by Zoe Matthews
As Lydia knocked on her father’s bedroom door, she hoped one of the subjects her father wanted to talk about was giving his permission to finally marry Richard Smith, the son of a local banker in Chicago where they lived. Richard had asked her to marry him when she was 18 and her father had refused to give permission, saying that he wanted her to wait until she was 20 years old. She could not get him to give any other reason than that. Even though she obeyed him, she wished he had given his permission. Many of her friends from school had married and some of them already had their first child.
She knocked on the door and heard her father weakly tell her to enter. She walked into the darkened room. In a split second, she could tell that he was not doing well. His faced looked gray, and even though he tried to raise his arm in greeting, he could barely lift his hand. This was not what Lydia wanted to see. She did her best to fight the tears that threatened to come as she forced a smile on her face as she greeted him.
“Hello, father.” She bent down to kiss his cheek.
“Hello, Lydia,” he weakly replied. “Sit here by my side. I have much to discuss with you.”
Lydia did as he bid and sat down on a wooden chair that had been placed next to his bed.
“I have a story to tell you,” her father said slowly. “And while I tell you, I must ask you to listen to what I have to say until I am done.”
“I don’t want you to tax yourself, father,” Lydia objected as she reached to take his hand. “Maybe you should rest and we can talk later.”
“No!” he exclaimed as forcefully as he could in his weakened state. “I must tell you now. If I wait, it may be too late.” He took a deep breath. “You do realize I am dying, don’t you?”
Lydia reluctantly nodded and this time she allowed her tears to fall. “I was hoping the new medicine the doctor gave you to try a few days ago would help.”
“It’s too late,” her father shook his head. “I must tell you why your mother and I were able to come to America.”
Lydia felt confused. “I’ve heard this story many times, papa.”
“You haven’t heard the whole story.”
“Okay, I will listen to what you have to say.”
“When your mother and I lived in England, I was the valet for the son of a lord. You know what a valet is, don’t you?”
“Yes, someone who took care of the clothes and needs of a privileged person.”
“Good,” her father continued his story. “This son’s name was George Byron. He and I were actually good friends. We grew up together, and although my duties were to take care of his clothes and appearance, he never treated me as a servant. George was educated by tutors and I was allowed to sit in on the lessons. When he was old enough to attend boarding school, I went with him. Although I couldn’t attend his classes, he would teach me things that he had learned in the evenings.
“When he was an adult and had graduated from college, he married. Since he was the youngest son of his family, he wasn’t going to inherit any land or property. All of that went to his oldest brother. He did receive some inheritance money when he was of age, so he decided he would take that money and his new wife and immigrate to America.”
Her father paused and tried to reach for a glass of water that sat nearby on a table. Lydia helped him get a drink. He then continued.
“George and his wife settled in a town called Maple Grove, Texas. He purchased a cattle ranch with part of his inheritance money. He hired a man who lived there to be his foreman and teach him all about cattle ranching.
“A few years after George came to America, he wrote to me and offered to pay for your mother’s and my expenses to come to America. He wanted us to settle in Texas, but I wanted to open a tailor shop. So he lent me the money to bring us to America, and then here to Chicago to start our shop.”
“That was very nice of him,” Lydia commented.
“Yes, it was. We would not have been able to come here otherwise. So your mother and I came to America, to Chicago. We opened up the tailor shop and were able to purchase this home. Then you were born. I insisted on paying him back the money. At first, he wouldn’t hear of it. He finally agreed, but he allowed me to pay it back at my leisure. I insisted on a due date when it all needed to be paid back. We finally agreed…”
Lydia’s father paused, as if he had something hard to say and he did not want to say it.
“It’s okay,” Lydia encouraged him. She was now curious and wanted to know the ending. “Just tell me.”
He took a deep breath. “We agreed that I would have the money paid back by the time you turned 20 years old.”
Lydia was confused. “What did I have to do with this?” Then she had a terrible thought. “Have you been able to pay it back?”
Her father continued as if she hadn’t spoken. “Once the tailor shop was open and making a profit, I was able to pay a little of the money back every year. But things haven’t been going as well as I had hoped with our shop. Not since that larger clothing store opened up down the street.”
Lydia knew what her father was talking about. A few years ago, a large clothing store for men opened up a few blocks away from their store. They offered not only high quality clothing, but also offered tailoring services right in their building. Since this store opened, customers that used to frequent her father’s shop started going to the larger one. It was easier to purchase clothing and have them fitted in the same place. The only customers they regularly had now were some loyal men who had been coming to their shop since it had opened almost 20 years ago.
“I have had to take out a loan against our shop, Lydia.” Her father wheezed and stopped talking again for a drink of water. After a few swallows, he continued. “I have not been able to pay George back all of his money, nor pay back the bank.”
Lydia sat back in her chair in disbelief. She knew there were problems financially, but she had not known how bad. “Why didn’t you tell me this before now? I could have helped in some way.”
“I didn’t want you to worry and I thought I would be able to pay off the loans. But then I got sick.”
“So what are we going to do?”
“I’m not done with my story yet. Please listen. What I have to say will not be easy for me to tell, or for you to hear.”
Lydia nodded apprehensively and hoped what he had to say would not be too awful and that she would be able to figure out a way to get them out of this mess.
“I made an agreement with my friend, George Byron. We agreed that if I was not able to pay back his loan by the time you were 20 years old, that you would marry his son.”
Lydia gasped at his words and started to protest. He held up a hand to keep her from talking and continued. “George has a son who is four years older than you. His name is Clinton. Regrettably, George died two years ago, but even though he is no longer around, I must honor my promise to him. I cannot pay back the loan to George. I cannot pay back the loan to the bank. When I die, the bank will be taking over the store and this house. You will not have anywhere to go. You must go to Texas and marry Clinton.”
“Father, I can’t do that,” Lydia protested. “I don’t even know the man. How do you know that he will be good to me? You haven’t seen Mr. Byron in years. How do you know this will be something that will work out with his son?”
“I knew George very well. He was my best friend, my comrade. He never treated me like a servant, even though I was one. He treated me like a friend. He has raised his son well. I am confident his son will treat you well.”
“But he doesn’t even know me. Why would he want to marry a woman he has never met? And what about Richard?” Lydia reminded her father. “Richard wants to marry me. Is this why you would not give me permission to marry Richard?”
“Yes,” her father admitted. “The loan is due in full on the day you turn 20, which is in a few months. I couldn’t agree to a marriage to someone else until I had satisfied this loan with George.”
“I want to marry Richard,
father,” Lydia argued. “I love him. I don’t want to be forced to marry a man I have never met.”
“Richard will not be a good husband to you. He will not treat you as you deserve to be treated. I think you know this deep down inside. His father is the one who will be taking over the shop and this home. There is a reason why Richard has been courting you.”
At her father’s words, she remembered a conversation a few days ago with Richard where he had grabbed her arm in anger because she refused to leave her father’s bedside and go on a walk with him. There had been some other instances in the past few months that had concerned her as well, but she had always excused Richard, telling herself he was tired, or he had been working hard. She knew deep down, her father was right to be concerned about Richard.
“I want you to listen to me very carefully. I must give you some instructions.” Her father’s voice was weakening. Lydia again took her father’s hand and encouraged him to continue.
“I have purchased a train ticket for you to go to Maple Grove, Texas. I have also set aside some money that you can use to purchase things that you will need and for food when you travel. I have hidden these items in my desk, in the hidden compartment. I have included instructions on sending a telegraph to Mr. Clinton Bryon and his address, so you can let him know you are coming. He is aware that you might be coming soon.
“After I am gone….”
Lydia tried to protest again at his words, but he cut her off. “After I am gone, after the funeral, I want you to leave for Maple Grove immediately, the very next day. If the bank finds that ticket and money before you are able to leave, you will then find you have no other choice. I am giving you a chance to have a good life. I am confident you will have a good life with Clinton.
“You are to tell no one what your plans are, except Noreen.” He named the woman who had helped care for Lydia since her mother died ten years ago and now was nursing her father. “She knows of this plan and she will help you get to the station when it is time.
“You have always been an obedient daughter. I have been blessed to be your father. I am asking you to honor my wishes this last time. Will you do this?”
CHAPTER 2
Lydia stood up and started to pace the room to think. The last thing she wanted to do was travel all the way to Texas and marry a man she had never met, a man her father had never met. This whole story was almost too incredible to believe. It was almost as if her father was selling her to settle a debt.
She had always trusted her father and his decisions he had made for her when she was a child. He had never steered her down the wrong path. She had a very close relationship with her father, especially since her mother died from consumption. She spent every spare minute she could with him. She loved him very much and knew that she needed to honor this last request. She needed to trust him one last time.
It terrified her to think about traveling so far away to meet and marry a man she did not even know. Maybe she should go ahead and secretly accept Richard’s marriage proposal instead. At least she knew him. They had grown up together, attending the same grade school. But she admitted to herself that deep down, she knew the concerns her father had about Richard were true. He did have a terrible temper when things didn’t go his way and sometimes it scared her how angry he would become, but he always apologized after he calmed down. He had never hurt her physically, except a few days ago when he had grabbed her arm in anger. If she married him, would that get worse?
Lydia stopped her pacing and looked over at her father. He had fallen asleep. She sat back down on the wooden chair to wait until he woke up. During the next few hours, she spent the time trying to come up with an alternative to this problem. She wished there was a way to pay the loans off, but she could not think of one.
Noreen came into the room to check on her father. She saw Lydia sitting on the chair with tears streaming down her face. She walked over to Lydia, hugged her and offered her comfort.
“Did he finally tell you?” Noreen asked her softly.
“If you mean about the loans and about marrying a man I don’t even know, then yes, he told me.”
Noreen sighed with relief. “I have been trying to get him to tell you ever since Richard first asked you to marry him. I didn’t feel it was fair to allow you to think there was a chance you would be able to marry him.”
“You have known about this for two years?”
Noreen smiled sadly. “I have known about it a lot longer than that, ever since your mother passed.”
“He has asked me to honor his wishes, to travel to Texas as soon as the funeral is over. I don’t know if I can agree to that. Chicago has always been my home.”
“When the bank takes over the shop and this home, you will not have anywhere to go.”
“But Richard…” Lydia started to say, but stopped when Noreen slowly shook her head, although she did not say anything. Lydia knew Noreen had never liked Richard.
“What do you think I should do?” she asked instead.
“Your father would not send you into a bad situation.” Noreen reminded Lydia. “I think you should go to Texas and marry the man he has chosen for you.”
“What about you?” Lydia questioned. “What are you going to do?” Then she had an idea. “Can you come with me to Texas?”
Noreen shook her head. “I have some savings and I plan to go and live with my sister, Lucy. She has been asking me to come for a while, ever since her husband died. I think we can be a comfort to each other. I haven’t wanted to leave you or your father, but now I think it is time.”
Lydia felt disappointed with Noreen’s decision, but she knew it probably was for the best. Noreen had always been close to her sister and had wanted to move to be near her for some time.
Noreen started to leave the room. “I know you will make the right decision for you.”
A little while after Noreen left, Lydia noticed her father had awakened and was watching her.
“You look just like my Mary,” her father whispered to her, speaking of her mother. “You have grown into a beautiful woman.”
Lydia smiled a bittersweet smile through her tears and leaned over to hug her father. He was so frail. She then knew he would be joining her mother in heaven soon.
“Oh, papa, I am going to miss you so much,” Lydia sobbed as she held her father’s hand tightly.
“And I will miss you, but I am looking forward to being with your mother again. I have missed her, too.”
“I will honor your wishes, papa.” Lydia instantly made her decision. “But I won’t leave until…”
“No, you don't need to leave right now. Just promise me you will leave as soon as…, like I have instructed you, for your protection.”
“I promise,” Lydia agreed and forced a smile through her tears at her father.
“Could you read to me out of the latest book from Charles Dickens?” her father requested.
Lydia picked up the book he requested from the table near his bed, found the first chapter, and began to read.
CHAPTER 3
TWO WEEKS LATER
Lydia looked out of the train window. The conductor had just told her that they would be arriving in Maple Grove in ten minutes. She had just enough time to pull herself together. She felt very nervous at the thought of starting a new chapter of her life.
Her father had passed away two days after her talk with him. His funeral had been scheduled for two days after his death and Noreen had taken her to the train station early the next morning. She wondered how long it took Richard to realize that she was gone. Because of her father's warning, Lydia had pretended throughout the days leading to her father's funeral that she was going to marry Richard as soon as it was socially acceptable. She remembered how hard it was to pretend and was glad that she had been able to get away without notice. She felt almost relieved to leave Chicago and the situation with Richard. He had displayed some controlling behavior that had scared her and part of her was glad circumstances made it t
hat she would not be marrying him.
Lydia stared at the passing scenery outside the train window. She wondered what Mr. Clinton Byron was going to be like. Was he as reluctant as she was to marry? She prayed that her father was correct and that she would have a good life in Texas, but she really did not know how that was going to happen since they really didn't know each other.
Lydia started to gather up her belongings. She didn’t have that much with her. She had only taken a few changes of clothes and some keepsakes that would help her remember her parents and her childhood. She had brought a few of her favorite books with her, but she had a hard time focusing on reading. She was dressed in black mourning clothes and the clothing she brought was also suitable for mourning. She wondered if Mr. Byron would want to marry as soon as she arrived or if he would allow her to have a period of mourning first.
