Mail-Order Bride Ink: Dear Mr. Comfort

by Kit Morgan

  “Yes, I suppose,” he said, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. “But tell me, why this sudden interest to see your aunt and uncle?”

  Her mouth went dry as a chill raced up her spine. “Well … I’ve been thinking about England. I’ve not been since I was a child.”

  “A baby,” he corrected.

  “And people keep telling me that I need to grow up, that I should act more like a lady. But here I am out on the edge of nowhere, and I know Mama and Auntie Belle try their best, but … it’s not easy to learn proper etiquette out here. I love Clear Creek, really I do, but if I’m going to learn how to truly be a lady, wouldn’t Stantham or London be a better place for me?”

  “Yes, of course” Uncle Colin smiled at her. “You’ve really been giving this some thought.”

  She licked her lips and nodded. The image of Major kissing Miss Lynch had lodged itself in her brain, and it was all she could do to keep the picture at bay. “When are the Bergs leaving?”

  He glanced at her with a smile. “You sound as if you’re in a hurry.”

  Honoria looked away, her eyes awash with unshed tears. “No time like the present, I suppose.” She swallowed hard, lest she start to sob. She’d let Major and Miss Lynch’s kiss get to her. But there was nothing she could do about it. Things were what they were. Miss Lynch came to Clear Creek to get married to him, so why shouldn’t she?

  Besides, Honoria had no claim on the man. All she’d done is flirt with him and share a few horse rides. She wasn’t a refined Southern lady like Miss Lynch; she just knew how to hold her temper better, as was obvious from the comb incident. Speaking of which, she hoped Major had returned Aideen her doll. She felt guilty about not getting it back for the child, but she just couldn’t stomach watching Major and Miss Lynch anymore. For all she knew, the next time she went to town they’d be married.

  But that’s not how things normally went around Clear Creek. The ladies’ sewing circle would want to help the woman sew a wedding dress. A huge wedding supper would be planned and the entire town would want to attend the ceremony.

  Normally. She had a feeling Miss Lynch wanted to get married yesterday and would see it done as soon as possible.

  “Poppet?”

  Honoria wiped her eyes and faced forward. “What?”

  “Why do you really want to visit Duncan and Cozette?”

  “Because I want …” She stopped. What could she tell him?

  “Yes?”

  Her heart felt like it was breaking, but that was ridiculous. Why should it? She wiped at her eyes again. “Because I want Uncle Duncan to find me a husband!” she blurted with more force than intended.

  “Oh! Well, that sheds some extra light on the matter.”

  Honoria unconsciously smoothed her skirt. “Does it?”

  “I’ll have to speak with your father. I can tell you right now, he’s not going to like it.”

  “How do you know? Wouldn’t he rather see me married to an English gentleman?”

  “I have nothing against it, and I’m sure neither will Harrison. But it means you’ll be gone from Clear Creek.”

  She drew in a deep breath. “Yes. I know.”

  “England?” Harrison exclaimed at the supper table. “Marriage?”

  Honoria watched her father with bated breath. The man looked ready to explode.

  And did. He stood so fast he knocked his chair over. “You can’t get married!”

  Sadie shook her head. “For Heaven’s sake, Harrison, sit down!” she scolded.

  “After you pick up your chair, of course,” Colin added.

  Honoria sat quietly. She’d let her parents battle it out first, then put in her own reasoning.

  Her father picked up his chair, righted it, but didn’t sit. “What’s all this talk of marriage?”

  “She’s eighteen, Harrison,” Sadie scolded. “She’s of age.”

  “What’s the rush?” He held out both hands. “I don’t see why she would want to hurry into such a … a …”

  “A what?” Sadie also stood. “And don’t you dare say ‘travesty’.”

  “I-I-I had no such word in mind.”

  “Then what?” she demanded.

  Harrison’s eyes darted around the table. They were in the formal dining room with Aunt Belle and Uncle Colin, Logan and Susara, while Edith and Jefferson managed the children in the kitchen. After a moment, he finally settled on Honoria. “Why on earth do you want to marry?”

  She shrugged. “It seems like the prudent thing to do.”

  “Prudent?!” His face turned an interesting shade of red. “Prudent, she says! Well I never!”

  “Harrison …,” Sadie warned, sounding like she’d had about enough of this.

  “Don’t you ‘Harrison’ me, wife! I’m tired of everyone’s nonsense!”

  Honoria lost it. “And I’ m tired of yours!”

  Harrison’s face froze. “What did you say?”

  “You heard me, Papa! You keep telling me I need to grow up, but you never let me! Now I want to go to England to learn to be a proper lady and find a proper husband, and you … you …” She stood, fighting to keep the tears at bay. “If I’m not old enough now, when will I be? Do you really want me to grow up, or do you want me to stay a child here forever?”

  Harrison stared at her in stunned silence. She’d never talked back to him like this before, not with such intensity – or such logic.

  “Honoria, sit down,” her mother said, her voice calm now.

  “Uncle Colin,” said Honoria. “Tell him.”

  “Tell me what?” Harrison asked as his eyes met those of her uncle’s.

  “She wants to go, brother. And I think you’ll agree, her reasons are sound. You remember what it was like for us at that age.”

  “We were tending pigs, working so we wouldn’t starve,” Harrison stated.

  “Exactly!” Colin replied. “We did our best to be gentlemen, but you and I both know we could have used help.”

  “Still do,” Belle quipped.

  “I wish you were wrong, dear. And by the grace of God, we ended up with wonderful wives. But who does Honoria have to marry around Clear Creek – farmboys and laborers? The Comforts are the most cultured among them, and they’re all poor as church mice – they can’t take care of her. And as the eldest has shown, they can’t restrain her … well, less ladylike impulses. No offense, poppet.”

  “None taken,” Honoria sighed. The last thing she’d wanted from this was another reminder of Major.

  Now Sadie jumped in. “And what is she learning about being a proper lady around here? I do my best, husband, but I’m just a hard-working west Texas cattleman’s daughter. And all she gets to do is help me around the house, do a few outside chores, run some errands. Maxwell and Clinton are old enough to handle those.”

  “Speaking for myself, I don’t think I want to try any of my nephew’s cooking,” Colin said.

  “I’ll second that,” Logan tossed in.

  “You’re getting us off track, boys,” Sadie grumbled, then turned back to Harrison. “Is this really all you want for our daughter? She wants the chance to be what you’ve always said you want her to be. Surely you can see that.”

  Honoria sat and waited.

  Harrison looked at the ceiling and mumbled something – a prayer, perhaps? – then rubbed his chin a few times as he so often did when flustered. “I’ll write to your uncle in England. But! You’ll agree to whatever travel arrangements your mother and I make.”

  Honoria’s eyes shifted between her parents. “That’s agreeable.”

  “It had better be,” her father said sternly. “Sadie?”

  Honoria’s mother nodded. “All right. We’ll discuss the particulars later.”

  Honoria swallowed hard. “And marriage?”

  “Egads, girl!” her father cried. “One thing at a time.”

  Honoria sat. She’d won the first round. Now all she had to do was convince them to let her leave with the Bergs. If they were plann
ing on leaving just after Christmas … good heavens!, She’d forgotten all about Christmas, and it was only about two weeks away! No wonder she’d hadn’t seen Preacher Jo around town – he was probably immersed in the annual Christmas play. For all she knew, he’d been at the hotel talking with Mr. Van Cleet about it while she and Major were …

  “Major …”

  “What was that?” Aunt Belle asked.

  “Nothing,” Honoria said. “I … just remembered Christmas is coming.”

  “Yes, and we have to start getting busy,” Sadie said. “Annie and Preacher Jo will be here tomorrow to discuss our participation.”

  “Participation?” Harrison squeaked. “It’s that time of year already?”

  “Preacher Jo seems to be getting a late start on things this year,” Colin said.

  “We’re doing things a little different this time around,” Susara offered. “A Christmas concert. Since most everyone in town knows the music, we don’t have to have as many rehearsals and more people can get involved.”

  “You mean there’s not going to be a play?!” Harrison asked.

  “Oh bother,” Colin said. “And I was so looking forward to seeing Andel in his tree costume again.”

  Belle snorted. “Oh my goodness, no!”

  Logan and Susara laughed. “What a sight that was back in the day!” Logan said.

  Honoria had heard that story. Poor Mr. Berg got to be a tree in almost every scene of Clear Creek’s first Christmas play – and managed to clobber a couple of outlaws while in costume!

  “Enough about the play, concert, whatever you’re doing,” Harrison said. “I want no more discussion of anything! I’d like to finish my meal!”

  “You already did,” Sadie pointed out.

  Harrison studied his empty plate. “Oh. So I did.”

  “Dessert?” Belle stood. Sadie and Susara did as well and headed for the kitchen.

  Honoria did the same. She’d had enough conversation with her father for one night. Besides, with Christmas close at hand, she wanted to enjoy what time she had left. Who knew – if she left for England with the Bergs, she could be married by this time next year. If so, this could very well be her last Christmas at the Triple-C for a very long time.

  “Daddy, the man was horrible, just horrible!”

  “What do you mean?” Archibald asked as he gave his daughter a good once-over. He’d never seen her so angry.

  “He outright spurned me!” she screeched, stomping her foot.

  “Oh dear, dear, dear. That does muddle things, doesn’t it?”

  Tears streamed down Lucretia’s face. “Why can’t that man see reason? What’s wrong with being married to li’l ol’ me? He’s been leading me on!”

  Archibald sighed heavily. “My, my, we can’t have that now, can we?”

  “Do something!” Lucretia demanded with another stomp. “I won’t be so humiliated!

  Things were not going as he planned. “You’ll get over it, my dear. What troubles me is, you still need to get married.”

  “And how am I supposed to do that when he doesn’t want to?”

  “What exactly did you do?”

  “I didn’t do anything! I had Major right there at the church, but that silly reverend wasn’t anywhere in sight! How could I plead my case with an absent clergyman?”

  “That’s strange. I saw him not moments before you and your Mr. Comfort came along.” Archibald began to pace. “Most strange.”

  “I saw the church doors were open and thought someone was just inside. That’s when I kissed Major. A lot of good it did!”

  Archibald stopped pacing and smiled. “I like how you think on your feet, my dear. Too bad no one witnessed it.”

  “If anyone did, they paid it no mind.” She flounced into a nearby chair. “That Cooke girl, for one – she saw me do it and didn’t do a thing.”

  “Good. Let her think you’re getting married. Maybe she’ll stay out of our hair from now on.”

  “That barbaric-looking stranger in town also saw us.”

  “Mr. Berg?” Archibald said with delight. “How wonderful!”

  “How is that wonderful?”

  “From what I’ve observed, the people in this town respect him. That being said, what if he thought you’d been compromised?”

  “You mean, more so than the Rev. King?”

  “Precisely, my dear. There are folks here who’d demand you and Mr. Comfort marry. Then all our problems would be solved.”

  “I don’t know, Daddy. I still think it would’ve been better if the reverend witnessed it.”

  “Did Mr. Comfort, er … enjoy it? If so, maybe a marriage proposal is still at hand.”

  Lucretia crossed her arms in front of her and pouted. “No! I tried to hang onto him for as long as I could, but he shoved me away! I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life! The nerve of him!”

  “Now, now, my dear,” her father cooed. “You’ll get your man. You just leave it to Daddy. That and good timing.”

  “Timing?”

  “Why, yes. It’s all a matter of being in the right place at the right time with the right people around to witness your …” He smiled. “… plunge into debauchery.”

  “Debauchery!”

  “Fallen state,” he corrected. “At the hands of none other than Major Comfort, of course.”

  She relaxed and smiled. “That sounds better.”

  “I knew it would. Now you get a good night’s sleep, my dear. In the morning I’ll work on a plan. In the meantime, why don’t you get out more, meet some of the other women in town? Make it appear as if you’re settling in. People would be more apt to be on your side when the time comes.”

  Lucretia bit her bottom lip as she thought. “Yes, I suppose I could suffer through one of those sewing circle things. I think there’s one tomorrow.”

  “You do that.” He scratched his head. “Come to think of it, why don’t you take a look around that mercantile and see if there’s something you fancy for Christmas? It’ll be here before we know it.”

  “There’s only one thing I want for Christmas, Daddy – and that’s Major Comfort.”

  Her father grinned like the Devil. “Consider it done.”

  Chapter 16

  Over the next several days, Honoria kept to herself and tried to stay out of her father’s way. But he was also staying out of hers – whether on purpose or simply because he was busy, she had no idea. He always seemed to be discussing the ranch with her uncle, with Logan, even with Grandpa Jefferson. She was just happy she didn’t have to converse with him much, even at mealtimes.

  To further the gap between them, she agreed to help Susara with the Christmas concert. It was an easy enough task – she already knew who in Clear Creek could carry a tune and who sounded like a dying goose. Still, Preacher Jo and Annie wanted to hold auditions tomorrow, and start rehearsals a few days after that. This would give those participating a mere ten days to prepare.

  But as Susara reminded her the other night at supper, everyone already knew the music. The townsfolk had sung the hymns every Christmas for years – they’d just make a bigger show of it this year. Why Preacher Jo didn’t want to put on a play she couldn’t guess. Maybe he just wanted to change things up.

  “Did your mother tell you that Miss Lynch came to the sewing circle?” Aunt Belle asked as she took some biscuits out of the oven.

  Honoria stared at her a moment, then remembered to breathe. “She did?”

  Aunt Belle put the biscuits on the worktable and wiped her brow with the back of her hand. “Yes. She was quite cordial, actually. Looks like she’ll be joining us from now on.”

  Honoria shivered. “How nice,” she said, hoping it didn’t sound forced. Thank heavens she’d be leaving soon. Speaking of which … “Auntie Belle?”

  “Yes?” She put another batch of biscuits in the oven and closed the door.

  “You wouldn’t happen to know if Mama spoke with Uncle Colin and Papa about England, would you?”
<
br />   “As in you going?” her aunt teased. “No, I’m sorry – I haven’t heard a word. Why don’t you ask them?”

  “I will. I just thought that maybe if you’d heard something …”

  “You’d have a better idea of what their plans were?” she finished. “Or you wouldn’t have to face your father about it.”

  Honoria shrugged. “Both.”

  Her aunt went to a nearby hutch, took out two cups and saucers, put them on the worktable and reached for the coffee pot on the stove. “Honoria, do you really want to go to England that badly?”

  Honoria waited for her aunt to pour, then took a cup and saucer and headed for the kitchen table. “Of course I do. With the Bergs here, I think it’s the perfect time. Don’t they have to go through England to get to their country? Papa can’t argue about having them as an escort.” She sat.

  “No, it would work well. There’s no safer people to be with than the Bergs and their guard, and Maddie would be good company. But I thought … perhaps you might have a reason to stay,” her aunt added hesitantly.

  Honoria began to fidget in her chair. “What reason would that be?”

  “A certain Southern gentleman?”

  Honoria’s stomach fluttered. Oh good grief, Aunt Belle hadn’t even said his name! “That’s not really a reason to stay,” she snapped. “Seeing as that certain Southern gentleman is marrying Miss Lynch.”

  “Yes, I gathered as much from her conversation at the sewing circle.”

  “Then why would I stay her for him?” Honoria had to bite her lower lip to keep it from trembling. “Have they set a date?”

  “We were so busy discussing her dress, no one thought to ask. But as I recall, there was no rush.”

  Honoria took a quick sip of her coffee.

  “You liked him, didn’t you?” Aunt Belle asked matter-of-factly.

  Honoria almost choked. “Perhaps a little. But I’m not stupid, Auntie –”

  “I didn’t say you were.”

  “– I mean, Miss Lynch came here as a mail-order bride to marry Mr. Comfort. Naturally they’d do so.” She took another sip. “Who am I to interfere?”