by Tia Siren
He chuckled and began to write. The ad didn’t need to be long. But if it was too short, would it get the attention he wanted?
“What are you doing, Adam?”
He jumped when he heard the voice of his farmhand, Cody. He looked up at the young man as he came through the room and sat in a chair nearby, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees and clasp his hands in front of him.
“Nothing. What are you doing?”
“Just finished putting that fence back together where that ol’ bull broke it. It should be good for a while now. We gotta do something about him, Adam. He’s gettin’ worse every day.”
“I know.” Adam nodded, looking back down at the paper in front of him. He’d managed two sentences. He wondered if he needed more. Satisfied, he folded the paper and tucked it in his shirt pocket.
“What’s that? You signin’ the farm over to me? I can’t handle all this work by myself.” Cody’s voice was teasing. He grinned wide.
“No, I’m gettin’ a woman sent from the East to marry.”
Cody’s eyebrows shot up. “What’s that, boss? What are you gonna do?”
“You heard right. I need the companionship of a woman. You’re a good farmhand, but you ain’t got the right parts.”
Cody laughed. “I’m glad to hear you say that, but I’m pretty surprised by this. You didn’t mention you’d been thinkin’ about somethin’ like that.”
Adam shook his head. When he stood, so did Cody. They both walked to the kitchen, where Adam poured himself a cup of coffee. He offered it to Cody, who shook his head.
“Stuff gives me the jitters,” he said. “Can’t concentrate.”
Adam stood with one hand wrapped around the coffee cup and the other in his jeans pocket. “I’ve been lonely a long time, Cody, since before you got here.”
“That is a long time, boss. I’ve been here going on three years now. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you in the companionship of a woman.”
“I always thought the bachelor life was what I wanted. But now I’m reconsidering.”
“You need a woman, boss.” Cody agreed, nodding. “You deserve to have a family if that’s what you want. You thinkin’ maybe I should find a loft or another place to live?”
Adam shook his head, running one hand through his dark hair as he took a drink of coffee. “No, you can stay on here. There’s plenty of room.”
“Ain’t you gonna want some privacy?” Cody asked, tipping his hat back on his head.
“If you want to stay somewhere else, I won’t stop you,” Adam replied.
Cody shook his head. “I’d rather not leave, boss. I was jus’ sayin’ if you want privacy, I can.”
“No need for you to leave. We’ll build you a cottage of your own on the property if we have trouble with the privacy topic. But Lord willing, I’ll get a good woman who will make a fine wife and…”
Cody smiled. “You want some kids runnin’ around, do ya?” He laughed. “I like kids. I got four little nieces and nephews, as you know.”
Adam nodded, smiling with him. “Yes, they are very rambunctious, aren’t they? Perhaps I will not have that many children.”
“Is that even up to you?”
They both laughed.
“I’m about to go send this ad to Virginia. Do you want to ride along? I wanted to talk to you about the eggs.”
“The eggs?” Cody looked at him confused.
“Yes, come along with me and I’ll explain.”
When they got to the post building, Adam was disappointed to see that it was not open. He thought it was always open. Cody slid from his horse and approached the door to read a piece of paper someone had stuck there. He came back to the horses, looking up at Adam.
“Sister died,” he said simply.
“Well, is there only one person who works at this place?” He frowned. He wanted to send the ad immediately.
“Sorry, boss. Looks like you’ll have to wait until tomorrow to put in your ad. You look like you’re getting’ pretty anxious about it. You really want to do this, don’t you?”
“I feel that this is what God’s put on my heart, yes.”
“I reckon you talked to Reverend John about it.”
“I sure did. Just today.”
Cody nodded. “That’s why you’re so anxious. You got confirmation from someone you trust.”
Adam gave his farmhand a narrow look. “You’re pretty smart when you wanna be, Cody.”
Cody laughed. “Jus’ cause my words are lazy doesn’t mean my brain is.”
Adam laughed with him. It was a good point.
“I guess we gotta go back and take care of the eggs then.” Adam sighed with resignation. He turned his horse around and headed home.
Chapter Three
Lilly was more nervous than she had ever been in her life. She was hurrying back from the post office with a letter for Angelica that she knew her friend was not going to expect. And Lilly was terribly afraid she would reject it completely and be angry at Lilly for what she’d done behind her back.
The letter was from Adam Burrows in Elko, Nevada. Lilly had found his ad in the newspaper and responded, signing Angelica’s name instead of her own. It was the only way she knew of to ensure that Angelica would be taken care of first. She would travel with her, with her own money that she had been saving, and hope for the best.
But Lilly hadn’t mentioned a few things about Angelica when she’d responded. She’d used perfect English – or as near it as she could come – and hadn’t mentioned the death of Angelica’s father. Nor had she said how stunningly beautiful Angelica was.
Her heart beat hardest at the thought of the final blow in her deception. She had signed the letter as “Angela Davenport” rather than Angelica DiAntonio. The last name in itself would give the whole thing up.
Lilly’s sense of guilt washed over her as she berated herself for the entire scam. How would Angelica react? Would she even go through with it? It had been three weeks since the death of her father. She was back to working but was only doing that – living, existing. She had no vibrancy left, other than her outer beauty. It never reflected her inner sorrow, except when she was crying.
She had stopped crying about a week ago and was now just moving around, doing her work, eating, sleeping and the like.
Lilly wanted it to stop. She’d answered the ad the day after Mr. DiAntonio’s death. The letter of response had just arrived. She opened it immediately and was thrilled to read he was interested and had even sent a ticket for “Angela” to take, dated five days hence.
She stopped at the door of their boarding house and looked up at the windows that belonged to Angelica’s rooms. Her friend was not in the window and could not be seen from where Lilly was standing.
Lilly’s heart pounded. Regret washed over and then a sense of determination filled her. Her mixed up feelings continued to battle each other as she pushed open the door and went through. By the time she reached the second floor and was standing in front of Angelica’s door, she was out of breath. Her anxiety was making her feel faint. She knocked on the door and then opened it, putting her head through.
“Angel? Where are you?”
“In here. Come on in, Lilly.”
Lilly closed the door behind her and hurried into her friend’s bedroom, where it appeared Angelica was going through her clothes to see what she wanted and what she didn’t. She’d been given all of her sisters clothes that had not burned in the fire but where kept in a separate building. These were all clothes meant for the wintertime, and they were of very fine quality.
“These are beautiful!” Lilly said. “What do you plan to do with them?”
“I am giving them to some of the women in town who have very little.”
“But you should sell them. You don’t have to give them away. You need money.”
“I do not want to sell them, amica mia. I want the women to have them. I do not want the money they have.”
Lilly unders
tood. These were women who made their money with the men in town, and they never seemed to have enough money. Angelica didn’t want to take what little they had, nor did she want the money they made that way.
“I want to talk to you, Angelica.” Lilly dropped herself on the bed and reached out for Angelica’s hand. Angelica took it, pulled herself from her sitting position on the floor and joined Lilly sitting on the bed.
“What is it?”
“I think…I know we need to make a change in our lives. Do you agree with that?”
“Si.”
“Yes.”
“Yes.”
“I have done something, and I want to tell you what I’ve done, but I don’t want you to be angry with me for it.”
Angelica immediately felt a sense of anxiety flow through her. She swallowed and looked at her friend closely. “What have you done?”
“I answered an ad from a man in the West requesting a bride.”
Angelica’s eyes opened wide, and she found herself short of breath. “What? You are leaving me? What will I do? Where…”
“No, no.” Lilly cut her off, patting her hand. “I answered it…for you…as you. Do you understand?”
Angelica looked terribly confused. “No.”
Lilly pulled in a deep breath and wrestled with her anxiety. “I…answered it from you, like I was you. I signed it with your name, but I gave you a more American last name so…you’d have more chance of being chosen if others responded to it.”
“What….what did you say? I am confusa.”
“Confused. I am sorry, Angelica. I know you will understand if I just have the right words to help you. We need to make a change. I wanted to make sure that you would be able to travel with me if the ad was answered. I didn’t want to leave you behind. So I answered the ad to make sure you would be chosen, and I will pay for my own way to wherever you go. I will go with you, and when you get there, I’ll be nearby, and I will make my own way.”
Angelica understood what Lilly had done and felt amazed, excited and worried all at the same time. “You…will make your own way?”
“I’ll be nearby. I can get a job housekeeping like I always do. And I have some money saved, more than I’ll need for the ticket, so I should be able to get by for a little while.”
“I am worried for you.”
“Don’t be. We’ll make it, you and me.”
“May I read the letter?”
“Oh!” Lilly felt silly for forgetting the letter. She pulled it from her skirt pocket and gave it to Angelica. “Do you think you’ll understand it?”
Angelica smiled wide. “I have been working hard on my English. I am better able to read than speak.”
“You are doing really well, Angel. You really are.”
Lilly already felt a sense of relief. Perhaps it was truly what God wanted. She prayed that she had made the right choice for both of them.
They were packed and ready when the carriage arrived to take them to the station. They were grateful to Miss Bess, who had provided her private driver and carriage for the girls to get to the station. They were nervously holding hands the entire way to the station. Both were tense and quiet, thinking about the fact that they were traveling to an unknown place to meet strangers who may or may not accept them the way they were.
Lilly was praying hard, sometimes with Angelica, that the man they would meet would understand their situation and not judge them harshly. Lilly had sent a telegraph that Angela would be arriving but made no mention of herself.
That fact weighed heavily on them both as they boarded the train and settled themselves in one of the cabins. What if they were both sent back? Or simply sent away? What if the man was not accommodating and wouldn’t accept them at the train station?
Fear and anxiety gave them both headaches. They sat silently as the train made its way across the country. They went to get food once and did so without a word. Other passengers watched them curiously. Lilly wondered if they made such a strange pair that people would feel the need to stare at them in such a way.
When they were back in their seats, Angelica whispered, “Lilly, let me see the letter again, please.”
Lilly handed it to her without a word. She’d kept it tucked in her pocket and often would touch it to make sure it was there. She wanted to have it to prove Angelica was the one he had sent for. She had already decided to let Angelica go to him alone and that she would go immediately into the building to retrieve a newspaper. She would need to find a boarding house right away.
She watched Angelica read through the letter again, her eyes focusing on the name at the beginning, “Angela.” It was only a different version of her own name and she felt she would be able to get used to it. She had worked hard on her English, harder than she ever had before, just in the last four days. She wanted to make a good impression.
Please, God, help me be what he wants. She prayed, folding the letter and clutching it tightly in her hand. “I will give him the letter, Lilly,” she said.
Lilly pulled in a deep breath and pressed her lips together. She felt shaky and faint. Every mile took her closer to being more alone than ever before. She did not regret letting Angelica take the place of the bride for the man. But she hadn’t really thought about how alone it would leave her. Alone 4000 miles from anywhere she’d ever known.
A sense of dread covered her.
They were 20 minutes from the train station and gathering their things together. They no longer needed the coats they had started out wearing and had stripped off the gloves and bonnets, as well. It was cool but not nearly enough for the extra clothing. The sun was dropping behind the horizon when they stepped off the train.
They were not given time to separate.
They were the only ones departing the train at that station, and a man was standing there waiting for Angela. He was the only one there and watched them both get off the train, talking in low tones.
They stopped and stared at him.
He blinked and then approached, removing the cowboy hat from his head.
“Angela?”
He looked from one to the other.
“Uh…” Lilly looked at Angelica. “This is Angela,” she said instinctively.
Angelica nodded. “Hello, yes, I am Angela.”
Lilly just realized how thick her Italian accent was. They both stared at Adam, and he stared back at them, his eyes moving from one to the other. The first thing he noticed was that they were both beautiful women. The second was that there were two of them and the one saying she was Angela was definitely not an American.
“I’m sorry. I don’t understand what’s going on,” Adam stated in a low voice.
Lilly looked at Angelica with worried eyes. She didn’t want to speak up when it was Angelica who was supposed to be the one here for him. She tried to send telepathic messages to her friend by thinking very hard, talk to him, talk to him!
“I…” Angelica started. She reached down and picked up her two bags, which surprised both Lilly and Adam. Adam took a step back, and Angelica took a step forward. “I am ready. I do say sorry for confusing you. I travel with Lilly very often. She is my friend and companion. I do hope you do not mind.”
Adam wasn’t sure. He didn’t exactly mind one way or the other. But he’d been expecting one woman, not two. He couldn’t possibly marry two women. He looked at Lilly. Which one of these women was he supposed to be with? It was obvious Lilly had written the response letter for Angela.
“I sent for one woman to marry. What is your intention here?”
Lilly followed Angelica’s lead and picked up her bags. “As Angeli… Angela says, I have been her traveling companion for some time. I would like to stay nearby, perhaps in a boarding house and continue my friendship with her. Also, I have been helping her learn English. As you can see, she is still working on it.”
Adam shook his head. “I have rooms at my farm. You may use one of them. But I am unhappy that I was not told of this from the beginning
.”
Lilly felt regret wash through her. “I am sorry, sir. It was not my intention to anger you. I was just trying to do something for my friend.”
“By deceiving others. This is not what God has in mind.”
“I am sorry.” Lilly’s face dropped at his mention of God. She didn’t want to anger God, either. “I did pray about this and it just…I just thought I should…”
“Come with me,” Adam said abruptly, cutting her off. “We will go back to the farm and discuss this.”
Chapter Four
The uncomfortable silence on the ride to Adam’s farm made Angelica feel a little sick to her stomach. She had been working hard to learn the language and act like an American. She was naturally shy and didn’t try to draw attention to herself. Her first impression of the man they had met was a good one. She liked his dark eyes and dark wavy hair. He was built strong and solid and had nice hands.
She could see that he was unhappy and perhaps a little angry at the deception. She didn’t hold Lilly at fault, though. Her friend had been looking out for her since they met in New York, where they had met at a boarding house they were both working for. Lilly had never been dishonest with her and had never tried to hurt her.
She felt as though God was making something good from the deception. He must have a plan, or they wouldn’t be there, riding in the wagon going toward a new home and a new life.
Angelica took Lilly’s hand and squeezed it. Lilly looked worried and afraid. It seemed strange that she was feeling so confident when Lilly was usually the one in that position. Lilly looked at her. A feeling of peace filled her when she looked in her friend’s eyes.
Perhaps things would be all right once they reached the farm.
Adam was staring straight forward, stewing in his mind. He hadn’t asked for an additional burden. What was God doing? He instinctively shook his head at his own thoughts. Two foreign women had deceived him and now he felt obligated and responsible for them. He didn’t see how this could turn out well. He didn’t like the feeling of uncertainty he had.