Chapter Four
After a few minutes, Maggie took Sally to see Belle and the baby. Though Sally was excited to see her friend, she worried a bit about the housework that wasn’t getting done while she visited with her friends.
“You look like something is on your mind,” Belle finally said as she put the baby down for a nap.
Sally nodded. “We got in late last night, and I need to clean and get started gardening. I want a full garden in by the end of next week, and I know I need to do laundry today. Neither of us has clean clothes after that journey. I want to stay with the two of you and talk all day, but that would be selfish of me.”
Maggie shook her head. “You don’t have a selfish bone in your body.”
“I think today, I have many lazy bones, though. So, I’m going to go home and get some laundry done. I plan to start a garden this week as well. Will the two of you have gardens this summer?”
Maggie and Belle exchanged a look. “There’s so much forage here. Perhaps one of us can hunt, one can forage, and one can have a garden,” Belle suggested. “And I really think it’s time for one of us to bake bread every day and only bake bread, while the other makes the treats.”
Maggie nodded. “You like baking treats better than I do, and we know you’re the huntress. I’ll bake bread and forage, Belle hunts, and Sally, you can grow your garden. We’ll share in everything.”
“How would that work?” Sally asked, confused.
“We make money from the store. So, when I make preserves and take in my forage, we have Katie put a third of the credit on each of our accounts. The same when I bake the bread.”
“And I’ll have her divide my egg money between the three of us because we rarely take her our game. That is divided between us.”
“And the crops I grow? How will that work?” Sally asked. “And we have a few chickens. Should that be added to the egg money or can we keep the eggs?”
“Keep your eggs,” Belle replied. “You’ll need them for cooking.
I have several dozen chickens, who lay several dozen eggs every day.
And then I butcher some in the fall so we’ll have chicken for the winter.
” She went on to explain about the cold house Everett had built for her.
“We put large chunks of ice in there for the summer. It should work just like an icehouse, but this is our first year.”
“So do you think I’ll be doing my share simply by growing crops?” Sally asked, a bit surprised.
“There’ll be a little more than that,” Maggie said.
“We’ll take turns with the baby. He’s on a great schedule, so Belle will feed him after her lunch, and one of us will stay with him.
So, you’ll do your gardening for two days, then one day with little Bertie.
Belle will spend two days hunting, and then one day with little Bertie.
And I’ll forage for two days and then take my turn with the baby. ”
“You two have been thinking about how to work this for a while. What if I hadn’t liked gardening?” Sally asked.
Maggie shrugged. “Then you could forage, and I would garden. Or you could hunt. We may switch up what we work on from year to year. This fall, my baby will be here, and we’ll have to rethink everything anyway. Are there any other girls from the hotel planning to join us?”
“All the girls are thinking about it,” Sally said. “I think the next will be Agnes, though. She’s been working in the kitchen, and she’s ready to go. Chef Alexander is not easy to work for.”
“What happened to the last chef?” Belle asked. “I worked with him.”
“He was offered a position at a fancy hotel in Boston, and he jumped at the chance. If you’ll remember, Alexander was his sous chef, and he’s particularly unpleasant.”
“Well, then I hope Agnes joins us soon,” Maggie said.
“She’s already been in contact with Mrs. Tandy. It won’t be long,” Sally replied, standing. “I’ll be here tomorrow morning around ten. We’ll decide what schedule we want then.”
“That sounds good,” Maggie said, walking Sally to the door.
Sally said her goodbyes and hurried home, knowing she had a lot of work to do to get the laundry finished before Tom returned from work. She also wanted her home clean before he arrived.
As she walked, she rolled up her sleeves, ready to take on the tasks that were involved in being a good wife.
*****
WHEN TOM RETURNED FROM work a few hours later, the laundry was on the line, the cabin was clean, and supper was on the table. Sally even had hot water boiling on the stove for his bath after their meal.
Tom walked to the basin and washed his hands as he looked around the cabin. “You got a lot done today!”
Sally nodded. “I even took some time to visit with Belle and Maggie.”
She put the food on the table, sitting down in the spot across from where he’d sat at breakfast that morning.
He took her hand and said a quick prayer for them before taking his first bite. “What is this?” he asked.
“Belle gave me some duck from her cold house, and I made it into fried duck. I hope that’s all right. And I made mashed potatoes with Eskimo potatoes they shared with me.”
“It’s wonderful!” he said, grinning at her. As he’d gotten used to being around her, his stammer was occurring less and less.
“I’m glad you like it.” She took a bite of her own food, happy with how it had turned out. “The girls proposed a little business plan for the three of us today, and I wanted to talk to you about it.”
“Of course. What is the plan? I know they’ve both been selling baked goods to the store.”
“Yes, the plan is for me to be part of that in a way...” She outlined the discussion she’d had with the other women, watching him to see how he felt about it.
“So, you’d be planting and nurturing a garden, but you’d split it between our three households. And we would get paid for what they sell to the store as well as getting forage and meat? That sounds like a wonderful opportunity.”
“I thought so too. I don’t know what I’d do in the winter to make money, but perhaps I can sew or crochet. I’m certain the girls and Mrs. Johnson will have ideas.”
“Yes. I would say you should take them up on the offer. It will be nice to not have to work so hard hunting on the weekends, and I’ve heard Mrs. Thompson is a good hunter.”
“I’m glad you agree with my assessment. I would love to be able to make some money. I know it cost you a lot to be off work to travel to get me.”
“It will definitely help out, but I can support us if you don’t want to work.”
Sally shook her head. “I want to work. I was thinking about what I could do the whole way here.”
“I’m glad you won’t be alone. I know Everett, Belle’s husband, talked about how much his wife missed female companionship. She had Mrs. Johnson, but Mrs. Johnson spends a great deal of time working.”
“I think it will work out well for us,” Sally said. “I have water heating for you to take a bath this evening. I know I felt a great deal better after my bath.”
“That sounds wonderful.” Tom rubbed the back of his neck. “I work with smelly men, but I was embarrassed to have to go with as bad as I smelled this morning.”
She chuckled. “It will be taken care of.” Taking a bite of her duck, she added, “I can also make baked goods for the store if I want to, of course. It seems Mrs. Johnson never has enough.”
“Would you rather bake than garden?” he asked.
Sally shook her head. “No, I love to garden. There’s just something about taking a seed and turning it into food that I enjoy.”
“I’ll help you clear some of our land this weekend. Will that be soon enough?” he asked.
She bit her lip for a moment before giggling. “I don’t even know what day it is!”
He joined her in laughter. “Today is Thursday.”
“I can wait then. I’ve already spoken with Mrs. Johnson about buying seeds, and I found a book on the Alaskan growing season and what will grow and when I should plant.
I also bought a lot of the seeds before leaving Massachusetts.
They’re light, and I knew they would be a great deal more expensive here. ”
He shook his head with a smile. “It sounds like you did some studying.”
“I was waiting for the melt. I knew meeting you would be wonderful, but I wanted to be able to help around here.”
“You’ve already done more than you know.” He looked around the room. “The cabin looks wonderful, and I noticed the laundry drying on the line. It will be nice to put on clean clothes after my bath. It’s been much too long since I’ve worn anything clean.”
She nodded. “I feel the same. I want another bath to wash off after having put on clothes that were dirty this morning.”
“You should take another after me. I’m happy to bring in water from the river.”
“I’ll wait until morning,” she said. “After your bath, we need to finally consummate this marriage of ours.”
He choked a bit on the bite of duck in his mouth. After swallowing water, he said, “I didn’t know if you still wanted that to happen tonight.”
“I think we’ve both waited long enough, don’t you?” She sighed. “I’ve never had relations with a man, of course, but my mother told me it was a beautiful way to express love in a marriage. I’m looking forward to it a great deal.”
Tom mentally thanked her mother. “Do you miss your mother?” he asked. He knew she’d died a few years before.
“I do. It was just the two of us after my father died, and we had little. That’s why I went to work at the hotel.
With our joint income, it was better.” She sighed.
“I do wish she had lived longer. It was her fondest wish that I marry and start a family. She told me repeatedly I should go out west.”
“Well, you are west!” he said with a chuckle.
“Northwest, but yes. She’d be very proud of me.” She stood and began carrying the dishes from the table to the basin where she’d wash them.
Before dishes, she emptied the pots of hot water into the bathtub she’d dragged to the middle of the room. After adding cold water, she tested the temperature. “It’s perfect,” she said. “Well, it’s perfect for me. You let me know if you need more hot or cold water.”
He nodded, standing as well. He dipped his hand into the water and said, “It’s perfect.”
“Do you mind if I do the dishes while you bathe? Or would you rather I gathered the clothes from the line and remained outside until you’re done?”
He regarded her for a moment, pleased that she was concerned with his feelings. “I don’t mind if you stay.”
“I’ll have the clothes off the line before you’re finished.” She gathered the rest of the dishes from the table and returned to the basin to wash them all, turning her back so he wouldn’t be uncomfortable undressing in front of her.
Tom bathed quickly, scrubbing his hair and body. It had been so long since his last bath, he was surprised at how good it felt.
When Sally finished the dishes, she walked outside, careful not to look at her husband. She knew they would see each other soon enough, but with how shy he’d been with her, she felt it would be better if she didn’t let her gaze linger upon him.
She removed the clothes from the line and carefully folded them all, leaving her nightgown and his nightshirt on top of the pile of clothes. She was happy to see he was out of the tub and wrapped in a towel when she returned.
She held out his nightshirt, and he pulled it over his head before dropping the towel. “The clothes are dry. I’ll press what needs to be pressed tomorrow. I can do it in the morning before we ladies meet and decide who is on baby duty tomorrow.”
“Do you like children?” he asked, realizing they hadn’t really discussed the topic.
“Oh, yes. I want several. What about you?” she asked.
“Yes. I hope to have a few. But I want us to have some time alone together before they come along.”
“We should have a minimum of nine months,” she said cheekily.
He chuckled. “I suppose that’s right.” He looked toward the door, thinking about how careful she’d been when he’d undressed and bathed. “I’ll empty the tub while you ready yourself for bed.”
She quickly changed into her nightgown and set aside what she’d worn that day, so she could wash it along with his remaining clothes. Normally, she’d wait longer, but they’d worn them too many times for that.
She was sitting on the bed, brushing her hair when he returned. He’d seen it down only once, and it had been very dirty. Now he’d see how long and shiny it was.
He sat beside her on the bed and took the brush from her, running it through her hair. “Your hair is so soft and beautiful. Perhaps you’d consider wearing it down more often.”
“I’d love to,” she said softly. “But it’s much more practical to wear it up.”
“Well, I hope you’ll leave it free tonight. I like the idea of feeling it against me.” His voice was much deeper than she’d heard it, and it made her shiver a bit. “Are you cold?”
“No. I shivered at your voice. I like it when you touch me.”
He carefully set the brush on the trunk at the foot of the bed before returning to sit beside her. When she offered her lips, he didn’t hesitate to kiss her, his hands roaming over her body. “You’re beautiful,” he said softly.
“I’m so glad you think so,” she said, pulling his head down for another kiss.
It wasn’t long before they were undressed and entwined on the bed. When he made her his, she gasped at the feeling of fullness.
When she climaxed, she thought to herself, This is it. This is the beginning of my happily ever after.