, and she should grab the baby and run.
Nate closed his eyes and rubbed his temples with a thumb and forefinger, as if the pain in his head was incredible.
“Are you mad?” she whispered.
“I’m not sure what I am right now. I just need time to think.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Since I have a family to support, I have to leave for work now. Get Luke and John to help you. They may not be strong enough to do much, but they know what has to be done.”
Staring at her for a moment, he leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. Still shaking his head, he stooped to kiss Julia-Rose, then walked to the door.
“By the way.” He put his hat on, and reached for the doorknob. “Be sure to get an ‘okay’ from Dr. Penrose today.”
He hadn’t taken her up on the offer to find a job. And he didn’t order her out of the house, so with a sense of relief, she went to the pantry, and brought out the loaf of bread Mrs. Darby had made yesterday to go with today’s supper. She sliced off a piece, smeared it with jam and cut it into little pieces. Julia-Rose grabbed at one of the small squares before she could even put them on the table. Poor baby must have been starving.
Julia-Rose looked up at Angel with her baby smile and cooed, “Mama.”
“Yes, you’re right, little one.” Angel pushed the baby’s hair back off her forehead. “I am your Mama, and I will do this job.”
Now that her confession was out, a sense of peace descended, something she hadn’t felt in a long time. It surprised her how much she wanted this to work. After only a week of her new life, the old one seemed somewhat frivolous. Shopping, parties, teas, and visiting made up her days. Evenings included musicales, concerts and balls. She hadn’t realized how tired she’d become of it all.
Even the men who’d pursued her were tiresome. Conve
rsation was never serious, always light chatting, with the suggestion of naughtiness underlying the bantering. Friends who’d married grew tired of their mates rather quickly, and began to eye other men almost as soon as the requisite two children had arrived.
No doubt this life would be hard work, but the rewards just as great. If she took it slow, and gave herself time to learn everything. Mrs. Darby had given her a good start, and she’d catch on. In the meantime, things couldn’t possibly be any worse here than they were before she’d arrived. She hoped, anyway.
Nate rotated his shoulders as he sat behind the counter in his gun shop. He stared into space as he ran the conversation with Angel through his mind. She sure had him fooled. It had crossed his mind to wonder why she would have all those fancy dresses. And if he had been more observant, he would have guessed her hands were not those of someone used to hard work.
That she apologized for what her stepmother had done, and didn’t feel sorry for herself being thrown into this situation, said a lot about her character. Given her spirit and her willingness to try, this just might work. He groaned, thinking about all the burned meals and ruined clothes in his future.
Of course, her being a beauty, with a curvy woman’s figure to go with it, he may be able to overlook any deficiencies she might have. He chuckled, thinking how getting a glimpse of his wife’s body, during Dr. Penrose’s examination, changed his mind about wanting a plain woman.
He’d also had time to see her with his children. Julia-Rose, Matt and the twins were already taken with Angel. Mark remained a bit of a holdout, but seeing as how he had been Amy’s favorite, he had felt her death more than the rest of them, so that was to be expected. One thing he was certain of. Based on events so far, life with his new wife would not be dull.
After Angel had cleaned up from breakfast, which involved mostly throwing it away, she got out the list Mrs. Darby made for her and saw that today was major laundry, not the little bit she did every day to keep up.
She went out the back door and called John and Luke. They ran up the steps, giggling and pushing.
“Did you do your chores?” she asked when they finally quieted down.