Sorcha: Clover Springs Mail Order Brides

by Rachel Wesson

  “Away with you, Davy Sullivan. You were having a fine chat with my husband.” Katie looked up at Mary with a twinkle in her eye. “How come when a man talks to a man, it’s important business but with women, it’s always gossip?”

  The two men laughed.

  “I am not answering that. I value my life too much.” Daniel said as he wrapped his arm around Katie’s waist. “Come here, Mrs. Sullivan, and give me a cuddle.”

  “Will you stop that, Daniel Sullivan? It’s the middle of the day. What will…”

  “Mrs. Grey think?” The rest of them chorused before Mary and Davy drove off laughing down the street.

  Chapter 5

  Brian stared at the letter. “She didn’t have anyone suitable. How hard could it be to find a woman willing to come west?” He didn’t realize he had spoken aloud until looking up he caught the look of sympathy on Katie and Mary’s faces. He lowered his eyes from their speculative gaze. He didn’t like pity. He shoved the letter in his pocket and turned to leave.

  “Mr. Petersen, please wait. We weren’t sure what the letter would say. We would have been happy to welcome your bride but…” Mary fell silent as if regretting what she had said. “We asked you to step inside the store as I have a suggestion if you’d like to hear it.”

  He turned back to look at Mary Sullivan, her face crimson. She wringed her hands in front of her skirt. He waited but she didn’t say anything.

  “Go on.”

  “My friend, Sorcha Matthews, wants to come live in Clover Springs. She is a lovely girl, very affectionate and loving. She is great with young children, having had a lot of experience in the orphanage. That’s how I know her. We shared a room in the orphanage back in Boston. Katie doesn’t know her.” Mary stopped to take a breath.

  “Wow, Mrs. Sullivan. Do you always talk so fast?”

  Mary’s face flushed and she stared at the floor.

  “My apologies, Mrs. Sullivan. I was rude. Do you think that this Miss…”

  “Matthews.”

  “…Miss Matthews would agree to becoming my wife?”

  Mary’s eyes lit up with pleasure. “Yes, I am sure she would. She was going to come here to marry Luke but he died. You know…” Mary stopped. “I’m doing it again. Sorry. Davy says I could chat for Ireland.”

  “Mary, don’t you think Sorcha may be a little young?” Katie’s question caused Brian to look at her. Her flushed face suggested she had concerns.

  “How old is this girl?’’

  “17.” Katie answered just as Mary said “18.”

  Mary stuttered. “She can’t leave the orphanage till she is 18. But her birthday is next month.”

  “Maybe Mrs. Sullivan is right? 18 is rather young to take on two children. She might prefer to marry someone closer in age.”

  “Sorcha won’t care. She is desperate to get away from Boston.” Mary twisted her hands in her apron, looking everywhere but at him.

  “Why?”

  Mary’s silence spoke volumes.

  “You might as well tell me the truth.” He spoke bluntly. He needed to know.

  “Sorcha’s mother, well she wasn’t, that is…” The heat from Mary’s blushes could start a fire. He tried to make it easier for her.

  “She wasn’t married?”

  Mary shook her head. Brian knew he shouldn’t be having this conversation with ladies, but the reality was his children needed a mother. There wasn’t anyone else.

  “If she lives in an orphanage, what difference does it matter what her mother did? Can she not just get a job in Boston?”

  Mary exchanged a look with Katie before staring back at Brian. “The nuns have other ideas. They do not believe that a…, well I refuse to call Sorcha that name, will amount to much.”

  Brian’s anger nearly consumed him. People were writing off this girl because of her mother’s sin. Just as they blamed me for Pa. “If she’s willing, I’ll marry her. Just warn her, I come as a package. I need a housekeeper and mother to my children. I have no wish to, ahem, expand my family. If she is willing to agree to those terms, I will send her the train fare in time for her birthday.”

  “Do you not want to exchange a couple of letters with her before you make up your mind, Mr. Petersen?”

  Brian looked straight at Katie in response to her question. “I don’t have the luxury of time, Mrs. Sullivan. My children need a Ma. If Miss Matthews is agreeable, we will marry as soon as she arrives in Clover Springs.”

  Katie looked as if she wanted to say something but Mary interrupted. “Will you write to her inviting her to come? It would be better if it came from you. Sorcha is a lovely girl with a warm heart but she is a bit of a dreamer. She believes in happily ever after.”

  “That will soon change. Life doesn’t offer any guarantees. We are all proof of that.” Brian noted the look of shock on the ladies faces but he wasn’t prepared to go along with any subterfuge. He was offering the girl a chance at a new life. Nothing more. Taking a pen from the counter, he scribbled a quick letter offering to marry the girl. He handed it to Mary.

  She held it for a second before folding it over. “You can read it if you wish. I won’t mind. Here’s her train fare and a little extra should she need anything.” Keen to get away, he tipped his hat at the ladies and walked out the door.

  Chapter 6

  Boston

  “Laura, wake up. It’s important.”

  “What’s so important it can’t wait until morning?” Laura grumbled.

  “I’ve had another letter. Mary suggested I marry someone else. “

  Laura sat up. “Why didn’t you say something earlier?”

  “He’s old.” Sorcha stared at the letter wishing Mary had enclosed a description of the man she’d marry.

  “Mr. Shepherd old?” Laura’s incredulous tone suggested Sorcha was mentally ill if she considered marrying someone of advanced years.

  “No, not that old. But he’s 28 and has two children aged 9 and 3. Girls. They need a mother.”

  “You’re only 17. You can’t be a mother to a 9 year old.”

  Sorcha shushed her friend. She always spoke loudly when something annoyed her. “Mary says he seems nice and the girls are lovely. It wouldn’t be much different from looking after the young ones here. It’s not like I don’t have lots of practice with children.”

  “Sorcha Matthews, you can’t be serious! What would your mam think, if she was still alive?”

  “My mam probably is alive. She wouldn’t care.” Sorcha regretted the words as soon as she spoke but she couldn’t take them back now.

  “How can your mam be alive and you live here? It’s an orphanage, you know!” Laura said smartly.

  “My mam didn’t want me. She ran off to marry someone a year or so after I was born. Her Mam, my granny brought me up. I didn’t know she wasn’t my mam until some kids told me. I thought they were lying when they called me a bas… well, that word.” Sorcha fell silent for a few minutes, trying to block out the hurt those children had caused.

  “I keep thinking of her. My real mam. She could be out there somewhere. Maybe she will come to Boston looking for me. I can’t go to Clover Springs. She would never find me.”

  Laura sat up a little. “Darling, she’s never going to come for you now? You’ve lived here longer than most of us.” Laura punched her pillow hard before lying back down. “Mary wouldn’t tell you to pick a man unless he was a good one. She knows what it is like for us here. It’s not like you have many options. Stay here and you will end up working for Mr. Shepherd. Leave and marry this man. Now go back to sleep.”

  Laura’s right. She isn’t coming back now. Maybe she’s dead. Or she’s married and had more children? I could have a real family out there somewhere. But they wouldn’t be your family. Nobody wants the love child, do they? Why even call it a love child? There was no love involved where Sorcha was concerned. That’s not true. Granny loved me. In her own way. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on remembering her granny’s voice telling her
bedtime stories of Irish myths and legends. But it was no use, she couldn’t sleep.

  Taking Mary’s letter and the note from Mr. Petersen in her shaking hands, she read them through once more, her hopes rising with every word. God had heard her prayers. She was free. Clover Springs was her new home and Brian Petersen was her knight in shining armor. She would be the best mother his children could ever have. She couldn’t wait to meet the man who had saved her. She would see Mary again too. Thank you Lord.

  Chapter 7

  “So you are leaving us? You didn’t see fit to tell me you had been corresponding with Mary Ryan, planning this whole thing?”

  Sorcha stared at the nun. Her face was so flushed beneath the wimple, she looked like her head may just blow off. Sorcha tried her best not to smile at the image as the nun ranted on. Then she stopped. Silence reigned. Sorcha didn’t open her mouth. She couldn’t be shouted at for something she didn’t say.

  “Are you simple? When someone asks you a question, they expect an answer.”

  “Sorry, Reverend Mother. I didn’t realize you asked me anything. I thought you were lecturing me.”

  Sorcha heard Sister Una’s intake of breath and saw Mother Superiors eyes narrow. She didn’t care. She was 18 and leaving. Nothing this woman could do mattered. Not anymore.

  “You are brazen. Just like your mother. You can’t hide from what’s in the blood. May God forgive you.”

  Sorcha trembled but she wasn’t about to let the Nun tell lies. “God loves me, Reverend Mother. Granny always told me and she never lied.”

  The nun’s eyes gleamed, causing Sorcha to shrink back a little despite herself.

  “Your grandmother didn’t know the meaning of the word truth. Didn’t she try to pass you off as her own? She didn’t tell you, your mother came back with your sister. Did she? She took one look at you and ran off faster than if the devil himself was after her.

  “Reverend Mother.”

  Sorcha hadn’t heard Father Molloy walk into the room, neither had the Nun, given the look on her face. She had a sister. Where? What age was she? She stood, wanting to ask but her brain wouldn’t engage.

  “Come on child, let me get you a cab to take you to the train station.” The priest smiled kindly at Sorcha, taking her arm gently. She was glad of the support. She was shaking so hard she didn’t think she could walk on her own. Mam had come back for her? With her sister? Maybe she planned on them being a family. More likely she wanted to dump the sister on granny too. She’s lying. But nuns didn’t lie. Was she? Father Molloy’s voice cut across the voice in her head.

  “Mother Superior, we shall discuss this later.”

  The Nun sat down with such a bump, her chair squeaked. Sorcha stared at her. She might have remained standing there but for the fact Father Molloy was pulling her after him.

  “I am sorry your time here came to such a horrible end. I have no idea what came over the reverend mother.”

  “Father, she said Mam came back for me. I have a sister.”

  “Forget everything she said.” The steel in the Father’s voice brooked no argument.

  “Yes, Father.” Sorcha said automatically. Did mam really come back to find me? If she did, what happened to my sister?

  “Sorcha, you need to make the most of the opportunity God has seen fit to give you. Put the past behind you and look forward. Mary Ryan and Katie O’Callaghan are two of the finest girls you’ll ever meet. They will look after you in Clover Springs. Sure you might see me there shortly.”

  “Yes, Father.” Sorcha wasn’t really listening as she spotted Laura waiting for her with one of the younger boys, Ben.

  Laura hugged her close. “Write to me. Father Molloy will bring them when he comes to see Cook. Don’t forget me Sorcha, please.”

  “Laura, Mother Superior told me my mam came back with my sister. If she comes again, you’ll tell her where I am, won’t you?”

  “Your mam? A sister? She’s just playing nasty. She wants to upset you. Don’t let her steal your happiness, Sorcha Matthews. She doesn’t have power over you now. You’re free.”

  Sorcha gave herself a quick pinch. Laura was right. She was free. She never had to step foot in this place again. She hugged Laura close, squeezing her hard. She whispered into her ear. “I won’t. Be strong, Laura. Your chance will come too.”

  “It better, as Mr. Shepherd is going to be furious when he finds out you’ve left.”

  “He is not your future. Someone is looking out for us. Look what happened to Mary and now me. It will be your turn next.”

  Laura threw her eyes up to heaven. “Still the dreamer, Sorcha Matthews” she whispered before giving her a quick hug and darting upstairs.

  Chapter 8

  Ben stood waiting at the door, his eyes glued to the floor. The poor little mite looks terrified.

  “Ben, what are you doing here and why have you a bag?”

  The boy shrugged his shoulders, looking first at Sorcha, then toward Father Molloy, before looking back down at the floor.

  “Ben is traveling with you, Sorcha. Please take good care of him before you hand him over to his new Ma and Pa.” Father Molloy smiled, his eyes gleaming.

  “I don’t want a new Ma and Pa. I have parents. They will come back to get me.” Ben stamped the floor, his angry gaze searing through the priest.

  Sorcha hung back as the priest lowered himself almost to the ground.

  “Ben, Mother Superior explained what happened to your parents.”

  “She didn’t say anything other than they don’t want me.”

  The priest sent an angry look toward the door of the nun’s office. Sorcha was glad she wasn’t in her shoes. She watched the priest as emotions fought on his face. Taking Ben’s hand in his own, he said gently,

  “Ben, your parents died a few months back during a fever epidemic. They are with God now.”

  Ben hiccupped but bravely held the tears in. “Where am I going? Why can’t I stay here?”

  “Well, you could, but don’t you want to live with Mary Ryan?”

  Sorcha thought her heart would burst right out of her chest at the look the boy gave the priest.

  “Mary? She is going to be my new Ma? Really?” Hope battled in the boy’s eyes, but it was obvious he was having a hard time believing the priest.

  “Yes son, really, although she doesn’t know it yet. Her husband, Davy, wrote to me and asked me to arrange a surprise for Mary. She has wanted you to come live with her ever since she left. In fact, she begged us to let you go with her. But with your parents being alive, we had to keep you here in case… well enough about that. Sorcha here is going to Clover Springs and she will take you with her, if you promise to be a good boy.”

  “I promise, Sorcha. I’ll be the best boy ever.” Ben smiled through his tears.

  Sorcha walked over to him and hugged him close. “I know you will.” Not releasing her hold on the boy, she leaned toward the old priest and kissed him on the cheek. “Father Molloy, my granny would call you Fear an chroí mhóir.”

  The priest blushed scarlet. “Go away with you now, Sorcha Matthews. I try to be a man of God, not a man with a huge heart. He’s the one with the big heart.”

  The priest hailed a cab to take Sorcha and Ben to the station. The pair waved at the small crowd standing outside the orphanage.

  “Cook just gave Father Molloy her hanky, she’s using her apron to wipe away her tears.” Ben giggled. Sorcha smiled through her tears. She was excited at starting a new life but what if Mother Superior was telling the truth. What if she had a sister out there somewhere?

  Chapter 9

  Clover Springs

  Brian pulled at his collar. Was he doing the right thing? He saw the Sullivan’s further along the station but he wasn’t able to talk to anyone just now. His bride would be here any minute. An image of a brunette flashed into his mind. Abby had been his best friend at school. She had been there through all the hard times. They had married as soon as they were allowed. Abby love
d being a mother. She often said, the only thing she wanted was to have a little home with healthy children and him.

  Why did I insist on going to Church that Sunday? So you could pray for forgiveness. God had punished him. Why hadn’t he died? Abby and Ethan were innocents. His skin crawled as the smiling face was replaced by one battered and bruised. They hadn’t found his son. The river must have carried his body away. The sound of the train interrupted his thoughts. He brushed his hair out of his eyes. In a few minutes, his bride would be here.

  “Will she be pretty, Pa?” Jenny asked.

  He looked at his daughter, the image of Abby. His heart twisted again. Taking the squirming Meggie from her, he forced a smile. “It don’t matter what she looks like. So long as she is kind to my girls.”

  “Do you have to marry her, Pa? I will work harder at home. I don’t want a new Ma.”

  “We discussed this, Jenny. Don’t question me again.”

  He ignored her scowl, chucked Meggie under the chin and stood straighter. Briefly he wondered what his new bride would make of his family. Would she take one look at them and run?

  Chapter 10

  “Ben, stop squirming. We will be there soon. “

  “I can’t wait to see Mary. Can you believe she is going to be my new Ma? I’m going to work really hard for her. She ain’t never going to send me away.”

  Sorcha hugged the boy. “Isn’t, not ain't. Of course she won’t send you away. Mary loves you. She must have talked about you all the time if her husband sent for you. Clover Springs is a new start for both of us, Ben. No more sorrow. We are going to be happy every day.”

  “Sorcha, do you think he will mind…my leg?” Ben whispered, staring out the window.