“Nonsense,” Mary Margaret had told him. “The Lord doesn’t give you a role to play that is beyond your ability.” In the early morning, she had glorified and thanked the Almighty for the god he had brought into her life.
Daniel turned to Brett.
“Good morning” he said.
“Come on in Brett, just in time for breakfast,” Mary Margaret announced briskly, hiding her embarrassment. Daniel squeezed her shoulder as though to reassure her and her embarrassment ebbed away. That was the way it should be between married couples, Mary Margaret thought, their love should be evident for the world to see.
She laid the table and dropped pancakes on all three plates and then poured out the tea.
“Glad you’re here Brett. I have something to say,” Daniel stated solemnly.
She and Brett stopped eating and looked at him expectantly.
“I’ve put away quite a lot of money over the years, I’m sure you can tell why when you look at the state of the farm.”
Brett chuckled.
“Anyway, if it’s alright with the two of you, I’d like to split the money between us. Perhaps that will enable you to build your own home Brett.”
“You don’t have to,” Brett protested.
“No I should, it’s only fair. As you rightfully pointed out the farm and the saloon belongs to both of us.”
“OK, that would do me good. A place would be nice. As warm as the quarters are, they are not enough space for a man to have a wife.”
Mary Margaret’s eyes grew wide. “You are getting married?”
Brett laughed. “No, not yet, but you two have made me believe that marriage works. I’d like to try it someday in the future.”
“Is there anyone who will have you?” Daniel asked jokingly.
“Oh I have hope, after all, Mary Margaret took you didn’t she?”
Mary Margaret beamed happily. It gave her great pleasure to see the two men getting along.
“There’s more,” Daniel said. “Even if she has never said it, I know it is the greatest wish and prayer of my wife for me to leave the saloon. It’s time for me to come back home and get the farm up and running. The saloon was never for me, and I know you have a lot of ideas on how to make it even more prosperous.” Daniel looked at his brother and wife, who were both lost for words. “Anyway, don’t you have a piano player and lounge singer you want to hire?” he added with a twinkle in his eye.
Mary Margaret choked on the tears that now flooded her cheeks.
“You’ll do that for me?” she managed to say.
“Yes and for us,” he wiped away her tears gently.
“You’re the salt of the earth Daniel. I appreciate it man,” Brett said, unexpectedly emotional. “I better get going.”
He went out first but not before Mary Margaret saw the tears in his eyes.
“What a morning,” she said. “The Lord is with us.”
“I’ll let you teach me all there is to know about God, as long as you do not expect me to match your devotion,” Daniel said.
Mary Margaret grinned. “I am fine with that.”
3 Months Later
Mary Margaret felt as though she would fly to where Daniel was. She had just come from town, on a visit to the doctor. Daniel had wanted to go with her but she hated to disappoint him so she gave her excuses and went alone. That was another thing she loved about her husband. When she told him something, he believed her and did not go on about it.
She walked past the house that Brett was constructing for himself. He was a good sort, her brother-in-law, and she prayed for him nightly, that he should find a good wife. Her thoughts moved on to what she was about to disclose to Daniel. Their lives would change drastically, proof of their love for each other running around the house.
Mary Margaret stood at the edge of the farmland and watched as Daniel led the plowing horses through the field. Their plan was to plant wheat in one section and an on the other section rear a few beef cattle. Daniel was excited about it and she was happy for him. For Mary Margaret her chicken, who now numbered ten, and her vegetable patch were all she needed.
Except, for the one thing that had come as a surprise to her. She hadn’t figured that it happened so fast, but it had. She patted her still flat tummy. She wanted to shout out for the whole world to hear. She was with child and she was excited beyond belief. She waved down at Daniel and finally got his attention.
He jumped off the horse and came towards her with great strides. Mary Margaret did not dare to believe that the handsome strong man walking towards her was her husband. Things had changed so much between them. They spoke of everything and kept no secrets from each other. There was something to be said for starting out with secrets, she thought and chuckled to herself.
Still, she would not advise anyone to do as they had done. So much pain and misery came from that, but then as the good book of God promised, joy doth come in the morning.
“You’re a sight for sore eyes,” Daniel said when he reached her. “Can I have a kiss?”
Mary Margaret giggled and pretended to look around. She knew there was no one else about the farm. She went on her toes and kissed him on the lips then drew away.
“When did you come in?” Daniel said.
“A few minutes ago. I just came from seeing the doctor.”
A flash of worry crossed his face and she was quick to reassure him.
“I’m well but I have good news for you,” she proclaimed.
Daniel stared at her blankly. She laughed at him.
“You are going to be a father! Oh Daniel, the Lord has blessed us with a child,” Mary Margaret cried out, finally letting her joy consume her.
Daniel hugged her tightly and said in a muffled tone. “I’m so pleased, thank you Lord. We are truly blessed. I love you Mary Margaret.”
“I love you too Daniel.”
The End
12. The Faithful Rancher and The Scarred Bride - MERCY
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ONE
TWO
THREE
FOUR
FIVE
SIX
SEVEN
EIGHT
NINE
TEN
ONE
Lower East Side
New York
Muddy water splashed on Mercy’s boots as she staggered towards the washing spot, lugging a pail brimming with water with one hand and holding up her skirts with the other. She deposited it next to her friend Amelia.
“Ta, I appreciate it,” Amelia said with a sweet smile.
“Don’t mention it, that’s what friends are for,” Mercy replied.
As she scrubbed the filthy clothes, Mercy considered her five-year friendship with Amelia. They were as unlike as two people could be, but Mercy had felt drawn to the other girl from that day she had moved into her Uncle Brian and Aunt Beatrice’s tenement apartment.
Amelia had stood apart from the other children, an aura of sadness surrounding her. But they had gotten along straight off, and over time, they had become inseparable.
They performed their chores together and Amelia helped Mercy look after her four little cousins. In turn, Mercy did all the heavy lifting that Amelia could not do.
“Ah how I wish that a handsome stranger would come and whisk me off to someplace far away from here,” Amelia mused, standing up to her full three feet.
Mercy laughed. This was an ongoing conversation with Amelia. She longed for nothing more than to get married.
“What of you Mercy, don’t you long for a home of your own and a man to love?” Amelia asked, shading her eyes from the morning summer sun with her hand.
“No, I certainly do not,” Mercy replied emphatically.
“Why? Every girl wants to be married, why not you?” Amelia persisted.
Mercy sighed and stretched up from her bending position. She considered her friend. Mercy had never told anyone her deepest secret and only her aunt and uncle knew of it. They had never seen it though.
“No man would have me,” Mercy mumbled, knowing full well that the answer would not satisfy Amelia.
“Why, but you’re fetching and I see the way young men look at you. If I were you…” Amelia’s voice trailed off.
Mercy looked down at her friend in sympathy. Amelia was a dwarf and had limbs as short as the rest of her. She had a very pretty face though, with brown loose curls of hair that fell to her shoulders when she let it lose. It was unfortunate that people only looked at the exterior of a person, Mercy thought. Amelia was the kindest and sweetest person that she knew.
“I’m almost twenty three, and soon I’ll be an old maid. What then? All my sisters are married with families of their own,” Amelia said.
Caught by the sadness in Amelia’s voice, Mercy made her decision. She looked around to see that no one was paying them any mind, and then she lifted the skirts of her dress up to her thighs. She looked at Amelia. Her pretty face was now masked in horrified pity. Mercy dropped down her dress.
“This is why I cannot get married. The scars go all the way to my chest,” she explained in a dull voice.
“What happened?” Amelia managed to ask.
Mercy’s mind returned to that Christmas four years ago. She and her mother had been bustling in the kitchen, making early preparations for their Christmas day meal. Her mother had left the room momentarily and the water boiling over the stove had risen to the top. Some of it poured on to the stove, causing a hissing sound.
She had lifted it from the stove and as she took a step back, Mercy tripped over another pot and fell, the boiling water pouring over her body. The searing pain had been unbelievable. She had become unconscious and only came to days later to find herself in hospital covered in bandages.
From there, the pain had been unbearable. As the doctor changed her dressings, each tug of a bandage caused Mercy such anguish that at times she longed to die. That’s when she had turned her life to the Lord. Her mother had read her passages from the scriptures, which not only lifted her spirits, but also lit a fire of hope deep inside her. She would survive.
The one thing that she had decided though was that no one would ever see the horrible scars on her body. It had taken almost two years for her to heal completely, only for her parents to pass away from tuberculosis. Where it not for her deep belief in a loving God, Mercy knew she would have keeled over and passed on too.
The Lord had come through for her, and her aunt and uncle had taken her to live with them. It had been two years now and she was as content as could be. She enjoyed knowing that she took a load off her aunt’s shoulders when she helped around the house. It would be at least fifteen years until the last of the children grew up and that would keep Mercy busy. Beyond the fifteen years, she did not know what path her life would take, but she knew that the Lord would provide.
Now, she looked at her friend Amelia, who was eyeing her with tearful eyes, still stunned by what she had seen.
“I got burned by boiling water,” Mercy explained, sparing Amelia the details of the story.
“I’m so sorry,” Amelia replied in a tearful voice.
Mercy smiled. It was a long time ago and she had healed. She would never say so to Amelia, but she felt sorry for her friend. She was three feet tall and endured a lot of teasing from the other kids. At least Mercy had come to terms with her condition. Amelia on the other hand, harbored impossible dreams which caused her pain at every moment.
The sooner she accepted that she would never get married, the better for her, Mercy thought. She herself did not dream of handsome men courting her. She had learned to protect herself and she wished that Amelia would learn too.
“I accepted it a long time ago. It makes for an easier and happier life when you face reality,” Mercy said softly.
Amelia gazed up into her friend’s eyes. Her features full of compassion and understanding.
“Maybe so, however, I believe that the Lord has good plans for us. Why, the scriptures say in the book of Isaiah that the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail,” she replied.
Mercy never ceased to be amazed by Amelia’s faith. Only two years ago, she had been a sideline believer. But since then, Mercy had taught her all she had learned from her mother and her Aunt Beatrice, and now she could quote scriptures better than Mercy. Her faith had grown deeper unlike Mercy’s who had a small part that lacked the hope to believe that good things would come out of a hopeless situation.
TWO
Mercy and Amelia parted on the first floor, where Amelia lived with her parents. She continued up the dimly lit stairs to the third floor. The door to the apartment was shut, a rare occurrence, with the children running in and out, her Aunt Beatrice preferred it to be left wide open during the day.
She pushed it open and was met with a tense atmosphere as soon as she went in. Her uncle and aunt sat in the tiny living room, on wooden chairs facing each other. She looked from one to another, with questions at the tip of her tongue. It was eleven o’clock in the morning, an odd time for her uncle to return home from the factory.
“Is all well?” Mercy asked.
Nobody spoke for a moment. Mercy looked at her uncle’s thin face, with its sharply pointed nose and receding hairline. He kept his eyes downcast as though looking up took too much effort. Her Aunt Beatrice on the other hand, kept her eyes on Mercy, her square jaw raised as though in defiance. Her unruly black hair was held in a bun at the top of her head, with wisps of it falling over her face.
“We have a bit of a problem my dear,” her aunt begun and licked her lips, a clear sign that she was worried about something.
“Come and sit down.”
“I’ll leave you to it Beatrice,” Uncle Brian said, and shuffled out, his stoop worse than ever.
Mercy’s body was in knots and she wrung her hands together as she sat down next to her aunt. She had a bad feeling about what was about to happen. After going through so much pain and loss in her life, she had come to expect the worst from situations and now she mentally braced herself for what her aunt had to say.
“Your uncle lost his job at the factory today. He and twenty others were laid off,” Aunt Beatrice said with her usual bluntness, leaving Mercy out of breath.
Lost his job? Uncle Brian was the breadwinner and though Aunt Beatrice did some piecework for the garment factory, her pay was hardly enough to feed them all.
‘What are we going to do? We’ll be thrown out of the apartment!” Mercy cried out.
“Where’s your faith girl?” Aunt Beatrice admonished. “The scriptures say in the book of Proverbs that we must lean not on our own understanding, but we must trust the Lord with all our hearts. Acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths,” she added in a softer voice.
Mercy closed her eyes and took in what her aunt had said. It was difficult to keep believing in the face of a disaster. Uncle Brian losing his job meant that life as they knew it would come to an end. She kept her thoughts to herself, knowing that she would get a scolding from Aunt Beatrice.
“Everything will work out well for all of us Mercy,” Aunt Beatrice said soothingly, and licked her lips again, which made Mercy believe that there was more to come.
She looked at her aunt anxiously, her hands resting on her lap.
“I’ve had this idea for months now, but I’ve kept it to myself and prayed about it. I wasn’t sure how you would take it and now with your uncle losing his job; it may be the only solution for you.”
“Yes Aunty?”
“I shared it with your uncle before you came in and he agrees that it’s the only solution.”
By now Mercy’s nerves were on edge. Her breathing had taken on a fast pace, and her hands were cold.
“I met a lady months ago, her name is Joanna Hunter and she has a mail order bride agency. I told her about you.”
Mercy’s brain f
roze and only one thought kept running through her mind.
“Does she know?” Mercy inquired in a small voice.
“Absolutely not! That is your business and if you do get a beau, it will be his business too and nobody else’s,” Aunt Beatrice replied in a firm voice.
Fear spread throughout Mercy’s body at her aunt’s suggestion. Aunt Beatrice made it sound so easy, as though all that tainted Mercy, and made her stand out from everyone else was a scar the size of her thumb. No, she couldn’t get married, couldn’t bear anyone looking at her scars and then turning away in revulsion.
She and Amelia had talked about arranged marriages out west. Amelia thought it the most romantic thing she had ever heard. To Mercy, it sounded scary and at the time she had felt sorry for the poor brides, travelling across the country to get married to men they had never met. Now Aunt Beatrice was suggesting the same thing for her!
“This lady, Joanna Hunter has requested to meet you before arranging a groom for you out west,” Aunt Beatrice continued in the no nonsense voice, that told Mercy that she was not leaving room for arguments.
Her aunt let out a great sigh, which shocked Mercy. Her shoulders seemed to slump, and then she seemed to remember herself and straightened herself up.
“The next months will be very tough my girl and I’ll only rest easy when I know that you are safe and not lacking in anything.”
“What about you and Uncle Brian and the children?” Mercy said. “Isn’t it better if I were here to give you a hand? I could take in washing to help with money.”
“No my girl and it’s lovely of you to think about us, but I want a better future for you. That’s what your father would have wanted…”
Mail Order Bride: JUMBO Mail Order Bride 20 Book Box Set Page 47