9. The Marriage
The train was scheduled to arrive at the station by midday, two days after the attempted train robbery. None of the other passengers had paid any attention to her. They’d all kept their distance after the events of that night.
The last two days had allowed her to focus on memorizing the diary that she found and to practice talking as the old Theresa did. It was so strange to hear someone else’s voice come out of her mouth, but thankfully the more she practiced, the easier it became.
All morning Theresa bustled around her cabin, locating all of her belongings from the small closet and drawers. Her reflection had caused her to pause as she took in her new features. Theresa’s beauty was also going to take some getting used to.
Things are about to become great for me.
I can feel it in my bones. A wealthy husband.
A life of luxury. All of it, calling my name, she thought as she finished stacking the last suitcase onto the pile near the door.
The purple dress was packed away despite her desire to wear it off the train.
Her waist was now smaller, and the dress would require alterations.
Alterations that would be completed by someone else, she thought, much to her chagrin. I need to get used to people doing things for me from now on.
The train huffed to a stop, and a young man in a red jacket appeared at her door.
“I am here for your bags, miss.” He gave her a small bow and went to work collecting her suitcases. When she boarded the train she had only one suitcase. Now, there was a pile in the corner.
“Thank you,” she said politely as he worked. When his arms were loaded he turned to her.
“I’ll come fetch the rest once I offload these onto the platform.
She nodded and led the way down the hallway and to the door leading out to the train platform.
She paused for a moment to watch as reunited family and friends embraced each other.
The sun was high, and it felt like it had been months since she had felt the sun on her skin.
Of course, I have never felt the sun on this skin before, she thought, as she stepped off the train and into the crowd. Her head buzzed with excitement as men tipped their hats at her, and wealthy women smiled politely at her. Some faces showed signs of recognition.
I need to avoid anyone who might know me. For now, I just need to focus on getting to my new home. Who was it that was supposed to collect me from the train station?
Her eyes scanned the crowd, looking for who was collecting her.
A man near the ticket counter gazed deeply at her.
For a moment, she thought he might be someone from her household but then his eyes dragged down the length of her body and lingered on her neck longer than she appreciated.
Her hand reached for her collar, pulled it up higher and looked away from the man.
More and more people entered the platform. No one came to greet her and the excitement slowly turned to panic as she tried to remember what was said in conversation.
Who would be the one to come? Bruce? Camille? Her mind raced as she pulled out the diary and found her scribbled notes quickly. After a refresh, she continued her mantra to calm her nerves.
I’m Theresa Sanderfelt. Abigail’s gone. I’m Theresa Sanderfelt. Abigail’s gone. She was lost in her own thoughts when she realized someone was waving in her direction, and she vaguely heard her name being called.
“Miss Sanderfelt!” An older gentleman called again, more clearly this time.
That’s me! She waved back to him, and she reached for her suitcases, but her hands met someone wearing white gloves. They were attached to a platform attendant in a gray and red uniform.
“Allow me, miss.” Theresa nodded and offered a polite smile as she walked toward the suited man waving at her. A covered carriage waited.
“So good to have you home, Miss Sanderfelt.” He smiled at her as she arrived next to the carriage.
Thanks to her diary, she felt confident that this man was the head housekeeper, Bruce.
He had a full head of white hair and barely-visible smile lines.
His tan suit looked freshly pressed with crisp lines down his pant legs.
“Hello, Bruce. Thank you for the warm welcome. I am happy to be home as well,” Theresa replied warmly and smiled at him. Her suitcases were loaded quickly into the back of the carriage.
Bruce offered his hand to help Theresa into the carriage. She took it and climbed inside. The interior was the most beautiful carriage she had ever seen. In Buffalo, there was some wealth, but she had lived on the societal outskirts as she had belonged to a low-class family.
Next to her in the seat, was a basket with a blue floral fabric on top.
Bruce climbed in behind and sat opposite her.
Theresa lifted the fabric and saw an assortment of pastries, some still warm, some buttered, and a few that had some powdered sugar on top.
Her mouth watered, and she dropped the fabric to avoid temptation.
“Your father asked me to stop and get those for you. He remembered you are not a fan of the food the train serves and wanted you to be in an agreeable spirit upon your arrival.” Bruce said with a forced laugh.
“Well, that is kind of him to consider taming my behavior with a variety of delicious beignets.” She lifted the fabric from the basket, revealing all the goods as the aroma filled the carriage. “I would be cross with him for this trick if these didn’t smell so incredibly delectable.”
She reached for a pastry that had a fruit compote on top and took a bite. The pasty melted in her mouth and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. When she reopened her eyes Bruce was watching her with amusement in his eyes. She smiled back and offered the basket to Bruce.
He happily took a buttered scone for himself, and they ate together in silence as the carriage continued its journey.
Theresa did her best to look bored while she looked out the window and admired the sites of the city.
It was a struggle. New Orleans was more beautiful than she’d imagined from how it was described to her.
I cannot believe I live here. I am about to meet my new family, my fiancé, and start my new life. As much as she tried to act like the town was old news, she couldn’t keep the smile off her face.
She was able to identify several businesses and a couple of residences of friends. There was one in particular she was keen to keep an eye out for, her best friend, Margaret.
From the diary, it was clear Theresa spent most of her time at Margaret’s house. The description mentioned it was on the main road close to her own home.
Just then, a house came into view that looked like it fit the description.
Two stories with a whitewash finish and matching white columns adorned the upper and lower front porches.
The windows were decorated with seafoam green shutters.
The upper porch had a metal fence with an intricate design that wrapped its full length.
But it was the swing in the tree out front that indicated she had found Margaret’s house.
“Oh, I’m especially excited to see Margaret again!” Theresa exclaimed as they passed Margaret’s house. It was the first time she showed any emotion, and it seemed like the right action to take. Uncertainty coursed through her.
I wish I could just be myself. But this was my choice to take on a new life. I need to play the part perfectly. Bruce looked down and fidgeted with his buttons.
“Yes of course, Miss Sanderfelt. I am sure she is excited to see you again as well.” Bruce replied, the warmth gone from his response. Theresa moved from the window and sat back in the middle of her seat and took another pastry.
While she ate, she watched Bruce carefully and wondered why he’d responded the way he did.
I wasn’t told of any disagreements between old Theresa and Margaret. Maybe something happened during the summer. She continued to eat as she contemplated all the scenarios.
Once the basket was nearly empty of treats, the carriage came to a stop. Theresa looked out her window, and her mouth dropped open. She quickly recovered.
I live here! I cannot be in awe of the house, she reminded herself.
The carriage door opened, and a gloved hand allowed her to step down from the carriage with ease. She didn’t stop to worry about her luggage, knowing that Bruce would handle that.
The sun was bright and welcoming as it filtered its way through the large trees in the front yard.
The shadows reminded her of her time as Jane and when she had watched Abigail as a child playing in the shadows: the moment right before she had made her first switch.
She gulped and shook the memory from her head.
I need to remain focused on my current life.
The cobblestone path led to a large white house. Its front porch wrapped around the sides and disappeared from view. Bright green ivy climbed up from the ground, reaching all the way to the roof halfway across the front of the house and along the right side.
Once at the front door, she opened it without hesitation, as though she had walked through it countless times in the past.
Immediately inside, she noticed the hallway led to the back of the house. A staircase hugged the left wall of the hallway and led to rooms she was excited to explore.
There were two doors on either side. The one on the left led into a study, with a wood desk made from a material she hadn’t seen before, and the wall behind it was lined with books, more books than she had seen in all her lifetimes.
The door to the right led to a parlor, already filled with several people.
She closed the door behind her and made her way to the parlor. The sound of the door closing alerted everyone in the parlor to turn and look in her direction.