by Sarah Banks
After mailing the letter, she leaned against the wall outside the post office, both nervous and excited. She knew he wouldn’t pick her. Each man had to get dozens of responses, the likelihood of him choosing her seemed slim. But that wasn’t the point. Answering his ad had helped get her mind off her current situation and gave her hope for the future. It made her realize that she had options. She might not fit into her new life anymore, but she would eventually find one better suited to her, she just needed to be patient and openminded. Now that she was in a better mood, she practically skipped to the bookshop before returning home.
Chapter Three
A Few Weeks Later
Their quiet argument came to a halt when Charlotte entered the dining room for supper. Her father sat at his usual spot at the head of the table, her stepmother seated at his left. Margaret avoided Charlotte’s eyes, rearranging the napkin on her lap. Her father tore his frustrated gaze away from his wife, refocusing it on his daughter.
Charlotte froze in the doorway under her father’s glare.
“Is everything alright?” She asked hesitantly. She had never heard her father or Margaret exchange a contrary word in their several months of marriage.
Her father held up a worn envelope, addressed to her. The corner of the envelope was torn but the letter was still whole and unopened. “Why is a man writing you from Colorado?” He asked accusingly.
Charlotte’s breath caught in her throat. She slowly stepped forward and took the letter from her father’s fingers. The return address read Ethan Morgan, Sweet Creek, Colorado. Lightheaded, Charlotte realized she was still holding her breath and forced herself to slowly exhale. She slowly walked to her chair, breaking the seal on the envelope. It was probably just a rejection letter. Perhaps he was so polite he felt the need to write and apologize for not choosing her. A strangled laugh caught in her throat. She pulled the letter free of the envelope and another small, thicker piece of paper fell to the tabletop. A train ticket. She sank into her chair.
“What is that?” Her father asked, squinting at the piece of paper.
Charlotte ignored him and slowly unfolded the letter with shaking hands. It was short and to the point. He chose her. He wanted to marry her. Oh my goodness! She looked up at her father and stepmother with wide eyes.
“He wants to marry me,” she whispered.
“Who?!” Her father demanded while her stepmother simultaneously whispered, “What?”
“I-I answered an advertisement for a mail order bride a few weeks ago. I didn’t really think he’d choose me, but he did. His name is Ethan Morgan and he owns a furniture store in Sweet Creek. He wants me to travel to Colorado as soon as possible.”
“Oh Charlotte,” Margaret said worriedly, glancing warily at her husband.
Her father’s face was turning an alarming shade of red. He slowly pushed back his chair and stood. “You can’t be serious?”
“I, uh—” Charlotte stuttered, looking back down at the letter. She really hadn’t been serious but Ethan had picked her. She never imagined that would happen. And now she had an opportunity to travel west. It sounded just like an adventure from one of her books. But she couldn’t really do this, could she? It bordered on insanity. She had never taken a risk in her entire life, let alone one of this magnitude.
“Charlotte Gertrude, I forbid you to do this!” Her father roared, pounding an open hand on the dining room table, rattling the china and silverware.
Margaret reached out and steadied their glasses of wine, then rested her hand on his forearm. “Rory, please, calm down.”
Her father looked down at Margaret for a long moment and then sighed, thrusting himself back into his chair.
Charlotte had flinched at her father’s initial display of temper, something she had never seen before but she knew with certainty he would never hurt her. Once the shock of his outburst had worn off however, she found herself growing angry. He was the reason she had considered this avenue in the first place. He had chosen to get remarried, turning her life upside down. He shouldn’t be angry with her. She should be angry with him!
“I’m a grown woman father,” Charlotte said evenly, coming to her feet. “You can’t stop me from doing anything.”
Margaret flashed her a look of exasperation and reached out again to Charlotte’s father, her hand on his arm halting his standing movement. “You too Charlotte,” she added in an annoyed tone. “Just calm down. Sit. And we’ll discuss this like rational adults.”
“There’s nothing to discuss,” Charlotte said quietly, tucking both the letter and the ticket back into the envelope.
“The hell there’s not!” Her father shot back.
“Rory please! Your language!”
“I’m marrying him!”
“The devil you are!”
“Rory!”
Charlotte quit the room. She could hear the escalating discussion between her father and stepmother as she went upstairs. She had made her decision, rash though it may be. Now she needed to pack, the sooner the better.
She had never fought with her father in her entire life but over the next day and a half, she and her father had three more arguments about her traveling west to marry a man she had never even met. She couldn’t really decide if he was more angry about the idea of her moving away or getting married to a stranger. But it really didn’t matter. The more he tried to convince her not to go, the more determined she was to go through with this.
The first was another loud, short, unproductive argument. Later that day he was calmer, yet unproductive nonetheless. Charlotte knew she was being stubborn but she didn’t care. The conversation ended with him threatening to lock her in the cellar, although he made the threat calmly.
Their third and final argument was quiet, her father almost resigned.
“Is there nothing I can say or do to change your mind?” Her father asked from behind his desk in his study.
Charlotte shook her head.
“Then I guess that’s that,” he said quietly, leaving the room.
Charlotte saved her tears until she was upstairs. She brushed the tears away as she finished packing and prayed she wasn’t making the worst mistake of her life.
Chapter Four
Charlotte was the first one off the train. The train platform in the town of Sweet Creek was small and packed full of people. She didn’t particularly care for crowds so she took the path of least resistance, ducking and dodging people until she came to a clearing some feet away and felt like she could breathe again.
People didn’t usually notice her back in Philadelphia, perhaps because she was underdressed compared to her peers or because she always hid her hair underneath her bonnet or parasol, but here she felt several pairs of eyes follow her. She was most certainly overdressed compared to the other women in Sweet Creek, at least the two or three other women she could see.
She kept her eyes down and resisted the urge to hide beneath her parasol. She had told Ethan in her letter that her hair was bright red, closer to copper really. As a child she had hated the color of her hair, the color so unusual that it made her an easy target for the other schoolchildren to make fun of. It wasn’t until after her mother had passed away that she grew to love it. It was the same shade as her mother’s and she only had to look into a mirror to be reminded of her. It was uncommon enough that she knew if she couldn’t spot Ethan based on his vague description of light hair and dark eyes he had written in his advertisement, he would most definitely be able to spot her.
Only moments passed before a blond man with two children appeared before her. “Charlotte?” He cocked his head and flashed her a bright smile. “I’d notice that hair anywhere,” he said.
Pink stained Charlotte’s cheeks. She reached up and caught a fiery lock the wintery wind had pulled loose and tucked it behind her ear. The man who stood before her certainly fit Ethan’s description. He was blond with chocolate brown eyes. And tall and handsome she thought with a blush. She was confused by the two chi
ldren with him though. Neither his advertisement nor his letter had made any mention of children. She glanced at them. The girl, about twelve or so, was returning her stare without expression and the small boy, a baby really, in the man’s arms was crying quietly around two fingers stuffed in his mouth. His cheeks were tear-stained and Charlotte felt a small tug at her heartstrings.
“You are Charlotte, right?” Ethan asked again with a quizzical smile.
Charlotte realized she hadn’t yet answered and nodded quickly. “Yes, yes I am. Are you Ethan?”
He nodded. “Sure am. I’m glad you’re here. We’ve been waiting a long time for you.” He bounced the boy gently, but instead of soothing him as intended, it only made him cry louder.
“Oh yes, the train was late. Weather,” she explained, waving a hand. It wasn’t so bad here, at least at the moment. It was certainly cold, the ground was still frozen and there were piles of snow here and there but it wasn’t snowing now. But the sky, especially off in the distance, foul weather looked as if it was a constant, looming threat. There were times she wondered if the train would make it here at all. Traveling so close to the dead of winter probably hadn’t been the brightest of ideas.
The boy suddenly reached his arms out for her, the move so unexpected that Ethan almost dropped him. Charlotte instinctively took a step back. He caught the boy, settled him securely against his hip again and cast Charlotte a curious glance.
Charlotte was embarrassed at her reaction. She knew she had done the wrong thing. She knew anyone with motherly instincts would have stepped forward, not back, and caught the child. But she didn’t have any experience with children. She was an only child. She hadn’t been around children since, well, since she was one herself and even then she had kept to herself more often than not.
“This is Benjamin – Ben,” he introduced the boy in his arms. “Don’t mind him. I had to wake him from his nap when I heard the train coming so he’s not too happy with me at the moment.”
“So he doesn’t cry much?” She asked, tentatively reaching out and gently touching Ben’s tiny fingers, the ones that weren’t stuffed in his mouth. They were moist and sticky.
Ethan hedged and Charlotte was filled with dread. She pulled away her finger, resisting the urge to wipe it on her skirt. She prayed these weren’t his children. They looked like him though. The train was still here. She could get back on it. She didn’t care if it was still heading West. She had no idea what to do with children, especially a crying baby.
Ethan looked behind him and reached his arm out. The girl shyly stepped forward and he put his arm around her. “And this is Claire. My niece and nephew.”
Charlotte felt instant relief. Oh thank goodness! For a moment, she thought they were his children, they even resembled him, with blonde hair and brown eyes. She distinctly remembered his ad. It had made no mention of either having children or wanting them when nearly every other one had. She couldn’t deny it was a factor in answering his particular ad. Her own mother had been gone for so long now and she didn’t have any brothers or sisters, let alone nieces or nephews. She had never contemplated motherhood herself. She wouldn’t know where to begin if she learned she was responsible for them.
Ben reached for her again but this time his uncle was ready and held him steadfast. Ben let out a warning sound of protest. Then he pulled his two fingers from his mouth and began to howl. He reached for her again.
Charlotte’s eyes widened. She glanced at Ethan. He looked frustrated. Several people standing nearby began to stare in their direction. A few moved further away. Charlotte didn’t know what to do.
Ethan was trying to calm the little boy down but Ben wasn’t having any of it. Charlotte stepped forward.
She took a deep breath and said, “Here, I’ll take him.”
“Are you sure? He’s pretty heavy,” Ethan warned.
Charlotte thought that was perhaps the least of her worries but she nodded and when Ethan’s arms loosened from around the boy he launched himself from his uncle’s arms into hers. Charlotte grunted as she caught him, staggering back a step or two. He was heavy. She settled him against her hip. She imagined this was what it was like to carry a sack of flour.
Ben instantly quieted, stuck his fingers back into his mouth and leaned his head against her shoulder. He was moist, a little sticky and could probably use a bath but at least he was quiet.
Ethan gave her a look, a mixture of surprise and relief. “He likes you!”
Charlotte tried to smile.
“I’m really sorry about all of this. It’s been a crazy few weeks. I’m really glad you’re here though. Let me know when you get tired of holding him and I’ll take him back. Shall we head to the church? Unless you’d rather have lunch first?”
Charlotte was hungry. But she was also extremely nervous about the wedding. She just wanted to get it over with before she lost her nerve. They could have lunch after.
“Let’s get married first.” The words sounded so strange coming out of her mouth.
Ethan grinned. He picked up her valise, had a quick word with the porter and they slowly walked the snow lined street to the church. If it was a few degrees warmer the road would be a muddy mess.
The church was pretty. Different than the brick churches near her home back in Philadelphia. This one was small and made entirely from wood, whitewashed with large windows on each side. A large grove of barren oak trees sat to the left of the church and a small matching house to the right, no doubt belonging to the presiding pastor. It was charming, something she might read about in one of her books.
When they entered the church, another wedding ceremony was taking place. They filed into the back pew and quietly waited. Charlotte recognized the bride from the train. During the long train ride she had learned she was just one of a handful of mail order brides aboard, at least two others besides herself were getting off in Sweet Creek. Most of them were heading further west.
The short ceremony concluded, the couple signed the ledger and then walked down the aisle toward them looking both nervous and happy. Then it was their turn. Charlotte followed Ethan up the aisle and he introduced her to Reverend Brown and his wife Molly.
“It’s so nice to meet you,” Molly said warmly.
“Thank you. You too.”
Molly reached forward and brushed her knuckles against Ben’s cheek. “Precious,” she remarked.
Ben nuzzled more tightly against Charlotte’s neck. Charlotte looked down and realized that the boy was practically asleep. And he felt like he was getting heavier. She shifted him in her arms.
“I can take him if you want,” Ethan offered, holding out his arms.
“That’s okay.” She didn’t want to take the chance of him screaming during her wedding ceremony, kind of like she felt doing herself. She would continue to hold him. Besides, holding him hid the shaking of her hands. Frankly, she was terrified.
Molly greeted Claire, taking her hand. “You come and stand next to me dear.”
Ethan and Charlotte took their places before Reverend Brown. This was her last chance to back out she realized. With a quick glance back at the door, she forced herself to stay rooted and met Ethan’s eyes. She gave him a wobbly smile. Sensing her unease, he reached for her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze and held onto it as Pastor Brown flipped open his book to a marked spot and began to read aloud.
The ceremony was short and surreal. It was odd to think about the past year and how much her life had changed. It had been just her and her father for so long. Now she had moved nearly two thousand miles from the only home she had ever known to marry a perfect stranger. It was an adventure though, she thought to herself, just like in the books she liked to read. Her father and stepmother couldn’t accuse her of not living her life now, could they?
Charlotte pushed her thoughts away from the life she had left behind. When it was time for Ethan to place the ring on her finger, he produced a ring from his pocket. Her eyes went to the delicate gold band. It wa
s simple yet pretty. Her hand shook in his. His eyes held hers as he slipped the ring onto her finger, quietly repeating his vows. His voice was low and melodic, almost hypnotizing. She hadn’t realized she was holding her breath until he finished. And then it was her turn.
Charlotte took a deep breath and then a second, before she repeated the words in a soft voice, hating that her voice shook with the nervousness she felt throughout her entire body. She was glad she was holding Ben. Even though he was heavy, his little body pressed against hers offered a little bit of comfort.
When Ethan leaned forward to seal their vows with a kiss, Ben stuck out his chubby little arm and let out a sound of protest from around his fingers that had somehow once again found their way back into his mouth, preventing Ethan from coming any closer. Charlotte’s wide eyes flashed to Ethan’s. His eyes were smiling and Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh. Ethan’s laughter joined hers. Their laughter helped ease the tension.
Instead Ethan reached for her hand again, brushing a kiss across her ring, his warm lips grazing her cool skin. Charlotte stopped laughing, watching the motion in stunned silence. The moist brush of his lips sent a shiver throughout her entire body. Her eyes flashed back to his, his gaze now darkened and serious and perhaps a bit heated. She could tell that he had felt it too.
Chapter Five
He was a married man. Ethan couldn’t believe how much his life had changed in such a short period of time. He might be thirty years old but he hadn’t much contemplated marriage himself until recently. He remembered being at a business meeting in Denver a few months ago and toward the end had mentioned he was on his way back home to Sweet Creek afterwards, to a cold, empty house. The two other men at the table were married and happily. He considered them friends and they were free with advice, that it was time he took a wife, how much easier it would make his life, someone to come home to after a long day or a trip out of town, which now that his business was growing so rapidly, was often.