Character Questions for Rafe's Redemption by Jennifer Jakes

As part of the spotlight for Rafe's Redemption we are interviewing the main character Maggie.

So Maggie, you are a budding artist on her way to Californa from St Louis. Want to tell us a little about yourself and how you ended up in this little town in Colorado Territory?

I lived in St. Louis across from Lafayette Park with my father. He was a prominent business man, but recently passed away. Father never believed a woman had enough sense to manage money, so he left everything - including me - under the charge of my cousin, Michael. Anyway, there were certain holdings of Father's in San Francisco that needed attention, and when Michael offered to let me go along, I couldn't resist the chance to see - and draw - the country.

What started you drawing? When?

I can remember my mother drawing and painting. But she passed when I was still young. Drawing was the one thing that reminded me of her. Living across from the park gave me many opportunities to draw nature, a horse and carriage and even an occasional couple out for a Sunday stroll.

Did you have any formal training?

No. I believe my talent is a gift from my mother.

You draw both landscapes and people…do you have a favorite?

People.

Do you think you will be taken seriously as a female artist in the mid-west in the 1880’s? Has the US advance enough to for a female artist to make a living off her art?

Father always said drawing is a waste of time. There are moments I fear too many men still feel this way. But I have a secret plan I'll share with you . . .I intend to show my art under the rumored guise that I am a man. I set aside enough money to pay to have an art show -- to pay the owner for his silence. Can I make a living? I truly hope so. I hate the fact Father left my cousin in charge.

You seem to have issues with you father. Do you think he was cruel/mean, or just uncaring /callus? Do you think there was a reason for him being this was (like loosing your mother)?

I think Father was always focused on what he wanted instead of seeing or caring how others felt. I suppose that made him hard and callus. And from what my governess, Nettie, says, Father acted the same way to Mother. So I don't think losing her made him worse. In fact, I don't even remember him crying when she passed.......

Your father was wealthy and you grew up “well to do,” yet you have many skills most young ladies of your class have no idea how to do (cooking, laundry, etc). How did you learn these skills and why did your father not better ‘train’ you for your class/station?

Oh! Father would have locked me in my room if he knew some of the things I did. You see Nettie became my mother really. And a child wants to be with her mother. So as soon as Father was gone or busy in his study, I'd sneak into the kitchen or outside . . .where ever Nettie was, I went. Father didn't want to be bothered with me anyway, so it wasn't hard to "disappear". And of course I know all the things he deemed important too: embroidery, pouring tea . . .but he didn't allow me to attend balls or any social events without him. He was always concerned some fortune hunter would compromise me and therefore have access to his money.

Do you really plan to remain single?

Yes. The few married women that I do know are all unhappy and whisper behind their husband's backs. I choose not to live that way. Nor do I intend to ever be dictated to as Father did to me.

How do you plan to manage in the 1880’s without a husband?

If I cannot make any money with my art, I will apply for a position as a governess.

Did you have no idea that your cousin was stealing your inheritance?

If you mean once we were traveling, then no. Not until we became stranded in Cougar Creek. Then about midnight, he came into my room and demanded some of my jewelry. This continued throughout the night, more jewelry, my silk gowns, my fur wraps.......Sometime about 3 am I hid my last necklace in my skirt. I intended to save it, so Michael and I could eat on the last leg of our journey to San Francisco.

You must have had some idea that it wasn’t safe with your cousin because you hid your locket/necklace in your skirt. Did you have any idea your life was in danger?

No, I never thought Michael was a danger to anyone but himself.

How did you manage to go through the Civil War and grow up in St Louis (edge of the West, isn’t it?), and never fire a gun? (so I grew up in TX & OK and this is something we all learn young).

Firing a weapon is something a lady of St. Louis isn't allowed to do. I don't think Nettie has ever fired a weapon - and she's done many unladylike things.

I can’t believe you were auctioned off (ok, I know it happens, but men are so cruel)! Care to comment…

I couldn't believe it either. I have never been more scared in my life.

Why were you not more scared of Rafe? All the other men around, except for Tom, seemed horrible…

Oh, I was scared of him. Rafe can be intimidating. I even tried to slip away while he was talking to the saloon owner. But some of those other disgusting men caught me. I guess when Rafe offered me his coat to stay warm I realized there was a decency in him. I just hoped he would listen to reason and take the hidden necklace in exchange for my freedom.

You take to living in Rafe’s ‘cabin’ very well. How different is it from your father’s house and the city?

Oh, Father's house was very grand. Making an impression on his influential business friends was always important. Rafe's cabin . . .well, it was clean for the most part. And warm. Nothing fancy and that's a fact. But I also didn't feel like I was living in a glass box where I had to be careful not to disturb anything. Well, except Rafe. I think I disturbed him quite a bit.

What is the one or two things you most miss while living out in the “wild” (away from the city)?

Having an inside water pump. It was very easy to heat water for a bath at my father's house. I'm not lazy, but I'm not fond of carrying water from the creek at Rafe's cabin. I think a hot, soaking bath is one of life's greatest pleasures.

You and Rafe become intimate without any promises or looking to the future. Do you worry about what others will say?

Yes and no. But then I never thought my relationship with Rafe would last once he dropped me off in St. Louis. Nettie would never judge me and she would have been the only one I told.

Do you know about current pregnancy prevention techniques or even really think about that (Little Owl, Rafe’s friend’s wife may have known something)?

Years ago when Nettie told me about what men and woman do together, she hinted there were ways to avoid pregnancy, but I never really questioned her because I never thought I'd end up with a man. I intended to remain a spinster as you know. But things rarely go according to plan as I now know.

Don't forget about the giveaway for a copy of Rafe's Redemption. More information HERE.