Destiny's Embrace (22 page)
He scrambled to his feet.
Logan’s voice was cold. “I’ll show you out.”
They made their exit and Alanza opened her arms. Mariah went to her without hesitation and let the embrace salve the hurt she felt inside. More than likely, she’d never see her mother again, and in spite of the past, she’d hoped for a reconciliation. There seemed little chance of that happening now. “I think I’ll be needing some ice, if you have any.”
“So will Bernice if that’s any consolation.”
Alanza rang for Bonnie.
While they waited for her to return with the ice, Alanza said to Mariah, “You may have been her daughter by birth, but you are my daughter by heart. Always remember that.”
Mariah had no doubts that she would.
Outside, Logan made sure the unwanted visitors got back into their rented buggy before issuing a warning. “Never bother Mariah again. If you return, I will shoot you for trespassing. Now get the hell off my land!”
Tillman set the carriage in motion and drove away.
That night, as she and Logan lay in bed, he asked quietly, “How are you?”
“Other than the pain in my face, I’m okay I suppose. The day started out so gloriously and then . . .”
He eased her back against him and held her close. “I know.” He kissed the top of her hair.
“I’ll not be like her. Our children will have more kindness and love than their arms can hold.” She twisted around so she could make out his features in the darkness. “Thank you for loving me.”
“You’re welcome.”
I
n the weeks following her mother’s departure, Mariah threw herself into her new life. She put up her curtains, positioned her new furniture, and filled her brand-new kitchen cabinets with all the items a kitchen would need. She also mastered driving, worked on Feather’s wardrobe, and she and Alanza journeyed to Sacramento to show and sell four of her sketches to Celestine. In the evenings, she took her baths and made love to Logan.
By mid-July, the rancho geared up for Alanza’s birthday party and her relatives began to arrive. Andrew stopped by one morning and had with him a particularly special one.
“Mariah, this is our little brother, Noah.”
There was nothing little about him. He matched Logan in height but was leaner. He also had an ugly scar slicing his left cheek that gave his handsome face a sharp edge. “Welcome, Noah.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mariah. I hear you’re going to be a member of the family.”
“I am.”
“Not sure my big brother deserves someone so lovely, but welcome.”
Andrew said, “We need to get back before Logan and Mama find out we’re missing.”
Noah added, “They have a list of work for us to do that reaches Los Angeles. It’s been a pleasure meeting you, Mariah.”
“Same here.”
Drew said, “We’ll see you later.”
The brothers departed.
In a way, Mariah looked forward to meeting Alanza’s family, but she was also very nervous because she had no way of knowing how’d they’d treat her or react to having a so-called servant marry into their illustrious family.
Later that day, Alanza arrived. She was carrying something draped over her arm encased in brown paper. When Mariah held the door open for her to enter, her friend and soon to be mother-in-law placed a kiss on her cheek. “Brought you something for my birthday dinner tonight.”
They moved to the parlor and Alanza handed over the item she’d carried in.
“What is this?”
“A dress.”
Curious, Mariah eased the paper off and her eyes popped. The dress looked like something from the closet of a queen. Made of beautiful blue silk, it dazzled the eye. “Where’d you get this?”
“Celestine. I didn’t know if you’d have anything fancy to wear so I took the liberty of commissioning this. I hope I haven’t offended you by doing so.”
“Oh, not at all. This is gorgeous.”
“You’re my daughter-in-law, and I want you to stand out tonight like the beautiful woman that you are. You have jewels?”
“I do.”
“Then make sure you put them on. The women in my family like to show off by dressing like they’re at the court of Queen Isabella. There’ll be lots of beautiful dresses and jewelry.”
Mariah gave her a strong hug. “What would I do without you?”
“You’d manage.”
“I met Noah.”
“Ah. My baby. He’s the most even-tempered of them all. I’m enjoying having the three of them home. I’m glad you like the gown. Now, I must get back. So many things to do. So little time.”
She kissed Mariah’s cheek and hurried away.
L
ater, at the dinner, Logan eyed his beautiful intended in all her finery and wondered how much trouble he’d be in if he spirited her away so he could take her home and make love to her. The dress she’d been given by Alanza made her look not only elegant but tempting as hell. The way the bodice cut across the tops of her breasts made him want to find a dark corner so he could ease it down and pleasure her to her heart’s delight. The jewels at her throat and in her ears were equally as stunning.
Andrew sidled up next to him. “We may have to get you a hood.”
“A hood, why?”
“If we don’t get something to put over your eyes you may burn the place down the way you’re looking at Mariah.”
“Is it that obvious?”
He sipped his champagne. “Yep.”
“You have to admit she is the most gorgeous woman around.”
“No argument here.”
Noah joined them. “Logan, Mama said she’ll take a buggy whip to you if you sneak away with Mariah before she announces your wedding and cuts her cake.”
Logan rolled his eyes heavenward and prayed for strength.
The large formal parlor was filled with women in luxurious gowns and men in evening wear. There’d been fifty people at the two dining tables.
Andrew noted, “This gathering seems to get bigger every year.”
Logan silently agreed as he watched Alanza introduce Mariah to one of the late-arriving male cousins. Although he loved Alanza with each beat of his heart, he wanted this to be over so he could take his beauty home.
Alanza then called out, “Everyone, may I have your attention. Logan, will you join me please.”
“Finally,” he said under his breath.
Both brothers laughed softly.
He joined Alanza in the center of the room and took Mariah’s hand.
“Logan and Mariah will be married in October.”
Applause and cheers filled the parlor.
“I will be sending out invitations in a few weeks, so please plan on returning to join them as they start their new lives together.”
The soon-to-be-wed couple was then mobbed. The aunts kissed them, the uncles and cousins shook their hands, and the servants circled the room with more crystal flutes of champagne.
Mariah had tears in her eyes. She’d worried about being accepted, but the outpouring of goodwill she’d experienced from the moment she and Logan arrived set her anxiety to rest. Thanks to Logan she was now a member of the biggest family she’d ever had the pleasure to meet. She looked up at the man she would be marrying in a few months’ time and her heart was full.
“Happy?” he asked over the din.
She nodded but had no time to voice her happiness as more people came up to offer best wishes.
Then, Bonnie wheeled in the biggest, most beautiful birthday cake Mariah had ever seen. There were lit sparklers all over the top.
While the cake sputtered and blazed, Alanza yelled in Spanish for silence. The room stilled.
Addressing those gathered, she said, “My
nuera
didn’t have an opportunity to celebrate her last birthday, so I’m sharing my cake with her.”
Mariah whispered to Logan, “What’s
nuera
mean?”
He smiled. “Daughter-in-law.”
Her eyes widened. Alanza looked her way and said with deep affection, “Mariah, come.”
Her hands to her mouth and tears in her eyes, Mariah glanced first at Logan, and then at Alanza. Together, and hand in hand, the two
amigas
stood behind the big beautiful cake while calls of happy birthday, congratulations, and the toasts from the fifty guests filled the air.
Later, after the cake was cut and the slices passed around to the guests, Mariah snuck outside to the courtyard to get some air and reflect on her glorious new life. Answering the ad in the newspaper had been the best decision she’d ever made. Her past might have been filled with sadness and pain, but her future seemed as bright as the sparklers on her birthday cake and not even Queen Calafia could’ve asked for more.
A
few moments later, Logan joined her. Mariah stepped to him and circled her arms around his waist. She placed her cheek against his heart. “Do you know how much I love you?”
He held her tightly. “Probably as much as I love you.”
She leaned up and kissed him passionately. As the kiss ended, she asked, “How long does this celebration last?”
“A couple of days. Tomorrow there will be jugglers and horse races, tons of food and a dancing bear or two.”
“Really?” she asked with a laugh.
“I kid you not. By mid-afternoon there will be so many people here, it’ll look like the whole state of California’s been invited.”
“Amazing. How about you take me back to the house and make love to me until I can’t walk?”
It was his turn to laugh. “You’re getting to be pretty outrageous, missy.”
“But you love me for it.”
“Damn right.”
So they snuck away, and Logan filled her request until the sun rose in the sky.
O
n April 15, 1886, Alanza Yates stared down at the small face of her first grandchild. Her name was Maria Elizabeth. She had a head full of dark hair and was perfectly formed from her tiny toes to her beautiful golden eyes. Alanza could barely see the one-hour-old baby through her happy tears.
“Mariah, she’s beautiful just like her mama.”
“And her
abuela,
” the very tired Mariah offered with a smile.
Being called
abuela
made Alanza’s eyes fill with even more tears. “Thank you for her.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I’m going to give her back to you, because I know Logan is going to lose his mind if we don’t let him in.”
So she handed the precious child back to her
nuera,
and after placing a kiss on the brows of both, made her exit.
Logan tipped inside.
“Hello,” his wife called sleepily. “Come see our Maria.”
He walked over and the sight of Mariah holding the product of their love nearly knocked him to his knees. He was so overwhelmed his emotions wouldn’t let him speak. “She’s so beautiful,” he finally managed to say.
“Yes, she is. Do you want to hold her?”
He leaned down and Mariah very carefully transferred their daughter into her father’s strong arms. “Hey, little miss,” he said softly. “Welcome to the world. I’m going to teach you how to ride, and shoot, and all the things a girl needs to know. Uncle Noah will teach you to sail and to fight pirates. Not sure what your Uncle Andrew can teach but I’ll make sure it has nothing to with bordellos.”
“Logan!” Mariah laughed.
Logan thought his daughter just perfect. “She has your eyes,
querida.
”
“And will probably have your height. The midwife says she’s quite long.”
He tenderly handed Mariah back the baby and kissed his wife softly. “I’ll let you two sleep. Get some rest.”
“Logan?”
“Yes.”
“I love you so.”
“I love you more. I’ll be back in a little while. There’s something I need to do.”
“What is it?”
“Start gathering rocks.”
As he left the room, the happy Mariah looked down at her beautiful daughter, thanked heaven for both her child and her husband, and drifted into sleep.
I
n a small boardinghouse in San Francisco, another baby was born—a little boy with dark hair and dark eyes. His tired mother, a stranger to Mariah and Logan, peered down at him sleeping so peacefully and smiled at him lovingly in spite of all her worries. Because of her profession, determining who the father might be had been a conundrum, until the midwife showed her the small birthmark on the child’s back. It resembled a sunburst, and the mother knew of only one man similarly marked. He wouldn’t be pleased to learn he’d fathered a child, especially not with her, but the baby was his, and she’d not let their son be denied. Kissing her son’s tiny forehead, she snuggled him close, and she, too, drifted off to sleep.
Dear Readers,
Destiny’s Embrace
is the first of a three book series featuring Alanza Yates and her sons. My editor and I thought it might be fun to break away from the older characters we all know and love so well and create something new. This book, featuring oldest son Logan and his Philadelphia seamstress Mariah gave me a chance to not only bring a new family to life, but also allowed me to sprinkle the story with nuggets of the fascinating history unique to the State of California. As schoolteacher Daisy Stanton pointed out to Mariah, few people know about the great mythical Queen Calafia, but she’s been depicted not only as the modern-day Spirit of California, symbolizing the untamed bounty and beauty of the land before European settlement, she’s also been the subject of paintings, sculpture, stories, and films.
A 1926 portrayal of the warrior queen can be found in a mural in the Room of the Dons at the Mark Hopkins Hotel in San Francisco, and in 2004, the city’s African American Historical and Cultural Museum put together a Queen Calafia Exhibit featuring works by various artists.
In 2001, Disneyland in Anaheim opened a twenty-three-minute multimedia attraction based on the founding of California titled “Golden Dreams.” The great Whoopi Goldberg narrated it as Queen Calafia. Sadly, in 2009, “Golden Dreams,” which featured a bust of Ms. Goldberg as Calafia, was demolished to make way for a ride based on the Little Mermaid.
Demolished or not, her myth lives on and I hope you enjoyed learning about her as much as I.
Below is a partial list of the sources I consulted to bring
Destiny’s Embrace
to life and that you can use to learn more about Estabanico, Biddy Mason, the Black forty-niners, and others.
Beasley, Delilah L
. Negro Trail Blazers of California
. University of Colorado at Boulder. 1918.
Graaf, Mulroy, Taylor. Eds.
Seeking El Dorado: African Americans in California.
Autry Museum of Western Heritage. 2001.
Lapp, Rudolph M.
Blacks in Gold Rush California
. Yale University Press. 1977.
Lapp, Rudolph M. “The Negro in Gold Rush California.”
Journal of Negro History.
V. XLIX April 1964. No. 2.
Queen Calafia. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
In closing, I send many thanks to my editor, Erika, and the great folks at Avon/HarperCollins; my agent, Nancy, who works so tirelessly on my behalf; and last but not least, you, my readers. Without your support this author would be nothing. Peace and Blessings!
See you next time.
B.