“We are,” Hester replied giving Jonas a little shake. The boy hadn’t stopped talking about Mark and Georgie, and little Mitch, Georgie’s dog. He was convinced that once they settled into their new home, he would be allowed to have another pet and had implored Hester to talk to his uncle as soon as possible.
“Get dressed and washed up, so we can head down for breakfast.” Hester straightened the beds out of habit as she shooed the children into their clothing and out the door. She was nervous, excited, and happy about the prospect of a new start in this strange town. The fact that she had no idea what to expect next was a little disconcerting, though. What would the house be like? Based on what Mr. Olson said at the table last night no one had lived there for many years. Pausing in her work, Hester wondered about Mr. Payton, and how he would feel if the house were terrible. Would he decide it was better to return to the city? Hester’s heart sagged at the thought. This was the adventure of a lifetime. She had traveled to the Wild West with a handsome man and his two young wards. She wanted to see what came next.
Walking to the mirror, Hester smoothed her hair and dressed in her best. She didn’t want to make Mr. Payton feel ashamed by appearing unkempt, and she knew that Mrs. August would have harsh words for her if she didn’t appear ready for the day. Glancing at her single suitcase, Hester wished for her old clothes, the simple calico dresses that were soft from wear. Walking to the suitcase, she snapped the lid shut on her old attire. This was a new start. There was no point in looking back.
The sound of running feet told her that the children were on their way downstairs, and Hester hurried after them. They really needed to learn some restraint. On the other hand wasn’t she nearly as excited?
***
“Good morning,” Polly Esther called over her shoulder. “Please have a seat. It’s just you and the family now,” she added. “Most folks caught the morning train headed further west.”
“I’m sorry, are we late?” Hester asked as the children took seats, looking around them curiously.
“No, not at all.” The older woman smiled at the children. “Alyssa, Mark, and Georgie are at school,” she offered. “I’m sure once you start attending, you’ll become good friends.”
“School?” Jonas looked at his sister, his dark eyes wide. “We never went to school before. We had a woman to teach us.”
“What’s it like at school?” Beverly asked, her voice quivering. “What if I’m behind because we’ve been through so many nurses, nannies, and governesses that our education is all broken up?”
Hester reached over smoothing the girl’s rose-gold hair. “I’m sure it will be wonderful,” she assured. “I attended school in New York, and it was fine.
“It won’t matter where you are in your learnin’,” Polly said placing a stack of pancakes before them. “Mr. Gatlin is a wonderful teacher, and all the grades are in one room, so if you’re struggling with something you can join the children at the same level and move up as you need to.”
Beverly looked between Hester and Polly offering a weak smile. “Thank you,” she finally managed as Hester began serving her two charges.
“Where is everyone else?” she asked. “I mean Mr. Payton and my uncle?”
“Your uncle is helping George load up the buckboard. He’ll take you all out to the Rally house this morning.” Polly paused staring out the window for a long moment, before bringing the plate of bacon to the table as well. “I hope you’ll be alright out there,” she mused. “Old Mr. Rally built the place for a mail-order bride who left him at the altar. He just walked away after that. We didn’t even know that someone else had purchased the place.”
“Is it in terrible condition?” Hester asked, visions of a collapsing roof, gaping windows, and rodents making her shiver.
Polly filled a teakettle bringing it to the table as well then moved to the icebox to retrieve milk for the children. “I don’t rightly know,” she admitted, placing two glasses of milk down and taking a seat. “It’s been a long time since anyone has really bothered to look at the place. It’s a pace out of town, but Mr. Rally was a man of means, and I believe he built it well. Trouble is it’s up the mountain a bit, and the weather is sure to have had some effect on it.”
“What’s a mail-order bride?” Jonas asked pouring raspberry syrup on his stack of pancakes.
To Hester’s surprise, Polly Esther chuckled. “I’ll tell you a story,” the old woman said leaning in to meet the boy’s eyes.
“I like stories,” Beverly encouraged cutting into the fluffy delight on her plate.
“A goodly while ago,” Polly began, “after the War Between the States, a number of women found themselves without men folks to help and care for them. Now a woman is able to do a powerful amount all on her own, but having a partner to help and care brings many benefits with it. A fella can say the same. Out west here there were a passel of men about and hardly any women to speak of. These men, ranchers, farmers, shopkeepers and the like, were lonely.” The old woman grinned a wicked gleam entering her bright blue eyes. “They were sick of their own cooking too.”
Jonas and Beverly both laughed and Hester couldn’t help but smile. Although what Polly said was true, she knew far too many women who were terrible cooks.
“Well a few folks came up with the notion of matching up women from the East with men from the West. These were called match makers or bride agents. They had the men run ads in news papers or magazines seeking brides.
