Westward Hearts (29 page)

Elizabeth exchanged a quick glance with her mother. “I have extra clothes,” she said quickly. “You and I are about the same size, Jess.”

Jess looked alarmed. “I can’t take your clothes.”

“I have plenty of things,” Elizabeth assured her.

“And we have fabric,” Clara said quickly.

“I didn’t come here to beg for clothes,” Jess said as she stood.

“I know you didn’t,” Elizabeth assured her. “But we like you, Jess. We want to help. Won’t you let us?”

Jess looked as if she was about to cry again but trying not to.

“Come on,” Elizabeth insisted. “Come to my wagon. This will be fun.”

“But I—”

“Come on, it’s just like having a sister,” Elizabeth said quickly. “I always wanted a sister.”

Jess continued to protest, but Elizabeth led her to the wagon, and soon they were inside, where Elizabeth was peeling back the bedding and digging about until she found the crate marked “old clothes.” “I packed clothing that I thought might be useful in Oregon,” she explained. “Some of my late husband’s things for JT to grow into and some of my dresses that I thought I might alter for Ruth someday. I knew at the time I was over-packing, but I figured that clothing was lightweight—you know,” she laughed, “compared to pianos.” She pulled out a light-blue calico, holding it up to Jess. “This was a dress I wore before having children. I’ll bet it’ll fit you perfectly.” She pulled out a brown gingham. “And this one too.”

Jess was fingering the fabric, examining the seams. “These are nice dresses, Elizabeth.”

“I’d love to see them on you.” Elizabeth dug around to find some petticoats and camisoles and a few other things, including a split riding skirt with a tiny waist that fit her before having children. She thrust them all toward Jess. “Go ahead and put something on now. I need to go help my mother with dinner.”

“Are you sure?”

Elizabeth laughed. “I can’t wait to see how you look as a girl, Jess. Why don’t you wear the blue calico today?”

As she climbed out of the wagon, she saw Ruth standing on the ground with a perplexed expression. Matthew, JT, and Asa were standing behind her with a variety of emotions on their faces, everything from concern to shock.

“Ruth said that you took Jess into your wagon,” Asa said solemnly.

Elizabeth couldn’t help but giggle. “That’s true. I did.”

“But why?” demanded Matthew.

Elizabeth was suddenly reminded of Mr. Taylor’s sermon against the seven deadly sins. Was it likely that her own family suspected her of being guilty of some? Surely not. “JT and Ruth,” she said quietly, “come with me.” Then, casting her brother and father a stern look, she ushered her children around to the other side of her wagon.

“Can you keep a secret for a little while?” she whispered to them. With wide eyes, they both nodded. Then she quickly explained about how Jess was really a girl pretending to be a boy and how she’d been helping her with some girls’ clothes just now. To her relief, although they were surprised, both of her children seemed to simply take this news in stride. Now if only the adults would be as gracious. Fortunately, the men had the teams and livestock to tend to since they would be pulling out at noon.

“Remember, don’t tell yet,” she warned JT as he scurried off to his own chores. Then she and Ruth went back to help her mother, quietly replaying the scene with Matthew and Asa.

Clara laughed loudly. “Oh, my!”

With dinner well in hand and the table set, Elizabeth knew that the men would be coming to eat soon. “I’ll be right back,” she promised Clara. Then she slipped back to her wagon to check on Jess. To her relief, Jess was fully dressed in the blue calico, and it fit almost perfectly.

“Wonderful,” Elizabeth told her. “I thought you were about the same size as me—at least before I had children. Childbearing changes the figure some.” Elizabeth reached for a brush and helped to comb out Jess’ dark-brown hair. Long and wavy, the color of chestnuts, it was really quite lovely.

“It feels good to have my hair down again,” Jess admitted as she picked up her big brown hat and sighed.

“You look very pretty,” Elizabeth told her.

“Thank you.” Jess smiled shyly as she held out her hands. “Thank you for everything. I don’t even know how to thank you properly.”

“Seeing you like this is pretty good thanks.” Elizabeth was bundling up the other clothes now. “And I want you to take the rest of these with you.”

“Are you sure?”

She nodded. “And you can do one more thing to thank me, if you don’t mind.”

“What?”

“Let me introduce you to my father and brother.”

Jess giggled. “I heard them outside the wagon. They sounded rather perturbed.”

“They were very perturbed.”

Together they walked back to her parents’ wagon, where everyone was just sitting down to dinner. “I have someone I want you to meet,” Elizabeth announced. Everyone looked up, and although her mother and children were wide-eyed with bemusement, the men looked downright bewildered.

“This is Jessica Morris,” she told them. “Previously known to everyone as just Jess. And some of you probably assumed that Jess was a boy. But you were wrong about that. For as you can see, Jess is actually a lovely young woman.”

Now Asa and Matthew and even old Brady looked completely stunned. But after a long moment of startled silence, Asa started to laugh. And standing, he went over and clasped Jess’ hand. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Jessica.”

She nodded, smiling nervously.

Elizabeth handed her the bundle of clothes. “You’re welcome to join us for dinner if you—”

“No, thank you,” Jess said politely. “I should go find my aunt and the others.” She reached out and hugged Elizabeth. “Thank you so much!”

“Well, I’ll be,” Asa said as he sat back down. “I never saw that one coming. Not at all.”

Matthew shook his head in wonder. “So that’s why Jess was so quiet all this time, keeping to himself. I mean to herself.”

“She’s real pretty, isn’t she?” Ruth said pleasantly.

“She surely is,” Clara answered. Elizabeth saw Matthew nodding with a hard-to-read expression. But unless she was mistaken, she thought that Jess might have just turned her brother’s head. Of course, this reminded her of Violet and how she’d broken his heart. But if ever two women were completely unalike, it was Violet and Jess. As different as night and day. Perhaps that would be a good thing.

After dinner, Elizabeth asked Ruth to go over and invite Jess to ride with them in the afternoon. “Since she’s wearing that dress,” she told Ruth. “It’s not really suited for riding.”

Ruth was happy to oblige and returned shortly with Jess and her horse in tow. “It might be interesting to ride in a wagon for a change,” she told them as she tied her horse up to the back. Meanwhile JT had opted to ride Molly.

“Do you know how to drive a team?” Elizabeth asked as they climbed up into the seat.

“Ruby’s been wanting me to learn, but I haven’t even tried it yet.”

“Well, then it’s probably high time you did.” Then feeling almost like she’d gained a sister, Elizabeth released the brakes and snapped the reins, and the wagon eased ahead, directly into the Nebraska sunshine.

T
he next week passed somewhat peacefully with mild springlike weather, and the wagon train made good progress along the trail. Rumor had it that Gertie Muller was ailing from a cold she’d gotten during the rainy week. And although Elizabeth and her family were praying for Gertie’s recovery, they did enjoy this quiet reprieve. Jess enjoyed it too, and thankfully, after everyone got over the initial surprise regarding her identity, no one seemed much concerned.

Not only were they unconcerned, but Jeremiah Bramford, Will’s son, seemed to have taken an interest in Jess. “Jeremiah wants to know when you folks are going to have another party with music and dancing,” Belinda told Elizabeth as several of the women and girls walked together alongside the wagon on Saturday afternoon.

Elizabeth shrugged. “I don’t know of any birthdays coming up.”

“Augustus has a birthday next week,” Lavinia said without enthusiasm. Augustus was her youngest son, just a bit older than JT.

“Let’s have a party for Augustus,” Belinda suggested.

“Yes!” Evelyn agreed. “But instead of waiting for next week, when everyone will be worn out and want to go to bed early, let’s have a party tonight!”

And just like that, the girls were suddenly planning another birthday party. The Bostonian girls promised to handle everything. And Ruth even suggested that her grandma might help them bake a cake. “But you’ll have to do most of the work,” she said sternly. “So you can learn how it’s done and do it for yourself the next time.”

“And we’ll invite everyone in our unit to come,” Amelia said eagerly.

“Let’s go start inviting them right now,” Evelyn suggested.

“Can I go too?” Ruth asked hopefully.

“It’s all right with me,” Belinda said as she took Ruth’s hand. Elizabeth simply smiled and waved to her daughter, and just like a small flock of birds, the girls flitted away, chirping and running back and forth to all the wagons, inviting everyone to the evening celebration.

“Oh, my,” Lavinia said as just she and Elizabeth plodded along through the tall grass. “I wish I had just a portion of their energy. As it is, I’m exhausted, Elizabeth. Sometimes I feel like I can’t even go on.” As Lavinia complained, going on and on about all the deprivations and hardships, Elizabeth looked longingly out to where Jess was on horseback ahead of them. Wearing the split skirt and her hair in two long braids, she was cantering along in a carefree sort of way, and Elizabeth suddenly wished she were with her. But instead of riding as she’d wanted, she had agreed to walk with Lavinia this afternoon.

“I know it’s hard work,” Elizabeth said patiently. “But look at your children, Lavinia. They are having such an amazing adventure. This is something they will remember for the rest of their lives.”

“If they all survive this trip.” Lavinia sniffed. “Oh, sometimes I think I must have lost my mind to let Hugh talk me into this nonsense. I am halfway tempted to demand we turn around at Fort Kearney next week. We could hire a guide to get us back to St. Louis and be back in Boston by late April.”

“Oh, Lavinia.” Elizabeth could hardly believe her ears. “You cannot be in earnest.”

Lavinia swatted at the gnats that were flitting out of the grass in front of them. “I am simply not cut out for this rugged life. I am a city person. I like my conveniences. I like having a comfortable home and a housekeeper and a cook. I am sick to death of making fires with wet wood and trying to cook with smoke in my face. I’m tired of being damp and cold. Tired of sleeping in a lumpy bed in the back of a wagon. My feet hurt. I am sick of everything. Every single bit of it. I hate all of it.”

Elizabeth lifted her hands toward the clear blue sky. “But look at the beauty all around you. Surely you don’t hate that.” She pointed at some wild irises nearby. Ruth had already gathered a fine bouquet of them. “And the flowers. Don’t you enjoy seeing those?”

“I don’t enjoy a single thing about this trip.” And now Lavinia began to cry. She sat down right on the grass and started to sob.

Elizabeth looked helplessly toward the wagon train, obliviously rumbling along. If anyone was watching this scene, which wasn’t likely, they probably simply assumed that Lavinia was “tending to her business,” as folks liked to say.

“Lavinia,” Elizabeth said gently, kneeling beside her. “I know you’re upset, but perhaps in a day or two you’ll see things differently.”

“I won’t,” Lavinia sobbed. “I just want to lie down here and die. Right now.”

Elizabeth put her arm around Lavinia’s shoulders. “I’m sure you feel like that, but you don’t really want to die. I know you love your children. And you have fine children, Lavinia. Every one of them. Julius and Evelyn and Augustus. They are truly fine children. And just think, we’re going to have a birthday party for Augustus tonight. There will be music and dancing, and Augustus will be so pleased and surprised.”

Lavinia looked up with teary eyes. “Do you really think so?”

“Remember what a grand time we had for JT’s birthday?”

“That seems so long ago…” She sniffed loudly.

“Then it’s high time we had another party. The girls were right.” Elizabeth stretched out her hand to Lavinia. “Come on, friend, you can do this.”

Lavinia slowly stood, and digging a rumpled handkerchief from her skirt pocket, she wiped her nose. “I’m sorry, Elizabeth.”

“Sorry for what?” Elizabeth hooked her arm into Lavinia’s and proceeded to walk.

“For falling apart like that.”

“Isn’t that what women friends are for?” Elizabeth asked.

She nodded. “Yes, I suppose so.” Now Lavinia looked intently at her. “You know, my dear, you remind me of Will’s late wife. She always had such a positive disposition too.” She sadly shook her head. “How I miss her.”