Read Online Ten Thousand Charms by Allison Pittman - Free Book Online Page A

face, now pink and flushed, and asked, “What's her name?”
    John William didn't turn around when he answered.
    “We—she wanted to name a little girl Celestia.”
    “Celestia?" Gloria said, her voice tinged with amusement. “Such a big name for such a little girl.” She took the blanket that had been used to wrap the baby, draped it over her shoulder, and told John William it was safe to turn around. “What was your wife's name?”
    “Katherine,” John William replied.
    “Well, then, how about Kate?”
    “Yes!" Sadie chimed in. “Celestia can be a middle name. She can be Katherine Celestia, and we—well, you—can call her Kate.”
    “Well, that would be fine, I guess,” John William said. He seemed confused, overwhelmed, relieved. “Katherine Celestia MacGregan.”
    Just then, another sound joined the room—a soft stirring from the basket on the bed.
    “That," Gloria said, “is my son. His name is Danny-—” she stopped short, startled by the emptiness of his name. “Just Danny”
    John William reached behind Gloria and took her child up in his arms.
    “Hello, Danny,” he said. “Do you mind if I hold you for just a minute? Your mama's busy right now.”
    Little Danny replied with a contented coo, and John William returned with him to the chair by the stove.
    Soon a new quiet settled in the small room. One of peace, of life. Nobody spoke, not even to Sadie when she silently slipped out the door.

pring ushered life into the small camp of Silver Peak. As snows grew scarce and days grew warm, more and more men arrived to find their fortune in the mine. Two more girls came to claim their piece of that fortune in Jewell's house. Yolanda, a beautiful, dark-eyed spitfire from the Mexican Territory, brought added spice to the group. Donna was a stunning quadroon trained in the brothels of New Orleans. Shortly after she arrived, arrayed in finery and accompanied by five trunks of dresses, Jewell staged an impromptu welcome party complete with sandwiches and beer.
    Gloria did not attend the party The cozy meals the women had shared around the table in the house's kitchen were a thing of the past. Yolanda and Donna brought new life to the house, and with it new customers. Men began to litter the parlor shortly after sundown and stayed in a steady stream late into the night. Under Jewell's watchful eye, a small piano was brought up the narrow mountain roads, and music pounded steadily whenever someone could play. The budding friendship Gloria had established with the girls faded as she became what Donna called “the mammy behind the curtains.”
    Biddy and Mae visited occasionally, but they much preferred the jovial atmosphere of Jewell's bawdy parlor over the subdued mood of Gloria's cabin. Jewell herself rarely darkened Gloria's door, except for the occasional reminder of what Gloria owed her, and she soon made it clear that Gloria was welcome in the big house only when she was willing to work upstairs.
    But Sadie remained a true friend. She brought trays of food from the kitchen and watched the babies so Gloria could get out for an occasional walk or breath of fresh air. She helped Gloria keep up with laundering the endless stream of diapers and dresses, the tiny scraps of cloth strung to dry right alongside rows of petticoats and stockings.
    One afternoon, as the women hung the wash on the line, Sadie turned to Gloria and said, “Just how long do you think Jewell is going to put up with this?”
    “What do you mean?” Gloria forced a note of innocence in her voice.
    “Staying here. Not working.”
    “I work." Gloria clipped a diaper to the line. “I'm in there every morning tidying up while you all sleep. I've been doing my part.”
    “You know what I mean,” Sadie said. “You are a good-looking woman. You have your figure back. It's spring. The men have come back. They ask about you.” She took a step closer and lowered her voice. “Jewell asks about you, too.”
    “I'm just not ready yet,”