The Golden Bride

by Kimberley Woodhouse

  “Were you able to sneak in the window again and speak to them?”

  Dewei gave an affirmative nod as his face grew more serious. “But no more. Window locked and chained. Brothers moved with others.”

  “Moved? Others? Moved to where? How many others are there?”

  “Many. Full buildings.”

  “Buildings? More than one?” He couldn’t keep the shock from his voice. The weight of his promise dropped into his stomach like a rock. Why hadn’t he done more?

  Dewei’s lips formed a thin line, and he lifted his chin. “Many. Yes.”

  Joseph’s gut churned at the thought. “Have their captors said anything about the debt they owe? Why they are still being held?”

  “No. Only told must work for many months to pay debt.”

  By that time, if the conditions were as grave as Dewei described, there wasn’t much chance for survival.

  First Dewei’s brothers and then the boy today. Were they connected? Now to learn that there were buildings of people being held as slaves? It was almost too much to think of and reminded him of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Bible. San Francisco wasn’t exactly known as a good city, so if it was this bad where everyone could see it, the evil that was hidden must be much worse than he could have ever imagined.

  “I made you a promise, Dewei. And I intend to keep it.”

  The morning had rushed by for Olivia. After a much-needed night of extra sleep, she felt quite peppy today, even with all the busyness and events of yesterday. The only thing that bothered her was that her young charge at Dr. Morgan’s hadn’t awakened yet. This seemed to trouble the doctor as well, but he wouldn’t say anything more, just told her to return and keep talking to the boy. She determined to take some cookies from the kitchen on her visit this evening. Duncan—their main cook and a very large man to boot—had a soft spot for her, so when she’d asked for cookies or small cakes, he’d only asked what kind she’d like.

  Glancing around the dining room, her thoughts returned to the day before. It seemed like an eternity had passed since then. Daniel’s observance of her feelings for Joseph had triggered a tidal wave of emotions, emotions that had sent her back into her guilt and then rushing into the alley for escape. Thoughts of the attack made her wince and put a hand to her throat, but she closed her eyes and reminded herself that God had been there in the midst of it all and in her time of need had provided a rescuer. If she was honest, she almost felt like God had sent her for that little boy, not just to save him but for what needed to happen in her own heart.

  She’d awakened early that morning and spent a good deal of time on her knees. Much of what she’d been feeling had revolved around her own fear, and she knew that God had not given her a spirit of fear. When she’d thought it was over, she’d wished to do things differently. Now she had her chance.

  A few men entered the dining room, waved at her, and took seats at a table. Olivia refocused on the work of the day. Daniel had hired two extra young men to help with serving and told her before breakfast that when Joseph came to escort her to the doc’s, they would change up their schedule. Both her brother and Joseph would accompany her to see the boy at the end of the lunch rush. Then they would all eat together quickly and continue with their Bible study. It made her heart swell that both men had gone to such lengths to help her through this time.

  So now she needed to put her best foot forward, take care of the customers, and get through this shift. Determination and resolve to take this additional chance to live her life to the fullest made her smile. How many people could she encourage today? She walked toward a man his friends called Toothless. “What would you like to order today? The special is beef stew.”

  His smile—which had given him his nickname—beamed up at her. “Special for me, young lady.”

  “Coming right up.”

  Before she knew it, the end of the lunch rush arrived, and Joseph appeared at her side. “Daniel is making sure everything is covered, and he had to run an errand, so he said to meet him out front.” His smile boosted her spirits a notch higher. And those dimples. It should be a crime what one look from him could do to her heart.

  Removing her apron, Olivia walked to the back to hang it up. The guilt she’d anticipated after thinking such thoughts about Joseph didn’t come, which made the weight on her shoulders feel lighter. Hanging the apron’s strings over a hook, she thanked God for what He was doing in her life.

  When her hands were free, she reached up to check her hair. Not that it mattered—men would stare at her no matter what she wore or looked like simply because she was one of the few women in town. But she cared a bit more about how she presented herself whenever Joseph was around. The thought made her shake her head. Vanity was not something she wanted to claim as a trait. The thought of him looking at her with appreciation, however, made the fluttering in her stomach grow. She found Joseph waiting for her at the door, and she took his offered arm.

  Leading her out of the restaurant, he patted her hand. “How has your morning been?” He was a good head taller than she was, and she found it endearing how he dipped his head to look at her when they spoke.

  “Very busy, but that’s usual.” Trying to keep the conversation normal took all her concentration.

  Daniel strode over to them from across the street. He gave her a wide grin and wiggled his eyebrows at her. “I hear you’ve enlisted Duncan’s help to make cookies for the young lad.”

  She couldn’t help the smile that filled her face. “Yes, yes, I did. And I’m quite proud of the fact. Duncan was so enthused that he decided to make three different kinds to see what would entice the boy once he awoke.”

  Both men chuckled. Daniel began walking on the other side of her so she was safely ensconced between the two. He leaned forward and looked to Joseph. “You mentioned earlier that you wanted to talk to us about some serious things?”

  She felt Joseph stiffen as she held his arm.

  “Yes, I’m afraid I have some grave news about unsavory and questionable practices that are going on in our town. My foreman has seen them with his own eyes, and I must say I am quite disturbed.” He slowed their pace and then stopped for a moment and tipped his head toward her. “I don’t wish to discuss anything in front of you that would make you uncomfortable.”

  “I’m made of some pretty stern stuff, so I think I can handle hearing about it.” But what if it was something horribly grotesque? Would she be able to stomach it? “Perhaps if it becomes too much for me, I’ll let you know.”

  “Certainly.” Joseph started walking, and their little troupe headed toward the doctor’s again. “My foreman is a Chinese man. Incredible worker. Very smart. Handles all the business affairs with the utmost stewardship. Anyway, his brothers were coming here to gain employment as well. Only they didn’t arrive when they were supposed to, and Dewei went hunting for them.”

  “Did he find them? Are they all right?” Daniel’s voice was laced with concern.

  Joseph took a deep breath. “He did. But no, they’re not all right. Someone is holding them in chains, forcing them to work in the brothels cleaning and doing laundry, until their ‘debt’ is paid. But that’s where it gets even more complicated. They don’t owe any debt. They paid for their passage up front.” He let out his breath in a long, heavy sigh. “There’s a lot more to the story, but what concerns me the most is that it’s not just Dewei’s brothers. He said there are literally buildings full of chained-up slaves in our city.”

  “Oh gracious, no! That can’t be happening, can it?” She jerked her head to look at her brother. But the sad look on his face told her more than she wanted to know. “I can’t believe this … I mean I know this city is wretched, but …” Tears stung her eyes. How could God allow such evil? It didn’t make sense to her.

  “I’m sorry to be the bearer of such bad news, but Dewei is getting more concerned by the day, and I don’t blame him. For a while, he’d been able to sneak in through a window in one of the buildings, but now
there are locks and chains there as well. And they’ve been moved. Dewei doesn’t know where. My fear is that there are more people being held than we can possibly know. If we were to find them in one location, by the time we were able to come back with assistance, they could be moved, and we wouldn’t know where to find them or how to help them. If they’re only being fed one meager meal a day and kept locked up like that, there’s a chance we could have a lot of deaths on our hands as well.”

  Her brother had listened in silence to the information Joseph gave them. Olivia turned to him again to see what he was thinking of all this. “Daniel?”

  He continued to take slow steps with his hands interlocked behind him. Obviously, the news had struck him hard. “It’s completely distressing that people are being held captive, but I must say that the first thoughts that came to my mind were, ‘How many more are coming? How are they being brought here? And how can we stop this atrocity before people are killed?’ “

  Daniel’s words struck a chord in her. She hadn’t thought about those details. Her stomach twisted as it all had a chance to sink in. “The fact is, we don’t know if anyone has lost their life already because of all this.” The thought made her swallow hard. “Lord, help us. … ”

  They reached Dr. Morgan’s, and Joseph turned to look at her and Daniel. “I’ve promised to do all I can to help. I simply wanted you both to know so that you could be praying, and if you have any wisdom to share, I’d love to hear it. This is new territory for me, but I have to do something. And not just as a city councilman but as a Christian—and as a human being. I don’t see how we can allow this to go on. The gangs, gambling, and brothels are bad enough. But when innocent people are basically stolen or kidnapped—however you want to say it—and treated in such a way, I wonder if this world is even worse than I thought.”

  Daniel sighed. “The depravity of man is indeed severe.” He tapped his boot on the step. “I think another of our concerns should be about the gambling houses and brothels. We’ve talked about cleaning up this town for so long, but with someone bringing in slaves—however they are doing it—we need to be cautious.” He paused and took a long, deep breath. “They could very well be stealing women and children to”—he cleared his throat—”work in those establishments. And not just for cleaning and laundry.”

  Olivia covered her gasp with her hand.

  “I’m sorry to be so disgusting, Livvy, but I had to say it. We can’t venture into this with our eyes half-closed.” He turned to Joseph. “All these captive people could be feeding the industries that are visible. And as much as we thought those businesses were bad, this makes it that much worse. It’s a good thing the vote is coming up.”

  “Yes, in a few days.”

  “Do you think we can convince the new alcalde that we need police?”

  “It’s first on the agenda.”

  “Good.” Daniel stepped up to the doctor’s door. “We’re in this with you, Joseph. And we will be praying daily about it.” He looked back to her. “Let’s go see how the young fellow is doing, shall we?” Opening the door for her, he gave her a small smile as she walked past him.

  Her brother knew that this news was bothering her, and he was obviously trying to get her thoughts elsewhere. As much as she wanted to focus on the poor boy she’d rescued yesterday, she also realized that she wouldn’t be able to get this sort of thing out of her mind. She had a soft heart, and she always felt the need to stand up for those who couldn’t stand for themselves.

  Dr. Morgan greeted them in the room where the boy was tucked into a clean bed. “He woke up just a few minutes ago, but I haven’t been able to get him to speak. I’m glad you’re here.” He looked straight at her. “I was hoping maybe you’d have better luck.”

  Pushing the other feelings aside, Olivia pasted on a big smile and walked forward. The poor little guy’s face was one giant bruise. It broke her heart. “Hello there. How are you feeling today?”

  Dark brown eyes stared at her, but the boy didn’t respond.

  “My name is Olivia. Can you tell me yours?”

  The boy looked down at the blanket and started plucking at the threads.

  “That’s all right. I’d still like to be your friend. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you sooner yesterday. Do you know who it was that did this to you?” Her voice rose as she asked the question, because the more she thought about it, the more she wanted to see that man punished for what he’d done.

  The boy looked back up at her and shook his head.

  Olivia laid a hand on his small one. “Don’t you worry about it. We are here to help you. Do you have any family?”

  The blanket captured his attention again.

  “Well, I’d like to introduce you to my family.” She turned pleading eyes to Daniel and Joseph. Never had she dealt with a child who wouldn’t speak to her. And he looked so small and scared. “This is my brother, Daniel.” She pulled her brother forward and then turned to her other side. “And this is my good friend, Joseph.”

  “We’re glad to see you awake.” Joseph beamed a smile at the child.

  Daniel rested a hand on the bed. “We’ve been praying for you.”

  The little guy looked at each of them but continued to be silent.

  Olivia shot a glance at the doctor, but he just shrugged his shoulders. Turning back to the boy, she thought about trying a different tactic. “I’m going to bring you cookies later today. Do you like cookies?”

  For the first time, a bit of light sparked in the child’s eyes.

  It was all the encouragement she needed. “Well good, I’m having the cook at the restaurant bake us three different kinds so we can find which one is your favorite.” She tried to keep her voice light and a smile on her face.

  The lad licked his lips and winced. Would he even be able to eat? The poor fellow, she’d never seen a grown man this beat up, and it broke her heart into little shards that threatened to slice up the last of her emotions. It made her relive the moment—something she never wanted to do again—and she put a hand to her throat where the bruises were an all too vivid reminder of the man’s hand shutting off her airway.

  “Don’t worry. I’m sure they will be soft, and I’ll even cut them into small pieces so you’ll be able to enjoy them.”

  For a moment, she thought for sure a slight smile had lifted one side of his lips.

  The doctor came forward and helped the boy take a sip of water. He turned to her. “If you are prepared to take care of him, I think I’d allow him to go home with you this evening if that is acceptable, Mrs. Brighton?”

  “Yes, of course.” She smiled back at the boy. “Is that all right with you? I’ll still bring you cookies; we’ll just get to take them home with us.”

  He blinked at her and gave an almost invisible nod.

  The door whooshed open behind them, and they all turned to see who it was.

  A stout man who appeared a few years older than Daniel was dressed in the height of fashion in a dark blue tailored suit. Removing his hat, he gave her a slight bow.

  “Banister. What are you doing here?” The scowl on Joseph’s face made her think this man wasn’t a friend.

  “I’m here to collect this young lad.”

  “You are?” Dr. Morgan looked surprised.

  “Yes, it has come to my attention that my employer knows the lad’s family. I will gladly pay his bill and have transportation provided for him.”

  “Who are you?” The doctor put words to the same question Olivia was ready to shout.

  “George Banister.” He bowed again. “At your service. I’m the head of the city council of this fine city.”

  “And you know the boy? What’s his name?” Daniel was the one to pipe up.

  The slick man in front of her tilted his head. “Well … I … that is, like I said, my employer knows the boy’s family. I’m just here to escort him home.”

  “But you can’t—” Every reason that she’d thought of in the last few seconds was whisk
ed out of her mind. She didn’t trust this man—whether it was because of Joseph’s cool response to him or her own instincts, it didn’t matter—and she had no desire to see him take the child away. “That is to say, I was there when this boy was attacked. I was planning on taking him home with me.”

  Mr. Banister stepped closer. “I admire your heart and desire to take care of those less fortunate than you, Miss …”

  “Mrs. Brighton.” She lifted her chin.

  “Mrs. Brighton. My apologies. But I’m sure his family is missing him greatly. Thank you very much for taking such good care of him.”

  “Banister, how do you know that this is the right child?” Joseph had stiffened and stepped forward to confront the man.

  It didn’t seem to affect the well-groomed Mr. Banister. He stepped closer as well. “As I said, my employer sent me to pick up the child. He has vast resources. He knows the family and knows this is their child. I wouldn’t think that you would want to stand in the way of reuniting a family, Sawyer.”

  “But I was going to bring him cookies.” The excuse sounded sad even to her own ears. It made her turn back around and look at the boy. A single tear slipped down his cheek. What did it mean? Was he sad to miss the cookies? Or happy to be reunited with his family?

  She leaned down close to him and spoke in a hushed tone. “Do you know this man?”

  The child didn’t respond.

  Her heart broke a little more. What could she do?

  She lowered her voice even more. “I’ll always be your friend. I’m at Livingston’s Restaurant if you ever need me.” She squeezed his hand and straightened up.

  The doctor sighed. “Well, I guess I’ll let Mr. Banister get him home.”

  “Thank you.” The man pulled several coins out of his jacket pocket. “And thank you for all you’ve done for the boy.”

  Olivia couldn’t take it. She rushed out the door and didn’t stop until she was across the street, Joseph and Daniel close on her heels. Breathing heavily, she let the tears release from her eyes. Why was she so upset? Shouldn’t she be glad that the boy had a family?