Chapter 5
Clover Springs
Emer pulled up outside of Mary’s. She handed the reins to Ben, smiling at how healthy and happy Mary’s adoptive son was looking.
Little Beaver held out his hand to help her out of the wagon.
“Thank you, Little Beaver. I am finding it harder to manage alone these days.” Emer wondered how many hearts the young man standing in front of her would break.
“Mr. Lawrence shouldn’t let you drive a wagon, Miss Emer.”
Emer giggled at the Indian dictating what was proper to her. Her sister Sorcha had married a man with an Indian half-sister. The tribe had moved to the reservation but Nandita married Frank and decided to settle in Clover Springs. Frank had offered not only Nandita’s children but also her stepson, Little Beaver, a home. Emer was glad the boy had accepted.
Miss Freeman had told Sorcha he was bright and would be reading in no time. He just needed to apply himself to his schoolwork. It seemed the outdoor life held too much attraction for the boy. Little wonder, really. It wasn’t that long ago this boy would have been counting coup as he became a warrior, married and raised a family of his own. That life had disappeared now. Thank goodness he didn’t end up on a reservation. She hated to think of a free spirit like Little Beaver denied his freedom.
“If you keep frowning like that for too long, you will have wrinkles before you know it.” Sorcha moved around to her side, watching Little Beaver as he moved the wagon. He would look after the horses.
“I was just thinking how different his life is going to be compared to his father or grandfather,” Emer said with a last glance at Little Beaver. She turned to her sister to see her frowning, making Emer feel guilty for upsetting what promised to be a lovely afternoon.
“He’s been so good for Ben. The youngster adores him,” Emer said after greeting her sister with a kiss on the cheek.
“Meggie told me the other day she is going to marry Ben when she grows up.”
Emer laughed at the little girl’s antics. Meggie, Sorcha’s stepdaughter, might not be her real niece, but she loved her anyhow. She was part of the family she never thought she’d have. Not until she came to Clover Springs.
“Don’t worry about Little Beaver, Emer. Frank is teaching him his trade. He’s the one who insisted the boy go to school to get an education. He will have a better start than most. There aren’t many boys who have both a trade and school learning.”
“He’ll need all the help he can get. There are some folk who will never see past the color of his skin.”
Sorcha didn’t get a chance to respond before they were interrupted.
“There you are. I thought I would have to send a search party to find you. This sewing isn’t going to get done on its own, you know.” Mary walked out, giving both of them a big hug.
Sorcha’s sigh was so loud, everyone laughed. “Sorry, but you know sewing isn’t my favorite occupation. I get blood on everything I touch.”
“Why don’t you read to us while we sew, then?” Mary suggested.
Sorcha looked like she was about to agree before Emer interrupted. “Actually, ladies, I need your help. I’ve been asked to write a letter requesting a new mail order bride. I told the gentleman in question I would write it and he could sign it.”
“Who is it? Who’s next to get married in Clover Springs?” Mary’s eyes danced as she moved the infant she was holding to her other hip. “Don’t tell me Doc has decided to get married after all these years?”
Emer burst out laughing at the thought of the single-minded doctor letting a woman near him.
“It’s Paul Kelley. He says he’s lonely and wants a wife. His ma has someone in mind for him, but he won’t marry her.”
“Good thing Ma Kelley is housebound and never gets to town. She’d have a hissy fit if she knew her precious son was writing for an orphan to marry.” Mary snorted, overcome with laughter. She spoke again, mimicking the exact tones of Ma Kelley. “My son will marry the fairest in the land.”
“Mary Sullivan, stop that at once. You don’t mock the afflicted.”
All the ladies looked guilty as Mrs. H, Mary’s housekeeper, who was like one of the family, chided them.
“Sorry, Mrs. H,” Mary mumbled.
Emer didn’t look at Mary or the other girls for fear she would burst out laughing. Mary led the chastened group into the living room where the quilt was already spread out over the floor.
“It’s beautiful, Mary. You have done plenty of work already.”
“Mrs. H helped a lot, as did Martha. Elizabeth dropped over some pieces earlier with her apologies. Her kids are doing poorly and she didn’t want to bring them in case it’s something the baby could catch.”
The ladies soon settled themselves. Mrs. H served tea and cookies but declined to join them. “I got stuff to do in the kitchen. I was thinking I might make Ma Kelley some of my special soup. That might help cure what ails her.”
“What’s wrong with Ma Kelley? I didn’t want to ask Paul,” Emer asked Mrs. H.
“A serious case of feeling sorry for herself,” Mrs. H responded before leaving for the kitchen. The ladies erupted into giggles once more.
“I don’t think I will be rushing out to call on Ma Kelley,” Emer shuddered. “She sounds like she would be miserable company. Poor Paul. He’s such a nice man.”
“Davy remembers Paul’s father. Said he was a nice man but timid. He let Ma Kelley order him around to the point he couldn’t think for himself. They had a couple of boys. Not sure what happened to Paul’s older brothers. There was some talk that one of them fell in love with a girl his mother didn’t consider suitable. They eloped. Haven’t been heard of since.” Mary picked up her tea. “Who does Ma Kelley want Paul to marry?”
“Some girl called Ida Hawthorn.”
Mary spurted her tea “Ida Hawthorn? Oh, the poor man. That woman has to be at least ten years older than Paul.”
“Why would his mother want him to marry someone so old?” Emer asked.
“You wouldn’t know, as you haven’t been in Clover Springs long enough, but they are neighbors. Ida is an only child.” Mary shrugged. “Maybe Ma Kelley thinks Pa Hawthorn will give his daughter his land when he dies. Oh, poor Paul. He deserves better than that.”
“Are you still talking about Ma Kelley?” Mrs. H came into the living room carrying the unfinished quilt.
“I was just explaining to Emer why Ma Kelley would want Paul to marry Ida.”
“There’s nothing newsworthy about that. Ma Kelley has been planning it for years. Paul has tried to court other girls, but none of them lasted. Ma Kelley was a force to be reckoned with at one time. I could name grown men who wouldn’t cross her.”
“Mrs. H, you don’t agree with Paul marrying Ida, do you? A spinster ten years older than him?”
“No, I don’t, but it’s not my place to be getting involved in other people’s business. Not your place, either, if you ask me.” Mrs. H walked back to the kitchen, leaving the women looking after her for a few seconds.
“Not sure what rattled her cage. She isn’t always this moody.” Mary looked to the kitchen.
“Maybe she wants you to marry her boys off. She might have a hankering for grandchildren,” Sorcha said, eyeing the quilt dubiously.
“Well, I don’t care what anyone else says. Paul asked me for help. I like him and don’t want him saddled with a woman he doesn’t love.” Emer moved, trying to get her pregnant body more comfortable in the seat. “So do you ladies have any friends left in Boston who might like to come to Clover Springs?”
Before anyone could answer, they heard a wagon pull up outside. Emer looked out the window. “It’s Katie. She looks upset.”
Mary gave the baby to Emer. Picking up her skirts, she hurried outside to where Little Beaver and Ben were helping Katie.
“What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“Everyone’s fine, but someone we know needs our help. Is Sorcha inside? She will want to hear
this.”
Chapter 6
Clover Springs
Mary asked Ben to take Ella to play with the other children before she walked into the house, followed by Katie. The women inside looked up, their fear evident from their faces.
“Relax, everyone, there is nothing wrong in Clover Springs. I had a telegram from Father Molloy.”
“A telegram? What’s wrong with him?” Mary asked, her nerves making her voice shake.
“Nothing, but Laura is in trouble and needs our help.”
“Laura?” Sorcha asked as Emer turned to her.
“Wasn’t that the girl you were friendly with at the orphanage?”
“Yes, she shared a room with me and Mary. She said she would never become a mail order bride. We lost contact about six months after she left the orphanage. She wrote one time to say she had met a wonderful man and was getting married. She sounded happy.” Sorcha looked at Katie, who shrugged.
“I don’t know much. The telegram says she is arriving here by train. She needs to get married, and fast.”
“Married? But she has a husband.” Sorcha’s confused expression mirrored that of her friends.
“Father Molloy wouldn’t send her off to marry someone else if she did. Maybe she never married. I wonder what the hurry is, though.” Katie glanced at Sorcha and Emer. “Oh my, you don’t think it’s because she has to?”
The women exchanged looks.
“This is Laura we are talking about. Not some, well, fallen woman.” Sorcha blushed furiously. “The nuns broke her character years ago.”
At Emer’s quizzical look, Sorcha continued. “Laura wrote with her left hand. The nuns said it was the devil in her. They tied her hand behind her back, forcing her to write with her right one. She tried fighting back, but she never won. Eventually, she gave up.”
“Yes, she had it tough. Tougher than most of us, because of the mark. And the note.” Mary brushed a tear from her eye.
“What mark? What note? The more I learn about that place, the more I am thankful I grew up with the Bainstreet Gang. At least nobody expected them to be kind.”
“There were some kind nuns and staff at the orphanage. Cook was wonderful to us. She was especially kind to Laura.” Mary took a deep breath before continuing. “She was there when the cleaning woman, Mrs. Murphy, brought her in. She was a babe in arms. The note on her blanket was written in another language. Some of the kids said it was because…well, never mind what they thought. It wasn’t true.”
“What did they think, Mary?” Emer couldn’t hold back her curiosity.
“They thought she was a witch.”
Emer burst out laughing but stopped at the silence in the room. The fear written on the other girls’ faces frightened her. “Come on, ladies. This is 1885. Everyone knows witches aren’t real.”
“Not everyone, Emer. There was a trial in Boston in 1878; although that was some woman saying a man had bewitched her. It was thrown out, but it brought back all the stuff about Salem. Laura has a birthmark, just here.” Mary pointed to her chest. “The nuns said it was the mark of the devil.”
“And there was her gift, or her curse, as she called it,” Sorcha added, her eyes full of concern.
“What was her gift? Could she talk to cats or cure the sick?” Emer said jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. She hated seeing her sister and friends upset.
“It’s no laughing matter,” Mary said, her pretty face serious. “We don’t believe Laura’s a witch, but she can memorize a book just by looking at it. She only reads it once and she can tell you exactly what every page says.”
“Oh.”
“She’s a real beauty, too. She has bright red hair. She looks more Irish than any of us,” Katie said.
“Well, with a name like Murphy, the hair couldn’t have been a surprise,” Emer said.
“The cleaning woman’s name was Laura Murphy,” Mary explained. “She named the baby after herself. She died not long after Laura was found. She was killed in a freak accident.”
“Don’t tell me. That was Laura’s fault too?” Emer’s heart was breaking for the girl who needed a home. She didn’t believe in witches, but she did believe in evil. She had lived it firsthand before she had the sense to run away. She was determined Laura would know only happiness from the moment she arrived in Clover Springs.
“We have a groom for her,” Emer announced, feeling glad she had spoken to Paul.
“Emer, you can’t be serious. Paul Kelley? He isn’t the right man for Laura.”
Mary shook her head, agreeing with Sorcha’s statements.
“Why? He’s kind, young, attractive and wants a wife. He’s ideal.”
“He’s Paul Kelley,” Sorcha said. “You didn’t know his ma, but that woman would turn the rest of us into witches.”
“He’s not his ma. You of all people know that we don’t become our parents when we grow up.” Emer crossed her arms over her chest.
“Emer, calm down. Nobody is saying he’s turned into his ma. Ma Kelley brought up her children in the same beliefs she shared. They had to read the Bible every night and attend church on Sunday.”
“So what? Her elder son ran away to get married. She won’t risk that happening again with Paul.” Emer looked at the other women, but they didn’t seem convinced. “I like Paul. He’s brave and kind. It sounds like your friend Laura could do with a Christian friend.”
“She could, but not one who will judge her and find her wanting. Laura isn’t a church goer.” Sorcha wrung her hands on her lap. “Well, she was while we were at the orphanage, but she told me she would never go once she turned eighteen.”
Emer tapped her foot. She couldn’t understand what the others were worried about. Paul Kelley was a grown man. His ma was an invalid. How much influence could she have? Her friends were wrong. Paul was the answer to Laura’s dilemma. She knew it.
“She’s not blonde, Emer. I thought that was the only request Paul had,” Mary pointed out.
“He’ll get over it.” Emer stood, all thoughts of sewing forgotten. “Mary, I have to go. I want to tell Paul we found him a bride.”
“Don’t go just yet. We need to think about this. Wouldn’t it be best for Laura to come to Clover Springs as a visitor?” Katie looked at each of the women in turn. “We don’t have to tell anyone she needs to get married. Then we can introduce them and see what happens? If Paul isn’t the right man, there are plenty of single men in Clover Springs.”
“That’s a good idea, Katie. She can come stay here. We have plenty of room. Davy won’t mind.”
Emer sat. It made sense to let Laura stay with Mary. She could get over whatever trouble she’d had in Boston.
“Let’s make sure Paul is the first man to meet her, though. He’s so shy; I don’t fancy his chances if some of the other men find Laura attractive. There are so few eligible women in Clover Springs. Your friend could cause a stampede.” Emer laughed and the others smiled at the thought.
“Now that we have agreed what to do about Laura, can we please get some sewing done? Mrs. H is crotchety enough without me handing her back an unfinished quilt.”
Everyone picked up a piece of sewing, even Sorcha.
“Has Ellen decided what she wants to do?”
Emer watched Katie closely to see her real reaction to Mary’s question. Katie tried to smile, but she wasn’t quick enough to hide the sadness in her eyes. “She is taking the stage to Boulder. She has a meeting arranged with a Miss Rippon. Miss Freeman was kind enough to write a letter of introduction.”
“Ma will miss her and not just because she helps out at the boarding house. Ever since you both arrived in Clover Springs, Ellen has been like another daughter to her. I know how hard it is to lose your sister, Katie, but Ellen is very bright.”
“Yes, Mary she is. Miss Rippon is one of her heroines. She is so excited. She can’t believe she is going to meet a female university professor.”
“So is she going to attend university?”
“Ellen doesn’t know yet. It’s very expensive and it also depends on what Miss Rippon has to say.” Katie paused. “Daddy would be surprised to find out his little girl is going to a university.”
Emer squeezed Katie’s hand. She knew her friend was worried about Ellen traveling to Boulder alone, but she had to cut the apron strings. She hadn’t been much older when she decided to leave Boston to marry a stranger.
The rest of the day passed pleasantly, and soon it was time for the ladies to go home. They left behind a finished quilt, much to Mary’s delight.
Chapter 7
Clover Springs
“Thank you, Mrs. H, for the lovely cookies and… What’s wrong?”
Alarmed to find her housekeeper in tears, Mary dumped the cups on the table. She went over to the older woman and wrapped her arms around her.
“Please tell me what’s wrong. Or should I get Davy?”
“It’s nothing, Miss Mary. I’m just being a silly old woman.”
“You are neither old nor silly. Let me make you a cup of tea. It’s the Irish cure for everything.”
Mary set the kettle to boil after checking the range was hot enough. She made herself take deep breaths, not wanting to admit how frightened she was at the sight of the formidable Mrs. H crying.
The kettle whistled and soon they were drinking tea. Mrs. H wiped a tear from her eye.
“Sorry, Miss Mary, for being cranky with you and the ladies.”
“Don’t worry about it. We didn’t notice.” At the look her words received, Mary smiled. “Well, only a little. We wondered what was wrong. You are normally so cheerful.”
“I am just being silly. Martha Sullivan is a lucky woman. She has her children close by and now a gaggle of grandchildren, too.”
Laura: Clover Springs Mail Order Brides 5 Page 3