St. Louis 1865
Charlotte POV
It was January of last year, when Mary Jane graced the boarding house with her presence. Mary Jane and her mother arrived and I had to wonder, at first, if they were in the right place. Mary Jane’s mother owns a brothel in Dallas, Texas. As Hannah, Emily, and I sat with Mrs. Sheffield in the parlor, Mary Jane’s mother, Kate, explained the reason for their arrival.
“I have watched as MJ as grown up and while she is well suited to care for her husband’s…um…how to say this politely,” Kate began, pausing as if to find the correct words. “Yes, that’s right. She can handle caring for his private needs, but her abilities to run a household are sorely lacking. MJ and I have spoken and we both agree that it is time that she learn how to run a household.”
Then she leaned
April 1866 Cole POV Three weeks ago, I was headed for New Orleans. The stage was a few hours away from my destination and I began to make a list of all of the things I would say at my meeting. I had a meeting with Mr. LaCroix and his business partner, Mr. Rossi. Unfortunately, for them, they had no idea I was coming. The two of them had been a pain in my ass for the better part of the last five years. They continue to fire upon my ships that sail into the port of New Orleans, many times destroying my cargo. If the cargo wasn’t lost it was stolen by them. They had been relentless. I was forced to send half of my ships to Mobile, Alabama to keep at least half of my cargo in tack. I refused to succumb to their treachery. Sailing into New Orleans was better for my business, and I didn’t see any reason why both shipping companies couldn’t use the same p
Charlotte POVWhen Abigail left us last fall to travel to Indian Territory, I was worried, especially after I kept having the same dream over and over again. It wasn’t until we received her letter, that I understood the cause for my worry. It seems that my dreams were once again correct, although they were so very vague this time. Her father had in fact found her, with the help of one of the soldiers that had traveled with her to Indian Territory. She was only in her father’s clutches for a little over two days when she was found by her now good friend, Wohali. Wohali is the son of the Cherokee chief and a trust friend of her husband, Henry.I breathed a sigh of relief and the worry seeped out of my soul as I read about her journey to be with Henry. I could tell she was happy based on the details of her letter. Her letter had arrived just before Christmas, so we were awaiting another letter from
May 1866 Cole POV As I approached the table in the dining room, Joseph was so lost in thought that he didn’t see or hear me approach him. And in our line of work, that can be a dangerous situation. I teased him as I reminded him of that fact. He refused to explain his “foggy head” as he put it and we quickly made our way out of the hotel. I was disappointed when he stopped by the mercantile to buy flowers for his girl, impatient to get to the boarding house. Once again, I teased him saying, “Is there anything else we need to do before we go to the boarding house. I am itching to find me a woman who makes me want to bring her pretty flowers.” As I was laughing at him, he reached out and cuffed me on the shoulder. He knew that I was only teasing him. I continued to chuckle at him as we made our way to the boarding house. He could hear me laughing but didn’t comment. After a few minutes, we finally arrived at the gate. Before pulling the gate open, he looked at me with a grin on his
Charlotte POVThe more I get to know Cole, the deeper I fall in love with him. He was everything I wanted in a life partner. He was kind, sincere, gentle with the orphans, and driven to make his mark on the world. It also didn’t hurt that he was easy on the eyes. He stands only a few inches taller than I do, which is a wonderful blessing to me. Most of the men I know would tower over my slight five-foot nine-inch frame. But the best part about Cole, I feel safe when he holds me in his arms.If I were keeping a ledger of pros and cons for being with Cole, the pro side would definitely be tipping the scale. However, one thing on the con side was keeping me from agreeing to go to California with him so that we could marry. My dreams. The monster came to me every night in my dreams. I was barely sleeping these days; the monster terrified me so.I should stop calling it a monster and say she. For I have come to understand that the monster that was trying to keep us apart was a woman. What
Cordelia POVIt had been so easy in the beginning. I had seen him walking the shore and I wanted him for my own. I could not ascend my throne until I was married and Cole was a reasonable choice. He was easy on the eyes and had good connections within the human world. The pairing would make for a powerful couple in both my world and his.When we were alone, I had no trouble controlling him. It only took a kiss or two, and I could bend him to my will. When he was being overly stubborn, I would use my body to entice his and when he finally submitted, it was glorious. The power I held over his mind and body was a heady feeling.However, I couldn’t control him when his aunt was around. Beatrice knew what I was and she had warned me away from him many times. But I refused to back down. I knew what I wanted and nothing would stop me from succeeding.The last night we were together, I had given Cole a nightmare. I was the one pulling him from the arms of his dream girl. But I twisted the dre
Charlotte POV It was almost two weeks later when Cole’s brother, Elijah, finally arrived. Having been delayed by a late snow storm in the Rocky Mountains, he was happy to finally be no longer riding in the bumpy stage coach. Elijah was a terrible flirt, as was evident when he bent over my hand and kissed it, as if I were royalty. I giggled at his silliness because I could see Cole’s irritation at the gesture. I’ll be honest with you; I was nervous to meet him. Aside from his Aunt Beatrice, Elijah is Cole’s only family. If his brother didn’t approve, it would make our already rocky relationship that much more tedious. I don’t believe in putting on airs, pretending to be someone that you aren’t. I believe that it is important for people to see who you truly are, however, I also want Cole’s family to accept me. I shouldn’t have worried. It became more evident, the longer we talked and I came to know Elijah, that no one liked Cole’s former girlfriend. It was so very strange how no one e
Cole POV She was grinding her hips against my manhood and any normal man would have pushed her down into the grass and had his way with her. But Charlotte was so much more to me than a common trollop. She was quickly becoming my world. My reason for being. While I was desperate to make her mine, I wanted to take my time. She seemed so worldly, given her gift of sight. But I knew that she was still innocent in the ways of intimacy. Oh, I was fully aware that her good friend Mary Jane provided her with the sort of knowledge that was found in a whore house. I was only slightly shocked to learn that Mary Jane had grown up in such a place. But I am mature enough to understand that children do not choose the environment in which they are raised. It is forced upon them by their parents. The fact that Mary Jane was raised in such a place made no difference in who she was other than to provide her with an education that was lost to many. I was excited to take the knowledge that Mary Jane had
August 1866Charlotte POVWhen I informed Mrs. Sheffield that I had agreed to marry Cole and we were going to wait to marry until we were in California, she was not pleased. She didn’t want me to travel that far with Cole and not have the vows spoken. When I explained to her that Cole and I would travel as a married couple for safety’s sake but that he had already stated he would sleep on the floor during our travels, she relented. But only slightly.In my mind, it didn’t really matter. I was going to marry him. So why did I need to wait. It’s not like I would leave him for someone else. He was my destiny. If a lifetime of dreams hadn’t confirmed that, my vision of our wedding day did. But that wasn’t my only confirmation.Two nights after I had agreed to marry him, my mother came to me in my dreams. She had a vision that I would be traveling with my soon to be husband. During the dream I told her that I hoped that she would be able to come out of hiding for my wedding. She said that