Cassie took a sip of coffee and placed the cup down slowly. "I have tried my best Hettie. It hasn't been easy. But I have tried."
"I know you have dearest," Hettie reassured Cassie. "But it is simply not a long term option. You know we all want the best for you. Don't we ladies?"
Mabel and Alice both nodded vigorously. "Yes. We do Cassie," they both said comically in almost perfect unison. Cassie had to suppress a smile.
Hettie reached to the corner of the table and picked up a few documents which were tied together with a little pink ribbon. "To that end, we have a little proposal for you Cassie. We have scoured the area for some suitable candidates. You understand you are our first proper client."
Cassie bristled at being described as a client but she recalled how it felt being a mail order bride when she had come to marry Joshua. She had to agree that at times it had felt like she had been a client of a service.
"We... that is Mabel here, with her special talents for organizing and analyzing, thanks to her domestic background as the wife of a banker, has poured over a list of potential husbands. We drew up a list of local men, and found many of them...how can we say...wanting. They didn't have the qualities we felt were quite suitable for a fine young woman like you Mrs Miller," Hettie said. "So we widened our search to some towns further down the railroad line. It made our enquiries that much easier. And we believe we have found just the man for you, Mrs Miller."
Hettie handed the little clutch of documents over the table towards Cassie.
"His name is Ethan Macleod," Hettie stated.
Cassie hesitated. She glanced at Julia, who gestured with a movement of the head that Cassie should take the offered documents.
Hettie gestured towards the items. "We took the liberty of commissioning a photographer of our acquaintance to capture a likeness of him. I'm sure you will agree Ethan is a fine looking man." Mabel and Alice made it clear that they both agreed.
Cassie took the items from Hettie and untied the ribbon. There was a plain envelope and some folded letters. Cassie looked at Hettie questioningly.
"Am I to believe that you have taken upon yourselves to find me a ...husband?" Cassie asked.
"Potential husband, my dear. Nothing has been decided yet. That is for you to decide. All we have done is brought our individual talents together in order to try to help you find someone who would be a boon to your life."
Cassie had to smile at that description. She had never heard a man described as a boon to a woman's life. "But you shouldn't have gone to all this trouble just for me."
Hettie's brows furrowed. "Indeed we should have Cassie. It is the least we could do after what happened to poor Joshua. Please. Tell us that he meets with your approval and we can move on to the next stage."
Cassie placed the letters down on the table cloth. She felt that everyone was watching her every move. She opened the envelope and drew out the small photograph.
She gazed at it, and felt her breath draw in sharply. She was sure that the color had faded from her face to match the pale sepia of the photo. She hoped the others hadn't noticed.
The person in the photograph was a beautiful, handsome man. There was no other way to describe the image of the tall, elegantly dressed, wide shouldered man in his late twenties. Piercing eyes gazed out from the tiny image and dark hair lay loose over a wide forehead.
Truly, Ethan Macleod was a handsome, strong looking and even...yes... beautiful man.
Cassie cleared her throat. She felt her heart quicken, and tried to assure herself that the rapid beating was due to the strength of the coffee she had drank. She knew it wasn't.
"He certainly seems like a fine looking gentleman," Cassie murmured, unsure how to react. She felt she should at least measure her response. It wouldn't do to be too enthusiastic, no matter what she really thought about what she had just been presented with.
These women seriously thought that they could just present her with a new husband over tea and cakes? They expected her to simply agree to all the scheming and planning they had put into this without having any say in the matter?
Cassie shook her head. "But I can't possibly just consider marriage to this man without having had any correspondence with him. He knows nothing about me. And I know hardly anything of him."
"That is where you are entirely wrong, my dear," Hettie responded. "Mabel and Alice have gone to great trouble to ensure that Mr. Macleod, that is Ethan to you and I, has been given a considerable amount of background about you. Within the bounds of propriety of course," Hettie emphasized.
Cassie looked at Julia. "Did you know about any of this?" she asked sharply.
Julia looked a little guilty. "I knew that the ladies were determined to help you, but I had little inkling of the lengths they had gone to. It really is quite impressive. They've done an amazing job."
Cassie felt frustration rise within her. "Amazing isn't the word I would use. Presumptuous maybe. Inconsiderate, perhaps," Cassie said, aware that her voice had risen with a firmness bordering on irritation.
Hettie immediately went on the defensive.
"Mr Ethan Macleod has been vetted and assessed by the ladies of the Sweetheart Falls Matrimonial Society." Her voice rose to an emphatic pitch." We consider that he is a perfect match for you, Mrs Miller."
"Vetted and assessed? Why that makes me sound almost like a piece of property being auctioned off," Cassie said brusquely.
Hettie bristled at that. "If we were being true to our purpose Mrs Miller we had to make sure that Mr Macleod was suitable in every way. That does require a certain amount of vigilance in assessing his background and character. "
Cassie struggled to control her irritation. "So he has been thoroughly checked out and found to be good prime stock?"
Julia laid a calming hand over Cassie's. "Now my dear. I understand this is a surprise, but the ladies have done a very fine job in narrowing down the candidates. They really have worked very hard."
"I can understand this is perhaps a little challenging for you. Being so sudden and all," Hettie said." We felt that if we had sought your approval beforehand, you might not have been amenable to our proposal,"
Cassie looked firmly at Hettie. "I believe I just might have been little hesitant in allowing you...good ladies...to pursue a husband on my behalf. So you are probably right. However I have had discussions with my good friend Julia here." Cassie nodded towards Julia. "We talked about what you describe as my predicament, and what I should do about it. But I never thought that my fate and possible betrothal would be taken up by others in a manner such as this."
Cassie looked down at the photo again and felt her heart skip a single beat. There was a lengthy silence in the room.
After a moment Hettie spoke quietly.
"Can we assume for the moment that you would be willing to consider Mr Macleod as a possible husband?"
Cassie looked at Julia who smiled thinly and raised her eyebrows. Mabel and Alice looked at Cassie fixed in expectation.
"It is all very sudden," Cassie answered.
Julia nodded. "I know it is, dearest Cassie."
"We only ask that you consider this, Cassie," said Alice, looking at Hettie checking that she wasn't being too forward. Mabel took Alice's cue and nodded. "It is merely for your consideration Cassie," she said encouraged by Alice.
Hettie took a deep breath. "We feel that the next thing should be for you to meet with Mr Macleod with a view to an acceptance of a proposal of marriage which could take place in Sweetheart Falls as soon as is convenient for you and Mr Macleod."
Cassie was almost shocked at how that sounded. She had never thought that she could ever find herself in a situation like this. How could it be that others could think they could match her with someone, without so much as asking her permission?
Cassie glanced down at the photo. There was kindness in those eyes and a gentle quality to the expression of the face.
She needed time to think about this. She realized she couldn't ju
st refuse outright. "So what exactly am I supposed to agree to now?" Cassie asked, almost disbelieving that she was asking the question. This was all so sudden.
"There are some documents there for you to read. Some letters from Mr Macleod in answer to our most important queries. One letter has been written specifically to you, at our request. In that letter we have asked him to present his case as well as he can. I'm sure he has made a good case for himself. He seems like an articulate and educated man. You know yourself that mail order brides often have very little upon which to base their decision to wed." Hettie concluded.
Cassie agreed that the typical mail order bride usually only had a brief correspondence to base their choice of husband on. Similarly, a husband often had very little foundation for his choice of wife. She reflected that she probably had more to use than the typical bride to make her choice now that the ladies had done so much groundwork. Cassie recalled that with Joshua correspondence had taken place over three months, and there had been no photos. They had met each other sight unseen, albeit they had both had a pleasant surprise on meeting that they were both attractive to each other.
She frowned and told herself that this was not the time to think of Joshua. Not when faced with such a decision as this.
"In any case," Hettie continued, "we have taken the liberty of arranging a meeting for you tomorrow with Ethan."
Cassie almost choked. "Tomorrow?"
"Indeed. He has agreed to attend tomorrow. If all is well and satisfactory for all parties then we would hope that a wedding will be considered," Hettie's tone suggested that there was an inevitability to that particular outcome.
Cassie thought the ground was going to open up and she would be drawn down into the foundations of the hotel.
"A wedding! Surely you are not being serious, Hettie. I've only just seen this photo. I have had no time to consider anything else about Mr Macleod...Ethan."
Hettie placed a firm hand on the table. "I am sure that when you have had a chance to consider the letters and the additional information we have taken such great pains to compile on your behalf, you will see that there is much to recommend our proposal. And indeed Mr Macleod's proposal."
"Proposal? What do you mean?" Cassie asked incredulous.
"Mr Macleod has already indicated that he intends to ask for your hand in marriage. He has been so taken with our presentation of you that he has already asked us to communicate to you that he is willing to become your mail order husband."
Cassie felt her arms go heavy and her body sank back in the chair. This time she was lost for words.
CHAPTER FOUR
Julia took Cassie home on the buckboard. At first Cassie said nothing to Julia. She didn't feel any resentment towards her friend, but she felt that Julia might have given her some idea about what the ladies had been up to on her behalf. Julia pleaded ignorance, and Cassie believed her. Julia had never lied to her, and Cassie knew she never would. It was more a case that Hettie was a force of nature, and once she decided to do something, nothing in the world was going to stop her.
Julia left Cassie back at the homestead. By the time Cassie had dressed down for the evening, she saw that it was too late to do any work in the field.
She settled down on the living room sofa and took out the package of envelope and documents. She began to read the letter which had been written to her. As she held it in her hand and saw that her fingers were shaking slightly.
Ethan's writing was careful and neat. Cassie began to read the letter.
Dear Ms Miller,
I hope you don't think badly of my taking such a liberty to write to you like this, but I have been advised by the ladies who act on your behalf that it is entirely correct for me to do so. I am very pleased to have been given the chance to write to you, and tell you a little about myself.
My name is Ethan Macleod. I am twenty eight years of age. I believe the likeness of me you have been given shows you that I am a man of certain physical qualities. I am in good health, always have been. I believe in hard work and that you get in this world only what you put in. I have strong Christian values and am a man of my word in everything.
I have never been married but am looking to be wed as soon as circumstances allow. The greatest thing a man can have in this world is a family and that includes children.
I have lived an unremarkable life. I am one of two children. My parents passed away a long time ago. I have been at various times a sheriff's deputy, spent time as a farmhand and worked with cattle for different ranchers. I am looking to settle. The years are passing, and it is time for me to take a wife and be the best husband I can be.
Although I have not been given all the details of your circumstance, I do know that you have had it hard, and for that I feel genuine sympathy. It could not have been easy for you to prevail under such difficult circumstances, and I get the sense from what I have been told, that you are a really strong person.
Eventually I would hope that you and I could come to find a place in each of our hearts for affection and even love, given time.
I hope that this letter has given you some idea of what I am like and that it finds favor with you, although ultimately that is in the hands of a higher power.
I would strongly welcome a chance to meet with you. Indeed, matrimony would seem a very favourable proposition to me, if I may be so bold to declare to you, although I know I run the risk of seeming too forward. The ladies of Sweetheart Falls have presented you to me in such a way that I hardly know if I can contain my enthusiasm.
However I realize this is perhaps an unusual way for a couple to be introduced. All I can say is that I am very pleased to present myself to you, and that I look forward to our meeting with great anticipation.
I wish you my very best.
Yours
Ethan MacLeod
Cassie lowered the letter to her lap. It seemed incredible that a man could write such a letter to her without them having met. But then she recalled how she had become Joshua's bride. Mail order marriages were becoming increasingly common.
His letter had piqued her curiosity. That was for sure. Ethan Macleod seemed genuine. The letter contained all the right expressions of concern and sympathy, as well as suggesting that he was a thoughtful and sensitive man.
Cassie didn't know what to do.
She took up his photo and examined it. Ethan's face was a strong one. His eyes were kind as well as determined looking. His jawline was firm and clean. Dark hair swept across his forehead. Ethan's face was one that indicated a life lived with energy and seriousness.
Cassie went to the kitchen and prepared a hot drink for herself. She suddenly became aware of the quietness in the cabin. What would it be like to have a man in the house once again? What would Joshua want her to do? She asked herself if it was seemly to solve her problem in such a fashion as this. And she wasn't entirely sure that it was.
But she didn't have a choice. She would have to go into town the next day, and meet this man who apparently wanted to marry her, based merely on the judgment of the town's new matchmakers.
Cassie realized she had to go ahead with the meeting. At the very least she would keep the ladies happy; for the moment at least. The three women had put in such a lot of effort on her behalf, it would be discourteous to turn her back on the proposed meeting. It probably would come to nothing. If she planned to stay in this town, she would have to make sure the ladies were friends and not enemies. She couldn't even think what it would be like to be on the bad side of Hettie.
Cassie knew that the recent stress had made her previously glowing looks fade. She looked at herself in the glass and saw the tiredness of all those days of labor. Her skin felt dry and her hands had definitely seen better days.
Julia had threatened to come over early in the morning.
"Don't you dare be out in those fields when I arrive," she had admonished Cassie. "I will be at your place bright and early, and you had better be ready to shine yourself up to look your best fo
r Mr. Ethan Macleod," Julia had told her with a wag of a finger.
Julia would not be denied. Cassie knew that already.
Again she thought of Joshua. She knew the time would come when she would have to move on. But could she ever move on from someone as wonderful as Joshua. Life in these parts seemed to be so much about taking the rough with the smooth. Cassie knew of many ladies who had had to do what she was considering.
What would Joshua want?
He would not want her to admit defeat and go back East. That would mean throwing away all she had built with him. If she was serious about preserving his legacy, then she would just have to consider the proposal of Ethan Macleod, and see it for what it really was.
Her only real chance.
The train slid into the station, a huge, steaming monster. The driver blew the whistle, and people stepped back from the edge of the platform.
Cassie stood with Julia who had thrust a comforting arm around Cassie's waist. The late morning sun beat down on them.
This was the moment. His arrival was imminent.
Cassie considered how the tables were turned. When she had come West it had been Joshua who had been standing on the platform waiting for Cassie to step off after her long trip. Now she stood in Joshua's shoes and she felt the nerves he must have felt that day.
"Are you okay Cassie?" Julia asked.
Cassie nodded and said nothing. The butterflies in her stomach would not stop. Right now she felt this had all been a terrible mistake. In fact it might even be a dream. The late morning air was cool, but Cassie felt a heat and tightness at her collar.
Julia had come to the farm that morning and literally shaped Cassie into the glowing, beautiful woman now standing on the platform. Dresses had been considered; hair had been cleaned, brushed and tied; skin had been buffed and make up applied. Cassie hadn't seen herself look like this since her early days with Joshua. She had to admit she looked fine, even if she didn't feel it inside.
Mail Order Vows (Sweet Mail Order Bride Historical Romance Novel) Page 3