Finding Hope (Mail Order Bride: Brides And Promises Book 1)

by Ruby Hill

  Rose stared up at him, feeling her heart tighten in her chest.

  “I know that it was Dorothy who was writing to you, but…if I had known, if it had been up to me…I would have chosen you, too.”

  Rose felt as if she would burst. She beamed up at him.

  “I thought that the very sight of me would make you think of what your sister had gone ahead and done without your permission. I was sure that I would always remind you that I had barged in on your life, intruded where I shouldn’t have. I didn’t want you to feel any pressure to marry me just because I was here. I thought that you were being nice and stalling for time these last few weeks, too much of a gentleman to turn me down.”

  He laughed again. “Oh, heavens, no, of course not! I just didn’t want to be presumptuous and make you feel uncomfortable, or as if I was coming on too strong.”

  “There was no way,” Rose replied. “I came all this way so that I could marry a man who loved books as much as I did, who wanted nothing more than a simple life with a woman who he could come home and share a warm meal with, someone who would want to explore with him, and take on adventures. Those were all things I wanted, and when I found out that it was your sister, I worried that that man didn’t exist. But…”

  She stared up at him, her eyes starting to sting, tears forming.

  “You really are that man, and even more than I could have ever hoped for.”

  Travis beamed at her. “Oh…Rose, I am so glad to hear you say that. I worried that Dorothy had made me out to be this unreachable sort of man, perfect beyond reason. I am glad to see that you are still pleased with me as I am.”

  “Overjoyed, more like,” Rose said, giggling.

  He turned and he pushed the front door open, letting the cool evening in.

  “Why don’t we go and have a quiet chat out here, just the two of us? Maybe see what our future holds…together?”

  And so they did, sitting side by side as the stars overhead glittered and shimmered, reflecting off of the lake at the bottom of the hill, like their hopes and dreams for the future.

  * * *

  THE END

  Part II

  Forgiveness and Love

  1

  Pennsylvania, 1874

  Elizabeth Moore was a sensible woman. She appreciated the simple things in life, such as an enjoyable book, a warm cup of tea, and a horseback ride through the country on Saturday afternoons. She believed herself to be amiable, if not a bit plain, but often others complimented her lovely red hair, and how much her blue eyes resembled the summer sky.

  Little troubled her spirit. She found most people to be agreeable to her outlook on life, and those that were not were not worth the trouble.

  A bright, young twenty-two-year-old, Elizabeth spent more time with books than she did with other people. She found their stories exhilarating where her own life was quiet. But that never troubled her. She would rather her own life be easy to manage, and the worlds she spent time in to be exciting. She could, after all, put the book down if things became too much to bear.

  “There you are, Elizabeth.”

  It was a sunny afternoon in early May. Elizabeth was physically sitting on the front steps of her home, but in her mind, she was fighting fierce pirates with a sharp curved blade, wrestling control from them for her ship which was to bring the good queen of England her latest supply of goods.

  Elizabeth pulled her eyes from her book, the echoes of the pirates’ duel still fresh in her mind.

  “Yes, Father?”

  The man that stood beside her was rather tall, with dark hair greying at the temples, but eyes as blue as her own.

  “There is something that your mother and I wish to discuss with you.”

  “Of course,” she replied, rising to her feet, brushing off the front of her skirts. “Whatever is it?”

  “If you would join me inside, dear,” he said, clamping his pipe between his front teeth. “We should like to show you.”

  Curious, Elizabeth followed her father inside.

  He led her through the dining room, the sitting room, and back into his study. It overlooked the lovely Pennsylvania hillside.

  They found her mother standing beside the desk, her hands resting on a newspaper lying upon the polished wooden surface.

  “Hello, Mother,” Elizabeth said, smiling.

  “Hello, dear. Come in, please.”

  A flutter of nervousness bloomed in Elizabeth as she went to stand beside her mother.

  “Now, your mother and I have been thinking…” her Father began slowly, and he cleared his throat. “After your engagement with Mr. Masters fell through, we have been worried about your future. We would like to see you marry, but being that we do not have much money, we are worried about your prospects. We thought that you might be happy to have a fair, straightforward way to choose another husband.”

  Elizabeth bowed her head. “Father, what happened with Mr. Masters is behind me. How was I to know that his parents had gone against his will about who he was to marry? Obviously, he was not the right husband for me if he chose someone else.”

  “Yes, but darling, we know how difficult it was for you. Being tossed aside like some scandalized woman…” her Mother said.

  Elizabeth smiled. “Mother, no one thought that of me.”

  “Well, it has been some time since you have had another offer,” her father said.

  Her Mother nodded. “The rumors are still flying about—”

  “That he ended the engagement because something was terribly wrong with me, yes,” Elizabeth said, rolling her eyes. “Anyone who is worth their opinion has said nothing to me.”

  Her father pointed to the paper on the desk in front of him. “I stumbled across this yesterday, and your Mother and I discussed whether or not we should bring it to you.”

  “What is it?” she asked, peering over the desk.

  “An advertisement, seeking a bride.”

  “Is this one of those matchmaking services?” Elizabeth asked, her brow furrowing. “The ones where men seek women in some far-off places to come and be their wife?”

  “The very same,” her mother said, nodding. “We worried that we might offend you by even offering such a thing.”

  “Offend me?” Elizabeth said, smirking. “Nonsense. So, what about this advertisement made you think of me, Father?”

  “This young man is quite admirable,” her Father replied. “He served in the army for some time, and now works for his father’s mine out in Colorado. I believe he might be able to provide you with a comfortable life.”

  “Not to mention that he is seeking a woman who is…” her Mother’s hand followed the words on the page as she read, “Intelligent, patient, and honest. Interest in horses is desirable.”

  “It sounded like you, my darling,” her father said with a wide smile.

  Elizabeth started down at the page. It was such a little advertisement, surrounded by other men and women who wanted to give a chance to fate to find them the perfect match.

  “Any others?’ Elizabeth asked.

  “A few,” her Father said, but he appeared confused. “I am surprised. I thought for certain that you would find this all rather reprehensible.”

  “Why would I?” Elizabeth wondered.

  “Well, for one, you wouldn’t have a chance to meet the man before you agreed to marry him,” her Mother said. “I know that your father and I are not typical; we have known each other since we were children. And I so wished that things could have worked out for you in that manner.”

  Elizabeth shrugged her shoulders. “It hasn’t, and I have not let it bother me. What good would worrying about it do?”

  “If you want to take some time to think about all of this,” her Father said. “We would completely understand. This is a great commitment, the biggest you will ever make in your life. And once you do, there is no turning back.”

  “No turning back? Father, nothing in life is ever permanent. I suppose if he is a wretched fool,
I could just turn around and come home, couldn’t I?” Elizabeth asked.

  “You could,” her mother said. “As long as you set the wedding for some time later, giving you the chance to gain an understanding of him.”

  Elizabeth nodded her head. “Right. That sounds reasonable.” She looked over the paper once more, checking the ad. “Benjamin Hopper. Strong name, I suppose.”

  “Shall we give you some time alone to think?” Her father asked.

  “I think that might be best,” her mother said. “Come along, dear, let’s let her think in peace.”

  Elizabeth made to protest, but they were already making their way toward the door.

  “You don’t need to make a decision today,” her father said as he closed the door. “Take all the time you need.”

  Elizabeth realized the great weight of the decision once she was alone in the room with the paper. She stared at it for a few moments, overwhelmed by all the possibilities.

  She sat herself in her father’s chair and pulled the paper toward her.

  There were quite a few options, though none of them seemed like the right fit for her. One man searched for a woman who wanted to marry immediately, and then travel to Great Britain by boat for missionary work. Admirable, she admitted, but not for her.

  Another man wished for a wife who was capable of cooking for a very specific diet. Apparently, the poor man could eat nothing more than porridge, for he had lost all his teeth. She didn’t much like the idea of giving up solid food. She appreciated a good apple and freshly-baked bread far too much.

  A third wanted a woman who was handsome, with hair the color of spun gold and eyes as green as a forest meadow. He had dreamt of this perfect woman, apparently, and could think of nothing and no one else. Elizabeth wondered if his dream would come true when a woman with the same features answered the ad.

  She kept returning her attention to Benjamin.

  “What sort of man are you, Benjamin?” she asked, sitting back in the chair, allowing her mind to wander.

  He wanted someone who liked horses, so she imagined a lovely afternoon in the wide-open spaces of Colorado that she had heard about, riding alongside him as they laughed and shared stories. She wondered what it would be like to see a mine.

  It was like reading one of her books. An adventure. An exciting tale. And yet, it could be her own.

  She pulled a piece of parchment from her father’s desk, found a quill and a bottle of ink, and set to work.

  She knew that she was likely romanticizing the whole thing, but what sort of prospects did she truly have in Pennsylvania? Her reputation was shaky, at best, regardless of the truth. Many men that she had met were already married or were betrothed. And if she was honest with herself, she never found many of them much to look at anyways.

  Perhaps a man who lived on a ranch would be a better match for her. A simpler life in a simpler place. A place where she could tend a garden in the mornings and spend her afternoons reading or caring for the horses.

  It sounded ideal, regardless of the sort of man that Benjamin was.

  She signed her letter, folded it, and addressed the envelope.

  “Finished,” she said happily when she found her mother and father in the drawing room, taking their afternoon tea.

  “With what, darling?”

  “The letter. To Benjamin Hopper,” she replied.

  Both her parents’ eyes grew wide.

  “You…already decided?” asked her mother.

  “Decided, and accepted,” she said, waving the sealed letter in the air.

  They both jumped to their feet and made their way to her, laughing and smiling. “Well done, my dear, well done!”

  “We had no idea that you would take to the idea so well! What a great change! What exciting times!” her father said while clapping his hands.

  “When are you to leave?” her mother asked.

  “I told him that I would like some time to get my affairs in order, and if it is agreeable with him, to arrive sometime after the first of September.”

  “That seems so far away,” her Mother said.

  “Well, it gives the both of us time to change our minds if we so wish it,” Elizabeth replied. “It will also give me time to buy the very expensive ticket to get all the way out there. But, we must not count our chickens before they hatch. He hasn’t accepted me yet.”

  “But he will have no reason to not to,” her Mother replied, her eyes welling with tears. “I feel that this is best, but it still saddens me that you will be so far from home.”

  “Oh, Mother,” Elizabeth said, throwing her arms around her. “You could always come with me, you know. I’ll need someone to keep me company amongst all those strangers.”

  That seemed to cheer her up.

  “So, what now?” her father asked.

  “Well, I suppose we wait,” she replied. “If he finds my reply to his advertisement agreeable, then Benjamin might be my future husband.”

  The word sent chills up her spine. Husband? Did she think she was ready for it?

  Of course she wasn’t, but who was in that sort of situation?

  She smiled, and knew that her life’s greatest adventure was about to begin.

  2

  The Colorado sun was much brighter than it was in Pennsylvania. Larger, Elizabeth thought, too. The air was much dryer, allowing her to see for miles upon miles.

  The train ride was very arduous for many, but Elizabeth found the people coming and going along the way fascinating. Many asked her why such a pretty young woman was traveling alone, and she was able to tell them with immense joy that she was to meet the man who was to be her husband. They would then ask after him, what sort of man he was to receive a woman as lovely as she was.

  Elizabeth thought they were all too kind.

  As they drew nearer, she became nervous. Her skin tingled, her heart raced. She knew that everything was about to change.

  Elizabeth looked about the train station for a man standing alone. She was surprised when she didn’t see one.

  “Excuse me, miss?”

  Elizabeth put her hands on her hips. Wasn’t it their agreement to meet at the station on the twentieth of September? He had promised her that she would be met.

  “Miss? Hello, miss?”

  “Where could he be?” Elizabeth wondered out loud, and then with a jolt of fear, she wondered if she had mistaken the day somehow.

  “Oh, bother it all,” she said, pulling her ticker from her bag to check the date.

  “Are you Miss Elizabeth Moore?”

  Elizabeth straightened and looked around. A woman about her mother’s age was standing in front of her, a pretty blue bonnet framing her thin, rosy cheeked face.

  “Oh, I am terribly sorry!” Elizabeth said. “Yes, I am she.”

  “Oh, good,” the woman said. “I was worried that I had missed you.” She smiled broadly. “My name is Katherine McCarthy. Mr. Hopper has arranged for you to stay with us while you prepare for the wedding.”

  “Isn’t that kind of him,” Elizabeth said, inclining her head. “That sounds wonderful. Thank you for being so generous as to let a complete stranger stay with you.”

  “Benjamin said that he could tell just from your letters that were you a very kind-hearted young woman,” Katherine said.

  “He flatters me,” Elizabeth said.

  “Come, let us get you settled. He is to join us for dinner this evening, and I am sure that you are as eager to meet him as he is to meet you. Benjamin is a wonderful man. His father is very rich from the mines, and Benjamin will one day inherit his father’s business. You are marrying the most eligible man in town.”

  * * *

  The carriage ride was beautiful. They drove through a town that had nothing more than a small inn and tavern, a general store, and a few houses along the dirt road as they rode along. It was new, she kept reminding herself.

  The mountains in the background were awe-inspiring, and Elizabeth wondered if she would ever get
the chance to see them up close.

  Katherine and her family lived in a small house on the edge of the town, hidden amongst a few trees on the wide, expansive stretches of plains. Elizabeth found it all rather charming.

  She was introduced to Katherine’s husband, William, as well as her three children, all under the age of ten. Elizabeth took a liking to them immediately, especially the youngest, a girl named Lily.

  “You’ll be staying in here,” Katherine said, indicating the small room on the western side of the house. “This is normally Luke and Andrew’s room, but they have agreed to share it with you until you and Mr. Hopper are married.”

  “Very generous, boys,” Elizabeth told the two beaming boys beside the door. “Absolutely splendid. You have my deepest gratitude.”

  After giving her a chance to clean up and change, Katherine and William began to set the table for dinner.

  Excited cries came from the front yard as Elizabeth helped Katherine to bring the steaming bowls of food to the table, and the two boys came running inside.

  “He’s here, Mother! Here!”

  And sure enough, in strolled a tall, young man, with sandy blonde hair that was slightly disheveled from the hat in his hands, and large blue eyes with long lashes that stared intently at Elizabeth when they landed upon her.

  He had broad shoulders, a strong jaw, and Elizabeth could not help feeling very pleased that she had managed to find someone as masculine as he appeared.

  “There you are, Mr. Hopper,” William said. “Just in time for dinner.”

  Katherine beamed as she crossed over to the man in the doorway. “Benjamin, this young lady is who I am sure you are hoping it is.”

  Benjamin appeared to have frozen where he stood. He seemed enraptured with Elizabeth. It was as if he had never seen a woman before.

  Elizabeth, feeling rather embarrassed by all the attention, smiled at him. “I am very pleased to meet you, Mr. Hopper. Please, call me Elizabeth.”

  Benjamin seemed to have come to his senses, for he crossed the room to stand right in front of her. His eyes narrowed as he inspected her face.