Chapter 6
JESSICA
I let out a grateful breath when I finally hear the door open and close, running to the lavatory to pee, as I’ve been holding it for an hour trying to wait him out.
After cleaning myself up, I step over to the basin and splash some cold water on my face.
Finding a soft towel, I wipe the sleep off, only to find a stranger staring at me in the mirror.
The girl looking back at me has dark rings under her eyes and uncertainty on her face.
I quickly unbraid my hair, run my fingers through it, then redo the braid before wrapping it up in a bun.
Taking a deep breath, I straighten up and head back out, determined not to let the unknown get to me.
I have spent the entire night questioning the choices I have made in the last few days.
Pulling out my only other dress, I quickly slide off my nightgown and dress in a hurry, constantly listening for the door to reopen.
Once I smooth down my skirts and make sure my shirt is tucked in correctly, I pull the curtain open and start straightening the car.
I am just tucking the blankets in on his bed when I hear the door slide open.
“What in the blazes of hell are you doing?!”
Shocked at his outburst, I respond before thinking about it. “Cleaning … I do believe that’s my job.”
“No, it isn’t! It’s for the staff on this train to attend to our rooms daily.”
“Why bother them when I am perfectly capable?”
“Because wives of men with money don’t clean their own rooms, especially when I paid extra to have that done for me.”
The entire time he has been talking, I have not stopped working on the covers. I hear a sigh before he grabs my arm, gently pulling me away from the bed.
“Jessica, I know it’s damn near impossible to change who you are overnight. Especially since you have been trained to work all the time, this is something others will notice. You can’t act like a maid even though I understand why you think you need to.”
I pull away, crossing my arms defensively. “What am I supposed to do all day then? Sit here and look at the walls? By the end of the week, I’ll go stir crazy.”
“Read a book, sew … I don’t know … there must be something you enjoy doing in your spare time.”
“I have spent the last nine years of my life working from sunup to sundown, and you want to know what I do in my spare time?” I can feel my ears turning red as I fight my own temper.
“You said you could read and write.”
“Yes.”
“Do you not have a favorite book, or someone you would like to send a letter to?”
“No, to both.”
“Well then, come with me. I need to make a list of what we’ll need when we finally get to Promontory, and I could use your help.”
“You don’t need my help; you’re just trying to give me something to do.”
“Yes, all problems solved.”
As he starts to open the door, I reach out and grab his arm, stopping him. “You know, it would be best if I stayed here.”
“No, you need to eat as much as I do. I am not going to let you hide in here like some sort of criminal.”
“Why won’t you listen to reason, Reggie?”
“JeSSSica … I am not being the hard-headed one at the moment. Food is in this direction, as it’s normally served buffet-style for breakfast, so they won’t bring it to the room even if we ask.
Anyway, I have a stationery set in one of my bags in the back that we can grab after we eat.
The day is going to warm up quickly, and if we could stop standing here arguing over nothing, we just might be able to get one of the seats in the passenger train with an open window after we eat to spend the day.
Have you ever seen this part of the country? ”
“No.”
“Then there’s another reason for us to hurry. We can grab a plate, eat, and then find a place to spend the day.”
I can’t help but glance at his fine clothes and then back at my own drab brown dress.
My station in life has never bothered me before, but for a moment I allow myself the dream that I am getting ready to step out into that hall with my head held high, while expensive material sweeps around my legs.
A woman worthy of standing beside him instead of a maid pretending to be something she is not.
Reggie opens the door and motions for me to go on. As I step past him, I jerk when his large hand lands on my lower back. He leans down, and I feel his breath against my ear. “You are acting like an untouched virgin, and that’s odd for a married woman.”
I turn quickly, my chest practically touching his. “If you would keep your hands to yourself, I would not react at all,” I whisper so that no one in the hall can hear me.
“I am a happily married man and being such, I would touch my wife as much as possible. Especially when we are aboard something as unsteady as this train moving under our feet. Now, smile and call me dear like you mean it.”
“Yes, DEAR.”
I grip the material on my skirt only to keep from smacking that smirk off his way-too-handsome face.
With no other option than to walk forward, he reaches around me to open the door so that we can pass into the next car, and I hesitate to go forward when I see the tracks moving quickly beneath us.
Unconsciously, I step back only to be encompassed by the heat of his chest as his hands find the top of my hips.
“Don’t look down, focus on the door in front of you, and simply walk across the grating. What happened to all that fire that was directed at me just a second ago? That woman isn’t afraid of anything.”
“I’ve never been on a train before; it’s a little unsettling. I feel like I’m constantly losing my footing.”
“First step is always the hardest, Jess. And you need to stop worrying. I take care of my own, and I will always be here to catch you.”
His words seem to echo through my mind and for some reason, I don’t recall him moving me steadily forward until we are in the next car.
“See, that wasn’t so hard; all you needed was a little distraction.”
“How many more of these do we have to pass through?”
“Only two more. There are several dining cars on this particular train, and I reserved a morning table in the closest one for all of us. The men should also be joining us. I made those arrangements before I knew about you, but now I may have to reconsider that move as it’s not appropriate for you to be at the same table with so many men. ”
“Mr. Kerns, I have worked with those men for the last three years, we have eaten practically every meal together, so I have no problem with continuing on in the same manner.”
“I know you don’t Jessica, but I am sure when we show up to dinner later, someone will comment on the fact that we were dining with the hired help.”
“I thought you said these people’s opinions didn’t matter.”
“Well, you’ve got me there.”
At the next door, several people are waiting to get through, so I set my sights on them as we walk across the grating that was placed between the cars.
I see Reggie glance down at a ticket in his hand before gently maneuvering me around a few who are standing in the hall.
He hands the ticket to the server, who motions us toward a table marked ‘reserved’.
“Sir, here is your table. I will escort the other gentlemen in your party this way when they announce themselves. You and the Missus are welcome to go ahead to the buffet; plates and silverware are located at the end.”
Before Reggie can say anything, I ask, “And your name is, sir?”
“I am sorry, ma’am. I should have announced myself. My name is George, and I will be the one attending to you here during the remainder of your trip.”
“Thank you, George. We appreciate you.”
The young man blushes before nodding his head and walking away. And I feel more than see Reggie’s eyes upon me as I head up to the bar, slightly amazed at the feast in front of us. I can feel his breath against the back of my head as he whispers.
“That was very nice of you.”
“People should be kinder in general to the ones who are taking care of their needs.”
“I do believe that was a direct hit, my dear. I will try to do better.”
“I was not directing that at you, but a simple thank-you goes a long way when it is seldom heard. Many times in my life, I wondered if I was simply invisible, as they acted like I was just an object to be bossed around.”
Grabbing my plate, I put my head down, waiting to be reprimanded for speaking so freely, only to be shocked by the next words out of Reggie’s mouth.
“We’ve had servants our entire lives, but Clifford has tanned my hide more than my parents when he caught me in mischief.
Judy has always been like a second mother to me, especially when I was sick.
I’ve never thought of them as anything other than my extended family.
I’ve actually been trying to get Judy to marry me for years and tried my best to convince her that I would starve out here without her.
In the end, even though she broke my heart by telling me no, I simply kissed her on the cheek while stealing the last of her cookies out of the jar on the counter. ”
All this time, Reggie has been filling his plate, and I’ve simply been standing here, staring at him as if it’s the first time I have ever seen him. Beneath all that shaggy hair and a beard that needs trimming is a man who seems to keep shocking me at every turn.
“Was Judy your main housekeeper?”
“No, she’s the cook, but she makes the best chocolate chip cookies in existence.
She packed me a batch before I left, and it’s taken every ounce of my willpower not to eat them all in one sitting.
I hate that we’ll all be so far from each other, even though my parents are moving a little closer, as they too, are leaving the port area for the rolling hills of Kentucky.
However, they were not going to move unless the staff agreed to go. ”
I am honestly shocked by his words, as I have never lived in a home like the one he describes.
“Really?”