Until the Day Breaks (California Rising Book 1) by Paula Scott Page A

She has taken your hair and vanished!”
    Rosa draped a crude wooden rosary around Rachel’s neck. “You must wear this now for protection.”
    Rachel removed the beads and crucifix. “This is but a necklace. It cannot protect me, Rosa.”
    “Do not say that, señorita!” Rosa attempted to replace the rosary around her neck. “You must wear it until I find the hair she took from you. Hair is used for spells. That one, she is a witch! I see the dark calling in her eyes. She worships the evil one.”
    Rachel shook her head. “God is sovereign. The devil can only do what God allows him to do. I was told you cannot wear a rosary around your neck. It is only for prayer to be held in your hands.”
    “Dios wants you to wear the rosary. The evil one is afraid of the rosary! My mother told me so,” Rosa pleaded.
    Rachel handed the rosary back to her. “This is made of wood. It cannot protect me from evil.”
    Rosa wrung her hands. “Please, chica, keep it. Sleep with it under your pillow if you will not wear it.”
    “Will it make you feel better if I sleep with it?”
    “Yes.” Rosa appeared on the verge of tears. Rachel had never seen her flustered like this before.
    “I will put it under my pillow right now.” She walked over and tucked the rosary under her bedding. “Now I’d best go to the parlor. My father wants me to pour wine for the guests.”
    Rosa tried to smile, but her eyes remained frightened. “When the evening is over, I will check on you. And I will pray as you meet your betrothed for the first time. He is a sight for sore eyes, as your father likes to say.”
    “I have seen no man who could be my betrothed amongst the guests who arrived a while ago.”
    “He just rode in on a golden stallion. He rides like the devil but looks like an avenging angel. Never have I seen such a man.” The smile trembled on Rosa’s lips.
    “Will you help me dress?” Rachel held out shaking hands. “I’m so nervous I can’t see straight. What if my betrothed is cruel and proud and fierce?”
    “He does not look cruel. But proud and fierce, yes. I will pray for you.” Rosa began to unhook the buttons on Rachel’s day dress and assisted her as she donned a quilted pink petticoat and a delicate corset with sixty linen stays. After lacing her up tight, Rosa slipped a delicate rose-colored silk gown with vanilla lace trim over her head. Then she piled Rachel’s hair in soft ringlets that spilled down her back. “You look like a European princess. How beautiful you are, chica .”
    “I feel exposed in this dress.” Rachel tried to pull up the neckline where the lacy corset enhanced her cleavage.
    “Men like exposure.” Rosa attempted another smile, but her eyes brimmed with worry. “I’m sure your betrothed will find you irresistible.”
    “The men I’m accustomed to prefer modest attire and do not ride golden stallions. My grandfather and Steven would be shocked to see me in this gown.” Her heart ached thinking of Steven. What would he do when her letter reached him? It had taken her days and countless tears to write it.
    Rosa nodded in sympathy and then pushed her from the room. “Go. Your padre is not a patient man.”
    Rachel adjusted her bodice again as she walked down the hall, her nerves and the snug corset making it hard to breathe. Glancing down into the valley of the gown’s neckline, her cheeks caught fire. She had gained some of the curves back she’d lost during her sickness on the ship. Never would she look like Sarita, with her voluptuous figure, but at least she no longer resembled a boy.
    Aside from the low neckline, this really was an exquisite gown of silk and lace. She did feel womanly in it. The dress was truly beautiful. Remembering her time on the ship making gowns for Molly, she realized Molly would have loved this dress the color of her rosy, rounded little cheeks.
    For the hundredth time, she wondered how Molly and Anne were faring in Monterey. Had they stayed in the seaside