Restless Hearts (7 page)

“She looks ready to me, but she seems to think it will be another few weeks.”

“I suppose time will tell. You said her husband’s a miner?”

Sarah nodded. “That’s what she said.”

Lucy gave a soft little snort of derision. “These young people,” she said. “Blinded by dreams of riches, and yet I’d wager most of them are barely scraping by. Oh, look. Her face lit up and she suddenly looked ten years younger. “There’s my Charlie, in that boat.” She waved gaily.

The man in the boat was as tall and lean as Lucy was short and round. He looked up at his wife, and even at a distance, Sarah could see the adoration in his eyes. She liked him on sight.

Lucy had come up with a practical solution to Sarah’s housing dilemma. Sarah would spend the first night at Lucy’s home, and Charlie would fill them in on what was available for rent. The plan had made sense at the time, but seeing the obvious affection between the couple, she worried about spoiling their reunion.

“Isn’t he handsome?” Lucy was almost giddy as the lighter bumped against the hull of the ship, and her husband started to climb the rope ladder. “And he’s a good man, too.”

Lucy ran to greet her husband and Sarah backed up a few steps, bumping into Jamie’s solid body. His hands braced her shoulders and lingered longer than necessary. He bent his head and whispered in her ear. “It’s nice to see a couple express their affection so openly.”

His hands slipped from her shoulders and she wanted to lean into him again... to feel his solid strength and support. It was just as well they’d arrived; there was no room in her plans for conflicted emotions... was there?

“Pioneer Merchant Bank, you said?” Charlie Davis shot a quick glance at Jamie and nodded vigorously. “Yes, I know them. Two fellows showed up, oh, a month or so ago and purchased a building on Montgomery, near Sacramento.”

Jamie leaned forward eagerly. “That’s excellent news. Is it a good location?”

“It had better be,” said Charlie with a twinkle in his eye. “I sold it to them.”

Jamie laughed. “Then you would know.”

The businessman turned serious. “What I also know is that if you’re smart, you buy what’s available as soon as you hear about it, assuming that it suits your purpose. If you wait... even as much as half a day... it will be gone.” He grinned, and for a moment he looked like a tall, gangly pirate. “Or you could wait until tomorrow, and pay twice the price. That’s the way things go around here.” He motioned for the driver to stop and pointed out a two-storey building. “That’s the place right there. Good luck, young man.” He held out his hand, and they shook. “Come and see me any time. My office is two blocks in the other direction.”

“Will do.” Jamie nodded to Lucy. “Goodbye, ma’am. It was a pleasure sailing with you.”

Lucy huffed. “It’s not as if we’re never going to see each other again. Now say goodbye to Sarah, and we’ll be on our way.”

“Goodbye, Jamie.” Sarah’s throat was suddenly tight. “Good luck.”

“Thank you, Sarah Howard.” A soft, intimate smile flitted across his face. “But this isn’t goodbye.” He held her gaze for one last, lingering moment, then walked away.

* * *

“Charlie, it’s perfect!” Lucy reached up and patted her husband on the cheek. “I love my new home.”

The two-storey structure overlooked the city from a hillside near Telegraph Hill. On the drive from the waterfront, Charlie had explained proudly how he had purchased two of the first shipment of pre-fabricated wooden houses imported from China, and had re-worked the plans to turn it into a two-storey dwelling.

“I’m glad you approve.” He stood in the kitchen, where he’d just opened the crate marked kitchen supplies. “And now, if you don’t mind, my love, I need to get back to the office.”

“Of course not. Sarah and I will unpack and tonight we’ll have our first family meal.”

Sarah couldn’t remember ever witnessing any signs of affection between her mother and father. Seeing Lucy and Charlie together made her feel like a voyeur, but in a good way. Would she ever feel that kind of happiness? Her thoughts drifted to Jamie, and she was overcome with a longing so intense it took her breath away. Maybe one day, when she was established and could meet him as an equal. The idea gave her strength, and she set about unpacking the crate with a faint smile on her face.

Lucy lingered at the door, saying goodbye to Charlie, then came into the kitchen and watched for a moment. “You’re smiling. I suppose you’re thinking about that young man of yours.”

“He’s not my young man.”

“Nonsense.”

Sarah gave in. “I suppose I
was
thinking about Jamie.” She unpacked a teapot and fished around in the excelsior for the lid. “I couldn’t help but notice how well you and Charlie get along, and I was hoping that I experience something similar one day.”

“You mean with Jamie, of course.”

Sarah nodded. “I got to know him fairly well during the past four months.”

Lucy wrapped an apron around her ample waist. Sarah had no idea where it had come from, but she’d stopped being surprised by Lucy a long time ago. “What’s holding you back?” the older woman asked, her tone mild.

“I don’t know.” Sarah kept her head lowered. Lucy was far too intuitive.

“Nonsense.” There was that word again. “Of course you know. Your father trampled on your dreams of becoming a doctor and you’re determined not to let a man take control of your life again.”

Sarah acknowledged her friend’s words with a wry smile. “I hadn’t thought about it quite like that, but you could be right.”

Lucy remained quiet.

Sarah continued. “Yes, I think perhaps you
are
right. It’s something I have to do.” She paused and ran her fingers over the pattern on a large serving dish.

Lucy watched her, one hand braced on the edge of the packing crate. “It’s not an either or proposition, you know.”

“What do you mean?”

“Being independent and loving a man.” Lucy nodded to herself. “Find the right man, and you can do both. Not every man wants to control his woman.” She ducked her head. “All right, most of them do, but not all. I can’t offer any guarantees, but I think Jamie is one of those men who admire independence in a woman.” She paused for a moment. “And you think so too, or you wouldn’t care for him. It’s something most women know instinctively. Mind you, some gravitate toward the wrong man every time, but you’re not one of them, in the same way that Jamie isn’t one of those men.”

“Wow. You’ve really thought this out.”

Lucy softened her tone. “I’ve had a few more years of experience than you, Sarah. I’ve come to realize that we women spend too much of our lives, and expend too much energy pleasing other people. We need to learn to please ourselves somewhere in the mix, or we become empty shells.”

Sarah gave a nervous little laugh. “I didn’t know you were a philosopher.”

Lucy accepted the comment with her usual good humor. “Not a philosopher, my dear. A woman who’s a keen observer of human nature.”

Sarah stopped working, and looked affectionately at the other woman. “I’m glad you’re my friend, Lucy Davis. I wish you could meet my mother. You’d like her.”

“I’m sure I would.” Lucy dabbed at her eye with a corner of her apron. “Something in my eye,” she said, her voice suddenly husky. “Come on, let’s get this crate unpacked and then we’ll see what we can round up for supper.”

As items were unpacked, Sarah became aware of the immense amount of planning Lucy must have put into her packing. Everything that was necessary to start a household was carefully tucked into the crate. As though to confirm Sarah’s opinion, the last item in the crate was a broom. Sarah chuckled.

“Why are you laughing?” Lucy was re-arranging her spice cans.

“I’m laughing at your organizational skills.” She glanced at the kitchen floor. “You knew that by the time you finished unpacking, the floor would be littered. I’m impressed.”

Lucy blushed. “Thank you, my dear. I put a lot of thought into it.”

“Well, it’s paid off.” The room had been transformed into a functioning kitchen that contained everything necessary to produce a meal.

Lucy examined the scant foodstuffs Charlie had purchased in anticipation of his wife’s arrival. “Hmmm,” she said. “There seems to be plenty of canned beef, and a few carrots and onions, but not much else is fresh.” She produced a loaf of bread from her carpetbag. “Levi sent me off with this loaf from the ship. Why don’t we make a stew with whatever we can find, and use the bread?” She walked into the living area and looked out over the city. “One of my first priorities will be to learn where to buy fresh food.” She turned to Sarah. “But I’m ready for the challenge. What about you?”

Nervous laughter bubbled up into Sarah’s throat. “I don’t have much choice.” She gave her head a bewildered shake. “You know, I scarcely remember anything about the drive here. Going through town, with all those people. Everybody seemed to be rushing somewhere, and many of them looked like they hadn’t washed their clothes in months.”

“I’ve heard that it can be cheaper to buy a new shirt than pay to get one washed. And that some men send their shirts to China to be laundered, because they can’t afford the local prices.”

Sarah watched for a sign of her friend’s quirky sense of humor. “Are you making that up?”

“No, it’s true. This is a place of extremes.”

“I’m beginning to see that, and I’ve been here less than a day. I hope Charlie can give me some advice tonight about where to live.”

* * *

Charlie Davis patted his stomach and looked from Sarah to his wife. “Thank you, ladies. I’d almost forgotten what a good home-cooked meal tastes like.”

Lucy gave one of her small snorts. “I’ll cook you a proper meal when I learn where to buy food.”

Charlie sighed. “It’s nothing like shopping in Boston. You learn to be aware of what comes in on the ships and if it’s something you use, buy a good supply. As you could see in the pantry, most things are canned or dried, but people seem to make do.”

Lucy frowned. “What about fresh vegetables? I realize that it’s late in the year, but surely fresh vegetables are available in season.”

Charlie shook his head. “Not a lot, but a few things are brought in from the Sacramento area. Plus, some of our fruits and vegetables are brought up on ships from Chile.” He warmed to his subject. “Potatoes, for example. I heard of a man paying half an ounce for a baked potato.”

“Half an ounce of gold? That’s...” Lucy lifted her hands. “How much?”

“Eight dollars.”

Lucy’s jaw dropped open. It wasn’t often that the woman was nonplussed, and Sarah hid her smile. “That’s preposterous! What about the local farmers?”

“My dear, this place was sparsely populated before the gold-seekers arrived. It was Mexican territory until two years ago, and Mexican cuisine doesn’t feature a lot of potatoes.”

“What about the...” She turned to Sarah and fluttered a hand in the air. “...what did Jamie call it... a rancho? What about the ranchos?”

Charlie shrugged. “They grow for their own use, and they sell to the miners up on the American, but not much gets sent down here.”

Sarah leaned forward. “The American?”

“Yes. The American River.”

She tried to absorb this new information, but it was as though she had stepped into a different time and place, where nothing was familiar. In a way, she supposed she had. She looked into the distance, processing what Charlie had said. “And even if a man
could
make a profit growing potatoes, I would imagine that that the ones who came here to make their fortunes in the goldfields would feel they were admitting failure if they started to farm.”

“Precisely. And that goes for the forty-niners who are still arriving, even though the easy pickings of the early days are a thing of the past.” He lit an after-dinner cigar.

“A few have already given up.” His head was wreathed in cigar smoke. “And once they realize that they aren’t going to get rich, too many of them drink or gamble away any remaining gold they have. Then, of course, they can’t afford to pay for passage back home... that is if they can find a ship.”

“Couldn’t they offer to work as crewmen? I hear that many of the ships can’t leave because there aren’t enough men to sail them.”

Charlie shot her an appreciative look. “That’s true, but they know nothing about sailing, and it can be dangerous. Most captains want experienced hands going around the Cape.”

Lucy shuddered. “I can understand why.” She rose. “I’ll get the teapot. Charlie, why don’t you fill Sarah in on the housing situation.”

“Ah, yes.” A small frown took up residence between his brows as he studied Sarah. “What had you thought you would do to support yourself?” He glanced at her ring. “Or are you recently widowed, and haven’t thought that far ahead?”

Sarah twisted her mother’s ring. “I was never married, Charlie. But posing as a married woman seemed like a good idea, until Lucy pointed out that there was actually no man at the end of the voyage to meet me. So I became a widow.”

“I see.” He grew thoughtful.

Sarah hurried on, lest he get the wrong impression. She edged forward on her chair. “I’m not afraid to work. As a matter of fact, I’ve always wanted to prove myself.” She gave a self-conscious laugh. “Lucy helped me to realize that. I worked alongside my father, who’s a knowledgeable physician, but I’m not a licensed physician. Even so, I know a lot about medicine, and I would feel confident offering my services in non-life threatening situations.”

Charlie looked around, as though afraid someone might hear him, then tapped the ash from his cigar. “Probably do a damned sight better than a lot of the charlatans who hang out a shingle and call themselves doctors. There’s no system in place to check their credentials.” He puffed furiously. “And the hospital! Those who can pay are placed on the top floor, but I’ve heard that even up there it smells like a cesspool. The lower floors, where the indigent people are cared for is a disgrace.” He stopped and caught his breath.

Lucy bustled into the room. “Charlie, you’ll scare the poor girl half to death with talk like that.”

“No, I’m fascinated.”

Lucy brushed aside Sarah’s words. “Be that as it may, we need to discuss finding somewhere for Sarah to live.” She turned her attention to her husband. “What about a boarding house?”

“No. Definitely not.” He sat back in his chair and puffed on his cigar. Sarah found that she was almost breathless as she waited to hear what he would say.

“There are very few women here,” he started. “When you go out, you’ll discover that women here are revered. Even the soiled doves are treated with respect when they venture out during the day.” He let out a discreet cough.