Chapter 9
JESSICA
Every step I take, following the gentle sway of Victoria’s skirts in front of me, the more nervous I get.
At some point, I lose count of how many train cars we walk through.
Each one seems nicer than the last, but at least this time, I am not getting any stares, as I really do look like a maid following her mistress.
She pulls out a set of keys from a hidden pocket in her skirts, then opens the door to a car that seems different on the outside than the others.
“These are our personal cars; no one else has access to them unless we are accompanying them. Ty has our main two up here, but there are several in the back as well.”
Walking in behind her, I gasp. Never in all my years have I seen anything like this.
“Is all of this yours?”
“Yes, I have a slight shopping problem and I absolutely love pretty clothes, so if I see a style I like, I must have it. Because of this, Ty had this wardrobe train built specially to hold our clothes. That man spoils me terribly.”
“I’ll admit I’ve never even seen this abundance in a store.” I catch myself reaching out to touch a royal blue gown, only to jerk my hand back. When I look up, she is watching me.
“Have a seat, Jessica. Would you like something to drink?”
“Oh, no, I would never dream of bringing something in here that could damage anything.”
Stepping backward, I hear a deep growl and completely freeze. Glancing over my shoulder, I need to bite my lip to keep from screaming.
“Wrath love, come here, Jessica is no threat.”
A dog, unlike any I have ever seen, brushes past me and walks up to Victoria, pressing his head against her hip lovingly. She reaches down to pet him gently, only to laugh when she looks back up at me. “Wrath is a little bit scary because of his size, but for the most part, he is a big softy.”
“He is the largest dog I have ever seen.”
“It’s because he is not a dog. He is a wolf with a few extra genes. Wrath is also super protective and a little territorial. He is another reason for the private train cars. He doesn’t care much for strangers, and his uniqueness tends to scare most.”
She motions for him to go to what I am now noticing as a nice bed in the corner of the room. He leaves her side and promptly goes over to lie down, but he never takes his eyes off me.
“Relax Jessica, you are safe as long as one of us is in here with you. Wrath may growl and fuss a little as you are in his space, but you have nothing to worry about. Sit, I have a few things I no longer wear that I believe would look very favorable on you.”
“Please don’t go out of your way for me, Victoria. Anything you have in here is way too nice for the likes of me.”
She is in the process of pulling out several dresses, hanging them on a bar next to a dressing table, when she stops to look at me.
“Okay, that is the second time you have said that. Are you going to tell me why you keep referring to yourself in that manner? I promise I will think no differently of you, one way or another.”
I am torn on what to say, and finally, because I feel like I need to talk to someone, the words pour out.
“I didn’t lose my clothes; this is my dress. One of the only two I own.” When I glance up at her, she has a huge smile on her face, and oddly, that puts me at ease.
“Oh, please go on, I am intrigued now.”
“I’m his maid, or I am going to be.”
“Sweetheart, that might be your title, but that man didn’t look at you like you were part of his staff.”
“No, it’s true. My train ticket was fouled up, and the only way to get me on board was to say I was his wife.”
“Well, if that’s the case, you won the maid lottery, didn’t you? He is a fine-looking gentleman.”
“Mr. Kerns has been nothing but respectful, but he simply doesn’t understand the difference in our stations.
He keeps telling me to act like I belong, but all you need to see the truth of who I am is to simply look at our clothes.
Normally, no one, including him, actually notices me.
I’m only part of the background. That’s why I was trying to discourage you from befriending me.
If you want me to head back to my room, I’d understand completely. ”
“Thank you for your honesty, but no sweetie. I think what you need is a good transformation and the opportunity to make that man and everyone else see the beauty those plain clothes are hiding. Luckily for you, I have everything here to do just that. You remind me a lot of Eve, my sister-in-law. She too, was a meek little thing hiding behind plain clothes with her head down when I first met her. It’s amazing what a good man and a favorable wardrobe will do for one’s confidence.
Go over to the vanity and take that hair down, let me see what I am working with. ”
Hesitantly, I walk over and sit down while she lights the few glass lamps near the table. Pulling a few of the pins out, my hair falls out of the bun, and I start unbraiding it while watching her behind me in the mirror.
“It seems like you and your husband travel often?”
“We do in spurts. Tyberius gets what I call ‘itchy feet’ when we stay in one place for too long. He is always tinkering with something or looking for his next favorite spot. Ty tends to do everything to the extreme, but as long as he is happy, I am too.”
“Have you been married long?”
“It feels like centuries, but he is my rock in a world I would have no footing in if not for him. I will never have enough years to love him.”
“Do you have any children?”
She hesitates for a second. “Tyberius has a son from a previous wife whom he loves with all his heart. His name is DaR. Because of how close they are, I’ve never tried to replace him with another.
Thankfully, we do have a very close family, and I’ve had the joy of helping raise my niece, Katherine.
Normally, she would be here with us, but she wanted to stay in Paris for a new fashion show and is supposed to join us later in the year on the West Coast. How about you, any family? ”
“No, it’s just me. I have been alone for quite some time now.”
Glancing up at her in the mirror, I see her face saddened, and for a moment, she almost looks like a broken doll with scars all over her face. But when I blink again, she is once again perfect. Why am I seeing all these strange things around these two? I really must be overcome and extremely tired.
“How well do you know this, Mr. Kerns, you’re traveling with?”
“Not at all, actually. I worked for his cousin, Mr. Hayes. I was training to be his main housekeeper when he sold his home, and we were all given our termination.” I turn toward her as she looks through a drawer.
“Please don’t get me wrong. He gave us all referrals and money to get started again, but times are hard, and no one is hiring.
He had Reggie, I mean Mr. Kerns, finalized everything, and just as he was leaving, he told us we were welcome to come with him.
Well, here I am and I fear that I may have made a huge mistake.
Yes, at this moment, I am supposedly the wife of a well-to-do man, but what happens when I become the maid once again, and everyone sees the lie for what it is? ”
“You do have yourself in quite the pickle, sweetie, but the real question is, do you like him?”
“Well, I don’t really know him, but he seems to be a respectable man.”
“That is not what I am asking, and you know it.”
“Yes, he is beautiful in a wild animal sort of way, but I am also smart enough to understand that if I reach out to pet him, he might devour me.”
“On the other hand, he may decide you are his to protect and love you for life.”
“I can’t allow myself to even imagine that version. Things like that are for fairytales and dreamers. We are from two different worlds, and men like him don’t settle for girls like me.”
“The world you are heading to has no such rules, Jessica. And yes, marrying the maid may have caused rumors and a few issues where you all lived before, but that’s not an issue out West. Anyway, who knows you were a maid besides a rare few now?”
“Ummm, well, now that I think about it, just the three who came with us.”
“So, since the moment you set foot on this train, you’ve become another person?”
“Yes … I mean … I suppose.”
“What if I could make you the lady you always wanted to be? Would you pursue him … or chase another life if he proves not to be worthy of your affections?”
“I would love to tell you yes, but I fear I would always feel inadequate around others, especially Reggie, as he knows the truth.”
“The man I saw earlier was either an extremely good actor or he simply doesn’t care about your previous position.
If he hadn’t found you attractive, he would have found another way to get you on this train, Jessica.
I can promise you that. But let’s say he is that superficial and narrow-minded.
There are plenty of fish in the sea, and the moment the real you emerges from the cocoon you’ve been hiding in all your life, you are not the only one who will see it. ”
She stands up, looking straight at me, tilting her head like she is deep in thought. She sighs, then taps her finger on her chin.
“Where are you disembarking?”
“Promontory Branch, Utah. I think that’s what he said.”
“So, we have several days to make him see you as more than you were, and to give you some confidence to boot. Let’s get to work, then.
First, you’ll need to try a few of these on.
I do believe greens and darker colors will bring out your olive coloring the best, but I have a blue I think will make him lose his mind that should fit perfectly. ”
Completely confused by her kindness, the words come out before I can stop them.
“Please don’t take this wrong, but why are you helping me?”