by Jill Maguire
“And to you as well. I guess we’ve done better than poor Johnny. He sent off a few letters to a woman in the east, and then she simply stopped writing him. Up and changed her mind I guess. Poor fellow has to start all over.”
“That is a shame,” Ethan agreed. “But better to end it that way than have her come all the way out only to find out things were not going to work out.”
“I suppose you’re right about that. Kind of gives me some concern for my own arrangement. Do you worry at all?”
Ethan nodded. “There’s no way to be absolutely certain it will work out. I guess there’s a heap of good faith and good judgment involved.”
“Well I aim to make it work,” Mathew declared as he headed on his way. “Got me some big plans to expand the farm and I need a good woman by my side.”
“Be sure to bring your new bride over to the church once she arrives and we’ll make plans for your wedding service.”
“We’ll be there first thing, you can bet on it. Thanks, Reverend.” Ethan smiled at his friend’s use of the formal title, and his reference to betting, something a man of his calling would never do. He realized it was strange sometimes for friends he had known all his life to see him now as their preacher.
Ethan hurried inside and gave his letter to Harriet, asking when she thought it might reach its destination.
“Should be there within the week,” she assured him. “I would think by the end of June, you’ll be meeting Miss Sarah at the stage.”
Ethan couldn’t hide his happiness. He thanked Harriet and hurried on to the mercantile. The chintz curtains he had ordered should have arrived. Hanging them on his new plate glass windows was the last bit of sprucing up that he had left. He hoped Sarah Ballantine liked yellow.
Chapter Twelve
Sarah Ballantine settled herself in a comfortable chair in the library. She had only one lamp lit and was being as quiet as could be. Her parents had been asleep for hours and all of the staff had retired to their own living quarters. This was her alone time.
From her pocket she pulled the small stack of letters and opened the first one. She had read and reread all of Ethan’s letters a number of times, but never tired of it. She praised herself on being able to sneak the letters by her parents, especially her father, who would never have approved of her applying to be a mail order bride. He was dead set against her pursuing any path other than marriage to someone in their social circle. He had his eye on a particular up and coming young business man who had recently joined the company owned by his closest friend.
Sarah of course, wanted no part of any of his plans, and had instead pursued her dream of moving away by answering an ad to become a mail order bride. She had hurried each day to the post office to intercept the mail and claim her letters. She was totally confident that her father had no idea what she was up to. She read and replied to each of Ethan’s letters late at night after everyone had gone to bed. And now, finally, his last letter had arrived. At last she could finalize the plans that would take her away from the city life that she disliked so much.
As she read Ethan’s letters, she tried to picture what her life was going to be like. She smiled as she read the description of his home.
“It is a log cabin, my dear so needless to say all of the walls are made of log. There is no painted surface or fancy wallpaper coverings as you have described in your home. There is just wood. But I must admit, when the sun shines through my new paned glass windows, the entire room takes on quite an amber glow that is very warm and inviting.”
Sarah could almost feel the warmth of the room as she read.
“And although the sleeping area is separate from the main room, the rest of the house is one open space. I have no fireplace, I’m sorry to say, but a woodstove keeps the whole space quite cozy. It has an oven as well, and a rather spacious cooking surface. I must admit, I have not made the most of that feature, as cooking is not one of my better talents. But I feel certain that you will find it sufficient.”
Sarah smiled, trying to picture herself cooking over a woodstove, when in fact she had never really done much cooking at all. Well, she would learn. She was nothing, if not a determined soul, and she was determined to make this new life she had chosen happy and rewarding for both herself and her husband.
As she opened the latest letter from her soon to be husband, she felt her pulse quicken. This letter made it all very real, for tucked within its pages were a few crisp bills and a pre paid train ticket. She would take the train as far as Wilder Falls and then she would take the coach from there to Bent River. Her heart was absolutely exploding with anticipation. All she had to do now was succeed in getting away without her mission being discovered.
She was heading into the city under the ruse of shopping for some new clothes. She had won her father’s approval for the outing by saying that she needed a new wardrobe if she was going to begin courting a successful business man. Since her father could find no fault with her on that, he had agreed to let her go.
Her dearest friend in the world, Melanie Wells was to pick her up at nine o’clock the next morning. She had told Melanie her entire plan and was relieved that her friend supported her decision. They had been friends throughout their growing up and Melanie’s approval was important to Sarah.
“I envy you,” Melanie said one day after Sarah had divulged her plan. “I would never have the nerve to attempt such a thing. I hope you will invite me for a visit once you’re married and settled. Perhaps it will inspire me to follow in your footsteps.”
Sarah laughed with her friend over that remark. Melanie was a true city girl and would never be happy anywhere else. But unlike Sarah’s parents, Melanie’s were much more open minded and were letting her choose her own way. Melanie had her eye on a young banker and was hoping he would soon begin courting her.
“Of course you will come and visit, perhaps with your own new husband by your side.” The girls delighted in sharing their hopes and dreams and supported each other’s decisions without reserve. And now she was counting on her best friend to help her pull off this scheme.
~~~
It was to be her final night in this house. After her parents had once again retired for the night, Sarah headed to her room to pack the last of her things and write her goodbye note. There was already a suitcase of things that she had smuggled out of the house a few items at a time hidden at Melanie’s house and her friend would bring it with her tomorrow. It was fortunate for Sarah that Melanie’s parents were far less intrusive into their daughter’s privacy. Tomorrow she would carry nothing out of the house but her day bag.
Confident that her plan was all laid out, Sarah sat down to compose the goodbye letter to her parents. It was hard in some ways, to think of leaving them, especially her mother. Although they had never been very close, Sarah loved her mother and forgave her for being so intimidated by the man she had married. It was just the way things were. Her mother would never cross anything her father said, and her compliance had made their marriage work.
With a heart that was both heavy and joyful at the same time, she began to write.
“My Dearest Parents,
By the time you read this letter, I will be on my way to a new life. I am heading west to become the bride of a small town minister. It is a choice I make with complete confidence and I am certain that I will be very happy.
I am equally certain that you will be enraged by my actions. I do feel sorry for this, for it is not my intention to disappoint you or hurt you in any way. My only goal is happiness.
I hope in time you will come to forgive me and accept that I have made the decision for my life that is right for me. At this time I am reluctant to tell you where I am going in the event that you will try to locate me. Perhaps when enough time has passed I will write and seek you out for a visit.
In the meantime, please know that I am happy and that I love you both.
Your loving daughter,
Sarah
Sarah folded the letter and sat it
on her bedside table. She would leave it on her pillow in the morning. With that done, Sarah returned to her packing, placing the last few personal sundries in her bag. Her letters from Ethan were the last and final thing she needed along with the train ticket and the money.
The letters were hidden in the very back corner of her closet in an old wooden stationery box. With hands that were slightly shaking, she withdrew the box, and lifted the lid.
Her letters were gone! They had been sitting right on top of the few other items in the box but they were not there now. Sarah’s heart started to race in earnest, but before she could hardly comprehend what was happening her bedroom door flew open.
“I presume you are looking for these?” Her father stood before her waving Ethan’s letters in the air. His face was as red as one of her mother’s crimson roses and his eyes were wild with rage. “Did you really think you could get away with this?”
Sarah looked at him, speechless and afraid. Her father was not a man to fool with when he was angry. But from somewhere deep inside her, Sarah felt a rush of self preservation. She was surprised at the calmness of her voice when she spoke. “It is want I want. I only did it this way because I knew you would never approve. I am going out west to marry this man and make the life for myself that I want.”
The silence in the room was deafening. For a moment her father didn’t speak and Sarah almost hoped that he was going to simply give her back her letters and walk away. That hope, however was very short lived.
His face grew red once again and he took a step closer to her. “There is no chance in this world that you will pursue this crazy notion.” Before her very eyes, he withdrew the money from the last letter but not the train ticket. He then proceeded to tear each envelope in half.
Sarah burst into tears. “Father, no!” she wailed. “It is what I want. Can’t you see that?”
“I see nothing of the sort. Now you will stay in this house under my very watchful eyes until I feel I can trust you again. Maybe by that time you will have come to your senses and forgotten all about this.” He put the crisp new bills and the torn letters in his jacket pocket and left the room, slamming the door behind him. For a second, Sarah considered going to plead with her mother, but she sank down onto her bed instead, knowing that her efforts would be futile.
She cried into her pillow all that night, thinking about Ethan and how he would be waiting for a bride that would never show up. How she wished she could write and explain, but she had almost fooled her father once. There would be no second chances. She cried too, for the life she had so desired and that would now never be. Even though she had never laid eyes on Ethan Bradshaw, her heart was broken.
When morning dawned, Sarah watched from her window as her father and Melanie exchanged angry words in front of the house. She had no doubt that her friend was defending her plan but there was never any reasoning with her father once his mind was made up. As Melanie urged her carriage forward away from the house, she glanced up in the direction of Sarah’s room. With her face pressed to the glass so Melanie could see her, Sarah waved a sad good bye. From the way her father had spoken it might very well be a long time before she was allowed to see Melanie again.
Little did she realize just how long it would be before life resumed any kind of normalcy for her. Every move she made was closely monitored by her father, and every time she left the house she had to be accompanied by one of the staff, her father, or her mother. Instead of having the freedom she had planned for, Sarah Ballantine remained a prisoner in a life not of her choosing.
And in the meantime, in the small town of Bent River, Montana, her arrival was still being eagerly anticipated.
Chapter Thirteen
On the twenty-ninth of June, Ethan dressed carefully in his best jacket and trousers. His wardrobe varied very little from day to day. As the town’s minister, he dressed in the same fashion all of the time. But he did have one outfit that was newer than the rest and it was this one that he chose today. After all, it wasn’t every day that a man went to the stage to meet his new bride.
In the last letter he had received from her, Sarah had said that she would be on this day’s afternoon stage. She had also said that she would be wearing a blue dress and a yellow ribbon in her hair. She had made a point of choosing yellow, she said as a way of showing her appreciation of his choice in curtain color. She said it had touched her heart that he had wanted to choose a color that she loved.
As Ethan buttoned his collar, he tried to envision his new bride. Her hair was long and auburn, she had written. She was slim, not very tall and her complexion was freckled, although that was not considered a thing of beauty in today’s society. Ethan smiled, picturing a freckled face and thinking how much more accepted such things were in the country. Women who worked on the homesteads in this neck of the woods usually ended up with freckles whether they wanted them or not, simply from exposure to the sun.
When he was satisfied with his appearance, he headed outside to hitch up his wagon. He had polished every inch of it until it gleamed. Pete was brushed and the leather on his harness shone in the sun. He was ready and it was time.
He pulled himself into the wagon and urged his horse forward. He was a little early leaving, but he would prefer being there early to taking a chance and being late. Pete knew the way to town and Ethan was only half aware of their journey because his mind kept drifting again and again to the future.
When the wagon suddenly lurched forward, he was nearly thrown out of his seat. Pete had suddenly taken off at an unsafe speed and Ethan had to struggle to maintain control. He had no idea what had spooked him and he was not concerned with it now. What he had to do was get him back under control before they ended up careening down the hillside and crashing at the bottom.
He called loudly and pulled up the reins, all to no avail. It wasn’t until the horse headed towards the stream that he started to slow down, and Ethan cringed at his obvious intention. Whatever he was running from, he had decided it would not follow him into the water and that was where he intended to go.
Try as he might, Ethan was unable to stop him before the wagon’s wheels sunk into the mud. There was nothing to do except try to cross and hope that he didn’t have to get out at some point to pull the horse and wagon forward. If he had to do that, he would surely arrive in a very sorry state to meet the stage.
Once the horse was calm, he returned to the business of pulling the wagon at his usual pace. Ethan managed to stay seated in the driver’s seat, and his clothes were still dry. The wagon, however, looked a t little worse for wear. It no longer sparkled as it had before he left, and in fact, it was now caked in a coat of mud. Pete, who had been so meticulously brushed was now wet and matted looking and his harness had bits of wet grass and weeds hanging from it.
As he pulled to a stop on the other side of the stream, Ethan dismounted to see if he could make his horse look at least a little more presentable. He picked off as much of the wet grass as he could and tried to smooth down the horse’s muddy coat. In the end, he did make Pete look a bit better, but it disturbed him to think of what his new bride’s first impressions might be. He truly hoped she would see the humor in the situation, and that it might become one of those cherished stories that would be passed on through the generations. Ethan drove the wagon back across the stream where the water narrowed to a a few feet and continued on his way to town.
The stage was late. In spite of his little delay with the stream, Ethan still had time to kill. As he paced up and down the wooden sidewalk in front of the mercantile, he wondered why it had to be late on this day of all days. It seemed like hours passed before he heard the sound of hoof beats in the distance and saw the cloud of dust rising from the road.
As the stage neared and began to slow in its approach, Ethan’s heart began to race. In just a few minutes his bride to be would step down from that coach. In just a few minutes his whole life would be forever changed.
Chapter Fourteen
&nbs
p; Cassie awoke with a song in her heart. Today she was going home. When she had left the farm to live at the Gordon’s she had brought nothing but her clothing, her bible and a few small personal items. They were all packed now in her one satchel and she couldn’t wait to be back at the farm where the house, the furniture and even the little decorative trinkets were hers. She had left everything she owned in Granny’s care and now she would be reunited with all of those things. She would also be back among friends, and although she had no true family left, the people she knew and had grown up with in Bent River filled that void.
The day brought with it a blistering heat and Cassie was dreading how hot and stuffy the coach ride would be. She dressed in the coolest of her summer dresses in hopes that it might make the trip a bit more comfortable. As she smoothed out the pale lavender skirt, her eyes welled with tears.
Lavender had always been a favorite color of Granny’s both in her garden and indoors. Touches of the pale purple color could be found everywhere around the house. Granny had, in fact, picked the fabric for this very dress because of her fondness for the color. Now as she wore it, Cassie was reminded both of her Granny’s love and her loss.
With a long sad sigh, she gathered her satchel, her handbag and her hat and closed the door to her room. She took a few minutes to search for Maddie to thank her for her hospitality over the last few weeks. It had been much more pleasant boarding here than it would have been back at the Gordon’s. She had only run into Mr. Gordon once, and he had barely bothered to acknowledge her. She had already said her goodbyes to the school children, so there was no one else she needed to see. Very soon, Blakeford, Wyoming would be just a memory.
The stage was late arriving at the stop and Cassie busied herself by browsing the fabrics in the general store. She always enjoyed sewing during the summer months when she wasn’t teaching and choosing new fabrics was one of her favorite pastimes. On a whim, she purchased a few yards of a lovely white cotton printed all over with lavender flowers. “I will sew this one for you, Granny” she thought to herself.