to sea. She stood there a number of minutes. For the moment her mind was as calm as the water. When she looked to her left, Melissa was standing beside her again.
“It’s no better up there,” she said. For a few moments, neither said a word. “I know we don’t know each other, Laura, but I want you to know, I am sorry for your loss. What was your husband’s name?”
Laura hated hearing John spoken of in the past tense. “John,” she said. She wanted to change the subject quickly. “So, what brought you out to San Francisco?”
“I needed to get away from Philadelphia. Tom and I were in love, at least I thought we were. But his family wanted him to marry a girl from another family—a better family, socially speaking. They pressured him and he finally gave in, and we broke it off.”
“Were you engaged?”
“Not officially, but I was sure he was about to ask me any day. Instead, he wrote me a letter explaining how he did love me but that we could never be together.”
“I’m sorry—what an awful thing to do.”
“The worst day of my life. My brother invited me to come out West with him so I wouldn’t have to face the pain every day. So, I left.”
“I went out West with my brother too,” Laura said. “Three years ago. His name is Michael. Our cousin went with us. They helped me get situated in San Francisco, then they headed north looking for gold.”
It pained her to think of it now, but the hundreds, actually thousands, of men in San Francisco formed the strength of her brother’s appeal for Laura to join them. Their parents had died the year before, and Michael had decided to use his part of the inheritance to join the gold rush. “Laura,” he’d said, “there aren’t any men left in the church or in the neighborhood to pursue you. They’ve all married or moved away. I’ve read in San Francisco there are at least five men for every woman. You’re bound to find someone to marry you. Please come with us.”
Michael could be kind, but he had no idea how much he’d hurt her talking this way. No matter the humiliation, it had worked. Remembering this now, though, only added to her sorrow. The truth was, no one had wanted her back East, and in San Francisco there had only been John. In her whole life there had only ever been John.
And now he was gone.
Pretending more interest than she felt, she turned her attention back to Melissa. “Obviously, your Tom had a change of heart,” she said quickly.
“Yes! He did,” said Melissa. “At the end of July he wrote me this wonderfully long letter begging my forgiveness and proposing marriage.”
“What happened?” It was actually helping to hear all this.
“He said he knew he could never be happy with anyone but me, and finally persuaded his parents to change their minds. His mother was the main obstacle, but Tom said even she gave in. He said he wouldn’t give her a moment’s peace until she did.”
“I’m happy for you,” said Laura, glad to feel any measure of happiness inside.
Even if only for a few moments, even if only for someone else.
His pockets were full.
It amazed Ayden Maul, how heavy this stuff was. At the most, he’d only held a small nugget before, and that had belonged to someone else.
But this . . . was all his.
He folded over the last blanket from the last stash of gold he’d stolen from and slowly panned the room. The hold looked just as he’d found it. It was hard to pull himself away. Mustn’t get greedy, he thought. Better to leave now before he got caught. Besides, with the winds dying down he had at least one more night to come back for a third dip.
He turned toward the stairs when he heard that stupid dog scratching and sniffing at the hatch overhead. He’d closed it over before he went down, to give himself a little warning should anyone come. “Get out of here,” he whispered angrily. “Stupid mutt.”
But the dog ignored him.
21
“Whatcha got there, girl?” Micah
“It’s no better up there,” she said. For a few moments, neither said a word. “I know we don’t know each other, Laura, but I want you to know, I am sorry for your loss. What was your husband’s name?”
Laura hated hearing John spoken of in the past tense. “John,” she said. She wanted to change the subject quickly. “So, what brought you out to San Francisco?”
“I needed to get away from Philadelphia. Tom and I were in love, at least I thought we were. But his family wanted him to marry a girl from another family—a better family, socially speaking. They pressured him and he finally gave in, and we broke it off.”
“Were you engaged?”
“Not officially, but I was sure he was about to ask me any day. Instead, he wrote me a letter explaining how he did love me but that we could never be together.”
“I’m sorry—what an awful thing to do.”
“The worst day of my life. My brother invited me to come out West with him so I wouldn’t have to face the pain every day. So, I left.”
“I went out West with my brother too,” Laura said. “Three years ago. His name is Michael. Our cousin went with us. They helped me get situated in San Francisco, then they headed north looking for gold.”
It pained her to think of it now, but the hundreds, actually thousands, of men in San Francisco formed the strength of her brother’s appeal for Laura to join them. Their parents had died the year before, and Michael had decided to use his part of the inheritance to join the gold rush. “Laura,” he’d said, “there aren’t any men left in the church or in the neighborhood to pursue you. They’ve all married or moved away. I’ve read in San Francisco there are at least five men for every woman. You’re bound to find someone to marry you. Please come with us.”
Michael could be kind, but he had no idea how much he’d hurt her talking this way. No matter the humiliation, it had worked. Remembering this now, though, only added to her sorrow. The truth was, no one had wanted her back East, and in San Francisco there had only been John. In her whole life there had only ever been John.
And now he was gone.
Pretending more interest than she felt, she turned her attention back to Melissa. “Obviously, your Tom had a change of heart,” she said quickly.
“Yes! He did,” said Melissa. “At the end of July he wrote me this wonderfully long letter begging my forgiveness and proposing marriage.”
“What happened?” It was actually helping to hear all this.
“He said he knew he could never be happy with anyone but me, and finally persuaded his parents to change their minds. His mother was the main obstacle, but Tom said even she gave in. He said he wouldn’t give her a moment’s peace until she did.”
“I’m happy for you,” said Laura, glad to feel any measure of happiness inside.
Even if only for a few moments, even if only for someone else.
His pockets were full.
It amazed Ayden Maul, how heavy this stuff was. At the most, he’d only held a small nugget before, and that had belonged to someone else.
But this . . . was all his.
He folded over the last blanket from the last stash of gold he’d stolen from and slowly panned the room. The hold looked just as he’d found it. It was hard to pull himself away. Mustn’t get greedy, he thought. Better to leave now before he got caught. Besides, with the winds dying down he had at least one more night to come back for a third dip.
He turned toward the stairs when he heard that stupid dog scratching and sniffing at the hatch overhead. He’d closed it over before he went down, to give himself a little warning should anyone come. “Get out of here,” he whispered angrily. “Stupid mutt.”
But the dog ignored him.
21
“Whatcha got there, girl?” Micah
Similar Books
