Passage of a Desolate Woman (#2, the Winds of Misery Victorian Romance) (A Family Saga Novel)

by Dorothy Green

“Pastor Bryce?”

  He looked up and smiled. His dashing smile made her knees weak. She forgot just how attractive she found him and how gentle his eyes looked.

  “Please call me Patrick. We are still friends, are we not, Sarah?”

  “Yes, that is true. All right Patrick, may I have a word?”

  “Yes, of course. I always have time for you. Please come in and have a seat. Would you like some water?”

  “Yes, I would, thank you very much. I have come to talk to you about the railroad company. Mr. Hawkins told me they wish to purchase the land the church is going to be built on. Is there nothing we can do to stop them?”

  He gave her a cup of water and sat down across the table. “I am afraid there is not much we can do. If the railroad company offers more money to the Land Company then I am sure they will take it. I wish there was more that I could offer to tell you.”

  “No, we must not let them. We have to come up with a way. There are things we can do. I do not know if any of them will work, but at least we will know that we have tried. We cannot give up the fight. This is a house for the Lord and it is needed in town on that spot. If we work together I know that we can come up with something.”

  He smiled. You do have fire within you, do you not, Sarah? You will not give up easily. You are strong and ready to fight for what is right. That is a very admirable trait. Never lose that,” he said.

  His words were very flattering and made her feel butterflies in her stomach once more. He was not making this easy for her. She knew that his compliments were the price of a good pastor honoring the qualities of one of his parishioners, but they made her think of how Jacob used to talk to her. If only he were with her now, he would know how to fix this. He was the most clever man she had ever met.

  “Thank you. Now what can we do?”

  “You tell me. You are the one with all the great ideas.”

  “All right. Let me think,” She stood up and walked back and forth in the tent.

  Over the next few hours Patrick and Jennifer thought out all that could be possible.

  It felt good to be working together. It felt good to have him trust in her ideas.

  She told him that when people in London wanted change or were angry about something, they picketed the streets, but did not tell him more than was necessary about her past.

  Maybe that was an option. Maybe she could write a letter of protest to the land company and get everyone in the village to sign it. Then we could stage a protest outside the Land Company office until they gave in. Or, they could protest in front of the railroad company and let everyone know they were taking land from a church. That would not be good for business.

  But all these ideas required great organization of the village. Patrick reminded her that everyone there was working on a daily basis in order to stay alive. There was a lot of work throughout the day for each family to do. They had to grow their own food and businesses had to be open. It would not be easy for everyone to drop everything to go journey to the next town over to the land office to protest, or to the train station fifty miles away to protest in front of the railroad company. These were all things that she did not think of. One hour later she remember that she said she was going to the general shop. Mrs. Hawkins would be very angry with me.

  “Oh no. I must be getting back. Mrs. Hawkins must be very worried ,for I did not tell her I would be gone this long.”

  “Let me walk you back to the Inn,” Patrick said.

  “I would like that very much,” She said.

  They walked very back toward the Inn.

  “Thank you, Sarah, for sacrificing your time today for me,” he said as they walked.

  “I am delighted to help,” She said.

  “All of your ideas are fine ideas. Keep thinking, Sarah. You are a very intelligent woman. We will get through this. We will find a way to keep the land for the church. I am a man of God, not a man of business. It would take a man of business to deal with these railroad tycoons. Have a good evening and I am very glad to see you today. I hope to see you again tomorrow,” he said.

  “Have a good evening. Thank you for listening to my ideas and taking them seriously.” She said.

  He tipped his hat to her and then walked off. She walked into the Inn. Mrs. Hawkins and her husband were sitting at a table in the lobby. She narrowed her eyes and looked at Jennifer with anger. She motioned for her to come to her. Jennifer knew that she would not yell at her from across the room.

  “Where have you been? We have been worried sick about you. You cannot just wander off like that. It is not ladylike,” she said.

  “I went to see Pastor Bryce about this railroad business. I thought I could be of help of some kind. You might have given up the fight, but I have not and he has not. I needed to hear that someone was going to fight for it. I was in the church tent all day. Ask him if you like,” She sat down and poured herself a cup of tea.

  “Go to your room and do not come out until I summon you,” Mrs. Hawkins said.

  “You cannot be serious. Mrs. Hawkins, I am not a child.”

  “No, but you are my employee. I am in charge of you. Next time you will not think about wandering off if I garnish your wages. Now go,” she said.

  Jennifer stood up and angrily took a finger sandwich off the tray and huffed in frustration. She could tell that Mr. Michael Hawkins was restraining a laugh at her behavior.

  Then she stomped up the stairs to her room. Fine, I will sit in this room and not have to deal with her treating me like a child.

  She walked back and forth continuing her thoughts about helping the church. She knew there was something that she could do that she was not thinking of already. There had to be something. Then an idea hit. It was one that would be very bad for her, but very good for the church, and for Patrick. It would require the greatest sacrifice of all. She pulled out a piece of parchment and ink and quill and began to write.

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  There was one man that she knew understood business very well. So she began to write a short message that she would send to Mr. Neil Sanders. She wrote and then scratched it out and wrote again. She went through several different wordings until she got one right.

  She hoped that he could help. It was what Patrick said that he was a man of God and that it would take a businessman to talk to the railroad tycoons. That was when she rememebered that Neil was a very savvy businessman and perhaps he was even familiar with these railroad men. If anyone could talk to them and get them to let go of the church, then perhaps Neil was that man. She wrote the message and was satisfied by it.

  An an hour later she joined Mrs. Hawkins and Mr. Hawkins at dinner. She was very quiet because she could not stop thinking about the message to Neil. Was this the right thing to do? What if he thought it was rude? What if he wanted to come out here to deal with it personal,y face-to-face? There were so many ideas running through her head about the awful consequences of sending the note for his assistance that she was very quiet throughout the entire dinner. She was so nervous she could hardly eat a bite.

  But the next morning, she persuaded herself that sending him the message was the right thing to do. She woke up very early in the morning, before Mrs. Hawkins would be awake. She had already scorned so she knew that once she awoke she would not let her out of her sight. So she went down to the innkeeper's reception desk at dawn.

  “Sir, is there a place where I might send a letter?”

  “Yes, the general shop across the street is our post.”

  “Perfect, thank you very much.“ She walked out and went directly across the street. This was very lucky indeed.

  “I wish to send this by post.”

  “Absolutely, miss. We can send it today for the post comes through at noon.”

  She gave the letter to send. She was nervously fiddling her hands. She had to get back to the Inn before Mrs. Hawkins woke up.

  She thanked the shopkeepe
r and quickly walked back to the Inn. She went directly to her room. Luckily, Mrs. Hawkins was not stirring yet. She sat down by the window and looked out over the village. There, she had done it. There was no undoing it now. Now, she only had to wait.

  She never received a reply from Neil. It made her nervous, an entire week passed She did not know whether he got the message at all. Perhaps he was away on business.

  When Sunday came she was excited to go to Patrick’s sermon again. She enjoyed his sermons very much and she enjoyed going to the outdoor church. She looked forward to Sunday more than any other day. Mrs. Hawkins and her husband were becoming very acquainted with the village and she actually saw Mrs. Hawkins beginning to loosen up a bit.

  So, as Jennifer stood underneath the tent listening to the sermon, she was feeling more and more like she belonged here. Mrs. Hawkins was giving into the atmosphere, and so was she. But as she scanned the crowd, she saw a gentleman dressed in very fancy wear walk up to the crowd. She could not see his face but there was something very familiar about him. She was dodging her neck back and forth trying to get a good look at him. But as she did so she saw his vest. There was a very familiar silver chain pocket watch. She gapsed. Could it be? It couldn't.

  But as the crowd moved with the end of the sermon, she saw the gentleman's face. It was Neil Sanders. He was in Knowl Hill. This could not be good. She had only asked for his assistance via letter, not by person. What have I done?

  She felt sick to her stomach. She could not believe it. Was she dreaming? This could not be happening. The crowd dispersed and she watched as parishioners went out to Patrick to shake his hand and congratulate him on a good sermon. She had missed the end of the sermon because of her concern.

  “Oh my word. Neil Sanders is here,” She told Mrs. Hawkins and her husband.

  “What? You must be mistaken. Where is he?” Mrs. Hawkins said.

  “The Hawkins! And Miss Christian. I am so glad to find you. I was unsure about arriving on a Sunday, but I had no choice. I cannot control the train schedule, as you know,” Neil said as he walked over to them.

  “Mr. Sanders! This is a surprise indeed! What are you doing here in Knowl Hill?” Michael said.

  “Well, when I received Sarah’s letter for assistance I came straight away. I knew that I could help. So I wasted no time.”

  “Letter?” Mrs. Hawkins said giving Jennifer a look.

  “Yes, she asked for advice and help about dealing with the problem with the railroad company. She figured I was the best man to ask,” he grinned.

  “Yes, but sir, I did not think that you would trouble yourself to come all this way,” She said.

  “I know. It is a bit much. But with the problem that you told me, I know that in-person is the best. Paperwork and such could take months. I know these gentlemen that you speak of; the railroad company. I have done business with them before. So it is better that I am here in person. Plus, any chance to see you, my dear,” he said.

  “Hawkins! How did you enjoy today’s sermon?” Patrick came over to them.

  Jennifer sucked in a sharp breath of air in shock. She did not want him to meet Neil after what she had told him.

  “Pastor Bryce! We enjoyed it very much. Please allow me to introduce you to my associate, Mr. Neil Sanders,” Mr. Hawkins replied.

  Patrick restrained emotion on his face. She knew he felt it. She knew that it bothered him that this man was here, just as much as it bothered her. Her heart broke just watching it cross his face. But being the good honorable man that he was, he said nothing but was polite.

  “Mr. Neil Sanders, welcome to Knowl Hill. It is a pleasure to meet you, sir. I have heard good things about you.”

  “Thank you. Pastor.”

  “What brings you out here? The Hawkins did not mention they were expecting another acquaintance,” Patrick said. It pleased her that he was fishing for information. She liked knowing that he cared so much. Perhaps he was even feeling a little jealous. He would not be proud of that feeling, but he was only human after all. This was turning out to be a very awkward moment indeed.

  “Miss Christian here sent me a letter about your dilemma with the railroad company. I have come to be of service, Pastor. I have dealt with these gentlemen before and I believe that I can perhaps speak with them. I do not know what the outcome will be, but Miss Christian sounded very dire that there was no one else with my expertise in business to deal with these men. So I came out straight away when I received it a week ago.”

  Patrick looked shocked. It was only getting more awkward by the minute. She did not know what to do.

  “Then you are a very good man to come all this way to help the church. My gratitude and appreciation to you, sir. You are also very good to your friends here. Miss Christian asked for your help and you came all this way to help her. You are very good indeed,” Patrick said.

  She did not like where he was going with this.

  “Now, Michael. Do you want to fill me in on the details of this railroad business? Perhaps we can go get a drink at the tavern while the ladies take lunch at the Inn?”

  She heard Mrs. Hawkins gasp under her breath. She saw Patrick change his demeanor. The smile fell from his face but he was not rude about it. Mrs. Hawkins was shocked that Neil wanted to go to a tavern, and on a Sunday, in order to speak business. It was not the way of their family, and she knew that it made Patrick unsettled as well.

  “The tavern is closed on Sunday, out of respect. I am sure that you will find the lobby of the Inn with tea service much more enjoyable as a substitute for your... needs,” Mr. Hawkins said.

  “That is a shame. Shall we go then? There is no time to waste in business and time is money,” Neil said.

  “Yes, of course. Let us walk this way to the Inn. Ladies?” Mr. Hawkins said.

  Michael led Neil out of the tent ,and Mrs. Hawkins and Jennifer followed behind.

  As Mrs. Hawkins and Jennifer walked behind Michael and Mr. Sanders as they conversed, Mrs. Hawkins whispered. “I cannot believe you would do such a thing, really Miss Christian.”

  “I apologise. I did not mean for this to be the outcome. I only wrote for his advice, not his presence here.”

  “Well, I guess that is no fault of your own. I cannot believe what he said about the tavern, and in the church, no less to the Pastor's face. Does he have no dignity, this man?”

  “I am just as shocked as you are. The fact that he would come all this way is shocking, but the first thing on his mind is the tavern and drink.” Jennifer said. She felt some sort of happiness that Mrs. Hawkins was displeased with Neil and perhaps would not try to push her to marry the man after all. But him showing up in the village, Jennifer knew he would expect something in return for his trouble, and that worried her.

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  Michael and Mr. Sanders were at another table speaking business while Mrs. Hawkins and Jennifer had afternoon tea inside the Inn. She could only hear small amounts of their conversation, but Michael seem to be impressed with what he proposed. She felt very excited that this was progress. Even though it meant having Neil there and having to deal with him, at least the church could possibly be saved.

  After their conversation, Neil took a room in the Inn as well. Its location was far down the hall from Jennifer, and she made sure to lock her door. She did not trust him. But the next morning at breakfast, he had quite an offer for her and for the church.

  Jennifer sat at the breakfast table with Mrs. Hawkins, Mr. Hawkins, and Mr. Sanders, who had a lot to say, but he had something very particular to say to Jennifer.

  “Mr. Sanders, I have not properly thanked you for coming all the way out here. When I sent you that letter I was seeking your counsel and advice, or perhaps something that you could do from your location. I did not intend for you to sacrifice your time and money to come all the way out here,” Jennifer said earnestly.

  “Miss Christian, you are too kind. Of course I wo
uld come this way to help you and my friends, and I had to admit I was very flattered to receive your letter and that you thought of me.

  “And what of the church? Were you able to come up with a plan to help them? We are all filled with anticipation to know,” She asked, averting his flattery.

  “Yes, I know you fine folks do not like business on Sundays, but considering the circumstances I had to do a little business yesterday evening. I called on the railroad men to meet me today at noon. But the railroad business is not the only reason I am here, Miss Christian. I have come to ask you to consider an engagement with me when you return. I do not expect an answer now, but your consideration.”

  Jennifer’s eyes grew wide. She had not expected that he would say such a thing in front of her employers. She indeed was speechless.

  This was the worst thing that could happen. She did not want to marry him. She wanted to get out of it somehow. But she needed him to speak with the railroad men first.

  “I will consider your kind offer.”

  “Good! That is good!” he said excitedly.

  She could feel Mrs. Hawkins tense. But there was nothing that any of them could do.

  Michael began to talk business with him, giving Jennifer the distraction to look down at her trembling hands. Mrs. Hawkins grabbed her hand under the table and squeezed it. Finally she was on her side and understood what she was going through. Finally she had the caring employer, but it was too late.

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  A couple of hours later, the railroad tycoon men were sitting in the formal dining room of the Inn. Because it was after lunch, it was fairly empty and most guests were in the lobby. The men sat down and gave Mr. Sanders their full attention, while Mrs. Hawkins and Jennifer sat at the back of the room against the wall. Neil began his speech.

  “Gentlemen of the railroad company! Thank you for meeting with me today. As you know, I am Mr. Neil Sanders, you know me from the deal we did two years ago in London. As you know, I am a good businessman; honorable, and good at making money most of all. I have learned of your request to build the railroad line, further extending it into this great village of Knowl Hill. I agree with you. It is a great way to expand the railroad. It is the perfect village because it is mostly flat and you can continue west from here. In fact, I think that this village is posed to become a great hub of travel activity. Before you know it, going through Knowl Hill all the way to Cornwall. I am a man of the future. I think about the future and that is why I am a wealthy gentleman. I think ahead. Now, let's say that I am right. Let's say that this railroad extension and stop becomes a great hub of travel activity. You will find that where you want to build the railroad stop now, at the current site of the church, would be a very big mistake and I will tell you why.”