“Are you ready for the surprise?” Ada said.  “Chace already knows.”

“So I heard.  Why is that?”

“Because sometimes he’s easier than you are.  Here.”  She took Charlotte by the hand and walked her to a door in the wall that they’d never had any reason to open or even think about.

“What are you doing?” Charlotte said.

“Where does this go?”

“To whatever’s next door.  Doesn’t it?”

“Guess what.  That’s not where it goes.  Close your eyes.”

Charlotte closed her eyes.  The door creaked open.

“You can open them now.”

Charlotte’s hands flew to her face.

“But you have to come in,” Ada said, pulling her gently through the door.  The room was small, with a window at the front, hooks on the wall, a washbasin and pitcher on a stand.  A rag rug covered the wooden floor.  A plain iron double bedstead fit narrowly between the walls.

“What is this?” Charlotte gasped.  “Why is it here?”

“Mrs. Hutchinson told us about it.  It’s the servants’ room.  We stole the bed and everything else from an empty married officers’ quarters.  Don’t tell anyone.”

Charlotte’s eyes filled as she slowly touched everything, the bed, the hooks, the washbasin, the walls.

“It’s just that there’s no fireplace,” Brewster said.  “That’s why we brought all your quilts and blankets in.”  Charlotte belatedly recognized the large stack of bedding.

“It’s a good wedding present, don’t you think?” Ada said.  “Or were you and Chace going to sleep with Grace?”

Charlotte laughed as she wiped away the tears with her sleeve.  “No, that wouldn’t have worked, would it?” she said, wondering what she’d thought they were going to do and realizing for the first time, with a sudden small rush of warmth, that they were really married.  “Thank you.  It’s the best wedding present ever.”  She hugged Ada again, and Brewster, who’d gotten used to being hugged, and Jeremy who liked to be hugged and Grace who always hugged her back.

The front door opened and everyone turned.  Ellis dropped a saddle and a pile of belonging on the floor and left again.

“Isn’t that your saddle?” Charlotte said.

“It is,” Chace said, “plus everything else I own.”

Ellis returned with a warm beef roast on a platter.  Behind him, Miller brought in a pan of steaming vegetables.

Charlotte stared.  “You made dinner?” she said to Ellis.

“Despite everyone’s opinion to the contrary, I can cook.  Ada helped though.”

“And I did too,” Miller said.  “Why does everyone always forget about me?”

“I don’t think anyone ever forgets about you for a minute,” Ada said, causing Miller to blush and lose track of his thoughts yet again.  He hoped that maybe there were cattle in Oregon Territory, or horses, anything that needed rounding up and a lot of range riding, a lot of being somewhere else.