At first, none of the ads looked promising. So many of them read of wealthy young men looking for a bride that also had a fortune of her own. Others read of young men that wanted an educated young woman who could work the teaching job in the town they lived. None of them made mention of anything she thought she could do until the very last one on the page.
Fanny almost skipped that one. She was feeling rather discouraged after scanning the first five ads, and she didn’t want to end the paper on a bad note, but something prompted her to read that last one, and she sat straight up in her bed when she did.
It read:
Hello,
I am looking for a bride for myself. I am in a bit of an unusual situation, as I am currently a butler in a mansion in the Pennsylvania territory. I want to marry a young woman who understands my situation, and is willing to move out west with me to start a new home, all our own.
Kind regards,
Charles Brahms
Fanny read the ad a couple of times, with her heart pounding in her chest. This was just the kind of man she wanted to marry. The man that understood what service was like, and knew how she would have to work in such a situation. If he was a butler, he was even more familiar with the job, and wouldn’t look her over due to her own occupation in life.
Fanny pulled a piece of paper out of her desk, and scrawled a note across it, she quickly made an envelope with the other piece of paper, and addressed it before slipping her note in her pocket. She wanted to mail this as soon as she could, but just then Abigail rang the dinner bell, and she knew she had to go down to the kitchen.
Fanny sighed as she looked out the window at the street below her. She wanted desperately to ask Abigail if she might have a few minutes to run back into town for something, but she knew there was no way for Abigail to keep that kind of secret, so she put her apron on and headed back downstairs.
The next few days were a blur for Fanny. She eagerly watched the post to see if there was a reply to her letter. Living in Georgia meant that it would take a few days for her letter to get up to where Brahms was, but it shouldn’t take more than a few days to get a reply if he was interested.
Part of her worried that he already found a bride, and he was on his way out west right now with her. Part of her worried that Miss Jasmine found the letter and hid it from her, making it impossible for her to reply to him once more. She didn’t say a word about the affair to anyone, knowing that it would have caused problems for her in her occupation.
She had signed a contract stating that she would be here for a year, but 2 months had already gone by and she wasn’t happy. Being a maid wasn’t what she thought it was going to be, and she was ready to be out. It wouldn’t be good for her to leave and stay in town, however, so she knew if she were to break the contract, she would have to head out for good.
Two weeks went by before Fanny got a reply in the mail, and the answer was both exhilarating and discouraging, all wrapped into one. She scanned the letter as quickly as she could in her free time, and what she learned was that Brahms was already out west. He hadn’t stayed with the family long due to the fact his employer had recently married, and he couldn’t bear the situation now.
He had packed his bags, and was now out in the Dakota Territory, trying to make a house a home. He really liked Fanny from the letter she wrote, and he had scraped together enough money to get her started on her way out to him. Fanny looked at the money in her hands. It wasn’t much, but it would get her out of the state at least.
She knew she had a few more dollars in her box upstairs, and if she were to combine that with the money Brahms sent, she ought to make it out there just fine.
Fanny looked at the letter, then back at the money, then at the letter again. She felt light headed and dizzy, but she shook it off.
You aren’t a maid anymore, you are a bride. Your husband is waiting.
Chapter 4 – The Western World
Fanny had to admit that she didn’t know what to expect when she reached the Dakotas. She hadn’t corresponded much with Brahms before she was on her way, and she was more nervous about getting caught and taken back to Miss Jasmine than she was about meeting him.
Something told her she needed to relax, and that it was all going to be ok, but her thoughts were a mess. All she could think about was what she would do if she were stopped by a sheriff or if anyone asked her why she was in such a hurry. She knew she had a right to leave, but she also knew she had to contest that with Miss Jasmine before she did.
The way Miss Jasmine works, I would be stuck there until the wedding, the honeymoon, and probably until she started having babies herself!
Fanny wasn’t proud of the way she had left her employer, but she felt the time was right for her to go, and she knew Charles would be waiting for her.
“The ends justify the means, anyway.”
She said this out loud without even realizing it, when suddenly the woman on the other side of the stagecoach asked her what she was talking about. Fanny looked up in surprise, then blushed when she realized she had been talking to herself out loud.
“Oh nothing. I am on my way out West, and I was trying to convince myself that I’m not nervous.”
She smiled at the woman nervously, and felt relieved when the woman smiled.
“Oh yes, I can remember when I was young like you. I traveled from New York all the way out to California to marry a man I met in the newspaper. I was convinced it was the best thing in the world for me, but I can still remember how nervous I was that entire trip out.”
Fanny was intrigued by this woman’s story, and she leaned in closer to her. They were the only two traveling in the stagecoach, but she still felt as though she needed to keep her voice down.
“What happened? Was he everything you hoped he would be and more? Did he give you that fairytale life you think you are going to get?”
The woman chuckled as she looked Fanny over from head to toe. She shook her head, and chuckled again as she turned her attention out the window.
“It was a real surprise. I have to say that much. I arrived in town, and we were married straight away. I didn’t know it then, but it wasn’t love that I felt so much as excitement. I don’t know that he was feeling love either, but away we went to his house.”
A look came into the woman’s eyes, and she looked down at her gloves.
“Things went very well I would say for a few months, but then I began to see him less and less. He would always be around to tell me to do the chores in the house, or to ask me to run an errand into town for him, but there was no love. I spent many a night in bed alone, wondering if I had made a mistake.”
Tears glazed over her eyes, and she shook her head, brushing them away.
“Anyway, I shouldn’t tell you such things when you are on your way to your own happiness. I am sure you know what you are doing. Let me guess, you have been talking for months now and you are very much in love?”
Fanny was caught off guard with the question, but she still nodded. There was something about this woman that made her feel uncomfortable, and like she wanted to turn around and head back home. Sure, there was going to be a lot of problems for her back there, but at least she wouldn’t have to live her life wondering if she made a mistake.
The woman watched her carefully, and smiled when she saw Fanny nod. She sat back in her chair and clasped her hands together, and sighed.
“That’s the way it ought to be. I am sure you are going to do just fine. Probably have a few children, and live to a grand old age together. Trust me, my dear, when you marry, make sure you are marrying for love!”
Fanny smiled and assured the woman that she would, then she turned her attention back to the window. The grass was rushing past the wheels quickly, almost too quickly for Fanny to watch without feeling dizzy. For the first time in the whole trip, she didn’t feel nervous about leaving the contract with Miss Jasmine. Now she wondered if she ought to start another contract with Charles Brahms.
The woman left the stage in the next town, leaving Fanny alone with her thoughts. As much as she tried to focus on the scenery, she couldn’t shake what the woman had said out of her head. As she sat there, all she could picture was that woman on the other side of the stage, with that odd look in her eye. For a brief moment, Fanny imagined it was her sitting there, telling another young woman to choose her path carefully.
Fanny shook her head and sat straight up.
“Fanny! You stop that this instant. You know what you are doing, and you are going to be happy. That woman is crazy, and more than likely she is just trying to scare you. Brahms is a good man, you can tell with his letters.”
Speaking out loud made Fanny feel better, and she was glad this time there was nobody in the stage to ask her about what she said. She sat back and closed her eyes, forcing her thoughts to focus on something else.
She knew what she was doing, and nothing was going to stop her.
Chapter 5 – Arrival
Packard was a small and dusty town. The dust took a few moments to settle before Fanny could see the people milling about. It looked to her as though stage coaches didn’t arrive often, as most of the people stopped to see who would get off of the coach.
Fanny opened the door, and stood at the top of the stairway on the coach. She shaded her eyes from the dust and heat that beat down on her, and coughed as some of the dust swirled up and around her.
Suddenly, someone caught her eye in the corner of the group. There was a single, well-dressed man that was waiving to her, trying to get her attention. Fanny waived in return, and reached up to grab her bag off the top of the stage.
“Here you go, Miss. I hope you enjoyed the ride.”
Fanny thanked the driver and took her bag from him, then jumped down to the ground. She pushed her way through the crowd, making an effort to reach the edge of the crowd where she had seen Brahms. Suddenly, the crowd broke, and Brahms stood in front of her.
He was taller than she thought he was going to be, and she was pleasantly surprised with his good looks. She wanted a man that she found attractive, but she didn’t prioritize that when she was on her way out west. All she had wanted was a man that would marry her, and make a home together. The fact that he was tall and good looking as an added bonus that Fanny loved.
She could tell he also found her attractive, though his manners prevented him from saying so. It was clear he was used to living the butler life, and he hid his emotions from the people around him.
“My, my, you are more beautiful than I imagined. I thought you were an angel getting off of that stage coach to meet me.”
Fanny felt her cheeks blush as she smiled at him, and returned the compliment. Brahms held his arm out to her, and took her bag in his other hand.
“The preacher man isn’t in town often, so we better make it to the church before he heads out to the next town. Shall we?”
Fanny couldn’t describe how she felt walking through the town next to Brahms. There was something enchanting about him that made her feel on top of the world as she strode next to him, her hand looped through his arm and resting on his forearm.
It felt as though the people on the street were parting just for them to pass through, and Fanny felt like a queen. She didn’t know what to expect for the ceremony, and was grateful it was short and sweet. She ignored the fact it wasn’t what she had dreamed her wedding would be, but rather focused on the fact she was now married.
“I purchased a small house on the edge of town. I think you will find it to your liking anyway.”
Charles looked down at his new bride and smiled a tight, small smile. There was something about him that intimidated Fanny, but another part of him that made her want to know him better.
“I think I’ll like it just fine. I have never had my own house before, in fact, few people I have worked for have owned their own houses. I am used to working in hotels.”
Fanny laughed nervously, wondering why she felt so awkward around him. He was her husband, so she should feel at ease. Yet, whenever he looked down at her, she would look down at her feet, or look off into the distance. She wondered if she was having the same effect on him, but he was so good at covering how he felt, there was no way she could tell for sure.
“I worked at a mansion myself. I grew up side by side with the young master of the house, and when his father passed a lot of the servants quit. I took the opportunity to rise to the position of butler. What’s your story?”
Fanny suddenly felt intimidated by his story. It sounded as though he had been with the same family for years, and that was certainly something to be proud of. Perhaps he wouldn’t think she was worth his time if he knew that she had a hard time keeping a position.
“I liked to travel a lot. That’s why I worked with a lot of hotels. I have worked as a maid in a few households, and I had a yearlong contract with the last family, but I broke the contract. I guess that was foolish of me.”
“Nonsense. I was supposed to stay with the family myself, but there was a shift in the household, and I was ready to take off and make my own. This is a land of opportunity! My entire family has been used to the service, I want to be the first one to break out of that.”
Fanny agreed with him on that one, but she let the conversation die. She wanted to take a moment now and enjoy the countryside, taking in all of the different sights there were to see. Packer was so different than the town she was used to. In fact, Dakota was like a whole new world to her. There weren’t a lot of people in fancy clothing, in fact, many of them looked like farmers.
She had seen few cowboys where she was from, but here, they were everywhere. Yet, through it all, it seemed as though Charles fit in like a fish in water. Fanny wondered if she also fit in, or if she stood out from the crowd as much as she felt she did.
She wanted to make mention of it, but Charles suddenly stopped, and led her through a small gate.
“My dear,” he said, “we are home.”
Chapter 6 – Married Life or Maid Life?
The house was everything Fanny had hoped it would be, and more. It was small, yet bigger than she had expected, with a small stable off to the side. There were no horses and no buggy, but there was a lazy dog that rose to meet them when they walked up the pathway.
“That there is Jim, he came with the house. Good dog.”
Charles stopped to pat the dog on the head as they walked by, and Fanny greeted him warmly. She was glad she had a dog, it made everything feel more like home. She would have bent down to pet him more, but Charles was on his way into the house, and she felt she better stay with him as much as she could.
Inside, the house was clean. There wasn’t a lot of furniture inside, but it was clean. She wondered if Charles had done all of that work himself, or if he had hired someone to do the work for him. Her question was soon answered, without her having to ask.
“I had some help cleaning the place this past week, but I don’t want to make a habit of bringing in outside help. I would say we are both used to the hard work involved in keeping a house clean, and we shouldn’t need anyone to have to do it for us.”
Fanny chuckled, but she stopped when she could see he was quite serious on the matter.
“Do you find that funny, my dear?”
“No, I… I’m just happy. I never thought I would have a house of my own, and here we are. This is like a dream come true!”
Fanny saw his face relax, and he smiled the warmest smile she had seen. Part of her felt better knowing that he could relax, but that was soon gone as he gave her a list to do that evening.
“I am going into town. In the back of the house you will find a small chicken coop, which will be perfect for a few hens, I think. There are a few hens the McCurdys can spare if we get to them early, so I must be on my way. You will also find what you need in the cupboard to make supper, and what you need in the pantry to cook it. I will be back soon.”
With that, Brahms was gone, and Fanny was left wondering what j
ust happened. At one moment, she felt as though she was on top of the world, and the queen of her own castle, then the next moment, she felt like… a maid.
Fanny had worked under butlers before, and even when she was a real maid she never liked the feeling. That was the same feeling that came over her now, and she didn’t like it. For a very brief moment, her mind flashed back to the woman on the stagecoach, and she felt sick.
Had she made a mistake coming out here to marry a man she didn’t know? Should she have waited and gotten to know him better before she came all the way out here? Was this a bad idea after all?
Fanny put her hand to her forehead, and sighed. She looked down at her dress. She had worn her best dress for the wedding, but now it looked to her as though she was wearing what a housekeeper would wear.
This is nonsense. I am a wife, not a maid. Of course I am going to have to do my part to keep this going. That’s just life!
She forced a smile and picked up the broom. She didn’t feel like she needed to sweep, but as long as it was her home, sweeping couldn’t hurt. Charles had said he was going to get them some hens. That meant they were going to have their own eggs, and chicken whenever they wanted to. Fanny knew how to make a delicious fried chicken, and she couldn’t wait to show Brahms her skills.
Dinner was a simple stew that she made from memory. Whenever there was unexpected company in the house, she made this soup. Nobody ever complained, and she got more than one compliment from her employer at the time. Fanny figured that their first dinner needed to be a hit, and she couldn’t think of a better idea than her famous soup.
She set the table, and spooned the food into the bowls, then she sat down to wait. More than an hour had passed since Charles had left, so she expected him any time now. Maybe it was going to take him a while longer since he would be bringing chickens with him, but certainly he would be there within the hour.
[2016] Alone and Pregnant Page 9
