Come Be My Love (15 page)

Sarah knew Mandi was right. She could only hope that Mr. de Cosmos would still be her ally after he heard the twisted story that she was certain Hollis would relay to him.
 

On the other hand, a detailed account of the actions of the governor having a tryst on the beach with a woman who professed to want to be independent of a man could be just what de Cosmos might what to use against Jon. Only time would tell.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

The following day, Sarah and Mandi set up a table and arranged displays, launching Sarah Ashley's Fashions from the front corner of Brown's Domestic Dry Goods. Sarah's excitement on at last being able to display her garments was tempered by apprehension over what Hollis and Tyler would do next, and anger at Jon for stripping her of her self-respect and walking off in a huff, leaving her feeling empty and forlorn and consumed with the terrible loneliness that seemed to haunt her more frequently of late.

What was happening to her? She didn't want Jon to want her, yet she did. He didn't want her as a wife, yet the realization made her feel dissatisfied and yearning for something she couldn’t grasp. And she couldn't dismiss the indecent thoughts that kept invading her mind, until she burned with a desire she didn’t want to recognize. Worse, she wanted him to do all the things he'd done, again... and again... And she was too ashamed to even tell her diary.

The next several days were spent at Wellington Brown’s store, where she and Mandi arranged and rearranged the display table to best exhibit the handbills, fabric swatches and pattern designs. Two garment racks featured a shirtwaister and a bloomer costume of the finest silk and embroidery work, an outfit intended to draw both attention, and appreciation. The final touch was a beautifully-made, wooden placard inscribed with the words
Sarah Ashley's Fashions
, which Wellington Brown presented to them--though Sarah knew he’d done it to impress Mandi--and which they placed in the front window near the entry door to the shop.

***

Word of the enterprise spread quickly, and several days later a small group of women, organized by Mary Letitia Windemere, waited anxiously for the store to open. When nine o'clock struck, Wellington Brown unlocked the door and stepped out of the path of the eager women.

Mary Letitia was the first to enter. With a select group of women trailing behind, she walked up to the table and eyed the bloomer costume on display, taking care to focus on the costume, not the woman with the copper-gold hair sitting behind the table. She ran her hand over the ceil-blue,
poult
-de-
soie
tunic and traced a finger over the fine silk embroidery. It wasn't anything like she'd expected. It was really quite lovely, at least the fabric and embroidery work was. The costume itself was most unconventional. Indeed, quite garish. But then, the woman behind the table was obviously not a member of Anglo-Saxon aristocracy. She'd arrived in Victoria in a great gale of typically middle-class American boorishness.

Not to seem too eager, Mary Letitia let her gaze pass quickly over the woman, taking care not to ogle, but pausing just long enough to meet a pair of large green eyes. So this was Miss Sarah Ashley. Also not what she'd expected. The woman was far more attractive than she’d imagined. Perhaps even... beautiful, which bothered her greatly. But then, Jon had once told her she was beautiful. And he would again, she vowed.

Was Jon truly smitten by this woman? Rumors were that he was. But seeing the woman in person, Mary Letitia seriously doubted that anything would come of it. She was far below Jon's station, destined to be only a paramour. Or perhaps she already was, if there was any truth to the gossip circulating. Jon would, after all, only take a gently bred woman for a wife, which Miss Sarah Ashley was most definitely not. A gently-bred woman wouldn't make a spectacle of herself by sitting behind a cheap little table, peddling clothes. Giving the woman a cordial nod, Mary Letitia asked, "When would a person wear such attire?"

Sarah Ashley's enthusiastic smile was really quite dazzling. "The costume can be worn for playing croquet and all manner of lawn games," she said. "It's also appropriate for strolling on the beach. And I predict that bloomers will soon be worn with a fitted jacket as part of the riding habit, so women can ride astride like men."

Soft murmurings rustled through the group.

Although mortified at the thought of such a suggestion as riding spread-legged on a horse, Mary Letitia resolved to maintain a friendly, pleasant facade. It really wasn't too difficult now. Miss Ashley was clearly a temporary diversion for Jon. Before long, he'd come to his senses, and when he did, she resolved to be there for him. After all, the silly little spat that served to drive the two of them apart would by then be forgotten.

"Please," Sarah Ashley said, glancing around, "help yourselves to the handbills. As you will note, bloomers are convenient and comfortable, especially as a working dress. They can be worn inside boots that rise above the ankle, they can be trimmed in fur or fancifully embroidered at the cuffs, or they can hang loose about the ankles."

Mary Letitia read the copy and studied the picture on the handbill, noting that the advertising circular resembled the tawdry thing that had appeared in
The Colonist
. Actually, it wasn't so much tawdry as it was tasteless, she decided. The rest of the copy was sheer nonsense. Imagine, presenting to the women of Victoria such twaddle as wanting to vote or hold political office. How utterly ludicrous. She watched with mocking curiosity as Sarah Ashley dragged a disreputable-looking trunk from under the table.

"I also have some sample bloomers that I’d be willing to give out free of charge to anyone interested in wearing them," the Ashley woman said, lifting the scuffed lid.

"Really... free?" How gauche, Mary Letitia thought.

"Yes," Sarah Ashley said, whipping out a pair of black bloomers. "Here you are."

Mary Letitia took the bloomers and held them against herself. "How... comfortable they look," she said, turning briefly to check the others' reactions.

Sarah Ashley grinned in agreement. "Why don't you take that pair home with you and try them out?" she suggested.

Mary Letitia glanced around at the group, who seemed to be waiting for her response. "Well... yes. That's a splendid idea," she said, "and dreadfully nice of you. They do seem most practical." She stepped back, allowing the others access to the table. As she expected, Flora Pickering accepted a pair... then Charlotte Potts... and of course, Elizabeth Thurman...

Noting the women's enthusiasm, Mary Letitia flashed them her brightest smile, and in her most exuberant voice, suggested, "Why don't we wear bloomer costumes to the annual picnic and horse races at Beacon Hill Park next weekend? Absolutely everyone will be there. I daresay, if we all show up wearing bloomer costumes, what can the men say?"

Gasps and giggles rose from the group, and after a few minutes deliberation, along with Sarah Ashley's most accommodating urges, all three women agreed to do as Mary Letitia suggested. Of course, Mary Letitia knew from the start they would. She'd handpicked the group. She, of course, being much too genteel to descend to such crassness, would arrive at the picnic dressed as a proper gentlewoman should dress for such an occasion, wearing an outfit of which Governor Jonathan Cromwell would definitely take note. Nor had she overlooked the fact that Jon's mother, who would undoubtedly be there, would be shocked and appalled by both Sarah Ashley and the whole disgraceful episode. That thought gave Mary Letitia great pleasure. She knew Lady Cromwell favored her as a match for her son.

And afterwards, the unquestionably caustic editorial Mr. De Cosmos would write, and the subsequent problems his words would create for Jon and his cabinet, would displease Jon immensely. But then, she'd be there to offer words of sympathy, whisperings of endearment, and a breast to rest his head on, the things Jon needed to bolster his fragile male ego. Yes, just a little while, and she felt reasonably certain she'd have Jon eating out of the palm of her hand. Again.

***

Sarah raised the window of her bedroom. The air was sweet with fall blossoms and the trees seemed alive with the twittering and warbles of birds. From the road came the clatter of horses' hooves and the creaking of wagons, buggies and carriages, all heading for the horse races and picnic at Beacon Hill Park.

Gazing toward the bay, Sarah wondered if Hollis and Tyler would be there. They'd had ample opportunity to approach her by now, but other than the note under the rock on the porch, the week before, she’d seen neither hide nor hair of them. But she would. Hollis was predictable. For the moment though, she was safe from any gossip he might spread, because if he started a rumor too soon, he’d lose the leverage he needed to extract money from her. She also had not seen Jon. But that was for the best. The indecent thoughts had begun to subside, and she didn't want to be distracted by them again. Besides, she had far too many other things on her mind.

Turning from the window, she hummed as she stepped into a pair of lilac bloomers and donned the matching foulard tunic with its dainty rose embroidery. She could barely believe her good fortune, and she owed it to one attractive, genteel, and affluent lady: Mary Letitia Windemere. Mary Letitia, she'd learned, was the daughter of Lord Charles Alexander Windemere III, an admiral retired from the Royal Navy. Lord Windemere was also one of the colony's largest landholders. Mary
Letitia's
endorsement of bloomers would carry quite a bit of weight within the community. But Mary Letitia wasn't her only newfound advocate. After their decision to wear bloomer costumes had been made, Flora Pickering proposed that the women ride together to the picnic, and Charlotte Potts quickly asked Sarah to join them. Then Elizabeth Thurman had generously offered to pack extra food. The women were all truly nice people.

But the excitement didn’t end there. Wellington Brown asked Mandi to join him for the day, and since that time Mandi had been drifting about as if on a cloud. Unfortunately, Mandi was so busy primping for the occasion that Sarah had been forced to put herself together unaided.

At her dressing table, Sarah positioned atop her head a Lilac bonnet trimmed with wide
 
satin ribbon and edged with lace. As she peered into the mirror and arranged the bonnet at a slight angle, she pondered the day ahead and wondered what Jon's reaction would be on seeing five women arrive at the picnic wearing bloomer costumes. Initially, she intended to wear conventional clothes, having decided that she'd been premature in her efforts to promote her bloomer costume, but after Mary
Letitia's
suggestion, it seemed appropriate.

For the occasion she loaned each of the women tunics of fine embroidered India silk, so even though the unfamiliar fashion might cause a stir among the picnickers, no one would be able to deny the beauty and quality of the fabric.

Hearing a vehicle draw to a halt outside the cottage, Sarah parted the lace curtains and saw a canopied spring wagon with Flora Pickering driving and Charlotte Potts and Elizabeth Thurman sitting behind. Sarah tapped on the window and waved, then gathered her matching lilac parasol, along with her reticule, and scurried out the front door. She climbed into the wagon beside Flora, and after a warm greeting from the women, she looked around and asked, "Where is Mary Letitia? I thought she was coming with us."

Flora jiggled the reins and guided the horse into the stream of traffic. "She sent word that there has been a change of plans and that she'll meet us at the park," she said. "Mary Letitia is sometimes not too reliable."

Charlotte leaned forward, and above the creak of the wagon and the clatter of hooves, she said, "I imagine it has something to do with the governor. She must think that by wearing bloomers she'll attract his notice, which she probably will. Mary Letitia doesn't give up too easily when she wants something. And I know for a fact, she's still got her eyes on Jon Cromwell."

Sarah looked at Charlotte with a start, feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her. "Jon Cromwell and Mary Letitia?" Just linking Jon's name with that of another woman made her heart lurch. Although she could not, at this point, see herself romantically tied to Jon, the thought of him with another woman troubled her greatly. But then, she could not expect him to remain unattached. He was handsome and eligible, and women would naturally be attracted to him.

Charlotte shrugged. "For a while Mary Letitia fancied them as being affianced, but then something happened between them, a lover's quarrel I suppose, and the governor seemed to lose interest. Mary Letitia was melancholy about it, until she discovered your bloomer costume," she said, giving Sarah a tap on the shoulder. "Since then, she's been optimistic about things. I guess by dressing boldly, she fashions herself as appearing venturesome in the eyes of the governor."

Sarah considered what she'd just learned. Had her arrival in Victoria coincided with Jon's loss of interest in Mary Letitia? From what Charlotte said, it seemed that way. "How long ago?"

"How long ago what?" Charlotte asked, frowning.

"How long has it been since the governor withdrew his affections for Mary Letitia?"

Charlotte shrugged. "Two, maybe three weeks. Mary Letitia doesn't always present us with the unvarnished truth, especially if it doesn't make her look good. And she certainly wouldn't want it to appear that the governor was the one to withdraw affections."

Sarah stared ahead. If Mary Letitia was after Jon, perhaps even in love with him, and she'd heard about the occurrence at the cottage when Jon's mother and Harriet Galbraith showed up, or about the incident with Jon on the beach, her outward friendliness could be just a facade. She glanced back at Charlotte, and forcing a smile, asked, "Is the governor seeing any other ladies now? I mean, do you think Mary Letitia will win back his affections?"