A New Beginning (3 page)

She quickened her step and soon found herself standing in front of the old Garrison mansion, wondering what on earth she would do if this was also a rejection. There was no money left for train tickets or to secure a position with a wagon train, and she would not ever,
ever
take a job in a saloon. Mr. Brody would simply have to hire her. Now she hoped he’d see it the same way.

Chapter Three

Adam turned sideways to maneuver his armload out through the door. Once in the yard, he threw the old pieces of wood on top of the stack he’d been creating all morning and turned to go back inside, but his attention was arrested by a young lady standing near the gate, staring up at the mansion as though trying to decide if she should stay or go.

“May I help you?” Adam asked, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping his hands as he walked toward her. She turned at the sound of his voice, and he nearly missed a step when he saw her face. Her features were certainly pleasing, and her hair was a pretty shade of brown, but what caught him off guard were her eyes. They were quite possibly the loveliest, most soulful eyes he’d ever seen.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, as though hesitant to speak. Then she took a deep breath. “I’m here to see Mr. Adam Brody about the advertisement in the newspaper.”

“Yes, yes, the advertisement. Tell me a bit about yourself.”

She blinked. “I’m sorry. Are
you
Mr. Brody?”

He wondered at the surprise in her voice until he looked down and noticed how filthy he’d become while working. In his coarse pants and simple shirt, he certainly didn’t look like a businessman, and he didn’t blame her for the misunderstanding. “I
am
Adam Brody, but today, I’m also the carpenter, the repairman, and at least two of the maids. How may I help you?”

She gave a merry laugh. “You do have your hands full with this new enterprise, Mr. Brody.”

“Indeed I do, which is why I’m so glad that you responded to my advertisement. What is your name?”

“I’m Elizabeth Caldwell. Do you still have positions available, then?”

Mr. Brody gestured up at the large house. “All the positions are available, except for that of the head housekeeper. My aunt is filling that role quite nicely. What are your skills, Miss Caldwell?”

“I’m an excellent housekeeper, I worked some as a cook, and I’ve even been known to haul a bit of wood from time to time,” she said, nodding at the growing pile of debris in the yard.

Adam looked her over again, more objectively this time. He purposely avoided her eyes. If he gazed into them again, he’d never be able to conduct this business properly. She was small, but he detected underlying strength, both in her stamina and her character. “How old are you, Miss Caldwell?”

“I’ll be twenty this fall, sir.”

“Would you be available to start work tomorrow morning? The kitchen is in sorry shape, and my aunt will have my head if she’s not able to prepare a decent meal in there by tomorrow night’s supper.” He chuckled. “The food won’t actually be delivered then, but she wants the
ability
to cook.”

Miss Caldwell laughed again, and he found himself enjoying the sound even more. “What time would you like me here?” she asked.

“Eight o’clock sharp.”

She nodded. “That’s very agreeable to me. Thank you for this opportunity, Mr. Brody.”

“Thank you for coming to inquire. I was beginning to wonder if anyone ever would.”

She seemed to be debating whether or not to speak again. “If I might make a suggestion, sir—you could try placing your advertisement in papers farther east as well. I’m from New York, and you can hardly take two steps without hearing some young lady or another speak of leaving the city and striking out on her own. You might have some success that way.”

Adam thought about that for a moment. He hadn’t even considered that a lady would travel all that way just to work a less-than-elegant job in a very dusty town. “Would they do that for a scant fourteen dollars a month? It hardly seems worth the effort.”

Miss Caldwell gave a little cough. “I’m sorry. Did you say fourteen dollars a month?”

“Yes. I’m sorry—I neglected to mention the wage to you before. That, of course, includes room and board.”

She coughed again, and this time, it seemed that she was having trouble controlling it. Her eyes began to water—those beautiful eyes—and she brought her handkerchief to her lips. Adam felt helpless to do anything for her. He considered pounding her on the back, but he somehow didn’t think he should, and he didn’t have a clean glass to offer her a drink. He’d just been cupping water in his hands from the pump.

“I apologize, Miss Caldwell. Is the wage unfair? I thought it rather reasonable after I compared it to others being offered in the newspaper.”

She finally managed to get control of her breath. “No, no, the wage is more than reasonable. I simply swallowed wrong.” She smiled as though to convince him. “I won’t be needing a room, however. I live in a small house not far from here with my mother.”

“Then I shall make your wage fifteen dollars a month plus board.”

She gave a slight curtsy. He found that so utterly charming, he almost didn’t hear her when she said, “Thank you, Mr. Brody. I’ll see you in the morning.”

His eyes lingered on her as she scurried down the street, the skirt of her dark blue dress moving to and fro like a bell with each step. He stood there for perhaps a moment too long and only turned his gaze when Caroline walked up to him.

“I saw her through the upstairs window. She seems like a nice girl,” his aunt said.

“I believe she is,” Adam replied. “Her name is Elizabeth Caldwell. She’s well spoken, tidy, and she didn’t indicate being afraid of hard work.” He wouldn’t mention her eyes or her laugh. Caroline probably wouldn’t consider those necessary attributes in a maid.

“Well, that’s good,” Caroline said. “I’ve been pulling down draperies to be washed in every room of the upper floor, and with the sunlight streaming in, it’s now plainly obvious how much work there really is to be done. Are you still set on opening in a month’s time?”

“If we’re going to start bringing in a solid profit before our year is up, we must get started now,” Adam said. “I’ve asked Miss Caldwell to be here at eight in the morning. I imagine things will speed up with her help. By the way, she says she’s from New York. Do you know of her family?”

Caroline looked thoughtful. “I do know some Caldwells, but her face didn’t seem familiar. I’m sure we’ve never met.”

“That will change tomorrow, and hopefully, you’ll be good friends.” Adam followed Caroline back up the steps and into the hotel, pausing for a moment to look back in the direction where Miss Caldwell had gone. Suddenly he looked forward to tomorrow like he hadn’t anticipated anything in a very long time.

Chapter Four

It was all Elizabeth could do not to break into a run as she made her way home, but that would hardly be appropriate. The men who were already looking would be certain to think things they shouldn’t. She kept her pace moderate, but her heart pounded as though she’d run the distance anyway.

She opened the cabin door quietly lest Rose was asleep and found her baby contentedly nestled in Agatha’s arms by the fire.

“Mother, I got a job,” she said, pulling off her hat and hanging it up. “I went by the hotel listed in the advertisement, and Mr. Brody hired me practically on the spot.”

“What about your telegrams? Did you get any replies?” Agatha asked.

Elizabeth reached out and stroked her baby’s cheek while she contemplated her answer. It seemed cruel to tell her mother what all the response contained. Agatha had already endured much because of her daughter’s situation, and Elizabeth saw no need to add to that burden. “It seems the people of New York aren’t hiring governesses this season,” she said lightly. “I considered my options and decided to pay a call on Mr. Brody.”

“What sort of man is he?” Agatha adjusted the child on her lap and then fixed bright eyes on her daughter.

“He’s tall, blond, rather good-looking, kind and yet businesslike,” Elizabeth said. Just as she was withholding the contents of the telegram, she thought it best if she also withheld the way Mr. Brody’s smile made her insides melt. She’d fallen for a handsome smile before, and now she was paying the price. “He has great dreams for his hotel, and he seemed very pleased to employ me.”

“And what did you tell him about your circumstances?”

Elizabeth ladled herself a drink from the bucket by the door. “He didn’t ask for my particulars, and I didn’t offer them,” she said after her last swallow. “He knows my age and that I live with my mother.”

“He just assumes you’re an appropriate choice, then?”

“I’m not an
inappropriate
choice, Mother. I simply have more duties and responsibilities than the other girls will have. And the best part of all? He’s going to pay fifteen dollars a month, plus meals. Think of it! That’s more than we’ve had for a very long time. I’m afraid I choked when he told me, it was such a surprise.”

Agatha rocked slowly, the blades of the chair making a soft sound against the floor. “I encouraged you this morning, but now I’m having misgivings. Do you feel confident this is the right decision?”

“I honestly don’t know, but I do believe that for this moment, it’s the only choice. You can’t support us—your health is too poor. It’s up to me, and this is work I can do. Let’s give it a try, Mother. If he finds me out, all he can do is send me away, and we’ll be no worse off than we are now.”

Rose started to fuss, and Elizabeth bent down and picked her up. Someone must be hungry. “Oh, no,” she said in realization, turning back to her mother. “What am I to do about Rose’s mealtimes?”

Agatha’s eyes went wide. “Perhaps you could take a few breaks during the day,” she ventured.

“I wish I’d thought of this before.” Elizabeth sat down, unbuttoned her top, and began to feed her baby. “We can’t afford to buy her milk—at least, not until I receive my pay.” Her head spun. How could she have forgotten this, her baby’s most basic need? Once again, her feelings of inadequacy overwhelmed her. She had to figure a way out of this.

“We’ll make it work,” Agatha said, seeming to read her daughter’s mind. “Why don’t I see what we have for supper while you take care of that wee one’s meal? Ideas will come. I have no doubt.”

Elizabeth knew what they had for supper—precious little, with no prospects of getting more. If she took this job, not only would she be paid generously, but she would be eating away from home, leaving more food at the cottage for her mother. She would just have to find a way to work things out with Mr. Brody. He seemed like a reasonable man.

Without bidding, his smile flashed before her eyes, and she felt her cheeks heat. To think she had mistaken him for a laborer. She should have known from the way he walked and held his shoulders that he was a man of good breeding. She shook her head, surprised at herself.
She
was of good breeding, and now look at her—she would be working as a maid in a hotel. That was hardly the future she’d pictured for herself when she daydreamed as a girl.

A short time later, Rose was fed, burped, and changed. Her eyes grew heavy, and she gave a tiny yawn with her rosebud lips—those lips which had inspired her name. She was so delightfully pink and dainty and beautiful. Elizabeth felt her soul expand every time she looked at her daughter. It was as though this child had been sent to be a balm for her shattered soul. She cradled her daughter to her chest and rubbed her nose against the soft fuzz on her head. All too soon, her infancy would pass, and all Elizabeth would have then would be memories.

She laid Rose down in the cradle and then slipped outside and closed the door behind her. The night air was fresh and cool, a welcome change from the dusty humidity that had seemed to mark every day since they arrived.

Surely Mr. Brody would hear what she had to say. Of course, he had a business to run, and if he were to turn her down, she would have to accept it. She could hope, however, and she could wish upon a star, which she did. It was time for things to go right. Rose deserved it. Her mother deserved it.

Elizabeth deserved it too. She’d spent far too long living in fear, listening for her husband’s footstep and wondering if he would be drunk or sober when he arrived, wondering if he would be kind or angry, knowing all too well how quickly his moods could change. What would it be like to marry a man who adored her, who wanted her happiness more than his own, who would listen to her talk and take their children for pony rides and make her heart pound? She sighed as she turned to go back inside. If her past would keep her from finding a good job, it would certainly keep her from finding a good man.

Chapter Five

Two cups of coffee hadn’t made it any easier for Adam to wake up that morning. He’d spent half the night mulling over ideas for the hotel, and the other half haunted by a pair of eyes that seemed to pierce his very soul. Neither thing lent to a peaceful night’s sleep. Now, dressed in another set of coarse clothing, he stood in the center of the kitchen, trying to determine where to begin.

“This will be a good work space once it’s clean,” Caroline said, surveying the long countertop. “I simply can’t understand, however, how someone could go off and abandon an entire property. Vagrants and vandals certainly had their fun before the marshal boarded up the place.”

“Let’s start by pulling out the table and emptying the cupboards,” Adam said. “After those things are out of the way, a good scrubbing is in order. Then we’ll see what we’re left with.”

“I believe there are some boxes out back,” Caroline said. “I’ll fetch them to hold the cupboard items.”

Adam picked up the end of the long table that ran the length of the kitchen and had just taken two steps toward the door when he heard a voice behind him. “Good morning, Mr. Brody.”