Mail Order Bride: JUMBO Mail Order Bride 20 Book Box Set

by Hope Sinclair

  When Violet stepped out on the train platform, the cream outfit she had chosen for the journey now crumpled and with smudges of sweat. Over the suit was a woolen black jacket, which protected her from the icy weather. She moved through the crowd of people and stood a little way away to wait for Maxwell Grant. Just then, a little boy broke from a handsome looking man and ran towards her.

  “Hello Miss, are you Ms. Violet Fielding?” the boy asked, his head tilted into her, his brown eyes shining with what Violet thought was excitement.

  “As it happens, I am she. And who are you?” Violet asked.

  Before he said anything else, he turned to the man who had now stopped a few steps away.

  “Papa, this is Ms. Violet Fielding,” the boy said, jumping up and down.

  “Hello Ma’am. I’m Maxwell Grant. Welcome to Pleasant Valley. This here is my son James,” he said, a warm smile on his lips.

  Violet stuck out her hand and allowed the burly man to pump it. When their hands touched, it felt like electricity. He had green eyes, which smiled when he did. She looked away, when she found herself starring deeply into them, as if mesmerized. Flustered at this unusual response, Violet withdrew her hand with a little more haste, then required. Probably nerves at meeting the man whom she was to spend the rest of her life with.

  “I’m Violet Fielding,” she said and then fell silent.

  “We’re truly glad you made it,” Maxwell said. “Let’s get your luggage, shall we?”

  Violet pointed out her brown trunk and watched as Maxwell lugged it out of the train storage area. James skipped ahead of them, while Violet trailed behind. It gave her an opportunity to observe her husband to be. He had a mop of curly red hair, and was attired as you would expect a cowboy to be. She starred at his back fascinated. Every so often he would tip his hat and say hello to passerby’s.

  “I arranged for the preacher to marry us in the church this afternoon if it’s all right with you?” Maxwell said, waiting for her to catch up.

  Violet looked down at the state of her dress and was horrified. This is not how she had envisioned getting married. The stench of sick wafted up to her nose and another wave of nausea hit her. Seeing Maxwell’s concerned look, she quickly replied, “That’s fine.”

  “Don’t you worry; the wagon is large enough to change clothes in. I think you look very becoming.”

  Violet blushed furiously at the compliment, while swallowing hard to push down the bile gathering in her mouth. She slowed her pace, hoping it would settle her tummy. Violet paid no mind to her surroundings. Her entire focus was putting one foot in front of the other without the contents of her tummy spilling.

  She almost wept with relief when they reached the whitewashed church.

  “I left our wagon here. I’ll put your trunk in the back and you can pick out what you want to wear,” Maxwell said, staring at her intently. “Are you all right? You look a little pale.”

  Violet nodded afraid to open her mouth, which was filled with saliva. She should have swallowed the excess saliva but Violet had a feeling that if she did, she would throw up.

  “Violet, we don’t have to do this today,” Maxwell said and gently touched her cheek lightly.

  The simple gesture made Violet want to weep. She swallowed the saliva. She didn’t know why she felt ill, but she did know she had committed to this course of action. Besides, there was nothing left for her in New York, no friends that she could remember or a life that she could miss.

  “Let’s do it,” Violet found herself saying.

  Something about Maxwell made her feel safe. With them, she would have an automatic family of her own, and maybe, the emptiness in her heart would disappear. She looked down on James and smiled at him. Her smile seemed to reassure him and he turned back to playing with strands of grass. This stranger with his adorable son, wanted her. That was more than she could say about her aunt and uncle.

  FIVE

  Unexpected News

  Maxwell adjusted his coat as he waited for Violet. He was stunned at the woman who was about to become his wife. She possessed that rare beauty that seemed almost flawless. She had smooth skin and an oval sweet face, but her eyes were her best qualities. Or maybe it was her mouth. He could not remember ever seeing such a beautiful woman. He was ashamed to admit he almost embarrassed himself, gawking at her like a young buck. The Lord had truly heard his prayers.

  She walked in at that moment, and he could not take his eyes off her as she glided down the short aisle. James walked a few steps ahead of her and kept glancing backwards as though his new mama would disappear. Her face was slightly obscured by a wide white brimmed hat. She wore the black coat over a cream suit and he could see her clenching and unclenching her fists.

  When she reached him, she kept her eyes downcast and he fought the urge to lift her chin up with a finger so they could look at each other. The preacher hurried through the ceremony and as they exchanged their vows, he met Violet’s dark eyes. His joy dissipated at the sheer exhaustion on her face.

  She looked even paler and her mouth was parched. It must be the long journey, Maxwell told himself. From here, he would take her straight home where she could wash up, eat and have a long rest. He and James had dedicated most of the morning in preparing a meal for Violet. The brief ceremony was finally over and he turned to the preacher to thank him.

  “Papa!” James panic filled voice called out and Maxwell spun round to find Violet crumpled on the stone floor of the church.

  “Violet?” Maxwell cried and bent to her.

  He touched her forehead but she had no fever. Her breath came out evenly, and she looked like she had fallen into a deep slumber. A doctor! Maxwell thought. She needed to see a doctor, and fast.

  “I’ll rush her to the doctor,” Maxwell said to the preacher and scooped her into his arms.

  “She’ll be all right,” the jaded preacher replied, “Probably nerves. It’s not the first time this has happened.”

  James rushed after him and bundled into the wagon after Maxwell had gently laid her on the bench. He jumped into the driver’s seat, after untethering the horses and urged them forward. The wagon moved slowly, making crackling sounds over the stones.

  “Has she woken up son?” Maxwell called out.

  “No papa, she’s still asleep,” James replied, his voice fearful.

  Maxwell brought the wagon to a halt outside the doctor’s office and ran to carry Violet in. She was shockingly light, with no meat on her frame. No wonder she had fainted, Maxwell thought. There were no patients waiting on the hard bench against the wall and he pushed the door in with his elbow.

  “I’m sorry Doctor for bursting in on you like this. My bride fainted in the church,” Maxwell explained, following the doctor to an examination table.

  He laid Violet down gently and took a step back.

  “I’ll take a quick look at her. Meanwhile, kindly step into the front room, I’ll see you when I’m done.”

  Maxwell hesitated, loath to leave Violet alone though he knew she was in safe hands. Doctor Michaels had treated the people of Pleasant Valley for many years now and he was known as a caring and kind man. He treated all his patients with respect.

  “She’ll be all right Max,” the doctor said to him and Maxwell left, shutting the door softly behind him.

  “James!” Maxwell said rushing to his son, who was sobbing as though his heart would break.

  He did not ask him what the matter was; instead, he sat next to him, picked him into his lap and held him close. The sobs subsided and then he looked up from where he had buried his head in Maxwell’s chest.

  “Is Ms. Fielding going to die like mama?”

  The pain hit him right in the middle of his heart and Maxwell thought he would keel over from the force of the pain. He wanted to weep alongside his son.

  “No son, the doctor says she’ll be all right,” Maxwell said and buried his face in James’s hair.

  “I miss mama,” James said, surprising Maxwell.


  Rose had passed on when James was three years old. It had been a fever that had swept through the state, sometimes taking entire families in its destructive wave. James never spoke of his longing for his mother and Maxwell had thought the boy had forgotten her.

  “I miss her too son,” Maxwell said, his voice hoarse. “We must try to welcome Ms. Fielding into our family. Make her feel wanted.”

  “I will papa. I like her. She’s very pretty.”

  Maxwell smiled. Even his four-year-old boy could tell that Violet was pretty. They sat locked in each other’s arms until the door to the office creaked open. The doctor peaked out and beckoned to Maxwell. He gently placed James on the table.

  “I’ll be back in a minute son,” he said.

  His palms were wet with nervous sweat as he followed the doctor in and shut the door. To his surprise, Violet had come to and had sat on the patient’s chair.

  “Oh Violet, how happy I am to find that you’ve recovered.”

  She did not look up or say a word. Puzzled, Maxwell’s eyes went to the doctor.

  “Have a seat Max,” the doctor said.

  He sat perched at the edge of the seat waiting for bad news. Was she going to die? Oh God no, Maxwell thought to himself. For the love of the Holy Ghost, she just got here! He and James could not take another loss, even someone they had just met an hour ago. The doctor cleared his throat and fingered the fountain pen on his table.

  “Now, this is a very unusual case and before I tell you about it, I want to assure you that I’ve verified the story with Ms. Fielding and I believe she speaks the complete truth.”

  Maxwell nodded, mystified.

  “Ms. Fielding is expecting a child in about three months.”

  Bells rang in his brain and Maxwell thought that he had not heard correctly. Expecting a child? How, when they had not even being together as man and wife?

  “Ms. Fielding had no idea how she came to be in such a state. Six months ago, she woke up one morning to find her memory completely erased. She does not know who or how it happened. She is as surprised as you Max. Until her memory returns, we will not know anything about this pregnancy, except that a child is coming in three months.”

  Maxwell was stumped. His eyes lowered to Violet’s abdomen. With her coat unbuttoned and her corset loosened, he finally noticed the bulge. It was small but there. He looked away. He could not formulate any coherent thought. Confused he ran his left hand through his hair. She had been with another man? He couldn’t even look at Violet, afraid his shock would show on his face. He didn’t know what to think or what to do and the doctor seemed to realize this.

  “Take her home Max. She needs a lot of rest and maybe with our country air, everything will come back to her.”

  SIX

  Alone and Confused

  Violet let herself be led towards the wagon. She felt as though she was somewhere floating above, looking down at everything that was happening. She saw herself in the wagon and then the boy got in and took her cold hand into his. Maxwell slammed the door to the doctors shut and with it, she seemed to slam into herself again.

  Oh Lord, Oh dear Lord, what is happening to me? her brain cried out. How could she be with child? Frantically, she searched her mind for any shred of memory as to how she could have gotten into this state. There was nothing there, just like there hadn’t been in the last six months.

  Her breath came out in quick gasps and she felt the boy beside her stiffen. Violet inhaled deeply and forced herself to calm down. Her head pounded hard, threatening to tear out her skull. She wanted to aid the process by pulling out her hair. She looked at Maxwell’s silhouette and her heart ached at what he thought of her now.

  She knew that unmarried women who had children carried the shame over their heads all their lives. She was married but no different from those women. Had she had loose morals in her previous life? Violet had a hundred questions but no answers. What was she going to do? Maxwell must think she had deceived him. Her free hand moved to her tummy and she felt the bulge. She had thought it was over indulgence of afternoon teacakes.

  How could she be six months gone and not know that she was with child? Had Aunt Eliza realized this? Was that the reason for the hastened marriage? Violet groaned softly at the thought that everyone but herself, had known her shame. But it didn’t make any sense.

  Had her Aunt Eliza known, she would have taunted Violet about it. That was one thing she was sure of. She tried to recall herself lying with a man and failed. She had never even seen a man without his clothes on, as far as she knew. She searched in her mind for a wild streak that could have led to her current situation. All she found was the old anger. Who was she angry at? A former lover? Surely not.

  The shiver came then, starting from her legs and travelling up her body. Her teeth clanked against each other and she felt as though she was standing outside in the cold, exposed.

  “Are you cold Ms. Fielding?” James asked. “Here’s a blanket, papa keeps one in the wagon for when we travel.”

  She took the blanket gratefully and wrapped it around herself. The boy’s voice soothed her and she wished he could speak some more. But she had no questions to ask him or the energy to think of some. Too soon, she heard a change in the sounds of the wagon wheels and minutes later, it came to a halt.

  “We’re home Ms. Fielding. Do you want to see the cows? Papa has many of them,” the boy said.

  “Not now son. Remember that Ms. Fielding is not well,” Maxwell said.

  The expression on his face was difficult to read but like her, he kept his eyes downcast. I have brought shame into this family. Violet wanted to turn back and return to New York. For sure, she would not be wanted there, especially with the shame in her belly. She followed him up a few wooden steps into the warmth of the house.

  Her shivering had stopped but her body seemed icy cold.

  “Shall I show you to your room?” Maxwell asked his voice polite, but devoid of the warmth he had had earlier.

  She did not blame him. She hated herself.

  Violet forgot Maxwell had asked her a question and he took her silence to mean ‘yes’. She followed him down a hallway and into a bedroom. He deposited the trunk next to the bed.

  “There’s a meal in the kitchen. Please join us when you’re ready.”

  This time Violet nodded. He seemed to want to say something else, but changed his mind and left. As soon as the door shut, Violet sunk on the bed and let the tears come then. The pillow muffled her sobs and then the rage came. It was in every cell of her body and she punched the pillow with her fists.

  It should have been a fresh start for her and now this? What was she to do? What would become of her? She couldn’t bear to think of Maxwell. It was not fair on him to be stuck with a woman who had obviously been immoral. If only they had not wed? She was so exhausted but her brain would not be still enough for Violet to sink into the sweet oblivion of sleep.

  She didn’t feel as though she had another human being in her body. The doctor had told her that the nausea she felt on the train was caused by her condition. She tried to recall the last few months and whether she had felt any different. But different from what? She had no earlier knowledge of herself to compare with.

  Violet did recall once, going into the kitchen when her aunt had been supervising dinner. The smell of boiling vegetables had sent her running from the room, hand on her mouth. Curiously, Aunt Eliza had not commented on the incident, which was no surprise as she didn’t give Violet any mind much of the time.

  A few other episodes came to mind. She recalled waking up depleted of energy, which Violet had attributed to worry over her memory loss.

  What did it matter? Violet thought to herself. None of it would have told her what she wanted to know most. Who was the father of the child? Was it someone she had loved? That seemed like the most bearable scenario. Why had they lain together when they were not married? Where was he now? It was frustrating having her brain bombarding her with que
stions.

  She heard footsteps outside the door and then a soft knock. She feigned sleep, when she heard Maxwell’s heavy steps move into the room to the bed. He touched her forehead and then left quietly. She was not a bit hungry, even though the good doctor had impressed on her the need to eat properly. Violet could not think of the child nestled in her body just yet. She knew that she needed food but more than a lack of appetite, she could not bear to sit near Maxwell and look into his eyes, knowing how deceived he must be feeling. There was no satisfactory solution she could come up with. True she had money in the bank. As promised, her uncle had given her a substantial amount, more than she could have imagined. Her new husband wasn’t aware of tis. She had thought to surprise him with her wealth after the wedding.

  Violet finally stumbled upon a solution. She would leave as soon as she got her strength back. If she was frugal, the money would last a long time, probably until the child was grown. She could live with the shame as long as she tainted no one else with it. That decided, Violet felt herself floating off to oblivion and she welcomed it.

  SEVEN

  The Patience Of A Good Man

  It was deathly quiet, the only sounds to be heard from small animals that came out in the night to feed. Maxwell sat unmoving enveloped by the darkness of the night. Only after sitting there for three hours praying, had his mind calmed down enough to view the situation rationally. Violet was once married, he had concluded after weighing all the possibilities.

  The moment she had stepped out of the train, he had known she was a lady. Sympathy welled in him at the predicament she found herself in. She had no memory beyond the last six months and his heart went out to her. He remembered guiding her out of the doctor’s office, her body weak and leaning against him and her eyes, ghostly haunted look on them.