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

by Hope Sinclair

  With that, Patty walked out of the dining room and headed down the hallway.

  “I know what you’re trying to do,” Caroline hissed from across the table. “But, it won’t work. You think a day of chores will stop me from leaving on that train tomorrow morning? Ha! It won’t! I’ll just consider it ‘practice’ for what’s to come. So, thanks for the life lesson, sister!”

  Caroline stood up in a huff, grabbed her plate, and walked to the kitchen to start the unwanted chore she’d just been assigned. Sarah, however, lingered at the table and chewed slowly on her food, considering what she’d just done. It might not have been the “best” thing to do to teach Caroline a lesson, but it was better than any other option she had.

  Soon enough, it became hard to Sarah to even hear her own thoughts. The racket coming from the kitchen—the sound of banging pots and pans—was far too loud. Sarah got up from the table and went to the kitchen, where she found Caroline laboring over a stew pot, scrubbing it with an ordinary kitchen towel.

  Sarah took an apron from the pantry door, tied it around her body, and went over to work on the plates. She’d scraped remnants of food off of only a few, when, all of a sudden, she heard Caroline scream.

  “Good glory!” Caroline shouted. She pushed the pot she was scrubbing away from her, then backed up and looked down at herself in disappointment and awe.

  “What’s wrong?” Sarah inquired, unduly concerned.

  “I’ve soiled my blouse!” Caroline cried. “I got some beef fat on it, and now it’s all greasy and brown.”

  Sarah laughed. “That’s what this is for,” she said, tapping on her apron.

  Caroline went over to the pantry door and grabbed another apron. She put the thing on, over her soiled blouse, and, then, walked toward her sister. “You do the pots,” she said. “They’re too much work. I’d rather do the dishes instead.”

  Caroline reached out to pick up a dirty plate, but Sarah reached out to stop her. “Tisk, tisk, Caroline,” she jeered. “If you’re to get married, you’ll have to do the dishes and the pots. So, you might as well get used to it now.”

  Despite Sarah’s hand on top of hers, Caroline pulled at a plate. But, in turn, Sarah pulled back, and, as a result… the stack of plates fell from the counter and crashed to the floor.

  “Now look what your silly lesson has caused,” Caroline said, lowering her body to the floor. “We’d better clean this up before Patty sees.”

  Just as Caroline said that, however, Patty walked into the room. “By God!” she exclaimed. “What’s going on in here?”

  Caroline had already begun to pick up the broken dishes, and she turned as Patty spoke. But, that, as it turned out, wasn’t a wise move.

  “Ouch!” Caroline cried. She’d sliced her hand on one of the shards of glass.

  “Get up!” Patty demanded, rushing over. She pulled a cleaning linen from her apron and tied it tightly around Caroline’s hand. “Keep this wrapped around it, and apply pressure,” she instructed. “And, get out of my kitchen—both of you, now! You signed on to help me, but your ‘help’ has just doubled my work.”

  Without so much as a word, the twins slinked out of the room. Once in the hallway, Sarah tried to say something to Caroline, but Caroline wouldn’t hear it and hurried off to her room.

  Sarah went to her room as well, where she curled up on her bed and cried. She felt defeated and didn’t know what else to do. She closed her eyes and prayed to her Heavenly Father, asking Him to send her some sort of clue or sign.

  But, before He could send her either, He sent her something else instead. Sarah was so exhausted that her tears and frustration made her all the more tired, and, as she continued to pray and ask God for guidance, she drifted off to sleep—and, lo and behold, no sooner than she did, His answer came.

  FOUR

  “That’s it!” Sarah said aloud, waking from her nap. She’d just had a very strange dream, and, strangely enough, it had given her an idea—and, now, she wanted to turn that idea into a plan.

  But, if she was to turn that idea into a plan, she had to act quickly. Time was of the essence, and there was a great deal she needed to do.

  Sarah hopped out of her bed, straightened out her clothing, smoothed down her hair, and wiped the sleep from the corner of her eyes. Then, she went to her desk, collected what she needed, and headed off for town.

  Over the next few hours, Sarah ran several “errands” in town and stopped at several institutions and shops. By the time she was done conducting her business, she was, once again, very tired, but she managed to hide her tiredness when she got home at sat down to dinner with Caroline.

  “And where were you all day?” Caroline asked, appraising the flushed look on her sister’s face. “I didn’t hear a peep coming from your room since the accident this morning.”

  “I had some things I needed to take care of in town,” Sarah answered, hiding her devious grin behind a forkful of potatoes. Caroline looked at her suspiciously, but, ultimately, shrugged off her remark.

  The sisters ate the rest of their meal largely in silence. And, indeed, that silence was an uncomfortable one. There was much that both wanted to say, though neither could say anything as Patty was too close by and would surely hear.

  Once they were done eating, however, Caroline decided to speak—and take action. As Patty cleared the dishes from the table, once the girls were standing, Caroline rushed over to Sarah, wrapped her arms around her, and gave her a big hug.

  “I’m sorry that you’ve had to carry my secret,” she whispered in Sarah’s ear. “But, I thank you for carrying it well. And, I hope you’ve come to peace with my decision… I’ll miss you very much, sister—and, I’ll write to you as soon as I arrive in Arizona.”

  Sarah enjoyed the embrace and responded with but a few words. “I love you, Caroline,” she said. “And, I have faith that all will go well.”

  Patty walked back into the dining room just as the sisters let go of each other, and she shook her head at their show of affection. “So the two of you have fixed yourselves after your fight this morning,” she said under her breath. “If only the plates were fixed too!”

  The twins both rolled their blue eyes at Patty’s snide comment, then went their separate ways. They both had much to do over the course of the evening, mind you, and neither one of them could afford to be troubled anymore.

  Several hours later, after she was sure Patty and Anna were fast asleep, Caroline snuck out of her room and lurked down the hallway, to the living room, under the guise of dark. She carried two large suitcases with her—one in each hand—and maneuvered the space as best she could, careful not to bump into anything or otherwise make a sound.

  When Caroline made it to the front door, she set one of her suitcases down and reached out to unlock the door. But, just as she did, she heard a stirring behind her.

  “Ahem,” someone said with a cough.

  Caroline turned abruptly and peered through the darkness to see who had made the noise. “Who’s there?” she asked.

  Before the other person could answer, a match sparked and was taken to the wick of a candle.

  “It’s me,” Sarah said as the flame illuminated her face.

  “What are you doing?” Caroline asked, shaking her head.

  “I hope you’re not going to try and stop me, because as I’ve—”

  “I’m not going to try and stop you,” Sarah replied. With the candle still in hand, she reached down for something, and, then, advanced toward her sister.

  “I’m coming with you,” Sarah added, straining to carry her suitcase and the candle at the same time.

  “You’re what?” Caroline asked. It took all the strength she had in her to control her voice so that it did not raise.

  “I’m coming with you,” Sarah repeated. At that point, Caroline noticed her suitcase and shook her head in disapproval.

  “No, you’re not,” Caroline said firmly.

  “Yes, I am,” Sarah insisted. “And, if
you try to oppose me, I’ll yell at the top of my lungs, and it’ll surely wake Patty. And, once she comes out here and discovers what you’re up to, she’ll find a way to stop you. Either she’ll confine you, or she’ll send for the sheriff to cut you off at the train station—either way, your plans will be ruined.”

  “I don’t want you to come with me, sister,” Caroline said with an irritated sigh. “But, with the threat you just made, I see no other choice. So, so be it. Come along if you wish. But, rest assured, I won’t be swayed.”

  With that, Sarah snuffed out the candle and set it down on the table near the door. She took hold of her suitcase, grabbed an additional satchel she’d had waiting by the door, and followed her sister out into the dark of night.

  FIVE

  “So, what made you decide to join me—uninvited—on my travels?” Caroline asked as the train made its way out of Pennsylvania. Since leaving their home, the twins hadn’t exchanged more than a few words. But, now that they were on their way toward the future, Caroline felt enough at ease to speak.

  “I had a dream,” Sarah replied.

  “A dream?” Caroline asked with a snort of laughter, shaking her head. “Well, it seems as though your dream has become my nightmare.”

  “Don’t you want to know what it was about?” Sarah asked, reaching into her satchel. She withdrew a small jug of water and took a sip.

  “Not really,” Caroline responded, eying the jug enviously. “But, I figure you’re going to tell me anyway.”

  “After our encounter in the kitchen, I fell asleep in a fit of tears,” Sarah explained. “But, before I found sleep, I had a thousand thoughts running through my head. I thought of all the bad things that could happen as a result of the choice you made, and I prayed to God to help me find a way to prevent those things from occurring.

  “And, then, I had my dream… I saw the two of us, as young children, playing ‘hide and seek’ with our friends. Do you remember playing that game?”

  Caroline rolled her eyes. “Of course,” she answered, though she couldn’t have seemed more disinterested in her reply.

  “Whenever we were on opposite teams, the game was always over as soon as it began,” Sarah went on. “You always knew where I would hide, and, so, too, did I know where you’d end up. So, really, there was no sport to it.

  “But, then, at some point, we decided to team up together, and that made the game great. When we worked together, we managed to find the best hiding spots, and our friends were hard-pressed to find us.”

  “So, what are you saying, Sarah?” Caroline asked, rolling her eyes again. “You decided to come with me so that you could help me in some way?”

  “Yes and no,” Sarah answered, taking another small swig from her jug. “I still don’t approve of what you’re doing, and I’ll jump on any chance I can to convince you how foolish you’re being. But, at the same time, I know that you’re stubborn and you’ve got your mind set on this. So, I decided, rather than working against you, I’ll work with you.

  “You see, there are so many things that can go wrong on this trip—and, I feared that, if you went alone, you’d stand the risk of losing everything. But, if I teamed up with you and came along to try and talk some sense into you—or to help you in the event that anything does go wrong—you might fare better.

  “It’s just like ‘hide and seek.’ Apart, we are easier targets. But, together, we have greater strength and can shed light on the errors of the other’s ways.”

  “But, this isn’t a game,” Caroline asserted. “This is my life.”

  “I know,” Sarah retorted, “which is why you need me at your side all the more.”

  Sarah reached into her satchel and pulled out a small paper sack. “For example, my sweet sister,” she said, opening the bag, “did you think to bring food—or water—along with you for the journey?”

  Sarah pulled a cookie out from the bag and dangled in front of her sister’s face. Caroline looked at it and all but licked her lips. Indeed, in her planning to run away and marry Russel Meyer, she hadn’t even considered the sustenance she’d need along the way.

  “I have more than enough food and water in here to sustain us both until we arrive in Arizona,” Sarah added, opening her satchel to reveal two other small paper sacks, several shiny apples, another jug, and a few tins of sardines. “And, should any other problems arise once we’re there, I’m confident I’ll be able to help you deal with those too.”

  Caroline took the cookie from Sarah and nibbled on it without saying a word. Once she was done eating it, she closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat. “I’m going to try and sleep now,” she told Sarah, even though she was not tired.

  It was until several hours later that the girls spoke again. Caroline had feigned sleep for most of the time, and had actually napped for the rest.

  “May I have some water, please?” Caroline asked sheepishly after waking.

  Sarah handed her the jug. “Have you considered this, Caroline?” Sarah asked as her sister took a huge gulp. “What if the man in that photo is not, in fact, Russel? What if it is a photo of one of his more handsome friends? Or, what if it was taken some time ago—perhaps when he was younger or slimmer, or before he suffered and accident or sickness of some sort?”

  Caroline secured the lid on the jug, then shoved it toward Sarah. If this kind of conversation was the toll she had to pay for taking a drink, it was far too high.

  “I love Russel for more than his looks,” Caroline responded. “I fell in love with him based on his character and spirit, as he expressed in his letters. And, so long as the man I meet has the same character and spirit, his looks mean naught. He could be an old troll for all I care; I’d adore him no less.”

  Sarah couldn’t deny that Caroline’s answer was both heartfelt and sincere. Yet, she was till weary and went on.

  “But what if he didn’t write those letters?” Sarah asked next. “What if he had a wiser, more sentimental person pen them for him?”

  “I doubt that’s the case,” Caroline sighed. “But, even if it was—even if Russel had someone else write them for him, even if he can’t read or write a single word—so long as the emotions and desires expressed in those letters were his, I don’t care who held the pen.”

  And, so it went for the next 10 or 11 days. The sisters took naps, shared Sarah’s food and water, and debated the legitimacy of Caroline’s arrangement. Granted, Caroline tried to ignore Sarah as much as she could, but Sarah took every opportunity she could to squeeze in a criticism or question—and, each time she did, Caroline came back with a surprisingly sound response.

  “What if he’s poor and has no means to support you?” Sarah asked somewhere around Virginia.

  “He says he owns a successful cattle ranch,” Caroline replied. “But, even if he does not, I’m sure he has some saleable skill, and I’ll encourage him to find work. And, I might find work as well. I may not be good at many things, but I’m skilled at mending garments.”

  “What if he’s a heathen?” Sarah asked outside of Illinois. “Or, what if he is a heavy drinker, a gambler, or victim of some other vice?”

  “Then, perhaps, through my love, I can help him find God again,” Caroline replied. “And, if my love, alone, is not enough, we could seek counsel from the local minister.”

  When the train was more than halfway across the country, and the view from its windows was more barren and brown, Sarah decided to take a different approach to her questions.

  “We’re used to living in a city,” she said, appraising her surroundings as they moved by. “Life on a ranch will be much different. What if you decide you don’t care for it?”

  “I’ll grow to care for it,” Caroline answered. “Life can be unpredictable, can it not? For a variety of different reasons, many people must learn to adapt to change. And, I’ll give my all to adapting to this change, because my love for Russel is so strong.”

  “What if you’re unable to do your chores effectively?” Sara
h asked a few hours later. “What if you are unable to maintain Russel’s home?”

  “Then, Russel will have to teach me how to do them more effectively,” Caroline said with a yawn. “And, if that fails, we can always hire a maid—or have you to pick up the slack. After all, if you expect to be staying with us for a while, you’ll need to earn your keep somehow.”

  Sarah shuddered a bit at Caroline’s response, which, ultimately, put her in her place. Indeed, just as Caroline hadn’t thought her travel plans through and did not bring water or food, Sarah hadn’t thought her plans through to their entirety either. The fact of the matter was, she didn’t know what she planned on doing once they arrived in Arizona. Sure enough, she was dedicated to undermining her sister’s plans; but, as per her own, she had no idea how she was going to support herself once they arrived or how, should Caroline go through with this, she would support herself, or find her way back home to Philadelphia, after that. Granted she had money; but, what money she had would only last so long and could only accomplish certain things.

  Sarah let up on her questioning after this point and limited her conversation to when the need for food, water, or other support arose. The last leg of their journey was rather miserable in many respects. They’d been riding the rails for two weeks now, and were exhausted, in great physical pain, and suffering from a hunger and thirst that Sarah’s supplies simply could not quench. And, on top of that, their patience for each other had long ago worn thin and had surpassed its breaking point, which made the sisters feel like strangers to each other as the train made its way into the western territories.

  When the train attendant finally announced that the train would be arriving in Arizona within the hour, however, both girls were roused. And, each felt a great sense of relief… though for very different reasons.

  SIX

  “There he is!” Caroline sang out in glee as the train slowed down to a halt. She was staring out the window at the people on the platform, and was certain she’d spotted Russel among them.