Chapter 1
1760 Words
Chapter 1
October 1824
I thought that everything was going to be fine. I thought that Mama was safe at Jacks. James told me she was and I believed him. We ended up hiding in the cellar for just that night. I remember that James told me stories about his parents and their home in London. I asked him if he would take me there someday. He said he would. The next day, James said that it was safe enough to leave. The horse was still were James had left him. He neighed softly when James petted him. After untying the horse James set me on the horse. He then mounted behind me. We rode out to Jacks house. There I learned what James had been hiding from me. On the way to Jacks, Mama had been attacked. The men had killed her and taken her back to the cottage. There they had burned her body. I had cried for a long time. It was James’ mother, Beth Royal, who took care of me. She promised that if there was anything I needed I had only to ask her for it. I asked for my mama. She looked at me for a while. Then she told me that I was lucky that I had known my mama for ten years. Her own mother had died at her birth. I-
Scarlet closed her journal at the knock at her door. She stood slowly. She walked over to the door and opened it. Belle, James sister, stood at the door. Belle was twenty, two years older than Scarlet. She had brown hair. She did not share his green eyes through. Belle had been married three years before. Soon after her marriage she had become pregnant. To celebrate, her husband had gone out and gotten drunk. On the way home he’d fallen off his horse into a puddle.
He’d drowned.
Seven months later Belle had given birth to a daughter with Scarlet’s help. Belle had left the baby alone with Scarlet. When James had returned home a day after the birth he’d yelled at his sister, found a wet nurse and named the baby Katie Bella.
Now Belle stood in front of her holding Katie. The girl was crying.
“Here,” Belle said holding out Katie to her. “I have to go out. I have a suitor coming. We will be going for a ride in my new carriage. The wet nurse is sick and says I have to take it with me. I cannot.”
Scarlet tool Katie saying, “I will take care of her.”
“Good,” Belle said. She turned and walked away.
“Poor Katie,” Scarlet said, causing the two-and- a-half-year-old to look at her. “Your mama doesn’t want you, but I want you. I want my own babies. Only I can’t have them. Mama may not have been married when she had me and she wasn’t married to jack either, but at least she loved me. I will be married before I have children.”
She walked into her room and set Katie on the bed. She put pillows so Katie couldn’t fall off. She had to change her dress. She needed to go to the bank and it seemed that Katie had to go with her. She needed the money so she could get fabric to make new blankets for herself and Katie. She also needed fabric to make new shirts for James. He would be home soon. She was happy he was coming home. He had left the year before with his parents to visit his brother.
“Mama!” Katie yelled.
Scarlet, in her petticoats, turned to look at Katie. She asked, “What did you say, Katie?”
“Mama Scarlet!” Katie said.
“No, sweetie,” Scarlet said, she turned and pulled a dark green dress from the closet. She pulled it over her head as she told Katie, “Belle is your mama. Not me.”
The buttons on the dress were in the front. Unlike Belle, she didn’t want a maid. For the first ten years of her life she had done everything for herself.
She picked up her purse and then turned to Katie.
“You are pretty, Scarlet,” Katie said.
“Thank you,” Scarlet said. She put her cloak around her shoulders. “Do you want to walk or ride in the buggy?”
“Buggy,” Katie said.
“Alright,” Scarlet said.
After Katie had been born Scarlet had bought a used buggy with the allowance that James gave her. She had painted it red.
Scarlet picked up Katie from the bed as she said, “Now, first we go to the bank. Then we are going to the fabric store. You can pick out a fabric. I’ll even make us matching dresses for Uncle James’ return home. Yes?”
“Okay,” Katie said.
Scarlet left the room and headed down stairs.
“Miss Scarlet,” John, James’ butler, said.
“Yes, John?” Scarlet asked.
He held out a letter and said, “It arrived a few minutes ago.”
“Thank you,” Scarlet said as she took it.
The buggy sat in front of the door. She set Katie in it and then opened the letter.
Dearest Katie and Scarlet,
I have news to tell you both: I will not be coming back alone. When I return it will be with my bride-to-be. We will be married on the fourteenth of December. Her name is Amerna Freeman. Her uncle was a man named John Freeman. She has lived in London all her life.
Hope the two of you are well.
Love,
James
“Married?” Scarlet whispered. “To my own cousin?”
“Who married?” Katie asked.
“James,” Scarlet said.
“To you?” Katie asked.
“No,” Scarlet said. “To my… cousin.”
“Oh,” Katie said.
Scarlet threw the letter into the fire.
“Anyone here?” James called.
He’d thought that at least Scarlet and Katie would be home today. Maybe they had gone out.
“Mister James,” John said.
James turned to him and asked, “Do you know where Scarlet and Katie are?”
“Yes,” John said. “Scarlet and Katie left after receiving your letter. Scarlet said she was going to go to the bank. Then she was going to go to the fabric shop. Belle went on a carriage ride with a man. A suitor, I think.”
Just then a woman came in. She had red hair and violet eyes. There were four men following her. Each had a large trunk.
“Which room can I have?” she asked.
“Any room on the second floor,” James said. “Expect for the third one on the left when you come up the stairs. That is Belles’ room. The other room you cannot have is all the way at the end of the hall. All right, Amerna?”
“Upstairs,” she repeated.
He nodded. He watched her and the men go upstairs.
He turned to John. He asked, “How have thing been this last year?”
“Fine,” John said. “Katie has started to talk more. She calls Scarlet her mama. The wet nurse left this morning. Scarlet doesn’t know yet. Belle, of course, would have let the house go to ruin. Scarlet stepped in there. Miss Scarlet has done a lot around here. She has also been sewing blankets and selling them. She plans to move out next week.”
“Why ever for?” James asked.
“She doesn’t want to see you marry her cousin.” John said.
“What does that mean?” he asked.
“Scarlet’s father was one John Freeman,” John said. “He was Scarlet’s mothers’ uncle.”
“How could I forget that?” he asked. He looked at John. “How did you know that?”
“She needs someone other than Katie to talk to,” John said. “Some talk. By the way, do you have any idea where she plans to move to?”
“No,” he said. “Where”?
“It is a house with ten bedrooms,” John said. “Do you know what she plans to do with the house?”
“No,” he said.
“She plans to make it into a school for young girls,” John said.
“She can’t leave,” he said. “She lives here. Right?”
“She loves you, Mister James,” John said. “She has since you brought her home. Only the girls love has become a woman’s love.”
“I’m going to change,” he said. “Let me know when they return.”
“Yes, sir,” John said.
Scarlet held Katie as she looked at fabric. She’d found fabric for the shirt for James. She was looking at fabric for a new dress for Katie and herself. She also needed fabric for a new quilt.
“Scarlet,” the shop owner, Mrs. Davis asked.
“Mrs. Davis?” Scarlet asked.
“Scarlet, dear,” Mrs. Davis said. “I really enjoy having you make quilts and things for me to sell. Some of the women in town have asked me to sell more of the quilts, along with the baby and children clothes you make. So, here is my deal for you: I will give you three bolts of fabric. You make quilts and the clothes. I will then give you three more bolts and forty percent. What do you say?”
“Sure,” Scarlet said. “Why not?” She turned back to the fabric. “I will take the blue, red, and dark red. I have the perfect idea. I have some fool’s gold and silver powder that James gave me one Christmas. Oh, and the hole bolt of deep green. Can I have everything sent to the house?”
“Of course, dear,” Mrs. Davis said. “You take care of Katie. With Belle beating Liz all the time, I am surprise Liz did not leave sooner.”
“Yes,” Scarlet said. “See you later, Mrs. Davis.”
“You two too,” Mrs. Davis said.
Scarlet set Katie in the buggy. She only needed to stop by the candle shop to buy more candles for her room. Mr. Davis opened the candle shop. She left the buggy by the door and took Katie into the store with her.
“Ah, Scarlet!” Mr. Davis said. “I got new candles today. Would you like to see them?”
“Do you have any more of the lavender scented ones?”
“Lavender?” Katie repeated.
“Yes,” Mr. Davis said, smiling. “Would you like tall or small?”
“How about twenty of each?” Scarlet suggested.
“Boxed?” Mr. Davis asked.
“Of course,” Scarlet said. She handed him the money.
He put the candles into two separate boxes and walked with them to the door. He put the box in the buggy.
“See you later, Scarlet,” Mr. Davis said.
“You as well,” Scarlet said.
She set Katie in the buggy and headed for home.
“Mama Scarlet?” Katie asked.
“I told you not to call me that, Katie,” Scarlet said. “What is it?”
“I miss Uncle James,” Katie said.
“I do as well,” Scarlet said.
- Writer
