by Teresa Rae
“Ida, please retrieve some refreshments for Miss Harris,” he says, not looking at the girl in the corner. His worried eyes are firmly on me.
“Yes, Massa James,” Ida obediently leaves the room.
“I hope I didn’t frighten everyone?” I say, seeing for the first time that I’m wearing a nightgown.
He takes one of my hands in his and kisses it. “I have been wrought with worry. Doc O’Grady was here earlier and cared for the wound on your head. You have a small laceration but extensive bumps and bruises.”
I gently squeeze his hand. “I’m fine.”
He slightly nods while Ida carries in a tray. He sits on the bed, tenderly pulling me into a sitting position so I can drink my water. He wraps a quilt around me.
“Ida, you may leave the tray. Let Rose and Clara know Miss Harris has awakened to calm their fears,” Colonel Blair instructs.
She silently leaves the room.
“Are you hurt?” I ask, inspecting him.
He shakes his head. “Doc O’Grady gave me a clean bill of health before he went to help treat the men. However, he left strict instructions. You are not to leave this bed until he gives his approval.”
“You’ve been drinking again,” I say, closing my eyes to relieve the enormous headache.
“We lost seven men,” he says quietly.
I take his hand in an effort to comfort him.
“Don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault. Julia said you have some of the safest mines in the Comstock Lode. Being a miner is just dangerous.” I don’t add, even in my time.
There is a knock on the door. I reopen my eyes. Rose and Clara walk into the room.
“I been keepin’ soup hot just in case,” Rose explains as she puts a bowl on the bedside table.
“How are you?” Clara questions.
“I feel terrible,” I say truthfully.
“Miss Harris, you are a dangerous woman,” Colonel Blair says. He holds me tightly. “I have been deathly frightened on several occasions, but I cannot even begin to describe the way I felt when I saw you in that mine!”
“The men needed my help,” I reply, lying limply in his arms.
He shakes his head. “I have been more than patient with your confounded independence and demands to help everyone. No more! From this moment on, you will be treated as and expected to behave like the lady you are. No more slaving away to help others at the risk of your own health, and I must insist that you allow my servants to serve you. You are not to clean, cook, or otherwise lift a finger in my home, and you are most certainly not to put yourself peril!” His voice is uncharacteristically loud.
“Colonel Blair, I am more than capable taking care of myself,” I retort wearily.
“Says the woman who needs to be rescued every day of the week!” he snaps.
I weakly lift a hand to my aching head.
“Colonel Blair, I apologize that I have been an inconvenient houseguest,” I say with exhaustion. “I can find a room in town for the remainder of my stay in Virginia City, and then you will never have to worry about me again.”
He grimaces before carefully placing me in the bed. He silently leaves the room.
“Miss Harris, you shouldn’t be tormentin’ him,” Rose says, carefully helping me with the soup. She puts a spoonful in my mouth. “I been known Massa James since he was a baby, and he be a good man. He da only man I be followin’ to a god-forsaken place like Virginia City.”
I swallow the soup. “Colonel Blair is spoiled and self-consumed.”
“No, he be kind and brave,” Rose defends him as she helps me with more soup. She proudly says, “He be able to lead an army. He done save many lives in da mine.”
“Rose, you were a slave to his family,” I remind her.
“And I been done one of da lucky ones.” She puts another spoonful of soup in my mouth. “Puttin’ me in da Blair’s house been done da best thing God ever done for me. Massa James mamma been done one of His angels.”
I am silent as I eat my food.
“You know, he loves you,” Clara says in a hushed voice, rubbing salve on my hands.
“I am fond of him, too. He’s like the older brother I never had.”
Rose puts down the spoon and places one of her rough hands on my cheek. “No baby, Massa James ain’t be lovin’ you like a sister. He be lovin’ you like a man be lovin’ a woman.”
I shake my aching head at the absurdity. “You must be mistaken. I’m helping Colonel Blair find a wife.”
“Rebecca, you are blind if you do not see what the rest of us see,” Clara says. “He hired me to serve you. He is repairing his home to match your standards. He bought you a whole house of furniture. He has purchased your trousseau. Colonel Blair is not looking for a wife; he is trying to win your hand.”
I don’t believe it. It’s just not possible! Colonel Blair is – well – Colonel Blair. I’m just me.
“No, I make him angry,” I argue. “I’m always doing and saying the wrong things. I’ve never been bright, and I’m certainly not pretty. I can’t cook, or sew, or do anything useful.”
I take a deep breath while putting a hand on my throbbing head.
“Miss Rebecca, he be lovin’ you fiercely.” Rose gestures around the room. There are several vases of daffodils.
“Brothers can give their sisters flowers,” I counter.
Clara disagrees with a shake of the head. “Daffodils mean many things. However, in this case, I believe Colonel Blair has used them to symbolize his unrequited love.”
“But he can’t love me! I have been mean to him. I have bossed him around and disregarded his wishes. I have even yelled at him.” My head is in such pain I can barely stand it, and this conversation isn’t helping matters. I wish I had some modern-day painkillers.
Clara sees my discomfort and puts a cool cloth on my head. “Shhhhh, do not upset yourself.”
“I’ll find him a good wife,” I say, still disbelieving he could ever have feelings for someone like me.
“You ain’t be understandin’.” Rose inspects the wound on my head and tucks me into bed. “Massa James like his papa – loyal. When Mistress Emily done pass, it done nearly destroy Massa John. He done go to da grave without lovin’ another. His son da same.”
“There are plenty of other girls who he can bestow his affection on. I just have to find him the right one.” I will make plans first thing in the morning, when my head doesn’t hurt so much.
Rose moves the soup to look me in the eyes. “Rebecca, Massa James be aimin’ to spend his life with you, and if you done break his heart, I ain’t never gonna forgive you.”
“Rose, believe me when I say that I don’t have any intention of breaking his heart, but there are some things I have no control over, such as the fact that I’m leaving on the twenty-first.” Rose and Clara are just reading too much into everything. My head hurts so much I absentmindedly add, “Besides, a broken heart is not nearly as important as keeping the man alive.”
Her eyes narrow. “What be you talkin’ about?”
The pain in my head increases. I suddenly fight to keep my eyes open. “Nothing except I don’t like Samuel, and Colonel Blair trusts his uncle too much.”
“You be right about dat sinner! Samuel Blair be a wicked, blasphemous man!” I hear her stomp her foot.
“Not Master Samuel?” I ask.
She laughs. “Dat man ain’t never done be my massa and ain’t never gonna! I be servin’ da Lord up above and James Blair! Massa James da only man be deservin’ da title!”
* * *
A strange, yet familiar, sound causes me to open my eyes the next morning. I look around the room. Colonel Blair is standing in the corner, brushing his teeth. Having missed my toothbrush class, he awkwardly moves the toothbrush up and down before spiting into a basin. He must have just finished washing his hair, because his dark curls are still wet. Pulling on a starched shirt, he turns around while buttoning the front. He smiles when he sees my eyes. He abandon
s his buttons, leaving his muscular chest exposed.
“Good morning,” he says, cautiously moving hair out of my face. He looks at the wound on my head. “Dr. O’Grady will be here in a few minutes.”
My head aches slightly, and I’m still very tired. However, my time in 1875 is over halfway gone. There is just too much to be done. I sit up and nearly fall out of the bed. He catches me.
“Rebecca, you have been very ill,” he says, cradling my small body in his arms.
“I’m just a little tired,” I reply. Being out of the blankets causes me to shiver.
He carefully restores me to the bed, covering me with thick quilts. “You are ill, and this room is too cold. I will have Henry bring up some firewood before I go to meet the doctor.”
I close my eyes as he goes out the door. When I reopen my eyes another face is peering down at me. Gabe holds out a glass.
“It was foolish of you to enter that mine,” he reprimands me as I take the glass. “You are exhausted because you fought to remain here.”
I sip the brown liquid in the glass, discovering it is absolutely revolting. Choking on it, I pull it away from my lips.
Gabe shakes his head. “You must drink every last drop. It will restore your energy.”
Trusting him, I gag down the nasty drink. I hand him the empty glass. Warmth immediately snakes through my veins.
“Gabe, I don’t know if I can do this anymore,” I whisper.
“You must do it.” He wraps the quilts around me. “It is more than Henry, Clara, and I who depend on James. Think of his workers.”
“I know, but maybe it would be best if I wasn’t sleeping in this house. I could get a room in town and return under the guise of helping Rose each day.”
“No, this is exactly where you need to be. You would not be safe in town, and James is not safe without you. Besides, you have given away all your money.”
“I was thinking of selling my gown.”
“James would never hear of it, and neither will I.” He frowns. “Rebecca, I do not understand everything that is going on, but you are the key to our salvation. God would never have allowed you to travel to us unless there was a chance for you to save us.”
“It’s just so difficult,” I say in a hushed voice.
“Rose told me about the conversation you had earlier.” He takes my hand. “She is correct when she said James is in love with you. I thought you knew.”
“Everyone’s simply reading more into this than they should,” I counter.
He shakes his head. “No, he is completely smitten. He has not told me of his plans, but it is apparent they include you.”
“I can’t even fathom what he could possibly see in me!” I sigh with frustration.
“I have thought about James’s future actions you described to me, and I suspect I know why.” He smiles faintly. “Miss Harris, James would have seen you for what you are, in any century. The probable reason for his behavior is you. Just as James immediately became smitten with you in 1875, I imagine he was taken with you in the future. His rudeness was a guise to hide his sorrow at never having had the opportunity to court you.”
I shake my head.
“Think back, Miss Harris,” he interrupts. “Think back to the things he did and said.”
My brow wrinkles. Gabe is right. Colonel Blair’s ghost saved me from harm – twice. That’s not an action of distain. He wanted me safe and healthy. Even the words he spoke were not said with cruelty, only frustration. Why didn’t I see it before?
“What am I going to do?” I ask. “I will leave on the twenty-first and don’t want to hurt him. I don’t know if becoming closer to him is a good idea.”
“You do not know James like I do. Each day he becomes more and more protective of you. Imagine the lengths he would go through to protect you if you were courting. I fear he will not send Samuel away unless it is done in your defense.”
It’s probably a good idea if I were to distance myself from him as much as possible.
“It will have to be a last resort, because I don’t want to hurt him anymore than I have to,” I say slowly.
The door opens and Colonel Blair shows Dr. O’Grady into the room. They stop in their tracks when they see Gabe sitting next to my bed. He rises to his feet.
“Colonel Blair, you should be aware that Miss Harris feels she is inconveniencing you,” he says. “She has the crazy notion in her head that she should sell her gown and take a room in town.”
“Gabe,” I hiss.
“Miss Harris, I forbid it,” Doctor O’Grady interjects. “You are far too ill! I will not allow you to ruin your health by taking a room in a drafty hotel! There is none better equipped to care for you than Colonel Blair.”
“I was just going to tell Clara to put away her gown, as not to tempt her,” Gabe says, smirking.
“Miss Harris is also under the impression she will be traveling on the twenty-first,” Colonel Blair says.
Doctor O’Grady shakes his head. “Absolutely not! I insist that Miss Harris rest for at least two week’s time, doctor’s orders.”
“Inform the staff Miss Harris is not to leave the Mansion,” Colonel Blair says, jumping on the bandwagon. “Also, see to it that she can neither sell her dress nor rent a room in town. It would also be wise to speak with the ticket counter at railroad station to ensure she cannot purchase a ticket. We cannot have her traipsing around the country while so ill.”
“Of course,” says Gabe, leaving the room.
“Miss Harris, you have a heart of gold but no commonsense.” Dr. O’Grady inspects my head, shaking his own. “You are fortunate to be alive, yet you are worried about inconveniencing Colonel Blair?”
“This is precisely why you are in my home,” Colonel Blair tells him. “Miss Harris is so determined to help others, she disregards her own safety.”
“Miss Harris, as your doctor, I must agree with Colonel Blair. I try to avoid getting involved others’ affairs. However, you must begin thinking of your own well-being.”
Gabe’s concoction is making its way through my body, but I am still very tired. Ignoring the two men, I close my eyes and go back to sleep.
* * *
“Miss Harris, you poor dear!” Julia Whitaker surprises me with a visit after lunch. She dashes into the room, taking a seat next to the bed. “I just received word this morning you were hurt in the mine!”
“Mrs. Whitaker, we must not excite or tire Miss Harris,” Clara says from the corner. “Doctor O’Grady has given strict instructions that visits must be brief.”
“Naturally,” she says, turning to me. “Colonel Blair informed me of the severity of your injury. How are you feeling?”
“I am regaining my strength,” I respond truthfully. Whatever was in Gabe’s concoction worked better than an energy drink. Although I’m still exhausted, I can at least sit up.
“Do not try to get on your feet too quickly. You will need time to recover.”
“Yes, but I am concerned for the welfare of many of Virginia City’s children,” I begin.
She stops me with a shake of her head. “Miss Harris, you are to recover and nothing more.”
I take her hand. “Julia, I am leaving on the twenty-first. I will never be able to live with myself if I did not do everything in my power to ease suffering while I am here. Perhaps we could hold a concert with the proceeds to be divided between St. Paul’s and St. Mary’s?”
“A concert with the Catholics?” Her brows furrow.
“Yes, we can raise a lot more money, if we work together.”
She thinks for a moment before a smile appears on her face. “Virginia City could use some Christian spirit. I will set straight to work putting together a program. I am certain the organist will agree to perform.”
“You may add my name to the list as well. I should be well enough to play a couple songs on the violin.” I uncomfortably stretch my neck.
“I am afraid I must put your feminine scheming to an end,” Colonel
Blair says from the doorway. “It is time for Miss Harris to rest.”
Julia rises to her feet.
“Yes, and I have a musical program to arrange.” She goes to the door, stopping right in front of Colonel Blair. “Due to Miss Harris’s circumstances, I feel responsible for her well-being. Living with a bachelor is hardly ideal, even in Virginia City. Perhaps you should consider officially courting her? I can show myself out.”
She sweeps from the room, not bothering to wait for a response.
Colonel Blair smirks, walking to the bed. “Clara, I will take the next shift.”
She nods. “Call if you need anything. I will be outside having lunch with my family.”
She follows Julia out the door.
I lay my head on the pillow. Colonel Blair smiles while kicking off his boots. He removes his jacket before lying on the blankets.
“You are not well,” he says, tracing under my eyes.
“I’m worried.”
“Doctor O’Malley said you have improved.” He feels my forehead.
“I’m not worried about me. I will be fine. I’m worried about the families of the dead miners.”
“Of course you are.” He sighs. “Rebecca, you are so ill, yet you worry for everyone except yourself. I will ensure the widows are given their husbands’ wages.”
“That is not enough. Their families were counting on their wages for food and shelter. Now, the money will be used to bury their husbands. There are children who are fatherless and women who are widows. It will be a very bleak year for these families.”
He stares at me, breathing deeply. “What would you have me do?” he asks in a hushed voice.
“It would bring me peace of mind knowing their families will not be cold or hungry throughout the spring.”
Again, he takes a deep breath, moving closer. “You are the most demanding woman,” he whispers.
Very hesitantly, I reach up and run my fingers through his dark, curly hair. It is incredibly soft. My fingers go from his hair to his face. I gently cup my hand to his cheek.
“Please, Colonel Blair,” I implore.
He takes my hand in his. “Anything for you.”
I smile faintly. I am relieved to know the mourning families will be cared for.
