by Lisa Prysock
Chapter 10
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
Mark 12:30
JENNY FOLLOWED CHARLOTTE Brooks out into the hall and toward the rear of the house. They turned right at the last door. She was surprised to find plenty of bookshelves, a large fireplace, and two matching desks facing each other. The window offered a pretty view of the sunset over the farm. It rather put her in the mind of Ella Milton’s library.
“This is where I do most of my writing,” Lottie explained.
“Your matching desks are lovely, and I find it romantic in an odd kind of way.” Jenny admired the pair of beautiful dark wood desks and the expansive book collection on their shelves.
“Thank you,” Lottie said. “These were one of the first things Caleb purchased for us. I think he had both desks here before I arrived. He knew I loved to write.”
Again, Jenny’s conscience felt a prick as she walked about the room, perusing the many and varied volumes and books on Lottie’s shelves. She still hadn’t found the right time to tell Zane about her writing. It was entirely possible once he found out about it, he wouldn’t want to marry her. For some reason, Captain Brooks had apparently been receptive about Charlotte’s writing, but how did she know her fiancé would share the same views? Most men did not, and few men would permit their wives to have any kind of career whatsoever.
“You have such a comprehensive collection of books,” she finally said, wanting to tell her new friend more, yet not ready to share her plight with her, either.
She liked her and the captain very much, but she was still getting to know Lottie and Caleb. Jenny had never felt so entirely alone before as she did in that moment, except maybe after Grandpa had passed on while Pa was away at war. She’d always been close to her grandpa and her pa, but when they were both gone at the same time, it had been a hard time for her, even with her sisters and Ma around. She didn’t know if she could trust Mrs. Brooks with personal information. She’d only just met her that very evening. Would she run to Dr. Beckham tomorrow and tell him something shared in confidence and good faith?
Lottie sat perched on the edge of her desk, observing her thoughtfully. “I know it may seem a little daunting right now, marrying someone you barely know, but Zane is an absolutely wonderful man. The whole town loves him, and his adorable chimpanzee and talking parrot. I’m sure you two will be very happy together, but you’ll both have to work at it.”
“I certainly hope we will be happy together,” Jenny replied. “Unlike Zane, it wasn’t my idea to become a mail-order bride. It was Mama’s idea to send my sisters and me away to be married with help from several agencies and a matchmaking aunt. She wants us all settled into excellent matches. It has taken me a bit of time to adapt to this, but ‘tis probably because I was born and bred to be the most independent among my sisters.”
“Your ma is trying to marry all five of you off through matchmaking agencies?”
“Aye. Carrie is in Boston. Bianca is in New York. She’s been matched to a fashionable New York milliner. I’ll never need a new hat again.”
Lottie laughed with her.
Jenny continued. “My sister Melanie went to England. Laura stayed home with her health issues, and here I am, in Minnesota. Carrie is probably on her way to Montana by now. That’s where the Boston matchmaker—Ella’s cousin, Mrs. Crenshaw—is sending her and her husband. He’s another horse farmer. When I went to England, the voyage took over a month, so Melanie probably hasn’t sailed into the Liverpool port yet. My Aunt Melody intends to introduce her to a British Naval Officer, some young Lieutenant.” She paused to breathe in some air as she paced about the pleasant library. Lottie reached for a box of matches on her desk, struck one, and lit the lamp since the room was a little dimmer now.
Jenny wondered if she had already divulged too much. No, nothing she hadn’t already told Zane. She was trying to be cautious with her words, but wanting so much to share more. She supposed she could share a little of her heart, but she needed to hold some things back.
Jenny continued as Lottie remained perched on the edge of the desk, listening. “Of course, we’ve each been able to correspond a bit with our prospective suitors, but some things can’t be shared in a letter. Some things you discover in person, later. All in all, I can’t complain. I think Zane is an excellent match for me, but...” Jenny sighed as she leafed through a book and then replaced it onto the shelves.
She paced, and then paused at the window to peer out at the beautiful sunset bringing the evening to a close, and bringing her one day closer to marrying her assigned doctor. “But, I’m just not sure about anything these days. One moment I think I’m completely in love, and the next, I’m terrified. It’s not helping that we don’t really know each other very well, but it is helping that Zane seems so wonderful and patient.”
“Have you asked Zane why he is seeking a wife through a mail-order bride agency?” Lottie asked.
Staring out the window, Jenny said, “No, I don’t think I need to ask him why. First of all, Pa always said never look a gift horse in the mouth. Secondly, a man of his social status and wealth attracts women for all of the wrong reasons. Thirdly, he has a history of falling in love with those who don’t return his love wholeheartedly. At his age, I think he was ready to try something different when he approached the agency, and I think he sees how happy you and Captain Brooks are as a prime example of where Ms. Milton’s matchmaking abilities can lead.” Jenny reached for another book from Lottie’s library shelves and leafed through it, holding it toward the bit of light still coming in from the window. “Lastly, Pelican Rapids is small. I don’t think there are many women to choose from who aren’t already married. Still, we hardly know each other. It’s rather daunting.”
“If it helps any, I was in love with someone else when I met Caleb,” Lottie admitted.
Jenny turned away from the window where she’d been holding the book in her hands and looked at Lottie with wide eyes. “You were?”
Lottie Brooks nodded. “I was indeed. Ryan Hill of Bally-Belle Plantation. He’d been my beau before the war turned my world into chaos. Then, he vanished during the war. He disappeared for three long years. I finally gave up hope that he would return. I was weary of waiting while many of the girls my age were getting married and having families of their own. I finally decided a change of pace would do me some good. It was the best decision of my life. I boarded a train for Pelican Rapids and met the love of my life three days later. Of course, I didn’t know if I’d ever grow to truly fall in love with Captain Brooks at the time, but he’d promised to love me. All I could do was take him at his word, but my heart was in so much pain and turmoil at the time. Oh, how wonderful our love story has been, and the truth is, we’re still writing it. Captain Brooks still makes my heart pitter-patter when he walks into the room.”
“And you’re over Ryan?” she asked, curious to know the answer.
Lottie smiled, nodding. “I am. Ryan actually recovered somewhat from his injuries, showed up here in the north and kidnapped me. It was a horrific experience. The war had changed him. He wasn’t healed yet from whatever he suffered. He was a deranged man. Thankfully, my true love mounted a rescue with a lot of help, and I was saved from a man I no longer loved. In fact, I didn’t know who he was anymore. We’d both changed. The war had changed us.”
“Wow, that’s quite a story!” Jenny breathed. “Did you ever tell Captain Brooks more about Ryan, I mean that you’d loved someone else.”
Lottie nodded. “I do remember telling him at some point, but Caleb loved me so much, I forgot about Ryan. I mean, he’s always going to be a beau from my past who I once loved during a time when things were much different. But my heart belongs to Caleb now. He loved me so much I fell madly, passionately in love with my Captain Brooks. And I’m sure you’ll feel the same about your Dr. Beckham. I also discovered something
along the way—not to take anything away from our beloved husbands—but love is a choice, too. You can choose to love someone, and you can choose it so deeply and with such fierce determination from your heart, that no fortress can destroy that love. That’s why the Bible says to guard your heart, for out of it flow the issues of life and death. Once you make a decision to love, the heart follows. It’s kind of like when we choose to serve, follow, and love Jesus with all of our devotion. You’ve made that decision, right?”
Jenny nodded. “Yes, I have.”
“Wonderful! Then you’ll find it much the same with loving your husband, which is why when Christ calls us His bride, it’s because He loves the church like a husband loves his bride—fiercely. I found that I now love Caleb as fiercely as he loves me. Our love has become like a roaring fire that can’t be put out, and I believe it’s like that with Jesus and His love for us, don’t you?”
Jenny nodded. “Yes, I completely agree. I have that same fierce love for my Savior since He died for my sins on that cross and made a way for me to live eternally with Him. I know He has fierce love for me too, because He’s always taken care of me. I’ve come to have a strong, abiding faith in Him. You’re saying a husband and wife love each other the same way, and that they can choose to do this. I think I can agree with you. I’ve seen that fierce determination in Mama’s eyes when she loves my father, even after he does something to exasperate her. She just forgives him and loves him anyways.”
“Yes, exactly, because she chooses to do so.” Lottie smiled. “I’m not saying it won’t take some time for you to get to know each other, but your love will grow into that raging, roaring, fiery flame that can’t be extinguished. You’ll see, but you have to give it time, patience, and determination. It takes a bit of working at it, like the garden when we prepare the soil and tend the plants.”
Jenny chuckled. “I can tell you’re a writer.”
“Yes, I’d better stop before I tell another analogy about the garden,” Lottie said, laughing as she stood up from her perch and then tucked an arm into the crook of Jenny’s elbow. “I could go on and on about that. Come, let’s get you back to your fiancé. They’re probably out jawin’ on the front porch. I’m sure Zane will want to drive you home before Ella sends Josiah looking for him.”
Chapter 11
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails...
I Corinthians 13: 5-8, NIV
SUNDAY MORNING ARRIVED, and Jenny attended the Lutheran church beside Pelican River for the first time with Ella’s household. On the way home from dinner with the Brooks the previous evening, Zane had promised to escort her to the service. True to his word, he came by the Milton farm to offer her a ride. They arrived early enough for Zane to speak to Reverend Lawrence about their wedding ceremony. On Monday, he’d stop in town and obtain the marriage license and order a cake from the bakery.
She found it nice to sit on the pew beside a strong man like her fiancé. The handsome doctor certainly stirred something within her. He held the hymnal they shared when they sang along with the pianist—Mrs. Grace Lawrence, the minister’s wife— playing the worship songs, and kept his arm around her shoulder during the sermon like the other husbands did with their wives in the congregation.
It was also nice to glance out of the church windows to see the river rushing by. She caught a glimpse of a pelican swooping down over the banks to dip into the river and catch a fish in its expandable beak. As the minister spoke about the love chapter from the book of Corinthians—reminding them that love did not remember wrongs—she watched several pelicans glide across the river. They were so graceful, moving as if they were skating, reminding her of swans. Then she saw another pelican take flight from the water. Its wing span was so long; it seemed to hover over the water a while longer than most birds before it took off. When it did finally take off, it soared. Would her love for Zane and his love for her compare to the way the beautiful pelican creatures took flight?
He wisely whisked her out of the church before the dismissal to avoid her having to greet the townsfolk who saw them together and gave them curious looks. He and Ella had introduced her to a few of them before the service. She’d met the blacksmith, Quimby Horne, and the town banker, Curtis Mills, and his wife, Ivy. She also saw her new friend, Miss Jen Carter, who came by her pew to say hello. However, Mrs. Theodora Carter gave her and Zane a disapproving look, but Jenny knew it was the look of a mother with dashed hopes for her daughters.
Miss Dash, along with Lottie and Caleb Brooks, sat in the pew directly ahead of them during the service. They’d greeted them warmly. It was fun to see Harry and Cora turn around and peer at them as the preacher spoke. The children recognized them from dinner the night before. In any case, when it was time to depart, Jenny was glad they weren’t too close to the front of the church to disturb the others. Ella and Josiah followed them out, and soon they were on the way home to the Milton farm.
Situated in the buggy after the service, they followed Ms. Milton’s carriage on the pleasant drive. Jenny and Ella unpinned their hats in the hall. Then they began placing the meal Minnie had prepared on the table while Zane and Josiah took care of the horses. For a brief time, the men sat in the parlor until the meal was served. Finally, Jenny and Zane were able to share their wedding plans with Ella and her son over the course of the delicious meal.
“I’m so thrilled to hear this news,” Ella replied, a joyous smile appearing on her face. “Josiah and I will be delighted to attend your wedding. Few things give me greater joy in life than weddings do. Please let us know if there is anything we can do to help with the preparations.”
Zane smiled and clasped Jenny’s hand, their eyes locking on each other. “Thank you. We plan to keep things simple at the request of the bride, and with a few arrangements I’ll make with my staff and a couple of errands, I think we’ll be ready. Jenny may need some assistance with getting ready, and if Josiah could transport the bride to the ceremony, I’m sure that would help.”
“I’d be honored,” Josiah said, reaching for the bread and butter pickles Minnie canned from the plenteous cucumbers they harvested from the Milton kitchen garden each year. Jenny hoped she and Zane would have an equally bountiful garden after they married. It was likely his kitchen staff or groundskeeper had already sown their vegetables for the year. She made a mental note to look into this more after they were wed.
Zane mentioned the few things they had left to do for the ceremony preparations. Then he leaned back in his chair after finishing his chicken pie. “And now I’m looking forward to a walk in the orchard with my beautiful bride.” He glanced at her with warmth in his eyes, and Jenny couldn’t help but feel calm and secure again in his gaze. Then he turned back to their hostess. “This was delicious. Minnie is a fine cook. I’d thank her in person, but where is she hiding today?”
“She isn’t feeling well and is upstairs in her room, keeping close to the bed,” Ella explained.
“Maybe I should look in on her, just to be safe,” Zane offered.
“Would you?” Ella asked. “I’d feel so much better if you did, Dr. Beckham.”
“Of course, I’d be happy to do so, free of charge,” he added. “I’ll just get my bag. It’s out in the buggy.”
Ella nodded, standing up from the linen-covered table and collecting a few plates to carry to the kitchen. “I’ll take some tea and broth up to her, and warn her you’ll be up shortly.”
“Good idea,” Zane agreed as he pushed his chair back from the table to retrieve his medical bag. “We’ll take our walk after I’ve checked on Minnie.”
“That sounds fine. I’d like to change into something a little more comfortable when I’m done here.” Jenny stood and gathered a few of the dishes, carrying them to the kitchen. “First I’ll help with the dishes.”
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Josiah, appearing lost in the fray, loosened his tie and disappeared upstairs for his customary Sunday nap without a word. Ella watched her son head toward the staircase when she peeked out from the kitchen where she poured a cup of tea from the kettle on the cook stove. “Josiah loves his Sunday nap.”
“I usually take one too, but today I’ll enjoy a walk with Zane first. I’m sure he’s anxious to get home and rest up for our big day. It sounds like he’ll want to have a word with his staff first thing tomorrow. He said he’d have his cook prepare a romantic wedding supper for two...some southern cuisine to bring a little of Kentucky to our celebration.” Jenny found one of Minnie’s extra aprons on a kitchen hook and tied it around her waist. Then she started pumping water from the hand pump into a pan she’d located to heat the water for washing the dishes.
“That sounds so nice. I’m so happy for the two of you.” Ella soon had a tray ready for Minnie with a cup of hot tea, toast, and a bowl of chicken broth. “Thank you so much, Jenny, for helping in the kitchen today. I’ll be down to help you after I take this up.”
“’Tis no problem. I’m accustomed to helping my mother in the kitchen now and then.” Jenny hummed a little tune as Ella disappeared upstairs too, and soon she had the water heated and then the dishes washed.
By the time the agency proprietress returned, the only thing left to do was drying and putting away the dishes. When Dr. Beckham returned to the kitchen, he looked surprised to see her efficiency in Ella’s kitchen.
“With some rest, plenty of liquids, and good nourishment, I think Minnie will be fine in about a week or two. She’s come down with a severe common cold,” he explained. “It could easily develop into bronchitis at her age. I recommended a week of rest, and she seemed to agree. I think you’ll have a compliant patient. I put some dried marshmallow root in her tea to help minimize the coughing and ease her sore throat. She’ll probably sleep the rest of the day because I also gave her two teaspoons of this tonic.” He placed a bottle of liquid on the kitchen work table. “She should have two teaspoons of this twice a day to help alleviate pain and fever. This will make her drowsy, so no driving to town or operating the cook stove.”
