Montana Bound: A Sweet Mail Order Bride Historical (Mail Order Bride Journeys Book 2) (12 page)

For some reason, though, William had not batted an eye when Cicely told him that she resided at St. Margaret’s.  She could not explain his interest in her—she’d been told she was very pretty, but there were plenty of pretty girls that would have connections and a dowry—even a small one would do for a businessman, if she had connections that could be of use.   But William didn’t seem to be worried about that—he was sincerely interested in her, and she wanted to give him the opportunity to court her before deciding whose proposal to accept.  While Charles presented himself as a wonderful man in his letters, William was a local man and she felt that the wisest course of action would be to get to know him better and see where their relationship would take them.

“It’s
you
that should be envied,” Hannah said trying to comfort her friend, “you have the attention of two prospective husbands right now—and one is quite a catch.  My Andrew is wonderful, but I wouldn’t mind if he had a greater income.  The bakery doesn’t pay much.”

“Don’t be silly, you’re as lucky as they come.  Andrew is a catch.  A baker’s assistant?  Any girl here would give their right arm for a man like him…especially the less fortunate ones.”

The girls fell silent.  They both knew what happened to the girls who were less attractive or didn’t have marketable skills.  It was Cicely’s fear of that very fate which had sent her to the marriage advertisements in the first place.  Single young men were still a commodity on the east coast, even though it had been fifteen years since the War Between the States had ended.  Things were getting much better, but for the girls from St. Margaret’s, marriage prospects were still fairly dim.  If a girl was fortunate enough to find a husband, all too often he turned out to be a drunkard, or cruel, or too lazy to provide for his family.

For the girls who didn’t marry right away, it wasn’t uncommon for them to end up living in very dire situations after they left.  None of them ever thought it would happen to them—those girls went off with hopes and dreams, sure that they could somehow beat the odds.  But too often, they didn’t.

The Sisters did what they could to spare the girls, but their meager resources had to provide for the girls in the orphanage, and there was rarely anything left over.  The girls who didn’t find husbands or go into the convent, or weren’t lucky enough to find a good job, ended up working in a dangerous factory, or scrubbing floors in an unsavory household, or selling their bodies to earn their way. 

Cicely cleared her throat, shaking off such abysmal thoughts.  “I received this letter from Charles today.”  She held up the letter she’d been clutching at her side.

“That’s wonderful!  What did he have to say?”

Cicely paused, looked down at her feet and then admitted, “I can’t read it Hannah.  I can’t even get myself to open it.  What if he hates me?”

“Cicely, you are being so melodramatic.  He is not going to hate you.  Has he ever been anything but a gentleman in his letters to you?”

“Of course not!”

“Well, why do you expect this time to be any different?  All you’ve done is let him know that you can’t give him an answer yet.  You were just being honest with him.  He’ll understand.  It’s not an easy thing to accept a proposal from someone you’ve only known in letters.” 

“You’re right, of course.”  Cicely said, looking up into her friends green eyes.  “I’ll open it and we’ll read it together.”

Raising the envelope between them, she ripped the top edge of it and removed the letter from within.  She held it in her hand for a long second, and then slowly unfolded it.  As she began to read it aloud, Hannah slid closer to her and put an arm around her shoulder in support. 

Dear Miss Dunbar,

Thank you for the honesty that you displayed in your last letter.  I sincerely appreciate that you explained the situation with the local gentleman to me.  I want you to know that, although it is disappointing to me, I do understand completely.  I want you to be sure in your choice—if you did choose to marry me, I would want there to be no regrets on your part.  Be assured that I have no other ladies in waiting at this time, and will be happy to wait to hear back from you regarding your decision.  If I have not heard back from you by your birthday, I will assume that you have decided to marry your other suitor, and I will renew my advertisement in The Marriage Gazette.  In that case, though I will be disappointed for myself, you will have my most heart-felt wishes of a happy future with your new husband.

Again, thank you for sharing this with me.  I wish you well and desire only the best for you.

Sincerely,

Charles Wyatt

“You see Cicely, that wasn’t so bad, was it?”  Hannah said as she patted Cicely on the shoulder.  “He was very understanding, just like we knew he would be.”

“He really is a good man, isn’t he?” she said smiling.  As she continued, her smile melted into a frown.  “But that just makes it so much harder.  If the situation was reversed, I cannot say how I think
William
would have responded.   If
he
were the one being held off, I am not sure if he would be as gracious.  I just don’t feel like I know him well enough, despite the fact that we have spent time together in person.  It makes me wonder if I am making my decision based on the wrong criteria.  I’m just so confused right now.”

“I would be too.  You just need to do what makes the most sense for you.”

“I know.”  Cicely buried her head in her friends shoulder and cried softly.  What she really wanted to do was to marry Charles…but what if his kindness proved to be a façade, and she was stuck with an undesirable husband, as sometimes happened to mail order brides?  Should she risk a life of relative comfort for the hope of something that might not even be real? 
I can’t afford to take that risk, can I?

~~~

If you’ve enjoyed this excerpt and would like to read more of
Kansas Bound
, buy now…
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00FAHZZ1C/

Be sure to watch for Claire Holiday’s next Mail Order Bride Journeys release!
 

About the Author:

When Claire Holiday isn’t pondering her next historical love story, she loves getting out into nature and enjoys camping, swimming, biking, and going for hikes with her family.