Mail Order Bride- Twenty-Two Brides Mega Boxed Set

by Emily Woods

  Johnny wordlessly rose from the couch and stomped out of the room. “Johnny?” Michael called out after his oldest son, but Johnny did not return.

  “No new mother! No new mother!” Francis and Kristina chanted in unison as Michael buried his face in his hands.

  Perhaps this is just their initial reaction, Michael thought to himself. This is a major change for the children, and they have had so much change in the last few years. From the time that I had to spend away with the army, to my return from war, from the impact of the war on the city of Chicago, to the loss of my darling wife, these children have walked through the lowest valleys of despair!

  Kristina suddenly rose from the floor and walked over to her father. “I hate you!” Kristina announced as she glared up at Michael. “I hate you!”

  Francis copied his sister and also stood from the floor. He toddled over to Michael and kicked him in the shins. “Hate you!”

  Michael scooped his youngest son into his arms and cradled him close. “You don’t hate me,” Michael whispered to Francis as Francis wept. “It has been a difficult time for you son, but I love you, and the Lord loves you, and before you know it, your new mother will be here to love you, too.”

  3

  As the train wound up through northern Indiana, Hilda stared out the grimy window. It had been an arduous journey. Before the war, the trip from Alabama to Chicago would have been much faster, but with the destruction of the railways in the south, Hilda’s journey to Illinois was painfully slow. She was filthy and exhausted from traveling. She had never been so far from home before, and she had not realized how taxing it would be on her body, mind, and spirit. Still, as she leaned against the dirt-streaked window and watched the cornfields fly by, Hilda was hopeful that her life was going to change for the better.

  “Three more hours!”

  Hilda jumped as a steward marched through the narrow aisle of the train car, his booming voice rousing her from the sleepy state she had been clinging to since the early morning. Hilda had hardly slept along the journey, and she was trying to rest in hopes of looking her best and brightest when she first saw her future husband.

  The last three hours of the trip melted away, and before Hilda knew it, the steward was announcing the final thirty minutes of the journey. Hilda gulped as she caught sight of her reflection. Her green eyes looked dull and tired, and her hair was flat. Hilda reached into her valise and retrieved a spicy green satin ribbon, which she tied into her hair in hopes of improving her appearance.

  “I hope he doesn’t take one look at me and scream,” Hilda muttered to herself as she fastened the green bow into her hair. “This journey has left me tired and dirty, and I hope Michael Copper doesn’t send me back to the south!”

  Hilda’s rumpled dress and tired eyes meant nothing when she first gazed into Michael’s face. She knew Michael before he had introduced himself. As Hilda walked off of the platform in Chicago’s Union Station, she just knew that the tall, brown-haired man smiling at her in the waiting room was her husband-to-be.

  He’s older than I expected, Hilda thought to herself as her stomach churned with nerves. But he is quite handsome, and his jawline is so good-looking, and those eyes…

  Hilda quickened her pace, struggling to walk quickly with the weight of her valise, but eager to reach the man she was going to marry. Hilda burst into a smile as she approached him, and she dropped her valise, sinking into a deep curtsey.

  “It is a pleasure to see you,” Hilda murmured as she gazed up into Michael’s eyes. “I am Hilda.”

  Michael could not keep the smile from his lips, and Hilda’s heart began to beat furiously in her chest as he beamed down at her. “How did you know it was me?”

  Hilda’s hands tingled as Michael bent down to lift her from her curtsey. His touch was gentle, but it sent sparks up and down Hilda’s spine. “I could just see it in your face,” Hilda said breathlessly as she smiled demurely at Michael. “And I knew it in my heart.”

  Michael and Hilda stood together in the middle of union station, both grinning wordlessly as people hurried to and from the train platforms. For the new couple, it was as if no one else in the world existed. Hilda could not tear herself from Michael’s gaze, and from the way Michael was looking at her, she believed he felt the same way. Finally, the spell was broken as a loud, crashing noise filled the room as a train clamored into the station.

  “What is that sound?” Hilda asked, startled as she jumped into Michael. He wrapped his arms around her, and she leaned into his embrace.

  “It’s just a train,” he said soothingly. “It’s nothing to be afraid of!”

  Hilda laughed. “I’m sorry I leapt into your arms,” she said coyly, looking up at Michael as she fluttered her eyelashes. “I’m usually not such a scaredy-cat!”

  Michael’s eyes shined. “It’s no problem,” he said sweetly. “I hope you’ll be in my arms frequently….”

  Hilda’s heart thudded in her chest. She felt a sense of calm around Michael. He was attractive and well-dressed, but more importantly, he seemed to be genuinely kind. Hilda felt drawn to him, and she thought of Polly’s words as her older sister talked with her about her wifely duties on her wedding night.

  “It’s the most Godly thing you can do with your husband,” Polly informed Hilda as the two sat together in Hilda’s room one evening. “It sounds strange, but I promise, it will bring the pair of you closer together as a Christ-like couple! You will feel so known and understood by your husband, and he will feel the same way about you.”

  Hilda’s eyes had widened at her sister’s words. “Were you nervous on your wedding night, Polly? Be honest, sister. I have protected my purity, and I do not know much about wifely duties, and I want to be sure that I am prepared!”

  Polly had giggled. “It sounds strange, but it will be natural! You have been praying for your future-husband, yes?”

  Hilda nodded solemnly. “Of course. I have prayed that we will get on well, and I hope that the Lord will answer my prayers.”

  Polly grinned. “Don’t fret, sister. If you have been faithfully praying about your future husband, your wedding, and your wedding night, I am sure that it all will go well. You will even enjoy yourself, sister! Wedding nights are very, very special moments, and as long as you are sweet and loving, your husband will be gentle and tender. Just keep praying for Michael Copper, and it will be a night you will not forget.”

  Remembering this conversation with her sister as she stood in the train station with Michael, Hilda’s body grew warm with anticipation. She stared at her future husband, in total disbelief that she had been so blessed by a good man.

  “Are you ready to go home?” Michael asked.

  “Yes, please,” Hilda responded as she tucked a loose lock of strawberry blonde hair behind her ear. “I am simply exhausted from my travels, and I am absolutely famished!”

  Michael laughed. “A woman with a good appetite, that is what I like to hear!”

  Hilda grinned. “I’m ready to go. May I ask when I will meet the children? Are they here?”

  Michael shook his head. “I thought it would be best for them to meet you in the home,” he said slowly, and Hilda noticed the grim look on his face.

  “What is that matter?” Hilda asked.

  “Nothing!” Michael responded as he smiled again. “Nothing is wrong! I am so happy you arrived safely, and I am eager to introduce you to the children. They know you are coming, and they are looking forward to our wedding tomorrow.”

  Hilda nodded. “That is wonderful,” she replied. “I am looking forward to it as well.”

  Hilda saw Michael’s cheeks flush. He bent down to pick up her valise in one hand, and with his other hand, he reached for Hilda’s hand. “I am looking forward to our wedding as well, Hilda,” Michael said softly as Hilda felt goosebumps rise on her thin arms. “I cannot wait to marry you.”

  Hilda’s jaw dropped as the carriage rounded a corner and Michael announced they were nearly home. Th
e neighborhood was unlike anything she had ever seen before in Alabama. In the south, she had been raised in a modest two-story country house. She had walked on dirt roads to reach the one-room school house where she had received schooling until she was thirteen, and she had always been surrounded by cornfields and open, blue skies.

  Now, as her husband-to-be pointed out familiar sights and interesting places in Chicago, Hilda’s head was spinning. She had never seen such tall buildings before, and she could not believe how fancy the women looked as they strolled the streets. Hilda felt dowdy and out of place in her simple gray dress, and she wished she had been able to bathe before meeting her future husband.

  “This is it!” Michael announced as the driver stopped the carriage. Hilda’s eyes widened as she took in the sight of the three-story brownstone building that Michael pointed to. The street was quiet, and Hilda took a long, deep breath as Michael helped her out of the carriage.

  “The children are waiting inside. I will introduce you, and then you can rest!” Michael declared as he led Hilda up the steps.

  “Children!” Michael shouted as he stepped inside.

  “Your home....” Hilda sputtered as she looked around. The house was simple, but elegant. Hilda was used to the finery of the south at the Davenport plantation, but as she surveyed Michael’s beautiful home, she felt her stomach churn. She could not believe that she, a simple country girl from the deep south, was going to be the mistress of such a lovely home.

  “It’s very comfortable. It belonged to my parents, and their parents, and we did some renovations just before the war broke out. It is large enough that it allows us to comfortably house our staff, but it is modest enough that the children can stay humble,” Michael said.

  “I would not call this modest,” Hilda murmured as she glanced at the grand staircase in the hallway to the right of the foyer.

  “Pardon me?” Michael asked.

  “It’s nothing,” Hilda whispered. “I’m just happy to be here.”

  Michael took Hilda by the hand and led her into a formal sitting area. “This is the room where the most special things in our family take place,” Michael informed Hilda as he escorted her to the overstuffed couch.

  Hilda stared at the enormous family portraits on the far right wall, amazed at the elegance of the Copper family, as well as the striking beauty of Michael’s late wife. She bit her bottom lip, imaging herself in a Copper family portrait someday, and Hilda grimaced as she thought of her own plain wardrobe and country manners.

  “Are you alright?” Michael asked as Hilda stared down at her shoes. “The children should be right down. Are you apprehensive about meeting them?”

  Hilda shook her head. “Not at all,” she informed Michael as she adjusted her hair. “I love children. I took care of the little ones at the Davenport plantation, and they adored me. I’m sure your children and I will get along famously!”

  Hilda saw Michael’s jaw tighten. “What is the matter?” Hilda asked her husband to be, reaching out a hand to delicately touch his shoulder. “Michael?”

  “Who is she?”

  Hilda nearly jumped off of the couch as a shrill voice filled the room. She looked up to see a small girl storm into the parlor, her eyes angry and her body tense. An older boy and a toddler followed her, and they all stood in front of Michael with their arms crossed.

  The little girl pointed at Hilda and glared. “Is that her, Papa?”

  Michael nodded to the children. “Yes!” Michael exclaimed, reaching a hand over to Hilda to help her rise from the couch. “Hilda, let me make our introductions. Children, this is Hilda. Hilda has come all the way to Chicago from Alabama!”

  The children narrowed their eyes at Hilda, and she felt her heart racing as she attempted to smile sweetly. “It is my deepest pleasure to meet you all,” Hilda said, bending down to speak to the children at eye-level. “I am so happy to be here. It was a long, long journey, but I am thrilled to be here and to meet all of you, my special new friends!”

  The oldest boy sneered. “You aren’t our friend,” he declared as Hilda’s face fell. “Papa says you are going to take the place of our Mama. Well, I’ll tell you right now that you can never do that!”

  Hilda wrinkled her nose and weighed her words very carefully, knowing that her first meeting with her new children was very important, and that this impression could set the tone for their entire life together. She said a quick prayer, hoping the guidance of the Lord could help to calm her and give her strength as she interacted with her new children.

  “I want you be your friend,” Hilda explained to the children. “And I want to be someone who cares for you. But I want you children to know that I will never try to replace your Mama. Your Mama was beautiful and Godly and loving, and you don’t need someone to try to replace her memory.”

  The younger boy stuck his thumb in his mouth, and Hilda watched as the little girl’s face softened. Michael’s daughter wrapped her arms around her little brother and pulled the boy close to her.

  “I will never be your mother,” Hilda continued as she saw a look of sadness flash across the older boy’s face. “But I will care for you, and love you, and respect you, and lead you to the Lord. I hope that someday, we will all be close!”

  The older boy shook his head. “No,” he said quietly. “We do not want you here. Go back to the south!”

  “Yeah,” the girl chimed in. “Go back to the south!”

  The three children ran out of the room, and Hilda turned to Michael, the color draining from her face. “Michaell, your children hate me!”

  Michael’s eyes were heavy, Hilda noticed that he could hardly make eye contact with her. “I’m so sorry about that…”

  Hilda sat back down on the couch, her chest tight with defeat. “They don’t want me here, Michael. Are you sure this marriage is a good idea? I believe that you and I will make a good match, but if your children do not accept me….I do not want to ruin your family, Michael.”

  Michael sat down next to Hilda and grabbed her small, delicate hand. He squeezed it three times, and Hilda felt shivers run up and down her spine. “You are not ruining my family, Hilda,” Michael murmured as Hilda closed her green eyes. “You are making my family better. I believe that God sent you here to be a wife and a mother, and I have every confidence that the children will warm to you. Johnny, Kristina, and Francis are good children at heart, and I know that their light will shine through. Hilda, your youth and vigor will be so good for them, and I hope you know how happy I am that God has answered my prayers with your arrival.”

  Hilda could not keep the smile off of her face. She breathed in the deep, masculine scent of Michael’s cologne, wishing they were already married so she could bury her face in his chest without seeming improper. Hilda’s attraction to her future husband was undeniable, and as she sat next to him on the overstuffed couch, she felt immensely blessed. Michael’s children had been ill-behaved, but Hilda knew that he wanted her in Chicago, and in that moment, that was all that mattered.

  4

  “You will just love this one!” Carol chirped as she helped Hilda into a bright periwinkle gown.

  Hilda smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she spun around to see the back of the dress. “This is too much, Carol! Are you sure all of these dresses are for me?”

  Carol nodded, her eyes sparkling. “All of these are for you, Miss Hilda! Mr. Copper made it very clear that you were to have everything you needed, and after I went through your luggage and washed your things….well, Miss Hilda, it was clear that you needed a few things to make you look like a Chicago attorney’s wife!”

  Hilda fingered the satin dress, reveling in the way it felt against her skin. She couldn't believe that she, a simple girl from Alabama, was standing in the guest bedroom of a fine Chicago home, wearing a dress that cost more than her wages in her job as a maid.

  Carol, Michael’s maid, had been assisting her with trying on her new wardrobe, and Hilda was thankful for the company.
Carol had tried to engage Kristina in helping Hilda to try on her new outfits, but Kristina had stuck her tongue out at Carol and skipped away.

  “You look lovely in that blue,” Carol assured Hilda. “The other ones were nice as well. You have the perfect figure for these gowns, and it’s such a treat to take a break from my normal chores to help you! Mr. Copper told me to make sure that you were comfortable, and with all of these new trinkets and dresses, it looks like you will be very comfortable here in Chicago.”

  Hilda grinned. “He is wonderful, isn’t he?”

  Carol laughed. “Miss Hilda, you look like you have it so bad for Mr. Copper! The look in your eyes gives it away. He is a good looking man, isn’t he?”

  Hilda nodded emphatically. “He is so handsome! He is older than I expected, but he is so very attractive. And, he is kind! The way he speaks to me, the way he speaks to you, and the way he speaks to the children has warmed my heart. I can hardly wait for our wedding tomorrow, Carol! I cannot wait to be his wife.”

  Carol giggled. “I sounded just as excited on the night before my wedding,” she told Hilda as she helped her out of the periwinkle dress. “I think you two will be very happy together.”

  Hilda shivered as the chilly air hit her bare skin, and Carol offered her a black robe. “Here,” Carol said. “Put this on while I fetch another dress.”

  Hilda thanked Carol, and slipped into the soft robe. “You are too kind, Carol. Thank you for your help. I was a maid back in Alabama, and I know how busy your day is. It’s been so sweet to have your help today, especially with all of the unfriendly faces earlier…”

  Carol sighed. “The children,” Carol began as she reached for a mint green frock to dress Hilda in. “Those poor children.”

  Hilda pursed her lips as she raised her arms for Carol to slip the gown on over her head. “Tell me more about them, Carol,” Hilda asked as Carol adjusted the waist of the dress around Hilda’s torso. “They are so bitter and hateful, from what I have seen….”