Page 5 of His Perfect Bride
The miles and miles of pine forests had been the most startling of all. It seemed that everywhere she looked, every inch of land was covered in thick woodland, so rugged, so wild, so open, and so different from Manchester that it was almost as if she’d arrived in another world altogether.
The mountains, too, were awe-inspiring. To the south of Vancouver Island, the distant peaks of the Olympic Mountains rose in all their glory. To the west on the mainland of British Columbia were more mountains that led to the Fraser River Valley where apparently miners had flocked for a recent gold rush.
Sage wanted to pause on the wharf, spin in a circle, and take in the full view of the grandeur—the blue-green waves, the rocky coastline, the lushness of the land, and the sea gulls circling overhead. But she’d learned Miss Lennox, a woman of purpose and mission, rarely stopped to dawdle. Sage had also learned over the past four months of working for Miss Lennox that a lady’s maid didn’t dawdle either—or gape or do anything else that could be construed as ill-mannered.
From the start, Miss Lennox had instructed her on everything she needed to know about her position. While exacting and even demanding at times, the woman had proven to be a kind and considerate employer. And extremely generous.
Sage’s wardrobe was testament to how generous. Miss Lennox had given Sage cast-off garments that didn’t fit or were no longer the latest fashion. Sage had needed to shorten the skirts and let out the seams in the bust of most bodices. But once done, the gowns were more beautiful than anything Sage had ever imagined owning, along with the shoes, stockings, hats, gloves, and other items from Miss Lennox.
What would Willow say about the fancy clothing and the fashionable bonnet? Would her sister recognize her?
Sage scanned the waterfront and the smattering of fishing boats and canoes that remained in the bay while the majority were gone for the day. The shore was crowded with piers, wharfs, and warehouses, where longshoremen were loading and unloading barrels and crates of goods.
She hoped for a glimpse of Willow but knew she was being too wishful to think that she’d be able to see her sister the moment of her arrival. But maybe she’d see Caleb, Willow’s friend, who’d also traveled to the colony. It was possible he’d taken a job along the waterfront.
As she stepped off the wharf onto the grassy embankment, Miss Lennox halted and perched her hands on her hips. She pursed her lips and peered at a nearby barn-like building that had the wordLiverypainted above a door that was wide enough for a wagon to enter.
A set of stately brick buildings stood off to one side—the government buildings, according to one of the other steamboat passengers. The rest of the town was made up mostly of white wooden-framed buildings that lined wide streets. Although the streets were unpaved and had lots of ruts filled with puddles, the town had a tidiness about it that was refreshing and different than overcrowded and dirty Manchester.
“I hope Jackson will be home this morning.” Miss Lennox strode forth again, this time making a line directly toward the livery. “What if he’s away? Perhaps even out of town working on one of his projects?”
Sage scurried to keep up. “If so, he will need to return soon for the wedding.”
Miss Lennox had explained during the long days of the voyage that her brother, Jackson, who was twenty-nine and two years younger than her, had been living in the British colonies of Vancouver Island and British Columbia for the past four years working as an engineer, building roads and bridges. Before that he’d resided for five years in Manitoba, designing roads and bridges for the Hudson’s Bay Company. Miss Lennox had only seen him once in the nine years he’d been gone.
With as much as Miss Lennox—Augusta—had spoken of her brother, mother, and father, Sage felt as if she knew them all well, almost as if she’d met them already. Augusta’s mother was Lady Catherine Lennox, the daughter of an earl, and her father was Jackson Thomas Lennox, who had made his fortune during the early days of the Hudson’s Bay Company when fur-trading had been a lucrative business. He’d also been an explorer and had located important trade routes in North America and the Arctic, for which he’d been knighted.
Lady Catherine had been ill over the past year, and Augusta had returned home from India to be with her. Upon news of the illness, Sir Jackson Thomas had decided to finally give up his traveling in order to be with his wife because her brush with death had opened his eyes to the fragility of life, or so Augusta claimed.
Now that Lady Catherine had recovered and had her husband there to dote on her, Augusta had been eager to resume her traveling. She’d wanted to visit the Pacific Northwest and had expedited her plans when the family received a letter from Jackson in Victoria indicating he was engaged to be married and was building a fine home named Fairview for his bride-to-be.
The wedding was scheduled for early October, and Augusta had been worried that if the ship had any delays, she might miss the special occasion. As it turned out, they’d arrived with a couple of weeks to spare, and Augusta had been animated during the past few days as she’d prepared for seeing Jackson again and meeting her future sister-in-law.
Animatedmight not be quite the term to describe the intense woman with her boundless energy and unending drive. Sometimes being with Augusta exhausted Sage. But she’d certainly learned to appreciate and even enjoy the woman’s company.
Augusta halted outside the livery door. “I shall make arrangements for a carriage to transport us and our luggage to Fairview. You watch for the stevedores with our trunks and wave them over here.”
Winded from the quick walk, Sage drew in a steadying breath that was filled with the now-familiar scent of sea and salt. “Yes, ma’am.”
Augusta was already several steps inside the dark interior of the establishment, as fearless as always.
Sage turned her attention back toward the sidewheeler where other passengers were still disembarking and deckhands were unloading cargo from the main deck. The morning sunlight glinted on the bay and on the distant peaks, once again stunning her with the beauty of this remote colony of the Queen’s empire.
Homesickness still plagued Sage from time to time, usually more keenly at night when she was left alone with her thoughts. However, the ache was mostly dull now, not as fresh and painful as it had been during the early days of the voyage when she’d missed her sisters and dad terribly.
Even the ache of missing David had faded. Only once in a while, when she saw happy couples together, would the ache throb harder and remind her of all she’d lost—a future with a hard-working and handsome man, a home of her own, and a house full of children.
“No more,” she whispered as she steeled her shoulders. “Never again.”
She’d made up her mind to become a spinster like Augusta, devoting herself to her work as a lady’s maid.
Throughout the whole journey, Sage had studied the woman, watched her interactions, and admired her strength. Augusta had shown great contentment in being unmarried and untethered from the usual duties required of women. She lived fully and never let anything hold her back, giving much of her free time to charities and helping others.
If Augusta could make a satisfying life for herself outside of being married, then Sage could too.
Maybe she’d never become an adventurous, world traveler. Maybe she’d never be as determined and driven. And maybe she’d never become as independent and self-sufficient. But she’d realized she didn’t need a man in her life to make her happy any more than Augusta did.
After all, men and relationships seemed to bring nothing but heartache and trials and disappointments.
