Chapter 11: Welcome Home

Morning dawned with Netty sitting in the cold stream so that only her head was not submerged. Josiah had heard her groggy sobbing early in the morning and came to untie her. She’d woken up blind, her eyes stuck closed with dried flaking goo, and in pain radiating from every inch of her body. Sticky, confused, and sore she had staggered off as soon as her eyes were cleared and her legs could hold her. On the banks of the creek she had stripped off Josiah’s perverse dress and dropped into the cold stream. For a long time she had only sat up to her nose in the water crying, but now it seemed she had cried herself out. The chilly water had numbed the worst of her physical hurts, and crying had numbed the rest of her.

Behind her she could hear the other inhabitants of the camp starting their day, cookware clattering as someone began to cook and horses whinnying for their breakfast.

A soft splashing alerted her to someone’s presence approaching her. A moment later Josiah’s large hand came into view holding a bar of white store soap and a large washcloth. Tentatively Netty accepted the items.

“When you are ready there is a towel on the grass behind you, and I have set out some clothes from your trunk in the wagon for you to dress in,” he said in a low calm tone as if talking to a child who had been through an ordeal.

Netty couldn’t bring herself to look at him, only nodded. She did not remember much of the night before, only snatches of sensation and her own voice screaming came back to her. The alcohol had wiped away most of the night. She could remember in bits and pieces up to being pushed towards the junction of Jilli’s legs, but everything went dark after that. What her brain could not recall her body remembered. Everything between her legs hurt beyond words. Her breasts were swollen and splotched in purple and black, tipped with nipples bruised nearly black. A spike of pain shot upwards from her behind any time she moved. Whatever had happened after she blacked out had been awful. She found herself almost glad to not recall any of it.

Worse than that was the knowledge that Papa had sent her to this treatment thinking it would be for her own good. Or had he? Was he thinking of her at all when he agreed to send her away, or had he only thought of the threat of the noose around his neck? Thinking of Papa hurt more than she could bear, so she pushed that back down.

She was thankful that Josiah did not linger. As soon as he was gone she lathered the washcloth and set to scrubbing everything that could stand to be scrubbed. She scoured hard at her face to get any lingering glue off that she had missed. When she’d been untied she had to peel thick dried gunk off her eyes before she could even see to walk. The sensation of that still turned her stomach so that she rubbed her face raw before it felt clean. Her hair took longer to clean. It was long and thick, matted together with more semen. How many times had the men came on her last night to leave such a mess? She had to wash and rinse her hair several times before the matted chunks were finally all gone. Her chest and between her legs could not stand to be touched. Instead she spread her legs wide and let the flowing water clean her.

When Netty returned to camp wrapped in the towel she did not look at the others. She climbed directly into the wagon. Josiah had indeed laid out some of her own clothing. She was relieved to be in her own dress, wrapped in her favorite shawl that still smelled like home. Once dressed she sat on the bed staring at the canvas side without really seeing it as she braided her damp hair. Her head was throbbing slightly and she was still woozy from all the alcohol.

No part of her was interested in going out to be with the people by the fire. The thought sickend her. She was startled to realize she felt real fear towards Jilli and Harland who, before the drinking began, had seemed perfectly nice. Yes Jilli had snuck looks at her, but with the immodest getup she’d been forced to wear it was natural to be stared at. Harland hadn’t been able to look at her at all until after a few cups of drink. Whatever they had all done to her the night before was surely only because of the vile effects of the alcohol.

Netty resolved that she would not let the fear control her. With a push, she exited the wagon to join them.

“Good morning,” Netty tried to say brightly, noticing that her voice came out a little duller and a little quieter than she intended.

Harland didn’t look at her, but he did raise a hand in greeting. He was sat on the ground massaging his temples. He looked a little sick and miserable.

“Good morning,” Jilli answered her, sounding mostly normal and even cheerful. She was squinting at things while she cooked as if having her eyes open hurt. “Take a seat, deary. Breakfast will be ready soon, and tea is already brewed. After all the indulgence last night I think everyone should have at least a cup to get us going.”

Jilli laughed a little in a good-natured way, even though the effort looked like it hurt.

It was a chore to get sat without causing herself more discomfort, but Josiah handed her a mug of steaming tea once she was sat down. She quietly thanked him, though she could not bring herself to look at him. She expected the tea to be bitter, but was pleasantly surprised to find it sweet. Her eyes immediately looked at her new husband before she could stop herself.

“Your father told me you take your tea sweet,” Josiah said with a wink. “He was adamant I know some preferences to make the transition easier on you.”

Netty looked down into her cup and blinked back tears. She felt horrible for thinking papa had forsaken her.

Everyone ate, or at least tried to eat through their hangovers, the silence broken by Jilli and Josiah quietly talking back and forth.

“We’re going up further northwest to where Harlan’s sister and her family got some land. Her husband took two claims but found out he could only work one, so Harlan is buying the relinquishment for a bargain. It’ll be nice to be close to family and only a mile or so from town,” Jilli chatted. “What about you folks?”

Josiah answered. “I have land further East from here. It’s about 3 miles from Saint Moores. I’m a blacksmith by trade so I make a lot of noise while I work and if I were closer to town they’d run me out for the racket.”

The joke got a good laugh out of the other couple, even Harlan who seemed to be feeling better with the hot food and tea in him.

“I think you mentioned you’re newly weds, right? So will this be Netty’s first time seeing your property?” Jilli asked.

Netty nodded. “Yes. This is the first time ive been in this area of the country in fact. My family was moving west to join my father’s brothers when we met Josiah on the trail.”

“That happens,” Harlan spoke up. “A couple of my cousins married up with people they met in wagon trains.”

They chatted a little longer, but soon it was time to pack up and get moving. They bid each other farewell and parted ways.

Josiah drove them through a shallow place in the creek, then they were back on the main trail heading toward home. Within the hour the rocking of the wagon was too painful for Netty to sit on the wagon seat. Josiah suggested she go lay down on the bed instead, and she made no argument.

Netty laid down on the soft mattress and wrapped herself in her shawl, the gentle rocking making her sleepy. After a long night laying on the cold hard ground with only prairie grass as a mattress and the wind as a blanket she was exhausted.

The next thing she knew she was waking up to mid-day light and the wagon was stopped. She sat up as the sound of feet approached.

“Glad to see you back,” a man’s voice was saying from beside the wagon. “How was the trip?”

“Glad to be back,” Josiah responded. “I’ve brought back a wife!”

Netty heard the other man laugh, but also a soft gasp from a woman. Immediately she wanted to hide, but Josiah was already looking back and beckoning her forward. She nervously made her way to the front of the wagon.

The man she had heard was a friendly looking man in his mid-20’s with shaggy blonde hair and a dark tan. He grinned up at her and tipped his work hat, large brown eyes making his face seem more inviting.

The woman who had gasped was something of a surprise. Like the man she was blonde, but it was nearly white as opposed to his gold. Her thick hair was rolled tightly up into a tight bun, the front of her hair hanging loose and curly around her sharp -featured face, which was doing its best to arrange itself into a welcoming expression, but the pale tan-brown eyes gave away how she really felt. This woman was in no way at all happy with the news.

The woman was nearly as tall as the man, probably around 5’10. She was dressed in a very modestly cut blue dress, but it could do nothing to hide how well endowed she was around the chest and hips. Netty found her stiking immediately, and found herself questioning why on earth Josiah had been so adamant about taking her when this woman was waiting at home for him. She thought that perhaps the woman and man were married until Josiah made the introductions.

“This young lady is my wife Mrs. Netty Stent. Mrs. Stent, this is Marius and Mariella,” Josiah introduced them. “They’re the employees I spoke about yesterday. Marius takes care of all the crops and animals, Mariella takes care of all the housework and cooking. They may not look it but they’re twins.”

Netty politely greeted them both, but inside her brain was reeling even more. Again, why would he  want anything to do with her when such a woman was so close at hand?

“Mr. Stent how did you meet this wee girl?” Mariella asked in a friendly tone. “Don’t tell me you stole such a sweet young thing.”

Josiah feigned affront. “Of course not! I met her family on the way here and was quite taken with her. They accepted my marriage proposal and entrusted her to me.”

The woman raised one eyebrow. “Well, as long as there won’t be a family coming to burn down the house to get her back I suppose we shall keep her. Let’s get you inside Miss Netty while the men get to unloading that dusty old wagon. Are you hungry?”

“Thank you, yes, I’m famished,” Netty admitted.

Josiah helped her down as gently as he could, but she couldn’t help flinching. All the bruising and the pain in her pelvis were still fresh.

“Draw her a hot bath with soaking salts,” Josiah instructed. “She can have dinner while she soaks.”

“Yes sir,” Mariella replied obediently.

Netty turned to follow the other woman, noticing the house for the first time. It was by far the largest house she had ever seen aside from the small hotel they had stayed at. It was two stories tall, the walls neatly covered in red lapped boards. Several large windows set with glass and framed by dark shutters looked out from every room.

Inside was just as impressive as outside. The floors were smooth boards scrubbed to a pale cream dotted with beautifully woven rugs. All the walls were either painted white or covered in paper with wide alternating cream and white stripes. The wooden furniture was all made of varnished reddish wood; the couches and chairs upholstered in cream colored fabric.

Netty was too stunned to speak as she stood in the bright spotless sitting room. Even the hotel had not been so finely furnished. She was almost afraid to walk on such a clean floor, feeling too dirty to be in the room.

Mariella was in the archway of the hall across the room before she noticed Netty was frozen on the rug before the front door.

“Are you alright?” Mariella asked, her white eyebrows drawing together and making a tiny crease in her smooth forehead.

Netty flushed deep red, embarrassed by her own reaction. “I’m worried I will dirty up this room if I come any further into it!” she exclaimed. “I’ve never seen such a nice room. You’ve kept is so spotless! I can’t imagine how hard you must have worked…”

A tightness relaxed In Mariella’s demeanor, and she laughed.

“Thank you,” Mariella said with a warm smile on her face. “It is a labor of love. This house is important to Mr. Stent and so it is important to me that it is perfect for him.”

The understanding that passed between the women did not need to be further explained. Netty understood perfectly that Mariella harbored feelings for her new husband. Likely Mariella always would, and while she was not happy to see the place she had hoped to take filled by Netty it did not seem she held that against Netty. Netty made a mental note to do whatever she could to not make things more uncomfortable for Mariella than the situation must already be.

“You are certainly not too dirty to be in the room, and once you’re bathed you’ll feel perfectly in place,” Mariella said, beckoning to be followed down the hall.

Quickly Netty followed Mariella. The small room she entered was decorated in the same manor as the other room, but the there was little furniture. There was a tall dresser, a dressing table with a large mirror, and a metal tub with a stove behind it. Unlike the tub from home that was just similar to a long tall bucket that could be picked up and have the water thrown out, this tub was easily large enough to fit two people and much too heavy to lift. It sat on four little iron feet, and a pipe came from beneath it and directly into the wall. Looking Inside there was a small hole in the bottom of the tub that Netty reasoned must be where the pipe connected. Behind the tub the contraption that looked like an iron stove was topped with a huge pot. A metal pole with a strange handle and spout came out of the wall beside the stove so that the spout was positioned over the pot.

“However will water stay in this tub with that hole in it?” Netty questioned.

“There is a rubber plug that fits into the hole and holds the water until you’re done.”

Netty marveled at that while Mariella built a fire in the little stove. “Can I help you with bringing in the water at all?”

“Not at all,” Mariella responded. “The water comes out of that spout there directly into the pot to heat over the fire, and there’s a leaver to help pour the hot water into the tub.”

Netty watched in fascination as Mariella pumped the handle of the pipe until water streamed out right into the pot below. She had never seen running water before.

“Where does the water come from?” Netty questioned.

“From the well,” Mariella answered while she sprinkled salts and dried flowers into the bottom of the tub. “Josiah built this house with comfort in mind, so water runs into the washroom as well as the kitchen.”