“That, and don’t let him put his new laboratory anywhere near a building you don’t want blown up or to catch on fire,” Christa put in.
Since Phebe had already seen evidence of the result of one of Henry’s experiments, she thought that was good advice. Feeling a little less intimidated, Phebe gave Ammie a shy smile. “I’m glad you could come to the wedding so early in the morning.”
“I wouldn’t miss it no matter what the hour,” Ammie assured her. “Ethan told me that you and Henry will be catching the morning train to Sacramento?”
That was true enough. Henry and Adam had spent the remainder of yesterday arranging for the supplies to be crated and delivered to the railroad’s freight office. Since Henry had been absent most of the time up until supper, getting everything ready for the move to their new home, Phebe hadn’t had a chance to ask him for any details. All she’d been told was to be ready to board the train immediately after their wedding this morning.
The quickness of all the arrangements once she and Henry had agreed to go forward with the marriage, made Phebe believe that Adam was concerned about giving Henry a rock-solid excuse not to marry Priscilla Janson, and getting him away from her father.
Christa reached into the jewelry chest she’d abandoned on the bed and took out the pearl necklace. Stepping behind Phebe, she looped it around her neck and engaged the clasp. Phebe reached up and ran her fingers gently over the pearl set into a network of gold lace.
Feeling the connection with Henry’s mother who was no longer on this earth, and the daughter who was hopefully in the future, Phebe felt a sense of peace. But it didn’t last long. The impulsive Christa grabbed one of her hands and started to pull her along.
“Let’s put Henry out of his misery.”
With the other two women flanking her, the small group headed for the top of the curving staircase that led into the wide foyer below. There were smiles and sighs as the women descended the stairs, stopping just out of sight of the open doorway to the large parlor.
“Give us a minute, then come in and walk toward the fireplace,” Christa said. She reached down and straightened Phebe’s crimson skirt.
Caroline moved to the table against the wall to their right and picked up a lovely bouquet of crimson roses tied together with a red ribbon. “I thought these would be perfect.” She leaned over and gave Phebe a kiss on the cheek before heading into the parlor. Both the other women followed suit, with Christa turning to give Phebe a wink just before disappearing from sight.
Standing alone, Phebe looked at the flowers she held, surprised to find that her hands weren’t trembling at all. Taking that as a sign that her heart, as well as her mind, knew she was doing the right thing, Phebe straightened her back and lifted her chin before stepping through the parlor’s doorway.
The furniture in the room had been pushed to the side, and the heavy wooden mantel over the fireplace was decorated with an avalanche of red roses. A man dressed in black with a white collar across his neck and a smile on his face held a book open in his hands. Phebe shifted her gaze to the right, where Henry stood, looking incredibly handsome in a dark suit. When his gaze found hers, she started forward, never taking her eyes off his, and telling herself to breathe with every step she took.
It seemed like a lifetime before she was finally standing in front of the minister. She took a deep breath and turned to face the man who would soon be her husband. She barely noticed when the minister cleared his throat and lifted his Bible until it was barely a foot away from his nose.
“Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today . . .”
Chapter 9
Henry smiled as he settled into the seat across from Phebe in their private compartment. The train had barely pulled out of the station, and Phebe had just finished waving goodbye to her new family. Ammie, along with her tall, hawk-eyed husband, had also come along to give the newlyweds a warm send-off. Even Jesse, who’d shown up at the house a bit late, had accompanied them to the station.
Watching as the whole group of them grew smaller and smaller, Phebe let out an audible sigh. Despite the fact that their time together had been short, she was still going to miss them—especially Christa and Caroline. Phebe considered the two women her first real friends in California.
Henry leaned over and gave her hand a quick pat. “No need to worry, Phebe. We’ll be in Sacramento soon.” He took a watch out of his vest pocket and glanced at it. “The train almost left on time for a change.” Apparently satisfied with that, Henry snapped the lid closed and returned the watch to his pocket as he smiled at her. “The trip is about three and a half hours, and I’ve planned ahead so our time will be well used.”
Wondering what in the world Henry had in mind, Phebe politely returned his smile and patiently waited for him to tell her all about those plans of his. She waited silently as he reached into the satchel he’d placed next to him on the seat, not at all surprised when he took out several books. After stacking them neatly on the ledge jutting out from their window, he turned back to the small bag and withdrew a blank piece of paper along with a small wooden board, which he handed to Phebe.
“Here you go,” her new husband said cheerfully as he reached once more into his satchel.
Phebe looked down at the board with the papers lying on top and frowned in confusion. She had no idea what Henry expected her to do with them. When he placed a pair of gloves and a charcoal stick on top of the paper, she glanced over at him.
“You’re expecting me to draw something?” Phebe shook her head. “I’m sorry, Henry, but I’m not an artist.” She set the board, and everything stacked on top of it, onto the seat next to her. “I can barely draw a straight line. Harriet is the only artist I know.”
Henry looked up from his rummaging and raised an eyebrow. “Who’s Harriet?”
As was her habit, Phebe folded her hands in her lap before giving in to a smile at the thought of one of her friends from the orphanage. “She taught at Madam Wigg’s orphanage, just like I did, and she’s a wonderful artist.” Phebe glanced at the paper and charcoal stick. “I’m sure she could draw your portrait in no time at all.”
Henry adjusted his glasses as if he were considering the matter. “That would be interesting to watch, but that isn’t what I had in mind.”
“Oh.” Feeling a bit foolish, and completely at a loss, Phebe chewed on her lower lip. “What did you want me to do with the paper and charcoal stick?”
“I thought you could draw what you wished to be built, and where you would like it to be. I have a map of the land and the buildings that are already on it somewhere in here.” He peered into the bag, lowering his head until his face disappeared inside the open top. “Aha. I believe I’ve found it.” His muffled voice became suddenly louder as he sat upright and pulled out a rolled piece of paper with a string tied around its middle. He handed it over to Phebe with a small flourish.
She took it from him, slowly untied the string, and carefully rolled out the parchment paper, holding it flat on her lap. With a sense of awe, Phebe stared at the map of the land she and Henry could now call their own.
Henry leaned over and pointed to various markings on the parchment. “This is the main house. It’s sturdy enough, but I think we should add more space to it.” He moved his finger over a larger area. “All of this part is already cleared, and this is the barn. It’s a good size, and the building over here is an old sawmill. With some patching up, you should be able to use it for the school, at least temporarily.” He pointed to a spot in between the barn and the sawmill. “I thought this would be the perfect place for my laboratory. That way I could be easily available if you need a hand with the children or some chore done in the barn.”
Phebe was careful to make a noncommittal sound at Henry’s suggestion. She wasn’t all that certain he actually knew how to do any chores in a barn, and was very positive she didn’t want any of his experiments being conducted that close to the children. As she continued to study the map, Henry leaned back
and was silent for several long moments. Phebe could feel his gaze on her, so she glanced up. Sure enough, he was intently studying her.
“This has been a lot of change for you. Do you miss all your friends?”
She smiled at the concern in his voice. “Of course, but it isn’t the nature of things to stay the same.” She took a quick look at his stack of books before returning her attention to her husband. “Being a scientist, who would know that better than you?”
He grinned. “Did you teach science at the school?”
“Sometimes.” Phebe nodded. “I taught quite a few of the subjects over the years, especially when one of the other teachers was sick or couldn’t teach her classes. And of course we all had to shift around a bit when Xenia disappeared.”
Henry’s eyebrows shot to the top of his forehead. “Disappeared? Do you mean she was kidnapped?”
“None of us knows for sure.” Phebe glanced out the window at the rapidly passing scenery and sighed. Along with all the other teachers, she’d often wondered, and speculated at night after the lights were out, what had happened to the lovely Xenia. Their friend had been so passionate about helping people.
“She was always the first to go into the community to rescue someone, or help them through a difficult time.” Phebe turned back toward Henry. “We all had our own idea of what happened to her. Most thought she’d run off and married someone, or had taken a position in another city.”
Her husband nodded. “And what do you think happened to her?”
Phebe knew that marrying someone was probably the most logical conclusion. After all, in the end, wasn’t that what they’d all done? But she’d always felt Xenia had chosen a different path long before the rest of her friends even started considering where they wanted their lives to go.
“As I mentioned, Xenia’s passion was to help people.” In a familiar habit, she tapped a finger against her chin as her eyes narrowed in thought. “Have you ever heard the name Clara Barton?”
“Of course,” Henry immediately responded. “She helped thousands of wounded during the war.”
Pleased, Phebe gave an enthusiastic nod. “Yes. Exactly. Miss Barton went to Europe for a while, and then returned a few years ago and brought back the idea of a wonderful organization she’d worked with over there.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I think Xenia ran off to help Miss Barton start a Red Cross here in America.” Phebe grew more animated as she confided her belief in what had happened to Xenia. “Clara Barton started out as a schoolteacher and helped many children without any means to receive a good education. Madam Wigg particularly admired her, so I’m sure she would have approved of Xenia’s plan.”
“If that’s what happened to her,” Henry said gently.
His quiet reminder had the effect of yanking Phebe’s head out of the clouds and putting her feet firmly back on the ground. “Of course that isn’t likely, but I enjoy imagining her working beside Miss Barton to help hundreds of people.”
Henry shook his head. “Maybe you can’t know if that’s what really happened, but it doesn’t mean that it didn’t. Working with Miss Barton is as good an explanation as any.”
Surprised at Henry’s defense of musings that most of her friends had always declared were far too fanciful to even repeat, Phebe reached over and gave his hand a grateful squeeze. “Thank you, Henry. It’s nice to be able to talk things over with you.”
The hours on the train passed pleasantly for Phebe. She thoroughly enjoyed looking over the map of her new home and planning out her school as Henry settled into his seat and quickly became engrossed in one of his books. The quiet between them was comfortable, and a welcome change from the turbulent emotions of speaking her wedding vows, not to mention the face-to-face confrontation with one Priscilla Janson.
When the train pulled into the Sacramento station, Phebe followed Henry onto the platform. She smiled at the two men who were traveling with them all the way to Lake Tahoe when they strode up and politely tipped their broad-brimmed hats to her before looking at Henry.
“We’ll be sure all the supplies get loaded onto the wagons, Henry, once we reach Reno,” the shorter and stockier of the two men said.
Phebe remembered his name was Jake, and he had a smile that crossed his entire face. His partner, who’d been introduced as “Reb,” was much more somber, but always polite with his long southern drawl. Phebe had liked both men immediately and was very glad to have their company.
She knew the last stage of their journey would be by horse and wagon, and hadn’t been at all sure how Henry would fare. But having the two hired hands along had set her mind at ease.
“Already seen Evan.” Reb jerked a thumb to point at the large crowd milling around behind him. “He’s got most of the rest of what we need all put together, including all that milled lumber you wanted and those cotton bales. Said we could leave in the morning if that’s all right with you?”
As Henry spoke to the two men, Phebe leaned to the side to catch a glimpse of the unknown Evan whom Reb had mentioned, but didn’t see anyone in particular stand out from the shifting crowd around them.
“Be careful. You might fall if you keep leaning over like that.”
The amused voice, with a noticeable hint of a British accent, came from behind her. Phebe glanced over her shoulder at the darkly handsome stranger smiling back at her. Henry also spun around at the sound of the voice. He held out his hand and shook the stranger’s, his eyes twinkling behind the lenses of his glasses.
“Evan! I wasn’t sure you’d be able to meet the train.” Henry poked the man in the chest, right on top of the star pinned to his vest. “I thought you might have some urgent deputy duties to dispatch.” When Evan looked at Phebe, Henry nodded, a huge grin on his face. “Phebe, this is a good friend of ours, Evan Thornton. He works with Adam and Jesse.”
Evan put two fingers to the brim of his hat and tipped his head. “Occasionally. I occasionally work with those two. It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Frommer.”
“What sort of work do you do with them, Mr. Thornton?” Phebe blurted out, then blushed at the bold question.
“Whatever it takes to keep them out of trouble,” Evan said easily. “Those two tend to attract it.” He tilted his head to one side and frowned. “Have we met before, Mrs. Frommer?”
“I don’t believe so, Mr. Thornton. I grew up in an orphanage in New York City. This is the first time I’ve ever been away from it.” Phebe absently slipped her hand around Henry’s arm, then had to stop herself from jerking it away when he looked at her in surprise.
Evan seemed oblivious to the byplay between the newly married couple as he nodded at Phebe before turning a grin on her husband. “Have you blown up anything lately?”
Henry didn’t look the least embarrassed as the tall deputy laughed and gave him a friendly clap on the back. Phebe couldn’t help her grimace. Did everyone know about her husband’s tendency to turn perfectly good sheds into kindling?
Henry lifted his shoulders in a casual shrug. “It wasn’t a particularly large structure. The neighbors barely complained about it.”
His friend raised a dark eyebrow. “I’ll wager they’ve gotten used to it.”
Much to Phebe’s relief, the deputy decided to change the subject.
“What Reb told you is true enough,” Evan said. “I have five good men who are willing to stay and build whatever you’d like, and all the rest of the supplies you’ll need are ready to go. Everything is in Reno waiting for you.” He looked down the length of the train toward the baggage and freight cars at the end. “I gather by the list Adam sent, that you brought mostly books from San Francisco?”
“Yes.” When Evan shook his head, Henry frowned. “But they aren’t all mine. We have quite a few for the children to use as well.” His chest puffed out a little. “Phebe made an excellent selection for all levels of learning.”
The deputy looked over at Phebe and smiled. “I’m sure you did. I hope you don’t mind, ma’am, but I’ve a
lready started putting out the word about your new orphan school. Wouldn’t surprise me at all if you had a few of them waiting for you.”
The thought absolutely thrilled Phebe. “That would be wonderful!”
Henry gave the hand that was now lying in the crook of his arm a gentle pat. “Yes, it would be. Do you think you’ll be too tired to get started tomorrow morning? We still need to travel on to Reno today.”
“Not at all,” Phebe responded, eager to see her new home.
“It’s another three and a half hours, so it will be almost suppertime when we arrive.” Henry once again pulled out his pocket watch. “The train should be leaving again in an hour. We could get a little refreshment while we wait.” He nodded at Evan. “I hope you can spare the time and join us.”
Evan grinned. “I’d like that. I’m curious to know how the two of you met.”
Phebe managed to keep a polite smile on her face, but inside she groaned. Somehow, she doubted this friend of the family was going to be impressed with Henry taking a bride sight unseen. Resigned to sitting through a very uncomfortable hour, Phebe sighed as Henry led her out of the station.
Chapter 10
Phebe crossed over the threshold to room number five on the second floor of the Lakehouse Hotel. The journey from Sacramento to the more primitive mining and logging town of Reno had seemed endless. As much as she’d tried to concentrate on adding to her “map” of structures that would need to be built for the new school and orphanage, Phebe had been constantly distracted by the man sitting across from her, reading his book.
After the long train ride from San Francisco, Phebe thought she would have been used to being alone in the cozy train compartment with Henry. But with every passing mile bringing her wedding night closer, his presence just a hand’s width away had wreaked havoc with her nerves.
Finally deciding to make a list of tasks that she would need to complete once they reached the site of their new home, Phebe managed to make a note of half a dozen things before her mind wandered once again to the evening ahead. Now that she was actually standing in the room she’d spend her first night with her husband, it was almost a relief. Better to face something and get it over with than waste even more hours wondering and brooding about it.
Phebe's Promise (The Alphabet Mail-Order Brides Book 16) Page 7
