Mail Order Miriam (Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies Book 27)

by Jenna Brandt

  “Thank you,” Miriam said with a warm smile. “I’m sure it will.”

  “If you need anything else, I—“

  “Don’t prattle on, Mary,” Mark’s butler, Asher, admonished as he came into the entryway. “I’m sure Mr. and Mrs. Bennett would like some time alone. I have champagne ready for you in the parlor, along with some appetizers before supper.”

  “Are you hungry?” Mark asked, gesturing towards the hall behind him. “Cook should have supper ready for us in just a bit, but in the meantime, we can drink to our new life.”

  “I’m actually quite exhausted from my trip. Do you mind if I retire for the evening?”

  Mark hid his disappointment as he nodded. “Of course, if you change your mind, just ring for one of the servants and one of them will bring you up a plate of food.”

  “I’ll take you to your room, now, Mrs. Bennett,” Mary offered as they made their way over to the staircase.

  As Mark watched his wife glide up the stairs, he wondered what he’d gotten himself into. A wife in theory was one thing, but now he had one living under his own roof. Did he make the right decision, or was he going to live to regret his choice?

  7

  The next morning, Miriam woke to the chirping sound of birds outside. She stretched her arms above her head, before standing up and moving over to the window. There was a nest filled with a family of bluebirds and the mother was busy feeding her chicks. It caused Miriam to think of her own youngling, and she placed her hand on her belly

  When would be the right time to tell Mark about the baby? Should she do it like a bandage, and rip it off right away, or would it be better to build up a relationship with him before she broke the news? If she wanted a positive outcome, she needed to make herself indispensable in Mark’s life. It was her only hope for making their marriage work.

  She let out a heavy sigh as she leaned against the window frame. A chill crawled up her spine, causing her to shiver. She wished she had a robe to put on over her slip, but that was another luxury she didn’t have the money for.

  She opened her wardrobe, prepared to wear her dirty outfit from the previous day. To her surprise, both of her dresses were inside, freshly cleaned and pressed, along with her undergarments folded on the bottom shelf. The rip in her yellow dress had even been mended. Had Mary done all of this for her? Tears filled her eyes, touched by the kind gesture. She was used to servants doing tasks for her, but it was out of fear from the imperial family. Mary made her feel like family.

  Miriam slipped on the yellow dress and made quick work of putting her hair up in a bun. She pinched her cheeks to give them color, then headed downstairs, hoping it wasn’t too late for breakfast. Skipping dinner the previous night had left her famished.

  After poking her head into several wrong rooms downstairs, she finally found the dining room. Mark was sitting at the head of the table, reading a newspaper as he sipped on a cup of coffee. His eyes peeked over the edge of the paper and settled on her.

  “I’m sure you’re hungry. Why don’t you have a seat.” Mark gestured to the chair next to him. “Cook made pancakes as well as fried bacon and poached eggs. There’s also some fresh fruit and toasted bread if you’d rather have that.”

  “Thank you.” Miriam took the offered seat and helped herself to some of the fruit as well as the eggs. She figured it would be the easiest on her stomach. She poured herself a cup of coffee, taking a long swig before setting it down. “After we eat, what are our plans for the day?”

  “I have to head over to the mine, so you’re free to do whatever you like until I return tonight and we head over to my family’s house for supper.”

  Miriam wasn’t sure what to make of his suggestion. She hoped he would take the day off and help her settle into her new life.

  “Is there anything you need me to do?”

  He shrugged, folding the paper back up. “Not that I can think of. You mentioned only having a pair of dresses. If you’d like, you could have Hucksley—my driver—take you into Yuma to purchase some new clothes.”

  “Wouldn’t you want to approve what I buy?” she asked in astonishment, knowing that her former husband controlled every aspect of her life, including her wardrobe.

  Mark’s brows furrowed together in confusion as he placed the paper down beside him. “I don’t see a need for that. I have an account at the dress shop from when my sister used to live with me before she got married. Just tell them you’re my new wife, and they’ll get you whatever you need.”

  Miriam swallowed a couple of times, trying to process that not only was he giving her free rein to pick out her own clothes, but it seemed there was no limit to what she could purchase. “You’re certain about this? Whatever I need?”

  He nodded. “Enjoy yourself, Miriam. You’re never going to have to worry about money again.” He stood from his chair and headed towards the door. “Oh, and make sure to pick up a bouquet of fresh flowers for my aunt and some cigars for my uncle. Arriving with gifts will make our news a bit more palatable.”

  “I’ll make sure to do that.” Miriam needed every ounce of help she could get. The last thing she wanted to do was get off on the wrong foot with her new husband’s family. Two hours later, she arrived at the dress shop, ready to pick out the ideal dress to make the perfect first impression.

  “What can I do for you?” the dress shop owner asked with a forced smile, as she looked Miriam up and down with a skeptical eye.

  “I need to purchase a few dresses, as well as a couple of skirts and blouses.”

  The woman glanced down at her attire, a doubtful look settling on her face. “Do you have enough money with you to cover that? We don’t allow purchases on credit.”

  Miriam knew the woman was judging her based off of her current outfit. What she wouldn’t give to have one of her old dresses from the imperial court. This woman wouldn’t have dared to treat her this way if she had one of those gowns on. “I hate to have to return home and tell my husband that you wouldn’t let me put the items on his account.”

  “And who is your husband, may I ask?” the woman inquired with a disbelieving tone as she placed her hand on her hip with a superior attitude.

  “Mr. Mark Bennett. We were just married yesterday,” Miriam explained. “He insisted I come to your store and that you would take good care of me.”

  The other woman’s shoulders curled over her chest as her face flushed with embarrassment. “Please forgive me, Mrs. Bennett,” she stammered out.` “I had no idea who you were. Anything you want, it’s yours. If I don’t have something, I’ll have it shipped from New York or Paris just for you.”

  Miriam spent the next three hours picking out a half a dozen dresses and gowns, three skirts with complimentary blouses, as well as two pairs of boots, and matching hats, and a robe to complete her new wardrobe.

  She picked out the satin plum gown to wear home, adding a pair of black boots and matching hat to finish her ensemble.

  “What would you like me to do with your old dress?” the store owner asked.

  “You can donate it to charity,” she ordered, grateful to be free of the dress that was truthfully little more than a rag. It had served its purpose by getting her to her new life, but now it was time to leave it in the past with everything else she wanted to forget.

  Miriam arrived back at the Bennett house, and the driver delivered all of her packages inside. Mary and Tandy busied themselves putting away the items, gushing over each one and telling Miriam what exceptional taste she had.

  “You’re going to look mighty pretty on Mr. Bennett’s arm in these clothes. Even Miss Becca doesn’t have these nice of outfits,” Tandy pointed out, her youthful exuberance splashed across her face.

  “Hush now, girl, it’s not your job to comment on Mrs. Bennett’s choices,” Mary reprimanded the younger maid.

  “Did I overdo it, Mary? I don’t want to look pretentious?” Miriam asked with concern as she sat in her chair next to them. She was used to picking out cl
othes to impress people in the imperial court; would her sense of style be as appreciated here in the West?

  Mary shook her head. “No, ma’am, they’re just right for the wife of the largest copper mine owner in all of Arizona.”

  Miriam nearly choked on the tea she was drinking when she heard the new information. She had no idea that Mark’s copper mine was that large. From his advert, it had been clear he had means, but not on that massive of a scale. No wonder he promised her she’d never have to worry about money again.

  The tea and cookies weren’t settling right with Miriam, and the room started to sway. It had to be the baby making her sick again. She rushed over to her bed, and laid down.

  “Are you all right, Mrs. Bennett?” she heard Mary inquire from across the room. “Do I need to send someone to fetch Mr. Bennett?”

  “No, Mary, I just need to rest,” she sputtered out with trepidation. “I’m still recovering from my trip. Can you wake me up in an hour so I can get ready for this evening?”

  “Yes, ma’am, I’ll just let you rest, and I’ll be back in a bit.”

  What was going to happen when a bout of sickness happened when Mark was present? She could only blame her trip for so long before he figured out something else was going on. Soon, it was going to become impossible for her to hide her condition. She needed to tell her husband before that time came. Silently, she sent up a prayer before she drifted off to sleep, asking God to help her in her situation.

  True to her word, Mary woke her an hour later, and helped her get ready for the dinner party. Miriam made her way downstairs and picked out a book to read while she waited for Mark to return home.

  She was twenty pages into the story when he entered the parlor. He was wearing his same brown suit from earlier, which had prompted her to pick out a sapphire blue gown that would complement it.

  His eyes widened with appreciation. “I see my money was well spent today. You look stunning in that gown.”

  She could feel her cheeks tinge pink from the compliment. “Thank you. It feels nice to be wearing a fine garment like this again.” Realizing the statement hinted at more than she wanted to reveal about her past, she quickly changed the subject by adding, “I got everything you requested for your family. The items are waiting in the foyer.”

  “Excellent; are you ready to leave then?”

  She nodded as she placed the book on the table in front of her.

  “What were you reading?” he inquired with curiosity as he moved over and glanced at the title “Shakespeare—interesting choice.”

  “What can I say, I’m a hopeless romantic at heart.”

  “Join the club,” he teased with a wink. “It’s probably why I waited so long to get married. I kept holding out hope that I’d just randomly bump into the woman of my dreams.”

  “How did that work out for you,” she teased back. “You ended up with a mail order bride instead.”

  “It doesn’t mean she couldn’t end up being the woman of my dreams,” he pointed out, coming to sit beside her. “Sometimes things happen in the most unexpected ways.”

  He leaned towards her, the nearness of him almost more than she could bear. She could tell he wanted to kiss her, but she wasn’t ready for that yet. Purposely wanting to diffuse the situation, she scooted away from him and blurted out, “I have a dreadful joke for you.”

  “You do? Okay, let’s hear it.” Mark leaned back against the couch, placing his hands behind his head, taking the cue that she needed space between them.

  “Who is the greatest chicken-killer in Shakespeare?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “Macbeth, because he did murder most foul.”

  There was a long pause before Mark chuckled, slapping his knee. “You’re right; that is rather dreadful, but I love it.”

  “Good, I’ve got plenty more where that came from.”

  “Is that so? Why don’t you keep them coming then?”

  She shook her head. “What would be the fun in that? It’s better to sprinkle them in when you least expect them.”

  “You’re going to keep me guessing, aren’t you?”

  She let out a laugh, causing her face to scrunch up with amusement. “Don’t we need to be going? We don’t want to keep your family waiting.”

  He nodded, standing up and reaching out his hand to her. “Come on, let’s get this over with.”

  8

  As Mark escorted Miriam into his sister’s house, he braced himself for the barrage of questions that were sure to follow once they heard the news of his marriage.

  “Are you ready for this?” he asked, looking over at Miriam as his hand hovered over the door handle to the dining room.

  “As much as I can be,” she stated, squeezing her hands together in front of her. “I hope they like me.”

  “You’re an easy person to like,” Mark assured her. “You have nothing to worry about.”

  She seemed to relax, her hands falling to her side as a small smile formed on her lips.

  Mark pushed open the doors to reveal his sister, Becca, and her husband, Garrett, sitting at the head of the table. His cousin, Julia, and her husband, Ed, were on one side with his Aunt Claire sitting across, and at the other end of the table, was his Uncle Martin.

  The conversation stopped abruptly and all eyes turned to focus on them. Becca stood from her seat and walked over to the newlyweds. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

  She guided them over to the table and gestured to the empty seats. “Please, join us.”

  “Shouldn’t there be introductions first?” Mark heard his uncle ask in a huff. “I’m not accustomed to eating with strangers. After all, this is a family dinner; I have no idea why my nephew thought it appropriate to bring a guest.”

  “She isn’t a guest, Uncle Martin; she is family,” Mark corrected. “I hoped to do this in a different way, but it seems I’m left with no other option. Everyone, this is my wife, Miriam.”

  “Wife?” his aunt gasped out, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. “I must be mishearing things, because I would swear you just announced that you’re married.”

  “You didn’t mishear anything, Aunt Claire. I am a married man as of yesterday,” Mark reiterated. “Becca can confirm the fact. She was present for the ceremony at the church.”

  “You were there?” Julia accused with anger written across her face. “Why didn’t you tell me, Becca? We tell each other everything.”

  “It wasn’t my secret to divulge—my brother wanted to be the one to tell everyone,” Becca defended herself. “And now that he has, we should all support him in his decision and welcome Miriam into the family.”

  “I just don’t understand,” Aunt Claire whined as she tapped the side of her wine glass. “I had several perfectly wonderful candidates for you to marry right here in Little Ridge and Yuma. Why would you go out of your way to find someone else?”

  “Because I want to be in control of my own life. You think you know what I want in a partner, but you don’t. When Miriam answered my advert, I knew she was exactly what I wanted in a wife.”

  “An advert?” Uncle Martin, Aunt Claire, and Julia all blurted out at the same time.

  “You can’t be serious. Did you actually place one of those awful mail order bride adverts in the newspaper?” Aunt Claire questioned in shock.

  Uncle Martin slammed his glass down on the table, glaring at Mark. “Do you know what will happen to this family’s reputation once everyone finds out? We’re going to be the joke of Little Ridge.”

  “How could you be so selfish, Mark?” Julia whispered in disbelief. “To not only do something so harmful to the family, but to do it behind our backs. I thought you were better than this.” Then turning her attention to her other cousin, she added, “And you, Becca, I understand that he’s your brother, but how can you be okay with this? Why would you support him in such folly?”

  “Because he is my brother, and even when he didn’t agree with my choice to be with Garrett, he
supported me. I owe him the same loyalty; we both do since he supported your decision to be matched with Ed, despite your husband’s past exploits.”

  Julia slowly nodded, the anger dissipating from her as she relaxed into her seat. “You’re right, Becca. I shouldn’t pass judgment on Mark and his new wife.”

  “Thank you for that Julia; as for you Aunt Claire and Uncle Martin, you both might be upset and not understand my choice, but I can assure you, it was the right one. Once you get to know Miriam, you’ll see she’s wonderful; she’s smart, funny, and kind-hearted.” Mark reached out and squeezed his wife’s hand. “I hope you will give her a chance, but if you won’t, then you’ll be choosing to cut me out of your life as well.”

  The patriarch and matriarch of the Bennett family sat stunned for several seconds before Uncle Martin finally broke the silence. “You are my only nephew, and your brother meant a great deal to me. I could never turn my back on you.”

  “And as for Miriam? Will you treat her with the respect she deserves as my wife?”

  “I will do my best.”

  “And how about you, Aunt Claire? Can you treat Miriam as part of the family?”

  Aunt Claire stood from her chair and marched over to Mark and Miriam. For a moment, he was afraid his aunt was going to make a scene. Instead, she reached out and pulled Miriam into a hug. “I can’t help myself; I’m incapable of staying mad for very long. Of course, I’ll welcome Miriam into the family.” She pulled back and gave them both a smile. “I think your marriage calls for a toast.”

  The standing members of the family took their seats around the table as one of the servants came into the room and poured everyone a glass of champagne.

  Ed stood to his feet and raised his glass in the air. “Let me do the honors. To the bride and groom, may your happiness be as deep as the sea and your troubles as light as its foam.”

  Aunt Claire spent the next hour giving them guidance as they ate dinner. “The best advice I can give you is to make laughter the score of your marriage. Even in difficult times, you need to find a reason to laugh.”