by Terri Grace
Alicia chuckled. “Times are changing, my dear. Children at five years old today can be equated with ten year olds about twenty years ago. They are exposed to a lot of information and now that they’ve started going to school, you can be sure that your children are bombarded with all kinds of information. I’m just surprised it hadn’t happened sooner.”
“What do I tell Nathan? Natalie was a passive listener at first but now she has also joins the fray. I feel like my children are ganging up on me. Is this just a passing phase – one which they’ll outgrow?”
Alicia sighed, her dark eyes thoughtful. “I wouldn’t really count on them outgrowing this, especially since they interact with their peers. Perhaps it’s time you thought about marrying again. Pray for a good man who will be understanding and bring up the children with you. Sometimes the Lord uses the mouths of babes to stir us up.”
The chimes at the door tinkled as Victoria pushed it in, wishing she could be anywhere other than here. Alicia and Emmanuel had recommended The Fountain of Hope Bridal Agency as a good place for her to register as a prospective mail-order bride.
“We have it on good authority that Mrs.. Daisy, the owner, is a woman of integrity and high principles. She is able to find out the kind of person you will be getting married to and so there is no fear of you landing in the wrong hands again, Victoria.”
Victoria had found her first husband through a newspaper advertisement. “Thank you, pastor,” she had replied, feeling uncomfortable at having to expose her private life. Her children were really pushing her.
Now here she was and, just as she thought of turning to flee, a motherly woman emerged from a side room.
“Do come in, my dear,” she invited, going over to the large couch in the simply furnished room. “My name is Daisy Adams. Welcome to The Fountain of Hope Bridal Agency.”
“Thank you.” Victoria sat down, her hands tightening on her reticule. She wondered what the twins were doing right at that moment. Alicia had offered to babysit them and watch the store while she came to the agency.
Daisy saw a nervous woman who looked like she was just emerging from her teenage years, though there was a certain maturity about her.
“I….” Victoria didn’t know how to start the conversation.
“Your coming here means that you’ve heard about what this agency does, but just to reassure you, we send Christian brides out to the west, where they meet Christian husbands. Since this agency is well known as one of the finest, the normal procedure is that we get a number of requests from men in different states. What we then do is get the best match for the man. When we find a woman who fits the man’s request, we write to him and inform him. If he is interested, he writes back and then correspondence between the two of them begins. We also insist on the men asking their pastors to write to us separately and give a recommendation.”
“Oh!”
“Yes, my dear. In that way we sift out the bad so that none of our girls ever end up with a man who will ill-treat them.”
“How sure are you that the pastors tell you the truth about a person?”
“We usually don’t expect a man of God to lie to us, but where we have our doubts, I use my connections and contact the sheriffs in the areas the men are from. So far I have managed to send over fifty girls to the west, and all I receive is good testimonies. Twice a year, two of our wardens take field trips and visit the newly married. After two years we believe a couple are doing well enough, so we stop monitoring. You’ve come to the right place.”
“Thank you, but my case is different.”
“How so?”
“I’m a widow and have twins, Nathaniel and Natalie. Will any man out there want me – want us?”
Daisy laughed briefly, “You would be surprised at some of the requests that this agency receives. One lovely man in the west sent in his request for a widow or single mother and he didn’t mind the number of children she had. We sent out a wonderful young lady in her late twenties who had four children and was a widow. They’re doing very well. So yes, there is certainly a man out there who will want you – all of you.”
“What do I need to pay? I’m afraid I don’t have much money. Perhaps we could have an arrangement and I could pay you something small weekly.”
Daisy shook her head. “Here at The Fountain of Hope, the brides never pay for anything. The man meets all the expenses, including the train fare out to where he is. So, my dear, if you’re ready, I will take down as many details about you as I can, and then I’ll go through the file of requests and see if I can match you up with a good Christian man who will accept a widow with two children.”
Victoria was surprised at how light she felt after leaving Daisy’s agency, and she gave herself about six months of waiting time. At least she had an answer for her children should they pester her about finding them a new father. She felt that she could trust Daisy.
To her surprise, however, Alicia brought her a note from Daisy just a few days later. “Mrs. Daisy sent one of her clerks to bring this note to you, since you gave the church as your reference. What does she say?” Alicia could barely contain her excitement. “Has she already found you a suitable man?”
Victoria laughed. “Mrs. Alicia, now you sound just like Nathaniel and Natalie. They seem to have rubbed off on you.” She tore open the envelope and read the note, which she then handed over to Alicia.
* * *
Dear Miss Miller,
I think I may have found the perfect match for you. Could you please come to the agency, at a time convenient for you, so that we can talk about this?
Sincerely,
Daisy Adams
“What are you waiting for?” said Alicia. “Go on and see the nice lady before the man is taken by someone else.”
“I just put the twins down for their afternoon nap, and the store….”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
Daisy was happy to see Victoria, and after exchanging brief greetings she got right down to business. “This is a Christian man out in Sacrament, California. His name is Mr. Black and he is thirty-three years old. Never married and wants to settle down. He was already on file and had requested that as soon as I found him a good match I should send him a telegram, which is what I did, and that’s why you’ve received a response after just a few days. It normally takes about a month, but I believe the Lord has prepared Mr. Black for you, and you for him. What do you think?”
“What about references from the church?”
“They arrived just this morning, and from what the pastor of the First Baptist Church of Sacramento says, Mr. Black is an upstanding member of the church and his family are well known, too. What do you think?”
“And the train fare?” Victoria realized she was raising barriers, but she couldn’t help it.
“He sent more than enough and insisted that you get a private compartment because of the children. That is a considerate man, and in any case, should you get there and find that you aren’t compatible, the money is more than enough to bring you back here.”
Sylvester was nervous as he paced the platform waiting for his new family from New York. If Mrs. Daisy Adams of The Fountain of Hope Bridal Agency was to be believed, the woman was very nervous, and she had every reason to be. He wondered what her reaction would be when she found out who he really was. He paused his pacing as the train pulled up into the station.
All the way from New York, Victoria wondered what lay ahead for her and her children in a land that had only been filled with pain for her. Was she a glutton for punishment? Was that why she’d agreed to return to California? It didn’t matter that she was headed to Sacramento this time; it was still California. Her children would love the warm beaches, and that was one experience she wanted them to have. Even if things didn’t work out with the man she was to meet, she had enough money to spend about a week showing them California; then they would go back to their normal lives.
She gave a start when she realized that, apart from tell
ing her that the man’s name was Mr. Black, Daisy had not given her a first name, nor his address. What if he wasn’t there to meet them? What would happen to them? She was panicking and forced herself to calm down. Oh for the joys of childhood, she thought, as she watched her children. That Nathaniel and Nattie had had fun on the journey went without saying.
The train pulled to a stop and she gathered their small bags. She’d arranged for the rest of their belongings to be sent to them once they settled down. Pastor Emmanuel and Alicia had been very supportive, telling her they would only sell the store and its contents once they were sure she and the twins were happy and settled, and they would send the proceeds to her. After all, they were the ones who had started it for her six years ago when she’d returned home, broken and desperate.
Alicia had hugged her at the train station, tears in her eyes. “If things don’t work for you, this is still home,” she’d said.
“Mama, are we here?” Nathaniel’s voice broke through her reverie. “Where’s our new papa?”
“Patience, my son, patience.” She laughed as she took their hands and they made their way to the door. As soon as Victoria stepped onto the platform and helped her children down, she looked up and almost had a heart attack. Samuel, her dead husband, was walking towards her, a smile on his face. What was going on here? She blinked, thinking she was seeing a vision, but Samuel kept coming closer. She wanted to run and hide her children.
As the man drew near, however, she noticed the marked differences, and her heart began settling down, though not much. She was very wary, even though she realized this man was not Samuel Granger, her dead husband. His eyes were blue and kind, whereas Samuel’s had been gray and shifty. He was also a few years older than Samuel would have been, had he still been alive.
“Miss Victoria Miller? My name is Sylvester Black. This must be Nathaniel and Natalie.” He smiled at the children. Surprisingly, it was Natalie who warmed up to the man almost immediately.
“Are you our new papa?” she asked, looking at him with her dark eyes, so much like her mother’s, and Sylvester found her adorable – actually, all three of them. He crouched to the children’s level.
“If your mama lets me, then, yes, I will be your new papa.” He looked from one child to the other, a wide smile on his face.
Nathaniel stepped up, holding out his hand. “Mama was sad when our other papa died,” he announced. “So me and Natalie told her to find a new papa for us.”
“You did good. It shows that you care a lot about your mother and sister. You are a wise little man, Nathaniel.”
Victoria was amazed to see her son’s little chest puffing out. But she had to get to the bottom of what was troubling her. How could this stranger bear such marked similarities to Samuel?
Sylvester sensed Victoria’s hostility and took his time with the children, hoping she would eventually calm down and realize he was harmless. He’d expected this to happen, so he wasn’t really surprised. Most people who had seen his cousin and met him later had the same reaction. But finally she had to be faced. He stood up, surprised when the two children took his hands. The three of them stared at Victoria.
“Shall we leave for home?” he asked, then looked around. “Where’s the rest of your luggage?”
“I wasn’t sure so I couldn’t very well bring everything, could I? But we are not going anywhere until you tell me what’s going on. Why do you look so much like my dead husband? His name was Samuel Granger. Or is it just one of those things that happens in the world, where people look alike yet they aren’t related in any way?”
Sylvester smiled. “Samuel Granger was my first cousin. Our fathers are brothers. His father is younger than mine.”
“What are you doing here then, and why did you trick me into coming to Sacramento? Did you know about us when you sent for us? Is Samuel’s family behind this?”
“Calm down, Victoria. The children are getting agitated by your unease. I’ll explain everything to you.” He looked down and noted the frowns on the children’s faces. “Nathaniel and Natalie, would you like to sit on that bench there while your mother and I talk for a short while?”
“Then you will take us home?”
“Yes, Natalie, then I will take you home.” They made their way to the bench and he watched to see that they were all right before turning to Victoria. “I know you’re incensed at what happened before, but don’t let the children see how agitated you are.”
She nodded slightly, careful to put a smile on her face.
“You raised wonderful children, Victoria. You’re a good mother.”
“Thank you.” She felt a glow within her at the words of praise, but then hardened her heart again. She needed answers. “What’s going on?”
“As I said, Samuel and I are close relatives. We actually both look like our paternal grandfather, or so my mother says. I never saw my grandfather so I don’t know. Needless to say, I’m a retired army captain and was attached to the embassy in London for seven years. At the time I left, Samuel wasn’t yet married and I just got back three months ago, to find that my cousin had died.”
“How did you get to know about me – about us?”
“When I registered with the agency in New York, I had no idea of who I would get, but then Mrs. Adams sent me a profile of you, and she mentioned that you had twins. It was too much of a coincidence, so I immediately wrote back and asked about you. You see, Mama knew all about you and the twins. She found out during Samuel’s funeral.”
Victoria couldn’t believe her bad luck. How could she have ended up with the same family of the people who had made her life miserable? “We’re returning to New York on the next train,” she announced. “There’s no way that I will agree to be your wife, not after having been married to your cousin and dealt with his mother and sisters, who treated me so badly. They believed all the lies Samuel told when he mercilessly kicked me out of his house while I was pregnant with his children. He said I was an adulterous woman and the children weren’t his.” She shook her head. “I’m not taking any more abuse, especially now that I have my children to protect.”
“Victoria, please calm down and listen to me. The fact that Samuel and I were first cousins doesn’t mean that we were close. Not at all. Our own family was estranged from Samuel’s family because of his father.”
Victoria looked at him, feeling all the anger draining away. “Why?”
“Our fathers were brothers, and they came out to California during the gold rush, landing in the San Joaquin Valley. They were just barely grown men. Like I told you, Uncle Gilbert was the oldest and at first they did everything together. They were very close then, but then Uncle Gilbert met Aunt Emelda and it was as though a different man emerged. They still worked together but things were changing. They finally struck gold and became very rich, but Uncle Gilbert turned on my father, accusing him of trying to kill him so he could grab all the gold for himself. My father was innocent but he was arrested by the sheriff and locked up for about a year. When he came out of jail, his brother had moved to Oakland, leaving Papa with nothing. He went to work at the docks and that’s how he met Mama. She was the daughter of a ship owner and they fell in love. My maternal grandfather took a liking to Papa and bought them the land we own here in Sacramento as a wedding gift, setting them up so Mama would never suffer.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Don’t be. Things worked out for good. Papa and Mama started an orchard and at the time of Papa’s death, over fifteen years ago, the farm was well established. The only pity is that the two brothers died without ever speaking to each other. Mama tried to work towards reconciliation and Aunt Emelda only accepted because she could see how prosperous Mama was – still is. Samuel and I played together as children, but Papa would have nothing to do with Uncle Gilbert.”
“Do you have any sisters?”
“Yes, twins. It seems to run in the family.” He looked at the children and smiled at them. “My finding out about y
ou through Mrs. Adams’s agency was purely coincidental, even though I knew about you and the children. Mama attended Samuel’s funeral and that was when she found out that he’d been married previously and had divorced you, sending you away in disgrace even though you were innocent.”
“Does your mother know that I’m the same woman your cousin divorced?”
“Yes, I told her everything. She’s looking forward to meeting the children and you, Victoria. If you give me the chance, I will make amends for what my cousin did to you – how he treated you and disowned his own children. I know that this would only be a marriage of convenience, but I’m ready to marry you and protect all of you.”
Victoria wanted to insist on returning to New York, but the twins’ drooping faces made her realize how tired they were. Though they had travelled in comfort, courtesy of the man who stood before her, the journey had still taken its toll on all of them.
“I’ll agree to go to your home, just because the children are very tired. Once we get there, I’ll judge for myself and only then will I give you an answer.”
“That’s good enough for me. Will you wait with the children while I take your bags to the coach? Then I’ll return for you.”
She nodded and he picked the bags and strode away. She went and sat between her children, who leaned against her tiredly.
“My lovely children, we’re going home. In a little while you will be washed, fed and tucked into bed.” They could only nod.
Sylvester returned a few minutes later. “Which of the two is the lighter one, so I can carry the heavier one?”
“I’ll take Nattie,” she said, standing up and lifting her daughter. Sylvester effortlessly picked Nathaniel up and, even as he led the way, he kept looking back to ensure Victoria and Natalie were all right. Victoria didn’t know what a touching scene it was, until she heard a woman commenting that they were such a lovely family. She wished it was true and Sylvester was really the children’s father. He looked very kind and gentle, but maybe it was all a show just to get her to agree to the marriage. She would judge for herself once they got home.