Eleanor

by Rachel Wesson

  “My full name is Eleanor Amelia Templeton. I was raised as the true daughter of Captain James Templeton. He brought me back from the plantation I was born on to be raised in Britain. I suppose he hoped his wealth, position, and reputation would protect me. It did. For some time, in fact, I was accepted. Looking back, I can see there were comments and snide remarks, but I believed people were jealous over my father’s close relationship with the Prince of Wales. That acceptance died with him. Grandmamma, well, I guess I shouldn’t call her that anymore, had my bags packed and a steamer booked within two weeks of my father's death. Seems I was an embarrassment to my family. Despite my pale skin, I am the daughter of an ex-slave. My father's family do not believe him to be my father and so refuse to recognize me as such.”

  “I am very sorry for your loss and for your treatment by your family, but I fail to see how that would adversely affect your suitability for employment.” Father Molloy coughed wondering how he could put it discretely. “Nobody needs to know your origins if you do not wish them to. You look white.”

  “Nellie said you would say that.” She looked at him sadly. “You know as well as I do, a drop of black blood means you are considered black regardless of appearance.”

  “Nellie?”

  “She is the cook at the house where I stayed . A friend of a friend recommended Mrs. Gantley. I believe she sent some mail order brides out here.”

  “Oh yes, of course, Nellie. How could I forget that dear old lady? How is she?” Father Molloy asked.

  “She is fine. She said to say hello to you. I wasn’t going to bring her up to be honest. I didn't want you thinking I was using anyone to secure this position.”

  “I don’t think that at all. I think you would be perfect for this position, Miss Templeton.”

  “What of the residents?”

  “What do you mean?” he asked genuinely confused.

  “Will they be as accepting of a colored woman working as a teacher for white children?”

  Father Molloy stared at the beautiful young lady sitting in front of him. He could only imagine the pain she was feeling. It was a very cruel world they lived in.

  “Nellie didn’t tell you everything about Clover Springs, did she? For a start, we have an Indian as our deputy sheriff. Wilma, an ex-slave, runs our orphanage more or less. You could say she runs the town too. She knows just about everyone in it. Believe me, Miss Templeton, your background is nobody's business, whether you decide to share it with people or not. The parents in Clover Springs will be very happy to have someone of your caliber teaching their children. Now where are you staying? With Martha Sullivan at the boarding house?”

  “Yes, Father.”

  “Well, let me walk you back to the boarding house. It isn’t far, just past the school up ahead. If I can, I will introduce you to Ellen Higgins, our main school teacher. Laura Kelley is another teacher in the school. Both those ladies work on a part-time basis, or at least, they should as both have young children and neither are fully recovered from their confinement. So, Miss Templeton, you are the answer to Clover Springs’ prayers.”

  They walked through the streets of Clover Springs. He pointed out various buildings to her, all the while wondering what type of man would take his child away from her own people to try and force society to accept her. Being Irish, he wasn’t a huge fan of the British upper-classes having observed long ago their disdain for those they considered beneath them.

  Chapter 4

  As he suspected, Miss Templeton was stared at the whole time. He admired the way she walked, straight back and stiff British upper lip as his mentor Father Clarke used to say. He wondered what plantation she had been born on.

  “Miss Templeton, the men here stare at every newcomer to town particularly when they are young and attractive women. Please don't be uncomfortable. You will find many of them will approach you with a view to marriage.”

  She stopped walking turning to look at him. “I don’t think these men would want to marry me. Do you, Father Molloy?”

  “I suspect you undersell yourself, my dear. Nobody here knows anything about you. You can tell them as little or as much as you like. You will find people in Clover Springs are very accepting.”

  She looked around, her eyes giving him a brief glimpse of the happy person she must have been before her papa had died. The delighted expression had gone when she turned her focus back to him. Now her eyes were guarded as if she expected an attack at any second.

  “I know you believe that but my experiences of people have proved you wrong. People I considered family and close friends turned their back on me as soon as my background became common knowledge.” She faltered as her voice trembled. Taking a couple of seconds to stare at the ground, she swallowed delicately before continuing. “Initially, I assumed they knew I was not purely white but they didn't mind so much. They treated me like some sort of exotic flower but they were never unpleasant. That came, only after my grandmamma made my exact origins known.” Miss Templeton's eyes blazed. “It is one thing to be an exotic flower, quite another to have been born the daughter of an ex-slave. People accused me of abusing their trust. Me? I was four or five when I left this country. I didn't know anything of my background. Now that Papa is dead, I guess I will never know.”

  The hurt and anger blazing out of the beautiful brown eyes looking up at him made him sadder than he had been in a long time. People could be vicious. He knew that better than most given what he had seen in his lifetime. But cruelty like that invoked on this innocent young woman made him very angry.

  “It will take time but I hope you will learn to trust the people of Clover Springs. I have lived a lot longer than you, and believe me, I have never met a nicer group of people. Sure, we have our challenges but somehow we always overcome them.”

  “Thank you, Father, for trying to make me feel better but forgive me for saying this. You are a white man living in a white man's world. You belong. I am neither white nor black. I don't.” She took a deep breath. “Thank you for seeing me to the boarding house. I will make my own way from here.”

  “I will see you soon, Miss Templeton. Martha Sullivan will look after you.”

  Father Molloy walked away slowly, feeling the weight of every sixty-five years of his life bearing down on his shoulders. All his life, he had been fighting injustice. First back in Ireland, then in Tasmania, and now here. Would the fight ever end?

  Eleanor watched the old man walk back down the street. She was sorry she had spoken to him like she did, but she couldn’t believe in a world where her kind were accepted. She was an outcast and the sooner she accepted that, the better.

  She looked at the white-washed clapboard building, its windows sparkling in the winter sun. There were flower boxes at either side of the door with a pretty porch around the front of the house. Despite the lack of color—it being February so the flowers hadn’t yet bloomed—it looked pretty and inviting. She spotted a small sign saying Sullivan’s Boarding House.

  She knocked on the front door. It was opened almost immediately by an older woman, her dark hair liberally streaked with grey surrounded an open, friendly face.

  “Yes? Can I help you?”

  “Mrs. Sullivan? My name is Eleanor Templeton.”

  “Oh, my dear, I thought you weren’t coming for another week. I would have had a bath ready for you after that horrible train journey. But look at me forgetting my manners. Come in, please make yourself at home.”

  Eleanor couldn’t move, suddenly feeling very emotional. This was the third person to be kind to her in the space of one morning. She stared at the woman, whose kindly expression now turned to concern.

  “Are you feeling all right, dear? You seem a little…shaken.”

  Eleanor gave herself a mental talking to. “I am just tired, it was a long journey from Boston.”

  “I know, not from personal experience but many of the women in the town have told me of their trials during the trip. Please come with me. I will show you to you
r room. I am sure you could do with a good sleep.”

  “Thank you for being so kind.” Eleanor choked down her tears. It wasn’t done for a lady to cry in public.

  “What lovely manners you have. It is my pleasure to have such a cultured young lady under my roof. We have been waiting for a new teacher for weeks now. Laura and Ellen are just not well enough to cope with all the young ones. Especially as the school is hopelessly overcrowded since the last lot of orphans arrived.”

  Eleanor smiled. Her landlady wasn’t exactly selling the job of schoolteacher. Mrs. Sullivan must have read her thoughts as she put her hand to her mouth.

  “Listen to me. It isn’t as bad as all that. The poor orphans are wonderful children. Wilma, she’s the lady who runs the orphanage with Ellen and her husband, keeps them in line.”

  “I am looking forward to getting to know everyone,” Eleanor said politely although she was longing for her bed.

  “I have put you in a room at the back of the property. You will get more privacy as sometimes the noise from the street can be a little loud. Though it is much better than it used to be now Gary is back in charge at the saloon. You wouldn’t have recognized our town a year or so ago when a bad lot came and tried to take over. But the Clover Springs people banded together like usual and fought them off.”

  Eleanor stared at her landlady. What type of place had she landed in? She followed her landlady up the stairs in silence. Mrs. Sullivan was still chatting.

  “Oh, listen to me. I am scaring you off. Clover Springs is a lovely place to live. You will like it here,” Mrs. Sullivan said as she pushed the bedroom door open.

  To Eleanor’s surprise the room was quite large with a comfortable looking bed in one corner. The sheets were crisp white linen with a beautiful quilt over them. There were braided rugs on the floor and although sparsely furnished, everything gleamed. It wasn’t the luxury she had left behind her in England but it was welcoming and comforting. She had a feeling she would be happy here. At least until they found out who she really was.

  “You will like it, dear, but for now, it’s off to bed you go. You look like you could fall asleep on your feet.”

  “Thank you, Mrs. Sullivan.”

  “Good night, dear. When you wake up, I will have the water hot and ready for a bath. But for now, just sleep.”

  “What about your sheets?” Eleanor asked knowing she was dusty from the train.

  “They can be washed. Go on. Put your head down and get some shut-eye.” Mrs. Sullivan left, closing the door gently behind her.

  Eleanor took off her cloak and shoes before lying on the bed. It was as comfortable as it looked. Before long, she was fast asleep.

  Martha Sullivan walked back downstairs wondering if she should call Doc Erin to examine her new guest. She was pale and tired, probably due to the journey but was there something else wrong with her? She decided to wait and see how the young lady was after a long rest.

  Chapter 5

  Erin looked at her husband, Mick. She couldn’t believe they had only been married a week. It seemed so much longer. She was so glad he had persuaded her to change her mind about getting married again. He was nothing like her previous husband. She refused to think about her first marriage. Nothing was going to ruin today. They were heading out to spend the day with Alicia and her husband Aaron. Alicia wanted to discuss the mine to see if they could do anything to improve the health of the miners.

  “Alicia has great plans for the mine, doesn’t she?” Erin asked Mick.

  “Aaron told me about the work she had done to make it safer. I appreciate what she is doing, but don’t you think you have enough work in Clover Springs without adding the mine and logging camps on top?” Mick asked, glancing at her as he drove.

  “Are you afraid one of the loggers will carry me off?” Erin laughed at the expression in his eyes. She loved teasing him.

  “Not a chance of that happening, my darling wife. You are much too feisty and independent for them.”

  Erin nudged him gently on the arm. “At least you didn’t call me stubborn.”

  “You? Stubborn? Never,” Mick said.

  She burst out laughing at his sarcasm. He leaned over and kissed her despite the fact they had just pulled up outside Alicia’s house.

  “Mick, stop that. Someone will see.”

  “I see the honeymoon period isn’t over yet,” Alicia said, smiling as she walked toward them. “Thank you so much for coming out to see us. The boys aren’t feeling too well, and I was afraid to bring them out into the cold air.”

  “What’s wrong with them? Do they have a fever or a rash?”

  “Relax, Doc. They are fine. It just a cold. You can examine them later. But first, you need coffee to help warm you up.”

  “Just coffee?” Mick sounded like a lost child.

  “Maybe some cookies too?” Alicia added, her eyes gleaming with laughter.

  “That’s more like it. I sure miss Mrs. H’s cookies.”

  “Charming aren’t you, Mr. Quinn. My mother-in-law didn’t make them. I did,” Alicia said, hands on hips pretending to be insulted.

  Erin giggled as Mick pretended to be crestfallen at Alicia’s words.

  “I think you should just give him a drink, Alicia. That will teach him for being rude.”

  “Where’s your husband, Alicia Higgins? I have had enough of mean women today,” Mick said, throwing his arms up in mock surrender.

  Laughing, the three of them went into the house where Aaron was playing with his boys. Erin examined them quickly and was relieved to see Alicia was right. They had colds but nothing more. Still, she couldn’t help being glad they had left Michelle back at the Haven with Lily.

  “Aaron and I asked you to visit because we want to tell you something,” Alicia said.

  Erin looked at her friend’s stomach.

  “No, it’s not that,” Alicia said smiling, but Erin saw the smile didn’t reach her eyes. She made a mental note to discuss that with Alicia when the men weren’t around.

  “We were thinking of taking a trip, and we wanted both of you to come along,” Alicia said taking her husband’s hand in hers.

  “Where are you going?” Erin asked.

  “New York,” Alicia said excitedly. “I have never been. A friend of my father, I used to call him Uncle Randolph when I was little, wrote and invited us to come. He has opened a new hotel and offered us accommodation. I have always wanted to see a show on Broadway but it’s never been a good time. But now is perfect. Aaron can’t do much around here until it warms up a little. Davy has offered to look after the place for us.”

  “New York is wonderful. You will have a fantastic time,” Erin said, not managing to keep a note of envy from her voice.

  “We know but we would love you to come too. Call it a wedding present.” At the look on Erin’s face, Alicia quickly continued. “Erin, you never let me pay you properly for your work at the mine. You have been so good to me. Please let me share my good fortune with you and your family.”

  Before Erin or Mick could protest, Alicia continued. “I know you don’t want to be away from Michelle so bring her too. Please say you will think about it?”

  Erin exchanged a glance with Mick. She wanted to go but what would he think? Like most men, her husband had his pride. Would he accept such an expensive gift?

  Mick watched his wife’s face. He knew she missed New York and some of the people she had known while living there. She worried about Mrs. Doherty, her ex-housekeeper, and how she was managing. The older woman had written to say work was scarce. There were also friends of her parents whom she regularly talked about.

  There was no way their resources would cover a trip, not after buying the Haven and spending all their money changing it from the former brothel into a respectable residence. He hated taking money from Alicia, but Erin had earned at least some of it. She worked hard up at the mine.

  “Mick, please think about it. I am not sure I am capable of going shopping with my wife m
uch as I adore her.” Aaron glanced at his wife before staring back at Mick, a pleading look in his eyes. “I hate cities, all those people, all that noise. Denver was bad enough when I went to file the claim for this place with Davy Sullivan. I can’t imagine how much worse New York will be. If you were there, it wouldn’t be so bad.”

  Mick stared at Aaron. It was probably the longest speech he had ever heard him make. He looked at Erin, she was staring back at him, her eyes shining with excitement.

  “Thank you very much, Alicia, for your generous offer,” he began. Erin coughed as if she expected him to say no. “We would love to accept.”

  Erin threw her arms around him. “Thank you, darling,” she whispered. He squeezed her hand in acknowledgement.

  Alicia jumped up and down. “I am like a child on Christmas morning. I am so excited. How does the end of next week suit you both?”

  “We will make it work,” Erin said, her face lit up with happiness. “Oh, it will be so exciting. Mick, I can show you where I used to work, and, Alicia, I can bring you to the best shops. The children can see the Barnum and Bailey Circus.”

  “Do you think Lily will come with us? If she does, would she help mind the boys?” Alicia asked. “It would be nice to try some of the fancy restaurants I have heard so much about. I don’t like leaving the children with strangers.”

  “I am sure she would. She doesn’t like being away from Michelle,” Erin confirmed.

  “Wonderful. You must come and help me pack. I don’t know what to bring. I guess my dresses are all hideously out of date.”

  Mick exchanged a look with Aaron.

  “Why don’t I show you the new horse I bought from Little Beaver. He brought it over yesterday. I am not sure I could leave him so quickly. He won’t be used to his new home.” Aaron winked at Mick but his wife obviously missed it.

  “Don’t you start again, Aaron Higgins. You agreed to this trip and you can’t go back on your word now.”