Phebe stood at the rail of the ferry, preferring to be outside in the cool ocean breeze rather than in the enclosed area built in the center of the boat. She tightened her hold on her woolen shawl and stared in wide-eyed wonder at the looming harbor.

It was filled with ships, and the steep hillsides behind it were crowded with houses of all shapes and sizes, lit up against the dark night sky. There was enough bite in the air that she was practically alone on the open deck—except for Jesse, of course.

Her self-proclaimed escort had casually picked up the bag she’d kept with her all the way from New York, then led her through the crowds descending from the train toward the baggage car. Her small trunk had looked lost among the pile of much larger pieces, and even more forlorn when Jesse had tossed it in the back of a wagon. He claimed Henry had sent it to take her and her luggage to the ferry.

Phebe would have liked to have believed that her soon-to-be husband had been that thoughtful, but she rather doubted it. Her common sense told her it was much more likely that Caroline Frommer had made the arrangements.

Everything had been so new, and a bit rushed, that it hadn’t occurred to her until Jesse Winthrop’s reaction to Henry’s name, that she’d never seen a word directly from him in any of the correspondence Madam Wigg had shown her. It had all come from Caroline. And the only time she’d directly mentioned Henry had been in the telegram. That realization had lowered her spirits considerably.

What if she arrived in San Francisco and Henry had changed his mind? Or he took one look at her and was disappointed? Phebe had to blink rapidly to keep a tear from escaping and trailing down her cheek, but she couldn’t quite stop the sound of a soft sniffle, or the slight tremor to her chin.

“It’s going to be fine, Phebe.”

Jesse was standing next to her, leaning against the rail. The sympathy in his voice had Phebe quickly looking away. Over the long hours on the train, she’d enjoyed listening to Jesse’s stories about San Francisco, and had even come to like the man.

He had a friendly smile and easy manner that had been a welcome relief from the stretches of boredom when she had nothing to do but get lost in her own thoughts. She really didn’t want him to think she retreated into tears at every little thing. Because she didn’t. At least, she never had before. And she wasn’t going to start now.

Phebe lifted her chin and put a smile on her face. “The wind is bothering me a bit, but I’m enjoying my first sight of the Pacific Ocean.”

“I’m sure you will once you see it.” Jesse chuckled when she frowned at him. “We’re only crossing the bay. The ocean’s that way.” He pointed to his left and smiled. “We should be at the wharf in thirty minutes or so. It’s a lot cooler on that side of the water. Maybe you’d like to go in and warm up a bit?”

“I’d prefer to stay out here, if you don’t mind,” Phebe responded politely.

When Jesse nodded, she smiled and turned her gaze back to the approaching shoreline. It seemed as if the whole bay were alive with ships. Phebe had only been to the docks in New York once, and had been astonished at the number of people rushing about, along with all the strange noises and smells. It had reminded her of the fish market she used to take a trip to once a month when it was her turn to help purchase the food for the orphanage. The memories made her smile. She supposed there wouldn’t be any fish markets near the mines up in the mountains.

It wasn’t long before Jesse was pointing out different landmarks about the city and telling a colorful story or two. It didn’t take long for him to have her laughing and declaring she was sure he was blatantly exaggerating. Of course he solemnly promised on his mother’s grave that every word he’d said was true. It only took her one minute of questioning to discover that Jesse’s mother was quite well and thriving back home in his native Chicago.

They were both still smiling over their silly exchange as the ferry pulled up to the docks. When Jesse waved, Phebe followed the direction of his gaze to a large group of people waving to the passengers on deck. All the nerves she’d sternly gotten under control suddenly broke loose again.

She’d only been expecting Caroline Frommer, and hopefully Henry. She hadn’t thought she’d be meeting her future husband in front of . . . Phebe blinked and did a quick count . . . five other people. That is, if one of the three gentlemen in the group was actually Henry. She squinted, trying to get a better look, but with the distance, the dark, and the rocking of the boat, she couldn’t see any of the faces clearly. Not that it would have made a lick of difference since she had no idea what Henry looked like.

When Jesse took her arm, Phebe let out a tiny squeak of surprise.

“Come on, Phebe. Let’s get the introductions over with so you can be on your way to a cup of tea and a warm fire.”

“All right.” Relieved she sounded calm enough despite the jittery waves shooting along her nerves, Phebe clutched her shawl and reticule closer to her chest and followed Jesse to the center of the boat.

The crew was busy securing a gangplank to the dock below. Carefully maneuvering down the narrow, shaky walkway, Phebe accepted Jesse’s outstretched hand to take the last large step onto solid ground. He urged her forward toward the group waiting for them. The women—one blond like two of the men standing behind her, and the other with darker hair—were smiling at her.

Phebe curved her lips upward even as her rising spirits sank again as she took in their fashionable dresses. Madam Wigg had said the family was well off, but somehow Phebe hadn’t expected to see silk and lace as everyday attire. Looking at them, she was sure neither woman had ever owned a plain woolen shawl, or secondhand walking shoes meant only for practical work. Phebe’s gaze lifted to their faces with a quiet sigh of resignation. Both women were very striking and would certainly turn heads wherever they went.

Even knowing her attire should make no difference, Phebe couldn’t help feeling out of place. And if these ladies were an example of who Henry was used to having sit across from him at the supper table, he was going to be in for a big disappointment. She wouldn’t measure up well next to such elegance, obvious sophistication, and beauty.

Bracing herself for a likely rejection as a suitable wife, Phebe drew in a breath and kept walking forward. She’d already considered this possibility during the long trip here. Even if Henry begged off, which she was now sure he would, she still intended to ask the Frommers to keep their promise to Madam Wigg and help fund the orphan school Phebe was going to start.

With or without a husband.

Of course, her mentor back in New York would be happy to help out if it came to that, but the head of the orphanage had many other girls who might need her assistance. That made Phebe all the more determined to do this on her own.

It took less than five minutes to reach the group waiting on the edge of the dock. Jesse stopped and nudged Phebe forward.

“This is Miss Phebe Wigg.” Jesse looked over at Phebe and winked. “Delivered all safe and sound. Phebe, this is most of the Frommer household.”

Doing her best to manage a polite smile, Phebe nodded. “It’s nice to meet all of you.”

The blond woman, who looked to be about Phebe’s age, immediately stepped forward, giving Jesse a glare before linking an arm through one of Phebe’s. “I’m afraid your escort’s manners need a bit of work. If Adam had mentioned he was going to have someone accompany you during your journey, we would have arranged for a more suitable companion.” When she narrowed her eyes, Jesse only grinned at her.

Startled by the young lady’s clear dismissal of Jesse, Phebe felt obligated to defend him. “I’m very grateful you went to the trouble to send an escort at all, and I assure you that Jesse was a perfect gentleman.”

“Was he? How unusual.”

When Jesse raised an eyebrow at the woman, Phebe hastily sought to avert an argument between the two. “I apologize, but I don’t believe I heard your name?”

With a last glare at Jesse’s suddenly triumphant look, the woman turned a warm smile on Phebe. Her blue eyes were lit with amusement.

“I’m the one who should apologize. I’m Christa Frommer.” She inclined her head toward the dark-haired woman. “And this is Caroline Frommer, my sister-in-law. The man standing behind her giving me an annoyed look is her husband and my oldest brother, Adam.” She turned her smile on the shortest man in the group with the salt-and-pepper hair. “That’s John, who’s more family than our houseman, and his wife, Hannah is back at the house. She oversees the cooking for the family. And cleans up after Henry’s experiments along with Nellie, who’s our housekeeper. There’s also Thomas who sees to the stables. And that’s our entire happy household, except for a day maid or two.”

She let out an infectious laugh, which had Phebe smiling in return. “And the man standing there with a red face and his hands behind his back is Henry.” Christa leaned over and whispered into Phebe’s ear, “He’s very nervous.”

Phebe pressed her lips together so her future husband wouldn’t think she was laughing at him. Her gaze slowly shifted over the group, ending up on Henry. There was indeed a streak of red across his cheeks, and his blue eyes blinked at her from behind gold-rimmed spectacles that gave him a boyish kind of charm.

She relaxed just a little. At least he hadn’t taken one look at her and started shaking his head. When Phebe smiled at him, his eyes widened and the color in his face heightened even more. Only after Adam Frommer’s elbow smacked him solidly in the side did Henry finally stepped forward.

“I’m Henry Frommer, Miss Wigg. And I’m pleased to meet you.” He executed a small bow before glancing over at his sister-in-law.

Phebe heard Caroline’s sigh before the woman reached out and patted his arm. She then turned toward Phebe.

“As Christa said, I’m Caroline Frommer, and I’m also very happy to meet you at last, Phebe.” She stepped forward and embraced Phebe in a warm hug before moving back a little and smiling at Christa. “We’ve all been so anxious to meet you.” Caroline’s smile stayed in place as she switched her gaze back to Phebe. “I hope you don’t mind me using your first name? And that you feel comfortable enough to call me Caroline. If you say ‘Mrs. Frommer,’ who knows who might pop up?”

Adam laughed and moved to stand by his wife. “Only you, sweetheart, since you’re the only Mrs. Frommer in the family. At least at the moment.” He smiled at Phebe. “Welcome to San Francisco, Phebe. I hope you found the trip tolerable.”

“Since she’s here and appears none the worse for wear, I’d say she tolerated it just fine.” Christa snorted. She tugged on Phebe’s arm. “Jesse can see to your trunk while we get settled into the carriage.”

“Why, Jesse—who, I’d like to point out, is standing right here in front of you—would be happy to do that,” Phebe’s tall green-eyed escort muttered.

Christa ignored him as she steered Phebe toward a grand-looking conveyance on the far side of the dock. “I can’t wait to hear all about you and the school you’ll be starting. Adam found an excellent piece of land near one of the most beautiful lakes you’ll ever see. And Caroline and I have spent days getting all the supplies together. Madam Wigg sent us your list, and I hope you won’t mind that we’ve added a few things.”

Phebe stayed silent, barely able to keep up with everything Christa was saying. As the friendly woman chattered on, Phebe cast a sideways glance at Henry. He was walking silently between Adam and his wife and looked every bit like a prisoner being escorted to his doom.

She hadn’t missed the fact that Christa had mentioned it was Adam who had found the land for the school, and herself and her sister-in-law who had organized the supplies. Everyone seemed to have been intent on helping Phebe get her school started, except the man she expected to marry.

Wondering if Henry even knew he was supposed to be marrying her in the next day or so, she decided it wouldn’t do any good to dwell on it. She’d find out soon enough. And if she had to start out all on her own, well then, that’s what she would do.