by Lilah Rivers
“Well, praying is something that I just can’t quit doing,” he said.
“I am glad for it. That man was the only one who ever courted me, you know. My parents chose him and decided that he was the only option. But he would never have prayed for me. He would never have given a care at all to my hopes or dreams,” she said.
“Then I suppose it really must have been the Lord’s will to rescue you from that life. I am glad that I got to be a part of it, Gemma. That I get to be a small part of helping you to be free of someone who made you so upset and hurt your heart the way that he did,” Amos said.
“I’m thankful that I have ended up with a husband who is kind and true to his faith,” she said, unabashed by the boldness of her statement.
“Really?” he asked, somewhat taken aback by the fact that she was confessing actually being happy that they were married.
“I mean it,” she said. “I do not know what I would have done if you have not been the man that you are. I think that, whatever foolishness on both our parts brought us to this place, it has worked out quite well for me.”
“And for me. I’m glad that you were the woman brought to me,” Amos said.
He really did mean it. He couldn’t believe, even now, that they had found their way to one another like this, but he was far from disappointed.
Their honesty with one another had not been easy, but it had been necessary. Without the secrets between them, he felt closer to her and could see that she was more at ease after having been vulnerable.
His confession had been for his own sin, and hers had been about a deep hurt. Still, Amos was confident that they could find happiness together someday. And this honesty was just the first step.
Chapter 12
Amos had already taken time that morning to talk to Daniel, confessing to him that Gemma had not been someone he had previously known.
Daniel was hurt that he had been lied to but forgave Amos anyway. They were good friends and Amos was relieved that he had not lost that friendship over his lack of honesty.
But he still had to confront the men at the bank. They had been the ones who had teased him from the start and now he would have to confess to them that he really had never had anyone waiting for him in England.
He had to confess the truth. That Gemma Temple had been brought because he had asked for a wife.
He arrived at the bank with his mind full of uncertainty. How were they going to respond? Would they treat him well? Would they understand that he had simply wanted to be married and had not wanted to admit that he was foolish enough to make up such a ridiculous story?
Amos really did want to be married and he liked the woman that he had ended up with. But now he was having to admit to a lie that was entirely embarrassing.
He walked through the front door of the bank. It wasn’t opened yet, but he was the last of his coworkers to arrive.
A few of them looked at him, shifting in their apparent discomfort. He knew that they recognized that he had lied. They just didn’t know how or why.
Since the gathering that evening, he had been planning what exactly he was going to say. But now that it was time to say it, he was anxious.
“Good morning, everyone,” he said, getting them all to look at him directly.
“Good morning,” they mumbled in reply.
“I’m sure that you all have a few questions for me. I know that things ended on rather a strange note the other night and I think that you all deserve to know the truth about my wife,” he said.
The men all gave Amos their full attention.
“The truth is that I made a very big mistake. I lied to you all. I betrayed your trust. You see, the day that I told you about my lovely British betrothed, I was embarrassed,” he said.
“I wanted so badly to be married and you were all teasing me. I had a moment of weakness in my pride. I couldn’t stop thinking about the fact that I wanted a wife like all of you have. I wanted children like many of you have,” Amos continued.
“But I didn’t see any hope for those things and I was impatient. I didn’t trust God to bring them, I didn’t trust him to bring me the wife of my dreams. So, because of my selfish wants, I lied to you all. I told you that I had a woman in England who I wanted to marry,” he said.
The eyes of his friends were wide and many of them appeared to be understanding. But he also knew that he was not in the clear just yet. He had lied to them and they all knew it. Some of them might not be so merciful.
“I was willing to damage my own reputation because of this. But I also realized that I had made a mistake. Instead of making it right by telling you all that I had lied, I tried to make it right by making it true,” Amos said.
“I found a matchmaker who brings young women from England to Tucson. I signed up for her services and paid to have a beautiful young woman brought that I could marry. It was a silly idea, but one that I believed was the right thing to do,” he said.
Amos paused, not sure what else he really needed to say. But then he remembered the evening before and how wonderful it had been to sit with Gemma.
“What I will say is that God was very gracious in the woman that he allowed for me to be with. Although my wife and I do not know one another well yet, I appreciate her a great deal. Not only is she beautiful, which you have all seen, but she is kind, gentle, and patient,” he said.
Amos considered adding that she also had a proper demeanor that was sometimes intimidating, or the fact that she was very strong-willed and unabashed. But he chose not to. Although he was intrigued by those characteristics, some people might not understand them and see them as disrespectful.
It was easier to keep that to himself.
“Anyway, I thought that you should all know. I’m sorry that I lied,” he said.
For a moment, everything was quiet. But then Billy Blankenship started to laugh and grin.
“Amos, you have to be about the craziest man that I ever met, doing something like that. Can you imagine? Being so desperate not to lie that you actually fulfill the lie by having a woman brought over from England?” he asked, slapping his leg.
It got a few others to begin laughing along as well.
“Billy’s right. I never thought about that! I’ve told plenty of lies in my day. All I had to do was turn them into truths,” said Randall.
“Wow. I didn’t expect you all to find it that humorous. I thought that you’d all be angry with me for telling you a lie. I thought I had done gone destroyed my reputation with you forever,” he confessed.
“Nah. You’re still our friend and colleague. We love you, even if you were foolish enough to do something like this,” Billy said.
Amos was relieved and wished that he had been brave sooner. He could have saved himself all of this trouble if only he had been smart enough to tell them all before and if he had managed to pull himself together.
It was amusing to know that they found him just as good a man despite the lie. They were gracious and merciful to him in ways he hadn’t imagined. But it hardly changed the fact that he still felt bad for having lied to them all.
They didn’t deserve to be lied to. They all deserved to know the truth and that was what Amos really wanted to tell them.
“Thanks, guys. I just wanted you to know. I guess I’m glad that my wife spilled the beans because now I don’t have to worry about keeping up the lie that I told. You all deserve better than that,” he said.
“Thanks, Amos. We want you to know that you can always tell us the truth. That goes for every one of you,” Billy said.
“Hear, hear!” came the cheers around the room.
“Now that we are all being honest and everything, let’s get back to work. It’s almost time to open,” Randall said.
Amos went to his little station and took his seat. He went through a few papers on his desk and got everything in order before the doors opened. After a few minutes, the first couple of customers came trickling in.
Later that day, he wa
s working on some accounts, writing updated numbers for various clients, when a customer came to his desk.
Amos looked up and saw a man standing before him.
“Good afternoon,” the man said, his accent sounding a bit like Gemma’s.
“Good afternoon,” Amos replied, intrigued. He had thought about the fact that he wanted to meet more British people so that he might be able to learn more about Gemma’s culture. So far, he only knew Miss Collins.
“I have a deposit to make,” the man said.
“Oh, I can help you out with that,” Amos said.
“Wonderful,” the man replied, taking a seat as Amos pulled out a fresh sheet of paper to make records on.
“All right, now we should get started on some papers here,” he said. “Can you write a few details for me? Your name, the amount you want to deposit,” he said.
“Certainly,” the man replied. “But it is not simply a deposit, but rather a long-term investment.”
“So you want it in a savings hold?” Amos asked.
“Indeed,” he said.
“We can do that. I will still need your name and the amount written down. Let me grab a couple of other things,” Amos said, juggling other papers that he would have to arrange for opening the new account.
“Here you are,” the man said.
Amos saw that it was a decent amount of money.
“Thank you, Mr. Lindsey. We can keep this for you. Do you have the cash with you?” he asked.
“Yes, of course,” Mr. Lindsey said, handing it over.
Amos counted it while the man started to talk about his family.
“I think it is very good to make long-term investments, depositing whatever one can, all for the sake of his family,” he said.
This struck Amos and he looked up.
Of course! Why hadn’t he thought about it before?
After spending a decent amount of money to have Gemma brought from England, he had not even considered the he should be saving more than he was before. Now that he was married and he wanted to eventually have children, it was necessary that they should have some money saved.
Amos concluded his counting and finished up the paperwork.
“Thank you, Mr. Lindsey. Have a nice day,” he said.
The man left and Amos rushed over to Billy.
“I need to open a new account. Just for savings,” he said.
“Why is that?” Billy asked.
“That customer I just had was talking about the importance of saving for his family and it got me thinking. Surely you have a good amount saved for your family in case anything is needed, don’t you?” he asked.
“I do. And you’re right. It is very important,” Billy said.
Amos was feeling great by the time he had the new account with a portion of his money stored away separately, waiting for a time when he might need it most. It was exciting to know that he was able to provide for his wife and their future children.
Growing as a husband was not easy, but Amos was excited about doing it. Everything was a new lesson. He hoped that he was able to succeed in those lessons and learning them well.
Already, he felt as though he had grown quite a lot. He had grown as a man who had been out of character in telling a lie and in humility as he confessed it. He had grown as a man who was trying to take care of his wife.
Amos wanted to continue to be better with every passing day. He prayed that God would help him, help him to be stronger, braver, and better in all things.
As he went about the rest of his day at work, he tried to remember that he was doing all that he could not just for his own happiness, and not even just for the happiness of Gemma, but for the glory of God.
Throughout the day, he said prayer after prayer, thanking God for the gifts that he had been given and asking for the strength to use them well.
By the time the workday ended, Amos left the bank and started for home with a great deal of excitement in his steps. Things were coming together. And with every passing day, he could sense it more and more.
Chapter 13
Gemma had been hoping for a chance to really get to know Tucson. This was that chance.
Justine had been all too excited to take her out and show her around. She was proving an extremely effective tour guide.
“Anyway, I think you will like it and be happy with some of the things that are offered,” Justine said when she told Gemma about her favorite shop for candy.
“That is very well. I do miss many of the treats we had back at home,” Gemma said.
“Well, as I said, that’s my favorite place. I hope that they have something you like,” Justine said.
The whole city was very different from what Gemma had expected and imagined it would be, but she was not unhappy. In fact, she was really beginning to enjoy the city and all of the different things she was able to see there.
It was exciting to feel so adventurous, out with her new friend and no terrible chaperone to follow them.
“So, what do you think?” Justine asked.
Gemma nodded in appreciation.
“I like the city. It is nothing like London, but that is a good thing,” she said.
“Why is that a good thing?” Justine asked.
“I need to be away from London,” Gemma said. “I had grown so unhappy there and there were many things I could not abide any longer.”
“I am sorry. I hadn’t realized that it was as bad as that,” Justine said.
“Yes, it was. But it is all right. I am happy now. Things are much better,” Gemma said.
“That’s good. You like it here?” Justine asked.
“Certainly,” she replied.
Gemma followed as Justine led her into a dressmaker’s shop. She looked around at all of the simple fabrics with dainty little patterns. Many of them would be considered quite plain for England, but Gemma had seen that the style really was different here.
“Do you like it?” Justine asked, showing her a fabric that was somewhere between a muddied red and a pale brown.
“Oh, yes. It is lovely,” she said, sure that her voice betrayed the lie.
Justine laughed.
“You don’t need to pretend with me. If you don’t like something, you can say it,” she said.
“Well, we are more into silks and satins,” Gemma confessed, trying to temper the manner with which she said it. It was coming to her attention that the Americans spoke with a great deal less boldness and attitude than she and her family were accustomed to.
“Someone there?” called a voice, coming from the little doors near the back of the store.
“Yes, Mrs. Beckinsale. It’s Justine and my new friend Gemma,” Justine called.
“Ah! Justine! I have not seen you for a while. We need to try on your wedding gown soon. I want to make sure that I have plenty of time for any alterations,” Mrs. Beckinsale said.
“That would be lovely. Do you mind, Gemma?” she asked.
