Thanks to Joan Sattler I have corrected a really
major blunder in geography.I’ve also corrected some
of the Australian idioms in the story.
There are a couple of Welsh words used in this
story.Cariad translates as dear or
darling.Bach and fach
are endearments.Adding bach after
a man’s name or fach after a woman’s is like adding dear
so Adam bach is Adam dear.Tad
is Welsh for father and mam is Welsh for mother.
“My True-Love
Hath My Heart”
Part 1
By Deborah Grant
February 2003
Adam Cartwright stood on the deck of the ship gazing at the vast expanse
of ocean before him, letting the mild breeze ruffle his curly black hair
and enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face.
It
was hard to remember that right now his family was in the midst of the bitter
cold
Nevada winter wearing
their warmest clothing
and keeping the fires blazing
to heat the ranch house. He’d spent the past three years in a self-imposed
exile—traveling first to Europe, where he visited London, Paris, Florence,
Venice, Rome and Athens, and then to Egypt and the Holy Land.
Now he was on his way to
Australia
and then perhaps to
Japan
and
China
.
He missed his father and two younger brothers, but
he had no regrets about his decision to travel.
He
had seen marvels of engineering—
Stonehenge, Roman
aqueducts and the pyramids—and some of the most beautiful buildings ever
created—the cathedrals of
St. Paul
,
Chartres
, and St. Peter, and the Parthenon.
He’d had the opportunity
to meet a wide variety of people from all walks of life, more than he could
ever have met living on the Ponderosa.
Australia
had no wonders of engineering or architecture but he was curious about
a land that had so many animals found no where else on earth and whose seasons
were so different from those to which he was accustomed.
He was also drawn to it because it was a frontier like his home—a land
made up of native people and immigrants, a land of sheep and cattle ranches
and mining. He didn’t plan to stay long but thought he’d visit Sydney and
perhaps Melbourne and venture into what was known as “the outback.”
After the ship docked in
Sydney
and he booked a room in a good but not overly expensive hotel, he decided
that before he unpacked, he would do some sightseeing.
As he walked along, he wasn’t really watching where he was going and the
next thing he knew he walked into a woman.
He managed
to grab her arm and prevent her from falling, but the books she had been
carrying were scattered over the sidewalk.
“Are you all right?” he asked worriedly.
He noted the
woman wore thick spectacles, but they couldn’t totally hide the beauty of
her large, wide-set eyes.
She was a tiny little thing—slender,
fine-boned and stood no higher than his shoulders.
Her
face reminded him of a kitten’s with its wide brow, enormous eyes and pointed
chin.
Not a classically beautiful face, he decided, but
definitely a piquant one.
“I’m fine,” she replied quickly.
The man, dressed in
a black reefer and black trousers, was obviously a Yank by his accent.
He was also very handsome, she noted. He was tall and lean with broad shoulders
and a deep chest that tapered to a trim waist and long, slim legs. His large,
deep-set hazel eyes fringed by long, ebony lashes under thick black brows
were striking.
His black Stetson was pushed back showing
that his curly black hair was beginning to thin on top but he had grown a
thick black moustache in compensation.
“It was my fault
really.
I wasn’t watching where I was going,” she added
nervously.
“Neither was I,” he replied quietly in a mellifluous baritone.
“Here, let me help you with these books.”
“Thank you,” she said, thinking how polite he was, and what a lovely voice
he had.
“You’re visiting
Sydney
?”
When he nodded she asked, “And what do you think
of it?”
“It’s a beautiful setting,” he replied with just a
hint of a smile.
“It’s a pity more thought wasn’t given
to laying out the streets.
They remind me a little
of
Boston, which is also noted
for its narrow winding ones.”
She smiled at that.
“Yes, you are not the first foreigner
to make that observation although you are the first I know of to make the
comparison with
Boston ,” she
remarked in a dulcet soprano and he found her voice quite as pleasing as
she found his.
He looked at the title of one of the books as he handed it to her.
“The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
I haven’t read this one yet.
The last Dickens I read
was
Our Mutual Friend.”
“This was his last work and he died before he completed it.
Do you like Dickens?” the woman asked.
“He’s one of
my favorite authors.”
“Mine as well.
And I was fortunate enough to meet him.
He was our houseguest when he visited
Virginia City
, Nevada .”
“You’ve met Charles Dickens!” she said excitedly, her face lighting up,
but it fell just as suddenly.
“Oh, I’m sorry.
Forgive me for being so forward.”
“Not forward,” he said with a little smile that just quirked the corners
of his mouth, “enthusiastic.
Please, allow me to introduce
myself.
My name is Adam Cartwright.”
“I’m Bronwen Davies,” she said shyly.
“You know, Miss Davies,” he said, noting the absence of a wedding ring,
“
these books are pretty heavy.
Perhaps I could carry them for you.
That way we could
continue our discussion about Mr. Dickens.”
She blushed
but nodded her assent.
She listened raptly as he described Dickens’ adventures in
Virginia
City.
When they arrived at her home, which
he noted was a good mile and a half distant and wondered how she would have
managed the heavy books as delicate as she appeared, she shyly asked him
if he’d like to come in and have a cup of tea.
“I’d be delighted,” he replied.
He observed the house
was unostentatious in its design and furnishings but had a pleasant, homey
ambiance.
He was pleased to see it lacked the clutter
he had observed in so many homes he’d visited in
London
,
Paris ,
Boston , or even
Virginia City
.
Mrs. Davies joined them in the large comfortable parlor as the housemaid
brought in the tea.
Like her daughter, she was small
and slender and she had the same raven hair, although hers was streaked with
white.
Mrs. Davies listened mostly as her daughter and
the tall American talked about literature.
They both
loved Jane Austen but didn’t care much for the Bronte sisters.
He enjoyed Robert Browning’s poetry but she felt it was too obscure and
preferred Tennyson’s.
Since it was clear how much
her daughter and Mr. Cartwright were enjoying their literary discussion,
Mrs. Davies invited him to supper the following evening.
(It also gave her husband and Bronwen’s brother, Rhys, an opportunity to
meet him.)
Adam enjoyed Bronwen’s conversation so
much that he decided he would ask her to act as his guide as he explored
Sydney provided her parents
approved.
He appeared promptly the following evening, dressed in black frock coat and
trousers and carrying a bouquet of fuchsia and geraniums for his hostess.
His knock was answered by a short, bespectacled man who smiled in welcome.
“Mr. Cartwright?” he asked and Adam nodded.
“I’m Dr.
Davies.
Come in, come in.
I’ve
been eager to meet the man who almost swept Bronwen off her feet, literally,
and then helped her carry her library books home.”
“It was the least I could do,” Adam said with a slight smile.
“I don’t see how she would have managed on her own.”
“Don’t let Bronwen’s size fool you,” Dr. Davies laughed.
“She’s as strong as a Welsh cob.”
“If you say so,” Adam replied dubiously.
“Oh, I brought
these for Mrs. Davies,” he added holding out the bouquet.
“Very thoughtful,” Dr. Davies said warmly.
“Let’s join
the others in the parlor and we’ll get these in water.”
Mrs. Davies and Bronwen were waiting in the parlor along with a young man
who looked to be about the same age as Adam’s brother, Joe, or maybe a bit
older.
He had the same raven hair as Miss Davies and
her mother, but bore a marked resemblance to Dr. Davies, so Adam surmised
he was most likely Miss Davies’ brother.
Dr. Davies
confirmed this when he introduced the young man as his son, Rhys.
“What brings you to
Australia
, Mr. Cartwright?
Did you come to look for gold?”
Adam smiled faintly.
“No, I came out of curiosity.
I’ve read about the unusual mammals found here and nowhere else in the world.
That’s not to say I might not be interested in investing in a promising
enterprise.”
“You came all the way from the States just to see kangaroos and platypus?”
Rhys said skeptically.
This time Adam grinned.
“No, Mr. Davies.
I had been traveling through
Europe and the
Holy Land and decided to travel to
Australia next.
I may go on to
Japan
and
China
or I may decide to return home.
I’ve been gone three
years and I’d like to see my family and our ranch again.
I could always sail east from
San Francisco
.”
“I take it you are from the
Western United States
then?” Dr. Davies inquired.
“Yes.
My family owns a ranch in
Nevada.
We raise cattle and
horses; we also sell timber to most of the mines on the Comstock.”
He saw the younger Davies’ face light up at the mention of the Comstock.
“Rhys here is a mining engineer.
He lives in Adelong
and is just paying us a brief visit.”
“I work at the Great Victoria,” Rhys stated and Adam nodded in recognition
of the name.
“Is your ranch near the
Comstock
Lode then?”
When Adam nodded, he asked
hesitantly, “Did you perhaps ever meet Philip Deidesheimer?”
Adam smiled warmly at this.
“Certainly.
I count Philip as a friend.
In fact, my family supplied
the lumber for the first square sets built for the Ophir.”
Mrs. Davies spoke up then saying a with a slight smile, “Now you have impressed
Rhys as much as you have impressed Bronwen and Dr. Davies by your acquaintance
with Mr. Dickens.”
“Philip is as remarkable a man as Dickens,” Adam replied.
“He could have made a fortune if he had patented his square sets, but he
refused to do so.
His concern was the safety of the miners.”
He expression changed to one of melancholy as he added, “I only wish the
result of the square sets hadn’t been the destruction of so much timber
on the Sierras.
My family won’t allow clear cutting,
but not every one is a far-sighted as my father.
He
won’t clear cut and he always plants new trees to take the place of those
we do cut so the trees will be there for future generations.”
“Your father sounds like a very wise man,” Dr. Davies said.
Just then Lily, the Davies’ maid of all work, came to tell them that supper
was ready so they adjourned to the dining room
“I deduce, Dr.
Davies, that you and Mrs. Davies were
not born in New South
Wales, but
Wales ,
” Adam commented as they ate.
“That’s correct,” Dr. Davies said.
“I suppose it was
our accent that betrayed us?”
Adam nodded.
“There are plenty of Welsh miners on the
Comstock, as well as Cornish, and I recognized your accent.”
“Mrs. Davies and I moved here just a few weeks after our marriage.
Sometimes we miss our families back home, but we’re tied to this land now.”
He changed the subject then saying, “If you’ve had the opportunity to travel
to
Europe and the
Holy Land
, I know we would all enjoy hearing about some of the sights you’ve seen.”
Adam spent a very enjoyable evening and when he asked Dr. and Mrs. Davies
if their daughter could serve as his guide, they were most agreeable.
“You’re welcome to come with us, Mr. Davies,” he said to Rhys.
Rhys glanced at his sister and saw the pleading look in her eyes and shook
his head.
“I’ve only a few more days until I must return
to Adelong.
However, if you are serious about investing
in some enterprises here in
Australia
, then I would like a chance to speak with you.”
They
decided to meet at Adam’s hotel for supper the next day and Mrs. Davies
invited him to supper again the following evening.
“So what is our itinerary for today?” Adam asked with a smile the next morning.
Being an observant man he noted that she was wearing a gown that wasn’t
very flattering.
The fashion was for great many flounces
on dresses but they didn’t suit her petite figure.
The
bright lemon yellow of her gown he couldn’t think would look good on anyone.
“Oh,” Bronwen replied,
blushing just a little,
“I don’t have a formal itinerary.
I thought we’d go
to The Rocks and I could point out places of interest.”
Adam suppressed a groan of disappointment, for he preferred to follow a
carefully planned itinerary, but he told himself with a mental shrug,
Joe is always telling me to be more spontaneous.
“That sounds fine,” he replied smiling warmly at her and noticed her relief.
“We’ll take a hansom cab to The Rocks and explore it on foot,” she added
hurriedly.
“I really think you’ll enjoy The Rocks.
It’s the site of the first European settlement in
Australia .”
“I’m sure I’ll find it fascinating,” he said, dimpling, and causing her
heart to beat more quickly.
He is the
handsomest man I’veever seen she thought.
“
Mariners Church
is located on The Rocks, isn’t it?”
“Yes.
You’ve heard of it?”
“I have.
It’s neoclassical in style and made of sandstone.”
“If you are interested in architecture, there are some cottages that were
built in the 1820s on
Harrington Street
.
I believe they are some of the oldest buildings in
The Rocks.
Oh, and you’ll want to see Cadman's Cottage;
I understand that it’s one of the oldest surviving buildings in
Australia .”
“Yes, it sounds as though we’ll have plenty to see,” he replied with another
friendly smile.
“I was thinking,” he commented as they rode in the hansom cab, “that yesterday
we spoke of literature and the
Comstock Lode , but
very little about ourselves.
I know your father is
a physician, your brother is a mining engineer and your mother an excellent
cook, but that’s all.
I’d like to know more about you.”
“My life hasn’t been as exciting as yours,” she answered quietly.
“I was born here in
Sydney
and I have lived here my entire life in the same house with my parents
and two brothers.”
“So you have another brother,” he stated.
“Bryn,’ she replied.
“He’s the oldest.
He raises sheep on a station just outside Broken Hill in the western part
of
New South Wales.
He’s married and he and his wife, Victoria, have three little boys.”
She smiled at him then.
“What about you?
Do you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Two brothers, Hoss and Joe,” he replied and she heard the warmth in his
voice.
“Hoss?” she asked arching her eyebrows.
He chuckled—a warm deep sound that made her laugh with him.
“It’s really Eric.
Hoss is just a nickname.”
“He’s a big man,” she guessed, smiling into those warm hazel eyes.
“A big man with a big heart,” he replied and this time she heard a wistful
tone in his voice.
“Is he the oldest?”
“No, I’m the oldest.
There’s six years between me and
Hoss and almost thirteen between me and Joe.”
“That’s quite a span,” she stated.
“Are you closer
to Hoss?”
“In some ways,” he replied thoughtfully.
“Joe and I
are like oil and water and when I first returned home after college we had
some problems.
Now that we’re both older, and I hope
wiser, things have been better between us.
But you would
definitely say that Hoss is the peacemaker in the family.”
“
Are either of your brothers married?” she asked
and saw a bitter smile form on his lips.
“No, we’re none of us lucky in love,” and she knew not to pursue that subject.
“You said your family owns a cattle ranch—what we call a cattle station.”
“That’s right.
My father and I are New Englanders,
but we traveled west when I was very young.
Pa was
poor then so it took us a long time because he’d have to stop and work when
the money ran out.
Hoss was born while we were crossing
the prairie.
Our wagon train was headed for
Oregon Territory
but we decided to settle on the eastern side of the Sierras, near
Lake Tahoe.
I helped Pa build our first
cabin.”
“How old were you?” she interrupted.
“Almost seven.” He stopped
and looked a little abashed.
“I suppose I wasn’t that
much
help except that I did watch Hoss.” She smiled
at him and he thought,
How her face lights up when she smiles—so
full of life.
“We started out running a little
trading post providing supplies to other immigrants and then Pa decided
to raise some cattle since some immigrants could only pay with oxen and
there was a market for them across the Sierras in
Placerville.
We were doing pretty
well.
Before Joe was born we added some rooms to our
cabin: a kitchen, and two bedrooms.
We continued to prosper
and I was able to travel east and attend Harvard.
I
was separated from my family for almost five years.
I even considered settling back east, but I missed the wide-open spaces
and the informality of life back in
Nevada
.
Most of all, I missed my family.
“Joe had just turned five when I left, and that played a part in the difficult
time we had adjusting to each other when I returned. The first thing I did
was to persuade my father to let me design and build a new house. Then I
had opportunities to use what I studied about engineering, but basically
I settled back into the life of a ranch hand,” he said with a slow smile
but she thought she heard a whisper of regret in his voice.
“But you decided you wanted to travel,” she interjected.
“Yes, I’d been home for several years and growing restless, and I suppose,
feeling confined.
I realized that if I wanted to see
all the places I’d dreamt of, then I needed to seize the day.”
“
Carpe diem,” she whispered.
“Yes,” he replied with a smile at her knowledge of Latin.
“I knew the Ponderosa could survive without me.”
He
stopped and arched one thick black eyebrow at her, surprised at his own openness.
“That was very adroit, Miss Davies.
Now you know a
great deal about me and I still know next to nothing about you.”
“There really isn’t much more to know,” she replied as her cheeks grew pink.
He was charmed by her blushes and enjoyed seeing her milky white complexion
flushed with color.
“I haven’t led a particularly interesting
life.
I envy you attending college, but women aren’t
allowed.
My father always encouraged my love of learning
although I think my mother fears that it has made me unfeminine.
I am afraid I am rather lacking in some of the traditional feminine skills.
I hate housework and sewing, but I am a good cook.
I love to sing and I’ve taken lessons for years.
There,
that is my life in a nutshell.”
He smiled at her and she thought to herself how charming his dimple was;
it changed his visage from dour to engaging.
“And now
we know each other a little better.
It is a disgrace
that women are denied a higher education, but perhaps in the future that
will change.
Back in
America there are a number of women working
to give women more rights, including the right to vote.”
“Such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony,” she replied and he
nodded.
“I’d like a chance to hear you sing,” he suggested quietly.
“Perhaps you’ll have one,” she replied noncommittally and he frowned a little.
“Well, I’m not going to burst into song in the middle of a public street,”
she said barely suppressing a giggle and he had to smile at the ridiculous
notion.
That night as Adam was alone in his hotel room he reflected back over the
day.
He really couldn’t remember when he had enjoyed
himself so much, perhaps not since he’d left home.
He
felt so comfortable with Miss Davies and somehow he found himself opening
up to her.
She wasn’t the most beautiful woman he had
ever seen, but there was just something about her that he responded to.
And he had enjoyed his supper with her brother.
It
had been pleasant to talk shop with another engineer and Rhys was an extremely
intelligent and knowledgeable man.
Talking with him
made Adam realize that he hadn’t been keeping up with his mathematics or engineering
theory since he’d been traveling.
That was something
he needed to rectify.
And he was going to give some
serious consideration to investing in some of the opportunities they had
discussed.
He sat down at the desk in his room and began a letter to his family.
January — 1874
Dear Pa, Hoss, Joe and Hop Sing,
I’ve made some new friends here
in Australia
although you wouldn’t have thought our relationship got off to a very
propitious start. I had just arrived in
Sydney and was exploring the city on foot.
I’m afraid I wasn’t watching where I was going because I barreled into a
young woman who was carrying an armful of books.I was
able to catch her but the books went flying.As I was
picking them up, I noticed a novel by Dickens that I hadn’t read yet.
I mentioned that I had met him and I could see she was very interested.
There were so many books and she was such a little thing that I did the
only gentlemanly thing and asked if I could carry them to her destination.
Joe will be disappointed to learn
Miss Davies is not a great beauty. She does possess
the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen. Not only are
they large and very expressive, but their color is unique.
They aren’t blue; they are deep violet just like the flowers.
Unfortunately, she must be very nearsighted because she wears thick spectacles
that mask some of their beauty.
I scarcely noticed how far we walked
because I was enjoying our conversation so much. She
invited me in for a cup of tea and I met her mother.
I am ashamed to admit that we didn’t give her mother much opportunity to
join in the conversation, but she didn’t seem to mind.
I was invited to supper the next evening where I met Dr. Davies and her
older brother, Rhys.(The oldest son is married and lives
on a sheep ranch; the country in New South Wales
is more suited to sheep than cattle Dr. Davies told me, but there are
cattle ranches, or stations as they call them,
to the northwest in Queensland
.)
But I digress.
Dr. Davies is an intelligent, well-educated man and shares his daughter’s
interest in literature. Rhys has scant interest in literature, but when I
happened to mention that I lived near Virginia City
, his interest perked up.It turns out he is a mining
engineer.He was as excited to learn that I knew Philip
Deidesheimer as his sister had been to learn I’d met Charles Dickens.
I stayed later than I had intended
because we were all having such a wonderful time. They
made me feel so welcome and they are obviously a close, loving family.
I hadn’t fully realized how much I missed the warmth and sense of belonging
one only finds in one’s family.I have decided that
when I’ve finished visiting Australia
, it will be time for me to head home.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“Hallelujah!” Hoss cheered when Ben read the letter
aloud as the three Cartwrights and Hop Sing sat in the great room of the
ranch house.
“I was beginnin’ to wonder if he was ever
gonna get tired of travelin’ and come home.”
“Amen to that,” Joe said.
“It’ll sure be great to see
Adam again.”
“It is good Mista Adam returning,” Hop Sing added, for
he, too, had missed Number One son.
“May I finish the letter?” Ben inquired mildly, and they nodded, still
grinning at the news Adam was coming home.
I asked Miss Davies if she would
mind serving as my guide to Sydney
. She blushed a little (very charmingly) and consented.
(Naturally I also obtained permission from Dr. Davies.)
We’ve visited one of the oldest parts of Sydney and discussed Dickens
and Thackeray, Thoreau and Emerson, and Robert and Elizabeth Barrett Browning.
(She finds Robert Browning too obscure and prefers his wife’s poetry.
I can’t deny Browning can be maddeningly incomprehensible at times, but
I think he is one of the great English poets. She says
time will show which of us is correct in our appraisal.)
She hasn’t read any Walt Whitman.(Pa, would you mind
buying a copy of “Leaves of Grass” and sending it to this address.
“Sounds like Adam’s takin’ a shine to that gal,” Hoss
said with a smile.
“He said she wasn’t a looker,” Joe argued.
“He’s just
happy he’s found someone as crazy about poetry as he is.”
They both saw their father’s raised eyebrows and quieted immediately.
I have also met with Rhys because
I’m considering making some investments here, and he is very knowledgeable
about the local economy.The Davies have been gracious
enough to invite me dine with them again. Mrs. and
Miss Davies are both excellent cooks and it
is much pleasanter dining with them than it is eating by myself at the hotel.
They have invited me to attend church with them Sunday and I’ve accepted.
It’s late so I am going to close,
Affectionately yours
,
Adam
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Adam arrived promptly at the Davies’ house on Sunday morning and found
Dr. Davies and Rhys ready.
“The ladies will be along
in a moment,” Dr. Davies said with a smile.
“In thirty-five
years of marriage Mrs. Davies has never been ready before me.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever known a woman to be ready on time, now that I think
on it,” Adam replied with a smile of his own.
“Bronwen says if we had to put on all the different pieces of clothing they
do, we’d be late as well,” Rhys added grinning.
“I
have to admit the first time I saw a corset, I thanked God I was born a man.”
Just then, Mrs. Davies and Bronwen came down the stairs.
Adam noticed that Bronwen was again wearing a dress that didn’t suit her.
It was
a fawn -colored silk poplin trimmed with
a great deal of pleating that he thought was too fussy plus the color was
all wrong for her.
She should wear blue or green or
violet; they would all suit her better than any shade of brown.
Her jaunty straw hat trimmed with white roses was much more fetching.
“I hope we haven’t kept you waiting,” Mrs. Davies said a little anxiously.
“No more than usual,
cariad
,” Dr. Davies replied with a wink.
He offered her
his arm and Adam offered Bronwen his.
He tried to
adjust his stride to match her much shorter one, and was rewarded by her
grateful smile.
He found it difficult to follow the
sermon for even with great concentration the minister’s accent was almost
unintelligible.
However, the highlight of the entire
service was sharing a hymnal with Bronwen and hearing her sing.
She had the clearest, truest mezzo-soprano he’d ever had the pleasure of
hearing.
As they walked home together a little behind
her parents and brother, he told her, “You have the most superb voice.”
“Thank you.
I can return the compliment,” she said
shyly.
“No, my voice is pleasant; yours is glorious.”
“You are too kind,” she replied blushing a little.
“And
I think your voice is glorious.”
“Then we shall just have to agree to disagree,” he said quirking his lips
in a tiny smile.
“After Sunday dinner we usually sing,” she said shyly.
“Perhaps you could teach us some American songs, Mr. Cartwright.”
“I’d like that very much and, please, call me Adam.”
“Then you must call me Bronwen.”
“All right. Bronwen, I
can’t thank you and your family enough for your hospitality.
It really means a great deal to me.”
“Nonsense,” she replied warmly.
“We enjoy your company
and it’s our first opportunity to visit with a world traveler.
It must have been so exciting to see the Acropolis and the Coliseum.”
“Don’t forget the dome Michelangelo created for St. Peter’s or Christopher
Wren’s
St. Paul .
I think humbling would be a better adjective though.
Any illusions I might have cherished about my architectural talent were
thoroughly squashed.”
“There are few geniuses,” she replied, “and they do not seem to have had
happy lives.”
“There is some truth in what you say,”
he agreed,
“and yet, Shakespeare was one of the great geniuses and apart from marrying
an older woman (whom he soon abandoned), I never heard his life was tragic.
Ditto for Johan Sebastian Bach.
On the other hand,
I would rather hear Beethoven’s music performed than to have lived his unhappy
life.
Michelangelo doesn’t appear to have had a very
happy existence either.
What can’t be determined is
whether their genius played any part in their unhappiness.”
“Indeed, I doubt it can be proved or disproved, so I do not intend to alter
my belief,” she declared resolutely.
“The triumph of emotion over reason, eh?” he said.
She
stuck out her tongue at him, startling him into laughter.
She laughed with him, but then she added in a more serious tone
, “Le Coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connaît point.”
“The heart has its reasons, whereof reason knows nothing,” he translated.
“ Touche, Bronwen.”
They walked in companionable silence and then Bronwen said shyly, “I was
just wondering.
Since you like to sing, perhaps we
could learn a duet?”
“Sounds like fun.
What did you have in mind?”
“Well, maybe I’m being too ambitious, but what about
Là ci darem la mano, là mi dirai di si from
Don
Giovanni ?
I think you’d be a perfect Don Giovanni.”
Adam raised one eyebrow and said dryly, “Since he ends the opera in Hell,
I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“You know what I mean,” she replied, obviously flustered, and he dimpled.
“Yes, I suppose I do.
If I were blond and blue-eyed,
then you’d see me as heroic rather than villainous.”
“Don’t you think the villains in operas and plays are often more interesting
than the heroes?
Take Richard III for example.
He is a complete villain but he takes such enjoyment in his villainy and
he is so charming that I’ve never been able to hate him totally.
And I find Mephistopheles more appealing than Faust.”
Adam couldn’t help but laugh.
“Bronwen, you certainly
are original.
I think I’d enjoy singing with you, but
I don’t know Italian.”
“Oh, I could help you with the pronunciation.
My music
teacher taught me to sing Italian.”
“Tell you what.
I will happily learn
Là ci darem la mano, là mi dirai di si if you will sing me some
of the arias you’ve learned.”
“It’s a bargain,” she said and he enjoyed seeing how her face glowed with
happiness.
He thought she had the most animated features
he’d ever seen although he was sure there were times it would be better
if her every emotion were not so plainly written on her face.
She probably had no idea how obvious her attraction to him was.
He would have to be very careful because he did not want to hurt her.
He refused to listen to the inner voice that told him the attraction was
mutual, for they had no future since he would be sailing back home in a matter
of weeks.
Although, he told himself, there was no harm
in prolonging his stay in
Sydney
for a week or two.
After all, he had just committed
himself to learning a duet.
He soon discovered that although she seemed
very
undisciplined most of the time, she was totally regimented in her approach
to music.
Even his old music teacher hadn’t insisted
on as many warm-ups and scales.
She was a perfectionist,
practicing a section until it was flawless.
“Bronwen, you are a slave driver,” he said in exasperation after going
over the same section six times because his phrasing wasn’t precisely what
she wanted.
“No, I’m not.
You are just lazy.
I know you can do better.”
He frowned but then said with a grin, “And now you are trying flattery.
All right, you tyrant, I’ll give it another go.”
The next evening Adam was having supper with the Davies as he often did
and Dr. Davies asked, “
When will we have an opportunity
to hear the duet you’ve been rehearsing so diligently?’
“You’ll have to ask the
maestra
,” Adam replied with a sly grin.
“We’ll be ready to perform this Sunday afternoon,” Bronwen replied firmly
causing Adam to raise one eyebrow since she’d given him no indication that
she was satisfied with his performance.
“Then I propose a celebration.
Adam, how would you
like to visit
Bondi
Beach with us Saturday afternoon?”
“I would love to.
Do I need to buy a bathing costume?”
“Yes.
You do know how to swim?” Dr. Davies asked and
Adam nodded.
“Good. Meet us here promptly at
10 o’clock if you would.
We’ll take the
public omnibus to
Waverley
and from there we’ll ride on one of Macnamara’s omnibuses to the beach.
There are picnic grounds so we’ll be taking a picnic lunch with us.”
Saturday was sunny and warm—a perfect day for a trip to the beach.
Adam arrived at the Davies’ home shortly before
10 o’clock dressed in a scarlet blazer and white flannel trousers,
sporting a jaunty straw hat.
Dr. Davies was dressed
more soberly in a single-breasted university jacket of navy blue broadcloth
and matching trousers, but he also wore a straw hat.
The ladies were dressed in simple white cotton blouses and delaine skirts—Bronwen
in dark blue and Mrs. Davies in charcoal gray—and Adam felt the simplicity
of this attire suited Bronwen.
The four of them conversed pleasantly on the ride.
When
they arrived at
Bondi
Beach, the golden sand reminded Adam of summer
his sophomore year at Harvard, which
he’d spent
with the Collingsworth family at their summer home on
Martha’s
Vineyard.
The four separated by sex to
change into their bathing costumes.
He and Dr. Davies
both wore bathing costumes of navy blue wool knit.
However,
Dr. Davies’s had short sleeves and was trimmed with red bands around the pants,
shirt and sleeves while Adam’s costume was sleeveless and had white bands
around the pants and shirt.
He felt his breath catch
when he saw Bronwen emerge from the changing room in a pretty costume of
blue flannel.
It was short-sleeved and worn with a sash
that emphasized her tiny waist and the matching blue flannel pantaloons ended
just below her knee, displaying her slender calves and slim ankles.
Her raven tresses were hidden underneath a blue flannel hat trimmed with
a rose-colored ribbon.
He felt a sudden, unexpected
surge of desire and quickly forced his mind on something else lest his body
betray him.
Bronwen had a similar reaction to him in
his costume; she hadn’t realized just how muscular he was.
She could feel the color in her cheeks and forcing her gaze from him, she
took off her spectacles and sat them on the picnic hamper before running toward
the waves calling,
“I’ll race you to the water,
Adam.”
They swam and dived in the clear aquamarine water.
“You’re
a Nereid,” he said with grin, his teeth gleaming white in his tanned face
as they let themselves just float for a few minutes.
“When I was a little girl,” she said returning his smile, “I used to pretend
I was a mermaid.
I just love the sea.
I think if I’d been a boy, I’d have run off to sea and worked as a cabin
boy.”
“The sea is in my blood,” he replied in a more serious tone.
“My father was first officer on a clipper ship before he decided to head
west, and on my mother’s side the men followed the sea as far back as anyone
can remember.”
“But not you?”
“I’ve enjoyed my travels, but I don’t want to be a sailor.
No, I prefer engineering.
Your brother and I have talked
very seriously about his desire to form his own mining company.
He’s convinced there are minerals to the west that can be profitably mined,
and I’m considering backing him”
“Oh, but won’t it be expensive?” she asked anxiously.
“I mean, I’m glad you want to help Rhys achieve his dream, but I wouldn’t
want to you to risk too much.”
“Don’t worry,” he replied with a friendly grin.
“I’m
not that much of a gambler. I am just considering selling some of my railroad
stock and using that money.
I’m pretty diversified.
I own stock in several railroads as well as some mines; I own some property
in
Boston and I own one-fifth
of Cartwright Enterprises.”
“One fifth? But I thought
you only had two brothers?”
“Pa owns two-fifths and my brothers and I each own one-fifth.
I’ve not seen my father’s will, but I imagine his estate will be divided
equally among the three of us.
I can afford to do a little
speculation without ending up destitute,” he added with just a hint of a
smile quirking up his lips.
“Adam, do you realize that your eyes change color?” she asked unexpectedly.
He’d noticed she’d been starting at him intently, but he’d assumed that
was because she wasn’t wearing her spectacles so he was caught off guard.
“Change color?
My eyes are dark hazel.”
“That’s the color they are inside a well-lit room.
In
the shadows, they are brown.
Now, in the bright sunlight,
they are golden, like a raptor’s.”
“And raptors swoop down on smaller birds,” he said with a devilish light
in his eyes.
“They have to catch them first,” she replied with a laugh before diving
and swimming away.
She was a strong swimmer and he had to exert himself to catch her.
They came to the surface laughing and as their eyes met, he bent his head
to kiss her mouth but just then they heard Mrs. Davies voice.
“Bronwen! Adam!
We’re going to eat now!”
They broke apart self-consciously and swam to where the older Davies waited.
Bronwen Davies, you are a fool!
she told herself
as she let her salty tears mingle with the salty water.
To fall in love with a man you know will be sailing out of your life in
a matter of weeks, even days.
Her heart answered, I
could not help myself.
When I dreamed of the man I could
love, the man with whom I would share my life, I know now it was he.
Adam Cartwright, what were you thinking of?
he
scolded himself.
You know she is already too fond of
you and she is going to be hurt when you leave.
Do
you want to hurt her more?
And that little inner voice
insisted,
And don’t forget your own hurt.
You’ll be making it more painful for yourself as well.
“Best change so you don’t get a chill,” the doctor suggested as Adam and
Bronwen approached so they hurriedly changed and joined the older couple.
Adam decided his blazer was too warm and he laid it beside him on the blanket
along with his tie and left his collar unbuttoned.
Bronwen’s hair was damp so she let the long braid hang down her back just
past her hips and Adam couldn’t stop himself from imagining what it would
look like loose, what it would feel like to touch its silky softness.
His thoughts were interrupted by Mrs. Davies asking him if he’d care for
a sandwich, and he knew he’d better focus on something other than Bronwen.
“Adam, Bronwen’s birthday is a fortnight away, and if you are still here,
we’d love to have you join us.
Rhys has promised to
be here and although our oldest son doesn’t feel he can leave his sheep
station, our daughter-in-law and our grandchildren will also be here.
I know they would love to meet you,” Mrs. Davies said.
“I’m honored to be invited.
I’ll make a point of being
here although I’ll need to be leaving soon after that,” Adam replied, stealing
a glance at Bronwen beneath his lashes.
He saw her
face light up with happiness and it awoke a reciprocal happiness in him although
he tried to squash it.
After the picnic lunch,
Dr.and Mrs. Davies
went for a stroll while Adam and Bronwen constructed a sandcastle.
“Yours are as elaborate as Rhys’s are,” Mrs. Davies said with a smile when
she and the doctor returned.
“Naturally, we’re engineers,” he replied with an answering smile.
That evening in his hotel room he sat down to write to his family.
February—, 1874
Dear Pa, Hoss, Joe and Hop Sing,
I have decided to extend my visit
to Sydney a few weeks.
Bronwen and I
—
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“
It’s Bronwen now,” Hoss said interrupting his
father’s reading and aiming a wide grin at his younger brother.
“Them being on a first name basis don’t mean anything,” Joe retorted.
Ben cleared his throat loudly and resumed reading.
…haven’t explored every inch of the city yet and it has several
beautiful gardens.Today the Davies and I went for a
picnic at Bondi
Beach .Before we ate we
all went for a swim since it’s summer here south
of the equator and the temperature was between 70 o and 80
o.It is a beautiful beach, even more lovely
than those on Martha’s Vineyard and Cape
Cod.
Since I’ve been here I’ve been
attending church with the Davies each Sunday. It was
at church that I discovered that Bronwen has a magnificent mezzo-soprano
voice. Actually, the entire family is musical.
(Dr. Davies says it’s because they are Welsh.)We’ve
spent several evenings together singing.
I taught them some American songs like “Oh, Susanna,” and “Lily of the
West,” and they’ve tried to teach me some Welsh songs.
(I’m afraid speaking Welsh is beyond me; it’s difficult enough to comprehend
the Australian accent and idioms.)I sing “Men of Harlech”
in English and then Dr. Davies sings it in Welsh.
Bronwen and I have been working on a duet from Mozart’s Don
Giovanni. (She has been teaching me to sing Italian.
She is quite a martinet, but she feels we are now ready and so this Sunday
we will be performing it for her family.)
Her birthday is in two weeks and
I have been invited to the celebration. The Davies
have certainly made me feel a part of their family.
I wish you could meet them because I know you would like them as much as
I do.I still want to visit Melbourne and a little of
the outback, but then I’ll be sailing home.
I am looking forward to seeing
all of you in a few months.
Affectionately yours
,
Adam
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The morning of her birthday Bronwen’s best friend, Emily, and her sister-in-law,
Victoria, came to see her, and she invited them up to her bedroom to see
the new dress she’d had made for her party.
“Here it is,” she said shyly, taking the dress from her wardrobe and holding
it under her chin.
“What do you think?”
“Oh, it’s lovely,” breathed
Victoria.
“It matches
your eyes perfectly.”
“Yes, Mr. Cartwright should be impressed,” said Emily teasingly.
Victoria saw her sister-in-law’s blush and said in surprise, ‘Bronwen,
are you sweet on this Mr. Cartwright
Tad has written about so often?”
“Yes,” Bronwen said simply while Emily added, “He’s very handsome and he’s
well-educated and charming.”
“I wish I were more beautiful,” Bronwen said sadly.
“You are very pretty,” her friend retorted indignantly.
“You just don’t know how to make the most of your looks.
Victoria, don’t you think it would be a good idea if we cut her hair
in a fringe?”
“Yes,”
Victoria
agreed readily.
“And don’t pull your hair back so
tightly.
Leave it a little looser so it will have a
softening effect.
It’s too bad you have to wear your
spectacles.’
“Well, I do if I want to see,” Bronwen stated firmly.
“Do you really think a fringe will suit me?”
“Yes, we do,” Emily replied.
“Now you just sit right
here and
Victoria will cut your hair in
a fringe.
I’m going to run home and get my curling
iron and I’ll be right back.”
Bronwen looked in amazement at her reflection.
The
curly bangs did seem to suit her.
She checked the clock
sitting on her dresser and saw it was time to begin dressing.
She carefully put on her white lace stockings and buttoned her shoes.
Next she put on her hoops over her starched petticoats and over all the
petticoats and hoops she placed the white silk poplin underskirt with its
twelve-inch-wide flounce of violet poplin bound to the skirt by a band of
plain violet silk.
Finally, she put on the violet-and-white
striped silk poplin polonaise with its smooth, close-fitting elbow-length
sleeves trimmed in Brussels lace.
The polonaise fitted
tightly and buttoned all down the front with small round buttons covered
in violet silk.
She fastened the pearl choker she had
received for her sixteenth birthday around her neck and put on the matching
pearl drop earrings.
Just then her mother came to see
if she was ready.
“Do you think this dress really suits me?” Bronwen asked anxiously as she
gazed at her reflection.
“Yes, I do.
It flatters your figure and the color matches
your eyes, which are your best feature.”
“But no one can see them behind my spectacles,” Bronwen said dejectedly.
“Of course they can,” her mother replied cheerfully.
“I’m glad Emily and
Victoria
persuaded you to cut your hair into a fringe.
I think it is very becoming.”
Bronwen smiled at her mother.
She knew it was foolish
to care so much.
She should be content to have Adam’s
friendship and not wish for the impossible.
He was
so handsome; she was surprised that he wasn’t married but perhaps he had
never met the right woman or perhaps he had and there was some romantic tragedy
in his past.
He spoke often of his father and brothers,
but he was obviously a very private man.
She glanced
at the clock on her vanity, and seeing how late it had grown, she carefully
applied a little coralline salve to her lips to redden them and pinched some
color into her cheeks before going downstairs to meet her guests.
Adam prided himself on his punctuality, but his cab had gotten snarled in
traffic and now his watch said he was 10 minutes late.
He quickly paid the cabby, dashed up the sidewalk and knocked on the door.
Dr. Davies opened it, saying with a smile, “Here you are.
We were afraid something had come up and you wouldn’t be able to join us.”
Adam’s eyes moved swiftly over the room until he saw Bronwen, and felt
his heart begin to race and his breathing quicken.
She
had done something to her hair, and the new style softened her features.
Her dress accentuated her tiny waist, and the violet was the exact shade
of her extraordinary eyes.
It was becoming harder and
harder to convince himself that he felt nothing but friendship for her. However,
admitting that he desired her only made the situation more dangerous for them
both.
He was leaving
Sydney
in a matter of days, and so there was no future for them.
Better if he continued to treat her as nothing more than a friend.
She walked toward him smiling and he took her hands saying, “Happy birthday,
Bronwen.
This is for you.”
She opened the package quickly.
“Elizabeth Gaskell’s
Wives and Daughters.
It’s one of my
favorites.
Thank you, Adam,” she said, blushing in the
manner he always found endearing.
“I think you’ve met
most of the guests but let me introduce you to my sister-in-law, who is visiting
us with my nephews.”
Adam made polite conversation, aware
that he was the object of intense scrutiny.
When it
was time for supper, Dr. Davies escorted Bronwen but Adam found he was seated
at her right.
The supper conversation was light and
he was asked several questions about the famous
Comstock Lode
and well-known figures such as William Ralston, Leland Stanford, John McKay
and Philip Deidesheimer.
After the meal, the gentlemen
joined the ladies immediately and several of the guests demonstrated their
musical abilities.
Dr. Davies persuaded Bronwen and Adam
to sing
Là ci darem la mano, là mi
dirai di si to great applause.
Adam waited
patiently and finally when most of the others had decided to play cards, he
asked Bronwen if they could step outside for a few minutes for some fresh
air.
“I have waited all evening for a chance to tell you how lovely you look
tonight,” he said quietly as they stood on the back porch in the moonlight.
“And there is something I’ve wanted to do all evening, if you’ll allow me.”
“Of course,” she answered rather breathlessly while her heart was pounding
in her chest so loudly that she was sure he must be able to hear it.
Very gently he reached out and removed her spectacles and sat them on the
porch railing.
“I knew you had the most beautiful eyes
I had ever seen,” he said so softly it was almost a whisper.
Her face was turned up to his and as he watched her lips parted and she sighed
very gently.
Without thinking, he moved his mouth to
hers, letting his tongue gently tease her lips until he could deepen the
kiss.
Her innocent response inflamed him and he found
his hands cupping her buttocks, grateful that a Polonaise was worn without
a bustle.
She felt so right in his arms that he was
losing himself in their embrace but he suddenly realized what he was doing
and stepped away, painfully aware of his arousal.
“I am so sorry, Bronwen.
My behavior was unforgivable,”
he said quietly, not able to meet her eyes.
Her heart was racing and her breathing was uneven as she said unsteadily,
“Let’s agree that it was a momentary aberration on both our parts.”
She looked up at the full moon overhead and said, “Perhaps we could blame
our madness on the moon.”
She tried to steady her
breathing and said quietly, “Could you hand me my spectacles?”
He handed them to her and she turned to go back inside.
She hesitated when he didn’t join her and he said softly, “I’ll come inside
in a few minutes.
It might excite less comment if we
don’t come in together.”
He smiled a bitter smile thinking,
It will surely excite plenty of comment if I come with you in
an obvious state of arousal. How could
I have treated her like that?She is a gently bred,
virtuous woman.He’d been surprised by the depth
of his desire, but that was no excuse.
It was just as
well that he would be leaving for Melbourne in a few days.
In the meantime, she was right and they should just pretend it never happened.
That proved to be almost impossible.
Whenever he was
with her, he found himself remembering what it had felt like to kiss her
and hold her in his arms.
Although he didn’t know it,
Bronwen was finding it equally difficult to stop reliving their kiss.
She had been kissed before, but not with such intimacy.
She shocked herself because she wished he hadn’t broken off the kiss so
soon.
She knew she loved him and couldn’t stop herself
no matter how much pain and grief it cost.
When they
were together, he seemed remote and distracted, and at night she would pour
out her pain and her love in her diary and would make no effort to stop her
tears even though she would wake the next morning with a pounding headache
and puffy eyes.
Her parents suspected the cause of her
unhappiness, but they were wise enough to understand that she would have
to get through this herself.
The Davies had invited Adam to a farewell supper the evening before he
was to leave for Melbourne.
Bronwen was devastated by
the knowledge that this would be the last time she ever saw him.
Her red swollen eyes were a mute testimony to her anguish.
In contrast, Adam assumed an air of false cheerfulness.
He was saddened at the thought of parting from Bronwen and her family but
told himself it was good that he was leaving now before he unintentionally
caused her any more pain.
She said very little during the meal but her parents talked with Adam and
by unspoken agreement, they made no mention of Bronwen’s unnatural silence.
After supper Dr. Davies said with a smile, “I know you must be up early
to catch your train, Adam
bach , but I hope you have time
to sing us one last American song.”
Adam returned the doctor’s smile, saying, “I’ve time for one song.”
“Good.
Let’s go to the parlor.”
They gathered and Adam was saddened to note that Bronwen sat as far from
him as possible.
“This is one of my favorites, but
I warn you it is a sad song.
It’s called
Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies.”
Bronwen listened to his mellow baritone and watched him, storing memories
to last a lifetime.
When he sang,
I wish I had known before I courted
That love had been so hard to gain
I'd ‘ve locked my heart in a box of golden
And fastened it down with a silver chain.
she couldn’t stop her tears and felt their warm wetness on her cheeks and
tasted their saltiness.
Adam saw her tears and they
were like a knife stabbing and tearing his heart.
When
he finished singing, he said goodbye to Dr. and Mrs. Davies, thanking them
for their generous hospitality, “making a stranger and foreigner feel so
much at home.”
He paused and then said quietly, “Dr.
Davies, may I have your permission to say a private goodbye to Bronwen?”
“Of course.
I have some work to do in my study.”
Mrs. Davis also exited quickly, leaving him alone with Bronwen.
“Bronwen,” he began but she put her finger on his lips.
“Don’t say anything, Adam. I have one favor to ask of you since this is
the last time I’ll ever see you.”
“Of course.”
“Kiss me again, please.”
He bent down and removed her spectacles before placing a gentle kiss on her
lips.
He discovered she was a quick learner for she
initiated a more passionate kiss.
He felt her hands
slip around his neck and her fingers begin to entwine in his hair, and he
spanned her tiny waist with his hands and drew her close.
As he felt his body’s response, he gently broke off the kiss.
She looked at him, her eyes brimming with tears, and whispered, “Thank you,
Adam,” and then she ran out of the room.
He waited a
few minutes before leaving, closing the door softly behind him.
A fortnight later Bronwen returned from a trip to the library, her arms
laden with books, only to have the door flung open as soon as she approached
the house.
“Miss Bronwen!
Miss Bronwen!” Lily, their maid, said
excitedly.
“You have a visitor.
And you’ll never guess who it is!”
“I don’t feel in the mood to play guessing games, Lily.
These books are heavy so please let me by,” she snapped.
“It’s Mr. Cartwright, that’s who’s waiting for you in the drawing room,”
Lily said in a rush, taking the books from Bronwen.
“Mr. Cartwright’s in Melbourne, Lily,” Bronwen replied, feeling her heart
begin to race.
“No, he’s not.
He’s sitting in your drawing room.
Mrs. Davies is out and he’s been waiting for you for almost an hour.”
She saw Bronwen’s disbelief and gave her a little push.
“Go on, Miss Bronwen.
You mustn’t keep him waiting.”
Adam had been pacing around the drawing room but he stopped when he heard
footsteps approach.
He watched her face light up when
she saw him and she held out her hands.
“Adam, I am
so pleased to see you.
But I’m surprised.
I thought you said you wouldn’t be returning to Sydney.”
“I didn’t plan to return.
I told myself that we had
no future, but all I could think about was how much I missed you—missed talking
with you and sharing ideas, missed seeing your smile and hearing your beautiful
voice.
I just missed you,” he said quietly, keeping
his eyes locked on hers.
“My youngest brother used
to call me a Yankee granite head and he was right.
It
took being separated to make me realize what you mean to me.”
“What do I mean to you,” she asked softly.
“I love you, Bronwen, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you.
Will you marry me?”
“Oh, yes, Adam!” she replied and he bent down and kissed her.
When they finally broke apart, he said with a grin, “You have only one flaw,
sweetheart.”
He saw her raised eyebrows and said, “You’re
too short,” before lifting her up in his arms.
He sat
down on the sofa, sitting her on his lap.
They continued
kissing and caressing until he was afraid he would lose control so he sat
her beside him.
“You don’t want a long engagement, do you?” he asked in a husky voice and
she shook her head.
“What if we plan to marry a month
from now?
That should give us time to find a house and
furnish it.”
“You mean we’ll live here?” she said wonderingly.
“I
know you miss your family so I thought you would want to live on the Ponderosa.”
“I do miss my family, but if I took you to the Ponderosa, then you would
miss yours.
More even, I think, than I miss mine.
Besides, I like your family and your country.
It’s
full of opportunities. I told you that Rhys would like to start his own mining
company and we’d discussed my investing in the venture.
Now maybe we can discuss a partnership.”
He paused
then and she read a mixture of guilt and pain in his eyes.
“There’s one other consideration if I’m honest with myself: If I settle
here, then I can escape being ‘the oldest Cartwright boy’.
I love my father, but he casts a very long shadow.
He built his dream, and now I want to build one of my own.”
He put his arm around her shoulders then and she snuggled close.
“Adam, if we marry in a month, that won’t give your family time to travel
here,” she said after a moment.
“I know, and I regret that, but I’ll be thirty-eight this November and
I think I’ve waited long enough to marry.
Besides,”
and he stopped to kiss her lips lightly, “now that I have admitted to myself
that I love you having to wait months to consummate that love would be agony.”
She blushed at those words and looked so adorable that he had to kiss her
again.
While they were kissing they heard a knock at
the door and quickly broke apart.
“We’ll be out in
a moment,” Adam called, “and we have some wonderful news to share with you.”
Bronwen stood up and tugged at her dress.
“Do I look
all right?”
“You look thoroughly kissed, but I think your parents will forgive me.
You need to re-button your polonaise though,” he said with a hint of a grin
as she looked down and realized he had unbuttoned it almost to her waist.
“I’m more worried about my appearance, but I think if you stand in front
of me it will be all right.”
She looked at him quizzically
and he said with a smothered grin, “You’ll understand after we’re married,
but your parents will understand now.”
The next afternoon just before dinner Lily walked into the dining room carrying
a flower arrangement saying, “Miss Bronwen, these are for you.”
“Thank you, Lily,” Bronwen replied feeling her cheeks redden.
“Please put them over there.”
“Ah,” Mrs. Davies said with a smile for her daughter.
“Red roses for love, forget-me-nots for true love, yellow tulips meaning
he is desperately in love and bluebells for fidelity.”
“There’s a note,” Bronwen said, her cheeks still flushed.
She opened it and read in Adam’s neat handwriting:
My Mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damasked, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
That in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing
sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.
Mrs. Davies saw the dreamy expression on her daughter’s face and shared
a smile with the maid.
“Mr. Cartwright is ever so romantic,” Lily said softly.
Bronwen tore her gaze from the sonnet then and answered with a beatific
smile, “Yes, he is.”
About three weeks after Adam proposed, they still hadn’t found a house to
rent.
“I am beginning to think there isn’t a decent
house for rent in Sydney,” Adam said one morning as they began their daily
house hunting.
“Surely we can find something,” Bronwen said apprehensively.
“At least we have most of our furniture, our china and silver and pots and
pans.”
“Yes, but they are useless unless we have a house to put them in,” he snapped.
He stopped then and said quickly, “I’m sorry.
I don’t
mean to take my temper out on you.
You’re right; we
may find something today.
After all, we are only looking
for a house to rent until we know for certain where we’ll be living.
I just never thought it would be this difficult.”
“Since we only want to rent, maybe we should lower our expectations just
a little,” she suggested in a carefully neutral tone.
Her fiancé, she was discovering, was a perfectionist.
That was one of the reasons she had decided to hire a maid of all work:
She hated housework and feared she would fall short of his exacting standards.
She had chosen a friendly middle-aged woman named Nell Godwin, who had been
recommended by Lily.
Nell was a childless widow who’d
been forced to seek employment after her husband’s death and had excellent
references.
At her words he raised one eyebrow quizzically before saying mildly, “I
won’t rent a house in such poor condition it is unsafe.”
She just nodded saying, “You are the expert,
cariad.”
The fourth house they came to view was a two-story frame house in the suburb
of Paddington that appeared to be freshly painted while its lawn was verdant
and well cared for.
“This is promising, don’t you think?”
Bronwen asked as they walked up the neatly paved path to the front porch.
“Yes, this owner has taken good care of his property,” Adam replied quietly.
“We could put a swing on the porch.
It would be pleasant
to sit on a porch swing on a hot summer evening.”
“You mean a hot winter evening,” she corrected with a giggle.
“I’m not sure I will ever get used to the seasons down here,” he replied
with a grin.
“I like the fact the house is set so far
back from the street; it gives a little more privacy.
And the gum tree provides nice shade.”
They were as pleased with the interior of the house.
There was one small bedroom on the ground floor that could be used by Nell
as well as an enormous master bedroom on the second floor whose walls had
been recently papered in a design that appealed to both Adam and Bronwen.
“This room is beautiful,” Bronwen breathed.
“We could
put the bed here,” she gestured.
(They had bought an
enormous cherry wood four-poster bed.)
“The chest of
drawers could go there and your wardrobe and mine could be side by side against
this wall.”
He looked at the animation in her face,
the way her beautiful eyes shone with happiness and felt his heart swell
with love.
“Oh, look!” she exclaimed in delight.
“Window seats.
I love to curl up in a window seat with a book.”
He smiled and kissed her lightly before replying, “It is a lovely room,
but let’s take a look at the rest of the house before we make up our minds.”
“You mean before you make yours up.
I know this is
the house I want to live in.
I just feel it.”
There were two other bedrooms on that floor.
He was
pleased to find a room on the first floor that he could turn into a combination
library and study while Bronwen loved the large dining room with its wonderful
view of the lovely garden in the backyard.
“Well, my reason agrees with your feeling,” he said leaning over to kiss
her after they finished inspecting the house.
“Now,
let’s see how soon we may rent it.
Hopefully before
the wedding.”
Their wedding day was absolutely beautiful.
The sun
was shining and the temperature was warm for April but not too warm.
Adam found he was missing his father and brothers terribly.
He had asked Rhys to stand up with him, but fond as he was of his brother-in-law
to-be, it wasn’t the same as having Hoss or Joe as his best man.
He mentally chided himself for having maudlin thoughts on the happiest
day of his life.
He had no doubts that he and Bronwen
would have a good marriage, and he was eager to begin their life together.
Just three days earlier they had all their new furniture delivered to their
house, and he had enjoyed their discussions about how it should be arranged.
The bookshelves in the library
cum study looked rather forlorn
since Bronwen tended to borrow books from the public library rather than to
buy them.
He intended to write his father about shipping
his books now that he had a definite address.
He found he liked the feminine touches throughout their house and decided
he would eventually become accustomed to having a lady’s vanity with his
wife’s hairbrush, combs, hairpins and perfume bottle in their dressing room.
They had each taken all their clothes except their wedding attire to their
new house yesterday and he was pleased to see she had done as he’d suggested
and bought some new frocks in shades of violet, green and blue.
He had even been successful in persuading her to use a minimum of pleating
as a decoration.
Her new dresses would suit her much
better and he was looking forward to seeing her wear them.
He shaved carefully and trimmed his mustache before brushing his hair,
noting his receding hairline with a sigh.
He was nearly
thirty-eight so it wasn’t unexpected.
At least he
hadn’t noticed any gray yet.
He fumbled tying his black
silk necktie four-in-hand but finally got it done to his satisfaction.
He straightened his black dress coat and checked one last time to make sure
he had Bronwen’s gold wedding band before picking up his valise and his top
hat and exiting the room.
He found Rhys waiting in the lobby looking nervous and a little uncomfortable
in his high starched collar.
“Hello,” he greeted Adam
with a grin.
“I have a cab waiting to take us to the
church.”
“Fine,” Adam replied with a smile.
“I’ll just pay
my bill.”
“You certainly are calm,” Rhys noted.
“Poor Bronwen
is a wreck.”
Adam smiled at this but only replied, “Brides are usually nervous I’ve
been told.”
“But so are bridegrooms.”
“Not this one,” he said quietly.
Mrs. Davies was waiting for them at the church and pinned on their boutonnières.
Adam stood at the front of the nearly empty church (for they had only invited
Bronwen’s family and her closest friends), Rhys at his side, and waited
for his bride.
He heard the organ music that signaled
her entrance and felt his entire being suffused by a rush of love and joy
at the sight of Bronwen’s slight form on her father’s arm.
His emotions were so strong that he felt tears begin to well up in his eyes.
They spoke their vows in sure, clear vices and both their faces were radiant
when they turned to face their guests after their kiss.
Afterward neither Adam nor Bronwen remembered much about their wedding dinner.
There was some good-natured teasing, but nothing really ribald.
Finally the cab arrived to take the newlyweds to their home.
Mrs. Davies kissed her daughter and tried not to cry while Dr. Davies’ eyes
looked suspiciously bright as he kissed his daughter and hugged her warmly.
“You take good care of my daughter, Adam
bach,” Dr. Davies said, smiling at his new son-in-law.
“I’ll take care of my wife,” Adam said with a wink, “and that will take
care of your daughter.”
“I’ll write and tell you all about Melbourne,” Bronwen said, her own eyes
beginning to swim with tears.
“Oh Bronwen
fach , I think
Adam will find other ways to occupy your time,” said her father with a wink
and he and Adam shared a grin at Bronwen’s blush.
They had decided to spend their wedding night in their new house and leave
for Melbourne the next morning.
Adam allowed Bronwen
the privacy of their dressing room while he quickly stripped and got into
their bed.
“Aren’t you ready, sweetheart,” he called
after what seemed like an eternity had passed.
“Almost.
Don’t be impatient with me,
cariad,” her voice came from behind the closed door of the dressing
room.
“I’ll try not to be,” he replied leaning against the headboard, his arms
folded across his chest.
He knew she was probably nervous
and reminded himself that he must be a patient, gentle lover.
He heard the door open then and saw his bride framed in the doorway in a
white nightgown with her ebony hair falling unbound past her hips.
He knew she had no idea that the lamp in the room behind her allowed him
to see the outline of her slender curves clearly and he felt his own body’s
immediate response.
He held out one hand saying, “Come
here,” in a voice roughened by desire.
Bronwen’s eyes widened and she felt her breathing quicken at the sight of
Adam’s naked chest with its mat of black hair and the clearly defined muscles
of his chest and arms.
She swallowed convulsively before
turning to put out the lamp in the dressing room.
“May
I put out the lamp in here?” she asked and heard the timidity in her tone.
“I’d rather you just turned it down,” he replied with a smile.
“I understand your natural modesty but we don’t want to fumble in the dark.”
He was silent for a moment, looking at her, before he said quietly, “I am
longing to show you how much I love you.”
“And I love you,” she whispered walking toward the bed.
He pulled back the bedclothes and she slid in beside him and found herself
caught in his embrace while his mouth fastened on hers hungrily.
He exercised his considerable self-control so he could take all the time
needed to introduce her to the joy of becoming one flesh.
Afterward, he held her in his arms and whispered, “I didn’t hurt you?”
“Not really.
Mam told me there would
probably be some pain the first time.”
She paused,
and then turning to face him, said softly, “She never told me how wonderful
it would be.”
“It was glorious,” he replied quietly.
Then he winked
at her.
“Now that we’re married we can do it whenever
we want.”
She grinned back at him.
“Right now?”
“I think we’d better wait until morning since this was your first time.
Something to look forward to,” he replied with a hint of a smirk.
“Let me show you the best way to sleep,” and he turned on his side toward
her.
“Now, you just snuggle right next to me so we’re
like two spoons.” Snuggled together he soon fell asleep while Bronwen lay
awake drinking in the sensations of lying so close to him with one of his
arms draped over her, holding her close.
She was aware
of each breath he took, the beating of his heart, and his own unique scent,
which was now branded on her memory.
Gradually, she,
too, drifted to sleep.
The first thing Adam was aware of the next morning was the soft roundness
of his wife’s body pressed close to his.
He brushed
back her hair and kissed the nape of her neck.
She
turned around then so they were facing each other.
“Good
morning,” she said softly, her beautiful violet eyes unfocused.
“Good morning, Mrs. Cartwright,” he replied with a smile.
“I like the sound of that.”
“So do I,” she whispered and he lightly caressed her slender curves, enjoying
the silky feel of her skin and her tentative exploration of his body.
They made love slowly, and afterward they lay together cuddling until she
said reluctantly, “It’s getting late.
I need to fix
breakfast.
What would you like?”
“Bacon, eggs, toast and coffee.”
“How do you like your eggs?”
“Fried with unbroken yolks.
And I like my bacon fried
crisp.”
“Such a demanding husband,” she teased, shaking her finger at him.
Then she blushed a little and said timidly, “Adam, could you close your
eyes?”
“Close my eyes?” he said quizzically, raising one eyebrow.
“I don’t seem to be wearing my nightgown,” she replied, her cheeks reddening.
“I don’t seem to be wearing a nightshirt,” he said with a grin.
“Tell you what.
What if we both get out of bed now?
That would make us equal.”
She blushed more furiously but replied, “All right.”
She threw off the bedclothes and ran for her negligee, which was draped
across a chair by her wardrobe, so he only caught a fleeting glimpse of her
slender white form.
He smiled at her modesty and walked
deliberately to his robe, which was hanging in his wardrobe, and put it on.
He saw her staring at him, her pupils so large they nearly swallowed up
the irises.
“You’re beautiful,” she whispered.
“Thank you,” he replied with a smile, “but that’s what I’m supposed to tell
you,” and he bent over and kissed her, entwining his fingers in her long
black hair.
“Let’s both go down to the kitchen.
I will make our coffee, or do you prefer tea?”
“Tea.”
“Then I’ll put the kettle on for your tea and make my coffee.”
“Shouldn’t we get dressed first?”
“We’re all alone so let’s eat first and then we’ll get dressed.”
He took her hand and they went downstairs to the kitchen.
She and her mother had brought over all her china, silver, pots and pans
and linens the previous week, so she got her frying pan and gave Adam the
kettle and coffeepot.
He finished and sat at the table
so he could watch her.
He smiled inwardly as he watched
the curve of her buttocks and breasts, and the slender shape of her thighs
and calves through the diaphanous
négligée
.
After a few minutes he said, “I’ll set the table.
Do you mind if we eat here?
It seems an appropriate
setting for our attire.”
“Yes.
I don’t want to eat our first meal in our dining
room in dishabille.
Besides, it’s cozier in here.”
She watched him while he ate and when he finished asked, “Was it all right?”
a little anxiously.
“It was delicious.
You didn’t eat much though.”
“Oh, I never eat more than toast and tea for breakfast.
I’m never very hungry when I first get up.”
“Well, you take your bath while I shave.
By the time
we both bathe and dress, it will be time to head for the train station.”
As they rode in the cab to the train station, Bronwen said happily, “You
know, this will be the first time I’ve ever ridden on a train.
In fact, it’s the first time I’ve left Sydney.”
“Really?” he commented with a raised eyebrow.
Her happy expression wilted a little and she said quietly, “I know I’m extremely
provincial.”
“An extremely adorable provincial,” he replied, lifting her hands and kissing
first one and then the other, and she smiled radiantly at him.
As they traveled, Bronwen gazed out the window at the lush green scenery
while Adam watched her, thinking this was the longest train ride he’d ever
taken.
He enjoyed watching her enthusiasm and her delight
at each new sight, but a large part of his brain was obsessed with making
love to her again
¼
and again
¼
and again.
“
Cariad,” she said reproachfully at one point, “you are
a thousand miles away.”
“No, I’m not,” he smiled.
“I’m simply in our hotel
suite, imagining what we’ll be doing when we get there.”
Her face suffused with color, but then she said very demurely, “Why, won’t
we do some sightseeing after we arrive?”
He saw the mischievous glint in her eye and said in a low voice, “The only
exploring I intend for today is my wife’s body.
You’ll
enjoy it more than exploring the streets of Melbourne, I promise.”
He took one of her hands, and undoing the buttons on her glove, he placed
a kiss on her exposed wrist and saw her eyes darken and felt her pulse quicken
under his lips.
“I am sure I shall,” she replied breathlessly and turned back to the scenery
while he continued to hold her hand and stroke the inner wrist with his
thumb.
His touch was making it impossible for her to concentrate on the scenery
so she decided to try and distract them both.
“Is this
land like the Ponderosa?” she asked, trying to free her hand.
He smiled at her, but refused to relinquish her hand.
“No.
It’s quite different.
Our
climate is semi-arid and to the south it’s desert.
But
even if the Ponderosa is not as lush and green I think it is more spectacular.
I am looking forward to showing you Lake Tahoe.
It’s
the most beautiful sight in the world—that cerulean water nestled among those
tall ponderosa pines and the snow-covered mountains.”
“What I am really looking forward to is meeting my new family,” she said
smiling, and he thought how animated her face was; she literally glowed with
happiness.
We certainly prove the adage
that opposites attract he thought with a tiny grin.
“It seems strange that they don’t know that we’re married,” she continued.
“Believe me, they’ll be just as eager to meet you,” he said with a broad
grin.
“My father is going to be thrilled to have a
daughter-in-law, and he’ll be even more thrilled when he has grandchildren.”
“Adam,” she scolded, the color flooding her cheeks.
“Sweetheart, have I ever told you how much I love your blushes,” he murmured.
“Adam, behave yourself,” she whispered blushing even more furiously.
“All right, I’ll try,” he replied and dimpled, which had its usual affect
on her.
He still held her hand and continued to caress
it.
She decided to see if she could tease him, and
she maneuvered her foot so that she could rub it slowly and sensually up
and down his calf.
“You little wanton,” he whispered, “I’ll stop if you will.”
She grinned at him and whispered back, “How much longer before we arrive
in Melbourne?”
“Too long,” he replied.
“I think I’ll try reading.
I brought
Innocents Abroad by my old acquaintance Sam Clemens
with me.
It’ll be interesting to compare his travels
with mine.”
He got the book out of the carpetbag they’d
brought on the train with them and tried to concentrate while she turned
back to the scenery.
She was impressed by their hotel’s opulence (he had booked a large suite
at Melbourne’s finest hotel), but she tried not to appear gauche in her
husband’s eyes.
She didn’t realize that her every emotion
was visible on her face and he was pleased at her pleasure.
When she got her first glimpse of their suite with its plush carpet, heavy
velvet drapes and mahogany furniture upholstered in brocade and velvet, her
face showed her wonder and delight.
He quickly closed
and locked the door before turning to take her in his arms.
As he kissed her, he swept her off her feet and carried her to the bedroom.
Her eyes opened very wide as she took in the enormous four-poster bed with
its maroon satin coverlet embroidered in gold.
They made
love more than once that evening, for he discovered her newly awakened desire
was as strong as his own.
They were both totally sated
when they fell asleep that night.
The next morning, they
dressed quickly and hurried to the hotel dining room for breakfast since they’d
missed supper.
“Isn’t it ironic,” Adam stated as they walked arm in arm down Collins Street
that morning, “that while Sydney has such a beautiful site with its harbor
and its lovely gardens it also has narrow crooked streets that are poorly
maintained and many of its houses are in deplorable condition.
Now, while Melbourne’s site is not particularly appealing, the city is beautifully
laid out with magnificent public buildings, churches, hotels and lovely parks.”
“I’m afraid you’re right,” Bronwen said with a sigh.
“I can’t imagine why Sydney wasn’t better designed.”
“Don’t be too hard on your native city,” he replied with a smile.
“Wait until you see Virginia City.
It’s built on a
mountain because that’s where the silver was discovered and you’ll see buildings
balanced on 40-percent grades with foundations dug into the mountain on the
upslope while extra stories are built on the downslope.
The ground is so steep that just about every day there’s at least one runaway
wagon.
And the noise!
The sound
of the stamp mills, the mine whistles and the engines is almost deafening.”
They had a lovely time visiting Melbourne.
The walked
through the Royal Botanic Garden and also the Fitzroy Gardens, where Adam
enjoyed visiting Captain Cook’s cottage.
They went
for long walks along the banks of the Yarra River holding hands.
They dined in Melbourne’s finest restaurants.
And then
there were their nights.
Adam had awakened a part of
Bronwen that she hadn’t known existed and he was delighted that she was such
a passionate, uninhibited lover.
After a fortnight, they returned to their new home in Paddington and Adam
was surprised at how quickly he settled into the routine of married life.
They would wake up and make love and then Bronwen would fix his breakfast.
(Nell was up even earlier and had the stove ready, heated Adam’s shaving
water and brought it upstairs for him while Bronwen was cooking breakfast.)
After they ate breakfast, Bronwen and Nell would do the housecleaning,
and the laundry, the ironing or the baking, depending on the day of the
week, while Adam did research and met with bankers to arrange a loan for
the mining company he and Rhys wanted to establish.
Adam and Bronwen would often dine with her parents and in the afternoon she
would pay or receive calls. Supper was usually just the two of them.
Sometimes they would go to a concert but often they spent their evenings
alone.
She enjoyed hearing him read aloud and so he
would read the book they’d chosen,
Watch and Ward by a new
American author, Henry James, while she sewed or knitted.
Then they would end the day as they had begun by making love.
While they had been in Melbourne on their honeymoon, Rhys had traveled to
Queensland and when he returned he recommended to Adam that they mine for
copper near the town of Cloncurry.
A man named Ernest
Henry had discovered copper there and Rhys felt it would be an ideal site
for their first mining venture.
“You should go and have a Captain Cook,” he urged.
“A what?” Adam asked.
“A look,’ Rhys said with a grin
as Adam shook his head.
“You’re right,” he conceded.
“But Bronwen and I have only been married five weeks and I hate to leave
her here alone so soon.
“You mean you don’t want to be separated,” Rhys replied with a cheeky grin.
“This is a decision we both need to make,” he added in a more serious vein,
“and we really shouldn’t wait especially if you and Bronwen are still planning
on sailing for the States in late June.”
“All right.
I’ll let Bronwen know.
I suppose we might as well leave tomorrow.”
“We’ll travel inland through
Bathurst and
Dubbo and then veer north from there. We’ll
go by horseback and bring our own tucker and swag.”
“Could you translate?” Adam asked with a wry grin.
“Tucker is food and a swag is a bedroll,” Rhys chuckled.
“You certainly have colorful slang,” Adam said with a half-smile.
“Since our slang for food is grub, I suppose I have no room to talk. I’ll
break the news to Bronwen after supper.”
Bronwen knew he had something on his mind, but she restrained her curiosity
through supper. They went into the library just as they usually did and
he seated himself in his favorite leather armchair and then pulled her on
his lap.
“Rhys thinks he has found a site to mine,”
he began quietly.
“That’s wonderful,” she said hugging him.
“You may not think so when I tell you the location,” he replied.
She looked at him questioningly and he said with a sigh, “It’s near a little
town named Cloncurry in Queensland.”
“Cloncurry?” she repeated.
“Yes, and I need to go there myself to see if I agree with his assessment.
Rhys says we’ll probably be away four weeks at least.
More likely five or six.”
Her expressive features displayed
her sadness and so he gently caressed one cheek.
“You
know I don’t want to be away, sweetheart, but I really need to go with Rhys
so we can make a decision.”
“I understand; I am just going to miss you so while you’re gone.”
“You could stay at your parents—“ he began but she placed her fingers on
his lips.
“That wouldn’t make me miss you less,
cariad ,” she whispered.
“If you’re going to be gone for so long, I don’t want to waste the time we
have remaining.”
“Neither do I,” he replied and stood up, holding her easily in his arms
and carrying her to their bedroom.
Adam didn’t find the trip overland particularly pleasant.
Now that it was May, the temperature had grown cooler.
A few nights as they traveled north it dropped below 45
o .
The humidity, thankfully, decreased for he hated cold, damp weather above
all. The first few days were hell as his body reminded him he hadn’t spent
hours on horseback in years, but as his muscles grew accustomed, he began
enjoying the experience.
He saw several varieties of
kangaroo and some dingoes and numerous other animals native to the region.
“I only wish my brother Hoss could be here,” he told Rhys.
“He would really enjoy seeing all these different species.”
Cloncurry reminded him of Mormon Station when he was a boy and he felt real
trepidation asking Bronwen to come live in such a primitive place.
He suddenly found himself remembering his first love, Julia Quincy.
Well, at least he knew Bronwen would follow him wherever he went.
He just wasn’t sure he wanted to ask her to live in such uncivilized conditions.
Still, if this was a good place to mine, he really had no choice.
At least he could make sure he brought her to a house rather than a cabin
and they should be able to install indoor plumbing in the kitchen and the
bathhouse so he could give her some creature comforts.
For Bronwen each lonely day Adam was gone was interminable.
She tried to be busy with housework, polishing her silver, washing and ironing
every piece of linen she owned.
She bought some lovely
pale green lawn, a color she was sure Adam would like, and began sewing a
new dress.
She spent hours practicing her music.
None of these took her mind off Adam.
The worst was
in their bed at night when she ached for him.
Finally
late in the afternoon of the thirty-ninth day he’d been gone, she heard his
voice when she was in the kitchen preparing a light supper.
“Bronwen!
Are you home sweetheart?”
She came running down the hall from the kitchen and he swung her up into
his arms to kiss her.
“Like I said, the only thing wrong
with you is you’re too short,” he said setting her back on her feet with
a big grin. “Go get me some water for a bath, and then I’ll show you just
how glad I am to be home.
In fact, why don’t you come
and scrub my back for me?”
Her cheeks grew pink, but
she nodded.
Later as they ate the supper Nell had finished preparing, Bronwen asked,
“How was your trip?
Are you and Rhys going to mine
there?”
He looked very grave as he said, “Yes, we both think we’ve found an ideal
site.
Not only do we believe there is copper, but maybe
some silver as well.”
“That’s wonderful,
cariad,” she said, her smile lighting
up her face.
“Yes, I think it is, but, sweetheart, it will mean a big change for us.”
“Change?”
“Rhys and I will need to live near the mine, and Cloncurry is the closest
town.
It will be a very different life than what you’ve
known here in Sydney.
Cloncurry is a frontier mining
town.”
“Like Virginia City?”
“That’s a not a bad comparison.
It’s a younger town
and it isn’t booming the way Virginia City did when the Comstock Lode was
first discovered.
It doesn’t have a school yet or a
hospital or a newspaper.
It’s in a beautiful area though.
It’s built on the banks of the Cloncurry River and surrounded by hills.
Hills that Rhys and I think are full of minerals.”
He
paused gauging her reaction but for once she was able to conceal her emotions
from him.
“I picked out a lot for our house—two lots
actually.
One will be for our house and the other for
the stable and the riding paddock.
It’s right on the
outskirts of town and Rhys bought a lot next door so he and Matilda will be
our neighbors.
I talked to people in Cloncurry and some
other towns in Queensland that we passed through and I’ve got some ideas about
the house.
I’ll work on some drawings tomorrow so I
can show you what I have in mind.
Rhys has asked me
to design one for him and
Mathilda as well.”
“When would we move?” she asked in a steady voice that she hoped didn’t betray
her inner turmoil.
“That’s several months in the future,” he reassured her.
“We need to start work on Rhys and Matilda’s home right away, but since
I want to supervise the building of our house, we won’t start construction
until after we return from visiting my family.
And we’ll
be sailing in just about a month.”
“A month.
I thought we were sailing at the end of
June?” she asked in a puzzled tone.
He hesitated before saying quietly, “Rhys is returning to Cloncurry in a
few days and I’ll need to join him there once I finish dealing with the bank—probably
in a week or two.
I’m anxious to see my family, but
it’s not fair to leave everything in Rhys’ hands.
After
all, he and Matilda are planning to marry in November, and he is being very
generous since we’re newlyweds.”
He grinned a little
then saying, “That’s one definite advantage in being in business with your
brother-in-law.”
Later that night after they had made love with a hungry intensity and he
had fallen asleep, she lay curled next to him, thinking about leaving her
parents and friends and living in the primitive conditions he’d described.
Rhys would be there, and Matilda after they were married, the only links
with her past.
It was frightening, but life without
Adam was too desolate to contemplate.
She woke up the next morning feeling just a little nauseated as she had
almost the entire time he’d been away, but she said nothing to him as she’d
said nothing to Nell.
She was only a little queasy
and it passed quickly. He spent the morning in his study and during dinner
he showed her his preliminary drawings.
“The house looks like it’s on stilts,” she commented in a puzzled voice.
“I inquired about that feature and was told that houses in Queensland are
built on timber stumps because they have a problem with termites.
Raising the houses off the ground makes it easier to check for the pests
and they cap the stumps with plates to stop them from getting to the wood.
From November to March, there is a lot of rain but the rest of the year
it’s sunny.
They tell me the summers are really hot,
and so the houses have a verandah allowing people to escape from the heat.
The roofs are made of iron because it’s strong and withstands the storms
they have.
Tiles or shingles blow off too easily.
“I’m planning a two-story design with a verandah that runs around three
sides of the first floor and at the front of the second,” he continued.
“The two downstairs bedrooms open onto the verandah and so will the drawing
room and dining room.
The kitchen and the library will
have large windows allowing plenty of ventilation.
The bathhouse is attached to the kitchen and they’ll both have indoor plumbing.
We’ll need to shop for a bathtub here in Sydney and then have it shipped
to Cloncurry.
The master bedroom opens onto the upstairs
verandah.
The other bedrooms have large windows like
the kitchen and library.”
“How many bedrooms?”
“Six.”
“Six?”
‘Well, I was thinking about three children, a bedroom for Nell and a guestroom.”
“I want four children,” she said with a smile.
“Four is a nice even number,” he replied dimpling.
“In
that case, we will have two children to a room and two guest bedrooms.”
“But that only works if we get two of each.
What if
we have three girls and a boy, or three boys and a girl?”
“We can worry about that possibility when and if it occurs,” and he chucked
her under the chin.
Then he surprised her by saying,
“I hope you like dogs.”
“Yes, I do.
I used to have a little dog when I was
a girl.
Why do you ask?”
“Because when we move to Cloncurry, I want to get one.
One of our future neighbors raises a breed of terrier he tells me is wonderful
at exterminating vermin and snakes.
He says they’re also
excellent watchdogs.
They’re attractive little dogs
and friendly.
I’ve already talked with him about buying
a puppy when we move there.”
“Snakes?” she said worriedly.
“Don’t worry.
That’s why we’ll get the dog.
Besides, we had rattlesnakes back home.
You learn to
be careful, trust me.
Okay?” and he squeezed her hand
gently and she managed a wobbly smile.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“Pa,” Hoss called as he came through the front door letting it slam behind
him as usual.
“There’s a letter from Adam.”
Ben got up from his desk and the unwelcome task of balancing the Ponderosa’s
account books.
He took the letter and remarked, “I
see he is still in Sydney.
I thought that the last
time he wrote he said he was traveling to Melbourne.”
“That Bronwen he’s always writin’ about lives in Sydney,” Hoss stated thoughtfully.
“You’re a born matchmaker, son,” Ben laughed and slapped him on the back.
“We’ll read the letter after supper and we’ll find out why he is still in
Sydney.
I’m hoping he is writing to tell us that he’s
sailing for home.”
“Amen to that,” Hoss replied with feeling.
“I miss
him, Pa.
I miss him somethin’ fierce.”
“So do I, son.
So do I,” Ben said and Hoss placed an
arm around his father’s shoulders comfortingly.
The Cartwrights ate hurriedly and then the three of them and Hop Sing gathered
in the spacious great room with its decidedly masculine ambiance to hear
Ben read Adam’s letter.
Ben put on his bifocals and
carefully opened the envelope and removed the thin sheets of paper covered
with Adam’s neat handwriting.
April —, 1874
Dear Pa, Hoss, Joe, and Hop Sing,
You may have noticed that I am
writing you from Sydney rather than Melbourne, and that relates to the important
news I have to share.I went to Melbourne but I found
I wasn’t enjoying my visit because Bronwen wasn’t there to share it with
me.I suppose that after all these years I’d decided
that I was never going to find the woman with whom I’d want to share my life.
Then when I finally did, I was too blind at first to recognize that what
I felt was more than friendship. As soon as I realized
how much she meant to me, I returned to Sydney and asked her to be my wife.
She accepted my proposal—the happiest moment of my life.
I know you will be happy for me
and so I hope you can forgive me for not waiting until you could travel
here for the wedding.It has taken us so long to find
each other and now that we finally have, we just can’t bear to wait.
By the time you receive this letter, Bronwen and I will be married.
We do plan on traveling to the United States so you can meet Bronwen and
she can meet all of you, but we wanted to have a chance to spend some time
together before embarking on a long sea voyage.
That brings me to my other news,
and this is more difficult for me to write. Bronwen’s
is a very close-knit family and she has never been separated from them.
I don’t want her to feel she has to choose between her family and me so
I will be settling in Australia. It wasn’t an easy
decision to make, but for the sake of Bronwen’s happiness I know it was the
right choice.We are family and the miles separating
us won’t diminish the love we share.
Affectionately yours,
Adam
“I told ya all he was fallin’ in love with her,” Hoss stated.
He was smiling, but there was sadness in his eyes as well, for he missed
his older brother and knew Ben missed him terribly.
“So you did, son,” Ben said with a sad smile.
“You
always could read Adam’s emotions better than any of us.”
“Better than even Adam,” Joe added.
“I’m glad he found
someone to love, but why couldn’t it have been an American girl?
I can’t believe that he’s choosing to spend the rest of his life in a foreign
country just because of her.
Doesn’t he know how much
we miss him?
Or doesn’t he care!”
“He really love her,” said Hop Sing thoughtfully.
“He
put her happiness first.”
“Yes, “ Ben said and added slowly, “Ever since Inger’s death, he’s been careful
about giving his heart, but once he does, he gives it with no reservations.”
“Yup, that’s Adam all right,” Hoss agreed and Joe nodded slowly.
“Hard for me to picture him a husband though.
I shore
hope he and Bronwen don’t wait too long before comin’ here for a visit.
I’m real anxious to meet her.”
“We all are,” Ben said with a smile tinged with sadness.
After church on Sunday, they shared the news with friends and neighbors.
“Adam finally got himself hitched, did he,” Roy Coffee commented.
“I’d given up on him after
¼”
He let his voice trail off not wanting
to bring up any unhappy memories about Laura Dayton.
“Apparently they were married back in April.
He says
he’ll bring her here for a visit,” Ben replied.
“Now maybe you’ll finally get to be ‘Grandpa’,” Roy said with a grin.
“Soon I hope,” Ben said with a grin of his own.
“I’ve
been waiting a long time to hold Adam’s son or daughter in my arms.
I’m hoping this news will give his younger brothers some ideas as well.”
“Adam is married.” Virginia McKaren shook her head and smiled when Hoss told
her the news while Todd just grinned before adding, “I thought he was never
gonna put on a ball and chain.”
“Todd McKaren!
You are going to be sleeping in the
barn tonight.”
“Aw, honey, I was only teasing.
I’m happy for Adam.
Kinda surprised to hear that he’s settling in Australia.
I guess you’re all really gonna miss him, Hoss.”
“That’s right.
We’re all happy he found a wife, we
jest wish it could’ve been a little closer to home.”
Paul Martin’s grin was so huge it threatened to split his face.
“So Adam finally found the right woman and is settling down.
That’s wonderful news, Joe.
Wonderful.”
He noticed the misery in Joe’s green eyes and added quietly, “Of course,
I know you’re all going to miss him terribly.
He’s
been gone for almost four years, but I still find myself expecting to see
him in Cass’s store or at the International House.”
“He says he loves us, but I wonder,” Joe stated in a mixture of hurt and
anger.
“First he goes off to college for four years—five
really when you count the year he spent in San Francisco getting ready for
college.
He comes back home for a few years and then
out of the blue, he announces that he’s leaving, that he wants to travel
and see the places he’s read about.
Doesn’t care how
much it hurts Pa and Hoss.
No!
It’s what he wants and so off he goes.
Now, he writes
and tells us he’s never comin’ home and asks us to be happy for him.”
“You said he wrote he was settling in Australia for his wife’s sake,” Paul
said gently.
“That’s what he says,” Joe replied bitterly.
“But you think he has some other motive?” Paul asked in the same gentle
tone.
“I don’t know,” Joe said blinking back angry tears.
“We’ve been waiting for him to come home so we’d be a family again, and
now we never will be.”
“Tell me, Joe, do you really think it’s being together in one place that
makes a family close?”
“No, I guess not,” Joe admitted reluctantly.
“Even if Adam is living on a different continent, he’s still a part of your
family; in fact, he’s increased the size of your family by marrying.
In a year or so he and his wife may have added yet another member.
Maybe reading a letter isn’t as good as having Adam on the ranch with you,
but it’s still a way of sharing your thoughts and feelings, of remaining
close.”
“I guess you’re right, Doc,” Joe replied slowly.
“I
hadn’t looked at it that way.
And he and Bronwen are
going to be visiting us this summer so it’s not as if I’ll never see Adam
again.”
Joe’s natural ebullience asserted itself and
he walked away whistling.
Two weeks later Ben was in town for a council meeting so he stopped to pick
up the mail as well.
He was delighted to discover a
package from Mr. and Mrs. Adam Cartwright.
He didn’t
want to wait until he got home so he walked over to Roy’s office.
“Howdy, Ben,” Roy said with a jovial smile.
“Got your
mail I see.”
“Yeah, and a package from Adam.
Mind if I open it here.”
“Go right ahead.
I got some scissors you can you use
to cut the twine,” Roy said offering them to Ben.
At the top of the box was a piece of good quality
stationary.
Ben took it out, noting that it was scented
with the fragrance of lily of the valley, and read aloud:
Even though you couldn’t be at our wedding in the flesh, we wanted you to
know that you were there in our hearts.
The note was signed with Adam’s familiar, neat signature and by a sprawling,
less disciplined one.
Ben dug through the excelsior
until he discovered a beautiful silver-framed photograph of Adam and Bronwen
on their wedding day.
Adam was dressed in a black dress
coat, gray-striped trousers and held his top hat in one hand while his other
arm was around the shoulders of his bride holding her close.
The new Mrs. Cartwright was dressed in a white Polonaise with slim fitting
elbow length sleeves.
Her dark hair was obscured by
her veil except for her closely curled fringe.
Ben’s
first thought was that Adam had never mentioned he’d grown a mustache.
Roy was peering over his shoulder and said in surprise, “My, she’s a tiny
little thing, ain’t she?
Don’t look like any of the gals
I remember Adam courting.”
“Maybe that’s why he never married any of them,” Ben replied.
“I think he did mention that she wasn’t very tall, but I am surprised to
see how diminutive she is.”
He paused then lost in thought
before saying reminiscently, “His mother was a very petite woman.
I remember her head didn’t come much higher than my shoulder, and she also
had dark hair.”
“Looks like you’ll have dark-haired grandchildren,” Roy said with a smile.
“I reckon you’re lookin’ forward to that.”
“Sure am, Roy,” Ben smiled back.
He looked at the photograph
again and said, “Adam looks so happy.”
“That he does,” Roy agreed.
“It took him a long time
to find the right woman, but he looks as though he found it worth the wait.”
“She’s not very pretty,” Joe said in surprise.
“Joseph!” his father said sharply, scowling at him.
“She is beautiful to Adam,” Hoss interjected.
“I ain’t
never seen him look so happy.”
“Yeah, you’re right about that,” Joe replied studying the photograph.
“Beauty on the outside not so important as beauty on the inside.
Mista Adam know this,” added Hop Sing.
“Beside, she
look very pretty to me.”
“Yes, Joseph,” Ben said sternly, “beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and
I find her very winsome.”
He paused and then commented,
“I was surprised to see Adam has grown a mustache.”
“I’ll bet that’s to make up for the hair he’s losing on top,” Joe wisecracked
for he had noticed his brother’s receding hairline in the photo.
“Dadburnit, I’ll bet you money that’s right,” Hoss guffawed.
“I see I ain’t the only Cartwright gittin’ thin on top.”
Ben tried to frown but ended up grinning instead.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
The second morning after Adam’s return, Bronwen started to get out of bed
when a wave of nausea hit her and she put her hands over her mouth and squeezed
her eyes shut.
Adam had turned on the lamp and he saw
the blood had left her face leaving it paper-white.
“Are you all right, sweetheart?”
The nausea receded a little and she snapped back at him, ‘Do I look all
right?”
She immediately was contrite and said, “I’m
sorry,
cariad .”
He grinned wryly.
“It was a stupid question.
Should I get your father?”
“No, it’s just nausea.
Would you mind fixing your own
breakfast?” she asked wanly.
“Of course not.
You’re sure I shouldn’t ask your father
to stop by?”
“I’m sure,” she replied and let her head sink back on the pillow and closed
her eyes.
“I’ve been having these spells almost the
entire time you’ve been gone.
They only last a little
while and then I feel just fine.
In fact, I’m ravenous
by dinnertime.”
He grinned then saying with a wink, “I thought you seemed a little more
plump, and in all the right places.”
She only smiled
faintly so he bent over and kissed her forehead.
“You’re
not feverish.
I’ll check on you after breakfast.”
He dressed quickly and found Nell finishing her breakfast in the kitchen.
“G’d mornin’, sir,” she said with a smile.
“I put the
coffeepot out for you.”
“Thanks,” he replied with an abstracted air.
“Mrs.
Cartwright is feeling a little under the weather so I’m fixing my own breakfast.”
“Nonsense.
I’ll fix you somethin’.
You like bacon and eggs, right?”
He nodded and she
added, “I hope Mrs. Cartwright isn’t really ill?”
“She says it’s just nausea.
She turned as white as
a sheet and gave me a scare, but she says she’s had these spells for a few
weeks and they don’t last.”
He noted Nell’s eyes narrowed
at those words but she didn’t say anything so he decided it might have been
his imagination.
“I’ll make Mrs. Cartwright her toast and tea and take it up to her after
your breakfast is ready.
Her stomach will settle quicker
if she puts something in it.”
After she’d served Adam his breakfast in the dining room, Nell took a tray
upstairs and knocked on the master bedroom door saying, “It’s Nell, ma’am.
I’ve brought you some breakfast,” and she opened the door to see Bronwen
looking pale propped against her pillow.
“Oh, Nell, thank you but I couldn’t eat anything,” Bronwen replied, closing
her eyes at the sight of the food.
“Nonsense, ma’am.
A little dry toast will actually
settle your stomach.
Trust me,” and she placed the
tray on Bronwen’s lap.
After a few minutes Bronwen said in surprise, “You’re right.
I do feel a little better.”
“That’s good, ma’am, because if I’m right, you have several more weeks
of feeling sick in the morning ahead of you.”
“Several weeks—What do you mean?”
“Well, ma’am, I don’t mean to pry, but when did you have your last monthly
flux?”
“Oh,” Bronwen said thoughtfully, “I’ve missed twice now that you mention
it.”
Her forehead furrowed in thought and then she
said abruptly, “Nell, you don’t mean—but we’ve only been married ten weeks!”
“Some women get pregnant quicker than others,” Nell said with a smile.
“It only takes one time, after all.”
Bronwen thought
about the number of times they had made love since their wedding and found
herself blushing and Nell grinned at her.
Neither of them had noticed Adam leaning in the doorway, so they jumped
at the sound of his voice.
“We’re having a baby?”
“Maybe,” Bronwen replied smiling at him radiantly.
“If you’ve missed twice, I’d say it’s certain, but you’d probably best
see a doctor to be sure.
Although I think bein’ sick
in the morning is another pretty strong indication.”
With that, Nell left the couple alone.
A few days after the doctor confirmed Bronwen’s pregnancy, Adam returned
from a meeting with Rhys and their bankers about arranging financing for
the mining company expecting to be greeted with a kiss by his radiant bride.
Instead, he found himself confronting an indignant Bronwen.
“Adam Cartwright, did you reorganize my kitchen?” she asked in a dangerously
quiet voice.
“Yes,” he replied with a complacent smile.
“It was
total chaos so I thought I’d help you out by bringing some logical order
to it.”
“You thought you’d help me,” she repeated in the same ominously mild tone
that was beginning to make him uneasy.
“It never occurred
to you that I liked the arrangement the way it was?”
“What arrangement?
I told you it was chaos,” he replied
sharply.
“It may have seemed like chaos to you but it wasn’t to me,” she snapped.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s chaos now.”
She stopped
and he could tell she was trying to control her temper, which irritated him.
She was the one in the wrong.
Here he’d been nice enough
to impose a logical order on her mess, and she had the gall to take him to
task for it!
“I know you like everything to be neat and orderly,” she stated calmly.
“That’s why I decided to hire Nell since I knew I’d never be able to keep
the house as perfect and well-organized as you’d wish.
But I think I have the right to keep
my kitchen as
I prefer.”
“How can anyone prefer anarchy to order,” he asked belligerently, his chin
jutting out.
“Oh you are so smug and infuriating!” she sputtered, standing as tall as
she could, which was still a foot shorter, and scowling up at him.
“Just because you prefer something to be one way, then obviously that has
to be the best way!”
He started to snap back at her when his innate sense of justice stopped
the words on his tongue.
He remembered all the quarrels
he’d had with Joe when he’d straightened his room.
He
even remembered the time he’d served as Roy Coffee’s deputy and how angry
Roy had been when he’d straightened out his desk, claiming he couldn’t find
anything.
And he’d had to admit, when the desk was a
confused jumble, Roy never seemed to have any difficulty finding what he wanted.
“You’re right,” he said quietly.
“It never occurred
to me that you actually preferred the kitchen the way it was.”
She glared at him suspiciously and her frown was so ferocious that he couldn’t
resist putting his hands around her waist and lifting her off the floor until
they could look each other in the eye.
“I surrender.
Name your terms, Mrs. Cartwright.”
She tried to keep a stern expression but instead she threw her arms around
his neck and hugged him.
“All right, here are my terms,”
she stated severely after he sat her back on her feet.
“Nell and I will ensure the rest of the house is clean and uncluttered,
but my kitchen can be as jumbled and disorganized as I wish.
Agreed?”
“Agreed.
Now, why don’t we celebrate the peace, hmm?”
and he bent down to nuzzle her neck.
“Don’t you want supper first?” she asked breathlessly.
“Nope,” and he swept her up in his arms and carried her to their bedroom.
A few days later Adam opened a letter from his broker in San Francisco.
The news wasn’t good.
One of his investments had gone
sour.
It wasn’t a devastating loss, but it was a significant
one.
With the baby coming, he needed to rethink his
financial strategy.
Maybe it would be better to have
less of his money invested in stocks, which had the potential for higher
returns but also greater loss, and put more in a bank, which would earn less
interest but involved very little risk.
He was still
deliberating when he arrived home that evening and Bronwen noticed how preoccupied
he was.
“
Cariad , is something wrong?”
“No,” he replied brusquely and she decided to let it go.
However, the next evening he was even more withdrawn so she asked again
what was troubling him.
“I told you nothing is wrong.”
“Yes, you did, but it is obvious that something is troubling you.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” he replied coolly.
The rest of their meal was eaten in an uncomfortable silence and then Adam
excused himself to go work in his study.
It was late
when he finished and he was tired as he walked up the stairs to their bedroom.
He supposed Bronwen would already be asleep so he’d need to be careful not
to awaken her.
He turned the doorknob but it refused
to budge.
He tried again with the same result.
The door was locked.
He rapped his knuckles on the
wood and said with only a bit of irritation, “Bronwen, you’ve locked the
door.”
“Yes, I am aware of that,” he heard her reply calmly from the other side.
“Since you choose not to share your troubles with me, I choose not to share
my bed with you.
I made up the bed in the room across
the hall for you.”
“Bronwen,” and she could hear the anger in his voice but she was angry as
well and hurt.
“I am sorry, Adam, but either you treat me as your wife in every sense or
I won’t be it in any.
The choice is yours.”
“I could break down this door,” he snarled.
“Yes, and you could force yourself on me or beat me, but I don’t believe
you will do any of those things.
Adam, I only want
you to see what it feels like being shut out.
This
is how I feel when you won’t share your troubles.”
His tone was so low that she could barely make out the words.
“I’ve always kept my troubles to myself.”
“Yes, and I’m sure your family felt the same way I do.
Adam, I want to be your helpmeet, but I can’t if you keep everything locked
up inside.
It isn’t healthy.
Please.
Let me help.”
“All right,” he replied quietly.
Then with his usual
asperity he added, “Do I have to talk to you through a locked door?”
After they had talked and made love, he told her softly, “You know, this
is going to be very difficult for me and I’m probably going to shut you
out again.”
“I know,
cariad .
When I fell in love with you, I knew you were a very reserved, a very private
man.
I don’t want to change you; I just want you to
be less reserved with me.
At least you are a reasonable
man.”
“Most of the time,” he replied, reaching over and pinching her bottom.
“The next time you lock me out, I may just break down the door.”
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
When Ben and the boys returned home that evening they were all bone-tired.
Hop Sing had been watching for them and greeted them with a smiling countenance.
“Dr. Martin stop by with mail.
Letta from
Mista Adam.
Dinner can wait until read
letta.”
“Hey, maybe Adam’s writin’ to say when they’ll be arrivin’ in San Francisco,”
Hoss said excitedly.
“Well, let’s sit down and see what he has to say,” Ben answered with a smile.
He’d been expecting Adam to write and inform them which ship they were sailing
on.
June —, 1874
Dear Pa, Hoss, Joe, and Hop Sing,
I have the most wonderful news
to share with you.The doctor has confirmed that Bronwen
is expecting our child!It’s happened sooner than we
expected but we are both overflowing with joy. The
doctor says the baby is due in mid-January.Unfortunately,
that means we have to postpone our trip to visit you for about two years
“Two years!” Hoss exclaimed but quieted when the others glared at him.
because everyone says we shouldn’t take the baby on an ocean voyage before
it’s at least a year old.We were wondering if the
Ponderosa could spare one of you long enough for a visit.
Affectionately yours,
Adam
P.S. I so
hope that at least one of you can visit us.I was looking
forward to meeting you very much.
Bronwen
“You should go, Pa,” Hoss said and Joe seconded him.
“I know how much you’ve missed Adam, and this way you can see your grandchild.
Joe and I can take care of the Ponderosa.”
Ben smiled at his two younger sons.
“I know you could,
but I think we should all be there for the birth of the first Cartwright
of a new generation.
Bronc can manage the ranch and
Jake can handle the sawmill and the loggers.”
“Ya mean it, Pa?” Hoss asked excitedly.
“I mean it.
We have a few things to take care of first,
but we’ll be in Australia before the baby is born.
I’ll
wire Dave Townsend to book passage for the three of us on the fastest ship
to Sydney.”
“Ol’ Adam didn’t waste any time, did he?” Joe snickered when he and Hoss
were alone.
“Well, he’s nearly thirty-eight.
I reckon if he’s gonna
have a family he’d best git started,” Hoss replied with a grin.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
As Bronwen’s pregnancy began to be obvious, she and Adam tended to spend
their evenings at home together.
Sometimes he would
play his guitar and they would sing.
Other times they
would play chess or cribbage.
Often he would read aloud
while she worked laboriously sewing little gowns for the baby.
Once a month he would devote an evening to going over their finances and
paying their bills as she would read or sew.
On one such evening Bronwen looked up from her sewing to see him frowning
at the bills on his desk.
He looked up at the same
moment and their eyes met and she felt herself flushing guiltily.
“Sweetheart, do you realize you’ve overspent your household allowance by
almost 75 pounds?”
“I didn’t realize it was that much,” she answered nervously.
“I’m sorry.”
“We have the expenses of a new baby and beginning a new business,” he said
earnestly.
“We have to be very careful not to go over
our budget.”
Something in her expression at those words
made him frown.
“Bronwen, you do have a budget, don’t
you?”
“Not exactly.
I mean, I do try to be careful, but some
times I see something that would be just perfect for us or the baby
”
Her voice trailed off at his expression.
“I know you are impetuous, and it can be an endearing trait, but not when
it comes to our finances,” he said as gently as he could.
“I will help you devise a budget, and then you must adhere to it.
No more buying things on impulse.”
“I know you’re right,” she said ruefully.
“Please don’t
be angry with me,
cariad.”
“I’m not angry, sweetheart,” he said moving from behind his desk to stand
behind her chair and give her shoulders an affectionate squeeze.
“I just want to make sure we don’t run into debt, that we are financially
secure.”
He smiled and gently caressed her cheek.
“I didn’t mean to sound like a father chastising a recalcitrant child.”
“You didn’t,” she replied catching one of his hands in hers and turning her
head to press a kiss into his palm.
“
Tad
and
Mam have scolded me often enough about being a spendthrift.”
She smiled faintly then.
“If you’re willing to change
and be more open, then I must be willing to change and be more prudent.”
“Don’t lose all your spontaneity,” he said flashing his dimple.
“Then you wouldn’t be my Bronwen.”
She returned his smile saying, “I suppose we need to find the
aurea mediocritas between my impetuosity and your caution.”
“We have the remainder of our lives to find that happy medium,” he said with
a chuckle.
Just then she grabbed his hand and placed
it over her belly.
“Is that the baby?” he asked wonderingly.
She nodded and he shook his head slightly.
“We have
a very active daughter or son.”
He paused and then
asked quietly, “ Does it hurt you?”
“No, not really.”
She saw his skepticism and said more
forcefully, “It doesn’t hurt, and if it did, any hurt would be more than
compensated for by the joy of feeling our son or daughter moving and growing
within me.
It’s such a miracle that within my womb
our child, the fruit of our love, is growing and developing.
He just likes to kick his
Mam sometimes.
Probably is feeling a bit cramped.”
He dropped to his knees beside her then and kissed her lips gently.
“I love you so much, Bronwen Cartwright.”
It was early September before Adam forced himself to go with Rhys back
to Queensland.
He hated leaving Bronwen alone and she
refused to stay with her parents.
“I’m not alone, Adam
bach.
Nell is
with me.
Besides I am closer to Dr. Browne if I stay
here in Paddington.
You just do what you need to do
and then hurry back to me.”
She stood on her tiptoes
then as he bent down to kiss her goodbye.
Adam had been riding as much as he could at home so at least he adapted more
quickly to the long hours in the saddle.
Everything
was proceeding well at the mine and he and Rhys were both pleased with the
performance of their superintendent, Mark Pentreath, and decided to reward
him with an increase in salary.
Adam also wanted to
check the progress on Rhys’ house.
After talking with
Rhys and Matilda, he had designed a house in an asymmetrical pyramid style,
which was very popular.
The house was nearing completion
and he and Rhys were both satisfied with the work.
They
stayed at Cloncurry for two weeks and then decided to head home.
The second day out they made camp near a stream that was just about dried
up.
Only a few stagnant pools remained and both men suffered
so many mosquito bites that they finally gave up and moved their camp.
“I have a bad headache,” Rhys complained the last day of their journey.
“Glad we’ll be home this afternoon.”
“I’ve got a headache, too,” Adam replied, massaging his temples.
“I’m really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and eating Bronwen’s
cooking.”
By the time they reached Sydney, their headaches had worsened and they
both ached all over.
They felt so miserable and so
tired that each took a hansom cab home.
Bronwen had seen Adam’s cab and was waiting for him on the front porch.
She was now six months pregnant and Adam was amazed at how much larger she
had grown during the month he’d been gone. He took her in his arms and kissed
her.
“Was that the baby?” he asked in surprise stepping
back.
“Yes, he’s grown much more active while you’ve been gone,” she answered
with a smile, resting her head on his shoulder.
“Think Nell would mind fixing me a hot bath?
I really
need one after all these days on the trail,” he said dropping a kiss on the
top of her head.
“I’m sure she won’t mind.”
She moved to go tell Nell
and turned back for another look.
“Supper won’t be
for another hour and a half.
Why don’t you take a nap
after your bath?”
“That sounds like a wonderful idea,” he replied with a faint smile that she
saw didn’t reach his eyes and she frowned a little.
He hoped the bath and the nap would take care of his headache and his aching
joints and muscles, but it didn’t.
If anything, his
headache was worse and he felt so cold.
He couldn’t
seem to stop shivering but he went ahead and dressed and went down to the
dining room.
Bronwen and Nell had fixed roast beef,
knowing he preferred it to mutton or lamb.
He had no
appetite, but not wanting to worry Bronwen he took a few bites.
He felt such a wave of nausea that he feared he would disgrace himself right
at the table.
He jumped up and made it out the back door
just in time.
When he was able to stop retching and
turn around, he saw Bronwen standing behind him while Nell stood in the
doorway.
“
Cariad,” she said gently, placing her hand on his back.
“Adam, you’re shivering.”
“I’m sorry, sweetheart.
I think I’d better just go
up to bed.
I don’t want you to catch what I have so,
Nell, could you make up the room across the hall for Mrs. Cartwright?”
She nodded, saying, “Of course.
But let’s get you up
to bed right now,” and she put one hand under his elbow and helped him to
his feet while Bronwen followed behind anxiously.
When
they reached the bedroom, Adam said through chattering teeth, “I can manage
from here.”
He saw the look on Bronwen’s face and said,
“No arguments.
If what I have is contagious, I don’t
want you catching it.”
“All right,” she said reluctantly.
“But I’m sending
Nell for
Tad.”
“Probably a good idea,” Adam said, still shivering, and went into the bedroom.
“I’ll leave right now, ma’am,” Nell said anxiously, taking off her apron
and handing it to Bronwen.
“I’ll get you money for a cab,” Bronwen stated.
“I
have some in the library.”
As she handed Nell the money,
she said anxiously, “Tell the cabby to hurry.”
“I will, ma’am.
Your father will take care of Mr. Cartwright,
don’t you worry,” Nell replied with a calmness she didn’t feel.
Adam meanwhile had managed to undress except for his drawers and undershirt
and crawled under the bedclothes shivering and shaking with cold while his
head throbbed unbearably and he suffered the dry heaves since there was
nothing left in his stomach.
The cab ride seemed interminable to Nell and when they finally arrived at
the Davies’ house she tersely told the cabby to wait before running to the
front door and knocking loudly.
A startled Lily answered
it.
“I need to see Dr. Davies, Lily.
Mr. Cartwright is very ill.”
“Oh dear,” said Lily.
“So is Mr. Rhys.
The doctor is with him right now.”
She held open the
door saying, “Come in, Nell.
I’ll tell him about Mr.
Cartwright.”
Nell waited anxiously in the entrance, pacing back and forth, but it was
actually only a few minutes later that Dr. Davies hurried over to her.
“I’ll be with you in a moment, Nell.
I fear my son
has contracted malaria, and probably Mr. Cartwright has as well.”
“Malaria,” Nell breathed fearfully.
“Luckily I’ve got quinine on hand, and that should control his fever,” Dr.
Davies said calmly.
“Can you tell me what his symptoms
are?”
“He was shaking and shivering with chills and he couldn’t keep his supper
down.”
“Yes, it sound like they both have it.
I’ll get my
bag and then we’ll be off.
Did you tell your cab to
wait?” and when Nell nodded he said, “Good.”
Bronwen paced the hall outside their bedroom.
She had
heard Adam retching and longed to be with him and comfort him, but she knew
he was right and she shouldn’t put their child at risk.
It seemed an eternity before she heard the sound of the front door opening
and her father’s voice calling her name.
She ran to the
landing then calling, “Here,
Tad.”
“Bronwen
fach, I want you to wait in the library with Nell.
I’ll come talk to you after I’ve examined Adam.”
Bronwen
nodded reluctantly and went downstairs while Dr. Davies entered the bedroom.
Adam was moving restlessly and muttering incoherently.
Dr. Davies said calmly, “Well, Adam
bach, it looks like
you’ve passed from the chills to the fever stage.”
He placed his hand on Adam’s forehead and frowned.
“You are burning up; I think your fever is even higher than Rhys.”
He prepared a dose of quinine and managed to get Adam to swallow it and
then he went downstairs to the women.
“It is malaria just as I suspected.
He’s passed through
the chills and is now experiencing a high fever,” Dr. Davies said matter-of-factly.
Seeing the fear on his daughter’s expressive face he added quickly, “I’ve
given him quinine and that will bring the fever down.
However, he will experience a cycle of chills and fever, probably every
two or three days over the next couple of weeks.
I
am going to send for Meghan Brock to care for him.
You know she is experienced in nursing and I’ll show her the dose of quinine
Adam needs.
I’ll show you, too, and you’ll need to
keep quinine on hand because Adam may experience recurrences over the years.
Some people do, and he’ll need the quinine to treat the fever.”
“May I see him?” Bronwen asked longingly.
“Just for a moment,” he said kindly.
Then he added,
“Bronwen
fach, I want you to be prepared.
The quinine hasn’t had a chance to work yet and so he’ll probably still
be delirious.
When the fever breaks, he’s going to
be very weak and you need to just let him sleep.
Understand?”
And Bronwen nodded, her eyes brimming with tears.
Adam was still restless and his skin was frighteningly hot and dry when she
placed her hand on his forehead.
He was muttering
but she couldn’t make out any of the words.
He seemed
to grow quieter as she wiped his face with a cold cloth.
He suddenly opened his eyes and spoke very distinctly.
“Papa.
Papa, I’m so hot.”
“Shh, it’s all right, Adam
bach,” she said softly, gently
smoothing his thinning hair.
He closed his eyes then
and seemed quieter.
She turned back to her father with
tears running down her cheeks.
“I don’t think it will hurt if you stay with him until Meghan gets here,”
Dr. Davies said quietly.
“Malaria doesn’t appear to
spread from person to person.
Don’t be surprised if
he begins to sweat copiously.
That’s what happens when
the fever breaks.
Remember, he’ll likely be very weak
and need to sleep.”
He kissed her forehead then saying,
“I want to check on your brother, and then I’ve other patients to see.
I’m sure Adam will be fine.”
Adam’s fever broke before the nurse arrived.
He was
literally drenched in sweat but he looked at Bronwen and smiled weakly.
“You aren’t supposed to be in here with me.”
“
Tad said it was all right.
You have
malaria,
cariad, and so does Rhys.
Tad gave you quinine for your fever.
He said after
it broke you’d need to sleep.”
He knew that was true because it was taking all his strength to keep his
eyes open and speak with her.
“Yes, but these sheets
and my clothes are soaked.
Could Nell remake the bed
first?” he asked in a weak voice that frightened her in spite of what her
father had said.
“I’ll do it.
Can you go sit down in a chair?”
“I’m not sure,” he admitted.
“Maybe you’d better call
Nell just in case.”
She handed him his robe and then with Nell’s assistance he walked to the
velvet armchair by the bed but he slipped into an exhausted sleep while
the two women changed the bedclothes.
Nell helped him
back to the bed and then Bronwen helped him out of his sweat-soaked clothes.
He fell back asleep almost as soon as he closed his eyes so she didn’t bother
helping him into clean underwear.
He was still sleeping
when Miss Brock arrived so she made herself comfortable in the armchair.
“I’ve nursed people with malaria before, Mrs. Cartwright,” she said softly.
“Don’t worry.
The quinine will bring the fever down,
and that’s the most dangerous time.
He’ll just need
time to recover his strength once the fever and chills are gone.”
When Adam awoke, he saw a strange woman sitting by his bedside knitting.
“Ah, you’re awake.
I’m your nurse, Miss Brock.
I’d like to take your temperature to make sure the fever is gone.”
She rummaged in a little satchel similar to a doctor’s bag and pulled out
a slender glass tube.
“Is that one of those new thermometers they use to measure a body’s temperature?”
he asked curiously.
“That’s right.
Dr. Davies recommended I buy one.
Now, I want to put this under your tongue, but I don’t want you to bite
down on it.
Just close your mouth around it, all right?”
Adam nodded and Miss Brock carefully placed it under his tongue.
“Now, I need you to keep your mouth closed for about five minutes,” and
she pulled out her pocket watch.
When she pulled out
the thermometer she smiled.
“Your temperature is normal
now.
However, in another two or three days you will
go through another cycle of chills and fever.”
“There’s no cure?” Adam asked.
“No.
Quinine only brings down the fever, which can
became dangerously high.
Now, you need to know that
you may have recurrences of the chills and fever throughout your life.
As long as you take quinine, they shouldn’t be life threatening.
Dr. Davies has already discussed this with Mrs. Cartwright so she knows
she will always have to have quinine on hand to treat you if necessary.”
She paused and looked at him appraisingly.
“Do you
feel well enough sit for a bit?”
“I think so,” Adam replied.
“Uh, could I see my wife
first?”
“Surely,” Miss Brock said.
“I’ll go get her.”
Bronwen hurried in a few moments later, her face beaming.
“How do you feel,
cariad?
Miss Brock
says your temperature is normal.”
“I think I’m all right, but she wants me to get out of bed and that means
I need to put some clothes on,” he replied with a wry grin.
“I’m going to buy you a nightshirt you can wear when you’re ill,” Bronwen
said firmly.
“In fact, I’m going to go shopping just
as soon as the shops open this morning.”
She took
a pair of drawers and an undershirt out of their chest of drawers and handed
them to him and while he put those on, she got his robe out of his wardrobe.
“Are you sure you are strong enough to walk to the chair, or do you want
to lean on me?”
“I am not leaning on my pregnant wife,” Adam replied curtly.
“I think I can manage.
I am hungry though.”
“Nell fixed some chicken broth and she’ll heat it up for you,” Bronwen promised.
“I’ll be back with it”
Adam felt much better for the next two days and then, just as Dr. Davies
predicted, he experienced the chills, nausea and vomiting, which were followed
by a raging fever.
Before the quinine took effect,
his temperature reached 106.6 degrees.
Rhys was in
the same condition.
On the days they felt well, they
were still so weak and tired so easily that they were both forbidden to
do any work, and so they both fretted about their mine.
They wrote to Mark Pentreath, explaining that they were both ill and authorizing
him to make any necessary decisions until Rhys was well enough to return to
Cloncurry.
It was almost three weeks before Rhys’ cycles
of chills and fever stopped.
It was too close to his
wedding day to travel to Cloncurry then.
Adam’s case
was more severe and it was four weeks before his paroxysms subsided and another
week before Dr. Davies allowed him out of bed.
During
that week, Bronwen discovered just how bad a patient her husband was.
“Adam Cartwright! Will I have to tie you down to keep you in bed?”
“There is no reason for me to have to lie here all day.
I could just go down to the library and catch up on the paperwork,” he grumbled.
“
Tad said he wanted you to have complete bed rest for a
week and so that’s what you are getting,” she replied firmly, pushing him
down on the bed.
The fact that he couldn’t easily break
free told them both how weak he still was.
“I’m glad
I didn’t have to take care of you when you were a child,” she added with
a teasing smile to lighten the mood.
He dimpled.
“Pa always said I was the worst patient
of the three of us.”
He smiled reminiscently.
“Hop Sing is really the only one who can manage Hoss and Joe and me when
we’re sick.”
“Then I can’t tell you how much I want to meet Hop Sing,” she replied and
leaned over to kiss his lips gently.
“You know, you could provide some incentive for me to stay in bed,” he whispered
and pulled her mouth back to his for a lingering kiss.
“Nice as that was, it doesn’t qualify as bed
rest,” she
said pulling away.
“As big as I’m getting, I can’t
believe you even have any interest.”
“You just wait until I get my strength back, and I’ll demonstrate just how
much interest I have,” he stated with a suggestive leer that made her giggle.
When she returned with his lunch on a tray her face was glowing with happiness.
“I have something you can read here in bed and it’s more important than
mining reports.”
He raised an eyebrow and she said
with a beaming smile, "A letter from Nevada!”
“I’ll read it and then I’ll eat,” he said holding out his hand.
September —, 1874
Dear Adam,
Son, I can’t tell you the joy I
felt when you shared your wonderful news. We are leaving
Bronc Evans and Jake Webber in charge of the Ponderosa and your brothers
and I are sailing for Sydney on the clipper, Glory
of the Seas.We should be arriving the first week
in January, so you tell that baby not to be in any hurry to be born.
I know you’ll be a wonderful father,
Adam.You may think you are prepared since you helped
raise your brothers, but the first time you hold your child, you will feel
a joy that I can’t describe.
It goes without saying how anxious
we all are to meet Bronwen.Please give her our love.
With all my love,
Pa
P.S. I wish we could have gotten
there in time for your birthday.
Bronwen had been watching the unguarded delight on his face as he read and
when he put the letter down, she saw the tears of joy in his eyes.
“They’re coming.
Pa, Hoss and Joe.
They’ll be here the first week in January.”
“Oh, Adam
bach, that’s wonderful news. They should be here
when the baby is born.”
“Would you like to read the letter?” he asked holding it out.
She took it saying, “Now, you eat while I read.”
When
she finished she looked up at him anxiously.
“Adam, when
is your birthday?”
“It was on November 14.”
“And we didn’t celebrate!
You should have reminded
me.”
“I thought it would be a bit difficult to celebrate since I’m restricted
to bed,” he replied with a sardonic smile.
“As soon as
Tad says you can get out of bed, we’ll have
a belated celebration.
I’ll bake a cake and we’ll invite
my parents, Rhys and Matilda, Emily and Alf.
I’ll try
to fix pot roast the way you like it for the dinner.”
“I appreciate the thought, sweetheart, but Rhys and Matilda are getting
married in a week and that’s a more important celebration.
Why don’t the two of us just go to dinner at our favorite restaurant?
That’s enough celebration for me.
Next year for my
thirty-ninth birthday, you can plan a big party.”
Rhys and Matilda’s wedding was a happy occasion for all.
Adam knew his new sister-in-law was a quiet rather shy young woman, and
he hoped she and Bronwen would become good friends because they were going
to need each other since their new lifestyle would be quite different from
what they were accustomed to.
Indeed, Matilda sought
a private moment with Bronwen before she and Rhys left.
“I wish you and Adam were moving to Cloncurry now.
I
am going to be so lonely when Rhys is at the mine.”
“I know,” Bronwen replied sounding as cheerful as she could, “but Adam
says Rhys bought one of the little terriers that we’re going to be getting.
You’ll have the puppy for company.
When Adam and I
do move to Cloncurry in April, you’ll be able to offer me advice about living
there.”
“Will you write me?” Matilda asked anxiously.
“Of course I will.
You’ll be fine and I know you and
Rhys will be very happy,” Bronwen said, kissing Matilda’s cheek lightly.
“Christmas is just a few weeks away.
I hope the two
of you are planning on having Christmas dinner with us,” Dr. Davies said
when the four of them gathered for dinner after church as they usually did.
Since the temperature was nearly 80
o, the men had removed their
frock coats and loosened their ties.
The very pregnant
Bronwen was thankful that she wasn’t wearing a corset under her loose fitting
gown of pale yellow muslin.
“We’d love to,” Adam said quickly.
Then with a rueful
grin he added, “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to the seasons here.
It just doesn’t seem like Christmas to me when it’s this hot.
How do you celebrate it here?”
“Oh, probably not that differently from how you celebrate it in the States,”
Mrs. Davies replied.
“We usually have turkey and we
have a flaming Christmas plum pudding along with mince pies.
And of course a Christmas tree.”
“And we sing carols.
We sing them at church and we
sing them at home around the Christmas Bush and we travel around the neighborhoods
singing at doors and windows,” Bronwen interjected, giving Adam’s hand a
squeeze.”
“Our family has kept some Welsh Christmas customs as well,” Dr. Davies stated.
“We make taffy from brown sugar and butter.
And we
go caroling at dawn on Christmas morning just as Mrs. Davies and I did back
in Wales.”
“And we hang a kissing ball, not that I think you and Bronwen need one,”
Mrs. Davies said with a laugh.
“Just as long as we don’t have to restrict ourselves to kissing under the
ball, I am in favor,” Adam chuckled.
“One Christmas
Eve custom my family has had ever since I can remember is reading the poem
TheNight Before Christmas .
I think hearing my father recite the poem and read the Christmas story from
Matthew and Luke are my oldest Christmas memories.”
“And now they can be part of our Christmas Eve tradition,” Bronwen said
softly.
“Yes, well, this year I think you should forego caroling in the neighborhood.
You can save that for next year,” Dr. Davies said with a smile while Adam
added, “I heartily endorse that opinion.”
Bronwen and Adam promised to arrive at the Davies’s home on Christmas morning
but Christmas Eve was just for the two of them. Adam enjoyed decorating
the Christmas tree with Bronwen and they placed their gifts for each other
under it.
They attended the Christmas Eve service with
her parents and then they returned home.
She sat next
to him on their green and white striped settee and sighed with contentment
when he put his arm around her shoulders.
She looked
up at his face and saw his lips were quirked up in a smile.
“What are you thinking of?” she asked softly.
“Oh, how Hoss and Joe and I would all gather around the Christmas tree
with mugs of hot chocolate to hear Pa recite
The Night Before
Christmas.
But this is hardly hot chocolate weather.”
“But Nell made us cold lemonade,” she said with a hesitant smile.
“I’m sorry Christmas here is nothing like your Christmases at home.”
“Wherever you are is home,” he replied gently and leaned down to kiss her.
Then speaking very seriously he added, “And I wouldn’t say Christmas here
is nothing like Christmas back in Nevada.
The seasons
may be different, but we are both celebrating the greatest gift God has given
us—the gift of his Son.
That’s what Christmas is about,
not hot chocolate, snow and cold.”
“And we can make our own traditions for our family,” she said with a smile.
“So let’s make one right now by you reciting the poem to me.”
She had never heard the poem before and laughed with delight as he recited
it.
When he finished, he said, “Before I read the Christmas
story, let’s open our gifts.”
“Now and not Christmas morning?”
“I suggest a tradition where we allow our children to open one gift on Christmas
Eve.
I’m hoping that way we’ll be able to sleep a little
later on Christmas morning.”
She laughed then saying, “I wouldn’t count on it,
cariad
.”
“I’m not,” he replied with a rueful smile.
“This year
I am the impatient one.
I don’t want to wait to give
you your gift.”
“And I want to give you yours,” she replied with a smile.
He got the gifts and handed hers to her first.
She
quickly tore through the wrappings and he watched her face carefully.
“Oh,
cariad, you shouldn’t have,” she breathed at the sight
of the amethyst and diamond earrings.
“Don’t worry, I included it in my budget,” he said with a grin.
“I thought they’d go with your engagement ring.”
She looked at the lovely ring he’d given her, an amethyst surrounded by
diamonds, and smiled radiantly at him.
“Now you open
yours.”
He unwrapped his gift carefully and found a pair of gold cufflinks engraved
with his initials.
“They’re lovely, sweetheart,” he
said with a warm smile.
“And I didn’t overspend my budget either,” she said so proudly that he just
had to kiss her.
“Christmas next year will be even more wonderful because there will be three
of us,” he said softly.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *
~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~
“I see him, Pa!
I see him!” Hoss yelled, waving his
arm.
Ben and Joe looked the direction he was waving
and saw a tall, dark-haired man wearing a black reefer and a black Stetson.
He suddenly seemed to notice them and waved in return, then hurried toward
them.
After much hugging and back thumping, Hoss looked around and said, “Bronwen
ain’t with you?
I’m shore anxious to meet her.”
Adam smiled but his family heard the hint of concern in his tone as he replied,
“The doctor wants her to stay off her feet as much as possible.
She’s pretty miserable right now, I’m afraid.
She doesn’t
get much sleep at night because the baby is so restless, so she naps during
the day when the baby is sleeping.”
“How much longer before the baby is due?” Ben queried.
“Two weeks.
I’ll be glad when the baby is born.
The closer it gets to her time, the more I worry.”
Ben gave his arm a comforting squeeze, but they were all silent.
There was no point in uttering platitudes because women did die in childbirth
and they all knew it.
They made arrangements for their
steamer trunk to be delivered to the hotel and then they got a couple of
cabs.
After they made a quick stop at the hotel so
Ben, Hoss and Joe could register, the cabs dropped them off at a neat little
white frame house with dark green shutters and a matching front door and
a front porch with a swing.
“Pretty house,” Hoss commented.
“We’re just renting,” Adam replied.
“We are only gong
to be living in Sydney until a few months after the baby is born, but I’ll
tell you about that later,” he added at the surprised looks on their faces.
“I take it that your investments are doing well?” Ben queried with a raised
eyebrow.
“Just fine, Pa,” Adam drawled.
“It’s a good thing because
getting married is expensive.
By the time we’d bought
furniture, china and silver, I’d had to sell off a few assets, but I didn’t
want us to start off our life together in debt.”
He
opened the front door saying, “Bronwen is waiting in the drawing room.”
He hung his hat on the peg by the door and the others sat theirs on the
small table in the entry.
They followed him down a
hallway into a comfortable room with French doors opening onto a small garden.
The green-and-white striped brocade settee was vacant, as were the two matching
green velvet armchairs.
Joe glanced out the French doors and said, “I see someone in the garden.”
Adam followed Joe’s gaze and then hurried through one of the doors, leaving
it ajar.
They could hear his voice in the distance.
“Sweetheart, what are you doing out here?
You’re supposed
to be resting.”
“The baby is kicking too much, and besides,
Mam says walking
is good exercise for a woman in my condition,” they heard a woman’s voice
reply, although her accent was difficult to follow.
There was a pause and then they heard Bronwen say, “Adam, where are your
father and brothers?”
“I left them in the drawing room,” he replied.
“A fine host you are,” she scolded.
They couldn’t
hear Adam’s reply but they saw him bend down and kiss her.
“I think marriage to that little gal is the best thing that ever happened
to ol’ Adam,” Hoss stated with a big gap-toothed grin.
They entered the room together holding hands.
Joe thought
to himself,
Is this my untouchable older brother?
When Bronwen entered, Hoss and Joe realized they had never truly comprehended
the expression, “great with child,” until then.
Adam
put his arm around her shoulders and before they could say a word she held
out her hands to Ben saying, “Mr. Cartwright, I am so happy to finally meet
you.”
Ben enfolded her hands between his and said with a smile, “Mr. Cartwright
sounds so formal.
Won’t you call me Pa as Adam does?”
“I would be happy to, Pa,” she replied with a smile of her own.
She turned to Hoss then and held out her hand.
“You
must be Hoss.”
He grinned and shook her small slender
hand carefully.
She then turned to Joe and he took her
hand and brought it to his lips.
“Adam warned me that
you are a terrible flirt, Joe,” she said with a grin and Joe’s cheeks reddened.
“Let’s all have a seat,” Adam said with a smile.
“I’ll
ask Nell to bring us some coffee—and tea for you, sweetheart.”
He settled Bronwen on the settee solicitously and left while Ben sat beside
her.
Bronwen rolled her eyes and said with a laugh, “He is so considerate.
It’s sweet, but it’s also maddening at times.”
“That’s Adam all right,” Joe chuckled.
“He’s a worrier, too,” Hoss added with a grin, and they all shared a smile.
A few moments later Adam returned saying, “Should my ears be burning?”
“You bet,” Joe replied.
“Bronwen has you pegged, older
brother.
We’re just giving her some tips on how to
handle you.”
“Very funny, younger brother.”
“He thinks I’m joking,” Joe laughed as Adam sat on the other side of Bronwen
and slid his arm around her shoulders.
“Mr., uh, I mean, Pa, Adam tells me that you were once a sailor.
Did you enjoy the voyage here?”
“Yes, I did,” Ben answered with a warm smile.
He was
surprised, but delighted, that Adam was so open in his displays of affection
to Bronwen.
“It brought back many memories—happy ones.
I fell in love with Adam’s mother when I served as first mate to her father.”
“And what about you two?” she asked Hoss and Joe.
“Joe and me ain’t sailors,” Hoss said shaking his head and looking a little
pale.
“That’s right,” Joe added.
“Luckily it was pretty calm
most of the time and—”
He broke off as Bronwen gave
a little gasp and put her hands over her belly.
Three
Cartwright faces showed alarm while Adam placed one of his hands over hers.
“I’m sorry,” Bronwen said.
“The baby kicked me—hard.”
“Yes, we have a very active child,” Adam said with a grin.
“Poor Bronwen actually has bruises from some of the kicks.”
“I’ll bet you’ll be happy when he’s ready to be born,” Hoss said with a gentle
smile.
“Oh, Hoss, you don’t know how happy,” she replied.
Just
then Nell entered carrying the coffee and tea and sat it on the table in
front of Bronwen.
She started to lean forward to pour,
but Adam gently pressed her back saying, “Why not let me do the honors?”
“Told you—he’s bossy,” Joe said with a snicker.
“Always
thinks he knows best.”
“Well, in this instance, I am forced to admit he does,” she said with a
sigh and leaned back while Adam raised an eyebrow at his sibling and began
to pour.
“Have you chosen names yet?” Ben queried after taking a sip of his coffee.
“Yes,” Adam replied but Bronwen said with a smile, “We have agreed if it
is a girl we will name her Elizabeth Sian after her grandmothers.
We haven’t agreed on names for a boy.”
She turned to
Adam and said with a smile, “I want to name our first son after his father.”
“And I don’t really care for Adam Cartwright, Jr.,” he said with an answering
smile.
“I thought I had convinced you,” but she shook
her head saying, “You mean you hoped you had.”
“What would you name him?” Hoss asked.
“I lean toward Benjamin
Llewelyn after
his grandfathers although I am also partial to the names Michael and Richard.”
“You don’t have too much time to decide and Adam, here, can be awful stubborn,”
Hoss said grinning at the two of them.
“So can Bronwen, believe me,” Adam replied and she swatted his chest playfully.
“We have already decided that if we can’t reach an agreement, then we’ll
put all the choices in my hat and let Nell pull one out.”
Ben smiled at that while Hoss guffawed and Joe giggled.
“I think I can win him over to my way of thinking.
My
sister-in-law, Victoria, says that after he sees the baby he will be so happy
and so proud, he will be ready to grant my every wish.”
“Hmm,” was Adam’s comment but Ben chuckled and said, “Your sister-in-law
is a wise woman.
When each of my sons was born, I would
have given his mother the sun, moon and stars, if it had been in my power,
to thank her for the precious gift she had given me.”
“We’re all excited about the baby,” Hoss said.
“I’m
really lookin’ forward to bein’ Uncle Hoss.”
“And I’m looking forward to not being the youngest Cartwright,” Joe said
with a big grin.
They continued to converse until Nell came to tell them supper was ready.
“Bronwen is an excellent cook, but since the doctor wants her to stay off
her feet as much as possible, Nell has been cooking most of the meals for
us,” Adam explained as they walked to the dining room.
“It’s not
haute cuisine, but she’s a good cook,” Bronwen
added.
“Hot what?” Hoss asked in puzzlement.
“It’s just plain food, nothing fancy,” Adam said grinning.
“That’s what I like,” Hoss replied, “and I’m starved.”
“We’ve never known him when he wasn’t,” Joe said, ducking as Hoss took a
swing at him.
After the meal they gathered back in the drawing room and Ben said, “Adam
wrote us you have a beautiful voice, Bronwen.
Would
you sing something for us?”
“I’d rather sing a duet with Adam, if that would be all right?” and he nodded.
“Hoss, you once said that I should be singing opera.
Well, this is your chance to hear me because we’ll be singing a duet from
Mozart’s
Don Giovanni,” Adam said with a grin.
As they sang, Ben thought their voices blended beautifully and could see
their love of music was another bond between them.
When
they finished, the three men applauded.
“I didn’t understand
what you was singin’,” said Hoss, “but it shore was pretty.”
Bronwen smiled and then said, “Adam has taught me
some American songs.
Why don’t we all sing
Miss Cindy?”
They sang several songs together and then the cab arrived to take Ben, Hoss
and Joe to the hotel.
On the ride Hoss said quietly,
“I can see why Adam’s worried.
Bronwen is such a little
gal.
I sure hope she don’t have no problems when the
baby comes.”
“We’ll pray not.
I’m afraid Adam would be devastated
if anything happened to her,” Ben said somberly.
“He loves her, that’s for sure,” Joe added thoughtfully.
“I was surprised the way he held her hand and called her sweetheart.
I think that must be her influence because he sure didn’t used to show his
feelings like that.”
“I think you are right, Joseph, and I am very thankful,” Ben replied.
“I wish they didn’t live so far away, but she is the right woman for Adam.
I have no doubt about that.”
“I have the impression that your family thinks that we’ll have a boy.
I suppose that’s what you’re hoping for,” Bronwen said that night as they
lay side by together in their bed holding hands.
“No.
I am hoping this baby is a girl.”
“Really?
I thought all men wanted a son first.”
“Not this man,” he replied and dropped a kiss on her hand.
“Do you mind if I ask why you want a daughter first?”
He was silent for a long moment and then spoke quietly.
“I’ve never talked to you much about my childhood.
My mother died when I was born so I never knew her.
I was five when we met Inger Borgstrom on our way west.
She was the kindest woman and I loved her with all my heart.
Pa used to tease her that she only married him so she could be my mother.
We had been a family a little over a year when my brother Hoss was born
as our wagon train headed west.
When we were near Ash
Hollow, Inger was killed in an Indian raid.
For six
years Pa, Hoss and I lived alone in the cabin Pa built near Lake Tahoe.
Then when I was twelve, Pa came back from a trip to New Orleans with a new
wife, Marie.
I resented anyone taking Inger’s place,
but Marie was patient with me and she finally won me over.
She was Joe’s mother.
Just before I went away to college,
she died in a riding accident.
You see, until I married
you, I had lived most of my life in a family with no mother or sister or any
female relations.”
“Then I hope this baby is a girl, too,” she said, giving his hand a gentle
squeeze.
The next morning the three Cartwrights showed up while Adam was finishing
breakfast, so Nell showed them into the dining room.
“Bronwen’s all right, ain’t she?” Hoss asked in a worried voice since he
didn’t see her.
“She’s fine.
She was still asleep so I didn’t wake
her.
As I said, the baby is restless so she has to
sleep when she can.”
“Would this be a good time to tell us why you’ll only be living in Sydney
for a few months?” Ben inquired mildly.
“Of course,” Adam replied.
“But let’s go to the library.”
Ben, Hoss and Joe seated themselves in the brown leather armchairs Bronwen
had purchased for the library while Adam sat behind his massive leather-covered
desk, which was quite similar to Ben’s.
Joe noted that
in contrast to the rest of the house, this room had a masculine atmosphere.
Two walls had built-in bookshelves that were only partially filled (Adam’s
books had also been shipped on the
Glory of
the Seas, but the crates hadn’t arrived yet) and there was a game table
placed between two of the leather armchairs.
A draftsman’s
table was by one window so Adam could have natural light during the day.
The only feminine touch in the entire room was the sewing basket sitting
on an end table.
“I wrote you that Bronwen’s brother, Rhys, is a mining engineer,” Adam said
and they nodded, so he continued.
“He and I have started
a mining company.
We have a copper mine in Queensland
near a town called Cloncurry.
Rhys and his bride moved
there in November and Bronwen and I will be moving there in April.
Rhys is supervising the construction of our house for me since I can’t leave
Bronwen now.”
“Where’s this Queensland?” Hoss asked, wrinkling his brow in puzzlement.
“Here, I have a map,” Adam said spreading it out on his desk.
“Now we are here in New South Wales and here is Queensland,” he said pointing.
“Cloncurry is here in the northwest.”
“Looks like it’s a fur piece,” Hoss commented.
“It is, and travel from here and there is pretty time-consuming.
I’m hoping eventually there will be a railroad but now you travel on horseback.
We’ll have to haul our furniture and other belongings by wagon.
Like we did when we first came west,” he said to his father with a little
smile.
“Is Cloncurry a pretty good-sized town?” Joe asked.
“No, it’s not.
Actually it reminds me of Genoa when
it was Mormon Station.”
“How does Bronwen feel about moving?” Ben asked seriously.
“Honestly, I know she is a bit worried, probably more than she’ll ever
let on to me.
I’m just glad that Rhys and his wife
will be our neighbors.
Having her brother there will
really help, and I plan on providing all the amenities that I can.
She won’t be as isolated as we were on the ranch and the town is growing.
There is another large mine in the area, the Great Australian Mine.
There are also some cattle ranches in the surrounding area.
I’m hoping that by the time our child is ready for school that Cloncurry
will have one.
There is a doctor; I wouldn’t move her
and our child there if there wasn’t.”
“Do you mind my asking how you are financing the mining company?” Ben asked.
“Part of the financing is through a bank loan.
Rhys
had some money to invest and I sold all my V & T stock plus some of my
Union Pacific.”
He dropped his eyes and said quietly,
“I sold Grandfather’s house and the chandlery.
I think
he would have approved in the circumstances.”
“Yes,” Ben said with a slight smile, “I think he would.
He’d be very glad to know you’d married and were giving him a great-grandchild.”
“That leads into something I wanted to bring up with the three of you,”
Adam said slowly.
“Since I am settling here, it seems
to me that my share of Cartwright Enterprises should go back to you, Pa.
Or it should be divided between Hoss and Joe.”
“What do you think, boys?” Ben asked, his expression somber.
“Do you agree with Adam?”
“I don’t,” Hoss said firmly.
“Even if Adam’s livin’
here in Australia, he’s still a Cartwright and still entitled to a share
in Cartwright Enterprises.
I think things should continue
just as they have since Adam left with Pa voting for Adam.”
He looked Adam straight in the eye then saying, “’Sides, Adam, maybe your
child’ll want to come live on the Ponderosa when he grows up.
Then you could give him your share.”
“Joseph?” Ben asked.
“I agree with Hoss,” Joe said quietly.
“Maybe Cartwright
Enterprises should invest some capital in your mine.
You always said we needed to diversify.”
“I agree with your brothers, Adam,” Ben said firmly.
“In fact, I think Joe’s idea is a good one, but it will have to wait until
we return home.”
“You don’t have to do this,” Adam said in an unsteady voice.
“We know we don’t have to, older brother,” Hoss said with a grin.
“We want to.”
“That’s right.
I’m investing in my grandchild’s future,”
Ben said smiling warmly.
Just then Bronwen walked in.
“May I join you?” she
asked.
“Please do,” Ben replied.
“You look lovely, my dear.”
“I look like a beached whale, you mean,” she answered rolling her eyes
as she waddled toward them.
“Take my chair,” Hoss said, jumping up.
He walked over
and took her arm and then helped her lower herself into the chair.
“Has Adam shown you the plans for our house in Cloncurry?” she queried.
“He just told us that you were moving this spring,” Joe said smiling one
of his most charming smiles.
“Or I suppose it would be autumn here,” Ben corrected with a smile of his
own.
“I don’t know as I could ever get used to these backward seasons ya got
here,” Hoss added.
“Why back home we’d be freezin our
butts—“
He turned beet-red and stammered out an apology.
“It’s all right, Hoss.
I grew up with two brothers
so I don’t shock that easily,” Bronwen told him in a kind voice, but they
saw the twinkle in her eyes.
“I am happy to report that it never gets as cold either here in Sydney or
in Cloncurry as it does back home,” Adam stated with a big Cheshire cat grin.
“Of course,” he admitted, “I’ve been told the summers are very hot in Cloncurry
and from November to March (that’s summer, Hoss) there are heavy rains.
Sunny most of the rest of the year though.”
“I’d like to see the plans for your house,” Ben interjected so Adam unrolled
the blueprints and the sketch he’d made of the exterior.
“Sure are lots of windows,” Joe commented and Adam replied, “That’s because
the big concern is keeping cool in the summer heat rather than keeping warm
in bitter cold.”
Joe nodded to show he understood.
“I wish I could see where you’re gonna live,” Hoss said wistfully.
“Maybe I could see me some of them kangaroos.”
“If you can stay a couple of weeks after the baby is born, I could take
you.
You can see kangaroos, koalas, dingoes and lots
of other odd creatures.”
“Well, I don’t know if we should all be gone too many months,” Ben began
but Joe cut him off.
“I could go back first by myself so you and Hoss could stay a few weeks longer.
I don’t have that much interest in wildlife.”
“Are you sure, Short Shanks?” Hoss asked.
“I’m sure.
I came to see Adam, Bronwen and the baby
not some oversized jack rabbit,” Joe riposted.
“Oh, my parents have invited all of us to their house for dinner after
church Sunday,” Bronwen interjected
“I do hope you’ll
be coming to church with us?”
“Of course,” Ben replied.
“And we’re looking forward
to meeting your parents.”
The Cartwrights and Davies filled a pew, and after church many wanted to
meet Adam’s family but finally they were able to get away.
After a delicious meal, Adam and Bronwen went for a walk giving their families
a chance to become acquainted.
“Bronwen and Adam certainly seem very much in love,” Ben commented with
a smile and Joe and Hoss nodded their agreement as they gathered in the
Davies’s cozy parlor with its comfortable sofa and arm chairs, gleaming
hardwood floor and large windows.
“But I expect you wish he’d fallen in love with someone closer to home,”
Mrs. Davies said frankly.
“Well, yes, I’d be lying if I said otherwise.
However,
it’s obvious that he finally found the right woman and that is more important
to me than where he chooses to live,” Ben replied but Mrs. Davies caught
the hidden grief in his deep brown eyes.
“I think they will make each other happy,” she said with conviction.
“Since I’m Bronwen’s mother, I can tell you that she has always been a bit
too impetuous and we think Adam is a steadying influence.”
“Whereas Adam is inclined to be stuffy and I hope Bronwen can loosen him
up,” Joe stated baldly.
“Joseph,” Ben barked while Mrs. Davies tried to stifle a giggle.
“You know I’m right, Pa,” Joe retorted.
“Adam never
makes a move without considering all the angles, and he’s too fussy.”
“That’s another example of how they are good for each other since Bronwen
tends to be disorganized.
I think they’re learning
to compromise,” Mrs. Davies replied with a smile she couldn’t hide.
“The boys and I have noticed that marriage to Bronwen seems to have helped
Adam to be less reserved,” Ben said slowly.
“I am very
pleased to see that.”
“He has become a little less reticent—at least with all of us,” Dr. Davies
replied.
“Fatherhood may help as well.
It’s hard to be reserved with babies.”
“Adam likes children.
I remember how he was with Peggy
Dayton,” Joe said and then his eyes slid to his father’s in embarrassment
while the Davies looked puzzled.
“Joe also acts without thinking,” Ben said frowning at his youngest.
“Adam probably never mentioned Peggy Dayton or her mother, Laura.”
The Davies both nodded so he continued.
“Adam was engaged
to Laura Dayton; she was a young widow and Peggy was her daughter.
Peggy and Adam were quite attached even before Adam asked Laura to marry
him.”
He paused then and said deliberately, “I don’t
think there was any real passion between Adam and Laura; she needed a father
for Peggy and Adam was intrigued by the idea of becoming a husband and father.
They would have married and perhaps they would have been happy enough; however,
Laura met my nephew, Will, and they fell madly in love so Adam did the honorable
thing and released Laura from the engagement.”
“I agree with my pa,” Hoss added.
“I don’t think Adam
loved Laura; I think he loved the idea of being in love.
I’ve seen him with both women and I know which one he’s given his heart
to.”
Mrs. Davies smiled at them.
“You don’t have to convince
us,’ she said.
“I don’t know Adam as well as you, but
I don’t doubt his love for Bronwen.
And reserved or
not, it’s obvious how pleased and excited he is about the baby.”
“Yeah, we’re all excited about that,” Joe said with a big grin.
“I remember when my first grandchild was born,” Mrs. Davies said quietly
to Ben.
“It’s like the birth of your first child.
You don’t love him any more than those that follow, but they do have a special
place in your heart,” and Ben nodded his understanding.
“Adam,” Bronwen said, shaking him firmly.
“Adam, wake
up.”
He blinked blearily for a second, but then she saw his eyes focus and lock
on hers.
“Is it the baby?”
“Yes.
I think you’d better get Dr. Browne.
And then get my mother.”
She reached for his hand
and he squeezed hers comfortingly.
He got out of bed
and dressed quickly, and as he headed out the door, he stopped to say, “I’ll
wake Nell so she can sit with you until the doctor gets here.”
Nell was a light sleeper so he only had to knock on her door twice to wake
her and she told him to be on his way and she’d sit with Mrs. Cartwright.
Dr. Browne’s household was clearly used to visitors arriving at all hours
and the doctor promised to be at their home as soon as he could.
Adam managed to find a cab to the Davies’ house, which was also accustomed
to callers at odd hours, and Dr. Davies came down in his robe to answer the
door himself.
“I wondered if it might be you, Adam
bach .
I’ll tell
Sian and we’ll be ready to leave
in no more than ten minutes.”
“If you don’t mind, I won’t wait.
I have to get my
family at the hotel.
They want to be there when the
baby is born.”
The four Cartwrights and Dr. Davies gathered in the library.
Adam paced restlessly while Ben talked quietly with Dr. Davies.
Hoss and Joe watched their brother anxiously.
Finally
Ben spoke up in his most no-nonsense tone.
“Adam, the baby won’t be born any sooner by your pacing.”
“But it’s been hours,” Adam answered in an anguished voice.
“Adam
bach, I’ve had women in labor for over 24-hours, especially
when it’s their first childbirth.”
Dr. Davies shook
his head wryly at the expressions of horror on the younger men’s faces.
“Bronwen is a strong woman; do not be deceived by her size.
As long as there are no complications, she and the baby will be fine.”
“It’s the possibility of complications that terrifies me,” Adam stated in
a voice that shook slightly.
Ben turned to Dr. Davies then and said very softly, “Adam’s mother died
giving birth to him.
Joe was a breech birth and I nearly
lost him and his mother.”
So, they are half brothers Dr. Davies thought.
That explains the lack of family resemblance.“Adam,
two things you must remember no matter what happens:
Bronwen loves you and she wants this baby—no matter what the cost.
But I have faith that all will be well.
I think that
instead of sitting here worrying we need to find something to occupy our minds.
This is a perfect opportunity for us to get to know each other better.
Why don’t you tell me about your trip west to Nevada, Mr. Cartwright?
Adam has mentioned it in passing but I would like to hear more about it.”
“All right, Doctor, that sounds like a wonderful idea.
I’m afraid Hoss was just a baby so I doubt he has any memories, but Adam
can add his observations.
But first, I would like him
to please sit down.”
Adam tried to follow his father-in-law’s advice but it was clear to all of
them that he was distracted.
As the hours passed they
all became worried but finally a beaming Nell stood in the doorway.
“Mr. Cartwright, your daughter would like to make your acquaintance.”
“A daughter!” Adam exclaimed excitedly.
“And my wife?”
“She’s fine, just a mite tired,” Nell assured him.
“Come
on, man.
Are your feet nailed to the floor?”
He ran out of the room, taking the stairs two at a time and burst into their
bedroom.
Bronwen smiled at him radiantly and she was
holding the baby in her arms.
He bent over to kiss
her and then he took his first look at his daughter.
“Hello, Elizabeth,” he said softly.
She was bald and
her skin was very blotchy.
At the sound of his voice
she opened her eyes and stared at his face and made little cooing sounds.
Adam stroked her soft cheek with one finger and was startled when she turned
her mouth toward it.
“Is she hungry already?”
Mrs. Davies answered, “She may be.
See if she will
nurse.”
Adam knew he would never forget that moment, watching Bronwen nurse their
baby daughter for the first time.
When the baby finished,
she turned to him and asked, “Would you like to hold her?”
“I use my hand to support her head, right?”
“That’s right,” his mother-in-law replied.
As he held his tiny daughter, he felt his whole being suffused with
an inexpressible joy.Her tiny, shell-like ears were
perfect miniatures of her mother’s while her little chin had a cleft identical
to his own.She was the living embodiment of the love
he and Bronwen shared, and he felt awed that together they created this
little miracle.Bronwen saw him blinking back tears
and rejoiced in the tenderness and affection she witnessed on his face,
and found her own eyes swimming with tears.Mrs. Davies
swallowed a lump that had suddenly formed in her throat at the naked emotion
so plainly written on her son-in-law’s often inscrutable visage.
“You’ve had experience with babies I see,” she said gently.
He dimpled.“I helped raise both
my brothers.I guess there are some things you don’t
forget.”
Bronwen grinned at him.“Such as
how to change diapers?”
He groaned.“That I’d like to forget.
Could I show her to her grandfathers and uncles?”
“I’ll come with you,” Mrs. Davies decided.
“Bronwen fach, you need to rest.”
Adam walked into the drawing room positively beaming.
“Gentlemen, allow me to introduce Miss Elizabeth Sian Cartwright.”
The two grandfathers crowded round first while Hoss looked
over his father’s shoulders.“Aw, ain’t she just the
sweetest little thing,” he said grinning at his brother.
“But I thought a little girl would have hair,” Joe said
worriedly while his father and the Davies laughed.
“Some babies are born with hair and some aren’t,” Dr. Davies
explained.“It doesn’t make any difference whether
they are girls or boys.”
“You and Adam both were born with dark hair while Hoss was
bald.You lost the hair you were born with and your
new hair grew in blonde and curly, and Adam’s grew in black and curly,”
Ben stated with a huge grin.He turned to Adam then.
“Son, she is absolutely beautiful.I am not sure whom
she favors.”
“She just looks like herself,” Adam replied firmly.
“Yes,” Dr. Davies agreed.“But she
does have your chin and the shape of her eyes is like Bronwen’s.
Too soon to know what the color will be.”
“I don’t know about the rest of you, but waitin’ for this
little gal to be born has left me just about starved.
Got any good restaurants around here?” Hoss asked and they all laughed,
which woke the baby who began to scream.
“I’ll take her,” Mrs. Davies said, holding out her arms.
“You men go get something to eat.You, too, Adam
bach,” she added.“Bronwen and the little one
need to sleep so there’s no point in your staying.Nell
and I will fix a bite for Bronwen and ourselves.”
Adam entered their bedroom quietly after returning from
supper, where they’d ordered champagne to celebrate little Elizabeth’s birth.
He eyes adjusted to the darkness and he undressed except for his drawers.
He slid carefully into the bed but Bronwen was a light sleeper and woke as
soon as she felt him slip into the bed beside her.“Sorry,
I tried not to wake you,” he whispered.
“It’s all right,” she whispered back in a sleepy voice.
“I’m glad you’re back,” and she snuggled closer.Then
she giggled softly.
“What’s so funny?” he asked quietly.
“This is the first time you’ve ever worn anything to bed,”
she managed to get out between giggles.
He pinched her bottom gently and said softly, “As soon as
Elizabeth begins sleeping in the nursery, I won’t need to wear anything.”
He paused and said thoughtfully, “Elizabeth is a long name for such a little
girl.I think she needs a nickname.”
“There’s Betty,” Bronwen stated softy, “and Bess, Eliza,
Liz and Beth.”
“I think Beth suits her,” he said reflectively and Bronwen
replied, “Yes, she doesn’t seem like an Eliza or a Liz.
Maybe Betty or Bess, but I prefer Beth.”Just then
they heard noises coming from the cradle that soon increased in volume.
“I imagine she’s hungry,” Bronwen said. “Could you
bring her to me so I can nurse her?”
He lit the lamp and then picked up his screaming daughter.
“I don’t know if she’s hungry, but she is definitely wet,” he announced.
“I’ll change her and then we can see if she’s hungry.”
He removed the dirty diaper saying, “Just wet thank goodness.”
He disposed of the soiled diaper and gown and wiped Beth’s little bottom
before picking her up and holding her against his bare chest while she continued
to scream.As soon as Bronwen put her to her breast,
she began to suck greedily.“My, Beth, I hope you aren’t
going to have your Uncle Hoss’s appetite,” he joked.
When Beth was full, he carried her back to her cradle and put a fresh diaper
and gown on her before getting back to bed.
“Thank you,” Bronwen whispered. “I’m
sorry I’m so tired.”
“Hush,” he whispered back, “you have every right to feel
exhausted, and she’s my daughter, too.I expect to
help raise her.I will leave the dirty diapers to you
in the future though,” and he smiled at her smothered giggles.
They curled up together and before he drifted to sleep, Bronwen whispered,
“You are happy aren’t you, cariad
?
“Mere happiness doesn’t begin to describe what I feel,”
he answered slowly, gently turning her to face him.
The moonlight allowed him to see the outline of her features—her luminous
eyes, turned up nose, soft mouth and pointed little chin.
“I’d resigned myself to spending my life alone and then I found you, and
now as a the result of our love, we have our precious daughter.
I feel so blessed.”
“Yes, so do I,” she whispered, caressing his cheek and feeling
the rasp of whiskers.“I know we’ll have joys and sorrows,
but, the most important thing is that we have each other.”
She smiled and placed her hand on his chest where she could feel the steady
beating of his heart.Then she softly quoted:
My true-love hath my heart,
and I have his,
By just exchange one for another given:
I hold his dear, and mine he cannot miss,
There never was a better a better bargain driven:
My true-love hath my heart and I have his.
His resonant baritone joined her dulcet soprano as they
recited together:
His heart in me keeps him and
me in one,
My heart in him his thoughts and senses guides;
He loves my heart, for once it was his own,
I cherish his because in me it bides:
My true-love hath my heart and I have his.
References:
Sonnet
CXXX, My Mistress eyes
by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
My true-love
by Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586)
The wonderful
thing about folk songs is that there are so many different versions.
I used the lyrics for Come All Ye Fair and Tender Ladies
from the following Web site:
http://www1.infotel.bg/media/midi/folk/american/comeall.htm
I used
the following Web sites for information about Australia:
http://www.queensland-holidays.com.au/pfm/sites/0000674/body.htm
http://www.aussiedirections.com.au/qldtrav/clonc.html
http://sitelevel.whatuseek.com/query.go?crid=12f904ee45afbb53&query=Melbourne&slice_title=site
http://www.about-australia.com/qldfact.htm
http://intra.whatuseek.com/query.go?crid=12f904ee45afbb53&query=Queensland&SUBMIT.x=33&SUBMIT.y=7
http://www.sydney.com.au/rocks.htm
http://www.mountisaicn.org.au/lifestyle_clon.html
http://www.walkabout.com.au/fairfax/locations/QLDCloncurry.shtml
http://www.walkabout.com.au/fairfax/locations/VICMelbourne.shtml
I also
used the following Web sites for information about Christmas in Wales and
Australia:
http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm
http://www.wsmailorder.com/christmas/australia.htm
I obtained
information on clipper ships sailing to Sydney from San Francisco at the
following Web site:
http://www.eraoftheclipperships.com/eraweb.html
The idea
of Cartwright Enterprises being divided into five shares with Ben having
two comes from TheMoney Hole by Stephen Calder.
I used
another of the Little House series; These Happy Golden Years
as an aid in describing women’s clothing.For general
information on clothing and fabrics in the era I used Fashion
in Costume: 1200-1980 by Joan Nunn.The use of
coralline salve to redden the lips comes from Little Women
.
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