His Mail-Order Valentine (Holiday Mail Order Brides Book 10)

by Kit Morgan

  Daisy chuckled. “It’s more than that.”

  “How so?”

  “If I know Julian Smythe, he’ll take the opportunity to let everyone know he’s courting you.”

  “What?!”

  Daisy smiled and nodded. “I think you’d better get used to the idea, Ellie.”

  “Idea? What idea?”

  Daisy’s smile broadened. “Julian Smythe’s fallen in love with you.”

  * * *

  “Walk, stop, turn and glide. Walk, stop, turn and glide …” Professor Hamilton waved his hands at Bernice as if conducting an orchestra. “That’s it, now curtsy …”

  Bernice did, and almost tripped.

  Professor Hamilton closed his eyes and cringed. “Careful, careful. Don’t fall on your face again.”

  Bernice righted herself and stood. “Why do I have to take such tiny steps? I can’t keep my balance when I do!” She tugged at the bindings he’d placed on her thighs and knees to force her to take the smallest steps possible.

  “Because it helps you to learn balance,” he told her. “A lady’s stride should be small and elegant. You currently have the stride and grace of a rhinoceros, Miss Caulder, and my aim is to refine it. Along with the rest of you if I can.”

  “All before the dance?”

  “Good heavens, no! I’m a teacher, Miss Caulder, not a miracle worker. Now, let’s try again.”

  She sighed, turned and, with tiny little steps, made her way back to where she’d been before. But something caught her eye and she reached for it. “Oh look, a book on butterflies!” Without thinking, she tried to take a big step, and …

  Professor Hamilton cringed again when she fell flat on her face. “Owwww!” she whined.

  He hurried over to help her up. “You see what I mean? A lady doesn’t let herself get distracted while in the presence of a gentleman!”

  “What gentleman?”

  “I’m a gentleman, you’re a lady – that’s what we’re practicing here!”

  He pulled her to her feet. “You may be a gentleman, Professor Hamilton,” she replied, though sounding doubtful. “But I’m not so sure about the rest of the men in this town.”

  He watched her brush herself off. “There are a few, and the rest can be taught.”

  “I’ll never learn all this before the dance,” she groaned.

  “I don’t expect you to learn it all before the dance. I just want you to learn enough to survive the dance.”

  “Oh,” she said flatly. “I guess I can do that. But will it be enough to get me Julian?”

  The Professor sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “My dear girl, must I repeat myself? Never, never set your sights on only one man. You have options.”

  “What options?” she argued. “He’s the only man in town.”

  “He is not, and you know it!”

  She twisted up her face at him. “He’s the only one I want.”

  Professor Hamilton shook his head. “Stop limiting yourself.”

  “I’m not limiting myself, I’m trying to work with … well, the limit.”

  “Men in this town do not start and stop with Julian Smythe. There are others.”

  “You mean Bernard Rudshaw.”

  “I mean him and more. And don’t limit your thinking to just the men. There are the men’s parents to take into consideration – mothers and fathers whose sons are away at school, becoming doctors and lawyers and men of finance. Mothers and fathers who will write their offspring about the beauty you’ve become.”

  Doctors and lawyers? “Really?”

  Professor Hamilton gave her a tight smile. “Truly. They’ll see you and immediately inform their sons that you’re a changed woman, and blissfully unattached. What parent wouldn’t want their offspring to marry someone from their hometown? There’s a much better chance of her settling down and raising her children – their grandchildren – there.”

  “Oh!” Bernice said as comprehension dawned.

  “Your problem is, you want what you want right now, and give no thought to your other options.”

  “But I like Julian …”

  “My dear, don’t be so quick to give your heart away to someone who has no idea it’s coming. All you’ll succeed at is hitting the poor man upside the head with it, and then what’s he to do? More than likely, he’ll toss it back, and not pleasantly.”

  Bernice stared at him, and her lip quivered.

  “Now, now,” he continued, his tone gentle. “You have time on your side. Plenty of time for Mr. Winters and myself to teach you all you need to know to become the lady you’ve always dreamed of.”

  “Yes, but then what?”

  “Then you get married, of course.”

  “Professor Hamilton, I sure appreciate what you and Mr. Winters are trying to do for me, but even after you turn me into a lady, there are still only so many men in town to choose from, and … what if none of them wants me?”

  He put his arm around her and gave her shoulder a gentle pat. “Then it’s their loss. The world is yours, Miss Caulder.” He stretched out his arm and waved it, as if describing a galaxy of wealthy suitors. “You only have to step out into it. If you don’t find a young gentleman here, you will find one elsewhere. Perhaps Portland or Salem. San Francisco. Philadelphia, New York, Boston … every door will open to a lady of refinement. Do you know that years ago there was a young lady from a tiny speck of a town in the eastern part of this very state who ended up marrying a real English duke?”

  “Oh my …” Bernice’s eyes glittered at the thought of such exotic, faraway cities – and exotic, faraway men.

  He winked at her. “But … let us first see what happens right here, shall we? Then we’ll deal with the world at large.” He stepped away from her and returned to where he’d been standing. “Now, let’s try it again.”

  Bernice shuffled her way back to her starting point, took a deep breath, and prayed she wouldn’t fall. Again. She gave him a determined smile. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  He smiled back. “Right then.” He raised his hands in the air once more. “Walk, stop, turn and glide. Walk, stop, turn and glide …”

  Fifteen

  The next few days, Ellie hurried to get through her duties at the Brocks’ and Vanders’ so she could have time to go to the mercantile and work on her dress with Daisy. “Do you think it’s coming along okay?” she asked as Morgan poured them both a cup of coffee. They were working at the Tindles’ kitchen table.

  “Yes, it’s going to be lovely,” Daisy assured her. “Have you seen Julian today?”

  “No – in fact, I haven’t seen him in days.”

  Morgan set the coffee pot down on the stove. “That’s strange. He’s been in here a few times, but … well, he was kind of quiet.”

  “Really?” asked Daisy. “At least you’ve seen him. I haven’t seen him either. What do you suppose is keeping him from Ellie?”

  “Nothing,” said Morgan. “Except maybe nerves.”

  “Nerves?” Ellie asked.

  Morgan smiled. “I’ll be frank with you. He’s smitten, in case my wife hasn’t pointed that out to you already.”

  Ellie blushed. “She has.”

  “Well then, once he gets a look at you in that dress, he’s going to be lost. We might have to tie a rope around his waist to make sure he doesn’t float away.” He laughed as he left the room, heading for the store proper.

  Ellie giggled with delight. She hadn’t been able to get Daisy’s words from the other day out of her mind: Julian Smythe’s fallen in love with you … Her only question was, were Morgan and Daisy right? What if they’d misjudged Julian’s affection for her? What if Julian hadn’t made up his mind yet, and wanted to take her to the Valentines dance to see if he had any misgivings?

  What if, what if, what if … any more, and Ellie thought she’d drive herself crazy. She had to stop fretting and concentrate on the facts. She liked the town. She had employment. She’d made some new friends in Daisy and Mrs. Edmonso
n. She even had a place to live when Davey arrived – Mr. Edmonson had agreed to let Ellie use the attic, and Mrs. Edmonson would watch Davey while she was at work. Things were working out just fine.

  Although … she still hadn’t told Mrs. Vander or Mrs. Brock that she had a son. If she lost her positions, she’d be in a pickle, and might have no choice but to go back to Oregon City. She’d already asked around, but no one else in Independence had work available except for the dreaded Mrs. Caulder. And maybe the dressmaker’s shop, but she didn’t feel her skills were at the level the dressmaker was looking for. A quick comparison with Daisy was proof enough of that – the woman was amazing with a needle and thread, and it was all Ellie could do to keep up. She’d been lucky Earl had allowed her two dresses, so her sewing skills had been mostly invested in adding patches and repairing seams ...

  “Are you all right?” Daisy asked. “Are you cold?”

  “No,” Ellie said, realizing she must have shuddered at the memory of Earl. “I’m fine.” She studied their handiwork. “Are we almost done?”

  “Yes. We can sew the lace on tomorrow.”

  “Thank you so much for helping me. You and Morgan have been so kind.”

  “Don’t mention it. I admit, I’d like to see you remain in Independence, and if a pretty dress will do the trick, then I don’t mind helping at all.”

  Ellie laughed. “I want to stay, I really do.”

  “But …”

  Ellie shrugged. “It depends on my employment.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ve made arrangements for a different place to stay, and for someone to watch Davey.”

  “Wonderful! But … then why are you worried?”

  Ellie gave her a lopsided grin. “I still haven’t spoken to Mrs. Vander or Mrs. Brock about Davey.”

  “What? Why not?”

  “I’m just afraid of what they’ll say. And … in case the answer was negative, I didn’t want it to spoil the dance.” She admired the dress they’d been working on. “I’ve never had such a pretty thing.”

  “You’ll look beautiful in it, I’m sure. But you need to tell them – before the dance, after the dance, whenever, but you’d better take care of it. I can go with you if you want.”

  “Really? You’d do that for me?”

  “Sure, what are friends for?”

  Ellie smiled. The thought of having friends again was encouraging. Her few friends back in Oregon City, were older – usually old enough to be her parents. Earl hadn’t been keen on being sociable, or letting her be.

  Now that she looked back on her life the last eight years, she was so glad to be free of him – of his abuse, his obsessive control. She’d married so young, only sixteen – and him ten years her senior and already bitter. Now here she was, twenty-four, widowed with a child, and just beginning to get free of the misery he’d caused her.

  Not wanting to think about the past any more, she let her thoughts drift to Julian. The dance was only a few days away. Would she see him before then? Was he really as nervous about seeing her as Morgan said?

  “Well, well,” drawled Morgan as he came into the kitchen. “Guess who’s downstairs in the mercantile?”

  Ellie jumped at his voice. “Julian?” she asked, a little too eagerly.

  Morgan nodded and smiled. “I invited him up for coffee.”

  Ellie’s eyes grew wide. “You did?”

  “Yep. Need to get the two of you in the same room somehow.”

  Daisy giggled. “Does he know Ellie’s up here?”

  Morgan grinned. “Nope.”

  Now Daisy laughed. “Good!”

  “What?” Ellie squeaked as she started to fan herself.

  “Just look at you! All red-faced with anticipation,” Morgan teased.

  “I am not!” Ellie shot back.

  Daisy took a good look at her and smiled. “Yes, you are.”

  Ellie’s fanning increased. “It’s … warm in here, that’s all!”

  “Mm-hmm. That’s what they all say,” Betsy said as she came into the kitchen, Julian on her heels.

  “Betsy!” Ellie said in surprise. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came with this young man to give him suggestions on –”

  “Betsy!” Julian cried, cutting her off. “Never mind why you came with me.”

  Betsy grinned like a Cheshire cat and winked at Elle. “Like I was sayin’, I came here to give this young man some much needed help.”

  Julian’s face went beet red. “I said never mind,” he grumbled. His eyes gravitated to Ellie’s, locked, and he swallowed hard. “Hello.”

  “Hello,” she said with a shy smile.

  Morgan and Daisy exchanged a quick glance, and Daisy quickly gathered up the dress from the table and hurried out of the kitchen. She didn’t want Julian to get too close a look at it before he saw it on Ellie. Not that it mattered, Morgan realized – Julian’s eyes were so glued to Ellie that he wouldn’t have noticed if John Philip Sousa had led a marching band through the room. He snickered and pulled out a chair. “Care for some coffee, Betsy?”

  “Don’t mind if I do,” she said and sat.

  “Julian – coffee?” Morgan asked, waving a hand in front of his face to get his attention.

  Julian shook himself, then glared at him. “Fine,” he said and sat. He stared across the table at Ellie. “How, uh… how have you been?”

  “Good,” she said with a nod, then looked at Betsy. “Do you have the evening off?”

  “No, I’m still working. This is just some extra help I’m giving on account of …”

  Julian elbowed her in the ribs.

  “Ow! What’d ya do that for?”

  “Enough about the extra help, already,” he muttered out the side of his mouth.

  Betsy winked at Ellie and smiled.

  Ellie smiled too. She knew Betsy well enough at this point to know that the woman was quite the antagonist, in a good way. She loved to tease Garrett Vander and his father, not to mention Mrs. Vander, though she did the latter with more finesse. She was obviously enjoying Julian’s attempts at shutting her up – about what, Ellie had no idea. But it was certainly entertaining to watch the woman at work.

  “How is your dress coming along?” Julian asked.

  “Oh, fine. It’s going to be … very nice.”

  Julian’s eyes softened. “I’m glad. I’ll need to make some arrangements before I pick you up. I’m assuming I’ll fetch you from the Brocks’?”

  Ellie nodded, her cheeks reddening. Good grief, one would think she’d just met the man! But Morgan and Daisy’s words kept coming back to her, and it was all she could do not to gawk at him in dreamy adoration. Could this man really have fallen in love with her? The thought was almost too much!

  “Good. I’ll plan on picking you up about five-thirty. The dance starts at six, I’m told.”

  Ellie nodded again as her nerves twanged like fiddle strings. Her heart began to pound so hard in her chest she thought it might burst!

  “So has everyone learned them dances the Professer’s been trying to teach the last couple of weeks?” Betsy asked.

  Ellie paled.

  Julian gave her a concerned look. “What’s the matter?”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but it was a few seconds before anything came out. “Oh dear … I didn’t give any thought to …”

  “Dancing?” Daisy finished for her.

  “Yes! I-I don’t know how!”

  “I can fix that,” Julian said hoarsely.

  Morgan pressed his lips together and tried not to laugh. His success was mixed.

  Julian ignored him. “I can teach you.”

  Ellie’s eyes widened. “You … you can?”

  He nodded, held out his hand to her and stood. Morgan started up again, but was silenced by Daisy’s elbow.

  “What ya gonna use for music?” asked Betsy.

  Julian turned to her and smiled. “You.”

  “What?! What do ya me
an, me?”

  “I’ve heard you sing often enough. Sing us a tune, Betsy, so I can show this lovely lady how to dance.”

  Betsy’s mouth dropped open for a second or two, before she shrugged and grinned again. “Sure thing, Mr. Julian.” She looked at Morgan and Daisy. “You gonna dance too?”

  Morgan cleared his throat and glanced at his wife. “May I have the honor, my dear?”

  Daisy stood and curtsied. “Of course.”

  The four stood as Betsy smiled and shook her head. “Mm-hmm, this is gonna be some dance come Saturday. Hope ya got real musicians for that.” She watched as the two couples positioned themselves, Julian helping Ellie. “Ya all ready?”

  “Ready,” Julian and Morgan answered in unison.

  Betsy nodded, then began to sing.

  * * *

  Ellie tried to pay attention to Julian’s instructions, but the sound of her heart thundering in her ears was a horrible distraction. The moment he took her hands in his and stepped closer, it had gone into a full gallop.

  Julian showed her a simple dance, and she prayed he didn’t try to teach her a more complicated one – she didn’t think she could concentrate having him so close to her. Sure, she’d been close to him when he’d held her in the middle of the road a few days ago … but that was before Daisy and Morgan told her Julian had fallen in love with her. Now her heart wanted to soar out of her and fly straight to his.

  However, nothing quells a soaring heart faster than stepping on the intended’s foot.

  “Ouch! Careful now,” he told her and stopped. He shook his foot, then smiled. “Just follow my lead and you’ll be fine.”

  “I’m sorry. It’s kind of hard to get the hang of this.”

  “You’ll get the hang of it well enough,” commented Betsy. “Just as soon as you stop ogling the man.” She went back to singing.

  Ellie shut her eyes tight and blushed in frustration.

  Julian laughed. “Maybe if I’d stop looking at you the same way, I’d be a better teacher.”

  “Mm-hmm, ya got that right …”

  “Betsy, more singing, less talking!” Morgan scolded. “We’re trying to dance here!”