Come Be My Love (5 page)

At the end of the hallway, she lowered herself to a bench, hot tears of frustration stinging her eyes. Blinking to clear her vision, she saw a newspaper resting on the bench beside her. The heading, ECONOMY FAILING UNDER CROMWELL, caught her attention. Lifting the paper, she scanned the editorial, reading the words:
 
...in fact, we honestly believe that the man who will
 
not ask Her Majesty's Government to remove Governor Cromwell and his council is a traitor to his country and unworthy of her protection...

Sarah surmised that the author of the editorial was the editor that Esther mentioned, the political adversary of Jon's administration. Searching for the man's name, she found the peculiar appellation, Amor De Cosmos. She contemplated the name, deliberating whether it was genuine. Then, deciding it made no difference, she continued to read, smiling at the conclusion, which described Governor Cromwell's House of Assembly as
...a wizened contrivance which has kept its doors so closed to the invigorating popular breeze that it has become asthmatic...

A flash of insight sent a burst of hope rushing through her. Mr. Amor De Cosmos would certainly not give a scrap whether one addle-minded female got a business license or not, but she was willing to bet he'd listen to her plight and turn it against the bureaucrats.

 
With a renewed sense of confidence, she left the building and instructed the coachman to take her to the office of the newspaper. She settled back, and after a short ride around the bay, the coach pulled to a halt in front of a brick building with brass letters on its tall facade that read,
The British Colonist
. At first, she made no attempt to leave the secure confines of the coach, reconsidering her brash move. After all, she was a guest in Jon's home. But he and his cabinet were also behind the scheme to prevent her from acquiring a license.

"Well, if I am to be a lone sheep among wolves," she mumbled, collecting her parasol and reticule, "then I must learn to defend myself." She stepped down from the coach, raised her chin, and marched into the building.

A tall, lean man with black hair and a short-cropped black beard appeared from a back room. When he saw her, a flash of amusement crossed his face. As he approached, Sarah had the feeling that his dark eyes had taken in every detail of her attire, even though they'd scanned her so quickly, she'd barely caught their movement.

"May I help you?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I'm looking for Mr. De Cosmos."

The man's eyes, luminous in the subdued light, narrowed into a fixed stare. "I am Amor De Cosmos," he said.

Sarah felt a deep nagging uneasiness. Mr. De Cosmos, she realized, could turn an editorial against her as well, if he so chose. For a moment, she stood in stiff-backed silence, the thud of her heart suggesting she walk out...

A deep, guttural sound emanated from Mr. De Cosmos, reminding her that he was waiting.

Focusing on her reason for being there, Sarah introduced herself and began recounting the incidents leading to her predicament.

Amor De Cosmos sat, hip propped on his desk, listening intently while she related the facts surrounding her impasse with the city council. When she’d finished, he stepped to the window and gazed out. "Are you familiar with the many brothels on Humboldt Street?" he asked, while continuing to peer out the window.

Sarah looked at the man's back, puzzled. He seemed to be completely ignoring her problem.

After a few moments, De Cosmos turned and fixed his eyes on her. "Sinks of iniquity and pollution. Disease in every form, and kindred vices in all their hideous manifestations, lurk there," he said, stabbing a finger skyward for emphasis.

Sarah was beginning to see his point. Her predicament seemed insignificant. Chagrinned, she said. "I'm sorry to have taken up your time. I'll just be on my way and—"

"Indian men sell their wives and daughters into prostitution for money to buy whiskey," De Cosmos cut in. "But this is not discouraged in our city. No! Businesses here depend upon the fur traders and prospectors who seek the prostitutes. To sum it up for you, Miss Ashley, Victoria has laws against brothels, but instead of abolishing the houses of debasement, the city council voted to license them as dance halls."

"But I don't see how that makes the houses any more reputable," Sarah said. "They are still exactly what they are... dens of iniquity."

"Exactly!" A sardonic smile curved the man's lips. "And this is the mentality of the present administration. As long as these venal agents of the Hudson's Bay Company continue to rule this colony, the desires of the fur traders and Indians will prevail over the dignity and sensibilities of decent citizens."

"I'm sorry, Mr. De Cosmos, but I really don't know what this has to do with me, nor do I know, exactly, what you're trying to point out," Sarah finally admitted.

De Cosmos stroked his black beard. "What I'm trying to point out, Miss Ashley, is this administration's scandalous disregard for the moral and legal rights of the citizens. Decent, honorable people have moved into Victoria, people who are offended and outraged by the habitual drunkenness and disgusting language being continually used in public because of the brothels. Yet the city council condones this depravity by issuing business licenses to brothels hidden under the guise of being dance halls, while denying a license to" —with a graceful flourish of his arm, De Cosmos extended an upturned palm toward Sarah— "one enterprising citizen trying to establish a mercantile business."

Sarah relaxed her frown. Was the man on her side? His words suggested he was. Peering up at him, she said in a tentative voice, "Then... you think I've been treated unjustly?"

"Absolutely!" De Cosmos passed his hand in a slow arc through the air, his eyes following its path, as he said, "Headline: ‘
CITY FATHERS FAVOR BROTHELS. Several unjust legal enactments have come down from our semi-barbarous city council, the most recent being the licensing of houses of prostitution as dance halls and, now the denial of business licenses to honest citizens. If prostitutes are allowed to practice their trade in our fair city, certainly one decent, enterprising young woman should be allowed to practice her trade as well...’
"

Sarah watched and listened as De Cosmos paced the small confines of the room, his fiery passion reflected in his eyes. She had no idea what the outcome of an editorial such as the man proposed would be, but she knew she did not want to be a guest in Governor Jonathan Cromwell's home when the editorial reached the streets of Victoria. Somehow, she and Mandi must find other lodging before that time...

"...by a city council comprised of men who have been all their lives among Indians, swapping baubles and blankets for furs at a profit of two thousand percent
," De Cosmos concluded. He paused and waited for Sarah's comment.

She smiled. "As Mrs. Amelia Bloomer once said,
'For a new movement, when advertising funds are modest, any publicity is better than none.'
I venture to say, my mission will be well-known after the editorial appears."

De Cosmos replied with a contemplative, drawn-out, "Well... yes... And so that the ladies of Victoria are well-informed, what exactly will you be selling in your store?"

Sarah gestured toward her baggy trousers. "Bloomer costumes." She reached into her reticule and withdrew an advertising handbill with drawings and literature about the garments she intended to manufacture, and offered it to De Cosmos. "I'll also be selling an array of overtunics and shirtwaisters similar to these."

De Cosmos studied the handbill, fingers stroking his beard. A hint of amusement lifted one corner of his mouth. After a few moments, he eyed her costume again, this time more blatantly. "Bloomers," he mused, quietly and introspectively. "May I have this handbill?"

Sarah shrugged. "Yes. I have more."

"Have you a name for your business?"

"Sarah Ashley's Fashions," she replied.

"Splendid." His mouth curved in a rueful smile. "I have an idea which will help your cause, and mine. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must get back to work." He opened the door for her to leave. Although Sarah wanted to learn more about what he had in mind, she realized she was being dismissed. She left the office, praising her good fortune in coming to see Amor De Cosmos. But once on the street, a vague uneasiness began to creep over her.

She'd come to Victoria to start a new life where she could escape the gossip of scandalmongers. She'd also come to elude her stepbrothers. Now, she prayed that issues raised by the Colonist would remain in Victoria, that none would turn up in San Francisco and find their way into Hollis's awareness. There was also the matter of when the editorial would come out—she'd neglected to ask—and where she'd be living at that time. The thought that she might still be a guest in the Cromwell house when the editorial attack on Jon was released brought gooseflesh rising on her arms, and a lump of dread lodging in her throat.

Absorbed in thought, she was surprised to find the coach stopping at the legislature building. Rapping on the window, she said, "Why are we stopping here?"

"Governor's orders," the coachman replied.

Sarah fumed as she saw Jon lunge down the steps and stride toward the coach. He'd planned this, sent word to his coachman to return for him so she'd be trapped in the coach, and she didn't want to face him so soon after their recent confrontation, especially now, knowing what Mr. De Cosmos had in store for him.

Jon swung up into the coach and settled beside her, sitting so close their shoulders rubbed as the vehicle moved along the uneven road. She attempted to ease away, but Jon managed to wedge her snugly between himself and the side panel of the coach. He gave her an ironic smile. "You left your papers," he said, offering her the bundle.

Sarah looked at the wad of papers she'd left on the bench in the legislature building, then snatched them from Jon's hand and said, "I fail to see what good they'll do, since what they require is unobtainable."

Jon tipped his head toward her. "May I offer you a suggestion?"

"Regardless of what I say, I'm certain you will, anyway," Sarah replied.

Jon leaned so close his lips almost touched her ear, as he said, "Why don't you find someone who will love and cherish and care for you so you won't have to concern yourself with the affairs of a man's world?"

Sarah tipped her head away from his lips, and replied, "No one, not even a council of provincial popinjays, will deny me the right to follow my pursuit, and I choose to manufacture ladies' wear. That being my goal, I shall not be deterred from—"

Jon raised a finger and touched it to her lips. "I'm certain that no one, not even a council of provincial popinjays, could possible deter you, Miss Ashley, but maybe this will, at least momentarily." He covered her mouth with his in a long, lingering kiss. When her hand came up to protest, he grabbed it and held it firmly against his chest until she ceased struggling. For the moment, she was too distracted by the feel of his lips on hers to do anything but let out a little moan of disapproval. Then to her surprise, he was the one to break the kiss.

Smiling down at her, he said, "I believe your all-consuming goal is at this moment far from your mind. Am I correct?"

Sarah drew in a ragged breath, and touched her handkerchief to her forehead, and dabbed it to her lips, and replied, "That is so very typical. Every man believes that every woman can be overwhelmed by means of physical restraint."

"If you felt physically restrained," Jon said with a trace of irony, "you certainly didn't give that impression."

"As I was saying, governor, I shall not be deterred from my goal, in spite of the efforts of you and your illustrious legislative council to stop me."

Jon brushed his finger along her jaw, and said, "We'll see, Miss Ashley. We'll see."

CHAPTER FOUR

Sarah described to Esther what happened at the legislature building and showed her the papers containing the restrictions and requirements that the council had imposed. However, she neglected to mention that she'd been to the office of
The Colonist
and had enlisted the aid of Amor De Cosmos. Jon was, after all, Esther's brother, and Esther might be offended by an editorial attack on him in her behalf. She’d tell Esther eventually, but not yet.

Empathizing with Sarah, Esther suggested that Sarah meet some of the merchants in town. Esther was certain that if they met Sarah, and she described her plans to them, they'd sign the license application. Sarah did not share Esther's confidence, but believed it would be worth trying. She'd also check on her money at Wells Fargo, which should have arrived in Victoria by now, and establish an account in Victoria. At least she should have no trouble obtaining one banker's signature. She had a sizeable sum of money to deposit.

Deciding that the occasion called for conservative attire, she donned a walking dress of a lightweight russet merino wool with black lace cuffs and collar. On her head she wore a black Tuscan bonnet with a broad brim that turned up on one side and down on the other, with black ostrich feathers and a cluster of heath blossoms set against the fan-shaped brim.

At the Wells Fargo office, to Sarah's profound relief, her money had arrived. She'd been worried that Hollis, in his legal finagling, had somehow managed to intercept it. With a bank draft in hand from Wells Fargo, she and Esther swept into the Bank of British North America, where Esther, with great aplomb, introduced Sarah to the manager, indicating that Sarah was indeed a woman to whom he should show deference. The banker graciously welcomed her to his bank and hastily opened her account. After securing her money, he reminded Sarah that if there was anything he could do for her in the future, she should feel free to call upon him… at which point she thrust the bundle of papers in front of him. To her surprise, he signed.

Stepping out of the bank, Sarah and Esther broke into girlish giggles at their achievement. Feeling triumphant over having obtained her first signature, and sensing a close camaraderie with Esther, Sarah decided that the time had come to confess what she'd done and break the news about the upcoming editorial.

While they walked up the planked board walkway, threading their way between seedy, unshaven prospectors in tattered clothes, Sarah gave Esther a contrite smile, and said in an almost apologetic voice, "I'm afraid I've done something that will make Jon quite angry."

Esther looked at Sarah in subdued amusement. "I'm sure Jon has far more to worry about overseeing the colony than any mischief you might have caused. But since it seems to be worrying you, what is it you've done?"

A faint flush warmed Sarah's cheeks, as she said, "I was so angry and frustrated when I left the legislature building yesterday, knowing what Jon and his council had done to make things difficult for me, that I took my grievance to the newspaper. Mr. De Cosmos plans to make an issue of the incident in an edition in
The Colonist
."

Esther laughed lightly. "I assure you, it won't be the first time Jon will have suffered an assault from Mr. De Cosmos, nor will it be the last. But you're right. Jon will be furious."

"Then you agree that Mandi and I should find other lodging?" Sarah asked.

"Only if you feel uncomfortable staying with us," Esther replied. "Jon will be upset, but the storm will pass. It always does. However, Mother may be another matter. She'll be highly offended by whatever Mr. De Cosmos chooses to write, especially since a guest in our home is to be its subject." She gave Sarah's arm a reassuring pat. "Personally, I think Jon and his cabinet deserve what's coming. Jon can be quite imperious at times."

"I suppose that's a quality to be commended in a governor," Sarah said, a bit illogically, then wondered why she seemed to be defending Jon.

"In a governor, yes," Esther replied, "but in a father, no. He's far too overbearing with the girls. He was not so much that way before Caroline died."

"His wife?"

"Yes, the woman in the portrait in your room."

"I suppose it's still very painful for Jon," Sarah said, though his kiss in the coach did not reflect a man mourning the loss of his wife.

"Oh, heavens no," Esther replied. "It's been years."

"How long were they married?" Sarah asked.

Esther pursed her lips and gave a little grunt of derision. "Twelve years." Her disapproval of Jon's marriage was evident.

Although she was curious to know the details, Sarah refrained from asking. Glancing at Esther, she asked, "How did Jon happen to end up in Victoria?"

"He entered the service of the Hudson's Bay Company," Esther replied. "His first appointment was under Governor Douglas, who was chief factor for Hudson's Bay at the time. Jon was with Governor Douglas when they selected the site for Victoria, even helped build the fort. Jon spent several years on a Hudson's Bay outpost while trading for furs with the Indians. And he loved it."

"Living among Indians..." Sarah pondered, aloud. So that explained Jon's untamed, rough-cut appearance. "Then how did he meet his wife?" She hoped she didn't sound overly curious. She didn't want Esther to think she had romantic designs on her brother. Which she did not.

Esther shrugged. "He was called back to London, where he worked for the company. During that time he met Caroline. He was quite smitten by her. That's the only reason he didn't return immediately to Vancouver Island. But he always wanted to. Of course, Caroline wouldn't have any part of that. She thrived on London society. And the last thing she wanted was to rub shoulders with men who took Indians for wives, or with the wives themselves."

"Then how did Jon get back here?" Sarah asked.

"He was appointed colonial secretary to Governor Douglas during the gold rush of '58," Esther replied. "When Governor Douglas retired, Jon was the logical choice to take his place. Jon had always been a kind of bridge between the new government appointees coming directly from Britain and the Hudson's Bay men, who were basically fur traders, and who were by then members of Douglas's House of Assembly."

"Then his wife did end up living here?"

"Oh no." Again, that little grunt of derision. "Caroline was beside herself at the prospect of living here among savages. When Jon sailed for Victoria, he expected Caroline and the girls to follow on a later ship, but Caroline died. Jon had to turn around and go back to England. After things simmered down, my mother and the girls and I joined him. We've been here ever since."

Sarah pondered Esther's comment,
after things simmered down
. It seemed an odd way to describe a funeral. "How did Jon's wife die?"

"From a gas leak."

Sarah looked at Esther, wide eyed. "But the girls—"

"It didn’t happen in their house,” Esther gave a derisive laugh. “It happened in the house of some earl. It caused quite a stir. Caroline and the earl’s bodies were found in the earl’s bed."

So Jon's wife had been involved in a tryst. "It must have been very difficult for the girls."

"Oh, they know nothing about their mother's misadventures," Esther said. "They were shielded from the gossip and Jon spirited us away to Victoria on the next ship. But still, it has been difficult for the girls, especially Louella. As you might have noticed your room is a bit of a shrine to her mother's memory. Louella keeps it that way. But Jon never goes in there, and he's adamant that Caroline's portrait and all her belongings remain behind the closed door."

Sarah caught the glimmer of satisfaction in Esther's eyes, and for the first time, understood her overtures: her insistence that she be a guest in their home, her chatter on the ship about her handsome widowed brother, and now her allegation that his marriage had not been good. Everything had been quietly and cleverly calculated. Esther was a matchmaker!

What a poor, droll, drab mouse Esther was, trying to find love vicariously through her brother. But she was wasting her time if she thought she'd found a match for Jon here, if she believed love even existed. Love. What paltry, futile humbug. Everyone she’d loved had betrayed her, or rejected her, or discarded her. The thought of love made her feel bereft, and she refused to dwell on it.

Thirty minutes later, and after receiving less than enthusiastic responses from several merchants to whom she'd proffered the document, Sarah realized the task of acquiring signatures was becoming a formidable one. But there were still several merchants to approach. Esther directed her toward a book bindery, informing her that the binder was an amiable Englishman with a retiring manner, whom she should have no trouble winning over. If any merchant in Victoria would sign her document, it would be James Farr. But after receiving a cold shoulder from Mr. Farr, Sarah realized the man knew exactly who she was, and her purpose.

Obviously, Jon and his men had been as quick in spreading the word of her mission among the merchants as they'd been in concocting the bogus documents for obtaining her business license. The awareness relieved her of any remorse over the upcoming editorial attack by Amor De Cosmos. However, it did not discount the fact that remaining in the Cromwell home would be awkward. As they left the book bindery, she said to Esther, "Mandi and I really must find other lodging at once."

Esther sighed. "Yes, I suppose it's best. Josephine will be very disappointed though."

"But not Louella," Sarah stated. Shortly after they'd arrived at the house, Louella had become aloof, which was in marked contrast to her demeanor on the ship during their journey from San Francisco. Aboard ship, Louella had been conversant and friendly.

Esther sighed again. "She's upset with me for settling you among her mother's things. I'm sorry to have placed you in such an uncomfortable position, but it's time the room was put to other use." Taking Sarah's arm, Esther urged her toward a store with the name K. GAMBITZ displayed across the top of its high brick facade. "If you're certain you want to seek other lodging, we can begin by asking here about rooms to let.
Kady
Gambitz
keeps track of everything going on in Victoria. He should know who's moving away. Then we can stop by Bartholomew
Derham's
bakery. What Mr.
Gambitz
doesn't know, Mr.
Derham
does."

When Esther introduced Sarah to
Kady
Gambitz
, Sarah sensed that he, too, knew who she was, which Mr.
Gambitz
verified by refusing to sign the document. Deciding that she would get nowhere by advocating her cause, Sarah asked immediately about property to lease.

At which time Mr.
Gambitz
looked directly at her, and said, "It would be best, young lady, if you returned to your family in America where you belong. Victoria is no place for a woman alone."

"I see that Governor Cromwell or one of his agents has paid you a visit," Sarah said brusquely, not even trying to hide her irritation.

Mr.
Gambitz
raised his brows in mock surprise. "I beg your pardon?"

Esther tugged her toward the door. "Thank you, Mr.
Gambitz
. We won't be taking up any more of your time."

Outside, Sarah quietly fumed, her anger rising when she spotted Jon's town coach coming toward them, and Jon inside. When she and Esther had been let off at the foot of Yates Street, and Esther had given the coachman instructions to come for them in two hours, Sarah had not expected Jon to join them for the ride home. Nor did she want him to. She had absolutely nothing to say to him. The coach pulled to a halt and the door swung open.

***

Jon stepped down from the coach. "Good afternoon, ladies," he said, his eyes on Sarah. Looking at her, dressed so modestly in her high-necked frock, he found it difficult to associate the demure lady she was now with the doxy in the décolleté gown, or the libertine in the bloomer costume. He wasn't sure which Sarah Ashley concerned him most. Each was beautiful. Each was dangerous. The doxy could see to his carnal needs while leading him to the gates of hell. The bloomer-clad libertine could turn his colony
topsy
turvy
. And the demure lady facing him now could have him entertaining thoughts of marriage. Considering the alternatives, the doxy posed the least threat, and she was the one he most needed at the moment.

"So, have you ladies completed your shopping?" he asked lightly, aware of the stunning green eyes coldly appraising him. Obviously, Miss Ashley knew what some of his men had been up to, and she was miffed.

She moistened her lips. "Actually, I was introducing myself to the merchants, hoping that, unlike you and your venerable council, they were not pigheaded, narrow-minded
parochials
. But I see your influence precedes me."

Jon's gaze meandered over her jaunty bonnet with its quaking ostrich plumes, her delicate face blooming with a rosy hue, the lace hugging her slender neck. She was one delectable little chit. A slow smile tugged at his lips. "If it will be of any help," he said, "I'll see what I can do."

"What you can do?" Sarah said, nervously fluttering her lashes. "I was under the impression that you were the problem."

"I'm only trying to show you that what you are seeking is not in your best interest."