CHAPTER7
The closer the time came for the party, the more nervous Daisy became. She and Mary were sharing a room at the Owens’s house.
“What if I can’t do this, Mary?” she asked. “Since the attempted rape, no man has kissed me or looked at me. What if I start screaming when they touch me?”
Mary walked over to her and took her hands. “Daisy, let it go. I know that what Thomas did to you was wrong, but this is a different city. A different life and these men are different.”
That was true, but the memory of Thomas tying her wrists together then pulling down her bodice exposing her breasts and the struggle she put up fighting him until he slapped her, caused panic to race through her. And yet her father had believed him when Thomas said that she was willing, even encouraging him to take her.
With a sigh, she did her best to erase the memory of that night.
“What should I tell them when they ask me why I left Charleston? I don’t want to tell that sordid story and have them gaze at me with pity, or even worse, no longer believing I’m a virgin,” she said, hanging her head.
Why did such a horrible event happen to her?
But she wouldn’t be here in Treasure Falls if the attempted rape had not happened. Now, it was time to turn that horrible time into something that made her happy.
“Look at me,” Mary said. “You’re beautiful. You tell them there were no men in Charleston you were interested in. It’s not a total lie, and after what Thomas did, no man would have you, so it works.”
With a sigh, she knew Mary was right, but what if they tried to kiss her? How would she react?
“Thank you, Mary. You always make me feel better.”
It was true, she had become such a good friend.
“Are you ready?”
“Yes,” Daisy said.
“Now remember, smile, laugh, and have fun. You deserve to be happy. You deserve this second chance,” Mary told her.
Daisy stared at her friend. She knew she had a secret, but Mary had never told her. One day, she hoped Mary would trust her enough to confide in her what happened to send her running, because she had been on the run.
With a deep breath, she smiled. “I will. Now, what man are you looking at?”
“Andrew Larsen, though his friend Jesse Sanders is not bad either.”
They had been the first men to greet them when they stepped off the stage, but Daisy still had her eyes on Lee and his friend Ellis.
“How about you?”
“Oh, Lee is the one that I immediately felt drawn to.”
“Well, let’s go meet our new husbands,” Mary said as Aunt Grace knocked on the door. As she opened the door, a smile spread across her face. “See you downstairs.”
Daisy tried to calm her rapidly beating heart as Aunt Grace motioned it was her time to walk downstairs.
She lifted the front of her yellow gown and stepped outside onto the landing and then strolled down the stairs, her head held high, a smile on her face as she gazed at the eager eyes watching her descend.
No longer would she let what Thomas did to her affect her in any way. Tonight she was going to take charge of her life and start over. This was the new beginning she deserved.
When she reached the floor, the doctor came over and escorted her to stand by Mary. Then the other girls came down the stairs until they all were in the same room.
The doctor stood between the men and women.
“Welcome, ladies, we’re so glad you’re here. Tonight is a chance for all of you to get to know one another. The men will tell you who their partner is so you’ll get to know both of the men at once. You have two weeks to make up your mind before we will have a wedding ceremony right here in the house. You’ll marry one man and the other will be your second husband.”
What? Did he just say they would have two husbands? She glanced at Mary who was standing there stiff and Daisy could see she was just as stunned as she was.
“Excuse me,” Rose Patton said. “What are you talking about two husbands?”
There was chattering among the women.
“In Treasure Falls, there are two husbands for each woman. We have lived this way for many years due to the shortage of women. This way if one husband is killed, the second man is there to make certain the family is taken care of.”
Shocked, Daisy didn’t know what to think. And yet, she could not return to Charleston. Not only would she have nowhere to go, but Thomas would most definitely be trying to find her and punish her for what she’d done to him.
Two husbands…
“Quiet please,” the doctor said.
“I’m sorry, but we were not told this,” Mary said. “We thought we were coming to a place where there was just one man for each woman.”
Could she live with two men? Have sex with both of them. Bear both of their children?
Jesse walked up beside his uncle. “This has been our way for many different reasons since Treasure Falls began. It’s not a bad way to live. You have a legal husband and also a second man who would love and take care of you.”
The women were all gazing at one another, wondering what to think. Should they stay or return to Charleston?
It wasn’t an option for Daisy, and she knew it. Getting on that train out of Charleston had made her decision. She was committed. Though the very idea would take some getting used to.
“Ladies, I’ve lived this way all my life and my husbands have kept me very happy. Sadly, Silas died last year. So now it’s just me and the doctor.”
The tension in the room seemed to stifle the party atmosphere that had existed a few moments ago.
“Did the matchmaker not mention this?” Jesse asked.