Evelyn Lark's Arc

Chapter 1 of 2

Evelyn Lark adjusted her black veil and stepped into the dusty street of Gritstown. Her red eyes scanned the worn buildings and weathered faces around her. She needed a fresh start, a new husband who could give her respectability. The mining town wasn't much, but it had men with steady work and no questions about her past. She walked past the saloon and general store, her boots clicking against the wooden planks. A poster caught her eye near the feed store. Saturday dance at the gazebo. All welcome. Her heart quickened. Dances meant miners cleaned up and looking for company. She touched the poster's corner and felt hope stir in her chest. The gazebo stood at the edge of town, its carved posts visible even from here. Evelyn studied the intricate woodwork that decorated the open structure. This would be her hunting ground. She would wear her best black dress and attend every dance they held. Some widow-hungry miner would see past her veil and red eyes. Someone respectable enough to give her a proper place in this town. She folded the poster's corner and turned back toward the boarding house. Saturday was three days away. Time enough to prepare.