Taking the Reins by Dayle Campbell Gaetz

of life on this lonely farm. She would make new friends. She would learn new things.
    She turned to George. His shoulders were hunched over. His scone, buttered and slathered with blackberry jam, lay forgotten on his plate. He stared at a bright shaft of sunlight slanting through the open door.
    â€œGeorge will need to remain on the farm, of course,” Father said. “There is work to finish and Duke and Genevieve to care for. But there should be enough food for one person, even your brother. And he has friends he can visit in Hope.”
    â€œPoor George,” Katherine said. “He’s the one who longed to get away on a great adventure, and now he’s the only one to be stuck on the farm.”
    â€œYes,” Father agreed, “but come spring when Mr. Roberts returns, perhaps George can still travel up to the Cariboo if he chooses.”
    â€œI suppose I can hang on until spring,” George said, and bit into his scone.
    â€œThen it’s all settled.” Mother looked happier than she had since they left England. “I shall need to alter some frocks of...” She hesitated. She glanced at Katherine, her eyes filled with pain.
    Katherine nodded. Her throat tightened and she stared down at her hands. She knew exactly what her mother could not say. Mother would shorten some of Susan’s old frocks to fit Katherine.
    Mother cleared her throat. “Do you remember that nice widow, Mrs. Morris, whom we met in Victoria? She was considering taking in a boarder to help pay expenses now that she is on her own.”
    Katherine remembered her all right, but she wouldn’t call the woman nice. When Katherine had tried to ask her a question about Victoria, that woman had stuck her nose in the air and pretended not to hear. Then she had leaned toward Mother. “I have always believed children should be seen and not heard,” she said in a loud whisper. “Don’t you agree?”
    â€œI’ll write to her now,” Mother said, “so Mr. Roberts can carry the letter back with him. And naturally I shall accompany you to Victoria when the time comes.”
    â€œOf course,” Katherine agreed without enthusiasm. This was something she had not foreseen. Something bad to dampen the good. If attending school meant living with Mrs. Morris, could she manage? Could she keep her mouth shut and behave like a proper lady? Susan would have done so easily, Katherine knew that, but she wasn’t at all sure about herself. She slid her hand into her pocket, found the cloth bag, and clutched the gold nugget between her thumb and forefinger.
    She would learn to deal with Mrs. Morris, anything to get away from this farm and attend school.

Emma
    Arrival of the Tynemouth – ... As a matter of course, we went aboard the steamer yesterday and had a good look at the lady passengers. They are mostly cleanly, pretty young women... Taken altogether, we are highly pleased with the appearance of the “invoice,” and believe they will give a good account of themselves in whatever station of life they may be called on to fi ll – even if they marry lucky bachelor miners from Cariboo.
    â€“ The British Colonist, September 19, 1862

4

    E ven after all these months, Emma still hesitated every single morning, afraid to open her eyes for fear this new life of hers would turn out to be a dream. Snatched away like it never was real at all. For certain-sure she would wake up on the gritty floor of that squalid little room, curled up tight on a thin straw mattress, shivering with an awful cold that seeped into her very bones. Close beside Emma, her poor mam would be wasting away with disease while both of them longed for a crust of bread to ease their aching hunger.
    This morning, the memory of that closet-sized room was so strong Emma tasted the bitter grit of coal dust on her tongue and smelled the stink of open sewers in the streets of Manchester. She shivered in the chill of