Chapter 1
Stitch. Stitch. Stitch. Around the cuffs, across the hemline. She’d been doing these same stitches since she started work here. It felt like decades, though it had only been two years. Jewel sighed, briefly dropping her work to her lap. Sweet mercy, she was so bored.
“Jewel!”
Jewel’s moment of inaction was interrupted by snapping fingers and a curt reprimand. Mrs. Grant had looked up from her own work at that exact moment and caught her. Hurriedly, Jewel bowed her head and picked up the blouse she’d been altering and continued to sew.
“Idle hands are the devil’s plaything, Jewel. I don’t pay you to be idle.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jewel mumbled.
Mrs. Grant was in charge of all the seamstresses, mostly girls like Jewel stitching by hand in their seats. Only the older, more experienced women were allowed to use the sewing machines. Jewel had often watched the whirring machines enviously. Learning to use one might make this job a little more tolerable. It would at least be something new. She didn’t have enough experience, though, and would never even be considered for that kind of a move.
Jewel had a secret, though. A secret something that made the dreadfully dull hours she was forced to spend in this cave of endless stitching almost bearable. At least for now. She had prayed fervently about this secret decision. She agreed with her friends that this was God’s will. There had been no sign from Above that this was not the path they should take.
So, as soon as her brief lunch break rolled around, Jewel dashed out the door. She ignored all the questions from her coworkers and didn’t look back. It was a gray, rainy day, but her destination wasn’t far away. She’d brave the rain for a chance to change her life. Today was the day.
The small storefront that Mae and Caroline had told her about would have what she was looking for. When she got there, she saw the tiny black and white sign in the bottom corner of the window that proclaimed “Ladies of Impeccable Character Interested in Exploring the Courtship Possibilities of the West - All Ages, Maid and Widow Welcome.” Yes, this was the place. She could get her copy of The Matrimonial Times here.
Jewel still couldn’t believe she had agreed to do something so out of character. Even thinking about it was daring for her. Actually corresponding with a man she’d never met, on the other side of the country. Surely there was nothing wrong with such a thing, and it sent an impish little shiver up her spine. It was unusual, bold, and she had the cheek to say it, exciting.
The whole thing had started last night in her YMCA Bible study class. She never missed a chance to study God’s Word with her friends. After the lesson was over the girls started their usual conversation. But this day had been more emotional for the girls.
Valentine’s Day. None of them got cards or flowers. None of them even had a shadow of a suitor. Caroline did have that terrible Stuart she worked with chasing her, but that didn’t count because he was, well, terrible. The holiday might be meaningless, but it was still depressing.
They’d all prayed for a proper and loving man to marry. In fact, they’d often prayed together, in a circle holding hands, about that very thing. God had not yet seen fit to bestow the perfect husband on any of them. Even Angie was still single and her father was a minister! Surely her prayers had been heard, hadn’t they?
Maddie finally said what they’d all thought. “But we never get flowers or cards.” She blinked back tears. “How are we going to find husbands if we’re already old maids?”
Sarah had done her best to comfort Maddie, but soon they all were equally distraught. Mae had pointed out that they all were at a disadvantage. In a large city such as New York, there were many wealthy families. Those daughters had connections. Their fathers offered dowries. None of that was available to Jewel or her friends.
Always the
Stitch. Stitch. Stitch. Around the cuffs, across the hemline. She’d been doing these same stitches since she started work here. It felt like decades, though it had only been two years. Jewel sighed, briefly dropping her work to her lap. Sweet mercy, she was so bored.
“Jewel!”
Jewel’s moment of inaction was interrupted by snapping fingers and a curt reprimand. Mrs. Grant had looked up from her own work at that exact moment and caught her. Hurriedly, Jewel bowed her head and picked up the blouse she’d been altering and continued to sew.
“Idle hands are the devil’s plaything, Jewel. I don’t pay you to be idle.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Jewel mumbled.
Mrs. Grant was in charge of all the seamstresses, mostly girls like Jewel stitching by hand in their seats. Only the older, more experienced women were allowed to use the sewing machines. Jewel had often watched the whirring machines enviously. Learning to use one might make this job a little more tolerable. It would at least be something new. She didn’t have enough experience, though, and would never even be considered for that kind of a move.
Jewel had a secret, though. A secret something that made the dreadfully dull hours she was forced to spend in this cave of endless stitching almost bearable. At least for now. She had prayed fervently about this secret decision. She agreed with her friends that this was God’s will. There had been no sign from Above that this was not the path they should take.
So, as soon as her brief lunch break rolled around, Jewel dashed out the door. She ignored all the questions from her coworkers and didn’t look back. It was a gray, rainy day, but her destination wasn’t far away. She’d brave the rain for a chance to change her life. Today was the day.
The small storefront that Mae and Caroline had told her about would have what she was looking for. When she got there, she saw the tiny black and white sign in the bottom corner of the window that proclaimed “Ladies of Impeccable Character Interested in Exploring the Courtship Possibilities of the West - All Ages, Maid and Widow Welcome.” Yes, this was the place. She could get her copy of The Matrimonial Times here.
Jewel still couldn’t believe she had agreed to do something so out of character. Even thinking about it was daring for her. Actually corresponding with a man she’d never met, on the other side of the country. Surely there was nothing wrong with such a thing, and it sent an impish little shiver up her spine. It was unusual, bold, and she had the cheek to say it, exciting.
The whole thing had started last night in her YMCA Bible study class. She never missed a chance to study God’s Word with her friends. After the lesson was over the girls started their usual conversation. But this day had been more emotional for the girls.
Valentine’s Day. None of them got cards or flowers. None of them even had a shadow of a suitor. Caroline did have that terrible Stuart she worked with chasing her, but that didn’t count because he was, well, terrible. The holiday might be meaningless, but it was still depressing.
They’d all prayed for a proper and loving man to marry. In fact, they’d often prayed together, in a circle holding hands, about that very thing. God had not yet seen fit to bestow the perfect husband on any of them. Even Angie was still single and her father was a minister! Surely her prayers had been heard, hadn’t they?
Maddie finally said what they’d all thought. “But we never get flowers or cards.” She blinked back tears. “How are we going to find husbands if we’re already old maids?”
Sarah had done her best to comfort Maddie, but soon they all were equally distraught. Mae had pointed out that they all were at a disadvantage. In a large city such as New York, there were many wealthy families. Those daughters had connections. Their fathers offered dowries. None of that was available to Jewel or her friends.
Always the
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