by Rye Hart
"I don't know," Georgina shook her head. "Probably at one of the many houses he likes to gamble our livelihood away at."
Their mother, pale and ill, looked distraught. "I'm so sorry girls," she wailed.
"It's not your fault," Marianna moved to comfort her mother. They had all been through so much. A few years ago their father suffered a large financial loss when one of his investments had fallen through. They had to downsize their house and dismiss all their servants just to try and make ends meet. The blow had damaged his pride and he sought comfort in the many gambling houses in Boston, just outside their smaller community of Valley Springs. He would be gone for days at a time, and when he returned empty handed, it would be up to the girls to try and gather enough funds to cover the minimum of their monthly expenses. Marianna was forced to take a job as a governess for a wealthy family at an innocent age of sixteen. Although the Cavanaughs had welcomed her in and had given her a wage that was just enough to keep their family afloat for the past two years, it meant that the responsibility rested on Marianna to keep her family fed and clothed. However, when she became engaged, Kevin had offered to support her family if she gave up her job. At first she had worried that she wouldn't find another position, as her father's dalliances left a black mark on the Wellington family in good society, but Kevin quickly quelled those fears. She had been lucky that Kevin had cared for her despite her family’s tainted reputation; he had been a Godsend. But now he was gone and Marianna had to find a new way to make sure that her family did not fall apart.
"I worry that I failed you," their mother wept. Her upper lip trembled slightly as tears filled her eyes.
"Don't say that." Marianna brought her mother in for a hug, cradling her head in a comforting gesture.
Amelia and Georgina joined them in the emotional embrace.
They were interrupted by the sound of a knock at the front door.
Marianna disentangled herself from her family. "Take mother upstairs. I'll handle the guests as they probably just want to extend their condolences." She moved toward the front door, while her sisters ushered their distressed mother to her room to rest. She hesitated a moment before answering; her own weariness from the long day had finally taken its toll. She was exhausted from the pitying looks, the many condolences, and the unspoken white elephant in the room — how would the Wellingtons survive now that Mr. Patrick no longer supported them? Despite everything, Marianna held her head high and kept her resolve strong. She knew things would work out in the end. It had to.
When she opened the door, the friendly faces of Mr. and Mrs. Cavanaugh, the couple that had employed her as a governess for the past few years, greeted her.
"Ms. Marianna," Mrs. Cavanaugh spoke with a regretful tone. "I am so sorry for everything, we can't imagine what you are going through."
"Thank you for your sentiment. I've had better days." Marianna tried to put a faint smile on her face. She knew that the Cavanaughs had good intentions, but sometimes they lacked the self-awareness to know when they were being a bit too much to handle.
"Deepest sympathies," Mr. Cavanaugh said staunchly through his thick moustache.
Marianna nodded her acknowledgement to the gentleman.
"May we come in?" the ever outspoken Mrs. Cavanaugh pressed. She had the innate ability to always get her way, at least where Marianna was concerned, as she found it hard to say no to such a reckoning force.
"We have a proposition for you that you may find comforting in the wake of the, err, untimely turn of events," she said.
Marianna perked up slightly. She hoped that they had come to offer her old governess job, which would be a Godsend considering the lack of financial prospects her family had at the moment.
"Yes, please," she moved out of the way to allow the couple entrance into the small house.
She guided them toward the sitting room and offered them refreshments. "Tea?" she asked politely.
"Oh, no thank you. Charles won't have any either, as we don't have much time," Mrs. Cavanaugh answered abruptly. Mr. Cavanaugh simply grunted his agreement with his wife's words.
"Ok then," Marianna said hesitantly. She sat down nervously, her mind racing with the anticipation of the Cavanaugh’s proposition.
"Well," Mrs. Cavanaugh began excitedly, "as you know, we can't offer you your old governess job back as my niece has taken over. And as you know, one cannot simply fire family."
Marianna's heart sank.
"But," Mrs. Cavanaugh continued with excited glee, "Charles' brother-in-law requires someone with your skills."
Mr. Cavanaugh grunted, clearly uncomfortable.
"Hush Charles," Mrs. Cavanaugh said harshly. "I will get to that part."
Marianna looked at her former employers with wild confusion. She needed the job, she had no choice but to take the offer, but surely it couldn't be as easy as that. "Is it here in town?" she asked hesitantly.
"Well, no," Mrs. Cavanaugh said with a little less pep to her voice. "Larsen owns a ranch in Texas, and ever since his wife — Charles' sister — passed away a few years ago, he has been having a difficult time running the place and taking care of his two little boys at the same time."
"So he needs a governess then?" Marianna asked. "How long would the contract be? I should warn you, I've never governed boys before; I grew up in a house full of sisters." Her heart raced as she considered what taking this job meant. "I'm not sure I can leave my family," she trailed off.
"He will pay handsomely, enough to pay off your father's debts and set your mother and sisters up nicely," Mrs. Cavanaugh interjected.
Marianna sucked in her breath. This would be the answer to everything, but only if she was willing to make the sacrifice and move away. Yet, it still sounded too good to be true. "How long?" she asked again.
Mrs. Cavanaugh hesitated and sent a worried glance toward her husband. "The thing is, he needs someone who can raise his sons and run his household on a more permanent bases."
Marianna shot her a confused look. "Permanent?"
"What he needs is an educated, intelligent, hard-working wife," Mrs. Cavanaugh concluded.
Marianna felt like she had been punched in the stomach. "A wife?" she stuttered.
"You wouldn't have to marry him right away," Mrs. Cavanaugh said in a rush. "You could go for a trial period, say a month, see how you like the ranch and the family. At any time during that period, if you feel like this isn't right for you, you can leave and Larsen will compensate you for your time. You will be treated with the utmost respect and will be given the space to make your decision." She leaned forward in her seat, her eyes roaming Marianna's expectantly.
Marianna took a long pause, her words failing her at the moment. She had too many emotions racing through her mind to make a rational — or even coherent — decision. "I want to thank you for your offer but," she paused as she weighed what her next move would be, "I will need to think about it." Her heart didn't want to take the offer and leave her family, especially while she was still grieving the loss of her fiancé. She wasn’t ready to turn down the only option for her family’s security either.
"Certainly dear," Mrs. Cavanaugh extended. "We must be on our way, but think about the offer and get back to us on your decision soon," she smiled warmly before she turned away.
Marianna showed the Cavanaughs out the door, a fake smile plastered on her face. The moment the door clicked shut behind them, she burst into tears. As she clutched the handle of the front door, she sobbed heavily. The tears streaming down her face were not only for Kevin and the dreams that had been buried with him that day, but for her family, their situation, and for the difficult decision ahead of her. If she turned down the offer to marry this Larsen fellow, she would doom her family to destitution. If she accepted, it would mean resigning herself to a loveless marriage and a world without her family nearby to support her. It was either her family’s happiness, or hers.
Marianna already knew what her answer would be.
Chapter
Three
"You can't go!" Amelia cried as she clutched her older sister tightly.
The train whistled in the background, signaling that their goodbyes needed to come to an end.
"Forget the whole thing! We need you here. We will figure out something; I'll sell some of my stories and we can live off of the money until a better alternative comes along," Georgina offered. Her face was stiff, but her eyes glistened with the tears she was trying in vain to hold back.
"You know that this is our best option," Marianna lamented softly.
"What if he is an ogre of a person and downright horrid?" Amelia asked through her sniffles.
"Then I won't marry him," she tweaked her younger sister's cheek affectionately. She held her head high, refusing to let her sisters see the fear she felt. She knew that the Cavanaughs would not send her if they thought that it would be a bad situation, but she still was afraid of what was waiting for her on the other side of her journey.
"You promise to come back if it is truly awful, right?" Georgina asked with a quivering voice. "Do not remain in a bad situation just for us, please," she pleaded.
Marianna turned to her sister. "I won't, I promise," she said with a conviction she wasn't sure she felt. She knew that it would be difficult for her to want to stay without her sisters, but she also knew that it would be harder to return and know that she was condemning them to a life of destitution.
Georgina moved in to join Amelia in embracing their older sister. Their father was absent as usual, while their mother was too ill to make the journey to the train station to bid her eldest daughter goodbye. The three girls clung to each other, while the conductor yelled the final boarding call.
Reluctantly, Marianna disentangled herself from her sisters' grasps. "I have to go," she said. She didn't want to leave, but she knew that the time had come.
With a final wave goodbye, she ascended the small steps that guided her onto the train that would carry her to her new home. As she took her seat in the private car cabin that Larsen Dover had provided, she held back the tears she felt well within her. She had shed enough tears, and she was determined to be strong from here on out. It would require resilience to survive this unknown adventure - resilience she wasn't sure she had.
"Well," she said to herself as the train began to pull away from the station, "I guess we shall see exactly what kind of stock Marianna Wellington is made of."
Chapter Four
"Ms. Wellington?" a soft spoken, young male’s voice called out with some hesitation.
Marianna, still drowsy from the long train ride, looked up sharply. "Yes?" she mumbled sleepily. She had barely slept in the days since she left her home in Valley Springs. She had now arrived to Dover Ranch, Texas in a less than ideal state. Her eyes were baggy and her hair ruffled from the trip.
"Oh good," the voice said with obvious relief. "I'm James Evans and my boss sent me to fetch you."
"Oh?" Marianna jolted awake as it dawned on her that she was finally here, or as near as the closest train station was from the mysterious Dover Ranch. As she opened her eyes fully, she saw a gangly young man stand before her. He was twisting his hat nervously in his hands.
"May I help you with your bags?" he stuttered.
Marianna's demeanor softened. This boy looked like he was scared of her. "Of course," she said kindly. "I only have a few things, so between the both of us we should be able to make just one trip."
The boy smiled," Yes ma'am."
They both carried the small suitcase and handbag — all the possessions Marianna cared to bring. They walked to an open wagon.
"Sorry about the transportation," the boy motioned to the horse-drawn wagon. "It isn't fancy like you must be used to in Boston," he drawled.
"I'm sure it will do quite nicely," she said. Marianna didn't care if she had been picked up in a wheel borrow, so long as it got her to her destination, and hopefully a bed to finally have a proper night’s rest.
"Don't worry," he said sheepishly. "It won't be too long of a drive."
He helped Marianna up into the wagon and took his place next to her. With a click of his tongue, the horse began to trot briskly.
Marianna was fascinated by the different landscape, especially the lack of city space she was used to. Although she grew up in a town outside of Boston, it still was decently sized. Out here in Texas, the town was a lot smaller than she had expected. As they moved away from it, the houses became sparse. She took in the beautiful scenery while she listened to James prattle on about the history of the town. Although he had been shy around her at first, it hadn't taken long for him to turn into a regular chatterbox.
After several hours of riding, Marianna began to suspect what James constituted as 'not too long,' was entirely different than her own concept of time. Her bottom ached from the wooden seat, which didn't help her already train-sore body.
"James?" she asked in a moment when he paused to take a breath in between his speech. "How much longer —"
"WOAH!" James broke her off as he brought the horse to a sudden stop.
"What is it?" Marianna asked nervously.
"Do you see that? James pointed to a red smudge off in the distance. "On the horizon?"
Marianna squinted. "I see it, but what is it?"
"Fire!" James said with a nervous cry. "Hold on to your seat Ms. Wellington," he shouted wildly.
"Why —" Marianna words were broken again off as James flicked the reins and the horse took off in a gallop. Marianna clutched the wood seat as the wagon clunked and rattled beneath her as it sped along at a pace at which it was never meant to go. Marianna became nervous as James veered the wagon toward the flame, not away from it as she would have thought. Yet, at the moment, she was more concerned with holding on to the shaking wagon than the fire that grew larger the closer they got.
When they were close enough to see the pillar of smoke as it swirled toward the sky, Marianna saw that the building on fire was a barn. When they were still several yards away, James brought the wagon to a screeching halt.
"Stay here," he said roughly as he jumped from the wagon and took off running toward the source of the flames.
Marianna knew that she should stay put, but her heart urged her to do something. She figured they would still need people to help put out the flames. Besides, there was no way she could sit easy while everyone else put in the effort to help.
Without another thought, Marianna leapt off the wagon and hurried after James.
She was close enough now to both hear and smell the flames as it crackled and burned. The smoke was thicker here, and she had to reach down and retrieve her handkerchief to cover her mouth and nose from the ashy air.
She saw a group of men standing near the entrance of the burning building, leading the animals out of the inferno, and shouting directions toward each other over the roar of the blaze. She moved closer, hoping to see James among them. She thought she spotted him at the edge of the burning building and ran toward him. She figured they could use all the help they could get.
As she moved closer to the burning building, the smoke grew thicker and her eyes burned. She no longer could see James through the haze that engulfed the building, so she moved back toward the front. She froze when she heard the building crackle and groan next to her. Through all the chaos, she could hear the men shouting to move away, warning those nearby that the building was about to collapse.
Marianna turned in horror as the building swayed dangerously close to her. At the same moment, a gust of heavy wind forced the smoke in her direction and engulfed her in a thick cloud. She couldn't move. She tried to command her feet, but her body was frozen. Her mind went blank as her lungs filled with the thick smoke. She coughed wildly, her vision blurred and terror seized her in its entrapping embrace.
She could hear the barn give another loud groan, but she couldn't see a thing. She tried to move away, but only stumbled on the uneven ground. She attempted to call out for help, but the air around her was too thick to
breathe.
She knew she had made a mistake, and that she should have listened to James when he told her to stay put. Or perhaps, she should never have come to this place at all. She should have stayed in Boston and hoped for the best. She felt dizzy from the smoke and stumbled again when she tried to move away from it.
Marianna had just about saw her life flash before her eyes, when she felt strong arms come around her body and lift her up off the ground.
A deep male voice spoke to her gently. "You're safe," he assured her.
Marianna tried to speak, but her lungs were still filled with smoke. She coughed in response, but that little exertion took whatever energy she had left. She felt her body go limp, while her mind continued to race with the overwhelming emotions of the moment.
As they came out of the smoke, she squinted up at the man carrying her. He was tall and muscular, with thick dark hair and shadowy stubble across his strong chin. He was also shirtless— as Marianna quickly realized the moment that she rested her head against his chest.
She jolted in his arms when she heard the barn rumble loudly as it finally crashed to the ground. She peeked over his shoulder at the spot where the barn once stood, now a smoldering pile of burning rubble.
She could still hear the clamor of voices around her as the men struggled to contain the flames. The mysterious man was attempting to carry her away from the chaos, when a vicious looking individual stopped him.
"Where did she come from?" the other man said angrily. He was quite a bit shorter than her rescuer, stocky, with a round face and sandy blonde hair.
Marianna peeked up at him through her stinging eyes, her tired gaze locked with his enraged expression.
