“I always think of California as a place for beginnings,” she said, tugging on the fingers of her white glove. “But I suppose it’s an ending for others.”
He hadn’t thought about endings here either, but he and Isaac had come too far for an ending. This was a new beginning for both of them.
He felt Mrs.Dawson turn toward him, but he kept his eyes focused ahead, at the promise of a harbor hidden deep under this fog. “Is Mrs.Payne coming to join you?”
He shook his head. “I’m not married.”
“I see,” she said. “Surely you have a woman waiting for you to return home, then.”
“I’m not going back.” Stella, he hoped, had already married Robert.
“You need a woman to help care for Isaac,” Mrs.Dawson said. “And a wife to help keep you warm.”
Was she propositioning him? The woman was about ten years his senior and attractive in her fashionable mauve dress, her dark hair brushed into a modern winged style, and a shiny salve polishing her lips.
When she smiled at him, he wrenched his gaze away, focusing back on the foggy gateway. She was comely, but she was also a married woman. “I heard California is already warm,” he said.
“I heard it snows plenty in the mountains.”
He inched away from her. “That’s why I’m staying in San Francisco.”
“You still shouldn’t be alone.”
He rubbed his hands over the rail. “Is Mr.Dawson waiting for you in the diggings?”
“Oh no,” she said, waving her glove. “There’s no Mr.Dawson. It’s just safer traveling as a married woman.”
“That’s shrewd of you.”
“You can’t fool me, Mr.Payne.” She scooted closer to him. “You may have been a deckhand on this boat, but you are clearly a gentleman. And I am a lady in need of companionship.”
One day he wanted to marry, but he didn’t want a marriage of convenience. Or to make promises simply to keep warm. One day, he wanted to marry a woman he loved. A woman who would dare love him in return.
“I’m afraid I have all the companionship I need.”
“Of course—it’s impossible to dig for gold when you’re traveling with company.” She looked back down at the white-capped waves. “Would you consider selling the boy to me? I’ve become quite attached to him.”
He considered her words for a moment. He may not need a wife, but Isaac needed a mother.
“I’d pay you a good sum,” she continued.
“What if you didn’t pay me anything?” he asked. “What if you adopted him?”
She stepped away from the railing, her smile slipping. “Why would I adopt him?”
“You said Isaac needed someone to care for him.”
“Without a husband, I need someone to care for me.”
“Ah.” The woman didn’t want a son. Isaac would remain in slavery with this woman until she found a husband. Then he’d be dispensable. “I’m afraid he’s not for sale.”
“So I get nothing from you?”
“Well wishes as you search for gold.”
“I’m not looking for gold.” A smile returned to her lips again. “I’m looking for a husband so I can help him enjoy his gold.”
“It seems I have liberated you, then.” He tipped his hat to her. “I’m not here to look for gold either.”
