Mail Order Blessing

by Maya Stirling

  "Sweetheart Falls has a matrimonial society."

  "A what?"

  "A group of ladies in the town have been devoting themselves to the task of bringing in wives and husbands to the town. They reckon this town needs all the happy couples it can take. And I wholeheartedly agree," Lily stated emphatically.

  Aaron ran his hand through his hair. He could hardly believe what he was hearing. A matrimonial society! A busybody society more like.

  "So you went to these...town matchmakers and put me up as a candidate?"

  "Just about. Yes. And they were most enthusiastic."

  "I bet they were," Aaron blurted out.

  "When I explained to them just what a fine young man you are, and with such an excellent character and prospects, Hettie almost instantly told me about young Rachel."

  Aaron sighed loudly. He saw his mother frown and realized that she was becoming concerned at his reaction to all of this. He didn't like to see her worried, especially after what she had been through with his father in recent weeks. He suddenly felt a strong sense of duty to his mother, to at least hear her out.

  "Who is Hettie?"

  "She is the lady, a very fine lady I might add, who is in charge of the matrimonial society. She told me she had been waiting for just such a fine young man as yourself. She speaks very highly of Rachel. Very highly indeed."

  Lily stood up and went to the wooden bureau and took out some items from one of the drawers. Aaron couldn't entirely see what was in his mother's hand. It looked like some letters and a small rectangular piece of card. Lily came and sat down again next to Aaron.

  "I have some items which you might find of interest. Rather than me try to explain to you why I did what I did, perhaps you'd be better looking at these," she said.

  He hesitated, unsure whether he wanted to read the letter.

  "There is a likeness of Rachel, if you would like to look at that, rather than read the letter."

  "A likeness?" Aaron said hesitantly.

  "The picture was taken recently. It doesn't quite capture all her fine qualities, but it does show what a very lovely young lady she is."

  Aaron reached out and took the small photo in his hand. He saw that his fingers were shaking slightly. Why was he shaking? There was no reason for him to be nervous. Was there? He'd simply look at this likeness and disregard the whole suggestion of marriage as a naive folly. He was sure the girl in the likeness would be a plain jane, judging by the fact that she required the services of a matchmaker to find a husband.

  He turned the card over and looked at the sepia toned image.

  Aaron felt his mouth drop open and he took in a sharp, involuntary breath. For a brief moment everything stopped. He was aware of his mother watching him and he saw that his hand had stopped shaking.

  He swallowed and felt his heart beat faster.

  One word burned it's way onto the front of his mind. And it was a word he would scarce have expected moments ago.

  Beautiful.

  There was no other word to describe the woman in the photo. Aaron tried to compose himself, tried to be dispassionate about the image he was looking at. After all, the suggestion was that the person in the image was going to be a significant part of his future. So, as a lawyer he had to try and take a cool, uninvolved view of the proposition.

  But that was impossible.

  Rachel was beautiful.

  His heart skipped a beat as the thought forced itself upon him.

  He looked again at the photo, squinting to focus on the fine detail of the image. The woman stood alone in what was obviously a photographer's studio. The backdrop was plain and Rachel leaned her right hand casually against a table upon which was a vase of flowers.

  Rachel was dressed in an elegant, but plain styled dress. The dress settled full around her legs. Her waist was pinched tight and she stood upright, staring defiantly into the camera. She was a very fine and well presented young woman.

  However, it was her features which really caught Aaron's attention. Her eyes were piercing and had a determined set to them. Her nose and mouth were perfectly proportioned and the loose locks of light colored hair, probably blonde, hung around her shoulders. On her head was a dainty bonnet that gave an impression of someone who liked to show off at times.

  "What do you think?" his mother asked. Her voice seemed to come from very far away. Aaron dragged himself back to the present. He coughed and frowned.

  "Ah. What can I say? She...appears...to be...just as you said. A very fine looking young woman," he managed to say.

  Lily had a triumphant smile on her face. "I told you she was lovely, didn't I?"

  Aaron quickly handed the photo back to his mother. "You did indeed mother. And you were right. But that doesn't change things," he said emphatically. "You had no right to try and arrange this without asking me."

  "Of course I have every right, Aaron," Lily said. She reached over to him, but he leaned away from her. "I'm your mother. I know what's best for you. And this young lady is just right for you. I can tell."

  "I only know what she looks like. Nothing else."

  "Read this letter. Rachel wrote this as an introduction to herself. When Hettie gave me this I just knew she was the right person for you," Lily said, handing Aaron one of the letters.

  Aaron took it. Unfolding the letter, he noted the neatness of the small handwriting. His mother took the coffee cups and stood up.

  "I'll leave you to read the letter. Then you can tell me what you think," Lily said and left him alone in the parlor.

  Aaron looked at the letter and asked himself if he really wanted to read it. Did he really want to know more about this stranger? The whole thing was ridiculous. Arranged marriages were for other people, not for him. This was his mother's way of ensuring that he would stay in Sweetheart Falls. He didn't want that. Did he? Then he thought of his father and what it would mean to his mother if his father wasn't around any longer. It was almost as if there was a force at work making his decisions for him, making it almost unavoidable that he would stay in the town he had done so much to try and leave.

  He started to read the letter with a mixture of curiosity and apprehension.

  To whom it may concern,

  I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Rachel. I am twenty years of age. I live in the lovely town of Sweetheart Falls. I have two sisters, Cassie and Martha. Both of my sisters are married and have settled down to a life in Sweetheart Falls.

  I grew up back East with my sisters and only recently moved to Sweetheart Falls when unfortunate circumstances which can, for the moment, remain unspoken of, made it necessary for myself and my sister Martha to come to start a new life here.

  How can I describe myself? I believe I am a young lady who has much to offer as a wife. I am educated, hard working and entirely, some would say irrationally, optimistic about the future. I believe passionately in the value of family life and children as the foundation upon which a truly happy marriage is built.

  I love Sweetheart Falls with every bone in my body. I believe it is the best place in the West and I want to do everything I can to make it a better place for everyone to live in.

  If I am really pushed I would say that I am envious of my sisters and the fine husbands they both have. I would hope that any young man would have the fine qualities of integrity, good judgment and honesty that my sisters' husbands embody.

  We are all church going folks and I would look to continue that fine practice with any man who was happy to make me his wife.

  I hope this little glimpse of myself has been of interest and look forward to meeting whoever may consider that I would be a fine, devoted and, eventually, loving wife.

  My best regards

  Rachel

  Aaron looked down at the letter and sighed. What a singular letter, he thought. He'd never read anything like it before. So this was what women wrote when they wished to be considered suitable for an arranged marriage. It was remarkable. His lawyer
's mind noted how much the letter omitted, rather than what it said.

  Aaron could only imagine how hard it would have been for the woman he had seen in the likeness to write such a letter. To write a description of yourself with the hope that it would catch a suitors attention took a great deal of courage.

  The letter didn't have the desperate tone he assumed it would have. On the contrary, there was a confident and assured tone which he had to admit he found impressive. He couldn't imagine writing such a letter himself.

  This led him to worry just what Rachel had learned about himself. Had his mother divulged anything that he would have preferred kept private? He trusted Lily, and was quietly certain that whatever she had done, Rachel would have been presented with at least an acceptable version of her son.

  His mother came back into the room. "Well. What did you think of Rachel's letter of introduction."

  Aaron leaned back as his mother took her seat next to him on the sofa. "Just that. It's merely an introduction."

  "You mean you weren't impressed. I would have thought that the letter and the likeness would have sealed the deal," Lily said with a smile.

  "Ma! What do you mean? There is no deal to be sealed, as you put it," he ejaculated.

  His mother frowned. "You mean you don't want to meet her tomorrow?" she demanded.

  Aaron stiffened and frowned. "What!"

  "Hettie and I have arranged a little get together for you two tomorrow."

  Aaron cleared his throat. "That's a bit hasty, don't you think?"

  "Not at all. There's no time like the present. As a lawyer, you know all about the importance of doing things in a timely manner."

  Aaron felt a stab of panic rise up in him. His mother was at least one step ahead of him in this. When he considered it more carefully, she had always been steps ahead of him ever since he'd been a boy. There was nothing new in this. Aaron thought about the letter and the image of Rachel flashed into his mind.

  "Okay, ma. I'll meet Rachel." Lily smiled and brought her hands together. "But on one condition. That if things don't go well, then you promise to forget all about this crazy idea," Aaron stated firmly.

  Lily sighed with satisfaction. "Oh I don't think there's much chance of things not going absolutely perfectly," she said with a broad grin.

  "Ma! Promise me at least that if Rachel and I don't find ourselves agreeable, then you'll forget all about this. After all. She may not even like me," he said.

  "Oh. I don't believe there is any chance of that happening," his mother said with a familiar note of certainty that Aaron recognized. What really worried him in that moment was that, whenever he'd heard his mother speak like that in the past, she had invariably proven to be absolutely and undeniably right.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Rachel was nervous, and nothing she could do would calm those nerves.

  She stood in front of the mirror in her room at the Bar T ranch and couldn't believe the mess that she was seeing in the reflection. She didn't look good at all.

  Not at all!

  The dress was the wrong color, her hair was all wrong and her makeup was just...well, plain dull. She knew it wasn't good enough to make the kind of impression on Aaron that she wanted to make.

  Behind her stood Martha, looking over Rachel's shoulder, scrutinizing every detail of her sister's appearance.

  Rachel couldn't contain her worries any longer. "Oh Martha! I look terrible," she complained.

  Martha smiled gently. "Don't be silly. You look beautiful Rachel. I've never seen you look so lovely," her sister said quietly.

  Martha reached over and swept a loose lock of hair away.

  "That bonnet is all wrong," Rachel said, looking down at the green, flower bestrewn hat on the table in front of her. "It just doesn't suit me."

  Martha took it up and settled it on Rachel's head. "Of course it suits you. You've worn it before. You never complained about it the last time you wore it to the social."

  Rachel went over to the bed and sat down on the edge. Her shoulders sank down and she lowered her head. "I can't believe the way I look. He's going to hate me," she blurted out.

  Martha sat down by Rachel's side. "Of course he won't hate you. I'll bet he's already seen your likeness. He already knows you are the most beautiful girl in Sweetheart Falls."

  Rachel lifted her head and stared into Martha's eyes. "You think so?"

  "I know so," Martha assured her.

  Rachel smiled at Martha. "He is handsome though isn't he?"

  "Really handsome. He looks like a real fine young man. You two will be fine together. I've no doubt of that," Martha said.

  "Then how come I'm so nervous?"

  "It's natural. Do you have any idea how I felt before I married Logan?"

  "But you already knew him. That was different," Rachel answered.

  "Sure I thought I knew him," said Martha. "But, remember when I came to the ranch for the first time I thought I was going to meet a total stranger. And then it turned out that the stranger was my ex beau. I was shocked. Logan and I had been apart so long it felt almost like a fresh start with a total stranger. I had to have faith in myself. And you have to have faith in yourself. You're going to be fine. Hettie has found you a real catch. Same as she found fine men for me and Cassie."

  Rachel smiled. Her sister was right. All the churning emotions inside her were perfectly normal. She was about to go and meet someone she may marry. What did she expect to feel like at a time like this? If her sisters had faced up to the challenge of considering marriage to almost complete strangers, then she could certainly do the same. The three sisters were all made of the same stuff. They'd all been through tough times and at least two of them had already established new lives with fine husbands.

  Rachel was determined she would have the same.

  She sat upright and took a deep breath.

  "I'm ready to leave," she said.

  She went over to the mirror and frowned. "I think you're right, Martha. I think I look really quite pretty. Don't you think?" she said, turning to Martha.

  Rachel laughed and picked up the green bonnet. "But I still think I've got something better than this to wear," she stated firmly.

  ****

  Aaron was nervous, and nothing his parents said to him would calm those feelings. He had never been one to back down from a challenge but this was a whole new level of difficulty.

  He was actually going to meet a beautiful young woman who was possibly going to become his wife. Just that one simple thought was enough to churn his insides up.

  He stood in front of the mirror in the parlor and straightened his waistcoat. "What do you think?" he asked his mother, who stood behind him.

  His mother smiled warmly, a glow of obvious pride spreading across her features. "I think you look like the most handsome young man in Sweetheart Falls," she said, her voice cracking with emotion.

  Aaron looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was neat; he hadn't cut himself shaving; his suit looked sharply pressed. All in all, he thought he looked as fine as he could be expected to.

  His mother came up close behind him and swept a stray hair off his shoulder. "I'm very proud of you, Aaron. You know that, don't you?"

  He looked at her in the mirror. "I know that ma. You know I love you and 'pa."

  "We know you do son. I hope you and Rachel get along fine, this morning," she said quietly.

  The mention of Rachel's name sent the nerves roiling around inside him again.

  "Before I go I need to get something," he said to his mother. She looked at him in puzzlement.

  He headed out to the back of the house, to the garden. In amongst the bushes and the immature, young trees were some roses which his mother had cultivated. He leaned down and ran his fingers through some of the flowers. Finally he made his choice, and plucked a full bodied red rose from out of the ground.

  His mother watched through the parlor window as he made his way back into the house.

  "I think she'll
like this one. Don't you think?"

  Lily leaned in close and smelled the flower. "I think it is beautiful Aaron. She'll love it."

  "Time to go," Aaron said, looking at the pocket watch on his waistcoat.

  "I'm sure she's going to be mighty impressed with you," Lily said.

  "I hope so, ma," Aaron said.

  "Just be yourself and she won't be able to resist you," Lily said.

  Aaron frowned and then smiled. "I'm always myself. I can't be anything else," he said.

  With a sudden clatter of noisy footsteps on the wooden floor, little Emily came bursting into the room.

  "Uncle Aaron. Are you really going to meet a lady friend?"

  Aaron and Lily laughed as Emily rushed up to him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  "How on earth did you get to know that?" he asked. He looked at Lily. "I thought my meeting was a closely guarded secret. Apparently I was wrong."

  His mother smiled apologetically. "She forced it out of me," she admitted.

  Emily looked up at Aaron. "I knew you were up to something and I just had to know," she said excitedly. "Can I come too?"

  Aaron stroked the top of Emily's head. "I don't think so. Miss Rachel's probably nervous enough about seeing me, never mind bringing you along,"

  Emily frowned.

  "But never mind. You'll get a chance to meet her soon. I promise," Aaron told her.

  This seemed to satisfy Emily who went to her grandmother's side.

  With one last look at himself in the mirror he said his farewells and made his way out. The walk to Hettie's house would give him a chance to compose himself and to clear his mind of the jumble of warring thoughts that battled inside his head.

  ****

  Martha pulled the buckboard up to a stop in front of Hettie's house. Rachel stepped down and composed herself. She recalled a similar time when Martha had come to meet Mr. Brook under the impression that he was the suitor for Rachel's hand. On that occasion Martha had been surprised to learn that she herself was the object of affection of the unnamed ranch owner who had turned out to be none other than her former beau from back East, Logan Crawford.