Mail Order Miriam (Widows, Brides, and Secret Babies Book 27)

by Jenna Brandt

  At the edge of the gardens, she found the gate unlatched. Before she could slip through though, she heard Ivan’s familiar voice behind her. “Stop right there, your Imperial Highness.”

  Miriam spun around, the fear she felt in her heart unmistakably written across her face. “It isn’t what you think, Ivan. I didn’t do it.”

  “I’m not sure what you’re talking about, your Imperial Highness, but you know I can’t let you go anywhere without an escort.”

  To her surprise, Ivan wasn’t with any of the other guards, but rather Karine, who was adjusting the bodice of her dress and pushing her hair back into place. It was strictly forbidden for ladies-in-waiting to have affairs with members of the guard. Why hadn’t Miriam ever noticed before that Ivan and Karine were involved? Clearly, she had been so self-absorbed with her own tragic events, she didn’t even notice what was happening right beneath her nose.

  “If you let me go, I won’t say anything about what is going on between the two of you,” Miriam promised, gesturing towards them. “I just need you to let me pass without alarming the rest of the guards.”

  Karine and Ivan looked at one another, then slowly nodded their heads.

  “Take care of yourself, and don’t mention you saw me tonight. It will be better for the both of you.” Miriam slipped from the garden and rushed along the back streets of the city, knowing that she had to forever leave behind her life as the Grand Princess of Russia.

  2

  Late Spring 1884

  Little Ridge, Arizona

  “You ready to head over to Uncle Martin’s house for dinner?” Garrett Casner, Mark Bennett’s brother-in-law, best friend, and mine foreman, inquired as he came into his office.

  Mark stood up and stretched his arms over his head, tired from a long day at work. It was a mighty task to run the largest copper mine in all of Arizona, but at least he got to do it with his best friend. “Yes, I’m ready to go.”

  “Uncle Martin is going to be happy to hear that the mine production is fifteen percent higher than it was last month.”

  “Hiring those new workers was a smart call,” Mark praised, grateful that when he saw his uncle for family dinner, he would be able to give his business partner a positive report. “You’re a good foreman, Garrett, and I don’t know what I would do without you.”

  “Well, now that Jonathan Bosley is out of the picture, you’ll never have to worry about that again.”

  Mark knew that Garrett was trying to make light of what happened last year. The other man nearly got Garrett killed when he staged a robbery of the mine deposit. It had all but destroyed Garrett’s relationship with Mark’s sister, Becca. Garrett had temporarily lost his memories, spent time recovering from amnesia, and didn’t return home until months later. Luckily, they were able to repair the damage and married as they planned, but it had been a long and arduous road.

  “I’m just glad you’re home where you belong.” Mark patted Garrett on the back before locking up the office, then heading over to their waiting horses.

  They rode the short distance into town and made their way to the giant brick mansion that belonged to Martin Bennett. They entered the lavish home, filled with expensive mahogany furniture and precious antiques, and entered the dining room where the rest of the family was waiting.

  “Glad to see you could make it. We’ve held dinner for the past hour,” their Uncle Martin stated from his spot at the head of the table. He had a sour look on his aging face, as he pressed his thin lips together in frustration.

  “Sorry about that, Uncle, but I had to finish up a pressing project at the mine,” Mark explained as he took his seat next to his sister, Becca, and Garrett took the other empty seat beside her.

  “The good news is you’ll be happy to hear that the mine has had a fifteen percent increase in production,” Garrett added with a wide grin. “And that’s after paying the new workers.”

  The frown disappeared from the older man’s face as he nodded in approval. “That is good news, indeed. We should celebrate.” He waved for one of the servants to come over and ordered a round of champagne be poured for the entire table.

  “I know that you men think the world revolves around money, but I’ll have you know, there are some things far more important,” their Aunt Claire, Uncle Martin’s sister, said from the other end of the table. The pair of older siblings were both widowed, and happy to remain unattached. They seemed, however, overly invested in making sure the younger Bennett family members were married off as quickly as possible. “Since I’ve already successfully matched Julia and Ed,” she gestured across the table at Uncle Martin’s daughter and her rancher husband, “And Becca and Garrett are happily married now, it’s time for me to focus on my last remaining stubborn case.” She turned her attention to Mark. “What do you say, nephew? I have a new prospect for you.”

  Mark let out a heavy sigh and crossed his arms over his chest as he unwillingly listened to his aunt go on and on about June Wentworth’s sister-in-law. He thought when he rejected his aunt’s last match, it would put an end to her meddling ways. It seemed like no matter how hard he protested, she couldn’t seem to understand that he was content with his life as it was.

  “She’s excellent with children, since she regularly watches her nephew, Ben, as well as the new baby, while June works in the apothecary.”

  “She’s pretty from what I hear, too,” Uncle Martin chimed in. “Which always makes a match easier to swallow.”

  “Aunt Claire, Uncle Martin, I’m quite capable of finding my own wife, if and when I ever choose to get married,” Mark pointed out. “Currently, I’m far too busy with the mine to take on a wife.”

  “Oh, hogwash, Mark, there’s always a reason to not get married if you look for one—you just have to jump in with both feet and take the plunge. I think if you just let me pick out a suitable match, you’ll see—“

  Mark stood from the table and threw his napkin down on the table. “That’s it, Aunt Claire, I’ve had enough. I don’t want to hear another word about a ‘suitable’ match for me. When are you going to understand, I don’t want someone else picking out a wife for me?”

  Without waiting to see how his words affected his family, he turned around and stormed off towards the exit.

  He heard the rapid pattering of someone else’s feet behind him, and before he could slip through the door, a hand reached out and pulled him around.

  His own blue eyes met his sister’s matching ones. “Don’t run off like that, Mark. Aunt Claire didn’t mean any harm by trying to set you up with a match. When Garrett disappeared, she tried to do the same thing for me.”

  “And as I recall, you absolutely hated every moment of it.”

  “I did, but I didn’t take it out on Aunt Claire. Why don’t you come back into the dining room and have supper with everyone?”

  Mark shook his head, causing his sandy blond hair to swoosh back and forth. “I’d rather eat alone than have to listen to another minute of that. She swears every time she is done trying to match me, but she can’t help herself. First it was the mayor’s cousin, who is entirely too young, then it was Mr. Dulton’s daughter, who has four children, not to mention a chip on her shoulder. After that, it was the pastor’s niece, then it was some woman from Yuma. I’m pretty sure I’m missing a couple, but none of them were what I want in a wife.”

  “What do you want, Mark? You keep rejecting every woman Aunt Claire suggests, but you never give her anything to go on.”

  Mark pressed his lips together as he contemplated his sister’s query. The truth was, he didn’t even know what he was looking for, so how could he possibly explain it to someone else? It was easier to stay single than to settle for a match that would never make him happy. “I told you, I don’t mind being a confirmed bachelor. The mine, not to mention our family and friends, keep me plenty busy.”

  “I don’t think it’s enough, Mark. You’re missing out on love, and the chance of starting your own family. I want nieces an
d nephews to spoil one day.”

  “Julia will give you plenty of babies to fawn all over,” Mark deflected. “Don’t put that responsibility on me.”

  Becca shook her head. “You’re just as stubborn as father was. He never admitted when he was wrong, either.”

  Mark leaned forward and kissed the top of his sister’s head. “Give my best to everyone. I’ll see all of you at church on Sunday.”

  As he made his way home to his own house, he thought about what just happened. His aunt was never going to stop; she just kept pulling names out of thin air like a magician. If he wanted this to end, he needed to take matters into his own hands. Didn’t one of the miners mention placing a mail order bride advert in a newspaper?

  When Mark reached his home, he marched straight into his study and pulled out a piece of paper.

  Several scribbled out attempts later, he finally had something that resembled what he wanted in a wife.

  Respectable gentleman of 28, with a good income from a copper mine, seeking marriage to a refined and virtuous young lady, who doesn’t take herself too seriously. Must be accustomed to running her own home and staff as well as independent enough to keep herself busy. Needs to be able to engage in intellectual conversation as well as laugh at dreadful jokes. Should enjoy attending the theater and balls, but also content with a picnic by a river.

  He doubted there was a woman out there that could fit his list of contradictions, but if she did, he hoped she found her way to read his advert. Either way, he would rather take matters into his own hands, than have to settle for a woman his aunt thrusted on him.

  3

  As Miriam stared out the window of the train at the passing sun-kissed canyons and plateaus, she pondered her own fate. Finding protection from the noble families loyal to her own had proven impossible; none of them wanted to be caught harboring the woman accused of murdering the Grand Prince. Her only choice was to sell the last of her jewels to buy two simple dresses and travel across the Pacific Ocean, praying for a way to start over where no one knew who she was. She had no idea, however, how hard that was going to be when she arrived in San Francisco. She was down to her last bit of money when another woman at the boarding house suggested looking into the Matrimonial Times. At first, Miriam had balked at the thought of promising herself to someone she’d never met, but as she became more desperate, the idea seemed less absurd.

  For the hundredth time, Miriam wondered if she was making the right decision to accept Mark Bennett’s offer of marriage. Despite being taught English by her tutor when she was young, finding reputable work for a woman was nearly impossible in America. Without being able to explain her education and noble upbringing, she couldn’t use any of her references to obtain a governess or teaching position. Marriage to a stranger was the only thing that could keep her from either compromising herself or starving to death.

  Miriam read through dozens of mail order bride adverts, finding fault with each one, before finally settling on the copper mine owner from Arizona. His advert seemed sincere, and he was of an age that was comfortably close enough to her own. He also had the means to take care of her—not that she had any expectations of anything resembling her old life. To have a home of her own with a kind man was more than she could hope for, given what she was running from.

  Her stomach grumbled, reminding her that she hadn’t eaten anything since earlier that morning. Every time she thought about food, nausea overtook her and she found herself feeling faint. Perhaps she’d picked up a sickness along her travels, or she was still suffering from nerves after what happened to her in Russia. She just needed to get through this last part of the journey, and it would pass once she settled into her new home.

  In the meantime, she needed to use the privy. She stood from her seat, knowing it was a long walk to the small room that held the commode. As soon as she did, however, everything around her started to spin. She reached out and placed her hand on the back of the seat to keep herself from falling over. She closed her eyes, trying to force the space around her to right itself, but it didn’t help. Instead, bright flashes of light popped behind her eyelids, making the dizziness even worse.

  “Are you all right, dear? You look rather pale?” Gertrude Pindle, who made it her mission to know all the other passengers on the train, asked from across the aisle. “Is there anything I can do to help you?”

  “I’m sure I will be fine,” Miriam mumbled in a Russian accent, but a fresh wave of nausea filled the pit of her belly, causing her to gasp as her eyes cracked open. She placed her hand over her mouth, worried that the little contents in her stomach might come spilling out at any moment.

  “Are you sure? You look like you might be ill this very second. Do you have a fever?” the other woman asked as she stood up and stretched out her hand to feel Miriam’s forehead. “Not one bit. What could be causing this?” The woman’s eyes flickered down to her belly, then back up to Miriam’s face. “Is there any possibility that you might be with child? You told me the other day that you were recently widowed.”

  Miriam’s eyes widened incredulously as her hand fell from her mouth to her stomach. Was it possible that she was pregnant? She’d felt sick for weeks now, and she’d gone two months without menstruating. She’d assumed all of that was due to the stress from watching the murder of her husband and the loss of her home. Now she wondered if there was a completely different reason.

  “I…I never thought of that until you brought it up,” Miriam stammered in dismay, still trying to process the possibility. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes, prompting her to blink rapidly to keep them from falling. “I never imagined being pregnant under these circumstances. What am I going to do?”

  “I didn’t mean to upset you, dear; I know it’s a lot to think about. I’m sure your fiancé will understand though.” The elderly woman patted her on the arm, sympathetically. “Why don’t you sit down before you faint; you’re shaking.”

  Like a wooden puppet, Miriam did as Gertrude suggested. The woman sat next to her, rubbing her gently on the back.

  Miriam swallowed several times, trying to force the lump to pass from her throat. How could she have let herself get into this situation? She’d only been intimate with Nicholas a handful of times over the past several months, but apparently, that was all it took. Even after his death, he’d managed to create endless problems for her. A baby complicated everything. The more she thought about it, the more obvious it became why she’d so firmly made herself believe she had been ill rather than accept the fact she was pregnant. By carrying Nicholas’ child, the stakes for surviving were even higher. She’d barely evaded capture the entire time she was on the run. Once the imperial family knew she was carrying the heir to the Russian empire, however, they would stop at nothing to track her down. Once they found her, she would lose her baby to them. They took whatever they wanted by any means necessary. The only thing worse than that would be if Constantine found her first. He would order her execution to keep the Grand Imperial Crown for himself.

  No matter how she looked at it, she was in a terrible position. Her only option was to throw herself at the mercy of her future husband, and pray he was the honorable and upright man she hoped he was. It wasn’t like she could keep the truth from him. It was only a matter of time before her secret became obvious. Was he the sort of person that could raise another man’s baby as his own, or would he reject her once he knew?

  “Can I pray with you, dear?” Gertrude offered. “There isn’t anything that the Lord can’t help you with.”

  Miriam nodded, knowing that the other woman was right. She let Gertrude take her hands in hers as they both closed their eyes. As she listened to Gertrude whisper prayers of strength and encouragement, she tried to lean into her faith. She wanted to trust that God would somehow make a way for her and her baby to be okay.

  4

  After a thorough inspection of the plans for the latest expansion of the copper mine, Mark Bennett assured himself that everythin
g was in place to break ground the following Monday. It had been a long day at the end of a very long week, but at least his plan was ready to be implemented.

  Preparing for a major expansion had proven most difficult. Between assuring his miners they could continue to work during the expansion and maintaining production while organizing the new site, Mark was exhausted from weeks of twelve-hour days.

  “Are you finished for the day?” Garrett inquired from the doorframe of the office.

  “Yes, I was just finishing up.” Mark placed the papers back in their folder, then slipped them into his desk drawer. “I just need to check one more thing.” Mark stood from his desk and went out to check the site of the new tunnel one last time.

  “I told you, I’ve got it under control. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  Mark knew better. Next week was going to test his endurance further than anything ever had. When the new team arrived ready to carve out a second tunnel into the mountain, his twelve-hour work days were going to switch into eighteen-hour ones.

  “This has to go perfectly; Uncle Martin is counting on me.”

  Garrett nodded. “And it will, I promise.”

  “If one explosion goes wrong, it could take down the entire mine, not to mention the mountain.”

  “That won’t happen. We have the best tunnel team in the country coming here. They know exactly what they are doing,” Garrett assured him. “Are you ready to head out for the day?”

  Mark nodded as he stood from his chair and picked up his suit jacket to put it back on. After adjusting his tie, he walked over to the coat rack and grabbed his hat, placing it on his head.

  “Why don’t you come over for dinner tonight? I’m sure Becca would love to catch up. You’ve been so busy lately.”

  “Thank you for the offer, but I need to head over to Yuma.” Despite Garret giving him a probing look, Mark didn’t give any further information. He wasn’t about to reveal the fact that today was the day Mark’s secret mail order bride arrived in Arizona. He needed to be at the Yuma train depot to pick her up in an hour, so time was of the essence. The last thing he wanted was to be late and start out on the wrong foot with his new wife.