BECCA Season of Willows

‘To everything there is a season…

This is a work of adult fiction.  It has some sexual scenes and language. No one under eighteen should read this book. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. No Part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission from the author.

Copyright © 2015 by Sara Lindley

CHAPTER ONE

Postwar Richmond, Virginia
Becca Hutchins hid in her room at her Uncle’s house getting ready for bed. Her Uncle Frank was a very nice man and she loved him, but he was trying once again to force her to marry that horrible Ernest Biggs. That was most certainly not happening!

So she took the coward’s way out and she ran for her room to escape to the solace of her twin.
Her twin Nola had already given Ernest the boot months ago and now the odious man was after HER! What was she going to do?

Rebecca or ‘Becca’ as her family called her, had always been the good dutiful daughter. Her twin was the one who was full of adventure and mischief. She had always wanted to marry but now in this post Civil War atmosphere she was very doubtful of being married or even finding a suitable man. There were no men of suitable age left alive. It seemed the only men left were below the age of fourteen and over sixty!
She paced back and forth in the hallway outside their bedroom door. Becca couldn’t stomach her Uncle Frank’s cajoling pleas to marry Ernest Biggs one more minute! The man was absolutely awful!

Opening their bedroom door, she rushed in closing it quickly and panted leaning against the door catching her breath. Her twin was already dressed for bed and scowled as Becca rushed to the bed and sat grabbing Nola’s hands.
“I can’t do it! I just can’t do it, Nola! He makes my skin crawl!” Nola nodded.
“I could have told you that my dearest sister! He is a stinker! There is just something about him that makes me want to…let’s see, what’s the proper term? Ah yes…throw up. He gives me the willies too! We got to do something Becca! This is getting ridiculous! We are the youngest unmarried women in town and we are spinsters. It’s embarrassing to have all these old men after us. We are just twenty-two for heaven’s sake!”
Becca groaned. She knew Nola was right but she didn’t like Ernest at all no matter what his age. In fact she loathed him! He looked at her like he was the cat and she the mouse.
There is no love in his eyes at all! He doesn’t know the meaning if the word! There’s no admiration or even care in his eyes either. It’s something else. It’s like…a hunger. Yes! That was it! It was hunger in those pale green eyes. It’s down right scary! It makes my skin crawl to think about being married to him. Having him touch me is out of the question!
God help me! Just thinking about it made bile rise in her throat. Throw up indeed!
Yes, he was handsome, and he knows it! He had a mental list of his virtues that he would recite verbatim when the occasion rose. Ernest hadn’t taken time from admiring himself to get a list of HER virtues. The only thing he never failed to mention was her rather sizable dowry and how he would ‘invest’ it for ‘their’ future.
He was rich as Midas already and had a big brick house with servants but Becca felt there was something about him that she just didn’t trust.
She’d rather be kidnapped by wild Indians than be married to Ernest Biggs. And yes, she was very rude to him. But at this time of night Becca didn’t really care. He had grabbed her behind again on the front porch and handled her very roughly, and that will not do!

Aunt Marcie had explained that not all men were attracted to generous curves even though most of the older men would just stare at her chest or backside and never even look at her face.

Becca knew she was plump. She had long ago accepted the fact she loved food. Cooking it and eating it. She wasn’t necessarily fat but she had padding and her hour glass figure was very visible all the way from her generous rounded breasts to her lovely rounded behind.
Becca sighed whopping herself on her butt as she walked across the bedroom.
Yeah, she had her own flesh and blood bustle. Auntie Marcie would sigh and fret about her not wearing a corset but Becca was so uncomfortable wearing one she just decided it was completely unnecessary.

             
So now that Ernest Biggs was sniffing around Becca so soon after Nola told him to ‘get lost’, Auntie Marcie sat Becca down one evening dragging Nola into the parlor to listen bout men and marriage.

Their Aunt explained in the most colorful terms what marriage meant after she had imbibed three glasses of sherry after dinner. Her eyes were glassy with happiness after celebrating her 25
th
wedding anniversary with Uncle Frank. The sherry just made her giggly and open to talk.
Yes, her Auntie had explained everything between a man and his wife and had to go over certain aspects of marriage more than once for her own enjoyment.
She wanted Becca and Nola to completely understand what being married to ‘someone like that Ernest creature’ would mean disaster and what a ‘good’ marriage meant with a loving man.
“Honey? Dearest Becca…and you too Nola, yuh got ta understand darlin’ girls, that love, it’s a special thing. That special ‘love’ between a man and a woman is so very special. Why it’s so special that God made it Holy.
I want you two ta have men that will love you in that special way. That kind of man will cherish you and adore you. A man that you can respect and one day you just might love.

Your Uncle Frank and I have that kind of love girls and I want it for you.
So please…Becca. My dearest girl…don’t marry Ernest Biggs! Frank seems to think that he would be a good catch but I differ with him. I am comforted Nola that you chose to refuse him. He wouldn’t have lasted six months with you! Land Sakes! He’d already be in the ground by now!”

Auntie Marcie giggled and held her hand over her mouth to stop.
Her Auntie moved closer, looking around to see if any one was listening and whispered.
“It’s said he had very questionable business practices during the war and now he is the richest man in the county. It leaves me, and others wondering just what kind of man he really is when so many other rich men lost everything, including their lives.”
Her Aunt sighed and patted Becca’s hand.
“I know that since the war there are very few men your age around…so here.”
 

Marcie reached into her deep dress pocket and pulled out a magazine looking around to see if any of the servants were peeking or listening at the door. She whispered in conspiratorial tones.
“Don’t’ let anyone see and don’t tell a soul about this.”

She slipped a newspaper into Becca’s sewing basket.

“Hide this and read it when you two girls go to bed. You two might just be surprised. There might be someone of interest. I have heard from other women I know that this has been a Godsend for many women who cannot find a husband in their area after the war. There are plenty of fish in the sea, Becca and you too Nola darlin’. You just need to make sure that the fish you reel in isn’t a shark.”
That’s the moment that Becca knew Aunt Marcie didn’t trust Ernest and there was some reason but she wasn’t saying what that reason was.

Becca sat on the edge of the bed and spotted the
Matrimonial News
in the sewing basket and pulled it out to look through it before she and Nola went to sleep. She scanned through all the listings until she was drawn to a very unusual advertisement.

Ma Wanted!
Handsome and very good boy of eight years needs a Ma. Pa is handsome too but is too mad right now to ask for a new Ma. I have a little sister too. She is five years old. She is a pest.

Ma was not happy and ran off. My Pa is sad and needs a new wife, he just don’t know it yet. Please help.
Signed,
Boy needs Ma.
 

Becca grinned and bit her lip.
What in the world? Who would let a child do this? Well of course, a grieving man would, Becca! You silly! But somehow, I can tell the boy is telling the truth and I would be willing to bet that the Pa doesn’t even know his son has written this ad.

Becca giggled and decided then to write him.

“Nola dearest? Look at this advertisement.”
Nola checked out the ad and giggled.
“If that isn’t sweeter than sugah. Such a naughty boy! Are you going to write him?”

Becca danced across their room and sat at her desk.
“Well listen to the pot call the kettle black! Yes ma’am I’m writing him! You look over the ads too. We might find husbands close to each other.”
Nola’s eyes brightened.
“Okay, I’ll look. But I’m not making any promises! I want a ‘real’ man, Becca. Big, strong and brave…a man if the west like in the ladies journals.”
Nola hugged her pillow and closed her eyes to envision her dream man.
“A great big, tall man that is brave enough to take the world by the tail and yank it hard. But of course he would still be tender and loving to me.”
Nola kissed her pillow and giggled at her twin sister Becca who laughed in agreement.
“You’re just silly Nola! But that would be lovely.”
Nola snorted.
“Am not silly! It very well could happen! I’m not askin’ for true love Becca. I’m just askin’ for a moment of adventure in my life…to actually feel cared for and wanted.”

Nola propped the pillow behind her head and started reading the ads as Becca scribbled down her thoughts. Soon Nola fell asleep with the paper in her hands. Becca pulled out her writing paper and went to work telling a lonely eight year old boy about herself. She wrote clear into the night finally getting it just right as Nola softly snored.
April 20, 1876

Dear Boy needs Ma,
I am a twenty-two year old lady and live in Virginia. We have no men here to marry after the war so my Aunt got me a paper to see if my sister and I could find a husband. Then I saw your advertisement. I don’t know what draws me to it but I keep returning to read it again and again.
Besides being handsome and very good boy, you also must love your Pa and sister very much.
It is very brave of you to write and ask for a new Ma.
My Pa died in the war and my Ma just died this last winter. I have no the brothers so my Uncle and Aunt took my twin sister and I in to care for.

I need to find a husband to ease their burden. One that I could love and would care for me and maybe love me a little in return. That is why I was searching the ads.

I understand why your Pa feels so sad. He was betrayed honey. Betrayed by someone he loved or at least trusted. That is a very heartbreaking thing to happen. Especially for a proud man like your Pa. He needs lots of hugs and kisses to help his heart heal. Don’t hesitate to show your Pa you love him. He needs your love and support. Now, enough of my lecture on that subject.